Event Horizon

The Price of Power

The Celestial Grand Hall was a palace of light and glass, perched high above New Geneva's skyline, a symbol of Earth's prosperity and dominance. It was here that the elite of the UED gathered—corporate moguls, political leaders, and the Legacies, the returning heirs of old money, now stepping back into a world that had long moved on without them.

The room was alive with the hum of conversation, the clinking of crystalline glasses, and the quiet maneuvering of power behind polite smiles.

Among them stood Ethan Aldrin, Selene Voss, and Darius Veyron—three of the most prominent Legacies who had secured passage on Event Horizon not for exploration, but for legacy and status.

Now, their gamble had paid off.

They weren't just wealthy heirs anymore.

They were living legends.

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A World That Moved On

Ethan Aldrin adjusted the cuff of his tailored black suit, scanning the room. He recognized corporate titans who had built their empires long after his family's influence had waned. Their names were unfamiliar, their companies unrecognizable.

Selene Voss, elegant in a silver gown, swirled a golden-hued cocktail in her hand. "Strange, isn't it?" she murmured. "We thought we'd return as heirs to our families' thrones… but they built new kingdoms without us."

Darius Veyron, ever the pragmatist, smirked. "That just means we have to carve out our own empires."

The realization was sinking in.

Their names still held weight, their return had made them celebrities, but in the corridors of power?

They were outsiders in their own families.

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Old Blood, New Power

As the night unfolded, the Legacies found themselves tested.

Ethan Aldrin's family, once shipping magnates, had been absorbed into the Directorate's logistics network. He was now just a symbolic figurehead—a name on a ledger, with no real power.

Selene Voss, whose lineage traced back to pre-UED aristocracy, was being pushed aside by distant relatives who had thrived in the new power structures.

Darius Veyron, son of a banking dynasty, found that his father's empire had transformed into something unrecognizable—interplanetary finance, defense contracts, and AI-controlled wealth.

They weren't inheriting dynasties.

They were being discarded.

And that… was unacceptable.

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Allies and Adversaries

Selene Voss's lips curled into a slow smile as she approached Valen Dusk, a rising political figure within the UED Economic Council. He was young, ambitious, and saw the Legacies not as relics, but as assets.

"You and your friends," Valen mused, sipping his drink, "are in a unique position."

Selene arched an eyebrow. "Are we?"

Valen gestured to the room. "These people? They see you as novelty pieces, walking museum exhibits." He leaned in. "But I see opportunity. You hold a rare kind of influence—the kind that can't be bought."

Ethan Aldrin, catching the exchange, nodded slowly. "We're Event Horizon's survivors. We've seen what real power looks like beyond this planet."

Valen smirked. "Exactly. And that makes you dangerous."

The Legacies exchanged glances.

If they couldn't reclaim their family legacies, they would build new ones.

And they would do it together.

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A World of Shadows

Darius Veyron, ever the strategist, knew that power wasn't just in business—it was in the shadows.

That was why he met with Kallus Rho, a notorious underworld figure who operated outside the Directorate's control.

"You want influence?" Kallus asked, his cybernetic fingers tapping against a glass of aged whiskey. "Forget corporate boardrooms. The real power moves in black markets, data leaks, and off-world investments."

Darius leaned forward. "I don't want a seat at the table." His voice was smooth, certain. "I want to own the table."

Kallus grinned. "Then you're speaking my language."

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The War and the Market

The reptilian threat loomed over Earth. The UED was preparing for war.

And where there was war… there was profit.

The Legacies weren't soldiers. They weren't military officers.

But they understood leverage.

They could fund private research into new defense technologies.

They could control supply chains critical to the war effort.

They could build their own alliances, outside of the UED's grasp.

While the Event Horizon crew fought on the front lines, The Legacies would fight a different war—one of money, influence, and control.

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The First Move

As the night at the Celestial Grand Hall wore on, the Legacies stood together, watching the cityscape of New Geneva glitter beneath them.

"We're not the past," Selene murmured.

Ethan smirked. "No." He lifted his glass.

"We're the future."

Their glasses clinked.

And the real game began.

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