Dock B
The intermingled crews of Karil, Rodger Dodger, and Crinolyn made a boisterous crowd on the docks. Hazenthull drove the jitney directly toward the thickest part of the knot, not at top speed, but by no means idling.
A tall full-bearded man turned his head, his hearing perhaps sharper than that of his fellows. He called out in Terran.
“Here he is, his own self! Make way for the light keeper, or I’m bettin’ he’ll run you down!”
There were startled, over-the-shoulder glances, and a brisk rearranging of the crowd, which allowed the jitney to come to a decorous halt at the side of Karil’s ramp.
Jen Sin swung out onto the deck, and raised his voice somewhat, as he spoke in Terran.
“I regret that I was delayed. Please be welcome at Tinsori Station.”
“Definition of ‘station master’ is ‘busy,’” said the bearded one who had warned of the jitney’s approach. He stepped forward to stand a little before the others, and inclined slightly from the waist. There was no mode discernible, but it was clearly well meant. Jen Sin answered in the same spirit, and the other man grinned.
Seen more nearly, the beard, and the hair that fell to his shoulders in luxuriant waves, were grey. He wore pale brown overalls, thinly striped with darker brown, and the badge on the chest read, “Fenchile.”
“Boss Fenchile, I am happy to see you.”
“Light Keeper yos’Phelium, happy don’t begin to approach my feelings on seeing you.” He raised a hand, beckoning Jen Sin closer. “Let me just make you known to everybody here, then we’ll get to the unloading.”
He moved toward the ramp, where three people waited, Jen Sin at his side.
“Now, right here’s Jaileen Uldra-Joenz, Karil’s captain, an’ here’s her brother Norse, cargo master this trip, an’ young Tif, just getting his board hours for second class.”
Jen Sin had barely greeted the long-faced captain, the cargo master, and fledgling pilot, before he was swept off to be made known to Rodger Dodger’s master, and through a dizzying two dozen names and faces until he was again at the jitney, Hazenthull at his back, with Boss Fenchile, Captain Uldra-Joenz, an apparently rankless person who had been introduced with baffling simplicity as “Gracie,” and Cargo Master Uldra-Joenz.
“So,” said Boss Fenchile, carefully, “Crystal’s jitney?”
“Indeed. Researcher Veeoni is affiliated with the Crystal group. She is an expert in architecture and processing, and is at the head of the effort to put clean, modern systems into place. She has been a generous ally, and as you see, the Light is under-supplied.”
“Got work jitneys on Crinolyn,” said Gracie. “We’ll leave a pair for you, so you don’t gotta mess up the pretty, here. Ren’s got jitneys as part of his rig, so we’ll be all right over there for moving what we gotta.”
Boss Fenchile and Captain Uldra-Joenz nodded.
“’Nother wave’ll be coming in from the Hacienda, prolly some stragglers in between,” said Boss Fenchile. “Jaileen, why don’t you send the light keeper’s short o’general dockside. Too—”
He turned to Jen Sin. “We was talking about your breach situation on the way in. The Family—that’s the Carresens-Denoblis—they’re sending shipwrights and station mechanics, from the big yard. They’ll be bringing repair rigs as a matter o’course, but it might be awhile ’fore they get to us. That bein’ the case, we special asked the Hacienda to send a workboat in the next wave, ’cause you don’t wanna be without.”
Such industry. Jen Sin took a breath.
“We have been too long without,” he agreed. “Clan Korval appreciates your care.”
“Tree-and-Dragon takes the biggest navigation hazard in this part o’space in hand and declares a working station?” exclaimed Norse Uldra-Joenz. “’Course we’re gonna help! An’ that’s not takin’ kin-ties to account.”
Jen Sin gave him a puzzled glance, saw the long-faced captain frown. The cargo master bit his lip—then snapped his fingers. “Puts me in mind o’something you’ll want to be takin’ charge of, Light Keeper. Let me just fetch that out for you.”
He turned, Gracie falling back to give him room to pass.
“So!” said Boss Fenchile loudly. “Now we’re all known to each other, how ’bout we start that unload?”
“If you wish to stay on-station after the work is done, there is room, though we have little entertainment to offer,” Jen Sin said.
“That’s kindly said, Light Keeper.” Gracie gave him a smile. “Been talkin’ to Ren on the side, and he’s got everything set up for us. Figure best use of time, after we get the cargo squared away, is to go on over and start getting settled in. There’ll be more comin’ in from the Hacienda, not to any schedule, mind, but expect ’em.”
“I am fairly warned,” Jen Sin said, as Gracie stepped aside to let Norse Uldra-Joenz back into the circle, pulling a cargo sled with a single crate on it.
“Came in last minute, delicates having to do with station systems,” he said. “Might be you could just take ’em to the researcher, Light Keeper? Got the impression they’d be needed, quick. Oughta fit in your jitney there.”
He pushed the sled forward somewhat. Hazenthull moved, and put her hand on the shaft. Cargo Master Uldra-Joenz went back two quick steps, hands rising to show empty palms.
“Sorry, Security.”
“No problem,” Hazenthull assured him in Terran. She bent, hefted the crate, and placed it gently into the jitney’s carry space.
That done, and Cargo Master Uldra-Joenz once more in possession of his sled, she turned to Jen Sin.
“Sir, are you ready to go?”
“Take the man back to his busy, Security!” said Boss Fenchile heartily. “We got it covered here!”
They moved away. Jen Sin turned toward the jitney—and turned back as something caught the side of his eye. Something—up, near the supports for the hookups that weren’t there.
“Is there a problem?” Hazenthull asked.
He looked another moment, scanning the space, then moved his shoulders.
“Likely not,” he said. “I thought I’d seen a bird.”
“The avian from the core? Will you raise an alarm?”
“Possibly the avian from the core, which I note has done nothing more harmful than flee when startled. We will log it.”
“All right,” Hazenthull said mildly, and nodded toward the jitney. “Sit. I will drive.”