by Marcus Sloss
I grunted, “Maybe we can return there after all the other shopping is done. If we get everything else we need, and have enough funds left over to afford some, you can zero us out. If not, then we’ll have to wait until the next market rotation to go airborne,” I said, knowing he would not like that answer. “Everything is changing too rapidly. Don’t moan when your orders contradict your personal desires.” I heard Torrez groan. “After that hover carrier purchase, I am not putting a priority on additional air vehicles.”
“If that’s the case, I guess I’ll just be sitting in here on my thumb for nineteen more hours,” he grumbled. Ouch. “For the community, I guess… Oh, hey, you can tell Jasmine it's all your fault. Always wanted to call in that marker, Cap,” he chuckled, “Torrez out.” He closed the connection before I could respond that he was free to leave and come back in before the end of the market to make any last minute purchases.
I grumbled about covering for Torrez playing hooky to his strong-willed three-year-old. Perci chuckled. “You realize it’ll be okay? Now, give me your arm so we can walk around together. It’s been too long since I had you all to myself. Bye, Everly,” Perci said.
“Hold on. Before we do that… My translator went crazy for a moment.”
Perci, the wizard she was, whipped the translator into a humming vibration.
“I got it,” she fiddled with the display, “Roarson sent a message about the ferox? Oh, shit… Eric. Chickens!” Perci whooped.
I immediately busted out my happy dance, certain my gyrations and fist pumps were the absolute best, ever. Staring aliens, confused by my epic moves, were merely jealous.
“What is the significance of these chickens?” Everly asked, wandering back over from the Crixxi holograms.
“They are humans’ staple food.” I grinned, “Now we just need Daphne to hit a homerun with the rabbit-food automated production systems.”
Perci glared at me, hands on her hips, after reading the rest of the message.
“Aw,” I pulled her tight against my side in a one-armed hug, “why the frown?”
“He said the ferox wanted to see you again so badly, that he bought a few hundred chickens to entice you back to his booth. It is obvious he is up-selling the chickens and trying to get you to buy the massive cat,” Perci said with a huff.
“But the chickens,” I replied with bouncing eyebrows, arms held out wide.
“Will be overpriced,” she growled.
“But … the chickens!” I retorted, pouting with a sour, sad frown. I would win her over; her shield would crack. I knew it wouldn’t take much of my Eric the puppy dog face to wear her down. Her poker face shattered, and Perci smiled at my antics, wagging a finger at me to let me know she was onto my tricks.
“Can I come?” Everly asked, seeing our excitement, “There are no more auctions for hours.”
“Of course, I just need to scrounge up some more funds for Eric’s … chickens,” Perci said, and snorted.
I grumbled. The age-old dilemma—butter or bullets. There was one option left.
“Felix, this is Cap.” I spoke into my Gpad.
“Go for Felix,” my overworked Xgate supervisor replied.
“Belay making bricks. I want chickens and a Ferox and drop ships.” He groaned. “Since I have not been outside to see what progress you have made with what Torrez bought ... If we convert the remaining electric trucks into materials, can we still tow what we need to back to base?”
“Uh… Cap. We have four massive mecha units. Hundreds of eight-person tanks, a thousand-plus single-person tanks. There are hundreds of trailers of all sorts, plus when we tossed in trucks and had old trailers stay behind—” he paused.
“So, you are saying that transport of either personnel or equipment will not be degraded if I sacrifice the remaining trucks or trailers to raise more funds?” I asked for confirmation.
“I am only the deputy S4. Torrez already fought with Jevon over the rest of the fleet, and Jevon told him he to get your approval before he’d authorize such actions,” Felix said.
“Okay. We're converting the trucks with their trailers ... All of them or until we hit our conversion cap. There is too much we need to buy, and if we will not be using those trucks to loot Denver anymore, they really serve no purpose,” I explained.
“For the community,” Felix said.
“For the community,” I replied.
I watched my Gpad. I waited. Any moment now.
“You okay?” Perci asked, and I shushed her.
