A New Hope for O-Theta

[Catto]

Weiss Executive Officer Klaus Lieber

---

Lieber made a mental note of Johnatan's reaction. The Phoenix man was reasonably guarded, which was understandable. He put on a measured business smile and made use of the spotlight given:

"As you pointed out, zoner operations have entered another's space, and not just in the Sigmas. This, by necessity, does more than just export materials out to the Border Worlds." he placed his pad down, a holographic projection sprouting up to the benefit of the two others, "Tensions are rising once again between Kusari and Liberty, as they are between the Rheinland Military and the Gas Miner's guild. You may recall a few skirmishes reported recently, involving Red Hessian terrorists of all people in Sigma-13. A valiant effort was made to restrain the Corsair Imperio, whether in Rheinland, the savage Omega systems, or indeed in your home Omicron Systems. While successful, this has left a chaotic void in its wake. All of this affects shipping. The average and minimum insurance rate per ship has risen three times already in the past month. We expect this to only increase further."

Lieber made a bitter expression, mostly directed at the Daumann representative. Rheinland often spent as many credits as it made, trying to maintain a powerful presence in its corner of the cosmos. The Weiss Executive waved over the holographic map display, zooming in on the Sigma-13 junction, a red arrow tracing a path through the system, joining links between stars to reach Theta. From Theta, the nearby systems lit up to indicate a joint area of interest.

"As you have reminded us, your escorts are fundamentally foreign to the route your supply requires. Your supply also requires protection. I know your people are hardy and self-sufficient, but the materials and technology you wish to use for expanding your homes and fortifying them require a secure and regular supply chain, one whose costs only increase with the bulk involved. Over previous centuries materials from the Houses have always been shipped to the Omicrons at great expense in smaller lots, costing your people dearly. Only the unclaimed riches of the frontier were able to keep up with these needs, sold at a pittance." Lieber dramatically raised his shoulders in a shrug, adding "But Phoenix changed that. Core did so as well. Omciron Delta has become quite civilized, yet your needs only increased, ja? You are part of this world, now."

The presentation continued with a press of a button, giving Lieber a small pause to take a sip of water from a small cube. He raised his hand to indicate there's a lot more to come in his speech:

"This," he indicated at the cross of Houses centered around Liberty, suddenly surrounded by spotted green dots, showcasing Freeports, "is what makes you such. The sector at large recognizes you as one of its entities. It creates a few expected duties whether you like it or not. For you, building up your holdings seems like a simple transfer of resources, but that'd be too primitive. It would make you no better than Corsairs, and no more welcome."

Lieber furrowed his brow again, an image of resolve against some kind of mythic enemy beyond the decorated space of the meeting room:

"I'll get to the point. Phoenix is too big to get mere favors for credits. We also need a lot more than Iridium. Weiss wishes to collaborate on large scale projects that fit domestic needs as well. Trade must expand, and create supply lines that will ensure your homes endure attack up to Rheinland standard. Weiss and our associates require better guarantees we're not creating a Freeportress that could one day turn against ourselves and Rheinland, and need those guarantees signed and executed. I'm not sure what my Daumann colleague has in mind to demand, but we are authorized to request a series of contracts to the effect of treaties. These involve the following parties;"

Small blips of toxic lavender popped in and out on the map, inside Thuringia and Sigma-19, to which he paid no mind. One flash turned red, fading out of existence. The map was too detailed for a civilian owner, the live stream of data inside of it was also beyond such means. The moustached man stated his offer:

"The Rheinland Military requires multitude of supplies otherwise poorly unavailable, such as bulk h-fuel and certain rare medical compounds, Hamburg University offers an exchange program for scientists and medical personnel, and Weiss itself will purchase a large supply of exotic materials hailing from the deeper Omicron systems on an ongoing basis. In return, Weiss and Imperial Shipping will do more than provide supply for your construction, but also negotiate select docking rights inside Rheinland, exchange necessary technological and intelligence information to a degree, and provide networking opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to your people. We believe in strengthening our bond, as the Gas Miners weaken and our House neighbours go to war, offering our hand in cooperation in a way no other House corporation would."

Lieber signalled the end of the speech, sipping on the cube. He was facing Johnatan, yet his eyes were somewhere in the distance again.