The fresh fruit was a good place to start.

Brenan's mind whirled as he considered his options. The sum of money that Ambrose had mentioned for the smuggling run would pay his ship's expenses for over a month of exploration. On the other hand, he had a raw crew sailing a new vessel for the first time. Even with the new sails that Davy had brought, this might not be the best time to attempt slipping into a secluded harbor under the noses of the Veertor coastguard to rendezvous with a party or parties that he had never met.

"What do you say Brenan" Ambrose leaned close enough to him that he could smell the faint smell of Reddust that hung on his embroidered high collar. "Fortune favors the bold."

"Maybe next time, Ambrose." Brenan's mood improved as soon as he made the decision. "I'd rather not have my ship taken from me on her very first run."

"Perfectly understandable my dear chap!" The ease in which Ambrose dropped the matter of his other cargo made Brenan suspect that he never expected him to take it on. In that case, why bring it up at all? Pushing aside the nagging doubt about Walter and his shady business in general, Brenan agreed to take shipment of several tons of perishable foodstuffs. Ambrose agreed to pay him 100 Cryn silver when he sailed and another 200 if he got to Telnon in less than eleven days. For every day he was late he would lose 50 silver and if he didn't get the cargo to port in two weeks time, Ambrose told him not to bother looking for cargo anywhere in this chain of islands.

Ambrose's threat irked Brenan, but he was confident he could make the run from Freeport to Telnon in good time. This time of year the prevailing winds were easterly and he could run true all the way into Telnon. In fact if the ship was as fast as Davy claimed he might make the run in eight days.

"Good? Said Ambrose as soon as Brenan shook on the deal. "The merchandise will be delivered tomorrow morning, and the clock starts as soon as it reaches your ship." Damn! Thought Brenan to himself, he forgot to tell Walter that he still needed a couple more days to finish gathering his crew. He considered trying to explain his situation, but as he watched the small man smirking at him he realized that Ambrose probably knew just about as much as he did about the readiness of his ship. Ambrose raised one of his plucked eyebrows in inquiry and asked:

"Is there a problem?" Brenan's smile was as insincere as the slimy merchant's and he tossed back the glass of port. The wine at least was excellent, even if everything else about the negotiation fell in Ambrose?s favor. The Merchant smiled knowingly at Brenan and left the inn with his men following closely behind. Brenan breathed deeply enjoying the last of his port much more now that Ambrose was no longer sharing the table with him.

Back on the ship he told the others that they had a cargo coming in the next day. Every one cheered as it became clear that they would be leaving Freeport soon.

"Here's the deal. I need to ride out to try to recruit a first officer. I know who I want, but I haven't talked her in to joining me yet." Brenan hoped that his words didn't sound as crazy to his crew as they did to him. "I need you to get the cargo loaded when it comes in." He worked out the details of his plan as he spoke. "I'll ride out to Red's house this afternoon, and I should be back by tommorrow's evening tide."

His crew didn't look like some of the wild boys he had served on before but Brenan decided he'd better add one more thought.

"If any of you five need to go ashore tonight for any reason, keep your mouths shut about Sasha, and our destination." He eyed them carefully before adding "Got that?" The sharp "Yes Sirs." that were returned made him feel a little more at ease, even Mr. Michaels seemed to be aware of the need to protect Sasha, in fact he more than the rest appeared to understand the importance of slipping out of town without the Veer catching on.

Brenan packed an overnight kit that included some food, and tinderbox as well as a blanket to sleep on. He headed over to Davy's office and was directed to his house by one of the clerks. Roughly thirty minutes later he was sitting in Davy's den with a drink in his hand thanking him for the supplies and asking about the Caruthers brothers.

"You could do a lot worse than those two." Davy assured him. "I got a note from their grandmother that they were in town, asking me to look out for them." Davy's scarred face twisted into what passed for him as a smile. "I don't know if you are exactly what she had in mind for them, but its a pretty good fit." He paused for a bit before adding a final thought.

"One more thing. If they come to you with any wild ideas about Vault hunting, you might want to give them a careful ear. Their grandfather Wilhelm kept better notes on Vaults than any other man I ever met. If they have a lead, I'd bet it's a good one." Brenan filed that thought away for later and turned the conversation to the final topic.