The Bright Black Sea Read Online Free

Through the
clearsteel dome of the raised cargo tower I could see Tilli's
lighter, bright in our flood lights, hanging in space above no.1
hold. It was a standard two box lighter, a stubby, delta winged
craft with wingtip rocket engines designed to ferry two 4x4x24meter
shipping containers between surface and orbit. She'd pushed the
container out of the lighter's rear cargo doors and it now hung at
the end of the spider-like cargo crane between the lighter and the
ship. I carefully drew the container away from the lighter.
    'You're clear.'
    'Right. That's all I have for you,' she replied as
the rear cargo doors of the lighter swung closed.
    She'd just delivered the last of only five containers
waiting for us on Pinelea, the Azminn system's most populous
planet. Given the current shipping rates the boxes wouldn't cover
their share of rocket fuel so I wasn't too disappointed.
Still...
    'Ah, Til, can't you find a few more in the warehouse
to bring up? Five boxes aren't going to have me swinging back
around anytime soon. How will you get by without me?'
    'Sorry, It's damn hollow downside at the moment. And
I've other customers. I'll get by.'
    'But I'll wager none of them are acting captains, my
dear.'
    'None of them are acting captains...' she laughed,
adding, 'Still, five boxes are nothing to sneer at these days. Not
that you seem to need them, Captain Litang. I haven't seen a
tramp with so many boxes for ages. Even the liners are running half
empty.'
    'I'm good. But I'd be sadly misleading you if I
didn't mention that Jann of the Comet King sent along his
boxes with me.'
    'He did, did he? That was nice of him. How many?'
    'Forty-seven,' I admitted.
    She whistled. 'He sent forty-seven boxes with you?
That's not a cargo to sneer at these days. Why'd he give 'em to
you? Knowing Jann, I doubt it was out of the kindness of his
heart.'
    'It wasn't out of the kindness of his heart, I can
assure you!' I laughed.
    'You have me curious. What's the yarn Wil? There's
nothing waiting for me downside.'
    'Well, with the death of Hawker Vinden, Calissant's
Ministry of Death is now our acting owners...'
    'Aye, I heard that somewhere.'
    'Have you heard that the Ministry is laying up all
Vinden's ships as they returned to Calissant?'
    'A lot of tramps being laid up, that's not
surprising.'
    'Aye. But with the Ministry of Death it's simply a
matter of policy. Profitable ships, unprofitable ships, it doesn't
matter – pay'em off and lay'em up.'
    'So Jann wasn't ready for the beach and he handed
them off to you. I can see that clear enough. Where I'm in the
drifts is why you'd take them. Unless it's out of the kindness of
your heart.'
    'Oh, I'm very soft hearted, Til, but not that soft in
the head. But it wasn't just Jann's idea, or at least wasn't his
alone. It came down from Tallith Min, of Min & Co, who the
Ministry employs to manage us, and I suppose my boss. So you see, I
found myself between the Black Star and a quantum storm. There was
a way out, though, because they were a bit too clever. I'd not been
sent a direct order to take Jann's cargo, no doubt fearing that
radio-packet might've somehow ended up arriving garbled or too
late...' I said 'So I told him no way I was taking on his
Neb-blasted boxes.'
    'And he barked and you changed your mined.'
    'Ah, Til, do you really think I'm that newly
hatched?'
    'Seeing that you arrived with forty-seven of Jann's
boxes. I might be forgiven for thinking so.'
    'Well, it's not the case. He growled and barked about
following orders, being loyal and thinking about my future in the
trade.'
    'And you gave in.'
    'No. You see, I knew how it would've been settled it
if Captain Miccall was alive and I wasn't about to settle for less.
With no direct orders, I'd have gone on to Calissant without his
boxes and damn the consequences. But what I really wanted was a
chance to keep the Lost Star out of Calissant orbit.'
    'Oh, my, Wil. I hadn't realized that a star badge
could make a lorelion of a little grey