Even in times of apparent peace—if any such time existed—there is always conflict of some kind. The still surface waters grant a facade over the churning movements found in the depths far below. Espionage. Extortion. Diplomatic maneuvering. All this and more exists in the world of business. Even more so on the galactic scale. Arx Capital Exchange (ACE) is not immune to this truth. Nor is it above participating.
In the wake of negotiations with the Severian Principate, ACE has begun edging into the Principate's business sector through a series of trade deals. But it has not been going as smoothly as its executives had hoped. There is push back from within, with local enterprises undercutting ACE at each step, and even offering never before seen prototypes that are catered to the Principate's growing needs with a kind of accuracy market research alone couldn't grant them.
Obviously, above board maneuvering could only get ACE so far. It's time to bend the rules...or ignore them entirely. You have been presented with the opportunity to participate in an ACE initiative within Severian Principate territory. The following avenues have been opened, but the choice is yours to make:
1. Competition Dissolution
You are to use any means possible—from espionage to assassination—to ensure that our primary competitors are no longer able to remain solvent. They are to be either removed from the board or assimilated into ACE's total worth.
2. Prototype Retrieval
Our competitors are producing unique prototypes that we are currently unable to match. It is our desire to acquire one the blueprints of one such prototype or, failing that, the item itself for reverse engineering.
3. Contract Negotiations
If you are feeling confident, you can attempt to pick up the line of negotiations that has previously failed us: enacting contractual obligations with our competitors. If they are going to profit, we might as well enjoy that profit as well. The means in which you pursue this contract matters little, only the result is of importance.
Write a fiction at least 500 words in length. No maximum. Please include the objective in your file name. Anything in a Google Doc must be exported for submission and not be submitted as a link. All submissions must be in a common text format.
1st place
Sera Kaern
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2nd place
Master Seraine "Erinyes" Taldrya Ténama
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3rd place
Malevek
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