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755 - Negotiating IV
🕑 Added 2024-10-11 11:01:29 +0000 UTCAron could be seen reviewing the new basic agreement proposed by the Conclave with little to no change of expression. "We accept it," he said, once he finished going through it, not bothering to suggest any modifications.
“It’s good that we can agree on something,” Liasas said, her tone calm but unsurprised by Aron's acceptance. The basic agreement, after all, favored the empire more than the Conclave forces, who had little choice but to comply. Despite the Conclave's united front, its members remained highly individualistic, and the stronger civilizations needed a justification for risking the lives of their best fighters.
Their rationale was simple: the greater the risk, the greater the reward. As a result, the weaker civilizations, barely holding on after suffering significant losses, were left with a smaller share of benefits. With no leverage to challenge this, they were forced to accept whatever was handed to them, their situation evident as they clung to the last threads of benefits.
What truly surprised Liasas, however, was Aron's apparent authority to make decisions for the entire empire on his own, without consulting anyone. In contrast, she had to constantly relay information back to the mental network and wait for collective input before she could make even minor decisions on the agreements. It felt strange to her that a civilization as advanced as his would place so much power in the hands of the negotiator.
Even more puzzling was the fact that their empire seemed to lack any apparent mental abilities that would have made sense of the behavior shown by the negotiator. As far as she could tell, there were no signs of telepathy, shared consciousness, or any form of mental linkage—only minds that were well protected, atleast to the limit of the basics they tested, which was done to only one individual and had failed.
"What we want in exchange for agreeing to this basic agreement if we win," Aron began, "is to remain outside the Conclave as independent allies, while also establishing a free trade agreement with no tariffs or blockades imposed against us." He presented the demand as part of the empire's terms for the basic agreement, which required all the civilizations present to vote in favor during the Conclave's general assembly for it to pass.
Aron understood that he couldn’t ask for anything too excessive at this stage, especially since the other side had used their portion of the basic agreement to reduce the benefits for the weaker members.
So, he opted to keep things balanced, returning the favor in kind. His real focus was on the more significant individual agreements, where the true negotiations would happen. There, he could secure the substantial benefits he was after, without wasting time on trivial matters in the broader group discussions. For now, the simple demand of maintaining independence while securing a free trade deal was more than enough.
Aron's proposal was swiftly relayed to each civilization’s leadership for approval, as the demands would require long-term commitment from their governments meaning the real leaders needed to agree to them and not the current representatives.
The discussion moved quickly, and as expected, the members agreed that, should the Terran Empire win the contest with the specified majority, the basic demands would be granted.
The leadership saw little risk in the proposal even if the impossible happened and they lost, thanks to the free trade agreement they could flood the empire with cheaper products than the empire itself could produce crushing the empire’s economy before it could even grow and cause problems.
"Your demands have been agreed to by unanimous vote and will be fulfilled, should the conditions be met," Liasas stated, delivering the news with a hint of confusion. She couldn't understand why their demands were so modest when they could have pushed for far more, considering how much the other side desired access to mana stones.
In her mind, the Conclave would have accepted their demands even if they were more egregious, as they were confident their fighters wouldn’t lose—even by a single match. The deal seemed safe for them, and the more lenient terms only solidified their belief that they wouldn’t have to honor any of the more extreme concessions.
Aron briefly smiled upon hearing her response before his face returned to its usual calm expression. He was fully aware that many on both sides—within the Conclave and the Terran Empire—were likely questioning his approach, thinking he had made a blunder by not demanding more from the negotiations.
………….
Nova, observing the reactions of the Terran citizens, noticed that many of them believed they were losing out on the agreement. With a soft chuckle, she remarked, {It seems you’ve all forgotten that we don’t even have mana stones. If we lose, we have nothing to lose at all. We simply won’t produce any mana stones, as the agreement only specifies the selling of mined mana stones. Anything beyond that isn’t enforceable by the terms. We really should thank Xalthar for doing the hard work of lying for us, and them for believing that false information,} she said, shaking her head slightly.
After her brief comment, Nova fell silent again, resuming her observation of the negotiations while her various instances continued other tasks. She kept Aron company and remained the essential communication link between him and the Council, efficiently managing her roles without missing a beat.
…………
“Now, let’s proceed to the individual agreements,” she stated as she transmitted the information to the negotiator. “Everything they require from your side is included in that document. Take a look and decide what you want in return. If there’s anything you wish to negotiate further, we can handle that as well.”
Aron immediately delved into the details, reviewing the demands from the twenty-three civilizations that were preparing to send their fighters for the upcoming face-off.
Some of the civilizations' demands were quite reasonable, such as requests for permanent percentage discounts on mana stones. However, others were audacious; the top ten civilizations and a few others sought full access to the knowledge of how to produce black hole bombs, alongside the ability to purchase mana stones at production price. Additionally, they wanted a share of the profits generated from selling mana stones to other civilizations, insisting they would also determine who the empire could sell to and impose maximum quantities over specific periods.
They halted their demands at this point, fully aware that pushing for anything more would likely lead the empire to reject the agreement outright, potentially opting to continue the war or even destroy their star system if they sensed a significant threat. They believed their exaggerated requests would serve as a starting point for negotiations, allowing room for adjustments while still aiming to secure more favorable terms than they would typically receive.
“We will accept the Xor’Vak’s demands if they agree to provide us with the body or bodies of their defeated fighters, their knowledge of their racial abilities, and a single ticket to challenge their leader at any time,” he stated, pausing momentarily after listing his counter-demands, making no effort to negotiate from their side.
As he laid out his terms, Liasas froze, nearly experiencing a brain aneurysm from the shock. The overwhelming surprise coursed through the network, dissipating much of the potential impact she could have felt.
