Free Date Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner Page B

trays, along with the blue/green globe logo that was the trademarked emblem of the Earth Export League.
    “Here, try this,” Shaina suggested, handing Kelly a complex mechanism that looked a little like two spoons with raised spikes in their bowls, held apart from each other in a heavy “U” shaped guide with a wheel on the end like an ancient printing press.
    “Uh, what is it?” Kelly hefted the device in both hands, not even sure how to hold it.
    “It’s a nutcracker, of course. Don’t you like nuts? Here, try this one. I keep my pockets full for our demos.”
    Kelly accepted the hefty Brazil nut, studied the nutcracker, and finally placed the nut between the two opposing spoons. “Is that it?” she asked, as the tall Dollnick vendor, attracted by the halted carousel, appeared at her side. A couple of other shoppers stopped to look on as well, since visiting the Shuk was as much about entertainment as shopping.
    “Yup. Now hold the handles of the spoony things in one hand and turn the wheel with the other.”
    Kelly turned the wheel, which thanks to the fine threading on the screw, went quite easily. But rather than cracking the nut open, the two spoons slowly deformed as if they were melting in high heat or being manipulated by a mentalist.
    “That’s enough lady!” Kelly froze at the bellow as her translation implant came back to life. The giant Dollnick was glowering down at her. At least, she hoped it was only glowering. “You broke it, you buy it.”
    Kelly reflexively let go of the failed nutcracker with one hand and began fishing in her pouch for money, but Shaina elbowed her way past and jabbed a finger up into the chest of the Dollnick, who towered over her.
    “Now you listen to me, you seller of schlock. You’re giving all of us merchants a bad name with your counterfeit trash,” she ripped into the vendor, all this with her head tilted back as far as her neck would allow so she could stare him in the face. “Show me your Dolly license. NOW!”
    The Dollnick who had appeared ready to eat Kelly for lunch now backed away, crossing all four of his arms in front of his chest in a gesture of pacification.
    “I didn’t realize she was with you, Hadad,” he pleaded. “I don’t want any trouble with you. I just bought this stuff at the docks. The ship captain assured me that it was all genuine Earth cargo.”
    “Like hell,” Shaina snarled at the Dollnick, jutting out her elfin chin. “I’m making a citizen’s confiscation for station management. Do you want to make something of it? Do you?”
    The Dollnick mumbled something about “Stryx pets,” and hastily reactivated the carousel to carry the rest of the counterfeit kitchen gadgets on the shelf out of view, but he didn’t protest when Shaina tapped Kelly on the arm and motioned her away.
    “You have to keep them off balance,” the girl explained to Kelly as they continued their inspection tour. “The Dollnicks live in a rigidly hierarchical society based on traditional combat, though I’ve heard it has as much to do with putting on a show as with actually fighting to the death. In any case, they only challenge each other when they are confident of victory, so they aren’t very good at up-close confrontations with other species who are used to getting in each other’s faces.”
    “You mean that hulking monster backed off because he thought you were going to beat him up?” Kelly asked incredulously.
    “I’m sure he didn’t think it so much as feel it in his bones, that’s how social conditioning works.” Shaina broke into a wide smile. “Maybe I would have gotten away with a knee kick and toppled him. They come from a low-gravity planet so they aren’t as stable as they look. We learned some pretty good tricks in Stryx school.”
    “You know, this nutcracker thing really looked like it could break rocks before I started turning the screw,” Kelly commented. She held it up for a closer look as they wound their way through