Chapter 25: Neutral, But Still Demanding Money, Supplies, and Materials 

After escorting the Earth Alliance delegation back to their hotel, Reid immediately arranged a meeting.

Unlike the hundreds-strong tourist group that made up the entire delegation, only nineteen people actually attended the negotiations. The diplomats from the three major powers of the Earth Alliance each brought along a technical advisor.

Following protocol, security personnel stood guard outside, further reducing the attendees by ten. In the end, including Reid, only ten people were present in the meeting room.

Once again, there were no special opening remarks or moderators. Reid cut straight to the chase:

"Ladies and gentlemen, time is of the essence, so I'll skip the pleasantries. Let's get straight to the point. You've brought so many people here, so what you're after must be the first-generation transformable Mobile Suit—the Union Flag—developed by my team in the New Misurugi Republic. So, tell me your demands. Are you looking to purchase export models outright, or do you want all the development data and the OS system?"

Reid's bluntness caught the Earth Alliance representatives off guard. These were seasoned diplomats from the three nations, accustomed to dealing with slippery negotiators. Suddenly faced with someone who played straight, they were momentarily at a loss.

However, George Allster, the delegation's leader, had his wits about him. After a brief pause, he countered,

"Mr. Reid, are you certain everything you mentioned is actually for sale?"

Reid had already prepared for this question and replied without hesitation,

"Of course not openly. Right now, PLANT holds the initiative in space. If the New Misurugi Republic openly became your proxy factory or arms supplier, they'd wipe us out in no time."

George Allster's eyes lit up at this. If it couldn't be sold openly, then it could be sold under the table. Playing along, he said,

"Mr. Reid, rest assured—the Earth Alliance never shortchanges its allies. If the New Misurugi Republic is willing to share the technical data with us, you'll be our ally. If PLANT dares to attack you, the entire Earth Alliance Space Force will fight for you. We'll strike PLANT from every angle, leaving them no room to retaliate. So you needn't worry that cooperating with us will endanger your nation."

George's words were essentially laying out his terms—though they were entirely hollow. Translated, he was saying: If the New Misurugi Republic shares its technology, the Earth Alliance will protect you.

Of course, the extent of that "protection" was up for debate. Reid didn't believe a word of it.

So his response was straightforward—an outright rejection.

"Administrator Allster, let's drop the pretenses. You should know my background well enough. I have a pretty good idea of the Earth Alliance's current military capabilities. Besides, in recent space battles, the Earth Alliance hasn't exactly come out on top. So let's not waste time discussing military protection. And Princess Angelise would never agree to it anyway."

George hadn't really expected his earlier rhetoric to fool Reid. As Reid had pointed out, just three months ago, he'd been serving at Artemis Fortress. He knew exactly how capable—or incapable—the Earth Alliance Space Force was.

After some brief consideration, George Allster continued asking:

"Then let's hear the terms from your New Misurugi Republic."

Reid had naturally prepared for this. He pulled out a list from the documents at hand and passed it to George Allster before speaking:

"First, and this is a principle—the New Misurugi Republic is a neutral nation and will not sign any military agreements with the Earth Alliance. The Crimson Wings Mercenary Group I established will also temporarily refrain from accepting war-related missions between the Earth Alliance and PLANT. However, we can still provide escort services for other neutral nations or merchants without political affiliations.

Second, the New Misurugi Republic hopes the Earth Alliance, recognizing our shared identity as Naturals, will provide certain material support free of charge. What you're holding is the list.

At present, the New Misurugi Republic has little to offer in return. We can only treat our Mobile Suits as tourist attractions for visiting delegations to experience. Additionally, we'll allow three individuals to enter the cockpit for hands-on operation."

Reid's request was shamelessly bold. The list in George Allster's hands demanded money, supplies, and materials. Though sensitive military materials were few, the total cost—calculated at Atlantic Federation prices (with the Atlantic Federation's currency value equated to the US dollar)—would amount to no less than 300 billion federation credits.

However, the last page of the list was blank, though tactile examination revealed indented patterns—Braille.

George Allster happened to understand some Braille. The decoded message roughly indicated that among the Mobile Suits prepared for hands-on operation, complete development data and OS backups were included. They would permit copying during the operation.

In other words, the New Misurugi Republic was offering a fixed price: selling the complete development data and OS of the Union Flag for hundreds of billions. With the Earth Alliance's technological capabilities, they could mass-produce it afterward.

Frankly, this price wasn't exorbitant. If the defense contractors in the delegation learned that Reid was selling the complete Union Flag development data and OS for just 300 billion, many would likely jump at the deal.

But business wasn't conducted so straightforwardly. George Allster felt compelled to negotiate, so he said:

"Mr. Reid, how can you guarantee that the Union Flag you're showing us isn't defective or incomplete? After all, it's your development. If you present us with an inferior product, we wouldn't know."

Seeing George Allster picking at details, Reid knew he was trying to haggle. But Reid had no interest in political wrangling with these politicians. With his limited understanding of politics and negotiation skills, he'd be outmaneuvered before he knew it.

Reid had already discussed with Angie—they would enforce a fixed-price policy with the Earth Alliance. Even if the Earth Alliance demanded a higher price, they wouldn't budge. Cooperate or not, they'd play their cards accordingly, even if it meant collaborating with PLANT to outmaneuver them.

So Reid responded decisively:

"Administrator Allster, I was once a soldier, and now I've added the role of a technical developer. So I prefer directness. To put it plainly, if the Earth Alliance suspects I'd deceive you with subpar or incomplete products, then let's not waste time discussing anything else."

"If there isn't even the most basic trust among everyone, then what's the point of talking? Let me put it this way—the list in your hands, except for the last page, is also in the possession of Princess Angelise. PLANT is very interested in this, especially after today's simulated battle victory by the New Misurugi Republic.

Our New Misurugi Republic doesn't need two sets of supplies. If Princess Angelise reaches an agreement with Chairman Zara first, then I can only apologize here. Everyone should rest for a day and hurry back. I can hardly control what happens next.

After all, the current state of international affairs in space leaves no room for hesitation by the New Misurugi Republic. And one more thing—PLANT already knows about the last mission I participated in. The wound on my face that hasn't healed yet? It was dealt by Chairman Zara himself."

(End of Chapter)