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Bechimo
Dock A


Jen Sin looked to Theo, who gave him a nod.

“We can patch you through, if you want.”

“It would be a kindness,” he answered, and heard Clarence snort lightly.

“No need to be running from one end of the station to the other because ships are comin’ in,” he said, sliding off the stool. “I’ll make some more tea, laddie. You just sit there and take care of bidness.”

“Don’t leave without seeing me again,” Theo said, straightening from having put the norbear on the floor. “I’ve got a second question, too.” She snatched the last maize button off the platter and left, Hevelin with her.

Jen Sin turned to the screen and met Joyita’s dark, speculative gaze.

“Comm Officer,” he said gently. “Will you give me a private line to Tocohl, and access to the public bands?”

“Certainly, Light Keeper. Would you also like visual?”

“Yes, if it can be arranged without discommoding you.”

“Easily arranged,” Joyita assured him with a faint smile. “Patching through to Tocohl.”

The screen blanked.

“Jen Sin?”

“Tocohl. I hear we have ships inbound. What is their number and kind?”

“Three in number, and—Loopers, out of Hacienda Estrella at Edmonton Beacon, answering the Traveler’s Aid Notice from Carresens-Denobli. They are carrying raw materials, specialized equipment, and standard rescue kits.”

The screen flickered and reformed in three panels. Largest was the approach space visual. Tiled on the right, one over the other, were the status and analytics screens. He inclined his head in thanks, even as he tried to unknot Tocohl’s information.

Edmonton Beacon again—but, then, it would be their nearest neighbor of any note.

The Carresens, though…

Jen Sin took a moment to center himself.

Yes, very good. The Carresens were a Terran shipbuilding association. The Denoblis were a trading family. They would seem to have married their interests together since the last time he had put his attention on either. In fact, the last he had heard, the Carresens had been involved in a shipbuilding project with the Uncle, intending to—

He held up a hand, murmuring, “Mute, please, Comm Officer.”

“Muted.”

Bechimo. These ships. Do they arrive on your behalf?”

“At some point, I would be interested in learning how you concluded that they might be, but for now—no, Light Keeper. They are not here because I am—family. I am specifically not family.”

“Thank you. Unmute, please, Comm Officer.”

“Done.”

“Tocohl, what is Korval’s association with the Carresens-Denoblis?”

“Master Trader yos’Galan, representing Tree-and-Dragon Family, has recently entered into a limited partnership with the Carresens-Denobli Syndicate. It’s in the trade news.”

Jen Sin raised an eyebrow.

“Do we take the trade news?”

“Subscriptions are only now beginning to arrive,” she said. “Shall I share them with you?”

“Of your kindness. In the meanwhile, I will speak with these gentles and ascertain their best docking. Will you please monitor?”

“Yes.”


The public band was full of chatter.

Jen Sin sipped from the cup of tea Clarence had left at his elbow, and…listened.

“Is that Ren Stryker I’m seeing?” an over-exuberant voice emanating from Rodger Dodger asked. “Hey, Ren! It’s Korlu. Looks like we’re gonna be working together again!”

“Korlu Fenchile, I look forward to continuing our working relationship. Have you brought materials?”

“Material anna team, too, Big Guy! Karil over there’s all podded out with supplies and ’quipment. There’s more comin’; we was just sittin’ closest the door.”

Karil, ship and crew, I am Ren Stryker and pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Pleased to meet you, Ren Stryker,” a cool voice answered. “I am Jaileen Uldra-Joenz, captain. Also aboard’re Cargo Master Norse Uldra-Joenz, and copilot Tif Uldra-Joenz. We look forward to building a good working relationship with you.”

“Hey, Ren, Zandi Perez here! We did that job together over at Cracked Gate, maybe you remember? How’re we set for raw stuff here?”

“Zandi Perez, I remember our work together with pleasure! Material is being gathered on-station. Analysis indicates that I will be able to process it usefully. It will need to be brought to me.”

“No worries, there! We’ll ferry the stuff out to you.”

“Open band, please,” Jen Sin murmured, putting the teacup aside.

“Band open,” Joyita said.

“This is Jen Sin yos’Phelium, Light Keeper. Welcome to Tinsori Light Station. Ren Stryker, I believe I am remiss in saying that I look forward to working with you.”

“Thank you!” Ren Stryker said, audibly pleased. “I hope we find mutual pleasure in our work, Light Keeper.”

“I am certain that we shall. Will the incoming ships acquaint me with your necessities, so that I may assign the most useful dockings?”

“Right,” came the cool voice of Captain Uldra-Joenz. “Karil needs an unload zone. We’re carrying ’quipment, delicates, and material specifically for the station.”

Rodger Dodger, Korlu Fenchile, job boss. Us an’ Crinolyn’re manufactory crew. We’ll be putting up on Ren, ’less he’s got an objection, which I hope he won’t ’cause he’s a fine host. Knows just how we like things. If there’s an objection, we’ll beg station space and commute, but we don’t want to strain overworked and understaffed systems. We’re here to help, Light Keeper, not to get in the way.”

“Thank you,” Jen Sin said.

There was a moment of empty air before Job Boss Fenchile replied. “Sorry, there. Just chattin’ with Karil. Us’ll come in near her, if that’ll work with your ’rangements, Keeper. She’s podded out, like you see, and we can do the unloading. ’less you’d rather your crew handle it?”

Boss Fenchile, thought Jen Sin, knew perfectly well that there was no station crew available to handle Karil’s unloading. The phrasing suggested that he had worked with—or around—Liaden administrators before, and had become adept at avoiding insult.

