Pirates of I'ab (Zaran Journals, Book 2)

By Scott Seldon

Independent galactic trader Ven Zaran steps in to help a fellow trader, taking over his contract in a region rife with pirate activity. His certainty that he can avoid the pirates evaporates when he finds out the fine print in the contract. He begins to lose cargo after cargo and each attempt to avoid the pirates and follow the contract only draws more attention from the pirates. Trying to keep his income up, he takes some side jobs, but when the pirates capture one of those, Ven puts all his efforts into recovering it and ends up breaking his contract. Now free, Ven lays his own trap for the pirates, but it is a dangerous game with deadly consequences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scott Seldon
• Release date: Aug 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476397788

Scott Seldon

Scott Seldon lives in Colorado with his wife and family in a house brimming with old and new computers. He is a student of technology, history, anthropology, languages, and cosmology. Each separate direction of study has enriched his imagination, but he credits the creative output of George Lucas and Isaac Asimov for the direction it has taken. He turned his creativity to science fiction in his teens and has never looked back.In his writing, Scott strives to create rich worlds and characters. Although his stories take place in the future, he often looks to the past to give his stories a solid background. He’s is more likely to watch Captain Blood than Star Wars to find inspiration on the feel of a story. He reads the latest titles by Jack McDevitt followed by C. L. Moore’s stories of Northwest Smith written decades ago with Les Miserables and the Princess of Mars next on his reading list.

Book preview

Pirates of I’ab

Zaran Journals Book 2

Scott Seldon

Published by Arrano-Taldea Group

at Smashwords

2012

Discover other titles by Scott Seldon at

sites.google.com/site/scottrseldon

Arrano-Taldea Group is a collective association of independent authors of genre fiction. Each author accepts full responsibility for the content of their own publications. Please contact the author directly to report any problems with this ebook. [e-mail]

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Pirates of I’ab

Copyright © 2012 by Scott Seldon

Cover Art by: Yotsuya

Visit him at: yotsuya-sama.deviantart.com

All rights reserved.

The copyright holder has licensed this ebook for use by a single reader. The reader may read this ebook using any compatible software or hardware and may copy this ebook to each such device they own and make reasonable backups. All other copying, hiring, lending, modification, reselling, or republishing, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited in accordance with US and international copyright laws.

ebook Edition

First Edition: August 30, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4764-9966-6

Revision 2

This one is for my wife

who puts up with being married to a writer

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Index

About the Author

Pirates of I’ab

4610 GCE*

Prologue

You can’t do this, Yishka Numovor yelled at the pirate leader as his minions off-loaded the cargo through the docking hatch.

There’s nothing to stop me. The man was tall but rounded from too little activity. I can do whatever I want in this sector.

You... Yishka began again before the pirate cut him off.

And you need to be careful how you talk. I could easily fry your brain. Then where would you be?

Yishka watched helplessly as the pirates emptied the hold of his ship. This was not the first time the pirates had boarded his ship, but it was going to be the last because Yishka was losing his shirt. He would have to cut his losses and get out of this sector or his creditors would have his head. Figuratively he hoped.

It took them less time to empty the hold this time than it had previously. Almost before he knew it, Yishka was watching the pirate leader back out the hatch and leave.

We’ll see you again soon, Captain.

I’d rather eat Stavian sausage.

Yishka could hear the pirate laugh as he closed the hatch. He waited as he heard the dull clunks of the pirate ship disengaging. When all had been quiet for several minutes, he made his way to the cockpit and ran a scan to be sure. The pirate ship was still in the area, but even as Yishka watched, it jumped to hyperspace and was gone.

He gave the pirates a few more minutes to be sure they were out of range. He went to the storage locker where they had locked up his crew and let them out. The pirates had shot the new crewman he’d hired to replace the one that had bailed out after the last pirate boarding. He’d died while the pirates were moving the cargo. That added to the charges the pirates faced, but it still didn’t make it any easier to track them down.

Yishka went back to the cockpit and activated the comm. The pirates should be far enough away by now that they wouldn’t come back. He was required by galactic law to hold position and report the boarding. He switched to the hypercomm and set it to the emergency frequency.

"This is Captain Yishka Numovor, of the trader Hissala Dumor. We have just been boarded by pirates, our cargo stolen and one crew member killed."

