By the time I made my way over, the room was calmer than it had been since my arrival. Most of the bastaurant’s patrons had either left during the brawl, or shortly thereafter. Now, only me, its bartender, and the two perpetrators occupied the space.

Jenna was still fiddling with her grafts, clearly not pleased with their earlier performance. She was slowly tuning them with a delicate instrument, occasionally sipping from a glass of dark beer as she nodded along to some 9th gen jazz music playing from the jukebox.

Some part of me itched to get a closer scan of her specs, but without any way to access my UI, it was impossible. Probably would’ve been even if I did have it. From the looks of it, she wasn’t one to skimp on her tech’s defenses.

Mikayes, on the other hand, was busy counting out whatever profits he’d made from selling emergency meds to the hurting. He’d seemingly accepted that there would be no more sales that evening, and most of the stuff he’d been peddling had been returned to their respective boxes.

Still, enough lay there on the table for me to make a pretense of looking at. “Where did you get these?” I asked.

Jenna had been eyeing me ever since I left my seat at the counter, but now, I got Mikayes’ attention as well. He looked up, swiftly identified me as a potential customer, and his lips pulled into a smile.

“From the finest producers and suppliers throughout the galaxy,” he said, eagerly picking up a few bits and bobs to show me. “A finger guard for faster veggie chopping, made from the densest Mezzah polymers. Inflatable bum-cushions, customizable and fitted for 99% of all bipedal pants, and—”

“Junk,” Jenna huffed from the side. “All of it is junk that Mikas has picked up from the planets we land on. There’s bound to be even more of it by the time we leave this place, considering how long we’re trapped beneath these storms.

“If you see something you’re interested in, child, feel free to buy it for however much you think it is worth. You’d be doing us a service.”

“Jenna,” Mikayes said with great offense. “They’re not junk, they’re treasures. Invaluable treasures.”

“I’ve already told you—” Jenna sent him a sharp glare, “—I’m fine with you playing fast with the rest of these fools, but I won’t let you go around scamming children. And that’s that.”

Her one organic eye turned softer as she looked back at me. Even her shark-tooth smile somehow seemed gentle. “So, if you see anything you like, just let me know. These things will only weigh us down by the time we reach the Neo Hubs.”

My eyes briefly flickered toward the Artifact that lay there on the edge of the table – it had to be. Must be… – as Mikayes went on a heartfelt rant about the value of items and the inherent flaws of charity.

Would they give it to me if I asked?

Then, my brow furrowed. The Neo Hubs?

There were countless places across the galaxy with similar names – New Haven, West Port, the Big League – but still, that name had jogged an ancient memory from my mind bank. Although it’d never meant much to me in my past life, the entire venture having turned into a flop people just laughed about in hindsight, it was still significant enough for me to remember.

It really was around this time, wasn’t it?

Around the time I arrived at the Academy, the larger forces and governments of these sectors had tried to forcefully kickstart the next Great Expansion, hoping that it would stimulate interstellar trade and the galactic economy.

I never paid much attention to it back then, but I could still recall the complaints that’d passed through the seniors at the Academy back then.

The Astral Fleet had already been spread thin across the rim as it was, and trying to expand our borders while we still struggled to maintain them against the Void was a ridiculous thing to attempt. Not to mention how expensive it was to open one of the gates which would enable it “afforded through the pockets of tax payers while they reap the benefits…”

In the end, they’d been right. Any credits earned from the attempt had, while not insignificant, never covered the cost. At least not officially. Unofficially, the profits had fallen into a select few pockets.

The rich getting richer. The lucky finding fortunes. And only the most daring investors making a name for themselves. In other words, a place ripe for those with knowledge.

My pulse quickened.

Funds was strength, and I needed a lot of it.

“You’re fortune seekers?” I asked, interrupting Mikayes current point about how an economy based around giving things away for free was ridiculous.

“Fortune makers,” he corrected me without missing a beat. “We’ll become the biggest names of this new Expansion, you just wait and see. ‘Mikayes Felt, the greatest—'”

“We’ll be lucky if we break even,” Jenna cut in, looking at me as she continued, “We got the short straw on the planet-lots they were auctioning out. When we were allowed through on a preliminary check-out, we found it to already be inhabited by sentient species, putting us under heavy restrictions.

“In fact, most of the more esoteric looking junk you see here is from that place,” her hand swept across the table, pointing straight at the artifact for a moment, “and at best, we can hope for more of this garbage to make a profit of.”

