[The Pantheon - The War Room]
Alex sat in the command chair, spinning the Imperial Black Card between his fingers. The chat room was quiet. The aliens were still terrified of his "Sovereign" status.
But Dawn interrupted the silence. "Warning," Dawn's avatar appeared red. "Sensors detecting unauthorized slipspace ruptures on the edge of the solar system. Three vessels. No transponder codes."
"Pirates?" Alex asked.
"Scavengers," Dawn corrected. "They saw the Debt Collector leave. They think Earth is vulnerable. They are coming to raid us for slaves and resources."
Alex looked at the holographic map. Three jagged, rusty ships were burning hard toward Earth. "They think we're free real estate," Alex stood up. "Dawn, open the VIP Market. Category: Planetary Defense."
[The Shopping Spree]
The store interface changed. It wasn't the basic "Earth Tech" anymore. It was sleek, black, and gold.
Item: Kinetic Barrier (Basic). Cost: 5,000 GC. (Stops meteors).
Item: Laser Grid (Advanced). Cost: 20,000 GC. (Stops fighters).
Item: The Aegis Prime (Class-A Planetary Shield).
Description: Covers the entire planet in a hard-light geometric sphere. Capable of withstanding orbital bombardment from a Dreadnought.
Cost: 500,000 GC.
"500,000 Credits," Alex frowned. "We have zero liquid cash."
"Notice," The System chimed. "User holds the Imperial Black Card. You are eligible for the 'Tycoon Credit Line.' Interest rate: 0% for the first 30 days."
Alex grinned. "Debt is just leverage, Dawn. Buy it on credit."
[Transaction Approved.] [Item: The Aegis Prime deployed.] [Debt: -500,000 GC.]
[The Arrival]
In orbit, the three Scavenger ships slowed down. "Look at that blue marble," the Pirate Captain hissed over the comms. "No defenses. Just satellites. Target the major cities. I want 10 million slaves by sunset."
The pirates charged their weapons. They fired. Green plasma torpedoes streaked toward New York, Tokyo, and London.
HUMMMMMM.
Suddenly, the sky turned gold. A hexagonal grid materialized around the entire planet. The plasma torpedoes hit the shield and vanished like raindrops hitting a windshield.
[The Counter]
"What?!" The Pirate Captain screamed. "A Class-A Shield? On a primitive mudball? That costs half a million credits!"
On the surface, Alex watched the fireworks display from his balcony. "They knocked on my door," Alex sipped his coffee. "It's rude not to answer."
"Dawn. Does the Aegis Prime have a 'Reflect' mode?"
"Affirmative."
"Activate it."
The golden shield pulsed. It absorbed the energy of the pirate's next volley, amplified it by 200%, and fired it back as a beam of concentrated light.
ZAP.
The lead pirate ship didn't explode. It was sliced in half. The other two ships panicked, spinning their engines around to flee.
"Let them go," Alex ordered. "Dead men tell no tales. Scared men tell everyone not to mess with Earth."
[System Notification] [Defense Successful.] [Planetary Safety Rating: S-Class.] [Current Debt: 500,000 GC.]
Alex looked at the debt number. Half a million. "Well," Alex adjusted his tie. "Now we really need to sell some coffee."