Olivia was having trouble reconciling Atlas and his statement, with their goal of an alliance.

  Olivia crossed her arms. “But we don’t have any proof. You’re basing this purely on speculation.”

  Atlas met her gaze, his expression hard. “I know. But the way this show works? There’s always a catch. Always a surprise. And I don’t want that surprise to be, ‘Ha ha, now you’re subjects of the Celestial Empire.’”

  Olivia sighed, recognizing the weight behind his words. “That’s a valid point. But what’s the alternative? I don’t think we’ll ever get His Majesty to agree to being subordinate to Fort Bone.”

  Atlas grunted, pacing the room. “Yeah, that’s gonna be a problem.”

  Alexander, who had been quiet, finally spoke up while leaning against the wall. “Listen, I ain’t no diplomat, but it sounds like we gotta figure out how to make him think he’s in charge without givin’ him all the power. It’s all about appearances, right?”

  Olivia glanced at him, then back to Atlas. “He’s got a point. We need to be smarter, more strategic. The Emperor has an ego, and that’s something we can work with. We just need to figure out how to offer him the illusion of control while keeping Fort Bone in the lead.”

  Atlas stopped pacing, considering the idea. “Maybe. But it’s a delicate line to walk. One misstep, and we’re screwed.”

  Olivia smiled slightly. “Then let’s make sure we don’t misstep. We’ve come this far—we can outsmart him.”

  Atlas’s expression softened, but the determination in his eyes remained. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

  ‘‘‘

  Olivia paced the length of the room, her boots thudding against the stone floor as her diplomats watched her, clearly waiting for some miraculous idea to fall from the sky. ‘Why does it always come down to me fixing things?‘ she thought, mentally cursing the stubbornness of both Atlas and the Celestial Emperor.

  "So, we’re deadlocked," Olivia muttered, stopping to look at the group. “Atlas won’t bow, the Emperor won’t either. Ideas?”

  One of the diplomats, Sarah, who had been furiously scribbling notes, finally looked up, adjusting her glasses. “What if we—hear me out—propose an alliance instead of one ruling over the other?”

  Olivia blinked. “Go on.”

  “Well, what if we suggest a joint leadership structure? Atlas and the Celestial Emperor co-lead, each representing their own empire. It’s not exactly bowing, but they’d share the power.”

  Olivia’s eyebrows rose. “That... might just work.” She turned toward the others, her fingers tapping against the back of a chair. “But we need to make it more formal. We can’t have them bickering every time a decision needs to be made. We need clear terms of how the unity works.”

  Another diplomat, Joshua, leaned in. “We could draft an agreement with shared authority—split territory, military resources, and the token distribution. No one feels like they’re losing anything.”

  “That’s good,” Olivia nodded, feeling the excitement build. “But we need to hammer out the benefits. If we just say work together, that’s not gonna fly. We need incentives—goals, achievements. Something they can’t say no to.”

  “Exactly,” Sarah jumped in. “We could make mutual goals, like unifying the wasteland and making sure both empires are protected. They’d have to share resources—technology, strategies, the works. The more they work together, the more they both gain.”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Olivia could almost see it now. Atlas, rolling his eyes but eventually agreeing. The Emperor, smug but calculating, realizing it was the best path forward. ‘But it’s never that easy,‘ she reminded herself. There was still the issue of how to actually make decisions together without tearing each other apart.

  “We also need a council,” Olivia added. “Representatives from both sides to deal with any issues, kind of like a regular check-in to prevent arguments from spiralling into chaos.”

  Joshua smiled. “That could work. Have a council meet weekly—iron out any concerns and keep things running smoothly.”

  “But what happens when they inevitably butt heads?” Sarah asked, folding her arms. “We need a conflict resolution plan. Something that doesn’t end in swords being drawn.”

  Olivia tapped her chin thoughtfully. “A neutral third party. A mediator. Maybe even someone outside of both empires to keep things balanced.”

