“What do we have here?” one of them asked, a woman if I was judging her right. Her hair stuck out of her makeshift helmet, dirty blonde like a scarecrow made of hay after a windstorm.
“You speak English?” I asked, taking the lead.
“We’re Traders, human. Do you think we wouldn’t have the language modifications imbedded into us?” she asked, her voice as gnarled as an old tree root. She let out a series of other words, some I recognized as Mandarin and Spanish. Those modifiers were quite impressive.
“That makes sense,” I said, somewhat startled that this rag-tag group of beings would have the finances to configure the modifications. I’d investigated the surgery, and it didn’t come cheap. It was usually left for the patrons of places like Bazarn Five, the wealthiest of the universe. Perhaps these Traders, despite appearances, were among them. “We’ve come to ask for your help. May we speak with someone in charge?”
The woman was obviously annoyed. “What makes you think I’m not in charge, human?” The Traders around her chuckled, their metal jangling around as their chests heaved. Their laughter was not appealing.
“If you are, then I’d like to speak to you,” I suggested. Suma was close beside me, watching them all with interest. We formed a line now on one side of the portal table, the Traders on the other. Rulo and Slate flanked our group, and their weapons were raised. None of the Traders had reached for guns, but I knew better. They had some defense mechanisms on their side; otherwise, they wouldn’t be so calm and casual with our arrival. “Guys, let’s lower our weapons.” I said the order from the corner of my mouth, and Slate did as I asked, followed by Rulo a good two seconds later.
“I guess I know which one of you is in charge. What an interesting group to be traveling together.” The woman stepped closer and gazed down the line, from Slate, to Dubs the android, to Suma, whose snout was raised behind her helmet’s shield. She skipped over me and stopped on Karo. “Now what in the wise universe is this beautiful creature?”
I quickly responded before anyone else could. “He’s Tralfamadorian from far away. You wouldn’t know them,” I said, using the alien name from Vonnegut’s most famous book.
She must have believed me because she didn’t question it. “And a Keppe warrior, complete with a scar on her face. How original,” the Trader said with amusement. I’d been there the day Rulo got the injury while we were rescuing Slate on Sterona. None of us would ever forget that time, especially Rulo, who was reminded each time she saw her reflection. She claimed it did nothing to hinder her beauty, and I suspected few would argue the point.
“Come. If you seek help, you must have great items for trade.” She waved us forward, and Slate tugged my arm, taking the lead. The other Traders formed two lines, creating a walkway to the exit of the room. They jumped frantically, junk clattering on their bodies as they did what could only be described as a jig. It was an unsettling bunch. I’d been around a lot of menacing aliens, but seeing a group of gnomes with garbage strapped to their backs had to win the prize for most unique.
Once through the doorway, I found myself in a tunnel. Lights sat in random spots on the floor, and on the walls of garbage. It was literally a corridor built out of discarded trash, mostly mechanical pieces from God knows what. It was like the world’s worst hoarder’s house, and we were walking through the only open spot to exit outside. The ceiling was short, since the Traders didn’t reach over five feet. One of them had a hat with six propelling fan blades on it, and the odd time, one of the blades struck a jutting piece of debris.
“This is terrible,” Slate said to me as he ducked low to avoid hitting his head. He was about a foot and a half too big for the corridor. I felt ever sorrier for Karo and Rulo, who were bent so far over, I could almost feel their discomfort. The tunnels had multiple openings. Every now and then, we’d veer off the main direction and enter a separate corridor, each as claustrophobic as the previous.
“Hurry,” the woman Trader said, leading us through the maze and, finally, past a doorway and into an open space.
“I never thought I’d see the sky again,” Slate said, loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“It’s been ten minutes,” Suma rebuked.
“Easy for you to say. You’re as short as the tinheads here,” Slate said, and I cuffed him on the arm in warning.
“Don’t insult them. We need their help,” I whispered, and he shrugged in apology.
