LOCATION: GANOS

  SYSTEM: ROSS 128

  DATE: 2405

  Alexander and his small escort fleet arrived in Ross 128. Even though the war was finally over and had been for months, the system was far less busy than the last time he had been there. The loss of the hypergate must have hit them particularly hard. That would make negotiations with the planetary governor much easier.

  It didn’t take long for people to notice their arrival. The first to reach out was Anthony Baru of the Hawks of Ganos. “Mr. Kane! I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you any time soon. Nothing happened to Eden’s End, did it?”

  “No, we weathered the war,” Alexander assured the man as he plastered a smile on his avatar’s face. It had been a few weeks since his meeting with the admiralty, and he was once again in his robotic form to hide the fact that he could look human.

  Once they were in a secure meeting room on the surface and not communicating over the open Qcomm network, he would reveal the truth to the Hawks’ leadership. If the Talon or other Hawks’ frigates were in the system, they could have used the comm nodes aboard those to communicate, since the kcomms were secure. He would have to ask Mr. Baru what they were up to.

  Thankfully, there were no STO Naval vessels in the system either. Tensions between him and the STO Navy weren’t bad, but they certainly weren’t friendly since he cut them off completely. The discussions at Varlen hadn’t changed that. In fact, the STO had reactivated the Varlen outpost after their meeting in order to monitor traffic coming from Unokane, which was hilarious. Even if the Nova drive wasn’t on all of the BSE and most of the Union ships already, he had positioned gate ships throughout STO space for his upcoming negotiations. Word would get back to Navy leadership that he was in STO space soon, but it wasn’t like they could or would do anything about it.

  “Yes, nasty business, war, but at least the Shican were finally driven away again,” Baru replied.

  Alexander nodded. Nobody outside of the Union knew the full truth behind why the Shican left, and why they would never return. The STO Navy would probably suspect something, since they had obviously witnessed the Union fleet using the gravity bombs against the Shican. If they hadn’t, they never would have approached the Union to limit such weapons.

  “So what brings you by then?” Mr. Baru asked.

  “I need to meet with you, and then I would like to set up a meeting with the planetary governor.”

  There was a sparkle in Mr. Baru’s eyes. “I think that can be arranged.”

  The meeting with the Hawks’ leadership was rather informal, but Alexander did bring a guest.

  “Anthony,” Archibald Matthews said with a smile and open arms.

  Mr. Baru looked surprised by his friend’s visit, but the two clasped arms and slapped each other on the shoulder.

  “Where’s Sable?” Archie asked. “I didn’t see the Talon or the other Hawks’ assets in the system.”

  “Protection duty. Now that the war is over, we have been released from border security. With the hypergates down and the corporations in an all-out war to see who can fill the power vacuum left behind by their predecessors’ absence, the criminal elements have finally grown bold enough to act. This new wave of piracy within even the old core worlds has people nervous, and it’s become rather dangerous for shipping. That means there is plenty of work for us, however, so I can’t complain too much. I’ll have to thank you for that, Mr. Kane. Your upgrades have ensured that not even the most blatant criminal scum dares to tangle with one of our ships.”

  “I’m glad,” Alexander said, “but let me know when they finish their next contract. I have additional upgrades for your fleet. I may also be able to solve Ross 128’s shipping issue, assuming your governor agrees.”

  Baru quirked an eyebrow at that, but didn’t ask.

  ***

  Mr. Baru looked over at Alexander and shook his head. “I still can’t believe you can change forms.”

  Alexander chuckled lightly as the car zipped toward the governor’s residence. The surprised look on Mr. Baru’s face when he revealed that little nugget of truth was priceless. If Archie hadn’t been there, Alexander wasn’t sure how the man would have responded. Even with his long-time friend there, Baru had reacted on instinct and immediately reached for something under his desk before stopping himself.

  “You sure you want to address the governor in this form?” Archie asked from beside him.

  “Yes. I want people to get used to seeing me, but not knowing it’s me, outside of trusted allies. At least not yet.”

