American Renaissance Movement. ARM. An Earth Firster. No matter what they chose to call themselves, the fundamentalists were never leaving Earth, no matter how bad the global environmental collapse got. It just fueled their “imminent apocalypse” narratives. The thing about extinction-level events was that—even with economies reprioritizing—those with power, those with vision, only saw opportunities to further amass power. Stacia had always suspected an alliance between megacorporations and the religious factions when it came to carving up the world.

“Just like I imagine there are those who don’t love being of Muungano. Who wished we’d never left O.E. or forged First World or thrown off the yoke of history and freed ourselves from the mental and physical chains of oppressive systems and established a place where Ugenini, Asili, and Maroon could call home.”

“Rebel hero or secessionist traitor. Patriot or terrorist. It’s all about loyalty to whoever wins. And like any story, it is about perspective.” Zenith set his cup and saucer down. “At LISC, we see the future and prepare for it. By making deals with similar-minded individuals capable of seeing the big picture. No matter who runs things, business always gets done.”

“Our ‘business’ is only how to better our community and the people in it.”

“Yes, yes, you grow your own food, share the work, everybody has to make a contribution of some sort, blah, blah, blah. I know the Muungano propaganda well. It’s all enough to make my heart swell three sizes. But you missed a major lesson of my wheat story. All human ideas are forced to adapt. Here’s the dirty little secret your elders fear to tell you: the idea of empire changes forms and adapts based on who conquers. Even when a group frees themselves, they tend to take on the model of their oppressors because that’s all they know. Your propagandists—pardon me, your ‘griots’—may spread this mythology, but in my experience, politics often make strange bedfellows.”

“What politics?”

“The politics of power. Control. Fear. All cultural nationalists want nothing more than to close and secure their borders. Even the nationalistic voices in Muungano. Which means they’re open to negotiations, there’s room to become…”

“… strange bedfellows,” Stacia concluded.

Zenith raised his cup to toast to her.

“But why tell me?”

“The more extreme elements of any sect are capable of anything. Slowing down your ship’s progress is one thing, but the thing about bedfellows, strange or otherwise, is once they are done with their mutual agendas, they return to their individual ones.”

“Taking back Muungano.”

“That’s the real prize. All we see now are potential markets, clients, and products. And destabilized climates are bad for business.”

“And what business are you in?’

“The business of getting what we want.” With that, he cut his transmission, and his image disappeared.