Where the Ships Die by William C. Dietz Read Free Book Online

Sa-Lo assumed it was an administrative area and that other parts of the building were devoted to patient care. The hallway ended and doors parted as they approached. Sa-Lo followed their guide into a long rectangular room. Light entered through high arched windows. Paintings, portraits mostly, warmed the walls. A rosewood conference table divided the space in two. Sa-Lo hated human chairs and hoped he wouldn't have to sit in one. A triad of humans waited toward the far end of room. Intentional? Or an accident? Time would tell.
    A tall energetic flat-face who had lost all but a fringe of head fur came forward. Sa-Lo had studied human facial expressions and thought this one conveyed a mixture of forced joviality and a trace of fear. He liked that and knew victory could be had. "Citizen Sa-Lo ... it's a pleasure to meet you."
    Sa-Lo accepted the outstretched paw, released it as quickly as possible, and turned to the warrior. "May I introduce my associate? Citizen Ka-Di?"
    "Welcome to Mechnos," Carnaby Orr said, shaking the Traa's hand. "How was your trip?"
    "The human inquires as to the quality of our journey," Sa-Lo said in Traa.
    "Tell him it would have been better if humans weren't so homely," Ka-Di replied, his eyes on the humans at the far end of the table. One of them, a skinny-looking female, reacted subtly. She knew Traa, or was receiving a translation. She matched the description he had been given of Orr's chief of security. Interesting. He would watch her.
    Sa-Lo treated his companion to the Traa equivalent of a frown, and took liberties with his answer. "Citizen Ka-Di indicates that while our voyage was pleasant, a truly successful journey has a profitable ending."
    Orr laughed appreciatively. "Excellent! Please inform Citizen Ka-Di that he's a being after my own heart. Business ... that's what makes the world go round. And the Confederacy too. Shall we begin?"
    "Nothing would please me more," Sa-Lo said sincerely.
    "Good," Orr said agreeably. "I happen to admire Traa craftsmanship, and had the opportunity to purchase some investment-grade furniture. I hope you'll try one of the chairs."
    The third flat-face, a male who introduced himself as the Orr Enterprises CFO, pulled a chair away from the table and gestured invitingly. The seat was made from narwood and slanted back to front as dictated by Traa anatomy. The T-shaped back was embellished with a hand-carved hunting scene.
    Sa-Lo cursed himself for a fool. The aliens were more intelligent than he had given them credit for. Either the humans knew how much he disliked their furniture or they'd gone out of their way to make him comfortable. Either possibility suggested a Traalike attention to detail.
    Both groups took their seats and turned toward Orr. The seat at the head of the table was regarded as a power position within both cultures. Orr had avoided it rather than seem presumptuous. "Here's the situation as I see it.Voss Lines is a family-owned company, and, thanks to a poorly chosen terraforming project, has negative cash flow. As a matter of fact, the only thing between the family and financial oblivion is a wormhole called the Mescalero Gap. I'm meeting with the principals this afternoon. By combining resources, we could buy them out. Our ships would transit toll-free. Lower costs would make both partners more competitive. So competitive that we could claim sixty percent of the long haul data business."
    There was a moment of silence while everyone considered the meaning of Orr's words. Beyond a requirement for navigational beacons, and overhead associated with billing, worm-holes were free. The Traa were well acquainted with this fact since, unbeknownst to Orr, they already controlled two warps via secret agreements like the one under discussion. This strategy had allowed them to control half the commercially viable singularities without mobilizing other races against them. Sa-Lo cleared his throat. "There's truth in what you say. But what if the Voss family