The fourth supplier was much more prepared than the previous ones had been. He greeted me, "Captain Wanderer, may I interest you in some trades?"

He was the first one to realize who I was, so I gave him credit for doing his research. It wasn't that hard to find pictures of a ship's Procurement crew if he looked up the crews of the ships that were docked, and the Captain's picture was in the main database. I had been sitting here long enough to show that I wasn't just a regular crew member looking for a certain rare item.

I smiled as a welcome. "Please have a seat. What kind of wares do you normally deal with?"

The slender man gracefully sat down. "Normally spices, preserved foods, and the like, but I do have access to much more if there is something specific you are after."

This man was far more experienced than the last three suppliers that I had just steamrolled over. He was checking to see what I wanted instead of just tossing out lists of what he wanted to offload the most. Starsong asked me to check if he could get a few things that Procurement had been unable to source.

I inquired, "I don't suppose you happen to have some spices from the Warren star system, particularly the extracts in powder form. I would also be curious to see any of the more uncommon or rare spices you have access to."

Spices had the potential to be very profitable - if you knew your prices and how they wildly fluctuated from planet to planet. Some spices that were worth their weight in astrogold in some star systems, you would be unable to give away in other places. Thus, most traders did not bother with spices unless they were on a set trade route, and even then, they only specialized in a hundred or so spices that reliably turned a profit.

Starsong's abilities were the only reason I could even consider trading like this, without the ability to do my research and look up prices in places we were heading to. The man pulled out a flatscreen computer and passed it over. "Here, perhaps something on this list appeals to you. If it isn't quite what you are looking for, just let me know. I have far more than what is on that list."

I took the clipboard-sized device. It was rare for a supplier in a trading hall to use electronics in a trade since electronic documents were so easily altered. Most Captains would refuse to use such a device and insist that he print the lists if they wanted a closer look at. Starsong informed me, "He usually prints receipts afterward. The device does make it easy for me to see the entire list though. How thoughtful of him."

I had to fight to keep from grinning. 'I highly doubt that was what he had in mind when he chose to use an electronic device...'

I scrolled through the electronic ordering list, knowing that Starsong would keep track and ensure the man submitted the invoice honestly. There was a spot just to the right of the spice to enter the quantity, and I entered a few crates of certain spices as I scrolled through the list. The list was quite long, and I certainly had a decent load by the time I got to the end.

"He had a lot of prices that were a good deal, but high enough that he is still making a good profit on them. He has several pricing lists pre-programmed into that device, and he chose the one with a higher number of good deals. He must have realized that you had to be pretty exceptional to remain in charge of a trading ship at your age. Most see your youth as a disadvantage, but he likely figures that you have some hidden talents for such a responsibility."

I almost snorted. 'Hidden talents? Right... He may wish to scan whatever is in that cup of his.'

Starsong didn't respond, although I suspected that he would bring this subject up later when I had more time for an in-depth discussion. He didn't like it when my opinion of my abilities didn't line up with his beliefs. He said that I didn't see my potential, but I was simply being realistic.

I passed the device back, and he uploaded the items into an invoice list. He asked, "Is there anything else I can interest you in?"

Starsong prompted me once more. "Do you happen to have a list of your best sales or specials that spans numerous types of goods?"

Most of the time, suppliers had their good deals hidden amongst the normal prices, and due to them using paper, they could easily claim to not have that list handy. Most would not show a list of the prices below market value, or they would mix them in with regular priced items. It was not a question I had asked before, and it wasn't something that most suppliers would provide as it would cut into their potential profits.

Surprisingly, he nodded and took a moment to find the list before passing it back to me. "All of these are at least twenty percent below market value on this planet. The fruits and vegetables are not something I would chance, in my personal opinion."

He had likely made this list from all of his suppliers as well as his own stocks. Needless to say, the list had quite a variety of goods on it. With a glance, I knew that half of the items were things we were simply not interested in.

