> "After decades of grinding research into regenerative medicine, genetic therapies, and radical life extension, the scientists at Nexus Labs on that fateful day in the first century of this millennium announced they had cracked the code of indefinite human longevity and the immortality pill was born.

>

> Well, not quite a pill as a series of recurring treatments that the patient would be reliant on to maintain their hard-won youth. And hard won it was as the treatment was so expensive that only 40% of the world at the time could afford it and 50% of that 40% could only do so through many of the 'immortality funds' that would crop up at the time to finance their dreams of eternity. The sunny-eyed new immortals would be stuck in the rat race living from paycheck to paycheck to pay off their loans and thanks to their increased time in this, extended yet still, mortal coil they could do so …. only to become indebted again when they were in need of a new treatment to stave off the reaper's touch once more. Thus was borne the cyclical nature of the immortal's career, a most depressing existence in my opinion.

>

> But this chapter is not about the transformation of the workplace or 'immortal finance', you can skip ahead to chapter 8 for that, it's about the weird thing they ….. "

>

> -The Immortality Pill, Richard Bigsby

August 25, 2748

Sol System, Earth, Konza City.

Name: Victor Mbeki

Identification Code: NBI000240650671

Physical Health: Good

Mental Health: [Authorized Personnel Only]

Education::[Universal Advanced - Buisness, Political science, …]

Occupation: CEO, Nexus Technologies

Criminal History: N/A

Citizen Status: Confirmed-{EAC}

Victor Mbeki had been having a good day. His company pretty much run itself by now and he had just gotten some good news last night. Imani his granddaughter had graduated from Universal Basic earlier than most and had offers from multiple prestigious institutions. She may have not applied to them herself but a few words on the golf course went quite a long way for someone of his standing. She had this weird fixation on joining the military like her father and that damnable family but he'd be damned if he let his favourite granddaughter be shipped off to the mid-worlds to quell an uprising or to some godforsaken system to clear out some pirate bases that would only get filled right back in behind them as they left. Fortunately, his influence extended beyond the realm of tertiary education institutions and would see some use in if not making it impossible at least making it so hard as to make it practically so.

Today was going to be another relaxed off day at the house the only way it could be better would be if his wife hadn't decided to head in for work.

he mused as he looked over the Konza city skyline from his penthouse balcony. The penthouse was one of the highest in the floating city, offering a breathtaking view of most of the entire five-hundred-kilometre-squared expanse. Victor could see the intricate network of walkways and bridges that connected the different buildings, all bathed in the soft glow of artificial and pre-dawn light. The architecture was a marvel to behold and one of a kind, with it being specially developed for the project, a symphony of glass, steel and concrete reaching towards the sky. The buildings soared upward, their sleek, angular designs creating a post-modern masterpiece against the backdrop of the Earth's horizon. The city was designed to be quickly transferable without the need for cars, with It having one of the best public transit systems in human-occupied space. he mussed. There were crosswalks at multiple heights between buildings to alleviate traffic on the ground-level streets. Sub-surface high-speed individual coaches ferried the citizens of Konza between buildings. The whole system had been augmented with a robust AI-powered monitoring and control system that was so robust as to make some space habitat systems seem archaic. Some of what was installed on the floating island was top secret technology that made their City unquestionably the best Sky City in any Sky despite also being the best of its kind.

he chuckled.

As he took in the view, a holographic display materialized before him, projecting an image of his A.I assistant, Riley.

"Sir, we have an urgent transmission from Central Command," his assistant announced.

Victor nodded curtly. "Patch it through."

The holographic display flickered to life once more, revealing a stern-faced official from East African Commonwealth's Central Command. "Mr. Mbeki, we require your immediate presence at our headquarters," he stated without preamble.

Victor's brow furrowed in concern. "What's this about? You no doubt have been told by my assistant that I am on leave my proxy is more than qualified to handle whatever you need to sort your current squabble"

"We cannot discuss this over an open channel," the official replied cryptically though his eyes seemed to try to communicate the gravitas of the situation.

A sense of foreboding settled over Victor as he contemplated the implications of this unexpected summons. His day off was quickly slipping through his fingers like oh-so-fine sand. Whatever awaited him at Central Command would undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences for Nexus Technologies, and if his gut was right there would not soon be another opportunity to take leave.

"I'll be there in ten minutes tops," he said before disconnecting the call.

"Prepare my transport," he instructed his assistant with a weary voice as he used his implant to put his people on standby.

