The Magnates - [K4 - Entralla - PA]

Mari Welt’s colleague lurched towards the table, his desperate movements revealing the panic and rage the cyborg felt. One of his equally “enhanced” guards stood nearby, keeping their composure despite their boss’ apparent anguish. For her part, Welt didn’t have her usual complement of Galentro Security Officers. She didn’t need them.

“Sit down Gharen,” she mused, taking a moment to look her adversary up and down, “Before you make a fool of yourself in such a beautiful place.”

“How dare you,” the towering, robed chairman spat, “What in the galaxy did you do?!”

Welt didn’t answer him, content to let the disgraced Seraphan Photonics politician tire himself out on his accusations. If she was being honest, he had resorted to blaming the Heavy Works quicker than she would have hoped. The disaster of the recent Parade of Ghosts, not even a cycle old, had consequences on all Entralla’s major Industrial entities, but as Galentro’s chief rival was in charge of security for that night, it was especially bad for them.

“Two of our best officers, dead on the street! Blown to pieces! Seven more are in critical condition, and now there are reports that shadowy figures in armour were seen right before the firing started! We are facing the largest litigation struggle since the founding of Seraphan and I am convinced your precious Heavy Works put your little lap dogs to work making us look weak!”

“And the civilian dead?” Welt was trying to keep her composure, but the blatant accusations were beginning to wear on her patience.

“Damn the civilians! This attack was Mot’s doing, and you know it.” The optical instruments in the chairman’s face finally came to a focus on Welt’s face, the Seraphan official preparing to deliver a killing blow. “Your little subsidiary finally got tired of pestering us with their little train games and you cut a deal with them to ruin the reputation of an esteemed company!”

Abruptly, Welt slammed her fist on the stone table, cutting off the chairman before he could continue. Any remaining pretense of calm vanishing quickly, Welt responded with much venom and a deepening rage.

“Need I remind you that we have taken every measure against these terrorists? That the Heavy Works has publicly removed Mot from its family of companies? That Galentro Security is a leading founder of a cooperative league designed to hunt these terrorists down, a league that Lady Xollen and the rest of Seraphan refused to join?”

Like her opponent, Welt too took a moment to let her remarks sink in, before going for the chairman’s metallic throat.

“Seraphan Photonics was only in charge of the parade’s security because of your assurances that your security forces would be enough to discourage and prevent an attack on the parade. You failed, and now look for somewhere to put that shame that isn’t on yourselves. Perhaps that speaks more to the character of the defender, rather than the skill of the attackers.”

Welt should have stopped there, but she didn’t. Instead, she let her grief at the events of the parade and her rage against Gharen’s baseless claims move to the front of her usually manicured responses. It was a petty, threatening response, but Welt hoped it would get her message through to the chairman.

“As such, and given recent events, you should know that Galentro Heavy Works is always looking for another addition to its conglomerate.”

The guard stiffened, but Gharen didn’t even flinch. Instead, and with an uncharacteristic level of calmness in his tinny voice, he responded simply, and without any hesitation.

“Then your Heavy Works can expect Lady Xollen’s demands within the next few cycles. It’s time Galentro pays for its disrespect of Seraphan.”

With that, he got up, motioned to his guard, and began moving from the gardens. Before he got past the last pillar, Welt couldn’t help trying to squeeze just a little more out of the Seraphan Chairman.

“Besk will not stay neutral in this affair, Gharen. She lost people at the parade too.”

“If she knows what’s good for Automata, she will.”

Welt turned back to the gardens around her, a sense of uneasiness rising. She knew that Elta Besk and the wardroids of Dynamic Automata could never sit idly while the two largest powers of Entralla fought around her. Gharen probably also knew this, but he was almost certainly under pressure from Lady Xollen to get a war started after the humiliation of the parade. He and Seraphan would likely fight no matter who opposed them.

That last thought hardened Welt’s resolve even more than her conversation with the metallic chairman. Seraphan didn’t just have anyone opposing them. No, they had the might of the largest and most powerful corporation in the Velcar Zone against them. 

Welt looked around again, this time with unavoidable pride following her gaze. It was time to show the galaxy what happened to those who angered the Heavy Works.

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