LC Rains leans back in his chair in the Athelstone’s common room, stylus tucked behind one ear, a steaming cup of something stimulative in hand.
"Right. Let’s talk business, but the kind that comes with incense and pointed questions about the state of your soul."
He taps his tablet and projects a rotating image of the Puzzle World—Jokotre, amber-classed and mysterious.
"The Jokotre aren’t your standard trade partners. They don’t haggle like Vargr, they don’t bargain like Zhodani, and they certainly don’t sign anything with a clause longer than a prayer. Which brings me to..."
He swipes again, revealing the golden glyph of the Archdiocese of Ram.
"These pious star-watchers believe every star is a divine lens of Ram’s will. They’ve got a strong presence around Jokotre, not just spiritually, but economically too. Think less 'missionaries' and more 'merchant-clerics with robes and ledgers.' You want to move goods in or out? You will deal with them—formally or... otherwise."
LC smirks, raising a brow.
Benefits
"If you play it right, and I do mean exactly right, the Jokotre pay in high-value, low-mass trade goods. Religious artifacts, encrypted star charts, sometimes bio-tech grown in those puzzle temples of theirs. Stuff the collectors in the Core pay through the airlock for."
"The Archdiocese will also offer protection—real convoy-grade stuff—if you declare your cargo ‘ritually approved.’ That gets you through otherwise dicey customs zones. And for a small tithe, they'll even bless the hull."
He shrugs.
"I don’t know if that helps with micrometeors, but hey, free PR."
Pitfalls
"Now—now—the fun part: the risks." LC grins tightly. "If you bring in anything considered profane—entertainment media, synthetic spirits, Virtual private network programs that get around the Lightwell Chamber network—expect to be detained, fined, and possibly sermonized within an inch of your patience. Even if it’s hidden, the Archdiocese tends to find things. And you do not want to get on their Watchlist. It travels faster than light and ruins trade faster than a hull breach."
"And let’s not forget: the Jokotre don’t always communicate in ways we understand. Misunderstand a puzzle-sign and you might accidentally 'sell' them your nav computer in exchange for a bowl of sacred moss."
LC lowers the tablet and looks around the room.
"In short: high reward, high complexity, and a lot of incense. We go in respectful, smart, and absolutely scrubbed of anything that might offend a god—real or perceived. If we play the angles, though, it could make our ship’s balance sheet sing."
He pauses, then adds, with a smirk:
"And hey—if it goes sideways, I’m pretty sure I still remember how to say 'We meant no offense, holy one' in liturgical Ramese."
Looking at Alice, Lu-Yam and Said Ma then to Bronz;
"We could apply for through the local Archdiocese of Ram's Office of Stella Ethics and wait a bit and undergo Trade Benediction which is a formal blessing given to off-world traders who operate in accordance with ecclesiastical law. Often improves relations and speeds cargo inspections."
LC then smiles at everyone;
"But I have a way in..."
