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eBook Category: Science Fiction
eBook Description: Independent trader Salimander Smith has a plan to gain exclusive trading rights to six planets near The Core--an offer of a valuable military secret in the war against against a swarm of insect-like aliens.

eBook Publisher: Fictionwise.com, Published: Battlestation Book One, ed. David Drake and Bill Fawcett, 1992
Fictionwise Release Date: January 2004

36 Reader Ratings: Great Good OK Poor

Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [57 KB], eReader (PDB) [25 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [11 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [11 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [62 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [82 KB], hiebook (KML) [57 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [39 KB], iSilo (PDB) [9 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [12 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [40 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [19 KB]
Words: 3095
Reading time: 8-12 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED

"They'll ruin everything!" Salimander Smith shouted at the group gathered at the bar. "Can't anyone but me see it?" He glared at his companions. "You call yourselves traders? Hah! You couldn't sell umbrellas in a rainstorm!" He picked up his mug of Arskellian beer--provided to him gratis by the management of The Lonesome Tavern, since he was the one who'd imported it for them--and drained it.

"You're out of your mind," said one woman. "The Stephen Hawking's one big enormous ripe market waiting for us indies." She paused. "I hear it's got more than ten thousand personnel aboard. That's ten thousand reasons business is going to boom."

Smith looked at her with pity. "Delilah, my dear, you're as hopelessly ill-informed as you are beautiful." She glared at him, but made no reply. "I regret to inform you that a depressingly large proportion of that ten thousand consists of independent traders like ourselves. This ain't exactly the virgin market you think it is."

"But even if there are a lot of indies on board the Hawking, so what?" protested a tall man with a luxuriant beard and long, waxed mustaches. "We have the advantage of already knowing the territory. We've already got our contacts on the different worlds."

"If they're anything like your contacts, Davies," retorted Smith contemptuously, "I'd say the new competition hasn't got a thing to worry about. Made back your losses yet on that deal for Zanther goldfish skins? I'll bet Manderxx-The-Nimble laughed all the way to what passes for a bank on his world." The bearded man looked uncomfortable as the others hooted with laughter.