Michael DuPont, and Elena Park, stood apprehensively outside the hangar of Sirius Software's new Aerospace and Weapons division.

  The airfield was an old WW2 base, that had been abandoned on the outskirts of the city.

  Aaron had bought the airfield, and set up his underground facilities for missile, aircraft, and weapons development.

  "I'm really starting to have second thoughts about this," said Elena nervously.

  "Don't worry, it's just a police helicopter," replied Michael.

  "Yeah just like the Stormkreuzer is just a patrol car," said Elena, rolling her eyes.

  "Haha, touché," replied Michael, smiling.

  The hangar doors opened, and the lights inside came on.

  "Come on in," said Aaron, walking out to greet them.

  Michael and Elena walked into the hangar, and saw a sleek black helicopter inside.

  The helicopter was massive, and composed entirely of flat panels in a matte black finish that seemed to suck the light out of the hangar.

  The cockpit was also made from flat black glass-like panels, making it impossible to see inside.

  The engine cowls on the top of the helicopter, nestled on either side of the main rotor shaft were huge yawning rectangular intakes, with jet-engine style afterburner nozzles protruding from the rear.

  Its swept-back stub wings were mounted high on the fuselage, and had three hard points on each wing, while a pair of cannon pods and rocket pods bulged out from the wing roots and fuselage.

  The tail rotor was a ducted fan, with a large vertical stabilizer and twin horizontal stabilizers, while the main rotor had five huge black blades.

  It sat on a tricycle landing gear that had fat black tires, and looked like a crouched predator ready to pounce.

  A menacing rotary cannon protruded out if its nose, and its sliding doors were open to reveal machine guns mounted on either side.

  Michael pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed.

  "I've seen fewer guns on a fucking Apache! Aaron! This is supposed to be a police helicopter! Why the hell did you make a gunship!" he yelled.

  "Insurance in case we have another civil war like last time," replied Aaron calmly.

  "Jesus Christ," muttered Michael, shaking his head.

  "Anyway, this is the HellVortex," said Aaron, walking up to the helicopter.

  "At least tell me it can do rescue missions," said Elena.

  "It can carry 2000 kg of cargo and up to 8 people, so it can do search and rescue," replied Aaron.

  "Good," said Elena, relaxing a little.

  Natasha and Olga, wearing black leather flight suits, drove forward in a small truck, and hooked up a tow cable to the front of the helicopter.

  "We're ready, Master Zakhrov," said Natasha.

  "All right, let's get this thing outside," said Aaron.

  The truck slowly towed the helicopter out of the hangar, and into the open air.

  The helicopter's matte black finish seemed to absorb the light, making it look like a void against the bright sky.

  "All right Natasha, let's do the test flight," said Aaron, he pressed a button on a fob, and the cockpit opened with a hiss.

  Natasha unhooked the tow cable, and she climbed into the pilot seat while Olga climbed into the gunner seat.

  Aaron handed Natasha the fob and stepped back, as the cockpit canopy closed down with a hiss.

  The helicopter's engines started up with a low rumble, followed by a smooth and steady whooshing sound as the main rotor blades began to spin up.

  They were joined by a high-pitched whine from the tail rotor ducted fan, and the helicopter lifted off the ground, its landing gear retracting smoothly into its body.

  "All right Natasha, stay within the four square kilometer test area, I'd rather not have an F-35 come after us," said Aaron into the radio.

  "Roger that," replied Natasha.

  The helicopter surged forward, and swung around far too quickly and easily for its size.

  Michael and Elena watched mesmerized as the helicopter flew around the testing area at a low altitude, its engine sound unlike anything they had heard from a helicopter before - a dull roar mixed with the whoosh of the main rotor blades and the whine from the ducted side rotor fan.

  "All right. Olga, weapons test," said Aaron.

  "Roger that," replied Olga.

  The HellVortex banked and swung around.

  Test targets around the test area were ripped to shreds with devastating accuracy by the helicopter's guns and rockets.

  "Mission success, returning to base," said Natasha.

  The HellVortex returned to the airfield tarmac, and landed smoothly.

  Its engines powered down with a series of hisses and whines.

