Ts'usugi Has Wares If... Part 3/3

Posted on Fri Jul 19th, 2024 @ 2:33am by Captain Cronin Keys [GM] & Lieutenant Commander Rafael Montoya & Callisi Veera & Lieutenant JG Jake Simon [Morris] & Ensign Athalar Quinlan [Cronin]

1,592 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: M2: Culture Shock
Location: Ledos Trade Market, Station One
Timeline: After "Difficulties Already?" Parts 1&2 and "Permission to Dock"

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Continuation…

Cronin laughed as he observed the celebration. “That’s okay, we have many traditions in Starfleet,” he said with a smile. He turned to Nebuchadnezzar. “Lieutenant, do you see anything of interest to yourself or the crew?”

Raf had made his way back to the Captain and Nebuchadnezzar with a drink in hand that had been provided from another booth as a sample. There were various items he thought that might be of interest. Not only food items, not that that was of concern but would certainly provide a greater variety for the crew, but there wide variety of items available regardless of a person's interests or needs.

Not hearing his question he spoke up. "Captain. Have you noticed they are using hard currency here?"

"The Federation does not have a currency based system." Nebuchadnezzar looked around at many of the items available, ze glanced over after realising ze spoke aloud and blushed. "Whoops." Ze said.

"Which would imply you've moved into the Fabricator age?" Callisi asked, her tone a mix of hopeful and 'dear god no'. "If that's the case, then we should move the discussion away from the Koku, the eBit, the Shoal and even the Shiny... " she motioned to the accepted currency board from before, moving from currency to currency, from people to people, all the say down to the very very bottom of the chart, "...and move to discuss Seventy Six."

“I did notice that Commander, don’t forget we still have the Federation credit, though its value is rather pithy considering most of our trading partners outside the Federation use Latinum. Gold pressed strips and bars. I do believe our Merchants did bring Latinum with them,” Cronin said as he examined the various currencies. “I wonder, would there be a currency exchange in the hub?”

Nebuchadnezzar looked at Callisi. "Back where we are from, there is a race called the Ferengi. They use gold pressed latinum. What is 'Seventy Six'?"

Callisi looked under the desk they were currently at and found a small lockbox, filled with tiny metallic cubes. Shiny cubes each a centimeter cube, some heavier than others. "These are Seventy Six. It's a universal matter currency." she started, holding the cubes out for inspection but not for touching. It was still money.

"Seventy Six is the element known though the exchange as osmium. To simple races, it's a shiny pretty metallic stone. To higher degree races, it's required for use in high end electronics and supercomputers. To a species with Fabricator technology, it's matter you can feed into the matrix to fuel, well, fabrication. So it's useful at every stage of a society."

"It's the lowest common currency on the currency exchange, but it's there. So, to a society with Fabricators, you'd literally be paying for your matter, WITH matter." she put the cubes back in the box, then put the box away. "The blueprint for Seventy Six is free, because it is something of a regulated currency. Cubes of various weights and masses." she offered something like a PaDD, with the 'recipe' for Matter Seventy Six cubes.

"We hate accepting it, because Craglin might eat some as a snack. A very expensive snack." she looked at the Slate, who was busy negotiating with a client.

"We can still do business, but bear in mind the exchange rate for Seventy Six is..." she started, but the fluidic lifeform in the encounter suit piped in, "Rubbish, absolutely rubbish. Though since you're paying with a currency you can print, expect a terrible return."

"What he said." she motioned.

Taking the padd-like device and examined the 'recipe' for this element they called osmium. This recipe was in fact its atomic structure, which corresponded to nothing on the periodic table, but would with the information provided they could easily program the information into their replicators.

New species, a new element and they had only just begun Pull out his tricorder he downloaded the 'recipe' and returned the padd to her. "Thank you. Would our exchange rate improve if we were to acquire naturally occurring osmium instead of using replicated or I should say fabricated Seventy-Sixes?"

Rafael looking to the Captain and back to their new acquaintances, "Or perhaps there are items we could sell to you? After all we have come from across the galaxy with a merchant fleet with items unique to this quadrant. You could exclusive rights to market Alpha quadrant merchandise on Ledos."