We were in a courtyard of some sort, hills of garbage piled high around us. It was as if the entire world was a dump. I was grateful for the EVA suit and the fact that I could breathe recycled air instead of the waste around us. A dark red star beat toward us, large in the sky, and my suit beeped as it accommodated the heat with some cool air.
“Can we talk now?” I asked the Trader. She was alone in the courtyard, but as I looked toward her, I saw the minute robotic sentries placed around the yard. Red lights blinked from all around us, and I expected there were at least two dozen weapons aimed directly at us, some of the others likely oblivious to the threat. I could tell Slate and Rulo weren’t among those as their heads surveyed the hills, and they gripped weapons of their own at their sides.
“We don’t talk here. Don’t you know anything of us, human?” she asked, again laughing, metal flaps on her pants clinking like air vents on the fritz.
“Then…” I didn’t have a chance to finish my question as a ship lowered from out of nowhere to land on the compact dirt ground. It was the polar opposite of everything else we’d seen in our short tenure on the planet. Where the locals were short and cluttered, this ship was smooth, elongated, and pristine. It didn’t fit.
“Welcome to the Marketplace. You may call me Broker,” she said as a ramp lowered to the ground with a soft touch. Lights lined the incline, guiding us into the sleek ship. It was about forty feet long, half the length of the courtyard.
“We need to procure one of these,” Suma said to me as we entered the vessel. It was state-of-the-art. Even the flooring seemed expensive, and inside Broker’s vessel, there was none of the garbage we’d seen all around us out there.
“You can have it,” Broker said. “It would only cost you around a million credits.”
Slate coughed at the amount, and I didn’t blame him. We were getting three hover trains on New Spero for less.
We followed Broker past various other Traders, these ones wearing the same clothing as she, and she led us to a passenger seating area on the vessel. I stood at the window, staring out at miles and miles of debris. It seemed I wasn’t far off my assumption that the planet was a dump.
“Relax here. We’ll be at our destination soon,” the gnarled voice said, and she turned to walk away.
“Broker, we don’t have a lot of time. We’d like to start talking now,” I called to her.
She didn’t stop walking. “In due time.” The door shut behind her, and I assumed it locked simultaneously.
“This was unexpected.” I really hadn’t known what we’d find on their world, nor had Suma’s brief studying of them told us enough.
“They’re going to be tough negotiators, Dean. Stand your ground. Don’t give away anything you can’t afford to lose,” Suma cautioned.
“Boss, what do we even have to trade?” Slate looked at the bags W let settle to the ship’s floor.
“Captain, I haven’t checked inside yet. Would you like me to catalog the supplies for you?” Dubs asked.
“Sure, let’s have a peek,” I said.
Rulo sat, setting her minigun across her lap, and she watched as we opened the first pack the Keppe had provided us. It was stuffed full of food packets, some dehydrated, others fresh. Cases of water lined the bottom.
“Anyone mind if I grab that brown package there?” Slate asked, and I quickly shut the pack before he could snatch it.
I tapped my face shield and laughed at him. “You do remember this is on, right?”
“Of course. I was going to save it for later, that’s all. What else
do we have?” He changed the subject.
Suma opened the next pack. “This one’s nothing but weapons. W, you might want to be careful with it.”
There was a blue energy field around the various guns and ammunition inside the pack. “Good thing it has a built-in shield. Rulo, can you warn us next time that we’re hauling around enough punch to destroy a small city?”
She leaned forward. “You have enough ammunition to decimate a small planet in there.”
Slate was reaching toward it, and once again, he was cut off by Suma’s quick reflexes. “You guys are no fun,” he said, moving for the third bag. Survival gear packed the bag to the brim: tents, fire-starting supplies, spare oxygen tanks, face masks, first aid, and anything else we could possibly need, except something to trade for a ship.
“Why hadn’t I thought of this?” I asked, cradling my helmet between my gloved hands.
