odds are in my favor, Denver, and your little ship has its uses when it comes to hard-to-reach places. Agree to work under me and I’ll grant you first rights to the deep stuff while the Zenith works the fringe. I’ll let you keep fifty percent of what you find for yourself.”
The thought of giving up his autonomy made Denver sick. It wasn’t the first time Tonlet had offered, and it was no more attractive now than it had been then. “No deal.”
“I’ll even let you keep your own crew, although you’d have to take on one of my loyalists, just to ensure you aren’t cheating me. Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to babysit a hapless Martian and a cripple all by yourself?”
Marit reached for the comm, but Denver blocked her path. No, he mouthed. “You’re still not selling this, Tonlet.”
“No? Well, to be fair, I’m not really trying yet. I want to be kind to you, Denver; we grew up in the same orphanage, after all. We’re practically family. But sometimes, family has to be cruel in order to be kind.” A few random cracks filtered in over the comm—Tonlet cracking his knuckles. Denver had seen him do it enough times to know what came next. Once they got to the actual threats, it would be more than Tonlet’s pride on the line if Denver refused. He had a crew to keep in order, and that meant following through on his word.
“I’m just trying not to step into anyone’s line of fire,” Denver said quickly. “Because last I heard from Poppy, Hannelore Gustavson was next in line to get official rights to this place.”
“Gustavson?” Tonlet sounded incredulous. “She mines on Enceladus exclusively. She’s not looking for salvage this close to the rings.”
“She wants a water monopoly, and there’s plenty of water to be had around here.” They were close enough to Saturn’s E-Ring, fed by Enceladus’s cryovolcanoes, that half the debris at this point was ice. “The governor wants water more than scrap metal right now. You know that.” It was no big secret, either. Mars was still deep in the grips of terraforming, and they needed all the water they could get.
Tonlet didn’t say anything for a long moment, and Denver decided to push. “Look, it’s been a shit run here anyway. We barely got enough aboard to pay for the fuel we burned getting here. You’re welcome to spend some time here, but I’m heading into Titan X.”
“How good is your intel on Gustavson?” Tonlet demanded.
“It’s solid.” And it wasn’t the sort of thing Denver wanted to share, given what he’d paid to get it from Poppy in the first place, but he swallowed his anger. Hopefully whatever was in the pod would pay a thousand times what he was out now. “Why would I feed you a line about this? It’s too easy to check. If anyone’s stringing you along, it’s the governor.”
“He’s the sort who would too.” At least the other man wasn’t cracking his knuckles any more. “If you’re lying to me, Denver—”
“I’m not.”
“If you’re lying to me,” Tonlet persisted, “I’ll ruin you. You know that, don’t you? I’ve left you alone out of a sense of camaraderie, but if you’re playing me now, I’ll ruin everything you and your crew of misfits have built. It would be easy for me.”
Denver’s mouth was dry. “I know it.”
“Good.” He sounded suddenly cheerful again. “Give Poppy my best when you get back, and tell her I’m hurt she didn’t offer this information to me when we last spoke. Tell her I expect her to make it up to me.”
Poppy would tell Tonlet to shove it where the stars didn’t shine. Still… “I’ll tell her.”
“Thanks, brother. Safe journey back to the station, then.” The transmission ended.
“The Zenith is moving off,” Marit said tightly from the flight computer. “Five thousand kilometers and counting. God damn it, Denver. We worked for a month to get that info on Hannelore! We were all set to bargain for subcontracting rights when we got back. And now she’s going to be in a face-off with Tonlet, of all people.”
Denver slumped back into his chair and pressed his fingers against his eyes. “She can handle herself.”
“Tonlet wants you,” she said sternly. “For some reason, that piece of trash looks at you like his property. He always has. He’s not going to tolerate you going to work for anyone but him.”
“None of us are going to have to work for anyone else