Pressure did not come as threats.
It came as calendars.
Kaito realized this when Mina forwarded him a consolidated schedule instead of a warning. The list scrolled for three pages—emergency hearings, multilateral briefings, closed-door summits—each invitation wrapped in polite language that assumed attendance.
"They're coordinating," Mina said. "Quietly."
Aya projected overlays across the schedule. "Temporal clustering detected. Requests originate from actors with overlapping jurisdictional reach."
Liang frowned. "That's not curiosity. That's alignment."
Kaito leaned back, eyes closed for a moment. "They want us in rooms."
"Yes," Mina replied. "Rooms where words become records."
The first summons came from a regional energy council—technically advisory, practically mandatory. Kaito declined with a short note citing operational constraints.
The response arrived in under ten minutes.
We can accommodate your constraints.
Aya highlighted the phrasing. "Escalation by accommodation. They will continue to narrow options until refusal becomes visible."
"Visible to who?" Kaito asked.
"Everyone," Mina said.
On Earth, statements began to shift.
Officials stopped using the word innovation and started saying stability. Editorials praised Arcada technology while questioning its governance. Panels debated whether any single entity—private or otherwise—should control infrastructure of planetary significance.
"They're building the moral case," Liang said. "Not the legal one. Not yet."
Kaito watched a news segment in silence. "They're not wrong," he said finally.
Mina turned to him sharply. "Careful."
"No," Kaito said. "Listen. They're not wrong to be afraid of concentration. They're wrong to think the answer is ownership."
Aya added, "Public sentiment analysis indicates growing support for oversight without consensus on mechanism."
"Which means," Mina said, "they'll try to invent one."
The breakthrough came as a leak.
An internal draft circulated among policy circles before appearing on a small but influential blog. It proposed an International Infrastructure Safeguards Authority—mandated to license, audit, and, if necessary, seize control of systems deemed existentially critical.
Arcada systems were named explicitly.
Liang read the document twice, jaw tightening. "They're skipping debate."
"They're testing reaction," Mina said. "Seeing who flinches."
Aya projected modeled outcomes. "If enacted, this framework would nullify Charter enforcement and transfer final authority to state-aligned bodies."
Kaito stood.
"So this is the line," he said quietly.
"Yes," Mina replied. "If you attend their meetings, you legitimize the premise. If you refuse, you become the obstacle."
Silence stretched.
Kaito looked toward the Arcadian threshold, feeling the steady presence of the anchor beyond walls and worlds.
"We don't fight this in their rooms," he said.
Liang blinked. "Then where?"
"In the open," Kaito replied. "But not with slogans."
Aya's avatar sharpened. "Clarify."
Kaito turned back to the table. "They're arguing that concentration of capability is dangerous."
"Yes," Aya said.
"So we demonstrate distribution," Kaito continued. "Not by handing over control—but by proving that the Charter works at scale."
Mina frowned. "You're talking about expanding access."
"Carefully," Kaito said. "Deliberately. To actors who can't be coerced into blocs."
Liang's eyes widened slightly. "Small nations. Municipal grids. Independent operators."
"Yes," Kaito said. "Pressure dissipates when it can't focus."
Aya processed rapidly. "Strategy reduces probability of centralized seizure while increasing operational complexity."
"I know," Kaito said. "That's the cost."
That night, Mina sent her reply to the councils.
A single sentence.
We will not attend private deliberations about public infrastructure.
The backlash was immediate—and restrained.
Statements expressed disappointment. Concerns were voiced about transparency. Invitations were quietly rescinded and replaced with requests.
Aya tracked the shift. "Pressure vector adjusted. Direct coercion probability decreased. Indirect narrative pressure increased."
Kaito nodded. "Expected."
The disk chimed softly.
DAY 023 — SIGN-IN COMPLETE
No reward appeared.
But the system interface lingered, text resolving briefly before fading.
GOVERNANCE STRESS TEST: ACTIVE
Kaito stared at the words.
Pressure was no longer incidental.
It was the test.
And like all tests that mattered, there would be no clear moment when it ended—
Only consequences for how it was taken.