I appreciate your support of my recent resolution concerning the improvement of the Outer Rim, and of the quality of life of its people. I think your suggestion—to involve private enterprise in this endeavor, including, potentially, your mining company—is a good one, and indeed I have been thinking along similar lines. I intend to propose a measure in the coming days establishing a series of trading outposts on the Outer Rim (of the sort that you described, except that these would be intended for different sorts of commerce, including mining but not only mining, since each of these areas would have unique needs). These outposts would, first and foremost, allow for the free exchange of goods and ideas in these disadvantaged regions. And second, as some of my colleagues on the Commerce Committee have suggested to me, they could be leased to companies including your own in order to bring jobs and economic opportunity to these regions, too.

I hope that I can consider you a partner in these efforts as we move forward with them, and that I can count on your support. I want to be clear—because I don't want to give the appearance of impropriety—that if this measure is passed, I do not promise that the Commerce Committee would lease some of these outposts to your company, and certainly not as a quid pro quo for your support of the measure; that said, however, I genuinely see no reason why the Commerce Committee would not or should not agree to lease them to your company. It would be good for everyone involved, including, especially, the people of the Outer Rim. In the meantime, though, do let me know if you have any ideas on how to improve this measure before I propose it. I would like to have as many perspectives as possible.

Also, Senator, I would be remiss if I did not cordially invite you to join the Society for the Improvement of the Outer Rim and to attend its upcoming conference in Cormond, on Brentaal, to draft a comprehensive improvement plan that can eventually be adapted into legislation to propose to the Senate (the trading outposts, I hope, will "lay the foundation," so to speak, for this comprehensive plan). There will be many prestigious thinkers at the conference, and I would be honored if you were in attendance as well. Do you let me know if you can make it.

Regards.