Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles 2)

I leaned on my broom. “I’ve received no notice of arbitration.”

He smiled. His face lit up. Wow.

“My apologies. I’m afraid I’ve given you the wrong impression. You’re not a party to an arbitration. I came to you to discuss a business proposition.”

Business was so much better than arbitration. I pointed at the couches in the front room. “Please sit down. May I get you something to drink, Arbiter?”

“Hot tea would be fantastic,” he said. “And please, call me George.”

We sat in my comfortable chairs and sipped out tea. George frowned, obviously collecting his thoughts. He seemed so… pleasant. Cultured and genteel. But in my line of work, you quickly learned that appearances were deceiving. Beast jumped on my lap and positioned herself so she could lunge off my knees in an instant. Being cautious never hurt.

“Have you heard of Nexus?” George asked.

“Yes.” I had visited Nexus. It was one of those bizarre places in the Galaxy where reality bent into a pretzel. “But please continue. I would rather have all of the information I need than assume I know something I don’t.”

“Very well. Nexus is a colloquial name for Onetrikvasth IV, a star system with a single habitable planet.”

He didn’t stumble over the name. It must’ve taken some practice.

“I understand that Nexus is what’s called a temporal anomaly. Time flows faster there. A month on Earth is roughly equivalent to over three months on Nexus. However, biological aging proceeds at the same pace.”

My brother, Klaus, once explained the Nexus paradox to me, complete with formulas. We were trying to find our parents at the time, and the complex explanation had flown right over my head. I chucked it up to magic. The Universe was full of wonders. Some of them would drive you insane if you thought about it too long.

“Nexus also contains large subterranean reserves of Kuyo, a naturally occurring viscous liquid, which, when refined, is used in production of what my background file calls “pharmaceutical assets of significant strategic value.’”

“It’s used to manufacture military stimulants,” I said. “They affect a wide variety of species in slightly different ways, but typically they boost strength and speed, while suppressing fatigue and fear. They turn humans into berserkers, for example.”

George smiled. “I should probably speak plainly.”

“If you so choose. It would save us some time.”

“Very well.” George sipped his tea. “Kuyo occurs throughout Galaxy but only in small quantities, which makes Nexus extremely valuable. Currently there are three factions fighting for the control of the planet. Each claims the rights to the entirety of Nexus’ mineral wealth and none are willing to compromise. They’re engaged in a bloody war. It’s been going on for roughly eight years in Earth’s terms and almost twenty years in Nexus’ time. The war is brutal and has cost all sides a great deal. The cooler minds on all sides agree it can’t continue. The matter has been referred for Arbitration by one of the interested factions, the other two agreed, and here we are.”

“I’m guessing one of the factions are the Merchants?” When we had landed on Nexus, we ended up in a Merchant spaceport. Merchants facilitated trade throughout Galaxy and its many dimensions. When you needed rare goods or a large quantity of goods, you went to see the Merchant. They were motivated by profit and prestige.

George nodded. “Yes. The war is cutting into their profits.”

“Which family? The Ama?”

“The Nuan. The Ama family cut their losses and sold its holdings on Nexus to Nuan two years ago.”

Suddenly his presence here made a lot of sense. “Is Nuan Cee involved?”

“Yes. In fact, he was the one who recommended your establishment.”

Before my parents disappeared, they did a lot of business with Nuan Cee. Running an inn sometimes required exotic goods. Even I had done a deal with Nuan Cee. I’d bartered the world’s rarest honey for the eggs of the deadly giant spider.

“Your tea is delicious,” George said.

“Thank you. Who are the other two factions?”

“House Krahr of Holy Cosmic Anocracy.”

Six months ago I had sheltered a vampire of House Krahr, after he were injured trying to apprehend an alien assassin. His nephew had come to rescue him. The nephew’s name was Arland, he was the Marshal of his House, and he had flirted with me. At least flirted in vampire terms. He’d assured me that he would be ecstatic to be my shield and I shouldn’t hesitate to rely upon his warrior’s prowess. He also got drunk on coffee and ran through my orchard naked.

Good God, who could hold the vampires of Krahr off for twenty years? They were one of the most ferocious sentient species in the Galaxy. They were predators, who lived to war. Their entire civilization was dedicated to it.

“Who is the final faction?”

George set his cup down. “Otrokar.”

I blinked.

Silence stretched.

“Otrokar? The Hope-crushing Horde?”

George looked slightly uncomfortable. “That’s the official name, yes.”

Otrokar were the scourge of the Galaxy. They were huge and violent and they lived to conquer. They’d started with one planet and now they had nine. Their feud with Holy Anocracry was older than anyone cared to remember. Their name literally meant the Hope-crushing, because once you saw them, all of your hopes died.