Risk and Reward

RISK AND REWARD: A FIGERO AND LARAMY STORY

One of the gambling halls of planet Bob’s equatorial metropolis Tychonia, 12:30 A.M. (planetside equivalent), January 10, 3886:

A lanky and bright-eyed Erkanch with a splotchy carapace named Figero puffed smoke from his mandibles after taking a long draw from a kelp-tobacco cigar. He looked down at his set of cards, just a semi-favorable hand. The Malluman beside him didn't look like she had a strong hand either based on the clear displeasure in her eyes. The strong jawed Haman they sat across from had a much different look on his face, a light grin at least. His poker face was non-existent. The Erkanch looked to the other side and saw the more plump Haman with the short mustache. He was sweaty, and not just from the gluttonous levels of food he had shoveled in his face not half an hour before this game commenced.

Yaxrya, the Malluman, finally hissed her disappointment. "I fold" she said as she dropped her cards "I'm not going to catch a case over a pile of money that's clearly not mine." She tapped the pommel of her waist-bound sword gesturing to her desire for a duel.

"Indeed, I think I should call it quits too" Porquin agreed, sadly revealing his pitiful hand. It was as Laramy Kandoros, the smirking Haman, began to castigate the two for their early folds. As he blathered about being fair sports Figero remembered that several aces had been drawn in the last round, and Laramy couldn't have had the skilled hand he was gloating about. "I'll stay in," Figero chirped and wiggled his antennae.

Laramy laughed "bold, but I appreciate your candor. This round is mine," as he placed his cards down it was clear he had won the game. Figero gently placed his own hand down to show the inferior score and drew another pull from his cigar. "You win again Laramy."

Laramy chuckled. "Thank you gentlemen, Madame." Yaxrya nodded to him as he took his pile of newly won chips to cash in. "It's a night for me."

"Of course," Figero said "shall we see you again tomorrow so you can take more of our money?"

"Oh come on, I can't win forever!" Laramy winked as he left.

Yaxrya and Figero left the table after Porquin bid them goodnight and left with his mistress a moment later. Yaxrya walked with Figero in the direction of the slot machines to pick up her own mate. As they walked they discussed the conduct of Laramy Kandoros.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was cheating" Yaxrya growled as she brushed her feathery tar-black head hair back and down with her clawed hands. "But like most psychics he tends to incur good luck."

"Luck is a two way street, that's what I've heard your priests here in the Empire say. It's its own dimension with good and bad luck being analogous to forward and backward. He just happens to have a lot of forward momentum."

"Theology and metaphysics isn't my strong-suit Figero. You'd be better off talking to Porquin about all that, or that Nebulan Queen you've been in contact with."

"How do you know about that Yax?"

"You must have forgot my clan has people everywhere," she smiled showing her teeth.

Figero nodded silently. He looked forward and saw a shorter, slimmer Malluman with long hair at one of the slot machines. "I think I see your concubine Yax." Figero pointed his upper right hand in his direction, and Yaxrya looked that way and grinned. "He's a reliable man. Make sure your own mate is reliable when you choose one."

"My people do things differently," Figero shrugged.

"Well then make sure your partners are reliable, particularly that Queen. Laramy is a reliable cheat, she is a reliable bit of cautious. My clan has done business with her hive, they make our handguns and they are our mechanics. They tend to be... well, reliable when they know a client has no other options."

"And an Erkanch like me often has few options in your Empire."

"An Erkanch like you has a lot of options if you know where to look," Yaxrya said as she stepped forward to grab her husband's shoulders. With a reptilian kiss on the cheek he got up sullen that he hadn't won and the two of them left the gambling hall. Figero on the other hand had business upstairs.

In a private parlor in the gambling hall:

Figero stepped into the dark room and immediately smelled the musty and sulfuric atmosphere change which made the air more comfortable for Nebulans. He slowly inserted a breathing tube into his nostrils so he wouldn't be totally disoriented. He realized it was only common courtesy to meet them here since they tended to wear breathing apparatuses in most of the mixed-species public spaces of the Empire.

Erkanch and Nebulans are both bug-like species with a key difference in body structure. The Nebulans walk on four spindly legs, have large abdominal sections and large wings, while having two clawed and fingered hands on two long folding arms. Their antennae rest where a human mustache might on their faces above their mandibles and below their eyes. The Erkanch however stand on only two legs, have a reduced abdomen in their pelvic region, and four usable arms and hands with four small fingers. Their antennae rest on their foreheads between their elongated eyes. The Erkanch are also mostly uniform in body type, while Nebulans are a caste-hive structured species, with "Queens", "Barons", and "Familiars" each having a variety of builds. So despite speciest comments Figero received from "mammalian" immigrants regarding their supposed similarity: structurally, and indeed culturally, the two species were quite far apart.