And just like that, the question I’d been carefully avoiding to ask had just answered itself. Now, my heart thundered within my chest.

I needed to go.

“…the regulations are not that strict,” Mikayes argued above me, and in those brief seconds I’d been lost in my own thoughts, Jenna’s expression had turned proper dark.

“No, Mikas,” Jenna said. “If you choose to go down that path, I’m leaving. I won’t have you become another sleezy piece of shit who only knows how to expand your pockets by exploiting others. This entire thing is already corrupt enough without you joining in.”

A few seconds of huffed silence followed, only for me to chime in, “What do you mean?” I felt as if I’d just been whiplashed across some important details.

Jenna’s anger gradually dissipated as she looked down at me, and for a moment, her expression turned troubled.

She glanced over my clothes – another conscript’s uniform carrying the Stratos Apolytos mark – and let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, child,” she began. “I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but those people that gave you those clothes are not quite what you think.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“The mods they use to fuel their factory of super soldiers is stripped and harvested from the corpses of those they fell. Without them, they’d be as feeble as Mikas here. It’s an economy built on murder, but strength born from the blood of others is a fragile one, and it’s a bubble that’s doomed to pop sooner or later.

“Even this Expansion we’re seeing now is a sign of that. Our ‘civilized’ leaders have reached too far, and the resources are dwindling. While they’re locked in their own power struggle, the rest of us suffer.”

There was a short pause, only for Mikayes strained chuckle to fill the quiet. “You’re always such a riot, Jenna,” he said, only for his smile becoming more natural as he turned my way. “She isn’t too hot on ‘interstellar governments.’ Actually, few of her species are after they lost their home planet shortly after the last Expansion. The hatred runs in their blood.”

Despite Jenna rolling her eyes, he continued, “This venture is meant to bring people together in prosperity. The civilized galaxy flourished during the last Expansion, and these days, everyone has been too locked into politics and petty strife. It is our task to change that.

His grin widened. “Indeed, let the military and politicians worry about any bubbles and what not, we’re here for new frontiers, trade routes, and opportunities!

“Just look at this thing,” he eagerly held out a jiggly, luminescent orb, its bluish shell wobbling dangerously as he moved his hand. “Imagine it occupying every household of the big cities as the new, fashionable night lamp. Or maybe it will be sold as a toy for the kids, or a squishy-squish thing to relieve stress with, or,” he lowered his voice, wiggling his eyes suggestively, “its oils can be extracted to really relieve stress.”

Jenna smacked him across the head. “You’re talking to a child,” she hissed. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Not a child, a potential customer.” Mikayes laughed. “Or maybe someone who knows a good opportunity when they see one, willing to join our glorious expedition to extract more of these…” he looked down at the orb, “treasures.”

“Mikayes, don’t—”

“I was actually about to ask you about that,” I cut in, causing Jenna to fall silent. My eyes, however, remained dead set upon the foxlike man. “How much would you be willing to invest for the chance of becoming one of the richest men walking out of this Expansion?”

Most people would probably have laughed at me just then, and for a moment, I almost expected Mikayes would, too.

In the end, however, it seemed my bet that he wasn’t ‘most people’ had paid off, and now, something in his expression had shifted.

The smile was gone, and his golden eyes had turned razor sharp as he looked me over. For a long while he did, interrupted only as Jenna began, “Child, you’re not…”

He held up a hand to stop her.

“Quite a bit, I think you would find, my young gentleman,” Mikayes said, a smirk once more playing at his lips. “Though, it would naturally depend on what kind of investment we are talking about, and what guarantees I can be given.”

𐫰 𐫰 𐫰

“So, exactly how are you planning on making me money?” Mikayes asked me for the sixth time. He sat across me at the table, fingers weaved, and meeting my eyes dead on. I didn’t flinch this time either.

The fourth time the question had been raised, Jenna had just shook her head with a deep sigh, saying how she’d go get us some food and an extra strong drink for herself.

“How I’m planning to make me profit is by not giving away my entire hand on our first meeting.” I shrugged. “How I’m planning to make us profit, on the other hand…

I let the question drag. “Well, the first benefit of our partnership would be my ability to bring some of this ‘junk’ over to my Luminesari. He’s a collector of curious things, rich in both credits and contacts. If it’s worth anything, he’ll know.”

I had no clue if Celian had any hobbies like that, but I’d taken care to never point directly at the Artifact on the table. Hopefully, my expression revealed nothing about my intentions.

