43. Riker – September 2164 – Sol

Riker chairs a contentious debate among forty-two human groups vying for spots on evacuation ships, with the Spitsbergen refuge demanding first-ship priority in exchange for access to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. After dismissing the meeting and taking private calls, Riker receives an unexpected olive branch from Colonel Butterworth suggesting an accelerated third ship timeline, which opens negotiations with Valter.

Riker moderates a heated negotiation session involving the Spitsbergen refuge, led by Valter, who threatens to deny access to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault unless his group receives priority on the first evacuation ship. Colonel Butterworth's group would fill both initial ships and refuses to give ground. After rounds of circular argumentation, Riker ends the meeting with an ultimatum: Valter will not secure the first ship, and if he persists in obstructing access to the vaults, his group will not be evacuated at all. Following this, Riker fields a dozen private calls. Butterworth unexpectedly proposes advancing the third ship's completion by a year, delaying the first two ships by four months—a generous compromise that surprises Riker. Minister Cranston of the FAITH enclave attempts to leverage a deal between his group and Spitsbergen, then tries to invoke a control code phrase on Riker, claiming he remains FAITH property. Riker rejects this assertion and terminates the call. After processing additional requests from other groups, Valter calls back, having learned of the third-ship timeline adjustment, and expresses willingness to negotiate.