"Non." Joseph replied casually, shaking his head as the doctor offered to refill his glass, having looked down at the glass in thought a couple seconds later. Weighing the implications of allowing Zoner transports and security ships to pass through Gallic occupied territory. Though, having officially made up his mind, he looked up and smiled lightly at the man.
"I'd like that list of transports with their expected destinations, cargo, and captains. So we can keep a close eye on the vessels. With the war going on, I cannot guarantee detachments of Royal Navy or Royal Police ships to help escort your vessels, so a small detachment of your own personal security ships will be granted. However, nothing larger than gunboats." The Prince said, bringing the glass up to his mouth again and finishing off the rest of the liquor.
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Doc collected himself a bit. His reaction to the surprise offer by the prince struck himself as greedy.
"I know you have a civil war going on in your space and don't want to stir up trouble with anyone," he explained, "so I will speak with my leadership before submitting anything to you. For now, my main concern was Tau 31 and Edinburgh. Any Zoner ship that even nears the gate from Tau 29 or Leeds gets treated as hostile. The route through 31 and Edinburgh to our home world made it easier to supply Zoner bases with goods and, as I said, make it easier to visit family members."
He asked the Prince, "Zoners are not your enemy, Monsieur, and the Zoner people, not just TAZ, would appreciate your majesties authorization to pass through those areas." He paused briefly, "I know I don't represent all Zoners but this would make life easier for many."
Joseph twirled the empty glass around in a small circle, while he listened to the doctor he slowly began moving towards the desk, passing Holliday and placing the glass firmly on the desk before pushing it towards the middle of the desk itself.
"I know your people try to avoid conflict when they can. However, those who are in charge of the Gallic expeditionary forces within the Taus might feel differently than I do in this renewal of affairs we're speaking about today." He replied in a mild and unimpressed manner. "Our military commanders would appreciate knowing what ships are allowed to come through, and what ships aren't. This way we know who to expect and who... to turn away."
He turned slowly and looked at Doctor Holliday, nonchalantly sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket, raising his eyebrow as he did. "There is also the matter of one of your... Zoner individuals. He goes by the name of Sone Vega, and seems to be the head of a research committee? Never-the-less, the man was quite rude when his ship and it's crew were denied the right to pass through occupied space unharmed, even going as far as claiming the Tau-29 system as his own."
He paused for a moment, mulling the thought over before smiling and continuing, "Such upstarts staking a claim in a system they cannot enforce with a military... is quite the problem."
The Prince slowly began walking over towards the piano, looking it over while he continued to speak, "I do propose the following. Your ships will be allowed passage through Tau-31 and Edinburgh without harm, in the mean time you speak with your leadership about the list I've spoken of earlier. But to seal our deal... that problem, the one I just finished explaining. I'd like to see it rectified, and without delay."
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Doc thought a moment at the name, Sone Vega. He rubbed his chin a bit and paced a few steps.
"I'm not familiar with that name," he said in a voice of thought. He then gave a "Hmph", "so he claims Tau 29 as his own. That is, well, almost comical."
He then looked towards the Prince, "but I do see your point. I will find out who this man is."
He then had a thought, "Prince, I know of a man in Tau 29 that can help me out. He is the administrator of Freeport 6. He goes by Matok. He's, well, not exactly human but he is a man of honor. He's rough and not always well tempered but he is a man of honor. He monitors Zoner affairs in the system and generally keeps things quiet there."
Doc then walked over to the piano where the Prince was, "It's made of mahogany and is a replica of the piano I learned on when I was a child. Do you play?"
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