With the self-proclaimed galactic cops out of his hair, Andrew went to talk with Sarini and her brothers regarding their ship.
It was no surprise that the three elves decided to take him up on his offer to build them a new ship.
Especially since Tanera already explained that one way or the other, he would need to get access to their technology, whether he repaired the old ship or built them a new one.
-Your majesty, can I design a new ship we would like you to build for us?
Sani asked, hoping she didn't offend him with this question.
To her surprise, Andrew simply smiled.
-By all means, as long as it's not anything bigger than a destroyer-class vessel.
He agreed without hesitation.
-Additionally, we have all your data from the old ship.
He informed them.
This made all the elves shocked.
-How?
Tanera asked.
-It's a standard procedure for my ships; whenever they come in, their logs and databases are automatically downloaded and updated.
I added an exception for the guild ships, but I forgot to add one for your cousin's ship.
So, by this mistake, we managed to secure your database from being erased.
He explained.
-That means…
-Yes, we won't need to reverse engineer some of your technology for your ship, which will save us a lot of time.
Andrew said before the younger of Sarini's brothers could finish.
-I love the idea of getting a new ship, but you are getting advanced technology from it, so it does not seem fair to me.
Sani said, not exactly happy about the arrangement.
-If that's the case, then why don't we find a compromise that will satisfy both parties?
Andrew suggested.
He knew that the deal favored him immensely, and it was just a coincidence that they even got the database.
Additionally, these were Tanera's cousins, and he didn't want to take advantage of them.
-Does Your Majesty have something in mind?
Sani's older brother asked.
-Actually, I do.
What would you say to receiving three ships instead of just one in exchange for the technology your database provided?
They were all shocked beyond words.
This was not what they expected to hear.
However, the proposition was very enticing, to say the least.
-Even if the technology in the database is more advanced than yours, it's not that much better.
The engines and shields are at most tier 5 tech.
Sarini said, with a bit of panic.
It was not her fault that she lost the ship, but she didn't want to take advantage of her first-ever client.
Especially since the items he was willing to trade for would earn her a fortune.
She didn't even go through 10% of the list he had given her, and she already wanted to establish a long-term cooperation, or even become his exclusive independent merchant if it was possible.
-Even if I acquired the technology by accident, it is still a tier 5 technology, which would cost me millions of tons of resources and weeks, if not months, of research.
So, acquiring it for three ships is a great deal for me.
Andrew said.
-I'll even add a letter to the King Emperor Reluvethel Daezorwyn, to explain the situation, so that you won't get into trouble for this.
He added.
Only then did the elves remember that they were prohibited from sharing technology and started to panic.
-Calm down, this was beyond your control, and I doubt you will be punished for it.
Andrew said, trying to calm them down a bit.
-But our family might lose its trading permit, or even be exiled for this.
Drinel, the oldest of the siblings, said in panic.
-Not to mention that we will be punished by our family for not preventing this.
We were supposed to keep our sister safe, and instead, we exposed our whole family to danger.
Zirell, the second brother, was near tears.
-Shut the fuck up already.
Andrew raised his voice.
-Can't the two of you be a bit more mature like your sister?
He scolded the two of them.
Comparing them to Sarini, who, even though she was scared, maintained her composure.
-I doubt anyone will punish you for this incident, especially if I explain what happened in the letter.
The human said, seeing that his scolding had an effect.
-I'm sorry for my brother's behaviour, but this really is a big deal, and it might cost our family greatly.
Sani said apologetically.
-I understand, but as I said, these were circumstances beyond your control.
You simply got caught up in my trouble, so let me compensate you, and we can then proceed with our trade.
Andrew suggested.
-I agree, Your Majesty, but still, three ships the size of a destroyer are too much.
Even one of these is more than enough to compensate us for our ship and the technology.
Sarini said calmly.
-Then let's settle at two ships as compensation, and I'll add the third to trade for all of your merchandise.
What say you?
Andrew asked.
-Also, drop the "your majesty" routine, call me by my name like your cousin does.
He added, as he was getting a little annoyed by it.
-Alright, but even with all of our merchandise, this is still way too much.
A few matter converters and fabricators are not worth a ship, especially not one of this size.
She argued.
-Then treat the difference as my present for our first trade.
Andrew smiled.
He liked that she was trying her best not to scam him, which, without the young elf's knowledge, increased his favorable impression of her.
-Alright, I'll agree.
Sani yielded, not wanting to prolong the discussion she already knew she would lose no matter what she said.
Additionally, arguing with the client, she hoped to have a long business relationship with was not a good idea.
-Great.
Andrew smiled.
Not long later Sani was working with Aelita and Nairin on designing their new ships, while her brothers supervised unloading the cargo from their old ship.
Within a few hours the design of the marchant's new ships was ready and the production process had begun.
It turned out that Sarini always wanted to have a ship she designed herself, and she had a blueprint ready, the only thing they had to do was to adjust it for a bigger vessel.
Aelita and Nairin also added some more defensive measures and some more weaponry.
-You are flying with precious cargo, you need to be able to defend yourself in case you're ever attacked by pirates and can't escape.
The two engineers explained.
In the end the ships had essentially the same fire power as a heavy frigate, while being slightly bigger than a standard destroyer class ship, providing more than enough room for cargo.
Three days later the three ships were finished and ready for launch.
They didn't have transponders from the Moon Elf Empire for them so Andrew asked Tanera to contact the guild and explain the situation.
Within one day a merchant ship appeared with three temporary transponders, which would allow the new merchant ships to go back home.
-Thank you for the ships, I hope that we will be able to continue our cooperation in the future.
Sani said, before leaving as she already spent a lot more time in Andrew's territory than she was supposed to.
-No problem, as for the cooperation, you will always be welcomed here.
Andrew smiled.
-I also asked Vulcan to add a feature to all three ships.
He added, picking the girl's interest.
-You wont need to worry about EMP ever again, the ships have the same shielding as my fleet and station.
He explained.
-Thank you, this should be a great help.
Sani also smiled.
-As for coming back here, I'll try to return soon as there are a lot of items I wish to trade for on your list.
-I'll be happy to trade when you come back.
Andrew assured her.
After having a few words with Drinel and Zirell, the three elves left in their new ships.