Chapter 7

The crowded marketplace was almost an assault to Daniel's senses, yet another part of him welcomed the chaos, as though he'd found another albeit small piece of the enormous puzzle that was his missing life. Although unfamiliar and unusual by themselves, the sounds of vendors shouting and customers haggling combined with the pungent odors of sweat, spice, smoke, and animal excrement to create a unique blend that resonated within him. Just as suddenly and familiarly came a rush of sensation: perusing neatly arranged tables of clothing in a cool, pleasantly-scented environment while a gentle voice offered assistance in shopping. The juxtaposition was extreme, yet each felt just as comfortable and recognizable as the other. Clearly, he'd been a man of many adventures in his other life.

"Oh, great," Vala sighed, drawing Daniel's attention to the portly man standing just inside the brightly colored tents toward which they were walking. "Looks like Andron beat us here with crystals."

Daniel tipped his head slightly, straining to hear the exchange. Clearly, it was not in the "common tongue", and yet he found himself recognizing snatches of the speech. It wasn't until the bald man talking to the trader Vala identified as Andron turned to his close-cropped companion that Daniel realized why the language sounded so broken.

"His speech is even worse than the quality of his crystals," Baldy complained. "I'm afraid that we're going to have to move on to another planet to find the greater starlight speed control crystals we need."

"And leave our ship here? No, Lu, we must stay here until the right seller comes along or Mai returns with the parts from her father."

"Vala," he began, catching her shoulder as she turned to stomp off. "We wouldn't happen to have any hyperdrive control crystals, would we?"

"They were the first things I salvaged," she admitted. "Why do you ask?"

He couldn't quite smother his grin as Lu turned around from "consulting" with his boss and resumed haggling with Andron in what could only have been a deliberately-poor rendition of the common tongue. "Well, I think that's what Lu and uh... Shao are hoping to buy, since they said 'greater starlight speed' control crystals and Andron's crystals just aren't up to snuff."

Vala's jaw dropped. "You speak Zhiangma?"

"Among other things," he smirked.

She whacked him hard across the arm, drawing a pained yelp. "Fine, you do all the talking, but translate everything they say back to me and don't offer any price but what I tell you to."

He shrugged. "Okay. So you want me to just interrupt, or--"

"Go!"

Working very, very hard to not grin like an idiot, Daniel stepped up to the tent entrance and cleared his throat. "Pardon my interruption," he began slowly, the words falling into place as he picked up speed, "but I couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be a communication problem here. How might I assist?"

It was a wonder Lu didn't get whiplash from jerking his head around to stare at Daniel. "You have come to translate for this merchant?"

"No, but for the woman with whom I travel," he replied, gesturing toward Vala. The portly merchant who had been attempting to schmooze the Zhiangma merchants levelled a glare at him, then at the dark-haired thief. "My name is Daniel, and my employer is Vala." Hearing her name, Vala smiled and nodded hello.

Shao waved dismissively at Andron, who gathered his wares and slunk off sulkily. "I am Liu Shao and my partner is Kien Lu. What goods do you offer?"

"A little bird told us you were looking for crystals," he began carefully. "As it so happens, my lady friend here recently acquired a number of them." He paused, then deliberately asked Vala, "What sort of crystals did you say you had again?"

One could never accuse the woman of being a slow thinker. "All sorts. Everything from simple power-regulation crystals to navigational data storage and hyperdrive control."

"I am not quite sure how to translate these into your language, but she said we offer--"

"There will be no need to translate," Shao interrupted, speaking the common tongue flawlessly, as Daniel suspected he might. "You have proven your skill at the language, Master Daniel." His eyes crinkled at Vala. "And clever are you for hiring a translator."

"He's my partner, but it so happens he knows a few useful languages," Vala grinned. "Now, I'm willing to sell any of these crystals you wish to buy."

Shao gestured grandly at a cluster of cushions gathered around a low table. "Shall we begin?"

The negotiations began in earnest, then, with Vala clearly in her element. The majority of her dealings were for weights of something called naquadah, but a trio of the red crystals were traded for a pair of zats. Finally, bartering was begun for the hyperdrive controllers, and even Daniel could tell the raven-haired woman's starting offer was high.

After a few counter-offers had been exchanged, Shao coughed lightly and looked directly at Daniel. "I don't suppose the same little bird told you which crystals we most needed, did it?"

He glanced at Vala. "I might have overheard something," he admitted.

The two traders exchanged astonished looks which segued into grins, drawing a questioning glare from Vala. "What did you tell them, Daniel?"

"Oh, Miss Vala," the bald trader chuckled, "your partner is so refreshingly honest!"

"Daniel..."

Before the tall man could open his mouth to reply, Shao cut in. "In truth, Miss Vala, we cannot afford the price you are asking, which is twice what these crystals are worth."

