The Salvage Moon of Deraxis orbited a dead planet in the Ragdan System—a neutral trade zone carved out of war, shadow, and mutual greed.
There was no law here.
Only the Code.
And the Code said: "No killing. No stealing. No System hacks. All trades final."
Kai stepped through the silver portal into a place that smelled of plasma fuel, hot oil, alien spice, and old coin. The "market" was built into the crater of the moon—hundreds of ships docked like crusted barnacles on ledges of steel and dust.
Thousands of traders—humanoid, insectoid, gas-formed, AI—bustled and shouted in dozens of languages.
[Translator Upgrade: Active][Language Filter: Common Galactic Dialect]
The noise organized itself in his mind.
"Plasma core bundles! 8 CU, no haggling!"
"Spirit Bark for anti-curse runes! Only top cut, none of that synthetic crap!"
Kai grinned, the excitement building in his chest. This was it. The first real marketplace.
His Vault interface hovered beside his left eye like a semi-transparent HUD. It displayed his items:
Spirit Bark (12 CU est.)
AI Poetry Chip (Value Unknown)
His goal was simple: trade smart, raise CU, reach Rank 3, and unlock access to the Interworld Trading Hub.
But more importantly: prove he could survive—and thrive—among other traders.
Step One: Establishing a Reputation
He moved through the central crater until he found a small, three-legged stall shaped like a blooming metal flower.
The vendor was a spider-like being with a bio-plated skull and ten golden eyes. A reputation vendor.
"Looking to register your code, trader?" it clicked.
Kai nodded. "Kai Zareth. Register me under Rising Ghost."
The vendor tapped into the Trader System.
[Trader Codename Confirmed: Rising Ghost][Reputation Rank: Unverified][Visibility: Low-tier markets only][Next Threshold: 3 Completed Trades or 20 CU generated]
The spider being handed him a glowing slate. "Build your rep. You'll go farther than those system-fed leeches."
Step Two: The First Sale
He tapped his interface and projected the Spirit Bark listing to a small holopanel above his head.
"Spirit Bark. Raw, wild-grown. 12 CU value, open to barter or direct exchange."
He didn't wait long.
A humanoid figure in full chrome armor with purple eyes strode over. "Raventhian cut?" the woman asked.
"Direct from Hollow. Untouched."
She scanned the bark. Her interface flickered. "I'll give you 10 CU now, or trade you two Rystonian Ice Seeds. Grows on comet cores, flips for double on glacier-worlds."
Kai hesitated.
It was a gamble. The CU would boost him now. But the seeds could be worth more later… if he could find the right buyer.
"…Deal," he said. "I'll take the seeds."
They made the trade. Two shimmering, frozen-blue seeds appeared in his Vault.
[Trade Complete: Spirit Bark → Rystonian Ice Seeds x2][Item Value: Est. 20 CU (combined)][Reputation +1]
He grinned. Now that's more like it.
Step Three: The Gamble Chip
He approached a corner booth where weird items changed hands—unpredictable, obscure, or dangerous.
He placed the AI Poetry Chip on the counter.
A mechanical jellyfish with wings examined it.
"Illegal on six systems," it buzzed. "But collectors pay for Earth stuff. I'll take it off you for 6 CU."
Kai leaned in. "Make it 8."
"7 and a Whisper Record from Pre-Collapse Japan."
Kai pretended to think, then nodded. "Deal."
A scroll of singing calligraphy appeared in his Vault. Ancient Earth tech-art, maybe worth something in niche circles.
[Trade Complete: AI Chip → 7 CU + Whisper Record][Reputation +1][CU: 7]
Step Four: Kai's First Purchase
He wandered deeper until a tired vendor with mechanical lungs hissed, "Got anti-detection cloaks. Basic-grade. 5 CU. Keeps you off enemy scanners for two minutes. No refunds."
Kai stared at the black veil in the seller's hand. It shimmered faintly with void energy.
He didn't need it now—but would. He bought one.
[Item Purchased: Anti-Detection Cloak (2 Minutes)][CU: 2]
With trades done, Kai sat on a bench made from an old cargo pod. Around him, a dozen deals happened every second. Some loud, others whispered. Some fair. Some foul.
But it didn't matter.
He was in the game now.
And he had profit in his Vault.
Status Panel (Narrative Style):
Kai Zareth, known now to the underground networks as the Rising Ghost, had survived his first hostile trade, escaped a killer, made it to a neutral moon, and walked out with two rare comet-borne seeds, a whispered scroll from ancient Earth, a cloaking device, and a trader reputation on the rise.
He had 2 Cosmic Units to his name, no backup, no guild, no sponsors—but more connections than yesterday, and a fire lit in his chest that no system warning could smother.
He wasn't rich.
Not yet.
But he'd begun.
Current Cosmic Units (CU): 2Vault Items:
Rystonian Ice Seed x2 (Est. 10 CU each)
Whisper Record (Value Unknown)
Anti-Detection Cloak (2 min use)
Reputation: 2/3 (Next Unlock: Trader Rank 3 – Interworld Trading Hub)