Particularly alien to Figero was the manner in which the Queen greeted him. He had heard something of it from his Haman associates who had regular dealings with the Queens but only now did he experience it. Two wide-eyed Barons and a set of diminutive familiars entered from a back room and examined him. The Barons he could tell from the slight buzz he felt were giving him a psychic scan. "I'm not a magi," Figero said politely. One of the Barons, an older one Figero could tell from his golden-pale chitin, waved his antennae before Figero's face. He chirped, but Figero did not hear words audibly. Instead in his head he got the message "We can tell. Sit still."

"The Queen comes" a different voice in his head spoke. He felt it was the younger one who had a redder layer of chitin on his face. Sure enough the Queen entered the room. She was carried on a sedan chair designed to bear her extended abdomen carried by six familiars and followed behind by two more barons. The Queens could be told apart by their antlers which grew with age. This Queen had fashioned hers to resemble trees and had decorated them with some of her home-world's richest flowers.

"Good to meet you at last Figero" she spoke into his mind.

"You as well, Jamona."

"We do not use Haman honorifics, though we are flattered. You may call me by my name: Oruleela."

"The pleasure and honor is mine Oruleela."

"You answered our anonymous ad on the Mercenary Guilds website. Why have I made a good decision in hiring you as my informant?"

Figero coughed, "as you may know, the Federation into which I was born trains some of the best covert agents in the galaxy. We do not just act as saboteurs and as agents of assassination but as informants. I was trained in that art. I rose through the ranks of the Almighty's secret service, Emsix. I left the service when I reached the end of my required service period. Since then I have taken work as a private contractor for several merchant guilds, both in the Federation and in the Empire. In particular I have been on several trips from here to Corovan."

"So you know our case then?" Oruleela thought in Figero's direction.

"I do my research" he clicked his mandibles with just a hint of pride. "I know that your hive Orumol has had a private conflict with the Haman Kess Kobol and his Kobol merchant family. Because of both of your connections in the Imperial Chamber of Commerce your feud has been at a standstill. And I know that a covert auction, being held here in Tychonia, is coming up regarding iron rich asteroids in the Markarther system. You want the planetary core asteroid labelled Mizar-15, and so does Kobol. But more than that, you and Kobol want settlement rights on the third world of Markarther. And that fight is tipped in favor of whoever gets the asteroid Mizar."

"You have done excellent research." Oruleela nodded with respect. "Most of this information is inaccessible to the general public, and only those in the Commerce chamber or on the black market have been informed that the auction is to be held here on Bob. Moreover, Kess himself has decided to come personally to attend the auction."

"Has he arrived?" Figero asked.

"Our agents in customs tell us that he is staying in Portalbin at a newly built villa. We don't know the house itself but we know the neighborhood, and Kess always displays his heraldry on his vehicles."

"What would you have your informant do, Oruleela?"

"Figure out if he has any allies at the auction, if he does he will be able to bid higher than we can reasonably compete without bankrupting our hive treasury. That is one thing you must find."

"What else, Queen?" Figero asked.

"You must also find out if he is planning any direct attacks on us. This we are afraid of, because now that my mother is dead I and my sisters have been fortifying our hives and building our familiars up. We are not as strong psychics as he is. Our mother could battle his mind, we cannot."

"You are aware that I am not a psychic."

"But you are Erkanch. You and your people might not have the connection with the Holy Ghost that we do, but you all have a higher tolerance for its effects. You do not suffer aneurysms when snared by a magi's mind."

"I'll need a psychic to assist me then, so I can have some protection. Will one of your baron's join me?"

"No, they would be recognized, but you know a psychic strong enough."

"Laramy, you've been talking with him too haven't you?" Figero said with his antennae perking up. Oruleela chirped what was apparently a laugh. "We weren't going to hire just one agent," she said.

"Well... at least it's someone I know," Figero said. "What is the date of the auction? We need time to act. Was it going to be on the 31st?"

"It's been moved to the 3rd of next month" Oruleela nodded. "You and Laramy have two weeks to scout out Kess and his intentions. Find his partners, and let us know if he plans to try something against me or Hive Orumol."

"You have my word Oruleela" Figero said with respect. He felt her say that she would give him the map to Kobol's villa in the morning, and recommended that he should get some rest. He obliged her request and left the room.

Now in the hallway again and heading for the stairs, Figero took out a fresh cigar and struck a match on the wall to light it. Taking a draw as he stepped down the stairs he thought to himself that the pay he'd be getting from this job would be more than enough to make up from losing to Laramy these past three nights. Though he also thought about what Laramy was being paid and cursed him as a cheat.

