Page 58 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Serving the Chocolate Eclipse

PKU representatives had pointed out, functioned to keep the trader
in a subservient position, even though the terms of trade were
completely worked out in advance.
And the Mulorg did need to keep themselves superior to the alien
presence, at least in the eyes of the citizens of Joktu. The heliatrous
religion of the Mula was out of their control; a clan of priests
traditionally organized and conducted all worship of Blorath,
Somogo’s sun. Sazish, the high priest, publicly deplored and defamed
the PKU. Obviously, a power struggle was going on behind the
scenes between the secular and religious authorities.
But the seriousness of this conflict had been downplayed by prior
PKU representatives. Although the priests denounced the chocolate
as unhealthy and immoral, there would periodically be a nocturnal
visitor to the PKU compound. Dumop, a monk known to be in the
service of Sazish, would creep in under cover of darkness with a
small bag of plastinium clinking in his paws. The alien trader would
wink and make the exchange, secure in the knowledge that
somewhere high up in the temple of Blorath a saintly sweet tooth was
being indulged.
Kaga had carried on this clandestine commerce, always careful to
have a few bars on hand. After being at his post a few months, and
feeling confident in his position, he decided to venture into Joktu on
market days, when any itinerant trader might freely enter the city to
display his wares. The socio-economic aspects of Mulo culture were
well-documented, so Kaga poked about the stalls and corrals for
something else to study.
One day he noticed an old Mulo crouched behind a pile of crudely-
carved stone disks in a less-desirable wind-blown corner-of the
bazaar. Kaga strolled over to him and paid the customary
compliments via Languex. Then he got down to the object of his
curiosity.
“Tell me, venerable son of the desert,” said Kaga, “what manner of
item do you sell, and might an unworthy alien presume to enter into
negotiations for one?”
Mulos spoke by flexing their external ribs, each pair of which had a
definite tone. Since the creatures’ abdomens were suspended from
ten double-jointed limbs, their voices could easily be muffled or
channeled in any direction. The oldster had almost totally encased
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