Chapter 2 Alliance

Chapter 2

Elena's sleep was deep and mercifully dreamless, a rarity she treasured. In the morning, she packed the few things she would need to take back earthside for the season and prepared to leave. The channels leading to and from the Earth were only deep enough to allow passage for the channel riders from the end of January to the middle of June. Without paying attention a ship could find itself stranded skyside for the off season. Elena spent many an off season skyside and living on the Docking Facility growing up. Now however, she had two businesses to run earthside.

"Not to mention a crew to pick up from the planet, " She said to herself as she packed. While her cousin Mateo would happily stay on the new planet during the off season, enough supplies and research had not been gathered to allow them to do so safely this season. Elena had the feeling he would be pushing for the longer stay over the next season and she had already begun preparing for that.

Elena smiled as she stacked a thick pile of catalogs next to her bag. They were the alien equivalent of high-tech camping gear. Elena figured that she could supplement the normal camping gear and survival items picked up from earthside with items gleaned from the other civilizations the channel riders came into contact with while skyside.

"After all what is the point of knowing other civilizations if you can't incorporate their knowledge into your own?" she said to herself with a grin. Many of the items had in fact already been ordered. Those orders would be filled and the goods stored on the Docking Facility until she returned at the start of the next season.

Finally, she was packed. She locked down her quarters for the season and made her way back towards the docking area. As she entered the area, she paused and watched. The docks were busier than usual with anyone spending the off season earthside preparing to leave for their home ports. Merchant carts were more numerous than usual and doing a brisker trade. Elena smiled and shook her head.

"You never know how much you love wiledish until you know you won't be able to get it for eight months." She said to herself.

"Absence does make the heart grow fonder, " a voice behind her said. Elena turned, recognizing the voice of Benjamin Valentine, or Bennie V as some folks seemed to call him, a name Elena had not yet gotten around to asking him about. Despite the mysteries of his past Elena found herself liking Benjamin and even trusting him. The six foot seven inch tall blonde was built like a Mack truck and could cook better than most chefs she encountered. During passage through the channels he often served as the Storm Chaser's galley cook. Elena was fairly sure her ship's galley had been ruined for any other cook because of it.

Benjamin had a large duffle bag hanging from his shoulder. As her eyes flicked towards it, he smiled and held out a slip of paper. Elena took it automatically and glanced down. It was a certification slip from the office of weights and measures certifying his bag weighed 48.6 lbs, just a little under the 50 lbs of personal gear weight rule that she and most other channel riders maintained as standard.

"All certified and legal Captain, " Benjamin said.

"Good, " Elena responded. "God knows we're going to be taking on quite a bit of cargo, even with the weight split." One of the other pilots of her house, Maria, had her ship stationed on the planet with the crew so that in the event it was needed, emergency evacuation would be possible. As an extra safety measure Jasmine, another pilot who did not currently possess her own ship was with Maria as back up. Unless both pilots were killed, the team on the planet would have a way out.

"If they haven't found at least a dozen more samples to take back with us I'll eat my hat, " Benjamin said. Elena glanced at the big man as they moved towards the Storm Chaser.

"Do you actually own a hat?"

"No, " he confessed. "But I could buy one and then eat it."

"Well, as long as you have a plan." Elena responded with a laugh.

"Captain Calabrese, " A polite voice said to Elena's left. They stopped walking and she turned to find a Japanese man in a perfectly pressed black suit. He was a neat compact man and Elena realized this was the first time she heard him speak. She knew he served as Riko's assistant, but had never heard his name spoken.

"Yes, " She said. He walked up to her and stopped at a polite distance.

"The Councilor wished me to convey her wishes for a safe journey and to let you know that she will be in touch to work on arrangements for your joint business venture during the off season." The man gave a short bow.

"Please convey my thanks for her well wishes and wish her a good journey as well, " Elena said. The stiff words felt like marbles in her mouth, but she wasn't quite sure how else to respond. 'It's not like Riko routinely comes over for Sunday dinner, ' she thought. The small, neat man seemed satisfied with her answer and gave her another short bow before moving off.

"I think that entire suit was starched, " Benjamin said when the man was out of hearing range. "I thought I heard a creak when he bent." Elena smiled a little at the joke, but most of her humor was slightly soured as she thought of dealing with Riko on the off season.

"I wonder how long she'll wait before showing up for a meeting, " Elena asked, mostly to herself.

"I'm actually quite amazed she waited as long as she has, " Peter said walking up to the pair and once again stopping their progress towards the ship.

