Unbreakable

Mergen Tactics

"How did such an ugly world become the most remarkable marketplace of the Milky Way?" Navigator Maynard wondered, establishing Unbreakable on the orbit of The Exchanges of Zach Zeel1 and turning off propulsion engines.

"Oh, this is a long and fascinating story," Captain Bostaph replied, smiling. "The planet was first colonized by the people of Yamaany Divaajin2 3-8 star system. Most of them, if I am not mistaken, were descendants of Earth's Central Asia people. They named the planet Kholdson Chuluu3 1-0. It is a very nasty, inhospitable, cold, barren place, as you shall see. The surface is covered with snow and ice all the time, with temperatures ranging between minus forty and minus seventy degrees C. Very bad conditions for people indeed. Yet this is the main, and the largest, marketplace in the Milky Way."

"How is this possible? There are lots of other colonized planets available, I am sure one of them could've become a decent trade outpost?"

"It could, but it didn't. This is how the events unfolded. The Exchanges of Zach Zeel are located in an extremely convenient spot, on the intersection of several navigation routes connecting rich, advanced, and densely populated clusters of the Milky Way. People arrive here to trade, and all local inhabitants are involved in running the Exchanges. Remarkably, the planet has no manufacturing, mining, tourism, entertainment, or any other important industry except trade. Quite astonishing, actually."

"Captain, this transformation from the barren world to the largest marketplace in the Galaxy must have taken a lot of effort. How did that happen?"

"The birth of the Exchanges is surrounded by myth," Bostaph looked somewhere far, squinting his eyes. "People say one of the early leaders of the Kholdson Chuluu 1-0 Colony had a grand vision. His name was Khogshin Mergen4. He realized the planet occupies a strategic spot and was able to attract a lot of intergalactic capital to start building a trade hub. Soon many modern Space Ports were built and the first Trading Dome was constructed. Colonists responded enthusiastically to the call, and this is how the Exchanges of Zach Zeel were born."

"Fascinating! This leader must have been a very wise and persuasive individual."

"Indeed, this is what the legends say. Although, there are also anecdotes about Khogshin Mergen eating raw meat and living outside in the cold. Apparently, this is how he trained his will and strength of character. Legends also say he liked to use rather...unconventional negotiation tactics. Such as punching his opponents in the guts and threatening to bite off their body parts. And it worked. But, as I said, it is difficult to distinguish myth from reality."

"It makes sense!" First Mate Lukic exclaimed. "I will use this approach next time we talk about my salary! Mergen Tactics!"

"Captain, do you believe this is the best place to sell our precious cargo? Can we get a good deal here?" Senior Engineer Chen interrupted.

"Of course it is, you can buy or sell anything at the Exchanges," Captain said. "I remember when I was a young Apprentice Engineer, our ship stopped here to trade healing dirt from the distant ocean world for new clothing. Our old uniforms dissolved when we got stuck in this healing dirt...a very amusing story in its own right..." Captain mumbled, scratching his head.

"Yes! Yes! I want to hear it! Can you tell us more?" Navigator Maynard jumped in excitement.

"Well, maybe sometime later...this story has...Uhm...some disturbing details," Bostaph looked down. "We are going to land at the Space Port near the Tropical Dome!" Captain said, changing the topic.

"Tropical? I thought you said the planet is frozen and barren?" Chief Scientist Hernandez asked.

"Yes, the climate is rather cold, but people built these huge Trading Domes connected to Space Ports. Each Dome is a very large, densely populated city, controlled by Artificial Intelligence, with a regulated climate, completely isolated from the harsh planet environment. Every Dome specializes in a certain type of products and services and has its own Theme: Tropical, Desert, Jungle, Concrete and Steel, Stone Age, and so on."