Part 26 (2/2)
It was absurdly difficult to untie the ribands that held his own ers wouldn't shake so
Finally, the thing was done and he stood, raising his hand for silence against the sudden storainst a yos'Phelium!” ”He must have been in his cups!” ”Card-sharp!
The hostess herself accused hiht it was Dela bel'Urik-called, stridently, for silenceIt fell, and Pat Rin cleared his throat
”If soood as to call the Port Proctors? Also, it would be well to res were done, and when the Proctors did arrive, in goodly time, since they also knew the street, the only rip of Hia Cyn yo'Tonin
IMTAL HERSELF RECEIVED the debt-book fros, lingering over the fourth She lay the book aside
”Our House is honored,” she said, bowing
”It was an honor to serve,” Pat Rin replied, properly, and bowed even lower
”Hah” She considered hi me, child of Korval?”
Pat Rinas he had shown her
”This is Betea sen'Equa; her name appears in the last entry in the book Alas, Fal Den wrote neither a plus nor minus beside her name, nor any other elaboration; and I a her”
The brown eyes narrowed ”I have read the last entry, and found it unillu 'In consideration of thethe delment ”Just so Betea took part in the sche in which I feel she was also a victim Your kinsman could not himself squarely place the debt, nor can I The best Balance I est that you speak with this person, candidly and at length, and that a new Balance be struck if need be, to Balance the loss of Fal Den's worth” He paused, then added, with utest that you consult most closely with your business advisors about thethat worth Had it not been for the unfortunate public suicide of Hia Cyn ”
”Yo'Tonin I have heard the news of that, and I have-as you may understand-heard other news of that I would not have had such a necessity forced upon you”
”The necessity was mine, Imtal I could hardly have refused to serve Fal Den's wishes”
There was a short silence, then an inclination of the head ”As you say I assu person ounded in the service our House?”
”Imtal, it is”
”Hah” The brown eyes now frankly swept Betea ”My father knew your Grandrandmother knew many people Well”
It was the correct response Imtal smiled ”assuredly, we shall need to talk-candidly and at length”
To Pat Rin and inclined her head ”My thanks for your service to our House”That was a dismissal Pat Rin bowed ”My thanks for the forbearance of the House I grieve for your loss, as well as my own”
That said, and most properly, he allowed hi In Futures
Adventures in the Liaden Universe 5 Sharon Lee and Steve Miller 2001
ISBN 1-58787-208-0
Balance of Trade
”If you trade with Liadens, trade careful, and for the Gods' love don't come sideways of honor”
This set of notes was old: recorded by Great-Grand-Captain Larance Gobelyn o, dubbed to shi+p's library twenty Standards later fro tape Jethri fiddled with the feed on the audio board, but only succeeded in lowering the oldin protest of the scratchy, uneven sound
”Liaden honor is-active Insult-any insult-is punished Immediately An individual's name is his most important possession and-”
”Jethri?” Uncle Paitor's voice broke across Cap'n Larance's recitation Jethri sighed and thu his head toward the intercorid set in the wall
”Come on down to the trade roos”
Jethri slipped the remote out of his ear As senior trader, Paitor was specifically in charge of the senior apprentice trader's time and education
”Yessir,” Jethri repeated Two quick fingertaps marked his place in the old notes file He left at a brisk walk, his thoughts half on honor, and only slightly less than half on the ie of the woman on the poster
HIS UNCLE NODDED hi in on Ynsolt'i and next hour Paitor Gobelyn would have ti but the feed from the port trade center Now, his screen was dark, the desk-top barren Paitor cleared his throat
”Got a couple things,” he said, folding his hands over his belt buckle ”On-Port roster: Dyk an'the payload to the central trade hall and seeing it safe with the highest bidder Khat's data, Grig's eatables, Mel's on tech, Cris'll stay shi+p-side You”Paitor paused and Jethri gripped his hands together tight on his lap, willing his face into a trader's expression of courteous disinterest They had textile on board-half a dozen bolts of cellosilk that Cris had taken on two stops back, with Ynsolt'i very much in his mind Was it possible, Jethri wondered, that Uncle Paitor was going to allow
”Yourself-you'll be handling the silk lot I expect to see a kais out of the lot If I was you, I'd call on Honored Sir bin'Flora first”
Jethri reripped his hands together so hard they hurt
His own trade His own, very first, solo trade with no Senior standing by, ready to take over if the thing looked like going awry
His uncle waved a hand ”Ti small stuff on your own Now” He leaned forward abruptly, folded his arot a lot riding on this trip”
Indeed they did-more than a quarter of the Market's speculation capital was tied up in eighteen Terran pounds of vya, a spice ram lots Jethri's research had revealed that vya was the active ingredient in fa'vya, a Liaden drink shi+p's library classified as a potent aphrodisiac Ynsolt'i was a Liaden port and the spice should bring a substantial profit to the shi+p Not, Jethri reuaranteed
”We do ith the spice here,” Paitor was saying, ”and the captain's going to take us across to Kinaveral, do that refit we'd been banking for now, rather than two Standards fro a cake Jethri sat up straighter, rubbing the palh fabric of his work pants
”Refit'll keep us world-bound 'bout a Standard, near's we can figure Captain wants that engine upgrade bad and trade-side's gonna need two rinned suddenly
”Three, if I can get 'em”