by Marc Stevens
She reached into her desk and came out with three beautifully decorated gold shot glasses. She then poured the dark bourbon-colored liquor into them. The three of us stood, and she once again apologized for her comments. She then made a toast.
“To my friends!”
We poured down the shots, and she was right. It was some pretty amazing stuff. It reminded me a little of tequila, and it would have been in the same category as some of the finest Mexico had to offer. The warmth it imparted to my belly made me consider a nap rather than shoptalk. We settled into our chairs, and she got down to business.
“The first thing I wanted to discuss with you I suspect might be a touchy subject. A large number of races have been on alert because they believe Tria’s people were preparing for war. With who is only speculation, but the intel comes from a great many trustworthy sources. Those same sources say the Chaalt have terminated their agreement with the Galactic Union on patrolling the exclusion zone. They now have large fleets of warships actively patrolling, and everyone, including the Union, is forbidden to enter. If this is something you do not wish to discuss, we can move on to other topics.”
Tria did the talking, and I decided to keep my mouth shut unless things started getting uncivilized.
“We should move on to other subjects.”
At least Tria said it with half a smile. Tam Lin seemed to take it in stride, and after a few more seconds of uninterrupted silence by me, she moved on.
“The Sig have been developing intel on a large fleet of Scrun ships. The covert sources are reporting that more than sixty Scrun warships were seen escorting eight slave carriers in a distant quadrant. We have been trying to get a tail on the fleet but so far have been unsuccessful. When the Scrun detect any ship that could possibly get a track on them, they start jump-and-run tactics that have managed to lose any of the assets we have put on their tail.”
Now that was the kind of intel I liked to hear about. The Scrun were definitely a positive income stream for us. It didn’t hurt that I had grown fond of kicking the shit out of the slavers. The fact they were now escorting their slave ships meant that we had them running scared. I know we had put the hurt to their currency distribution system. Apparently, it was being felt at the top of their food chain.
“Give us all the locations on the sightings, and I will have my AI start crunching the data. We might be able to come up with something that could give us a lead on where they are coming from or going to.”
“I thought you might be interested, so I had the information ready and waiting for you,” Tam Lin said, sliding a data cube across her desk.
“I now have something for you to consider,” I said. “How would you like to go into the mining business with me?”
Tam Lin sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers. She closed her eyes momentarily.
“It would depend on what you were mining,” she answered. “It would have to be very lucrative in order for me to throw my hat back into that arena. It has been my past experience that what seemed like a sure profit ended up being the opposite.”
“Containium.”
That got her attention. She sat forward in her chair with just a hint of skepticism on her face.
“Are you sure? That is supposedly an extremely rare artifact not commonly found in the known galaxy. I do not know of any race that has records on mining it.”
“There was a race that was actively mining it. We have no information on them and probably never will. There is a strong possibility they are now extinct.”
She sat back and frowned at my statement but contemplated it without comment. She still looked skeptical.
“Do you have a sample I could test to verify your findings?”
“I didn’t bring one with me, but it won’t be a problem getting one.”
“I need only a small fragment of ore to run the proper tests.”
“I guess I could bring you some ore, but I have about six hundred tons of pure Containium that you could sample instead.”
She pushed back from her desk and stood staring in open disbelief.
“Are you messing with me or what? If you have six hundred tons, you don’t need a mining partner. You need a storefront to sell it and enough security to keep every pirate and crook in this galaxy from trying to steal it from you.”
I sat back wondering how best to make this a profit-worthy venture that would ensure we got the better end of the stick. Tria stole the words from my mouth.
“You could sell it for us. I don’t think there are many who would attempt to challenge your security forces. We do, of course, have one question that will have to be answered in advance: exactly what is the smallest percentage you would be willing to take for handling the transactions?”
We knew Tam Lin did not get to where she was in the business world by being a half-ass trader. She also knew that I had some very deep pockets. It would remain to be seen if she would get greedy on me.
“Okay, first things first,” she said. “What I said about a storefront was an exaggeration. We cannot set up a storefront to sell Containium. It will have to be handled with the utmost discretion. We can only sell small quantities to a select few who can be trusted to keep their mouths shut. Letting word get out that there is a large amount of Containium going to suddenly flood the market will drive prices down. We don’t want that. We do, however, want it to be known that those who have the credits may now be able to own a limited quantity of this rare commodity. Are you following me so far?”
Tria and I looked at each other and then back to Tam Lin. We gave her an affirmative nod.
“As far as a percentage goes, I can live with ten percent. I must also warn you; it will take a long time to sell that much Containium if we want the prices to stay at their current inflated levels.”
