"I don't recall seeing Irillith around here before." John mused, addressing Ceraden, who sat behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the glossy surface with irritation.
"No, thank heavens. She's a 'guest', and I only have to put up with her for another week, then it'll be glorious peace and quiet once again," Ceraden replied wistfully.
He looked over the desk, and tsked with annoyance at the mess the shattered device had made on the floor. A few second later a couple of cleaning robots glided in silently on some kind of hover system, and they began to efficiently sweep up the scattered components. Dana leant over the armrest and studied the robots in fascination, wondering how they could propel themselves so quietly, without the telltale whir of anti-grav cyclics.
Ceraden seemed to suddenly remember he had guests to attend to, and he sprang to his feet, while tapping out a series of commands on the console. A section of the coffee table folded back on itself and a hidden platform rose up, revealing a decanter of crimson wine, and a number of delicate crystal glasses.
"John, ladies, please help yourselves. I humbly apologise for that awkward incident, you must think terribly of Maliri hospitality," Ceraden said, sounding embarrassed.
John grinned at him, and waved his hand dismissively, as he said, "Don't worry about it Ceraden. The girls are made of stern stuff, and I'm sure they weren't bothered in the slightest."
The girls were sitting on three sofas in the room, Rachel and Dana on the right, with Calara and Jade in the middle, and Alyssa next to John in a 'U' shape facing Ceraden's desk. They beamed sparkling smiles at him and shook their heads, before Calara began to serve everyone wine from the crystal decanter.
Ceraden stared at the beautiful young women for a moment, before turning to look at John. "So what brings Lady Luck's most favoured son to my humble abode?" he asked curiously.
John accepted a glass of wine from Calara, and sipped it before nodding his approval. He then looked in Ceraden's direction.
"As you seem to know disturbingly well, I'm now in possession of the assault cruiser I served on during my days in the military. I did retire, eleven years ago, but after we intervened in the Kintark conflict, rescuing Terran personnel in the Iota-Leonis system, the Terran Federation decided to bump up my old rank. The situation is a bit confused there, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm still retired," John explained carefully.
Ceraden sat back against his desk, and folded his arms as he looked at John. "That's very interesting, Lion of the Terran Federation, but that still doesn't answer my question," he said playfully.
John laughed, shaking his head at just how much of his recent activities the cunning Maliri seemed to know about.
"I was getting there," he said, holding his hand up placatingly.
Ceraden chuckled and turned to look at the girls. "Does he ramble like this with you too? It must get dreadfully dull waiting for him to get to the point," he said, teasing his old friend.
Alyssa arched an eyebrow and replied coyly, "I wouldn't necessarily say that. He tends to be quite good at telling us exactly what he wants."
John coughed and put down his glass, and Ceraden laughed uproariously.
"Oh, she's magnificent John! I can see why you abandoned your lonesome ways!" the Maliri exclaimed, before sweeping a bow to the blonde, who smiled at him and inclined her head at the compliment.
John cleared his throat, and then said, "Yes, well, back to your original question then. I want to buy Maliri laser weaponry to upgrade the guns on the Invictus," he finished succinctly.
Ceraden opened his hands in an apologetic gesture. "Ah, my friend. I'd help you if I could, but you ask the impossible. The Maliri never trade our weapons technology, and doing so is a capital offence amongst my people," he said, his voice full of regret.
John looked confused, and said, "But I'd heard stories about you trading with civilians in the past. Surely an exception could be made?"
The Maliri shook his head sadly. "It seems you've been drawn in by tall tales, my friend. I can promise you, that the Maliri have NEVER traded weapons technology with anyone from another species before."
John slumped back in the chair, and blew out a big breath. "Sorry girls, it looks like I brought you out here on a wild goose chase," he apologised to them.
"Now, now, let's not be hasty. Perhaps there's some other trade goods you might be interested in while you're here?" Ceraden asked John encouragingly, trying to buoy his spirits.
Dana piped up unexpectedly, pulling Ceraden's attention away from John. "Well Mr Ceraden, we're actually interested in purchasing electronics. Mainly devices we could use to trade with the Trankaran, as we're headed that way next. Do you, or any of your colleagues, happen to trade in anything along those lines?" she asked him, with her cutest, most adorable smile on her face.
