Reiko stared at Wolfe, then shook her head. "You know those terms will be unacceptable. The Coven can not and will not give up their autonomy. We can negotiate many other things and swallow our pride, but that will not be part of the deal."
Wolfe smiled at her. "See, we're bargaining already. How about this, you agree to become an autonomous region, with your Coven Council or whoever you appoint in charge of the city, with a Guardian to ensure your safety, provided and paid by us, and we will cut the tariff rate on military equipment listed in the original proposal in half."
The Council didn't seem to like that idea much more than the last proposal.
"What is the trade partner tariff rate for military weapons?" One of the Councillors asked.
"We don't currently trade military technology with outsiders, much to the Gormana representative's annoyance. But if you wish to limit our interactions to trade and infrastructure, we can do that as well.