“Yes! Good call, Cap.” - Torrez
“Oh, yeah, makes sense. I am surprised—” Perci was interrupted by another beep.
“Not my truck. Please. A few other folks have also requested to keep their personal vehicles.” - Jevon
“Approved to withhold personal vehicles on a case-by-case basis. How is training going?” - Cap
“Amazing. We went from a few shields and clunky armor with trucks and RVs to a futuristic mechanized cavalry. The Octosuits are slower than I thought they would be, though. They will have to ride behind the tanks on sleds or something, or we risk our combined arms synergy as the tanks leave them in the dust. But if you can get them in a line … damn! They will unleash holy hell. I think we could have fought the Lurrol with these.” - Jevon
“Perfect. Buying more animals and some drop ships. Keep me updated. Out.” - Cap
“Mrs. Moore, Jevon’s mom, is going to be very happy about the chickens,” Perci remarked to Everly. “As happy as the two of us getting to see Roarson. Shopping at his livestock market was fun.” Perci turned back to me, “We should get more Slongers, if he has them, we love their milk.”
“Someone termed his species ‘Scary Bears’. Not sure who named his race. Probably some Canadian who shat himself when they charged out of an Xgate onto Earth,” I said with a grunt. “Not knocking Canadians, they have some good elite troops. And I bet ten-foot-tall bears with jetpacks on the offensive are the stuff of nightmares.”
I stepped towards the nearest exit and the translator notified my Gpad that our destination was a half-hour’s walk away.
“Everly, this sounds like a good time to tell you about Earth before the Xgates. Would you like to know more?” I asked with a smirk.
The trip to a side elevator went quickly. We shifted to a whole new section of the market and took another ten minutes to get to Roarson’s booth.
The ten-foot-tall upright bear gave a toothy, canine-revealing smile upon seeing us. His green fur was matted with a blend of brown and black stripes. Those red eyes might spook some, but I found them warm and friendly. Another Scary Bear who had been chatting with Roarson left, so we could conduct our business.
We clasped forearms in greeting, as if we were old friends.
“Good to see the Ramoth didn’t eat you,” Roarson chuckled in a deep rumble.
His booth displayed pictures of the wide variety of animals he had for sale. I had seen more of everything he had to offer at the last market.
“Not a chance. I was told by a powerful friend that a Ferox is a rare find. Unfortunately, I had not set aside the time or the finances on the off-chance we might bond. It was a he, right? I think I remember noticing he had balls,” I said with a chuckle.
“Aye, it’s a male,” Roarson nodded, “But be mindful the price has not changed. I still need—”
“Neilspar, I remember. Now, show me my new friend,” I said, and Roarson offered a bearish smirk. He seemed generally happy to see us. “Roarson,” I motioned my petite wife forward, “this is Perci. I believe you met her before.” I pulled my Crixxi vixen into my other arm, “and this is Everly, the latest addition to my family.”
“A strong pride breeds many cubs,” Roarson said with a nod. “Now, come into my storage shop. Right over here.”
We stepped over to the no-gravity transit disc. A moment later, we were sucked through the floor, into the void, and arrived in a large storage section filled with a veritable zoo of alien animals. A cacopho
ny of noises combined with a host of musty smells to assault my senses. I clenched my fists and breathed through my mouth, getting past the worst of it.
“I thank you for the message, Roarson. I have always wanted to go to an animal shop. We have legends, in our histories, of the big cats and how they can swallow a being whole,” Everly said with a polite tone. Her sensitive nose twitched at the offensive odors, but she kept her displeasure to herself.
Roarson stepped off the transit disc for the corner stall the ferox lived in. Around us I saw a lot of electric fencing containing mostly flightless animals, shorter than my knee. This must be his egg-laying and milking section. We stepped past a variation of a pig that piqued my interest. Perci pulled me from my distraction as Roarson and Everly carried on without me.
