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951 - The Good and Bad News
🕑 Added 2025-07-29 23:39:59 +0000 UTC“.........”
The room that had moments ago been a battlefield of loud arguments and clashing opinions among Conclave leaders now stood in utter silence, so quiet that even the fall of a cotton strand would have drawn attention.
“I’m surprised we’re even arguing about this,” the Grand Xor’Vak said, his voice calm but laced with unmistakable disdain as he spoke. “We are the Conclave. And here we are, entertaining whether we should pretend not to see what our enemies are doing behind our backs… just to avoid the inconvenience of having to face two foes at once. Has a millennium of peace made you so timid that you'd rather lie to yourselves than confront what needs to be confronted?”
He hadn’t spoken a single word during the earlier chaos, like most of the Top Ten leaders, whose civilizations had long lifespans. Unlike the younger, short-lived civilizations that had only read of the brutal and extremely dangerous Warring Period, many among the Top Ten had lived through it, or were raised by the generations who had. War, to them, was not some distant legend. It was either a haunting memory for the weak ones who were on the receiving end or an endearing one for those who were in power and on the dishing end.
“If we’re going to avoid confrontation simply because their leader managed to best a few of our representatives, under conditions that clearly favored him, then we’ve already surrendered. Being cautious is one thing. But this?” He gave a slight scoff. “This is cowardice dressed as diplomacy.
I see no reason for an argument in the first place, when we can simply deal with them as…””
Though his words were not openly disrespectful, his tone carried a patronizing sharpness, as if he were scolding naive children. And none of the other leaders interrupted. They all knew who he was: the most powerful individual in the Conclave, both in personal ability and the might of his civilization. His bluntness was tolerated because, more often than not, it was paired with uncomfortable truths they couldn't afford to ignore.
………………
The Imperial Garden, Earth
Rustle... rustle...
The vast imperial gardens, blanketed with millions of blooming roses, swayed gently under a playful breeze. Their movement whispered a rhythm, a soft rustling hum that added life to the quiet.
Aron walked slowly between the rows of roses, one hand stretched outward to brush his fingers over the petals as he passed. A subtle smile adorned his face, but his steps were aimless, unhurried like a man trying to soak in a moment he rarely got.
Nearby, Rina sat under the shade of a white gazebo, watching him with warm eyes and one hand resting over her stomach. Her smile carried more than love as it carried contentment, hope, and a silent promise for the future.
Only days ago, they had discovered she was pregnant.
The news had come unexpectedly as it was picked up by Nova during a routine security scan after Rina’s return from a brief tour outside the palace. Nova had shared it with Rina first, as protocol dictated, giving her full control over when and how to reveal it, which she decided to do immediately as she shared it with Aron and everyone in the family.
The joy had been overwhelming. They had been trying for years, fully aware of how difficult it would be due to what they had come to call the strength factor. As Aron continued to evolve, his body constantly adapted to his rising power, changing on a cellular level in ways that made conception difficult. His biology was slowly shifting into something approaching a long-lived species, where reproduction was less of a priority, making natural pregnancy nearly impossible.
They had considered artificial insemination as a fallback, but with time still on their side, they’d opted to continue trying naturally first. Now, that patience had paid off.
Aron had been so thrilled that he issued a celebratory gift of a thousand END credits to every one of the more than twenty billion citizens of the Empire that were redeemable for any product or service from his private companies. It cost him over twenty trillion END in foregone revenue, but for someone of his stature, it was a gift he could afford. And he felt it was worth every credit.
The combination of the empress’s pregnancy and the unexpected windfall sparked mass celebrations across the Empire. Streets were filled with joy, social feeds overflowed with congratulations, and every market buzzed with activity. Thankfully, the credits were limited to Aron’s own companies, sparing the rest of the economy from dangerous inflation. Still, the sudden surge in consumer activity caused a noticeable bump in prices, one that the Conclave and the empire’s rapid production capabilities quietly absorbed to prevent a ripple effect.
Aron turned, waving to Rina, his smile a reflection of the joy in his heart. Then, his smile froze. His hand, still raised in a wave, remained motionless. His expression, to anyone watching from a distance, was unchanged. But his voice, a low, urgent whisper through his teeth, was anything but calm. “What?”
{Our people are reporting weird movements within the Conclave,} Nyx’s voice, a cold, dispassionate counterpoint to the warmth of the garden, echoed in his mind.
“How so?” he asked, his hand finally lowering, his movements a slow, deliberate return to a casual stroll.
{We have thirteen Little Protagonists in different civilizations,} Nyx reported. {All of them have reported a sudden, coordinated drop in VR logins. The majority of those who have gone offline are government workers and military personnel.} A holographic display, invisible to all but him, materialized, showing a list of names, a random sampling of the thousands who had just vanished from the network. The consistency of the data was undeniable.
“How long has this been going on?” he asked, plucking a single, perfect rose from its stem as he started walking back to the gazebo, looking as if everything was fine.
{Eight hours ago,} Nyx replied. {We have been monitoring, waiting to see if it was a statistical anomaly. But the Little Protagonists have just confirmed it. This is a deliberate, coordinated action.}
“Continue monitoring the situation for now and call everyone for a full briefing in an hour.”
{Understood,} Nyx replied, already relaying the order to Nova, who began issuing the summons.
Aron’s steps did not falter. He walked back to the gazebo with the rose held gently in his hand. He handed it to Rina, his smile as warm and loving as ever, as if he just hadn’t received news that hinted that they were on the verge of receiving an attack.
Comments
Billiam
Using the brackets for nyx is a nice stylistic choice
Sol_Invictus(Hail the Terran Empire)
TYFTC!!
