"Now that's strange," the Yrall Coalition representative thought as he reviewed the basic information about the Trade Hub, which had been included alongside the docking details shared monts ago.
He was certain that the empire hadn’t possessed this space station during their last mana stones exchange. That left only two possibilities: either construction had already begun at that ti, but the station had been too small to be detected from their previous vantage point, or, far more astonishing, it hadn’t existed at all, and the empire had managed to construct this massive facility in less than a year.
Although the Yrall Coalition had the capability to achieve such rapid construction, it was far from cost-effective. Completing a project of this scale within the sa tifra would require nearly five tis the usual resources compared to a standard construction tiline. Their ability to pull it off stemd from their vast and highly efficient industrial production systems. However, for an empire still confined to a single star system, such an achievent should have been impossible.
"Looks like this will take longer than expected," he muttered as he continued reviewing the data. The realization dawned on him that, contrary to their previous assumptions, the empire’s industrial sector was far more advanced and expansive than they had calculated. Their earlier strategy to cripple the empire’s production capabilities, as discussed in the last eting, would need serious adjustnts.
As he remained deep in thought, their ships drew closer and closer to the space station. Finally, they could see it with their own eyes rather than through sensor readings. The mont the station ca into full view, everyone with access to the view, either through windows or caras, noticed a peculiar detail: small red squares dotting the structure.
At first, there was so confusion, but realization dawned quickly. These red squares were hangars, designated docking zones for incoming ships. The mystery resolved itself monts later as each civilization received their assigned docking locations. As soon as their docking zones were allocated, the corresponding hangars shifted from red to green, signaling that they were ready for approach.
Expecting the hangar doors to open upon arrival, many on board speculated that the station might be delaying the opening until the last mont to minimize air loss. However, as they closed in, re ters away from the designated entrances, nothing retracted. The green-lit entryways remained sealed, causing brief concern. Yet, to their surprise, the pilots maneuvered through the barriers with complete ease, as if they were passing through nothing more than a hologram.
The mont their ships passed through, they landed on what appeared to be a liquid surface, which slowly solidified beneath them once the entire underside of the ship made contact. This adaptive landing system ensured that ships of all sizes and designs could land without the risk of concentrated weight stressing a few points, which was sothing that would have been a concern had the surface been a rigid platform.
To the crew’s surprise, they could imdiately disembark without waiting for the hangar to be pressurized. This confird their earlier suspicions: the green-lit barrier they had mistaken for a simple hologram was, in fact, a highly advanced one-way shield. It allowed ships to enter freely while completely preventing anything from escaping, leaving all of them astonished as it was a tech that was far beyond what they had anticipated.
………………..
“They really are good at production,” a Kha’Sar remarked as he walked through the corridor connected to their docking bay, his eyes scanning the craftsmanship of the station.
As a mber of a race renowned for blacksmithing, enhancing themselves with chanical augntations and crafting adaptive, semi-sentient weapons that evolved alongside their wielders, he had a keen eye for build quality. And what he saw here impressed him.
Even after being escorted to his quarters, he had yet to spot a single weld line or connection joint. It was as if the entire station had been forged from a single, seamless piece of material. That level of precision and structural integrity was not just rare, it was a statent of mastery.
……………….
“Sir, they have inford us that the joint exchange eting will take place in three days, giving us ti to acclimate to the space station and ensure everything is in order,” the Trinarian prince’s assistant reported.
“What about our request for a eting with their emperor?” the prince asked, uninterested in the details of the joint eting.
“They are open to it, but we have yet to determine the dium,” the assistant replied.
“Why?” the prince questioned, surprised by the response.
“The emperor is on their ho planet, and at legal speeds, it takes a week to travel there. They have a strict ban on FTL travel within their solar system. When we requested a face-to-face eting, that was the reason given for the delay. However, they are open to a video conference, but suggested we wait until after the joint eting. During that event, they plan to reveal a product that will resolve this issue for us.”
The prince’s expression beca unreadable as he processed the information.
“Tell them that’s acceptable,” he said after a brief pause.
“Yes, sir,” the assistant acknowledged before leaving the room.
“What’s on your mind, Prince?” his guard asked, noticing his contemplative expression.
“I’m thinking about what they plan to introduce during the joint eting,” the prince admitted. “But I’m also wondering, are they looking down on us?”
“The light-speed limit is likely a result of them locking down their space,” the guard suggested, offering a rational explanation. “It’s probably a security asure that prevents FTL travel unless they lift it, and I doubt that’s sothing they’re willing to do.”
He chose his words carefully, hoping to prevent the prince from taking the situation as an insult. If that happened, he knew the prince would react in a way that would strain their relations with the empire, jeopardizing not only their diplomatic standing but also his own chances in the struggle for the throne.
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