A docksider newly assigned to his post was in hospital, half killed by the crew
of the militarized merchanter Janus. The militarized crews demanded merchanter
privileges and access to bars, against some stationer authorities who tried to
put them under military discipline. The bones would mend; the relations between
station-side officers and the merchanter crews were in worse condition. The next
stationer officer who went out with the patrols was looking to get his throat
cut. Merchanter families were not used to strangers aboard.
No station personnel to be assigned to militia ships without permission of
ship’s captain, he sent to the militia office. Militia ships will patrol under
their own officers pending resolution of morale difficulties.
That would create anguish in some quarters. It would create less than a mutiny
would, a merchanter ship against the station authority which tried to direct it.
Elene had warned him. He found occasion now to take that advice, an emergency in
which stationmaster could override council’s ill-advised desire to keep its
thumb on the armed freighters.
There were petty crises in supply. He stamped authorizations where needed, some
after the fact, approval on local supervisors’ ingenuity, particularly in the
mines. He blessed skilled subordinates who had learned to ferret hidden
surpluses out of other departments.
There was need for repair in Q and security asked authorization for armed forces
to seal and clear orange three up to the forties, for the duration of the
construction, which meant moving out barracksful of residents. It was rated
urgent but not life-threatening; taking a repair crew in without sealing the
area was. He stamped it Authorized. Shutting down the plumbing in that sector
instead threatened them with disease.
“A merchanter captain Ilyko to see you, sir.”
He drew in his breath, stabbed at the button on the console, calling the woman
in. The door opened, admitted a huge woman, grayed and seamed with years rejuv
had not caught in time. Or perhaps she was in the decline… the drugs would not
hold it off forever. He gestured to a chair; the captain took it gratefully. She
had sent the interview request an hour ago, while the ship was coming in. She
came from Swan’s Eye, a can-hauler out of Mariner. He knew the locals, but not
this woman. She was one of their own now, militarized; the blue sleeve cord was
the insignia she wore to indicate as much.
“What’s the message,” he asked, “and from whom?”
The old woman searched her jacket and extracted an envelope, leaned heavily
forward to lay it on his desk. “From the Olvigs’ Hammer,” she said. “Out of
Viking. Flashed us out there and gave us this hand-to-hand. They’re going to be
out of station scan a while… afraid, sir. They don’t like what they see at all.”
“Viking.” Word of that disaster had come in long ago. “And where have they been
since then?”
Their message might make it clearer; but they claim to have taken damage
clearing Viking. Short-jumped and hung out in nowhere. That’s their story. And
they’re scarred up for sure, but they’ve got a load. We should have been so
lucky when we ran. Then we wouldn’t be running militia service, would we, sir,
for dock charges?“
“You know what’s in this?”
“I know,” she said. “There’s something on the move. Push is coming to shove, Mr.
Konstantin. The way I reckon it… Hammer tried a jump Unionside and didn’t find
it so good over there after all; Union tried to grab her, it seems, and she ran
for it. She’s scared of the same thing here. Wanted me to come in ahead of her
and bring the message, so’s she won’t have her hands dirty with it. Consider her
position if Union figures she blew the whistle on them. Union’s moving.”
Angelo regarded the woman, the round face and deep-sunken dark eyes. Nodded
slowly. “You know what happens here if your crew talks on station or elsewhere.
Makes it very hard on us.”
“Family,” she said. “We don’t talk to outsiders.” The black eyes fixed steadily
on him. “I’m militia, Mr. Konstantin, because we had the bad luck to come in
with no load and you laid a charge on us; and because there’s nowhere else.