A port city was usually one of the busier places on the planet, and even this remote planet was no exception. Travelers from other cities were here shopping or just having a good time.
I blended right in, and no one knew who I was. It was a type of freedom I had not truly had since my last ship-leave. And I was thoroughly enjoying every minute of it.
I picked up a picture made from the local rare metal. About the size of a sheet of paper, the multi-colored metal had been molded into a 3D scene of a forest in greens, bronzes, and browns. It would probably make a good birthday present for my brother.
"You should ask if he has others like it."
Starsong's comment made me curious, and I asked the man behind the counter, "This is really nice. Do you have others like it?"
He nodded and dug around under the counter before pulling out three different scenes. One immediately caught my eye; it was a blue, purple, and black galaxy scene with hints of planets and a few bright spots that were stars.
With a bit of bartering, I had that one tucked away in a bag. We were heading closer to my brother's location, so I would keep it with me until I had to mail it the last little ways.
I continued to enjoy my ship-leave, although if an emergency did come up, I had my communication device tucked into a pocket. That didn't take the mindlink into account either.
* * *
I walked into the trading house café, once more in my uniform. The two traders were already sitting at a table waiting for me - and they weren't fighting with each other. It didn't escape my notice that the staff kept glancing at them in complete disbelief. I was very certain that having them sitting peacefully together was a first for anyone who knew them.
Unlike our first meeting, this time they were focused on me. I had halfway expected them to fail, which would have freed me to hand in the already-completed paperwork that would allow me to bypass these two. It looked like they had managed to come to terms with one another and were ready to get down to business.
Most people would have likely thought that I would be disappointed that they were working together since I would be unable to bypass them, but this scenario was actually better for a long-term trading agreement. With both of them being forced to work together, it formed a series of checks and balances, and, more importantly, it didn't limit the amount of metal I could buy. I now had potential access to every mine's supply. That was the biggest win.
I ordered a tea at the counter before taking it to where the men were waiting. I sat down as I greeted them, "Good evening, gentlemen. I hope you weren't waiting too long for me."
They both shook their heads as the one replied, "No, we just got here."
I settled right down to business. "I am rather curious to see what trade proposals you have made."
They started lining up papers with numbers for me to inspect. Starsong commented, "There is no over-inflation present in any of these offers or numbers. The bulk prices for a hundred crates or more is quite good. It is quite straightforward, and you know what we are after."
They were taking me rather seriously, which was a first for any trade supplier so far. Although it was probably because I had caught them off-guard so badly last time. I moved a couple of the papers closer for a better look. This metal came in various qualities and colors, and there were price discounts for larger bulk purchases.
Starsong's lack of feedback meant that any of the offers were fine, and we had already gone over what would sell best at some of our future stops, so I knew exactly how much of each I was supposed to buy.
I tapped the one page. "Are there additional bulk prices for the blue and pink if fifty or more crates are purchased?"
They looked a bit surprised, but one responded, "Yes, the price drops by 5%, as it does for all of the other colors. The discount increases with every 50 crates of the same color. We didn't write it down since those two colors are rarer and, thus, more expensive. I have never seen anyone buy more than five crates of those colors at once."
Apparently, he wasn't aware of one supplier five star systems away from here who was willing to pay top dollar for these colors if they were of the highest quality.
I gazed at the pages as I ensured all of the colors we wanted were listed. Starsong had already said the prices were fair, so I just had to place my order. And possibly knock these two men off their chairs in the process...
I nodded. "This looks quite reasonable. Very well. I shall require 100 crates of blue, 100 of pink, 100 of yellow, 100 of grey, 100 of orange, 100 of black, 200 of green, and 50 of the other colors. All in the grade A+ quality."
They just stared at me blankly, as if they suspected that this was some sort of joke. The one man cleared his throat before tentatively responding, "My apologies, but a trading ship would be unable to lift off the docking platform with such a load. This metal is of our finest quality and is extremely heavy."
I smiled reassuringly at the man. "I would not have ordered that quantity if I thought the engines would be unable to handle it. I have a question of my own though, can you two get all of this onto the ship by tomorrow morning?"
They turned to stare at one another with big eyes before the second man spoke to me, "Can you excuse us for a moment?"
I nodded regally. "Certainly."
They went out a side door, most likely to make sure that they could even get the required amount. They would have to pool their resources to be able to fill such an order – and this was why I had wanted to force them to work together. By themselves, neither could have managed it. No single mine could have filled my order either.
This was an enormous order, and undoubtedly, the largest one on this planet for this metal. Starsong's powerful engines were the only reason we could even contemplate it – and he said that even his engines would notice the weight with such a load during take-off. But this load would turn a massive profit...
It took the men five minutes to return. They sat down, and the first man nodded his head once in a quick affirmation. "It can be done, and we can have all of the crates to your loading dock by noon. Will that suffice?"
I smiled. "Perfect. Send the invoice to my Procurement Officer with the divided billing."
I held out my hand, and they each shook it firmly to seal the deal. They didn't linger, making haste to contact their various suppliers and transport trucks to set everything up since they had less than 24 hours to get it to the Cargo Bay. I walked slowly back towards Starsong while trying to refrain from grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Starsong commented, "That went better than I had hoped. None of the previous quotes I could find showed discounts for anything above 50 crates. The discount for quantities above 100 crates must have been something they added as they tried to outdo one another."
'Huh. I wouldn't doubt it. They are probably quite excited as well. I doubt either of them has ever had such a big sale before.'
"I went through the various port invoices, and the largest order totaled 200 crates."
I gazed in the direction of Starsong; the large ship was docked at the far end of the docking station. 'I didn't think those invoices were open to the public...'
"The firewall on that server is so pitiful that even your old Analyzer could hack it."
'There is nothing wrong with my Analyzer.'
"You haven't even touched it since I gave you that Guide. Your Guide is able to do more than the Analyzer can." The faint note of teasing in his voice let me know that he wasn't serious, even if he was right.
I snorted faintly in amusement. 'I am attached to that Analyzer. It got me through several years of hard work.'
"I suppose you could hang it on your wall as a memento to ages past..."
I chuckled out loud, which earned me a few odd looks from a couple of passing docking station staff. 'And just what would you do if I did hang it on the wall of the Bridge?'
"Bribe the Weapons Officer to jettison it into outer space for some target practice..."
I burst out laughing, very thankful that there were only those two men within hearing distance at the moment. I could only imagine what the two traders would have thought if they saw me laughing by myself...