Low-Ranking Grunt of the IPC

In the vast expanse of the cosmos, the Interastral Peace Corporation (IPC) stands as a monolithic entity, its influence stretching across galaxies. To the uninitiated, the IPC might appear as a benevolent organization, facilitating trade and ensuring stability. However, beneath this facade lies a relentless pursuit of profit, where debts are sacred, and repayment is non-negotiable. The IPC's creed is simple: no debt goes unpaid.

Within the IPC's hierarchy, countless employees toil away like they are just some cog in a machine. Among them is a low-ranking grunt, a mere number in the corporation's ledger.

His days are filled with monotonous tasks, his aspirations stifled by the weight of his own debts to the IPC. But it would soon change.

During his usual tasks of paperwork, another employee would arrive at his desk with a yellow folder in hand. Dread instantly fell upon him, it was another reminder of the remaining debt he still needed to pay up. And if he recalled, it was still... a lot.

But there was something else that came along with it, a contract. He furrowed his brow, confusion settling in before he read the contents. The more he read, the more his expression twisted from confusion to stunned disbelief.

The folder didn’t contain another warning or schedule adjustment—this was something far stranger. The document within bore a red sigil: Special Contract Proposal – Class: Flesh Asset Optimization. He blinked. Once. Twice. Reread the header.

Below it, the text unfolded in cold, clinical language:

To improve asset optimization and reduce prolonged amortization schedules, the Interastral Peace Corporation extends the following opportunity to Employee #113225-TG:

Participation in the Debt Reallocation Initiative will result in immediate body transfer with a high-ranking IPC asset for a limited duration. During this period, the subject will be placed on an unpaid sabbatical while inhabiting the chosen host’s body. The host will, in turn, assume control of the subject’s original form and utilize their skills to expedite the subject's debt repayment.

His mouth went dry. He reread the paragraph again. Then again.

Body transfer.

He flipped the page. Two portraits were clipped to the top of the next sheet—elegant, professional shots that nearly made his heart skip a beat.

Topaz and Jade— members of the Ten Stonehearts.

Basically, while Topaz or Jade inhabit his body to pay off his debt, he would live and stay in their respective home depending on who he chooses, but he'll be able to use their riches for comfort during the period of the swap. However, he cannot publicly claim to be Topaz or Jade, interfere with official IPC negotiations with their identity, or do anything that could damage their reputation.

If he did, he would be punished by working for the company FOR LIFE.

He gulped, letting the papers fall to the desk, staring at it blankly. No debt payments for a time. No dreary desk. No hellish paperwork. Instead, he could live in luxury homes. Soak in glittering baths. Lounge in velvet lounges where artificial suns warmed glass domes over cities of gold. If he played by the rules, he'd return to his own body to find his debts significantly reduced—maybe even gone.

Just then, his phone buzzed with a notification. The system-generated message had already loaded the options on screen.