Light My Roamin' Candle, Charlie Boone! - 2. Part 2

The Trichani were an old people, even older than the Moth. But their history was less ordered than that of the dark ones, more tumultuous, and the Trichani had come later to space as a result. Moth technology still held an edge in quality, though the Trichani had made things just about even with quantity. Whereas the Moth were not a prolific people, the Trichani were, and their population was a hundred times that of their chief competitor. The two empires were similar in size, though the Moth were thinly spread in their space by comparison, while the Trichani filled theirs quite nicely. Yet both empires still contained enough undeveloped space to keep them happy, and neither had expanded much in recent times, even though their rear frontiers each faced unclaimed territory. There was always time for that later.

The two powers, originally quite edgy with each other after first meeting, had settled into a contented peace over time, each quite satisfied with exploiting the vast amounts of territory they'd already conquered, and so not interested in campaigns against the other at the horrific price that would entail. The Moth and the Trichani had quite extensive trade agreements, and the ships of both nations were common sights in each other's border ports of call.

Both powers also maintained adjoining borders with another of the largest galactic powers, the Braunigan, who operated similarly, but who forbade trade and interaction with the other two empires except at clearly assigned border crossings. While the Moth and the Trichani traded together eagerly and to great profit, the Braunigan were less interested in the exchange of either ideas or merchandise, and they had made it clear that, while they wanted no trouble, any ship crossing into their territory beyond the approved border ports would face instant obliteration. A network of outposts and stations in space monitored the borders from all sides, and the peace had been kept for more years than humans had had calendars to count them.

There were two more very large space powers, for a total of five in the region vying for position of top dog. The Abask and the Loturi each held empires of the same approximate size as the others, but neither of their spaces shared borders with the former Arpathant Hegemony, which space held both the planet of Kifta, and the planet Earth. While the various five great star empires were each roughly globular in shape, their bounds were small next to the great breadth of the galaxy, and it was still possible to reach the borders of Abask or Loturi space without passing through Moth or Trichani territory. One simply needed to loop upwards or downwards, out of the densely packed space of the galactic arm, to go around the intervening star empires.

But the distances were immense, and even in the Cooee, such a roundabout route would take several weeks of subjective time. Charlie looked at the representations of the five great empires laid out within the stars of the Milky Way, and was simply stunned at what he saw. Great as those empires were, huge as they seemed to the limited experiences of those from Earth, all five empires existed within just one section of one of the galaxy's spiral arms. The amount of space left over within the Milky Way was simply beyond comprehension, and all Charlie could imagine was that somewhere, beyond even the farthest borders of the known empires, other peoples and other great star imperiums must surely exist.

Each of the five large empires had smaller nations around them or between them, like the Arpathant Hegemony had abutted one part of Moth space. Again, varying degrees of cooperation were in place between them, from disinterested peace to spirited competition to barely-contained belligerence. Yet no one was at war, or, no one placed so that it could be heard about in the Kifta-Human sphere of space. But all the powers were continually jockeying for position, each trying to obtain an edge over the other, always watching, always planning, and always ready for the day when some incident might turn the carefully-maintained treaties and accords to dust.

But for the most part, the galaxy was simply too large a place to warrant warfare. For every star with habitable planets currently a part of one of the star empires, millions were yet waiting to be explored. With somewhere around two hundred billion suns, the Milky Way was scarcely short on living space.

Roorapynta and the region of space that contained it was in a unique position. Tura-Buyah, the great cloud of brown, not-quite suns, lay at a place where the border of Trichani space touched both the borders of Moth space and that of Braunigan space. Due to its position, it received empire traffic from all three powers, as well as traffic from the lesser peoples that resided within those empires, or in pocket nations abutting them. Nowhere else could such a thorough sampling of galactic life be found, nor such a powerful sampling of the cultures and wares of a multitude of peoples. Roorapynta was more than just a point of sale and trade; it was proof positive that people of every shape and culture could get along with each other quite handily if they simply had some impetus to do so. Like trade, and unfettered trade, at that.

Murcha displayed to them a likeness of a Trichani, and once again Charlie was reminded of the physical frailty of the human race. The Arpathant had been large and powerful beings, the products of a heavy-gravity planet orbiting a giant sun. The Moth were tall and spindly, with leathery skin, bat-like but barely-functional wings, and faces that would stop a truck in its tracks. And they were tough customers, physically a match for even the most powerful human beings.

Other races they had seen on Engris were equally intimidating, and size seemed to be a common factor among many alien species. Not that there were not smaller intelligences out there - Pacha was a prime example of the fact that both intelligence and impressive abilities could be dispensed in small packages. But many of the alien species they had met were larger than humans, more intimidating, and better equipped to stand their ground than were the chief citizens of little Earth.

The Trichani were no exception. At first glance, Charlie was reminded of pictures he had seen of the Kodiak brown bear, standing on its hind legs. The Trichani were furred, mostly brown in color, though some seemed to have patches of other colors among their fur. They were tall, easily topping seven feet in height, and broad and powerful looking in musculature, with enormous arms and hands, and looking quite like they'd be a match for their namesake bears without the slightest of problems.

Their faces did resemble those of Earth's ursine populations - at least on first inspection - with short muzzles and small, brown eyes that seemed to drill into anything they inspected. But upon further study it was plain that the muzzles were shorter and a little broader than any that had ever graced a terrestrial bear, and Trichani teeth, rather than being the sharpened points of a meat eater, were more like an omnivorous human's in nature.

Their ears were also taller than any bear's, more resembling the upright, attentive ears of a timber wolf, each with small, up thrust tufts of fur at the top, which waved in the breeze generated by their movements. The aliens also wore clothing, quite attractive and colorful, if also appearing somewhat functional in nature, that accented their bipedal status and removed any resemblance to the quadruped bear from the waist on down. The Trichani had thick, powerful legs, but their hips were narrower than a bear's, and they lacked the ursine pot belly displayed when bears were reared upwards, giving the aliens a sleeker, more human appearance, overall.

They moved about with a powerful grace that was appealing, and it was easy to see from the clips of them interacting with each other that they were used to cooperation, at least among their own kind.

"Wow," Kippy said softly, smiling. "Kind of sexy, for overgrown bear people, huh?"

Charlie laughed. "Leave it to you to mention that!"

Kippy grinned. "What? I love the way they move. It's very sexy, don't you think?"

Charlie had to agree, but he didn't want to get Kippy going just then.