As he made his way to Central Command, Victor's mind could not help but jump from one possibility to the next. The political landscape of Earth and all her colonies was notoriously treacherous, rife with power struggles and clandestine agendas. There hadn't been a marked uptick in planetary rebellion in the last twenty years in the region nor was the current leadership as rife with intrigue as some of its predecessors, so he doubted that the problem was domestic. Just as he thought this Riley sent him reports on a series of disappearances and pirate activity in the mid-to-far worlds. the reports were suspiciously all located along disputed borders or in contested or shared territory.

he thought as he scrolled through the top things that Riley thought would need a physical summons to central command.

Twelve minutes later, Victor found himself in a secure briefing room at Central command along with some of the EAC's titans of industry spanning from ship construction to agricultural produce. At the head of the table sat a man as bald as an egg and whose scalp had twice the shine of the chrome finish car that brought Victor here. His Deep black uniform marked him as part of the navy, with his five silver stripes marking him as an Admiral.

Victor said just having noticed that all their personal computers had been disabled upon entry to the briefing room when he tried to query his jack for the man's details. Though to be fair his personal computer probably shut down upon detecting the attempts to shut it down rather than succumbing to the government systems but it would not be stealthy enough to remain undetected, that sort of blatant reveal of his tech capabilities would draw some attention that Nexus didn't at the moment, after all the government was meant to have the best.

"Hey Victor. were you told anything about this briefing in advance?" said a voice on his right. Upon turning he saw Frank Oleni the CEO of CosmoCraft Enterprises, the leading provider of space fight and habitation solutions in the EAC.

Victor turned to Frank, his brow furrowed in concern. "No, I wasn't given any details. Just told it was an urgent matter that required my immediate presence." He paused, his mind racing with possibilities. "Have you heard anything?"

Frank shook his head. "Not a thing. I was just as surprised as you when I got the summons." He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Any idea what this could be about?"

Victor pursed his lips, weighing his words carefully. "It could be any number of things really. I say if government staff find themselves sleeping well on any particular day then there is probably something brewing in some god-forsaken corner of the galaxy to bite them in the arse, that's why I never bothered running. Though thinking back, there have been supply chain disruptions that I heard about in the mid-worlds but I couldn't be bothered I'm off work." He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "But I couldn't say for certain."

Frank's eyes widened slightly. "The mid-worlds, you say? That's not good." He ran a hand through his greying hair. Causing Victor to roll his eyes internally, knowing full well that the mogul could afford longevity treatments and just kept the colour for 'gravitas' or whatever. "CosmoCraft has been contracted for many of the supply runs out there. It's possible that we may have inadvertently shot ourselves in the foot if that's the case."

"Indeed." Victor nodded slowly. "And for Nexus as well. We've got several research outposts and facilities in those regions. But it is nothing too major"

"I assume you've been taking precautions?" Allen said his tone raising flags in Victor's mind as he joined the duo near the head of the conference table.

"I have been on vacation so I'm not too sure as to what actions were or were not taken by the staff I left behind in my absence." he quickly said. "With the confidence of your tone, I assume that you know something we don't"

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"That's the problem with you mega-corporations your communications are too damn slow," he said with a chuckle. "We've already beefed up security, increased convoy sizes, the whole nine yards." He paused, then added, "Though I can't help but wonder if it's enough."

Even as he thought this he couldn't help but notice that the man hadn't answered the question. He narrowed his eyes, the gears in his mind turning.

Frank's brow furrowed. "Just answer the damn question. This isn't a drama show we don't need the suspense."

Before Allen could respond, an Admiral walked into the room and quickly walked to the head of the table. He cleared his throat, commanding the room's attention. "Gentlemen, if I may have your focus."

Victor and Frank exchanged a final, pointed look before turning their attention to the Admiral.

"Something tells me that we are about to find out," Victor said under his breath as the bald Admiral, with a wave of his hand, turned on a holographic display and dimmed the lights. Above the table in front of them a color-coded Stellar Map of all human-occupied space.

The Admiral's steely gaze swept over the assembled group seemingly chilling the room. "Gentlemen, thank you for joining us today," he began, his voice that of one who was used to his words being headed without exception. "I am Admiral William, and I lead the Navy's operations in this sector of space. Some of you might not have heard as this has been a recent appointment I was moved in from the mid-worlds."

