Free AMP Blitzkrieg by Stephen Arseneault

adamant that he was not interested. Our tiny nation was burgeoning with power and wealth, but no one wanted the responsibility of running it.
    Two days later Frig and I traveled back to Marcon for the meeting with the Durian. I was there and waited for five minutes past the pre-arranged time before the Durian showed up. There was a second Durian with him. "Mr. Bumbalee, my name is Konra Bantoo. I am the general council for this sector. My associate tells me that you have the resources available to do business with us at shall we say, a high level."
    "If this is true we will need to verify that the statements you have made are true. You will provide proof of your ability to pay before our discussion goes further." I lifted a briefcase onto the table that separated us. When I opened it and spun it around the Durian was not impressed. "I hope this is not intended to impress me Mr. Bumbalee. Such quantities are not worth my time."
    I leaned in closer, "I have a cargo hold full of Emeralds just like these and I have plenty more where they came from. Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires... just about any precious gemstone you desire. You want gold? How does a hundred tons sound? Quantity is not an issue Mr. Bantoo. You just need to show me your wares and name a price."
    The Durian stared at me intently from under the hood of his cloak. "My associate, Mr. Polo, will escort you to your vessel so that we may verify your cargo claim. If what you say is true, he will return you to another location where we can discuss business further. And Mr. Bumbalee, we frown heavily on those who would attempt to steal from us. We have many connections throughout this sector that are at our disposal if needed. The life of those who break contract can be a short one. Tread lightly Mr. Bumbalee, I will be expecting you within the hour."
    I took the Durian called Polo to the hangar and the Swift. Frig met us at the doorway and we followed him up into the hold of our Defender. Polo began to ask questions, "I do not believe I recognize this style of vessel. It has an interesting coating on the outside. May I inquire as to its makeup?"
    I stopped and looked at the Durian. "We are not in the business of trading our technology Mr. Polo. Please focus your energy of the purpose of this visit." I popped open the large lid of the container we had sitting in our hold, it contained Emeralds and Sapphires. The Durain pulled a device from his cloak. "Whoa, whoa, whoa... Before you turn that on in here I need to know what it is."
    The Durian turned the interface of the item in my direction. "It will merely scan the content of the container and return an approximation of the contents. You may monitor your sensors to see if the monitor wave has returned from external sources or not. Please do not take it as a sign of disrespect."
    I nodded for the Durian to continue. Several seconds later he looked at his device and responded. "I believe we will be able offer technology for trade Mr. Bumbalee. The cargo you have is full and is of high quality. We shall go to Mr. Bantoo, please follow me."
    We stepped out of the Swift and Frig immediately began work to move the ship to another hangar. I trusted the Durians because they made trade their business. I did not trust anyone else on Marcon. If word were to leak of the treasure we had on-board I would expect no good to come of it. Our single cargo would make any one man rich beyond their wildest dreams.
    The Durian took a different route on the way to see Konra Bantoo. The meeting was in another shop in a different section of the Marcon port. I was led into a dark room and seated at a table. A holographic video soon showed in front of me. It was a Durian ship, similar to the one I had been aboard several years before.
    Bantoo began to describe a shield technology that would reduce a 50 mega joule ion cannon shot by 30% or more. The technology was behind that which we already possessed. I feigned interest and let Bantoo continue so as not