EIGHTY-FIVE
XANDER BRINDLE

The Verne arrived back at the Ulio transfer station a day before their scheduled meeting. Xander had intentionally pushed the date, because Terry enjoyed the place and loved meeting with old friends; Terry was also pleased to show his former coworkers how successful he’d become, how his life’s path had improved. He had a happy relationship, a good ship and an exciting career, and had seen much of the Spiral Arm. (Thanks to Xander’s obsessive list-ticking, he was going to see a lot more of it, too.)

Since they had agreed to the ekti-X business venture with Elisa Enturi, the two young traders had gained a great deal of clout, not to mention profits. If this meeting with Xander’s parents went as well as he hoped, the distribution operations could increase fivefold through Kett Shipping, and Iswander Industries seemed ready to expand even more.

After the Verne docked—in a much less convenient berth this time—he and Terry worked their way through the connected ships. Terry propelled himself along in the vessels that courteously kept their gravity off; in other ships where his useless legs were a problem, he held on to OK’s shoulder and used his antigrav belt to keep himself weightless.

Terry bought drinks for some of his old comrades on the engineering and repair crews. They were glad to see their former coworker, and even more enthusiastic when Terry bought them a second round. Xander indulged his friend. Thanks to the ekti-X runs, their accounts were flush and likely to be even more profitable. They played games, told bad jokes and tall tales. Xander and Terry regaled them with descriptions of Fireheart Station, Rhejak, and the now-destroyed Kellum skymine on Golgen.

Xander was glad to see his partner so happy, but when two former coworkers tried to borrow substantial sums, Xander interceded and said it was time to get back to the Verne, where they would be spending the night rather than paying for a rented cabin. They preferred to sleep in their own bunk anyway.

During the next day shift, they had breakfast at Terry’s favorite galley café and checked the board to see that the Voracious Curiosity had just arrived. While Xander signaled his parents, Terry scanned the eating establishments and picked a new restaurant that served “Ildiran-human fusion cuisine,” including beverages such as kirae (which Ildirans found intoxicating and humans found disgusting) as well as new kelp and plankton brews from Kellum’s distillery. Xander dared himself to try a pint of “Primordial Ooze.”

Tasia Tamblyn and Robb Brindle joined them, with embraces all around. Even though Xander worked for his parents, and the Verne was still a Kett Shipping vessel, their travels rarely took the two young men back to company headquarters. With so much potential business hinging on this deal, though, Xander insisted that Tasia and Robb could justify a trip out to Ulio.

In the Ildiran-human fusion restaurant, Terry suggested that they eat family style so he could try the different dishes. Tasia and Robb had both spent years eating military rations, and Robb had even endured bland textured nutrients provided by his hydrogue captors while he was held as a prisoner of war. His parents weren’t picky, and Xander was happy to eat whatever Terry liked.

As they settled in to the meal, Tasia said through a mouthful of noodles, “We’ve been impressed with your shipments. The profits from all that stardrive fuel are really helping our bottom line—but where is it coming from? That’s enough output for a couple of top-level skymines. And Golgen’s gone.”

Robb reached over with a napkin to wipe some brown sauce from his wife’s mouth. “We’re also concerned about the connection with Iswander Industries. I’m all for giving the guy a second chance, but I’d like reassurances that we’re not asking for another disaster. What is his new ekti source? Nobody knows.”

Terry said, “We understand you have questions, and we thought you’d like to ask them directly.” He glanced at Xander, and then in a comically simultaneous gesture both of them looked at their watches.

Elisa Enturi was punctual and businesslike, as always. OK led her to their table, and Xander introduced everyone. Elisa gave them a cool smile. “Good to see the pilots of the Verne decided to bring my proposal to the highest levels of Kett Shipping.” She sat, but didn’t bother to clip herself in place; she seemed comfortable with or without gravity. “We’ll all benefit greatly from this.”

Tasia held up a hand and shot a sidelong look at her son. “Not so fast. We don’t know about your proposal. And we do have questions.”

Elisa raised her eyebrows. “Questions? Hasn’t the ekti-X been selling well?”

“Wonderfully well,” Robb said in a conciliatory tone. “But it’s not all about profit.”

“Really? I was hoping to expand our agreement to provide regular loads of stardrive fuel for at least five more Kett Shipping vessels. Our output is still increasing, and there’s a consistent demand. It’s business—it is about profit.”

“But where does your ekti-X come from?” Tasia asked. “I’m familiar with ekti-harvesting operations, old Ildiran skymines, nebula skimmers, hydrogen extraction from cometary clouds. I know how cost-intensive it is and how difficult. But… Iswander Industries—by the Guiding Star, where is it all coming from?”

“We have alternative methods of production,” Elisa said.

A waiter appeared, but Elisa gave him a slight shake of her head, and he backed away. She returned her gaze to Tasia and Robb, and Xander felt as if she were ignoring him entirely.

“Ekti-X is our proprietary discovery, our industry, and our profits. Lee Iswander just recovered from a severe setback that would have ended most careers, but he is resilient and innovative. Let him keep his secrets and don’t begrudge him his success.”

Robb raised his hands. “We didn’t say we begrudged it, but if we’re going to be distributing ekti-X, we want to know its source.”

“And I cannot tell you. Those are the terms. Iswander Industries has a growing supply of stardrive fuel to distribute. Do you want to be part of it, or should I contact other shipping companies?” Her expression was completely bland, as if she didn’t care a whit which option Tasia and Robb chose.

Xander interjected, “Ekti-X is a high-quality product, and it practically sells itself.”

Terry added, “Not to mention, we’re getting a good reputation as trade pilots. You should see your son in action—he’s getting to be a pretty good negotiator!”

Tasia and Robb looked at each other, weighing options. Elisa sat motionless, as if counting down seconds in her mind. Xander felt anxious, and when his mother saw his pleading expression, that was enough to tip the scale in their favor.

“All right,” Tasia said. “Draw up the paperwork, and we’ll look it over—but I think we have a deal.” Of course there were logical and commercial reasons to accept the contract, but she made her choice because she knew it would benefit her son. “From now on, Kett Shipping will be your ekti-X distributor.”

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