"Michael Stackpole "The Bacta War"" - читать интересную книгу автора

before you order them. We'll sell the bacta to you at seventy percent of the
galactic average price."
"Fifty percent and you'll leave the Coruscant market open to me."
The chair's nerfhide covering squeaked as Booster's grip tightened. "The bacta
we deliver there is being used to fight the Krytos virus. That's pure charity
and a stopgap that's preventing the spread of the virus off Coruscant. It's not
a profit center."
Karrde's face hardened. "Every place is a profit center, Booster. You know
that." He raised a hand to stop Booster's growl from growing into an argument.
"I'll donate freely sev-enty percent of the allocation you'd have delivered to
the world, but the other thirty percent I'll use to feed the black market
demand. You have to know that you're already losing nearly forty percent to the
black market now, after delivery, so I'll get more where you want it to go."
"And that gives me a stay of execution on Melina Carniss?"
Karrde nodded. "Her life is in your hands."
Booster glanced down at the deck, then slowly nodded. "You're a bastard,
Karrde."
"Quite possibly, but you know you'd have let me keep thirty-five percent of the
bacta to sell on Coruscant if I'd pressed you for it."
Booster's head came up. "Perceptive, too."
"Thank you."
Mirax, who slowly shook off the shock the frank bar-gaining had sparked in her,
frowned. "Why didn't you push for as much as you could get?" Karrde hesitated,
and Mirax could see his decision to answer her question was a struggle for him.
He plays things so close to his vest that he's reluctant to let someone else see
how he works.
Some of the amusement drained from Karrde's face. "I'm going to turn the
Coruscant black market work over to Billey. I don't think he and Dravis could
handle thirty-five percent of the supply you'll bring me. No reason I should
give them enough of a supply to allow the bottom to drop out of that market.
Thirty percent is enough to suit me and them."
Booster smiled and gave Karrde a nod. "Keep it up and I'll take back the bastard
remark."
"What, and make me earn it some other way?"
"Good point. I want to still work with Carniss to set up our rendezvous, but
we're going 'to plan them in a way that will prevent Isard from ambushing us
again. I'll give her a circuit of worlds to travel on. When your ships come into
a system they'll be told to proceed with the journey, or they'll
be met by our people and the exchange will take place. Isard can't cover all
those locations and her bacta convoys."
Talon Karrde smiled. "A rendezvous circuit, I like it. You know where you'll
meet them; and if the system looks wrong, you know where they will go next, so
you let them go. Very good." ,
"I think it will work. It will keep Carniss busy and frus-trate Isard."
"So you have a use for Carniss in the future?"
"Perhaps." Booster smiled. "How soon can you get me that gravity well
projector?"
"A month. Maybe two."
"Good." Booster extended his hand toward Karrde. "I can't say it was a pleasure
doing business with you, but I've spent more time doing less with fewer results