To: Hans von Goeben, the Sol Project | From: Adrian Thrax

[Sol]

TRANSMISSION RECEIVED
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Dear Mr. von Goeben,

I am finally able to contact you with good news. It took me a while, indeed, and I am sorry that it looked like I was procrastinating a bit, however there was a good reason.

To be honest, I didn't want to send this transmission too early before I could conclude some deals which could be of use to you, and since I can guess that you and Dr. Samson might be very busy with communications such as mine. Like I told you before, you two are very interesting, so you probably are commanding a whole lot of attention from the whole of Sirius currently. I'll not be expecting a reply very quickly -- please take your time.

The good news is that I could finally gather a force which would be capable enough to secure the project skillfully, and quite loyally as long as we don't neglect their payment. I will personally make sure that they remain happy and properly satisfied with their payment, so you do not need to worry about this.

Before you ask me how I managed this, let me give you the details. I've talked to the Forlorn Hope, a professional mercenary group which I have been building up my influence with for a while. I have enough confidence in them, and I know their leadership closely enough that I can safely say that they will be in your command and will be very eager to help you with your cause. They are a honorable bunch, and I am sure you'll prefer their company over the usual cutthroat who would be looking to stab you in the back with the first opportunity.

So yes, you have the chance to have your personal army in your hands, which you can command as you will as soon as you have a need of such. Three hundred men and women armed to the teeth and selected among the most experienced sort, ready to secure any site you wish.

My personal advice, however, is to feign weakness for the time being, and to act as though you did not yet secure your interests properly and are in need of more direction and help from the other interested parties. We should prolong this state of apparent weakness as long as possible, so that the other organizations may remain willing to assist you in your project either through monetary donations, or through means you could eventually be in need of. Because, I suspect, some will only pay you and assist you as long as they are given the impression that the Sol Project can be swindled and manipulated to eventually give up your years of effort. If they are not given that impression, I am afraid some may take a more aggressive stance towards you and try to take what they want by force.

This last part is something which could be an inevitable challenge eventually, so my next suggestion is to prepare for the worst as soon as possible, and to slowly build up a force strong enough to keep you safe from personal danger and to prevent your project from being hijacked.

But you probably know all of this yourself Mr. Goeben. As we discussed before, you are very aware and experienced in matters such as these. You're not new to the dangers of this sector.

In any case, I am continuing to try my very best to be of use to your effort, because as you know, your success is eventually, and hopefully, mine as well. I am currently looking for more opportunities which could contribute to your cause in a positive way so that you can focus on your research with an ease of mind.

If you wish of me anything at all which could help you better do your work on your project, please tell me.

Adrian Thrax

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END OF TRANSMISSION

[Hans von Goeben]

Dear Mister Thrax.

Before we come to the business part, I would like to apologize for letting you wait so long. The recent days were filled with paperwork, planning and organizing which left me virtually no time for interactions via the NeuralNet.

I have the unfortunate news for you that the Sol Project already asked Forlorn Hope directly for their service and support. It seems that this occurrence was forgotten in the midst of negotiations and talks with our potential investors. I am deeply sorry and hope that this will not affect your interest in the Sol project.
If the mercenaries reject working for us, your offer will naturally be the next one to be negotiated about.

Lastely, the other options of support you presented to me: I am personally still interested, but I'd rather wait with a definite decisions until the project's infrastructure and organisation runs properly. The team has simply too many tasks at once to work on and needs to priortize them. Once this is the case, you will hear from us again for updates and the current status.

With best regards,
Hans von Goeben.

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