"It has only been one day, " Elena commented. Peter's black hair was in slight disarray and his sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows. His necktie was missing, as was his suit jacket and the top button of his shirt was undone. Typically, Peter projected an image of mob boss that was hard to deny. This morning he had apparently gone for a more casual look and Elena found herself thinking he looked more like a modern day pirate than anything else.

'If pirates wore expensive and expertly tailored clothing of course, ' she thought.

"One day for Riko is a lot, " Peter informed her. "She tends towards the instant gratification end of the spectrum." Elena noticed that Riko's majordomo had stopped at the edge of the docking area and was watching her conversation with Peter.

"I'll have to keep that in mind, " Elena said. "If you'll excuse us however, we do need to pick up the others before the close of the season."

"Of course, " Peter said. "And I will see you earthside during the off season. That is if you can squeeze me in between meetings with Riko. Good Journey to you Elena." Peter gave a slight nod to Benjamin, his only indication he saw the big man and walked away as Elena repeated the good journey response that was typical.

Once Peter stepped away, Elena began moving towards the Storm Chaser at a much faster pace than previously, forcing Benjamin to hurry to catch up. With his longer legs it wasn't much of a concern for him and they reached the loading area at the same time. Elena unsealed the end of the tube, opening the entranceway. From what she could see the passage had not been touched since her arrival.

She marched up the gang plank with Benjamin right behind her. As she moved she looked around her, checking for any damage to the docking tube surrounding the gang plank. As both the Storm Chaser and all her equipment were still almost new there were no damages to be seen. She had not been expecting any, but habit still dictated checking. Once on board Benjamin let out the laugh he was holding in. Elena frowned in his direction as she began unclamping the docking links.

"I don't think it's very funny, " Elena said with a frown. Benjamin moved to join her in releasing the clamps. For the trip between the Docking Facility and the planet it would just be the two of them. As they spent much of the season working the ship alone together, they fell into an easy rhythm quickly.

"That is because you didn't see your face, " Benjamin told her, still chuckling a bit. "You had a look that said, I will make it to my ship so no one else had better even think of stopping me." He chuckled again. "I've known linebackers who would have backed off at that look." Since that had been more or less her thought at the time, Elena shrugged and continued working.

"Between the merchants yesterday and the promise of meetings to come I didn't want to give anyone else the chance to pounce, " She told him. Benjamin picked up their bags as the ship started to drift and Elena walked towards the pilot house. She knew Benjamin would drop his bag in the crew's quarters and her bag in hers before continuing to work. As the Storm Chaser began pulling away from the Docking Facility Elena looked at it.

The Docking Facility always reminded her of a giant, old fashioned, spinning top, the kind that you pushed down to make it spin. This top was always spinning of course, in an effort to preserve gravity.

The pointed end of the top was obscured by the number of ships currently docked and the ribbon of water that circled underneath. When a channel riding ship left planetary waters, a small measure of water was brought with them, traveling beneath the ship's hull as it moved through space. When ships docked, the ribbon of water merged with other ribbons and had a vaguely moat like effect. When a ship left, some of the water left the moat with them.

Somehow Elena didn't think the same amount of water moved in each transaction. She made a mental note to ask her cousin Mateo about it, as he would be the one to know. As they pulled away, as small strip of water pulled with them, slowly separating like warm taffy. Elena turned her attention towards adjusting her course. Normally once adjusted, she could rely on inertia to carry them through a large section of the protected space. This close to the end of the season however traffic was heavy enough to be a concern.

Elena wove her way through the other ships as they headed off in the directions of their home channels. Normally there would be a heavier stream of ships heading towards the Marta, as she would be once she picked up her passengers on the planet. However, recently traffic thinned due to military involvement.

Nearly a year ago Ian Jensen betrayed the Guild to the military and they had been working on their own ships ever since. The Marta was the channel they were most familiar with and therefore the one they were intent on mastering. This meant that military manned ships attempting to ride the channels would pop up periodically. Elena smiled to herself as she adjusted her course.

"I wonder if we will get to invite Thompson and crew to dinner again this trip?" She asked aloud. Spin, the ship's cat looked up from her perch and meowed loudly in reprimand. Elena smiled. She had grown tired of dealing with the military on their terms and despised having them appear randomly to demand meetings. While she still couldn't determine when or where they would show up, she gave Thompson and his men a little surprise by turning their meeting into a bit of a dinner party. Spin meowed again and Elena reached over to scratch her ears.

"I know, I know, " she told the cat. "Bad timing for them to appear when we are heavily laden with off world samples." Elena's smile slipped a little and she sighed. Lately a lot of things she didn't really want to deal with were popping up. "How'd I get to be in charge anyway?" She asked Spin. The cat stood, stretched and leapt down from her perch. Slowly she meandered out of the pilot house and down towards the galley, where she would no doubt inspect whatever comestibles Benjamin felt like creating. She supposed it was the cat's way of reminding her that somehow it was probably her own fault.

