Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Just visiting

Looking around, he had to admit that he liked the looks of Hotel Bravo.

From outside, it looked both solid and smooth, recalling the Badlands aesthetic of simple, clean lines and durability. Inside, the sizable facilities boasted of the success of the Badlands Caravan Guild, and the various efficiencies revealed the reason. The Doc was, regardless of the many other things that could be said of him, an excellent logistics man. The Armoury was a little less well-stocked, and the Doc's other security measures not quite as deep, as might be preferred, but, of course, their priorities were different.

That wasn't a bad thing either, since it meant that money continued to filter into his accounts, and all that cheap surplus ammo from the war was beginning to get scarcer. As a student of history, he knew how important economics were to the successful pursuit of war.

He'd made the rounds and talked to the Alpha Caravaners on site. It was good to see them talking, laughing, living. It felt good to be in their home. What happened after Crescent Moon Canyon still galled him, somewhat, but the fact was that caravan life suited those Regulators who'd left Baja with him, and they deserved to enjoy it. And the way things were now meant that he didn't have to always lie to everyone everyday, about where they were going, why they were going there, and what was to be done.

Now he only had to lie to them on the rare occasions he visited. They didn't believe, but they pretended, and he pretended that he didn't know that they didn't believe. That's what family was anyway, right?

---

Lying to Chambers was much more comfortable.

"A security breach, eh? Right down to a set of plans. You have a real problem."

The Doc was keeping a pretty tight lid on it, but his discomfort was apparent to someone who knew how to look for it. "I know. I wouldn't have called you in for this if I thought it was minor," he said, punctuating with a sip from his drink. Chambers always had the good whisky, and he had a tendency to use social props as a shield. "I need you to solve this problem for us, quietly, quickly, and . . . prejudicially."

"I have some time. I can look around."

"We have a lead." The Doc handed him a folder. "His name is Marius Wallcraft, the local Kolson boss. He's the contracting party, and however this leaked, it leaked to him. I don't mind telling you that we're a little worried. The Kolsons have been very active lately, and they appear to be coming straight at us here--at the Guild. And they have made some sort of deal with the Spider."

That wasn't good. Chambers had his own deal with the Spider, which was supposed to prevent this exact sort of thing from happening. "I assume the Forzi and the Granis will be of little assistance, with the Kolson's in the saddle in Wounded Knee?"

That elicited a smile. "You've read our strategic dilemma perfectly. Our erstwhile partners have done a lot of hand-waving and little else."

"You can drop the inclusive pronouns." Chambers trotted out his best 'Who, me?' face. "Even if it was just for you, I'd help you. That's what friends are for, and we are friends, aren't we?" The Doc returned his smile with a well-practiced one of his own. "I'll look around and see what shakes loose."

"Quietly and delicately, please."

"Of course." We wouldn't want to make a scene, would we?

---

Wallcraft. This guy had poked in so many hornet's nests at this point, it was a miracle he was still alive. NR, the Brotherhood, the Guild, Chambers' Nexus, even those new kids had run against him. Wallcraft was either a complete ox, or what was visible to the causal observer was merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

The tricky thing was going to be keeping him alive. There were, after all, some questions to be answered.




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