Chapter 571
The tense negotiation finally came to a conclusion . Although the terms were incredibly detailed and abstruse, the basic layout of the agreement sounded simple enough .
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First, the Flagrant Vandals officially handed their custody over Venerable Foster to Peace for Hafner . In return, the Flagrant Vandals received a large amount of wealth and resources as well as undisclosed benefits in the Reinald Republic .
The former two quenched the severe shortages that crippled the Vandals from restoring their battle strength . The Vesian rebel group generously paid the Vandals a fortune in Reinaldan marks . Even though two marks was only worth one bright credit, the Vandals still received a considerable sum, though no one leaked out the exact figure .
As for the latter, no one questioned why Peace for Hafner was able to accomplish this promise . While the Reinald Republic opened its doors to every foreigner, that didn't mean they enjoyed a level playing field .
Native Reinaldans withheld many privileges that foreigners needed to work for in order to enjoy them . These privileges included lower tariffs, less onerous taxes, fewer import and export restrictions, lower waiting times, residency permits and so on .
According to Iris, while Reinald famously levied low tax rates, they were famous for nickeling and diming numerous conceivable charges . If any Reinaldan thought they could charge a fee for something, they would assuredly set a price for it . Most of the more ridiculous charges only applied to foreigners of course . This gave first-time visitors a huge shock once they found their bank accounts empty .
"Still, the Flagrant Vandals still got shafted . "
The Vandals needed to repay the generosity provided by Peace for Hafner . Their preparations, intelligence gathering and acts of sabotage all contributed to the capture of Venerable Foster . Even though the Vandals suffered a disproportionate amount of losses, they had been pressured into giving up more meat to the sock puppet rebel group .
Peace for Hafner undoubtedly gained the most out of this trade . Their investment was fairly minimal, all considered . All of the subversive actions they performed during this operation had already been laid out far in advance . It took time to get the right people in the right positions . Besides a handful of highly placed spies, most of their agents were disposable .
Thus, through a minor effort, they reaped a huge reward . An extremely talent expert pilot in the form of Venerable Foster was worth at least twice as a fully mature expert pilot . Her potential and growth rate was astounding, so much so that everyone at the negotiation table regarded her as a potential ace candidate .
Once Peace for Hafner had taken over custody of the expert pilot, they hashed out a second agreement with the Hafner Duchy in turn . Although it would have been better in the long run for them to kill or keep Venerable Foster captive, they couldn't resist the enticement of rich rewards .
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They already provided a lot of compensation to the Flagrant Vandals . If they didn't make up for their losses, they wouldn't be able to call themselves proper Reinaldans- ahem, Hafners .
The Vandals didn't get to hear the exact details of their agreement, but Ves could imagine that the Hafner Duchy bled a pretty penny . However, Ves also admired the farsightedness of the Duke of Hafner who currently suffered a lot of reproach from the rest of the Kingdom .
The value of a future ace candidate was immeasurably high, but that was only a faint possibility at best . For Hafner to grit their teeth and submit to naked extortion from a rebel group that had long been a thorn in their side, their foresight was very great!
Fortunately, this didn't concern the Vandals very much . The Hafner Duchy was situated on the wrong side of the Kingdom . If Venerable Foster ever became a scourge, she would definitely vent her fury on Reinald's proxy forces first . As for the Vandals, they were just a bunch of small fries in the greater scheme of things .
The Vandals kept their heads down throughout the final leg of their journey . After making use of the free passage offered by the Hafner Duchy, they met up with ships affiliated with Peace for Hafner and physically transferred over their prize . In return, the Vandal ships loaded up their cargo holds with lots of critical materials .
One more important event took place at that time . The Vesian Revolutionary Front recalled their liaison . An unremarkable corvette arrived in the star system within Reinald's borders and parked next to the Shield of Hispania .
Down at the combat carrier's hangar bay, Iris stood beside a shuttle . A pair of luggage coffers floated behind her, though she still held on to the gift box that contained a miniature mech .
"I can't believe I lived through all of the excitement . " She sighed as she recalled what they went through . "It's a wonder the Flagrant Vandals managed to stay alive after surviving all of those battles . "
Ves had accompanied her down the hangar bay . He shook his head when he heard her words .
"This is a one-off occasion for the Vandals . I don't think they'll pop up in the news after this . Every serviceman is tired to the bone . I hope Major Verle cuts his men some slack after we arrive at our final destination . Everyone is looking forward to spending some time on Reinald's famous pleasure planets to recuperate . "
Reinald profiled itself as a dangerous but alluring state . The people that tended to visit the little Republic longed to experience some excitement in their lives . Through visiting the same planets frequented by pirates, dark mercenaries and gang members, they gained the opportunity to sample a life where someone might get rich overnight, only to receive a laser beam through their heads the next day .
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Remarkably, many tourists departed from the little Republic with their hides intact . The same could not be said for their bank accounts, but when it came to personal safety, Reinald was surprisingly strict in performing their due diligence . Income from tourism was one of the legs that supported the scrappy little state .
