Star Traders

Jayne and Jake watched their shuttle in the forward Simscreen as it approached the ship the Bellaland group had set up for the meeting and demonstration of the trade goods sent from the Earth Federation. Earth Federation! Jayne laughed at the thought. They had needed a name for their mission and that was the one chosen when the Earthmen had first started their trading. Has a good and official sound, anyway, she thought. And, after all, most of life is perception rather than fact. If they perceive the Earth contingency as just a small part of a large whole, there would be advantage in that belief. The chances are Earth could probably wipe out any world they wanted if they used the gravity well technology; but why? Only a threat to Earth would bring that fact into play.

The decision about just what and who to send over to the Epsilon 4 ship had taken some time. They were limited in that the size of the shuttle was limited. One veteran trader was sent with two cadets and four Larn. A few of the Larn were trained cooks by now, and one of the cooks was sent along to tease the taste buds of the Bellaland group. Other items included shirts and jeans, dyes and spices, cooking utensils, candles, computers and converters to convert the power to 110 volts, a refrigerator, a washer, a dryer and just about any other small item that could be packed into the small shuttle. And packed it was. They had little room to move in there.

Transmission of the video began as the traders stepped onto the landing deck in the Bellaland ship. A contingency from the committee from Bellaland met them along with a considerable number of Larn who were promptly set to the task of unloading the items from the shuttle. The landing deck was used as a display area, and tables there were quickly spread with foodstuffs from the Earth ship. Jake commented about how well their crew looked compared to the one the Bellaland group had sent. They looked disciplined and sharp. Stoves were soon perking and the smell of cooking was obviously a joy to the Bellaland group as they gathered around the makeshift kitchen. It was decided that the main meal would be beef stroganoff with egg noodles of course. It was easy, quick, and the liberal use of spices made it delectable. Appetizers included chocolate candy; desert was pumpkin pie.

The dinner was as huge a success as it was aboard the expedition ship. While the powers that be in Bellaland were sated with food, the trading items were brought out and demonstrated. The timing was great. Each of them was presented with a colored shirt and jeans with jean jackets and they wore them with pride, changing on the spot! Their traditional robes were cast aside, and the feeling that they would never put them on again seemed to prevail.

Jayne had been aware right from the beginning that both the Larn and the Dran always went armed. They all carried their traditional throwing knives. It became apparent that both the Larn and the Dran from Epsilon 4 also had their own knives. Soon they were eyeing each other’s knives with interest. The situation soon deteriorated to a knife-throwing contest, as it always seemed to do whenever strange groups of Larn and Dran came together. It seemed to be an ego thing with them.

“Actually,” Jake said, “It’s a lot better than what we do. We all get drunk and then have a fight!”

“There’s something to that, I guess!” Jayne laughed.

Jayne was surprised that she was so pleased when the crew of the Earth Federation did so well in the contest. Her Larn crew held their own against the crew of Bellaland. The Earthmen, of course, didn’t participate, and would have gotten their asses beat if they had tried. They were asked to participate, but declined. If it wasn’t for their size, the Bellaland crew may have looked down to them. Being head and shoulders taller than someone else tended to erase animosity.

Jayne had witnessed several knife-throwing competitions aboard the Earth Princess before now, and was again extremely impressed by the proficiency the Larn exhibited. Not only was accuracy accentuated, but quickness and force were also a large part of the competition. Measuring the depth of penetration of a knife in a target was also a factor. Jayne began to wonder what early historic event led to the universal need for the knives to have taken such a hold in their culture. Passing that need from generation to generation is one thing, but to have passed it from planet to planet over millions of years was incomprehensible.

The contest over and the congratulations done, the participants examined each other’s weapons over coffee. The drink was going over big with the Bellaland group. There were only a few of the trade items that seemed to be of little interest to the traders from Bellaland. Deals were about to be made as the group sat down for final review. Jayne and Jake’s presence were needed at this time, and the video and audio system allowed this to be done without their physical presence.

“Our biggest interest is in the acquisition of a relatively large number of gravity wells,” James Bullock, the lead Earthmen trader said to Artur, the head of the Epsilon 4 group.

Artur tried to mask the crafty look that came to his face at the disclosure of the main interest these Earthmen wanted without success. It was not good trading practice to let your trading opponent have the advantage of knowing what your main trading interest was, and it was obvious Artur thought he already had the upper hand.

The traders had discussed this tactic at length before deciding just what strategy to use. It was decided to inform the Epsilon 4 people what their main trading interest was right up front. There had been little of interest in items from the previous worlds that had been visited worth trading. Rather than waste time sparring with items we have no interest in, it was decided to go right for the throat.

