[5] Try and pay in specie or some other asset from the treasury, though that'd probably run into issues, like what even is the fair value for the contract in gems?
"Miss Eilat," You say, as your mouth mangles the hissing English is built around, "would you be willing to accept payment in kind?"
"In kind?" She replies, confused.
"Yes, in gold, gems, or other precious objects." You say, patting yourself on the back for not offering slaves because we don't do that anymore, "I'm told that despite all the wonders of your world they still rule the hearts of men. I understand that we will necessarily have to pay more than we would in cash because of the complication involved, but if you would be willing to accept such an arrangement, I could easily pay for this order out of my own treasury."
Yrlia looks at you like you've lost your mind. Hughes is surprised, as is your brother in law and everyone else in the room aside from Miss Eilat. She instead has been put on the spot.
"I'll have to contact the head office for instructions." She replies. "I'm not even sure what a proper value for such a deal would be."
"Neither am I, Miss Eilat." You reply. "However, we will breach that issue when the time comes. So please take some time, contact your office, and respond when you have an answer."
"I think I'll have to take my leave now." She says as she backs toward the door, "I need to contact the office."
"Please do, and have a good evening Miss Eilat." You say, before turning to Hughes. "Now Agent Hughes, if we could continue our deal?"
The man nods, and then you continue your discussion. About an hour later a deal is signed and everyone retires from the conference room that might as well have been your throne room now to the much more comfortable lounge (but the downstairs working one, not the family one) for drinks. It wasn't as nice as Bear and Wyta's house, or what would be in the next palace, but it had electric lights, good couches, and baseboard heaters.
Which is where you and Agent Hughes drank a decent amount of wine, and he tried to explain baseball to you, and with it why the Seattle Mariners were the most interesting team to ever play a sport. Not good, not bad, but like the history of genuine talent that had ups and downs and never went anywhere. Until Yrlia went and interrupted you two and showed you a thing on her tablet. Specifically, the age requirements to go to SHOT Show in January.
"See, I'll be seventeen!" Yrlia says. "I'm old enough, so I can go to SHOT Show."
"I'm not sending a seventeen-year-old to shop for firearms." You reply. "You're too young, and the PR team hates me already. Also, I'm afraid to leave you unsupervised."
"You leave me alone with Chalcippe."
"And you're not unsupervised." You say, "Because she's a good influence on you, and you actually listen to her."
"So what if I have a chaperone? It's not like you have anyone else who speaks good English, reads English, and you trust. Plus, I'm already fully vaccinated." Yrlia says. "I could borrow Timmy or someone else to come with?"
"I'll think about it. Gods know we need to get machine guns as well." You reply. "Or at least something other than fifties."
"You probably should send someone to SHOT Show then, and it's hard to not eavesdrop when every third word is a loan word." Hughes says in English. "You've got a few months, and it's probably the best shopping opportunity you're going to get since everyone goes there."
"Does everyone there wear a polo?" You ask.
"I've never been." Hughes says. "You're probably right though."
"Could I wear a uniform instead?" Yrlia asks, now concerned.
"I don't see why not. Though you could just wear a suit." Hughes replies. "But don't just show up in woodland BDUs, have some class."
You and Yrlia look at each other. "We're going to need uniforms if we go." You both say at the same time.
Hughes laughs.
The next day, you do get an answer from Miss Eilat, and so the two of you, a lawyer, and some of your bodyguards are in the conference room. On the table are a few gold ingots, some gems, and that creepy Padparadscha Skull from the treasury. Specifically, the full size one with the eyes that follow you around the room.
She has a pretty simple answer even as she looks at the uncomfortably realistic, if orange, skull. "The home office advised me not to accept gold or gems directly. Even if gold is well, gold, valuing bullion and handling the complications are well outside our expertise." She says, trying to avoid looking at the skull and is instead focusing on the gold ingots. "However, the deal is still on if you sell the gold to the US Treasury, the Ministry of Finance or someone else."
That was reasonable enough. "We can certainly do that." You reply.
"Also, what's with the skull?" She says.
"It was one of the gems I wanted to try and sell off." You say. "My great-grandfather rescued it from a burning temple and brought it home with him. It's a single stone, and it's kind of uncomfortable to look at."
"Yeah, maybe talk to an art dealer about that one." Miss Eilat replies. "Or like loan it to a museum. Someone has to want that."
"Anyway, I talked it over, and it's going to be $320k for everything." Eilat said, as she produced a contract from a folder. "That's one hundred rifles, six hundred magazines, shipping and an armorers' course."
"Armorer's course?" You reply.
"For your armorers, to teach them how to repair and maintain the guns." Miss Eilat says.
"Oh, right." You reply before turning to Yrlia and speaking quickly in Meledli. "We have those right?"
"…I think so." She says before running off. "I'll go ask Svatafa."
"We have those." You say, returning to English.
So you end up signing the deal since you will have the money eventually, and then get to work assigning someone to sell that gold at market price. Miss Eilat also still refuses to just take the damn skull. Like everyone else you've ever tried to pawn it off on.
Anyway, with the rifles now all on order, and the gem skull unfortunately still in your possession, you have other issues to deal with. Including paperwork which you plan to spend the rest of your evening working on in your office. In peace and quiet where nothing can go wrong and no-one will bother you.
"So you still need machine guns." Timmy says after he barges into your office. "And a bunch of M240s is good enough, so you could just buy them."
"I want to go to SHOT Show to take a look around and compare things before we buy." Yrlia says, looking up from her tablet. "Maybe we could find something that suits our needs more than an M240?"
"What needs?" Timmy replies. "That it has to go on the back of a horse?"
"I was thinking it needs to be operated by someone who is illiterate."
"Have you met some of my boots?" Timmy replied.
"Also we might want to use it in indirect fire or for harassing during a siege?" Yrlia said.
"But why? Why would you want to when you can just spray the top of the wall and bring a ladder up or use a mortar instead? Where did you even learn about that?"
"Bear introduced me to Forgotten Weapons?"
"At least it wasn't more anime." Timmy said under his breath. "Anyway, why do you want to benchmark things? Is there something specific at SHOT Show you want to take a look at? It's not like we don't have M240Bs, Mark 43s and Mark 48s laying around on base you could look at? State would have to be involved, and it would probably be approved, but despite all the ceremony and bureaucracy involved, it'd probably be easier than sending a mission to SHOT Show."
"I also want to go look at optics and stuff and get a better idea of what else is out there." Yrlia says. "Plus, all the guns you guys have are probably a bit worn. I'd like to see something newer as well. And a comic book store, but that's beside the point."
"That's fine, but like nobody is going to take you seriously." Timmy says. "Nobody is going to take a sixteen-year-old girl in civvies seriously."
"So we get some uniforms." Yrlia says. "Which we need to do anyway. And I'll be seventeen."
Timmy looks at you with a mix of frustration and desperation. Yrlia looks at you with eyes full of hope.
[ ] Let's just compare whatever is in service here, and pick something from that. (Limited selection but you can go sooner, probably.)
[ ] Let's get something other than BDUs and traditional clothing to wear to SHOT Show, and shop for a bunch of stuff there. (You want to play dress up? This is how you play dress up.)
