"This is ti I will never get back, and if I'm not seeing any credits co out of this, I won't be joining. Ti is money, after all."
Percival clenched his jaw internally but kept his pleasant smile.
{Tsk. This damn money rat… I'll kill him next... after the human slave}
But on the outside, he simply let out a lighthearted chuckle.
"Oh, but of course, Viceroy Pax!" he exclaid.
His hands spread in a welcoming gesture.
"Everything the traitor owns, from his ships, his factories, his resources... EVERYTHING!! can be divided among all of you once we have dealt with him."
He smiled warmly.
"After all, I seek only to eliminate a traitor for the greater good of our corporation." He gave a light shrug. "Riches? Pfft, what use are they to ?"
Pax studied him for a mont. Then, he smirked.
"Hmm… I see. If that's the case, then I'll join your war."
His mind was already running through potential profits, calculating how much he could strip from Kael Vortigan's assets.
Percival grinned.
"Marvelous! I knew you were a reasonable man!" He gestured dramatically, arms wide.
Then, his gaze flickered to the remaining three Viceroys.
"Now then," he said smoothly. "What do the rest of you say?"
The fate of Kael Vortigan and the corporation itself hung on their answer.
The first to break the silence was Viceroy Isolde Blackthorn, Percival's own mother.
She let out a soft, sultry chuckle before speaking.
"You know I'm always on your side, my dear son~." Percival's smile widened ever so slightly.
{Ahh~ My beautiful mother… I knew I could always count on you. Such loyalty… such elegance… If only you weren't my mother… Haa~ Just the thought of it excites …}
Keeping his composure, he nodded. "Mm, I expected nothing less from you."
His gaze then shifted to the remaining two Viceroys, Mada Rose and the old muscle-headed midget, Zedekiah Blackwire.
"And what about you two?"
Zedekiah grumbled while crossing his thick arms.
"Bah, I'll join too," he muttered. "I always wanted that old bastard's long-range cannon technology. If you promise to hand it over to , I'm in!"
Percival's smile never wavered. "Of course, Viceroy Blackwire. Consider it yours already."
With that, he turned toward Mada Rose, the only one left to answer.
"Now, Mada Rose," he said smoothly. "What would it take for you to join us?"
The elderly woman scoffed, gripping her cane tighter.
"Hmph! I don't want anything from that old man," she sneered. "Unlike the rest of you, I'm not a damn thief!"
She lifted her cane, pointing it toward everyone in the room.
"All I want is a written promise. Signed by every single one of you, including you, sissy CEO."
She narrowed her eyes. "A guarantee on paper that none of you will ever touch my assets or my family."
For a split second, Percival's eyes darkened, but his smile remained in place.
{Ah… this old hag. After all this, I'll find that little pet you just adopted and ruin her in front of you. I wonder… what kind of face will you make then? Hiaaa~}
"Of course, Mada Rose, I can sign it right now if you wa—" Before he could even finish speaking, his device pinged.
Mada Rose had already sent over the contract for all of them to sign.
"Thank you very much for being such a good boy, Percival."
Her voice was sweet, almost too sweet... but everyone in the room knew it for what it really was.... mockery.
She wasn't complinting him; she was mocking him and his mother.
The room tensed, but Percival remained composed. Next to him, however, Isolde Blackthorn simply let out a soft, amused laugh.
While she was really devoted to her son, no one, not even her enemies, would dare call her stupid, because in the galaxy, she held a different title.
The Poison Queen.
Her expertise in biological warfare had slaughtered billions; even entire planets had been silenced by her creations.
Continue your adventure at empire
A single whisper of her involvent in a war guaranteed surrender, since she was, without question, one of the most feared individuals in Nexum, and yet, her expression remained as gentle as ever, as if she hadn't just been insulted.
She simply pulled out a beautifully crafted fan and covered her lips with it, smiling.
"Hahaha~ I knew you would eventually recognize my son's greatness, Mada Rose~."
Her amber eyes glittered with amusent.
"Why don't you co over soti? We can share a cup of herbal tea and talk about him~?"
Mada Rose snorted before lifting her glass of wine.
"Ha! I'd have to be a damn fool to drink sothing made by you, Poison Queen!"
Isolde let out a soft giggle while waving her fan.
