Interesting Times

March 14, 2150

Alliance HQ, Vancouver

Conference Room 1209

"First of all, let me say that we were surprised that you reached out to us," began Mr. Port with a smile on his face the talks. "After all, you're a rising power in the business world. I hope that this meeting will succeed for all of us."

"I hope so, too. And I'm grateful to have this opportunity. Moreover, that such important people like you, Mr. Port, received me," I answered fluidly.

Thus far, a pretty standard opening for negotiations. Some pleasantries were exchanged and trying to skirt around the real questions that wanted to be asked.

Saying they were surprised about me contacting them was nothing more than a nice way of asking: 'What the hell do you want?'

While the Admiral didn't show any kind of emotion to the pleasantries and just stared at me, Dr. Helken was more vocal about them. If the rolling of her eyes and her groaning was any indication, she had heard this kind of opening often enough and it annoyed her. She probably wanted to be in some dark and quiet room with enough data to research for millennia. Or any place else other than here.

If I had been a common businessman, which could be found in the most prominent companies, the negotiation would have already started to go south. The common businessman didn't want to be seen as an annoyance. They wanted to be the center of attention, wanted their ego stroked like they were some kind of saint.

Fortunately, I wasn't a common businessman. I liked those people more than the ones who would try to woo me because with that kind of people you could talk facts and get a deal pretty fast which was beneficial to both. The ink on the contract would be dry before the wooers finished even their opening.

Mr. Port's eyes darted to his side where Dr. Helken sat and his smile became strained.

Suddenly, it disappeared completely and with it was the warm and welcoming atmosphere in the room gone. Instead, there was now a feeling of tension and seriousness in the air.

When his eyes focused on me again, I saw that the charismatic leader of the Alliance, who could bring thousands to join in the first months, was gone and in his stead was the calculating head of an organization that was tasked with defending humanity against all threats that could be lurking in the galaxy.

"It seems," he began slowly, "that my colleagues want to proceed with the talks fast and without the usual social dancing around. Personally, I have nothing against it. I have enough of these pleasantries with earth's nations. They seem to think that while they signed the Alliance-Charter they have to drown us in so much bureaucratic nonsense so that they can keep their military space vessels. Even if it is against the charter."

The frustration and anger of Mr. Port were easy to identify. Anyone could see the look of disgust on his face for having to deal with stubborn nations that wanted to hang on their toys.

It didn't surprise me in the least that they were stubborn. No nation wanted to give away even a slice of power, no matter if military or social, it didn't matter if it was for a higher goal. As long as they had no direct power over the assets they were reluctant to part with them. And if somebody reminded them that they had signed a contract, they would throw a ton of paperwork at them, they could be petty like that.

"Let us talk facts." His declaration was nothing surprising. I had expected that it would come to this point in the discussion where we spoke what we really thought and wanted instead of using honeyed words. But for it to happen in the first minutes? That was something new.

"Let's" I gave my consent.

"What does a man who owns businesses in mining and shipbuilding want from the Alliance. Becoming its major supplier, of course, but why now? If you think that because we're young we're desperate for a supplier, you're wrong. If you think you can trick us into a contract where you can exploit us, I will destroy you and everything you created. If any of this is your intention, I think you can find the door out yourself, we've got better things to do." Mr. Port's words were aggressive and direct but there was no heat behind them, just a promise of destruction if crossed.

Normally, when somebody got aggressive while discussing with me, there was screaming, threats, and a lot of cuss words, nothing out of the ordinary for me.

But dealing with this cold and controlled aggression? That was something completely else, especially because I knew he would make his promise true.

A cold shudder went down my back.

Two paths were open to me. Either I could try to steer the negotiations into a calmer direction, which was probably safer, or I fight fire with fire and talk facts.

In my opinion that was a no-brainer.

Sometimes you have to take risks.

"You said you want to talk facts? Ok!" I responded as equally aggressive and controlled. "Fact is that no one takes the Alliance seriously. Everyone wants to pride themself on the fact that they created something that united humanity, even if it's in name only. Furthermore, they want someone to blame if shit hits the fan! So that they can say it was the Alliances fault even if they were the reason the SA wasn't prepared enough. The delay to transfer their military vessels is a good example.

And I know for sure that some people are already exploiting you or ignoring your directives and are already setting up operations in the Arcturus system.

I've seen how much you paid for the five ships that make your fleet right now. They fucked you good, even if they used prototype tech.

I would fire the guy who made that deal.

