Encounter at Vilahana by Blaze Ward

Author:Blaze Ward [Ward, Blaze]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781644702314
Publisher: Knotted Road Press

Chapter Twenty-Three

Date of the Republic March 16, 411 RAN Urumchi, Vilahana Orbit

Unlike hosting the delightfully-professional Kaur Singh and her officers, Phil wasn’t about to let the rest of those bozos land shuttles on his dreadnought. Or even fly close.

And he’d stationed marines to keep everyone out of Sergey’s greenhouse without written orders from him or Aliza. This event was being held in the forward observatory, configured for ambassadorial receptions with a big meeting hall, numerous conference rooms, and an oversized kitchen, with most of the spare cabins nearby in case he’d been hosting a conference of some sort that required folks to stay overnight.

The nine administrative shuttles aft had been sufficient to go get everyone who was coming. Commander Basant Utkin of the Ingham Syndicate had actually shown up in the middle of the crowd, rather than making a fuss about coming in last. Tango had remained close to Saluki, with Utkin’s engineers getting the ship as repaired as it could be without a major drydock.

Phil secretly wondered if they were going to sell it to a merchant here in Vilahana to be stripped, and were just waiting until Aranyani left. If so, they were in for a wait, as Kaur had assured him that she was present until she got orders from a Director, the Aditi equivalent of a Fleet Centurion, to depart.

Would Tango remain as well? Were they waiting for a so-called pirate fleet? Or maybe all the pirates ganging up?

He could see sending Viking off to find a base he might need to stomp on later, if Ingham gave him any reason to.

Phil noted Utkin across a small crowd, glass in one hand though no food. The kitchen had gone all out this afternoon, but Phil had eaten a big breakfast so he could go all day without.

Basant Utkin was a big man. Burly in the manner of Markus Dunklin. Perhaps a little heavier, in the manner of a man exercising less as he aged, while Markus took every chance he could to sneak off to a machine shop where he could putter.

Utkin had muscles. In that, he reminded Phil of Alber’ d’Maine, who had been religious about lifting heavy iron. Alternatively, perhaps one of the Corynthe pirate captains he had known, leftover from when rank was frequently a factor of personal duels with blades.

Nobody had mentioned that facet of Syndicate culture. Phil also hadn’t dug too deeply.

Yet, he amended himself.

Aranyani had been present when Urumchi arrived because they had been chasing pirates to get their ship and their ambassador back. And Saluki had paid a heavy price for misbehavior.

Utkin noted Phil’s look and broke away from the group he had been chatting with, walking this way with a heavy stride.

Phil practically smelled his marines come up an entire alert level, but the one in front of him was smaller than Sam Au. He wondered if aikido or jiujitsu were still practiced in the cluster. That might be an interesting surprise. Phil wondered if the Centurion in charge of the bodyguards had planned something like that.

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