Chapter 391: The Agreement
Due to Bular’s limited authority, he was unable to make any decisions on his own. Whenever disputes arose during negotiations, he had to seek approval from his superiors.
Adding to the delays, the recognition process for the operations room was exceptionally complicated and time-consuming. On top of that, it seemed even the Troi civilization couldn’t make decisions on certain matters without further consultation with higher authorities.
Thus, while the final agreements were relatively few, the process took an inordinate amount of time.
The second reason for the lengthy negotiations was that the Troi civilization and the Swarm signed several agreements outside the framework of the Confederation.
The Swarm’s territory was located at the far edge of the Interstellar Technological Confederation’s sphere of influence. Four star systems—Sandstorm, Golden Horn, White Grub, and Red Ant—either directly bordered Confederation members’ territories or were separated by one or two systems. There was also a stretch of unclaimed star systems between them.
The Troi civilization’s primary interest lay in these unclaimed systems. While they were a dominant force in the Outer Ring, there were several civilizations in the Outer Ring with comparable strength, not to mention the even more powerful civilizations in the Inner Circle and the Middle Ring.
Over the years, conflicts with rival civilizations—often instigated by the New Ji Race—had created numerous enemies but also fostered alliances, including partnerships with a few native civilizations previously invited to join the Confederation. These native civilizations formed a small coalition led by the Troi civilization.
The unclaimed star systems near the Swarm’s borders, while unrelated to the Troi civilization itself, bordered its allied native civilizations and faced no other competition. The original plan was for these native civilizations to occupy the systems, with the Troi civilization stepping in to secure a significant share of the resources.
However, the Swarm’s sudden emergence and rapid development over the past few centuries disrupted these plans. To be precise, the Swarm’s explosive expansion began only a few decades ago, coinciding with the upgrade of the Swarm Network and the confirmation of the Watchers’ identity.