As Rasta disappeared up the stairs to the bridge, Greta gathered the dishes and dumped them into the cleaning unit. A five minute cycle was all it took to get them spotless and she stored them in their slots before returning to the table in front of the diamond window.

"Report Freddie."

"Hmmm, where to start. I think with this." He tapped the windowpane. "These people are geniuses with glass manufacturing, but they haven't been able to produce anything that stands up to their Mach storms. I shared the formula for the diamond glass we use in our observation windows. In return, I got the instructions and plans for the kilns and chemical additives for the gorgeous table wares in the market." He touched the emerald green tumbler beside his lower left arm. "The goods are stunning."

"I noticed the clothing as well. Furniture too. Big of course."

"The things we received? They are for children. The small ones, like Qwaiter's daughter or younger."

Greta giggled. "I felt like a such a misfit. But did you find discontent amongst the merchants?"

He held up his upper right pincer. Much like a thumb it added the function of a grasping mechanism to his hand. Raising it up and down, she recognized the Scilari sign for the complex concept of innuendo.

"Really? That's what I felt to. Like my merchant contact was hinting at something but didn't dare come right out and say it."

Freddie nodded. "Exactly. I wasn't in the game store though, although Qwaiter took her young one there, and dropped her off to do the inventory chore Q'tera promised."

"The females seem to be completely ignorant of that little thread of discontent amongst the men there. Is it just the merchants though? That's my worry. Are we here at the cusp of a social revolution?"

"If I were to speculate, it would be no. I think the merchants are more interested in a greater profit, and not necessarily a legal one. They wish to circumvent the normal process of negotiation between new trading partners." Freddie's expressive upper arms gestured in time with his words. He used his lower ones to feed himself the last mouthfuls of a delicious fruit Rasta's engineering friend brought with him. "But and I hope I'm miss reading things, I got the distinct feeling we aren't their fist visitors, and whoever preceded us, wasn't exactly friendly."

"Were the men the targets?"

Freddie nodded. "I can't be sure. I think it's one of those things that shall not be mentioned. Very painful."

"Make finding out a priority, will you," Greta suggested.

"Aye, aye, Captain." The Scilari emissary reached into a pouch hanging over top of his right leg. He handed her a large silicon cube.

Greta tucked the recording of Freddie's day in the underground city into the viewer which popped up from the surface of their dining table. Of course, he remembered to pick the largest capacity memory device with him. Glancing through the windows she noticed the moons were starting their dance and the odd sunset turned the sky deep black.

"Are you ever going to get used to this spread of dark from the zenith to the horizons?" She asked.

"I think I'll get used to it before I learn to not smell the stench out there. I found out a lot of it is from the exhaust of waste gasses from the underground cities today. Old Earth's simple chemical scrubbers for industrial waste products would be welcome here. That and the bacteria you developed to eat the plastic waste and other spills in your oceans."

"We have the genetic blueprints on file here. We could manufacture them as required," Greta suggested as she digested the flying images of Freddie's encounters.

"It was the most impressive gift exchanged with us when you dodged our satellite net and first landed on Scilar. It will be welcome here as well."

Silence reigned as the replay continued on the viewer. Greta recognized the same approach to Freddie by another golden skinned merchant in a furniture store. Again, when it happened in at the fabric vendor's. She shook her head. Freddie was likely correct in his assessment.

"Do we break trust with the merchants and let Qwaiter know what we have observed?" She asked Freddie.

"Above my pay grade," he responded and then continued.

Greta laughed. "Exactly what Rasta told me too."

Freddie snickered as well before asking, "Do you think we should mention the Eclecta? I think they would be very interested in our little golden diode friends."

"I'll leave that with Rasta. He's going to spend some time with Zbera tomorrow. Apparently to study the inner workings of their space port. I'd like to be in on it as well, but I've got to put reports together for the Federation. They're drooling over our discovery."

"Perhaps after the concert tomorrow evening? A tour of the instrument would be a welcome treat." Freddie pushed back from the table. "I have my own reports to write. Scilar's world council will be angry if I don't keep them in the loop."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Greta hit the com button on her cabin wall. Punching three when it popped up on the screen, she waited for Freddie to answer.

"Captain, what can I do for you?"

"The secret of the disappearing water."

"Oh, yes, totally forgot about that. They pump it all into underground cisterns. Massive reservoirs surrounding the cities. Or as least this one. Zodera showed me the observation window in the one here. Bigger cities have multiple rings of water containment."

"That makes sense. Why let it out at all though? Evaporation would be a consideration. Even on Earth, which is a water planet, conservation is always first and foremost. And this Zodera, who is that?"

"UV light spectrum from two angles, purifies the water better than anything they can do with filters and microwaves underground. It does rain in other areas of this planet, as Zodera told me. He's the merchant in the furniture store I spent time at. Their baby equipment is just about the right size for us as adults. We had a good laugh about the size differences between us."

"Thank you, my friend. I have to say I worry about my safety at times. We are easy to overlook."

"I don't think they'll lose track of us. I got a better look at their eyes. More like mine than those of Earth's elephants. They have multiple facets, but the edges aren't as angular as mine. They don't understand how you can see properly out of yours and want to know if there is a way to enhance theirs to be more like mine."

Greta thumped her foot into the wall. The brief report Freddie shared, wasn't even the beginning of what he discovered. She wonder what Rasta left out. Hopefully the recordings of both trips would provide her with more.

"Forward me your report for Scilar as well, will you? I'll make sure you get mine as well. I will review your recordings and Rasta's tomorrow. Paperwork will be the death of me, but we need the reports to keep the Federation ambassadors from offending everyone within their hearing."

"Certainly, Captain. As soon as I finish. Anything else?"

"Dress uniform tomorrow night for the crystal console concert." Greta smiled as she spoke, knowing what her insectoid crew member would say.

"Damn. I suppose they deserve it." Freddie's disgust clicked through in his native tongue as he gave into his distress.

"Sorry. I'll let you tell Rasta."

"Small consolation. I'll make sure he knows."

"Good night."

She stretched hard. The extended day was wearing on her. It wasn't much longer, a tad under four hours, but it was messing with her sleep schedule. Naps might be in order for all three crew members. Although Freddie never seemed to need as much down time as she or Rasta did.

"Back to work," she muttered and sat down to view another section of Rasta's day.