Andrew and both ladies got back to their seats before he finally spoke.
-I am willing to take you all in, but there are some conditions for that.
He said and saw their eyes light up with hope.
-Heare me out first, then we can negotiate if it turns out to be necessary.
The three pirates nodded in silence.
The first condition will be that your fleet won't be stationed in this system and I'll explain why in a moment.
The second one is that your commodore as well as the two of you will accept the slavery chips, which is pretty much needed for what I have planned for you.
And the last one of the main conditions is that your commodore stays here as a liaison and defacto hostage until I can be certain that I can trust you all.
Andrew pointed out, without wasting any more time.
-Now as to why your fleet won't be staying here, is because you will have your own station in the neighboring system, or if you think you can secure two systems, then you'll have two stations.
The thing is that there are already stations there, but they have been destroyed or are simply offline, so the idea is for you to go and claim them as a part of my territory and develop them as much as you can.
This brings us to the slavery chips, as they are needed for you to take over the stations in these systems, otherwise, you can't use them.
Also, I'll provide you with two beginning modules, in parts, and some construction drones to assemble them on the spot, and for that, you will need your ships to transport them.
I also wish to inform you, that we have just reached the pinnacle of tier 3 research and we have been blacklisted by the merchant guild, so there won't be any merchants visiting you any time soon.
Andrew laid everything before them.
-Now do you have any questions?
He asked after a moment of silence as the three pirates were speechless.
This whole thing has caught them off guard as till now they would be more than happy to just guard this station and have a base here in exchange, they never imagined that this being would offer them to have not one but two stations of their own in the neighboring systems.
-Why would you offer us two stations in neighboring systems?
Arien finally, snapped out of shock and asked the first question that came to her mind.
-Because I was planning to conquer them eventually and with you here, it's a perfect opportunity to do so, while also giving you your own bases.
Additionally, after you develop enough, you will be required to send me some of your materials and of course, in case of an attack, you are obligated to defend the territory.
Andrew explained.
-Why does the commodore have to stay here as a hostage?
Why can't it be one of us?
Drevon asked.
-Because I'll need a liaison and it has to be a person who all of your people will listen to.
The whole hostage gig is secondary as the moment you try something funny I can simply turn off your stations, leaving you without a base.
-Then how will you treat her if we agree for her to remain here?
Rhuneek asked, not too happy about this part of the arrangement.
-The same way as everyone else who lives on this station and you are more than welcome to ask them about it, some of them even have their chips deactivated and Aelita here never even had one in the first place.
-What would my duties be if I agreed to this?
Arien asked.
-I'm sure I dont need to explain the role of a liaison to you, and other than that, you won't have any other official duties and will be able to do whatever you want and all the facilities on this station will be at your disposal, the same as everyone else who lives here.
-Then can we repair and refuel our fleet here?
The commodore asked a bit hesitantly.
-I see no problem with that, but if we dont have the parts from the ships we captured so far, you might need to wait for a while, other than that I have 6 ships, of the same design as yours, which could be used by your people if their ships will need to be grounded.
The jaws of the pirates dropped when they heard that he still had 6 pirate ships at his disposal.
-This is a generous offer, but we would also need some time to discuss this and ask the opinions of the rest of my captains.
-By all means, feel free to use this module to contact your captains and once you made your decision, you can contact me using this.
Andrew left the comms bracelet on the conference table before he and the two ladies who accompanied him left.
-Do you think they will accept this proposition?
Aelita asked the moment the doors closed behind them.
-They don't have much of a choice and it's a very good offer, they get almost everything they want while we get two systems with minimal effort on our side.
Tarina answered before Andrew even opened his mouth.
-To be honest, I think they would accept even if the conditions were harsher and if they asked about repairs and refueling their fleet, then they might be in a worse condition than we initially thought.
She added a moment later.
-That's right, and by making the commodore stay here as a liaison, we can be almost certain that they wont try backstab us.
Andrew added.
-Let's wait for them to accept this first before we start celebrating.
Tarina said, pouring a bucket of cold water on their enthusiasm.
She was right, for now, they only had given them their offer now it was left to the pirates to accept or decline.
The three pirates were also discussing this proposition and considering every possibility seriously.
Their main problem was that they had no better alternative and the proposition they just received was even better than they dared to hope for.
