Chapter 39
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The station loomed before them, and an automatic message popped up. Granny opened it so they could read it.
-This is a neutral region. Any fighting in this area will be dealt with by death. The following races are not allowed on board the station:
-Gooblen
-Josagn
-Guih
-Grvvuh
-Iinluarv
-Any variant of Joa
-Any hostility detected on station will be ejected.
-Please report to the nearest open port and speak with the receptionist concerning appropriate forms of currency and trade transactions.
Dustin glanced over at Granny. "Sorry, but it looks like you'll have to stay here."
She shrugged. "I'm okay with that. I wouldn't want any of our current guests to think they know how to fly a ship."
Nodding in agreement, he thought, 'PED, I need to look like an A'Dfukl.'
(INITIATING EVOLUTION.)
(EVOLUTION COMPLETE.)
Granny rolled her eyes as she realized what his plan was, but didn't stop him as he headed for the port to wait for them to finish docking. He adjusted the nanobots in his ear so he could hear her if she needed to contact him.
When they finished docking, and his port finally opened, he stepped through, to be stopped by an alien he recognized at Afernal. Her cat-like ears swiveled as she turned to great him, and he saw a slight tremor move throughout her body when she saw what he was.
"I am sorry, but we cannot allow slave hunting on board our station." Her smile was frozen in panic, as if she was expecting him to attack her.
"That's alright, I am looking for fuel for my ship and supplies for my…guests on board."
She swallowed, as Dustin heard chuckles through his earpiece.
"What form of currency do you wish to use for your trading?" she asked very professionally.
"I have minerals in my cargo hold that I am willing to use for trade, do you accept any of these?" he asked, handing her a tablet that listed off the names of the minerals they had mined.
As her eyes scanned the names, he saw a frown start to form. Her ears were wanting to lay flat, and he knew that something wasn't right.
"I'm sorry, but I will have to contact my superior. I am not authorized to utilize a trade transaction with some of these. One moment," she said with a tight smile.
Dustin watched her, as she spoke quietly into her communications panel, discussing the list of minerals he had available for trade. It was obvious that some of them must be incredibly expensive from the way she stumbled over some of the words and had to repeat herself for clarification. He smirked in his alien form, and was amused, when she glanced up and almost dropped the tablet at his expression.
'Smirking by that race is an insult," cautioned Granny.
Dustin quickly dropped the smirk, wondering what else would be misunderstood because he didn't understand this race. Clearing her throat, she turned to him, and handed back the tablet. Her whiskers were twitching, and Dustin heard Granny laughing.
"She's insulted! Good job flirting with the workers!"
As soon as the door behind her opened, she turned and left. The alien in the doorway watched her go, in puzzlement, until he turned and his smile froze half formed when he spied Dustin. Finishing his smile with force, he stepped into the room and bowed.
"Greetings A'Dfukl, I am Ian. My race is insufficient with the task set before me, so I hope you will overlook my inferiority. May I please see the list of minerals you wish to trade with today?"
Keeping his face neutral, Dustin handed over the tablet again.
Scanning the list very quickly, Ian, glanced up at his chest, by refused to meet his eyes.
"I would be more than happy to trade six million credits with you, for an ounce of this mineral here," he said, pointing to one of those listed.
The gasp in his ear from Granny almost made him break his neutral face.
"Agree! We have almost a ton of the stuff!!"
"I agree. I shall retrieve it," Dustin said, taking the tablet back and turning to return to the ship.
Granny ran past him, her big ears flapping, and she was back almost immediately, holding a test tube that obviously came from the medical bay. Inside the tube was some glittery dust.
"This is what they want?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, he'll probably weigh it, but that's ok. If it's really worth that much, we shouldn't have a problem for the rest of our lives!" She was all but dancing in her excitement.
Shrugging, he returned to the room just inside the port and handed over the vial.
The alien's blue eyes twinkled as he reverently took the mineral and examined it for a moment. Wrapping his six fingered hand tightly around the vial, he moved to a device set up in the corner. Dustin watched as he typed a few things into the console, then placed the vial reverently in the opening that appeared. The door slid shut and a faint hum could be heard. The alien studied the results for a moment, then gave him a huge grin.
"Here is you credit chip. You can pay for everything on the station using that. Please make sure that it isn't stolen, you will not receive another should it be misplaced."
Dustin took the small piece of plastic, noting the embedded chips along one side. They would be able to keep track of everything he purchased here, but he didn't care. Moving past the gleeful alien, the door leading to the station opened up.
Finding his way to the interior area where the stalls were located, was easy. Aliens of every known species could be seen here. The layout of the station was relatively easy. It had floors dedicated to certain aspects of trade. If you were looking for clothes, then you would go to the floor with clothing for sale. Each floor was filled with rows of stalls overflowing with things to buy.
Everywhere he went, people made way for him, and he could hear whispers from those who wondered what he was doing here. It was pretty obvious A'Dfukl did not frequent this station often.
As he was glancing over a display of foods, he thought might be edible, there was a commotion off to his left. Turning to see what was going on, an alien screamed.
