It seemed the Xyrans had taken the bait because not even an hour after 'arresting' Rea, Ashton received a call from them. Much to his surprise, as he picked up the ring, he saw Ibis on the other end.
In Ashton's mind, he wondered whether Astaroth had fed a twisted tale to the Xyrans. Still, upon seeing Ibis's friendly expression, he realised Astaroth couldn't have been in contact with the Xyrans or else Ibis wouldn't have looked so relieved after seeing him.
'Hm... I wonder what Astaroth has been up to if they hadn't contacted them yet,' Ashton wondered while waiting for Ibis to say something.
"Where were you!?" Ibis shouted through the device, the intensity causing Ashton to avert his gaze from the communicator.
"Is that all you have to say?" Ashton rolled his eyes. "I was expecting a different greeting from the Xyrans after one of their esteemed leaders tried to off me."
"I saw the clip..." Ibis mumbled. "But I'm still having a tough time believing lord Rood would have done something so- Wait, is Astaroth there? He's a Xyran... His alibi would be more believable to us."
"Ah, so that's how it is," Ashton scoffed. "You think I'll be in touch with someone who killed me? Do I look that stupid to you?"
Ibis appeared even more dumbfounded upon hearing Ashton's words. Although Ashton couldn't use [Heartbeat Sense] to verify if Ibis was pretending, as she wasn't in front of him, her expression strongly suggested that she was genuinely unaware of Astaroth's actions.
"He killed you?" Ibis said after a minute. "But then-"
"Well, he tried to kill me and left me on a desolate planet, so yeah, he pretty much killed me," Ashton made something up as he didn't want to reveal his resurrection skill to anyone yet.
Ibis looked like she wanted to say more, but Ashton stopped her. He didn't answer her call just to chat casually; he wanted to talk about how the Xyrans would make up for trying to harm him and tarnish his reputation.
This included their initial attempt on his life and their later efforts to change the story through a manipulated interview or a test, as Rea had called it.
"Right, my sincere apologies for getting ahead of myself," Ibis took a deep breath and got all professional. "So tell me your demands so we can push this matter aside and focus on the greater enemy."
"You know, Ibis, I've been thinking," Ashton began, his grin widening. "Considering all the trouble your people have caused me, I believe it's only fair that I get something of equal or more value in return."
"I assure you we will do our best-"
"I want half of the Xyran warships. All for myself."
"Yeah, and I want to rule over Andromeda," Ibis, initially thinking Ashton was joking, chuckled nervously. "We can joke later when we're done negotiating."
"Oh, I'm not joking," Ashton replied, his tone dead serious. "Consider it compensation for the attempted murder and that lovely little rigged interview your ambassador conducted."
"You can't be serious." Ibis' eyes widened, and her smile ceased.
The conversation had taken an unexpected turn, and Ibis was visibly taken aback by Ashton's outrageous demand.
"That's impossible, Ashton," Ibis, now stern-faced, shook her head. "No matter what a foolish ambassador might have done to you, we won't let you walk all over us."
"Well, then, I guess we're at an impasse, aren't we?" Ashton leaned back, maintaining his grin.
"We can offer you monetary compensation for your troubles, Ashton." Ibis, realising that Ashton wasn't joking, sighed. "But that's all the generous Xyrans are willing to do for you."
"Ibis, you can't just throw money at the problem and expect it to disappear."
"So stop being unreasonable, Ashton," Ibis sighed, growing frustrated. "You can't just demand our military assets out of nowhere and expect us to serve it to you on a golden platter!"
Ashton's eyes narrowed. He saw right through Ibis' attempt to shift all the blame onto Rea and wash their hands of the matter. He had already expected such a move. That's why he had imprisoned all the Xyrans on Earth to play them as bargaining chips.
Was it cruel of him? Definitely. Will doing so ruin his reputation with the Xyrans? Certainly. Did he give a flying fuck about it? Most certainly not.
The way Ashton saw things, the Xyrans had betrayed him thrice. Firstly, by not giving him the Soul Killer. Secondly, at the hands of Rood, and finally, after conducting the rigged interview.
After all that, the Xyrans would have to be delusional to think he would trust them again. Hell, had it not been for the resources they could provide him, he would have dealt with them by now.
'You want to play dirty, so let's play dirty.'
But Ashton remained unfazed, knowing it was time to play his trump card. "If you think that's unreasonable, you're in for a surprise."
"What do you mean?"
Ashton wasted no time answering Ibis. Instead, he gestured to Vimur, who swiftly dragged Rea into view, chained in plasma cuffs from head to toe. When Ibis saw Rea in that state, she clenched her fists, clearly taken aback by Ashton's unanticipated move.
"What is the meaning of this?" Ibis demanded, trying to keep her anger in check.
"Oh, just a little insurance," Ashton chuckled, revelling in the shift of power. "You do remember how many Xyrans are on Earth, right? It'll be a shame if something accidentally happened to them, won't you agree?"
"Is this the extent you're willing to go?" Ibis struggled to contain her fury, her eyes blazing with anger. "Dragging an ambassador like this? Threatening the safety of our people? I knew someone like you would be as scummy as this-"
"Woah, woah, relax with the insults or my hand might slip and hit your beloved Ambassador," Ashton replied, acting like an innocent child. "You wanted to play dirty, so I'm reciprocating in kind. Why does that make me the bad guy, huh?"
"You-"
Ashton disconnected the call before Ibis could say anything, leaving her even more frustrated.
"Son of a bitch!"