The other captains who were contacted and heard about the proposition the System Master had given them to consider were more than happy to have not one but two stations of their own and in addition to that, the other conditions were not harsh, only demanding some materials once they were established and to defend the territory if it was attacked, was nothing more than they had expected, but in return they would gain access to tier 3 technology, have a home base for their ships and with any luck they would also have a possibility to once again crew real warships.
More than that, they would finally have an opportunity to repair their ships, refuel, and maybe even get some ammunition.
Considering all of that they all were in favor of accepting the deal, but each one of them left the final decision to the commodore as she had the last word.
-What should I do now?
Arien asked her two friends.
She hoped for some advice from her captains, but they were all just happy to be accepted and left her without any real advice while leaving all the responsibility on her shoulders.
-Unfortunately, this proposition is way better than anything we could have hoped for and I see no reason to reject it.
Even the conditions that you will need to stay here and serve as a liaison are not that bad, especially considering that he even encouraged us to ask anyone from the crew about their living conditions and treatment.
This only shows that he has nothing to hide and is not afraid that we could find anything that would compel us to reject his offer.
Drevon said, clearly not happy that he could not find anything wrong with the offer.
-You are right and his proposition profits him even more than us.
He gains two systems for a few measly modules and some repairs and fuel, not to mention a fleet to defend his territory if it is ever attacked.
In exchange we gain home and as much freedom as we could ask for and access to advanced technology.
Captain Rhuneek added with a nod.
-If there is anything wrong with this deal, I can't find it, we all are getting what we need while benefiting the other.
He added.
-I know and that's what's bothering me.
Arien said, in a bit irritated tone.
-I dont believe in perfect deals, we all know that there is no such thing.
She added, trying to find anything that would be problematic with this deal and it frustrated her that there seemed to be nothing of the sort.
No matter how she tried to interpret the proposition, the result was always the same.
It was as straightforward as it could get and she could not find any hidden meaning in anything Andrew had said.
-So what do we do?
She finally asked, giving up on trying to find a fault where there was none.
-Do we accept or do we decline?
She asked, hoping that they would at least give her a straightforward answer.
-I say we agree.
We won't get a better deal anywhere else and truth be told, I'm not sure our fleet can even reach another system Master in the condition it is at the moment.
Captain Rhuneek voiced his opinion.
-I also agree, that this is the best deal we can hope for and the fleet needs the repairs and fuel.
But you have a final say in this so it's your decision to make.
Drevon said.
-Then we agree.
Arien sighed.
She still felt that something was wrong with this whole deal, but with everyone's hopes up and a deal this good, she had to agree.
In the next moment, she picked up the comms bracelet and contacted Andrew.
Hearing that the pirates agreed to his terms, he told Aelita to start the production of parts and drones for their two stations.
While he went to the conference module with the slavery chips.
Arien and Rhuneek accepted the injections without a word, but Drevon was not looking to great when he was the needle.
-What's wrong?
Andrew asked seeing the alien's discomfort.
-Nothing is wrong, I just don't like needles.
The big guy said, quietly.
This made everyone present try their best not to laugh.
-Give me that.
Arien said and took the injector from Andrew, before he could even react.
The next second she injected the chip into the big alien before he could even utter a word of protest.
-There, it's done.
She said, amused at his antics.
Andrew was also amused at this, but decided to focus on the matter at hand.
-Call your captains, I want them to witness the activation with their own eyes and I have some orders for them.
He said and a moment later fifty captains from different species were on the conference call with the station.
-My name I Andrew Eagle, and since your commodore agreed to my terms, from this moment on I am also your lord.
He introduced himself.
-A moment ago these three accepted the slavery chips and I want all of you to bare witness to their activation, so that there are no problems with this later.
He said, as the attention of the captains was focused on him at the moment.
-Chip 08, 09, and 10 activate, set control to level 1.
He said and all three of his guests felt the chips activating as it took a bit of control from them.
-From this moment on, Arien will become a liaison between us all, as for these two, they will each become station masters of the stations you will build shortly.
He explained.
-Ass we speak, the beginning modules are being produced, but they are made in parts, so it will be your first task to transport them to the two systems you will be taking over for me.
But before that, I want you to send 4 of your best ships to my station to get refueled and also 6 of the ships in the worst shape, they will be swapped with the 6 ships I captured and repaired.
The moment you arrive, I want all the captains of said ships to report to me directly, thats all for now, further orders, will be relayed by Arien.
Are there any questions?
Andrew asked, but there were no questions as all of these people were former military and knew that from now on he was in charge.
-Good, then that's all for now and welcome home.
Andrew said before closing the channel.