“Station staff is limited,” he said evenly. “It will be helpful to have your crew tend to the unloading. We have some quarters available, if crew would care to stay on-station until it is time to relocate.”

“We’ll take that under advisement,” Boss Fenchile said easily. “First things first, is what I’m thinking. Where d’you want us?”

A schematic of the station opened in a fourth tile, at the bottom of the screen. Jen Sin raised his hand, fingers signing good bounce, while he considered, glanced at the stats, did the math…

“Level B, direct access,” he said. “Docks one, two, three. Karil on three, Rodger Dodger on two, Crinolyn on one. Station will guide you in.”

“That’s a go, then,” Boss Fenchile said. “Thank’ee, sir. Looking forward to working with you.”

“And I, with you. yos’Phelium out.”

Theo was in the pilot’s chair, Hevelin in her lap, when Clarence hit the bridge, carrying two mugs. She took hers with a nod of thanks, eyes on the screen. The comm was on, and the chatter off the public bands filled the bridge.

Clarence sat in the copilot’s chair and sipped his tea.

“Our lad Ren Stryker has a wide circle of acquaintance,” he commented.

“I guess he’s easy to work with, like they’re all saying,” Theo answered.

“I have spoken to Ren Stryker,” Bechimo said. “He is an accommodating person, who takes pleasure in helping to repair what is broken.”

Theo nodded, and sipped, and listened while Jen Sin sorted the incoming traffic out. Calm and efficient, she thought, which was a good thing in a station master. It niggled at her, that he was so tired, so—something.

She spun her chair to face Clarence.

“What’s your—” she began, but Joyita interrupted her.

“Incoming from Win Ton.”

Theo caught her breath.

“Put him through,” she said. “And kill the chatter.”

“We are all well,” Win Ton said first, which helped with her breath. “I merely wish to report an anomaly. Our work startled an avian inside the deep core.”

Theo frowned.

“An…avian. A bird? What’s a bird doing down in the old core?”

“An excellent question. You see why we felt compelled to share it.”

Theo sighed.

“So where is the bird now, and is it dangerous?”

“The bird,” Win Ton answered, “flew up and out of the access tube, thence through the open door into the hall.”

“So it’s in the station proper. Is it dangerous?”

“No,” Bechimo stated. “The remote’s scans recognized no dangerous objects or organics.”

“That’s no dangerous objects and no dangerous organics?” Theo asked. “Or no organics?”

Bechimo was silent, then said, positively, “No organics other than crew accounted for.”

“We have,” Win Ton said, “alerted Station to the event, and shared what data we have. Chernak has called Stost in to assist in searching the upper room. I will rejoin Kara and the remote in the deep core, to look for additional avians there, unless the captain has other orders.”

Theo closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath and blew it out.

“Continue the search for…additional avians,” she said slowly. “If you find anything else, don’t engage, just—leave, locking all hatches behind you—and come home.”

“Yes,” Win Ton said, and the line went dead.

Theo met Clarence’s eye.

“Birds,” she said.

“Bird,” he corrected. “No percentage in borrowing more trouble than we’ve got.”

“Light Keeper yos’Phelium approaches the bridge, at the captain’s request,” Bechimo said.

Theo finished her tea and put the mug in the holder. The door opened and Jen Sin walked two silent steps onto the bridge before he stopped, head tipped to one side, black eyes narrowed as he considered first Theo, then Clarence.

“Forgive me,” he said slowly, “is something amiss?”

Theo shifted, and put Hevelin on the floor. He walked over to Clarence, who lifted him to a knee.

“My crew disturbed a bird while they were cleaning out the old core,” Theo said. “It escaped into the station proper.”

“Ah,” Jen Sin said.

Theo glared at him.

“There was a bird inside the deepest, most secure place on this station,” she repeated.

Jen Sin raised his hands, showing empty palms.

“Yes, I heard. Forgive my lack of appropriate consternation. Tinsori Light is not a regular environment. Strange things happen here. The presence of a bird—” He paused, met her eyes.

“Organic?”

“Inorganic,” she said.

He moved his shoulders.

“Then we have the likeliest answer. There are station bots, on their own systems. Tocohl found and deactivated all but the required cleaning and maintenance units when she brought the station under her control. However, it would not be at all remarkable if one or two had been missed, especially in the higher security areas.”

“Like the core,” Theo said.

He inclined from the waist, very slightly. “As you say.”

Theo stared at him, then sighed, fuffing her bangs out of her eyes.

“So,” she said, “no worries?”

“I would not venture so far,” he said seriously. “In all truth, I thought that I had seen a bird a few shifts back, in another part of the station. I thought it a phantom, but it seems now as if it has substance. In that wise, I think that we may depend upon Tocohl to locate it and either take it off-line, or reassign it to its proper area.” He paused.

“Your crew has not taken harm?”

“Just startled. They’re surveying the core up and down for anything else…irregular before it surprises them.”

“Very wise.”

He raised his hands slightly. “I believe you said that you had a second question, Cousin. How may I serve you?”

“I’d like a look at the seals from the inside, to see if there’s anything we can do to reinforce them, if needed.” She glanced over her shoulder at the screens. “With this crew incoming, though—”

“They will be some while yet getting in,” Jen Sin said. “After they are in, I expect we will be in a state of confusion. I am able to escort you to the nearer seal now, if that is convenient.”

Theo blinked.

“It’s convenient. Let me get my jacket.”


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