Exploitable Weaknesses by Brian Keller (red queen free ebook txt) 📗

prisoners on one ship and the rest on the other; if all the crew members are my people, then the Wharf City community is forced to carry the risk.”

Cooper was forced to question his position. He hadn’t considered that. He was loathe to give up ownership, unwilling to even negotiate it, but Mardon had raised a valid point. Cooper thought about it, “What did I really hope to gain by retaining a ship? The ability to move any cargo we needed. We don’t need to ‘own’ the ship to accomplish that…” Cooper conceded, “If you provide both crews, you’ll gain both ships, but any cargo we ship on your vessels stays off the books, and we pay a flat shipping cost, no percentages.” Mardon was quiet for several seconds while he considered. When he did reply, he was suspicious, “How much cargo are we talking about? And how often?” Cooper smiled, “Probably not more than a crate or two at a time, and most likely not more than twenty crates annually.” Cooper paused, then added, “You could stand to gain two ships instead of one, and you’re negotiating a few coins’ worth of shipping costs?” Mardon winked, “That’s how I got to be First Merchant.” Rukle muttered, “All this discussion is pointless if the Sundancer arrives.” Hearing this, Mardon perked up, “What’s this? The Sundancer? That’s the ship you’re expecting? They’re little better than pirates!” Cooper shrugged, “I’ve sailed with them, and found them to be a well-disciplined crew, though I can’t claim to have any expertise in the matter.” He cast a sidelong look at Rukle. The red-haired boy seemed to wither, realizing he’d revealed information that Cooper had intended to withhold. Mardon expressed his dissatisfaction, “And I’m to allow them to board my ship.” Cooper nodded, “That is my intent. You can, of course, refuse, but that would be the same as excluding yourselves from the final planning. And that would mean that you’re withdrawing from our arrangement.” Mardon growled, “That means you would fail in your attempt. Sundancer or no, you can’t hope to accomplish a raid on the prison without our help.” Cooper bluffed, “It would cause a delay, a significant delay in fact, but I feel certain that Captain Rigel can find other sailors in other ports who would be willing to work for what we’re paying.” The First Merchant squinted at Cooper for several seconds before speaking, “That’s where it stands then?” Cooper crossed his arms over his chest and replied, “I’m simply tired of everything being a negotiation or argument. You’ve already committed to the agreed-upon terms. It seems that now you’re simply seeking ways to increase your percentage. You might not see it as unethical, but I can tell you how it’s affecting my opinion of you.” Mardon felt the sting of the insult and stood with his fists clenched. Rukle spoke again, “Sir, I really recommend that you sit back down.” Mardon glared at the both of them, Enforcer and Assassin. He unclenched his fists and sat. His smile was contrived but still genuine, intended to put everyone at ease. He took a breath and said, “You might be a little bit right but that’s no reason to insult a man.” Cooper shook his head, still alert, “You might never tire of negotiations, sir, but I do. I have other matters that require attention. Are we done? Are we agreed?” Mardon’s shoulders sagged, “We’re agreed.” He added, “Though my son could’ve handled these negotiations.” Cooper’s eyes glinted but he said nothing as he turned to leave. Rukle chose to speak again, with a threatening edge to his voice, “I think Kinsman did very well. If it’d been me, I’d have ended up dealing with your son by default.” Cooper spoke to Rukle over his shoulder, “That was unnecessary. Come on.”

The two of them returned to the Ruins and gathered Birt, Dailen, and the Journeymen. They gathered around the remains of the cooking fire and added a few sticks to keep it going. Cooper explained, “I know we’ve all discussed the plan before. We’re going to discuss it again but this time we’re changing roles. Rukle describes Birt’s role, Birt describes Loryn’s, and so forth. The point is that if someone either falls, or fails, the rest of us will have to complete their tasks.” Balat was working his elbow. Miss Camilla must have taken the cast off his arm at some point during the day. Balat spoke, “If Cooper falls, I’m leaving. I’ll go work for a spice merchant in Temidan, or something.” Cooper turned to stare at Balat. The boy squirmed uncomfortably and added, “Who would take your place? I might know your role, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to take it on!” Cooper shook his head, “Be serious. We don’t know the layout of the prison. While that’s important, it doesn’t change the overall intention. We split up, sending two teams out. Spen takes one. I take the other. We stay ahead of Gaff and Loryn, and provide cover while they pick the locks, or open the latches, or undo whatever mechanisms that secure the prisoners. Some prisoners might not be able to move without help. That’s where the crew members come in. They’ll help prisoners get onto the ships. They’ll also watch our backs, helping to secure the places we’ve already been. We’ll be getting spread thin, probably pretty quickly, but by then we should have dealt with most of the guards and should be able to move freely.” Cooper turned to Rukle, “Subdue the guards, if possible. If they won’t be subdued, or if it looks like they could gain the upper hand, kill them.” Spen nodded and spoke, “Once we’ve determined that we’ve freed the prisoners, or as many as we can find without taking all night, we collapse back to the ships and cast off. After that, we’re just passengers. We’ll tend to the prisoners as best we can, and get prepared