To: DSE

[Joneh]

::: Incoming Transmission :::

Source: Chalons-en-Champagne, Champagne
Source: Ambassador Marlon Boileau
Subject: Tobacco Delivery
Encryption: medium

Mes salutations President of Deep Space Engineering,

This is Ambassador Marlon Boileau speaking and I am speaking on behalf of our General. One of your pilots, it must have been someone with a high rank, since he flew a... quite large vessel, contacted one of our trading vessels, the Saint Verdun. Shortly after this meeting the Captain of the Saint Verdun contacted our counsel about your proposal of an agreement. The message included demands of a tax and if our trading vessels wouldn't pay the tax they would lose the docking permission for Planet Pittsburgh. Since this would be a high loss for our economy we have extensively discussed this matter with the counsel.

Now I am here to gather more informations. First of all we, the counsel, are interested in how big the tax would be. Please keep in mind that the way from Gallia to Sirius and to Planet Pittsburgh is quite... long. Our trading vessels have to pass several systems, all of them have their own danger. Mostly there are pirates who demand credits of our trading vessels. So the point is that our trading vessels already have a high loss in their profits due to the pirates. If the amount of the tax will be too high we will most likely not be possible to continue with the trade of Tobacco to your Planet. And... I am sure you know that this would be bad for your inhabitants, since they are addicted to this stuff.

There are several solutions how to solve this problem. For example your company could appoint escorts for our trading vessels to increase the security of our convoys and to lower the daily pirate attacks on them. This would increase our profit and also the chance to pay the taxes you will demand. This is not a demand, just a solution.

So we just kindly want to know the amount of the tax. Once we know the amount we can continue discussing this matter and think about more possible solutions. Solutions on your side are as well welcome, so don't hesitate to offer your solutions.

All trading vessels of the Council have been told to avoid Pittsburgh with Tobacco until this matter has been solved.

We will await your response to this matter and to discuss further things.

Avec mes meilleures salutations,

Ambassador Marlon Boileau

::: End of Transmission :::