The inspection wasn't supposed to come early.
According to the system, I had 30 hours left.
So when the reinforced door to the Burrow hissed open at dawn, my stomach dropped.
Footsteps. Clean. Unhurried.
Yena was already moving, stashing unlicensed tech into our false floorboard vaults.
I stood frozen behind a crate of sealed nutrient packs, system HUD blinking red in my peripheral.
UNSCHEDULED PRESENCE DETECTEDAlert Level: ModeratePossible Identities:– Tradepost Inspector– Rival Trader Agent– Local Enforcer (Low Likelihood)
Then a new window appeared—one I hadn't seen before.
EEP Inspector IdentifiedName: Irix Velan (Automated Tier-4 Auditor)Status: System-AssignedAuthority: License EnforcementRank: Tier-5 (Auditor Class)Compliant Response Required
He stepped fully into view.
Tall. Crisp white coat. Not a wrinkle. Eyes like carbon steel, scanning everything—every bolt, shelf, dust speck. His skin was pale, nearly silver-blue. Not enhanced—natural. A species I didn't recognize.
"Trader Kai, provisional," he said in a clipped, exacting voice.
"Yes, sir," I replied, standing straighter than I had since I was ten.
He didn't return the nod. Just walked deeper into the post, boots making no sound.
"The assistant?" he asked, eyes flicking to Yena.
"Yena," she said before I could. "Provisional hire. No system bond. Contract filed last cycle."
Irix raised one eyebrow—not in approval or disapproval, just acknowledgement.
"Begin audit."
For the next four hours, he moved through the Burrow.
He scanned storage lockers. Logged every item in our inventory. Examined crates of legally sourced goods and paused far too long on anything we'd repackaged or stripped of manufacturer data.
The coolant cells, now gone, were mentioned.
"You used off-world credits to source bulk goods. Who cleared the exchange?"
"No one," I said. "It was under the system's Tier-3 Direct Import bracket."
"Your rank is currently under review."
"I was advised it would hold under trade escalation protocols."
Irix's eyes didn't blink.
But he moved on.
When he finished the physical audit, he turned to his slate—a small black tablet with an EEP seal embedded in the corner. He brought up our buyer logs.
Five repeat customers. Two pending contracts. One flagged anonymous buyer with no follow-up.
"Who is 'Zian 78'?" he asked.
"No clue," I admitted. "They pinged the system once. Never returned."
"Suspicious. Watch it."
Then came the worst part.
He pulled up the core ledger—my C.U. trail. Every transaction I'd made since receiving the system.
My very first trade—for a trash-grade flashlight in exchange for 0.2 CU—flashed on screen.
"So it's true," Irix said softly. "You started with one item."
"I did."
"And in eleven cycles, you reached five buyers, one post, and Tier-4 evaluation?"
"I've worked," I said. "And I've risked."
He turned. Finally—just for a moment—his expression shifted. The faintest trace of… interest?
Then gone.
AUDIT COMPLETE.
Result:[Post: Kai-001] — CONDITIONALLY LICENSEDRank: Tier-4 (Probationary)Compliance Status: 92%Infractions: Minor (Unstamped Packaging, Unverified Assistant)Penalty: 5 CU Fee WithheldEnforcement Review: 3 CyclesProvisional Clearance: GRANTED
"You've been approved," he said, standing at the exit. "You'll receive your Trade Seal by next solar rise. Congratulations."
My jaw tightened. "Just like that?"
"No," he said. "Not just like that. This post barely passed. One flagged buyer. No bonded assistant. Incomplete archive backups. But you showed growth. And you did it without smuggling or shell trading."
He paused.
"Which means either you're smart, or you're lucky. We'll know in three cycles."
And he left.
No ceremony. No handshake.
Just a sealed door and the faint scent of ozone in the air.
Yena let out a shaky breath.
"We passed."
I slumped against a crate, letting the tension bleed out of my spine. "We passed."
She grinned. "We're real now."
"No," I said. "We're visible now."
That night, the system glowed in soft blue instead of its usual gray.
EEP SYSTEM UPDATETradepost Kai-001: LICENSEDStatus: Tier-4 Trader (Probationary)New Functions Unlocked:– Trader-to-Trader Exchange– System Marketplace Access (Limited)– Recruit Bonded Assistants– Access to Planetary Trade Summits (Observation Tier)
I could now buy and sell to other traders.I could hire real people and give them system permissions.I could start to build a network—not just scavenge for scraps.
I was no longer just trading.
I was beginning to compete.
And somewhere out there, someone else in the next 10,000 light years might be watching.
Current Status:
Kai has 0.4 Cosmic Units and 74.3 Earth Credits (after audit penalty). He holds a High-Density Core (barter value), a fully licensed proto-post (Kai-001), and a probationary Tier-4 trader rank. He now has access to Trader Exchange channels and may begin purchasing exotic goods or services. Yena remains provisional but eligible for full assistant bonding in the next chapter. Kai has 5 regular buyers, with two more on the edge of conversion. He has no smuggling infractions—but one anonymous buyer remains untraced. The game has officially begun.
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— S.A.