The next evening...
Eriton, Ank Ki'Shor
“She's pretty, isn't she?” said Rey'grl, eying a lithe night club singer.
“Yes...” murmured Rexet, setting down his beer, “she is...wait a minute...”
The economics adviser turned his head to face the Rey'grl, “What the hell are you doing here?”
Rey'grl offered a smile, “Enjoying your fair world.”
“Don't be so condescending, really, what are you doing here?”
“I already answered that. The question is what are you doing here. I've heard you're a bit of a fan of hers.”
Rexet blushed, “I'm a happily married man...”
“Of course you are.”
“What are you doing here captain? You might have ditched the uniform...but I know your type...It's all business, or should I say all power...”
After downing a gulp of ale, the Confederate set down his ale, “That's a funny way to put it, but you're on the right track. I'm here to see you in private.”
“And if I don't want to talk to you?”
“You won't have much of a choice in that,” said the man, “unless you want to try the hard way, but I'm going to tell you right off the bat that if you can run faster than my agents and droids, in which case, I will admit that there's more to you than the CSIS briefing files suggest...”
“What do you want?”
“If you are as smart as they say you are, you already know what's coming.”
Rexel sighed, “You're really here to bring Ank Ki'Shor into the Confederation, aren't you? Your ship appears over Makeb Te, weeks later, the world joins the Confederation. Your ship appears over Estaria, not even a day's journey away, and the world suddenly has a lot of interesting political changes before it too joins the Confederation. You want to assimilate us too.”
“I wouldn't use the term assimilate. We're making your world a better place. You of all people should know the economic state of your world. It's already reliant on the Confederation to simply survive. You cut off your world from the Confederation, it dies.”
“So what, you expect me to believe that the Baron should sacrifice his world's control and independence for some short term economic gain?”
“Is it really short-term?” questioned Rey'grl, “Or is it long term? The tariffs on Makeb Te's ores, on Estarian energy crystals, and the foods of Emmer? Do you think they will simply cease if the Reavers disappear? Do you really think that some other super power won't take interest in your world eventually, even it isn't the Confederation? What if it's not the Confederation nor the Empire, but this new Dominion that sacked Coruscant?”
Rexel sighed, “You really think I can change the Baron's mind?”
“You can at least not oppose it.”
“I can't do that. I serve the Baron as an honorable man...”
“But not as an honorable husband...”
Rexel scowled, “Some things are more important than others.”
“A patriot then.”
“Perhaps,” stated Rexel, “but I think that if you really want my world, you, I mean the Confederation, could take it by force like the Empire would. But you haven't, yet you're unwilling to plead your case like the Coalition.”
“We come as equals.”
“Really? You've just spent all this time telling me about the benefits of the Confederation, our need for the Confederation, and you think that you can suddenly switch over and talk as if we're equals.”
“It's a relationship of mutual gain...”
“Possibly,” said Rexel, wagging a cautionary finger, “it certainly is better than some of the alternatives...”
“What are the better alternatives Rexel, realistically? You've got some big name Mega Corp coming here to place millions of orders on the edges of Reaver space?”
“Good grief, you just won't stop, will you? They did say you Confederates are known for being dogmatic...look, I'll shut up, but it's going to cost you.”
“I can work with that. What's it going to be?”
“First,” stated Rexel, “you agree not to harm Baron Demetri IV, or any of our people once Ank Ki'Shor joins your Confederation. Second, I want two million credits in my bank account for my silence-”
“Two million?”
“You're right. Make that five million credits and I'll even add a couple of words distancing myself from your previous comments...”
“I believe that concludes our talks,” said Rey'grl, holding up a pocket stenographer.
“You son of a-”
“Your silence or your life,” stated Rey'grl, rising from his chair, “that's my proposal. I'm assuming that you wouldn't want the honorable Baron to know about your offer. So, do you accept?”
Rexel glared, “And just exactly how do I know you'll keep your end of end of the bargain?”
“If you really think I'd turn you in, you have time to escape from this world, and I won't try to stop you, because my objective will have been completed irregardless. This isn't personal, Professor Rexel, it's just good politics. But in your case, I guess we'll just have to see how it goes...”
*
The morning after...
Baron's Summer Retreat, Ank Ki'Shor
“Good morning, honorable baron,” said Captain Rey'grl with a curt bow, “How are you?”
“Well enough, Captain,” replied the black-clad man, “I have had a chance to speak with some of my people's business men. I did not fully appreciate the difficulties, so to speak, that they are facing right now. One even floated the idea of membership into your Confederation to eliminate the tariffs.”
“Just the tariffs?” smiled Pierre, “I could think of dozens of better reasons...”
“Yes,” said the baron, “I imagine you could. I regret that you will not have the pleasure of debating Professor Rexel today. He seems to have taken a surprise leave of absence.”
Rey'grl frowned, “He has?”
“Yes,” said the baron slowly, “more unusually, my staff received a call from his wife, wondering why he didn't check in last night. But there are records of him taking a flight off the world at nearly midnight. I can't imagine why he'd leave like that.”
“Very odd indeed.”
Baron dismissed the news with a wave of a hand, “But my talks seemed to have a more pressing effect that I did not intend.”
“Oh?”
“News of my visits leaked out to the public.”
Pierre cocked his head to the side and eyed the baron carefully, “Forgive me honorable Baron, but that doesn't seem all that noteworthy to myself...”
“No,” replied the other man, “I suppose that in itself wasn't even a secret, though the contents were. There is now a hope among my people, spread by throughout the forums of the Ank Ki'Shor IntraNet, that the Confederation is going to be placing a lot of orders, and even that I am personally considering bringing our world into the Confederation. There seem to be a lot of unusually accurate posts by a user named “Indigo”, but for some reason, none of my IT experts have been able to trace where he is posting from.”
Rey'grl frowned, “Why give the rumors credence by trying to find this poster?”
“Because now it's an expectation, Captain. One that I am increasingly thinking that I cannot stop. One I'm not sure if I want to stop. It's good to see the people looking up in grim times like this. I'm not so sure I can let them down.”
“So we are going to through with the military contracts then?”
“No,” replied the baron quickly, “I'm not one to go back on my words, especially when my previous opposition to them is already on record. Nor can I really rely on the corporations and your Confederation brokering them quickly enough for my people's appetite. Mr. Rexet once told me that there were members of the CMF who were authorized to help negotiate membership treaties. Was he right?”
Pierre nodded, “There have been some. While I do not personally have permission, there is a Confederate ambassador who is stopping by my fleet today, on his way from Felucia to Estaria. I can show you around the ropes of our basic membership treaty, so that the two of you can discuss it when he arrives later on today, if would it would please you, honorable baron.”
“It would.”
Pierre nodded, “If you'll excuse me for one minute, I am going to go outside and get the basic treaty tightbeamed down here from the
Pondichéry.”
This post was edited by Corise Lucerne (11:33am 09/10/14, 11 years ago)