The scene before them changed. An immense city of towers and park-like plazas appeared, spacious and comfortable-looking, even from a distance. The view rolled quickly forward, towards one of the great, tree-bordered squares - a large plaza surrounded by tall trees densely covered in blue-green foliage, which waved gracefully in a gentle morning breeze. The plaza was covered with all sorts of small stalls and stands, around which clustered a multitude of containers and strange-looking cases. Charlie was immediately reminded of the pirate market on Engris, except that this particular bazaar sat out in the bright, welcoming sunlight.

"This scene was recorded on Iverdahl, a Trichani border world," Murcha informed them. "This is just one of the many outdoor markets sponsored by this particular city. Other markets exist within great malls, or underground warehouses, or even in orbit above the planets. Each market bears an individual catalog number in the items-for-sale index, and anyone on the planet can be at any market, anywhere, in a matter of hours at the most."

"They don't have anything like our Internet back home?" Kippy asked. "That would be a lot easier than going to a market in person."

"You do not understand. For the Trichani, the art of the deal is as important as the actual purchase or sale. For them, bargaining can only be done properly in person."

The plaza thronged with Trichani, many just walking about, talking and observing. But before many of the stands and stalls, small groups of the aliens stood, face-to-face, most often with one of the containers between them. A babel of voices came to their ears, rich, powerful, and utterly indecipherable.

The view zoomed in on one such scene. Two groups of Trichani stood before one of the stalls, facing each other in half-moon formations across a large, low container of some sort. At the center of each half moon, one Trichani on each side stood closer to the container, arms up and engaged in motion. All the aliens wore belted, pistol-like weapons of some sort, and those to the rear all had their hands resting on the butts of the guns. The two Trichani facing each other across the container, on the other hand, seemed very careful to keep their hands away from the weapons they wore, using them instead to gesticulate animatedly as they talked.

Or argued might be the better term. Their voices were raised, a combination of barking growls and maybe-words, mixed in with pointed references via their large fingers to the container between them.

"What are they doing?" Ricky asked, his voice full of the fascination he was feeling. "Looks like a fight brewing."

"They are bargaining," Murcha replied. "The item between them is being sold, and this is how the trade is accomplished."

Ricky frowned in response. "It takes all those guys to buy one thing?"

"The more important the item being bargained for, the more seconds a buyer and seller have present. For daily items, most Trichani bargain one-on-one. This large case must contain something of fair value, for so many to be present in each group."

Kippy blew out a startled breath. "This is a sale? It looks more like they're getting ready to rumble."

Murcha popped out a wonderfully sinister laugh, which somehow seemed quite in keeping with the scene they were observing. The two Trichani in the center of each group had leaned forward by then, each of them placing their hands palm-down on the top of the container, and seemed to be trying to out-yell each other across its polished surface.

"They are close to a deal," Murcha countered. "Once both parties feel safe in touching the item of contention, that indicates that each is pleased with the way the bargaining is proceeding."

Adrian shook his head. "Man, that's weird."

Charlie had to agree. It looked more like the two aliens were about to come to blows. But those standing behind each bargainer seemed unconcerned about the possibility of violence, having gone in the blink of an eye from extreme alertness to an almost casual disinterest in the proceedings. A few of them even looked bored at this point, their eyes moving about the plaza now as if looking for something of more interest to focus upon. A couple had even pulled their hands off the butts of their weapons, looping their thumbs idly in their belts instead - a strangely human gesture that made Charlie smile.

Suddenly, the two bargainers went silent. Each straightened, and extended a hand across the container between them. They grasped hands, shook somewhat violently, and then one slapped the other's hand away. The slapped one looked strangely pleased, turned to the others behind him, and patted the top of the container in what could only be described as contentment. The other Trichani turned to his own people, made gentle herding motions with his hands, and the entire group simply spun about and walked away.

"The sale is made," Murcha said then, with another faint laugh. "From my past observations, I would say that both seller and purchaser were quite happy with the deal."

Kippy scratched his neck, and shook his head. "The way that one guy slapped the other's hand, I thought something had gone bad at the last moment."

"No. He was simply feigning disgust, and telling the buyer that he had robbed him."

Charlie's eyebrows jacked up. "Did he?"

"I rather doubt it. If you noted the seller's hand motions when he turned, urging his fellows away, that indicates a desire to be gone before the buyer has time to question the validity of the bargain."

Ricky laughed. "So who came out on top?"

"It was likely a fairly even exchange. The Trichani excel at getting the best of both ends of any deal, so it seems likely that each was pleased with what he received, while also pleased in taking the best deal from the other."

Charlie smiled. "I've watched my dad bargain over a new car. This looked a little bit like that, although my dad only occasionally looks like he wants to clobber the car salesman."

Kippy laughed. "So the seller felt the buyer was a sucker, and the buyer felt the seller was a pushover?"

"Exactly," the ship mind agreed. "Trichani negotiations seldom break down, because they have a way of arriving at a deal that is fair to both parties, while each feels he or she has outmaneuvered the other."

"I like it," Ricky said, nodding approvingly. "I wonder if any of these guys would be interested in running for office back on Earth?"

The boys laughed, even as the scene in the viewing globe changed once again. Now they were obviously at a spaceport, where a vessel of some kind towered above them. The view shifted, pulled back, and the entire ship came into view. Charlie just stared as the size of the thing really became apparent.

It was impressive looking, and unlike any of the ships that they had seen up until now. The great, gray hull was smooth and mostly featureless, a fat cylinder that gently tapered as it climbed into the sky. But rather than arrive at a point up high, the cylinder was suddenly truncated near the top, with a blunt, flat nose reminiscent of the business end of some pistol cartridges Charlie had seen.

It didn't look like a warship, but it certainly didn't look like a freighter, either. There was a sturdy, businesslike quality to the vessel, and the size of the thing suggested that power was simply not a problem for those at the controls. If the technology of the Trichani was even only slightly inferior to that of the Moth, the vessel must pack a punch that was frightening to consider.

"This is a Trichani trader," Murcha explained. "Like the vessels of most starfaring races, they come in a variety of sizes. This is one of their larger vessels."

"I'd say so," Charlie agreed, finding his voice. "That thing must be five hundred feet tall."

"Almost twice that," Murcha revealed. "And there are some Trichani vessels even larger."

Kippy whistled in wonder. "Wow! Are they like the Arpies, building ships a mile long?"

"The Trichani have no need of quite that much size. This vessel is more powerful than the largest Arpathant vessel, at one fifth the size. The power systems of the top galactic powers do not need continual upscaling in dimension and adding to in number to soon reach a fairly ridiculous output figure, unlike the less sophisticated power systems employed by the Arpathant."

