BSE Chapter 3-41

Alexander 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.