Trading in Futures: Adventures in the Liaden Universe®, #5

By Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 5

The short story "Balance of Trade" introduces Jethri Gobelyn, an aspiring Terran apprentice Trader who comes to the attention of a Liaden Master Trader.

In "A Choice of Weapons," Daav yos'Phelium must Balance an insult amid the elegant formality of a Liaden garden party.


"The writing is as rich with detail as anything by C. J. Cherryh, while the general approach... reminds of Andre Norton." -- Tom Easton, Analog

"...the authors' craftsmanship is top-notch, recalling the work of Elizabeth Moon and Lois McMaster Bujold..." -- Publishers Weekly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pinbeam Books
• Release date: Aug 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781935224815

Sharon Lee

Sharon Lee has worked with children of various ages and backgrounds, including a preschool, a local city youth bureau, and both junior and senior high youth groups. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and also in psychology. Sharon cares about people and wildlife. She has been an advocate in the fight against human trafficking and a help to stray and feral animals in need.

Book preview

DEDICATION

Dedicated to:

Stephen Pagel

Balance of Trade

Gobelyn's Market

Standard Year 1118

IF YOU TRADE WITH Liadens, trade careful, and for the gods' love don't come sideways of honor.

This set of notes was old: recorded by Great-Grand-Captain Larance Gobelyn more than forty Standard years ago, dubbed to ship's library twenty Standards later from the original deteriorating tape. Jethri fiddled with the feed on the audio board, but only succeeded in lowering the old man's voice. Sighing, he upped the gain again, squinting in protest of the scratchy, uneven sound.

Liaden honor is—active. Insult—any insult—is punished. Immediately. An individual's name is his most important possession and he will kill to preserve its integrity. Think twice before trading with—

Jethri? Uncle Paitor's voice broke across the tape's recitation. Jethri sighed and thumbed 'pause.'

Yessir, he said, turning his head toward the intercom grid set in the wall.

Come on down to the trade room, will you? We need to talk over a couple things.

Jethri slipped the remote out of his ear. His uncle was Senior Trader on Gobelyn's Market and Jethri was Senior Apprentice. Actually, he was the only apprentice trader, his sibs and cousins being well above him in years and rank, but the ladder was immutable.

Yessir, he said again. Two quick fingertaps marked his place in the old notes file. He left the common room at a brisk walk, his thoughts half on honor.

* * *

HIS UNCLE NODDED him into a chair and eased back in his. They were coming in on Ynsolt'i and next hour Paitor Gobelyn would have time for nothing but the feed from the port trade center. Now, his screen was dark, the desk-top barren. Paitor cleared his throat.

Got a couple things, he said, folding his hands over his belt buckle. On-Port roster: Dyk an' me'll be escorting the payload to central hall and seeing it safe with the highest bidder. Khat's data, Grig's eatables, Mel's on tech, Cris'll stay ship-side. You...

Paitor paused and Jethri gripped his hands together tight on his lap, willing his face into a trader's expression of courteous disinterest. They had textile on board—half-a-dozen bolts of cellosilk that Cris had taken on two stops back, with Ynsolt'i very much in his mind. Was it possible, Jethri wondered, that Uncle Paitor was going to allow...

Yourself—you'll be handling the silk lot. I expect to see a cantra out of the six. If I was you, I'd call on Honored Sir din'Flora first.

Jethri remembered to breathe. Yes, sir. Thank you. He gripped his hands together so hard they hurt. His own trade. His own, very first, solo trade with no Senior standing by, ready to take over if the thing looked like going awry...

His uncle waved a hand. Time you were selling small stuff on your own. Now. He leaned forward abruptly, folded his arms on the desk and looked at Jethri seriously. You know we got a lot riding on this trip.

Indeed they did—three-quarters of the Market's capital was tied up in eight Terran pounds of vya—a spice most commonly sold in five gram lots. Jethri's research had discovered that vya was the active ingredient in fa'vya, a Liaden drink ship's library classified as a potent aphrodisiac. Ynsolt'i was a Liaden port and the spice should bring a substantial profit to the ship. Not, Jethri reminded himself, that profit was ever guaranteed.

We do well with the spice here, Paitor was saying, "and the Captain's going to take us across to Kinaveral, do that refit we'd been banking for now, rather than two Standards from now."

This was news. Jethri sat up straighter, rubbing the palms of his hands down the rough fabric of his work pants.

Refit'll keep us world-bound 'bout a Standard, near's we can figure. Captain wants that engine upgrade bad and trade-side's gonna need two more cargo pods to balance the debt. He grinned suddenly. Three, if I can get 'em.

Jethri smiled politely, thinking that his uncle didn't look as pleased with that as he might have and wondering what the down-side of the trade was.

"While refit's doing, we figured—the Captain and me—that it'd be optimum to re-structure crew. So, we've signed you as Senior 'prentice with Gold Digger."

It was said so smoothly that Jethri didn't quite get the sense of it.

"Gold

Reviews for Trading in Futures

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This entry in the Adventures in the Liaden Universe contains 2 short stories:"Balance of Trade" - basically the beginning section of the novel of that name. I read it anyway despite having read the novel not that long ago because I do like Jethri a lot *grin*. 4*"A Choice of Weapons" - a story of Daav as a quite young man, before he was nadelm. While it was interesting to see the young Daav, the story wasn't quite as satisfying as most of the Liaden books & stories have been. 3*