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Prologue

"Should humanity discover a new species, they will be destroyed in a matter of decades. It will not be an extinction that destroys them, but the destruction of their culture, their connection to their history, and a replacement of a superior human lifestyle and technology. We are the superior species in this galaxy, and we will show it; through firepower or commerce." - Thorsten Canis, 2198 CE

Chara System

Chara II (Braka)

Alliance Embassy

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March 1, 2550 CE

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Since the full integration of the Brakians into the Colonial Alliance, the Alliance enjoyed the extra rights their embassy and ambassadorial staff enjoyed on the homeworld of the species. On about a dozen acres of land, the embassy boasts a large staff and accommodations for Brakian visitors and public areas for the natives and human tourists and visitors, should they need a touch of Earth if the native culture became too much for them. The embassy was also the primary entrance into the "Terran Quarter" of the capital city of Braka, which roughly translated from Brakian to Sol Common as Landgate.

Landgate, named for being at the end of a peninsula across a narrow strait from the next major continent of the world, had always been a center of trade, politics, and warfare. Controlling the city had been a major goal during the history of the Brakian race. When they managed to tenuously unite the world just before the Republic's arrival, Landgate was chosen as the capital for the same reason that it was sought after in many wars. Once the Brakians entered space in full, they had constructed a sizable space port on an artificial island off the coast. That spaceport exists today still, and serves as the secondary trade outlet for the planet, behind the space stations in orbit that cater to Terran and Brakian ships alike.

The Landgate Terran Quarter is the largest on the planet, and is home to a population of roughly 35,000 humans, as well as about half as many Brakians. While there is no wall around it and no roads in and out were blocked, the Alliance Embassy is generally the first stop for immigrants. The land is only Alliance territory on a technicality within a treaty, but is still treated as Brakian land in all but local law. That exemption has also prompted an interesting cultural shift.

Clan and pack ties remain a heavy cultural instance on the planet. Should one be exiled from either, generally they are incapable of finding any employment or any opportunities and shunned from society. Terran laws in place in the Terran Quarter of the cities, and with encouragement from the Alliance, have allowed otherwise shunned Brakians to migrate into the Terran Quarter where they are generally welcomed and given a second chance at life without the restrictions of Brakian tradition and laws.

Naturally this serves a dual purpose. While the Brakian government sees the rehabilitation of its people and acceptance into Terran culture and society and welcomes it, they turn a blind eye, willing or bribed, to the "terraforming" of the Brakian species through influencing each generation that arrives in the Terran Quarter. While not a large number at any one time, already there's been increased pro-Terran sentiment within the Brakian government, and that was exactly what the Alliance was trying to accomplish.

It did come under fire within the Alliance from groups advocating for the total independence of the Brakians and Tesgnov, but they were rapidly suppressed by far more powerful groups. Chief among the few that back the program is Omniwatch Corporation. Always looking to make a profit by any means, Omniwatch sees the profit in exploiting the Brakian homeworld, and government cooperation was the only way to accomplish that.

While it was another regular day on Braka, the Alliance Embassy was far from regular. Serving the Alliance primarily, the grounds also housed minor offices for diplomatic meetings with the major corporations. Omniwatch kept an office, and was the most lavishly decorated of all the offices, as they had more than enough money to spend on keeping a chief representative, a couple dozen staff, a platoon of soldiers, and their vehicles. Most of them were just a contingent of the regional headquarters and the security detail there.

Chief Representative Dumisani Guntram is the corporate representative for Omniwatch on Braka, and is the one to speak with the government leaders and the Alliance Ambassador. The latter is the one he was to have a meeting with, in his office of course since the Ambassador requested the meeting rather than Dumisani requesting the meeting with the Ambassador. It had him curious just what the meeting would be about. So far as he was aware, the Alliance had no outstanding issues with Omniwatch in their space; something Omniwatch prided themselves on more than their competitors.

