[Callisto Colony, Tesselation Center, 24 years after first contact]
High above the raging blizzards of Jupiter's moon lay a jagged mountain that erupted from the snowy surface. Atop the snowy peak, and well insulated within several feet of concrete, a meeting had been called. Such was the importance of the arrangement that absolute secrecy was mandated by none other than the head of Tesselation himself.
There would be no fanfare. No fundraising event. No servants, drinks, and spoils of business. Just a man and his unending quest for power.
"Haven," Algernon uttered with a bit of disdain in his voice, pressing his white gloves against the black marbled conference table. "Known as the chief breadbasket of our solar system. Though I personally would call it wasted potential."
Algernon brushed aside his white hair, his cold blue eyes staring at the board behind him as he pointed with one exaggerated finger.
"Synthetic Rhodium. The one metal everyone is insatiable for, and yet equally useless at obtaining." Algernon explained, clenching his gloved fists, causing an audible crunching sound. "There are entire installations in Sol dedicated to strip mining whole moons for a scrap of it. But what if I told you this mineral, for which we have all spent a disdainful amount of time searching, is practically leaking out of the soil on Haven."
Before Algernon stood a host of businessmen, all observing in respectful silence at their places on the table. Many of them didn't even work directly for Tesselation, yet all had come willingly to hear what one man had to say. And despite the luxury they undoubtedly bathed in, as evidenced by their fitted suits, their eyes radiated desperation.
They needed whatever Algernon was selling.
The white haired man unfolded a long, pearly baton, slamming it against the board with fiery passion.
"This mineral is extinct on Earth. Make no mistake. And the only thing keeping it from my company is the lack of corporate presence in the outer rim. Haven knows what they have. They don't care. Rhodium doesn't keep their bellies full, and their dainty little fields are more than enough to run their colony and keep their environment safe." Algernon explained.
"They don't want us there. Let that be crystal clear. What I am asking of you will be outweighed only by your desire to have this mineral and the products I can distribute with it at a fair price. That is, unless of course, you'd rather keep buying it as if it were diamonds."
Algernon pointed to a man at his left before waving his finger around the entire table with a disengenuous smirk.
"We both know the only true watchers in the dark are us. Corporations. Earth's goverment only ever moves a muscle when we fight. Laws made with our intel. Funded by our rivalry. But we have a mutual goal here."
Algernon looked up at the conference room's ceiling, decorated with a crystalline chandelier and lined with ornate pottery depicting a series of twisting vines.
"So what do I want? Why are you here? And why did I ask for absolute silence in this affair? Because Haven is our problem. It needs to be dealt with." Algernon narrowed his gaze, speaking with absolute confidence. "How and when is what I need you for. Not just your resources. But your advice."
"Haven has almost two million colonists spread out around its northern habitable hemisphere. A sizeable colonial defense force. And a direct link to Earth, with a representative in the United Nations. I need it all silenced. Gone. Removed to make way for our extraction."
Algernon looked around hurriedly, his eyes filled with dissapointment. His lecture was over. He had already begun to expect results.
"Get talking."
The left side of the conference room began to shift, as a segment of the wall jutted forward, revealing a set of snacks and refreshments for the table. Algernon stepped away from his seat at the end and began to stare out into the plains of Callisto from the glass wall behind him.
It was a subtle invitation for whoever was bold enough to give him an idea.
"Primitives." He muttered.
Using his keen ears, Algernon could hear much of what his colleagues had in mind. For men so clever and full of ideas when it came to profits and brutalization, their tactics were immensely disappointing. Almost every word that left their mouth was some degree of stupid.
Insert a plague onto Haven?
"They would call for aid and draw attention." Algernon thought to himself.
Directly assault the colony with a fleet?
"Loud and clumsy. Someone would take notice."
Deceive the colonists into allowing a minor company presence for behind-the-scenes extraction.
"They aren't stupid. If they were, they wouldn't hate us."
Suddenly, a pair of heels could be heard approaching the man from behind, clattering against the floor with eager anticipation. Algernon spun around to see a woman, fitted in a suit yet unmistakably beautiful with white hair and a feminine figure. He knew in an instant she was no primitive born of a genetically faulty womb.
"A Trojan Horse." The woman spoke confidently, her smooth voice making sure not to overtake Algernon's. "I'm sure you've heard it before."
"The Greeks were their enemies. We can't be seen as such." Algernon replied. "Too much noise. I want every drop before anyone even realizes something happened."
"May I suggest an alteration to the tale? One that will suit your vision of writing history."
Algernon narrowed his gaze once again. "Who are you again?"
"Flora. I work under, well you don't care. Human Resources."
Algernon laughed. "Ah, the ever-dreaded HR. I can confidently say I trust your opinion on this topic of gaslighting and emotional manipulation."
Flora smiled. "What if the bait in question was from a friend. Not a remorseful enemy. You said it yourself when you were pouting in the corner-."
"Pouting?"
Algernon liked her bite.
"Yes. About why a biological weapon wouldn't work. But what if we are the aid they call for? What if we are the help that comes? Fifteen class V cargo shuttles filled with supplies would look modest to you. Lots of space for..." Flora squinted smugly.
"If you know something, you shouldn't just say it."
"Well..." Flora finished. "Let's just say a certain non-organic combat chassis built by a certain company in the Mark I phase."
He liked her cunning.
"Mark II now, actually." Algernon tilted his head. "Field tested."
"Of course." Flora continued her explanation. "Haven will read it as a sad attempt to build good faith. Nonetheless, they will take it. Especially since your cargo can be unmanned. Scanners won't pick up a thing."
Algernon was catching onto the idea. "Ah, yes. Barrels of wheat and barley to sustain their replanting efforts once I sterilize their soil."
"You were always known for your packing skills. I estimate the work will be done in a month, given you send a legion or two." Flora nodded.
"I'd be disappointed if the Mark II took more than a week."
"And I'd be impressed if the colonists could even tell they aren't human. Primites have a nasty habit of associating sapience with mechanical frames."
They both chuckled. Algernon clutched his baton tightly, tugging on it to extend its length into a full staff. He spoke warmly as he pressed it into the floor.
"Say, I have another meeting after this. Want to come along?"
Flora smiled sheepishly. "I would love to. But my boss-."
"Not your boss anymore."
"Oh?"
"Done."
And that was how I met your mother. Ivy.