Charlie considered the rather compact size of their own vessel, which Murcha had assured them was the equal of any mile-long Arpie wedge battlecruiser. "Then why the size, if they don't need it for more power?"

"Purely a matter of economics. The Trichani are traders, and the more wares they can transport, the higher the profit margin for each voyage. Most of the size you see in this vessel is simple transport space. Remove that capacity, and it would be scarcely larger than our own vessel."

Charlie gave a low whistle, imagining thousands of ships like this one, each carrying cargo to planets of the Trichani realm, and beyond. The trade these people - and all the people of the five great empires - must enjoy was simply beyond comprehension. He shook his head, considering what it would be like to walk over to the mall near his home and browse in the stores there, among an amazing variety of items that had been designed and manufactured uncounted light years away.

"It's kind of awesome, really," he found himself saying.

"An important fact to consider is that the Trichani mindset is different from that of the Moth," Murcha continued. "A Moth, seeing a human landing at one of their ports for the first time, would be suspicious and quite demanding, viewing you as a potential danger until he was certain that you were not. The Trichani will certainly view us with curiosity at Roorapynta, but their view of us will be as a potential source for new wares, or as a potential customer for their own. Landing at Roorapynta should not be dangerous for our party, so long as we are careful to respect what rules there are in place there."

Max nodded. "Now that we don't look like a Moth ship anymore, there should be no problem landing there."

"There is one difficulty," the ship mind returned. "As a Moth vessel, we broadcast a standard recognition signal, designed to inform other vessels and port stations of our identity. I have disabled this signal since our appearance was changed. Normally, in porting at Roorapynta, this code would pave the way for us to land quickly and easily. Without any sort of recognition signal being broadcast, we will be viewed as an unknown vessel, and strictly queried before being allowed to land.":

Max frowned at that. "Hmm. Well, how about we broadcast a signal, just not a Moth signal?"

"Well...such misrepresentation is of course strictly illegal under galactic law."

The elf laughed. "And?"

"Oh. I see. Um...perhaps you can be creative and make something up? The ship as it looks now will fail recognition scans, anyway, and we will be viewed as a complete newcomer. So we will need some sort of story to tell the port authorities."

Max nodded. "Make up a new recognition thingie, and just have it say we're from some planet way off someplace. The farther from Trichani space, the better." He grinned. "The other side of the galaxy, for instance."

"Oh," Charlie said, suddenly thinking of another possibility. He turned to Max. "What about this new skin the ship has? You said our weapons and things will pass right through it? What about scans from other ships or the port? Will they be able to see the Moth ship underneath?"

"Nah. Krafph is only transparent from the inside, and even then, only if I want it to be. From outside, we will look like a different ship no matter what sort of gizmo they use to look us over."

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled. "So it's just a matter of disguising our origin, huh?"

Kippy clapped his hands together in delight. "Who shall we be? Businessmen seeking a deal? Explorers from the great beyond?" He laughed. "Ooh, how about entertainers?" He wiggled his hips suggestively. "We could dance for them!"

Charlie grinned, envisioning Kippy's extreme ability to move about with both amazing grace and unbridled eroticism.

Max's eyes widened, and then rolled skyward. "Aw, geez. Not that!"

Kippy's smile was devilish. "Can't dance, Max?"

The elf looked mildly affronted. "I can hold my own with the missus, okay, but that flexing and gyrating stuff you do is...it's...it's..."

"Indecent?" Adrian asked, airily, giving his own hips a couple of pleasant turns. If anyone aboard the ship could keep up with Kippy on the dance floor, it was Adrian.

Max's face reddened. "I didn't say that! But I'd be willing to bet some of these galactic folks would think so, if they saw it!"

Ricky and Adrian burst out laughing, and Charlie grinned and patted Max on the shoulder. "Kip's kidding you. I think!"

Mike shook his head, smiling. "Much as I'd love to see you in action, Kip, they aren't really looking for entertainment on Roorapynta. Better to be some kind of buyers, or traders, checking out potential deals, or somethin' of that sort. That way we don't need any wares, and we really won't be expected to buy anything if we're just scoping out the place. And the Trichani will be very accommodating, if they feel like we might represent a new market for them."

Ricky nodded. "Kind of like trade ambassadors, or something? I like that idea."

"Me, too," Adrian agreed. "That way we can look at everything and go everywhere, and no one will wonder what we're up to."

Max shrugged, looking relieved at the change of direction. "I'll leave that to you fellas. You guys got more imagination than I do."

Ricky frowned. "Hey, wait. Have any of these Galactics seen a human before? We were in the Arpie's records, remember? We don't want these guys taking a picture of us, or something, and tracing us back home."

Mike gave a quick nod of his head. "Might be a good idea to disguise ourselves, just a bit."

Charlie laughed at that notion, but nodded. "This might be fun. Maybe we can invent some new clothing to go along with the disguise?"

Kippy grinned. "Ooh! I've always wanted to wear a cloak!" He turned and looked over his shoulder, and moved as if swishing an imaginary cape of some sort behind him.

"I can quickly create anything you imagine," Murcha assured them.

Kippy's grin expanded. "Good. Because I can imagine quite a lot!"

 

* * * * * * *

 

Kontus, third son of the house of Rowf, sat at the overseer's console in the port's main administration center, and stared outwards through the great transparent wall at the starport pavement below. A sea of starships stretched in every direction for as far as the eye could see, parked together in orderly ranks upon the immense stretch of seamless pavement that serviced Derryabah, the great sprawling trade city that covered a quarter of the surface of the artificial discworld of Roorapynta. The administration center floated above the massed ships, moving about on its manipulated gravity drive to wherever it happened to be needed at the moment. In this way, Kontus could supervise both the comings and goings of the many vessels that visited the port, as well as the vast army of automated equipment that handled the cargo needs for all of them.

Not that much supervision was required, actually. The automation technology was excellent, and most of the visitors to Derryabah never interacted with administration at all. They arrived and landed with their identities clearly revealed by their coded IFF signals, the routes they had taken to reach Roorapynta plainly listed, as well as their ultimate destinations after leaving. Cargo offloading and onloading was handled automatically by subsystems as part of the vast, intelligent database that knew everything about everyone and everything located on the surface of the artificial world. Nothing could happen upon Roorapynta that was not quietly documented by some element of the system.

