to have Hidden, Ugly One return to Hidden Planet to find a dealer permitted to trade. Then have licensed trader contact me to trade so we all have profit.”
Max hated this guy, but at least he was honest about only caring about profit. If Rick could get a fair price on his own planet, there wouldn’t be any reason for complicated schemes. Max leaned forward. “You will not see a penny of profit unless you help Rick get a fair price. If you don't deal with us directly, we will make a deal that requires any trader to leave you out of any and all compensation.” Max took his weapon off the floor and shoved it back into the custom holster.
“That is illogical!” That hit a nerve with the trader.
“No, that is vindictive,” Max corrected him. “And by the way, the correlation between human and vindictive is very high.”
“The hidden one requires compensation. He has ship registered to himself. Ships require resources to run them.”
Rick twitched, but he didn’t comment.
Max stood slowly. “Yes, ships are expensive. I’m thinking of taking up the transport business. After all, using his program I can move goods and people from one place in the universe to another much more quickly than anyone else. I can make a very good living, and enjoy giving all your competitors discounts while making you pay more. Human...” Max held up one hand. “Vindictive....” Max held his second hand up at the same height. Of course, Max had seen one too many episodes of Firefly to want to make his living that way. If they let strange people on their spaceship, they wouldn’t know what kind of trouble they were dragging along. However, the trader couldn't know that.
He stood on top of his bench. “Hidden One could sponsor me on Hidden Planet. You sponsor application so that I can trade on Hidden World. I will offer far more compensation than other traders on Hidden World would offer you. That would be successful for profits.”
“I think that's a no, especially since we have no guarantee that you would actually work with us after we got you the license. And, of course, you're assuming that we could get you a license, even if we wanted to.” Max held out his hand to Rick. Without hesitation, Rick slipped his tentacles into Max’s hand and rose on his central leg.
“I could not get license. Too few. Peoples do not like Hidden People and wish to minimize routes of profit.”
“Embargo,” Max said. “They have a partial embargo on your world, but they must recognize how good the Hidden People are at their work or they wouldn’t let anyone trade there. That means the program is wildly valuable.”
Max took a step toward Rick’s computer, but the trader stepped between. “How does improved weapon function?”
“You want technical specifications?” Max could do that. “You use a pulsed plasma system. The narrow beam at the end of the weapon expands to create a shock wave that damages or kills everyone in the path of the weapon’s fire. I took an idea my people had with the ionizing electro-laser, only I modified it to ionize a narrow beam then send the electrical current down that path. If you had twenty people standing in a line, I could kill one without doing more than giving the people on either side a mild shock.”
Max wasn’t sure how much of that translated. James’s understanding of technology and Max’s knowledge of Earth weapon’s systems had allowed them to create the new weapon, and all Max needed to do was convince the trader that he could make himself look like an expert in weaponry. “I have the file on Rick’s computer. We can register the improvements right now. You can buy the right to sell either the weapons or the plans for the weapons. But you need to introduce me to your buyers as someone new, someone who brings innovation to the table.”
“What table?” the trader asked.
Max sighed. Aliens. They were annoyingly literal.
Rick said loudly, “Humans perceive tables where there are none and find fluids of the body gross and undesirable. Twenty thousand credits for the weapon.”
“Five thousand. No one will purchase it. This is simple move toward establishing that humans are not morons.”
“Humans are not morons!” Rick said in an offended, trumpeting voice.
Max rested his hand on Rick’s mantle. “If you introduce me to buyers of weapons, I can impress them with the need to purchase weapons.”
“Humans are not impressive.” And there was