Billy had to speak loudly to be heard. The bar was crowded, and noisy. The men across the table from him were expressionless.
It was no place to be discrete, but business was still conducted privately in spite of (or because of) the din.
"In this briefcase are twenty million reasons for you to let us try out the ship we were discussing."
They now looked interested.
"One of my men, a Mr Ajax Tremor, will be by to take delivery of the test vessel."
He continued.
"He will evaluate its performance and report to me directly. We may buy more, if you are agreeable, and if terms can be negotiated which you find as favourable as this."
"Are we agreed on this trial run, then? Just name the account you require the funds sent to."
They discussed quietly among themselves, the several men in plain, nondescript dress. Two bald-headed men, one in a heavy long coat and black gloves with obvious cybernetic hardware poking out of his cranium leaned toward the other, whose bald head was unadorned by such accessories. The first seemed to pause a second before murmuring what seemed to be a question. The second nodded and muttered a response. The first began to lean back before Mr. Crow grabbed Bishop's sleeve and mouthed what could only be the word 'conditions'. Hannibal nodded, and took a small sip of the glass of wine before him.
He smirked affably as he returned his gaze to the other Bishop, a slick change of face that was clearly practiced and polished.
"We're prepared to accept this proposition. The docks will be notified of the arrival of the Mandalorian wing. The craft will be prepared. However..."
Bishop's voice rang out, not a skip or stutter in his orchestration. A man clearly in his element, crowd or no crowd. His smile, with polished white teeth that were clearly too perfect to be natural, lessened. His brow arched slightly, his head tilted.
"...Arbiter Crow here has mentioned some conditions that must be met if further craft and craft service is to be provided."
He gesticulated as he spoke, black gloved hands adding weight and conviction. All eyes on the table seemed to be drawn to him as he gestured to the case.
"The retaining fee is appreciated. Credits are a tool of universal application, and open many doors. But we also understand as men of power among our own people, in possession of our own significant resources that they are... finite in their use. With that in mind the Junker Congress lays out the following basic conditions that you and yours will find easy to adhere to."
A green LED flickered on Bishop's cranial hardware as he took another sip of wine, milking a pregnant pause to savor the complex flavors.
"You and I are smart men. We know of our respective organizations' driving motives and the shifting sources that feed them. This is not a critique of the honor of the Mandalore, for which I'd be far better armed if anything I had to say on the matter could be construed as anything but time-wasting flattery." Bishop grinned.
"But, you understand the 'mercenary' connotations of your organization. While I have no doubt that a Mandalorian will not commit aggressive actions against a full-color Congressman without due cause, our organization oversees the safety and betterment of all Junker families. Our people are a complex people, with our own traditions and our own inward values. Sometimes a young errant, or a great fool, or a traitor to our people and our culture will commit actions that risk far more than his or her own life. These individuals end up as fugitives, and stepping to their defense though we may try to do so, results in flagrant abuse of the Junkers' reknowned loyalty to our own." He took a breath, pausing to gauge reactions. He continued, the LED blinking again.
"Where I am going with this; we will not ask the Mandalorians to swear never to hunt a Junker again. That is too great a price to pay, and will most likely result in danger to Mandalorian ships and pilots should one of these errant Junkers hear of that and decide to abuse it."
"We will ask you not to use these vessels should the time come to cull a blighted branch that threatens to sicken the whole tree."
"Second, we cannot ensure you will not disassemble and analyze the ship once it is in your hands. We must ask you not to reverse-engineer the vessel for the purpose of reproduction, nor sell any surplus vessels or schematics gleaned from reverse-engineering down the line except back to the Junkers."
"It's a one of a kind class of salvage-capable escort, with long-burn capability for freight and capital escort, crew quarters for three and a cargo bay far superior to those of any vessel of similar concept; as well as the all-around combat capabilities that caught your eye. Naturally some organizations would be interested in the applications of such a ship. It's in our best interest to keep it a guarded secret."
He looked to his associates among him, for further comment."If there are no further requests or concerns, I believe we have a deal."