  “How should we address you, then?” Mr. Baru asked.

  “Alex is fine, plenty of people go by that name, but if you want to give my title, just say I’m the representative for BSE.”

  They arrived outside an opulent mansion located on a hill that overlooked rolling hills and thick forests. It was a beautiful spot. The guard checked their IDs, taking extra time looking over Alexander’s, which Rush was able to fake, but eventually he waved them through the gate.

  A butler met them at the car and led the three men into the mansion and a well-furnished study full of old books. Governor Bellos rose from a plush leather chair and shook each of their hands in greeting.

  “Will Mr. Kane not be joining us?” the governor asked in disappointment.

  Alexander cleared his throat. “Mr. Kane was called away on other business, but I am his representative. You can just call me Alex Kane.”

  “Oh?” Governor Bellos asked in confusion. “Are you related to Mr. Kane?”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “No,” Alexander replied, not bothering to explain further. He had a whole story invented about how he was Alexander’s son, or cousin, but Theo had talked him out of using such a convoluted backstory.

  “Sometimes less is more, it allows people to draw their own conclusions,” Theo had told him.

  Theo was probably right, since Alexander’s best idea was to use his actual name to prevent himself from slipping up. The whole cloak-and-dagger thing really wasn’t his forte.

  Bellos looked like he wanted to ask more, but he smiled and gestured towards the chairs. “I’ll be honest, I was surprised to get the urgent request to meet with me. If you didn’t have Mr. Baru here vouching for you, I may have asked you to wait until I was back in the office. That being said, why are you here?”

  “I’m here to make you an offer,” Alexander said as he sat in the comfortable chair and crossed his legs.

  “You’ll have to give me more than that,” Governor Bellos replied.

  Alexander smiled. “What if I said I could make Ganos a hub of trade once again?”

  “I would say that is a bold claim, but you have my attention. Go on.”

  Alexander knew the man would bite. All he had to do was set the hook, and his plan to make the STO crumble from within would begin. There were other ways to go about the downfall of the STO, but after finding out they had gravity bombs, he wanted to avoid any sort of armed conflict. He wasn’t sure if they would actually deploy them, but why take the risk? Even if the STO didn’t have such weapons, he would have found another approach. It didn’t matter if he was confident in winning. Nobody wanted another war if it could be avoided.

  Alexander explained that he had a more efficient FTL method, but remained vague on the details. The man seemed skeptical, but Alexander said he could prove it.

  “Prove it how?” Bellos asked.

  “Easy. Do you have a contact you can speak to on some far-flung world? Someone that you trust fully?”

  Bellos leaned back in his chair and considered the question for a bit. “I have a brother on Helios, why?”

  “Do you have something you can send him that he can verify came from you once he receives it?”

  “Hmm, wait here.”

  The Governor returned a few minutes later with a box. “This belonged to our mother. It was supposed to go to my brother when she passed, but he refuses to come back to Ganos, and I haven’t been able to visit Helios in over a decade to deliver it. The cost of shipping it off-world was not worth the effort either. It’s worth more in sentimentality than value, but if you want to use it for your little demonstration, I would appreciate it if my brother finally got it.”

  Alexander had to admire the governor. Not only was he humoring him, but he was also saving himself money and finishing a task all at the same time. He accepted the box, then he convinced the Governor to allow one of their shuttles to land on his property. Less than an hour later, the shuttle was back aboard the ship and heading away from the planet.

  The frigate could have jumped to the rendezvous point at any time, but Alexander wanted to hide that advantage.

  The group returned the following day after receiving word from the Governor that the package had been delivered.

  Bellos tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “I saw the video my people recorded of your portal. That’s bound to stir up controversy, but what’s the catch?”

  Alexander smiled at that. “Two things, actually,” he replied, not denying the man’s words. “First, Ganos has to withdraw from the STO and join the Provincial Union.”

