Tricks of the Trade
Bruce R. McFarling
“Attention Trader Vessel. Name and registry?” The clipped First Colonist accent was distinctive, though it was likely a computer simulcra.
It was always tempting to reply, how much do you offer for that? but given the firepower presently insystem, perhaps not quite so tempting at this time and place. “Wavedancer, GR 122, Jem Cullins, captain and chief trader.”
“Transmission garbled, please confirm directly.” They were thinking I was four or five digits short on my registry number. I gave the high sign, so Wavedancer would listen in. “Wavedancer, direct registry transmission, tight laser.” Wavedancer was always very particular about respecting my privacy, claiming that bridge footage was directly archived without examining unless I flagged her. I didn't believe her for a second, but it was a sweet of her to keep up the pretense.
No immediate reply. The computer simulcra was kicking it up to live Harbormaster staff to look at. They'd kick it up to the Harbormaster. They'd kick it over to System Watch. Someone would work out what “GR” meant, kick it over to Home Watch Archivists if they could work out what a three digit registry meant. They would double check two or three University archives, find Wavedancer in each, find various but consistently healthy positive Current Events balances … and it would end up in the lap of somebody who could actually make a decision.
“Paging Captain Jem Cullins of the Wavedancer. This is Third Home Watch Liaison Harrison 'Nkutla. Might I have a moment of your time?”
Most excellent: a founding family. “Certainly gentlefem Harrison. What might I help you with.”
“To the best of our knowledge, this system has never had the pleasure of hosting a Gaian Registry vessel before. We are intrigued as to the purpose of your visit.”
You must count your fingers when shaking hands with a rude First Colonist. With a polite First Colonist, you should first check your arm is still attached. “That's free information.” A veiled threat, that. What I was doing and where I was going was spreading out among all information traders I had passed by all along my route. No trader would lie about something being free information, since it’s too easily cross-checked.
“I'm tasked by Salaska University to investigate a dead system several worlds upring. They have a long term research project in terraform collapse and rehabilitation. The Salaska Biology Department is presently enroute to their third dead system, but cannot themselves go so far upring away from the main University fleet.”
“Sounds expensive, chartering a Trader for such a long journey.”
Either they did not have direct access to recent Salaska University archives, and were fishing, or they did, and were verifying. In either event, it was time to set the hook. “Well, it’s a Ceres researchgrant, so for this project, they have the credit.”
This part of the local ring was known as Nkutla’s Reach, as it was held by Nkutla and its daughter colonies. Nkutla was one of the original First Colonists of this local ring. founded to take and hold this system by the Main Ring First Colony called Whispers in Stone. And Whispers in Stone had been the second Main Ring colony founded by Ceres itself, as it slowly made its way down the Main Ring. If Ceres had not been a name to conjure with in this stretch of space, I might not have taken this particular route for my assignment.
“Could we perhaps invite you to dock, and take on stores?”
I let out a breath I did not realize I was holding. The last system call had been a standoffish affair, swapping information for supplies at arms reach, with two picket vessels kindly “escorting” Wavedancer in an orbit keeping the planet downbelow between use and the First Colonist stronghold. So it had been a long, long time between shore calls.
