Down to Business, Chapter 3

Descending Earth 18, R.Y. 777

It had been an entirely unexpected trip so far, now a full week into their visit to Great Forks Koza had to admit the week had been as full of surprises as the invitation to attend with Ash. Though Koza Shige had been a member of the crew for several years now, she had never really spent an extensive amount of time alone with Ash. The more she thought about it the more she realized she did not know about the man who was an incredibly important part of her life. Though the trip had not been immensely enlightening into the psyche of Ash it had given her a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of life aboard The Geronimo to adequately reflect. When she thought about it, no one spent time away with Ash, it just didn't happen. No one got that close, yet somehow here they were. She was still trying to figure out if it was a good or bad thing.

One week ago Ash had landed The Geronimo outside of Great Forks, unannounced he asked Koza to disembark into the city and stay for an undetermined amount of time. The Geronimo left, they did not. Even if she had wanted to she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to say no.

In the last week Koza had learned that Ash owned and operated a small plantation on the outskirts of Great Forks, it was modest compared to the agricultural juggernauts that sprawled across huge swaths of land that made Great Forks famous. Yet, it was a sizable operation with acres of grain and hemp fields and a lavish wine vineyard. The house, again, was humble compared to stereotype yet stood two stories tall, held more than 20 bedrooms, half a dozen lavatories, an extensive banquet hall, and a cellar large enough to feed The 7th Legion for the winter. Two dormitories behind the plantation manor served as servants quarters for the various house and field help necessary to keep such an operation efficient. Before this week she didn’t even know Ash owned land in Great Forks, let alone ran an operation of this magnitude. As far as she knew none of the crew knew, in that respect it was staggering.

Ash had a capable task master who ran the daily operation of the plantation, which undoubtedly kept it self sufficient on a daily basis, still it would have required a significant time and financial investment not only to acquire, but maintain. Ash had effortlessly injected himself into the daily happenings of the operation when they arrived, he stayed busy and dabbled in every aspect of the operation. The staff treated him with a distant form of respect, they recognized him, they knew he had authority over them, but clearly they didn’t know who he was. That much at least went as expected. Koza was kept close through all of this, and she learned whatever she could. Not only about how to run a plantation, which she didn’t necessarily gather Ash knew a great deal about; but how he flawlessly entered a scene, dominated it, and left without making a fuss. That was the necessary skill on display, though Ash never said as much it was what she was here to learn. That or she was about to go from life aboard a first age airship to life on a farm... she was sincerely hoping for the former.

This morning, after a light breakfast of fruit, bread, and wine Ash had informed her that they were taking a ride into the city. Until now they had spent their time solely on the plantation grounds. Servants had prepared a pair or horses from the stables for them and brought them to the front of the manor. Ash mounted a proud grey filly, the horse saddled for her to ride was a white mare old enough to be the filly’s mother, but strong and young enough to bear another child.

With a gentle spur the horses set off at a trot down the long dirt road that led from the front of the manor, fields flanked them on both sides as the pair rode side by side towards the closest main road. It was a short ride to the road, though the house was small in the distance behind them by the time they turned from the dirt drive of the plantation onto the lightly gravel covered road that led into the city.

Once they reached the road Ash pulled up on the horse, slowing to a walking pace and Koza followed suit in slowing her mount. The signs of the city were recognizable even from this distance, not only was the road wide and well maintained, it also featured extensive traffic towards and away from the city. It certainly wasn’t the largest route into the city, but several large carts were visible headed into the city ahead of them and occasionally a larger group of people would be seen headed in either direction. The unmistakable stink of a metropolis was noticeable from a greater distance than the sight of the city walls, though the peaks of the impressively built temples were visible from an even greater distance. Infact, on a clear day Koza would bet they would be visible from the roof of the plantation’s manor.

They had ridden in silence up to this point, Ash just slightly ahead of Koza leading the way into the city and ultimately to wherever they were headed within. Koza was familiar with the city, she had started her life here, been raised here, worked here before and after she met Ash yet she still wasn’t quite comfortable with her surroundings. Finally she broke the silence.

“Ash, where are we going?” Koza had to speak a bit louder than she would have liked on the open road, but it was also necessary to be heard over the pounding hooves of the horses.

“Into the city of course.” Ash replied wisely, knowing she was looking for a more specific answer. “We need to go to the market before we leave tonight.”