"Several types of wood listed have uncommon colors or grain patterns. They will sell very well on almost any planet. He is correct though; all prices here are below this planet's market value. However, many will not sell well on most planets."

That didn't surprise me, and I followed Starsong's guidance as I put numerous crates of certain items into my cart. Lumber, several types of metal, some common spices, and a variety of other odds and ends were added to our growing list. He had a lot of dried and dehydrated foods that Starsong was picking out as well.

I pretended to look over the list and think while I was doing this, as if going from memory while thinking about my future stops. I eventually handed the device back, saying, "I think that is about it for now."

He nodded. "Do you wish me to print out these lists, or will a receipt be fine?"

"A receipt will be fine, thank you."

He printed out a small receipt and handed it to me along with his business card. "It is a pleasure doing business with you. Please take my card as well."

"Several other suppliers are starting to notice that you are doing a lot of buying. You also have a meeting in half an hour at the Skytop Restaurant."

If the vultures were starting to circle, then I wasn't about to hang around since all of their prices would likely be over-inflated in hopes of an easy profit. I took the offered pieces of paper before standing up. "Thank you very much. Please forward the invoice to my Procurement staff. I have another meeting elsewhere, so I hope you will excuse my abrupt departure."

He held out his hand. "No problem at all. Have a good day."

I shook his hand. "You as well."

I left the trading hall as I walked towards the restaurant that was on one corner of the docking station. It was a decent walk since this docking station was large enough to allow twenty large ships to dock – and that didn't include the tinier spots for smaller ships. There were several moving walkways that helped to speed up my trip.

I followed a stream of people heading in the direction I was going. I did manage to spot Ronan in the crowd, dressed as if he had come on one of the many passenger shuttles. Only unwary passengers wore shorts up on the docking stations where the air was fairly chilly. It wasn't unusual to see routine travelers wearing gloves, which he lacked. My uniform was designed for extreme conditions, so I was quite comfortable, despite the persistent wind that had many others shivering as they pulled their coats tighter around themselves.

"Ronan's clothing is made from the same type of material."

Well, at least he wasn't freezing while he played the part of the distant watchdog. 'Where did he manage to dig up that old camera anyway?'

He was pretending to take pictures of the ships and the view from the edge of the platform with what looked like a slightly-outdated camera.

"I made it. It can take pictures in case anyone asks to see them, but it is actually a pretty formidable weapon."

It took me a moment to respond, 'You turned a camera into a weapon?'

"Yes. You gave me the idea actually, when you told the mugger to smile for the camera. I thought it was quite an ingenious masquerade. Bystanders wouldn't consider it to be unusual if someone pointed a camera towards a disturbance. The energy blasts it can produce are almost invisible, so they would have a hard time figuring out where it originated, especially when the security cameras are temporarily disabled due to the special electromagnetic pulse it also gives off just for that purpose."

He really didn't do things halfway... 'I thought the Starships were supposed to primarily be traders? You seem to have an awful lot of specialized weapons...'

"The Starships are primarily traders, but we are not oblivious to the fact that some may attack us just because we are aware. So we are prepared."

'Is Ronan the only one packing these weapons?'

"No, some of the Officers have the required training and access to them as well, although theirs look like common weapons. Ronan's weapons are more powerful and specialized though, not to mention that they are well camouflaged to avoid notice as he follows you."

'Because he is my bodyguard?'

"Yes. Targeting the Captain can cause turmoil and potentially incapacitate a spaceship until another Captain is put in place."

The opening was just too perfect... I impishly inquired, 'Do you have someone picked out to replace me already?'

Starsong harrumphed at my attempt to tease him before replying, "You aren't getting rid of me that easily..."

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. He had harrumphed. In my head. There were simply no words to describe it, and I found it hilarious for some weird reason.

He deliberately ignored my reaction. "Besides, there is no reason for me to look since you have been doing a stellar job."

I glanced towards the Starship as I smiled at both the compliment and the residual amusement from my attempt to tease him.