As they proceeded towards their destination, traffic slowed and Elena was able to rely more on inertia. Two days before they reached the channel mouth, she and Benjamin were sitting on the deck after dinner, watching the stars slide by. It was peaceful and Elena allowed her mind to float aimlessly. All of the worries she usually carried slipped away and for a while she was content. Benjamin left and returned handing her a cup of coffee. It was as black as the space between the stars. She sipped the hot beverage slowly.

"Do you still want me to investigate?" Benjamin asked slowly into the dark silence. Elena sighed and took another sip. The death of her parents. She allowed the false peace to fade.

"Yes, " she said. "I know it will be dangerous though."

"If I keep my low profile and maintain my position with Travcon, I should be able to fly beneath the radar."

"I need to know, " Elena said. She thought about her parent's death more since she returned to the Guild, seeing more than the accident that had devastated her seven year old self.

"So can I ask what you remember about that night?" he asked, settling himself with his coffee. Elena took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could feel the warmth of the coffee mug in her hands and she held tight to the warmth, fighting the icy pain inside.

It was raining that day and the docks were slippery with wet. Elena pictured it, drew in a deep breath and could almost smell the docks, a combination of wet rope, the scents of far off places and people who smelled of sweat and the sea. She had not begun training as a pilot yet and shipping out with her grandfather instead of her parents was still a novel sensation. Even though the business was the same, it was always more of a treat.

"My mother was upset that I was going with my grandfather, " she began.

"Why?"

"He wanted to test me for early training and she thought I was still too young. Dad pointed out that Therese was taken for testing the year before when she turned seven so it was not unusual."

"I didn't realize they started pilot's training so early."

"Most don't, " she replied. "It was an early aptitude testing. If you passed then you were assigned a ship and paired with a pilot for hands on experience and admitted to the classes early."

"So you and your cousin started early?"

Elena shook her head. "No, I passed, Therese didn't. She started at the normal time, when she was twelve."

"Having met your cousin I can't think that she would take that well." Elena gave a halfhearted smile, opened her eyes and sipped her coffee.

"She didn't. Before then, she didn't really pay much attention to either me or Mateo. She was a year older and thought our games were stupid. Kid stuff, you know? I broke my first record before she was even allowed to begin training. Mateo started taking prizes for his designs around the same time. After that she became determined to beat me at everything. That's when I started avoiding her."

"Ah, " Benjamin made a non-committal noise.

"And I'm off track." Elena let the thought of Therese slide. "We docked and headed towards grandfather's house." The town house her grandfather kept after his second wife died was a small stone affair that stood for more than 200 years and seemed more vertical than anything else. It was a bit more like an illustration in a picture book than a house. All of the kitchen appliances were small and there had been an escape hatch in the basement that fascinated her. Even though it had mostly been filled in, at one time it led to the sea.

"His housekeeper sent us both off to our rooms to bathe and change. When we were clean and presentable, she brought dinner. We were eating on the covered part of the porch. Grandfather always has issues with being indoors too much after a trip skyside."

Elena closed her eyes and returned to that place. She could see the rain lessened to a light patter on the wooden overhang sheltering the small table outside of the kitchen's back door. The courtyard smelled of moist earth. The red poppies planted around the edge of the small yard were bobbing in the rain. Mixed in with the smell of the earth was the smell of dinner, cheese and mushroom tortellini with a homemade sauce that had extra roasted garlic and chunks of warm bread to dip into the sauce. She remembered swinging her feet and using the bread as a scoop. She opened her eyes.

"We were eating dinner when there was a knock on the door. The housekeeper brought Peter and Riko back. Neither seemed happy to see the other one." Elena remembered being somewhat frightened of both of them. They seemed so angry that she could practically see a heat haze simmering around them. She remembered pulling her feet up into her chair to make herself seem smaller and less noticeable.

"I think they each wanted to be the first to convey the news. Peter wasn't Council yet, he would have been in his early twenties, " she continued. "I was about 14 or 15 when he became a counselor." Her voice trailed off in memory. She took another sip and cleared her throat. "They asked if the messenger reached him. He hadn't. They glanced at me and then went in the house to talk."

She remembered the angry rumbles that came through the closed doors and the somewhat stricken look on the housekeeper's face as she tried to coax Elena into finishing her supper. Finally, the sounds ceased. There was the sound of the front door opening and closing as Riko and Peter left and her grandfather came in and told her the news. Elena swallowed tears and continued the story.

