Chapter 177: The Right to Refuse

Aria arrived at the Northern Trade Authority’s regional office with three folders, two exhausted companions, and absolutely no intention of leaving with another vague promise.

Kelme walked beside her, carrying a bag of bread.

"You brought documents," he said. "I brought breakfast. Between us, we might be qualified to run a government."

"Governments usually have more paperwork."

"Then we’re already halfway there."

Duke followed them through the entrance. He had spent the morning reviewing New Beginning’s supply contracts and confirming which materials had already been promised to customers.

Aria had insisted on one rule before they left.

They would not accuse anyone of deliberately sabotaging the settlement without evidence. They would not threaten to abandon their contracts, and they would not promise materials they didn’t possess.

They would simply show the Authority what its decisions meant.

At the reception desk, Aria presented the notice.

"We’re here for the review of proposed emergency material reassignments."

The clerk examined their documents.

"Are you representing a registered commercial community?"

"New Beginning."

The clerk checked the registry, then directed them to the second floor.

Kelme leaned toward Aria as they climbed the stairs.

"Did you hear that? We’re a registered commercial community."

"I heard."

"We used to sleep in a cave."

"I remember."

"And now we have appointments."

"Keep talking, and we’ll lose ours."

Kelme closed his mouth.

For nearly five seconds.

"Do you think they’ll serve lunch?"

Aria kept walking.

The meeting room was already occupied.

Director Elira Voss sat at one end of the table. Halden, the official responsible for coordinating emergency allocations, sat beside her. Inspector Cassian Vale stood near a cabinet filled with files.

Three other business representatives had arrived.

One was an older woman who introduced herself as Helena, owner of a timber workshop. Another, a broad-shouldered merchant named Bastian, supplied stone and construction materials. The third represented a small brickworks outside the regional capital.

All three looked unhappy.

Aria recognized the expression. It was the face of someone who had been told a decision affecting their livelihood was merely an administrative matter.

Halden gestured toward the empty seats.

"Please sit. We have several cases to review, and the emergency has created considerable pressure on regional supplies."

Aria placed her folders on the table.

"Then let’s begin with the reason we’re here."

Halden glanced at her.

"Your settlement’s materials were previously reassigned to support the Eastern Corridor project. The Materials Office is reviewing additional allocations to ensure essential construction continues."

"Before we discuss additional allocations, I’d like clarification about the first one."

"The previous decision is under review."

"Has the review concluded?"

"No."

"Has compensation been approved?"

"Not yet."

"Has our original contract been considered?"

Halden paused.

"The relevant office is examining the circumstances."

Aria nodded once.

"Then we have three unresolved questions about the first reassignment, and you’re proposing another."

Kelme quietly placed the bread bag beneath his chair.

He recognized that tone.

Aria was being polite, which usually meant somebody was about to have a very unpleasant morning.

Halden folded his hands.

"The Authority must balance individual commercial interests against the needs of the wider region."

"I agree."

That answer seemed to surprise him.

Aria opened her first folder.

"New Beginning depends on trade, roads, public infrastructure, and reliable suppliers. If the region suffers, we suffer too. We’re willing to cooperate with reasonable emergency measures."

She placed the supply contract on the table.

"But cooperation requires knowing what we’re being asked to sacrifice, why it’s necessary, and who will bear the cost."

She slid the production schedule beside it.

"These materials weren’t sitting unused in a warehouse. They were purchased for specific orders. We had workers depending on that production, customers expecting delivery, and wages to pay."

She placed the final document before Halden.

"This is the report showing that the Eastern Corridor’s original supplier experienced a transportation delay. Our clay was redirected to compensate for that delay."

Bastian leaned forward.

"They did the same thing to my stone shipment."

Everyone turned toward him.

"How much?" Aria asked.

"Forty blocks of cut stone. They were assigned to a public bridge project after another contractor failed to deliver."

"Were you notified?"

"After the allocation had already been changed."

Helena shook her head.

"My timber was marked for possible reassignment yesterday. I haven’t received a final order, but the inspector wanted to know how much I could provide."

The brickworks representative rubbed his forehead.

"They asked us to increase production before confirming whether we’d receive enough fuel."

Aria looked around the table.

Different businesses. Different materials. The same problem.

The emergency had created a system where the Authority could demand more from businesses without necessarily ensuring they had the resources to comply.

She turned back to Halden.