“The scary looking one by the med-pod?” Mikayes slowly asked.

“I’m glad you know him.” I smiled, trying to put a bit of ‘sleezy politician’ into the expression. “Of course, you could head over and talk to him yourself, but I assume our guard friends from earlier avoided that option for a reason? The Luminesari doesn’t always mingle that well with us lesser species, after all, and it would be unfortunate if he crushed your mind by accident.”

There was a reason the mythical Luminesari were part of the Triumvirate council, and it was not because they were numerous like humanity. In these parts of the galaxy, I doubted many would ever have seen one.

“And he’s your friend?”

“My bestie,” I said, making Mikayes laugh.

“I’ll hand it to you kid,” he chuckled, “you wear your face like a mask. You’re not as young as you look, are you?”

“I’ll leave that to your own judgement, though, it would probably be in our best interest if you didn’t treat me like a kid. Suffice to say, there are a lot of different mods across the galaxy, and even stranger things this close to the Void.”

“Indeed, there are,” Mikayes agreed, though any pretense of agreeability had disappeared from his face as he continued, “And there are even more charlatans than there are stars in the sky. How can you prove your worth to me?”

“For now?” I asked, hoping my act of scratching my neck seemed more relaxed than it felt. He’d devour me whole if he knew how desperate I was. “Not really. In a few years? As I said, I can make you one of the richest men this side of the Afri Nebula.”

Mikayes fingers slowly drummed against the table.

“An ambiguous, though tempting proposition,” he conceded. “And your price would be, what, a mod for environmental resistance so that you could join us on our expedition?”

“Three mods of my own choosing from the local market, total worth of less than five hundred credits.”

“Look here kid—”

“And a stake in the future company you’ll set up. Sixty percent for now, more as you realize my true value and begin bargaining for my extended services.”

Mikayes laugh rang through the nearly empty bastaurant.

“You really don’t know modesty, do you kid? What’s next? You want a moon engraved with your name as well? At least try to keep your bargaining within the wheelhouse of your own worth, or—”

“And what makes you think that I’m not?” I cut in, and Jenna’s return couldn’t have been more perfect.

As she placed plates of steaming food before us, and a large drink before herself, Mikayes was forced to at least consider the possibility that I was serious.

“No real merchant would ever underestimate their own worth, huh…?” he mumbled, running a few fingers down his whisky beard. “It’s a gamble, it really is. But I’ve been waiting for my big breakthrough, and, I must admit, I do smell profit here…”

“Just like you did back at K-19?” Jenna asked through a mouthful of crunchy vegetables. Mikayes ignored her.

“But your demands are out of whack, kid,” he said. “I realize you need the mods now before we leave the surface of this planet, but the best I can offer you is two hundred credits and a single spare mod we’ve collected. From my choosing.

“You wanted to join our expedition, right? That’ll be your down payment for a full lunar year of work. Which, besides signing you up as Jenna’s assistant, will set you up to make sure profit comes both our way.

“About this company you were talking about…” He gave a faint purr. “Felt Inc: where the vixens are a plenty. I must admit I do like the sound of that, and I’m willing to give you half a percent in any branch specifically related to this expedition. Just because I like your spunk, kid. Any further stakes will have to be discussed as I start seeing some real results concerning your value.”

I wrinkled my nose.

Truth be told, even half a percent was better than any eleven year old kid should’ve ever hoped to get. I’d expected to get shot down immediately.

With the door open for discussion, however, I didn’t feel like settling for less. “450 credits, and three D-grade mods of my choosing from your collection,” I said. “I’ll pick the name of the company.”

A glint awoke in the foxlike man’s eyes. “Alright, I see how it is.” He grinned. “210 credits, two F-grade mods, one of which I let you pick by yourself. I’ll sponsor any equipment you’ll need working for me.”

I cracked my neck.

Or, rather, I did the motion. My joints were still too good to make any real noise.

“445 credits, and…”

𐫰 𐫰 𐫰

Hours later, we were both short of breath and flushed, and Jenna had nodded off in the corner.

“Anything else?” Mikayes asked, holding out his hand towards me.

“Don’t treat me like a kid,” I said, shaking it as firmly as I could.

Bartering 2 > 4

Negotiation 1 > 3

Deception 3 > 5

Lie Detection > 1

Body Language > 1

Acting > 1

Social Manipulation 2 > 3

Achievement(s) Unlocked:

A Hard Fought Battle

> Odds Of Knowing When You Are Being Deceived:

>

> +5%