Family Heirloom

"I really think it would be possible to contain a firebomb explosion within a small space," Sabreur said.  Ajiin had his knuckles to his forehead, nursing away the impending headache.  "Think about it.  A firebomb is essentially a contained explosion so you already know I can restrict combustion to a small area."

"A firebomb is an explosion that hasn't gone off yet," his sister countered, "You honestly think you can contain one in mid-explosion?"

"I can always try."

The two glanced over their shoulders at the counter of the tavern.  A handful of men were clustered there and the twins, with Ajiin's help, had finally realized that they were being shadowed by the group.  When the trio had settled in at a waterside tavern the men had settled in as well and the three had spent the rest of the time discussing what to do about it.

"Relax Ajiin," Langley finally said; noticing her first mate's distress, "This is all hypothetical."

"It won't be that way for much longer," he groaned in reply, "Those voidbombs were supposed to be hypothetical as well, remember?"

"Point.  Sabreur, put the matches away."

"I'm not-!"

The discussion became moot at that point.  One of the men at the bar stood and walked over to the three.  He sat down at one of the empty chairs without even an introduction and the twins tried to look casual as they put their hands on various weapons.  Of course, for them, this only meant that they twisted their rings so that the stone was towards the palm of the hand and easily accessible for use as a component.  Ruby for Sabreur's fire, an opal for whatever generic ‘mancy Langley decided to use.  Ajiin just calculated how fast he could grab his rifle and dive for cover if something broke out.

"So I hear you're the skimmer captain Langley," the stranger said, "And your ship is due to be out of dry-dock tomorrow."

"Yes," Langley said and the three just stared at him.  He grinned and folded his hands on the table.  There was nothing striking about him – he was just a slightly balding middle-aged man wearing clothing that meant he had some money behind him.

"And that you're looking for a contract."

"We have some," Ajiin said slowly.  That much was true.  Langley just hadn't selected which one to accept yet.

"I've got one."  He grinned more.  "It's legal even."

And that got Langley's attention.  Most of the contacts Ajiin had acquired were borderline legal, if even that.  This was Bastion, after all.

"So why approach us after having a group shadow us for a while?" she asked.

"Well, most skimmer captains don't slaughter a group of muggers, raid the resident necromancer's apartment, and then drag him off to the Cadre for a bounty.  I wanted to make sure I wouldn't wind up dead, dismembered, or arrested if I tried to talk with you.  Course, I suppose you two are Stormriders and well, I suppose the rumors I've heard about your family are true."

He seemed a friendly enough sort.  Langley just blinked and Sabreur visibly relaxed.  Ajiin gave a disinterested ‘meh' and resumed keeping an eye on the group at the bar.

"Did some research, then?" Langley asked.

"A bit.  See, Bastion is not the type of city you can get by in without knowing at least one or two shady contacts.  Grim happened to be one and well, he may be an insipid clod but when someone blows up the little hole he lives in one may grow a bit nervous.  But the Cadre has thrown him to rot in some ‘mancy warded cell until they can ship him off to their headquarters and aren't asking any questions so I suppose this means they're just glad to get rid of him and aren't going to take any more action.  Am I right?"

"I think so."

"Excellent.  I've already taken the liberty of spreading the word that the whole deal with Grim was over that sword – that's what the shopkeeper said you were interested in – and that you killed off an entire group that tried to mug you over it already.  No one liked Grim enough to bother tangling with you now, that and you do have a skimmer and we like our skimmer captains around here.  They carry cargo for us.  Much more useful than what Grim did.  And maybe now a new necromancer will move in and set up shop."

"Can we back up to the part about us killing people?" Sabreur asked.  The man blinked in confusion.

"Well, my sources reported that a group of muggers that hang around the area attempted to steal from a young woman leaving the shop with the sword and they all died.  I'm assuming that was you?" he said, nodding towards Langley.

"Yes, it was," she replied, her hand on the hilt of her rapier.

