M.J. Markgraf
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BSE Chapter 3-41
🕑 Added 2025-01-08 13:00:10 +0000 UTCAlexander knew coming here that there would probably be some give and take to come to an agreement. He just hoped whatever she asked for was something he was willing to offer.
“And what is it you want?” Alexander asked.
“I want a lot of things, Kane, but from you, I want technology.”
Before he could reply, she held up her hand. “I know what you said before. After Harlow is dead. That’s not going to cut it. I agree that an alliance would make defeating him easier, but we could do it without you, given enough time. If you want me to throw my people against Harlow for you, you need to make it worth my while. That means outfitting as many of my ships as you can, starting with the Valkyrie. I’ll even happily pay for these upgrades.”
“I can’t do that,” Alexander stated.
“And why would that be?” she asked. “Are you afraid we might use that technology against you?”
Alexander had to admit that the thought had crossed his mind.
She must have seen the hesitation from him. “I see. Even after everything you’ve learned you still see us as some barbaric pirates don’t you?”
“Can you blame me?” Alexander asked.
“For your ignorance perhaps,” she mused. “Do you even know what it means to be an Asgardian?”
He shrugged. “I honestly know very little about your people.”
“I’m not surprised. We don’t often allow outsiders in. Consider yourself lucky. As for what an Asgardian is, that is harder to explain. We are not one people. We are a union of multiple systems, with disparate sections controlled by Jarls. The only thing binding us together is our desire to be safe from outside threats such as the Shican, the STO/corporations’ influence, and the pirates.”
“That seems like a very shaky foundation,” Alexander added.
“At times it can be, but we have endured for over two hundred years despite that. That has ingrained a certain mindset into the peoples of our union, bringing them into closer alignment.”
“While that is all very fascinating, why are you telling me all this?”
“What happens if I agree to ally my fleet with yours?” she asked instead.
“We join forces and fight off Harlow?” Alexander didn’t miss the wording of her last response. “And by your fleet, do you mean just the ships here?”
She nodded. “I cannot speak for the other Jarls in a matter such as an alliance with an outside force. If you want the rest of the Jarls to agree, you would need to speak with each independently.”
Alexander understood that would not be possible in the time he had.
“I assume you are mentioning this now because you have an alternative solution?”
“I do,” she said simply. “Whether or not you think it worth it will be up to you to decide. Your choice will not affect my decision to hit Harlow’s fleet and harry his forces. Even if you agreed to my terms with respect to upgrading my ships and I agreed to ally with you for the sake of taking Harlow down, I would still be forced to prioritize defending Asgardian assets and my forces while assisting you as much as possible. I’m sure you can understand why.”
The alliance he had proposed was sounding less and less encouraging as they spoke.
“What do you suggest then?” he asked, having a suspicion that she had an alternative solution.
“Join us. Become a Jarl. With that, I can bring the full power of the Asgardian people to bear in your defense.”
“Just like that?” he asked, not believing the simple statement.
“There are certain procedures to make it official, but I believe you could overcome them.”
“I don’t see how becoming a vassal to a political entity that the STO sees as pirates would benefit me. In fact, I believe the STO probably wouldn’t like that at all.”
“First off, you will not be a vassal. The Jarls are all independent nations within the overall Asgardian Union. As for your concerns with the STO, yes, they very much wouldn’t like that, but as soon as word gets out that you want to ally yourselves with us to fight off Harlow, you’ll be in the same situation regardless, so it makes little difference. You shouldn’t concern yourselves with what they think anyway since you are already an independent political entity. The fact is, they can do little to stop you because of the law you took advantage of to become a recognized sovereign nation. I must admit, that was a brilliant move.”
Alexander already knew as much. The STO laws only allowed them to place embargos on other nations that they recognized unless there was open conflict and he had no plans to attack the STO. That meant the most they could do was give him a slap on the wrist which would have little actual impact and be impossible to enforce with space being as large as it was and the existence of smugglers and others who cared little for STO decrees when money could be made. The punishments for breaking these laws were as outdated and forgotten as the laws he took advantage of to earn that sovereign status. That was why he had taken this approach even when he thought the Asgardians were still pirates. He still needed to confirm that last point but everything seemed to point to the fact that they weren’t.