"Any offers of a dedicated trade agreement will have to go through Shipmaster Hideo there." she motioned to a male rabbit humanoid form that was seemingly overseeing the going on. When he was singled out, he gave a nod to the group to at least acknowledge.

"If you have a manifest, I could start the valuation and get that orb rolling." Callisi offered. She was trying to contain her excitement at the notion of a trade offer that vast, but there was something about her that was making it hard to casually read her. Empathy, even outright telepathy seemed to slide off her brain like water off a duck.

"Pardon me for a moment, unfortunately we aren't here to actually get any trading agreements set up." Cronin glanced back at Montoya and eyed him a moment. They were merely scouting the market for the Merchant Marines to evaluate, he could have sworn he told them that was the plan. "Though put your suggestion on the list Commander."

Cronin turned back to Callisi. "Our Merchants and Ambassador are yet to meet with the Ledosians, officially. Once they have we will suggest they come speak to your crew with the authority to make trading agreements. Apologies. However, if you would like to meet up later and see what we may have to offer I can have one of my officers escort you?" He asked, "I will be recommending the fabricator dbase licences on that list don't you worry Miss Veera." He smiled.

Callisi watched the exchange and gave a slight nod. A twitch of an ear. A shifting of weight from one foot to another. There was an update being 'spoken' to Hideo at this very moment. What was being said, hard to really say, but to those that knew how to talk without talking... hand signs, nods, eye contact... a silent language.

"I'll let Shipmaster Hideo know to expect them. As for the fabricator licences, I'll be sure to set them aside for the delegates." it was an old marketing term to 'set something aside'. It didn't fully apply to digital content, but the intent behind the notion was still there. The preparation of doing business.

"As for the invitation..." she quickly looked over her shoulder towards the one in charge, Hideo, "Kabushiki o kengaku shite hoshī." and after a moment, Hideo smirked, "Koinjo o ataeru doresuappu" and everyone gave a snicker. Even Craglin, with its 'shoulder' mounted translator deciding that this particular rumble meant "Joined Mirth".

"I'd enjoy the chance to meet up." she stated simply, her ears softly at half-droop. Casual. Social.

"Excellent, until then have a great day to all your crew." Cronin said and repeated the greeting that Callisi did at the beginning of this encounter. He found the drooping ears so adorable and fought his urge to continue chatting. "See you and any of your colleagues if they join you later," he said and smiled. He gestured for Montoya, Nebuchadnezzar and the security officers Simon and Quinlan to follow as he walked away.

Callisi gave a soft smile, returning the greeting as a new form of farewell. "Looking forward to the chance to do business." she offered in response. As they walked away, a snicker broke out in the crew. It started simple, with just Hideo being amused at something. Then the others, then everyone. The Trilark in their encounter suit, whos name she couldn't properly pronounce without drinking water while doing it. The Slate, Craglin. Even her fellow sons and daughters of Ts'usu were all hip deep in a good time.

"Alright, alright, so I didn't make the sale now." she countered, but Hideo smirked, "Make sure you dress nice for your meeting." he teased. Craglin lumbered over from its stall to put a heavy hand on her shoulder, rumbling away. It was so hard to be mad, or flustered, when having a personal conversation with a Slate. They just rumbled in all the right ways. The translation device chirped up, "Soft.Ts'usugi.Good.For.Crew.Be.Happy." and she just smirked, "I'm fine Craglin. Thanks. I'll keep you guys posted if you're not joining. He did say you could.

A bubbling sound came from the Trilark, "But, we wouldn't want to interrupt your date." the fluiding being teased, and the laughter started up again. The suit raised its hands in an obvious submission pose, "Harmonize. Harmonize. No threat." he burbled, and everyone laughed, including Callisi this time.

"We'll catch up after lockup and after Station Security confirms the reactives are secured. Bilblioploplbob? Make sure she's got a current manifest to trade with." And the Trilark gave a nod. "Veera, take some time to get pretty." Hideo teased, and when Callisi shot him a look he surrendered. "Fine. Prettier." and with that, Callisi stepped back towards the docking ring, back to their merchant ship.

Raf had overstepped his bounds earlier in the conversation and after the Captain's redress, he had merely continued his observations, and scans of the area and the new lifeforms, and listening to the conversation as it unfolded.

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