  Aaron walked up to the cockpit as it opened.

  Olga's hands were trembling slightly as she unbuckled her harness.

  "Master Zakhrov, this thing... awakens something inside me," she said, her face flushed with excitement.

  "Not you too," said Natasha.

  "Hey! Let's see you try to not get excited from unleashing that kind of firepower from a helicopter!" shot back Olga.

  "Time out! Time out!" yelled Michael, holding up his hands.

  "Aaron Zakhrov. Kindly explain to me why the SZPD would need something that can turn an armored personnel carrier into Swiss cheese from the sky?" he demanded.

  "Hmm, I suppose we could just not load up on ammo," replied Aaron with a shrug.

  "That's not the point!" yelled Michael.

  "Michael, your yelling is getting tedious. Calm down and think for a second. We've got high profile and high value targets in the Sirius Zone now. And our moves are making those idiots who buy Senator Goldberg's rhetoric more aggressive. We've already had incidents of protestors using Molotov cocktails and small arms against SZPD patrols and even on innocent businesses. There is only one language these people understand, and that's what the HellVortex speaks," said Aaron, his voice cold and softly menacing.

  Michael swallowed hard, and nodded.

  "All right, but give it a different paint job at least? This thing looks more like a black-ops CIA helicopter right now," he said.

  "Of course, it will come in SZPD livery," replied Aaron with a small smile.

  "Michael, Michael, Michael. You were play-acting were you not?" chuckled Elena.

  Michael blushed slightly, and looked away.

  "Yes. I was, but somebody had to be the damn voice of reason here," he grumbled.

  "Well, you did a good job of it," said Elena with a smile.

  "Thanks," replied Michael, smiling back.

  ---

  "What the hell are you doing?" thundered Elijah Edelstein, looking at Erik Gorbachev in horror.

  "I don't see what the problem is. You put the sanctions against Libya to a vote, and Russia is well within its rights to veto it," replied Erik calmly.

  "Fine! Do your worst! We'll just lump Libya into your sanctions outside the UN!" yelled Elijah, storming out of the UNSC meeting room.

  "Well, that went well," chuckled Erik, as the other members of the UNSC shot him angry glares.

  "Don't think you've won. NATO is now authorized to enforce a full blockade and arms embargo on Libya, in addition to you," growled Daniel Goldberg, representing the US.

  "I don't see why you're so worked up about a public private partnership between Libya and your own Sirius Software," replied Erik.

  "Sirius Software is one thing! That joint venture between those antisemites in Albrecht Nuclear Systems and those imperialists in Yamamoto Corp. is another! That's what this resolution is about! To make that partnership illegal! And mark my words, it will be!" snarled Daniel.

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  "Good luck with that," replied Erik nonchalantly walking out of the room.

  ---

  The Bach slid silently into the Sirius-Albrecht-Yamamoto shipyard complex, and dropped anchor.

  A gangway was lowered, and Aaron disembarked, followed by Natasha, Olga, Friedrich, and Hajime.

  "All right Saladin, what's the situation, now that those UN vultures have decided to uphold the sanctions?" asked Aaron, as he shook hands with Saladin, who was waiting for them on the dock.

  "We've got about a hundred tonnes of titanium ingots in our reserves, so production on the new ships has halted. But the silicon fabs and other factories are running without an issue," said Saladin.

  "Great. How are the education initiatives going?" asked Aaron.

  "Extremely well, thanks to your funding. And yes, the new weapons factories are now up and running," replied Saladin.

  "All right. I've brought along the tooling to start mass-producing the HellVortex here in Libya. Knowing our friends in the UN, they'll try to use some sort of tactics to destabilize us while squeezing the sanctions. These new puppies will help us keep the peace," said Aaron.

  "I want to see the performance for myself first," insisted Saladin.

  "Of course," replied Aaron with a smile.

  The shipyard cranes unloaded the HellVortex prototype from the Bach's hold, and placed it on the tarmac.

  Natasha and Olga disappeared into a makeshift changing room to don their flight suits, while several technicians removed the shipping restraints and performed a quick systems check.

  "All right Natasha, show the good Premier what this baby can do," said Aaron, handing her the fob.

