Chapter 99: The Grand Merger

A giant, spherical mass of iron. Aside from the fact that it was built specifically for murder and mayhem, this Floating Fortress wasn’t all that different from your average, everyday space station. Teiro let the [BEACON PROGRAM] take the wheel, surrenderring his flight path to the whims of the [AUTOMATIC LANDING PROGRAM]. The space around them was a chaotic mess of heavy traffic and protruding structural obstacles.

"Ooh, look, Marl! They’re using our stuff!"

A ring-shaped structure, looking very much like the rings of Saturn, circled the sphere. Mounted upon it were massive turrets—unmistakably the stationary Railguns produced by their very own Development Department. The Railguns slid slowly along the ring’s track, proving they could rain lead down on anyone approaching from any angle.

"Wow, you’re right! Seeing them actually put to use like this... it’s a little moving, honestly." Marl peered into the monitor with a bright, proud smile.

Following the [BEACON PROGRAM]'s cold dictates, the Plum II passed through a series of opening bulkheads and touched down in the Floating Fortress's Internal Dock. Teiro navigated the zero-gravity dock with his trademark lack of grace before finally stepping into the pressurized internal facilities where gravity actually functioned the way nature intended.

"Oh, there she is! Hey—Liza! How’s it hanging!?"

Teiro waved frantically, calling out to Liza as she stood there staring at a portable terminal with a look of terminal boredom. She looked up, caught Teiro’s voice, and approached with a flicker of embarrassment dancing on her face.

"It has been a long time, Teiro-san. But perhaps, in a place this crowded, you could manage to turn the volume down a notch or two?"

The lobby was crawling with EAP personnel, everyone buzzing about their various duties. The place was a temple to utilitarianism—iron walls, iron floors, iron everything. The only concession to comfort was a few sad-looking chairs and sofas lined up against the walls. A few workers glanced up at Teiro’s shouting, but they quickly realized he wasn't important and went back to their business.

"My bad, my bad. But you know how it is—I see a beautiful woman and I just can't help getting fired up." Teiro flashed a thumbs-up and followed it with a wink that absolutely did not suit his face.

"My, I wonder how many women have had to suffer through that exact line, Teiro-san? Good day to you, Marl-san, Koume-san. I trust you’re all doing well? How’s the mood?"

Liza gently pushed Teiro’s thumb out of her personal space and turned to greet the others. Marl was currently hauling Koume, while Alan, Phantom, and Etta trailed behind.

"Can't complain, Liza," Marl said. "Actually, don't you already know everything from the Security Squad? They’re basically our shadows at this point."

"It’s unfortunate, but your employees are far too competent, Marl-san. I’ve tried to pry some gossip out of them, but they’re a tight-lipped bunch. Especially lately."

Alan chimed in, pointing a finger toward Liza with a smirk. "That’s because the head of the Security Department turned into a literal monster. Everyone’s terrified of him. Good to see you, Liza."

Phantom shot Alan a look of pure professional protest. "If you’re referring to me, I’m just doing my job. Besides, monitoring for info-leaks falls under your Intelligence Department, doesn't it? I think you’re the one everyone’s actually scared of... Ah, Miss Liza. A pleasure. Thank you for looking after my subordinates."

Phantom delivered a crisp, perfectly executed Earth Style salute. Liza returned the gesture with a refined Imperial-style bow.

"The pleasure is mine. Now, let’s hurry to the meeting room. Miss Bella should already be there. Once we arrive, the gang’s all here."

The TRB Union Supreme Executive Meeting. Teiro had spent the last few days prepping a mountain of agenda items for this. He had ideas for the war against Enzio, the future direction of the Union, how to redistribute the spoils from Katsushika, and fleet logistics. He’d sacrificed a significant amount of sleep to cook these plans up and honestly thought he’d hit a home run.

However, all of his hard work was vaporized the moment Liza made her first proposal.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! Hang on! Huh? For real? Are you actually serious right now?"

Teiro bolted upright from his chair at the round table, his face a mask of panicked disbelief. Beside him, Marl gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Alan looked genuinely intrigued. The only one currently maintaining a soul-crushing lack of emotion was Phantom.

"Quite serious. We’ve already crunched the numbers for the profit-loss projections, and I’ve already cleared it with Bella-san," Liza said, her expression as calm as a still pond.

Teiro whipped his head toward Bella, his eyes begging for a Just kidding! The blue-haired woman had her locks tied back and wore a faint, knowing smirk. Her eyes said: No joke, kid.

"Are you for real...? But why? I thought we were doing great! Better than great! We’re crushing it! Did I do something? Is this because of me? Am I the problem here?"

The proposal Liza had dropped was nothing less than the total dissolution of the TRB Union. Caught completely off-guard, Teiro didn’t even try to play it cool; he just devolved into a puddle of anxiety.

"Look, look! It’s such a waste to kill the Union when everything is working! I’ll work harder, I swear! The company is growing like crazy! It’s way too soon to throw in the towel!" Teiro flailed his arms, desperately trying to keep the ship from sinking.

