Jack leaned back with his drink. “Ok first off if you want to bring someone else into this discussion that’s fine. I’m sorry to hear about your trouble at Kreuzberg. We try really hard not to get involved in local business but if someone is sitting in our backyard disrupting trade with our base that is another matter. Send me whatever info you have on the offenders and I’ll see what we can do about it.”
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Doc waved a hand, "No, no, it's been some time so for now, I'm not concerned. As to one of my own joining us, I need him in Baffin right now so I'll go this alone."
"Gallia, Jack," he continued, "I lost my contact there. What's going on out there? I have no idea what happened to him."
“Tell me about your contact.” Jack asked him from across the table. “I don’t have any official contacts there now. Some of the Congressmen might though. If they do they’re keeping that quiet which is how I like it. I’ll be honest, I really don’t want anything to do with Gallia. I’ve been there. I’ve seen more than I care to see. The corruption of the Sirius houses pales compared to the Gallic Court. Half of me wants to just write the whole thing off and be done with them, but the more sensible side knows that just isn’t possible. They’re coming. Whether we like it or not, they’re going to make trouble for us some how. Anyway, do you have any ideas? We’re not on the best terms with Gallic Junkers, but we can make contacts. I can get ships in and out easy enough……it’s what we do. I can even get some of your operatives in there if you need it.”
“What we’ve been concentrating on is their activities in Bretonia. We’re trying to keep tabs on what they’re doing close to home for us. We’re in no position to take them on, but we’re good at gathering information in the hopes that it will aid whoever does have to take them on. I see you grimacing, I don’t like helping the houses either, but if it keeps the GRN away from our door I’ll stomach it.”
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Doc took another drink and sighed, "His name was Theron LeDoux. I encountered him in space long ago on my last trip out of Languedoc. He flew a Collector I think."
He gave concerned look to Jack, then to Tim and back to Jack, "He was a mere child of 18 and scared, scared that if he opposed the Royals he would be shot or sent to a prison. He was alone as his parents were Royalists."
Doc took another sip, "It's been months now and I fear the worse. He joined the Junkers to hide."
Doc sighed again. "I'm not sure what to think. The Gallic Royals and TAZ have a poor relationship due to a renegade captain who flew in and went after Aurelia DeFrance. I disciplined him for the action only to learn he was later killed by Mollys. For now, I keep my distance from the Royals since I don't know where things stand anymore."
Doc snickered, "Bretonia." He shook his head, "Bretonia, Bretonia, Bretonia. I've tried numerous times on my own behalf and that of others in diplomacy. Freeport 1 was a failure for me and I still tried working a diplomatic solution between it and Rheinland, the success of it coming without me."
He shrugs, "I'm not sure where I stand. On one hand, I should be sitting on the sideline with a soda and popcorn watching the fray between two entities who haven't exactly been helpful but on the other, avoidance isn't much of an option when I still give occasional lectures at Cambridge and provide medical services at Port Jackson for the Bretonian refugees."
He leans foward with a look of fear, "My big worry is the Baffin Superhighway being taken by the Royals to move their fleets and there will be nothing I can do about it."
He sits back and takes a drink, "Perhaps OSI is right, maybe I should open dialogue with the Royals." He again shrugs, obviously unsure of what to do next.
I understand your position. Well, I’m trying to at least, but I can see why you would consider opening a dialogue with the royals. Know however that we just can’t do that. They would ask entirely too much of us considering the role Junkers once played in Gallia. This could work though. We have some access to Gallia and can make the contacts we need. If you do go down that road we may be able to work toward the same goal from different angles.
A Gordon Black Watch Guard stops in front of the Arbiter's two guards, exchanges a few quiet sentences with them, and after a nod, strides onto the balcony and approaches Finnegan from behind.
He bends and whispers a few syllables into Finn's ear, then turns and exits.
Finnegan's eyes flash and his brow furrows, his eyes becoming dark slits.
"Gents," he says quietly while standing. "Ef ye lot'll 'scuse a lad..."
He turns, kilts flaring, and stalks off the balcony, not waiting for an answer.
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Doc nodded, "Perhaps you're right. But, how to go about it."
He paused a moment, trying to think as he spoke out loud to himself, both Jack and Tim perfectly able to hear, "I have nothing to offer them, they're angry with TAZ, at least, they were, and I'm sure much of the Royal family would prefer me rotting in Bastille."
He looked skyward, rolling his eyes before standing up, "Nice to know the deck is stacked against me."
Doc put his mind back in where it belonged and addressed both Jack and Tim, "Let's put Gallia on the back burner for a moment. Not that this is a hard thing to discuss but I would like to increase trade between Junker bases and TAZ. We only have Baffin but personally, I'd rather buy goods from a Junker base to support an independent entity than support some of these houses and their war efforts. I see what each base needs but what do they need that I am NOT seeing?"
Doc sits back down. Looking at Tim, he smirks, "Besides, the gambling is a bit more entertaining on every Junker base that I have ever frequented."
****Incoming Transmission****
****Comm ID: Arbiter Jack Crow****
****location: Classified****
I like the sound of that as well. Trade between our groups could be good. Better you than us trading with the greedy buggers in New York. I’ll pass this on to JT as he can tell you exactly what we need, but if you are willing to travel to Puerto Rico, I’m sure we’d love to have you, and you’d be able to leave with our manifolds which I believe suits you as well.
While the men were talking, another man entered the room, handed jack a tablet and left. Jack looked at what had been handed to him and set it on the table. I’m glad you’re here my friend. It looks like we have another problem. We have established some inroads in Gallia that could serve both our needs, but it seems someone is threatening to expose all we are doing. According to the report I’ve just been given, my agents believe this person is a Zoner. You may have a traitor working against both our interests.
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Doc sat back, quiet but disturbed as thoughts ran through his head.
"You know, I am so sick of these turncoats disguising themselves as Zoners," he said with soft anger. Do you know who this person is? I have some contacts that I could use to, well, eliminate him.
He then sat up, "information on Gallia is always appreciated. It seems that they have committed much of their assets to the sacking of Bretonia. Perhaps a back door is left unlocked?"
He then sighed, "I still worry about Theron. It's been so long since I last heard from him."
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