Sheffali's Caravan

The male looked into his eyes and saw only compassion, so he smiled gently. "Thank you, Lorrenz. I am as well as can be expected. The passage of time takes its toll, and life is not always kind either. We endure and move forward, yes?"

Lorrenz had to nod in agreement, as the other male did not appear to be ready to share more than he had.

"Come! Let's make ourselves comfortable in the lounge, so we may discuss your latest journey!" Henko said with renewed enthusiasm.

They climbed the grand staircase and entered the double doors at the first-floor landing. Inside, the walls were covered with colorful woven tapestries displaying scenes of caravans arriving on the shores of the east, west, and south coasts of Llevven's one habitable mega continent.

No tapestries were displaying the north, as there were no established settlements of any kind in that frozen and mountainous region. It was the source of most rivers that flowed through the continent's center and provided their drinking water.

Several other males in the large chamber sat in clusters of chairs, discussing business and trivialities as they enjoyed hot beverages. They waved to the new arrivals with smiles. Lorrenz and Lissan smiled and waved in return. She was the sole female who set foot in the hall. There was no rule against it, and she wished more of the wives of the trading houses took an interest in this part of their businesses. The Sheffali Trading House may have been smaller than the others, but they were well respected because of their longevity and steady progress.

Lorrenz spotted a free quad and took seats on the plushly cushioned chairs as the doors pushed open once more.

"Ah! Good! You haven't begun yet!" Ogami gasped as he rushed into the room and took the last open chair in the group.

"Greetings, Ogami," Lorrenz said with a smile, and Lissan nodded to the male as well.

The leader of the Jakkan Trading House had risen greatly in Llevven's social strata because of his long-ago acquisition of the Tarron homestead. He never forgot who he owed for that.

"Did you encounter any issues with your latest trip to the eastern coast?" Henko asked with some urgency in his tone.

Lorrenz looked at his friend and nodded. "Yes, there seems to be an increase in the number of bandits on the route. We encountered three small groups, no more than four in each outbound, and on our return, we ran into a group of eight, three days out from the city--"

"Casualties?" Henko blurted.

"None... Henko, what's happened?" Lissan in concern.

The male shook his head as he looked away.

"His granddaughter has gone missing," Ogami said gently, and Henko jolted in pain. "I'm sorry, Henko, but these people are your friends. They're concerned for you. We all see the strain it's placing on you."

Lorrenz and Lissan were shocked to hear of such a thing happening to someone of his social ranking. As cynical as it sounded, the rich were typically exempt from the more sinister crimes. There was just too much attention on them for the criminals to get away with such acts.

"You've spoken with the new Commander of the forces?" Lorrenz asked. "I've heard she has integrity."

Henko nodded. "Yes, she is personally investigating the disappearance."

Ogami snorted, and eyes turned his way. "In the meantime, the female is stirring everything up. We no longer know who to bribe to make things work as they once did. No one enjoyed paying graft, but at least business moved in expected patterns. She fired the City Guard! All of them!" Lissan shared a glance with her husband as this matched Shalee's report.

Lorrenz noticed others were leaving their chairs to join their group to take part in the conversation. He looked back to Ogami. "We met two of the new Guard this morning on our way here after six bandits attempted to ambush us a few blocks from our homestead."

"WHAT?" Henko and Ogami gasped, and the others standing around their cluster of chairs made outraged noises to hear this was happening within the city walls.

Lorrenz was taken aback by the strength of the outburst.

"You said the City Guard recently lost their jobs. Many were just bandits with uniforms. This is a logical stepping stone for them," Lissan offered.

"How-How did-" Ogami stuttered.

Lorrenz smiled at their friends. "We've gotten rather proficient with weapons over the cycles."

"You and Lissan took out the bandits?" Henko asked, wide-eyed.

Lissan nodded. "You don't wait for rescue in those circumstances. You take action."

There was another murmur from the surrounding group, but it was of approval this time.