The knock at the door spurred Dumisani to his feet. After a quick straightening, of his suit, he walked to the door and opened it for Ambassador Kirsten Munroe, one of only a few female ambassadors within the Alliance. She was assigned to Braka because she had loyalties to the species, and sought greater cooperation between the two. With a master's in diplomacy and a doctorate in xenopsychology, she was selected for the role. She had grown up to a Brakian stepmother and a human father, the former of which had the lasting impact upon her life, and guided her to become an ambassador to foster yet closer ties.

None of that interested Dumisani of course. His purpose was strictly business. He was from Tau Ceti and grew up in the shadow of the Brakian Embassy there, while also the son of one of Omniwatch's top executives. Naturally, with the chance to rise through the corporate hierarchy - a challenge he was going to gladly accept - Dumisani joined in his father's footsteps. Now he had a purpose with the Chief Representative assignment. Specifically, how to exploit the vast untapped resources of Braka with minimal government intervention. That was, amusingly for Dumisani, where Kirsten came in. The Brakian government wasn't friendly with the corporations in the least bit, but was friendly with the Alliance. That was something he would take advantage of.

"Ambassador Munroe, nice to see you again." Dumisani said with his fake smile and an extended hand.

A firm grip shook his hand, something that Dumisani was used to from his male counterparts, and also this ambassador after time dealing with her. Kirsten was clearly less than pleased, and it showed in every feature, from glaring eyes to a defense posture. If she were Brakian, her ears would probably be pinned back as well and teeth bared a bit more than they already were, and more frightening than they are.

"Spare the pleasantries Representative." Kirsten said in an almost growl, betraying the female nature of her voice to begin with. "I am here because I know you need me and it would have only been a matter of time before you called."

Usually on top of the news and other developments, Dumisani was actually taken back a bit by what she was saying. Confusion filled his face, and the scowl on Kirsten turned into a toothy grin as she realized that even he was unaware. "What are you talking about?" Dumisani asked as he walked into the office, beckoning the Ambassador to take a seat.

"Worker riot." Kirsten said, ignoring the seat and walking to his minibar. With her back turned to him, she poured herself a glass of whiskey from the bottle on the shelves. "Omniwatch mining facility came under siege from its workers. Security forces couldn't handle it." She turned around and took a sip of the glass, the whole time Dumisani was glaring at her. "From what I understand, Code Epsilon was called."

Among Omniwatch's special codes was 'Epsilon'. In the event of total, unredeemable losses, Code Epsilon is called, terminating all contracts at a specific locale. What happens to the terminated is mostly rumor, however it's the fact it's only rumor rather than confirmed actions that make the alert worrying for anyone that hears it in passing.

Dumisani knew full well what it meant and what she was talking about, other than this riot in particular. He was silent for a moment, glaring at the still grinning Ambassador before his gaze faltered and he sighed as he looked at the desk. "How do you know this?"

Kirsten started to speak, but only got as far as, "The Corporate Insurrection" before the Chief Representative scoffed. As was typical, the corporations called the war that shattered the Republic the "War of Sovereignty". The Alliance called it the "Corporate Insurrection". It was always a point of debate. While the scoff stopped her for a moment, she continued immediately.

"The Corporate Insurrection gave me a chance to get sources where I need them." Kirsten said. "I will not call it espionage, but they tell me things, usually try to before corporate can tell their officers. This time I guess they really did." She took another sip, still glaring at Dumisani. "So, you need the Alliance's help to bail yourselves out of his mess, no?"

Though he always hated to admit it, the corporate presence on Braka would only be half as possible if it weren't for the Alliance. Due to the death of every worker at this facility, a number Dumisani is unaware of currently because there was no descriptions in what Kirsten said, the government would be coming down hard on Omniwatch policies. He also knew that Kirsten was a reasonable woman, and sometimes put corporate and humanity's good before the good of the galaxy. That was something he was going to leverage now that she gave him what he needed, if he got the chance.

"What are you proposing?" Dumisani asked.

"I want a quiet ten percent of the corporation's shares in Braka transferred to me. I am sure it'll be minimal on the grand scale, but I might as well get something out of Omniwatch's fuck ups." Kirsten said immediately, making it very clear she thought it out. "I also want kickbacks to the Alliance Embassy here. As we're aware, you're here because the Alliance allowed you to be, unfortunate as it is to say aloud." She added after Dumisani waved off the first statement, and the second one caused him to actually pay attention.

