((Collab Post between Letter Bee and Ytalis.)) [quote]Abel nodded and said, “Yes, and yes.” The elevator then stopped in yet another security room filled with scanners and drones but no people, and the two entered inside; this time, there was a minor biometric scan before Abel led her further in, to a room that compared with all the grandeur, was sparsely furnished; it only had a green-carpeted floor, a desk, a chair, a water dispenser, and a primitive-looking laptop. With a final smile, ‘Abel’ walked over to the chair and sat on it, finally facing Reyna as who he truly was. And what was that, one wondered? “I haven’t been completely honest with you,” he smiled. “You’ve been looking for one William Windsor; head of the Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet. [i]Actually, I am him[/i].”[/quote] [hr] ((2nd Post: November 4th)) At the proclamation, Reyna stared at the young man in front of her. A number of emotions warred for first place on her expression, but all that managed to win was a sense of disbelief. “Are you serious?” She said, in a tone tinged with disappointment. “All of that back and forth, all the subterfuge, and you just...tell me?!” She began pacing through the office in a display of ambiguously facetious outrage. “Well, then I suppose all along you’ve also known who I am?” Without waiting for a response, she barrelled on ahead. “The name is Reyna, since we’re apparently eschewing aliases. As you’ve no doubt guessed, I’m an agent of….well, that’s not wholly true, now is it? I come representing an independent crew, working on behalf of Moonstrike.” She kept her eyes trained on William the entire time, slightly narrowed and very suspicious. She wasn’t sure if he’d brought her here to do fair business, or simply to give himself a convenient position to eliminate her. “But I want to clear something out before we go into the business. You mentioned earlier, on the railway, that Moonstrike had snubbed you and your business as much as you snubbed them. Are you interested in repairing that relationship?” [hr] William Windsor frowned at that, and said, “I’ll give you the benefit of honesty — No. The long answer is that Moonstrike is eminently suspicious. A rebel organization of such breadth and scale and depth appears mere months after the Ascendancy Navy’s defeat at Proxima one year ago? A rebel organization whom I haven’t heard about before its sudden emergence? What a fool I would be to assume that you’re fighting for a [i]legitimate[/i] rebellion.” He pursed his lips, then said. “So here’s my counter-offer: Defect to me and my side and bring your crew with you. That is my condition for helping you.” [hr] “Okay, well, that’s not a wholly unreasonable assessment. And it is an...intriguing offer.” Ceasing her nervous movement, Reyna walked around to the front of the desk, lowering herself into a chair. “But if you know about Moonstrike, and presumably some of their operations, then you also know about the seedier elements of the Ascendency?” The word felt like dirt in her mouth, and sounded like it as well. “Against such a governing body, so absolute in its authority within its worlds, what exactly would you classify as a ‘legitimate’ rebellion? How pure must its motives be before you deem it worthy of your support?” She leaned forward then, visibly giving William more of her attention. “Neither I, nor my captain, are people who give up our loyalty easily. And for the time being, Moonstrike is the organization that has our loyalty. And while I’m not discounting the possibility of that changing in the future, you’re the one with the burden of proof at the moment.” “But ultimately, I’m not here to change your mind about Moonstrike as a whole. Rather, I want to offer you a mutually beneficial engagement.” Reyna folded her hands in her lap, bringing out more of the nobility that she had beaten out of herself during her military time. “My crew and I are currently beholden to Moonstrike, but that agreement is not...exclusive. As such, we are willing to offer you our services, as a sort of freelancer.” “What we ask in return is access to resources. We’ve recently come into possession of assets that require somewhat specific accommodations. Such accommodations, and the assets that require them, are expensive, dangerous, and difficult to acquire.” She gestured mildly as she spoke, still maintaining an air of authority. “In exchange for the assistance of your fleet to acquire the capital we need, we will offer you our services, such that your requests do not interfere with our obligations to Moonstrike.” She allowed a smile smirk to play across her lips as she waited for William’s response. She’d missed her days of trade negotiation. [hr] William Windsor nodded, trying not to show any expression, before saying, “By legitimate,I mean not obviously set up by a third party - possibly Aliens - in order to weaken the Ascendancy for their own interests. But enough of that; I might have a job soon. A job that might confirm if Moonstrike is worth allying with. However, it will have to wait till [i]your own[/i] current mission is over.” [hr] Reyna was similarly careful not to betray too many of her true feelings. Like how the Ascendancy definitely deserved to be weakened, regardless of who was doing the weakening. Or how William’s reticence was getting on her nerves. “So if I may reiterate for my own understanding, you want to give us a...trial run, as it were? As much as I appreciate the idea of a working interview, I am wondering what would we get out of it if, at the end, you decided we weren’t worth working with. After all, this could be a ploy for some convenient free labor.” “So let me remind you what it is that you have to gain by allying yourself with us,” she said, leaning forward as though to share a secret. “You mentioned earlier, on the train, that you had managed to succeed by being careful, staying away from all the mysterious abductions and various threats that your fortune would lure to you. And I’m sure that, in all fairness, Moonstrike seems to be something that fits that bill very nicely.” She stood up then, glancing out of the window behind William’s desk. The cityscape of the station-ship shone behind him like a field of gemstones. “But ultimately, at the end of all this, you’re not winning a contract with Moonstrike. You’re winning a contract with the crew of Natasha Zhang, former Captain of the Ascendancy. And I don’t think I need to explain to you how important a single, unaffiliated crew can be. We’ve all read novels.” She walked over to him, leaning over his desk with an air that was at once respectful and commanding. “But all told, I’ll accept your offer Mr. Windsor. And whatever else you think you know about me, and Natasha, and our crew, know this: we honor our word. And I’ll be looking forward to you honoring yours as well.” [hr] William Windsor nodded, before he said, “Then I'll honor my word... Insofar as it does not collide with my higher responsibility to the tens of thousands of noncombatants abroad this ship. The moment [i]they[/i] are threatened, the deal is off.”