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'Vasque is the largest trade center in USS, you can find anything here. But Odllano is the fun part of it.'

Portney said so to Baron in elevator on the way to there.

'I think I've seen enough, Captain.'

Baron responded with not much passion, cause he's really tired. Seldom he felt tired, but he walked a lot of way today, he's exhausted now. Besides, after seeing all those various exhibits, he seriously doubted there's anything could refresh him.

Portney smiled back, said nothing.

When the elevator took them down to Odllano, lowest floor of Vasque, Baron knew he was wrong.

Unlike those magnificent flag stores and finely designed shops with cutting edge tech on other floors, booths here were shabby and compact along the narrow streets which were crowded with passengers and customers. And some street venders even carried out the trades on the street.

And that's not the biggest difference.

'They are all old stuff!'

'Yes! It's the largest flea market in USS. All goods here are second hand…or more?' Portney introduced happily.

Baron had never been a flea market before. Soon he got excited by this pandemoniac world. He had learned USS history already, he could tell some of those goods. That's a Blox galaxy calendar at least one hundred years old, and interstellar catapult produced two hundreds years ago, and speeder bike with anti-gravity technology dismoded more than four hundreds years.

All those he had only seen on computer.

'Oh! A Kincher, I never seen a Kincher!' He pointed at a passenger shouted in thrill.

'Don't point at others, it's impolite.' Portney stopped him while he's calling out. 'Hey, Farhard, your booth is not at its old place. Where? All right. No need, I can find it myself. Baron, with me.'

Baron followed him through the crowd.

'Captain, since you're fired, why don't you open a store here, I can help, and Jimmy knows how to deal with these old stuff.'

'I'm not fired.' Portney responded gravely. 'A Captain can not be fired. He can retire, or die with his ship.'

'But you lost your ship.'

Portney gave him an angry stare. 'We are just suspended and waiting outcome of the probe. Take this as a break. Once the headquarter comes to a conclusion, we will be back and get a new ship, you will never have chance to escape the toils anymore.'

Baron recalled the heated debate in Ethic Council at Headquarter, he couldn't be so optimistic as Portney.

They walked down to a distant street, turned around a corner, there was a small store, with a narrow entrance. Baton found on sign on it.

And in this isolated corner of this magnificent market, Baron found the most bizarre world he ever seen. There are all kinds of fantastic items on the shelves around the walls, and he could recognize any of them.

'Ethan, is that you? I'm coming down in a minute! Help yourself!' From top of the stars inside came down a loud voice.

Baron looked around, took a strange little device from shelf. It's cup size cylinder thing.

' What's this?'

'It's a nuclear engine, people use it on space ships before dark materials engine was invented.' Portney introduced patiently. 'It can support only a light year distance.'

'So it's no use now. Someone wanna buy it?'

'It's an antique. Not its function supports its value, but its rare. The rarer, the merrier. Farhard is one of most famous collectors in galaxy, you can find only good stuff here.'

'The rarer, the merrier.' Baron repeated thoughtfully.

Portney noticed a shadow flashed at the top of the stairs. 'Put it back.'

Baron put the nuclear engine back quickly.

A loud joyful voice came down while a huge frame stepped to them.

'Ethan! My friend!'

'Farhard.' Portney laughed back.

Baron saw a mountain crashing forward to Portney, and the mountain stretching out two short arms pated Portney's shoulder friendly.

'How long since last time we met? Ethan? You are famous now! Out of galaxy? How amazing? You must tell me everything!' His vice was thick, like volcano rumbling.

'Sure. If your stuff is as good as you said.' Portney replied with a big smile.

'You know me, Ethan, Farhard sells only good stuff.' The happy owner moved into counter carefully, then he noticed Baron. 'Your son?'

'No, he's one of my crew. Baron.'

'You are on that ship? Been out of the galaxy with Ethan? Marvelous!'

'Actually Baron is the one took the shuttle through the black hole back, and repair the receiver on this side. We can't make it if not him.'

'Oh. Brave boy!' The fat owner was impressed. He looked Baron up and down, suddenly took a small button shape thing from pocket. 'Do you want a Mimic? All boys like it. They stopped producing it for some ridiculous reason now. It's a little illegal to use it in some planets, but who cares. I charge you only 5 credit points.'

Baron stared at the button, he had no idea what's a Mimic or how to use it.

'It works like this.' Farhard saw his confusion. He pined it on Baron's collar. 'On to Nazir mechanical armor.'

The button gleamed on , then an halo Nazir mechanical armor enveloped Baron.

'It's for the battle game.'

Baron liked it very much. Farhard showed him other programmed armor sets.

'How do I turn it off?'

Portney touched his collar where the button pined. The armor was off.

Baron took it down, put the mimic back on counter.

'Why? You think the price too high? Boy, it's lower than I paid for it.'

'No, I can't buy it. I don't have account.' In fact, he could only walk free on Thales, and was asked chaperon anywhere else. An account was abundant to him.

Farhard was surprised. Everyone in USS was born with an account, only those criminal don't. But, as a smart merchant, he didn't ask. He put the Mimic back in pocket, took out a small box from under the counter, laid it on counter carefully, opened it like a treasure.

'This is the last radio frequency mobile phone made in earth planet, 2084 in earth calendar year.' He pushed the box a little forward, said in a soft alluring voice.

Portney took it on palm. Baron saw a small square, only half palm size. The dark screen reflecting Portney's face quietly.

'That's rare.'

Farhard wiped his fat hands. 'Of course, there's only a hundred or so left.'

