Ferguson nodded slowly as Santiago was explaining the reasons for his visit. Then his pad chirped, and he looked down on it reading the incoming message.
Seems our office for public relations on Sparta is quite concerned about your skirmishes with the Corsairs. We cannot do much about it I guess. Things are as they are - we do not interfere directly due to our own policies- but I trust your men are distinguished enough to survive the fights with the Corsairs. However, I appreciate your offer to implement some distraction from Theta, so I can make an offer in return: Any time you might need it, drop your identification transmitters and run for shelter in 74. At some point every man has to decide whether he wants to die a hero, or rather stay alive to fight another day, or to renounce from violence to make the own living, but unless this day isn't near yet, I'd like to suggest that your men are leaving Theta, for a while at least. You might want to think about using Freeport 5 as a temporary base.
Ferguson emptied his glass, looked over to Kiss and nodded. Raluca Kiss stood up an left the table. Then he continued ...
To be honest the Corsairs are not our primary concern at the moment, they are the nearest for sure, and they are sometimes more than annoying the way they are, but somehow we managed to remove the heat from our relations. Gallia is a different matter though. This monarchy, and her bloody Princess, can be estimated as the greatest danger at the moment. You should know that some of the Omicroners remember her quite well, so no matter how far Gallia is or how well she has masked herself, the very essence always remains the same, and we know this essence.
The Zoners living in and around the Taus should actually already feel the impact of Gallic interests, but we are still in a rather comfortable situation, if not some idiotic researcher is going to find a jumphole in 74 leading directly to Gallia. Still, we're not close enough to monitor the situation ourselves, so -YES - we could settle a deal including Zoner Equipment put to an advantgegeous purpose to Zoners, and - YES - tell me more about the OSI business in the Taus and beyond. It's not that we would cry out loud in agony if some Zoner far away would have to suffer, even just being pushed around without a cause, but we know quite well that any such precedence can cause a Sirius wide avalanche. Once Gallia, or the Corsairs, or any other powerful group has made this example, the Zoner enclaves of true freedom will vanish, one by one. First only rumours are being spread, then reports of witnesses are being relyed and thus added to a still halp-unconscious level of perception, and in the end, we all know that, people will give a damn for freedom and its main hosts.
Ferguson gave a broad smile
No, my friend, I'm not trying to waste your time. I just want to make sure you can grasp the importance of the little addtitional favour I'm going to ask you for, and rest assured that we know to return favours, one way or the other.