You need someone who knows the economical side of things, someone who has contacts in several different companies that produce what you need, most importantly you need someone who gets shit done.

And. I. Am. That. Guy!"

Towards the end, I got more heated and into my arguments. I even stood up and leaned forward, my hands on the table, stabilizing my posture, staring right into Port's eyes.

It could have been hours or just seconds, there was nothing but the staring duel I held with Micheal Port. Later in the future, I would pat myself on the shoulder for pulling that move and surviving.

The staring duel was interrupted by a chuckle from Admiral Wright which turned soon into full-blown laughter.

"Heh, I like that guy. He at least has a backbone other than that other guy. And I have seen soldiers who would have cowered by your speech Micheal, nothing to say of even thinking to talk back. He's got my vote, let's hear him out."

My sight went from Preston to the Admiral who sported a happy grin and then to Dr. Helken. Her smile was smaller than the Admiral's but still there.

Then as fast as before the atmosphere changed from tense to comfortable again. Mr. Port relaxed immensely and smiled as well.

That was when I realized that this had been a test. They wanted to see if I was just more of the usual or something different.

And it seemed like I passed it.

"I'm sorry for my hostility before but I wanted to know who we're dealing with. We screened you of course but I believed a personal test was needed and you passed", apologized Mr. Port and confirmed my thoughts.

"Don't worry", I reassured him. "Your concerns were valid and you wanted to know who you were going to deal with."

"Yes, I detest people who are skirting around issues and never tell what they really think. Right now, the Alliance needs people who aren't afraid of telling the truth and saying what they think. Doing anything else will just hinder us and that is something we don't need right now. Everyone has to pull their weight and not make more problems. Those we got enough already from others."

"So, what is it that you can offer us?" Dr. Helken tried to steer the conversation towards the negotiation and away from escalating into rants about idiots.

Fine with me, that was after all the reason we were here.

"Let us begin with starships. I think that is the most important for the Admiral here." I gestured towards Admiral Wright and got started.

"Right now, the Alliance has to pay absurd prices for new ships, and even when you get those still in possession of the nations, that will not be enough, that number comes up to less than forty. You will need ships for exploration, defense, and logistics. We're talking here in numbers in the high hundreds and that will not be the end. Sometime in the future, humanity will find a garden world and establish a colony there. That colony will need ships to bring colonists there and processed material that can be used to build an outpost first and later help that outpost to grow into a city. That colony will need protection from whatever it threatens and give a feeling of safety so that colonists even think about going there. They will want to be safe."

It seemed like I had the attention of all three even Dr.Helkens. The Admiral was nodding along with my arguments, understanding that they were valid.

"Furthermore, we humans are greedy. We won't be satisfied with just one or two planets. If new hospitable planets are discovered, I can promise you that there will be people who want to live there. There will always be some who want to be the first one, and what better way to do this than being the first to live on a whole new planet?"

I took a short break to take a datapad out of the inner pocket of my jacket and opened the file I assembled to make my point. With the push of a button, I activated the presentation function and laid the pad on the table. Only seconds later a holographic picture formed above it and displayed a variety of numbers.

I loved this pad, just one push of a button and you had a presentation. No more preparation of equipment beforehand.

"As you can see on the right side," I gestured towards the picture, "you paid for the ships from 'Terran Ships' the construction cost of the ships themselves, I took the estimated average for ships of this class, and an additional 210%. Even if we take into account that they had to modify their designs to use the still tested ME-drive cores, it is much too high to make substantial and constant growth possible. Not even mentioning the maintenance of them."

"Good thing we got that bastard that made such a shitty deal" growled Wright. "We found out he was paid by a stockholder of 'Terran Ships' to make that deal. And now that fucker is probably responsible for making sure that the toilets are clean in some run-down fast-food restaurant."

"Here's the offer I have for you" I continued. "Material and construction cost plus 60%."

I made another pause to let the number sink in before my second argument. "Two-thirds of that 60 % will be used for the expansion of the shipyards and the R&D section which would of course fully cooperate with the research teams of the Alliance to make the best possible ships."

"That... is a good deal." said a stunned Admiral Wright.

Dr. Helken had a small sparkle in her eyes at the proposal of more funds for her research while Port's eyes showed hints of suspicion.

He decided to voice his thoughts. "It is a good deal. Too good even. What do you want in return? That can't be very profitable for you."

"That's right Mr. Port. It isn't very profitable for me." I agreed with him and the suspicion rose among the three in front of me. Nobody proposed a deal like that without a hidden goal. The question was what they were and if they were in any way detrimental for the Alliance.