"How many other businesses are affected?"

"We’re still compiling the information."

"Then how can you determine which materials are available for reassignment?"

"We use the records provided by registered suppliers."

"Records that don’t necessarily show whether those materials are already committed to existing contracts?"

Halden didn’t answer immediately.

Cassian stepped forward.

"That’s one of the issues the review is intended to address."

Aria looked at him.

"Then we should address it before more materials are reassigned."

Halden opened a separate file.

"The emergency cannot wait for every commercial dispute to be resolved. Construction has slowed, transport routes are under pressure, and several public projects are behind schedule."

"I understand," Aria said. "So let’s separate materials that are genuinely available from materials already committed to existing obligations."

"That would complicate allocation."

"Less than discovering that businesses can’t fulfill the orders you’ve assigned them."

Bastian nodded.

"If the Authority takes my stone, I can’t complete my contract. Then the customer hires someone else, and I lose future business."

Helena added, "If they take my timber, my workers have nothing to process. But I’m still expected to pay them."

Aria opened a clean sheet of paper.

"Here’s a proposal."

She wrote as she spoke.

"First, every business submits a list of its materials. The list distinguishes between uncommitted stock and materials already assigned to confirmed contracts."

Halden frowned.

"Businesses might exaggerate their existing commitments to protect their supplies."

"Then verify the contracts. Check purchase records, delivery dates, and customer agreements. We already have to keep those records for taxation and commercial registration."

Cassian nodded slowly.

"That’s possible."

"Second," Aria continued, "the Authority should request uncommitted materials first. If those aren’t sufficient, it should explain why it needs to redirect materials already under contract."

"And if the materials are essential?" Halden asked.

"Then the decision should include compensation, a written explanation, and a clear process for reviewing the reassignment."

"The regulations already provide for compensation."

"Possible compensation," Aria corrected. "Our first shipment has been redirected, and we still don’t know whether we’ll be compensated or how much we’ll receive."

She underlined the next point.

"Third, businesses must be notified before their materials are reassigned whenever circumstances permit. If immediate action is genuinely necessary, the Authority should explain the reason afterward and provide a prompt review."

Halden leaned back.

"You’re asking us to create additional procedures during an emergency."

"I’m asking you to stop treating every business as an unlimited storage room."

Kelme quietly unwrapped a piece of bread.

Duke glanced at him.

"Now?"

Kelme whispered, "I’m supporting the meeting."

"With bread?"

"It’s the only thing here nobody can reassign without someone complaining."

Aria continued writing.

"Finally, emergency orders must specify quantities, deadlines, compensation, and the conditions under which the order ends. Businesses cannot be expected to operate indefinitely under temporary requirements."

The room fell quiet.

Cassian took the paper and read it carefully.

"This wouldn’t prevent emergency allocations," he said. "It would make them more predictable."

"Exactly."

Halden looked unconvinced.

"And if a business refuses to cooperate?"

"Then determine whether the refusal is unreasonable. We aren’t asking to be exempt from every obligation. We’re asking for the same basic thing every contract requires: clear terms."

Aria closed her folder.

"If the Authority needs fifty sacks of clay, tell us why it needs fifty. Tell us when it needs them, what it will pay, and whether we can deliver them without breaking existing contracts."

She met his eyes.

"Don’t tell us to produce what we cannot produce, then punish us for failing."

The discussion continued for another hour.

Halden objected to several points, particularly the proposal to notify businesses before reassignment. Some emergency situations, he argued, required immediate decisions.

Aria accepted that exceptions might be necessary.

But she insisted they be defined.

Cassian suggested a distinction between immediate threats to public safety and ordinary delays in construction schedules.

Bastian proposed that businesses with existing contracts receive priority unless the Authority could demonstrate an urgent regional need.

Helena asked for a standard compensation schedule rather than separate negotiations for every reassignment.

Gradually, the proposal became less of a demand from one settlement and more of a practical framework the Authority could apply across the region.

Elira had said little. She listened, occasionally asking for clarification, while her assistant recorded the discussion.

Finally, she closed her notebook.

"I can’t approve a permanent change to the emergency regulations in this meeting. That requires a formal review."

Aria nodded.

"I expected that."

"However, I can recommend an immediate administrative measure. No additional materials listed in today’s review will be reassigned until the Materials Office has checked existing contracts and provided written reasons for each proposed allocation."