“We have absolutely no interest in anything else you may think might be a tradable item. We have seen your manufactured items and, unless you think you have something unique on Epsilon 4, they are not anything we would take back with us. That is not to say you might not have something of interest to us in future trading missions. That is always a possibility. This trading mission, however, is to be for gravity wells only. That is to your advantage, as you well know. Knowing what your opponent needs is always good business,” Bullock said, taking a bit of the wind out of Artur’s sails with admitting the weakness in the Earthmen position.

“As you may be aware, the collecting of gravity wells is a difficult and dangerous endeavor. We would expect a premium price for them,” Artur said haughtily.

“That is a lie, Artur, and we both know it,” James told him. “We know how easy it is to collect the wells. Our problem is that we do not have sufficient manpower to waste collecting the wells. We realize it takes a lot of manpower to collect sufficient wells for our purposes. We are willing to pay handsomely for that difficulty. You must realize, however, that there is a point where it would be more profitable for us to do it ourselves. If we cannot reach a common ground, we will simply leave with all of our goods.”

“Let’s not be hasty, James,” Artur quickly backed water, not wanting to give up the goods he had seen. “I’m sure we can reach an agreement. Perhaps we have gotten off on the wrong foot here. Certainly this trade is unlike anything we are used to participating in.

“I am somewhat confused,” Artur said. “I will admit the finding and capturing of gravity wells is not a difficult enterprise. For you to expend trading goods such as these for such a simple process doesn’t make a lot of sense to us.”

“You imply that our trade goods are worth much more than the gravity wells. We seem to be at opposite ends of a trading situation than the traditional sides! Usually, we are trying to tell someone our trade goods are worth more than the other trading partners! We find ourselves, instead, trying to convince one another that ours is worth less!” James commented with a laugh.

“I’m glad you noticed that,” Artur also smiled. “Are you implying your goods are also simple to come by?”

“Very much so. It seems we are in agreement except for a one-to-one price correspondence. We need gravity wells and you like our goods. Let us sit and come to a mutual price.” James Bullock spread his hands on the table. “I will be honest with you. We are going to need as many as you can get to us.

“I have an idea. Let’s both pick a price for a pair of jeans such as you are now wearing. Let’s make the price of those jeans to be 100 units. From that beginning, you decide on a price for a gravity well based on what that pair of jeans is worth to you. Place price tags on the rest of our goods relative to the jean price. We can both come to the number of gravity wells that may be an acceptable trade to us. I will do the same. Should these numbers be close, we will be well on our way to an agreement.”

“I am authorized from the Bellaland council to purchase all of your goods, should we come to a fair exchange,” Artur stated. “It appears to me that we can do so. Bellaland will purchase everything you have. You understand, of course, that we will demand exclusive trading rights in any of your future dealings with Epsilon 4. We will then trade these items to others on the Epsilon 4. We will also agree to guarantee your safety should you need our help.”

“I cannot make a decision by myself. I have to run it by our own group back on the Earth Princess,” James told Artur. “They have been watching and listening to us and will have some suggestions when we go back aboard.”

The smiling crew from Bellaland bade farewell to the Earth contingency of traders as they boarded their shuttle to return to their own ship.

Arrival back aboard the Earth Princess was a time of celebration. From what had occurred aboard the Bellaland ship, all of the crew expected a successful trading mission completed long before the allotted time.

“What do you think, James?” Jayne asked him during the first meeting after they came back.

“I think they are honest traders. And I think they believe us to be honest also. It’s just a feeling of trust that we had during the meet. What we need to do now is to come up with a fair item by item trade. With the base of 100 units for one pair of jeans, I think we should be able to come up with a fair estimate of the value of our goods relative to that base. What is more important, we have to decide just what we are willing to pay for one gravity well based on that estimate. Remember, they said it was easy to capture and harness these wells. Let’s keep that in mind when we inventory and price the items.”

Much study went into the pricing of the goods. A jean jacket was priced at 200 units. A stainless steel boiling pan with cover was placed at 20 units. A computer was placed at 5000 units. A 10-pound bag of sugar was priced at 100 units. Spices varied from 10 units up. The total value of the goods brought to Epsilon four was placed at 100 million units.

Their job was much more difficult than that of the Bellaland group. That group only had to decide what the price of one gravity well would be. Each useable well, with an adequate container and power train, took up about 2 cubic feet. It was fairly light, and one person could carry it aboard easily. Such a well was sufficient for use in small vehicles and homes. It would power a home forever, as long as the power train held up. The power train was the one weak link in the system. It had, necessarily, moving parts and those parts would wear out eventually. Eric felt the power train could be built on Earth without trading for spares. From the power train, a generator was attached to power a vehicle or a home. It would take awhile, but Eric felt that automobiles would soon be completely replaced by small flying vehicles on the order of the auto size. Earth would have to decide what to do with the problem of traffic control.

“500 units for each gravity well,” Artur unformed them when they contacted him hours later. “I am sorry if it seems unfair to you.”

