Galactic Exchange: The Merchant Sovereign-Chapter 64 – Rise of the Scarlet Guild

A storm was coming.

Not of fire or steel—but of credits and contracts, and it had no face, only a color.

Scarlet.

Kairos stared at the black card once more, fingers brushing the embossed sigil of the three serpents. The room around him—the bridge of the Unyielding Trust—felt heavier with silence.

They were watching.

But someone else was moving.

Suspicion in the Council

When the Unyielding Trust docked back at Prime Orbit, the Council was already in session.

T’rana Jex had called it.

"The Artifact Trade Routes in Sector Theta-4 are collapsing," she reported. "Convoys are vanishing. Our trade partners are panicking. And it’s not pirates."

Kessie Varn leaned forward, translucent fingertips interlaced. "It’s too clean. No wreckage. No raider signals. Whatever’s taking those shipments... they want to remain invisible."

Mara Quill’s voice was grim. "We’re not dealing with random scavengers. This is orchestrated."

Kairos said nothing at first. His mind connected dots the others couldn’t see yet.

Finally, he stood.

"Begin a trace," he ordered. "Use DeepNode protocols. I want shadow-market activity cross-referenced with missing shipment tags, not just location data."

The other Councilors looked surprised.

"You suspect a third party?" asked Rovu, his vine-laced form twitching nervously.

Kairos nodded.

"I suspect... an enemy with a network."

The Black Card’s Echo

Later, back in his private quarters, Kairos activated the Black Card again.

This time, it responded.

A single holographic flame flared in the air, projecting coordinates, code tags... and a name.

Scarlet Guild DetectedStatus: Rogue Economy CellHostile to All Governing Trade UnionsOrigin: UnknownEstimated Size: Mid-Level Power ConglomerateKnown Actions: Covert acquisition of trade nodes, data siphoning, internal corruptionRecommended Response: Contain. Erase. Deny.

Kairos narrowed his eyes.

This wasn’t just another pirate fleet.

This was a financial army—a dark mirror of the Free Exchange.

The First Clue

Vael returned within the hour, a grim expression on his face.

"We tracked two of the stolen shipment tags."

Kairos looked up. "Where?"

"One turned up in the Lethellan System—sold before the convoy was reported missing."

Kairos sat forward. "Meaning someone in our own system leaked it."

"Exactly," Vael said. "But it gets worse. The second tag? We found it embedded in a councilor’s auxiliary relay."

Kairos’ breath stilled.

"Which councilor?"

Vael hesitated. "Mara Quill."

Council Interrogation

The chamber lights dimmed as the emergency meeting was called.

Mara stood in the center, arms crossed, expression stone-cold.

Kairos circled her slowly. "Three questions, Mara. Only one answer matters. One: Have you knowingly communicated with rogue factions?"

"No."

"Two: Have you received unexplained credits in your private exchange?"

Her jaw tightened. "No."

"Three: Do you know what the Scarlet Guild is?"

That stopped her.

For a flicker of a second, her eyes moved—not confusion, not shock.

Recognition.

Kairos stepped closer. "You do."

Mara’s voice was calm. "I’ve heard of them. Everyone in the Outer Belts has. Doesn’t mean I’m part of them."

Kairos raised a hand, and a hologram projected from the ceiling.

It showed her account logs—streams of credits tagged under dummy corps, fake subsidiaries. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

But they all routed back to the same origin hash.

Sender Alias: "Scarlet Exchange Node 017"

A Breach in the Fortress

"I want her stripped of her seat," Kessie said.

"She hasn’t confessed," argued Rovu. "She might be manipulated."

"She’s a risk," Vael said.

Kairos raised a hand to silence them.

Then turned to Mara.

"I’m not removing you," he said.

Gasps echoed.

"But I am locking down your node access. You will submit to a Sovereign tether. You are not above investigation."

Mara’s face didn’t move. "You’re making a mistake."

"No," Kairos said. "I’m not giving the Scarlet Guild a martyr."

The Scarlet Network Unfolds

In the days that followed, the Council initiated a full-scale purge.

Kairos had engineers and AI liaisons scour every trade route, every deal marker, every personnel record linked to Mara’s networks.

What emerged was chilling.

Over 117 ghost companies.

14 hidden trade hubs.

3 Free Exchange couriers planted as double agents.

And all of it pointed to a new hub being formed in the Redreach Sector—completely unaligned, running silent, building markets from the ashes of failed civilizations.

T’rana Jex growled. "They’re mimicking us. They’re building their own Free Exchange."

"No," Kairos said. "They’re building a weaponized version. One without rules. Without balance. A syndicate of scarcity and fear."

The Assassin’s Greeting

It was only a matter of time before the Scarlet Guild responded.

Kairos had just finished negotiating a major rearmament trade with a forgotten branch of the Forge Clans when the lights flickered.

Security alarms shrieked.

And from the ceiling, a figure dropped—draped in red and black, eyes glowing beneath a data visor.

A Scarlet Agent.

Kairos ducked as the figure lunged, void-blades spinning.

The Scarcity Key flashed into existence, blocking the blow with a shower of sparks.

They clashed in silence—trained not to make noise, only deals of death.

But Kairos had not come this far to fall to a blade.

With a sudden shift, he triggered the Trade Flash Protocol, momentarily blindfolding the agent with a burst of market data.

One strike.

One cut.

The assassin dropped.

Kairos stepped over the body and pulled the data chip from their arm.

It glowed scarlet.

And it was still transmitting.

Message from the Scarlet Master

He played the file.

A voice filtered through.

Silken. Deadly.

"Sovereign Kairos.You take what we built in shadow and call it justice.You strip our agents, cut our lines, and think yourself righteous.But what is a market... without competition?"

Kairos’ eyes narrowed.

"We are the true Exchange.We are the sovereigns of flame and silence.And soon... your empire will beg to merge."

Status Panel

Cosmic Units (C.U.): 30,700

Star Credits: 6.1 million

Trust Index: 97.8%

Council Members:

Commerce: T’rana Jex

Innovation: Kessie Varn

Defense: Marshal Crayne

Agrimark: Rovu

Culture: Vinta Rue

Sanction: (Locked – Mara Quill under surveillance)

Known Threats:

Black Syndicate: Watching

Scarlet Guild: Active, Embedded

New Passive Unlocked:

Market Firewall – Reduces risk of data leaks and hostile takeover attempts by 30%

Relics Acquired:

Scarlet Agent Visor

Syndicate Black Card

Reputation: Sovereign Kairos, the Wall Against the Crimson Tide

The Free Exchange stood firm.

But the tides of red were rising.

And Kairos knew—

The next strike would not be an assassination.

It would be a siege.

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