Portney checked it thoroughly. It's intact. 'How much you ask?'

'500 points.'

'I thought we are friends.' Portney smiled at him.

'That is a friend price.' Farhard gave back a even bigger smile.

'300?'

'Do you know how many customers ask for this, Ethan? All right, 480. That's final.'

Portney put it back. 'It doesn't worth that much. You said there's a hundred outside. 350.'

'450. Come one, Ethan, I have a family to support.'

Baron admired this bargaining procedure amazingly.

'380.' Portney said sternly.

Farhard pretended to be insulted and took the smart phoe back. Portney motioned Baron out.

'All right, all right! You win!' Farhard called them back frustratingly. '420!'

Porntey stopped at entrance. '400.'

Farhard made a helpless gesture, but still sold it happily.

'And the Mimic, I'll take that too.'

Baron was bursting with joy. He put on it immediately, run out and showed off it to other passengers.

It took a while for Portney to get out.

'Baron, I'll go to Anderson, sounds like the Director here wanna meet us.'

'Oh.' Baron turned off the mimic.

'Nono, you won't like that. McCain and Doctor will attend the junk auction, I'll ask them meet you here, you will like the auction.'

'OK.'

Portney thought of something, handed him the account card. 'Buy something you like, just… don't spend all.'

Baron nodded heavily. He took the card in thrill, rubbed the finely itched curves on the card, didn't notice Portney had walked away.

When McCain and Sulik arrived here, they found him playing something engrossedly.

'What's this?' McCain asked. 'Where you get it?'

'I bought it!'

Baron answered proudly. Then he descript the whole process of his first purchase smirkingly. He showed them his trophy. It's an old system board, very ancient.

Sulik checked it roughly. 'I'm not expert on hard ware. But this memory… you can't even run the basic system on it. How much you spent?'

'Eight…hundred points.' Baron was a little hesitant.

McCain and Sulik gasped at the number.

'How did you pay this?' McCain asked hastily.

'Captain gave me his account.' Baron took out the card.

'Why did you buy it?'

'It's an antique… isn't it?'

Sulik shook head, sighing deeply. 'Baron, eight hundred points is a large number, and this one… basically it's a pack of useless garbage. I'm afraid you have to work years to pay for it.'

'But it's an antique.' Baron lost his confidence. 'Captain bought an old smart phone for 400 points, there's a hundred of that. This one, I checked, it's not for sale for a long time. Maybe this is the only one left.'

McCain decided not waste time to argue with him.

'Where's the seller? Baron? Return it back. It's a shame to cheat a child.'

Baron looked around. There's no sign of the seller.

'He's gone.'

'Well then, you'd better figure out a way to pay Captain.' She said, and decide not let it spoil their fun. 'Forget it! Come, let's go to the auction. It already began.'

'No.' Baron wasn't in the spirit.

McCain watched him pouting at the system board sulkily. 'Come on, it's no help standing here.'

Baron didn't move. McCain checked time agitatedly.

'Fine.' Sulik suggested. 'If you want stay here, watch around, if the seller come back, call us immediately. Don't intend to solve it yourself, and don't walk too far. We'll be back soon.'

Baron nodded agree.

'And I'll take care this.' McCain took the card out of blue.

'No-!' Baron grabbed it back angrily. 'I can take care of it!'

His face showed his determination.

'Then promise me not buy anything else.'

'I know it!'

'Don't walk too far, we'll be back in an hour.'

Said so McCain walked away with Sulik. Baron watched them off, look back at the board gloomily. He had no idea how to pay Captain back. In fact, he had never thought of paying back. But Doctor said he need to, then he must. But how?

As he wandering in these thoughts, a sudden appearance of an old face startled him terribly.

'Is it a Wolnik system board?

'Yeah…maybe.' Baron was still in shock at his wrinkled face. How old he is? Baron wondered.

'It's… rare.'

The old man seemed interested in it. Baron stretched it close to him so he can see it better.

'It's an antique.' He imitated Farhard's soft alluring voice.

The old man's eyes glued on the board, face almost on it, his voice trembling for thrill.

'Yes, Yes… it is a real WolnikⅢsystem board.'

'Of course, and it's the only one left. I promise you can't find any other one in this galaxy.' Perhaps? Baron thought. Whatever! He didn't know what's aWolnic system board, all he knew was he can't let go of this potential buyer.

The old man looked up finally. 'Yes, yes. But how do you have it? I thought they are all destroyed.. Forgave me, I never seen species like you.'

'We are not USS aligns.' Baron decided he must sell this garbage to this old man, but how to persuade him to buy it.

'You didn't answer me how did you get it.'

'I… it's my business secret. if you don't want it, better not waste my time.' Baron pretended to take the board back.

The old man grabbed at other side immediately. His fast move surprised Baron.

'Of course I will buy it. How much you want?'

Baron tried to drag it back, but the old man held it so tight like a predator biting its prey. He had an idea.

'Eight…een…thousands points.'

'Eighteen thousands?'

Old man screamed out. His yelp drew up some passengers attention.

But his hand didn't loose a little.

'It's a real antique!' Baron exclaimed loudly, and said confidently. 'The rarer, the merrier. You should know! If I ask around, there's at least a hundred people want buy it!'

'Of course, it's a fair price, don't be mistake.' The old man changed face quickly. He look around, saw those passengers walked away, then took out an account card.

The trade was carried out smoothly.

'It's yours now! Good day!'

Baron threw the board to him and run off at his max speed, disappeared in the crowd in no time.

He would never come back here! and that old man would never return it back! Baron said to himself.

To be continued.