"You! You are the one who stole from my people!" It was pointing right at him.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
The station loomed before them, and an automatic message popped up. Granny opened it so they could read it.
-This is a neutral region. Any fighting in this area will be dealt with by death. The following races are not allowed on board the station:
-Gooblen
-Josagn
-Guih
-Grvvuh
-Iinluarv
-Any variant of Joa
-Any hostility detected on station will be ejected.
-Please report to the nearest open port and speak with the receptionist concerning appropriate forms of currency and trade transactions.
Dustin glanced over at Granny. "Sorry, but it looks like you'll have to stay here."
She shrugged. "I'm okay with that. I wouldn't want any of our current guests to think they know how to fly a ship."
Nodding in agreement, he thought, 'PED, I need to look like an A'Dfukl.'
(INITIATING EVOLUTION.)
(EVOLUTION COMPLETE.)
Granny rolled her eyes as she realized what his plan was, but didn't stop him as he headed for the port to wait for them to finish docking. He adjusted the nanobots in his ear so he could hear her if she needed to contact him.
When they finished docking, and his port finally opened, he stepped through, to be stopped by an alien he recognized at Afernal. Her cat-like ears swiveled as she turned to great him, and he saw a slight tremor move throughout her body when she saw what he was.
"I am sorry, but we cannot allow slave hunting on board our station." Her smile was frozen in panic, as if she was expecting him to attack her.
"That's alright, I am looking for fuel for my ship and supplies for my…guests on board."
She swallowed, as Dustin heard chuckles through his earpiece.
"What form of currency do you wish to use for your trading?" she asked very professionally.
"I have minerals in my cargo hold that I am willing to use for trade, do you accept any of these?" he asked, handing her a tablet that listed off the names of the minerals they had mined.
As her eyes scanned the names, he saw a frown start to form. Her ears were wanting to lay flat, and he knew that something wasn't right.
"I'm sorry, but I will have to contact my superior. I am not authorized to utilize a trade transaction with some of these. One moment," she said with a tight smile.
Dustin watched her, as she spoke quietly into her communications panel, discussing the list of minerals he had available for trade. It was obvious that some of them must be incredibly expensive from the way she stumbled over some of the words and had to repeat herself for clarification. He smirked in his alien form, and was amused, when she glanced up and almost dropped the tablet at his expression.
'Smirking by that race is an insult," cautioned Granny.
Dustin quickly dropped the smirk, wondering what else would be misunderstood because he didn't understand this race. Clearing her throat, she turned to him, and handed back the tablet. Her whiskers were twitching, and Dustin heard Granny laughing.
"She's insulted! Good job flirting with the workers!"
As soon as the door behind her opened, she turned and left. The alien in the doorway watched her go, in puzzlement, until he turned and his smile froze half formed when he spied Dustin. Finishing his smile with force, he stepped into the room and bowed.
"Greetings A'Dfukl, I am Ian. My race is insufficient with the task set before me, so I hope you will overlook my inferiority. May I please see the list of minerals you wish to trade with today?"
Keeping his face neutral, Dustin handed over the tablet again.
Scanning the list very quickly, Ian, glanced up at his chest, by refused to meet his eyes.
"I would be more than happy to trade six million credits with you, for an ounce of this mineral here," he said, pointing to one of those listed.
The gasp in his ear from Granny almost made him break his neutral face.
"Agree! We have almost a ton of the stuff!!"
"I agree. I shall retrieve it," Dustin said, taking the tablet back and turning to return to the ship.
Granny ran past him, her big ears flapping, and she was back almost immediately, holding a test tube that obviously came from the medical bay. Inside the tube was some glittery dust.
"This is what they want?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, he'll probably weigh it, but that's ok. If it's really worth that much, we shouldn't have a problem for the rest of our lives!" She was all but dancing in her excitement.
Shrugging, he returned to the room just inside the port and handed over the vial.
The alien's blue eyes twinkled as he reverently took the mineral and examined it for a moment. Wrapping his six fingered hand tightly around the vial, he moved to a device set up in the corner. Dustin watched as he typed a few things into the console, then placed the vial reverently in the opening that appeared. The door slid shut and a faint hum could be heard. The alien studied the results for a moment, then gave him a huge grin.
"Here is you credit chip. You can pay for everything on the station using that. Please make sure that it isn't stolen, you will not receive another should it be misplaced."
Dustin took the small piece of plastic, noting the embedded chips along one side. They would be able to keep track of everything he purchased here, but he didn't care. Moving past the gleeful alien, the door leading to the station opened up.
Finding his way to the interior area where the stalls were located, was easy. Aliens of every known species could be seen here. The layout of the station was relatively easy. It had floors dedicated to certain aspects of trade. If you were looking for clothes, then you would go to the floor with clothing for sale. Each floor was filled with rows of stalls overflowing with things to buy.
Everywhere he went, people made way for him, and he could hear whispers from those who wondered what he was doing here. It was pretty obvious A'Dfukl did not frequent this station often.
As he was glancing over a display of foods, he thought might be edible, there was a commotion off to his left. Turning to see what was going on, an alien screamed.
