The hologlobe of Noctis pulsed ominously between them, its war-torn nations drenched in Osborn crimson.
Arthur stood with his back to the floor-to-ceiling windows, the dawn light slicing through the room, casting his silhouette into a sharp blade of shadow against the rising sun.
"Now that we’ve wrapped up our plans for the Noctis continent," he said, turning to face Ethan and the others with a confident smile, "let’s divide the work."
Ethan swirled his drink, watching ice clink against glass. "Do I get a shiny title? ’Lord of Gunrunning’ has a nice ring to it."
Arthur chose to ignore him. With a flick of his fingers, the hologlobe zoomed in on the Iron Belt, the industrial warzone of Noctis.
"Ethan, you’re still in charge of arms sales," Arthur stated firmly.
Ethan’s smirk sharpened. "Ah, my favorite kind of diplomacy."
"I want fifty percent market saturation," Arthur declared with intensity. "Every warlord, every rebel faction, every backwater militia should be dependent on our weapons. If they pull a trigger, it should be with an Osborn-made gun."
Ethan leaned forward as amusement faded from his expression. "That’s not just business; that’s monopoly."
"That’s control," Arthur replied with a smirk. "Phase One: Flood the markets. Sell at cost if you have to. Phase Two: Once they’re hooked, we raise prices. Phase Three: We own their wars."
Ethan drummed his fingers against his glass thoughtfully. "And when the Panterra Council cries foul?"
Arthur’s smile turned razor-sharp. "Let them cry. By then, it’ll be too late."
He shifted his focus to Gunnar next.
"Gunnar, you will lead Aegis-7."
The giant remained stoic but tightened his grip over crossed arms as if bracing for impact.
"I want you to expand operations, five new battalions by year’s end. Full deniability: no uniforms, no flags,just results."
Gunnar’s voice was gravelly as he asked, "Budget?"
Arthur tapped the table; a figure materialized: 20 billion Unicreds appeared before them like an enticing promise. "Recruit from warzones, veterans, orphans...the desperate ones among us. Offer them purpose and loyalty."
Gunnar’s eyes lit up with determination as he grinned slightly. "You want an army."
"I want a scalpel," Arthur clarified sharply. "Precision strikes... regime changes... ’accidents.’ Aegis will shape nations, an invisible hand until it strikes."
Finally, Arthur turned to Vex.
"Vex, you’re taking the reins of Black Valley."
The colonel’s cybernetic eye whirred to life, data streams flickering like a digital storm across its lens.
"I want you to triple production," Arthur commanded, his voice steady and authoritative.
"Get our R&D labs working around the clock. We need next-gen drones, AI targeting systems, and the Cinder Protocol operational in six months."
Vex stiffened. "That’s biological."
Arthur didn’t flinch. "And?"
A heavy silence enveloped the room; even Ethan paused, his usual smirk replaced by an expression of concern.
Vex exhaled slowly. "It’ll be done."
Ethan swirled his drink thoughtfully, watching the hologlobe rotate like a miniature planet.
"So let me get this straight: I bribe, threaten, and seduce every arms dealer on the continent; Gunnar builds a shadow army; Vex conjures nightmare weapons in his evil lair."
He raised his glass with a wry smile. "And you, Family Head? What’s your role in this grand scheme?"**
Arthur’s gaze remained unwavering as a slow smirk crept onto his face. "I win."
Ethan chuckled softly, but there was no real joy in it. "And what happens when one of these warlords gets too ambitious? When Aegis operatives start sniffing around? Or when Vex’s lab rats grow a conscience?"
Arthur strolled to the window, gazing down at the sprawling city below him. "Then we replace them."
Gunnar shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "You’re talking about playing god."
Arthur turned sharply, eyes icy as glaciers. "No, gods are merciful."
An oppressive silence settled over them.
Finally, Vex cleared his throat and spoke up: "The USS won’t ignore this forever. Their intelligence networks are already probing our borders."
Arthur curled his lip dismissively. "Let them probe! By the time they catch wind of what we’re doing, they’ll be begging for terms."
Ethan snorted derisively. "Or they’ll just nuke us."
"They won’t," Arthur replied with chilling certainty. "Because we’ll own their banks, their media outlets,hell, even their politicians."
He tapped on the hologlobe until it transformed into an intricate web of financial transactions swirling before them like some dark magic spell.
"Phase Four: Economic strangulation! Every bullet we sell, every soldier we train,it all flows back to us."
Gunnar clenched his jaw tightly. "And what about the people?"
Arthur’s smile was unsettlingly calm as he replied, "What about them?"
Ethan set his glass down slowly, savoring the moment before he spoke. "You know, Boss," he began, a hint of mischief in his eyes, "there’s a fine line between empire and tyranny."
Arthur didn’t even glance up from his thoughts. "There’s no line at all," he replied flatly.
Vex’s fingers danced over his wrist-comm, urgency in his tone. "I’ll need access to the Venusian labs. Some of those Cinder variants require zero-g synthesis."
"Granted," Arthur said without hesitation.
Gunnar cracked his neck with a satisfying pop. "I’ll start recruitment in Kharzin. Plenty of hungry soldiers there."
"Good," Arthur nodded.
Ethan stood up, straightening his suit as if preparing for battle.
"Well, I’ve got arms dealers to charm. Try not to burn down the continent without me!" His grin was sharp and playful.
Finally turning to face them, Arthur locked eyes with each member of the team in turn. "One last thing," he said, his voice dropping to an ominous whisper that sent shivers down their spines.
They paused, tension thickening the air.
"If any of you hesitate,if any of you falter,I’ll know." His words hung like a guillotine’s blade poised to drop. "And I’ll replace you."
A chilling silence followed until Ethan broke it with a grin that was both sharp and dangerous. "Wouldn’t have it any other way."
As they filed out one by one, Arthur returned to the window, watching the sunrise cast Noctis in hues of gold and crimson,a beautiful contrast to the dark intentions brewing beneath its surface.
Somewhere below him, shipments of weapons were already being loaded for chaos ahead.
Somewhere beyond the horizon, Aegis-7’s first recruits were being drawn into an uncertain fate.
And deep within Black Valley, vials containing the volatile Cinder Protocol hissed ominously to life.