You are here to make money, pure and simple

The Merchant's Purpose

There is great wealth to be had by the poking at the right corners of this planet. Much as be traded off-world, much can be traded on-world to other aliens, even to some of the humans. Governments, especially, are eager (and gullible) markets.

The world money markets are a good starting place (trading Marks for Yen, or Rubles for Dollars), but the Big Money is to be found in the manipulation of commodities, the creation of new markets and/or addictions, diseases where you have the only cure, and so forth.

Be wary of the manipulators; you will find them constantly stepping on your turf. So... step back on theirs! It's money, after all, and it should all be yours.

Stance in Conquest of the Earth

Take a look at the Human literature Star Trek and the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (the only really complete listing of which is here on this site and at the MIB Archives) for a clue as to how Humans view the professional, career Merchant.

Merhcnats are here to buy and sell things, at a profit. Some of them will stay in the rules (the rules for commerce on this planet, as laid down by the Earth Affair's Council and enforced by the MIBs, and by the Galactic Council's own rules on Unintegrated Cultures, and even by the Aldebaran Bank. Some will not stay in the rules, or will occasionally take risks when the promise of profit is high enough.

One good trick is to surreptitiously bring a proscribed device or shipment to the Earth, let it "loose," then wait for the MIBs and Earth Affairs Council to notice, post the usual reward on proscribed tech, gather it up and collect. The reward is almost always enough to make up a substantial profit. This matter is often debated in Council, and other lamented by the MIBs themselves, but so far this nefarious loop hole has not been closed up.

They tend to be reliable, trustworthy and so forth, because the only real inventory a Merchant has is his reputation. But that doesn't mean what he sells you is always precisely what you think it is.

Lazarous Long once said, "If I sell a man a horse, I won't guarantee it has a leg on each corner. At most, I will keep quiet and let him check that out (or not) for himself."

 

How this individual Purpose mixes with a Species' Purpose

Merchants will operate with any and all other ETs and even with the ET-aware Humans, and sometimes will just pose as Humans (perhaps eccentric ones, or mysterious ones) and basically will sell anything to any one.

The Vegans are the perfect Merchants, and hold to a strict ethical policy. If you wish to purchase something on the proscribed list (say), you will need to locate another merchant (usually), and hope that it's not an MIB sting operation in reality.

Sometimes, an otherwise trustworthy merchant, might end up participating in a "sting" with the MIBs, in order to save himself from troubles of his own. (A typical technique often used even by Human law officers.)