Thathad my full attention. “Such as?” I prompted.
“The power cells for our lights. We don’t need to get them very often, as they last a long time and our needs are simple. But some medicines, seeds…” He shrugged. “Some textiles that we cannot make. Honestly, we’re not much for weaving in general. This planet has few animals, so we’re not hunters who can gather skins and whatnot.”
I nodded. “I would very much like to meet this Durbok when his market is open. When might that be?”
“Third moon cycle, when it’s waning.” He pointed toward the sky to the east. “I can give you the coordinates.”
“That would be splendid,” I said. “What, exactly, do you trade to him, since you don’t deal in galactic credits?”
“He wantsjunversyrup,” Pasek replied. “That’s sort of our currency.”
“Junversyrup?” I’d never heard of it. “What is that?”
“It’s a substance that comes from boiling the sap of the Junu tree in the forest.” He waved a hand. “It’s quite the process. I’m glad I’m a fisherman and don’t need to worry about such things.”
“And what does it do?” I was almost afraid to know the answer. The trader was coming all the way out here to trade with these people. Whatever they had was in demand somewhere.
“How much of this stuff do your people produce?”
“It acts like a nutritional supplement. Honestly, we were surprised at how much it helps the body. Almost like it has mild healing properties.” He held up a hand. “Obviously not enough for my brother. Micherdidtry it.”
I sighed.Mild healing propertiesto the Runam could be a miraculous cure to another species, and a wildly addictive drug to another. And,yes, I immediately thought of thepitridmushrooms from my last mission. It never worked out well for people when they produced a substance that turned out to be valuable, and my brain’s alert system kicked on hard. “Has this Durbok ever pressured you?” I asked. “Tried to push you into producing morejunversyrup than you could?”
Pasek shook his head. “No. It takes a long time to produce, andweneed it as well. He takes what we have and seems happy with it.” He looked at me quickly. “Why?”
“No reason.”So many reasons. “Sometimes traders can be pushy, is all.”
“Ah, the Durbok seems relaxed enough. If we have syrup to trade, he’ll take it. If we don’t, he says hopefully next time.”
“Hopefullyit’ll stay that way.” But I couldn’t quite keep a note of menace out of my voice.
Pasek gave me a wary look. “Do you think we have something to worry about?”
I realized now that my words probablymeantsomething to these people. I didn’t want to worry them, but I didn’t want them to become a target, either. And there were those in this galaxy who were always looking for a new one. “Probably not,” I replied. “But I would suggest being aware. You notice any changes in hisbehavior, or anything that makes your instincts prick up, you let me know.”
“We will do that,” he said with an earnest nod. “And I’ll let Maive know about your concerns. Actually, she’s said something similar.” He rubbed a hand down his beard as he thought. “She said we arenotto increase the amount we trade to him, even if we have extra.”
“Maive is incredibly wise,” I murmured. My admiration for that woman seemed to increase daily.
“Look there.” Pasek pointed and smiled. “We’ve made it to your house.”
Indeed, we had. Instantly, B2 buzzed up to give Pasek a full-body scan. “Accepted visitor acknowledged,” it intoned.
“Well, isn’t that interesting.” Pasek peered at B2, which backed away before the Runam could touch it. “What does it do?”
“It annoys me,” I said. “And,” I added, “it monitors my home for intruders.”
He smiled. “That’s handy.”
“Sometimes.” I jerked my head toward the house. B2 took the cue to leave and zipped away. “Well, thank you for the escort home.” Despite the uncomfortable topic of my home world, I had enjoyed part of the conversation, and I’d learned something new. Pasek was a nice fellow. Friendly. He clearly enjoyed talking, and he was curious without being demanding. Once I’d figured that out, I’d stopped worrying he was looking to get something from me.
Pasek pressed his fist to his chest again. “Thank you again, Gilrox. For what you did for Tregen. I’ll wait until Micher says it’s all right before I visit him, but knowing he’s healing…” He trailed off, composing himself. “It means everything.”
Again, with the emotion. I wondered if all Runam men were like this. “He’s strong. He’ll pull through.”
Pasek brightened, and his tone shifted entirely. “You know, I think the Durbok’s next visit is in eight days. You should visit him. So you can buy a gift.”
I blinked. “A gift for whom?”