"Teiro, breathe. Look at the smirks on their faces," Marl whispered, her eyes deadpan. "They aren't joking, but they definitely aren't telling you the whole story yet."

Teiro looked back at Bella with a glimmer of hope. She gave a theatrically dramatic shrug.

"Based on the kid’s level of panic, I think we could’ve squeezed him for much harsher terms, don't you?" Bella let out a hearty, booming laugh.

Alan finally threw Teiro a lifeline. "Maybe stop teasing him? As for me... well, if my theory is right, a simple dissolution would actually be the least surprising outcome here. What do you think?"

Alan glanced at Phantom. Phantom nodded. "Indeed. Staying as a 'Union' has lost its utility. Transport, security, production, and management—our three companies are already functioning as a single organism. There’s no longer any tactical advantage to keeping the paperwork separate."

Teiro’s head tilted so far to the side he nearly tipped over. "Uh... what are we talking about exactly?"

"A merger," Bella said plainly. "We’re going to fold everything into one pile and stop wasting money on redundant overhead. If you really want to stay separate, I guess we could reconsider, but we’d much rather you just sign the damn papers."

"A merger? Between who?"

"My outfit, your outfit, and Liza's."

"You want us to be... one company?"

"I feel like I’m repeating myself, kid. We dissolve the Union and become a single entity. We could come up with some fancy new name, but honestly, your brand has the most street cred. I want to use your company’s name."

Teiro stood there, mouth agape, literally forgetting how to move oxygen in and out of his lungs. He stared into space with wide eyes until Marl nudged him.

"Hey. What’s the plan, boss?"

"No, I mean... seriously? A merger? I mean, yeah, it’s logically sound, but are you guys sure? Bella, your company has been around forever. And Liza, don't you have a board of directors to worry about?"

Liza smiled. "The only major shareholders left at Speed Carrier are myself and my brother, Teiro-san. We’ve been quietly buying back shares for months. As of last month, we hit eighty percent ownership."

Bella raised a finger. "And as for my place? Yeah, we’re old. But 'old' isn't a business model. Any company that can't adapt to the times is just a corpse waiting for a funeral. I think it’s time for a change."

Liza nodded in firm agreement. Bella asked for permission to smoke, then bit into a cigar and lit it with the ease of a woman who had seen everything.

"The TRB Union is doing great, just like you said, kid. But that’s the trap. It’s going so well that we’re getting stiff. You make the guns, we shoot them, and we protect Liza’s cargo. To put it bluntly: Guns and Speed Carrier have forgotten how to walk on their own."

Bella exhaled a cloud of smoke. "And at this rate, your place is going to outgrow us both."

Teiro crossed his arms, his brain finally catching up to the speed of the conversation.

"There is another factor," Liza added. "Rising Sun, Guns & Rule, and Speed Carrier... Teiro-san, have you actually looked at the scale of our companies lately?"

Teiro nodded. "If we ignore the Union’s shared assets, I figured we finally caught up to you guys. Liza’s revenue is still way higher, but in terms of headcount and infrastructure, we’re about even."

"Exactly. But do you really think we’ll stay even?"

"What do you mean?"

"It’s simple math. Rising Sun caught up to Speed Carrier in a single year. There is no reason to believe your growth is going to magically stop now. We love seeing our allies succeed, but at this rate, we are going to be left behind."

Liza didn't mince words. Teiro finally grasped the heart of the issue and slumped back into his chair with a grimace.

"Starting to see the picture?" Bella asked. "If we stay separate, our value is just going to rot away over time. But if we move now, we can still claim a seat at the big table. I know you wouldn't just dump us, kid, but if we ever became dead weight and got cut loose, we’d be finished."

Bella grinned through the purple haze of smoke. "Don't look so miserable. This is just business. It’s not a bad move for us, either. We get to stand on a much bigger stage, and the perks are way better. Sure, it’s a little sad to lose the old name, but the potential here is too good to pass up."

Liza waved away the smoke with an annoyed huff. "Exactly. Everyone is on board. Some of my employees are actually thrilled about the prospect. Like I said, you have the power to veto this. But we’re asking you to say yes."

Silence descended on the room. Teiro felt like his heart was being put through a blender—half overwhelming guilt, half incredible gratitude. He tried to speak, but the words kept getting stuck in his throat.

"...I... look forward to working with you."

Teiro squeezed the words out, bowing his head so low it practically hit the table. He didn't know how else to respond. An apology felt like the natural reaction, but he knew that saying "sorry" for their success would be an insult to everything they had built together.

The next day, as the fleet officially transitioned to a [WARTIME STANCE], the merger was finalized. Liza took command of the Transport Department, while Bella became the head of the Security Department. Bella had initially tried to decline out of respect for Phantom, but Phantom had actually looked relieved. He hadn't joined Rising Sun for the title or the paycheck, so he didn't care who sat in the big chair as long as the job got done.

And just like that, Rising Sun was reborn—a mid-sized corporate juggernaut with over 5,000 employees and influence spanning two star systems. The restructuring caused a bit of temporary chaos, but that was it. To any outside observer, the three companies had been acting so much like a single unit for so long that the merger just felt like someone finally got around to filing the paperwork.