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“The pleasure is all mine,” she said, then frowned. "I can understand you? How is that possible…I couldn't understand you before, in the meeting room."
He cleared his throat. "Sadie is having a few issues with her translation matrix."
Laythia smiled, silver eyes twinkling.
"That would be because I'm wearing a universal translation field," she said, tapping the intricate brooch in the center of her robes. Her smile widened into a grin. "And, despite what the Lathar would like to think, their technology is not the best in the universe, bless them. I do have a spare, if you would like it?"
Sadie flicked a glance at Vaarn, who gave a slight nod. "Really? That would be amazing."
"Of course. Let me just..." Laythia reached into a small bag she was carrying and pulled out a sleek, silvery broach and held it out to Sadie. "Here, try this."
"Thank you so much!" She pinned it to the front of her suit. It was much less ornate than the one Laythia wore, but she didn't care, as long as she could understand everybody, then that was all that mattered.
"Just tap the center," the alien woman said. "And it will activate the device."
She did as she was told and between one heartbeat and the next, the world around her transformed. Suddenly, she could understand everyone, from the sibilant chatter of the Savhilians, to the booming voice of the Vrox.
"Oh, my goodness," she breathed, her eyes wide with wonder. "This is amazing."
Laythia smiled. "I'm glad you like it. It's yours to keep."
She blinked in surprise. "You're just giving it to me?"
"Of course. It's a small trinket, and the least I can do to help." Laythia inclined her head. "Especially for someone who I would very much like as a business partner. Call it a gesture of goodwill. Now, shall we get back to business?"
She turned to Vaarn, her expression becoming more serious. "I've thought about your offer, Chief Engineer. I'm willing to lower the price of the materials, but only if you agree to a long-term contract."
He shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I can only commit to a short-term contract at this time."
Laythia's lips pursed in disappointment. "But why not? A long-term contract would benefit both of us. You would get a steady supply of materials, and I would get a guaranteed market for my products."
"I understand your logic, but I need to be able to assess the quality of your materials before I commit to anything more," the big engineer said. "So, let's start with a short-term contract, and if I'm satisfied with the quality, we can discuss a long-term deal."
The golden-skinned alien sighed, but then nodded. "Very well. But I want you to know that I'm not offering you this discount out of the goodness of my heart. I want something in return."
"And what is that?" he asked, his voice cautious.
"I want you to introduce me to the CEO of one of the tech corps on Devan Station," Laythia said. "I'm looking to expand my business there, and I believe that a partnership with a local company would be mutually beneficial."
He frowned. "I'm not sure I can do that. The CEOs of the tech corps are very busy people, and I don't want to waste their time if you're not serious about this deal."
Laythia smiled. "Trust me, Chief Engineer T'Kaan. I'm very serious. And I'm sure that once they've met me, they will agree that I'm worth their time."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I'll see what I can do."
Laythia beamed. "Wonderful. I knew we could come to an understanding."
She turned to Sadie, her eyes twinkling. "And thank you for your help, Lady Sadie. I'm sure you'll find your translation matrix very useful."
"You're more than welcome." She smiled back. "I'm sure I will. Thank you again."
As Laythia walked away, Sadie glanced sideways at Vaarn. Were her suspicions correct? Was the beautiful, golden-skinned alien woman the kind of woman he was attracted to?
"So, I assume that went well?" she asked, trying to keep her tone of voice neutral.
He shrugged. "She's a businesswoman. Tough as nails. Knows what she wants and goes after it. Hence that little gift of a translator field before she moved in to close the deal."
She hid her disappointment. She had hoped for a more enthusiastic response or some clue as to what he was thinking.
