Gary Underwood

I stood infront of a hostile crowd, they really didn't like me at all. The Jarl looked at me with amusement, I made a point not to stare at his wife as that would be rude and rudeness could get me killed. Women were rare on Pluto, in order to get one you either had to be in charge, a parahuman, win her in some battle or already be married or together. I stood firm as he sipped some alcoholic beverage in a badly made wooden cup.

"Please tell me why I shouldn't just kill you and take your ship and everything on it?"

"Because my partner has dynamite and will blow it to kingdom come if you try."

A man whispered in his ear he nodded.

"My Skald says you speak true, I am somewhat impressed but I look at you and I know that you are not one of us. Oh sure you could go along to get along but you would never be comfortable here, even now I can tell that the flag of Midgard, the flag of my city makes your skin crawl. Our jokes would make you uncomfortable, our very speech would make you uncomfortable. I would never be able to rely on you, not really. So if your looking for citizenship I'm going to tell you no."

I took in a breath.

"What do you want?"

He looked around.

"A good woman, good mead, and the blood of my enemies."

"You want to be great, to have your story told in song around the campfire to be remembered?"

He took a careful sip, I made sure to keep my eyes on his forehead.

"Yes, I guess I want that but not just for myself I want Midgard to be great, I want my people, my race to reclaim their glory."

I nodded.

"And that requires materials, that requires books."

He took a sip of mead his eyes judging me.

"We get supporters, new people from the outside, and of course we raid kiddy kingdom every once and awhile to gather new things and cull the herd."

I blinked.

"Ah right you are new, it's the area where they send the pedofiles, we're far from the only place that deals with them."

"It isn't enough though is it? You get some new things but it isn't enough to truly thrive."

"And you have an idea to fix it?"

I took in a breath.

"Pluto has things that the rest of the solar system doesn't, we have dinosaurs, we have plants, we have the mad genius of over a thousand Tinkers and a rogue god machine. We have metal, we have salt, we have the things needed for trade."

"And so?"

The others were interested now.

"I wish to talk to you and a few others and then talk to the World tree, to set up a place of trade."

The mood turned ugly the Jarl motioned for silence.

"You would have us trade with the people who stole our homes from us, who exiled us into a land of eternal night?"

I looked around knives were out.

"No, what I want is revenge, revenge for the crime committed against us, against our children, our children's children."

There were a few infants around the long house people were listening.

"The Colonial period in America lasted roughly three hundred years. The former masters weren't kicked out right away, no it took time to build up industry, an economy, numbers, cities, a civilization. We're in no shape right now to get revenge, all we can do is bargain from a point of absolute weakness to get what scraps we can so that our descendants can get their just revenge."

My mouth felt dry.

"So you want to lure them into a trap?"

"No, I want to trade with the World tree, they will buy from us and sell what we made at exorbitant prices, they will become rich and fat."

"You're not making a good argument."

I smiled.

"There was a small city once in the lands that the mongols conqured, it was pretty weak and they were preyed on, but they used their intelligence to trick the great Khans, building up their strength, their power, slowly over generations, and when the time was right, they struck and conquered their former masters."

I paused.

"This small city was called Moscow and the country they created in blood is now called Russia. Likewise we must also smile at our enemy, let him grow fat and complacent and when the time is right we will gut them like pigs."

The mood of the long house was starting to change.

"But we can't do that right now, you need nails, you need forges, you need tools and books and a small but steady amount of it."

The Jarl nodded.

"And we won't be the only ones getting this offer?"

"I will go to the Italians next, Russians, everyone who can be expected to be strong enough to hold down their rightous anger to give their descendants the tools needed for victory."

The Jarl put some fingers through his beard.

"This is a heavy discussion, I will discuss this with my men, leave so that we can talk."

I bowed and left the primative long house, I had a boat, a radio, a map, and a mid level Thinker, If I had the balls I could create a trading empire. If I failed I would die horribly, but hey at least I wasn't bored. I waited until a man came out, I was invited back in. The Jarl looked at me the mood was somber.

"We're in."