Eric told the orc trader “We call those firearms, and humans make a lot of them.”
“Those are fine quality fire arms, you must have craftsmen as good as the dwarves, we would happily buy weapons from you.”
“That, that is a good point. Frob, can you think of other goods that would be useful to the Orcs? We have the ability to make a lot of high quality goods. I don't know if we are equal to the dwarves, but our goods are all made identical, so spare parts from one can be used for any other.”
The orc looked surprised, “Truly? Your craftsmen are that careful and accurate?”
Eric put a hand on the back of his head, “Well, we don't use craftsmen, we use machines.”
The orc's face immediately fell. “Yes, the goblins do as well, which is why we have held them off and maintained our independence. Machine crafted items don't take enchantments, so in the long run, are inferior weapons.”
Eric frowned, this was news to him. “We do have gunsmiths and other craftsmen, they just, well, machines have been beating them on quality and quantity, so they have been dying out. This could bring them back, but we may need to look into hiring orc craftsmen to train our own, and to make some goods in the short run.” He paused, “I notice you don't have a lot of wooden goods, would you import wood?”
“Wood?” The orc looked interested, “Yes, we definitely would import wood. The few forests that survived the goblins have to be guarded and carefully tended, and we only get a few thousand logs a year for the whole kingdom. How many logs do you think you could sell?”
“Wait,” Eric asked, “Do you specifically want logs, or would planks be better?”
“Assuming you use machines to make the planks? Probably logs.” The orc explained.
Eric thought ruefully about how he was going to increase demand for logs, not something an EPA employee wanted, but it would be a good trade good. Perhaps it would be enough to make private tree farms more economical?
“So if I had someone bring logs here, you could sell them?”
Frob looked embarrassed, “It depends on when. This sounds lucrative enough that I'm willing to stay a week if you can promise...say...five logs? Depending on what you want me to pay for it.”
Eric paused, “You use gold and silver coins right? How much does a gold coin weigh?”
Frob pulled one out and let Eric feel it, about an ounce. Then the orc said “I don't think I can pay more than two gold per log.”
Eric said “If you will trust me, I can take two gold, convert it to our currency, and deliver the number of logs. This time, since I'm just testing the trade, I will not take any profit. We have a number of different factors in tree quality. Oh, did you want hard wood or soft wood?”
“Isn't all wood hard?”
“Sorry, pine trees are softer than trees like oak and redwood. I'll assume hardwood then. Well, maybe I'll bring one softwood log so you can see the difference?”
Frob scratched his chin. “You are an orc-companion, so I will trust you. How long do you think this will take?”
Eric grinned, “Two days at most, there is a lumber store in town-er my city. If this works well there may be more trade.”
Trader not traitor completed, trade established between Earth and Ba'ruq, 500 xp granted.
Eric and his group then left, heading for the rift. The others seemed happy with what Eric had done, knowing it made conflict less likely.
Once they exited to Earth, they were immediately challenged. “Halt, who goes there.” The challenge started relaxed as the two military uniforms and four humans coming through the rift were seen, but the troops tensed up when they saw the dark green orc with them.
Captain King stepped forward, “Captain Lashawn King,” the black officer announced, “Along with my sergeant, an FBI agent, a civilian, and an orc law-keeper.”
The sentry saluted, “Sir, I will have to get my commanding officer, can you remain here for a few minutes?”
Captain King didn't want to cause the soldier problems, “That is fine.”
A minute later, Captain King saluted a Major, who returned it. “Captain King? My name is Major Clark Abdullah, I was placed in charge of what we are tentatively calling the 'orc rift' after Major Thompson was, 'reassigned.' I understand you are his XO?”
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“Yes sir, I volunteered to perform recon with a civilian who has friendly relations with the locals.” King answered.
“Yes, I heard about that, at length, from Major Thompson. Why don't you and your friends come talk with me in the command tent. Can I assume the orc with you is friendly?”
“Yes sir, she is a law enforcement officer who was provided as a liaison to the FBI.”
The group gathered in the command tent, where a large conference table was set up, complete with computers set up for zoom meetings. Eric asked “Major, could we report to Colonel Melendez while we explain everything to you? Just to give him the opportunity to ask questions?”
Agent Parks asked “Would it be ok to add in the Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix FBI as well?”
While it was clear that the Major wanted to hear about the other side of the rift he was guarding, he agreed, and Eric's boss was pulled in too. It took a bit to get everyone into the meeting, but the rift was considered important to everyone but Eric's boss, and Monika had an opening in her schedule.
Eric led the report. “We found a small Orc settlement, probably about 200 people, and met with a 'law-chief,' who was like a sheriff, and made a preliminary agreement to share law enforcement information, Law-chief Mok sent his law-keeper Tilly,” Nodding at her, “to be the orc liaison with the FBI and local law enforcement. While I was there, I asked who the US would need to talk to for a trade treaty, and met with a local merchant to establish some trade through the rift.”