The Next Day:

It was the next day outside the gambling hall in the bright morning daylight of Kang, formerly known as Tau Ceti. Figero stood with his back leaning on the wall of the building as he watched the passersby. Before him walked a menagerie of the galaxy’s residents and seekers of a brighter future on the planet hailed as the “Clean Slate Paradise”. Most were the five common species of the Empire, several were Erkanch and Vom immigrants from Figero’s home Federation, but Endelites and Slugs and others from far afield could be seen all over the street. The variety of body types was enough to make Figero ponder the variety evolution could produce, specifically a five limbed and almost imbalanced family who walked by on the way to a breakfast restaurant nearby.

It was during this contemplation that Laramy appeared from within the crowd. He was whistling a tune to himself as he casually strolled in the Erkanch fellow’s direction. Figero noted that like most Hamans he was upright in posture, but something about him made him seem like he stood not entirely at his full height. Laramy wore a brown vest over a light blue shirt and tight jeans, which contrasted with the dark green tailed coat and white striped pants that Figero wore.

Figero nodded to Laramy who responded with a “Good afternoon Sir.”

Standing next to him Laramy whispered “So I hear we have the same employer now.”

“That’s right” Figero replied “and she sent me the map to the place in Portalbin this morning. We just need to get out there.”

“We can take the rail line, but it doesn’t leave until mid-day. I suggest we get some grub and make a plan for ourselves.”

“Sure, thing but let’s eat closer to the station,” Figero said, motioning for Laramy to walk with him. They walked together for a while down the busy foot road. There were not many cars in this part of town, so this street and others were designated for foot traffic. Coming to a car and bus filled street they made a left and continued down toward the monorail station that would take them halfway across the planet toward Portalbin.

After almost an hour of walking they came to a small diner set in a larger building. They ducked in through the door and found a family of Yorms running the restaurant with a large Ombroj chef. They sat at the bar and ordered breakfast entrees, donuts, and drinks. Laramy got a black coffee while Figero got a sugary energy drink mix.

After taking a sip of his drink Figero sighed. “Do you know much about Kess? I’ve only been able to learn a couple of things about his personal life and most of it relates to his family’s work history.”

“Yeah, they’ve been with IRDaC for five generations.” Laramy nodded as he messed with his plate of food. “They’ve mostly stayed in Hamesol and Kentauri, but Kess thinks himself a visionary. He sees the frontier as the best way to make money, and the more asteroids he can have his contractors mine under his name the more shareholding percentage he can gain. Most of the core-worlds asteroids have been bought up so many of the shareholders look to the new systems. Markarther’s bids are going to be kind of high stakes.”

“Why do he and Hive Orumol have a conflict?” Figero asked. “From what I could tell it was because they have conflicting interests, and they were both around I’yrcon at the same time.”

“I think it has something to do with that. There must have been a tussle over some resource or another. It must go back a while though because there wasn’t much news about it. Either way, we need to worry about what Kess is planning to do now. I hear he has a significant force of guards made up of clones, typical for one of his rank. They buy out a bunch of clones to work for them and can pay them less, it’s disgraceful.”

“Having a lot of guards means we will need an in. Do you know anybody who works for him that we might get on our side?”

“Are you kidding? Of course, I don’t. I’m sure Kess has enemies but I think we are better off playing it covertly at a distance.”

A Refueling Station Outside of Kess’s Neighborhood:

Having taken the rail line out of Tychonia to Portalbin and a taxi from Portalbin to an unassuming convenience store, the two spies were buying roller dogs and sodas when they saw a Haman with a blond bowl cut and robotic eyes enter the store. Watching from the back the two looked at each other and acknowledged that this was one of Kess’s cloned employees. They could tell from the black upside-down pyramid he displayed on his silver-white jumpsuit.

Laramy and Figero pretended to talk about some show they had just watched for a few moments until the clone had bought his drinks and a pack of cigarettes and left the store. They waited for about five minutes before walking out themselves. They watched as a blue and white car driven by the clone pulled out from the electric refueling pods. As it drove off, Figero mindlessly tossed a small bug-like instrument from his lower-left hand. It attached itself to the vehicle as it sped away and into the neighborhood.

“Now we wait till he gets back,” Laramy smirked.

“He might not go straight back to the house, but he will park nearby, and that should be enough for us” Figero corrected.

“Of course,” Laramy sighed, “so I guess we should commence walking?”

“Why not?” Figero said. And the two of them followed in the direction the car went off.

