Yo soy Ibrahim Salazar Acero. A third son of the patron of the Salazar familia, plantation owners in Malta's southern Benghjasa region. Previously captain of the MNS-Primera.Luz in the Maltese Navy, now commander of the IW-Revenant, in the Brotherhood of the Illuminated Commune. Only one of the numerous proud sons of Malta who've thrown in their lot with this organization, in hopes of assuring the continuation of our way of life and freedom of religious expression. But I do not call to tell you my story, no.
After meeting your men in the borderworlds of Liberty, and passing on the word for deliberation, I was selected to initiate proper negotiations with your cartel. As we gather, you are becoming the foremost suppliers of Cardamine in all the colonies. A feat we've aspired to in the past, but were forced to pursue other routes in the end. Today, we find ourselves lacking a steady supply of the life-giving orange, and are looking for ways to rectify this.
We still have nominal permission for access to outlying Maltese outposts; But with the political situation being as it is - we would rather not risk our transports being victimized by various bands of frenzied radicals to purchase it regularly.
We would, therefore, like to purchase Cardamine through an intermediary, more specifically - your cartel. We understand that in these days, associating with us might cast some unfavorable light on the Cuatroce. Discretion and generous financial compensation from our side, is thus guaranteed.
We are prepared to go to great lengths to ensure your acceptance. Whatever you'd like from us, any favor that is in the realm of reason, I am certain that we will be more than ready to provide.
Don Hernan Escudero
Ibrahim Salazar Acero
Procurement request
Estimado Señor Salazar,
As you indicated yourself, your organisation's reputation is ambiguous in Maltese space. Some consider you renegades, others - outright hostiles. We are businessmen, however, and where others see a threat we see opportunities. We know that many people back on Malta will not be happy to see you in our space and this is why we are ready to discuss further details of the trade under conditions that Commune refrains from infringing Maltese entities, including Cuatroce, and respects the border control of our authorities without trespassing. Other than that, we are open to suggestions as the Cardamine must flow.
It should be noted that due to reputational risks we would prefer to ship Cardamine to a neutral porto franco where the Commune intermediaries would be able to pick it up. This would prevent us from going into your space and learning of your secret locations if there are any, and us - from diplomatic misunderstandings with other factions in the Omicrons.
We are looking forward to your reply.
Respetuosamente,
Don Hernan Luis Escudero Grijalva
I am glad you turned out to be as pragmatic as I had hoped. The Commune, naturally, recognizes the sovereignty of Cuatroce, and its right to enforce its laws inside of its territories. It bears repeating, that the Commune nurtures no hostile intent towards the people of Malta. Rather the opposite. We hope that this entire misunderstanding is resolved one day soon, but until then, we won't overstep our bounds.
We have previously identified "Newport Station" [coord.5-C] as a possible candidate for such exchanges. It is the repressurised husk of the once famous Yanagi Base, concealed deep within the treacherous Sigma-13 nebula, operated by a rag-tag group of Freelancers. It is currently an underutilized hub, a pale shadow of what it once was. Purchasing storage space on board shouldn't be excessively difficult.
The navigational anomalies present in the system should ensure secrecy for our dealings, however, some dangers still remain. Explosive gas pockets aside, a sizable Corsair presence was detected in the system. It appears the earlier demise of Yanagi didn't discourage their Artifact routes and raiding expeditions; Therefore, one must intuit they've established an impromptu outpost of their own - somewhere in the area. Something to be vary of - and worth investigating.
With these hurdles and opportunities in mind, we are ready to proceed with this, whenever you are.