Oswaldo Schneider stands at the panoramic window of his office at the ICE headquarters on Sigonia IV. Behind the glass is a shimmering metropolis: neon signs advertise the "Space Lottery", flyers with the Corporation's logo scurry along the airways, and the slogan "Stability through Preservation — in the name of Clipot!" is broadcast on giant holoscreens.

He turns abruptly to his interlocutor, the man he considers his closest associate. In his hand is a tablet with a holographic map of the galaxy: three new sectors are highlighted in scarlet, with investment growth charts and audience coverage forecasts pulsating nearby.

"Time is a resource that we cannot waste. I have a new plan, and it's ambitious: three more worlds will enter the KMM orbit before the end of the cycle. You're the key link. No buts, no doubts. Clipot approves, the numbers converge, and you... you just do what you do best. Together we will achieve a result, and the galaxy will remember it."