20 Minutes Later
Just at the Southern Edge of the North Rythian Forests - The Kingdom of Transgracia - Nexus. Local Ti: 1105 Hours
Thalmin
Flas lazily licked the air, its hazy shimr casting a blurry aura behind Aquastride.
The entire composition was worthy of a painting, perhaps even a mural in a gallery detailing the events of my life.
Though sadly that thought was rely one of passing pyromanic interest.
For the reality of the situation was simple — these unwanted flas were threatening both our spoils and our increasingly dwindling ti.
Thankfully, it was Aquastride herself who would bring an end to the disaster of her creation. With a stomp of her foot, she summoned a wave of water that doused most of the fire, leaving but embers and acrid smoke in her chaotic wake.
I spent a second eting her gaze following that, ensuring that she understood well how unacceptable her actions were.
Though a flick of her ears and a smarmy whinny were more than enough to send ho her own ssage.
She was bowed but not yet broken.
A fitting companion to a Havenbrockian for sure but entirely impractical outside of the allegorical connotations.
It didn’t take long for to take stock of the decidedly dire situation, one that was serenaded by the long and drawn-out wls from Katiya, who looked on at the entire sorry sight with a wide-eyed expression bordering on tears.
But as unsalvagable as it might have seed from a commoner’s eyes, the circumstances at present were readily recoverable, especially as I saw that most of the spoils were barely even licked by the flas in question.
And while the cart was rather worse for wear, its undercarriage bent, buckled, and even shorn in places, a quick look-over of the whole scene would be all it would take to make ands for an otherwise sorry situation.
“Stand back.” I spoke firmly, causing the whimpering Baxi to leap backwards and Emma to simply look on with crossed arms at what was to co.
I reached out both hands, palms forward and fingertips poised towards the ramshackled vehicle.
Emma
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 300% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
What Thalmin was attempting and indeed succeeding at… was nothing short of remarkable, as the charred remains were quickly and abruptly taken apart and sorted.
Burned-out parts and piles of ash were separated, leaving only mostly intact pieces to float a few ters above the blackened dirt.
It was not unlike the sort of scene you’d see from a VR modeler's Dev Rooms, with each component isolated and floating in a schematic sort of assemblage.
This stage lasted for just about half a minute as Thalmin seed to study, analyze, and then compile whatever it was he needed to before rapidly going into what I dubbed the ‘assembly’ phase.
Broken wooden planks and twisted tal chassis were all quickly righted, the forr being reassembled — charred paint, shorn finishings, and bent trimmings notwithstanding — whilst the latter was bent back into shape.
I heard the collective cries of a hundred hobby chanics all screaming at once upon seeing that particular fix.
A ghostly visage of Aunty Ran’s reflexive eye-twitch accompanied all of them, as I could just about imagine the sa thing happening to her prized NAMW-GTR.
But as quickly as these sentints erged, so too were they silenced, as none of their concerns bore any weight now that magic was involved.
Maybe Thalmin had imbued the fix with so restorative spells. Maybe it was more complex than it looked. There was definitely no use in applying Earth logic to this particular situation.
“I gotta say, you’ve outdone yourself here, Thalmin.” I spoke confidently through the earpiece, to which Thalmin was quick to deploy his privacy screen in response.
“Much appreciated, Emma.” He acknowledged proudly.
“So tell , exactly how are you doing all of this? The planks are easy enough to gather, but what about the chassis? Did you ‘undo’ all of the micro-stress fractures? Reverse the damage, or imbue it with so kind of, like, chanical ‘healing’ spell? I’m sure it’s not as simple as just… bending it back into shape manually, right?” I chuckled at my previous presumptiveness… only to have Thalmin look back at with a confused look and a cock of his head.
“Er, that’s precisely what I did, Emma.”
“You an one of the forr options, right?” I countered with a huff. “Right?”
Thalmin simply stared at blankly before shrugging outright. “I just… bent the chassis back until it looked straight enough. T’was as simple as that.”
