Genia dismounted her horse and handed the reigns to an attendant. Before her were the impressive stone steps that lead up to the Goldport Trade House. She was the owner and Master Trader for the Theobald Trading Company, part of the West Plains Trading Consortium. She was the youngest Master Trader in the consortium and did everything that she could to let others know that she was a serious businessman and that she was not to be taken lightly. She wore her dirty blonde hair short, cut around the ears. Around her wrist was the white gold band that showed her to be an upper-class person of Tebron. Her jacket was of the finest deerskin, below she wore a bright red silk shirt, and comfortable cotton pants, dark brown like her jacket. In all, she exuded confidence and wealth, exactly what she was going for. A dagger was always at her waist; but like all traders of her stature, she had at least one security man at her side at all times. Per custom, the man known only as ‘Naoko’ walked behind and to her left. He was balding, six and a half feet tall, with light leather armor and both a long sword and a short sword. He almost never spoke, his ugly face looked like an amateur’s attempt at a bust sculpture.

When she reached the top of the stairs, the guards pulled back their long pikes and the one on the right opened the door for her, all without saying a word. She was well known here, both she and her bodyguard were welcome.

“Naoko”, she turned to her man, “eat, then come for me here in an hour or so.”, she commanded. The giant man just bowed and went towards the kitchen.

Red Apna looked up from his books when the stylish young woman entered. Around him were several of the other members of the Limurca Trade Federation. They were all fifty to sixty years of age and wore only the finest suits. Red wore a white tunic and black pants; he had the equivalent of a normal person’s yearly income on each of six fingers. He wore spectacles, which were thought by some to be a novelty. It was very difficult to find a craftsman able to manufacture them, and of course, they cost a small fortune. The others were not quite so ostentatious; but they too were visibly men of wealth. Setting down his pen, Red leaned back with a pleasant smile.

“Very well-done Madam King. I hear that your precautions were well founded, and that for the first time in a long time, our shipment arrived at port without loss.”, the others clapped in approval.

“Yes, my Lord. They were very predictable, it allowed us to deal with them without significant loss to the men that I hired.”, she said with a smug grin.

“Their leader got away, is that true?”, he asked.

“You ask me questions that you already know that answers to? Don’t I deserve better than that?”, she asked.

“I didn’t mean to offend you. Yes, I have been told that this Era Rutendo character melted into the woods as soon as he saw that he no longer had the advantage.”, he said. Red picked up a form from a basket on the corner of his large wooden desk. “This is the bill for security. Certainly, cheaper than losing a shipment; but still, that many men was fairly expensive.”

“What do you propose I do to ensure the safety of the goods that I’m shipping? The Iron Road is the fastest way; but criminals know this too. This was a success, gentlemen!”, she replied testily.

“Absolutely; but obviously, this added cost comes directly off the top. Our profit is reduced coin for coin by this expense, a cost that should not be ours to bear.”

“If it’s not our cost to bear, then we increase our prices.”

“This attack happened in Tebron, in the lands controlled by House Sarutendo. We pay them taxes...”

“I, pay them taxes.”, she cut in.

“Very well, you pay them taxes; but regardless, they are responsible for the safety of the citizens and businesses that support them, and allow them to live in a well-furnished castle, with unlimited wine and food.”

“So, you want me to approach my King and ask him to foot the bill for security on export shipments?”, she asked, not fully believing what she was being asked to do.

“Well, yes, or he could supply the men next time from his personal guards.”, he said smiling. She shook her head and left without another word.

“Genia!”, he called after her. “I will be at the docks in the afternoon to take inventory and sign for the shipment.” She ignored him and continued walking.

Genia and Naoka were walking down the boardwalk by the docks. The waves rolled in lazily, the sky was getting dark and she was ready for a steak and a pint. They were about to step into an inn, when something caught her eye. Far down the boardwalk, near the warehouse where she had deposited her goods, was a familiar person. A man with wild hair, beard and mustache. She squinted to see better in the dying light… yes, it was him. She waved at her companion, and they walked in his direction.

Even at this hour, there were dozens of sailors and merchants going back and forth. Loading and unloading ships with giant wooden cranes, the ropes being pulled by oxen or horses. Women of both repute and ill repute walked here and there, homeless children ran about looking for things to steal, and drunks stumbled around looking for a place to lay their heads till the sun came up again. One side was all docks and mighty sailing ships, the other side was filled with mostly warehouses, taverns, inns, various trade shops and even a brothel. Genia and Naoka stayed to the shadows of the buildings, and despite their odd appearance, were able to get close to the Trade Federation’s warehouse without being noticed. When they were close enough, she was able to make a positive identification. It was indeed whom she thought it to be, the highwayman, Era Rutendo.

