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Colony Down: Battlefield Mars Book 2

Page 18

by David Robbins


  “That is not how our members feel about the United Intergalactic Coalition,” asserted Tolstoi Remu.

  “You claim to respect the rights of stable autonomous worlds,” said Kazar. “Yet, you are threatening to destabilize ours so that you can topple our government.”

  “What are you suggesting?” asked Tolstoi Remu, suggesting her hands were tied on the matter.

  Emperor Hiron saw the door that Kazar opened, saw the opportunity before him, and he capitalized on the opportunity. “We need aid in the form of funding.”

  “That’s preposterous,” said Tolstoi Remu.

  “To provide fiscal aid to the Feng Empire would be like personally funding our enemy,” snickered Bobot Tegrit, who until this moment sat silently, listening to the exchange.

  “You claim to want to strike an accord in the name of peace,” pressed Emperor Hiron. “Yet, you drafted terms that would lead to a hostile takeover of the Feng by your United Intergalactic Coalition. This is just another contrived…no, engineered, nation-building exercise.”

  “I can assure you that this is not our intention,” said Tolstoi Remu.

  “I have already admitted that we are not the empire we used to be,” said Hiron. “Vice Executor Kazar indicated to you that our government is on the verge of implosion. If we agree to the rems of this accord, then we need to be given the means to succeed as a non-aggressor world.”

  “He has a point,” said Martin Rayban, drawing dirty looks from the others around the table.

  “Let us recess to consider your proposal and reconvene at a later time to continue negotiations,” said Tolstoi Remu. Everyone around the table, reluctant to agree to this idea of fiscal aid to the Feng, nodded their enthusiastic agreement to recess.

  “I look forward to your response,” said Emperor Hiron, failing to mask his sarcasm.

  The holographs of the foreign ministers vanished into thin air, and the conference room was once again private and secured by the Feng digital firewalls.

  “I cannot believe they are actually going to consider rendering fiscal aid,” said Kazar, incredulous.

  Hiron considered his vice executor carefully. The man appeared to be a little too open to negotiating with the United Intergalactic Coalition. His admission of the possibility of governmental collapse to a council of Barberoi was borderline treason.

  However, Emperor Hiron was pleased with this development, but for a different reason than his vice executor. Hiron had no intention of bowing to the United Intergalactic Coalition. If he played his cards right, he would lay the groundwork for Operation: Catalyst, in which case the bloated, stretched thin United Intergalactic Coalition would be in danger of implosion.

  “You laid the foundation for my request for aid,” said Hiron, clapping a massive hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. “You have done well.”

  Kazar beamed at the praise from the emperor.

  “Now you must leave me to my thoughts,” said Hiron, standing up. “I have much to consider.”

  Kazar rose, too, and bowed deeply. He left the room, leaving Emperor Hiron alone to calculate.

  The Lost Empire is available from Amazon here

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

 

 

 


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