Chapter 164: Negotiations of Kynara’s Future 3

"We need safeguards," Vos finally rasped, his voice sandpaper-rough. His fingers dug into the table's surface, the alloy groaning faintly under the pressure. It looked like he might tear the console apart with his bare hands. "Worker protections. Environmental limitations. A profit-sharing model."

His bloodshot eyes burned across the table at Krell, daring him to refuse.

Krell, ever the diplomat, inclined his head with a practiced slowness. A gesture engineered to exude both authority and magnanimity.

"Reasonable requests," he said, his voice almost soothing, like oil spreading over fractured stone.

The final contract materialized on the holo-display in front of them, lines of text scrolling like a digital guillotine. The light from the projection reflected against Krell's face, casting jagged shadows that only sharpened the predatory glint in his eyes.

Worker Rights Protections:

Federation mining and industrial installations must meet bio-safety and labor standards consistent with the Interstellar Labor Accord.

Working shifts capped at 10 hours with mandatory rest cycles, nutritional supplementation, and medical monitoring for hazardous conditions.

An independent oversight council formed of both Federation and Kynaran appointees will conduct quarterly inspections, with the power to shut down non-compliant facilities.

Severe breaches, including negligence leading to death or irreversible health consequences, will trigger automatic audits, with the Federation mandated to compensate affected families.

Environmental Clauses:

Orbital satellite arrays will monitor planetary ecosystems in real time, tracking biome degradation, atmospheric integrity, and water table stability.

Resource extraction zones will rotate on a five-year cycle, allowing damaged areas to undergo controlled terraforming and ecosystem rehabilitation.

Strip mining, deep-core drilling, and chemical-based extraction processes are prohibited in regions with fragile or unique biodiversity.

The Federation will fund soil and water purification programs and artificial habitat preservation for displaced wildlife.

Profit-Sharing Guarantees:

Kynara will receive an initial 12% cut of all net resource profits, increasing incrementally as planetary stability improves.

The percentage rises by 2% every five cycles, capped at a 30% maximum after three decades.

A development fund will be established, redirecting 5% of Federation profits toward local infrastructure, public services, and educational programs.

The Federation will provide financial transparency, granting Kynaran auditors access to trade ledgers to prevent profit manipulation or hidden deductions.

The final clause, buried at the document's base like a venomous sting, sealed Kynara's fate:

Contract Duration: 30 cycles (standard galactic years). Early termination requires unanimous approval from both Federation and Kynaran leadership, with penalties exceeding projected planetary GDP for breach of contract.

The weight of it settled over the room like a lead shroud. Thirty years of tethered sovereignty. Thirty years of Federation-approved growth, of cautious prosperity shackled to foreign oversight.

Vos rubbed his eyes, fingers trembling. Vossel leaned back, looking through the contract rather than at it, as if she'd already resigned herself to the inevitable. Darrik Voss's jaw flexed, but he said nothing, his silence louder than any argument he might have made.

And Krell? Krell watched them with the satisfaction of a hunter who had watched his quarry stumble into a carefully laid snare.

"Stability," he said, as if the word was a benediction. "For your people. For your world. I believe we've reached an understanding."

No one answered. They just signed.

When the last digital signature finalized, the hall fell into a dreadful quiet. The coalition side slumped in their seats, exhaustion carved into their features like deep scars. The air felt heavy, as though the weight of the agreement itself pressed down on the room.

The holo-document dissolved in shimmering fragments, replaced by the Federation's emblem: a blue star encircled by orbital silver rings, pulsing gently as if alive.

Krell finally allowed himself a thin smile, the sharp edges of his expression softened by something just shy of genuine satisfaction.

"Congratulations," he said, voice laced with quiet triumph. "Today, Kynara takes its first step toward true prosperity."

Marik Vos ran a hand down his face, exhaling slowly. "Prosperity," he muttered, tasting the word like he wasn't sure whether it was medicine or poison.

But Lirien Vossel, though weary, nodded.

"We couldn't rebuild this world on hope alone," she said, her voice steadier than it had been for hours. "This gives our people a chance to survive the next decade and beyond."

Krell leaned back in his chair, studying them. For all his ruthless negotiation tactics, there was a glimmer of respect in his eyes now. He knew the coalition hadn't broken easily, and the concessions they had wrestled from the Federation weren't insignificant.

"You drove a hard bargain," Krell admitted, folding his hands neatly on the table. "Few planetary governments have secured such firm worker protections and profit scaling clauses from a Federation trade accord. Your persistence will save lives."

Darrik Voss, ever the pragmatist, straightened in his chair.

"And your trade monopoly ensures your merchants get rich while we scrape by," he said, though his tone lacked venom. It was simply the truth, an unavoidable consequence of bargaining with a galactic superpower.

Krell tilted his head, neither confirming nor denying the accusation.

"Stability has a price," he said. "But consider this: with Federation infrastructure, Kynara will return to being a sector trade hub. The profit cap is high, yes but it rises. And when the 30 cycles end, you'll emerge with a fully developed economy and the infrastructure to sustain it quasi-independently."

Vos snorted but didn't argue. He knew Krell was right. The Federation had taken the lion's share, but they had left Kynara enough breathing room to claw its way back to strength.

The Orion Federation hadn't come as conquerors. They'd come as architects of dependence, but not annihilation.

"We'll hold you to every clause," Vossel said, her voice iron-hard despite her exhaustion. "If your merchants abuse our workers or strip our land bare, we'll make sure the galaxy knows it."

Krell inclined his head.

"And if your people uphold their end of the agreement, you'll find the Federation can be... generous." He stood, smoothing his uniform. "I'll ensure the first supply convoys arrive within the week. Food, medicine, terraforming equipment, everything we promised. The reconstruction of Kynara begins now."

He extended his hand.

After a long, reluctant pause, Vos stood and shook it.

"This isn't friendship," he said, voice low. "It's survival."

Krell's smile faded, replaced by something more sincere. The quiet understanding of a man who had played his part in countless planetary negotiations.

"Perhaps," he said. "But survival is the foundation of every future."

The Federation's emblem continued to glow on the holo-display behind them. They had lost something today, but they had also won something invaluable.

Time.

And in the vast, unforgiving expanse of space, sometimes time was the most powerful bargaining chip of all.