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"I understand the extent of your need," Dr. Sabbatine says, "but I'm afraid the imperial court has me on a short leash. Almost all transfers are to go one way, and any 'gifts' are to pose no subsequent danger to us in the hands of the locals. Ever since we lost the Great Western Prairie to the Cahokians, Byzantium has feared giving people anything they could use against us."

"In other words," Alexius says, "no more guns."