The Merchant from Beyond Earth

Tiberius Plinth is a tall, blue-skinned alien dressed in loose white-and-gold garments and shimmering jewelry. His expressive manner, resonant voice, sweeping salesmanship, and sharp-toothed grin make him appear welcoming until a bargain threatens something he considers part of his collection.

The Wandering Bazaar-Ship

His vessel combines starship, luxury residence, archive, marketplace, and menagerie. Books, artifacts, alien controls, crystal communication systems, comfortable furnishings, and dangerous specimens share space because Tiberius values rarity more than safety.

Panpipes and Trebles

Tiberius carries panpipes that communicate with the Trebles. Music can summon his creatures through the ship’s amplified crystal network. To him they are fascinating pets and useful acquisitions; to the human future they become an extinction-level invasion.

The Price of a Launch

J.D. needs the Blue Messenger’s technology and knowledge to carry the quest into space. Tiberius is willing to trade, but every negotiation tests whether the heroes can obtain what they need without becoming another item in his collection—or accepting responsibility for the disasters he treats as incidental.

Chronicler’s note: The Blue Messenger can place a price on almost anything. His chief moral limitation is assuming that means everything ought to be for sale.