The General Arrives
General Leonard arrives at the Freehold, greeted with warmth, history, and a candid briefing on V’ren command, upcoming events, and quiet political strategy.
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Amazon Corporation
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Lessons in Power, Dresses, and Thrones
In a rare private audience, High Lord Matt Marmaduke counsels T’monn and L’tani on trust, alliances, and the power of perception in their new world.
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The C-Suite Meeting
At the top of Chicago’s corporate skyline, Amazon’s most powerful executives weigh an unconventional offer from a man on the ground—one that could reshape the refugee crisis, their power structure, and the game they think they’re playing.
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Dispatches from the Farm: First Contact Protocols
As first contact unfolds at the Freehold, Matt fires off a series of terse dispatches—balancing family safety, corporate authority, and legal contingencies. From keeping his daughters out of harm’s way to activating formal protocols, these messages reveal the immediate, calculated moves behind Missouri’s first encounter with the V’ren.
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Diplomacy and Negotiation
In the shadow of the landed V’ren ship, Matt Marmaduke meets the alien delegation on scorched Missouri ground. What begins as formal posturing shifts to mutual trust, ending in a decisive agreement—refuge for the V’ren under his charter, and a direct line of truth between him and their chosen ambassador.
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Shadow Over Missouri
When the V’ren ship settles across Matt Marmaduke’s northern fields, it flattens nearly two hundred acres of prime crop. The ramp lowers, and Missouri’s first alien visitor walks into the sunlight. In measured words, Matt greets her—balancing local pride, corporate authority, and a farmer’s blunt pragmatism.
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Zero Hour 9:00 AM
As the alien refugee ship enters Earth’s atmosphere, Beacon technology takes control—slowing and cradling it toward an unknown landing site. Drones scatter, mapping the planet in real time. The search narrows to Missouri, where one stubborn former Amazon officer is about to become the most important man on the ground.
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The Corporate Council Emergency Session
Summoned to Amazon’s highest chamber, General Leonard Octavius Wood briefs the corporate elite on eight alien ships and the sudden awakening of the Beacon Network. Rival megacorps circle like sharks, narrative control becomes paramount, and the first hours of humanity’s contact with another species are already slipping from containment.
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The Beacons Wake
When eight alien ships drop into the solar system, the long-silent Beacon Network roars to life. General Leonard Octavius Wood takes the first call—and learns a crippled colonial transport the size of a city is falling toward Earth. No one knows who built the Beacons, or why they’re answering now.