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679 - Eve of the Meeting
🕑 Added 2024-08-08 05:53:46 +0000 UTCThe moment the fleet entered the Proxima star system, the escort fleet divided itself into four groups of 250 ships each. Three of the groups moved ahead, leaving the emperor and one group behind.
These three groups rushed to cover the four sides of the star system, positioning the planet where the meeting would take place at the center. This strategic move was to ensure that they were always ready to deal with any potential threats to the emperor's safety.
At the same time, command of all the military forces that accompanied the exploration fleet was transferred to the Emperor's Aegis leader, who also served as the Admiral of his escort fleet. This measure ensured a unified chain of command and prevented any misunderstandings, allowing for coordinated and efficient movements of the entire military force in the star system should any situation arise that required a unified response.
……….
“Sir, we will arrive in orbit in five hours,” reported Admiral Dimitris, his hologram appearing briefly before the emperor.
“Thank you,” Aron responded, and the hologram disappeared.
Aron rose from his reclining chair, putting down the book he had been reading, and started heading to his room.
Although he could experience everything in VR in a realistic manner—where the book could come to life as a world or even as a movie—he still enjoyed reading physical books in the real world sometimes.
“Time to start preparing ourselves,” Aron said as he gently woke Rina, who was still sleeping.
“Already?” she asked, still drowsy.
“There are still a few hours, but we need to be ready ahead of time so that when we arrive, we are in top condition for the meeting,” Aron replied as he carried and took her to the bathroom to begin their preparations.
………
“They will be here in five hours and would like to immediately proceed to the meeting. Depending on how it ends, it could take much longer to handle the bureaucratic matters before they can start their return journey. So, I need all of you to be ready an hour before they arrive. Understood?” Admiral Bianchi said, addressing the two people with him in the meeting room.
“Yes, sir,” Ayaka and Lee responded in unison.
Although they were already prepared, Ayaka and Lee went with the flow, understanding that everyone on the fleet was on full alert at this point. The admiral simply wanted to ensure that everything was going according to plan and that nothing was being overlooked.
“Okay then, you are dismissed,” the admiral said, signaling that they could leave. He needed to attend to a few other matters to ensure everything was in order and put his mind at ease.
…………
“Mam, they should arrive in a few hours,” a secretary for the leader of the Proximians informed her as she was going through paperwork.
“What about their accommodations?” Rayyan asked, raising her head from the paperwork.
“Those were prepared two months ago, and we did a second pass on them a week ago, so they are as ready as they could be,” the secretary responded immediately.
“The same goes for the ceremony after their meeting. But are you sure you’re not going to attend the meeting?” she added promptly after the answer.
“Although I’m the leader of our species and can make decisions regarding our people, that only applies to matters pertaining to us. Anything related to the elders requires their permission. I can’t force them to do anything, nor can I even entertain the thought of doing so,” Rayyan said with a sigh of defeat.
She recalled the powerlessness she felt when she went to meet them about a month after they had logged out of the training pods, when everything was already in motion.
They had immediately used her as a test for a few things before any substantive discussions could even begin. The experience was quite unpleasant, but it was enough to make her understand that resisting them was futile. They seemed to be able to access her mind directly, sometimes responding to her questions before she could even articulate them, making it clear that their abilities far surpassed her own.
“Okay, keep me updated on their journey—” Before she could finish her order, the words “You will also be attending the meeting” echoed directly in her mind, causing her to pause abruptly.
“Yes, I will start preparing for that, elder,” she responded immediately, speaking to the void.
“Change of plans, I will also be attending the meeting as per the elders' orders. Start making the preparations for it,” Rayyan instructed her secretary, adapting quickly to the new situation.
“Yes, ma'am,” her secretary immediately responded, understanding the urgency in Rayyan's tone. She had only witnessed Rayyan receiving orders from the elders once before, an experience that had thoroughly confused her at the time.
Without wasting any time, she left the office to start the preparations for Rayyan's attendance at the meeting.
………….
Five hours later.
“Welcome, Your Majesty,” Ayaka greeted the emperor, extending her hand for a handshake. Aron took her hand with a firm grip.
“Nice to meet you,” Aron said as he shook hands with Lee immediately after his handshake with Ayaka.
“Okay, let’s not waste our time or theirs. I’m sure they’ve been waiting for us for more than a year,” Aron said, immediately getting to the point as usual.
“Yes, sir. Please follow me,” Ayaka responded, moving aside and extending her hand to indicate the direction for the emperor to pass. They headed towards the hangar in the imperial vessel that housed the landing vehicle they would use to head to the planet.
Aron immediately started moving, with Rina on his right and Ayaka on his left. They conversed, making small talk while walking towards the hangar.
Behind them, a small entourage followed, including some of Aron’s security detail. The group was moving with a sense of anticipation and readiness, aware of the significance of the upcoming meeting.
Upon arriving at the hangar, they were greeted by a beautiful ship already active and fully staffed, just waiting for them to board before getting to work. Without wasting any time, they all boarded the ship.
The moment the doors closed, the massive gates leading to the outside began to open. As the opening widened, a blue shimmer appeared, holding back the air from being expelled into the vacuum.
The ship slowly started hovering, then moved through the opening, passing through the shield seamlessly. Once outside, the gates immediately began to close behind them.