“Unfair!” Jayne said. “That would mean we would be taking home 200,000 of the things. That’s MUCH more than we had originally estimated. We will only agree at 1000 units for each gravity well. This would give us 100,000 wells. And that’s about what this ship will hold. At that, I’m afraid every spare inch will be filled.”

Artur and his committee were beaming as they received this news.

“This is the strangest trade we have ever made!” Artur commented. “You pay us twice what we ask for! It’s unheard of! We will not hear of it! We will put aboard your ship however many will fit! You must give us 7 days to complete the order however. We have many on hand, but not all. It appears 7 days will do it if we use every available craft. We will begin immediately. They will all be stored at our main base in Bella City. I am sure you can find it with no trouble. We will see you in 7 days!”

Chapter 14

The seven days seemed to fly by as preparations for the transfer of all their goods to Epsilon 4 took place. That material was moved near the only two hatches in the ship. They were not near done when their time was up.

Communication was ongoing with Bellaland. It was found that it would be necessary to place every gravity well on its own individual pallet in order to stack them. This was due to the nature of the gravity well. The wells could not be placed closer than 3 feet to one another. This certainly reduced the space available for transportation to Earth. Pallets were being constructed on Epsilon 4 for this purpose, but it increased departure time by a few more days.

Jayne had sent a message back to E-6 informing them of a successful trading mission and the contract made with Epsilon 4, and advised them as to what trading materials would be acceptable when the next mission left Earth. She also told them to prepare for an influx of 50,000 starving Larn and Dran, and how they were bringing the ship back with them.

Their success prompted Jayne to recommend a steady trading relationship with Epsilon 4. She recommended a steady weekly trader to leave E-6 for Epsilon 4. Epsilon 4 would be a source for gravity wells for a long time to come. Such advice was also sent to Artur. Future ships would find a direct trade, and shipping material would be ready when they got there. A turn around time of about seven days would be their aim, giving time to unload their goods, and load up with gravity wells.

The decision not to take either Jayne or Jake down to Epsilon 4 during the loading and unloading of the goods had been rescinded by Jayne some days earlier. The crew was still worried about their safety, but the agreements with Artur had been extremely amiable. She convinced them all that she and Jake were not in danger from the people of Epsilon 4.

The Earth Princess landed at dawn 7 days later at the only port in Bellaland. It was primarily a military port that was hastily put together when it was viewed that the Expedition ship might be a threat. A dozen or so small military spaceships were scattered about the field that looked like a renovated farmer’s cornfield. It was a busy place, however, what with the stacks of completed pallets off to one side and more coming in. Gravity wells were already secured inside the open crates and all appeared ready for loading. Loading vehicles resembling forklifts were scurrying around the field, moving pallets with both ends. The lifts had forks on both ends of the vehicle, allowing material to be loaded from each end of the vehicle.

Jayne landed the Earth Princess in the indicated site. She would not have broken an egg with the landing, and smiled to herself when the ship came to rest.

“Mr. Pierson!” Jayne snapped.

“Yes, Captain!” came the immediate answer.

“Take charge of unloading and loading. You know the drill. Use whomever you wish from the crew. Except me. I have no desire to lift bales or tote barges! And be quick. I would like to leave for the Sol system as soon as possible.”

“Aye, Aye, Cap’n!” Lars said with a smile.

The loading went without incident for three days. Jayne wandered in and out of the ship, watching the busy Larn unload the trading goods and begin to load the gravity wells. Trina, her Larn friend, seldom left her side, taking exception to anyone who seemed to threaten her. She was being very protective for some reason. This didn’t displease Jayne, for her company was certainly welcome.

Jayne was interested it recruiting Larn from the ranks of the Bellaland group, and Trina was a great help.

“How many Larn do you think we can bring back with us?” she had asked Lars, watching the loading from a distance.

“I’d guess 200 or more. We will have the room, I think, if we string hammocks and use the mess hall in shifts. And we’ll have a month to train them to cook!” he laughed.

“200? Shees! That many? I guess it would be all right. How about Dran? Should we see if any would like to come along back to E-6?”

“We could invite them, but I doubt they would come along. I could be wrong. We certainly could use them on E-6. I’ll talk to Artur and see what he thinks about it,” Jake said thoughtfully.

On the fourth day the loading went on with a vengeance and slowed only slightly at nightfall. Lights had been set up on the first day, and they were running three 7 hour shifts a day. Jayne found she was quite restless around midnight that fourth day and decided to go for a walk outside the ship. She leaned against an unused forklift a distance away from the hatch, watching the action going on before her. An arm circled her neck and pulled her back into the shadows.

“A bit out of your element here, aren’t you, Captain,” a familiar voice sneered. She immediately placed the voice. It was Commander Johnson. She hadn’t seen him in days. Damn, she thought. Guess I should have been watching my back with this bastard. His hold on her throat began to tighten.

