“You want to go down?” Paxe asked.
“I haven’t been to Distani, and I’ve heard it’s a lovely place to visit,” she said. The capital of Balco was apparently a more diluted version of Larga Ways, and she had been meaning to see it for a while.
There had been so much happening up on Larga Ways, though, as well as in the United Coalition as a whole of late, that she had never had the chance to clear her calendar.
“What do you think you can achieve face-to-face that you can’t over comms?” Eazi asked.
“When I tell him there will be repercussions for these delays while looking straight at him, he’ll see the very clear truth of that in my eyes,” Fee said. “And as it is never a good idea to threaten consequences if you don’t intend to follow through, we need to think about what we can do in retaliation for these delays that don’t break any agreements we have with the Balcoans or the Grih.”
“I’m sorry I offered to protect Balco now,” Paxe said.
“You can’t protect them until your Class 5 is finished,” Fee pointed out. “And they’re the ones behind the delays. So it’s a moot point.”
“I know, but I don’t feel that sorry about what I did before anymore. They’ve killed the goodwill.”
Fee lifted her brows. “Granted, they have killed the goodwill, but youdidkill numerous people on this way station, so I think they probably have more cause for dislike than you.”
Paxe didn’t say anything to that as she turned and walked away from the docking arm. It was only when she was in the main street that he finally responded.
“I am actually sorry about killing people,” he said. “But I see the Larga Ways inhabitants as distinct from the Balcoans, now.”
Fee realized she did, too. “That would be good to keep in mind when we come up with a list of consequences, because no one on Larga Ways is responsible—that we know of—for what’s causing the delays down below.”
“No. Thatishelpful to keep in mind. We could put the rates up for docking fees. And up the surcharge on trade from Balco.” Eazi hummed as he ran numbers.
“We could frame it as extra revenue required to pay for transport fees from one of the four Grihan planets, given they can’t provide what they promised.” Fee nodded to people as she walked back to her apartment. Sometimes the fact that she was the face of the way station hit her afresh, and she couldn’t quite believe it.
She was the figurehead. Eazi was the real power behind the throne.
And while everyone was aware that Eazi was the muscle and the brains, they were almost pathetically grateful to have Fee as the intermediary. She had come to the realization some time ago that the only reason everyone had accepted Eazi taking control of the way station was because she was his approachable sidekick.
And the extra money in the coffers hadn’t hurt, either.
The cries of outrage at having a Class 5 battleship being built right here at the way station, a ship that was going to be run by the thinking system that had previously tried to destroy the whole way station itself, had also petered out to only a few mutters since Paxe had signed an agreement to personally protect Balco from all comers when his ship was complete.
Eazi was considering whether to follow suit and rebuild his own, as his had also been destroyed by the Tecran, the same way Paxe’s had. He had been enthusiastic about the rebuildhappening right under his nose, but he liked running the way station.
Fee had suggested a smaller ship that would still be capable of attack and defense as a compromise and both Paxe and Eazi had spent many happy hours debating for and against the idea, and thinking up complimentary scenarios where two ships of varying sizes could work together.
She reached her building, and found Tean Lee sitting on the steps leading up to the front entrance.
“Tean.” She studied the way station head of security. He was a complex character, both touchy and quick to take offense, but also fiercely protective of the way station. She had considered firing him numerous times but had talked herself out of it. “I had to deal with an early delivery, but I’ll be in the office at the usual time.”
“I wanted a private word,” he said.
She hesitated, then gave a nod, leading the way up the stairs to her building and holding the front door open for him to come in with her.
They walked up the wide stairs together, an indication all on its own how expensive this building was in a place where every single inch was precious.
When they were inside her apartment, she made them each a cup of grinabo and waved him into a seat on the other side of the kitchen counter while she began taking fruit from a bowl and chopping it up.
Tean Lee set his cup down. “I’ve heard a few whispers that someone wants to kill you.”
Eazi made a distressed sound in her ear.
“Where?” she asked, keeping her hand steady as she sliced fruit that was similar to a peach.
“In one of the seedier bars. I know nothing on this way station is really that seedy, but this one is on the lower end of town.” Tean Lee took a sip of grinabo.