…
It was around this ti that I could feel the collective ‘I told you so’s’ of Aunty Ran and her car enthusiast friends.
Then again, it was always better to be open-minded and wrong rather than presumptuous and then proven wrong.
“It should hold together for our purposes, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Thalmin spoke reassuringly, pointing at the now… serviceable cart. Still singed, still burned-out, but more or less in roadworthy condition. “But now cos the difficult part.” He took a deep breath. “The matter of our looted wares and the fate of our sole survivor.”
“It should be straightforward, right?” I offered. “We sell the loot, take the gold, and then distribute it amongst ourselves and Katiya? Send her off with a fresh start and so starter funds? Enrich ourselves so we’re not always broke and asking mom for pocket money?”
Thalmin was poised to respond… before being taken aback by that latter statent.
“Mother?”
“Oh, er, sorry, probably a joke in poor taste.” I managed out with a chuckle and an attempt at a head scratch. “I was referring to Thacea.”
“Emma, I’ve said this to Thacea before, but I think this warrants saying sothing along the sa vein to you as well. You shouldn’t treat Thacea as an anchor, in your case, for—”
“Oh, nonono. That’s not what I ant at all.” I cut Thalmin off before he could get any more ideas. “It’s just a joke, a common saying back ho. We’re… sort of using Thacea as our personal ATM, sort of like how a kid might ask their parents for money and such.”
“Ah.” Thalmin nodded, eyes wide with a hint of abashnt. “I retract my earlier statent and apologize for the presumptuousness, Emma.”
“Nah, it’s alright, Thalmin. We’re both… kinda frazzled still, so it’s fine.”
A collective nod of awkwardness was all it took for us to get back on track, and this ti Thalmin was on it.
“The matter of liquidating ‘loot’ is more complicated than what you make it out to be.” He began with a tired breath. “This is primarily due to taxes levied against your gains. And specifically, how it is you wish to treat the liquidation in question.”
I felt all the wonder garnered from Thalmin’s wagon reassembly just about shatter at that utterance. As I felt it was just about my turn to be on the receiving end of the glut of bureaucratic infodumps.
“Of course it’d be taxes…” I mumbled, but gestured to Thalmin to continue all the sa.
“We can declare our earnings as salvage, but we’d need to sell said wares at salvage rates. Alternatively, we may just as easily declare our earnings as justly gathered loot, though this now raises the question of how it is we wish to sell. Sales-per-item incur a different form of taxation, as well as scrutiny, as opposed to sales-per-lot, or ‘wholesale’ as it is sotis referred to by lesser rchants.”
My eyes widened at that latter explanation, as I recalled the mystery boxes from Elaseer. “You an like the loot boxes that dwarf was hawking in town?”
Thalmin thought back for a mont, closing his eyes, before nodding. “Yes. Though those are wholesale resellers, buying the sales-per-lot loot from second-party vendors. The sort of vendors we will be dealing with.”
I could start to see the complexities of this magical salvage market economics forming in my head. The different tax rates, the volu of business, and the narrow gaps between all of this where profit margins were made; they determined the sort of business one would operate.
It was… fascinating, as fascinating as it was a headache for us to deal with.
"Alright, alright. So… what do you suggest we do?” I cut to the chase, deferring everything to the rcenary prince.
“It is Katiya who must sell everything on our behalf.” Thalmin spoke with a disappointed huff.
“To avoid the heat being traced back to us, I imagine?”
“Correct.”
“But… wouldn’t this an she’d be the one taking the heat on our behalf? I’m one for practicality, but not at the cost of soone’s—”
“There will be no risk to her person, legally or otherwise, Emma.” Thalmin interjected with a reassuring bluntness. “The loot she gathered was obtained post mortem, and her being the sole survivor… coupled with the now charred remains of so of the loot, simply adds to the authenticity and thus lack of scrutiny in her transactions. The spoils of the fallen becoming the boons of the industrious is a fundantal constant. That is not what I am worried about when it cos to Katiya, as there exists a more pertinent danger she is susceptible to.”