"While not overly much, it will still gain me profit just not as much as it could. There are other factors to that deal that will me net more profit than otherwise.

First of all, I won't be building ships just for the Alliance, no, I will continue to produce ships for private use even if the percentage of ships will be lower than those for the Alliance. Furthermore, I want to use downgraded versions of the technology that we will be implementing in the ships of the Alliance for those." My gaze went to Dr. Helken who thought for a moment before nodding, telling me that it would be doable.

"Through that, I will garner more demand than rival businesses and get my profits that way," I started to explain my reasons. "In addition to that, I would like to advertise my company as an official partner of the Alliance. That would even be beneficial to both of us."

"How so?" asked Port truly interested. The look of his eyes said it all, he knew where I was going with that angle but he probably wanted to see if we thought alike.

"Good PR. I can advertise my company as one that supports the advancement of humanity into the stars while you can say that you work together with enterprises that take good care of the safety and wellbeing of their workers. Maybe I even put up something like that: '5% of every starship will be donated directly into Alliance funds'. People love things like that. They all want to be seen doing something good but hardly anyone truly wants to do it for free. Hell, I will even put up an option to pay some more as a donation. Those with more money than brains can not not do this. It would make them seem petty or having to count their pennies and that is not anything they want."

"I really like your ideas. That money could truly be a blessing to the Alliance and its growth" Port started "but before we continue, I have to ask. Why are you doing this?"

I was puzzled, where did he want to go with this question?

"I believe I showed why it would be beneficial to me to work with you" I answered slowly, trying to get a feeling for his question.

"That's not what I meant. It's clear that this deal would be beneficial to both our sides but I want to know why you're offering such a good deal. Nobody does something like this just for economical gains, at least not without trying to maximize your gains. So... what is your motivation, you have to have one."

Ah, that was what he was asking about. I expected that the question would come up sooner or later. Fortunately, I knew already what I was going to say and it was going to be the truth. Just leaving some things out.

"I can see the future. I can see what the Alliance can become if it is supported enough. It is like you said, Mr. Port in your interview after your election to head the Alliance: 'This is a new age for all of humanity and the Alliance is a way to unite us all to work towards a common goal. I'm proud to be a part of this.' In every instance of our history, every time humans united to do something, our world was changed. Long before civilization, humans united to hunt together and our rate of survival was drastically increased, when we united and formed small villages, we started to create a civilization, when villages banded together it wasn't long before we started to create countries, kingdoms, nations. People who believed in an idea started to work together and laid the foundation for what we have today, be it technological, medical, or social.

And the Alliance is now trying to unite all of us. Many tried but nobody succeeded but I believe that the SA has the highest chance of success in our complete history. And that is why I want to be part of it."

While I talked I threw my arms wide and a genuine smile across my face, the excitement I felt lacing every word I said. Neither of the three people in front of me could help but have at least a small smile on their faces as well. Every single one of them had their own reasons to join the Alliance but what I just had described had struck a chord in them.

"And to help the Alliance succeed, you need someone who knows how to make sure the economy is stable and the Alliance can gather enough funds. Someone who knows the markets and can predict possible changes. Mr. Port, you said yourself that even if you own one of the biggest companies on earth, you have no sense of business and are happier to leave the company in more able hands. Let me be the able hands of the Alliance, I made my companies flourish more than ever, I can do the same for the Alliance."

From the looks on their faces, I could see that Mr. Port and Admiral Wright were about to hire me almost instantly. They both had seen in the Alliance what I saw. Port had always been an idealist who tried to make things better for humanity as a whole and he accomplished some pretty amazing things. From responding to humanitarian crises to supporting terraforming in areas that were still devastated after World War 3. Those nuclear hellholes were slowly coming back to life.

Even Admiral Wright had to have seen something in the Alliance that would make him leave his post as an Admiral in the NAUSN, the North American Union Space Navy, something more than a higher paycheck at the end of the month and some new, shining toys.

The only one who still had some reservations was Dr. Helken. She observed me with searching eyes and it seemed like she found something and asked.

"There's still something more, isn't it?"

I sighed, stood up, and walked around the table towards the window front.

Of course, there was something more. I knew about the Citadel, the other races that inhabited the galaxy, and most importantly, I knew about the Reapers. While a small part of me had voiced the thought that the Reapers perhaps didn't exist in this universe, after all, nobody could tell how much this universe differentiated from the one displayed in the games, my hopes were almost nonexistent. 'Hope for the best and prepare for the worst' was a good motto to go by in this situation.

