"Interesting. This wood really is interesting."
At one of the Company's Spaceports, a girl marveled at the merchandise on the stall before her.
It was a broken section of wood, a little over a meter tall.
"You have a good eye, miss." The vendor smiled ingratiatingly.
"I never thought I'd find something good at a street stall like this." The girl smiled. "Looks like The Hunt's aim isn't all that great. How did such a big piece survive? The whole star system was annihilated, so how did you survive that arrow?"
"Maybe I was a PE... ahem." The vendor stroked his beard awkwardly. "Just tell me whether you want it."
"One hundred million Credits," the girl said calmly. "I happen to be missing a collectible like this."
"One hundred million is too little." The vendor shook his head repeatedly. "This was my own big brother!"
After a pause, he held up two fingers.
"You'll have to pay more!"
"All right, two billion." The girl nodded. "That should seal the deal."
The vendor looked at his own fingers and asked in bewilderment,
"Doesn't this mean two?"
"What did you say?" The girl frowned.
"Yes, yes, yes!" the vendor shouted. "Deal!"
They quickly completed the transaction, and the vendor slung his bag over his shoulder and ran off like a thief.
The girl examined the broken wood on the ground and smiled.
"Interesting. I'll take it back first and study it when I have time."
"Ms. Herta brought back another batch of Strange Objects from her business trip." An elderly staff member pushed an alloy containment crate as he spoke to the younger staff member beside him. "Our job in the Department of Weird Things is to inventory and contain them."
The two arrived at the containment chamber and began taking