The UNO envoy didn't arrive with sirens or an armed convoy.
He came alone.
Just past dawn, a single transport drone hovered down from the clouds and set down on the far edge of the southern clearing. Its belly hatch hissed open, and out stepped a man in a polished gray coat, military-cut but absent insignia.
Ray spotted him first. "We've got company. Just one."
James was already moving toward the watchtower. He raised binoculars, focusing on the figure standing with hands visible, posture calm, like he knew the weight of what his presence meant.
The system flickered in James's peripheral vision:
[Notice: Target Identified – Rank: Recon Liason Officer (Tier II Access)]
[Caution: Direct UNO Psychological Operative – Trained in Disinformation and Behavioral Reading.]
James lowered the binoculars. "He's not here for threats. He's here to listen—and to lie."
Vivian stepped beside him, tense. "You want him dead?"
"No," James said. "I want him curious."
---
James approached the clearing on foot, unarmed by appearance, though a compact pulse sidearm sat hidden beneath his jacket. Behind him, Ray and Erika watched from camouflaged overwatch positions, rifles trained but idle.
The officer smiled as James approached.
"Commander," he greeted. "Or should I say… coordinator? I hear the titles vary out here."
James stopped five paces away. "I didn't catch your name."
"Of course not." The man tilted his head. "But let's say it's Donovan. I'm with the Order's Civil Integration Unit."
"Ah," James replied, deadpan. "The friendly face division."
Donovan chuckled softly. "We're interested in cooperation. We received your registry broadcast. Sparse, but enough to show intent."
James shrugged. "We've been busy surviving."
"And thriving, from what we've seen," Donovan said, glancing around. "Your operation is… efficient. Disciplined. It's rare."
James let the silence stretch just long enough to feel dangerous.
"So why are you here? A warning? An offer?"
"Neither," Donovan said. "A test."
James arched a brow. "Of what?"
"Your willingness to exist under a larger structure," Donovan replied. "The UNO isn't here to crush civilization. We're here to rebuild it. But only with those who understand that survival without unity… is extinction delayed."
"And what does 'unity' cost?" James asked.
Donovan's smile never faltered. "Transparency. Compliance. Loyalty."
James took a breath. Just long enough for his mind to race, calculate, deploy the next phase.
"I have no reason to hide," he said carefully. "But I have every reason to be cautious. You want loyalty from people who watched their world burn while your elite vanished underground."
Donovan nodded slightly. "Mistakes were made. But order is returning. Slowly."
James stepped forward, just slightly.
"Then let me help you."
That made Donovan pause.
"How do you mean?"
"My people can deliver aid. We've mapped ruins, safe paths, scavenging zones. But we need autonomy. If we hand over full control, we'll break. Like the rest."
The UNO officer narrowed his eyes. "You want partial integration. That's not standard."
James let a smirk tug at the edge of his mouth. "Neither is surviving out here."
Another flicker from the system:
[New Side Task: Seed Division in Enemy Ranks]
Objective: Plant doubt within key UNO operatives. Initiate 'strategic cooperation' deception.
Reward: Disruption Beacon (Field Jammer, short-range, disables drones and sensors for 60 seconds).
James's voice dropped low, sincere—real enough to sell the lie.
"We're not your enemies. But we're not your subjects either."
Donovan said nothing at first. Then slowly, he reached into his coat and withdrew a small data chip.
"A contact point," he said. "Encrypted relay. You'll receive updates. Mission requests. You answer when you can."
"And if I don't?"
Donovan's smile returned. Colder now. "Then someone else answers for you."
He turned without another word and climbed into the drone. Within moments, the craft lifted into the clouds, vanishing without a trace.
---
Back at the war table, James dropped the chip on the map between them.
"They're testing us," he said. "Giving me enough leash to prove their trust—or hang myself."
Vivian examined the chip. "This could be a backdoor. Tracking. Data mining."
"I know," James replied. "But we'll use it first. Feed them controlled leaks. Obvious truths. Nothing important."
Ray nodded slowly. "And what about him? That officer. You think he bought it?"
James stared at the closed tent flap, thinking of Donovan's eyes—how calm they'd been, how practiced.
"I think he doesn't trust me," James said. "But he wants to."
"And that's more dangerous than a drone strike," Erika muttered.
He agreed.
Because a drone was predictable.
Belief?
Belief was a virus. One he could plant.
One he could use.
---
Later that night, James sat alone near the outer perimeter, system open before him.
[Side Task Completed: Psychological Misdirection – Tier I Success]
[Reward Unlocked: Disruption Beacon Acquired – Inventory Updated]
He exhaled slowly, listening to the wind stir through empty trees. No birds. No distant engines. Just silence again.
But this silence didn't feel like safety.
It felt like the edge of a blade—balanced between cooperation and war.
And James?
He was done reacting.
The next move would be his.
---