There was only one customs and entry official on duty for the entire port, and Kontus 3Rowf was he at the moment. The vast responsibility of what he technically oversaw was lost on him, however, because in the entire seven years he had been performing this back up function, he had only had to intervene three times. Each instance had been over incorrect data from a planeted ship, that had stated that this or that much room for cargo was available, when in actuality it was considerably less. Nothing harder to do than to fit two hundred square volares of Mookin Platiff into one-hundred and sixty-nine square volares of available space. Such gaffs were very rare, but when they did occur they needed to be addressed by a person, who could make decisions not dictated solely by machine management parameters.

So mostly, Kontus had little do on his shifts but float about the vast starport and watch the many interesting things going on. And there was always something interesting going on.

A constant stream of vehicles moved among the grounded ships as visitors and cargos came and went from the many vessels. The ships themselves ranged from small in size to veritable giants, and displayed the design ethics of a hundred different races. Some ships were quite appealing to the eye, while others were functional and basic - competent-looking, but scarcely beautiful. And still another group, the smallest, ranged from the slightly bizarre to the outright grotesque. Ugly.

But it was not part of the job for Kontus to pass judgement on the aesthetics of the vessels that ported at Derryabah. He was interested in the unusual designs, however, and the truly ugly ones made for wonderful - and perhaps slightly embellished - tales to share with his brothers when they all met at the inn on Jarafis Way in the evenings to share a glass of zith together. Kontus's brothers were also government officials, Jabrist in the mech section that oversaw city maintenance, and Orfrid a member of the city guard. Orfrid had, by far, the most interesting stories to tell, as the city police were always in the thick of the city's goings on, observing mostly, but required to act upon the rare occasions when the normally refined diplomacy between species broke down.

Yet none of them had what could be termed fascinating or dangerous lives. Roorapynta, for all its openness, was well-regulated under the skin, and it showed in the smoothness of day-to-day operations. Kontus was nearing the end of his shift, and had resigned himself to having no real stories to tell that evening. Another basically boring day at the port, one in a string of many of late.

And then an indicator lit on the panel before him, and a tiny warning chimed for his attention.

Kontus waved a large hand at it. "Speak."

"Identification services have failed for an approaching vessel. The offered code does not match any on record."

The big Trichani stared at the panel for a moment in surprise, and then turned his seat to face a large, curved gray display beside him. "Show me."

That display blinked, and several panes opened inside, each offering data on the arriving starship. Approximate mass, dimensions, composition, emitted power signature, and observable offensive and defensive capabilities. Kontus absorbed them in a moment, and then looked at the information stream being sent from the vessel's transponder. It was in standard code, and readily readable:

Vessel name: Lollipop

Port of origin: Bronx Zoo, Bronx, New York.

Location of port of origin: Kontus gasped at this information, as the coordinates worked out to a location over seventeen thousand light years away towards galactic center!

Could the coordinates be false? But even as he wondered that, the database of ship designs for all known races in the five empires indicated that the incoming vessel matched no known pattern. That in itself was not telling, as custom designs were certainly not unheard of, especially among the wealthier races. But all such variants were still required to be listed by law, as absolute identification of any vessel could mean the difference between a cordial welcome and a warning shot fired across the bow. The incoming vessel matched no entry in the database, which held upwards of a hundred thousand different designs.

Kontus examined the image of the incoming craft with a practiced eye. The likeness of the vessel that now appeared on the screen, taken from several angles by stealthy watch satellites stationed in outlying orbits, was vivid and clear. Had there been anything at all menacing in the vessel's appearance - weapons obviously activated and ready for use, say - he would have acted immediately to initiate interception procedures by stealthed interdictor craft already in place. There were certain protocols one needed to follow to guarantee the safety of Roorapynta and all those attending the discworld's facilities.

But there were also other protocols of a different nature - diplomatic protocols - that dictated his actions in the event of a first contact with a possible new addition to the world's trade base. Such meetings were not unheard of, though they were rare, and there had not been a new contact in Kontus's memory. A small thrill of excitement coursed through the Trichani as he considered the luck that it might be happening to him, on his shift. Here was a grand story to tell his brothers this night, should it turn out to be true!

His eyes roved over the image of the incoming craft one last time, and his muzzle twisted up in a Trichani smile. Here was a craft that looked about as warlike as a crib full of cubs taking a nap. The course of action was clear. Appearances could be deceiving, but with no blatant intent to take a shot at the discworld apparent in the approach of the craft, he could at least employ civility in his contact with them.

The language broadcast by the vessel's transponder was Trichani standard, but the words sounded exotic, to say the least. BronxZoo? It had the flavor of a magnificent city, indeed. And if these aliens used the standard naming convention, Bronx would be the name of the world they had come from. Then NewYork was certainly the name of their empire. Quite majestic sounding, certainly!

Kontus gave a growling laugh of approval then. Even the name of the vessel sounded exotic and alien. Lollipop!

The power signature of the incoming vessel was substantial for its size, suggesting a science at least on a par with the Trichani's own. There was no sign of weapons of any sort on the hull, but weapons could be hidden. The vessel did not look dangerous, and it was still a long way out just yet. So...contact them first, ask them to halt while some sort of verification was made, and then send the interdictor craft if they failed to comply...

And then the logo on the alien hull came into view. Kontus zoomed in on it, and the planetary database quickly compared the symbols he could plainly observe there to all known languages in all known alphabets, and...

No match.

Kontus was elated. A possible first contact!

He waved a finger at a control, and cleared his throat before speaking. "Vessel Lollipop, this is Roorapynta control. We are unable to identify you by your transponder signature. Please halt your vessel pending further action. Acknowledge, please."

The incoming vessel immediately slowed its pace, and soon came to a halt. The quickness of the response suggested a powerful drive and excellent control of both gravity and inertia. This definitely bespoke of a level of technology worth knowing!

The screen to Kontus's left blinked, and an image appeared there. Kontus stared, even as the imaging system quickly compared the likeness of the alien presented there to all known species residing within the five empires. The words no match popped up immediately, causing Kontus to take a deep breath.

The alien spoke then, in a language totally unfamiliar to Kontus, but which was apparently translated into Trichani by their vessel's com. "Greetings. I am called CharlieBoone. So this place is known as Roorapynta?"

Kontus stared for just a moment, impressed with the alien's sedate composure, before his innate authority reflex in such matters took hold. "Uh...yes. I am Kontus, Port Authority for the discworld of Roorapynta, a Trichani holding subject to the laws of empire. You have business with this place?"