“That is…?”
Thalmin subtly cocked his head towards Katiya — the yellow and white Baxi busy staring… and then toying with butterflies off in the corner of my vision — saying all that needed to be said without uttering a single word.
“Right, she’s probably not street hawker material, I’m guessing.” I offered politely.
“That’s putting it lightly, but yes.” Thalmin acknowledged with a defeated sigh. “Still, it is a necessity.” He quickly righted himself, clearly in an attempt to hype himself up. “I’m confident she’s capable, we just need to brief her carefully.”
“Correction, you are going to be saddled with that responsibility, Ser Dreadwolf.” I chuckled deviously, causing the prince to let out another huff of defeat.
“In any case, this leaves us with a secondary problem.”
“And that is?”
“Suspicion-by-proxy.”
“Huh?”
“Imagine how it would look if we returned to the Academy much better off. Especially considering the few avenues we both have for accruing gold. This goes beyond the sales of our looted wares and into the actual coin gathered from the fallen as well.” Thalmin explained.
“We could just… give everything to Katiya then.” I shrugged. “She… does look like she’ll need the money, and honestly, speaking purely from an opportunity cost perspective? The purchasing power we’d gain from the acquisition of this gold will be outweighed by the risks incurred by just holding it.”
It was Thalmin’s turn to be cocking his head yet again, as he seed to be processing my line of thinking before nodding once in acknowledgent.
“I see your point.” He began. “But I disagree with it.” He capped off firmly. “I happen to like gold. And it would be a sha if we abandoned the honor we’d regain by acquiring our financial freedom by giving into cowardice masquerading as risk mitigation.”
We stared each other down, politely, but clearly at a crossroads at what was to co.
Katiya didn’t seem to mind either way though, as she continued to obliviously toy with the insects underneath a rock.
“At least ask if she’d want the money, or if she needs it.” I countered softly, Thalmin’s features actually softening for a mont at that latter line.
“I…” He took a breath before letting it all out in a frustrated huff. “Alright.”
Katiya
I remained away, distant enough that I wouldn’t interfere with Ser Dreadwolf’s fixes for the problems of my own making.
Sha flooded . Sha of my own inadequacies, my own deficiencies, and my own constant failures.
And so I let go of it all.
Focusing instead on the mont, the blissful glee of simply being… alive after everything.
The harsh stomps of two sets of armored feet brought back to the realities of the world, however, as I turned around cautiously, ears lowered in a mix of deference and fear.
“Katiya.” Ser Dreadwolf’s unmistakable voice called forth, firm, stoic, and resolute but most worryingly of all… tempered by what felt like a dour reluctance.
“Y-yes, Ser Dreadwolf?” I answered instinctively, my attention forced to et his own and my whole body quaking in what was potentially to co.
“We need to discuss sothing important.”
I felt myself falling into a pit of my own creation, fearing the worst, expecting so sort of despisal.
This… was a long ti coming — the promised end to a pathetic life that had practically led up to a mont such as this.
Though in that void of despair, I quickly made peace. Peace in knowing that my end would at least be by the hands of the chivalrous, rather than those darkened by hubris.
“Y-yes, Ser Dreadwolf.” I acknowledged solemnly, expecting the worst.
“How much debt are you currently in?”
My spiral stopped.
But it didn’t yet reverse, as confusion rely took its place.
“I… I don’t understand—”
“Are you in need of money, Katiya?” Ser Dreadwolf clarified with annoyance.
“Y-yes, I am, Ser Dreadwolf.” I answered bluntly. “As for debt, I surprisingly do not have much in the way of it. I tend to live below my ans.” I explained sheepishly.
“I was thinking of perhaps giving you the entire earnings from this venture. What say you to that notion?”
My whole body tensed once more.
But this ti, out of an entirely different fear.