Victor thought with a snort. < I bet we will see similar appointments in the Infantry and Aquatics divisions.>

The holographic display shifted and a multitude of pulsing red indicators lit up in specific areas on the map. "I regret to inform you that we have observed an alarming surge in pirate activity in contested space, especially along the borders with members of the Coalition of Independent Systems," the Admiral continued. "What's more concerning is that these pirates display an unprecedented level of aggression and uncanny coordination. Ships that refuse to be boarded are being shot down without any call for surrender. Many that escape are herded to ambush sites where they are worn down by two sometimes four ships at a time."

Frank Oleni leaned towards Victor, his brow furrowed with concern. "That's brazen disregard for the spacer code of conduct, and I'm also assuming this is the root of Allen's smug smile earlier," he muttered.

Victor nodded in agreement all the while silently calculating the potential impact on trade routes and commerce within the EAC, reminding himself to thank Marcus, their security advisor, for the nth time for warning them against leaving the core worlds despite the cheaper everything. Some rerouting would be necessary for some of their trade routes and supply ships to their more far-flung research centres but they were largely unaffected by the revelation. His liaison in Colie space would need to answer for his lack of a heads up, but it was best not to get worked up before the man had had the opportunity to defend himself.

"The intelligence we've gathered suggests that the Coalition of Independent Systems are funding these pirate operations," Admiral William revealed, his expression grim. "Despite diplomatic efforts, our people on Liberatas tell us that they continue to deny any involvement in the piracy despite the evidence we have pointing to that possibility. Our spies have detected a significant increase in military recruitment and undisclosed spending by many Colie systems."

The Admiral's eyes swept across the room, his gaze settling on each individual as he spoke. "The situation is dire, and we cannot afford to ignore it. We need to bolster our defences and prepare for any eventuality. However, our diplomats will continue their efforts at de-escalation by visiting individual systems but we are not optimistic in that endeavor bearing fruit. "

"Why do you need to call us here to tell us this," George, who was the owner of numerous agricultural giant corporations, chimed in. "Although, we all have interests in the region hauling us to central command and then dumping us in a blackout room is a bit much. "

The admiral's steely gaze softened slightly as he addressed the group. "We, unfortunately, cannot step in officially without triggering a response from too many to fend off at once so we have to keep this to the private sector as privates are dealing the damage we will have to lean on your militias and planetary militias in the regions if the conflict remains 'private' till it reaches dirt side. We believe the moment we turn our backs to clean up our backyard, we will quickly come under attack on multiple fronts with a concerted push to take our military installations in multiple core-ward systems. Their efforts to conceal these plans are elaborate, but not impenetrable."

He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before continuing. "We urge you to ramp up production of military vessels, weapons, and soldier enhancements. Cause we are going to be ramping up recruitment across all EAC worlds, while a majority will join us as usual to vamp up for the inevitable war on the horizon you will be allowed to poach a quota of soldiers after they have finished their preliminary training. Furthermore, if any of your companies have made significant advancements that could influence the outcome of this conflict, we implore you to make them available to us. Rest assured, your contributions will be handsomely rewarded," he added with a slight raise of his eyebrow.

The mention of reward no doubt caused many ears to perk up and soon there was a murmur of concern and calculation among the business leaders. It was clear that they were contemplating the implications of the admiral's request on their companies and wondered about the potential rewards promised in return.

Victor nodded thoughtfully.

"The way in which I have made my presentation may have alarmed some of you. Do not fear we are not without allies the African Union alone offers a significant force in support. We have orders to relegate them to secondary roles the leadership wants this to be an EAC victory our current political philosophy is one that promotes self-sufficiency in all its forms so though we will have a net we want to be prepared enough not to need it. I am told that a sovereign territory on the frontier is on the table as possible compensation for your efforts though that will be difficult to earn." Admiral said with a slight smirk playing across his features. With another gesture, the holographic display shifted showing statistics about several star systems and planetoids. Giving them a quick scan revealed that they were not quite shining gems, they could be with enough money poured into them. What drew his attention was the inclusion of a rouge planet as one of the prizes which while quite low on the list in terms of desirability. Its remote nature allowed for a unique opportunity security-wise.

Victor had to bite the inside of his cheek to suppress his grin of excitement.

The gravity of the situation settled heavily upon the gathered leaders. The offer of sovereign territory was a significant concession, but it underscored the severity of the threat that they faced. A mixed settlement policy had been put in place in the early days of multi-planetary polities in response to numerous, mostly unsuccessful, planetary rebellions. Since then colonisation rights could only be as large as a typical country, about five thousand kilometre squared blocks, on Earth-size planets and above. With proportionally smaller allotments with smaller planets and planetoids. What was worse was that if multiple locations were required in the same star system it was taken from their allotment. Nexus had to delegate its fabrication and agricultural requirements in multiple systems due to needing to use its allotment to secure an asteroid rich in rare minerals that they would otherwise have paid through the nose for. The policy inadvertently ensured that mega-corporations were forced to remain in the core systems due to older rules applying there and inadvertently protecting smaller corporations from being bullied out of the market due to the mega-corporations having to choose between mining rights and production facilities.