“Why not just do what I did to rid the Asgardians of the stigma of being pirates?” he asked in return while he pondered her offer.
She shrugged. “Because we place little regard on what the people of the STO think of us and the label keeps most people from entering our territory. Now that we are strong enough to hold our own, it may be time to reconsider our standing once the war with Xin is over. That isn’t a concern you need to worry about unless you actually agree to join us.”
“I see how this helps you,” Alexander admitted, “but how much does it help me?”
“Other than having more ships to call on in defense of Unokane, think about it for a moment. What happens when the fighting is done and our alliance ends?”
“You would turn your weapons on us?”
She scoffed at that. “I’m not a monster, Kane. Nor am I an ingrate to an ally I fought beside. That being said, Unokane is an Asgardian system. We would be forced to retake the system at some point and arrest every single person there for violating Asgardian law. If I didn’t, my position within Asgardian society would crumble and someone who would do it would take over. I don’t want to have to do that, and I’m sure you don’t want it either. Your joining solves both those issues without resorting to bloodshed.”
Alexander was about sixty percent certain Unokane could repulse a force of Asgardian warships given time, but that depended a lot on how much survived after the battle with Harlow. If bloodshed could be avoided though, wasn’t he obligated to at least consider that option?
“This is a lot to consider,” he finally stated. “Are you sure there isn’t some other option?”
“Well, you could always purchase the system from us,” she added.
“And how much would that cost?”
She slid a tablet across the table toward him. “The cost to purchase the system is after the Rules of the Asgardian Union and the responsibilities that come with the title of Jarl. Take your time to read through it.”
Alexander picked up the tablet and flipped through the document. It was surprisingly brief for a legal document outlining the requirements of joining the Asgardian Union. He would be required to defend his domain from all outside threats. He could not enter into contracts with the STO or any STO corporations – That might be a sticking point he would have to bring up.
The document also laid out civilian rights and even criminal rights, which was surprising, but maybe not as much as it would have been before she brought him to the agricultural cavern. He already planned to adjust his laws so this wasn’t that much more of a change.
Mutual defense in times of conflict with outside forces, but no taxes. This really did seem like a good option. He really wished Theo was here, but the man had vanished once again with Loki, off to God knows where. He would just have to do his best.
“What if I already have contracts with the STO?”
The woman frowned slightly but had a ready response to the question. “Are they with Blue Star Enterprises the company or BSE the nation?”
Considering he didn’t have a nation when he made that deal with Fletcher, this was easy to answer. “Blue Star Enterprises.”
“That’s fine then. It won’t win you any friends among Asgardians, but corporations aren’t restricted from making deals outside of our territory. Most just choose not to. Jarl Isbjorn is one of the few exceptions and he has used that to his advantage. It's why he has grown in power so quickly since he took over in his region and just another reason why he cannot be trusted.”
“Who’s territory did I take when I moved into Unokane?”
“It was one of my father’s holdings, so technically mine. That would have brought my holdings up to three systems, I suppose.”
“…Sorry.”
“It was not exactly a prime piece of real estate, which is why it was gifted to my father’s father so long ago.”
“What about the systems between it and Varlen?” Alexander asked.
“That is the buffer zone between us and the STO. It’s technically claimed by both sides, but neither side is willing to fight over those worthless systems, which is why they usually become a breeding ground for pirates and other criminal elements. If you plan on making a safe corridor between Unokane and STO space, you will need to patrol that yourself as it is not part of the mutual defense pact. A few other Jarls have similar systems that are near the STO, but they are far enough apart that nobody really wants to do a multijump to cross the distance.”
Alexander suspected that didn’t stop the Asgardians if they were accessing the black market within STO space. He would need to ask Krieger about that to see if he knew anything.
“One more question. What about technology sharing?”
“While sharing any breakthroughs will certainly strengthen the rest of the Asgardian people, it isn’t a requirement,” she added grudgingly. “And similar to your proposal, you can purchase anything made inside Asgardian space for your own.”