Iris directed her luggage coffers to float inside the shuttle and secure themselves onto a rack . She then turned back to Ves . "I hope you enjoy your time in Reinald . Remember not to fall into a debt trap . You don't want to know what happens when you run out of money in Reinald space . "
"What about you? Where will you be going?"
"I'm heading back to Vesian space, though the corvette I'll be boarding won't be crossing into Hafner . Their troops are still on high alert, you see . "
"Understandable . Have a safe journey, then!"
"You too!"
Ves waved her shuttle goodbye as it lifted up from the deck . The stubby vehicle zipped through the energy screen that shielded the ship's interior from the ravages of space .
"I wonder what is next in store for the Vandals . "
The next days, Ves busied himself with sorting out the abundant amount of materials provided by the rebels . The mech technicians already started repairing some of their more heavily damaged with the help of newly-fabricated parts .
In the meantime, every serviceman started looking forward to some much-needed shore leave .
Reinald's openness to foreigners allowed the battered and limping Verle Task Force to relax . For the first time in two harrowing months, they didn't have to scurry like rats in the forgotten corners of the galaxy . They could openly navigate towards brighter stars that was easier to reach via FTL . Instead of making multiple short hops, their FTL drives could traverse the same distance in a single larger jump .
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"Thank the heavens!" An engineer cried out in relief one day at the mess hall . "Our FTL drives are awfully worn out . Compressing so many hops in a short amount of time will do our drives no good . Every ship needs some time in the yard, but our logistics ships are in an especially critical state . "
The Beggar's Bounty and the Linever Swan both relied on jury-rigged FTL drives specced for a different class of starships . Though the chief engineers managed to keep the logistics ships together, their incompatible FTL drives were endless sources of trouble . Each time the two fat ships emerged out of FTL, the task force was forced to endure several hours of delay on top of the ordinary FTL drive cycle time .
Therefore, Ves had a strong guess that the Vandals should be charting a course towards one of Reinald's major star systems . Only a highly developed star system with plentiful ship and repair yards would be able to satisfy their material demands .
"I wonder what will happen next . "
Many of the Vandals didn't think about it, but Ves hadn't forgotten that reaching the Reinald Republic wasn't their end goal . Their true mission began once they reached a particular destination within the Reinald Republic . Ves guessed that whatever was about to happen should take place at their next port of call .
His office appeared much emptier after Iris had left . As Ves quietly allocated different portions of materials, he missed the opportunity to discuss his work with another mech designer .
"A second opinion really helps . Now that my only assistant has left, there's nothing there for me to bounce my ideas . "
Ves scratched his head and considered taking on another assistance . If the task force wasn't dissolved after the end of this journey, then he would consider the matter seriously .
"It's too bad I'm not very close to the other mech designers . "
Iris provided an ideal foil to him because she was knowledgeable yet also an outsider . She could provide honest advice to him while avoiding any conflicts of interest .
"Mr . Vedette is too junior to provide much help for me . His studies are still too far behind . Pierce is more capable in that regard, but he's the only person I can trust to keep watch over the Beggar's Bounty . "
As for everyone else, Ves didn't even consider them . They either lacked the qualifications or didn't engender a lot of trust .
For now, Ves had to make do by himself . It was fortunate that he was already used to working alone, so the solitude hardly impacted his productivity .
He still reminded himself to stop relying on himself all the time when he went back to running his own business . While working with no one else allowed him to maintain his many secrets, once the scope of his business grew bigger, he couldn't shoulder everything by himself any longer .
A few days later, the Verle Task Force finally arrived in a highly-populated star system . The Harkensen System was a prominent trade nexus of the Reinald Republic . It appealed openly to outfits and provided many services useful to them . Anyone with enough money could procure enough starships and mechs to conquer another planet .
They key word here was money .
Without money, you couldn't even buy the cheapest nutrient pack in Reinald! The Republic was never one for charity . The Harkensen System was a little more rowdy than most due to the prevalence of mech pilots that visited its planets .
The Harkensen System wasn't a port system and didn't feature any remarkable mineral deposits . What it had instead was three promising terrestrial planets, all of which had been terraformed for human habitation . Each planet offered something good .
Harkensen I was a tourist destination . The slightly hot planet featured fantastic natural sceneries and splendid beaches . Many mech pilots that have gone through a frigid campaign flocked to Harkensen I to unwind . The planet offered many pleasures and various forms of entertainment to those who brought money .
Harkensen II didn't offer much to foreigners . It was the seat of the local government as well as the primary habitation planet for local citizens . A lot of Reinaldans lived on the planet, and only the most esteemed foreigners received the right to reside on this planet .
Harkensen III lacked most of the fun that could be found on Harkensen I, but it was the planet where the bulk of the trade was being conducted . It featured extensive market places, trading halls and more . Many shipyards orbited the planet, providing many services to various fleets or those who sought to commission a ship .
The Verle Task Force made a beeline towards Harkensen III .