The alien's head titled forward briefly, and Kontus immediately recognized it as a gesture of assent, much similar to the Trichani gesture of affirmation. In fact, the alien was obviously similarly constructed to the Trichani, in that its torso had two arms with five-digit hands at the ends, and one head atop its shoulders. Two eyes and one mouth, though the alien's muzzle was just a tiny thing, and the small mouth not a part of it at all, but instead showing beneath it.

This alien was furless except for a mop of blue atop its head. Its skin was a startling shade of green, and the alien had what were surely horns of some type sprouting from each side of his forehead, from the base of the blue fur there. A tall collar a vibrant red in color reared up behind the alien's head, part of an outfit of some kind, surely. The clash of colors between collar, skin, and fur was considerable, and Kontus, while no master of good taste himself, fought hard not to smile at the combination. Outlandish!

Kontus was acquainted with the likenesses of many races, for he saw them daily in his occupation as port master. But he had never seen the like of these people before!

"Sure, we can probably do business," the one onscreen said. "I've already sent a message back to my father, told him where we are, and informed him that there are new people here." The alien offered up what was surely a smile. "Imagine that!"

"What has your sire to do with this?" Kontus asked.

"Oh, he's chief minister of trade back in the empire. Works for the Lord High Muckety Muck, himself." Again, the strange smile was offered. "I'm sure he'll be interested in all this."

The titular term did not translate, but Kontus got a sense of a personage of some importance.

"I see. May I ask what your people are called?"

The one onscreen tilted its head forward once more. "We are called Mericans. We were just cruising about, and found your beacon. We're kind of a long way from home, so we thought we'd stop in for some R and R."

Kontus nodded, and looked again at the coordinates for the strange vessel's point of origin. "It seems you are a long way from home, indeed. These coordinates are correct?"

"Sure. We just felt like a ride out to the boondocks, and here we are." The alien looked about as if somehow examining stars, and smiled again. "Kind of barren out this way. We were surprised to find so many people."

Kontus offered a smile of his own. "You understand that we have to take precautions where unknown vessels are concerned, do you not?"

"Oh, sure. We'd be the same. What would you like us to do?"

Kontus waved a finger at another control, and a connection was made with the security division of the governor's palace. Another screen popped up out of sight of the one holding the alien, and Groff 2Corgrowl, chief of security, looked out at them. The man quickly surveyed the input feed from the port console, and Kontus almost smiled at the way the chief of security's eyes widened at what he saw. But the man recovered immediately, waved a finger at something out of Kontus's sight, and then nodded.

"Looks like you've got a live one, Kontus."

The audio output to the alien vessel was automatically muted when internal communications were in progress. "They would appear to be from a civilization quite some distance away," Kontus replied.

"Maybe. Ask them if they'll accept a close inspection. Send one of the recon satellites to look them over, and ask if they'll allow a drone inspector to come aboard."

"Sure," CharlieBoone agreed, when the request was relayed. "We'll just sit here and wait on that."

Kontus gave the order, and one of the stealth observers in the security halo about Roorapynta made itself visible, left orbit, and sped towards the alien spacer.

Roorapynta executed a complex orbit between two of the brown dwarves making up the bulk of the Tura-Buyah. The space was dark, and the discworld artificially lit by its own tiny artificial sun, which was held stationary above the disc some half-million miles away. Kontus could see the small orb of the little star, brighter than all the stars beyond it, in the video feed from the stealth observer as it sped towards the alien vessel. Roorapynta itself gleamed like a tiny jewel, basking in the rays of the artificial sun, and Kontus gave a little sigh of contentment at the sight. This was the only home he had ever known.

The alien ship grew in size, and the stealth observer slowed and went into a close orbit around it, probing with its every sensor at the hull and what might lie within it. Kontus watched his display, expecting figures to start popping up, and so quickly grew alarmed when none did.

"Are you seeing this, Groff? It appears this vessel is completely without weapons or defenses of any kind."

The man on the display tilted his head to one side, the Trichani equivalent of a shake of the head in a human. "I find that very hard to believe."

"Agreed. Yet...nothing. Either they are not armed, or their scat screens are so good that we cannot penetrate them." Kontus waved again at the control for com to the alien vessel. "CharlieBoone? It appears we cannot scan your vessel. Will you agree to lower your defenses so that we can?"

The alien appeared again, looking less sedate now. "I don't know anything about that, Kontus. Whatever we have should be visible to you."

Kontus tilted his head to the side. "Your vessel is unarmed?"

CharlieBoone's head made the forward motion again. "Of course. Who has need of weapons?"

Who, indeed?

"Just about everyone," Kontus countered, suddenly wary. "Will you allow an inspection drone to board your vessel?"

He was expecting a refusal, and so was surprised when the other made the head-motion of affirmation. "Sure. I'll open up for you."

A section of the alien hull suddenly darkened, and a hole was visible, a soft light emanating from within. Kontus let his eyes go back to the scanner readouts - still nothing as to weaponry or defenses. He squinted in disbelief, but sent the signal for the drone to detach from the observer and make its way to the open entry. That tiny artificial intelligence did just that, entering the alien vessel and proceeding down a short, softly lit hallway, and into what appeared to be the main operations center of the alien craft.

Kontus stared then, not sure then that his eyes were not deceiving them.

The room was draped in soft golden curtains, which covered the bulkheads everywhere. Two long, low padded seating arrangements stood in the exact center of the room, upon which sat six of the aliens. All of them looked the same, with blue fur atop their heads, green skin, and horns growing from the sides of their foreheads. All were clothed in fine-looking raiment of outrageous colors, bright and clashing, yet that somehow managed to avoid the term garish simply because they were obviously so finely-made.

The room held nothing else at all - no control center, no other seats - nothing. One wall was uncovered, and depicted on it was a view of Roorapynta, as if viewed from close approach. That it was a live view was obvious from the amount of movement they could see below them.

The drone, now inside the ship, and presumably inside any kind of scat screen, immediately ran a full-spectrum scan...and returned no evidence of weapons or defenses of any kind.

"I still do not believe it," Groff said, from the other screen. "But they could not hide weapons systems from an inside scan, could they?"

Kontus squinted, thinking. "We could not, on one of our vessels. That does not mean that they cannot."

Groff made a disbelieving sound. "What sort of people go cruising about the galaxy with no defenses?"

Kontus considered that. "People who have no worries...or people who have other means of defense."

One of the aliens stood, and Kontus could see now that the visitors were also bipedal, just like the Trichani. This alien approached the drone, and gave a brief bow. "Greetings. I am CharlieBoone. Is that you, Kontus?"

The port master reactivated audio to the alien ship, and grunted. "Yes. It appears that you are, indeed, without weapons or defenses."