The two walked into this neighborhood which was clearly the domain of the upper-middle or upper-class folks who moved to Portalbin. It was a large neighborhood with many twisting and turning streets, and it was dominated by small still growing trees among large almost palatial houses. Every now and then the two would pass by a group of kids playing ball or engaging in general hooligan activities outside of their parents’ homes. The kids paid little mind to the strangers, and the two men did not bother the kids, except when an errant kickball flew their way and Figero chucked it back to the kids with a chuckle.

Figero could smell the sea as they approached the waterside homes. Laramy breathed in the air and said “this world’s got good salt, a lot like my home world.”

“And where do you call home?” Figero asked.

“I was born on the planet Namur, in the Tomas-Aquarius system” he replied “spent most of my early life there before moving to I’yrcon for a while and then out here about a year ago. Though I’ve been to Corovan and Gamma a couple of times, and I took a pilgrimage to Old Hame and Edom with my family when I was a kid.”

“I see, is Namur a lot like Bob? Or like Hame for that matter?”

“Hame is a lot dryer than both Namur and Bob. Though they all have different biomes. Namur has a few beautiful mountain ranges where the air is dry and cold, but the archipelagos and the lowlands are where I grew up and the fog rests among the green hills and forests for half the day. Bob, at least on this part of the planet, is more like a swamp and a plain. It’s a very flat world above the sealine.”

“It reminds me of my homeworld Orkin. It’s also very flat and very wet” Figero admitted.

“I’ve never been to any of the Federation worlds” Laramy wondered out loud “is this the sort of place that Erkans find comfortable?”

“It’s certainly not harsh” Figero said “And we do like our star’s orange, this one is pretty close to Hebni.” He said this as he pointed up at the star, like Laramy couldn’t see it himself.

“Fair enough” Laramy shrugged, and then he paused. “Look ahead,” he said quietly. Figero looked forward and noticed like his ally a pair of the clones, with blond bowl cuts just like their compatriot, walking along the sidewalk nonchalantly. Figero and Laramy decided not to draw attention to themselves by running away since now they were too close to evade and simply walked by. The two clones simply continued their walk and the two agents nodded at them in greeting. The clones responded politely.

After they walked several paces Figero whispered to Laramy “they must have been out for a stroll.”

“Right, we are close,” Laramy replied. He seemed terse. Figero was surprised at this. As he was looking around at several of the homes nearby to see a sign of Kobol’s residence Figero said that “I’m so used to seeing you over confident that to see you… cautious is kind of interesting Laramy.”

Laramy turned to him and smirked “my confidence comes from knowing I’m gonna win.”

“So, you do cheat at cards then” Figero cocked his head.

“No! Who says?” Laramy objected.

“We’ve been taking bets” Figero chirped “me and Yaxrya.”

“Well whoever bet in favor of me playing fair should win money. I just have a strong intuition.”

“With your folk that means you are cheating with psychic powers.”

“That is baseless libel and you know it.”

“Ha! Do I?”

“In cards, I know how to read people, reading people tells me the strength of their hands. I don’t need my psychic influence to give me an upper hand. In those situations, I can accurately manage my risk and reward. In a situation like this it’s a little harder.” His speech was close to the same as when he was calm, but Figero could tell that Laramy was almost fuming at this point.

Continuing, Laramy said “I can’t measure the mood of a man I cannot see. And until we find Kess I’m not going to be able to read him.”

“And then once you read him, you’re going to do what exactly? Can you use your psychics then since you DON’T use them at cards?”

“Well yes, hopefully. Although I hear Kess is a good psychic himself, he might be stronger than me, and that scares me. I’ve never had to fight a stronger psychic than me.” He said, and muttered “at least not at gambling.”

“Ah ha, well I trust you. But,” Figero groaned.

“But what?” Laramy rolled his eyes.

“I owe Yaxrya some money if you didn’t cheat.”

Laramy slapped Figero lightly on his upper right shoulder, and Figero wiggled his antennae in laughter.

Continuing their jaunt through the upscale neighborhood Figero and Laramy remained indistinct. Other residents of the neighborhood passed them by politely on walks with their pets or alone in exercise gear. Eventually, the two came upon a villa with walls plastered in a fine granite paint bearing the insignia of Kess Kobol on the gate. Figero and Laramy both saw there was a cavalcade of vehicles in the driveway, not all of them property of Kess’s.

“He must be having a meeting,” Figero chirped. “Those are fancy cars.”

“Damn. We can’t snoop while there’s a whole party at his house!” Laramy said.

“Quiet,” Figero said, looking around “think of it to me.”

And the two of them communicated silently about two houses down from Kess’s new villa. They decided a direct spying approach was probably not best. A more indirect way of gathering information must be taken.

