By this point in conversation just over half the contents of his glass had been depleted, the ice sloshing about with the pale blue liquid inside was still mostly intact so clearly he had been taking regular sips while he listened, revealing that this was a drink he had often and perhaps enjoyed. There wasn't anything he had to say to her first statement, since he himself already considered the importance of maintaining the clientele on Manhattan which he intended to exploit for cashflow, hence why he'd emphasized the notion of hijacking cargo rather than destroying it. But her second statement, which by all means it was, especially since her tone left zero indication of it being a question, was something he would dwell on for a solid minute. Obviously he gave it legitimate consideration, trying to work out if there was anything else this arrangement needed to include for the sake of his continued operations.
"A guarantee that the amount of Cardamine shipped to us initially is at least enough to keep our operations from suffering significant losses or crippling cashflow problems, naturally the network would fail if no money was actually being made on our side. And besides that just a question, will you be serving as the ambassador enabling any further negotiation and coordination? Nothing else besides this, so if we can work out the former and clarify the latter, then we can move on with this process." Once again he looked at her expectantly, needing to know what the response was going to be in regards to the guarantee he'd just asked for. There was also some degree of interest in whether she would serve as the point of contact and that was down to the fact that he'd prefer if it were that way.
"The starts are always difficult and very first deliveries will be limited, an unfortunate reality when the new trade routes are being discovered and it takes time before all schedules, vectors and waypoints are finalized and fleshed out. Your men will be adapting to this new exchange and so are my people involved in this pipeline. There is, however, quite a sizeable quantity of surplus product which has not been shipped to Liberty because of the recovering nature of our Network and then of course, the harvest I have mentioned before, in a month or two depending on the weather."
Unlike her counterpart, she sipped her iced tea more slowly and in smaller sips. She circled the rim of her glass with the index finger of her right hand, watching Morreti thoughtfully during her brief pause. Still that inhuman calmness before she resumed her speech.
"Whether I will be the diplomat or the ambassador in this new alternate Network remains to be seen, Signor Morreti. It is mostly my own private venture, as I am not a donna nor an influental person in my society. Yet, there is a chance in case of our business venue going according to the plan and to the satisfaction of my own colleagues, then I might receive an official appointment from Malta. It is a risky and a bit controversial move, but also an opportunity to find new customers and markets in this different perspective."
When she revealed the inherent risks to what she was doing here, the vague politeness on his face expanded into an actual smile. It revealed an appreciation for something but it wasn't clear what. "I don't have anything else to bring up at this stage, signora. It's safe to assume we've covered all our points and have arrived at an agreement." His posture expanded momentarily as he breathed in slowly and deeply, as if savoring this exact moment. And then he just exhaled and let it go, relaxing as if he'd done nothing except simply take a deep breath for the sake of feeling relaxed.
"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about in terms of business?" She had briefly mentioned a toast before, and since things were more or less concluded at this stage, he wondered if she was going to revisit that gesture.
"I have an question towards your conditions on my second point about servicing our vessels - I understand that the trade must be reasonably stable and in a sufficient quantity for you to feel invested enough, but it is a key point nonetheless and I would need some clarification on the matter - how large the trade must be and what other assurances do you have in mind, Signor Morreti?
She slowly lifted her glass of tea from the table again and sipped lightly. She then placed the empty glass back on the coaster and moved it to the edge of the table so that the robot waiter could easily spot it. She rested her hands lightly on the table and subtly linked their hands together.
"Even it might not be a topic of our current discussion, I still need to know some rough estimates of what do you expect from us and may your future conditions might be."
With a gulp to finish off the small amount of his drink left, he extended the empty glass outwards and that got the robot's attention. It promptly approached the table, retrieved the empty glass placed there first and then with some degree of coordination managed to take the glass from Morreti directly. Since it had managed to do so, this prompted him to give the thing a smirk of appreciation.
His eyes had still not moved even when interacting with the mechanical waiter, clearly he had the ability to focus on more than one thing and perhaps that was an acquired skill from years spent flying. With his drink gone and an absence of anything for his right hand to hold onto, he allowed it to rest on his half of the table and occasionally gestured albeit with his palm facing downwards. "That's actually quite simple. Or at least as simple as you or Malta would like it to be, signora. I have shown from my end of the table, both literally and figuratively, that I am willing to not just do business but protect mutual interests. So it's only fair that Malta proves to us that it's willing to do the same thing for the LFR before we start giving you additional allowances. While this is limited by things such as resources and money at this stage, the thing which matters most is a foundation of trust and we've only just started building it. It'll be a slow process if it's just you and me laying bricks, but the more people get involved and the more every gesture is reciprocated, the sooner this hollow frame will start to look like a Home. One that's shared by partners rather than a master and a servant." He grew quiet and shook his head, offering her a short answer if it needed to be conveyed in simpler terms.
