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“… Looks all well and good, but the security of this would stink. Anyone can get into our ships here!”

  The chatter was cut off abruptly when the landing protocol continued. One of the merchant groups was so startled by the unexpected movement that they instinctually gathered close together for protection. The rest of prospective buyers simply watched in dumbfounded wonder at the next act in the play.

  Springing up from the ground, what appeared to be an armored cable and matching armored hose quickly slid toward each ship. Moving without visible control or direction, the tentacles of the refueling mechanism was rapid. Connecting with an audible “snick” to the normal fueling and auxiliary ports on each of the spacecraft, rapid flexing in the hoses indicated the pumping of fuel while the ships became the center of an increasing flurry of other activity.

  Noticing that all eight of the spacecraft was being handled simultaneously, one of the ship’s Captains accompanying a trading group exclaimed, “Blasted it! They are doing more for this small test group than the main Arkken field can do with a staff of several hundred. That would avoid delays and confusion every time we would land!” Other heads nodded all around him as the groups continued to watch the spaceport actions.

  The merchants carefully noted that each berthing circle had two small vehicles pull up next to the emerging landing ramps. Their amazement grew when they realized that there were no drivers in any of the vehicles. Some of the escorts could be seen concealing smiles at the open-mouthed reaction. Those smiles were anticipatory because all of the staff knew what was coming next.

  The Borachlanders were not disappointed. The reaction to the next part was everything that they had gleefully thought it would be. However, it was what happened next that caused the merchants and their colleagues to collectively draw in sharp breaths of amazement and consternation.

  What many had thought to be an interesting design element began to change. What had seemed to be at first a two-foot wide inlaid band of stone that encircled each of the landing berths on the field began to display a shimmer of lights at six points, evenly distributed around the circumference. It was the only warning that the watchers had before identical towers appeared to shoot out of the ground in concert.

  Adding to the dramatic effect, all of the circles around ALL of the ships appeared simultaneously. The overall impact was as if the watchers had been slammed with a sledgehammer. Incoherent exclamations of surprise were mixed with cursing and gaping mouths. One stolid merchant was seen to make a protective religious gesture that he probably had not consciously done since his childhood. His agnostic partner unthinkingly mimicked him, startled into reflexive actions.

  Heavily armored and architected with stacked bands of randomly lit rings, these devices were in place for only a split second before a coruscating wall of light formed between each of them and its neighbors. While the people watching in open-mouthed amazement could still see the spaceship through the light wall, it was pointedly apparent that the purpose of the barrier was protection and security.

  The towers that had arisen slid open, again in unison. Stepping out from two of the towers on each circle, pairs of outer keep guards and armored Marines deployed and took up a position of parade rest.

  One of the master merchants was so bemused that he turned and addressed his companion in a harsh whisper, clearly audible in the stunned silence. “By Timious’ beard, this could almost be a choreographed dance!” His equally stunned associate had no answer, although nods of agreement could be seen among the other visitors.

  “How…How is this possible, Lord Pawlik?” The question came from Master Trader Perley. The jovial expression he had worn during the meeting at the castle was gone, leaving open for all to see the shrewd mind and determination that had allowed him to build his firm to the predominant trading group on Arkken. His grandson stood next to him, curiosity burning in his eyes.

  Pawlik smiled in response. His eyes were dancing in amusement above his carefully held face. He responded, loudly enough to be heard by others close to them, “I would be pleased to answer some of your questions after the inspections are completed.”

  “Very well, my Lord, but expect many questions,” answered the master trader who had not taken his eyes off the events occurring on the landing field.

  While the master trader watched the field, the grandson straightened as if he had been hit with a hot poker in the posterior. Spinning so fast that he almost lost his balance, he stared at Ruth. Taking one step closer to her, he said in a low voice, “This has all been you! The port, the road, the vehicles, everything!”

  The mage responded with a smile, and said, “Very good, Master …?”

  “No master, Lady Mage, just Corland Perley.” The young man bowed in respect and rejoined his grandfather as part of the audience for the Borachland spectacular.

  As the noise from the waiting parties settled down, the seneschal cleared his throat and announced, “You are free to inspect any of the ships that are contained in open landing circles. Two of the craft have already been covered by agreements, so those are not available for anyone to view more closely.” With that being said, the older man smiled briefly at the crowd in general and climbed back into one of the close-by small vehicles.

  Shaking themselves out of their stunned state, there was a general milling of personnel as the groups headed toward the ships. Ruth leaned slightly closer to Pawlik and whispered, “How many of them do you think will to try to inspect the two ships that are closed?”

  “All of them, of course.”

  Ruth just grinned in amusement and turned her attention back to the Marine commander waiting to speak with her. Mary stayed close beside her, taking notes and occasionally reading notifications on her tablet. Inside, outside, building, landing field. It made no difference where they were, there was always work to do.

