BattleTech: Giving up the Ghost (Fortunes of War Novella, #1) by Bryan Young

Author:Bryan Young
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Catalyst Game Labs
Published: 2023-11-30T05:00:00+00:00

THE BROKEN LOCUST

GALATEAN CITY

GALATEA

GALATEAN LEAGUE

29 SEPTEMBER 3146

“Listen,” Raven Davis said to the seller, “our money is just as good as anyone else’s. What’s the problem?”

The seller sat in shadow in the back corner of the Broken Locust, a tavern that got its name from the shattered Locust cockpit hanging over the bar. Every wall was decorated in graffiti depicting various ’Mech battles involving Locusts. The Gray Death Legion seemed to be a favorite. Even the vodka they made was called Gray Death. It felt more of a cheap tourist spot than a place actual MechWarriors hung out, but the seller had chosen the venue, not Raven.

The faint music of an out-of-tune piano and a soulful trumpet played lightly over the sparse din of the sparser crowd.

Raven sipped her vodka, waiting for the seller to come up with a single legitimate reason she wouldn’t be able to get the ammunition resupply they needed.

“Because I don’t know you,” said the seller. “Because this is a dangerous business, and I must take precautions.” Their face was obscured by the shadows, but their shabbily tailored suit shone in the light above the table. Really, the biggest detail Raven could make out were their gesticulating hands.

Raven put her drink down. “This is Galatea. You sell stuff like this to mercs every day.”

She hated doing these negotiations. This was usually Ilsa’s job to arrange with the quartermaster. The quartermaster aboard the Houndstooth—no, the Flying Dutchman—would usually arrange the buys. But since they were trying to use new contacts and switch things up, Raven had drawn the short straw to make sure they got their ’Mechs resupplied. It wasn’t actually anything she’d ever done.

“Your resume is impressive, but I’ve never heard of you,” they said. And, frankly, they had a point. “I’ve never dealt with you before. We need to come to some sort of agreement first. And there needs to be some trust built. I’ve never sold so much to one person on the first deal.”

“How much would you be comfortable to part with? I really want this to be the beginning of a long relationship if possible…” Raven trailed off. She still didn’t even know their name, and thought obliquely asking for it would work.

“Salamander,” they said. “You can call me the Salamander.”

“Okay, the Salamander, you know I want to make this profitable for both of us. I’ve got a company of ’Mechs that need frequent resupply, and we’re going to need a solid contact for a consistent period of time.”

“Hmmm…” Salamander thought long and hard about it. “I only have a fourth of what you’ve asked for. I will let that go at full price and you would sign a long-term contract, so we would meet for a buy of this size or greater twice a year, at least, and then I would be willing to do business with you.”

“And how long could that last? I can probably get my people to go for a two-year term, but there’s no way they’d do it in perpetuity.

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