Thalmin
“N-no…” Katiya finally managed out ekly, which ca as more than a complete and utter surprise.
I turned to Emma before cocking my head in confusion at the baxi.
“I’m afraid I don’t follow. Most commoners would flock to the idea of such a boon.” I questioned.
“Er, my refusal was not ant as a show of disrespect, Ser Dreadwolf! It’s just, I… well… you see, it…” The baxi’s words unraveled right out of the gate, as she took a mont to pause before finally locking eyes with … albeit cautiously.
“I’m not good with money.”
I blinked at that response.
“That… that doesn’t really seem to be a cause to turn down coin.” I countered bluntly.
“Y-you don’t understand, Ser Dreadwolf. I… I’m very, very bad with money.” The Baxi attempted to clarify, practically reaching into the back of her skull for an answer.
“Do you mind if I pry further?” I pushed further, now curious more than anything.
This text was taken from . Help the author by reading the original version there.
“I… I would rather not, Ser Dreadwolf.” Katiya, surprisingly, stood her ground this ti. Garnering a questioning glare from and, I assu, Emma as well.
“Fair enough.” I shrugged. “We’ll split the earnings then. Though I must warn you, I am going to need you to act on my behalf as the arbitrator of liquidation.”
Katiya paused, frowning, before cocking her head in rapid succession. “What?”
“I’m going to need you to sell the loot because I’d rather not be associated with this whole affair.” I simplified, garnering a series of ‘aahs’ from the baxi, who crossed her arms in solemn contemplation.
“I… I can do that. Though I cannot guarantee good returns.”
“I will teach you.” I announced firmly. “So that by the ti we arrive at Telaseer, you will be, at the very least, a competent barterer.”
It was only upon the baxi’s shaking that I realized I might have gone a bit too zealous with my confident affirmations, prompting to take a step back, gesturing towards the cart. “Go now. I will join you shortly.”
“Yes, Ser Dreadwolf!”
With that, Emma and I were once more alone, allowing to return to our ongoing point of contention.
“That’s the taxation situation sorted.” I spoke under a privacy screen. “But that’s only half the battle.”
“We’re going to need so proof of inco, or at least a money trail, right?” Emma surmised.
“For the vast majority of our looted gold—” I paused, reaching for a bag I’d pilfered from the interior of the cart… one with a sizable amount of gold. “—yes.”
“Any suggestions you’d like to throw in the ring?” Emma inquired urgently, as if she had sothing brewing in her mind.
“Nothing beyond the ordinary.” I offered with a shrug. “I was thinking of simply using the coin to buy items of value before selling them in Elaseer to bolster our liquid capital as we see fit.”
“A valid strategy, I’ll give you that. Respectable, and definitely way more noble than what I had in mind.” Emma announced with an increasingly diabolical cadence, edging into a mischievousness she sotis fell into.
“I assu you have another idea?” I spoke with a facetiously flippant sigh, willing to humor her for her sake and for the slimst of hopes that this may result in sothing tangible.
“Oh, I sure do, Thalmin.” Emma continued with a crackle, before outstretching both hands in a dramatic flair. “Gambling.”
…
I responded to that notion in the only way I knew how to. By staring blankly and saying nothing at all.
“Emma.” I began with a tired but confused breath. “Are you sure you feel okay—”
“Hear out, Thalmin.” Emma urged, prompting to defer the floor back to her with a slow nod. “Now, I’m not sure if such a ga exists here, but back ho, there’s a little ga we call Baccarat. About half a millennium ago, plus or minus so centuries, during the Second Corpo Gambit, there was this brilliant heist that was pulled off by an at-the-ti rogue secessionist group. Now, what they managed to do was wild. They stole billions in hard assets and corporate bonds during the height of the chaos, but while they had cash and assets in hand, they couldn’t really bring it anywhere given the fact it was stolen goods. So what did they do?” She paused, as I could practically hear the grin beneath her helt. “That’s right, they went gambling. That way, all those stolen assets were cycled straight through the casino, processed into in-house credit, and then lost and won through ga after ga, until finally, they cashed out with perfectly clean winnings!”
