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“They may be willing.”
    â€œWhy did we stop out there and hang around for days?” asked Captain Tendel of
Lacewing.
“Mackensee wouldn’t tell us anything but that it was safer.”
    â€œPirate in a system we came through,” Ky said. “With allies. They jumped you out of the system, went back and dealt with them.”
    â€œOh. But you weren’t on scan…where were you?” That was Captain Harper, of
My Bess.
    â€œBait,” Ky said. “My choice. That’s where this ship came from.”
    â€œOh. We thought maybe you’d picked up another convoy member. The beacon reads Vatta.” Captain Tendel, as always, looked as if she suspected Ky of something.
    â€œThe pirate had stolen a Vatta ship,” Ky said. “They were operating under our name, illegally.”
    â€œSo you’re taking the ship in for adjudication?”
    â€œI’m reclaiming stolen property,” Ky said. “And we can discuss this, if you wish, once we’re docked.”
    Harper nodded; Tendel just glared at Ky until the screen blanked.
    â€œThat was interesting,” Rafe said from over her shoulder. “I wonder what Tendel has against you. You’ve got a bigger ship, maybe?”
    â€œMaybe. Doesn’t matter, really, as long as she pays her share.” Though the cargo on
Fair Kaleen
was valuable enough to cover the fee, if any of the convoy reneged on their payment. If anyone would buy suspect cargo off a former pirate ship…but of course they would. Osman had been making a living that way, and a good one, too.
    About a light-minute from the main station, a warning message met them. “
All ships on approach. All ships on approach.
Identify yourselves on Channel Eighteen. Report shipname, registry, ownership, organization, captain’s name, number of crew. Do not depart from present course without authorization: you are targeted.”
    â€œFriendly bunch,” Lee said.
    â€œBetter than what we were told about Leonora,” Ky said. She entered the data for
Fair Kaleen
as if that ship had never been anything but a Vatta Transport ship. Her name matched her beacon chip, at least. Registry, Slotter Key. Ownership, Vatta Enterprises. Organization, Vatta Transport, Ltd. Captain, K. Vatta, crew of six.
    Shortly a message came back, voice only. Ky was not sure if it was a live person or computer-generated: “Ownership and captain do not match previous contact. This ship and captain of record are interdicted in this system. Explain.”
    She had not wanted to explain this over open airways. “Request secure link.”
    â€œSecure link available…” Status lights blinked, then steadied: lightlag plus a minute or two.
    â€œGo ahead, Captain Vatta,” a different voice said. “This is Port Security, and I’m Division Chief Edvarrin.” The blurred image on screen steadied to show a severe-faced woman in a green uniform with blue facings. Two rows of silver buttons ran down the front.
    â€œThe person operating this ship was not a Vatta employee,” Ky said. “I understand you had issues with him?” She waited, watching the communications chronometer readout. Fifty-nine seconds for the message to go…fifty-nine for it to return…plus whatever time someone needed to frame a message.
    Question answered question. “Was he a Vatta family member or using a false name?”
    â€œBy birth he was a Vatta, yes,” Ky said. “He had been expelled from the family years ago. He stole this ship and represented himself as being part of Vatta Transport when he wasn’t. Whatever he was doing, he did it for himself, not with any authorization from us.” Again the wait. She tried to anticipate the next question, be ready to answer quickly.
    â€œAnd your relationship to Vatta Transport’s corporate structure?”
    That was another sticky bit. How far had news of trouble with Vatta