The room everyone arrived at had a very weird seating arrangement. If there were anyone who didn't know who Aron was, they would not recognize who was the most important person in the room.
The table was oval shaped, with Aron and Alexander sitting at the long ends of the tables, while the generals were sitting on Aron's right side of the longer table and the military AIs on the left.
No one in the room found this kind of arrangement weird at all; rather, they saw it as how it was supposed to be.
{Now that everyone is here, let the meeting commence.} Nova, who had assumed the role of the meeting secretary, announced, thus marking the first meeting of Eden's military forces.
Athena promptly teleported and began delivering a report to all of the attendees.
{Before we delve into the more complicated topics, I think it is better to start with the basic information about our military forces to make sure that everyone is on the same page,} she proposed,
"We won't be selling any of the military tech to anyone. It'll all be exclusive to ARES." Aron, who had been quiet throughout the meeting, finally opened his mouth and disputed some of Alexander's points about selling weapons in a grave tone."So you agree with the idea of releasing the information to the public about entering the defense industry to cover letting our weapons enter the field without attracting too much attention?" Alexander asked."Although I agree with it, as it'll be a trusted source of information to quell the rumors floating around, I don't see the reason we can't just step out of the shadows. It isn't like we don't have the power to protect ourselves, even though we can't really project it outward quite yet," Aron replied.Everyone raised an eyebrow, since they knew that Aron was nothing if not cautious, more cautious, and even more cautious. If he claimed to be second in the world at keeping secrets and staying hidden, nobody else would da
When everyone left after the meeting, Aron remained behind with Alexander as they had something important to talk about."How's being president going for you?" Aron asked."I can't complain, since it was what I was dreaming of throughout most of my youth. Then I fought for the changes, and now that I have the ability to seize my dreams I can't be caught complaining, now can I?" Alexander jokingly replied, then added, "But I'm really enjoying it. Especially with my new body—it's very rare for me to feel tired, no matter how hard I work. And that helps me do more than I could've done before." He was incredibly grateful to Aron for the genetic enhancements he had received."Yeah, I can see the results of your hard work in the faces of the citizens," Aron said. The happiness level of the citizens in Eden had, and was continuing to increase as more and more people benefited from the new government."The discovery of oil did all the work. And now th
January 20, 2017, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.CThe streets, once ordinary thoroughfares, were now transformed into arteries of democracy, coursing with the lifeblood of the people. A sea of faces, representing the rich tapestry of America, converged upon the National Mall, where history was about to be rewritten. The quadrennial presidential inauguration was more than a ceremony; it was a ritual, a symbol of continuity, a testament to the enduring spirit of the United States.In the distance, the gleaming white dome of the Capitol Building stood as a sentinel, a beacon of hope and a reminder of the nation's resilience. Its hallowed halls had borne witness to countless chapters in the American story, and today it would play host to another. The Capitol Building's steps, flanked by fluttering flags representing the fifty states, had become the stage upon which the future of the country would be unveiled.Inside the Capitol Building, the air was charged with a blend of excitement and so
An airplane with the Edenian flag on it was on final approach to Beijing airport. It was given priority clearance, skipping the line as other planes were sent to maintain altitude.The plane landed without any problem, then was directed to one of the VIP terminals that had been prepared to welcome the people in the plane.After coming to a full stop, the ramp extended and the door opened, revealing a red-carpeted walkway that was lined by members of the People's Liberation Army's ceremonial guards standing at rapt attention.A few seconds after the door was opened by the flight attendant, a man walked out of it wearing a clean suit. He strode forth with confidence in his steps and a smile on his face. He walked down the walkway and met the leader of the welcoming team. He extended his hand and, in Mandarin Chinese, said, "We are very honored to welcome your arrival to China."Just as his translator was about to translate it to English, the guest replied, also in perfect Mandarin Chine
"Our president is very interested in your advanced chip industry, and he said he'd like to initiate technological transfers to strengthen our ties, if possible," Minister Wang moved to the next topic. The oil negotiations were nothing more than an appetizer; the thing China was most looking forward to was breaking the technology blockade and entering the computer chip and semiconductor markets. And having come to a preliminary agreement on the oil trade gave him a lever to use to open the door for cooperation in chips and semiconductors."In what aspect, specifically, does he want to cooperate? To the best of my knowledge, our country's chip technology isn't that widely used." Gabriel was playing dumb using GAIA Technology not selling the chips to anyone as a shield. He knew that no matter what exorbitant prices buyers promised—and there were many buyers and truly exorbitant offers—the company absolutely would not sell under any circumstances. But he was curious as to what Minister Wa
Tim Cook's third idea elicited a wave of nods from the rest of the board. Cooperating with a competitor was never a good idea; it was just giving others a handle by which to exert control over them. And ruining their own hard work over the past decades of building up a specific brand identity for Apple was equally distasteful, if not more. So even if the anti-GAIA coalition was distasteful, and even if it wasn't effective, it was still the only viable option of the three they had been presented with.Besides, even if they did want to cooperate with GAIA, Sarah had been adamant about not selling the chips they would need, no matter how much they'd offered or how sincere their offers had been."We can also claim they're a tech monopoly. It's bullshit and would never stand up, but the more things we throw at them, the more flustered they'll be and the more likely they'll be to submit." That generated a bit of a buzz of chuckles in the meeting room."So which idea are we going forward wit
The Edenian-China oil transfer agreement was signed within a week, after all the kinks in the clauses had been ironed out. During that time, the Edenian Minister of the Exterior, Gabriel de los Estrada, had toured the country and presented his diplomatic credentials to Chinese President Zi Jinping, officially opening an Edenian embassy in Beijing. He had also opened new topics of discussion, setting a foundation for future cooperation between the two nations. The Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, had done the same, but his interests differed from Gabriel's. Where Gabriel was interested in raw materials, especially wanting to tap into China's extensive deposits of minerals that, to his knowledge, were lacking in Eden and Esparia, Wang Yi was more interested in buying a batch of weapons and technology transfers. But Gabriel countered that by using ARES and GAIA as shields; he couldn't make the call on behalf of the government, since the things China wanted were property, in
It didn't take long for the tech companies' secret coalition to be formed. They had already come to a surface-level agreement and had begun spending money for their plan, but on the outside it seemed like different companies just coincidentally had the same idea. They had all gone to different lobbying firms with different complaints, but the money they were spending was ten times the usual amount. And that was just the beginning. Tim Cook was feeling very satisfied and putting his wholehearted effort into lobbying. He was infuriated that GAIA had ignored his threatening email, leaving him with no other option than to go all out. For the sake of his career and his company, he had to ensure that GAIA was removed from competition and their tech in his hands. ... Just like that, three days passed and the tankers full of oil undocked and headed out toward China on the shortest route. Their escort ships, two destroyers and six frigates, remained for twelve hours, then followed them at a