The Nathan Daniels Saga: Part 1 by Sam Lippert

from your last trip.”
    “How does he figure I owe him a dime?”
    “ He made you a perfectly reasssonable offer for your lassst cargo, but you ssselfisssshly sssold to sssomeone elssse.  you owe him for the profit he lossst.”  Ixlar waggled the gun.  “Let'sss go captain.  He wants you to pay in person.”
    From out of nowhere Remi flew into action.  Her first kick knocked the gun out of Ixlar's hand.  Her second swept the stool out from under him.  As he fell, Remi pinned his head to the bar, letting his body dangle from the neck.
    Nathan stared into the lizard's terror filled eyes.  'Poor sap thinks we are going to kill him,' he thought.
    “ I've got two messages for you to take back to your boss.  First, if he's not willing to pay top dollar for my cargo, then he doesn't get my cargo and I don't owe him a micro-credit!”  Nathan paused for emphasis.  “Second, if he wants me taken anywhere, he'd better send more than one stooge with a cheap gun!”  Nathan signaled to Remi.  She let go of the lizard's head, he fell to the floor and quickly scampered out.
    Nathan signaled to Floyd for two more whiskeys.  “I had things under control, you know,” he said to Remi as the ales appeared in front of them.
    “I seem to remember someone talking about 'do unto others',” she responded with a smile.
    “ Yeah,” Nathan grinned.  “So, thanks.”  They finished their drinks in silence.  After leaving the tavern, they went out to the marketplace, which literally surrounded the spaceport on Rhadasia.  as they wandered through the stalls, Nathan stopped and talked with every merchant who was dealing in Halifren gems to find out what they were paying.  Since Floyd's information was usually correct, he planned for their last stop to be Zantril's stall.  As they walked, Nathan explained cargo selection to Remi.
    “ As you know, Rhadasia has very little advanced technology, and little industry,” he explained.  “That means that nearly everything they export is handmade.  With their population problem, they are able to export no food, but there is no shortage of workers, so Rhadasia produces the best hand made goods in the sector.”  Nathan waved an outstretched hand, taking in many stalls.  The pair saw many hand crafted items for sale, leather goods, stoneware, wood carvings, sandals, rugs, clothing, etc. 
    “ So, how do you decide what to take?”  Remi asked.
    “ Well, first, the Nola 's hold isn't that large, so we need high value cargo.  What Rhadasia
    produces is high quality, but the problem is that items like this...”  He stopped at a booth and picked up some stoneware.  “Can only handle small mark-ups and aren't worth hauling very far.  Shorter hauls mean less profit.”
    At the next stall, Nathan's eyes lit up.  “One exception to that rule is this.”  He stopped, then at a stall of exquisite china.  Remi's eyes went wide, the china was more beautiful than anything they had at the palace.  “As you can see, Rhadasian china is pretty much the finest anywhere, and the further you can haul it, the better price it will bring.  The problem is that everyone knows that, so it's usually in short supply.  That raises the price.  Plus, with virtually every trader that comes here leaving with china, you increase the risk that someone will have just landed ahead of you with a load of china, and you can kiss your profit good-bye.”
    The pair continued to walk the market, inspecting the goods that were offered for sale.  In addition to looking at potential cargo, they also spoke with several potential buyers for their gems.  When they were almost to Zantril's stall, Nathan stopped, and Remi followed suit.
    “So, what cargo do you like, Captain?”  Remi asked.
    “ You just walked this entire market with me,” Nathan responded.  “What item did you see most of?  That'll be what we can buy for the best price.”
    Remi thought about it.  “Sandals.  I saw sandals