The alien gave a small smile. "Kontus, no one at our level is without defenses. This vessel can defend itself. Just...not like you are supposing. But as long as no one bothers us, we will not offer any trouble in return. You have my word on this."

Kontus looked over at the security chief on the other screen, found the audio muted while the other was busy speaking on another channel. He waited patiently a moment, until Groff came back to him. "The governor says to allow them to land. She is sending a delegation to meet them at the port."

Kontus felt a sense of alarm at this pronouncement. "Is this wise? We have what looks like aliens of superior ability here. Their technology is obviously able to hide from ours. Who knows what they'll do once they are on the ground?"

Groff looked like he was no happier. "The governor reasons that if they have superior abilities and intended us harm, they need not have approached us openly and asked to visit. She feels that more can be gained by talking to these people, than by turning them away." He gently waved a hand. " Trade, brother."

Kontus sighed, nodding. "Trade, brother. I will withdraw the drone and tell them they can land."

The one called CharlieBoone seemed pleased at the announcement. "Thank you, Kontus. Will we ever meet in person?"

The Trichani felt an unaccountable glow at the idea. "Perhaps. My shift ends soon. I may happen to be near your berth when your ship arrives."

The alien bowed. "Then, until we meet in person."

Kontus withdrew the drone, and let it watch as the alien ship closed up, leaped into motion, and was quickly gone on its way to Roorapynta.

 

* * * * * * *

 

"You were awesome, Charlie!" Kippy said, rubbing affectionately against his boyfriend "You handled that big bear guy like he was a little hamster!" He leaned forward carefully, mindful of their antlers, and deposited a kiss on Charlie's lips. His green lips. "My big, brave, four-point buck!"

Charlie grinned, and reached up to feel one of the deer antlers sprouting from the side of his head. They were small, a yearling's at most, with just two-points on each side. On a human they still looked formidable, and were somehow very sexy, to boot. That Max had somehow attached them directly to their skulls gave them a solidity that was amazing, too.

"The rule with disguises is, nothing that can be knocked off, fall off, or wash off," the elf had said. "So if you guys really want us to have these antlers, they gotta be solidly attached, okay?"

And they were. The boys had playfully poked each other with the antlers after Max had installed them, and found out that that were not to be trifled with. This was just the beginning of their disguise, and the ideas came so fast after that that Max had to put his foot down. "One at a time!"

Kippy had laughingly suggested they be little green men, and the idea had been met with enough glee to ensure its acceptance. Adrian had suggested the blue hair, after his grandmother, whose trips to the salon for a tint and a perm were never completely successful. The clashing color combinations for their clothing were Ricky's idea, who said that aliens in the movies were always dressed better than the humans, and maybe for once we could show a really alien idea of color appreciation.

Kippy and Adrian had mostly designed the outfits, stealing boldly from The Three Musketeers, and they had all wound up in ornamented tabards with high collars and cloaks, matching pants tucked into knee-high black boots with turned-down leather cuffs, and frilly white shirts beneath the tabards, which manifested themselves mostly at the top of the chest and at the cuffs of the tabard. All they needed were swords and floppy hats, and they'd have been welcome in the court of Louis XIV.

Well, maybe. The colors they'd picked at Ricky's suggestion were what Charlie's mom might have termed psychedelic; bright, almost glowing, and guaranteed to clash with one another. Hard on the eyes, to say the least. They'd laughed like crazy about it at first, imagining the reaction they would get from any sane being with working eyes and even a small sense of aesthetic right and wrong. The six of them standing together looked like the shelf at the supermarket where the flavors of Kool-Aid were sold.

Ricky had belted on his vibratory dagger, and it looked so good with his get up that Max was made to supply them each with one. Of course, the elf's versions were the genuine article, double-edged steel blades with a wicked point, and they had immediately decided to keep them in the scabbards unless really needed, as they were much more dangerous than Rick's high-tech piece, which, while it would easily cut through a foot of steel, would only do so if Ricky intended it to happen.

Murcha had offered to create their new clothing, but it was just faster for Max to whip it up, which he did with more than mixed feelings about the selection. "Geez, I hope the missus never sees me in this dandy outfit," he'd complained, as they had all undressed to change into the new uniforms. "It's so orange!"

"She might like it," Kippy suggested, laughing. "They're actually kind of cool looking."

"Maybe where you come from, but not at the North Pole," Max had countered. "Geez!"

So now, after successfully receiving permission to land, they sat back on the sofas and watched as Roorapynta grew larger in the big screen that Murcha had supplied. The control globe and it's pylon seats had been retracted into the deck, leaving pretty much an empty room, which they had just dressed up with a few curtains. They'd grown used to the pylon seats now, and watching things in the center globe, and the change in viewing felt to Charlie like they were sitting in one of those small mall mini movie theaters, waiting for Anakin Skywalker to come onscreen.

Only this was real!

"I am amazed that you were able to screen my weapons systems so thoroughly, Max," Murcha said. "Not to mention the gear stowed away in our many compartments."

The elf shrugged. "I just covered everything with a layer of nothingness. All them fancy doodad detectors of theirs need to react with something in order to measure it, right? Can't react with nothing, now can you?"

Ricky held up the sleeve of his tabard, and grimaced at the intense lime coloring. "You know, it was funny to dress like we were color blind...at first. But I think I'm getting tired of it."

Kippy and Adrian both closed their eyes and groaned.

"Oh, thank you!" Adrian said, turning to his boyfriend and hugging his arm. "I hate us looking like a box of crayons. Can we fix it?"

"Why didn't you say so before?" Ricky asked, looking hurt.

Adrian sighed. "Silly. Because it was your idea, and you liked it. So I liked it, too."

Ricky pouted a moment, thought about what his boyfriend had said, then smiled. "I just love you."

"I know. Me, too."

Kippy turned to Max. "How about changing the colors of these costumes, and make them all the same? Like a royal blue with white trim, or something like that? You know - pretty?"

Max's eyes lit up, and Charlie smiled at the elf's patience with them.

"What about that star gimmick on the front?" Max asked. "Even if you make the colors nice, that thing looks like the headlight of a freight train."

The original musketeer tabards had born crosses on the chests, but the boys had felt that a star emblem was more in keeping with their current quest. The current incarnations were large and gaudy, a rainbow of colors, and quite an assault on the eyes.

"They need to be smaller," Kippy said immediately. "And maybe move them from the center to the left breast?"

"And all one color," Adrian followed with.

"Make them gold, and respectable looking," Charlie said, sighing. He reached across Adrian and patted Ricky's arm. "Thanks, bud."