Then he got to the pricetag. “Is this a joke?”
The Lagertha shook her head. “That is the estimated value of the minerals in Unokane. It’s an old estimate based on the original survey done during the Great Expansion and it probably falls well short of the true value of the system, but let's just say for the sake of this meeting that’s the actual cost.”
Alexander glanced at the number once again. He was pretty sure that if he had the funding from every single corporation within STO space, he might still fall short of the number on the screen. There were so many zeros. Was it a quadrillion or quintillion? Not that it mattered. Even if he worked for a thousand years, he doubted he would ever come up with that sum. It was a completely absurd number and probably accurate. Unokane had three separate asteroid belts not including all the minerals on the planet itself and Alexander knew the planet was rich in ores and rare earth metals. If there had been a more habitable planet in the system, the Asgardians probably would have colonized the place.
He set the tablet down and looked at the woman. “I don’t suppose you offer a payment plan?”
She smiled tightly. “I’m afraid not.”
“That does make your other offer seem–” he was going to say more genuine but realized how that might sound considering how she reacted the last time he questioned her sincerity, “–better for both sides, but I need time to confirm some things first.”
“You’re referring to my statement from earlier where I said we were not pirates and we don’t attack people outside of our space? I figured you might, which is why I sent your man with Loki to look for any records of our people attacking STO vessels. They will go through both our logs and the ones on the STO network, which I have agreed to pay for.”
“Thank you… That should save time.”
Theo showed up a half hour later with Loki. Alexander was glad to see the man after the awkward silence that followed his conversation with Katalynn. She was not one for small talk, so she only ever answered those sorts of questions with one or two-word answers until Alexander got the memo and shut up.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he said, standing from the crate and dragging Theo away far enough not to be overheard.
“Tell me you learned something of note?”
Pembrooke adjusted his vac-suit from Alexander’s rough handling before speaking. “The Asgardian's records are immaculate. They go all the way back to the start of the Shican War in 2190 and cover the STO’s pullout in 2192. I kinda feel sorry for them if those records are accurate.”
The man shook his head and continued. “Anyway. There were a few records of Asgardian and STO ships coming into conflict, but those happened shortly after the STO and the new Asgardian Alliance, as they called themselves back then, met. Since then, there hasn’t been a single recorded attack within STO space by an Alliance or Asgardian member. Considering it’s seen as cowardice not to report battles, ships are always quick to do so. It's almost better than having it as a law. Anyway, the STO’s network corroborates most of that, except for a few instances recently that seemed fishy to me.”
“Fishy how? Are the Asgardians trying to hide something?”
Theo shook his head. “No, I don’t think this is the Asgardians. I think someone was posing as Asgardians to attack inside of STO space. The locations of the attacks don’t make sense though. They aren’t anywhere near the Asgardian transit lanes into STO space. These attacks are closer to the Xin area of space. Considering the two sides are currently at war, it doesn’t take a great stretch of the imagination to think that Xin is trying to foment hate against Asgardians. Maybe Xin hopes to pull the STO into the conflict to weaken both sides. It’s hard to say, I’m not a tactician.”
Alexander groaned softly. “I was kind of hoping you would give me a reason to say no to her offer.”
“Why? What did she offer? Was it something really ridiculous?”
“No, that’s just it, it's completely reasonable and even a good deal for both sides. She wants Unokane to join the union.”
“Ahh. I assume that means you would need to take up this war with Xin.”
“Yes, after we deal with Harlow, assuming we can. It's only reasonable to help her after she helps us. While it puts our fleet at more risk, I’m more concerned with the politics that come after. We already know the Lagertha is having internal issues with her Jarls, Considering what she told me about how the Asgardian union is composed of separate nations, I’m not surprised. If I agree to this, my concern is that we are going to get dragged into the deep end without any idea as to what's going on.”
“Can’t you just have an alliance without that?” Theo asked.
“Technically, yes,” Alexander stated, “But it would be a tentative alliance at best and there are issues afterward that I would rather avoid such as the ownership of Unokane and the Asgardian laws we are in violation of.”
“I see,” Pembrooke stated. “I’m not sure what you want me to say, I’ve never been involved in a situation as complicated as this.”