That, of course, was the first she had heard of their departure. Though it was somewhat expected, Ash often spent a surprising amount of time away from The Grass Spiders, but he seemed far to cut off here to be content.

“And which market might that be?”

Great Forks wasn’t nearly the trade center that Nexus was, still it was one of the largest cities in The Scavenger Lands, the undeniable trade center of Creation, with an unrivaled drug and slave market. Ash’s general disapproval of slavery was well known, and his general approval of drugs was infamous, so Koza felt he had a fairly good idea which they were headed to. His answer surprised her.

“To the slave market of course. The plantation lost several workers over the last few months, and with harvest season approaching we need to replenish the workforce.” Ash was somewhere between matter of fact and cavalier in tone, which Koza found far too confusing to interpret as an unexpected wave of emotion washed over her.

Koza fell silent rather than respond, letting her horse fall just a half step behind so not to be face to face with him. Ash didn’t seem to notice her prolonged, bothered silence or that she had discreetly put a short distance between them. If he had noticed he chose not to acknowledge it. With both of them seemingly content to let the conversation die they rode the remainder of the short trip to the city gates quietly.

The gates of Greatforks stood tall and proud with armed guards standing along each side of the road that led through the open gate. However, it was plain to the trained eye that neither the guards nor the fortifications were truly battle hardened, instead serving more as a deterrent to anyone who would let trouble cross their mind. The significant powers of Creation did not concern themselves with the city of Greatforks these days, it had a reputation for being considerably more neutral and harmless when compared to the other city-states of The Scavenger Lands. That neutrality and even lack of threat however did not mean the City was vulnerable. The Walker of Darkness stood as an immortal testament to the reason the other powers of Creation preferred to keep their distance, it was best to keep a profile below the lofty heights of the Three Protectors of the City. Ash and Koza were well below their notice and entered the city through the gates without so much as a suspicious glance from the posted guards.

Inside the city, the road turned to a paved, cobblestone road with noticeably more traffic than had been outside of it. The street was wide enough for small vendors to set up their businesses at the edge of the road and attempt to lure in customers who were passing in and out. Their sales calls were shouted back and forth, sometimes a potential customers, other times directed taunts at one another as they competed for the same business. Ash was undisturbed by the bustling street, riding past with a strong air of indifference; Koza spurred her horse just enough to close the riding distance between the two of them, not wanting to be separated within the city. The thought of returning to the slave market of Great Forks weighed heavy on her mind, her stomach turning into a knot, once upon a time she had been sold to someone not so different than Ash out of this very market... Still they both remained silent.

The slave market of Great Forks was fenced in, not for protection from the outside, but to ensure that no one inside escaped. Their were cruel looking guards with spears in hand, and whips on their belts watching the entrance. These were not the same guards who stood at the gates, this was a private force owned and operated by a collection of wealthy slave owners, these guards were no more battle hardened than the others yet their whips were covered in dried blood. When Ash and Koza arrived they dismounted to enter, though the guards looked cruel, they knew their place and were friendly when the apparent buyers approached. Ash’s entitled indifference only appeared to be escalating, they entered the market, the guards taking their horses, without even uttering a word.

Inside the street was like the rest of the city, a wide, busy street with vendors lined along both sides of the road. Only here they were not food and clothing vendors, they were cages with downtrodden humans inside. The heckling sales tactic was just as common here as it was throughout the city, Ash and Koza’s obviously affluent appearance drew attention from sellers. The lump in Koza’s throat prevented her from speaking even if she wanted to, Ash didn’t appear to notice her distraught or the yelling from all around them. Koza was suddenly claustrophobic.

Ash took her hand and led her blindly through the crowded market, she had no concept of where he was taking her, her vision was a blur and she could feel the hot sweat crawling down her skin. She was about to lose her breakfast.

Ash pulled them to the side of the road suddenly, interested in what one of the hollering salesmen had to say. The slaveowner was a dark skinned man, a native of the east, tall and strong with a hard face that he tried to disguise to his potential clients. He was dressed in a tight, wrap of colorful cloth that seemed like it would make any sort of movement difficult, it was worn as a sign of status, an all important trait in this environment. Koza saw the man's mouth was moving, but did not hear the words. The man’s smile seemed to be more of a sneer to her. She keeled over and retched at the mans feet.

