Eric goes to the XChange

Eric goes to the XChange -minor event- (Chapter 19 - Sisters of Nilfeheim ) Eric Olafson, Neo Viking

Eric is sent to the xchange by Egill to sell the gold and other bribe gifts accumulated.

-The scene--

>>>> The trip over was uneventful other than thinking about what the Eldest had insisted upon. I had planned to stop and check on Aunt Freydis, but with his warning, I would do nothing but go to the XChange and then return to the Pillar soonest. I had found ignoring his sometimes weird conversation proved to be troublesome.

The XChange turned out to be a single large rectangular warehouse. Most of the roofed-over space was empty as I landed nearby. A crew of fishers stood by a gutted carcass of a Tyranno, its head, the fins and tail already cut off, a giant robotic machine rolled up to it, and lifted the fish. As I walked by, I heard the device say. "18.8 tons, Fat meat ratio 70, trade quality 9.3.  A screen lit up, and twelve names of companies appeared. Tyson Galactic, SII Marine Agra , Enroe Fresh foods right on top followed by other names. Beside the names of the company, a figure appeared. A company called Unilever jumped to the top of the list, and the robotic machine said, "Unilever purchasing registered with the highest bid of 6,760.56 Union Currency Units , do you accept this offer?" The Fishers nodded, and one said. "Yes, we accept the deal!" A force field surrounded the fish and with a hiss, all thermal energy contained inside was neutralized, shock freezing the big fish in a few heartbeats. A plastic film was then dispensed, encasing the frozen product and the robot placed the thoroughly frozen fish into an open door. I had never seen this before, so I had lingered watching the process. I looked around to see where I would need to go and saw the blue painted box of an infobot attached to the opposite wall in the distance. A man, sitting on a hove chair, buzzed by then returned to wait in front of me. He was a Neo Viking by hair and dress but wore no clan colors or association markers at all. "Good afternoon!" He greeted me. "Aren't you a tad young to do business here or are you just interested to see how it all works?" "I am Eric Olafson . I am not sure if I am old enough to do business here, and yes I am interested to see how it works." "I am Borg Amundsen, XChange Manager since this is a quiet time I gladly show you around.  As for your business, I was expecting you, Eric Olafson, you are here on behalf of the Elder Egill Skallagrmsson , right?" "Yes, that is correct, so he did contact you. That makes it easier for both of us." "Yes, He called an hour or so ago and verified that you are here for him.  Which first, tour or business?" "I think I would like to complete the business part first." "Wise decision. I knew your grandfather well, his motto, Always Business first, pleasure later!" He floated in his chair alongside me as we returned to the Cargo flyer, I opened the cargo box for his inspection, "These are gold, some silver and few gems items that I need to sell for Credits." The man floated in and looked at the crates. "Of course we can sell it for the metal value, but I suggest you present them as precious artifacts which will get you far more!" "I am sure the Elder wants the most he can get out of it." He tapped his fingers over a series of sensors. "Our robots will unload it and scan it all. So buyers can see the items on XChange-Net and make a bid. It will take the system a while to catalog each item, prepare a digital image it and then present to enough interested buyers online.  So let's take the two penny tour.  Oops, 'two penny" is a term I pick-up in training, it means the better of something."

2 S-10 Service Bots marched in, stacked several cases on top of each other and demonstrated their machine strength as they lifted the stacked crates with ease. As we stepped outside the Cargo Box, a second empty Floater chair was hovering there. Amundsen said." The XChange is a big place, and you get nothing done if you have to walk everywhere. So hop on the Easy-Go, and I show you around a little."

The XChange, so he told me was open around the clock and was connected via the GalNet and the XChange net to every other Xchange anywhere in Union space. He said to me that the idea behind the XChange System was to give every planet and society a chance to sell their local products to fair prices. According to him, there was an XChange on almost every planet in the union. Freighters would then make the rounds connecting the XChanges with what he called Logistics and Distribution Hubs. It was a federal institution, but it was essential to him to point out that all business occurred without governmental interference. During the day, so Amundsen explained it was hushed, fisher and farmers would come here late at night after a day's work. Underneath the building was a labyrinth of shelf storage, deep freezers, conveyor belts, and cargo handling equipment. He wanted to show me something else, but a melodic alarm interrupted his explanations, and he said." We have several different types of offers.  Do you want to sell the items individually or all at once?" "I'll be here for days if we do it individually." He activated a field screen which lowered before me. A dozen Antique and Artifact Dealers appeared and beside their names were their bid. "DeNoir Arts-Paris Earth currently has the highest offer of 1.5 Million Credits." Amundsen nodded and said." That's almost double the metal value." I ask if that was a firm price or did we negotiate. Amundsen typed a few strokes and waited, then turned to me and said, "They believe, that is the best they can do at this time, if it is too low they request a few days to confirm the quality." I had him confirm the offer and agreed to the sale. The old man's new account almost instantly was given credit for the purchase amount. <<<<