“You should have stayed in your safe cabin, Captain. You can never tell what might happen to you on a strange planet, now can you?” She could feel the cold smile.

“What do you want, Johnson?” she coughed.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that! I think maybe I could have a little fun before I kill you!” He reached for her left breast with his free hand, allowing her to shift a bit. She stomped on his instep and broke free. The knife he had been holding in his hand scraped along her throat, bringing a quick gush of blood.

She turned quickly and attempted to kick him in his privates. He turned slightly and she missed. The look of hatred in his eyes increased as he started after her. Suddenly he stopped. The handle of a knife protruded from his left eye. Another knife had plunged into his throat and a third into his chest before he could fall. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Jayne crouched and turned, ready to meet this new threat. It wasn’t a threat at all. Four Larn stepped from the shadows. Trina hurried to her side. “Are you all right, Captain Ma’am?” she asked.

“What are you doing here, Trina,” Jayne asked breathlessly, “Not that I care! I’m grateful that you are!”

“Commander Johnson has been making noises about getting even with Captain Ma’am for a long time. We are protecting you, as you protected me from this bad man. We do not forget who we owe favors to. What would you like us to do with the body?”

“Just get rid of it,” Jayne said. “We certainly aren’t going to bring it back to E-6!”

“Think no more about it, Captain Ma’am. We will get rid of it.” Trina turned to the other three Larn and told them what to do.

“You should now go back into the ship, Captain Ma’am. It may not be safe out here for you at night. Besides, you need to get that cut bandaged.” It wasn’t a large cut. It had already stopped bleeding. More of a scratch than anything, but Jayne retreated inside the ship, woke Dr. Yukov and had a dressing put on her wound. He gave her a sedative and sent her to her cabin.

It was a grim crew that met for breakfast in the morning. As she sat down she could see the concern on all their faces.

“It’s not much more than a scratch, people!” she said with a smile. “But it did scare me for a bit!”

“It didn’t take long for the story to get around the ship, Captain,” Jake said, spooning sugar in his coffee. “Did you really stomp his shin and kick him in the nuts?”

“Well,” Jayne admitted, “I did stomp on his shin, but I missed his nuts!” They all laughed. “But I certainly am grateful to those three Larn.”

Jayne stood and went over to the Larn breakfast table. All three were sitting at breakfast. She had them stand and hugged them all in turn. It was just the right thing to do under the circumstances. It showed her gratitude and elevated them in the eyes of their peers to no end. They would be heroes for months.

“This does not mean I want you to follow me around all the time!” she admonished them, “But from here on, whenever I need bodyguards, you three will be my choice!”

“There’s something you need to know, Captain,” Jake caught her attention at lunch.

“What is it, Jake?” Jayne asked, taking a huge bite out of her ham sandwich.

“We have a problem in that there is NO way we will get 200,000 of those gravity wells aboard our ship. We might get 50,000, but that’s it.”

“It looks like Bellaland is going to owe us then,” Jayne said, “unless we can find a tow somewhere.”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about, Captain,” Jake said. “On the backside of the third moon is an answer to our problem if we can swing it. That expedition ship is sitting there almost empty. Suppose they send down three or four pods to take our overload here?”

“That’s a great plan, Jake!” Jayne exclaimed. “Oh! Oh! I see a problem. Bellaland won’t let them land.”

“They will if you tell them you sent for more ships to carry the cargo. Lars Pierson is with the Expedition ship. I can contact him and he can probably be down here by tomorrow, if you can smooth the way with Artur.”

Jayne met with Artur within the hour.

“I have heard of your internal troubles, Captain,” Artur said, indicating her bandage. “Fortunately such a thing is not often seen, even in our own ranks. My congratulations on having survived the attack. What can I do for you today?”

“My man tells me there is no way we can get 200,000 of the gravity wells aboard our ship. I have sent for three more ships that will be landing tomorrow. I wanted to let you know so you can clear spaces for then to land near us. That way you won’t have to travel far to load them up.”

“May I ask where you got these ships?”

“No,” Jayne said emphatically. “It is not your place to ask. But I will tell you anyway. We had these ships follow us here for just this eventuality. We like to be prepared.”

Artur was impressed. “It is a pleasure to work with such professionals,” he said humbly. “I understand you have been recruiting some of our Larn to go with you on the return to your system. Can I be of any help with that? I know most of them well, and can give you advice with them.”

“Your help would be appreciated, Artur! Thank you,” Jayne bubbled. “It is my thought that perhaps some of your fellow Dran might be interested in resettling in our system. We are a long ways from being overcrowded!”

“Perhaps,” Artur said, stroking his meager chin. “Perhaps. There are a few unhappy Dran among us. I will pass the word along.”

Jayne left the meeting. Wiping her brow she thought, Well, we dodged that bullet!