“The rot of you wares appears to have made my lady ill, you peddling crook. Bring the lady some clean water, before I tell the rest of these ignorant fools of the infested crop you’re harboring in your cages.”

Ash’s sharp, insulting words struck the salesmen like a viper, spoken with enough volume several potential buyers passing by could make out the words. Nothing was worse than a slaveowner with sick slaves in a market crowded full of entitled patrons and more susceptible bodies. The other owners would turn on the man as quick as the patrons were scatter from his booth.

The slave owner snapped his fingers at a young, shirtless boy behind him, barking orders “Boy! Water and shade for the lady! Worthless shit!”

The child ran off, behind a wall potential customers couldn’t see behind. Two other children came out from behind the wall that he’d just disappeared behind, one held a folded parasol and the other carried a long, palmleaf bound to a short wooden handle. The two boys, no older than eight and ten surrounded Koza as she regained her wits, sitting on the ground closer than she cared to be to her regurgitated breakfast. The taller boy spread the parasol and held it high over her head, shading her from the sun while the other began to fan her gently from a distance with the palm leaf. The wave of cool air and shade was refreshing and masked the smell of the slave market and her nearby vomit. When the original child returned, another boy no more than six years old, he offered Koza a glass of crystal clear water. When she took it she felt the coolness through the opaque glass and lifted it to her lips, taking a large gulp of the liquid.

“Now, if you think you might have something worthy of my time, that won’t disgust my companion, let’s have a look.” Ash, spoke to the salesmen, as he offered a hand down to Koza, the words still spoken as an attack on the man himself.

Koza, took Ash’s hand and got back to her feet, taking another sip of the water before returning it to the boy who at brought it out to her. All three boys looked at her with big, brown eyes full of innocence and desperation, with her wits about her again she realized they were slaves, too young to be a flight risk so they had the honor to serve their master.

“Of course sir, madam. You’ll see nothing but the finest on the market here, I assure you of that. The lady’s stomach was most likely affected by the heat.” He wasn’t willing to concede Ash’s insults nor did he want to pick a fight with a potential buyer, as he led them towards the cages that held his ‘wares’.

The cages were all covered by a thin, ribbed metal roof and were split by a long corridor that customers could walk down and pick from cages on both sides, they were humans being treated as livestock and Koza was forced to harden her nerves. Most of the men and women in the cages were of lighter skin that the owner, most likely from the south-east Koza thought. There were no children in the cages, at least if you didn’t consider anyone at least in their teen-aged years a child.

“I’d like to walk the cages.” Ash didn’t leave any room for objection in the statement.

“Sir, I do not think the lady...”

Koza cut the man off, she did not want to be coddled, especially by this man, “I am fine.”

“As you wish.” The salesmen spoke with a faint bow and spoke to a young man who stood guard near the door, similar such men were scattered throughout the passageway. Unlike the salesmen they did not try to hide their cruelty, they were hardened brutal guards who relished the opportunity. Most weren’t even twenty years old. The one who opened the cage for them, entered with them and another shut the door behind them. The salesmen did not enter, watching safely from the corridor.

“Stand up, please.” Ash spoke with a commanding voice, that did not have the harsh tone he had taken with the salesmen earlier. He spoke loud enough for all of the occupants of the cage and the adjacent ones to hear it clearly.

The cage was the size of a large room, it’s occupants mostly lined the outer edges and perhaps a dozen were packed into each one. Most were sitting on the dirt floor, not sleeping, but not fully aware. In a sort of lifeless daze, staring blankly at the ground. Only a few responded and pulled themselves to their feet, realizing that someone had entered their cell.

“You heard the man! On your fucking feet or I’ll have you..” The guard within the cage screamed at the broken men and women inside until Ash cut him off.

“Do not speak again.” Ash turned and spoke directly to the guard, he did not yell, but he did not need to, as the force of the command was evident and the guard did not continue.

“Please stand.” Ash repeated his request to the occupants of the cage and began to patrol the perimeter, walking near to the slaves who lined it’s outer edges.

Most followed Ash’s second request and rose to their feet. Ash circled the cage slowly, inspecting each occupant carefully and patiently. He stared each one in the eye, many he had to gently raise their chins to look at, but Ash’s presence was enough they did not react negatively to it. Clearly the guard and salesmen were uncomfortable, they shifted their weight nervously waiting for Ash to move along.

