“Probably not, but how can I tell unless I know the whole story?”
“You admit, then, that it is a possibility? Are you more than you appear to be, or are you a simple pilot looking for work?”
Val had a strong urge to rub the stubble on his chin, but he was not about to reveal his increasing tension to this Chessori.
“Forg,” he replied, “I’m a pilot, as I told you. I’m connected with others, with many others who might be able to help you, but you ask much.”
“Would one of them be this Queen you mentioned?” Forg asked quietly.
Without hesitation, Val responded, “I will not tell you who my associates are. We have to get to know one another much, much better before that discussion takes place.” Jeez, he thought to himself, this guy is sharp. He scares me. Where’s Reba when I need her?
“And we shall. Let me leave you with a further thought before we part this night. I am Chessori. As such, I am bound by the rules of my guild. All Chessori are bound by such rules. One particular guild, a very senior guild, has chosen to interpret one of our rules in such a way that I and my guild members consider incorrect. That interpretation has led to the annexation of my ship, and mine is not the only ship taken in this manner. I intend to right this wrong. I will have my ship back.”
“You speak of dishonor among your people.”
Forg nodded solemnly. “I do. I do not say these words lightly. What has happened to me and my crew is bad, very bad. It is against all Chessori custom.”
“I am not Chessori. Is this conversation appropriate?”
Forg leaned toward him. “Probably not, but all of us sense something special in you. We have given this careful consideration. There is much competition between certain of our guilds. Some competition strengthens, but this particular competition weakens.”
Forg rose from the table, his crew rising with him. “I seek that which is right for my people. We might well be strengthened if we do this right. We will retire now. Do you wish to continue negotiations tomorrow?”
Val nodded. “Perhaps over breakfast?”
They exchanged details on where to meet, then Forg bowed and turned away.
Val stayed for a while, deep in thought. ›Are we falling into a trap, Artmis?‹
›Maybe. Are these Chessori who and what they appear to be, simple traders, or are they part of the same group pursuing Ellie? I don’t know.‹
How in the world were they going to determine the truth, Val wondered? At the very least, the Chessori were not to be trusted. Yet, he might really be on to something here. He, Mike, and Chandrajuski had considered the possibility that not all Chessori were involved in the coup. Was Forg hinting at a split of some kind among his people? Was it possible this guild thing had anything to do with it? If so, how big a deal was it to the Chessori? Was he dealing with one shanghaied crew, or were there others, possibly many others, who felt the same way?
›Consider a larger scale, Val. Could the Chessori be in the midst of a civil war themselves?‹
›That’s too big, Artmis, and the timing would be pretty coincidental, don’t you think? If I’m not reading Forg completely wrong, my guess is that this is more of an inter-guild thing, not an empire-busting thing. But we’ll keep your idea in mind, as well as the fact that we might be reading Forg wrong.‹
Fundamentally, if what Forg said was true, the Chessori were traders, bargaining until an agreement was hammered out. If true, since the Chessori were assisting Struthers, it meant that Struthers had struck an agreement with them.
›Did he strike an agreement with all the Chessori, or was the deal with just some of them, maybe just one guild?‹ Artmis wondered. ›How well does Struthers know the Chessori? Could he have struck a deal with just some of them, perhaps thinking those he dealt with represented all Chessori when, in fact, they didn’t, or did he strike the deal with certain knowledge that the Chessori leadership stood behind the agreement?‹
So many questions and no good answers. Val had six Chessori to question and learn from, really just one if Forg was fully in charge. Surely Struthers had dealt with many others, was, in fact, dealing with many others at this very moment. The Chessori were spreading quickly through the Empire, and the ones he had encountered prior to Forg were definitely siding with the Rebels. But what if they represented just one guild? What if not all guilds supported the Rebels? Was Forg a good guy or a bad guy?
Val knew that Mike, Ellie, and Chandrajuski were counting on him to find answers to these questions. He spent a restless night, unaccustomed to dealing with such far ranging issues with no one to fall back on for help. He wished Reba was beside him, knowing she’d have crystal clear insight that would put them on the right track. When he woke up the next morning, Reba was still uppermost in his mind. He talked to her while he worked out, trying to focus his thoughts.
Her cheerful response was, as always, simple and uncluttered. “You’re going to do this thing the way you’ve always done things,” she said in his mind, flashing her incredible smile. “The right way.”
Forg was alone when he arrived for breakfast. The diminutive Chessori seemed lost at the table set for eight. Val had to consciously remind himself that he was not dealing with a child.
“How did you sleep?” he asked as he sat down.
“Not well. You?”
“About the same.”
“We may be juggling similar problems,” Forg said, folding his tiny hands together on the edge of the table, his eyes glistening as they stared at Val without blinking. “The stakes are very high. Neither of us is in a position to trust the other, yet trust is our only currency at the moment.”
Val bowed his head. “I believe you’re right: it is a dilemma. How do we solve it?”
“Through negotiation. Tit for tat as your saying goes.”
“This issue may ultimately go far beyond simple negotiation, Forg.”
“Perhaps, but isn’t that the highest form of negotiation?” The corners of Forg’s small mouth lifted in a smile as his unblinking eyes stared back at Val.
“I guess, then, that I’ll start with saying it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever restore you to your ship. Nor is it likely I’ll ever be able to supply you with a different Chessori ship. An Empire ship is possible, but probably not suitable to your needs. Can I just supply you with the money for a new ship?”
“So you have access to ships and funds. I thought so.” Forg waved his hands in a negating fashion. “I don’t want money. I’ve already received payment for my ship.”
“You have? I thought someone took it from you,” Val said in surprise. “Did you get a fair price?”
“Negotiations were conducted between myself and another Chessori. Of course I got a fair price.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is fundamental to all Chessori negotiations: I could not walk away from the deal without completing it. I am grossly offended.”
Forg’s words confused Val. “Offended enough to negotiate for information that might be construed as treasonous to your people?”
“What information I might share with you is not treasonous. It is to the benefit of my people that this horror be stopped.”
“To what horror do you refer?”
“I suspect you know very well of what I speak. Do you deny such knowledge?”
Val hesitated, then plunged in. “I’ve been on the receiving end of the Chessori mind weapon.”
›Careful!‹ Artmis said in alarm.
›I know, buddy, but it has to come out.‹
›Mike and Reba are not here to deal with him. I’m not ready to go through that thing again.‹
Forg let out a long ‘sssssssss,’ and fell silent for a time. “I was not referring to any such thing. You are mistaken. I don’t know what you are talking about,” he finished weakly.
“No mistake, Forg. It’s excruciatingly painful and disabling. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Forg took his time responding. “If such a thing existed, and I am not saying that it does, you would not be alive today.”