I blinked rapidly.
And while I could easily grasp Emma’s story, it was the fact this was even a story at all that concerned .
It concerned as to how this was even a well-known story. Not to ntion that it was even allowed to happen in the first place.
I couldn’t just let this go.
This was… too much.
“Emma.” I began with a huff. “That… is utterly absurd.”
“Yeah! That’s exactly why it’s so morable. Apparently it was done a few tis in the 21st century, but it’s clear that the corpo breakaways — in their rush to distance themselves from any and all regs that reminded them of the GUN — decided to overlook a lot of financial control chanisms which led to well… situations like this repeating.” Emma explained, practically brimming with excitent.
“And precisely how did they leave with any winnings at all? This is gambling after all.” I countered.
To which Emma’s excitent grew so more, followed by a lengthy, well-researched explanation on a ga that was as banal as it was low-stakes.
…
Twenty Minutes Later
“I see.” I nodded, my eyes remaining vigilant even on these empty roads, as my attention remained bisected between Emma’s rambling explanations and the bucking motions of Aquastride. Each buck elicited a nervous wl from the back, as Katiya warily eyed the bitreader dominating much of the cargo space. “So it’s similar to Heaven and Hell, then.” I surmised, quickly turning to the front of the cart if only to ensure Aquastride didn’t veer off the path for her own curiosity.
“From what you’ve told of it, yeah, surprisingly.” Emma nodded. “You have a house and player—”
“—and we bet on who draws closer to the highest value. A number nine card in your case, and the duke card in ours.” I concluded.
“The house takes commission.”
“Or in our case, a gratuity.” I reasoned.
“The way it works in our case is simple. We ask for a private ga.” Emma bead. “So it’ll be you and , playing with our looted gold, betting ‘against’ each other.”
“So no matter if I win or lose—”
“We both walk away with our own money, yeah! All cleaned, but of course, with a small commission paid to the house.”
“Because the house always wins…” I acknowledged with a sardonic huff. “I will admit, Emma. This… is an acceptable plan. Especially since the apprentice may soon be back on our trail. This will make for an excellent cover story.”
“If anyone asks, we got those blossoms ages ago, and we’ve been gambling ever since.” Emma offered.
A pause finally descended on us, as I now openly pondered the otherwise unaddressed dragon in the dungeon. “Emma… might I ask sothing perhaps a bit forward?”
“Go for it!”
“How do you know the inner workings of these sorts of criminal activities? Moreover, how complex do these financial escapades go?”
“Oh, I only learned it ‘cause it was part of history class. The Second Corpo Gambit had a lot of these weird and frankly morable monts. As to financial cris and such? As I hinted at before, it’s no longer a thing, really. It took us a while to get there, but between introducing the Protocols for the Minimum Acceptable Standards of Living and getting that constitutionally entrenched, alongside the establishnt of the Requisition System, what remains of our Universal Transaction System has been nailed down and beco airtight. It’s a balance now between checks and what I like to call 'self-balances.' Good faith behavior, over many, many years of having it slowly beco the norm, has just sorta… won out in a way.”
“I see.” I nodded, my mind wanting to go deeper into this but still debating whether it was even worth it.
I eventually decided against it, at least for now, as I pushed for more relevant matters at hand. “Well, since you intend on laundering these treasures into our coffers, I’ll try my hand at teaching Katiya how to barter effectively.” I announced with finality, casting the reins off to Emma’s lap, who quickly took them in her hands as I stood up.
“Wait, you want to drive?” Emma sputtered out, both hands seemingly tensing at the reins.
“I trust you won’t crash us into a tree or drive us off a gorge.” I said off-handedly with a slight smirk. “Aquastride’s a tempestuous beast, so don’t hesitate to rein her in hard. Just… imagine it like riding your bike.”