“Just be happy they cannot eat you in here,” Roarson continued the conversation with Everly, ending with a long rumble and stern gaze. “Ferox get moody when they are without a bond. He tolerates me, for some reason. His price would be a hundred times higher if we didn’t stud him out on occasion, simply due to his upkeep.”
I paused to watch the long-furred Ramoths congregate at the side of a pen. Roarson walked to a freezer not far from the pen. He pried the lid open, yanked out an object with the smack of crackling ice, and tossed the limb of some large animal into the Ramoth pen. It must be feeding time. We passed the Ramoth after I watched how they managed to eat frozen meat. We had been defrosting ours; I guess we didn’t need to. A few electric fences later, the Ferox eagerly awaited us at its gate.
“Please know that the Ferox’s behavior, upon purchase, is on you. If it eats some youngling, that is not my fault. As far as the chickens go, I have them all in stock. I also have more Ramoth and Slongers, if you are interested. How did your last season go?” Roarson asked, walking us behind a final strip of animal pens. I grunted and pointed at a swan looking animal, except it was green with a large head. “Those are Swaxi; good eating. Nice white meat. I eat one of these birds about every three seasons. They would only produce four eggs during that timeframe. So, once you do the math, you’ll realize it's a meat bird. They eat a lot of greens, roots, and insects. If you plan on going the automated food production route, get something else to keep out the pests. I have something similar to the chickens we got from Earth.” He chuckled, “Another fowl bird.”
Perci rolled her eyes at the pun.
“Our last blue portals were interesting. A furious few days of action, then a long period of peace. The ‘fowl birds’…” Perci punched me in the arm, but I couldn’t help myself, “were they ducks?” I wondered, stroking my chin.
“That's the one. So many variations. Fewer of them than the chickens, but they have not sold yet. Here is… I call this Ferox something that is close to his temperament ... Ornery? … Yes, that word translates,” Roarson said, as we arrived at the cat’s pen—if the cat were the size of an elephant.
I stepped forward and stuck my arm through the bars with my hand out, much like you would approach a strange dog. The ferox sniffed my fingers. Finally, a scent that pleased the animal. The large cat pushed its head against the bars, trying rub up against my chest.
“You saw a divine-ape, didn’t you?” Roarson said with a sigh.
“Yeah, it appears we are on the same side of a war against the Lurol,” I said, petting the massive cat and feeling tiny next to ... Hmm… ‘Onix’ would work.
“We Scary Bears are traders, so we officially stay neutral, although we do believe the quarantine creators and maintainers are indeed akin to gods. We also believe many of their actions unjust, and retribution is justified,” Roarson said with a grumble. “That is our official position. Looks like you’ve got a friend. Can you afford this big guy, though?”
“Who, Onix? I don’t know, honestly. I don't have any females to stud him out with. While an amazing animal, Onix would eat a lot. We have a large herd of Yexin, though, far more than we can eat before winter arrives. Our raiding went particularly well on one planet. Can I learn about how you got him?” I asked.
“Oh, ‘Onix’ is it? That is a good name. I like it. We got him as a cub, hoping to get a female if he bonded. Problem was, he never loved us like the others. More of a roaming male, seeking a home of his own, and ours is not it. Every season he sticks around our hideout to help, but he always willingly comes back before every market. We purchased a different male and two females. They live with us, but the other male grew up bigger and stronger.” Roarson went to pet Onix, who backed away at the Scary Bear’s approach. “Yeah, after last time, I figured he would be like this. His cost is what we paid for him as a cub, not a penny more, for the years of care or food. Only five years old, and Cap, he may not bond to you either. Consider yourself forewarned, this is a bit of a gamble. I treat customers fairly. But look at him—he is content.”
“May I see the purchase price again?” I asked. He sent me the listing. “Funny thing is, I am new to these mineral based monetary systems—the neilspar thing, the zinc, and the yttrium.” I snorted, “I remember looking at prices this last golden portal and scoffing.” I motioned Perci over to compare notes. “I can buy three eight-man tanks for this price, and I have no clue whether or not it is a good price or a swindle. I don’t even know if the big guy will stick around when we get home; he may flee off to wherever he wants to.” I scrubbed my hands through my hair. “I need dropships, and to ramp food production up big-time. You got any used dropships or food automation, by chance?”
