BSE Chapter 6-48

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. “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 plastered a smile on his avatar’s face. He was once again in his robotic form to hide the fact that he could take on a human form.

Once they were in a secure meeting room on the surface and not communicating over the radio, 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 comms aboard those to communicate, but they were not. He would have to ask what they were up to.

Thankfully, neither were any STO Naval vessels. Tensions between him and the STO Navy weren’t bad, but they certainly weren’t friendly since he cut them off completely. They had reactivated their Varlen outpost to monitor traffic coming from Unokane, which was hilarious. Even if he didn’t have the Nova drive, he had positioned gate ships throughout STO space for his upcoming negotiations.

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

Alexander nodded. He doubted anyone outside of the Union knew the full truth behind why the Shican left, and why they could no longer return.

“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 other Hawks’ assets in the system.”

“Protection duty now that the war is over, and we were 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 in their absence, the criminal elements have finally grown bold enough to act. With this new wave of piracy within even the old core worlds, it’s become rather dangerous for shipping. It 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 criminal 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 was priceless. If Archie hadn’t been there, Alexander wasn’t sure how he would have responded, but he did immediately reach for something under his desk before stopping himself, so probably not as mildly.

“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.”

“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. 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 quirked an eyebrow. “Are you related to Mr. Kane?”

“Yes,” Alexander replied, not bothering to explain further. He had a whole story invented about how he was Alexander’s twin, or cousin, but Theo had talked him out of using such a convoluted backstory.

“Sometimes less is more,” the man had said.

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 the hub of trade once again?”

“You have my attention, go on.”

The hook was dangling in front of the governor’s mouth. All Alexander had to do was set it, and his plan to make the STO crumble from within would begin. This method would take far more time to get rid of the STO, but it was much more palatable than starting another war, even if he knew he would win. Nobody wanted 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. From delivery to return, it only took an hour, and the Ship was already heading away from the planet.

It 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 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.

Alexander knew that wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was better than what the STO was currently using. If the governor of Ganos agreed with his proposal, it would also strip away the laws that the corporations had managed to implement over decades of 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. 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 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 fleet waiting on the other side.

“Governor,” Alexander said evenly. “This is 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. 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.

The STO task group that had come to monitor the system 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 driven into the STO’s structure. It would take years to propagate, but in time, the outdated entity would crumble under its own bloated bureaucratic weight.