Warm blessings upon you, most Illuminated Brethren. I hope the device through which I am speaking has been an engaging study subject. You will have to forgive this sudden call; But we've need of you once again. The Commune has chosen to settle the Sigma Cluster, and exploit its current instability to establish our stronghold there. The occasional repairs and resupplies at your installations have been invaluable to our operatives as they chart the cluster and evaluate its many possibilities. But the time is fast approaching to up the ante and move the operation to the next level.
Needless to say, this massive undertaking will require steady funding and well-positioned supply lines. And while relying on unsuspecting shipments to stray into our raiding detachments has worked so far; It won't be too long before the local corporate interests get wise to our tricks. Thereby, we've spent some time analyzing the profiles of local factions and the geography of the cluster; And we've discovered a way to achieve the aforementioned prerequisites.
Namely, we've entered into talks with the Unioners in order to penetrate the Rheinlandic black market. More specifically, the most prominent collection of the Unioner cells, calling themselves "The Syndicate Leagues". They've long been known by us as one of the most unscrupulous and morally flexible factions in the sector, and it seems time hasn't changed them. Indeed, they seem to be one of the few who would turn a blind eye to our affiliations in the name of greed and personal gain. Almost makes me sentimental. But I digress.
We've already secured the rights to purchase weapons, supplies and materials from their bases. The surplus of which could also be transferred to your installations at your behest. But what is really necessary to cement the deal, and enable our expansion - is the Liquid Orange. The Unioners, as I understand it, have an exclusive connection to Gallic space through a newly formed wormhole in their space. They mean to export it to the unsuspecting Gallic populace, and usher in an addiction craze the likes of which this sector has never seen. They would chain them all for profit - but the chain would remain always in your hands. I think the myriad possibilities of this arrangement do not escape you.
That is, of course, if you are willing to spare any excess of the substance to be exported by us, to them, in a monthly quota. For now, however, they require only a small sample to place the product. Consider the possibilities of this arrangement, as this point of entry is unlikely to appear again any time soon. I will await your response with earnest anticipation.
Blossom on the breeze,
settles on the face of a corpse,
beauty masking death.
I can picture myself as a the Sirian drug baron, Kingpin Muramasa.
Now I admit I'm very prone to daydream but I'm yet to arrange a meeting with my risk analysts regarding the Liquid Orange as a means of -steady profit-, if I'm getting your proposal right. You know the Maltese have taken such honor over several centuries already, and they intend to keep the 'Sirian druglords' title with so much pride. Aaah... Pride.
Excluding risk assessment and potential clash with the Maltese for now, what is this monthly quota you have thought of? I need numbers in order to give you a fair response to this. How greedy can these Unioners be? You will easily understand that the Liquid Orange serves a more valuable purpose for our kind, that of enhancement. The spare substance, if we can ever define a "spare stock" for something that valuable, could reach several hundreds of people, but don't ever think it will cover the millions that the Cardamine grown in Malta's fields do.
All valid and justified concerns. I admit the prospect of getting into a turf war with the Maltese is disconcerting; Yet I believe that will not come to pass any time soon, judging by the...peculiar amount of unrest they're facing at their home front.
I mean not to devalue the substance's miraculous abilities for our kind's enhancement. Rather the opposite. The nonsensical mythos of the liquid variant's lethal nature has ensured that it remains the proverbial unicorn of the Sirian drug markets; Save in some very select and elite circles of consumers. I do not see why that would have to change.
Seeing as the supply is rather short; Its scarcity will have to remain. But so will its scandalous price. If the Unioners wish to peddle it; They will have to find a clientele that is simultaneously small enough, and wealthy enough to afford it.
But that is on them - we only need make the product available at its most fair price. How they take it from there, is up to them. I believe a sample vial will do for now; Followed by the preparation of the first hundred kilograms. From there, as the market slowly forms, I suspect the demand will rise steadily over the coming months - until it finally reaches the boundary of the supply.
Perhaps it would be too much to hope that by then the Great Lights might recognize the future potential of the venture and facilitate its expansion. Like you mentioned, daydreaming is the most seductive of the human pastimes - but we would have to cross that bridge somehow, if we come to it.
You will have a single sample vial ready for retrieval at Bottrop Depot. Bring it to these Unioners, make sure they don't kill themselves over it and let me know over this channel once they have delivered you their feedback, as soon as possible. Meanwhile I will be running these weekly meetings with my risk analysts before we proceed to... breaking the market.
Of course, I expect these Unioners to offer materials and items matching the value of the product we will be delivering. Squeeze the blood out of them, would you kindly?
Originally designed for Hamburg's largest breweries, the FDS EF Biomass macerator was originally designed for the rapid breakdown of brewing grains into more efficiently processed product for a cleaner, lower-impurity alcohol. Extensive layoffs within Klein-Paltier Farms following its forced acquisition by SynthCorp lead to the open-source release of most of the company's proprietary designs, most of which have found their way into Underworld reproduction by the technically-minded Unioner movement for the more efficient processing of the organisation's scant organic resources. Unioner modifications to the macerator's original design documents have made the equipment an invaluable component of the aquacultural feeder units for Unioner spacecraft life support systems. The addition of a cryocooler unit into the crusher's internal workings has allowed the unit to break down biomass in a dry, cold, low-humidity environment. The device may be able to increase the product density of floritic cardamine to liquified cardamine by an entire order of magnitude.
Though appearing primitive, this unwieldy contraption could be adapted for the purpose of converting classical cardamine into its concentrated, liquid form. Acquiring a reliable supplier among the Maltese cartels would be the next step from our side; That is, if your already tightly managed hive can spare some worker drones to operate the industrial process. If not, that too could be overcome with a little shopping trip to the vibrant slave markets of Liberty.
I'll deter from further development of the deal pending your input.
Allow me to become straight-forward in this matter: if you eventually manage to trick some Maltese cartel into supplying their -evidently- subpar product, then I find this deal of ours rather senseless.
Make up your mind... or your collective mind should I say.
Now if you would excuse me, I've got yet another social event to attend.