Henko leaned forward and locked eyes with the Sheffali's. "We believe the increase of bandits on the trade routes is directly linked to the new Commander's efforts to cull the criminal elements from her forces. Two caravans have failed to return from the western coast trade route. One was the Sprell family running with two wagons, and the other was the Krattos family, who ran a five-wagon, heavily defended caravan. We fear they've been murdered. Both were carrying medicine for the western communities. A solitary expedited courier managed to get through and returned from Washtan on the west coast. They reported neither caravan arrived in the city. They never received the medicine. The pharmaceutical delivery contract's payout has tripled, but... none of us feel confident enough to take it. We've asked the military for support but were turned down by the Commander's office because of her current efforts."

He hadn't come out and directly asked Lorrenz to take the mission, but saying none of them would do it made the request clear.

Lorrenz and Lissan glanced at each other. He'd arranged for their oldest daughter, Bonna, to marry into the Krattos family. They believed she worked at the homestead, not on the caravans, but that might have changed. They leaned back in their chairs as they contemplated what they'd just heard from their colleagues. Too frightened to send their own caravans into danger, they wanted the Sheffalis to volunteer.

The established fact that they had a spotless record of surviving attack after attack made them the obvious candidates for the job, but Lorrenz and Lissan knew that was mainly Zell's influence. They were in no hurry to put him in danger again with this unknown situation.

"That's a pretty big ask," Lorrenz said slowly as he looked around at the hopeful yet guilty expressions.

Henko was the first to nod. "Yes, we know. We're all experienced traders and caravanners, and we've had our share of encounters with danger on our journeys. However, most of us rely upon the security teams we hire, but lately, we're now having issues with them. They're all raising their rates for hazard pay which diminishes the profit of making the trip. It's their job to deal with the hazards!

Yours is the only caravan exclusively run by family members, and your record of surviving encounters with bandits without casualties is something we all envy. Then you and Lissan just informed us you defeated a team of six by yourselves on your way here!" Once more, the gathered made impressed sounds.

Lorrenz brushed aside the compliments. "As our caravan is made up of family members, we'll need to speak with them before we can agree to take on such a mission," he stated firmly. "We've only just returned from the east coast and haven't replenished our wagon's stores or completed any of the planning for our next run. We were considering a run down to the sunny south coast as a change of pace from being ambushed." Lorrenz casually mentioned that last suggestion to see how the other would react and saw some very uncomfortable expressions. The southern routes were much less bandit infested, and these older Traders were comfortable with their stranglehold on the market there.

He saw he'd have to back-burner Danne's ambitions for the southern destinations for a little while longer. He looked to Lissan and saw she'd picked up that impression as well as she smiled with a raised brow.

Lorrenz would speak to his son about expanding their east and west coast coverage because he wasn't about to let these older Traders have their cake and eat it too, at least not without compensation.

"We'll take this news back to our homestead and have a family meeting. We'll get back to you in the morning," Lorrenz stated.

"Of course! If you need a day or two, we don't want to rush you," Henko said generously.

They stood and nodded politely to each other as they left. Ogami walked with them to the front doors as the rest went back to their chairs. Henko sat and stared out a window at nothing.

As they walked down the stairs, Lorrenz looked to Ogami. "Henko is taking this very hard."

The male nodded. "His granddaughter just became an adult and was assessed as Shaded. He insisted she travel to Borrelia and purchased the Gate pass for her. She insisted on using her own savings to pay for her passage to Hessani. I think Henko wanted her to emigrate to Casellion. Then she went missing."

Lorrenz and Lissan shared sympathetic expressions with Ogami. Then Lorrenz touched his arm. "I'm going to try to get an appointment with Commander Gorresh. I will see what I can find out for Henko."

"Thank you, Lorrenz! You are a true friend!" Ogami said with a smile.

"Take care!" Lorrenz said, while Lissan touched the male's arm with a smile.

They went back to their wagon and nodded to their sons waiting in the next wagon. Murro was driving now. "Let's go home," the father said and got nods.

The trip back was uneventful, and Lorrenz brought their wagon back to their garage, where their granddaughters Hirral and Jeelu, took the reins as they stepped down. They kissed the girl's heads and got grins for that, waved to Olle and Murro, then headed back to their home to make some tea and discuss the next steps.

Sitting on the porch, once more sipping the hot beverages, Lorrenz looked to his wife and sighed. "I know what you're going to say. We must make the journey to the west to deliver the medicine, and I agree, but there are costs involved."

