He slept well and dreamed about the woods behind his grandpa’s shed. He watched as little Mary and a man walked by picking wildflowers. They looked very happy. He awoke refreshed, but a bit confused. After a shower he polished his boots and wiped his duster down, ready for the day.
They ate breakfast in the mess hall, and added Stander to their procession when they left. Lewis sent them off in different directions, while he and Gomez went to bid Hardwin farewell. The major wrote a short account of their visit there to add to Lewis’ file. He also told Lewis that Gavin Mortimer was being transferred to a penal institute in Landee, and if they wanted, he could try to secure berths for them on the ship that was taking him there.
“I would be very interested in that,” Lewis replied. “But I’m obligated to accompany this shipment of grain to Port Mist. If you believe Mortimer might be involved, then maybe I could convince you to send this ship as an escort. Then in Port Mist we could transfer to her for the rest of the trip to Landee.”
“That would be quite out of the way, so I’ll have to attempt to get it approved,” Hardwin told him. “I’m inclined to think it’s an acceptable arrangement, though.”
The rest of the day was quite full with arranging paperwork and other details for the warehouse, which they left empty, and loading Inu’s ship, which took much longer than they had planned on. Stander showed up in the afternoon to tell Lewis that Lieutenant colonel Skobin had approved the escort idea, but it would be a full day before the ship would be ready to leave. Lon also showed up to find out whether they were going to visit The Maze on their way out. Lewis sent Stander with the message that this time tomorrow they would meet the defender ship as it set sail and to tell the colonel thank you.
After the grain was loaded, and the team was gathered, the three ships set sail bound for the Maze. Lon guided them around the mass of dead ships to the far northwest corner, where the boom of a small warship was buried in the portside of a huge containership. Both were sunk to the bottom, the deck of the destroyer barely above the water. Lon directed them to tie off to its side rail. All four ships fit side by side, and the crew placed planks from there to each ship.
The captains left their seconds in command while Lon took the captains and Team Romeo on a tour. The warship had some manufacturing shops, one that made machine parts, and a couple that they didn’t visit. Next, they went on board the container ship, its deck was like a bazar, with booths and tables. Lewis thought it looked like there were more vendors than customers. The containers were stacked five high with balconies at each level above the deck. One section was being used as rooms like a big motel. Lon set them up with twenty rooms. Some containers were residential set-ups; Lewis saw children leaning over the rails watching them go by. Shops were dotted here and there on the lowest level. A couple of them looked like bars or restaurants.
As it began to get dark, huge flood lights came on at each end of the container rows. Team Romeo wandered among the shops while the captains headed back to their ships. They stopped at a bar for a few drinks before turning in.
Most people that they met in the Maze dressed in old civilian work clothes from before the war. Lots of coveralls made of synthetic cloth as opposed to the leather and natural fibers that the dry landers wore. A young man in a business suit therefore, stood out in sharp contrast to everyone else. Framed in the light streaming in through the open door, he hesitated for a moment, either for dramatic effect or to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim interior of the bar. Lewis heard some snickering at adjacent tables, as the youth made his way directly to the table where the team sat.
“I’m looking for a Mr. Lewis,” He said very politely, hands clasped behind his back.
“Have a seat,” Lewis said. “You have come to the right place. My name is Lewis, what can I do for you?”
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“Well sir,” he answered slowly, obviously considering each word. “My name is Rory Balesworth, and my ancestor, Danis Balesworth was the CEO of an oil producing company. I have spent my whole life studying math and old business practices from some books that my father found in the ship that we live on. I can read and write and do spreadsheets. I was hoping to go to work for DeLeah shipping in the office to acquire some experience in a real business.”
“Hey, slow down kid,” Lewis laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Look, we might have a position for you. First you have to convince me, then you’ve need to sell yourself to Captain Inu, and finally you’ll be able to talk to Captain DeLeah in Ascore.”
“I’m ready,” Rory said with enthusiasm. “What do you need to know in order to make a decision? And if I pass your criteria, are you prepared to make it tonight?”
“Not here,” Lewis told him, as he stood up. “You guys should turn in soon, I’m going to interview Mr. Balesworth.”
Lewis strode off toward the ships, with Rory running to keep up. When he noticed Rory’s predicament, he slowed a bit.
“Sorry, we move kind of fast,” Lewis told him. “Tell me about your father.”
Rory told Lewis about his father being a scavenger and a laborer, unable to read. What his father did do was bring many books home and place Rory with a teacher who taught him to read, thus opening up a whole new world. Rory was self-taught after that, studying mostly math and business from old books in the bridge of an old trading ship. His father had been a constant source of encouragement, not wanting his son to also be a laborer. Rory concluded by saying that his father had died about a year earlier in an industrial accident.
“Sorry to hear that,” Lewis said quietly. “What about your mother?”
“Mostly she drinks a lot since Dad died,” Rory said sadly. “But the neighbors take care of us, since she has a very little girl and a son who’s an idiot. She has joined everybody else in telling me that I should get rid of all those books and borrow a shovel so I can take a job planting trees. But those guys hardly ever sell any trees and they’ll go broke eventually. I tried to talk them into letting me sell the trees last week, but they just wanted me to dig holes. Then I heard about you guys and I started asking a lot of questions. Mr. Lon told me that you were going to come here, so I went to Dontil and started checking up on you there. I know, for instance, that you bought a building to do business out of in the future. I also heard that DeLeah shipping is busy in Port Mist.”
“Impressive,” Lewis commented. “Don’t you think you should stay here and help take care of your mother and sister?”
“It seems to me that I can do them more good if I could go somewhere and make money,” Rory answered. “I don’t see how staying here and using a shovel, which I have done by the way, furthers my career.”
“OK,” Lewis sighed. “I’ll make you only one guarantee, if this doesn’t work out; I’ll see that you get back home.”
“No need for that,” Rory’s eyes were twinkling in the cargo lights. “If Ascore doesn’t come through, I’m going to Ladzoo. If Ladzoo won’t have me, I’ll make my way to Wutanna. It’s all I’ve got; it has to work, even if I have to submerge myself.”
“You’ve got spunk, kid,” Lewis laughed for the second time that day. “Why don’t you join us, the Romeo company.”
“I thought you were team Romeo,” Rory said carefully.
“Your research is incomplete,” Lewis told him. “Team Romeo is my operating team. One of my men stayed behind in Port Mist to set the ground work for a larger organization, The Romeo Company. It’ll take some time but we will need people with skills such as yours.”
“But aren’t you soldiers or mercenaries?” Rory asked. “I’m really not interested in being a military man,”
“Staff Sergeant Rollins would probably want you to have some rudimentary training,” Lewis said. “But if you make it clear that you are there to do paper work, I’m sure he will go easy on you.”
“With all due respect sir,” Rory stammered. “That would be my third choice, behind DeLeah Shipping and Ladzoo.”
“No problem Rory,” Lewis patted him on the back. “Keep us in mind, oh, and if you should make it to Ladzoo look up a lady named Fingers Jones and tell her that I sent you. I bet she would find a place for you.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
Captain Inu was willing to have Rory travel with them to Ascore to meet the DeLeahs.