A look back by Lucy Fontaine; December, 2947 In March of 2943, I interviewed an enigmatic trader by the name of Wyatt Kolde. It was early in my career as a journalist, but the interview stuck with me for a variety of reasons. Like any number of the hundreds of thousands of traders that have chosen the life of a trader, Wyatt prided himself on being able to read the markets, and like many successful traders, this contained some truth. However, Wyatt clearly lived under the shadow of his family name, being the last in the line of the powerful Kolde family. More of a presence and a political powerhouse during the reign of the Messers, the Kolde family was known as being one of the minor movers and shakers. With a broad range of bankers, lawyers, and any number of CFOs across the ‘Verse, Wyatt’s destiny seemed to be pre-written, even though he initially tried to escape the family life with a short, but noteworthy, stint in the Imperial Navy. After his exit from the Navy, Wyatt used the considerable resources at his disposal to form a rather novel trade fleet. He termed it the “Carnival,” as it seemed to fit the mold of those ancient Earth-bound entertainment industries, traveling from location to location, system to system, across the UEE and beyond, setting up shop for a short time before pushing on. While there was nothing original about that, the uniqueness of the Carnival lay in the breadth of the fleet itself. The Carnival provided a home for all kinds of professions, and was well-known for not turning anyone away. Those without a profession could start as crew: the Carnival had smaller ships they would loan to those who proved themselves in such roles, allowing them to build their own wealth in the fleet and eventually purchase their own vessel. The Carnival employed scouts and explorers, and used them both to seek out hidden pockets of wealth, but also to get the lay of a system, thus making it easier and less costly to procure resources. Miners were part of the Carnival as well, usually following in after the scouts, working in tandem with other trade vessels to ensure profit and time were maximized. Support ships would offer their services not only to the Carnival, but to other ships in the visited system, often undercutting similar operations that already existed - the Carnival’s combined wealth allowing it to offer better rates. Finally, there were rumors of the Carnival’s less savory roles, and the UEE often dogged the trade fleet with charges of smuggling and dealing with unscrupulous characters. The Carnival was known for being willing to trade with anyone, something that came from the top: from Wyatt himself, a man who had visions of emulating the Banu themselves. Because of this diversity of purpose, the Carnival was known in a few of the outlying systems as a growing economic force. While not approaching the power and influence of the megacorporations, even the minor ones, the Carnival was nevertheless able to sway markets with its arrival and departure, something that was noted by other traders, as well as the more permanent members of the various systems the Carnival traveled to. Perhaps what happened next was a result of this success: some rival not appreciating the growing competition, one of the larger players removing an annoyance before it became a threat. Other rumors are more likely: that Wyatt was tiring of the nomadic life, that he was making riskier deals. There were rumors that he was trading into Xi’An space before the existence of the HuXa Trade Initiative, and perhaps he crossed some diplomatic line with those aloof aliens or, perhaps even more likely, once he chancrossed the line, maybe he found he liked the space on the other side more accommodating. Who can say? In October of 2943, five months after the following interview ran, Wyatt Kolde, along with his well-known Banu Merchantman, the Snapdragon, disappeared from the ‘Verse without a trace. The following is a three-part series including that original interview examining the Carnival and its odd, somewhat mysterious progenitor. This is an excerpt from my original longer article from 2943 followed up by my search for what happened to Wyatt and the Carnival since his disappearance.