Ricky just sat back and sighed, until Adrian snuggled against him some more. And then he smiled, and looked appeased.

Max made the changes, and Kippy immediately jumped to his feet. "Make me a full-length mirror, Max?"

The elf sighed, but produced the requested item, and Kippy stood and turned carefully before it and examined himself. "Hey! I look hot!"

Adrian and Ricky grinned, and Charlie tossed his head back and laughed. "I've been telling you that for a few years now!"

Kippy's eyes sparkled at Charlie in the mirror. "Well, now I agree with you." He turned, and walked slowly back and forth between the sofas. "Mmm! Everybody looks hot. You, too, Max."

The elf nodded. "Why not?" He stood and approached the mirror, examined himself critically, turned this way and that, and then slowly grinned. "Hey. It is sorta swashbuckly, ain't it? I mean, now that we don't look like a halfa dozen paint cans exploded."

The boys laughed, and Max turned and bowed to them.

Mike sighed, looking about. "Everyone's gorgeous. I just hope it helps us find Pacha."

Kippy turned to look at him, sighed, and went around behind the sofa where Mike was sitting. He bent down, and carefully put his arms around Mike's shoulders, and laid his cheek against the side of Mike's head. "I'm sorry, Mikey. Here we are getting all flippy about our costumes, and you're sitting here worried about Pacha. We'll find him, I promise you. My skwish tells me so."

Mike turned quickly, looking into Kippy's eyes as he pulled away. "Really? You gotta skwish feel about this?"

Kippy closed his eyes, and nodded, "Yes. We'll find him."

Mike squeezed his eyes closed, and nodded. "He's all I have right now. You know? He's my best friend."

Kippy smiled, and patted Mike's hair, mindful not to snag a point on the antler nearby. "That's because we still haven't found you a boyfriend yet."

Charlie smiled, and Ricky sighed and leaned closer to Adrian. "That would help you, no doubt about it," Rick said.

Mike opened his eyes and smiled at Kippy. "Maybe. I still remember that cute bloke from Queensland. I wish now I hadn't been too scared to take him up on that offer, back when." But then he frowned. "Nah. Wasn't meant to be. If I'd hooked up with him, I probably wouldn't have met Pacha, and not you guys, either."

"We're glad that didn't happen! "Adrian said. "We'd miss you if we never met you!"

Ricky laughed, and shook his head, but didn't say anything about the twisted logic of his boyfriend's statement.

"Maybe someday, I'll get another chance." Mike patted Kippy's arm. "You might become available someday, Kipper."

"Hey!" Charlie said, sitting forward. "That's not gonna happen!"

But then he saw the twinkle in the Aussie boy's eyes, and nodded. "Troublemaker. Kippy's happy right where he is." Charlie's eyes went to touch his boyfriend's. "Right?"

Kippy laughed, patted Mike a last time on top of the head, and went around the sofa and stood before Charlie. "Do you really need to ask that question?"

Charlie gave a little sigh, pulled Kippy close, and shook his head. "No."

Max cleared his throat then, and pointed at the large display screen. "Looks like we're gettin' close."

Kippy squeezed back onto the sofa between Rick and Charlie, took Charlie's hand, and patted it affectionately. "Let's go kick some butt."

 

* * * * * * *

 

A different Trichani than Kontus contacted them as they arrived above the port, and sent the data they needed to find the landing slot assigned to the Lollipop. Charlie smiled every time the Trichani mentioned the name of their ship, the alien's tongue seeming to insist on adding a vowel or two each time he said it. Looly-poop.

Murcha spoke fluent Trichani, and had been giving them translations of the conversations. But everyone was able to follow the conversation on their own once they'd stuffed the tiny blobs in their ears that were the Moth translators and communicators. They blended in with the skin, and became quite invisible.

The Lollipop dropped until the port resolved into a sea of individual ships - enough to make them gasp at the numbers and sheer variety - and then the ship floated sideways across the field for what seemed like miles until an open slot turned up between a large, boxy affair resembling a moldy tomato crate, and a short, stubby vessel that immediately reminded Charlie of an old tugboat. Not exactly the glamorous part of the port, it seemed.

Murcha eased them down, and the engines beneath their feet went silent. Charlie looked again at their neighboring ships, and tried not to smile. Looks could be deceiving, he already knew, and that they had been berthed between a pair of real oddballs could not be taken personally. For all they knew, these ships belonged to wealthy and influential members of the Trichani realm.

Right.

Ricky laughed at the idea when Charlie mentioned it offhandedly. "Yeah, you can't fool me. They put us between a garbage scow and a pizza delivery van, so that if our ship starts shooting, none of the luxury yachts will get hit."

A large, rounded, open vehicle floated down the aisle between ships towards them, and stopped below their own vessel. Three Trichani were aboard. The large aliens climbed out of the vehicle with a lithe grace, and stood looking up at the ship.

"Company's here," Kippy said, jumping to his feet. "Let's go!"

Max had altered the look of the boarding tube, so that the one that extruded from the hull now and touched the ground before the three Trichani would not be recognized as being of Moth manufacture. Max and Mike insisted on going first, and Charlie and Kippy followed, while Rick and Adrian came last. The six were deposited on the pavement, and the boarding tube retracted and disappeared.

The three Trichani seemed surprised by their appearance. Charlie imagined they'd all seen the recordings made earlier, and the flamboyantly colored outfits they'd been wearing before. The uniform, and even regal appearance they offered now, was quite a change. The three Trichani's eyes appraised them, and Charlie was pleased to see the new note of respect he saw there.

One of the aliens stepped forward and gave his head a shallow bow. "Greetings. I am Athlar 1Tweegrowl, secretary to Marrus 4Roughfur, Minister of Trade for Roorapynta. If I may, I will introduce the minister now?"

Charlie took a step forward, smiling. "I am CharlieBoone, Knight of the Realm of Bronx, central world of the Empire of New York." He turned and swept a hand at the others. "These are my compatriots, also knights in good standing, come to join with me to greet you. We are on a quest, and delighted to have found your fascinating world."

Athlar looked briefly puzzled, but then turned and indicated another Trichani. "Then may I present Marrus 4Roughfur, Minister of Trade for Roorapynta?"

That Trichani stepped forward and also offered a brief bow. "It is my pleasure to meet your group. Can I assume you have some authority to enter into agreements between your people and mine?"

"Certainly not," Charlie said, pleasantly. "We are knights, not bureaucrats. But I am empowered to speak for my father, DanielBoone, who is Minster of Trade for the empire, and all its fourteen thousand worlds."