“Um… two wildly different questions.” He stared off into space, “The first issue has its own set of problems—see, once your automation is set up, it is almost never torn down. I do have a guy I can recommend, though. Deals in neilspar, direct pricing, and sells great machines—same kind we use.” He frowned, “As for your ‘dropships’ … I don’t think my translator understands what you are asking for, the term is too vague. Are you asking for something that goes high in the air and down to the ground?” Roarson asked, scratching his ear in confusion. He even used his hands to indicate a flying aircraft clearing an obstacle.
“Yes, that description is accurate. Please, let me get the automation machinery dealer’s location while we talk,” I said. Roarson zapped the data to my translator.
I pulled the data to my Gpad, so that Everly or Daphne could access it and make the purchases.
“My den may have a few used animal haulers that would serve your needs. We have been meaning to get better venting versions,” Roarson said, scrunching his nose as if having an unpleasant thought. “No armaments, though. We set up on a planet someone else called home at one point. Left everything behind to scurry off into a massive jungle. We fly them in and out of the gates. The golden portals let you do that.”
I motioned for him to expound a little more on how that was done.
“If you want to use them on an offensive mission,” he explained, “then you have to tow them through the portal and relaunch them once on the other side. The ones we have run on oxygen generators, but power plants are easy enough to swap out.”
“How many do you have, and how much?” I asked in a firm tone, getting directly to the point.
“Give me six minutes and twelve seconds to find out,” Roarson said, and I nodded.
“Oddly specific time,” Perci said, petting Onix. The big cat loved the attention. Despite his being a massive, scary predator, the big lug was acting like an oversized house cat.
“It is a phrase, like ‘give me five minutes’. The translator calculates the conversion literally,” Everly informed us, scratching Onix behind one big ear. “He is gorgeous. I love his black fur and brown stripes. He will be nearly invisible at night. That Winston fellow might be able to help us find a mate for him. We will need his assistance.”
“Is there not an animal market like the servant market?” I asked. I was a bit miffed that animals weren’t sold this way.
“No, not that I know of; though I do not know of any reason why not, either.” Onix rubbed the C
rixxi’s hand with his ear, clearly encouraging her to keep scratching. “Maybe it is to produce situations like this?” she mused.” Maybe because sapient lives are more or less a mandatory transaction requiring a black-and-white contract exchange? There is no swindling possible with contracts,” Everly shook her head, turning to me. “He might be extremely rare, or he might be super common, and this is a long con. Except you did say Lilith mentioned him.”
I chuckled at the reminder before pointing at the big beast. “According to Lilith, this guy will eat intruders of the invisible kind. Hold that thought—I need to ask Roarson about his ‘seasonal’ terminology. I have been hearing it more often lately; some of us have even started using it.”
I dialed Torrez.
“Go for Torrez,” he responded.
“I need a cost estimate on the dropships, and then I am going to send you the price of a comparable airship, an animal hauler. We may have to stick with the used air vehicles to start,” I said, and he was silent.
Moments later, Perci’s Gpad chimed, and she tilted her forearm towards me to show that, according to her balance sheet, we had enough zinc left to buy a hundred drop ships. “Is that with or without any add-ons?” I asked.
“Base model,” Torrez grunted. “It comes with shielding, anti-air to some extent, autopilot, a whole lot of powerful guns, and nine elemental power plants—one for each of the most common elements. All that is standard, though the power plants are interchangeable. It seats forty comfortably, sixty if you really crammed folks in there. It can climb fairly high and compress down to a smaller sized interior, if need be” Torrez said happily. “But you're right, they are expensive, and Blob does not sell any cheaper models, mainly because if you die in the cheaper ones, then she has no repeat customers.”
“Huh, that is a good business ethos. We help our customers return for more sales. Damn, Torrez, you’re putting me in a bind. Cap out,” I said.