  Natasha climbed into the pilot seat, while Olga climbed into the gunner seat.

  Saladin's jaw dropped as the HellVortex soared across the sky, performing tight maneuvers and precision strikes on target drones launched from the ground and from the Aristotle.

  "Saladin to Aristotle. Can you track that HellVortex?" he asked into the radio.

  "Aristotle's systems can track it, but its stealth systems are making it difficult to get a lock," replied the Aristotle's communication officer.

  "Impressive," muttered Saladin.

  "HellVortex, to Premier Saladin, our targeting systems can't lock on the Aristotle either, we'll need to be within visual range to engage it," came Natasha's voice over the radio.

  "Equally matched. Impressive! Well, young Aaron, consider me sold," said Saladin, smiling broadly.

  "With the titanium we have in reserve, we can produce a thousand of these and have more to spare, a much better allocation than trying to cut corners on building another missile cruiser," said Aaron.

  "Yes. And I will have a nice ground attack and urban warfare force to keep those insurgents in check," said Saladin with a smile.

  "All right. Let's get this thing back on the ground," ordered Aaron into his radio.

  The HellVortex returned to the tarmac, and landed smoothly.

  Its engines powered down with a series of hisses and whines.

  "All right, on to other matters. Erik, what's the status of the Lunar project?" asked Aaron, as Natasha and Olga rejoined the group.

  "Production of the Energia Classic heavy lift rocket is underway. The rover and excavation drones are undergoing final testing. We should be able to launch within the next six months," replied Erik.

  "These sanctions mean that I cannot send my freighters to Libya anymore, so we'll need to find another way to get your consumer electronics out of Libya," said Hajime.

  "That will be a problem, especially since NATO is watching both the Aristotle and Bach closely. Hmm, I have an idea, but it will require some cooperation from you, Erik," said Aaron.

  "Go on," replied Erik.

  "We offload the consumer electronics from the Bach to Russian freighters in international waters, and they take it to Vladivostok. Hajime then picks it up from there. It's a bit roundabout, but it should work. NATO isn't going to stop a legal transfer of goods in international waters," explained Aaron.

  "That could work. I'll get my shipping partners on board with it," replied Erik.

  "Good. Now, let's get to work on building more HellVortex choppers," said Aaron.

  ---

  Kazuya Honda sat in a booth in the Star-Crossed Maid Café, massaging his temples.

  "Kazuya-sensei, what's wrong?" asked Tomoe Tachibana, coming over to his booth.

  "The board of directors and shareholders are after me to sever ties with Sirius Software. They say that our partnership with them is too risky," sighed Kazuya.

  "But all we do is publish their video games. We aren't involved in their more... controversial ventures," replied Tomoe.

  "That's not the point. The board is worried that our association with Sirius Software will hurt our reputation, especially with the way they are tangled up with this business in Libya," said Kazuya.

  Tomoe cocked her head to the side.

  "Then why not ask Master Zakhrov to buy out SEGA? He certainly seems to have the money for it," she suggested.

  Kazuya's eyes widened.

  "That's... actually not a bad idea," he said slowly.

  Tomoe smiled impishly.

  "Kazuya-sensei, you're a dummy sometimes. It should have been the first thing you thought of," she teased.

  Kazuya chuckled.

  "I suppose it's because I'd rather be Aaron's partner than his subordinate," he said with a small smile.

  "Hmmm, well. Would you trust SEGA to be owned by Sirius Software?" asked Tomoe.

  Kazuya thought for a moment.

  "I suppose it's better than being owned by those vultures in BlackRock and Vanguard," he said with a sigh.

  "Exactly. Now, why don't you go and talk to Master Zakhrov about it?" suggested Tomoe with a smile.

  Kazuya nodded, and stood up.

  "Thanks Tomoe. I think I will," he said with a smile.

  "Anytime, Kazuya-sensei," replied Tomoe with a smile.

  ---

  "You seriously want me to buy out SEGA?" asked Aaron, looking at Kazuya in surprise.

  "It's either that, or I'll be forced to sever ties with Sirius Software. The board and shareholders are worried about our association with you, especially with the way you're involved in Libya," explained Kazuya.

