Owner's Share (Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper) Read Free Page B
Author: Nathan Lowell
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blow on it a bit first. “The CPJCT will hold a public memorial here at Diurnia and another at Port Newmar.” Her face twisted into a grimace. “It’s not often they lose one while in service, so they’ll play it for all its worth.”
“How’s the media? They pestering crews?”
She shook her head. “There were a few who tried to interview crew from the Achilles —she was in port when it happened. No sobbing crewmen, no angry fist shaking, so...” she shrugged and looked up at me. “No story.”
“What’d they expect?”
“I don’t think they expected anything, truthfully. They were fishing. They were hoping to find some dirt to trot out. A man like Geoff doesn’t get to where he is without making a few enemies.”
I toasted her with my coffee mug. “That’s true enough.”
She gave me a steady look across the table. “You’re not one of them, are you?”
“One of his enemies?”
She nodded her head slowly.
I shook mine in response. “I’m just a captain in his fleet. He was my boss. Nothing much beyond that.”
For the first time since she came aboard, I saw a flash of humor in her eyes. “Uhh. Right. Sure.”
“What? Is there something I don’t know?”
She chuffed out a laugh. “Captain Ishmael Wang, hand-picked by the man himself from the graduating class at Port Newmar, transported to Diurnia on his private yacht. You cleaned up that festering boil that was the William Tinker , worked your butt off to make captain in record time, got assigned the worst ship in the fleet, and in less than a stanyer, you’ve turned that ship around from being the berth we threaten people with to the one we have a waiting list to get on.” She toasted me with her mug. “’Just a captain’ seems to be a bit of an understatement, even for you, Captain Wang.”
I snorted a short laugh of my own. “I got lucky a few times.”
“Yeah, well, luck helps, but you’ve done well and there are those that think that Geoff Maloney’s hand was behind a lot of it.”
The silence in the cabin grew for a couple of ticks before I shrugged. “I’ve wondered that myself.”
“You’re about to become very rich, you know that, don’t you?”
I blinked at the sudden shift in the conversation.
She smiled at my confusion. “When the Chernyakova gets sold, you’ll be a millionaire, Captain Wang. Several times over.”
I blew out my breath. I wasn’t sure where she’d been going with that line, and my heart seemed to have stopped for a moment. “Oh. Yes. Well. We don’t know how much it’ll go for and I’m not sure what my share of it will be.” I gave a half shrug. “I’m trying not to think about it until it happens.”
The news about Maloney’s death had completely tossed all thoughts of the pending salvage auction out of my mind.
“Will DST still put in a bid?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. Ames is on his way back already. He’ll be here in a couple of weeks. Under the circumstances, we’re holding up any major changes to the fleet until get the new CEO up to speed.”
“Who’s the new CEO?”
“The new majority stockholder, of course—Christine Maloney.”
I frowned. That name didn’t ring any bells with me. “Is that Mrs. Maloney...?”
She shook her head and I had the uneasy sense that she fought to contain a grin. “Mrs. Maloney left stanyers ago. Took her settlement and her masseuse off to Venitz somewhere. Christine is his daughter. Sole heir. Thirty-one. Likes her nightlife, I understand.”
I sipped carefully before speaking. “And she’s the new CEO?”
“Uh huh.”
I glanced over to where Kirsten studied my face over the rim of her cup. “What does she know about running a shipping company?”
“Not. One. Damn. Thing.”
“Why don’t you look more worried?” I had a very bad feeling about the glance she gave me over the rim of her mug.
“Because she’s not my problem, Captain.” She put a slight emphasis on the word “my” that set of a
“How’s the media? They pestering crews?”
She shook her head. “There were a few who tried to interview crew from the Achilles —she was in port when it happened. No sobbing crewmen, no angry fist shaking, so...” she shrugged and looked up at me. “No story.”
“What’d they expect?”
“I don’t think they expected anything, truthfully. They were fishing. They were hoping to find some dirt to trot out. A man like Geoff doesn’t get to where he is without making a few enemies.”
I toasted her with my coffee mug. “That’s true enough.”
She gave me a steady look across the table. “You’re not one of them, are you?”
“One of his enemies?”
She nodded her head slowly.
I shook mine in response. “I’m just a captain in his fleet. He was my boss. Nothing much beyond that.”
For the first time since she came aboard, I saw a flash of humor in her eyes. “Uhh. Right. Sure.”
“What? Is there something I don’t know?”
She chuffed out a laugh. “Captain Ishmael Wang, hand-picked by the man himself from the graduating class at Port Newmar, transported to Diurnia on his private yacht. You cleaned up that festering boil that was the William Tinker , worked your butt off to make captain in record time, got assigned the worst ship in the fleet, and in less than a stanyer, you’ve turned that ship around from being the berth we threaten people with to the one we have a waiting list to get on.” She toasted me with her mug. “’Just a captain’ seems to be a bit of an understatement, even for you, Captain Wang.”
I snorted a short laugh of my own. “I got lucky a few times.”
“Yeah, well, luck helps, but you’ve done well and there are those that think that Geoff Maloney’s hand was behind a lot of it.”
The silence in the cabin grew for a couple of ticks before I shrugged. “I’ve wondered that myself.”
“You’re about to become very rich, you know that, don’t you?”
I blinked at the sudden shift in the conversation.
She smiled at my confusion. “When the Chernyakova gets sold, you’ll be a millionaire, Captain Wang. Several times over.”
I blew out my breath. I wasn’t sure where she’d been going with that line, and my heart seemed to have stopped for a moment. “Oh. Yes. Well. We don’t know how much it’ll go for and I’m not sure what my share of it will be.” I gave a half shrug. “I’m trying not to think about it until it happens.”
The news about Maloney’s death had completely tossed all thoughts of the pending salvage auction out of my mind.
“Will DST still put in a bid?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. Ames is on his way back already. He’ll be here in a couple of weeks. Under the circumstances, we’re holding up any major changes to the fleet until get the new CEO up to speed.”
“Who’s the new CEO?”
“The new majority stockholder, of course—Christine Maloney.”
I frowned. That name didn’t ring any bells with me. “Is that Mrs. Maloney...?”
She shook her head and I had the uneasy sense that she fought to contain a grin. “Mrs. Maloney left stanyers ago. Took her settlement and her masseuse off to Venitz somewhere. Christine is his daughter. Sole heir. Thirty-one. Likes her nightlife, I understand.”
I sipped carefully before speaking. “And she’s the new CEO?”
“Uh huh.”
I glanced over to where Kirsten studied my face over the rim of her cup. “What does she know about running a shipping company?”
“Not. One. Damn. Thing.”
“Why don’t you look more worried?” I had a very bad feeling about the glance she gave me over the rim of her mug.
“Because she’s not my problem, Captain.” She put a slight emphasis on the word “my” that set of a