After some debate about the details, they silently agreed to pretend to be representatives of a Lord on Hame. Laramy and Figero recognized some of the vehicles and knew none of them belonged to the person they were claiming to represent. They picked a safe lord from the roster of Commerce Chamber members who they knew was back on Hame.

Coming to the front door of the villa they knocked lightly, and one of the bowl cut clones approached. Staring at them with orange-brown eyes he said, “Are we expecting you?”

“You should be sir” Laramy said in an authoritative tone “we are Lord Patabon’s representatives. We are here to talk with Kobol.”

A voice from the back rang out in a baritone “did I hear Patabon’s name?” Just then the golden tan and red haired Kess Kobol appeared staring at them with steely eyes and a grin. “Do come in fellows, its alright JO-3, let them in.”

The clone stood aside, and the two entered undisguised except for their mission and their identities. Mick and Jeph were the pseudonyms they gave themselves for this visit. Kess was delighted to see them to their surprise. He told them how much Lord Callixtus Patabon’s support meant to him, and he was happy to have his aides in his new home.

Figero as Mick said to Kess “He is sorry that he is not able to make it to auction, a family matter came up.”

“Oh yes, that damn brother of his Pierre no doubt.”

“Yes” Laramy as Jeph acknowledged. “Another incident with the High Clerics.”

“He really must control himself. But I’ll be happy when Callixtus is able to appreciate the success I’ll doubtlessly receive in the auction. Come here, I was just going back to billiards with my other guests, do join us in the room.”

The inconspicuous Mick and Jeph followed. Laramy noted to Figero mentally that Kess was in a good mood tonight, he was usually dourer according to what he knew from the Chamber of Commerce.

Entering the game room, they found two other well dressed individuals who stood out against Kess with his black cape and leather overcoat that he wore indoors. There was the tall greyhound-faced bald man who was introduced by Kess as Adamar Vleshir of Cereon. He wore a purple and orange checkered vest over a jumpsuit in green, and the vest was studded with sapphires like the rings on his hands. A plump and fluffy golden-bearded man stood beside him in a black velvet coat with a red and white striped undershirt. He stood a foot shorter than Kess and had a pig-like nose and beady eyes. He was introduced as Hukman Sontaire. Mick and Jeph claimed to recognize them from the chamber of commerce, and they agreed saying they had done business with Lord Patabon before. “I didn’t know he hired your kind, '' Hukman snorted. “All the same, good to have ye.”

“Much obliged Mon Sontaire” Mick said with a wiggle of the antennae.

Adamar and Kess engaged each other in a game of billiards. Knocking the balls back and forth, Adamar said “you have my full support. I’ll be bidding on some of the smaller rocks, but when it comes to Mizar-15, I’m willing to give you 20 million tops.”

“Deal,” Kess smiled “I don’t think we will need to go higher than that.” Striking red 10 into the corner pocket he rose and said “but… if Orumol Hive gets the support of the Proximian’s party…”

Adamar sighed “Twenty. Million. Gold.” Chalking his cue, he tilted his head to look at Kess who missed his next strike. “I don’t see how they’re going to even get the Proximians, let alone raise more than eighty million.”

“You would be surprised,” Kess said with a scowl standing up straight. “I’ve had unfair dealings with both in the Imperial Core.”

Adamar sighed again as he lined up his cue. “They’re more likely to bid against each other.”

Kess looked at him coldly. “Okay. Don’t be surprised when they upset the balance of the auction.” Adamar missed his shot. Figero and Laramy took note of this exchange.

The game progressed and they spoke more until Kess won the match. This put a smile back on his face. Kess turned to the new guests and said, “Hey Mick, do you play billiards?”

“I’ve done so once or twice.”

“Well come, let me show you how it's done. This was designed for beings with two hands, so I’ll have to ask you handicap yourself.”

‘Mick’ raised his lower set of arms and clasped them behind his back. With a shrug he said “Does this work?”

“It should,” Kess chuckled. He had re-triangulated the balls and asked Mick to take the first strike. Figero did so and sent the balls flying, a purple striped ball went in the middle pockets. Feigning ignorance, Figero asked what this meant for him, and Kess instructed him to keep playing and aim for stripes.

Figero got a lucky shot on the green stripe. Then he missed the next and Kess went to his turn aiming for solids.

“Let us talk shop Mick, Jeph, I always think better on my feet” Kess grinned at them both. “What will it take for ol’ Callixtus to give his unwavering support to my claims in Markarther?”

“Aside from you winning the auction for Mizar-15?” Figero clicked.

“Of course,” Kess grinned.