The percentage Tam Lin had stated was half of what I thought it would be. It was good to know she wasn’t as greedy as the rest of the galaxy was turning out to be. If I wanted to get things done on a larger scale, I would need to work this project from a different angle. Just because she didn’t sound like she was interested in being a mining partner didn’t mean I wasn’t going to start mining. The income potential was staggering, and I wouldn’t have to go out of my way to pick on the Scrun to make up for any perceived shortfalls. I thought about that for another ten seconds or so. Screw that! Unless the Scrun royal family quit running slaves, I was going to tear them a new ass every opportunity I could! I pinged Justice with my implants and told him to make a data cube with all the recorded information we had on the mining site.
“I need some very experienced structural engineers and decontamination crews,” I said. “The zone of operation is off the chart radioactive, and there are no usable resources other than what is at the mining site. It is my intention to reopen the mine. In order to do that, I will need some very robust atmospheric locks and decontamination systems in place to ensure the safety of the mining crews.”
“It just so happens that the Sig have the people you need to get those jobs done. They are based right here on 9765. We will need detailed information in order to prefab the necessary equipment, but I foresee no problems getting it done. I want you to know in advance what you are talking about will have a premium price tag attached to it.”
“Will a half a ton of Containium cover it?”
That brought a smile to the Earth girl’s face.
“Yes, that should more than cover our initial expenses,” Tam Lin said. “I also know of a large number of ex-slaves who would love nothing better than to make a generous living working for someone who actually cared about their welfare.”
Now the Earth girl had both Tria and I smiling.
“The crew quarters will need to be properly surveyed, but it looked like it was capable of housing at least sixty. When we have the numbers figured out, I want to run the mine around the clock,” I said. “I propose you organize crews for a one week on, one week off work schedule. They will have to have secure transportatio
n to and from the site. I think this will inevitably involve Sig fleet escorts as well. I want the site and the location of the system kept secret. It will take a lot of security and credits to make that happen, and it seems to me you are the person to get that done.”
Tam Lin leaned back in her chair and threw her legs up on the big ornate desk.
“You actually need the Sig more than you need me,” she confessed. “Your existing partnership has already endeared you to them in ways you cannot begin to understand. They worship that crazy monster inside of you. The rumors being bandied about have a significant number of Sig believing you could walk through a firefight in your underwear and come out with nothing more than a hangnail.”
I rolled my eyes, thinking this was going to be more difficult than I thought. In the long run, I knew she was right. The Sig have shown me on more than one occasion they had me covered come hell or highwater. They have never attempted to stab me in the back. I couldn’t say that about a certain other race claiming to be on my side. Making them a partner in the mine made perfect sense. I just needed to know what stake I should offer up to get this done. Tam Lin was already contemplating the ratios.
“I’ll tell you what I think, Nathan. I will be your outlet at the ten percent I have already agreed to. I will get with Pasta, and we will present your ideas to the Sig leadership and see what their response will be. I can already tell you they will want to be partners with you, no matter the percentages. Most all of them would follow you into hell just so they could see you kick Satan’s ass!”
Oh boy, was it ever getting deep, and I didn’t bring my bullshit boots.
“When we see you at dinner tonight, I will bring you a data cube with all the recorded information we have on the mine. After you see the data, I hope you will reconsider my offer. I have a lot on my plate, and the mine may need dedicated management. That is something I have very little experience doing. You, on the other hand, have had years of practice.”
Tam Lin threw her hands up, and I could tell she wanted to change the subject. She plopped her legs to the floor and brought up a holo screen in front of her. A Sig in a lab coat appeared on it.
“What is the status of our guests?”
“The procedures are complete and all have been successful. I will send out the registration data and get our asset to start processing it as soon as possible.”
Tam Lin thanked him and closed down the screen. She turned to me.
“I will see you tonight, and bring your check book. My private transport is waiting out front, so please make use of it. You and your people should take some time and check out the outpost. There is an amazing number of products from around the galaxy.”
19
The outpost was like Las Vegas. It was brightly lit and operated twenty-four hours a day. Tria and I didn’t feel like wandering aimlessly around in the crowds that roamed the marketplaces, so we went back to the Legacy. The Legacy was nearly vacant, so I had Justice fill me in on the whereabouts of the crew and the Grawl.
“Commander, Coonts and Xul are in the market areas along with a number of the scientists and engineers. Klutch is at the Tibor Guild and no trouble has been reported from that location. Broza and Hylet completed loading the freighter and confirmed they will be present at dinner tonight. The data module you have requested was delivered to Tam Lin by Jaran.”
