"Tell me this isn't some idiotic money using species problem." Gashvorn was really tired of species who are smart enough to think up the clever idea of a currency to facilitate exchanging goods, but stupid enough to assume that there's any constant exchange rate that would be accepted between the dozen's of different aliens trading here on the station. Even if you can work something out with a relatively stable trading partner, it could be completely worthless by the time you reach a new system. Atrotomsk Station doesn't use symbolic representations of value. If you want to trade here you either barter, or use the one constant value between all matter; energy. Not promises of energy, but actual light, heat or pressure. It's the one thing that is always universal, but some low caste primitives that don't have enough personal energy to ever really learn to build proper storage methods try to convince other species that tokens or data representing energy are as good as the real thing. This is a garbage idea, and Grashvorn is annoyed every time he has to explain to some yokels that they've managed to show up at a trade center with nothing of value. The reply from his assistant is both worrying and confusing.