The Maliri stared at her a moment, seemingly transfixed, before shaking his head slightly. "Just Ceraden is fine, Dana, I believe your name was?" he asked her curiously.
"That's right, you have an excellent memory, Ceraden!" she said, smiling at him admiringly.
The Maliri leaned towards her, obviously fascinated by the redhead. "Much to my regret, I'm afraid I don't have any goods like that within my inventory, but I know a splendid fellow who does. If you'll permit me, I'd be delighted to make the introductions," he offered eagerly.
Dana placed her hand on her chest, and fluttered her eyelashes at him. "I'd really appreciate that, thank you so much!" she gasped gratefully.
Ceraden swept a low bow before her. "It would be my pleasure," he said happily.
Dana then looked at him with a warm smile and asked, "I'm actually the ship's engineer, and we couldn't help but notice the clean crisp air on your station. Would it be a huge imposition for me to take a little look at your air filtration systems? The air on our ship grows horribly stale after a few weeks, and we'd all be so grateful to be able to improve it."
Ceraden looked spellbound by the redhead, but he looked hesitant when he actually stopped to consider her request.
Sensing she had him on the ropes, Dana went for the knockout blow. "We'd be thinking of you with every big lungful of fresh clean air, wouldn't we girls?" she asked, and on cue, all five girls took a big breath, savouring the air on the station, with suitably dramatic effects on their busts.
Ceraden seem to stare at them all, stunned for a moment, before he suddenly started to laugh. "I think you could talk me into anything, young lady," he chortled whilst shaking his head in wonder. "I'm actually feeling relieved I don't have the goods you're after, as you must be a formidable trader. I can't promise you anything, but I'll see if I can arrange a tour of the air filtration systems for you."
Dana beamed a wide smile, and blew a grateful kiss at him, before suddenly looking thoughtful. "What trade goods do you have in stock?" she asked him speculatively.
Ceraden raised his hands in surrender, before looking over at John, as he said jokingly, "John, please! Save me from your merciless crew, they plan to leave me penniless!"
John was staring at the redhead in shock, and he nodded at Ceraden distractedly.
*Where did that come from?* he asked Alyssa, quite amazed.
She smiled at him then glanced at the redhead affectionately. *She always was a sharp trader. Don't you remember her workshop back on Karron? She bartered for all the equipment she wasn't able to refurbish herself. Your makeover gave her a lethal set of trading tools that she never had access to before,* she told him in amusement.
John looked over at Dana in admiration, and she grinned at him slyly.
Rachel had been studying Ceraden curiously, and she cleared her throat politely to draw his attention, "Ceraden, please forgive my curiosity, but would you mind me asking you a personal question?"
The Maliri turned to face her, and bowed his head politely, before he said, "Ask away, Rachel, and I promise I'll do my best to answer."
The brunette smiled at his courteous reply, and then asked, "You speak our language more eloquently than many Terrans! How is that you learnt to speak it so well?"
Ceraden, leaned back against the desk for a moment, and appeared to be mulling something over. "The Maliri are... gifted, at picking up languages. It's a handy ability, that makes interacting with delightful races, such as Terrans, all the more pleasant," he replied playfully.
She smiled at him in gratitude for his answer, and then looked pensive as she tried to decide if she should ask him another question.
"Ask away, young lady. I'm sure a polite and well-spoken girl such as yourself won't cause offense," he told her disarmingly.
Rachel them leaned forward eagerly, and said, "Xeno-biology is a particular interest of mine, and I'm sure that every Maliri we've seen on the station has been male, with only one exception. Why is that?" she asked him tentatively.
Ceraden laughed lightly, and replied immediately, "We Maliri are an old-fashioned lot, and us men are the breadwinners, while the Maliri maidens tend the home. It's a rather provincial tradition, especially compared to you Terrans with your gender-blind meritocracy, so please forgive our rather backward ways."
"How interesting, thank you for telling me about your culture," Rachel replied with an appreciative smile.
*That was a rehearsed answer, wasn't it?* Alyssa thought to Rachel, sounding intrigued. *He was definitely lying.*