Admiral William's gaze bore into each of them as he concluded, "I have set aside a couple of hours to give you more info on the situation and a preliminary overview of what we can expect from your companies. Remember that other companies are being approached in other systems so don't worry about being overwhelmed. "

As the holographic display faded and the lights brightened, murmurs filled the room as the business leaders spoke about what had been discussed throughout the three-hour-long conversation. From what Victor understood the government wanted all of them to come together to merge their disparate fields and transform every aspect of the military into a lean mean fighting machine. Just a few of the efficiencies that the Admiral pointed out promised to increase the survival rate of their troops threefold, on paper, let alone what each company had under wraps. Victor wasn't naive enough to believe that everyone would show their whole hand, but what they would show would shock the Colies back to their planets for waking the sleeping giant that was the EAC.

Frank turned to Victor with a furrowed brow. "This is unprecedented and quite frankly unnecessary for my company, but my oh my, I've always had a nose for opportunity and this stinks of it I want that baby star system they were offering we should look into a collaboration."

Victor pursed his lips in thought, acknowledging the weight their alliance would have. "Indeed, we should. However, I don't have my eye on that as long as you back me up on my bid and the folks back at HQ have nothing against it then I think you got yourself a deal."

"We'll need to mobilize quickly if we want any kind of advantage," Frank remarked his tone grave but his smile wide as he shook Victor's hand with strength at odds with his wiry frame.

"Agreed," Victor replied with a smile. " But remember, I am unfortunately not a dictator and we will need at least a majority between the five of us."

Victor's thoughts raced as he considered the possible solutions Nexus Technologies could offer. The company's long history of innovation and cutting-edge technologies made it likely they could win any prize they sought but they might reveal more than was wise. Many decisions with far-reaching consequences would determine whether they would be a key player in this conflict or remain the crouching tiger they had been for centuries. He knew that their expertise in BCI systems, VR and AR, and biosciences could make a significant difference in the fight against the Colies. In fact, Dr. Amelia and his wife had been working on something with Marcus that might just be what is needed to tip this whole thing in his favour.

----------------------------------------

"We will need to have a massive increase in funding if we want to make the paragon program viable for the current hostilities," said Dr.Amelia Her glazed eyes and furious gesturing evidence that she was hurriedly manipulating virtual screens that only she could see.

"Well what works, what have we figured out, and how much is safe to roll out at the moment," Victor said rubbing his head at the constant negative responses he had been getting from the doctor since he explained his plan to her.

"Well, we have the Physical enhancements pretty much done with the only unachieved goals being our 'reachers'. While I would have liked to have them done they aren't critical to the success of the project." She then paused making a few more gestures to the invisible screens before focusing her attention on Victor.

"Dr. Lei, Ally and their teams have finalized most of the hardware and software for the BCI implants. Their suits have also been prototyped along with the ships to be used by the Paragons…, I can't believe we are seriously going with that name…, the only problem lies in your plan to share with the EAC the accelerated training technology we were going to use to train the candidates. We had integrated some of the more secretive aspects of the project into the system. We will have to rework the system from the ground up to avoid accidentally revealing something if we were to just patch it to run to the specs we want to offer them."

"How soon can you guys have it up and running? I just want a time I can give our contact with the military a timeline. I believe this can help secure us the rouge planet from this little competition the Admiralty has set up, especially seeing ." he inquired.

"Well, I will take us at most a month then two weeks to see if it ok to release without letting anything sensitive out. So just call it two months real time to be safe. Though I'm not sure what you are going on about with this rouge planet thing you've been on since you got back. Was that meeting confidential? What can you tell me ?" Dr. Amelia said, her head tilting and her brow furrowing slightly in response to his repeated cryptic remarks.

"You'll have to wait till the meeting I've called for to find out. Though it looks like it will not be too long from now." He said as his watch vibrated slightly signalling that all were available for a virtual meeting. "Well, shall we?"

Amelia just rolled her eyes as she walked towards the bank of secure virtual meeting pods along the far side of the office. "I guess you'll see me there in a bit," she said stepping in and closing the top of the pod.