He waited for the Customs Control center to send a response. He was beginning to wonder if his signal was getting through when the comm crackled in response to the incoming signal. "Message received Hissala Dumor. We have your position and transponder code. You may proceed to a port of your choice to finish filing the report. Please inform the local Customs detachment of your situation and refer them to case number AC356-HC89-7743821."

Roger, Customs Control. Will proceed to Garganga Station immediately. Thanks for the help.

When the comm signaled the end of the connection, Yishka shut it down and called in his navigator to lay in the course. His crew was efficient and they were underway within twenty minutes.

When they finally jumped to hyperspace, Yishka could finally breathe. He was relieved to be out of the Felkil sector and vowed never to go back. All he needed now was to find someone to finish his contract. All he needed now was to find someone to finish his contract.

Chapter One

The renovations at Quetle Station limited the number of ships it could accommodate. It was fortunate that Ven knew Alderin Balerio or they wouldn’t have gotten a berth for the four days the repairs and restocking would take.

Is the business treating you well? Balerio asked Ven when he stopped by his office.

I can’t complain. I’ve had some pretty good runs that have padded the accounts. Things have been pretty quiet the last couple weeks, but I think your renovations have more to do with that than anything.

Yes, I’ve had a lot of complaints about half the station being closed. The results will be worth it. With the increased capacity and the berths for the larger ships, everything will be back to normal in next to no time and we should see the upgrades payoff in six months to a year.

"I really appreciate your help in getting Nova Trango in for service. Berglund has been bugging me about it for weeks and this was the first facility we’ve stopped at that could do it right."

That’s what friends are for.

Their conversation drifted to their families and the latest scuttlebutt.

"I think you know Yishka Numovor, Captain of the Hissala Dumor."

Yishka and I go way back. What’s up with him these days?

The news isn’t so good. Balerio paused before continuing. He was working in the Felkil sector out of I’ab and was boarded by pirates seven times. The last time, one of his crew was killed. He arrived on the station a few hours ago and has been warning everyone about the sector.

I’ve heard a few traders have been having bad luck with pirates in that sector. I guess there’s some truth behind the rumors.

Yes there is. I don’t know if you have any business in that area, but if you do, be careful. I need good traders like you to keep this place going. I don’t like the big corporations. They tend to expect special treatment and don’t pay what they should. It’s hard to run business that way. You independents are at least honest.

To some degree.

Yes Ven, I know all about your side business. Even in that sort of thing, you bring a sense of honesty and trustworthiness. I just want you to stick around. The people you associate with are good for this station.

I appreciate your confidence. I hope I can live up to it.

* * *

The ship was deserted when Ven finally found his way back. Laren had left a note on the message board that he and Roldan had run an errand and would be back in a few hours.

Such quiet times on his ship gave Ven a chance to sit and ponder how life was going. He was contemplating going up to the observation deck when he heard the comm beep in the cockpit. He hurried to pick it up. This is Captain Zaran.

Hi, Ven, came a tired voice, This is Yishka. I was wondering if you were on board so I could stop by. I still haven’t seen this new ship of yours and you’ve had it for three years.

I’d be glad to give you a tour. When were you thinking of coming by?

Could I come now? There is something I would like to talk to you about.

Of course. I’m not doing anything.

Then I’ll see you in a few minutes.

* * *

Ven could immediately see how tired and haggard Yishka looked. Yet something about him signaled a release from the tension that had given him such a visage. May I come aboard? he asked in the time-honored tradition.

By all means.

Yishka seemed a little uncomfortable and unsure of where to begin so Ven invited him to the cockpit.

Plenty of room for a duty crew, he commented.

Not only that, Ven added, but plenty of room for me or my first mate to supervise as well. Yishka began taking interest in the rest of the ship. He was incredibly impressed by the spotless condition of the engine room. Berglund, Ven’s engineer, took great pride in keeping everything clean enough to eat off of. Ven found the brief tour ending up in the upper observation deck. Docked inside the station, there really wasn’t much to see, but Yishka could well imagine the view as it might be if one of the more spectacular nebulae lay outside.

Now Ven, Yishka began to get to the real point, I don’t know if you’ve heard what brought me to Quetle. I was in the Re’ivsa System and my luck left me. I had a few run-ins with the local pirates and I can’t afford to finish out my contract. If I got boarded one more time I would be forced to leave the business or sell out to one the commercial carriers.

I’d heard you’d had some back luck.

It was almost like someone was out to get me. I’m convinced that someone helped them and gave them my flight plan. The gist of it is that I can’t go back, but I still have a contract that has to be filled and I need to find someone who can take over for me.