"For those reasons, I can't provide an estimate. But I do believe it will be a matter of a few years rather than decades if an image of a joint venture partnership is cemented, rather than something adversarial or servile." He flashed her a brief but sincere smile to convey something without words having finished giving her an answer.
"Your perception about us is truthful to a certain degree, Signor Morreti. It is true that a regular intermediaries like the Rogues and a majority of the Junkers are not in particular favor from us, yet you must agree that they are not the greatest paragons of loyalty themselves. Aside from a few rare exceptions, of course, it is a very profitable business for them and little else."
She rested her elbows on the table and supported her chin with the two thumbs of her joined hands. She paid no particular attention to the mechanical waiter as it took her empty glass aside from a slight nod with her head.
"There are, however, intermediaries who earned their favor from us - be it larger than usual cuts from the trade, our support and respectful, friendly relations. We can be very rewarding if everything is going well, with little to no incidents and disruptions, when we are treated with respect and when we are receiving an assistance, be it a direct or indirect affair. We are the proud and distrusting people, yet we are not oblivious and not above rewarding those who are helping us."
Something she'd just said caused him to smile again, but wider and more pronounced than the last time. "Proud and slow to trust." He mentioned, tilting his head ever so slightly and letting the words sink in for a moment.
"Amusing how that describes both your people and mine." Having appreciated this unintended similarity, he nodded and then gestured towards her. "It's safe to say you and I are in agreement and that the purpose of this meeting has been served. Once the documentation is ready, forward it to me and I'll seal it with a signature."
Despite concluding their business here by saying that, he remained in his seat if she had something else to say that wasn't related to the actual agenda. "Is there anything else on your mind, signora?" A subtle prompt that she could freely change subjects now if she intended to.
"Bene, Signor Morreti, but for the clarity, I will summarize all the points we have agreed on. The first point is a non-aggression between our vessels save for self-defense for whatever reason, as there might be individuals on both sides who might be still interested in provoking hostilities."
"Secondly, your base in Colorado will be serving as a safe anchorage for our transports and their strikecraft escorts directly involved in the Cardamine trade, Signor Morreti. Other our vessels will, for the time being, not approach, dock and moor at your bases. This will be the subject of change should this alternate Cardamine network will start bearing its fruit for both of us."
"And the last key point of our preliminary agreement, the Xenos will start disrupting the income sources of our underworld foes, especially the Corsair's artifact trade, unless stolen from them by your or our own ships, of course. In case of the Corsairs entering your territory in Liberty for whatever reason, I hope your will deal with them approprietly."
She was still watching him closely while propping her chin with her thumbs and looking calm. She spoke slowly, carefully and relaxed as she had done throughout their business meeting.
"And, of course, you will not attack other our ships carrying Cardamine, even if your base is not their destination, and your competition with the Rogues and the Junkers will not disrupt the Cardamine consumption at large."
"If you agree with all these points, then we will have a toast with a gallic champagne to cement our deal verbally before we will part our ways so I can prepare the deal in its written form for you and my business partners. What do you say, Signor Morreti?"
"Agreed." There was practically no hesitation to that answer and it came with absolute confidence and certainty. He'd made his mind up a long time ago, and the constant stalling of these opportunities in the past gave him plenty of time to think and keep refining the nature of the angle he was offering. Good things came to those willing to wait.
Whether the drug barons were going to keep their end of the bargain remained to be seen. But he'd accomplished what he came here to do, so he signaled out to the machine that had returned and was waiting nearby. "Two glasses of Veuve-Chandon." The click-clacking of metallic feet against the floor implied that the "clockwork" stooge understood what it was told.
"My usual choice would be Velours Violet de Tourbourne, unfortunately, I left it aboard my ship and I sincerely doubt that they will have it here. However, Veuve-Chandon is more than appropriate for cementing of our business meeting at Ames, Signor Morreti."
She took her eyes off Damien Morreti for a brief moment, that was when the robotic waiter brought them crystal glasses of golden and bubbly champagne. She stopped propping her chin with her right hand and took her glass. She briefly inspected the contents of her glass and raised it for a toast.
"A toast to our business venture, Signor Morreti, un brindisi al nostro accordo. A preliminary deal, but it is a deal nonetheless. Now we need to see how successful it will be."
Raising her glass and making a toast, she looked him straight in the eye while a lock of her glossy black hair covered part of her face. She still had that unnatural calm and relaxed look on her face without a single sign of stress or unease.
