The Trader's Menagerie

THE TRADER’S MENAGERIE THE TRADER’S MENAGERIE BOOK 1 L.A. CORBEAU Copyright @ 2023 L.A. Corbeau The Trader’s Menagerie Book One First publication: March 24th 2023 Cover art by Covers by Combs Editing by Jess Whetsel All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by L.A. Corbeau [email protected] authorcorbeau.com No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Created with Vellum CONTENTS Glossary Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Epilogue Afterword Acknowledgments About the Author Also by L.A. Corbeau GLOSSARY Tick: Unit of time equivalent to an hour. Cycle: A day. Rotation: A month. Sequence: A year. Proto-tool: A multi-purpose tool. Like a swiss-army knife, but way more powerful. Credits: The main form of currency used throughout the galaxy, even on planets outside of the Expanse Federation’s territory. Expanse Federation: Governing body over many of the planets in this universe. Their goal is to get as many worlds under their control as possible for the creation of a better future. Trader: A low-level Federation position with little influence. They deal in trading hard-to-find or specialized goods and services with others for credits. A little bit like a concierge. Coordinator: A high-level Federation position that comes with a great deal of sway. They’re responsible for taking care of PR and details surrounding accidents, disasters, and any other “messes” for the Federation. Disappearing planet: A designation of planets that are impossible to find through traditional radar or other navigational means. Their existence isn’t widely known, but believed to be a tall tale by those who’ve heard of them. Visit www.authorcorbeau.com for full list of content warnings. 1 Xena’s heart raced as she stumbled out of the pod, her feet catching on one another as she fought for balance. Reaching for the nearest stable surface, her hand caught the outer shell of her small carrier ship. A surprised hiss escaped her mouth as she ripped her hand away, palm stinging angrily. Drawing her injured hand to her chest, she focused on moving forward, too drunk on the adrenaline of the successful heist to be bothered by the throbbing pain. Of course the ship would be hot. It would be even if she hadn’t hauled ass back to her main carrier, pushing the smaller vessel to its limits. As she walked away it released a series of pathetic sputters, the engine grinding and whining as it powered down. Xena paused as she looked over her shoulder, sharp eyebrows slowly rising to meet her hairline as an ominous sizzle was topped off by an anticlimactic thunk. She frowned at the ship’s dying protest. Well, at least she knew for sure that it wouldn’t be of use to her any time soon. Xena raked her good hand through her rust-colored hair, securing it in a ponytail. Her hand shook as she reached down to hit a button on her utility belt. In the space before her, out of thin air, a sizable metal crate appeared, settling on the floor with a dull smack. She exhaled loudly as she contemplated the spoils she’d just lifted from his ship. Getting back on his radar, especially after she’d spent so long running, wasn’t one of her better ideas. She enjoyed her freedom, no matter how new-founded it may be. Her little stunt could land her right back in the very situation she’d narrowly escaped from. "What have I gotten myself into?" Xena asked herself. Her question taunted her as it bounced off the metallic walls of the ship before eventually fading out. The soft hum of the engine offered her no answer, just a consistent reminder that she was now idling through space with no specific destination in mind. That didn't matter. The only thing Xena Moran knew for certain was that she was in possession of a particularly large cargo container, with no idea what was inside. Her piercing stare fixed on the mystery in front of her, willing it to fold and reveal all its secrets. Curiosity guided her as she made her way around the crate. The fact that it was far larger than her, which wasn't a difficult feat given that she was a bit on the short side, sent her mind racing. Whatever was inside must be valuable, and worth all the trouble she'd gone through to steal the damn thing. Running her unscathed hand over the box, she noted the indents and scratches that littered the surface. Turning its corner, her eyes fell on a series of crisp, white triangles that overlapped each other, outlined in green and coming together to form an abstract pattern. Within the composition was a symbol that