“Thank you, Justice. Do you have anything else for me?”
“Yes, Commander. I believe you should remove all of the prepackaged Containium from the mine site before you send in the repair crews. The incapsulated packaging will make it a simple matter to decontaminate before removal.”
“I was thinking the same thing. We should jump to the mine as soon as our business is finished here. Is there anything to report from Alpha Base?”
“No, Commander. Our new IST comms devices are functioning at optimal performance and without interference from the Chaalt systems. My tests indicate our comms are secure from Chaalt monitoring.”
It seemed that all things were good and everyone was relatively safe. It was as good a time as any to start thinking about things I would like to do while I was here. Even though I could not remotely guess how far away from Earth we currently were, I felt the need to do something that could be associated with the normal behavior of a human. It quickly came to mind that it was customary to take your significant other out and buy them nice things. I was thinking some new dress attire was in order for our dinner party.
“Justice, ping Tam Lin’s private comms channel and leave her a message to call me at her convenience.”
“Message sent, Commander.”
It didn’t take but a few minutes for her to call me back, and Justice put her through.
“Is there a problem, Nathan?”
“No, not at all. I figured you could save me considerable time if you could recommend a clothing outlet where Tria and I could get some new attire for our dinner tonight?”
She laughed out loud, and I wondered if she thought I was nuts or something.
“That would be the last thing I thought I would hear coming from you. I was worried you would tell me some unknown doom was about to befall us all.”
I almost thought it was funny myself, but not enough to laugh. It was my experience that there was always an overabundance of doom just waiting to be discovered.
“So, do you have a recommendation, or should we just wander the marketplace?”
“Of course, I have some recommendations,” Tam Lin said. “Only two shops would be at the top of my list, but both are run by some pretty nefarious bastards. I also have a jeweler in mind, but he is worse than the first two combined!”
“What the hell is the deal with all the crooks? Are you telling me there isn’t a reputable business run by honest individuals?”
“Nathan, running an enterprise on any outpost is a cutthroat business. If you are not up to the task of dealing with the huge amount of riffraff that comes through these places, you literally get your throat cut. All will smile as they attempt to separate you from your credits, but be aware they will have at least one hand on a trigger at all times.”
“I will keep that in mind. Give me the names.”
“The first place I would stop is Osa’s wearables. He is a Gawanny trader and has cloth from all over the known galaxy. I am sure Tria is well-traveled enough she can fill you in on their background. The other is a trader called Droop. He is an Ilor, and if you haven’t met one, they are easy to point out because they wear big puffy atmospheric suits.”
“I am familiar with the Ilor and have no problems dealing with them. What about the jeweler?”
“Cralmo’s rare minerals. He is a Kasulla and would steal the food from a baby’s mouth if he couldn’t pilfer it elsewhere. You cite my name when you deal with that son of a bitch. That should level the bargaining table. Tell him you want to see the Starfire he has been trying to sell me. They are iridescent stones that reflect light like a prism and weigh next to nothing. The beautifully inscribed metals they are mounted in are as impervious to wear and damage as the stones are. The word is they came from an artifact cache and are said to be a couple of thousand years old. He wants an ass load for them, but I somehow think you really don’t care about the cost.”
“If it is such beautiful jewelry, why haven’t you bought it from him?”
“The biggest reason is that jewelry has never been my thing. The other is I don’t like the way he looks at me whenever I see him. I get the distinct urge to bathe in a decontamination chamber every time our paths cross.”
“That’s a lovely thought!”
“On the contrary, it is anything but! I will send you the locations of the shops, and you can decide for yourself if you want to spend your credits there. I will see you tonight at dinner and would appreciate if you would do me a favor.”
“Sure, no problem. What can I do for you?”
“Please don’t kill anybody,” she said, “unless you absolutely have too.”
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br /> It was my turn to laugh, but the silence that followed pretty much said she was serious. I went to find Tria and ended up waylaid. It was obvious she was healed enough to roughhouse because it was all I could do to keep her from kicking my ass in her quest to get exactly what she wanted. It would have been a lot easier on both of us if she would have just asked nicely. When we finally left my cabin to go shopping, most of the scientists and engineers were back aboard. Apparently, word had somehow spread around the ship concerning our activities. The big smiles and looks from everyone were more than a little embarrassing. It didn’t seem to bother Tria in the least, but my cheeks felt excessively warm for an extended period of time. I assumed Klutch would be the source of the gossip but was informed by Xul he was still at the Tibor Guild. It did not take much imagination to figure out what he was up to.