Aquastride huffed and gave a warbled whinny, picking up speed and jolting the armored earthrealr in surprise.
Earth - Atlantic Ocean - Special Administrative Zone under requisition by the United Nations Science Advisory - Institute of Anomalous Studies (IAS) Pilot Research Facility Codena: ATLANTIS II. Administration Zone. Director’s Office. Local Ti: 1200 Hours.
Dr. Laura Weir
Eleven hours.
Eleven hours to the half-day was what it took to finally forge a comprehensive brief from Emma’s extensive reports.
The contents of which threatened to shatter everything.
BEEP!
“Co in.” I responded dryly, my face still resting within my two cold and clammy palms.
What followed next was the sound of harsh footsteps on the carpet of my office, the dull squeaking of a plush chair, and the exhale of a voice filled with the sa sense of dread that had co to cloud my entire existence.
“I’ve forwarded the mo.” Ca Captain Li’s voice. “Should be on the First Secretary's desk by the hour, but word from up the pipeline says she’s already read the secu-brief.” The man’s voice wavered for a mont, taking a mont to clear his throat before continuing. “We have less than eight hours before the Unified Command Staff calls us in. So I suggest you decide whether we head up that pipeline, or your civil grapevine.”
“Director-General Seong-min has already been inford.” I responded plainly.
“With all due respect, Director, I’d have assud you’d have reported this to SECDEF—”
“I’ve personally seen to it that all relevant parties in the Secretariat have likewise been inford, SECDEF included.” I interjected, prompting the captain to simply nod, his posture unwavering despite the situation at hand.
“So… is this going to be broached civilly or martially, Director?” The man asked plainly. “Because if there’s ever a ti to make a call before this gets out of hand, it’s now.”
I leveled my gaze at the bespectacled man for a mont, his gold and blue cape shifting ever so slightly as he reached for a coffee from the ever-diligent service bot standing silently to our side, one of the dozen or so cups downed over the course of this all-nighter.
“What’s your read on the room?” I offered.
“Glacial, with a side for potential explosive action at the behest of the expected parties.” The ranger remarked coyly before crossing his arms. “But the fact you had to ask implies you want this matter pushed up by my superiors.”
“Not necessarily.” I countered. “I just need to know what SECDEF will be up against as he pushes this up to the First Secretary.”
“So you’re still going to be playing the ga as if the cat weren’t out of the bag.” The captain postulated, cocking his head as he did so.
“We both know we need more ti before the committees start tearing us limb from limb.”
“Correction — before they start tearing you limb from limb.” The ranger jabbed coyly once more, managing to even break out a smile.
"Touché." I acknowledged with a tired nod of amusent. “Though matters of responsibility and phrasing aside, you understand as well as I that the People’s Assembly will paralyze us before the next election cycle once this gets public.” I locked both of my hands together, placing them on the desk in front of us. “That’s not even taking into account the General Assembly’s take on this, not that they can say much once the PA starts stirring up a storm.”
“The Secretariat has extended the statutes of confidentiality for you once already.” Captain Li responded thoughtfully, the transient smile turning into that sa serious expression he wore when he entered. “Do you honestly think this First Secretary will do it again?”
“Yes.” I responded bluntly. “If the Unified Command Staff gives her a reason to.”
That answer prompted the captain to lean back with cautious intent, crossing his legs for a mont as he tapped both of the armrests of his chair in a fit of thoughtful contemplation.
“So that’s your angle.” He sighed out. “You do understand that the UCS doesn’t just answer to Secretary Nguyen, right? This’ll be pushed above him, to the big boss himself.”
“Yes.”
“And the First Speaker will be the one to make the final call, whether to finally bring this whole thing to light or to extend your special exemption from the statutes.”
“I am aware.”
“You’re playing with fire, Laura.” The man stared down warily. “Even if she extends it, there’ll be contingent clauses, and I have no doubt she’ll hit you with the three stamps.”