“That makes two of us,” Alexander grumbled. “For now, just keep doing what you’re doing and tell me anything you think I need to know. I’m going to speak to the fleet and get the captain’s opinions on the matter before I make a choice.”
He turned back to the Asgardian leader. “I need to discuss this with my people.”
Katalynn nodded. “A wise decision. As an extra incentive, I should tell you that this is not a lifelong binding agreement. Every five years, we hold an elective meeting. Those who show up can renounce their membership. If you don’t find being part of the Asgardians to be to your advantage within that time, you will be free to part ways and I will consider Unokane yours after that point. How’s that sound?”
Alexander paused. “Why are you telling me this now and how many have ever taken you up on this offer?”
“You seemed on the fence about joining, I thought this would tip the balance. As for anyone leaving the union, it hasn't happened since its founding, but the option is always there.”
“Why me, why Unokane?” Alexander asked.
“Access to tech we don’t currently have, a new Jarl, a fleet where there normally isn’t one, and just new blood in the union. I can think of a few other reasons as well, but those are the main ones. Some of our Jarls have grown too complacent over the years. They may not see it, but I do. Change is coming and to survive we must ride this next wave of innovation.”
Alexander was tempted to ask her what change she was referring to, but he only had to look at his own inventions and the work of others on Eden’s End to see what she meant.
Comments
Adam Player
This chapter will bring chaos, heavily adviced that you change some parts or quickly post the other chapters related to his decision so peole could have a more relaxed reaction.
ben russ
I think it would be insane to vassalize BSE. Monarchies (what at its core Asgard is), are subject to change, and once a vassal the only way to get out of vassalage is war or being freed, something a bad monarchy would never do
Morsmessorem
Just fyi, this chapter WILL couse another mayhem in RR in it's current form.
Nexis
So nice you and jaksterzoo explained how stupid it would be if our MC agrees to that deal. It would not only be a disaster for Kane in the long run, it would be a disaster for the novel because to be somehow realistic it would change have to change to hardcore political theories. Who wants to read about that?
Nexis
The problem is, they won't be an independent nation if he agrees. They are a vasall state. The agreement can change over time and he can't say no. Answering no to changing agreements would result as being thrown out of this "alliance". See it that way: you are a citizen of your country. But if your country changes laws, you can't get out of it. BSE will only remain as a vasall state of another country. If the leadership changes, the agreements change. If our MC is against that agreements, he could leave that alliance but for that, there is always a price to be payed. Also let's be true, a agreement of a country is sometimes worth nothing. Look at the agreement between Russia and the Europe union. America, Russian and some other countries who established the Europe union had to agree with Russian that they are allowed to do etablish it, if the Europe union does not expand to Russian borders. Now the Europe union wants to assimilate the Ukraine. Big war and so in happens right now if you read newspapers you know. Another example would be England and the Europe union..... so... there are 2 options that novel could go if our MC agrees. Unrealistic story, or a story with lots of stupid politics noone wants to read about... there is so much more i would want to write about that, but it would be too much into detail of politics.
SnufflenoseSmooshwhiskers
In regards to Krieger's crew, didn't Char's ship cripple his stealth ship? The same ship that lost about 200 crew in that fight? If she claims they aren't pirates, why did they invade Kane's planet to begin with? There was even a scene where she expressed some guilt for using slaves to build the Valkyrie. I don't dislike the idea of an alliance necessarily, but there are some pretty big leaps in logic bouncing around here. Not to mention her claim that Unokane belonged to her in the first place.
Colin Fortin-Ballay
I don’t think its such a dumb idea Unokane was already recognized by the STO and he could play the UNO reverse card to force STO to recognize the Char as a legetimate independent territory affiliated with Kane. Furthermore, in the long term the alliance will become a lot more interesting when all the corporations tries to attack him.
Jaksterzoo
Agreed, only caveat to that is the Corporations are probably/might try to get him black listed/listed as a pirate, but again that’s much more of a ‘maybe sometime later’ then a ‘it will happen’ like in this case…
DaftWully
I completely agree with everything you said. There is one more issue that Kane needs to take into consideration. If Kane joins the Char, he loses his standing with the STO. Currently, Unokane is in good standing with the STO. He'd automatically become a pirate system from the STO's perspective if he joins the Asguardians.
