March: A Tale of Salmon and Swedes (The Glothic Tales Book 4) by Derek Haines Page B

the entire planet. Somehow, they get things done, when things need doing.’
    ‘So they command respect.’
    ‘No, not at all, as no one knows about them, or that they even exist. Well, except for a very few people.’
    ‘You, and?’
    ‘And a very select handful of presidents and CEOs of some of the biggest multinational corporations on Earth, but no political leaders of any countries. Well, except one politician who is not exactly a leader, but we’ll talk about him later, as he is my contact here in London.’
    ‘Then these are the people I need to talk to about precious metals, salmon and caviar exports, and arranging arms imports from Gloth.’
    ‘Perhaps, but all in good time, March. I think you need more than your few short hours on Earth to understand the complexities of doing business here.’
    ‘Right,’ he said, a little dejected at her rebuke. He sipped his coffee, which tasted too sweet for his liking, and reached into his jacket pocket for his THE. He tapped, Camera Stellata .
    No entries found.
    Then he tried, Star Chamber .
    No entries found.
    He then entered, money , and a long text explaining the monetary value system on Earth appeared on his screen.
    Money is a totally valueless commodity, which is nevertheless and strangely; insanely treasured by people who inhabit the planet Earth. They collect it with zeal and hoard it away in vast quantities: either under a mattress, or for those who worry a lot, in banks. Vast piles of the paper variety of money are stacked high in banks, which are considered among the most secure places on Earth. This habit is at odds with logic, as the paper is in fact absolutely worthless, until exchanged for goods or services. However, the only way to collect money is to provide goods or services. Wealth managers on Gloth have studied this system for many years, but cannot yet provide a logical explanation as to how it functions. They believe however, that the concept of using paper currency developed from Earth’s complete isolation from Gloth and its financial system, and therefore, had no knowledge of the EdErg Wealth Exchange. Due to this…..
    ‘Is that a new Apple, mate?’ a man’s voice over March’s shoulder asked, and quite startled him.
    ‘Uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t order any fruit with my coffee.’
    *****
    The EdErg Wealth Exchange is used throughout the Twelve Sun Systems of Gloth, apart from Earth that is, to complete financial transfers, transactions and credits between individuals, governing bodies, financial institutions and businesses. It goes without saying that the EdErg Wealth Exchange is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Glothic royal family, and therefore is one of their prime sources of wealth enhancement.
    It operates on a simple basis in that value is measured by units of time, and these units have a floating exchange rate. Fluctuations in daily exchange rates are based on economic factors such as an individual planet’s gross domestic production and credit rating as well as the length of its year.
    Under this system, all products and services are valued in denominations of Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Weeks, Months and Years. For multi-stellar corporation or government transactions, the Decade and Century denominations are often used. Transactions are made electronically via a Q’muniktor to ensure security, as well as fail-safe auditing. Every transaction though, is subject to a small fee, which while quite negligible, provides a never-ending stream of infinite income for Gloth and therefore, for the Gregorian royal family.
    The EdErg index value is often reported in Glothic media by using the simplistically based Curdll meter. The Curdll is a warm afternoon drink popular in cafés on most planets, and at last report it had a mean value of twenty-two Minutes. Another more upmarket index uses a glass of Fozzoxly as its unit measure, which comes in at a value of eleven Years, four Months and two Weeks. Give or take a few Days.
    In the days of