And you were thinking that I could do that? Ven asked with little surprise.

That was what I was thinking and what I was hoping to convince you to do.

Isn’t there danger involved? Ven asked.

I can’t deny there might be. One of my crew was killed by the pirates and he had replaced one that they’d driven off. Yishka looked Ven directly in the eyes and said, It’s not without its dangers, but the rewards, if you care to gamble some of your reserves, outweigh the dangers. My contract could have made me a wealthy man. But the old adage that it takes money to make money really applies here. The pirates broke me and I really have to cut my losses. I can’t risk another run in that sector or I risk everything I’ve built up. One more run-in with pirates and I’m finished. And I’m certain that there was someone leaking my flight plans to the pirates and I am positive that they would have struck again. If you have the reserves in your accounts, you might be able to finish the contract out. It won’t be as profitable for you as it might have in the beginning, but it should pad out your accounts nicely.

Ven sat quietly taking in all the information. He trusted Yishka and knew that if he took it and completed it successfully that he would turn a nice profit. As things were slow in this sector, he was inclined to take the gamble.

Before he could answer, Yishka continued, You know, Ven, I could try to convince you and warn you about all the dangers at the same time, but is there any way you could just do this as a favor to me?

When you put it that way, Yishka, I can’t say no. And it doesn’t sound any more dangerous than any of the jobs I’ve gotten into myself.

Thank you, Ven. I really appreciate this. I just can’t go back. I’m broke and I just can’t risk anything happening again.

We all hit that place at some time. I’ve been there. Do you happen to have your contract and schedules on you?

Yishka did and he spent the next half hour going over them so that Ven would know what was expected. Ven didn’t say anything, but he could tell where the leak likely was. He could risk a boarding or two to test his theory. If he was right, he could avoid any after that and maybe make a decent profit.

Yishka profusely thanked Ven for taking over the contracts as he left. The relief on his face was obvious.

When Laren and Roldan returned later, Ven told them what he’d gotten them into. He ordered Laren to make some preparations to deal with the pirates. The next scheduled run on Yishka’s itinerary was not far off. They would have to leave as soon as the work was done in order to make it. Ven contacted the rest of the crew to make sure they would be back on time and told them they would be in for an adventure.

Ven double checked with the station support staff to confirm that there were still four days left before the ship was ready. That was just enough time, allowing for another four days travel time, to get to I’ab for their first run.

* * *

Laren was curious about what they were getting themselves into. Rather than tie up the ship’s system, he went to the trader’s lounge to use the public system. He ran several checks and downloaded almost a full data chit on the history and astronomy of the sector. Re’ivsa was a very old human system. It had been the main channel of trade on that side of the galaxy for as long as any history books went back. I’ab itself was a bleak moon orbiting a gas giant. The lack of atmosphere along with the light, but still noticeable, gravity, made it an ideal trading hub. It was supported by the planet I’vo, the fourth planet in the system. It was naturally habitable and the agriculture provided I’ab’s large population with enough to eat as well as plenty to export.

Laren had never been near I’ab before. It looked to be a very business oriented place with few amenities beyond what the typical trade ship might make use of.

Most of what he found on the sector was on the dangers of piracy. It had been going on there for as far back as the records went. It had increased slightly in the past few years enough to rate an official Customs warning. Mercifully, the pirates had killed very few in their numerous attacks. Yishka’s crewman was the first in six years. The rumors about what they did to their own numbers were another matter.

Laren prepared a summary of the information he’d gathered and messaged each of the crew. He was sure Berglund had been there before and just as sure that none of the rest of them had.

* * *

So we won’t see you for a while, Ven’s wife, Kotula, said after he told her about taking over Yishka’s contracts.

I’m afraid not, dear. But it fills up the three-month hole I had. We should be back to Leywan right after that.

I really needed to talk to you about Ash.

What’s the problem? Ven asked, concerned how his young daughter was doing.

She’s not responding to the therapy. The doctor says that if we don’t see some progress soon that it may leave lasting harm. At least she’s physically healthy, she’s just so listless all the time.

I know, dear. I’m sorry you have to bear the burden of this. Maybe it might do you three some good to take a vacation somewhere close to Re’ivsa. It might do Ash some good to get out and I know Chup would love it.

I’ll see if I can get away. Maybe in about a month.

That would be great. It gives me enough time to check the area out to see which system you should visit. There are a lot of nice places in the area.

