They sold the Dereggers what they CLAIMED was a disintegration weapon. Shoot it at an enemy, the enemy vanished, often screaming in fear. In fact, they sold many. Imagine the people's shocked faces when they found they "reappeared" aboard one of many pods hidden in that system's massive asteroid belts, being taken, carefully, to safety. -- Anon Guest
[AN: I decided a long time ago that my Amalgam Universe did not have teleportation devices, so this is Amalgam Adjacent. One universe over, someone cracked the code.]
The physics was next to impossible. One could not truly question how someone made such a device, let alone how they made it work. As with all questions regarding technological miracles, the wavering finger of blame pointed in the vague direction of the Nae'hyn. But that wasn't the important bit.
The important bit was that one absolute maniac of a genius figured out how to use it offensively against Deregger worlds.
"The orbital pods make it work," insisted Trader Jo. She did not show them the interior of the pods, only that they were essentially linked to the guns she was also selling to the Oligarchy of Obstinate Morality. Better known to the Alliance as Greater Deregulation Upper Southeast. "You shoot someone or something, that someone or something is no longer your concern. The only real concern is that you don't shoot anything over... six hundred of your pounds."
"Is that an absolute? You can't expand it?"
"Any more than that and a pod will explode, thus destroying the entire system," said Jo. "But, hey, if you want maintenance fees and charges, then that's your problem."
Money, as always, was the greater motivator. "We'll tell our enforcers not to shoot anything heavier than five hundred," said the Grandest of High CEO's. "Play it safe."
That may have been the first time in history that a leader of a Deregger world was concerned with safety. Jo did not verbally acknowledge this. "That's amenable."
"Then we have a deal," announced oligarch. "Done and done."
You certainly have been, thought Jo, and moved on with the free installation part of the process.
Deregger world after Deregger world made the same deal. Bought the same technology. Shot person after person and gleefully delighted in the 'sinners' screams as they departed that world.
What they didn't know was that those 'sinners' still lived. They vanished from their world screaming and, still screaming, reappeared in one of the orbital pods. There, a comfort meal would be printed and a message of calming intent would play while the pod ferried them to a waiting Alliance vessel.
"Please remain calm," the automated voice intoned whilst relaxing ur-music played[1]. "You are not dead. You have been saved. Please enjoy the free food and edutainment while we take you to an improved living environment."
Occasionally, a Deregger polity would use the guns as a means of waste disposal, but there were molecular disassemblers for that. Every atom taken into the system could be used again for something else.
Any Greater Deregulation's loss was the Alliance's gain.
[1] Not exactly a tune, nor a musical arrangement, but rather a vibe of calming tones and sounds that are almost music. Like meditation soundtracks.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / Juliarstudio]
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