"You realize that you're asking me to commit fraud and embezzlement?" Dumisani asked with only a hint of disbelief at the request.

"You wouldn't be the first Omniwatch official to do so and you certainly won't be the last by a long shot." Kirsten said, unrelenting in her glare as she continued to sip at the whiskey. "Alternatively, Omniwatch can take another major reputational hit because the Alliance won't bail them out of this one."

Almost on cue, the fax machine in Dumisani's office gave its 'high priority' ping before printing out an incoming message. He got up, Kirsten's eyes following him as he did so, and read over the first page of the report, putting it back down fairly quickly. "That was Regional Headquarters." He said quietly, but not quietly enough that Kirsten couldn't hear it.

"About the incident I am sure." Kirsten said, showing every sign of her amusement with this predicament in the words. "Well, as the case would be, I already knew. So, what will be it Mister Guntram? Do you want the Alliance's assistance in smoothing this over... or...?" She intentionally trailed off at the end to give him a chance to respond, and she hoped it would be favorable. To the Alliance.

Dumisani looked out his window, hands on the table below him l almost seeming to have not heard Kirsten and her remark. If he were anyone else, he'd have had Kirsten thrown out of the office, simply due to a lack of respect and the outright recognition of espionage within Omniwatch. That espionage wouldn't have gone unpunished either. Instead, he was left with conflicting ideas, only some of which weren't being outright rejected by the loyalty implant in his head.

"I'll handle it." Dumisani said.

Now Kirsten's turn to be surprised, her simple response was, "What?"

With his back turned to the Ambassador, he was grinning widely at the fact that he could do that with only one statement, much as she had done him. "I said I will handle it. Omniwatch will handle it. This time, we don't need your help."

Kirsten finished off her drink and set the glass on the counter. "Very well Representative. We'll see how it goes."

"Kindly show yourself out." He added, still not turning around. The Ambassador said nothing as she left the office, the slam of the door telling Dumisani more than enough. He was going to have two issues very soon, and only one is worth any real mention. The Brakian government can be sated easily, the Alliance... not so much. But he had to make a stand, though he only questioned why he did it this way the moment the door closed. It felt right, but he almost knew something would go wrong.

The first thing he did after making sure she was gone was gather the full report from the fax machine. Despite better means of communication, fax was at least secure, and that's why it was the primary method of sending reports between high level executives and corporate representatives across the company. It was slow, true, but sometimes slow was excusable when security came into play, when the most sensitive documents can be moved without any fear of decryption by outside parties.

According to the report, the largest mining facility Omniwatch owned on Braka had suffered long from poor employee relations. That came to a head when the leaders of the workers in the mine presented an ultimatum to the manager of the mine, demanding a higher pay and better working conditions. Dumisani had to sigh and shake his head at the response. According to the black box recorders, his response was, "If you want your money, fight for it." On that, the leader rose and gave a simple word over the intercom which spurred the rebellion on the mines. It lasted several days with no end in sight before Epsilon was called and a death squad brought in to clear the mines of hostiles.

It was truly a mess, and one that could have been very easily prevented had the managers agreed to some concessions. Instead, one whole mine was now unmanned and left to rot for the time being, unless new workers could be brought in. Given the Brakian government wasn't going to like that very much, it meant importing workers from the Alliance, and that wouldn't fly with the government. It was a bad situation to be in, and Dumisani had no more leverage with which to force his way.

Slumping into his seat, Dumisani found himself looking at an actual crisis in his career. If he did nothing, Omniwatch could lose Braka, and as a result he'd be terminated in every sense of that word. That, of course, was unacceptable. He remained in this form, slumped back in the chair, clearly alive but lost deep in thought, for an hour before a memory came back to mind. He knew Regional was working on a project, a contingency, and he knew it could be just what was needed.

Removing the folder from his desk, Dumisani gave it a quick read to make sure it was the right one before giving it his stamp of approval. He called his secretary in and handed it to her before going back to his daily routine feeling significantly better about the future.