Her first instinct was to have Naoka eviscerate him. She liked that idea very much. Reason won out though, and she decided to watch him to see what he was up to. She couldn’t quite make out his words; but she could see that he was not alone. In fact, he was barking orders at a crew of what looked to be about twenty men. He had the front door of her warehouse open; she could see the lock hanging from the door, it looked as if it had been opened with a key and not by force. Then men formed a line, carrying boxes and bales from her warehouse to another warehouse a couple hundred yards down the boardwalk. They were very efficient, soon they had cleaned out what she determined to be every bit of the freight that she had risked life and limb to deliver safely.

Her anger had never been this intense in all her life, and it took every bit of energy to walk away without causing a scene. That would just get her and Naoka killed, and they would still have her property. She was known for always paying her debts. That also meant that when she was wronged, she would do whatever was necessary to be made whole. She need time to relax and think, she had till the next afternoon to do something.

She waved to Naoka, they headed back the way they came. When they were far from the warehouses, they approached a seaside tavern. Four pirates almost fell out of the place and made a straight line for their ship. The place only had a few customers, and otherwise had a friendly look to it. They walked in and made themselves at home. Genia found a well-lit table near the bar, Naoka sat by himself in the darkest corner.

“Miss, a warm pint and your best cut of beef, keep it bloody, and some potatoes too.”, she said to the bar maid. She looked the woman up and down as she left to get her food and drink, her stare was a little too long for just curiosity. When she turned back, a sweaty mercenary type was looking at her with amusement. She was thinking of snapping at him, then the most beautiful creature she had seen in a long time came with food and drink for the two of them. Because of her wealth and position, she was not ashamed to stare where most people would be self-conscious. Getting up, she walked over to the table that seemed to dominate the middle of the room. Standing at the table she looked the man over; he was handsome and exuded confidence. He was neither impressed by her manner or her apparent station in society.

“I would like to join you.”, she stated, looking them both over.

“Well…”, he said looking her in the eyes, “I’ve had enough of fighting with the locals, so please, have a seat.”, he waved at an empty chair across from himself and Carmen. “I am Landis Stone; this lovely creature is Carmen”

“Nice to meet you, Genia King. I’m not a local, I’m here on business from Tebron.”, she took a seat. “Those pirates that just left here were looking worse for wear. You’re doing?”

“They wanted my ‘company’, without my consent. I pick and choose who gets to spend time with me.”, Carmen answered. “Thank the Gods that my brave warrior was here to protect my honor!”, she said placing a delicate kiss on his cheek.

“You bested all four of them? By yourself?”, Genia asked.

“Bested?”, Carmen exclaimed. “They all had long, wicked knives, and my man was completely unarmed! He never even thought to reach for his sword.”

“True, there were four of them. They were clearly not disciplined fighters, I don’t give a second thought to drunken fools.”, he said trying to sound nonchalant.

“It might be fate that we’ve met tonight. I just found out that my business partners are stealing from me. Tomorrow they’ll tell me how my warehouse was broken into and that I should bear the financial loss.”, she said with contempt thick in her voice. “The Highwayman that attempted to steal my cargo in transit was supervising a whole team of thieves. I need to turn this around. My partners are coming tomorrow to take legal possession of my shipment, so technically, it’s still my responsibility till they sign for it.”

“You must be someone important. Quite a large fellow you have there.”, he said nodding in the direction of Naoka.

“I’m a Master Trader. If someone ever wanted to try and take me prisoner, they could ask quite a bit of money from my company. It’s cheaper to have Naoka there to prevent my capture in the first place.”, she waved for a drink from the other bar maid. “So, what say you, Landis Stone. Are your services for hire, and can I trust you with my life, and more importantly, with my goods?”

“I have to go fish my brother out of jail down in Empire City; but it might do him good to spend an extra day or two in jail. When I take an assignment, I always complete it to my employer’s satisfaction. I can’t be bought, and when the mission is over, I’m on my way.”, he said grinning at her with his toothy smile. “Your situation doesn’t sound beyond my abilities. In fact, I think I may have just the plan to solve your problem.”, he took a deep draught of his brew.

“I’m assuming that you don’t come cheap; but I’ll make sure that you earn every coin.”, she said giving Carmen another once over.

“If you don’t mind my saying, I saw the way you looked at Rowena”, he nodded towards the bar maid who was serving the few other customers. “and then again at my friend Carmen here.”, he started cutting into his steak. “I have already had to defend her honor once this evening, I hope it won’t come to that.”, his tone was lighthearted; but with just a bit of seriousness.

Genia looked at them both, evaluating the options. She was a master at making deals, finding the middle ground. “I would never try to take your company from you good sir; but… perhaps you ‘both’ might like some company, this evening.” She sat there smiling, letting it hang in the air.

Landis put a bite of steak in his mouth while looking over at Carmen, his expression didn’t try to sway her either way, he left it up to her. She smiled broadly, taking each of them by the hand.

“I think that I’ll like working for you Mistress King.”