Rulo spoke, her words translating for me. “Because you don’t need to. That’s what being a part of a team is.” She pulled a datastick from a tight pocket on her armored suit.
“What’s that?” Suma asked.
“Something they’re going to want,” Rulo said.
“Information?” Karo asked.
“If there’s one thing they desire, it’s more stuff. One of our vessels stumbled across a special location on a mission. It appears there was a massive battle there, and they found over two hundred derelict ships in the system. Some were partially intact, but the exploration ship didn’t have the means to salvage anything. Plus, that’s not really our way. We saved it for just such an occasion,” Rulo answered.
I was genuinely astonished. “That’s perfect. What if they need proof it’s there?”
“Footage included. Broker will be drooling by the time you show her this. Don’t get settled in. We won’t be here long,” Rulo said.
Twelve
I paced around the circular room, walking the perimeter for the tenth time. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched around the entire floor, giving me a view of their planet below. It was strange seeing it from this vantage point. I stared to the ground a couple hundred yards beneath us, where the garbage stopped in a perfectly straight line. Beyond it was fresh green grass, and an enormous body of water. I spotted at least a hundred of the Traders walking amidst the field, some playing at the beach.
They didn’t appear to be wearing metal suits made of refuse there, and I wondered what they thought of their neighbors over the fence. Maybe the junk-covered clothing was only their work uniform, and the others were spending time with their families after hours. Judging by how our negotiation was going, Broker wasn’t going to fill me in on the details.
Rulo was playing the hard-nosed one, while Suma was hinting at the great power of the Gatekeepers becoming allies of the Traders. Evidently, they’d already been tipped off about the location of the long-ago battle and were heading there as we spoke.
I wasn’t buying it. The datastick was in Rulo’s pocket, and I’d noticed Broker’s gaze wandering to it at least half a dozen times in the last three hours. She wanted that information, but they were proving to have more guile than I anticipated.
“It isn’t going to work.” Broker was at one end of a long table, Rulo and Suma at the other. It was another tactic. Broker’s side stood two feet taller, and she had to look down on them, like a judge in court. It was all over the top, and I was getting tired of the charade.
I crossed the room and stood beside the table. Slate and Karo watched with interest from their seats overlooking the sea below.
“We need a ship. A fast one. According to you, you have dozens of such ships for sale. Make an offer. If you really don’t want this datastick, tell us what you want. We can deliver it for you. I’ll sign a contract. I’ll get the Empress of the Bhlat to hand deliver it to you, if that’s what it takes!” I shouted, banging my hand on the tabletop.
Broker’s pale gray eyes widened, and she forced a smile, showing crooked yellow teeth. “That won’t be necessary. I’d bargain, only you don’t have anything I need.”
I sighed out, and it hit me. I did have something: the Inlorian bars that Sergo had stolen. In all the action of the past few days, they had totally slipped my mind. I had ten of them in the rear compartment of the EVA I was wearing.
I closed my eyes for a second, opening them before raising a hand to silence Broker’s rambling. “What do you know of the Inlor?” I asked, and she instantly stopped speaking.
“Very little. There isn’t much to know.” Broker was leaning toward me, and I could almost see the drool forming in the corners of her mouth.
“Interesting. I’m friends with them now. They’re joining our Alliance of Worlds. Signed up a few days ago.” I turned, glancing at Suma, who was looking at me inquisitively.
“Is that so?” Broker asked. “What of it?”
“Have you heard of an Inlorian bar? It’s a dark blue metallic block being processed on their home world. They stumbled on it, and apparently, it’s become quite the hot commodity.” I left the bait and spun slowly back to her.
“What are you saying, human? You know where to find one of these?” Broker asked.
“I heard they’re going for… what… five hundred a pop?”
She appeared visibly shaken at the number, her greed nearly oozing from her pale skin. “I doubt they would go for any more than two hundred,” she said, trying to deflate the value in case I actually did hold on to one of them. It was a solid effort on her part. Negotiating was second nature to her, but I thought myself well-trained over the last few years.
