Representatives of Dreamer’s ship line were in a shuttle and in route to intercept them. She headed for the bridge.
Instead of greeting her with a friendly smile, Fang gnashed his teeth and said, “A pompous little ass of a bookkeeper is coming aboard in the shuttle. I suggest showing him the airlock then waiting for his replacement.”
She laughed.
A short while later, the ship’s engines were shut down, the shuttle arrived. Without asking permission to come aboard, as was traditional, no matter who technically owned the Dreamer, the hatch opened wide and a short representative of a Simian race entered. Not an Earth-monkey, but a no-nonsense member of a race that produced endless detail-oriented members. Most were officious bookkeepers, actuaries, accountants, and inventory specialists. She had run into them before.
Two lanky upright lizards, both with tails extended for balance, followed by the Simian. The lizards avoided direct eye contact, however, when they entered the bridge, both paused at the hatch and stared with revulsion at Fang. Their posture went rigid.
Fang’s mister sprayed a mist of lemon-scented water and a small swarm of insects acted eager to be eaten as they circled his wide head. He said to all three, “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”
The Simian strode closer to face Fang directly. Fang directed all eyes on it, which should have been a warning to the bookkeeper. Captain Stone watched Fang’s talons extend a few centimeters and dig into the armrest of the chair. She had no doubt the Simian had placed itself in danger, or that Fang had also met representatives of both races.
She said abruptly, “I am Captain Stone. You may address me instead of my crew, or you may leave this ship.”
The Simian and upright lizards turned to face her as one. The Simian said in a voice as smooth as melting ice, “You may address me as Adjuster. I was sent to this foul place to settle the claim for salvage of this vessel, a claim I am inclined to reject.”
“You are threatening me with your first words?” she asked calmly. “I usually believe in negotiating on neutral territory however, you somehow believe you are in charge of this situation.”
“I control the purse; therefore, I control the situation.” The Adjuster’s response left little room for argument. The lizards froze in position as if made of iron. Their talons were as extended as far as Fang’s and they seemed just as ready to fight.
Her eyes flicked briefly to the ceiling. “Bert, seal all exterior hatches. Keep the shuttle secured and take us to the nearest wormhole nexus.”
“You can’t do that,” the Simian said. “This is not your vessel. It belongs to my company.”
The engines whined and accelerated. Captain Stone had been standing in respect for them, as she would any visitor. Now she sat heavily in the captain’s chair and said, “Until we settle this situation,” she used the same tone as the Simian had, “this is my ship.”
“Where are we going?” the Simian asked.
She smiled and reclined the chair slightly as if relaxing. Instead of answering directly, she looked away and up at the ceiling. “Bert, when we arrive at the nexus, set a random course for the Dreamer somewhere outside the human sphere, a place far away. Those of my crew will return to the Hab on the shuttle. Notify them to assemble at the cargo hatch.”
A ping responded instantly. “Programmed and ready to execute.”
She turned back to the Simian. “Would you like to begin our negotiations now?”
“You wouldn’t dare send this ship and everyone on board into the emptiness.”
She smiled faintly. “You know what? You’re right.”
The Simian matched her smile.
She turned to face Fang. “I have duties to attend. While I am gone, I expect you to represent my best interests with the Adjuster, who represents the owners of this ship. You are in command.”
The Simian’s smile faded. The pair of lizards extended their talons another centimeter. Fang matched them with an extension of his own.
Captain Stone allowed time to crawl by. Negotiating was her business. She’d seen the response when they saw Fang and suspected the races had a contentious history. The Simian had intended to intimidate her and threatened to refuse to pay the salvage fees. It had anticipated using that leverage to reduce the salvage to a smaller amount.
She had leveled the playing field.
Fang was the swing-vote. While her conscience wouldn’t let her send the ship into the nether regions, it appeared Fang wouldn’t hesitate—and he might enjoy it.
The Adjuster said, “We prefer to bargain with the captain.”
“Your preferences do not interest me. The laws of salvage do. You going to pay the standard fees you owe me and my crew for our services. The passengers know I saved their lives and with a few words from me, they will all file lawsuits. I will gladly use my salvage fees to pay their legal fees.”
“You can’t do that,” the Adjuster said weakly. He knew she could and suspected she would.
She said, “Bert, clear any crew and passengers from the dining room. Have Lila meet us there to serve refreshments. And ask Kat to sit in on the meeting.”
The company representatives scowled in unison but when she stood and walked from the bridge, they followed. Once in the passageway, she said loud enough for all to hear, “Bert, seal and lock the hatch to the bridge, please. We need to keep it secure.”
Without looking back, she heard the hatch slam shut harder than necessary.
In the dining room, Lila stood to one side. Kat stood beside
