Torian Reclamation 3: Test of Fortitude Read Online Free PDF

visitors, so I probably shouldn’t have scanned the serpent meat and upset your fellow Torian back there. Please accept my apology. It isn’t likely to find demand in a foreign market, anyway. Abnormally lean meats aren’t all that rare, and only tend to appeal to a minority in most cultures.”
    “Your government is interested in importing food?” Brandon asked.
    Trodenjo shook his head. “Our own world prides itself on self-sufficiency, thus we have little interest in a foreign food supply. Also, exotic animal importations are strictly prohibited on Mpar. As I said, it was a mistake for me to attempt to catalogue the meat. There isn’t much else in that marketplace at the moment. Brandon, did you say? Do you mind if I ask a few questions about your race?”
    “Not at all. As long as you don’t get any ideas about purchasing humans. Although, the atmospheric conditions on Mpar are probably more suitable for our species than those on this planet.”
    The Mparian was interested in learning everything he could about Earthlings, so Brandon went on to explain the basic history of the Torian human population. Trodenjo was so fascinated by it that Brandon had no opportunity to learn about Mpar in return. It was regrettable. Trodenjo was an interesting being, and Brandon had many questions about the nature of Mpar’s importation endeavors. It was exactly the kind of thing he imagined happening once governments in the Erobian Sphere began seeking interstellar trade relations.
    But Brandon didn’t have time to question him right now. He politely excused himself at the first natural opportunity and began walking towards the stadium entrance. Brandon had an appointment to keep, and some last-minute mental drills to run through.
     



Chapter Two
     
    Brandon decided to stop trying to rehearse what he would say. This would, in all likelihood, be an unpredictable proceeding with a rapid exchange of accusations. The best preparation was to come with a sharp mind that could improvise and react without sidetracking into anything sounding like a prepared speech. A wise man uses his ears more than his mouth.
    Slightly more relaxed, Brandon leaned over the balcony railing and forced himself to think about other things. His eyes fell upon the huge polwar contraption in the middle of the field. Hard to believe that thing drew more than two dozen alien races here annually, all of them hoping for the chance to see their home champion play on it in the finals.
    Next to it were the semi-finals games sets, both of which had been enlarged since the inaugural event five years ago. Jumper was, of course, correct that he had done well to get that far in the second annual tournament. Only there was something not quite right about the way he lost that game. Brandon could sense that Alan and even Kayla felt it, too—although Kayla was at least as happy as Brandon to see Jumper give up polwar afterwards. Admittedly, it wasn’t like he had much choice. All remaining Earthlings had moved to Banor where the game was still banned, and taking the public shuttle to the other planet to satisfy a game addiction was too pathetic for even Jumper to attempt to justify. So the Torian human population, at least, was mostly safe from the cursed thing for the time being.
    That did nothing to curb Jumper and Alan’s appetite for the outdoors. Brandon could relate, as he used to be something of a hiking enthusiast himself. But he didn’t fully trust those two to always use wise precaution in staying safe. The manner in which they tended to satisfy their getaway urges often bordered on recklessness.
    And now they felt they needed an adventure-style vacation away from Banor, which they were bored with. How two youths could get bored with a whole planet was beyond Brandon’s ability to understand, but he knew there was no way to talk Jumper out of something once he got it stuck in his head. Amulen was still a dangerous place for extended backpacking trips in the