It took almost two minutes for me to answer her question.

"Somebody once asked: 'What is the scarier thought? That there is alien life in the universe or that we are alone?' An interesting question but one we don't have to find an answer to anymore because we know that we're not alone. But knowing that we are not alone doesn't make the galaxy any less scary. We only know that the Protheans were once on Mars, watching early humanity, nothing more. We don't know if they're extinct or still out there. Or if there are other alien races. Maybe none, maybe one, or maybe a hundred. If they are peaceful or hostile. And if they're hostile, we could be outgunned and outnumbered. The possibility exists that would hunt humanity to extinction and if that situation happens, I want to be able to say that we at least gave them a bloody nose and made them pay for their victory. There's always a bigger fish."

I turned around to face the others once more and added grimly: "And I want to make sure that they won't be able to swallow humanity in one bite."

My answer seemed to satisfy Dr. Helken who responded with a quiet determination to my declaration. A determination that seemed to spread to the other occupants in the room.

While I couldn't talk openly about what I knew about the Citadel-races and the Reapers, at least not without sounding and labeled as a lunatic, I could at least give a warning. After all, many fictional works described what I had just spoken about and in my opinion, fiction was just so long fiction until it became real. My situation was the best example of it.

No one said a word and my steps echoed abnormally loud in the silent room as I made my way back to my seat.

There were meaningful glances exchanged between Mr. Port and the other two, who answered with a small smile and a nod respectively.

When I sat down, Mr. Port directed his sight back to me and said:

"When you first approached us, we were unsure what to make of it. Many of us, I included, thought you to be an opportunist, trying to make a profit out of the Alliance, like so many else. While your history shows that you care about your employees, it also showed your tries to merciless crush your opponents in the economic field. In the end, we decided to give you a chance to prove yourself to us and now we see the result. While you certainly want to make a good business deal, you showed that this is not everything that stands behind your offer. You don't say it openly, but you are an idealist. Maybe not as much as others that join the Alliance but you too see the idea that the Alliance represents. The unity that we envision, that made us all come together and not just those that are here in this room. The name we took, says it all. Systems Alliance. An organization that not just represents earth or just the Sol-System. No, an organization that shall represent and unite all the systems and planets that humanity will spread to. There will always be people who want to be left alone and do their own thing but we will certainly try to unite them all and we will come closer to that goal than anyone before us.

And you... you share that vision, so there is just one more thing to say."

Port made a dramatic pause and I knew would come. The smile that was on his face lit up the room and spread out to not just me but also Admiral Wright and even Dr. Helken, I believe that was the first time I truly saw her smile without restraint.

"Welcome to the Alliance, Mr. Denebren."

The rest of the meeting was just hashing out the details of my other propositions.

While they couldn't grant me preferential treatment when distributing mining rights in newly discovered solar systems, the Alliance would hold onto some mining locations that would be designated as vital to Alliance expansion and my company would be hired to mine them. I would be paid monetarily and in a percentage of the mined resources, the percentage dependent on the kind of mineral that would be mined.

The cooperation between my R&D teams and those of the Alliance was agreed on the condition that while I would be provided with a somewhat downgraded version of the technology that the Alliance would use for distribution among the general populace, I would provide additional funds for the R&D teams of the Alliance that would work together with mine.

When I told them that I was planning to bring an arms company into my portfolio and asked for the same arrangement as for the starships, I could swear that Admiral Wright was holding himself from kissing me. At least, I got a new friend.

Some more suggestions and ideas were thrown around, some dismissed and others would be implemented or shelved for later.

They even gave me a nice title for the position I now had.

Head of the committee for economical and industrial relations of the alliance.

I would be responsible for all trade deals that the Alliance would make except those that dealt with the fields in which I had companies. Those would be decided by a panel independent from me. I would still check the contracts and give advice but I had no part in the decision, theoretically.

I probably could still influence them, after all, I represent my own companies and try to make a deal but officially I had no say in them.

After the meeting ended, I made my way down to the landing pad on my own, the others going back to their own work.

When Janet saw me exiting the building with a smile on my face, she knew that it went well and started to make preparations to get us back to London.

Entering the passenger section of my shuttle, I decided to drink a glass of whiskey that I only drank when a business deal went more than just well.

I let myself fall into one of the comfortable chairs that adorned the passenger cabin and relaxed.

The first step was done and it was now time to prepare for the time when humanity would want to play with the big kids in the galaxy.