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"That is true if it were the Chrymphten coming to Oceanus," Myccael allowed.
"Humans don't have spaceships," I objected further, but even as I said the words, I realized how ignorant they were. Humans had come a long way since they first asked to settle on Leandar. Some were exceptionally good traders. Traders income depended on transportation. So why wouldn’t some human towns acquire space transporters?
"I will investigate Horn," I promised. "And take the necessary actions."
"I trust in your judgement," was all Myccael said before we ended the comm.
"I will do no such thing," I informed my brother Nathan haughtily.
"Niara, please," he begged.
"What you suggest is treason," I reminded him.
His hand moved through his short cropped hair, "I know."
He paced the floor in a circle. "What is done is done," he finally said, coming to an abrupt stop right in front of me. "And you better behave."
"Or what?" I pushed my fists into my sides, glaring up at him. He was my brother and I loved him dearly, but I would rather drown myself in the ocean than be part of this.
He must have read my mind, because his face turned into a sneer, "Where do you think the credits, for all the repairs are coming from, eh?" He pulled at my sleeve. "Or your clothes?"
I sucked in a deep breath. "You didn't?"
"Oh yes little sister, I have. Ever since father left me this wreck of a… a… what is this anyway? An island? An oversized boat? Hah, I know, a floating ruin, that's what he left us. A floating ruin."
My jaw clenched at the memory of two rotations ago when Horn had indeed been in utter ruins, threatened to capsize into the never-ending ocean, or just sink like a cheese with too many holes in it.
Nathan's words were true. In the beginning we had co-ruled after our father's sudden death, stuck our heads together and brainstormed over ways to figure out how to earn enough credits to repair at least the most urgent issues. The fact though was that ever since the Leandar and the Sirens had entered a new trade agreement the pitiful amount of quanip—a seaweed—and graff—a delicatessen fish—we used to barter with the Leandars for wasn't needed by them any longer—at least not on Oceanus.
I suggested, we scraped together as many credits as we could and buy a small space transporter to see if we could sell our bounties elsewhere in the Leandar system and Nathan had jumped at the idea. That was the end of our co-ruling however. I had been so busy ordering repairs where they were needed to realize that Nathan had asked me less and less for advice, only happy that my suggestion had turned out to be good enough to bring in the credits we needed. And then some. Enough to buy a bigger transporter, enough to indulge in a new dress and to have my mother's necklace fixed so I could wear it again.
Enough that I should have asked questions.
"Damn it, Nathan and damn you." I cursed.
"That ship we bought would have never even made it to Leandar," Nathan defended his actions.
"So you traded with Chrymphten?" I raged.
"I didn't have a choice," Nathan justified what he had done. "They intercepted us, they could have killed us."
"But they didn't," I pointed out.
"Because I promised to corporate." He spat.
I rolled my eyes and threw my hands up. "You could have stopped, after the first contact, it's not like they would have come after us. Here. On Oceanus."
"No, they wouldn't have." He admitted, "But we would have been right where we started, unable to set out into space and earn credits."
"So what?" I huffed, "Then we would have started over. We came up with this idea once, we could have figured out something else." I whirled on him, sticking my finger into his face, "Not you though, right? You couldn't stop once you got a whiff of the credits you could make with your traitorous act."
"Don't go all high and mighty on me, Lady Saint," his temper was just as hot as mine. "You were all too happy to spend the credits I made."
"To repair Horn," I cried, but even as I said the words, I knew he was right. I had never stopped and asked questions. Because you trusted him, my mind argued, because he was supposed to sell the goods in Ackaron on Leandar, not to Chrymphten.
"What's done is done," he repeated with an over exaggerated sigh.
"So now you want my advice," the words didn't come out as malice filled as they should have, because his face fell and he nodded miserably and he was still my brother and I still loved him with all my heart. "Oh Nathan."