  "Why not sell to Hajime then?" asked Aaron.

  "Hajime was forced to sell his stake in SEGA long before you came along. The Japanese government would rather sell SEGA to BlackRock than let him have a controlling interest," replied Kazuya.

  "Then how are they letting him build them an aircraft carrier?" asked Aaron.

  "The defense ministry is Hajime's stronghold, the ministry of culture on the other hand is run by his main rival, Kenji Mitsuharu, who is in bed with BlackRock and Vanguard," explained Kazuya.

  "All right. I'll buy out SEGA, but on one condition," said Aaron.

  "What's that?" asked Kazuya.

  "You have to stay on as CEO. I don't trust anybody else to run SEGA," replied Aaron.

  "I'd be honored," said Kazuya with a smile.

  "Now, let's get the paperwork started," said Aaron.

  ---

  "This is an outrage! SEGA forms one of the cornerstones of Japan's entertainment industry! How can you even think of selling it off to some American?" shouted Kenji Mitsuharu, as he stood in the boardroom of SEGA's headquarters in Tokyo.

  "Sirius Software has made a very generous offer, Mr. Mitsuharu. And let's be honest, SEGA has been struggling lately," said Kazuya calmly.

  "If only I could fire you on the spot Kazuya! This was your idea, wasn't it? To sell off SEGA to that American bastard Zakhrov?" shouted Kenji.

  "He practically owns us anyway, Kenji. Its Sirius Software's games that are bringing us the most revenue, not to mention that we've been using their servers and cloud infrastructure for two years now," said Kazuya.

  Kenji grit his teeth.

  "Not happening Kazuya. The board refuses to even consider this," he said.

  "Sirius Software has already announced their bid for SEGA's stock. You know what that means," said Kazuya.

  "Let them try! SEGA isn't for sale to some maniac who just armed Libya!" shouted Kenji.

  Kazuya sighed wearily.

  "Kenji, our stock price is in the crapper. You can't even poison-pill it," he tried to explain.

  "Kazuya Honda. I want your resignation! All in favor of Kazuya's immediate termination?" asked Kenji.

  A few board members nodded.

  "All opposed?" asked Kenji.

  Several of the major shareholders raised their hands.

  "This man just propositioned that we sell of SEGA to some American warmonger!" screamed Kenji.

  "Mr. Mitsuharu, please calm down. Regardless of Mr. Honda's... associations, he has been a steady and successful CEO and steward of SEGA. We will not be terminating him," said one of the shareholders, but glaring at Kazuya to communicate that he was on thin ice.

  "Very well. But I still move that we do everything within our power to prevent Sirius Software from acquiring SEGA," said Kenji.

  "Seconded," said another shareholder.

  "All in favor?" asked Kenji.

  "Yea!" chorused the majority of the board members.

  Kazuya stood up.

  "Very well, I shall continue to serve as CEO of SEGA and not discuss this matter further," he said, and started to walk out of the boardroom.

  The door to the boardroom burst open before he could reach it, and a panicked executive rushed in.

  "Mr. Mitsuharu! Sirius Software has just bought all of SEGA's stock on the open market!" he announced breathlessly.

  Kenji's face turned white.

  "Impossible! They can't do that!" he shouted.

  The executive took a deep breath.

  "They paid cash, and now own 47.9% of SEGA's stock. That makes them the largest single shareholder," he said.

  Kenji sank into his chair, defeated.

  "Well, I guess we have no choice but to accept their bid then," he said bitterly.

  "How much are they paying per share?" asked Kazuya.

  "6400 yen per share. Over 100% premium over the current market price," replied the executive.

  "Well, at least we'll be getting well paid," muttered a board member.

  "Yes, but at what cost?" lamented Kenji.

  Tomoe nervously entered the boardroom, holding a folder in her petite hands.

  "U-um, Honda-sensei, this just arrived from Sirius Software's legal team," she said hesitantly, handing the folder to Kazuya.

  Kazuya opened the folder and scanned the contents.

  "Gentlemen, these are Sirius Software's terms for SEGA's direction going forward," he said.

  The board members leaned in to see what the terms were.