As Ash neared the end of his circle he came to a burly man, taller and heavier than Ash, with the body of a warrior. Strong, bulky muscle and hard, scarred skin covered only by a cloth around his waist. Koza thought he looked like a barbarian raider, and a fearsome one at that. Ash did not alter his behavior and when he faced the man for a silent moment the barbarian puffed out his chest, bumping Ash with his bulky frame. For his part Ash did not budge, the guard however had seen enough and sprung into action. In a flash he drew a wooden club from his belt and swung it into action, moving across the cage with two fast steps he took and overhead swing at the slave. Koza, no stranger to combat as an associate of The Grass Spiders, was impressed with the guards reflexes and technique, the club was aimed for the the barbarians neck. A one shot crippling blow was the intent.

Ash turned towards the lunging guard, reaching across his body with his left hand he caught the swinging baton with his bare hand and stopped the attack and guard in his tracks. At the same time he grabbed the back of the guard’s neck with his right hand, for a moment there was resistance and Koza saw the muscles in the guards neck strain as Ash squeezed. The struggle lasted only a moment before the guard’s struggle ended and Ash drove the mans head towards the floor, folding him like a discarded piece of paper. The guard crumbled to the floor, his face hitting his own knee as he did, and when Ash finally released him he flopped onto his back with a trail of blood flowing from his nose.

“If you ever try to touch my property again I will personally remove both of your hands from your body.” Ash spoke with even more vitriol than before as he threatened the fallen guard. A threat that Koza had no doubt Ash would follow through with.

“Open the door, I will take the whole lot.” Ash waved a hand around the cage, speaking directly to the salesmen outside.

The salesmen backed away from the cage a few steps, clearly caught off guard by the whole unusual situation while several of the other guards that lined the corridor started to close in on the cell. Though Ash and Koza were still the ones locked inside it seemed that the command of the situation was still resoundingly in Ash’s control.

Ash pulled a leather pouch from his belt with a sudden jerk, snapping the string that secured it to his belt, and gripped the hefty sack tightly in his hand for a moment before he let it fly. He tossed it through the bars of the cage straight towards the salesman’s chest. Clearly not expecting to have something tossed at him the the pouch hit the mans chest with a jingle of currency and a thud of weight, he cradled his arms at waist level and caught the pouch before it fell to the ground.

“That’s Imperial Jade, not Silver.” Ash spoke firmly and with a commanding tone, he certainly was not trying to haggle on price. “Open. The. Door.”

The salesmen seemed somehow reluctant, as if he were being threatened not making a rather sizable sale. He looked down, silent for the moment. He shifted the pouch into one open palm, while one extended digit of the other hand wormed it’s way into the pouch opening, spreading the pouch open just enough to see inside. He craned his neck slightly to better see into it without moving the pouch from where he’d caught it, eventually looking at the two guards who now flanked the door and gave them a nod. That was enough for them and they quickly unlocked and opened the cell door.

Ash stepped confidently out of the cell, turned, and headed for the exit. Koza followed closely behind, Ash’s bravado spreading infectiously, though she still found her return to the slave market a disquieting experience. The slaves in the cage were more hesitant to follow, though the door remained open they exchanged nervous looks and sidelong glances.

“Sir, sir… Sir!” The nervous salesman stumbled through his words at first before finding his voice. “Surely you will be wanting your writ of ownership.”

Ash waved a dismissal hand over his shoulder at the man without bothering to look back and continued down the hall with Koza at his side. Finally, with Ash and Koza already out of the corridor between cages and heading for the street, the burly man who had pridefully bumped Ash stepped out of his prison and started after the duo. Soon enough the others were streaming out of the cell and following after.

By the time they reached the street they were a full fledged caravan making their exit. Since the owner wasn't making a fuss, the other vendors and guards on the street did nothing but watch the odd scene, the other patrons of the market watched in relative awe. Most purchases were delivered more discreetly after a sale was made, not paraded out the front door so to speak.

When they arrived to the main gate of the market the same two guards were on duty as had been there when they arrived, Ash spoke curtly, “Horses.”

