Chapter 25: Counter Offers

We want to go home. The information and location of the lost PLUS colony ship, is our offer price for passage. If this gambit does not receive a response by tomorrow, I’ll play some more raucous music to prompt and regain their attention. We wait.

“The PLUS want to negotiate with you, darling.”

“Well! Even quicker than I expected. Sounds like an executive decision, not a legislation. Inform them, Oops, I’ll speak with a supreme executive on a supreme to supreme equality at the executive level.”

“Patching through.”

“Captain Iron? We are very interested in your information regarding our colony ship. We also require the music technology you agreed to exchange in your original deal with the trade representative.”

“I was cheated and robbed by your unethical trade representative. Not only was the promised shuttle reneged on, my own private vessel was also stolen. In addition, myself and my crew were abducted. Transported far from our home, we now have an equally long way to return. We suffered a multi-year incarceration. My ship was unprepared and ill suited for such duration. Necessitating unanticipated rationing. An ante, a preliminary voluntary concession from you is appropriate to recompense for our forced privations and to attempt to re-establish good faith. Give us something.”

“Negotiating with you will be difficult, Captain Iron. You fail to recognize the prerogatives of the stronger position.”

“Oh, I am very aware my position is so strong, it’s unassailable. You will need to beg on your ... Do you have hands and knees? Never mind. You will crawl on your belly and beg me for my information. Kiss my ass for what I control. Information you desperately want.”

“We can destroy you.”

“And that tactic will forever deprive you of what you desire. Furthermore, even to suggest it implies you are far to stupid to bother talking with. Arrange for someone more intelligent to represent you. I await a change in negotiators. Over and out!”

Hanging up on opponents has long been a favorite tactic of mine. They need time to puzzle out an appropriate conciliatory gift as well as select a new chief negotiator. Meanwhile, I need a little time to exact revenge. Yes, I now know my enemy is not a fair minded opponent and I have lost all respect for their race. They will never get from me, a true location of their missing colony ship. Proliferation of their species is not in humanities dest interests.

The seeds of wrath. Heavy water is toxic to Terran mammals, but bacteria is known to thrive upon it. I’m willing to bet those Hope Island grape seeds, already incredibly fast growing and prolific, will be enhanced further by heavy water diet. Why not bet? What do I lose if I’m mistaken? Nothing.

Three of my organic coral like antigravic ballast weights are impregnated with dozens of the grape seeds each, pressed into tiny crevasses. The plan is to drop them in slow fall above the salty HTO lake just before we depart, or if we aren’t allowed to leave. Screw em and their desert planet! My heart is iron when I’m provoked.