Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 718: An offer that was too good.

The silence that followed was heavy_ until Zevran broke it with a loud, derisive laugh that echoed off the high ceiling. She leaned over, clutching her stomach as if Sunshine had just told the funniest joke in history. Other council members exchanged confused, skeptical glances.

"Is there a problem, Zevran? Perhaps something funny that we did not catch?" Melvin asked, his tone dripping with annoyance.

"A problem? No, Commander," Zevran gasped, wiping a tear from left her eye. "It’s just... the sheer, delusional confidence of this human! It’s ridiculous. It’s the most absurd thing I’ve heard in many years. Repair the rifts in your world? She is asking for our most experienced repairmen. Not to speak of her tone, it almost feels like she is ordering us to do it." She looked at Sunshine and wiped another tear, "If it is not funny, then what else is it?"

Commander Melvin shut his eyes tightly for a fleeting second and opened them. He let out a long, frustrated sigh and looked down at Sunshine. "Sunshine Raine, I’m sure you’ve already run this request by your supervisor. And I am equally sure that your supervisor told you exactly what I’m about to say: The Council will not agree to your request. The Grand Masters are the most valuable repairmen in this organization; therefore, we do not summon for their services lightly."

"Spare her the sugar-coating, Commander. The truth is far simpler," Zevran stated, locking eyes with Sunshine. "The Council will not risk a diplomatic crisis for a single person. If we cross the Xylas, the repercussions will be absolute. They will hold a grudge against us which will be bothersome. This is not our affair, and we shall maintain our neutrality like our rules tells us to."

"Yes, I did hear about all that," Sunshine admitted, nodding calmly.

"If you knew that we were going to reject your request.... then why are you here?" Melvin asked. "You know our policy. We don’t gamble with the security of this organization."

Sunshine took a step forward, her confidence radiating through the room. She knew she had to play her best card now, or the game was over. "Supervisor Vortan filled me in on everything, he also said that there was a condition under which I could force the council’s hand," Sunshine said, her eyes locking onto Melvin’s, "that I could give the Council something in exchange. Something you want even more than you want to keep those Grand Masters in their comfortable chairs."

The room went still. Even Zevran stopped smirking, her eyes narrowing as she sensed the shift in the air. She wondered why Sunshine sounded so confident? What did she have that could make the council help her?

"And what," Melvin asked slowly, "could you possibly have that we would want that much?"

Sunshine took a breath, knowing there was no going back. "The prime core."

"She is lying," Zevran said "The Xylas would never let her keep it if she had it."

Sunshine smirked, "Let me update you ma’am, you seem to be behind on history. The Xylas sent a prime core on earth as a weapon of war," She shifted her eyes to the commander, "I know that you want it and I will hand over all the pieces of the prime core from earth. I will look and find every last bit that that fell on my world but in exchange, I want your help fixing the sky."

She stood there, staring down some of the most powerful creatures in the world. She wasn’t begging; she was negotiating. And for the first time, the Council looked genuinely shocked.

As if to nudge their indecisive minds, Sunshine reached into the fold of her jumpsuit. With a flourish that felt way more dramatic than she actually felt, she pulled out a fragment of the Prime Core. It hummed with a soft, violet light that made the high-tech lights of the chamber look like cheap candles. This was the rarest, most dangerous, and—if you knew how to use it—most useful mineral in the known galaxies.

The Council members leaned in. Some looked like they wanted to worship it, others looked like they wanted to steal it, and most looked like they couldn’t believe a "simple" human was holding it with her bare hands. Most of these guys had only seen it in grainy textbooks, yet here it was, glowing right in front of their noses.

"It is a good offer," Tzar, the massive insectoid, clicked. His mandibles twitched in what Sunshine hoped was a smile and not a sign he was about to drool.

More voices rose in support of Sunshine. The prime core was rare, if they got their hands on a huge junk, it would be an advantage for the council.

"No, we will not!" Zevran shouted suddenly, slamming her hand onto the table so hard a glass of green liquid rattled. "It is not worth the risk! Besides, this is not the only prime core in existence, Xylos Domain has thousands, if not millions of them. We will find another way to get our hands on a prime core without making enemies."

Zevran’s face was turning a lovely shade of purple. There was no way she was going to let Sunshine walk away with a win. At best, she’d probably try to convince the others to just toss the "Earthling" out an airlock and keep the rock for themselves.

Tzar was annoyed. "And in all your years of being part of this organization, have you seen or touched a prime core before?"

"So what if I haven’t? I am still voting no to her offer." Zevran snapped back.

Sunshine just stood her ground, watching the two of them bicker like an old married couple. She didn’t say a word. She just smiled, hoping the other silent members would get greedy enough to join the fight. All she needed was a majority vote. She knew humans weren’t the only ones who liked shiny things.

"Enough!" Commander Melvin hissed. The sound was like a radiator leaking steam, and it shut everyone up instantly. "Are you not ashamed of the behavior that you are showcasing right now!" He turned his eyes toward Sunshine. "Repairman, excuse us as we deliberate about this issue. You will be called back in as soon as we come to a decision on this matter."

"Yes, sir," Sunshine said. She gave a little bow_ just enough to be polite, but not enough to look like she was worried.

She turned and walked out the heavy doors, her boots clicking on the metal floor. As the doors hissed shut behind her, she finally let out the breath she’d been holding. Her hands were shaking, but she had a feeling she already held the Council by the balls.

Her offer was simply too good to be rejected.