Planet Kyushu, Kurume District, House Kusari, 830 A.S
Defence Minister - Masamune Kogen
Gobusata shite imasu, Marquess. It is also a great pleasure, Saburo-san.
Mōshi wake arimasen but I will have to disturb your current business affairs over a more pressing issue.
The hardships caused by decades of warfare and the ever lasting presence of terroristic activities within our borders are pushing us towards an inevitable shift of focus on domestic affairs, significantly scaling down ambitious escapades such as the latest march to break Gallia's spirit and contain them.
However, the Empire retains vast interests across the Sirius Sector, including Gallic worlds. In an effort to better support the will of the Emperor and secure an advantageous position on the geopolitical Shogi board, we wish to inquire about the combat readiness, capabilities and prices of "Riptide" PMC at your earliest convenience.
This would be all.
In service of people of Kusari,
Defence Minister,
Masamune Kogen
I deeply apologise for the delay in replying to your inquiry due to my staying in the system of Chubu. As you might know, the most recent addition to the Empire still cannot boast a stable connection to the main telecommunication infrastructure. The colony is steadily developing and with cautious optimism, I can assure you that the system will soon be of benefit to the Emperor.
Your offer flatters but also intrigues me. I never expected the institution of my humble PMC to catch the eye of the Defence Ministry. Naturally, I will make necessary arrangements for "Riptide" to be of service to the Empire. Given the commercial incentives that most of the mercenaries heed in the discharge of their duties, I would kindly, nevertheless, request the esteemed Defence Ministry to support them financially. The force commander of "Riptide" proposed a system of blanket bounties to motivate the mercenaries to show initiative on their own. We are proposing 10 million SC for a destroyed hostile snub-type vessel, and 15 million SC for a gunboat. Larger vessels can be reviewed on a case-by-case scenario but as of now, "Riptide's" modus operandi does not provide that engagement of such vessels outside of the borders of the Empire is advisable. Otherwise, I am humbly volunteering to bear the cost of the loyalty of the mercenaries on a day-to-day basis. Do not worry, Minister Kogen, they shall obey our laws and serve our interests.
As of now, "Riptide's" forces are dispatched to operate in the Taus, mostly to combat the outcasts. If you would like me to redeploy them to a specific system - I am open to suggestions from the Ministry.
If you have any other inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
In service to the Empire,
Marquess Shimamori Masahito