"Ah~ you wound ~. And here I thought you were supposed to be a refined woman, Mada~."
She tilted her head. "Cursing in front of the younger generation? What if that little girl of yours ends up picking up your bad habits?"
The fan she held was no ordinary fan. It was crafted from one of the rarest materials in the galaxy, a material that sohow made anyone near it immune to gaseous poisons.
Mada Rose's eyes burned with quiet fury.
"Ha! I hope my girl does turn out like ! That way, she won't fall for the tricks of poisonous snakes like you!"
She took a long sip of her wine, as if to further emphasize her unbothered confidence.
The tension between the two won sizzled in the air, nearly overtaking the original purpose of the eting.
Percival, however, couldn't have been more amused.
{Haa~ I really should get so popcorn for these two.}
But for now… he simply smiled.
The tension in the command center was thick, every officer standing rigid as the weight of war pressed upon them. The flickering lights of tactical displays cast deep shadows across the room, reflecting the grim reality they all faced.
A young officer rushed forward, his voice tense.
"Sir Vortigan, our operations have been compromised. The CEO's spies have already reported everything. What are your orders?"
Kael Vortigan, Sharon's father, didn't even flinch. His fingers continued gliding across the console, activating defensive systems, deploying battle platforms, and fortifying the planet for the inevitable siege.
Without looking up, he answered, his voice calm but unwavering.
"Doesn't matter. We always knew our ranks were riddled with his spies. Let him think we're playing into his hands for now." His sharp gaze flickered toward another officer.
"More importantly, what about our spies? Any new intelligence?"
Before the officer could answer, the command room doors suddenly burst open.
A soldier sprinted in, his breath ragged. "Sir! I have urgent news from one of our spies sent before he was killed!" The room fell silent.
Kael turned sharply, his expression darkening. "Out with it! Now!"
The soldier gulped before blurting out the devastating report.
"The CEO of Nexum has finished his eting with the four Viceroys… and they've all agreed to aid him in attacking us!" A heavy silence followed.
So officers exchanged nervous glances, while others clenched their fists, their jaws tightening. Kael, however, remained unshaken.
After a long mont, he let out a slow exhale, as if this outco had already been expected.
"So, it's war then."
His voice was cold. Resigned. But within it burned a fierce resolve. He turned back toward his console, issuing orders without hesitation.
"Continue with the civilian evacuation plan. Get as many people off-world as possible."
His eyes hardened.
"Even if we fall today… we'll make damn sure we take as many of them with us as we can!"
A roar of determination erupted from the officers and soldiers around him, their fear montarily replaced with steeled resolve. A Mont of Reflection
As his n hurried to execute his commands, Kael reached inside his uniform, pulling out a small silver pendant. He clicked it open, revealing an old photograph inside. It was a paper photo, a rarity in this age of holograms.
Inside, a younger version of himself stood beside Sharon's mother, who cradled baby Sharon in her arms. A soft, bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
{You always loved old things… paper photos instead of holograms. You said it made mories feel real.}
He traced his thumb over the face of his late wife, mories of her warmth flashing through his mind. For the first ti in years, Kael allowed himself a mont of weakness, a mont of grief.
But the mont was cut short.
A loud alarm suddenly blared across the underground facility, its urgent wail sending the base into high alert. An officer shouted over the noise.
"Sir! The Nexum fleet has arrived!"
Kael's nostalgia vanished instantly, his war instincts snapping back into place.
His silver pendant clicked shut, and he tucked it back into his chest pocket before turning sharply. "Numbers! Get a visual!"
Another officer quickly tapped into their stealth satellites, broadcasting the live feed onto the main screen. The image was staggering.
A vast fleet lood in orbit, blotting out the stars like a massive storm front.
Another officer began shouting updates.
"Enemy fleet count—200… 432… 788… 1,200… Their numbers keep increasing!"
Kael clenched his jaw. He had expected overwhelming forces, but to see it was sothing else.
"Tch… Doesn't matter," he growled. "We knew this wouldn't be a fair fight."
He turned to face his soldiers, his voice carrying across the room.
"Our best estimates put them at 10,000 effective units. If anyone here wants to flee, now is your only chance. But mark my words, anyone who deserts once the battle starts will not be forgiven."
The room remained quiet.
No one moved.
No one ran.
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