  Chapter 10 - Inspection

  Planet – Borachland Hot Barrens

  The ships that were available for sale completely overwhelmed the merchants. None of the traders had seen so many different types of ships at one time, at least in an open sale. Ranging from fast courier types to large cargo ships, the ship’s captains and master traders could only stumble around in amazement. Frantic picture and note taking were being layered over the top of whispered, but intense discussion of prices and possible proposals.

  The traders and cargo masters inspected facilities, storage decks, and all the things that fit into their purview while ship’s captains and engineers checked out the control and drive systems of the spacecraft and the craft’s general space worthiness. Someone listening in multiple areas of each of the spacecraft would have heard flurries of pointed questions about capability and functionality. It would’ve picked up the whispers of amazement and detected a wave of desire that was emanating from the individual teams. It would have also recorded attempts to cast a negative light on different aspects of the craft. After all, it was difficult to bargain when there was nothing to disparage.

  The buyers inspected the ships, checking out the stem to stern all that they might be interested in. At some point, each of the ship captains on the teams attempted to gain more information about the two craft that were closed to inspection. Each one of them was turned away with a noncommittal but courteous refusal by the outer keep guards stationed at the closed gateway to the ships. When pressed for more information, the response that they got was a simple, “This ship has already been contracted for.” They walked away disappointed and intensely curious.

  After several hours of concentrated inspection and discussion, the teams of buyers made one more pass through the ships that they were considering. One of the most popular appeared to be a pair of ships that reminded Ruth of a fish from the seas of earth, a lethal-looking shark-like high-priority goods merchanter. Built in the shipyards of one of the worlds that Ruth now owned, it carried the designation of Tarendal Wraith. With deployable and stable landing fins, it was capable of high speed and agile maneuvering in both space and atmospher
e. While not heavily armed, it had flexible stowage and could easily be run with a crew of 20. The Wraith was a highly sought after craft and was very seldom available for sale.

  Another of the popular configurations, the Victrellan cargo hauler, or VX Markil, had a shape that was radically different from the first type. Instead of smooth, sleek lines, this spacecraft had a series of bulging circular holds, four on the side. The same approximate length as the Wraith, the Markil had four times the overall stowage and was primarily designed for circuit trading. Those traders that followed a regular series of stops would find this ship ideally suited to their business.

  The largest ship on the field, the Reliant-class hauler, Hait Tory, measured close to 400 yards from stem to stern. Supported for its entire length by thick and upstanding rails, the ship had an unusual configuration that allowed the top portion of the orbiting ship to disengage and land separately. As large as the landed portion was, the ships component that was still orbiting Arkken was twice the length and two and half times the width. It carried a small fleet of its own, primarily shuttles. Designed to allow ships to land on and take off from its own landing fields, the Reliant-class ships were designed for more dangerous trading adventures. They could easily be adapted to small military operations and were capable of not only hauling four times the amount of cargo as the Markil but had accommodations for 200-3000 passengers and 225 crew members.

  There appeared to be three groups that were highly interested in that ship. They had been over it multiple times asking very specific and detailed questions, and all had requested an inspection trip to the orbiting space dock. There attended escorts had arranged for a single shuttle to take those inspection teams up to the orbiting craft, spending well over two hours in that examination. They had recently returned to Arkken and were in close consultation with the rest of their teams.

  Both of the other ships were designed for trading and transport where a formal landing field might not be a possibility. The first of these, the Tarendal Spectre, had a fairly flat configuration appearing from above to be a large arched disc. Its landing profile distributed the weight of the ship over a large area. This made it easier to land on less reinforced surfaces. With weapons emplacements scattered around the perimeter, the ship was well able to defend itself both in space and on the ground. It was designed for long-haul travel with extensive facilities for both crew and passengers. It was the most luxurious of the ships for sale, with spacious quarters and extensive storage for comfortable travel. Depending on the buyer, it would work equally well is a small passenger cruiser or as a mixed cargo and passenger craft.

  The last of the spaceships that Pawlik and Ruth had decided to sell was designed for first-in traders. Looking a bit like a whale from Earth, the ship was highly armed. It could release fighters and shuttles in both space and atmosphere, control landing mechanics that would allow it to maneuver in the middle of its landing path, and internal space that was highly configurable. Built only in one shipyard, another of the many that Ruth now owned, the ship, the Stinging Wasp, was a Traklow-class Explorer. To the seneschal’s knowledge, there had never been one of the ships that have been available for open sale. He had been sure that many of the buyers would be interested in this, although he did not know what price Pawlik and Ruth would expect.

  As the time for inspection came to a close, the number of people hurrying to check out last-minute facts or functionalities on the ships became even more frenzied. Despite the immensity of inspecting six ships in just a few hours, more than one of the busy spacers took time to look longingly over at the two ships that were not for sale.

