15 The Negotiation (1/2)
”So, your target is both land and people? Do you think I will allow you to just take the citizens I am sworn to protect!?”
”Oh? Land is a very easy commodity to trade. As for people, how many are you talking about?”
Both the military official and diplomat spoke with contradicting tones, indicating to Ivan that they had very different opinions on what they could give.
”I already have the land, a certain place off-world. This world is currently something similar to an anchor point, so to speak. As for people, I have no intention of kidnapping, as some others might do, and have no intention of employing those unwilling. Those who I do employ however, could no longer be considered citizens of your country. They would have the opportunity to visit home at a later date, and also later bring their families back, if they have one and wanted to do so. The number is quite small too, only a thousand people to migrate every six months.”
The military official frowned whilst the diplomat beamed in a smile. Ivan's goal was truly an easy thing to provide, depending on the type of people he wanted.
”For a trade, I believe you should also be providing something that we want in return, right?” The diplomat probed lightly in order to see what he could get for his country.
The military had initially wanted to just seize the ship and everything it contained, but reports of Ivan and Mazur being immune to conventional weapons had surfaced, causing them to reconsider.
”We will trade technology, we also have quite a few weapons in the armory that I'm sure you would be interested in reverse engineering.”
The diplomat lit up in delight at this. ”And what types of people are you looking for?”
”To begin with, I need a hundred miners and another hundred experienced in metal refinery. I will also require three hundred people experienced in combat, or naturally gifted in the sense. They will have to be loyal to the company though, and not some loaned soldiers, so perhaps hunters.”
”Two hundred builders skilled in construction and other general trades. A hundred researchers to study material properties and energy within a new field of physics. The remaining two hundred individuals to be a mixed group of architects, land prospectors, horticulturists, chefs and people with knowledge in the design and construction of industrial machinery.”
The diplomat happily wrote this list down as Ivan spoke.
”I would like to see these weapons,” The military general spoke resolutely. Nobody knew the advantage of more advanced weaponry more than him.
Ivan nodded briefly. ”Valeria, you know where the armory is, right? Go and fetch a few weapons, both large and small.”
Valeria nodded before running off back into the ship. Whilst waiting, Ivan spent some time talking small talk with the diplomat and learning about the world.
The world was divided into 84 countries, each governed under a monarchy. This was a result of Feudalism never being properly replaced when it was outdated, and all the old nobles forming their own countries. Due to these monarchs still vying for power, the entire world was currently at war with one another, and protecting the borders was of massive importance.
The citizens had been forced into this grinder of war until the current world population had fallen to just 1 billion. It is likely that unless one nation can gain a superiority, the current countries will continue to whittle one another away, until there is nothing left of the Vulpes race but broken ruins and death.
Ivan also learned about the two people he was negotiating with. The military official was called General Portis, and stood at the very top of this nation's military alongside several others. The diplomat was in fact a form of noble as Ivan had suspected. His name was Yukeli A' Morr, a modern bureaucrat belonging to the old lineage of nobles.
Valeria returned shortly after, carrying six different guns in her arms. Both General Portis and Yukeli showed great interest in the weapons.
”Do you have something we can use to test the might of these weapons?” Ivan asked with a smile.
Six steel plates were soon brought over and set up in the distance. Some other military personnel also set up several cameras to record the demonstration for later reference.
”This is a standard Rattle P33 Plasma Rifle, it is one of the most popular guns throughout the galaxy. It fires a condensed plasma blast at hypersonic speed, ripping a hole through practically anything.”
Ivan aimed it at the first steel plate and fired. A green beam of light simply pierced through the plate and continued on to the distance. A four inch wide hole was left through the plate with the edges slightly smoking.
He then demonstrated the Cobalt M32 Pistol, Lorange ESS Scoped Plasma Rifle, Metalstorm Multi-Barrel Hunter Gatling, Lorange LO-33 Auto-Aiming Plasmatic Grenade Launcher, and finally the most destructive rifle present, the MLS Mk V Molecular Destabilising Rifle.