Vɪᴄᴇʀᴏʏ ᴏꜰ ᴀ Tʀᴀᴅᴇ Eᴍᴘɪʀᴇ
Lodd allowed the silence to settle within the conference room as he briefly looked at
Alex Stern
who was currently swirling whiskey in a crystal glass. Stern's counter to handle transport options via Outer Rim Resources was a direct ploy to undermine the Federation's exclusivity. He mentally added up the figures in his head, matching logistical assets, automated sensor picket probes and satellites against the heavy industrial manufacturing underneath his own control. It was a close match in terms of raw resources though this line of thought was interrupted by
Shuklaar Kyrdol
intervention into the conversation. He made sure to mention Locke and Key's integrated transit network, the hyper gate system which Locke had developed cut down transport times considerably and made patrolling hyperspace routes a rather redundant affair. Such a suggestion cut into his agenda, that being to monopolize and ultimately control the newly discovered government through shipping dependency. Before he could mention his approval about using the gates, the cathar
Rara Gowisi
threw out desperate accusations of backroom deals with the Dark Empire, a by now ancient Imperial Power that had once fought the Galactic Alliance. He failed to see their relevance to this conversation, deducing that she was attempting to goad him into admitting they had funded Imperialism. He would not dignify this with a direct response, to defend oneself was to admit the accusation had weight. Any public records they may have been able to fish up were fabrications as the Federation did not leave a paper trail tying them to the Imperials, as such a move would be entirely foolish.
Fortunately
Matthew of Valendale
was smart enough to dismiss the accusations leveled against the Viceroy. "Thank you Lord Valendale for maintaining the decorum of these proceedings." Lodd responded with relaxed posture, "We will not dignify the accusations from Si Tech's representative but will remind them that our company is neutral" No one could argue with this since he often clarified it to the Galactic Senate whenever they raised concerns about him.An idea came to mind, taken from his favorite tactic to use when in a bit of a jam. "I find myself entirely in agreement with your caution. In fact to ensure absolute transparency for the Farwords Alliance. I recommend that all corporations participating in this venture go through equally rigorous investigations to ensure that this new government knows all the facts before proceeding." Step one was to agree entirely but then turn around the suggest that all companies within this room undergo the same investigation in order to buy him time.
"We must ensure we do not target any one specific entity at this conference out of bias. Surely, the Farworlds Alliance is not speciesist against the Federation, given the fact that our executive bodies employ mostly Neimoidians. Fairness, after all, is the bedrock of good business." Step two was to paint himself as the victim of bias by explaining that if his company was targeted, it meant that the Farworlds was speciesist against the Neimoidians and their culture which only worked if the government was democratic and cared about image. Which they were according to his information.
He reviewed the holographic data stream Matthew had pushed across the table. The amended terms materialized in crisp blue text: the ten-year development contract, the right of first refusal on connected expansions, the guaranteed minimum annual volume with shortfall compensation, and liability strictly paired with control.
Lodd unlinked his fingers, leaning forward slightly to rest his forearms on the glossy surface of the table. His mind reeled back in the losses from the hypergate revelation and balanced them against the guaranteed minimum volume. The exclusivity on their own built infrastructure was standard, but the right of first refusal and the shortfall compensation changed the math entirely. It transformed a risky frontier investment into an insulated, low-risk revenue stream backed by sovereign guarantees.
"The Trade Federation accepts these terms. We will provide the principal capital, the modular processing units, and the industrial corridor under this ten-year framework. We welcome the integration of the Locke and Key ITN for transport security, provided our operational boundaries regarding the one-point-five percent service fee remain intact at the transfer points." He looked toward the lawyer, Clairmont, and then back to Matthew.