Sword was back on the Ark.  After their encounter with the Cadre a couple days ago she had hung it on the wall and left it there, despite the deep sense of restlessness she got whenever she left the room without it on her belt.  However, she knew consciously that those thoughts were not her own and that it would be a bad idea to carry Sword any more in Bastion.  It still didn't make her feel any better, however.

The talk with Crystal had gone as well as could be expected.  The necromancer had no idea what had happened and that was all there was to it.  She'd gotten a sword.  She'd probably paid for it, as she no longer had as much money as she used to, and she'd given it to Langley.  There was nothing else in her mind.

"Eh?" Ajiin said in response to Langley's proclamation.  Sabreur just stared.

"There," the man beamed, "I like a woman – and captain – that can protect herself.  Which is why I want to offer you a shipping job that'll pay more than any the others you've gotten."

"Where's it to?" Langley asked.  Her brother and first mate just continued to stare at her until Ajiin finally caught on to the fact that Langley was bluffing and in a whisper clued Sabreur in.

"Swerthia.  That won't be a problem will it?"

He looked almost hopeful.  Langley grimaced and this was not a feigned one to raise up the price, either.  Shipping was down in that region for a reason.  Like all good Alannians she found doing business with that nation distasteful.  And with their recent fanaticism in searching skimmers for escaped slaves… well.  She may as well look at what he was offering first.

He gladly handed over the terms of the contract.  By then the men at the bar had settled down since they realized that things were going smoothly with their boss and they wouldn't need to intervene.  Sabreur had grown quiet in trying to figure out what exactly had happened with a group of muggers and why they were somehow connected with Sword and if possibly those were those bodies that had caused Langley to lose her breakfast the other day.  Or if that was just his cooking that had done it.  Ajiin was just waiting to hear if all his work in finding a job would become null and void.

"Well," she finally said, shoving the paper away, "One last thing to check.  Ajiin, you look vaguely Swerthian in origin.  You alright with that?"

"I'm Alannian," he replied, "So, meh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Excellent.  In that case, sir, we're willing to temporarily check our morals for your job."

And she signed her name on the contract.  The man stood and shook her hand, saying it was his pleasure to do business and the cargo would be delivered after the Ark was out of the dry-dock.  Then he and his cronies left.

"You must admit," Langley said cheerfully, "That was less hassle then most of our other contracts have been.  And we've had shadier jobs."

"Uh-huh," Sabreur replied, "Why did you say you killed those people?"

"Because he was already so kind to spread the rumor for us and I enjoy people thinking we're dangerous in ways that don't involve copious amounts of fire and collateral damage."

"Can't argue that," Ajiin agreed and Sabreur looked crestfallen.

"Must be desperate to get jobs to Swerthia," Langley mused, standing herself.  They didn't need to hang out in the tavern and discuss the possibility of a localized firebomb any longer.  "That's a good amount for such a short run job."

"You really think the cargo is legit?"

"Nah.  But hey, by saying it is I'm sure he'll make it look good enough so that we can claim we didn't know if the authorities stop us.  Like they will.  Swerthia only cares about the people on the skimmers coming in, not the cargo."

"Yeah."  And Sabreur looked at the ground distastefully.  "I don't like the idea of going there."

"One run.  For a good sum.  And then we can split to somewhere else.  Ajiin, back me up."

"Meh."

"Thanks."

There wasn't much discussion on the way back to the Ark.  Each person was preoccupied with their own thoughts.  Langley was considering Sword and just what to do with the weapon once they left Bastion.  On open water they wouldn't have to follow the Cadre's ruling not to carry it.  And it was a Stormrider weapon, after all.  Ajiin was quiet, considering the implication that if Langley had lied about being the one to kill the muggers, that meant that someone else had to.  Someone else who had carried the sword.  And he was wondering if perhaps the twin's blatant dismissal of that was probably the best route as maybe there really were some things that shouldn't be brought up with Crystal.  Namely, the idea that if Langley hadn't killed them, then that only left the necromancer.  And Sabreur was just considering how to get away with testing his theory of containing a firebomb explosion and whether it'd really be worth the effort.

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