“You know, back in my day, we referred to it by what it is. The three levels of hell.”
This montary departure into colloquial euphemisms — especially ones from a slightly different zeitgeist — was enough to defuse so tension from the room, causing Cal to montarily dip back into a more anable posture. “It might be hell for us, but it’s a necessary 'evil,' as they say.” He shrugged. “We often lose sight of how shady things can be behind closed doors… or underneath an entire ocean in our case.” He shrugged. “This is why I’m not opposed to these audits. It’s how we keep everyone else in the loop. It’s how we make sure that we’re actually doing what we’re supposed to do — serving in the best interests of the people.” He expounded, carrying that sa vigor synonymous with the legacy behind his na.
“Ever the moral advocate, Captain.” I nodded in agreent. “Indeed, I’ve gone through those audits before and have co out unscathed each and every ti. Competency Reviews, Performance Reviews By Committee, and even the dreaded Conduct Hearing — I am not a stranger to the three deaths, Cal.”
The ranger regarded for a mont, locking eyes as if to test my resolve.
“Well, should it co to that point, let’s just hope you get through it like you did before. I’d hate to rebuild a whole working relationship, especially with this one being one of the best with a civvie I’ve had so far.”
“I appreciate that, Captain. Thank you.”
The man paused for a mont, as a silence descended on the both of us.
We both knew what was at stake here, and we both understood sothing else about this specific junction in ti.
“It’s not often in history where only a handful of people have within their hands data that’ll redefine an era.” Captain Li offered, pulling the words right from my thoughts.
“Correction — an epoch, Captain.”
“Yeah, I was thinking that, but my ego wouldn’t let go that far.” He chided before diving back into the sa forlorn expression I wore. “Why couldn’t they be reasonable?” He started up again. “They should have been reasonable. Why’d they have to prove the Centaurian Spirit, right? Forget interstellar, these people have gone interdinsional… and even that wasn’t enough to open their eyes to the futility of just… a bygone way of thinking?”
“We’re still working with a limited sample size, Cal.” I offered solemnly. “Perhaps if there were others to compare them to, other independent interdinsional polities distinct from the Nexus, we might be able to plot so sort of a general benchmark for standing policies. But as it stands, we have only the Nexus as our mirror.”
“Maybe it’s an anomaly.” The captain shrugged. “Or maybe it’s the norm… whatever the case, I’m not losing sight of the potential for the forr.”
“I take it you’re more of a marathon-er, Captain?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Half of the LREF is, if you haven't noticed. The other half is firmly in the Centaurian camp, which is probably good given our mission statent, but still…” He took a deep breath. “Even amongst those preparing for the worst with aliens, there’s still this hope that we might just be paranoid for nothing. Emma’s reports have more or less shot that hope right out of the sky.”
“Perhaps things would have been different if we had t a spacefaring civilization," I offered. “Perhaps this is simply a symptom of an interdinsional outlook on matters.”
“Perhaps, though I wouldn’t want to make such blanket statents..." The captain acknowledged. “But regardless, this’ll probably lead to a radical shift, one larger than any in history.”
…
“Any takes on how this’ll affect the landscape of the People’s Assembly—”
“I’d rather not get into politics, Laura.” The captain interjected before things could go down that route. “But if I were to make a guess… we’re either going to see the most overwhelming inter-party consensus of action since the 100-Party Coalition or a series of clear divisions forming over the minutiae on how we’re going to approach the Nexus question. Either way, you’ll end up with at least one win here, Laura.”
“And that is?”
“A charter revision. The LREF’s gonna be at your beck and call now, instead of the Army. Small victories, am I right?”
“Quite.” I responded with a tired and amused chuckle.
“You know, the inevitable military buildup might an Sergeant Major Ran will be called back into service.”
“I know.”
“With that, cos a very real potential that you two will et agai—”
“I know, Captain.” I acknowledged politely, trying my best to avoid envisioning how a second interaction could possibly play out. “I know.”