“Whatever you say, Broker. You’d know better than me. What if I told you I had one on me right now?” I asked her.
“I’d say you were a liar.” The answer came out quickly, and with a sharp tongue.
I leaned in to Suma and asked her to open my pocket and pull one out. We were far enough away that Broker could do nothing but lean toward us, trying to hear the faint words. Suma did so quickly, her own black eyes wide as she passed it to me, doing up the pocket where Broker would have seen another nine lined up.
I held it in my palm. The dark blue bar didn’t look like a lot, and it was lightweight in my hand. The Trader was pressed so far forward, I thought she might topple over the table.
“It has to be a fake,” she said.
“Why? You know nothing of us, yet here I am with an Inlorian bar, ready to bargain with you. Now, how about we see the hangar with our options?” I watched her face change from anger to excitement, and then to resignation. I instantly knew she was going to make the deal, even if she didn’t want to cave on value. She didn’t own any of the metal being sought after for weapons charges, and I expected she’d be able to procure even more than the going market value to a desperate buyer, if she didn’t keep it for herself.
“Fine. This way,” she said. With a wave of her hand, a yellow-framed doorway appeared a short distance from our group. I could see space ships on the other side of the door when I peered through the energy border.
“What is that?” I asked. It was obviously some portal or gateway, but it was unlike any I’d ever seen.
“Trader secret. Come on. I have other deals to make after this one,” she said stubbornly. She walked through the glowing opening, and Slate, Karo, and Dubs trailed behind. Rulo went next, and Suma set a hand on my arm.
“Dean, I think we need to see what else they have to offer. I expect them to have a lot of… interesting tools to trade,” she said, looking at the doorway that had appeared in the air from nothing more than a wave of a hand.
“You’re right, Suma. If there’s one thing I learned from my dad while car shopping, it’s that you negotiate each deal separately. Let’s get the ship first, then see what’s next.” I let Suma take the lead and followed her out of the meeting room into a huge hangar. There were around twenty vessels in the large open-air room, in varying sizes and shapes.
“That’s a Padlog ship.” Slate pointed to a bug-shaped vessel.
A shiver trickled up my spine, ending at my neck as I saw the ship beside it. It was a white Kraski vessel. Slate must have seen it at the same moment, because his rifle aimed toward the ship in a flash.
“Don’t worry yourselves. There are no Kraski here. All of these ships belong to us, and they’ve been thoroughly scanned and sterilized,” Broker said. The way she said “sterilized” made me imagine they’d found a few unsavory things on board over the years.
The sky had a greenish tinge, and dark gray clouds rolled above, promising rain. The instinct to jump into a ship and race out toward Magnus’ last known location overcame me, and I didn’t want to see the rest of the vessels, even though Rulo was walking the line, knocking her knuckles against some of the hulls.
“We’ll take this one.” I pointed to the Kraski ship, mostly because we knew how to fly them, since all our own fleet was structured after the model.
“Are you sure, Dean? Maybe there’s something a little… more stylish?” Slate recommended.
“We know this one inside and out. Now’s not the time to be experimenting. Even at full speed, we’re going to be aboard for two months.” My team was huddled around me while Broker stood a ways away, pretending to not hear our private discussion.
“We’ll need more supplies,” Karo said. “I didn’t see any pizza inside the Keppe food pack.”
I couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not. “Broker, what’s the price?”
“You will give me the Inlorian bar, and I’ll take the datastick off your hands, even though we don’t need it,” she said, eying Rulo’s pocket.
I wasn’t going to call her on it. “Deal.” I passed the bar over to her and nodded to Rulo, who gave the gnome-like Trader the stick.
“Okay, next… We’re going to need a few things. Food, water, and,” I lowered my voice, “I want to see the hidden room where all the gadgets are held.”
Broker hefted the light bar in her palm, her smile oddly terrifying. “I may have some items of interest. Come.”
New Alliance Page 10