I am Watanabe Hirotada, a Daimyo of the Blood Dragons, and the representative of the Shogunate's interests in Honshu and the surrounding regions. Our patrol has recently discovered your installation, Masamune Station, in the depths of the Chuyu Nebula. It is the opinion of the Shogunate -- in all its wisdom -- that your structure's existence may become counter-productive to our ambitions in the region. Needless to say, this does not bode well for you - as the removal of the station is well within the range of our capabilities. We are, however, not animals, and would prefer to avoid bloodshed whenever it is possible. We will require an explanation on the nature of your station, and a statement of willingness to cooperate - within a reasonable time frame; Else we may be forced to act.
Our terms will come regardless, but whether they will be terms of peace, or those of war -- is entirely up to you. I will be monitoring this frequency.
Signed,
Loyal Servant of the Shogun, Hirotada Watanabe
The humble administrator has deferred the matter to me. My name is Yerin Park - associate director of Samura Heavy Industries, of which Masamune Station is an asset. I've been given authorization by the keiretsu's Board of Directors to represent Samura's interests in the matter. I know that we have our fundamental differences about Kusari, and that our two organizations have almost never seen eye to eye, but please allow me to extend my gratitude to you for choosing to spare the lives of those on that station.
I will be brief and succinct - Masamune Station is the latest project in our ongoing plans for business expansion. It's meant to be a waystation for Samura vessels passing through the system and a kind of off-world business center. We've also been looking into Helium-3 collection in the neighboring Crow Nebula, and hope to secure yet another valuable income source for the hardworking Kusari journeyman. I am sending you a brief entry from my neural net on the station now, as a sign of good will.
And yes, Blood Dragon, we will be more than willing to cooperate, although you must understand - due to my position in the company, I will have to keep this all off the official records. That being said, I will be more than happy to discuss the particulars and capabilities of this wondrous business center. Or better yet, if I may, I would like to invite perhaps an agent of yours onboard? I will likewise be more than willing to host a brief tour of Masamune Station, should you wish to also have one of your own log its specifics.
We are willing to spare your structure, for now; Even in light of its affiliation. Were I the man from years ago, I would have advised the Shogunate to the opposite course. But time, it erodes everything in its passage. Everything flows like a river; We can, at least, prevent some of our humanity, from being carried away in the flood. Know now the boundless mercy and compassion of the Shogun of Shoguns, and his terms.
○The Shogunate will be paid a non-negotiable sum of 70 million sirian credits per month (Account: BD|);
○A discrete agent of the Shogunate will take up residence on board the station, his safety and freedom guaranteed.
○Any current or future militarization of the station will be halted.
○The details of this agreement will not be made public.
These are the terms. We pray you will show unexpected wisdom and accept. Refusal, or breaches, will incur retaliation.
Signed
Loyal Servant of the Shogun, Hirotada Watanabe
I am pleased to see that despite our differences, we have been able to reach an agreement regarding such a small matter. As you are no doubt also aware of, Samura is a company that is slow to accept change, and quick to put on the defensive. There were many rumblings in the interior among the directors about the fate of Masamune Station, but I am pleased to inform you that we accept your terms. These are strange times, and with the eruption of war again in the Sigmas, know that you have just made the prudent choice - the choice to spare a Samura economic station that will aid the common Kusari folk in riding out this storm. Kindly send my regards, and that of Samura's, to the Shogunate indeed for this successful resolution and in honor of our mutual commitment to peace and prosperity in the Honshu System. You have the thanks of the conglomerate, and have earned our respect, at least for the time being.
You have my word that Masamune Station is not to be militarized, and shall continue to serve its role as an economic and center and mining installation for Kusari traffic. I am having one of my most loyal retainers, Capt. Kyouko Funami of the Ryuujin-Class Akari, send you a small list of randomly-generated and whitelisted security clearance codes that this agent may use to board the station with discretion. To highlight my commitment to the arrangement, I will not need to know which code you move forward with - know only that the set will grant security clearance for almost all of the station's decks to my knowledge, with the exception of the treasurer's office and the neural net cluster where our credit blockchain records are kept. I am sure you understand why this is a necessary precaution, and trust it will not be a problem. You will nevertheless have access to the station's storage bays, as a sign of Samura's trust.
The money will be wired to your account within the next 24 hours. Please allow my office and my agents the time to set up the necessary proxies so that the credits may be transferred in secret.
And lastly, I would never dream of publicly disclosing this. Samura and Kusari would have my head for it. I trust also that there will be no need to update the Guild of Samura's mining expeditions operating out of this facility?
Here's to Building Kusari. Ten Thousand Years to the Emperor.