Trader: Earth is about to discover the real meaning of Foreign Trade (Trader's World Book 1)

Trader is an amiable alien with an offbeat sense of humor. He’s recently won a contract with the interstellar Trade Association to open a trading post on pre-Trade Earth and upgrade it to Trade status. Two of the pre-bid qualifications are that the winner must be able to conduct business in the local environment with no assistance other than nutritional supplements, and must be able to build rapport with the local dominate species. As Trader puts it, “Who would want to work with me if I looked like one of the local predators or one of your mythical monsters“. He does though, have to hide his silver fur, huge turquoise eyes, unusual ears, and odd gait until the true nature of the Trading Post goes public.

The Trade Association does not work with local governments (and interstellar governments don’t exist) as governments have been proven throughout the galaxy to be nothing more than a phase that adolescent cultures pass through as they grow towards maturity. Instead, it works through local contacts. In this case, Trader invites the Steele family (Rick, Marie, Hank, and Kate) to work with him. Their somewhat wild-eyed acceptance frees him to concentrate on building the Trading Post under the radar, preparing Earth for its future, and market possibilities. They, on the other hand, begin to learn about other worlds, the multi-species Trade Association, the interstellar form of free enterprise, and what’s in store for Earth.

Trader, to all except the Steeles, is a wealthy eccentric from an obscure but wealthy mid-East tribe.