Please see if there is anyone in that sector who might be able to help Ash.

Of course.

Ven sighed after Kotula’s image vanished from the comm screen. It had been a long hard three years since the kidnapping. Ash was the only one who hadn’t been able to resume her normal life after the ordeal. She, her brother Chup, and Kotula had been kidnapped by a gang intent on making Ven work for them in revenge for what Ven had done to get their boss imprisoned. Ven had been trapped; not being able to rescue his family and unable to escape his forced slavery, he had succumbed to his old addiction to Tint and barely survived his bout with the drug. His former first mate and a customs agent had stepped in to rescue his family just before, as it turned out, Ven finally snapped under the pressure and killed one of the gangsters.

Ven was doing good so far. He’d been free from Tint for two years now. Chup had survived the ordeal better than the rest of them. He had taken it in stride and saw the adventure in it. He’d helped his mother deal with Ash, who had withdrawn and turned from a vibrant outgoing child into a sullen shy child. She was showing signs of improvement around family friends, which the therapist said was good, but around strangers she would not speak and would try to hide, usually behind her mother. It was even worse in public places.

Ven had often cursed those gangsters. Justice, of a sort, had been done and they were serving out their time. As they had transported Ven’s family between systems, it had fallen under the jurisdiction of the Customs Corps and they had not been lenient on the ringleaders. That didn’t give Ven much consolation after having life turned upside down to such an extent and with such long lasting effects.

When he sat and reflected on such things, he felt a strong draw for the blissful forgetfulness of a Tint high. He sighed again and got up to busy himself with ship’s business.

* * *

The station staff had their promised work finished with plenty of time for Ven and his crew to finish preparations for departure well before he wanted to leave. To Ven, it felt nice to have things working so smoothly. It was a rare occurrence in a trader’s life; they left slightly ahead of schedule. Kasal’s skillful piloting kept them at a safe distance from all parts of the station and other traffic as they left. He, as always, lined the ship up perfectly for Ladna to complete the course plot efficiently.

Ven had put a considerable amount of effort into assembling a crew that worked so well together. The hardest part had been finding two teams that meshed to fill the required two shifts for a ship of this size.

The course is plotted, Ven, Ladna told him with the casual familiarity that Ven preferred to have with his crew.

Then let’s jump.

As Ladna engaged the hyperspace engine, it seemed that the stars in front of the ship erupted into flames and parted as the ship created a door into hyperspace.

The colorful streams of light that illuminated hyperspace seemed dim for a moment after the brilliant flash of entry. Blue and green dominated the other colors in the brightly glowing hyperspace streams around Quetle Station.

Ven sat in the cockpit and watched the streams, something he never tired of. They gradually turned more purple as they edged closer to the galactic center on their course to I’ab. They would have to make a few course corrections to avoid approaching too close to the gravity shadow of several stars. Even so, it would only take a few days to make the journey. Hyperspace travel could be really boring, but it gave Ven the free time he needed to unwind from all the bureaucratic nonsense he had to deal with on a daily basis in port.

The course changes were uneventful making the four-day voyage rather dull. Ven sometimes valued a dull trip to offset those rare, but still all too frequent, trips when nothing seemed to go right. This trip he put to use to make sure the genuine log for his ship and the fake ones he maintained were properly synchronized where they needed to be. They were headed into a potentially dangerous situation and he wanted to be ready. After being a trade captain for over a decade, he had a pretty diverse bag of tricks at his disposal.

Nova Trango came out of hyperspace in a small cloud of whitish gas. Wally, the pilot on duty, upped the throttle and the ship quickly cleared the dispersing gas cloud that signaled their exit from hyperspace.

At this distance I’ab’s parent planet was a small disc and the moon itself was invisible against the stars and nebulae. Its sister planet, I’vo was, according to the charts, almost directly on the other side of the system. Roldan, his navigation duties pretty much finished for the voyage, aimed the ship’s visual scanners where the small rocky moon should be and brought up the enhanced image that showed I’ab.

Look at all those landing zones, Roldan commented as Ven looked over his shoulder at the image.

It’s been a thriving trade center for a very long time, Ven said. Not all of those might be in use right now.

Any idea how much trade goes through here? Roldan asked.

I don’t have any figures, but I know it’s a lot. It’s the major hub for this quadrant of the galaxy. Most of it is commercial traffic, but there’s also a lot of us free traders based out of here. We haven’t spent much time in this area because of its proximity to Zecca, as Ven said it he looked over at Wally, his Zeccan pilot.