"Grandfather came back after they left and told me they were dead. Raiders, he said. The Batwalug not the Matrovean. He also said that I would be staying with him and that I would not be allowed to leave the house for a little while."

"Mmm, " Benjamin mumbled thoughtfully.

"I know, " Elena commented with a wry smile. "Most people aren't confined to a type of house arrest after an accident."

"Not usually no, " he agreed. "At least they didn't with me."

"Grandfather was in many council meetings while I stayed in the house. I remember seeing Peter pass by periodically from the window. I don't know if he was staying nearby or was there for protection or some evil purpose of his own. We never spoke. I doubt he even saw me at the window." Elena took another sip of the cooling coffee. It was bitter on her tongue. "That wasn't the part that concerned me."

"Oh?"

"Sure being confined to the house was suspicious, but Grandfather has always been paranoid. And when the Council is in town they tend to cluster. It makes for fewer outsiders to see something they shouldn't if someone slips or discussions get heated, so Peter passing by was not that unusual a concept. It was the Batwalug."

"Should it have been the Matrovean?" he asked. Elena shook her head.

"No, it is outside their territory. My parents were working the Shulgat trade routes. It was one of the safer routes, following tradition."

Benjamin nodded his understanding. "Sure most families do that, the pilots or captains with younger children work the safer routes until the kids are older so the ship is safer since most parents bring their kids along as soon as they can walk."

"Exactly. The Shulgat trade routes are patrolled by the United Council of Gadwan. A few years before I was born they made an agreement with Lusdter for protection of the trade routes."

"And as the Lusdter are only one step up from being pirates themselves, most other raiders kept their distance."

"Exactly, it was sort of like paying the mafia for protection, but it worked. The raiders of all stripes stayed away and the Lusdter were paid well, or at least well enough not to return to raiding." Elena paused and stared at Benjamin for a moment. "Do you know the Shulgat trade routes?"

"Not really, " he replied shaking his head. "It wasn't one of the routes I sailed. " Elena tapped the edge of her mug with a fingernail. She placed the mug on the deck between them.

"Can I see your mug?" He handed it over and she placed it about a hand span from her own. Elena reached into her pocket and came out with a handful of assorted loose change, most of it not recognized as currency on the Earth. "Have to remember to stash that in the locker, " she muttered to herself as she placed the coins on the deck near the coffee mugs.

When she was finished she had an approximation of the planets and moons along the Shulgat trade routes, the two coffee mugs serving as the two docking stations maintained by the United Council of Gadwan. Elena dipped her finger in the remains of her cooled coffee and traced what looked like parentheses bracketing the ad hoc system.

"Okay" she said "The two lines are the defensive perimeter covered by the Lusdter." Benjamin nodded and leaned closer. Elena dipped her finger back in the coffee and traced another line. This line meandered through the system she had set up, touching the docks and one of the larger planets. "This is the established route. It is safe and it gets you to all of the major trading ports." Benjamin nodded again, a frown creasing his brow as he waited for the twist.

"And it is well within the defensive perimeter."

"It is." She confirmed. Elena once again dipped her finger in the coffee and traced a wet line on the deck. "This is the edge of the Fesagol territory."

"The Fesagol who have a centuries old blood feud with the Batwalug, " Benjamin added, showing he had at least a passing familiarity with the area.

"That would be them, " Elena confirmed. She put a dot of coffee on the far side of the cups and coins. "And this is where the nearest Batwalug base is located, or was. It was destroyed about 12 years ago."

"Okay, " Benjamin said slowly looking at the diagram. Elena placed a dot along the trade route. "This is where my parent's ship was taken." He looked at the diagram.

"Hmm, to get there, the Batwalug would not only have had to get past the Lusdter blockade but they would have had to edge close enough to the Fesagol territory to be picked up by their defenses. They wouldn't have let a Batwalug raiding party that close without retaliation."

"That was my thought as well." Elena said. "I checked the reports. There was no sign of retaliation from the Fesagol anywhere near that time." They both stared at the cups, coins and coffee.

"It wasn't well thought out was it?"

Elena snorted. "It was thought out enough to get them killed, but not enough to fool anyone who actually knew anything about it."

"So your grandfather knew?" Elena thought of her grandfather's eyes when he told her. There was a deep sadness, but also an anger that he fought to control. The anger burned bright enough to frighten her.

"Yeah, he knew." They sat in silence for a little while. The stars slid by as they moved and the drops of coffee dried to light brown stains that Elena knew would be scoured from the deck by saltwater when they next went through a channel. After a time Benjamin picked up the two mugs and retired for the night. Elena picked up the change, tucked it back into her pocket and watched the night black sky slide by.