The Great Shield negotiations (1)

Adam had to return to his duties soon enough and did so with renewed vigor, something that would no doubt aid him greatly when confronting the Great Shield Alliance.

Arranging a meeting while in full-blown war is an arduous and tiring process that takes many weeks to months to accomplish, so Adam enjoyed his break in the meantime while Sebastian and Elizabeth worked tirelessly to ensure a safe meeting could take place.

Adam would be the only one out of his family attending, along with his bodyguards, just in case this was a ploy to assassinate him. Alexander is already fully educated and ready to take over the position of Emperor, although he is still a bit too inexperienced.

Adam held no fear in his heart, for he knew the odds of an assassination attempt happening were incalculably low, not to mention the chance it would succeed being even lower.

So, after a month of careful negotiations, a meeting was set up at the border between the Empire and the Great Shield, in a randomly selected system that would give neither a clear advantage should either side try to attack the other.

Both sides would bring a maximum of thirty corvettes, twenty destroyers, five cruisers, and one battleship each for their protection against outside hazards such as pirates, the more important reason however, was to intimidate their opponents with superior quality vessels.

The reputation of the Azburgian Interstellar Empire and the Great Shield rendered this the safest system in the region with ease, as no Nation let alone pirate would dare interrupt the meeting between the two colossal powers.

Of course, all of them paid close attention to the movements of both sides, which they did before as well, but now with greater fervor.

This meeting would determine the future of all of their people.

If the two Titans reconciled and stopped fighting with one another, they would no doubt turn their attention towards the surrounding weaker powers and mercilessly subjugate them.

If they allied with one another, they would explode in power and no alliance or federation of any kind would be able to stop them, effectively dooming this part of the Arm to fall into their hands.

Or the last outcome, they continue fighting, in which case nothing will change, with both of them being bogged down with one another constantly stopping them from expanding in other directions in a meaningful way.

They could only pray that no matter the outcome, the two behemoths wouldn't turn their eye toward them, for that would be their doom.

...

Otria system, Orion year twenty,

An ordinary yellow star glowed with the brilliance of a newborn, the star itself very young, only a few million years old.

The system was like any other, a few planets, a gas giant or two, with no movement within it other than the slow turning of planets and the occasional gamma-ray burst coming out of the star, slashing at the planet's surfaces.

Suddenly, the system became active with life as artificial creations swarmed into the system proper, two fleets arriving aexactlyct the same time.

They quickly spread out and approached a small station in the middle of the system above the star, recently built by a neutral third party to ensure no tricks could be played during the meeting.

The Imperial Navy looked united, uniform, and very orderly, the fleet resonating with its determination to succeed no matter the odds.

The Fleet of the Great Shield, on the other hand, was more divided, with tens of different designs floating around one another, creating a diverse but still united front.

Both fleets approached the central station while hailing each other, both sides completely depowered their weapons as a show of trust, one that would prevent a fight if both sides reciprocated, which they did.

Adam left the insides of the battleship he was on with his guard right behind him, and jumped onto the station in his power armor, entering via a few metal doors.

When he entered, he felt the effects of gravity return and took off his power armor, since if he kept it, it could be seen as a lack of trust and sincerity, which would sabotage the mission.

The other leaders entered through different entrances, each custom-made for their species to make them as comfortable as possible.

After an hour of everyone making last-minute preparations, the meeting room was made available to all by the third party, and all of them entered.

Adam was alone as the representative of his race and country, while the Great Shield had hundreds of their most powerful and influential representing them in this negotiation.

Species of all kinds walked in, some plant-like races and others completely foreign to him, looking like slimes or other creatures.

Seats and other resting places made for them were arranged in a circle around an elevated platform with a microphone on it, while the bodyguards had seats surrounding their respective leaders.

The room was incredibly large and built specifically to accommodate the representatives along with their security, meaning that despite thousands being in the room, it did not feel the slightest bit crowded.

The meeting would work like this:

Adam would take the central stage first, addressing the concerns of the various nations while explaining the benefits of peace, and answering their questions as they asked them.

After that, a short break would happen, during which the Great Shield members would discuss among themselves, and after this break, another meeting would commence, after which, a vote would be cast.

If a majority of all leaders present voted for peace, then peace would be agreed upon and peace talks would begin with an immediate cease-fire between both sides.

If the meeting failed in its purpose, both sides would leave without firing on the other and would not launch any attack for the following day, giving time for all leaders to return to their homes.

Adam sighed as he scanned the room whose inhabitants were all staring at him with undivided attention.

He walked to the platform, his bodyguards with him, their power armor thudding heavily against the ground, a sound many of their soldiers came back home traumatized by.

Adam took the microphone into his hand and began speaking.

"My fellow leaders. It is an honor to stand before you here today and to speak with all of you." Adam started by stroking some egos, something with which he had plenty of experience.

"This war has cost both of our sides far too much, and it should stop now. I'm sure all of your people are tired are they not? Do your soldiers not want to return home? At this rate, there might not be a home to return to for both sides!" Next up were some educated points, most of their members were tired of the war, hence why they agreed to this meeting at all.

By pointing this out, I can show them that I know more than they think, exposing their weakness right in front of them.

"This war is a complete and utter waste of our limited time and resources, which will just render both sides weaker in the process. So I call on you to step down with me from this conflict." Just plain old logic.

And so, Adam continued to speak, with the leaders listening closely to his every word, their translators not only translating but also informing them about his body language and its many meanings.

It seems the negotiations have only just begun.