Owner's Share (Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper) by Nathan Lowell

is up, and I’m still thinking that when the dust settles this is going to have been just pipe dreams. I’ll clear a few thousand, and be back at work on the next ship out.”
    He shook his head. “Even if it’s only one million, that’s enough to retire on. You could probably live off the income from that and be very comfortable for the rest of your life.” He paused to let me consider that. “You and the chief could get a little place down on the ground, raise up a batch of little shipmates...”
    He saw the stricken look on my face and his voice trailed off.
    “The chief and I won’t be doing anything.” I tried to keep my voice low and level but was surprised how hard that was. “At least nothing like that.”
    He frowned. “Why? I thought you were head over heels for her.”
    It must have been my turn for the dumb blinking. I felt like he’d hit me on the back of the head and all I could do was stare at him.
    “What? You think we’re blind?” The smile crept back across his face. “Things have been a little odd here for awhile, but I thought, that is Gwen and I both thought...” He could see he wasn’t connecting with my higher brain functions. “What? Something’s happened?”
    “We had a little chat and she made it clear that she’s not interested in an extended relationship with me. It’s impossible while I’m captain and she’s in my crew anyway, but she made it quite clear that I’m not on her manifest.”
    He placed both palms on the table and pushed himself upright. “Is that what she told you?” The disbelief sounded plainly in his voice.
    I grimaced and nodded. “Yeah. She caught me coming off watch about a week ago. We had a rather short and brutal conversation in the cabin. She made it pretty clear to me. Things have been a bit smoother since.”
    He just looked at me like I was crazy before asking again, “That’s what she told you?”
    “Yes, that’s what she told me.” I sighed and took a deep swig off my coffee.
    “All right then,” he murmured, almost to himself. “So, now what?”
    I shook my head. “Now we keep the ship together, wait for the outcome of the Captain’s Board, and see what happens day after tomorrow.”
    “What happens day after tomorrow?” He’d lost the smug smile and seemed as confused as I felt.
    “We hire a new First Mate to replace Gwen and get this cargo moving to Jett.”
    His face flashed into panic. “What? What do you mean replace Gwen! Where’s Gwen going?” Even in his distress his voice hissed out quietly although judging from his look I thought he might want to scream. I know I did.
    “She’s going into the captain’s cabin,” I told him flatly. “Assuming she wants it. Does she?”
    “Well, of course, but what about you?”
    “I go ashore.”
    “And do what?”
    “Wait for the auction payout, and maybe help DST with refitting that ship for sale.”
    “What? The Jezebel ?”
    “Yeah. It’s a bit of a wreck at the moment, but cleaned up, straightened out, and crewed properly, it might be something.”
    He slumped into his seat again. “So, you’re thinking about going indie?”
    I sighed and shrugged. “It’s the obvious choice and with that kind of windfall, I’ll never have a better chance.”
    We sat there for a few ticks, sipping our coffee but I’m not sure either of us tasted it.
    “Don’t tell Gwen.” I looked across at him. “Tonight when she gets back. Don’t tell her until after she gets through the interview.”
    He cocked his head to the side. “Why?”
    “Because it’ll be hard enough for her to do without sitting there thinking she’s gonna be sitting in the Captain’s chair before the week is out.”
    He frowned. “That’s not usually how it works.”
    “I know, but it’s something Maloney himself arranged before he died. He even reconvened her last panel so he must have thought she’d have a good chance.”
    “But by the end of the week?”
    “Kirsten Kingsley seemed to think so,