Though they hadn't been in the market for long it took the stable boys a few moments to fetch their steeds, no doubt they were slaves as well. While they waited the trail of men and women who had been following behind caught up to them, forced to linger awkwardly around the gate and the guards. Ash seemed unaware of the tension of the situation, whistling a tune Koza thought she recognized as one of Mesa’s ballads as he waited. When the horses arrived he mounted quickly and she did the same.

Once settled in his saddle Ash turned and faced the men and women behind them and addressed them with a voice loud enough for all to hear, “You’ll have to walk out of the city, but it’s not far. I imagine you will enjoy the opportunity to stretch your legs.”

Ash didn’t elaborate any further, gently spurring his horse he started to ride towards the city gates at a leisurely pace so those on foot would have no trouble keeping up. Koza rode along at his side through the bustling city streets of Great Forks, behind them the trail of men and women followed, drawing stares and occasionally shouts from the other occupants of the road. Ash paid them all no mind, and Koza found it much easier to maintain her composure than she had on their ride to the market. It was somehow not at all surprising to her that none of the men or women trailing behind them separated from the group. Perhaps they were afraid that it was a trap, or more likely they were just so enchanted by Ash’s presence that they thought it was worthwhile to see where he would lead them. Somehow Ash inspired a sort of trust in others, seemingly without trying, people gravitated towards him and wanted to follow him. She guessed that was how she ended up aboard The Geronimo in the first place.

The caravan exited the city gates without much fuss onto the gravel road she and Ash had ridden in on earlier this morning, it was approximately as empty as it had been then. With open space on all sides, and away from the prying eyes and hateful words of those on the streets within the city walls the trail of people started to elongate slightly, though still they all followed.

Up to this point they had ridden in silence, but Koza decided to break it now that they were clear on the city, “So what now?”

“I guess that is up to you.” Ash looked over, smiling slightly at the question and seemingly more engaged in the conversation than he had been for a majority of the day, “I’m headed back to The Geronimo, I hope that you’ll join me. The plantation, and it occupants, are yours to do with what you will.”

“So you don’t care what I do with it?” Koza asked with a hint of doubt in her voice.

“I wouldn't say that, but I won’t interfere.” He almost chuckled as he spoke, but limited his amusement to a smirk and continued, “I hope that our time here has shown you some of the value of this establishment. It took a great deal of my time, energy, and resources to acquire it. I don’t turn it over to you lightly.”

Though Ash was quite proficient at inspiring trust, he was often almost incapable of actually trusting others, so she knew that he was quite serious about that statement. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, it wasn't an unexpected result of their trip, however it was still a significant moment to process.

After pausing for a moment while she collected her thoughts, Ash resumed, “The operation is self-sufficient enough, regardless how much time you chose to spend here. There’s added value however to having someone here more often than I can afford to be, and a reason that it has to be you.”

He paused again, looking back over his shoulder at the trail of people walking the road behind them, “There are only two ways to control people Koza. Neither has anything to do with iron cages and shackles, nor gilded armor and sharp blades. You can build people up and inspire them. Or you can tear them down and destroy their will. Those people behind us have been torn to ground, had their humanity stripped away, and every ounce of confidence they ever had has been forgotten. That is how that industry survives, how it controls the masses. Never let anyone tear you down Koza, be the most confident person in the room, bend them to your will and get what you want. It takes a special person to do that with regularity, but you possess the presence to do it if you chose to.”

Despite Ash’s skill with words he rarely took the time to speak so extensively to members of the crew, reserving such outbursts for getting what he wanted from others. Just as he suggested she do. “I’m not you Ash.”

“You don’t have to be, and I wouldn't want you to be. Creation couldn't handle two of me anyway.” Ash again smirked away a chuckle.

“So very true…” It was Koza’s turn to smirk at the thought of it.

“Inherently once you build them up they will leave, give them a better option than running away or somehow turning against you. Caravans to and from Nexus pass through here daily, if not more often, some of them are even controlled by our operation. Offer them a new life in Nexus, Scarab will find them there.”

Ash revealed the final aspect of the plantation, after all he was not a man prone to charity. Even if many of the slaves he bought left after barely working the plantation, and only fraction of those who stayed long enough to build any loyalty remembered who they owed their second chance to; that fraction of a fraction was worth every ounce of jade. One scribe, one dock worker, one house servant, one whore; with the right piece of information could be invaluable. One more ring in the web that continued to spread across Creation.

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