Just remember not to call me Wally in the port and I’ll be fine. Zecca doesn’t have any jurisdiction here, so as long as they can’t be sure it’s me they won’t do anything. Wally didn’t seem to be too concerned and didn’t even pause as he skillfully approached the small airless world. Wally was wanted by his own people regarding a mishap at his academy that he had been blamed for. There was little he could do to clear his name and even though his family was of high standing, they were powerless to help him and, except for his brother, they all believed in his guilt as much as the general populace did. That left Wally in exile with no real hope of ever being able to go home again.

I’ab Port Control had them make a couple of orbits and file a few forms before giving them a landing beacon. They had plenty of time to see the extensive facilities that I’ab hosted. It was a truly amazing sight. There were groups of landing platforms surrounded by storage and cargo handling facilities. Where the moon wasn’t taking care of cargo, there were domed cities. A number of them were obviously ancient and in ruins, but the majority in view from orbit looked inhabited. Ven noted the steady stream of ships leaving orbit and breaking away on their individual courses. More than half of them were large commercial ships. Seeing the sheer volume of traffic that the system handled, Ven wasn’t surprised that pirates could operate from I’ab with impunity.

They were assigned to an open berth in a landing area just east of the administrative city. As soon as the docking couplings were connected, the port officials were buzzing at the hatch.

According to your preregistration, the port official began, "this is Nova Trango commanded and owned by Vendarka Zaran."

That is correct and that would be me.

Well, captain is it? What brings you to the Re’ivsa system?

We are here to complete a contract for a fellow trader who was unable to continue. We will be in and out of here for several months until we finish the contract.

And do you have a copy of said contract?

Ven produced it and the official examined it in detail. I see you have the proper form transferring the contract from Yishka Numovor to yourself. Everything looks to be in order so you are cleared for multiple arrivals and departures for the next four months. Good luck with your business here. With that the official was gone.

I need to go check in with the contractor and let them know we’re here. Ven told Laren. I’ll be back in a while.

* * *

The contractor’s office was a short transport ride away. Ven found it without any problems and then had to wait for her to get out of an appointment.

I can’t say that I’m surprised that Yishka turned it in, Vian Pogue said after Ven told her who he was. I don’t know why, but the pirates were targeting him more than they usually do. It might just have been a black market need for what he was carrying.

So you don’t expect me to have similar problems?

Oh, no. I’ve shuffled the schedule so you won’t be carrying those sorts of things. I told Yishka I was doing that but it was evidently too little too late. I’m counting on you having better luck. Those seven intercepted cargos cost me a bundle. I can’t afford much more of that.

When is my first cargo?

I have something waiting on the docks that should fit your ship. Yishka’s cargo was ready to go yesterday and it was pretty urgent so I sent it with one of the other contracted traders. This one doesn’t need to go very far, so if you’d take it I’ll have something else ready by the time you get back. A Sorranta Cargo supercarrier is coming in later today and I’m supposed to have several shiploads to deliver later in the week.

When do we pick it up?

You don’t. Just give me your berth and I’ll have it delivered and I’ll send you the invoices and instructions.

Ven left still thinking about what the arrival of a supercarrier would mean. Supercarriers were the largest of intergalactic trade vessels and were only found on the major trade routes. I’ab, being one of the largest trading hubs in the galaxy, saw a fairly constant stream of supercarriers. As an independent trader, Ven kept to the smaller trade routes. He’d rarely had the opportunity to see a supercarrier. He’d looked at the specs many times. They were kilometers long and moved the bulk of the interstellar trade to the major destinations. It sounded like he wouldn’t get to see this one. Even for their size, an efficient ground crew could load or unload a ship of that size in a matter of hours. His thoughts took him all the way back to the ship.

Laren was busy running some system checks when Ven entered the bridge. Something’s up with the type A fuel feed. Berglund said he can keep an eye on it, but he wants to replace it when we have about two days. He needs to know if we are going to be based here.

Yes. We have one short hop today and then they’ll have another run for us after we get back. I think we’ll get a break after that.

I’ll let him know.

Has he checked on how long it will take to get it?

Laren laughed. They have on in stock at a local parts supplier. They are holding it for us.

Well, my next question is how expensive is this going to be?

The part is fifteen hundred credits.

Oh, that’s not bad. Is it okay to do this short hop?

