“My friend, my friend …” I can almost hear Azzeed’s hands wringing over the comm line. “You know what you are asking now is a hundred times more difficult. How am I, a simple camel—weapons merchant, supposed to arrange a landing where even a whole fleet cannot prevail?”
“The risks are higher but the reward is higher, too,” I say. “Together we will open up this world.”
“So you will go native? And you have an ‘in’ with this local petty king? Is it enough? Are you enough?”
“It will be if the main army here cuts bait. That you can help me find out. If the Boy General’s forces leave without ever landing, then this province I’m cooperating with can become the ‘free state’ that becomes the center of off-world commerce. The xenophobes are still strong here; they’ll see to it that competitive centers are slow to emerge. I can see to it that they don’t shut this center down.
“The other question is, are you enough? You and I will become the middlemen to this planet; are you up to that?
“Ah … you know me too well, Franky!” Azzeed laughs. “I can see I will have to forego that last drink when we party in the future and save you from my loose tongue. You know I need a full merchant house to win the approval of the family of Miranda, the one I love beyond all.”
“All right, then! But the key to this is that Johann and Gunther must get back to the mercs upstairs quickly and successfully. They can talk to them and diffuse the rescue crisis quickly.”
“If they can get back it would be good. The Old Man and the mercs are negotiating now. I think both sides are looking for a way to end this embarrassment.
“But to get a blockade runner through in this heat will be most difficult. Those who were making the run before this crisis erupted are now laying low.”
“Look for one who is interested in exploiting an edge,” I say. “I’ll be working on making that edge happen.”
“Very good, Franky. May your sufferings be short.”