  One of these was the detachable portion of another ship with an orbiting base. The portion that was landed was lethal looking. A smooth truncated oval form with extending fin-like structure at the forefront, it measured nearly as long as the planet-side component of the Reliant-class ship. Unbeknownst to the curious, it’s orbiting portion was far larger and were heavily armed than the other partitionable ship. It had been built in the Corvairex shipyards and was called a Planetaire-class. Ships of this class were the larger ships of the wall for many small systems around the Alliance. It was ideally designed for that role, but could easily be used for merchant activity, especially where the areas traded were in “wilder” areas.

  The other ship that was being held created a different sort of envy in the ship’s captains and engineers that walked around the field. It was a symphony of lethal power. Armed extensively, the medium-sized ship was configured for protected shuttle egress and landing, the ability to land in any condition, and highly configurable stowage. It was perfect for traders who wanted to carry a small crew and explore possibly dangerous markets. As fast as it appeared, Ruth knew it was even faster. The covetous looks were a source of amusement for her and Mary since the ship was very similar to the one that they had been carried on.

  <<<>>>

  The merchant groups had all come to this “supposed” sale expecting to see a collection of moth-eaten and semi-derelict spacecraft. Hoping that there would be one or two gems in the offering that they could get for a good price. What they got was something totally different.

  The ships were magnificent. They were in operational shape, able to be pressed into service immediately. They showed signs of current maintenance and comfortable to luxurious facilities. Although some of them would require reconfiguration for the specific type of use that the buyer needed, those types of modification could be done easily and relatively cheaply.

  The negotiating teams were thrown into disarray by the high value of the spacecraft offered for sale. The total market value of the ships being offered was more than most planetary government budgets for a full year. The hope that they would be able to acquire a ship for a “low” price had been obliterated when they saw the spaceport, buried when they had actually inspected the ships. Still, they had hopes for an arrangement that would allow them to use the ships. With any one of these spacecraft as part of their fleets, they would be well ahead of their competitors, offering faster and safer transit. Where before they had to bid on cargos, now they would be sought after. The possibilities ran through their minds like pet rodents on a spinning wheel.

  Part of their original expectations had been set by the fact that they assumed that they would be negotiating with a noble. That expectation had changed to something far more complex. Here were spacecraft that could radically change the way they did business. The opportunity was unprecedented, and they had no idea what to offer nor what the expectations of the sellers were based on. This is not how merchants liked to work. They were not in a comfortable position, unsure of leverage points or seller’s desires. They even doubted that any of the anticipated weaknesses of the selling party were valid.

  Some of the traders had attempted to glean some indication of Lord Pawlik’s expectations. One of the few brave enough to speak directly with Pawlik was Master Trader Wentworth. Relying on the previous meeting with the noble, Isaac walked up to Pawlik and asked, “What sort of target are you expecting for purchase prices, my Lord? It would help to have some target.”

  Pawlik stopped discussing something with Jenna in a low voice to answer, “All of that is a matter of the full proposal, Master Trader. I am sure that your experience and that of your team will allow you to come to a reasonable starting position.”

  “Will we be negotiating with you, Lord, or with Harril?”

  Pawlik shook with a full belly laugh which caused many of the traders to look back at him across the field. Those close by leaned even nearer to hear the answer. With a huge smile on his face, the large man answered, “You are not working out the deal with me, my friend. No, in this matter, you have a tougher challenge. You must convince my Lady Mage of your proposal’s worth.”

  The shock on the master trader’s face was almost comical. Pawlik and Jenna were both reduced to extended laughter before Master Wentworth managed to get his voice to respond to his wishes. “I thought that you were not serious about
the Mage owning the ships!”

  Jenna laughed so hard that Pawlik was reduced to propping her up, as he answered, “You thought wrongly.”

  As the trader turned back to his party in stunned shock, he heard Pawlik add, “Good luck!”

  Chapter 11 – Plans and Surprises

  Planet – Borachland Hot Barrens

  It was almost time for the dickering to begin. Everybody had addressed the urgent questions on the spacecraft specifics and completed their inspections and examinations. The organization of the sale had included this last time period for random questions and last-minute positioning. The Borachland personnel was scattered around the room to provide better availability.

  All of the Marines had reported efforts by the escorted groups to mine them for information and to gain some sort of advantage. The group escorts also reported that each group was extremely curious about the two ships that were not included in the sale. The frustration of not being able to get additional information had been very evident, and the escrow personnel seemed to be finding this amusing.

  The feel in the tent that had been set up to feed the visitors was tense. Tightly clumped groups had formed around each of the negotiating groups. Most of the people in each area would frequently glance warily toward their nearest neighbors and lower their voices as they talked. Only a few people seemed to have any sense of enjoyment or joy in what they were doing. This had become a highly competitive negotiation, and any camaraderie had come to an end.

  Pawlik was at the center of a cluster of older men all asking questions. Most of them had that air and posture that betrayed military men in any form of dress. Mary and Ruth had been left alone, primarily because it never occurred to the traders that they might have something to do with the decisions. Ruth found this amusing, but Mary looked mildly annoyed every time someone came over waving their credentials of importance and claiming privilege to speak with Pawlik.