  “What about incentives for when things go well?” Joshua suggested. “We could introduce rewards—bonus tokens or resources for hitting certain milestones. It’ll push both sides to cooperate.”

  “And cultural exchange programs,” Sarah added, her voice brightening. “If we get their people to understand each other—soldiers, diplomats, even civilians—it might build some goodwill.”

  “Cultural exchanges,” Olivia repeated, grinning. “That’s good. It’ll show we’re serious about working together, not just talking big. But we need to make sure this alliance doesn’t implode after the first bad day.”

  “Trial period,” Joshua said, snapping his fingers. “We give them a few months to see if it works. Afterward, we reassess, adjust if needed.”

  Olivia stopped pacing, a slow smile spreading across her face. “This... this could work. We give them a way to share the power without making either of them feel like they’re losing. And we throw in bonuses, give them the chance to test it out before fully committing.”

  The room hummed with energy as the plan started to take shape. Sarah was scribbling again, and Joshua nodded eagerly.

  Olivia took a deep breath. ‘Now the hard part—convincing Atlas and the Celestial Emperor to give it a shot.‘

  “Alright,” she said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get this proposal written up. If we can’t get them to play nice, we’ll at least make sure they’re stuck in the same sandbox.”

  The group chuckled, but Olivia knew this was their best shot. Tomorrow, she’d have to face both of the most stubborn men in the wasteland and somehow get them to see reason. ‘Fun times,‘ she thought dryly, but there was a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, they’d pull it off.

  ‘‘‘

  The night was alive with the smell of roasted meats, exotic spices, and the clink of gilded cups. The Celestial Emperor had truly outdone himself. The grand hall was filled with the sounds of music—strange instruments played by pale musicians with glowing eyes—and the laughter of jade eyed beauties gliding between the tables. This was no ordinary feast; this was a full-blown imperial spectacle with a wasteland twist.

  The table stretched for what seemed like miles, draped in luxurious crimson cloth with intricate golden designs. Dishes upon dishes lined the center—whole roasted creatures with too many eyes, delicacies that glistened with strange oils, and bowls of rice mixed with blackened, charred meat from creatures hunted in the wasteland. Giant platters of honey-glazed mutant pigs, their tusks still intact, shared space with bowls of glowing, jelly-like fruit from the twisted forests.

  Alexander, eyes wide, took it all in. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he muttered, leaning over to Olivia. “This here’s the fanciest spread I ever laid eyes on.”

  Olivia smirked. “Impressed?”

  “Hell yeah! These folks sure know how to throw a dinner.”

  And he wasn’t wrong. Imperial beauties draped in silk and adorned with gold and jade moved gracefully among the guests, refilling drinks and whispering sweet nothings into the ears of the imperial court. One courtesan, a tall beauty with dark, shimmering hair, caught Alexander’s eye. She smiled coyly at him, and that was all the invitation he needed. He waved her over with a grin, clearly charmed.

  “Miss, mind keeping me company after this here feast?” Alexander winked, trying to keep his rural charm intact.

  The courtesan giggled and nodded. “Of course, sir.”

  Across the table, Atlas was already deep in conversation with two courtesans, each more beautiful than the last. He was no prude, and certainly not one to turn down company—especially on a night like this. With a sly grin, he whispered something to the pair, who laughed in response, their hands gently resting on his shoulders. ‘Why have one when you can have two?‘ he thought, feeling the pleasant warmth of the wine in his veins.

  As the feast continued, the tension from earlier seemed to melt away. The Emperor, seated at the head of the table, caught Atlas’ eye and raised his cup in a friendly toast.

  “To new friends,” the Emperor said, his voice booming over the hall.

  “To new friends,” Atlas echoed, lifting his cup. They locked eyes, and for a moment, it was as if all the politics and power struggles had faded. Tonight, they were just two men enjoying food, drink, and the pleasures of life. They shared a laugh, and the court, watching closely, murmured among themselves.