Galactic Exchange: The Merchant Sovereign-Chapter 65 Siege of the Redreach Vault

Chapter 65 – Siege of the Redreach Vault

Beneath every empire lies a vault.

Not of gold or gems—but of secrets.

And the Scarlet Guild’s secrets were buried in a place most feared to speak of—Redreach.

Once a thriving mining colony, now a ghost world—its skies forever stained crimson by the iron-rich storms that tore across its surface.

But for Sovereign Kairos, Redreach was no longer just a name on a corrupted file.

It was the heart of the enemy.

And it was time to cut it out.

---

The Strike Team

The war table in Kairos’ command chamber shimmered with topography—Redreach’s ruined cityscape displayed in rich holographic detail.

Kairos stood at the helm.

"Mission objective: breach the Scarlet Vault beneath the Redreach Exchange. Retrieve data cores. Neutralize hostiles. Leave no trace we were ever there."

The Council remained silent.

This was not a sanctioned war.

This was a message.

"Rovu, Kessie, you hold the bridge," Kairos ordered. "T’rana, monitor Nexus activity for Guild retaliation. I’m taking Whisper Team."

A hologram of five elite agents flared to life.

Vael, the silent blade.

Korin-4, cybernetically enhanced scout with adaptive stealth.

Veyra Taan, demolitions expert and former Syndicate defector.

Drayx, an ex-merc turned info-thief.

And Kairos, Sovereign and commander.

Kessie frowned. "They’ll expect us."

Kairos smiled grimly. "That’s the point."

---

Descent to Redreach

The shuttle dropped into atmosphere like a whisper through thunder.

Crimson winds battered its hull, lightning flaring across the rust-colored sky. The once-glorious city of Vask Prime—now nothing more than shattered steel and fractured vaults—loomed below.

"Visual on target," Vael murmured. "Sub-surface structure beneath collapsed commerce tower. Massive energy shielding—cloaked from orbit."

"Just like the Black Card scan showed," Kairos replied. "Land outside sensor range. We go in silent."

The Whisper Team disembarked into the howling wasteland.

Every step closer to the Vault was a step deeper into the enemy’s lair.

---

Infiltration

They reached the Vault entrance after two hours of tactical movement through collapsed sectors, evading auto-turrets and motion drones.

The door to the substructure wasn’t locked—it was waiting.

Kairos narrowed his eyes. "They want us to enter."

Veyra shrugged. "Wouldn’t be the first time we walked into a trap."

"Let’s spring it," Vael said.

The door hissed open. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

They descended.

The air grew colder. Not in temperature—but in presence.

Like the shadows themselves watched.

---

The Scarlet Archive

The Vault was more than a bunker.

It was a museum of stolen futures.

Rows upon rows of crystal data cores floated in stasis fields—each encoded with black-market trade logs, sovereign data, and forbidden research blueprints.

Kairos stepped forward, reaching for one.

A soft chime.

> CORE ACCESS GRANTED: Sovereign-Level Credentials Confirmed

His eyes widened.

"They’re using our systems," he whispered. "Scarlet Guild isn’t copying us—they’re hijacking us."

Drayx tapped into a secondary panel. "They’ve mirrored half our Exchange protocols. They’re building an entire shadow market on top of ours."

"Then we pull the plug," Kairos said.

Korin-4 planted data disruptors.

Veyra set explosives.

Vael watched the corridor.

That’s when the lights went out.

---

Ambush

Red emergency strobes activated.

From the shadows came figures in scarlet armor—hooded, faceless, moving like ink through water.

Guild Sentinels.

The team split into formation.

Blades flashed.

Explosions rocked the hallway.

Vael vanished into smoke, striking from above.

Korin-4 deployed cloaked drones, scrambling enemy comms.

Veyra’s grenades scattered steel and fire through the lines.

Kairos stood at the center, Scarcity Key flashing with power—cutting through armor and phasing through voidsteel.

But the enemy wasn’t trying to win.

They were stalling.

Kairos sensed it too late.

---

The Vault Master Appears

A deep hum filled the air.

From the back of the chamber, a door opened with no sound.

A figure stepped through.

Clad in ceremonial scarlet robes layered with shifting dataweave, a golden mask on his face—half smile, half frown.

> "Sovereign Kairos. Welcome. I’ve waited a long time to meet you."

Kairos recognized the aura immediately.

A Scarlet Master.

"Who are you?" Kairos demanded.

"I am Archivist Kalthus," the man said. "Curator of lost futures. Broker of forgotten worth. You and I... are not so different."

"I protect my people," Kairos said. "You parasitize yours."

Kalthus smiled. "Perspective."

With a wave of his hand, dozens of data cores lifted into the air, glowing red.

"I offer you one last chance," Kalthus said. "Merge. Let our Guild fold into your Exchange. Combine the light and shadow. You lead."

Kairos stared.

Then said one word.

"Never."

---

Clash of Sovereigns

The Vault erupted into chaos.

Kalthus unleashed data-bursts—tendrils of red lightning laced with corrupted Exchange code.

Kairos deflected with his Scarcity Key, absorbing fragments, converting them into counter-shocks.

They battled not just with weapons, but markets—each strike a trade of value and momentum, each parry a negation of resources.

Their systems clashed in a duel of ideologies—one based in scarcity-forging sovereignty, the other in unchecked consumption.

Kairos pushed harder.

"Your model is unsustainable," he growled.

"And yours is naïve," Kalthus replied, redirecting a beam of corrupted credits.

But Kairos had learned.

From Syndicates.

From betrayal.

From pain.

He called on the Trust Index, unleashing a sovereign burst that overloaded Kalthus’ defenses—spilling stolen Exchange code back into the Guild systems.

Kalthus staggered.

And Kairos struck the final blow.

The golden mask cracked in half.

Kalthus fell.

---

Collapse

Alarms blared.

The Vault began to shake.

Self-destruct protocol.

"Korin—evac route!"

"Two minutes tops," she shouted.

The team moved fast, data cores in hand.

As they ascended through the collapsing tunnels, Kairos paused.

At the exit, he looked back one last time.

And whispered, "This was your only warning."

---

Return and Fallout

Back aboard the Unyielding Trust, the Council debriefed.

"Was it worth it?" T’rana asked.

Kairos placed the stolen cores on the table.

"They were building their own Sovereigns. Artificial ones. Clones of our architecture—spliced with Syndicate principles."

Kessie paled. "They want to replace us."

"They won’t get the chance," Kairos said. "Redreach is gone. Their Vault Master is dead. We disrupted their core network."

Rovu spoke, voice low. "What if there are more?"

Kairos looked up, eyes sharp.

"There will be."

---

Status Panel

Cosmic Units (C.U.): 32,400

Star Credits: 7.2 million

Trust Index: 98.1%

Reputation: Sovereign Kairos, Breaker of Redreach

Council Update:

Sanction: Temporarily reassigned to AI Oversight

Defense: Now under Marshal Crayne’s Command Authority

Enemies Identified:

Scarlet Master Kalthus (Deceased)

Unknown Guild Leaders (Active)

New Passive: Vault Breaker – Infiltration-based missions grant +25% trade intelligence and bypass protocol resistance

Relics Acquired:

Scarlet Core Set (Encrypted)

Broken Golden Mask (Symbol of Defiance)

---

The Free Exchange had struck a blow.

But the Scarlet Guild had not fallen.

And in the distance... another Guild Vault activated.

Its master smiled.

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