Aria looked at Halden.

"Does that include New Beginning?"

"It does," Elira answered.

"For how long?"

"Seven days, pending review. If the Authority believes an immediate exception is necessary, it must document the grounds and notify the affected business."

Seven days wasn’t much.

But it was something concrete.

Aria asked for the decision in writing.

Elira signed the temporary instruction and passed it to her assistant for registration.

The document arrived several minutes later, stamped and dated.

Aria read every line before placing it inside her folder.

Kelme leaned toward her.

"Are we winning?"

"We have a temporary hold."

"That’s a very complicated way of saying yes."

"It’s a very complicated situation."

"So... a complicated yes?"

Aria ignored him.

But she allowed herself a small smile.

Outside the meeting room, Helena caught up with them.

"Your proposal might help us," she said. "But what happens after seven days?"

Aria looked at the signed instruction.

"That’s what we need to find out before the seven days end."

Bastian joined them.

"I can supply some stone to the bridge project if they pay a fair price and give me enough time to fulfill my existing orders."

"Then submit that offer in writing," Aria advised. "Don’t promise more than you can deliver."

He nodded.

Helena looked thoughtful.

"Perhaps we should compare our contracts and supply records. If several businesses are experiencing the same problem, it may be easier to identify where the allocation process is failing."

"Agreed," Aria said. "But we should share only what we need to establish the facts. Nobody needs everyone else’s private accounts."

They exchanged contact details and agreed to meet again before the temporary hold expired.

As they walked toward the stairs, Duke spoke quietly.

"You managed to turn a dispute over clay into a regional review."

"No," Aria replied. "The dispute was already regional. We were simply treating it as if it were our problem alone."

"And now?"

"Now we have seven days to find out whether the Authority intends to fix the process or merely wait until the complaints become inconvenient."

When they returned to New Beginning, the council was waiting.

Martha rose as soon as Aria entered.

"Well?"

Aria placed the signed instruction on the table.

"The proposed reassignments are temporarily suspended while the Authority reviews existing contracts. The hold lasts seven days."

A few people visibly relaxed.

Lucan read the document twice.

"That’s better than I expected."

"It’s not a permanent solution," Aria warned. "Our original shipment still hasn’t been compensated, and the emergency regulations haven’t changed."

Duke explained the new review process.

The council agreed to submit copies of their contracts, production schedules, and supply records. Lucan would contact alternative suppliers, while Martha would update customers about any potential delays.

They would use the seven-day period to strengthen their position without taking unnecessary risks.

For the first time since the emergency notice arrived, Aria felt that New Beginning had gained a little breathing room.

Then Lucan opened a letter he’d received that morning.

His expression changed.

"What is it?" Aria asked.

He placed the letter beside the Authority’s instruction.

"It’s from one of our northern suppliers."

The supplier confirmed that the clay shipment intended to replace the missing one hundred and twenty sacks had been delayed. The reason was not a lack of clay, nor damage to the road.

The supplier had received a new allocation order.

Its available stock was being reviewed for regional emergency requirements.

Aria read the letter slowly.

"They’re reviewing the same materials again?"

"Not exactly," Lucan said. "This supplier hasn’t received a final reassignment order. But they’ve been told not to release certain stock until the review is complete."

"So our replacement shipment is stuck."

"For now."

Kelme looked at the signed instruction.

"Didn’t we just win seven days?"

"We did."

"Then why does it feel like the problem has moved to another warehouse?"

Nobody answered.

Aria placed the supplier’s letter beside the other documents.

The temporary hold protected the materials listed in the regional review. But the Authority’s allocation process extended beyond New Beginning, and every delay made it harder for the settlement to secure the supplies it needed.

They had won time.

They had not secured clay.

Aria looked at Lucan.

"I want the complete list of our suppliers, their current stock, and every restriction affecting their deliveries."

"That will take time."

"Then start now."

She turned to Duke.

"And I want the council to prepare for the possibility that our replacement supplies won’t arrive."

Duke nodded and left to inform the workers.

Aria gathered the documents into a single folder.

The next seven days would determine whether New Beginning could protect its contracts without surrendering control over its business.

But as she looked at the supplier’s letter, one question kept returning.

If the region had enough clay, and the problem was supposedly a shortage of transportation, why were so many deliveries being held back?

She didn’t have the answer yet.

This time, she intended to find it before the next order arrived.