Fwurg

[Lady Daphne]

A few weeks after their arrangement via Holomail, Lady Daphne arrived at the Veolian Embassy to have dinner with her friend. But first, as agreed, they would discuss the matter of investments in the Sundarian Settlement and the development of the and related products market further.

Daphne arrived in good spirits, and seemed to be traveling without much an entourage, nor a crowd of journalists and paparazzi.

[Chancellor Dewa Lanadi]

Lady Daphne was quickly ushered through the embassy to Lanadi's offices.

"Daphne", Lanadi greets her warmly as she stands up. "Please, sit down", she motions for the comfortable couch.

After ordering a servant to get some tea ready, she sits down next to Daphne.

"I am glad that we can this now, so that I won't have to divide my attention between you and other matters during dinner.", she states with a smile.

[Lady Daphne]

"Thank you, " Daphe responded as she sat down, "and I agree, doing this before hand should make our dinner all the more pleasant."

"With regards to the recent developments within the related market, I thought it prudent to try to reach an agreement with House Iaat. Especially since the Hiocan Society seems to reveal herself as an interested party as well.

Let me start by saying that the current terms of the proposal from House Iaat, as put forward by you, are acceptable to my family, House Lafrioye è Koniova and the Sundarian Federation. However I would urge the Duke to consider the potential our Settlement has with regards to the industry, and what that could mean for our corporate endeavors as main suppliers of .

I've also heard that the Sundarian Government, as petitioned by both my father and the Marquis Lafrioye, is currently considering investments in the related products and . We would very much like to involve House Iaat in this venture as well, since it would make it considerably easier to ensure a steady and sufficient supply of to cover the ever growing demands of the Union Market.

Do you think that the Duke might be persuaded to pursue a more direct partnership, perhaps together with the Hiocans?"

[Chancellor Dewa Lanadi]

"I think that House Iaat is mainly concerned with the fact that their efforts will simply be set aside by the Sundarian Federation the moment the Praetorian Empire indicates interest in entering the market. And this fear is exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding the joint settlement's legal status and treaties involved.

The fact that your family and the Sundarian Federation are willing to accept his terms will most likely be enough to bring him to the negotiation table."

"I think it is possible to persuade him of a more direct partnership, but this will require some circumspection. While the Hicoans have been steady economic partners, the fact that they have not contacted House Iaat when they raised the issue of slavery in the senate has not garned them any goodwill. House Iaat has a certain reputation, and being passed over completely in such a manner and simply lumped in with the other houses has dampened their goodwill towards the Hiocans, Astraians and Teprogrenaians.

On the other hand, the Hiocans have gained a reputation for having strong convictions and sticking to their arguments and positions, for when the time came to vote on the matter, they were one of the few factions that voted in favour of a compromise on the matter. In turn, this has increased the respect most great houses have for them."


The tea was brought in, and carefully placed on the table. The servant poured two small cups for the ladies and left again.

"Next to the social issue there is currently the simple matter of economics. Since House Iaat has committed many of its resources to exploiting a new scientific breakthrough, they do not appear to have anough free tax flow to invest in a corporation at this moment. Furthermore, extensive retrofitting of many Mirdan farming and organics facilities make it difficult to start additional construction works on the planet."

"So, yes, you could persuade him, and I think that involving the Hiocans would be beneficial in the long run, both economically and socially. But it will require some care on how certain matters are approached, and a solution needs to be found to allow them to collaborate without significantly hampering the deployment of new technology."