Lissan smiled. "And I know what you're going to say about those. I also agree we'd be putting Zell into considerable danger, especially if the western route bandits also had access to these energy weapons. There's also the fact that we wouldn't make such a trip without goods to trade, and we're not prepared. That's a financial cost. We need to speak to Danne about that. He might be able to perform some miracles. We could also pressure Henko or the others with contracts with western buyers to cut us in on the orders they aren't currently delivering. I'm sure they have customers suffering because they're hesitating to go."

Lorrenz nodded. "That would put us in a good place with these buyers."

"It would make the most sense if we could run a five-wagon caravan. The west coast buyers would see we're capable of fully serving their needs," Lorrenz sighed, then caught the motion of Penna running over from the office once more. He had a serious look on his face this time. Lissan shared a look with her husband.

Penna got right to it once he arrived. "You have visitors waiting in the reception hall asking for a meeting with you both. I was told they're representatives from the Krattos family."

Lorrenz and Lissan immediately stood to follow their grandson back to the large building and entered the reception hall. Danne and Shalee were already there. Danne made the introductions as all four stood to greet the Sheffali family leaders.

"Father, Mother, may I present Stron Krattos and his wife Illia, envoys from the Krattos family. They've come to make a personal appeal to the Sheffali family." He turned to the couple. "My parents, Lorrenz and Lissan Sheffali."

Stron tipped his head forward in respect, as did Illia a second later. The female appeared dazed.

Lissan turned to Penna, who was standing next to the door. "Could you bring a tea service and some biscuits?"

Penna nodded and slipped from the room.

"Th-thank you for seeing us on such short notice, and I apologize for coming to see you so soon after your return from the road," Stron began.

"It's quite all right. We just learned of the disappearance of your family's caravan on the western route," Lorrenz said compassionately.

Stron nodded, then looked away for a moment as he collected himself.

Penna returned, pushing a small cart laden with a teapot, cups for six, and a plate of cookies.

Lissan thanked him, and he returned to the door as she served their guests the calming tea. Illia looked especially thankful for the kindness.

"Yesterday, the sole survivor of the Sprell convoy, a boy barely past his sixteenth cycle, entered our yard and collapsed. He delivered a note and fell unconscious. The doctor we called for him told us he wouldn't survive the night, and he didn't. The delivered letter was a ransom demand for the seniors. It says my great grandparents, Axell Krattos and his wife Indri, are alive and will be returned if we pay their captors five hundred thousand credits within the week. I cannot access any of the assets of the estate.

We immediately went to the Commander's office, but we were turned away by one of the officers. He told us that her plate was full, so she wouldn't be taking on any more work until she'd dealt with internal matters. We never got to see the Commander." Stron took a moment to regroup. He sipped some tea and ate a biscuit. He'd obviously not had anything to eat for the past few days.

"My great-grandmother left specific instructions for the situation where they are captured. She called it a contingency plan. She said she got the idea from you." He gestured to Lissan, who smiled slightly and nodded as she recalled speaking with Indri about her own contingency planning.

"She left instructions for us to follow. It said for us to reach out to the only family who may have the means to determine their true fate, the Sheffali's. I don't know why she had such faith in you, but I'm sure she had her reasons. Until my great grandparents, or any of their descendants, are found alive, I'm authorized to offer you any resources we have at our homestead to support the search and retrieval of survivors. If they've all perished, I will offer you exclusive salvage rights to all assets." Lorrenz and Lissan made a sound of protest, as Stron and Illia would be the Krattos family if none of the others had survived.

Stron took a deep breath. "If there are no senior members of the Krattos family left, I'll have no choice but to collapse the business. I cannot run it as I've been legally made an agent of the family. My personal ownership rights have been permanently removed." He gave them a crooked smile, which showed his true pain. "I'm the outcast of the family. The one who didn't fit in and follow their rules, so great grandfather Axell wrote me, mostly, out of the family and left me behind to act as their agent." He saw a reflection of his pain in their eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. There's one other family member left at the homestead to manage the reserve beasts when the caravan left. Bonna is the Homestead's Druug Wrangler. She's your daughter?"

