Troy Rising 1 - Live Free or Die by John Ringo

Corporation.”
    “Rolaut Orth, Limaror Corporation.”
    “We need nametags or something. First as to Dragon's Tears. The material is in fact maple
     sugar syrup. Please feel free to access relevant information on our network.”
    “Geographically and seasonally highly limited,” Hetuncha said. “Excellent.”
    “Yes,” Tyler said. “Because limited means valuable.”
    “And as of this morning, local time,” the Hurin Corporation representative said, “sixty
     percent of the operating distilleries and about thirty percent of the available growing
     land just transferred to the LFD Corporation, Tyler Vernon, Chairman of the Board.
     Masterful stroke, Mr. Vernon. I see that Mr. Haselbauer, yes, represents many if not all
     of the independents.”
    “And you and the independents represented by Mr. Haselbauer hold
    
    
     all
    
    
     of the stored stocks,” the Limaror Corporation representative said, sourly.
    “For which we will be negotiating today,” Tyler said. “Mr. Haselbauer and Mr. Lyle will be
     handling those negotiations. Ms. Castilla, who is an expert in banking, will be working on
     setting up appropriate banking systems, secure from the Horvath, so that we can engage in
     regular trade. But first a word about maple sugar...”
    “Mostly collected by small farmers,” Hetuncha said. The Gorku rep wrinkled his nose.
     “Geographically scattered, hard to gather. And it
    
    
     has
    
    
     to be gathered during a very limited period of time. Even if the weather cooperates, any
     resistance to gathering means a severely reduced crop.”
    “Which can be good and can be bad,” Tyler said. “Less means higher price in general. But
     if it's simply
    
    
     unavailable
    
    
     , one can see the market dying. New product and all. You'll want to maintain your source
     of supply. I direct your attention to the initials of my corporation, gentle beings.”
    “Various meanings,” the Onderil rep said. “But in context our AI says it refers to your
     tribal motto.”
    “Closer than you realize,” Tyler said. “With everyone who was in it purely for money, or
     because they thought the Berkshires are pretty, out of the game the Horvath will find it
     rather
    
    
     hard
    
    
     to take. Even the Canadians that gather it are pretty stubborn folk.”
    “Aren't taking mine, that's for sure and certain,” Mr. Haselbauer said. “Burn the trees
     first. And maple's practically religion to my family.”
    “I suggest you have your AIs study local tribal reactions to force,” Tyler said. “And
     their relationship with the rest of the world. Especially, as they would put it, 'city
     folk.' Because what you are buying is
    
    
     all
    
    
     the maple syrup that's going to be available until next spring. You have a few months to
     process the cultural implications. Negotiation will be for Glatun credits, gentlemen, not
     atacirc. After that we can trade with regular traders for atacirc and so on and so forth.
     And, of course, the usual taxes go to the...”
    “Revenuers,” Mr. Haselbauer said, disgustedly.
    ***
    “The problem is we really don't know if we're getting a significant amount of credit for
     this or not.” Cody Castilla was in her fifties and severe. Severe face, severe clothes and
     severe body language. “Their economy is still opaque to us. Our analysts are still trying
     to process the economic implication of most manufacturing being robotic.”
    “Not entirely,” Tyler said. “Economics comes down to food in the end. What one standard
     meal costs is another way to say it. I asked Wathaet, innocently, if I visited his station
     and if I could eat Glatun food, which I can't, how much a cheap meal would cost. He said
     an ormo, whatever that is, was about a quarter credit. He also told me that his full cargo
     load of trash atacirc was around a hundred and twenty credits. And, forgetting the earlier
     question, made like that was a huge amount of