Runners

[Ash]

Despite my accoplishments I still do business personally. I just don't trust anyone else to sell on my behalf, esecially to new clients. This proved to be problematic when I first set foot in Kusari. It was due to an apparently greedy Kishiro board member on Junyo that turned out to be in the pocket of some less than admirable individuals.

The Hogosha are shady characters at best and not at all forthcoming about their motives. I was cast into their deepest darkest crevace after seemingly being drugged by an actually astounding 25 year old scotch. The Kishiro official, it would seem, was the bait. The interrogation I will say was very cli che with the dark room, lamp and table and all that but they seemed to understand the significance of fear in their threats of torture. All of which I'm glad to say was to no avail as I'd presumed I was worth more alive than mutilated. So I waited until the punks were done with their banter, and then their bosses were done with theirs until they eventually put someone important in front of me. His name, I was later to discover, was Hitori Matsumaru - the Hogosha boss liason of New Tokyo. By his explaination the group had been watching me for some time and waiting for me to step into Kusari to pin me. He was more than happy to divulge that my exfill team I had signalled to bust me out now worked for him. It was clear this man had intended to extract clientele iformation from me as his subordinates had so crudely attempted to do in the hopes of assuming control of my business.

I like the Hogosha. No really I do. As a system I think it is genius how they have so uniquely entwined lawfulness with lawlessness to the point where just about everything is grey. Problem is, most people in any real power here are ambitious and pompous to the point where they will backstab and cheat their way into as much power as they can get. And in front of me sits a man seeking my assets, my clients, my empire for his own ends when i'm sure his orders are to convey it all onto his boss. The Hogosha really do show how far you can take a criminal syndicate. How far you can exploit corruption, torture, blackmail and deception to make serious money. But when you break it down, having friends is so much more rewarding.

As he was in the thick of relaying to me what he intends to do with my business once I submit all my clients to him there comes a knock on the door. Five minutes pass, and i'm being untied and escorted to a hangar bay where Mr Matsumaru then reluctantly yet politely informs me to take my pick of any of the vessels before me to depart and go about my business.

The Hogosha have big pockets reserved only for money and people of influence. Seems they'd spent so much time fussing about what was in their pockets that they'd all seemingly ended up in someone elses. Marcel de Baturrica - head of an Artifact smuggling ring out of Cadiz, close associate and indeed relative of many of the Corsair high command on Crete caught wind of my predicament. Luckily he owed me a favour due to a run-in of a shipment of his with the Rheinland blockade in Dresden a few years back. Long story short he made the very touching notion of parking his Cruiser just outside Kabukicho to see to it personally that I was released. My exfill men had seen to it that he was notified after they followed me to the Hogosha base and accepted the bribe. The bribe I let the men keep and we all shared a few glasses of Marcel's home-distilled rum on the deck of his cruiser. All in all I was $50 million credits up, safely out of danger and a proud new owner of a Big Dragon transport ship. It's fair to say that the beginnings of my business venture in Kusari were off to a decent start.

Rule #11: Honesty is the best policy

Never undervalue honesty. In a world where most you meet are confronted to deceit and treachery it pays to say what you mean and keep your promises. This makes you predictable, but to those who value trust, it is a reasonable risk to take. Therefore try and do business exclusively with those who are trustworthy and you will be rewarded with friends you can count on.