Relief poured through Lorrenz and Lissan as they nodded. Then the father looked at Stron in confusion. "Isn't Bonna the most senior Krattos family member?"

Stron shook his head. "Krattos marriage contracts block spouses marrying into the family from inheriting control over family assets. Their children can, but not them. It's something else I protested against, which put me outside my family's favor."

"What will happen to you and Illia if we cannot rescue a living family member?" Lissan asked gently. Illia began to cry quietly, so Stron put his arm around her.

"I'm not sure. We have some savings, but being ejected from a family has made it difficult to find employment," he said.

"Do not despair. We will do what we can to ensure you are not alone and have a future," Lissan assured Illia and smiled at Stron.

"There is much to discuss with our family tonight. Please return tomorrow to be our guests for the midday meal. We will let you know our decision then," Lorrenz said kindly.

Stron saw their meeting was done, so he carefully helped Illia to her feet. The couple thanked their hosts, then left to return to their homestead. Danne walked them to the door.

When Danne returned, Lorrenz carefully lifted the chain holding Zell's whistle from his neck and gestured for Penna to come closer. He put the whistle over the boy's head. "Find your father and ask him to take you to the edge of the forest. When you're there, you will signal for Zell to join us tonight. Your father knows the proper sequence. He will tell you how to use the whistle to call for him. Go now and go quickly. Return that to me when you get back. Be safe, as the bandits may still be out there."

The boy's eyes were wide, and he smiled with excitement at being given such an important mission. He nodded to his grandfather and rushed away.

Lissan stood and faced the others. "We need to prepare a good meal for tonight. It's a rare event. All of my boys will be home."

-=-

Lieutenant Pinorra Heltas sat in a small park across from the City Government Offices building. He'd just received an update from one of his street rat informants about an attack on the Sheffali patriarch and matriarch this morning. It wasn't good news.

He felt Commander Gorresh's noose slowly getting closer. He had a few critical projects underway, and he didn't need the Sheffalis interfering in them or drawing the Commander's attention.

He still had a customer waiting on the goods he'd promised he'd get from the Sheffali caravan before it crossed the mountains. His hired guns were supposed to have killed the Sheffalis and moved the goods to a sheltered valley in the foothills he'd identified for them. They were to signal when they got there. He'd meet up with them a few days later to kill them and deliver the goods to his customer.

Instead, the caravan wiped out the bandits. Trained soldiers were taken out by goods traders. Now those goods were in the Sheffali warehouse. The family was too well organized to send in another team to take the family out in their homestead. He needed to cut the family's head off to send the rest into a panic. Then he could wipe them out. Finally, he'd take their moon shells and get his money to get off this planet and pay for his new life on Casellion.

Six bandits, including one reportedly exceptional sniper, targeted the couple on their way to the Trader's Guild Hall to achieve that goal. The five ex-Guard were now dead, and the sniper was in critical condition in the hospital with her arm blown off.

Pinorra would have to make a brief visit to the hospital now to ensure the female never woke up to tell anyone who hired her.

He needed to come up with a new plan and quickly. He was too smart to end up dangling from the bitch's noose.

-=-

Zell neutralized the bull pig's blood across the ridgeline with a mixture of ground leaf pulp and mushrooms as the digestive enzymes they provided would consume the dropped blood, the pungent pulp masked the odor and accelerated the enzyme's work. As a bonus, there'd be an increase in mushroom growth over the next cycle, which would keep creatures from using this route. The forest would take it back.

He was on his way back to his shelter when he picked up the strong, vibrating note of the whistle. He listened carefully and heard three distinct tones of three counts, with three counts of silence between. That was the meet at the homestead signal. Something must have happened. Something significant if they will risk having him found there.

His shelter was secure, so he had nothing to hold him back from proceeding immediately for his parent's place, except for the late afternoon sun. He made his way silently through the forest, collecting rare mushrooms for Seela, the Chief Caravan Chef, and placing them in a sack he carried for such occasions. Eventually, he reached the forest's edge, where he'd wait for darkness. He could hear the sounds of the field workers moving out of the fields to the waiting wagons, which would take them back to Mnemmesh. He climbed a tree and poked his head up through the canopy to watch the progression of wagons heading back to the city. He wondered what it might feel like to live in such a densely populated community.