Welcome to Gaia! ::

Suri smiled knowingly. "You think my whole entourage entered Yellowstone with me? If you do not leave this sanctuary with me, you might not leave at all. You're a healthy young man--exactly the sort that would do well working in the fields. So don't play coy. State your price, tell me exactly what you want, and don't try to orchestrate a bidding war, because I don't play nice. I'll give you a minute to think about it."

She got up and went over to get a cup of coffee.

"You have many people at your table. Are they all your servants?" Perdita said as they met up.

"Some are, one certainly isn't," Suri replied vaguely. "I need medical supplies, plant-derived oils, and several chemicals in pure forms. My colony has been making do with caution and quarantine, but we won't be able to bring in next year's harvest if we don't have some sort of medical firepower to help us through the flu season. What do you want?"

"Big ticket item is breeding stock--radiation in Old Russia caused many to loose their fertility," Perdita replied.

"Cows? Pigs? What kind of stock are you looking for?"

"Humans," she said and sipped her black coffee. "Families pay for fresh surrogates."

Suri didn't flinch. She had been prepared long ago for this sort of thing to reemerge. She shielded her lips from lip-readers with her coffee mug as she replied, "We have several healthy, virile people who would not be missed in our community. Currently, they're building roads under armed guard because they don't like our form of government, but maybe you can provide the discipline we can't."

"Such is the flaw of democracy," Perdita purred.

"I couldn't agree more," Suri raised her cup in a small toast to Perdita's wisdom.

"I will exchange--equal weight kilo-for-kilo--medical supplies for your breeding stock. I have man within 3 days of your Old New Florance with what you require. If you can bring what I need to to the bottom of the Pu-git Sound, we make exchange," Perdita outlined the plan.

"How can I be sure I'm getting the vaccines and antibodies I need and not used bandages?" Suri challenged.

"You inspect merchandize, yes? I also. War is not profitable. No deal is no problem," Perdita assured her in a confidant voice. It was true--she could sell medical supplies anywhere, even to the most well stocked colony, because everyone was afraid of disease.

Suri considered. "Deal. We will be ready two weeks after we leave this conference."

"Do you need anything else?" Perdita asked.

Suri again reviewed her options. "Sterile people are still good workers, right? Population control is an issue for my colony, so having a dozen or so sterile citizens will not harm us. In exchange, we can offer wine and brandy."

"Vodka?" she perked up visibly.

"Not this year--but next year, some of our elders hope to have a distillery safely running. I of course support this since alcohol is such a good disinfectant," Suri assured her, tempting the woman with future business.

"Bring brandy, and we will exchange," Perdita agreed.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Suri said as she set down her coffee cup with finality.

"Pleasure is all mine," Perdita cooed, her eyes sweeping up and down Suri's body. Suri just smiled and returned to her seat.

"So, what is your final answer?" she asked Sergie coolly.

"I'm not in charge of the Yellowstone community," Suri reminded him. "But if you want all that, you are welcome to come with me to Old Florance. We have plenty of all you could ask for there. If you want to hand over the seeds now, I can assure your safe passage to Old Florance, and a sizable suite once you get there, filled with the food and drink and partners of your preference. If you want tradeables, I can offer a breed-able horse for your mount, and plenty of traveling rations, not to mention all the old technology you and your two horses can carry. And that is after your seeds are planted and harvested. If we can plant the second generation, I will double all that, and add 1 horse and supplies every year you stay with us, until you choose to leave. Do we have an accord?"

Morgan decided the break was the perfect opportunity to work the crowd and see what others had to offer.

There was much interest in her seeds, and even more interest in her livestock project; or more precisely, the livestock itself. She was pleased to make several minor deals involving electronics for the coveted crops she had to offer, but she was a bit disappointed that no one cared much for the technological re-advancements that her colony had made. She had expected some apathy regarding it, but she was stunned at the scope she was encountering here.

Something a bit more disturbing was the attitude that everyone seemed to exude. So far, only a small contingent of the people here seemed like they really were here to make trades... the rest seemed to be taking in the abilities, and disadvantages, of other colonies. Morgan was beginning to feel very relieved that they had lost their truck, and the items they left within it before they came.

Morgan looked around for some of the people she had met prior to the commencement of the conference... she noticed Sergei and Suri over talking to Perdita... a sight that set warnings through her.

Morgan detested the attitudes of people like Perdita. She felt as though those attitudes were what caused the cataclysm that everyone was suffering from in the first place... she steeled herself to the reality, that most people believed that this was the attitude that a survivor must have, and that if she wanted to open trade with other colonies, she was going to have to deal with these people regularly... If wishes were only worth something...

Suri looked harder at Morgan and considered. Morgan was altruistic, naive, and held onto hope for the best. She would not respond to the same pressures Suri had applied to Sergie. But when options were exhausted and her back had been stabbed enough, Morgan needed someone to turn to--and that was where Suri would profit.

"Perhaps I should at least extend an offer, so as to keep my competition on their toes," she agreed. She waved at Morgan, indicating she should come to the table.

"How are you holding up?" Suri asked gently, putting a reassuring hand on Morgan's shoulder. "You have a lot of old salts here--people who've let the End Days harden them. If you need a little extra weight to throw around the bargaining table, you could always officially ally with Old Florance."

"it is good that you have success." Sergei piped up, his usual smile present again.

"I still have some junk electronics I'd like to trade to you. I can't do much with them, but there are people who know how to repair them or salvage from them. you seem to be that type."