A New Hope for O-Theta

[Soban]

Freeport 8, Living Quarter D, Meeting Room A

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Jonathan let out a quiet sigh. At last, the greed of the Houses and their corporations was beginning to show through.

The arrangement itself was simple enough, and Miss Tost seemed to understand it well. Zoners had lived on the fringe for centuries; they knew how to manage logistics — for their fleets, their stations, and their people in the deep Omicrons. Kadesh stood as the finest proof of that, holding firm in the face of every hardship. Compared to what Kadesh had become, Corfu was still a modest undertaking.

He had the distinct sense that whatever came next would be driven less by necessity than by ambition. Still, Phoenix had so far worked well with every other Rheinland corporation it had dealt with, so he decided to indulge Mr. Lieber.

He drew a steady breath.

“Before anything else, I’d like to clarify one point with Miss Tost. Convoys of that kind can—and will—be arranged. However, due to GMG regulations, any escort we provide in the Sigmas will have to remain limited to gunboats and smaller craft. Most of our capital vessels are already committed to reinforcing our installations.”

He took a sip of water before continuing.

“With that point settled — please, Mr. Lieber, enlighten us.”