THE MOMENT
"Nothing?" Ozone asked. "And, you're okay with losing?" He knew the Commander's mind was mostly made up, and he didn't expect to change it. But, he was still going to push the sale up until the last minute. Now that their meeting was coming to a close, he was on his way out anyway.
"I'm actually okay with that," the Commander chuckled. Ozone was a professional merchant, and he hadn't even blinked at some of the atrocities Commander Howell described. He felt comfortable enough to reveal his actual reasoning. "You see, there isn't a grand plan, or some major goal. I just wanted to see giant mechs fight, and if I needed to start a war for that to happen, so be it."
"Mechs? Oh...," Ozone grinned to hide his real emotions. He felt a sting of disappointment that his complacency was showing, even if the Commander had no idea. In his defense, it'd been a busy school year, and particularly the last couple of months. Upon hearing about a war, his usual method was to do some research for the best possible offers. He'd gotten good enough at it that he thought this time he could mostly wing it. It almost cost him some business, and he wasn't proud of that. "I do deal in mecha as well," Ozone said. "Though, those are considerably more expensive than even the nuclear weapons I offered." The Commander's face went through a range of expressions as Ozone's answer continued, ending with disappointment at the price.
"But..., seriously. Is that all you wanted? Just to see mechs fight?" Ozone asked.
"Not just fight," Commander Howell shook his head. "I wasn't looking for a simple one-on-one, I wanted the spectacle of a full battlefield of mechs at war."
"I can help you there," Ozone nodded. "This war's already on, so I'm not trying to get in the way of that. But, the next time you're itching to see some mecha-carnage, contact me directly," he said as he gave Commander Howell a business card.
"Multiversal Merchant?" The Commander asked. Ozone had introduced himself as a merchant and weapons dealer, and he had all the right answers to explain how he was there, but now the Commander was realizing there were several lies in there.
"It's not always relevant to bring up in business, and some people are easily distracted by the topic," Ozone explained why he hadn't mentioned it before. "There's a multiverse out there with infinite Earths. There's always at least a few that are going through some sort of mecha conflict; I can get you front row seats," Ozone said. "At a much cheaper rate than any of the weapons I sell."
"Wait, really?" The Commander sat up more attentively. He didn't consider himself evil, nor did he want to be. But, he was driven by his vision and goal. He understood how selfish that was, but the war wasn't even necessary anymore if Ozone was telling the truth. "Even right now??"
"Well, yours is happening," Ozone nodded with a chuckle. "I'd be willing to bet you're not that special to be the only one."
"Can you find one? Can we go now??"
"Happy to help...," Ozone nodded. "but..., are you just going to leave? What about your war?"
"It was a means to an end, and no longer necessary," he shrugged. "You're telling me alternate universes exist, and I can go watch mecha war up close. That's all I wanted, and it's way better than trying to run it from here with everyone insisting on keeping me at a safe distance. I doubt I'll care to return at any point if I can visit other Earths," he stood and nodded. "Ready whenever you are."