This reticence caused the Ranger to swiftly shift topics.
“In other news, Black Lantern 3’s scope of operations is bound to beco top priority. Heck, we might even see a reallocation of entire Long Patrol Groups and Outbound Flight missions retooled and re-kitted for the Quintessence hunt. Perhaps we might even get that dreadnought program back up and running again.” The captain rattled off, smiling in the process.
“And Havenbrock?”
“Infopackets. Carefully curated and appropriately tailored for Havenbrockian defense interests. Jumpstarting their industry, or more accurately, doing so without Nexian knowledge. It may have to be as subtle as simple training and education packages for their political and industrial leaders before anything tangible can start up.”
“Then there’s the issue as to how we’d even go about formalizing a relationship with them.” I comnted softly. “Prince Havenbrock isn’t even the Crown Prince.”
“Though Emma notes he has a strong relationship with his father, and their sentints for independence align.”
“But just how far are they — the entrenched elite — willing to bend to Assembly concessions?”
Li paused for a mont, understanding well what I was implying.
“We’re looking at this from a purely pragmatic standpoint, ignoring the long-term political developnts. But there’s going to be voices, demands, and calls for so democratic reform to be done by mbers of the Assembly.” I elaborated.
“Surely that’s secondary to getting Havenbrock free from the Nexus’ yoke—”
“Perhaps, but again, it’s up in the air.” I interjected softly.
“I’m certain that academic audits will be held to prevent rash and premature reforms on a friendly alien polity from ever coming into policy before thorough independent deliberations take place. We’re there to help them, not to beco a second Nexus. Their fate, and whatever system they wish to adopt, is a matter of self-determination. I for one support a move towards a democratic institution, yes, perhaps sothing resembling a constitutional monarchy as a compromise, but this requires a lot of ti, effort, and policymaking that’s beyond .”
“Whatever the case may be… this is a matter for the academics and legislators to decide.” I concluded. “I am of a similar opinion to you, Captain. Especially after talking to the young prince. But our biases are clearly showing, given how we have a sample size of one to work with.”
“Yeah…” The captain acquiesced, before suddenly springing to attention at an incoming call.
[PRIORITY LINE: DEFENSE SECRETARY NGUYEN]
We answered without a second’s hesitation.
[AUDIO ONLY]
This wasn’t a good sign…
“Si—”
“I’m transiting Earthring.” The man spoke, overriding both of our greetings. “Your report didn’t specify Cadet Booker’s current direction, her imdiate course.”
“As far as we can tell from the EVI’s list of objectives, she’s currently bound for the Academy to finish this 'task' as part of her cover, sir.”
“Right, right. The flower quest, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmmph. Very well. That will be all for now. Expect an update by the hour.”
“I assure you, sir, that Cadet Booker has been and is undoubtedly continuing to perform to the best of her professional capacity. This, I know, from Ranger to Ranger.” The captain announced with a reassuring vigor, garnering but an affirmative grunt from the man before the transmission ended.
The Straggler’s Last Chance Tavern and Casino - Telaseer - Kingdom of Transgracia - Nexus. Local Ti: 1730
Emma
“YEEEESSSSSSS!!! WINNER TAKES ALLLLL!!! WOOHOOoOOOOO!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, chest-bumping Thalmin and then staring back at a small gathered crowd of nexians who seed none too pleased at our first attempt at what I could only describe as magical poker.
We’d since cleaned our gold earlier in the afternoon, and with a single plea to Thalmin for just one session in the gambling hall, we’d managed to strike a modest win.
It was a wager of rely 50 gold after all, as I refused to compromise everything on a simple gaming whim.
But still… with the sounds of music and the scene of cards literally leaping about the table in front of us, the adrenaline and endorphins coursing through my veins gave a much-needed boost to the fun ter I’ve been missing for days now.
This was finally living up to the fantasy adventure I’d signed up for.
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