Vala shrugged. "We'll just go elsewhere, th--"

"--But as you are perfectly aware of our need, as Master Daniel has admitted, you are clearly in a much stronger position to negotiate, yes?"

The thief smirked. "Of course."

Shao leaned on the table. "We would like to offer you a job, instead." When Vala began to shake her head, he held out a hand to forestall her. "Please, hear me out before you decline."

"I'm listening," she replied.

"We have a third partner, one who is presently absent, attempting to acquire for us the parts for which you are so cleverly charging extra. Her name is Han Mai." Vala straightened visibly. "I see you are familiar with her father, yes?"

"Han Kazo?" The name meant nothing to Daniel, but that was hardly surprising.

"Correct. You are not entirely unknown to us, Vala Mal Doran."

Daniel felt his eyebrows raise, and a quick glance at Vala showed she was just as impressed. "You've heard of me?"

"We've heard it said you have, ah... 'nimble' fingers," Shao admitted. "A nimble mind, too, of course."

"Of course," she answered. "So... what does an agent of the great and powerful Han family want with little ol' me?"

"Master Han has been seeking a reliable expert to acquire certain... rare items for a number of years, now. Unfortunately, several of these artifacts have been hidden well, with only cryptic clues as to how to acquire them. That is where your partner comes in, of course. Are you able to read any of the languages you speak?"

"Yes," Vala replied quickly, before Daniel could admit he wasn't sure.

"Excellent. We will, of course, require a test of that ability."

"Of course," Daniel sighed, and hoped Vala's quick reply hadn't doomed whatever task they were being given.

"Unfortunately, our need for the crystals is great. Would you accept the word of the Han that you will be properly compensated for them?"

Vala raised a skeptical eyebrow. "That assumes I can trust your word that you are Han agents."

Shao sighed and reached into the neck of his shirt to draw an amulet over his head. "I understand you won't need a naquadah detector to verify its authenticity," he mentioned casually as he held it out for her examination.

Her face lips thinned. "So you have heard of me." She wrapped her hand around the pendant briefly, then nodded and released it.

Reaching across the table, he handed the amulet to Daniel. "I'll be wanting this back," he cautioned.

"Of course," Daniel agreed, glancing at Vala before accepting the jewelry. Since he was apparently the only person either party would trust, whatever the necklace represented obviously fell to him to guard. He peered at the face, tracing the raised lines representing honor, wisdom, and courage.

"Would Sarilis Camir be the best means to contact you?" asked Lu.

"Well-informed you are. And yes, she would be," Vala agreed. "So... how long before I--or rather we can expect to hear from you?"

"A day... perhaps two," Shao replied. "We have a ship to repair, first." He grinned at Daniel. "You are intended to wear that around your neck, of course."

Daniel felt his skin flush as he slipped the chain over his head, hesitated, then tucked the amulet under his shirt. "Sorry," he muttered.

"It is no matter," the man dismissed. "I can tell by your clothing and mannerisms that you are from one of the more agrarian worlds. You do not know the significance of the amulet, correct?"

"Not really, no," he admitted, though there were several logical conclusions he could draw from what he'd observed thusfar.

"The Han family is one of the oldest and most respected trade and... 'special interest' conglomerates in the galaxy," Lu began, "which is no empty boast or exaggeration. In order to protect the Han name, agents of the family are given these amulets to verify their identity. It contains a small sample of naquadah at its core, one which has been treated to emit very low levels of energy."

"Radiation?" Daniel recoiled, grabbing for the chain in a sudden flash of irrational fear.

"Harmless radiation," the bald agent soothed. "It allows our operatives to be easily verified by someone with a naquadah scanner or--" he glanced at Vala "--an acquired ability to sense its presence."

"That doesn't mean they can't be faked or stolen," the dark-haired thief remarked.

"True," Shao agreed. "However, reproduction requires a level of manufacturing expertise very few worlds have easily available... and stolen amulets do not stay stolen long. Master Daniel, while you wear that amulet, you are a representative of the Han family, and are held to the three tenets which guide us in our dealings."

"Honor, wisdom, and courage," he guessed, hand straying to the bump beneath his shirt.

"He reads that language, anyway," Lu grinned.

"We shall await your communication," Vala beamed, rising gracefully to her feet and scooping the spoils of her bargainings into her satchel. "Come along, Daniel... we have clothes to buy." Before he could formulate a protest, the surprisingly strong woman hauled him upright and dragged him outside the tent. Once they were a few paces down an alley, she spun to face him, grabbed him just behind the ears, and pulled him down for a brief but enthusiastic kiss.

"What?" he managed after she released him, feeling his face flush.

"That's for being your simple, sweet, irresistibly naïve self," she replied, tapping the end of his nose with her forefinger. "Now... let's go shopping! We can't have an agent of the great and powerful Han family looking like a peasant, now can we?"


Author's Notes:
//cringes at the inevitable shippy squees// But don't for one minute think everything's going to be sunshine and roses from here on out!