He knew his short report would be a bombshell, Monika actually put her head in her palms, then as the senior fed, led the next steps. Eric was questioned and provided more detail.
Monika then asked “On whose authority did you begin this trade?”
Eric said “I didn't initiate the trade as a government employee, but as a private citizen. I did have the good of the US, and Earth in general, in mind when I negotiated it, but that was also not as part of my job.”
She sighed, “Fine, Colonel, Major, is there any problem with Eric somehow moving logs through the rift?”
The Colonel looked to the Major, as the one with the most knowledge of local conditions, and the Major answered, “As long as we don't have to help, it shouldn't be a problem. We have a road basically right up to the rift.”
Eric realized he didn't have a good way to transport a log once it was unloaded from a tree. “Um, Monika,” He asked, after looking something up on his phone, “Do you know anyone in the office of the United States Trade Representative?”
She shook her head, “No, but...I'll make a few calls.” She gave him a look and he looked down.
The Special Agent said “Well, I look forward to meeting you law-keeper Tilly, and good work Parks. I wanted to ask how you would feel about being our liaison to the orcs?”
“About that sir, there is a thing the orcs do, um, Eric, can you show them?”
Eric showed the friendship mark and explained it, “So it can also, I guess, level up? I was originally an orc-friend, but now I'm an orc-companion. I don't know what the distinction is, but the change happened after I spent more time with the orcs, helping them out.”
Parks then asked her boss, “So, it would help me liaison if I accepted the title of orc-friend, but I don't know how you and those above us would see it. It could be seen as a sign of divided loyalty.”
Special agent Gonzalez thought for a moment, “You would still follow US laws, and my orders, correct?”
“Yes sir,” Agent Parks answered.
“Then I think it is fine.” Almost as soon as it was okay'd, the tusk mark of orc-friend appeared on the back of her left hand.
The group left the tent, Captain King looked depressed, going back to his command, and Guidry didn't look much better, but Parks and Tilly seemed to be becoming friends. Eric went back to his office. Half an hour later, Monika sent him a teams message: Here is a contact in the trade office.
Eric sent the contact, Katie Smith, US Trade Representative for Environment & Natural Resources, a quick message explaining the trade deal, and his issue with transportation.
He got a message back almost immediately, “They want lumber? Wonderful, and they will trade gold for it?”
“Yes, in the form of gold coins, which are their local currency. I was given two gold coins, roughly two ounces, to buy logs. For reasons that are hard to explain, they want logs not boards. But while I consider myself in good shape, I don't think I can carry a log through the rift, much less about 4 miles.”
“You didn't get the locals to agree to pick up at the rift?” She asked.
“When did I claim to be intelligent?” He asked, jokingly, “No, I should have, and will fix that next time. But honestly, I think someone who works for you should take over for me as soon as possible, or perhaps a local company?”
“You are right. I'm sure I can find a company that will jump on this opportunity. You said you have two days? That isn't a lot of time.”
“The merchant I talked to was willing to pay up to two gold coins per log, I don't know what he is expecting, but I'm guessing I could get about a truck of logs for $5000, not one log. I plan to buy the amount of lumber I can afford, after transport costs.”
“Hey, I just had an idea,” the trade representative sent him, “rent horses. If you run low on funds let me know, I think we can cut a check to support this.”
“Horses, good idea!”
Eric went to a local lumber store, which obviously didn't have logs, but found someone who told him where to find a lumber mill. Surprisingly there were a dozen just in Phoenix, and Eric found one that was attached to a ranch. After explaining the situation, the ranch was able to provide a set of draft horses, and an employee (actually the son of the owner) to handle them, along with 5 large logs on a cart that could hold them. It took four hours to reach the rift, and the soldiers joked a bit with Eric about low horsepower engines. When they reached the merchant, he was ecstatic.
Eric explained, “Well Johnny here was in charge of everything, I just paid him, in fact, you could probably buy a lot more logs from him, I just wanted to get things started because I thought it would help both orcs and humans.”
Frob happily agreed, and insisted on giving both Johnny and Eric a gold coin in thanks, before the other human and the orc merchant got down to negotiations. Seeing that his job was done, Eric left, and used his escape skill to get to the human side of the rift, surprising the guards.
As soon as he returned, his cell phone gave him a bunch of notifications. One from Agent Park was “Where are you, contact me immediately when you see this!”
He called her while still in the base the soldiers had set up around the rift, he saw signs they were preparing to make permanent structures. “Agent Parks, this is Eric, what's up?”
“Remember Cletus, that adventurer who tried to kill you?” Eric very much remembered the guy who tried to shoot him just for pointing out that the orcs he killed were people. “He just broke out of the jail, and we think he is coming for you.”