“Jamon Patabon would feel… doubly inclined… to support your claims on the system if you discontinue the feud with Hive Orumol.”

For about three seconds they could have heard a pin drop. Kess’s grin was gone.

“Do you hear this Adamar? Callixtus Patabon insults my intelligence.” Taking his shot, Kess nearly missed, but solid orange went in the hole near it with a lazy spin.

Moving to another side of the table Kess stared at Figero with steel blue eyes as cold as ice. “The feud does not end on easy terms. The Old Queen may, she fester in her tomb, insulted my father. Her daughters insult me. It would take more than the support of even an Apostolic Lordship to end our rivalry.”

“His position is the key issue,” said Laramy from the back of the room. “He wants to give you his support, but in his office, he cannot be seen to support you over a Nebulan Hive cartel due to your rivalry. It would lead to the other Queens in the Chamber of Commerce feeling slighted by a psychic lord, the only ones they see as equals.”

Kess looked back at Jeph and struck his next shot, which would have entered the nearby pocket but for a midway curve to the far end of the table. Jeph didn’t take his eyes off Kess.

“So, he wants me to end the feud to clear his own conscience. What about mine sirs?” Kess stirred silently with anger.

“He has it from one of the barons of that hive that if you discontinue the feud out of mercy, that Orumol hive might relent in the feud themselves, and in their claims on the third world.”

Kess was silent, Figero stood tableside with hands clasped behind him to take his next shot. A lucky double strike with two of the stripes entering separate pockets. Turning to hit red stripe into the back corner the character of Mick said, “They would accept generosity.” A lazy hit and red stripe just missed its mark. Mick hissed some disappointment at that.

Kess grinned again. “Generosity you say… Well, I am not lacking in it. But I want proof.” He lined up his cue and struck solid yellow into the middle pocket. “You will tell your master to get me proof of their willingness to end the struggle. I want to see it, you hear?”

Mick nodded “you play a firm hand Mon Kobol.”

After the Gathering:

They had left the party sometime after that billiards game and got themselves a cab to the maglev station. They had both imbibed some but not extensively and were able to keep their wits. Now they sat together silently. “You don’t think he suspected anything do you?” Figero said. “You’ll remember I don’t have your skills.”

“I had a shield up. That’s why I only talked a bit” Laramy replied. “It’s useful for things like this where identities need to be masked. He thought we were who we said. But we came close to being found out. He is strong.”

“I hope he doesn’t call on Jamon Patabon to confirm the story.”

“No, he will believe it” Laramy said “the tabloids tell me they’re not really on speaking terms right now.”

“And what about that billiards board?”

“Oh that? He was cheating… but so was I” Laramy sighed.

“I knew it!” Figero said almost with pride.

“Hey now” Laramy cautioned “don’t go spreading stories. I wasn’t about to risk your own reputation on a game of pool.”

“I appreciate the gesture,” said Figero with gesticulating antennae.

“Don’t mention it. Really.” Laramy smirked.

Three hours past Noon on Bob, In the backyard tea house of Yaxrya:

That crocodile hiss like laughter of the Werox rung through the Clan-Keep hall. It mixed with the strums of Sannish lutes being played by two of Yaxrya’s concubines.

“Unbelievable,” she said. “You two, managed to waltz into his villa and made him agree to a tenuous peace?”

Laramy took a drink from a shallow tea dish that was his, while Figero lounged on the felt cushions under his arms. The Erkanch chirped “That’s exactly what happened, and Oruleela just needs to deliver the sign of peace and he won’t cause her trouble.”

Yaxrya snorted “if I didn’t know you both for such poor hands at gambling I’d say you both were swindlers.”

“I take offense to that,” Laramy said with a snide grin. “What was so stupid about our plan? We found out who he’s planning to try to ally with for the auction, Oruleela needed that information so she could counter-bid.”

“But now you’ve involved another party, Jamon Patabon. Sure, he has no kind of interest in this auction, but suppose Kobol looks to get more solid support for him. What if he asks about his faithful agents? Your plan had too many holes, and I’m surprised a psychic like Kobol didn’t see through you all.”

“You can thank Laramy for that,” said Figero, raising his cup to his partner.

“Yes, you can,” Laramy laughed. “I nearly gave myself an aneurysm, by the Ghost!.”

Yaxrya smiled at him toothily “I knew you were an active psychic.” She stood and walked up to her musical mates and instructed them to put on the record player and to bring them more to drink. Pouring the last of the present jug for herself and her guests she said: “I take it you both will be attending the auction?”

“I don’t see why we should” Laramy said “We’ve got no standing with the magnates.”

