Lounge Rouge

[Anaximander]

Fabiano Rizza entered Lounge Rouge with a big smile on his face. He had spent his youth and most of his adult life doing business on the social scene, so he felt at home. He looked immaculate even though he had been trapped in the tiny confines of his ceremonial Sabre to get to Ames without drawing too much attention. He had left Luigi Rizza, his nephew and second-in-command, in charge of his Ranseur and they were in a holding pattern in Kepler should things go awry.

Fabiano quickly spotted Lancehead's scarred face. That man and his wild pack of hooligans had taken down more Outcast warships than Fabiano would like to think of, but he was not the kind of man to let a business opportunity slip by. He sat down in the empty chair next to the notorious Xeno Alliance leader, and the strong scent of Fabiano's spiced cologne quickly spread. He looked at the mirror behind the bar, smiled smugly at his own reflection while thinking to himself "beauty and the beast".

Without taking his eyes off his own reflection he muttered "I am Don Rizza, an Outcast entrepreneur. Let's skip further formalities, signore, I know who you are. My sources tell me that your group has a strong network planetside. That you have the ability to disperse goods on the Liberty black market. There are rumours of a healthy Xeno interest in the Cardamine industry circulating on Malta. You see where this is going?"

He paused for a second, trying to read Lancehead's rugged face through the reflection in the bar mirror. It was time for some incentives. "Times are changing, and perhaps it's wise for men like me to not put all my eggs in one basket. Perhaps it is not wise to put all trust in the Rogues, perhaps they have been growing too rich and too strong under the protective auspice of the benevolent Maltese Empire."

When he finished talking, Fabiano turned towards Lancehead and looked at him directly for the first time. He knew that under usual circumstances the Xeno would have taken a stab at him, and most likely enjoyed doing so. He just had to find out if the rumours were true, and if the Xenos would be able to set aside differences to do some business.