The three Trichani's eyes widened, and Charlie heard a faint snort from one of the guys behind him. He did his best not to smile too broadly. He just wanted these aliens to let them walk about and look the place over, offering them the faint hope that some sort of trade with a very large empire might come of it all. He didn't want to promise anything he couldn't deliver, nor make enemies of these rather magnificent bear-like people. He'd already come to like them - at least a lot more than he liked the Moth, or the Arpathant, the last two alien powers he had met.

Marrus recovered quickly, and nodded. "Fourteen thousand worlds is rather a large realm."

Charlie nodded. "There were more once, but we sold them to the Canadians."

Again the three Trichani looked uncertain. "Canadians?" Athlar asked.

Charlie waved a hand dismissively. "A neighboring empire, somewhat smaller. Very nice people, actually. There was some dispute over two hundred systems along our borders, and rather than become belligerent about it, we simply sold them to them. Now, everyone is happy."

The sale of two hundred stars and their accompanying planets seemed an unheard of idea to the three Trichani. The aliens looked at each other, and it was again Marrus who recovered first. "Ah...if you are not empowered to trade, what brings you to us?"

"A quest, as I said." Charlie smiled. They'd rehearsed their story, and laughed about it, but Charlie had not realized how hard it would be to deliver it to the aliens while keeping a straight face until now. "We are looking for the golden baseball."

"It was taken," Kippy added then, doing his best to look angry.

"We mean to have it back," Mike continued, biting his lip to keep from losing it.

"It must be returned to its place of glory on the mantel at Yankee Stadium," Ricky grated.

Marrus looked vaguely alarmed then. "I assure you, we do not have it."

"We know that," Charlie went on. "We were simply on the trail of the thieves, which brought us this way. Finding your fascinating discworld was just a pleasing happenstance."

"I see," Marrus said, but it was plain that he did not. He shifted mental gears then. "The Governor sends her greetings, and asks that at some point in your stay here, you favor her with a visit. I was sent to greet you because we were under some impression that an interest in trade was the basis of your arrival here."

Charlie smiled. "Well, if you will escort us about so that we can see your beautiful world, I will contact my father and tell him what wonders there are here to be had. He will then send a proper trade mission, while we carry on with our quest."

That seemed to please Marrus. "We are a very informal people, CharlieBoone. We believe in getting things done with a minimum of confusion. I could have brought a rather large crowd with me, as there are people standing in line to meet you, from the Division of Exobiology to the Ministry of Exocultural Affairs. The meeting of a new people is an extraordinary event, you see. " He leaned closer then, and lowered his voice. "Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and no fur was made to fly. It was agreed that just this trio would come to meet you, until we knew more about what brought you here."

Max stepped forward then, and offered a sweet smile. "There are three of you here, but this entire area is swarming with stealthed watchers of every sort. Not that we mind this, but we did want to let you know that we were aware of them. I would guess that a lot of people are watching this meeting just now."

A total silence greeted this revelation.

Charlie froze at this unexpected development, but recovered quickly, and stepped into the new vacuum in their conversation. "Uh...we understand completely why you would do this, and hope you do not mind that we brought along our own watchers to keep records. They will not bother yours unless provoked, I assure you."

Marrus's eyes suddenly darted about them. "I was not informed...I did not know you brought watchers out with you."

"A standard security measure," Max said, cheerfully. "They'll just watch and record. They're pretty much invisible, so they shouldn't bother anyone. Think no more of it."

But that the three Trichani would think more of it was apparent. Marrus looked apprehensive a moment, and then narrowed his eyes briefly at them, before allowing a smile to return to his face. "Diplomacy of this sort is not exactly my first talent, but I do see what you mean. A certain balance of forces is needed so that both of us may feel secure."

Of course the human group had brought no hidden watchers out with them. Max was all the humans needed for security, as very little got by him. He'd obviously spoken up to let everyone know that they were being observed by a horde of hidden devices, so that they would not think themselves unobserved at some point and drop their cover.

"No such devices were observed aboard your vessel," the third Trichani said then, stepping forward. "I am Kontus 3Rowf, of the Port Authority."

Charlie beamed. "You came, after all!" He stuck out a hand. "So pleased to meet you in person!"

Kontus blinked, and looked down at Charlie's extended hand a moment before smiling. Then he extended his own, and very carefully shook the boy's much smaller appendage.

"I am pleased we have a custom in common," Kontus said then. "May I offer my services as a guide? I do know the port and the city quite well."

Marrus looked briefly unsure at this offer, but almost immediately followed up with a smile. "If no trade is to be discussed at this time, then I am not needed here just now. If Kontus is willing to chaperone you about the city, I cannot think of a better guide. Please call upon me, or have Kontus summon me, if I can be of assistance."

"Thank you," Charlie returned. "We will do that, and I will be certain to inform my father with whom his trade mission should speak."

The Minister of Trade and his secretary bowed again, and returned to the flyer. In a moment, they were gone.

Kontus stepped back a pace, eyed the newcomers a moment, then cast his gaze up at their ship. Charlie could almost hear the man thinking. In a moment, the Trichani stepped closer again, and offered up what was probably a very cheerful smile. "You spooked the minister, I think."

Charlie feigned surprise. "How so?"

The alien waved a hand about them. "The observation drones all about us are supposed to be undetectable."

"They're very good," Max spoke up. "But they ain't undetectable."

The Trichani's eyes deflected a moment, as if he was seeing something they could not - or perhaps hearing something they couldn't. "And yet, we can find no sign of your own."

"Really?" Charlie asked, pleasantly. "How very unusual."

The Trichani tossed his head back and roared out a laugh. Charlie and the others, except for Max, flinched at the sheer volume, but the good nature of the outburst seemed plain. "Oh, how interesting this will be, CharlieBoone! You are not as you appear, it seems!"

"Is anybody?" Charlie returned, smiling.

The big Trichani nodded at them, his brown eyes full of humor. "So. It is a guide you wish, is it? You want to see Derryabah and her markets, and the auction, I presume?"

Charlie nodded. "That would be a good start, I think. I do wish to indicate to father that coming here to trade would be a good move for our empire."

Kontus nodded. They didn't see him do anything, but a few moments later another of the rounded, open cars floated down the aisle between ships and settled to the ground before them. The Trichani smiled at them again, and climbed aboard the craft. "If you will join me, we can begin."

Charlie turned and looked at the others. "Shall we?"

Kippy stepped up and grinned at him. "Let's go!"