“But it’ll give you a chance to see how your mission played out! Surely you want to see if Oruleela is benefitting from your work?”

“We have been paid already” Figero said “it can't hurt to show our support.”

“But Kobol will be there and he will recognize us. Plus, Figero, you don’t know how these big wigs of the Empire do things. Dirty politics and all that.”

“The Federation has its own share of that Laramy. I’ve left one pigsty for another it seems.”

“You really have,” Yaxrya laughed. “I was going to go sit in the spectator seats, you both can come with me if you don’t want to get directly involved.”

Figero shrugged, “I think I will consider it.”

“Well if you’re just going to consider it, I’m going to sleep on it” Laramy sighed, and took another sip of his drink.

“You’ll have plenty of time for that,” Yaxrya said. “The auction doesn’t occur for another week.”

One Week Later, In the Ballroom Garden Palace of Tychonia, Planet Bob:

It was not a voluminous congregation, but it was not by any means a small one either. The bulk of the crowd who entered and meandered through the glass and prismatic granite arches of the garden palace were servant-hosts to the wealthy auctioneers and the middling speculators of the stock markets who could afford the trip and a seat in the audience balcony.

Werox Yaxrya Yonamey was one of the second group. Since she and her clan lived on Bob the trip cost was much less for her. The ticket for her party cost her two of her prized thoroughbred racing animals. She was accompanied by her senior concubine Juhanisorr, and their eldest daughter Vorkyra, who Yaxrya was grooming as an heir. They were joined by Figero and Laramy and the whole party was dressed in flashy formal clothing common to their people. Both Laramy and Figero wore the long ankle-length robes their people prefered, the Haman in baby blue and the Erkanch in indigo and green. Yaxrya and her family wore their clan tartan kimonos, fully adorned with their personal sabers.

They silently made their way up the stairs among the speculator capitalists to the balcony. Yaxrya's seats were not on the edge, but provided a good enough view to see the round ballroom in full.

Below them was a two tier crescent of couches surrounding a central floor, with a hologram projector taking up the centerpoint of the room. At the "stage" of the room, across from the doors the auctioneers were entering from, sat the officiator: Lord Bart Sybon. Asking about the man's identity, Laramy informed Figero that: "He is part of the nobility from Old Hame and has been influential both as a student of the grand master psychics and an influential shareholder of IRDaC. His mother is also a cousin to some of our Sage Council and a high ranking diplomat."

"Fascinating" Figero thought to himself. He could not guess at the full depth of Sybon's influence.

Both of the gamblers saw their employer, Oruleela, enter the room among fifteen other Hive Queens and their attendant barons and familiars. They wore the robes of their hive and their special incantations over their atmospheric suits. Oruleela sat comfortably upon one of the couches as her two leading barons stood at her side, with familiar Nebulans attending to their wants.

Several Haman auctioneers were entering the room as well. Among them was the black robed and stern-faced Kess Kobol. Figero turned to Laramy knowingly "Do you think he found out?"

"That look says Patabon might have informed him that he had no agents here..." Laramy looked concerned. Figero brushed it off.

They also took note of Adamar Vleshir standing by Kess's side, and a group of ethereal and starry eyed Hamans approaching Oruleela on the other side of the room. "They must been the auctioneers from Erra, the Proximians," Laramy pointed them out to Figero "they're monk types devoted to the study of the spirit. They probably want to set up a shrine in Markarther and want her help."

They also saw the stout Hukman Sontaire in his finest red and green silk and velvet standing in the center of the room. He didn't talk to anyone, but simply nodded to Kess. Figero took note of this.

It took twenty five minutes before Sybon finally ordered the doors closed and the auction to commence. He began with a short speech on the system itself:

"It has never until this day been my pleasure to offer up the wealth of a whole star system, and I am especially honored to be among the cream of the Imperial elite. May we live by Balazar's word and act with honor toward one another here. The Markarther system was cataloged in the year 3872 by the colonizers of the Castor Dominion, and in the last decade the agents of IRDaC's resource scouting teams have proceeded with extraction and industrial zoning grids. Consequently: I have thirty-nine substantially sized asteroids, each unique in composition, to offer you ladies and gentlemen this day. I also have fifteen clusters of small asteroids and twenty-six inner-system comets to offer you today. For those of you who win and purchase, the first round of rights to colonize the planets of the Markarther system will be extended in a first-come first-serve manner by the agents of IRDaC and overseen by the government of Castor. The money earned at this auction will go toward the funding of colonization resources for the pioneers of Markarther. Now, without further detail, let me commence the auction with the asteroid clusters..."