  He handed over a tablet with the Union laws on it. It wasn’t quite the same as the ones the Asgardian Union held to, but they weren’t far off. The biggest changes were in how leaders were selected. Katalynn had admitted to him that she wanted to do away with the Asgardian traditions regarding leadership roles for some time, but traditions were hard to break. So when he came to her with his proposal to break the STO, she jumped on the opportunity, with a few caveats.

  It was no surprise that trust was slim among the Asgardians for anyone who came from the STO, so she wanted to ensure that new member systems coming from the STO couldn’t simply take over. Alexander had proposed the provincial option. It would enforce Asgardian laws, but allow for democratically elected rulers on those worlds. Each planet would have a say in a sort of council, but the main union members would still be in overall control until those provincial worlds joined the Union in their entirety. How long that would take was still up for debate, but the worlds that joined the Provincial Union would have a say in that process.

  Alexander knew it wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was better than what the STO was currently using. Those had led to the corporations being in control in all but name. You just had to see the current violence sweeping across the STO worlds as corporations fought each other to be the next one on top. If the governor of Ganos agreed with his proposal, that would end. The Provincial Union charter would strip away the laws that the corporations had managed to implement over decades of bribes and political support.

  Governor Bellos frowned as he read the document. “If I’m reading this correctly, I would essentially have no say in how this new government operates past my system. Why would my people or I agree to this?”

  “Not at first,” Alexander agreed, “but think of it this way, Governor. You would receive guaranteed trade with the current Union members. Ganos is the first system within STO space that I am offering this opportunity to, which would make you a market hub for dozens of star systems that no one in the STO has ever been able to market to. If that’s not enough to sway you, I will be placing portals in all of the STO’s main market systems as well. Until other systems agree to join, those gates will all run through your system, and Ganos will be the sole hub in the STO for all trade.”

  “You mean we will be a target,” Bellos replied coolly.

  “BSE will be personally guaranteeing the safety of your system, along with access to the gates.”

  Bellos handed the tablet back to Alexander. “While I appreciate the offer, I think I’m going to have to decline. I don’t mean to be rude, your company has shown to have impressive technology, but I don’t believe you have the scale to make such a promise of security.”

  Alexander smiled and placed a holo on the table between them. It flared to life, showing the gate, with Ganos in the background. The ship flew through the gate, and when it appeared, it was surrounded by other vessels.

  Bellos nearly choked on his drink when he saw the size of the fleet waiting on the other side.

  “Governor,” Alexander said evenly. “This is only one of BSE’s fleets. As you can see, it is perfectly capable of driving away any problems that might come your way… even if those problems come in an STO Navy variety.”

  The Governor cleared his throat and set down his cup. “I’m not going to comment on that, because that would be treason.” He looked at the massive fleet of ships for a moment longer before turning back to Alexander. “A decision this monumental is not something I can unilaterally decide for myself. I’ll need to hold a referendum.”

  Technically, STO law allowed governors to make sweeping decisions about their areas of control, but Alexander understood. Leaving the STO wasn’t exactly covered under the STO charter. He nodded toward the man. “I appreciate you considering your people’s opinion. I can wait.”

  ***

  The referendum took six months and resulted in three assassination attempts on the Governor. The delays and attempts on his life had all been orchestrated by certain corporate interests after Bellos included the new law structures that would be put in place if the referendum passed. More than one of those laws limited corporate activity, so they were understandably upset. Thankfully, the governor had realized the risk ahead of time and taken safeguards against such attacks.

  Honestly, those attacks had only pushed people to vote more, and eventually the referendum passed with a resounding seventy-six percent approval rating. It seemed that people were not happy with how the government had handled the past few years, and the growing violence since the war had ended.

  The STO task group that had come to monitor what was going on was politely asked to leave the moment Ganos joined the Provincial Union. Surprisingly, they left without comment or complaint.

  Alexander couldn’t help but smile. It had taken time and a whole lot of effort, but the first crack was now driven into the STO government. It would take years to propagate, but in time, the outdated entity would crumble under its own bloated bureaucratic weight.

  If you'd like some more sci-fi adventures, go check out my new series, Corebound.

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