Tertioday, Sarnat 30th 067.M42
The Hadrigan Cartel have started to make some moves in the wake of the antilium contract being handed over to the Kai-Ten Conglomerate. Some of their trading offices are being downsized and closed down, they seem to be moving more of their finances and interests into off-world trade deals. They haven't done anything to completely unseat the financial stability of Asphodel, but they're starting to make some small waves. They're not happy and they're making sure that the Governor knows it.
And in news that seems to be completely coincidental and not in the slightest way related to the trade troubles, the Kai-Ten Conglomerate are reporting that some of their recent shipments through the sector have been plagued with raiders - from what I'm seeing in the reports they've lost at least a couple of ships to pirates between the outer worlds, and at least one of their convoys has gone missing and not yet reported in at its destination. Even allowing for the vagaries of warp travel, this convoy was travelling on a stable route and there's been no reports of unexpected warp storms so…
I expect that what we'll see in the next few weeks is a continuation of these sorts of "troubles", before the Hadrigans step up and make a plea to the Governor, saying that the Kai-Tens are just not capable of managing their trade and keeping Asphodean interests safe. And I'm sure that it will come with an attendant increase in their required costs to keep the antilium exports safe, after all, if raider attacks are on the increase…
I don't think anybody is surprised by this turn of events. But the Hadrigans aren't idiots. They've seen more than one other merchant house run into the ground for messing with their interests. It's kind of an open secret to anybody who's got access to the data that they have some sort of link with some raider captains or pirates or something. Not a direct link, they're not that idiotic. They've been in this business for millennia in one form or another. But through blind shell companies, laundered funds, mercenary links… Something like that. Though it wouldn't surprise me if they had the Arbites at least partially in their pocket too, to stop anyone getting too invested in their business operations.
I don't think it'll resort to open warfare between them. Both the Hadrigan Cartel and the Kai-Ten Conglomerate are just too big to engage in that sort of thing. Both could cause significant damage to the other if it resorted to open conflict, but they would suffer what is likely to be considered unacceptable losses in the attempt. It's not like House Chrydis - they were small enough that once the Hadrigans provoked them into making the first move, the Hadrigans were then able to more or less wipe them out without taking too much in the way of losses, either financially or in human cost.
The lesser merchants like House Franke, the Marchaude Corporation, Silverlocke Limited and House Terigal are rather wisely keeping their heads down at the minute. They're letting the two bigger players punch this out, and I'm sure when the dust settles they'll be there, yipping around their feet and trying to pick up the crumbs that have fallen.
I honestly don't know who's going to come out better from this. The Hadrigans are an older house, they're bigger, with more resources to throw at a problem. But everything I've seen in recent months is that the Kai-Tens have really come into their own - they're making a lot of good deals, they seem to be savvy about what it takes to carve a place for themselves. They could be the little upstarts that overturn the grox-cart. Only time will tell, I guess.
Thought for the Day: The dissident invites only retribution.