Figero and Laramy watched as the auctioneers bid on the locations. The clusters received sparse bids, except for one called 66-Phisori-Adama, which Yaxrya told Vorkyra was rich in space titanium alloy. The others had been leaked by the speculators to be metal-poor. The comets went quicker due to rich water and plasma reserves, along with precious gem speculations. The last one in particular, MKR-ISC-026, sparked a bright shouting match between a Nebulan baron and two Haman lords which Sybon separated by Telekinesis. This sparked a chuckle from Figero. Kess even won a small comet rich in jewels, MKR-ISC-018, for cheaper than many were expecting.

Figero was also taking in the people around him. Many of them were more focused on their tablets and data-sets than they were the auction itself. Many were meticulously typing out the results to leak to the Stock Markets. Speculators in the Empire would doubtlessly want to know who owned what pieces of rock in the new system. Even Juhanisorr was regularly checking his wrist-bound device for stock market data, and he whispered some details to his chieftain-wife. Figero knew that some of his own countrymen were among the crowd, and were probably letting the market-players of the Federation know everything that was happening here. He recognized some of the "in the open'' spies by certain marks that Mind Imperials weren't wise to yet. There was one truly disguised agent of the Federation itself in the back of the hall, posing as a janitor.

Frankly, Figero was glad he was retired. He saw his former coworkers as overworked and over-attentive busybodies more than anything else. The Federation was never going to crack the Empire. And moreover they were becoming too codependent as stellar-states. While some conspiracy nuts and political theorists might think this spying was truly a threat, Figero knew better because he knew his people in all their contradictory strategy and incompetence. He was silently amazed how similar Homo-Sapiens were in these regards to the Erkanch. His new friend and gambling partner Laramy had taught him that, mostly unintentionally.

Finally, the auction made it to the large asteroids. For some, which Figero felt were probably also mineral-poor, only one or two auctioneers stood to challenge for the bid. Most of them went quickly. Then some, the richer and heavier sort, went with more of a debate of rising prices. An ice filled and mostly rounded asteroid had five challengers and went for 170 million gold credits. It wasn't long before the hologram of Mizar-15 appeared in the center of the room.

It was a long, cracked, and cratered thing. Mizar-15 was described by Sybon as "the core remnant of a failed planet. This asteroid is loaded to the surface with precious high pressure minerals. Magnetic minerals at that. This is a fine prize, and it will start at 3 million gold credits."

The auctioneers were silent for a moment until Kess began by offering 5 million gold. Oruleela challenged with 7 million. He raised it to 9, and she in kind raised it to 12 million. He went to 15, she to 18, and he again raised it to 25 million. It continued to rise, and Figero saw Adamar pitch in his twenty million. Oruleela got the support of the Proximian monastics and they scaled up to 100 million quickly. Eventually it rested at 155 million gold, well to the brink of what Laramy and Figero knew Hive Orumol had to spare in its treasury.

They both watched the floor attentively, and it seemed that Kess would have won the auction. However, Hukman Sontaire walked to Oruleela and whispered at her antennae. She replied before Sybon could count that "We will raise our bid to 200 million." At this Kess threw down the auction fan to the floor in anger. Adamar backed away from his ally. Sybon asked the floor as he walked around the hologram if there were any more challengers. "Going once! Going Twice!...... Congratulations Madame Oruleela, Mizar-15 is yours."

Some clapped, some grumbled, the speculators typed hurriedly. Figero and Laramy were pleased for their boss. Yaxrya grinned. "You boys must carry luck with you." It wasn't long till the auction was over after that.

As the group following Yaxrya descended the staircase to the entrance foyer, they saw Kess standing tall and stern waiting for someone. Oruleela and her attendants appeared from the door, her lower ranking barons and familiars carrying her on a liter. She chirped at him, "Our arguments are over a century old. Surely we can dispense with it here Kess, we mean you no harm."

He sighed, Laramy and Figero could feel his displeasure from their vantage point twenty feet away. He looked the Hive Queen in her eyes and said "I have no personal enmity with you Madame. We are simply competitors. I... am not one who forgives easily, but I think now that this is over, and I know who my solid partners are..." he said looking at Hukman "... that we can look toward making Markarther a livable system together." He extended his hand to shake, and Oruleela offered her claw.

This brought a slight grin to Figero's mandible, and he looked to Laramy and said "looks like we actually were successful." Laramy nodded to him and thought in his friend's direction: "Hukman was bought by Oruleela and the Proximians, he's a devout man. Kess didn't have a strong hold on him anyway. This is a peace of convenience."

"Wonderful," Figero whispered. The two quickly left following Yaxrya and her family so Kess wouldn't turn and see a set of familiar faces promising the aid of a powerful noble.