  "First, Kazuya Honda will remain as CEO of SEGA, and will have full autonomy over SEGA's operations. Second, Kazuya Honda, or whoever he names as his successor, will report directly and only, to Sirius Software. Third, SEGA will not, and will never be merged with any of Sirius Software's other ventures or subsidiaries. Fourth, SEGA will be liquidated as a Japanese public company in the event of Sirius Software failing or ceasing to exist," read Kazuya.

  The board members stood in stunned silence.

  "This is almost too good to be true," muttered one of the members.

  "It's a trap! There's got to be a catch!" shouted Kenji.

  "All in favor of accepting Sirius Software's terms?" asked Kazuya.

  "Yay," chorused the board members, except for Kenji who sat in stunned silence.

  "Then it's settled. SEGA is now a subsidiary of Sirius Software," said Kazuya.

  He looked at Kenji.

  "I suggest you take the buyout offer Kenji. It's the best you'll get," he said.

  Kenji leaped to his feet.

  "I will get a counter-bid! Even if I have to get the Japanese government to block this sale!" he shouted, and stormed out of the boardroom.

  Kazuya sighed.

  "Tomoe, please inform Sirius Software that we accept their terms," he said.

  "Y-yes, Honda-sensei," replied Tomoe, and hurried out of the boardroom.

  Oda Tanaka, one of the other board members, turned to Kazuya.

  "Why is Zakhrov dictating these kinds of terms? I'm happy he is, but it still seems odd," he asked.

  Kazuya smiled wryly.

  "Oda-san, are you a member of the Star-Crossed Maid Cafe?" he asked.

  Oda's eyes widened.

  "Y-yes," he said cautiously.

  "Then you know why. Aaron Zakhrov is the one who built that, and helped the lovely Ms. Tachibana get it off the ground," replied Kazuya.

  Oda nodded slowly. Realization dawning on him.

  "So, he's an otaku and chunnibyou as well," he chuckled.

  "I would say he's a more of a real-life Edge Lord, compared to those who just pretend to be one online," said Kazuya.

  "Damn! That's why everybody hates him," muttered Oda.

  "Indeed, so let's try not to piss him off," said Kazuya with a wry smile.

  ---

  "To a bright future for SEGA!" toasted Kazuya, as he clinked glasses with Aaron in Star-Crossed Maid Cafe.

  "To SEGA!" replied Aaron, and took a sip of his drink.

  "I must warn you though, that Kenji Mitsuharu is going to try and block this acquisition," said Kazuya.

  "I'm banking on the terms I set down, and the offer I've made being too good for the ministry of culture to block it," replied Aaron.

  "Well, he can try a counter-offer through his friends at BlackRock, but I don't know if they have the stomach for a bidding war," said Kazuya.

  "Well, for now, we've got control of SEGA, so let's enjoy the moment," said Aaron.

  "Agreed," replied Kazuya, and took another sip of his drink.

  Tomoe approached their table, dressed in her Star-Crossed Maid Cafe uniform.

  "Would you like anything else, Masters?" she asked politely.

  "Yes, a status report of the café," replied Aaron.

  Tomoe blushed slightly.

  "Y-yes, Master Zakhrov. The café has been doing well. We've had a steady membership revenue from our patrons, and the profits from the café itself hav been steady," she said.

  "Excellent, and have you been ignoring the negative reviews like I instructed?" asked Aaron.

  "Y-yes, Master Zakhrov. They were all trying to bait us into changing the business model and theme of the café," she replied.

  "Indeed. This cafe's aesthetic is not up for debate," said Aaron firmly.

  "Y-yes, Master Zakhrov," replied Tomoe.

  "Good girl, now I would like a slice of chocolate cake," said Aaron.

  Tomoe smiled, and went to fetch the cake.

  "You know, this acquisition thing was her idea. I hadn't even considered it thanks to my own damn stubborn pride," said Kazuya.

  "Don't be too hard on yourself. A good leader knows when to listen to advice," replied Aaron.

  "Yeah, well, I just hope I can live up to your expectations," said Kazuya.

  "Don't worry about that. Just keep SEGA independent, and keep making great games," replied Aaron.

  "That's the plan," said Kazuya with a smile.