Berglund said it was urgent, but he can keep it going for a few runs if necessary. Just the sooner the better.

Tell him to get the part and he’ll have whatever the time between runs to get it done.

He won’t be too pleased with the time limit, but I’ll convince him.

Tell him we have a tight schedule right now... Never mind. I’ll tell him. Is he back there right now?

I think so, Ven. He was trying to work out a patch until he could replace that part.

Ven headed aft and went through the cargo bay, now empty and ready for cargo, to the engine room in the stern. Berglund, he called as he closed the hatch behind himself. Berglund, are you in here.

Yeah, right here, Ven. What did you need?

Laren passed your message on to me and I just wanted to talk to you about the repair.

Oh, right. Well, what’s your decision?

It has to be done, so do it. The only catch is that you only have between runs to get it done. I don’t want our contractor to think we have a faulty ship before we even have a chance to show her what we can do.

I guess you’ve got a point there.

How long will it take for you to get the part?

I can have it here in thirty minutes if I order it now.

Good. Do it. Then you can get started as soon as we land. Is there anything I have to be careful of on this hop?

No, it’s still working. Just be gentle with her. I’m going to keep an eye on it, and I have a bypass ready, but if I have to use it there will be a power drop.

Okay. Definitely get it before we take off. I don’t want to get stuck anywhere if it fails.

Don’t worry, Ven. I can keep it going. But I’ll get the part so we don’t have to test my jury-rigging abilities.

* * *

Quicker than Ven would have guessed, the cargo was being delivered and loaded in the hold by Pogue’s cargo handlers and they were ready for departure. He found the flight plan and delivery details already in his messages after he had checked that the cargo was secure.

They don’t mess around, do they, Ven, Wally commented when Ven took his seat in the cockpit.

Evidently not. How soon can we get clearance?

We are in the queue, but they said it might be a while.

What is a while?

I don’t know, Wally said with a Zeccan approximation of a shrug. That’s just what they said. They didn’t make it sound like it would be hours so I’m hoping we hear back from them at any time.

Ven worked his console and brought up the destination and flight plan. He sent it to Roldan’s Navigation console. See what you can make of that. I don’t want to follow that course. Find something else.

Okay, Ven, but it’s only one jump.

Just use different beacons and avoid what they suggested.

Wally was correct about the timing. Just over thirty minutes of waiting and I’ab Port Control gave them departure clearance. Wally skillfully piloted the ship to the beacon. Roldan had done his job and they entered hyperspace with a unique course to Langaf Lajl, a short five minute hyperspace hop from I’ab. The two hour flight and decent to the planet took longer than the cargo crew took to arrive and unload the cargo. Less than 10 hours after they departed, they were again given landing clearance for I’ab.

As they rounded the curve of the moon on their final approach, the large supercarrier came into view. It dominated the sky above the port. The support ships were busy unloading it and formed a steady stream to the surface below.

There’s a rare sight for you, Ven told his crew.

They are huge, aren’t they, Kasal commented.

As they got closer, they could see the cargo hatches open and the vast cargo holds filled with the standardized cargo containers that made supercarriers practical and efficient.

Our next job is supposed to be arriving on that. We should know after they sort it all out. Ven felt the same awe as he’d felt as a child when looking at such wonders. Nova Trango would fit hundreds or thousands of times over within the holds of the supercarrier.

Their assigned glide path took them under the supercarrier, close enough that it filled the port. Their destination was just a few klicks past the shadow cast by the huge cargo vessel. Kasal brought the ship safely back to the same berth they’d left hours before.

Are we going to be making many of these short hops? Ladna asked Ven.

According to Yishka, no. But anything can happen. We are just a contract trade ship for Pogue’s outfit.

They locked down the ship. Ven contacted Pogue’s office and left a message that they were back.

There might be a bit of a delay with that other cargo, Pogue told him.

What’s the delay?

It’s taking longer to process the cargo that the supercarrier brought in.

Any particular reason?

They do this to us from time to time. Usually it’s not a problem, but one of the big execs from the corporate shipping office has been here the past few days and nothing is going very smoothly.

Are they going to be here much longer?

No idea. The last time they were here for three weeks when they were supposed to be here for three days.

* * *

Surprisingly, the next morning Ven got the call that the cargo was being delivered. Pogue’s cargo handlers were experts at their trade and they packed the cargo in tighter than Ven had ever seen. He checked the stats for the cargo out of concern that it was too much, but