Gabriel Melnik
This is stupid, really stupid. Kane already saw space feudalism and said "I got no choice"
Lazysailor
My thoughts exactly His former STO crew wouldn't stand for it. They may have been disgraced in STO navy But I don't think these people who followed their captain into basically exile would be willing to work under pirates
Jaksterzoo
Thank you, yeah didn’t articulate it well. Just a LOT of points not to agree, 1 ‘maybe’ benefit at most, short term. All his plans will probably fall through agreeing in any form anyways…
Lazysailor
You basically said everything I was thinking but couldn't articulate well Like even if Kane isn't politically smart He is from the 21st century even the basic of basic people understand you don't agree to shit right away and always check your sources and have multiple sources of info Like even if the asgaurds have been framed All that could be faked on the asguards side or cherry picked info to put them in a better light and spin the facts to suit their needs That is politicking 101 Let's not even get into the former STO crew that he has They aren't gonna want to work for pirates and realistically would probably at a minimum leave if not mutiny and take Kane's ships.
Jaksterzoo
I feel like every single one of the past 3 chapters was to push ‘kane isn’t politically smart’ but comes more off too forcefully and not very artfully done. There are multiple points not even considered by him or prembook. They KNOW that the Char are surrounded by Kane, the Xin, AND Harlow (who she has to fight anyways, because Kane even said he’d mess with her anyways.) Not to mention that he litterally saw them fight their own people when they warped in… They KNOW she is technologically behind him. Also, him or his advisors should also KNOW that the STO will cut their nation off and label them as pirates if they agree anyways, even if only in name. What really ticked me off was the sentence “If your information is accurate, time is in short supply, Kane.” … She said, after taking *Two Days to give him a deal* ….. ‘The choice is obvious’ seems pretty dang obvious, agreed, deny the offer and say ‘good luck’. Char is in no position to negotiate, they both know it, yet this ‘charade’ of Kane considering (or even accepts) the offer makes no sense, from any standpoint. It’s more baggage, which Kane is known to hate. If they accept, all of his advisors failed at their jobs. There is No Benefit, (even her helping against Harlow is a MUST for her due to him going through her territory) that has been discussed with her. At most a trade deal, and if she doesn’t accept it she is a fool. Sorry for the rant, this is just what I feel reading this and please disregard if anything is too rude. Just feels rushed, I’ll though out, and hammers too much on ‘Kane isn’t smart politically or strategically, and doesn’t have any advisors’ (even though he does have advisors).
Merlin's Fan
I understand the setup to get him be king of Asgard, but I don't understand the necessity of this needing to be done. He just managed to claim independents and form his own nation. So unless he's planning to say he quelled these "pirates" to the sto and claims the territory as his own, something that the sto hasn't been able to do, he's more than likely just going get cut off. This seems like a step to be taken after sto is not needed and even looked down upon from a BSE view.
ShadeByTheSea
At this point kinda feels like his fleet should abandon him because he's basically betraying them and everyone at eden's end.
ShadeByTheSea
Won't they lose their status as an independent nation with the sto? Also they'll be labeled as pirates. (Everyone before this called the char pirates, there is no way they won't also get this label) this just seems like a bad idea all around. The story is getting further and further away from him running a company and making things.
Silver Beard
Any resolution that puts him 'under' her is not going to work more than the time it takes just to say it. His tech, engines, crew are all better than hers. Go home and make them better and watch Harlow blow the last of his nukes on Asgard!
Silver Beard
Still think he should battle her to submission and make her a 'wife'. He would be 'King' then and could order the other jarls to defend 'their' system. He'll get a slightly better deal and she'd get her house 'cleaned' for cheap. It's not like he could mate with her even if he wanted too.
Lazysailor
I think i know where out author is going with this Probably gonna have Alex get into a political marriage with her for various reasons The foreshadowing has been pretty heavy in regards to it
Peu Peu
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