Agent047
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875 - An Offer
🕑 Added 2025-03-28 05:51:58 +0000 UTC"Although the suggestion is good, unfortunately, I cannot make a decision on this matter. I will need to report back to my government so they can decide before I can provide a conclusive response," said the Elara representative the moment Masimbi concluded the introduction and explanation of the first agenda.
"The same goes for me," added the Valthorin representative.
As if a dam had broken, nearly every other representative echoed similar statements, citing the need to consult their respective governments before making any commitments. Only a few, including the Xor’Vak representative, remained silent.
Masimbi, unfazed by the predictable response, simply nodded. "Then we will postpone this agenda until you receive decisions from your leadership." He didn’t even wait for the silent ones to speak, already anticipating that they, too, would say the same.
With everyone either nodding in agreement or remaining passive, Masimbi wasted no time and moved on to the next topic on the agenda: business regulations and requirements.
Since this agenda focused on the rules the empire would enforce within its own territory, it was more of an informational briefing rather than a request for cooperation. The regulations outlined the necessary requirements businesses would have to follow when operating within Imperial space. Masimbi also made it clear that while the empire was open to negotiations—either with individual representatives or as a collective—it retained the right to adjust these rules based on evolving circumstances.
Unlike the previous topic, he didn’t open the floor for immediate responses. He understood that the representatives would need time to review the regulations before they could negotiate or draft their own rules in response.
Moving seamlessly to the next agenda, he stated, “Regarding the third topic—currency. All business transactions with the empire will be conducted using the imperial currency, the Earth New Dollar, which is backed by and can be exchanged for mana stones at their determined value.”
The moment mana stones were mentioned, every non-imperial representative in the room perked up, their attention sharpening instantly.
Currently, the civilizations were constrained by their mana stone quotas, with no means of increasing their allocations other than petitioning the empire for an increase—something the empire did not seem inclined to approve or increase by a large amount. However, with this announcement, it appeared the empire had just handed them a way to bypass that limitation.
The quota itself had already been reduced slightly due to the necessity of sharing a portion of their already scarce mana stones with the Trinarians, who had willingly sacrificed an increase in their own quota to prevent the empire from gaining access to their knowledge of spatial abilities.
Masimbi continued, delivering his statement exactly as it had been presented during the last Joint Task Force meeting:
"Currently, the exchange rate has been set at 100 END per low-quality mana stone, 1,000 END for a medium-quality mana stone, and 10,000 END for a high-quality mana stone.
For the time being, and for the next year, the exchange rate will remain fixed at these values before gradually transitioning to a floating exchange rate. This transition will be managed at the discretion of the Bank of the Universe and will require the Emperor’s approval."
Masimbi then paused, allowing the representatives time to digest what had just been said.
In that moment, the perceived value of the Earth New Dollar (END) shifted dramatically in the minds of every representative present. What had once seemed like a desperate attempt by the empire to prop up the worth of its currency was now, in their eyes, an opportunity. Every faction in the room now wanted to accumulate as much END as possible.
Their unified strategy to exploit the empire was now in limbo, as each faction had discovered an alternative way to secure more mana stones without relying on collective action. The empire had effectively opened a path for anyone with enough wealth to acquire as many mana stones as they could afford.
……………………….
A dim light flickered on and off, casting erratic shadows across the room. Stray wires twisted and swayed, sending out bursts of sparks each time they brushed against the jagged metal panel jutting from the surface, evidence of an explosion that had torn through from the other side, warping its edges outward.
Footsteps had left dark imprints in the pools of blood staining the floor, marking a path through the lifeless bodies strewn across what appeared to be a storage bay of a ship.
Aside from the occasional sparks and the flickering light, the only other sound was the sporadic blare of an alarm crackling through the overhead speakers. Otherwise, the room was eerily silent, unless one listened very, very carefully.
A faint, shallow breathing sound, so weak it seemed ready to fade at any moment, could be detected by anyone with sensors sensitive enough to filter through the louder noises in the room.
But it didn’t remain that way for long. With each passing second, the breath grew stronger, as if the individual was clawing his way back to consciousness.
“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…” A deep, shuddering inhale broke the silence, followed by a fit of coughing. The individual struggled to suppress it, but his body refused to comply. Each heaving cough rattled through the room, gradually losing intensity until, finally, they ceased.
The room fell back into its eerie stillness, once again dominated by the intermittent sparks and flickering light. Time stretched on, ten minutes, twenty, thirty, before, at last, a new movement disturbed the silence.
Clang!
A body tumbled from the top of a small mound of corpses, hitting the floor with a sickening thud. From the opening it left behind, a bloodied hand emerged, trembling as it clawed for purchase.
“Arghhhhh!!”
A strained cry of struggle echoed through the storage bay as the person beneath the pile fought to free himself. Inch by inch, with agonizing effort, he dragged himself out, finally collapsing onto the cold metal floor. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his body drenched in red, whether from his own wounds or the blood of the fallen was impossible to tell.
Slowly, he crawled toward the nearest wall, pressing his back against it for support. His chest rose and fell in deep, shuddering breaths as his mind caught up to the horror around him.
And then, as his gaze swept over the countless lifeless bodies strewn across the room, more than a hundred of them, his vision blurred. A single tear traced down his cheek. Then another. Until, finally, the dam broke, and silent sobs shook his blood-streaked frame.
“Quaspo, Yvokar, Lirien,” the man whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking with every utterance as he stared at the bloodied, lifeless forms of his wife, his mother, and his son, all tangled together amidst the sea of fallen bodies. No matter how many times he called their names, there was no answer. There would never be an answer again.
The weight of grief pressed down on him, threatening to suffocate the last remnants of his will. His throat burned as he continued to call their names, his neck aching from the strain, but it was all he had left—his only tether to the world.
But the energy that had surged through him moments ago, the desperate will to survive, was now dwindling. His body began to feel heavy, and his vision blurred. His breathing grew shallow, each breath more labored than the last. He could feel his consciousness slipping, his body giving in to the inevitable darkness.
Just as his mind was about to succumb to the void, something appeared before him.
[Do you want revenge?]
[YES] [NO]
A strange, glowing screen floated in the air in front of him as if suspended by some invisible force. The words on it were simple, yet they hit him with the weight of a thousand storms.
It hovered there, waiting, as if the universe itself was offering him a choice. A way out. A way to make those responsible for this atrocity pay. The decision was his alone.
Comments
Sol_Invictus
Maybe these are Nyx's agents, and this is a ship in the Conclave's territory? The names look similar. Or is this the appearance of our antagonist with other system?
Billiam
I don’t think this is exactly Aron’s system - our system attached to Aaron in his sleep and didn’t give him a choice.
GripenSupremacy
TYFTC
