Page 8 of Taming Chaos

Her reaction was perfect. Perhaps she knew that Ephrenians reacted poorly to public displays of anger.

“We can conserve time and save unnecessary trouble by informing you of our current requirements.”

“Go ahead.”

“Fifty plasma guns are now available to you for the previously agreed total sum of credits.”

Plasma guns! So these humans were wanting to upgrade their hardware? General Tarak would definitely want to know about this, and he would not be pleased.

“Half the stock for the same price?” The angry man reacted with predictable outrage. “You can’t just double the price. That wasn’t the agreement. We ordered a hundred units.”

Careful.

Torin sensed the Ephrenians’ ploy. The tactic wasn’t unique to them. It was typical intergalactic trader shit, the old bait-and-catch.

Torin had been around. He’d traveled far and wide throughout the Nine Galaxies. He understood how it worked.

First, the seller offered the mark something they desperately desired. In this case, the humans wanted to acquire plasma weapons. Torin could see the logic in that. By galactic standards, their military hardware was terribly outdated.

Then, the mark was lured to a place where they would be at a significant disadvantage, a place that was difficult to get to and even more difficult to get out of. A place they wouldn’t want to visit twice. Case in point, Zarhab Groht.

Once the mark was on said turf and feeling decidedly insecure, the seller would withdraw the offer, leaving the buyer stranded.

Stranded, insecure, confused, and desperate, the buyer would try and salvage the deal. That state of mind could lead to some rash decision-making.

Buyer beware.

Torin wanted to go up to the humans and give them a sage piece of advice: walk the fuck away.

But he couldn’t afford to blow his cover.

The Ephrenians would go nuts. He could get these humans killed and compromise his mission. Torin might be near-invincible, but he couldn’t be everywhere at once. There was bound to be collateral.

“A hundred units are still available,” the Ephrenian said, his words soft and deliberate, “but the price has gone up.”

The female spoke. “This is only a sample order. If the product suits our requirements, we’ll be wanting to acquire many more units… at the right price. The Earth Federation is looking for a supplier to fulfill a long-term arrangement.”

She’s perceptive, measured, calm. Torin liked her approach, but basic negotiation wouldn’t cut it in a place like Zarhab Groht. Tactics that were more likely to be effective here included: theft, blackmail, death-threats, and murder.

As a Kordolian, Torin knew all about those, especially the latter.

The Ephrenians remained silent. Bastards. They were really dragging this out, just because they could. Humans didn’t exactly inspire fear throughout the Nine Galaxies, and here they were at a significant disadvantage.

The angry male spoke, rising to their bait. “Name your price. We are open to negotiation. I want those units, all one hundred of them.”

“The new arrangement is this: fifty guns for the original amount of credits. A further fifty can be provided if you enter into an employment contract with us.”

“Employment?” A hint of eagerness entered the man’s voice.

The female was more cautious, whispering to her counterpart in English. With his acute hearing, Torin caught every word. “I’d suggest you slow down, Agent Markov. This is really quite unorthodox. Why would the Ephrenians want humans working for them? Something smells off to me. We should walk away, take some time to cool off, and reconsider.”

“Is this a fucking joke, Winters? I don’t like doing things half-assed, and I’m not going to sit around and wait while some other asshole buys up our supply. I’m not leaving here without everything I came for.”

“We shouldn’t rush into this. Culturally, they—”

“Winters, I don’t care about your cultural bullshit. This is a business transaction, not a fucking alien love-in. My orders are to secure the weapons at all costs.”

“I think this is a test, Markov. They’ll interpret our actions as weakness.”

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