"You! You are the one who stole from my people!" It was pointing right at him.
The station loomed before them, and an automatic message popped up. Granny opened it so they could read it.-This is a neutral region. Any fighting in this area will be dealt with by death. The following races are not allowed on board the station:-Gooblen-Josagn-Guih-Grvvuh-Iinluarv-Any variant of Joa-Any hostility detected on station will be ejected.-Please report to the nearest open port and speak with the receptionist concerning appropriate forms of currency and trade transactions.Dustin glanced over at Granny. "Sorry, but it looks like you'll have to stay here."She shrugged. "I'm okay with that. I wouldn't want any of our current guests to think they know how to fly a ship."Nodding in agreement, he thought, 'PED, I need to look like an A'Dfukl.'INITIATING EVOLUTION.EVOLUTION COMPLETE.Granny rolled her eyes as she realized what his plan was, but didn't stop him as he headed for the port to wait for them to finish docking. He adjusted the nanobots in his ear so he could hear her if she needed to contact him.When they finished docking, and his port finally opened, he stepped through, to be stopped by an alien he recognized at Afernal. Her cat-like ears swiveled as she turned to great him, and he saw a slight tremor move throughout her body when she saw what he was."I am sorry, but we cannot allow slave hunting on board our station." Her smile was frozen in panic, as if she was expecting him to attack her."That's alright, I am looking for fuel for my ship and supplies for myguests on board."She swallowed, as Dustin heard chuckles through his earpiece."What form of currency do you wish to use for your trading?" she asked very professionally."I have minerals in my cargo hold that I am willing to use for trade, do you accept any of these?" he asked, handing her a tablet that listed off the names of the minerals they had mined.As her eyes scanned the names, he saw a frown start to form. Her ears were wanting to lay flat, and he knew that something wasn't right."I'm sorry, but I will have to contact my superior. I am not authorized to utilize a trade transaction with some of these. One moment," she said with a tight smile.Dustin watched her, as she spoke quietly into her communications panel, discussing the list of minerals he had available for trade. It was obvious that some of them must be incredibly expensive from the way she stumbled over some of the words and had to repeat herself for clarification. He smirked in his alien form, and was amused, when she glanced up and almost dropped the tablet at his expression.'Smirking by that race is an insult," cautioned Granny.Dustin quickly dropped the smirk, wondering what else would be misunderstood because he didn't understand this race. Clearing her throat, she turned to him, and handed back the tablet. Her whiskers were twitching, and Dustin heard Granny laughing."She's insulted! Good job flirting with the workers!"As soon as the door behind her opened, she turned and left. The alien in the doorway watched her go, in puzzlement, until he turned and his smile froze half formed when he spied Dustin. Finishing his smile with force, he stepped into the room and bowed."Greetings A'Dfukl, I am Ian. My race is insufficient with the task set before me, so I hope you will overlook my inferiority. May I please see the list of minerals you wish to trade with today?"Keeping his face neutral, Dustin handed over the tablet again.Scanning the list very quickly, Ian, glanced up at his chest, by refused to meet his eyes."I would be more than happy to trade six million credits with you, for an ounce of this mineral here," he said, pointing to one of those listed.The gasp in his ear from Granny almost made him break his neutral face."Agree! We have almost a ton of the stuff!!""I agree. I shall retrieve it," Dustin said, taking the tablet back and turning to return to the ship.Granny ran past him, her big ears flapping, and she was back almost immediately, holding a test tube that obviously came from the medical bay. Inside the tube was some glittery dust."This is what they want?" he asked curiously."Yes, he'll probably weigh it, but that's ok. If it's really worth that much, we shouldn't have a problem for the rest of our lives!" She was all but dancing in her excitement.Shrugging, he returned to the room just inside the port and handed over the vial.The alien's blue eyes twinkled as he reverently took the mineral and examined it for a moment. Wrapping his six fingered hand tightly around the vial, he moved to a device set up in the corner. Dustin watched as he typed a few things into the console, then placed the vial reverently in the opening that appeared. The door slid shut and a faint hum could be heard. The alien studied the results for a moment, then gave him a huge grin."Here is you credit chip. You can pay for everything on the station using that. Please make sure that it isn't stolen, you will not receive another should it be misplaced."Dustin took the small piece of plastic, noting the embedded chips along one side. They would be able to keep track of everything he purchased here, but he didn't care. Moving past the gleeful alien, the door leading to the station opened up.Finding his way to the interior area where the stalls were located, was easy. Aliens of every known species could be seen here. The layout of the station was relatively easy. It had floors dedicated to certain aspects of trade. If you were looking for clothes, then you would go to the floor with clothing for sale. Each floor was filled with rows of stalls overflowing with things to buy.Everywhere he went, people made way for him, and he could hear whispers from those who wondered what he was doing here. It was pretty obvious A'Dfukl did not frequent this station often.As he was glancing over a display of foods, he thought might be edible, there was a commotion off to his left. Turning to see what was going on, an alien screamed."You! You are the one who stole from my people!" It was pointing right at him.
