A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 60

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.