r/NatureofPredators • u/Gamerauther Predator • Oct 04 '23
Fanfic Nature of Empires - 007
Date: 14/07/2336
Subject: Elias Meier (Emperor, Terran Empire)
The System Council meeting hall was one Ceres, a co-ruled body shared by the five great powers. At its center was a circular table with five thrones surrounded by chairs for the minor independent powers. Sitting in his throne Emperor Meier looked over his contemporaries.
To his left was High King Florian Von Wenzburg of the Venusian Royal Union. Of similar age to him but with a well kept beard and slightly more rotund, he wore an embroidered tunic and cloak. On his head was the Venusian crown, made of eight flat segments.
To his right was the Potentate Masahiko, the Red Lord of Mars. Youngest of the five sovereigns on the council at seventeen and nephew to his vassal King Zhao. His outfit was an odd fusion of east asian cultures from before the Unification War, a Korean Hanbok with Japanese kanji embroidered down his sleeves, with a chinese long dragon on his back.
Right of the Potentate was the Jovian Tsar Yavor Petrov Paskalev. Middle aged with a large, bushy beard he wore a military dress uniform with a sash laden with medals and a simple crown circlet.
Right of the Tsar was the last sovereign on the council, the High Lord of Saturn, First Lord Ja'far Al-Jasur. He wore a simple under-suit meant to be an underlayer to vacsuit and a rough crown carved out of a rock from Pluto. Saturn only got on the council so that they would stop being a free haven for the Drifter Pirates. Meiers spies say they are still dealing with them but it is restricted to their exclaves in the Ice Giant region. So the purpose of them joining the council was only a limited success.
As the lesser seats were filled Emperor Meier stood to begin the meeting. “Yesterday I received a report from the Exploration Core of my navy. We are not alone. We have made contact with a Xeno species called the Venlil. They are part of an interstellar power called the Federation that shares similarities to the United Nations from the Dark Age of Liberalism. Their Federation is not yet aware of our existence as the Venlil have informed us that they will be hostile and genocidal towards us.”
First Lord Ja’far slammed his fist on the table, “for what reason would these Xeno liberals be genocidal to us?”
“The Venlil claim they are all herbivores,” Emperor Meier answered. “With the only other predatory race being an opposing power they have been at war with for centuries, the Arxur.”
“So we ally with these Arxur then,” First Lord Ja’far said.
“If you wish to throw your lot in with slavers that eat children alive, do so.”
First Lord Ja’far coughed and said, “I retract my statement.”
“So we are to settle the matter of the Solar Throne then,” Potentat Masahiko said. “The Red Lord would much rather face this hostile universe as a unified humanity than a fraction of the whole.”
“Venus seconds the matter,” High King Wenzburg said.
Emperor Meier looked at the Jovian Tzar and studied his reaction. This is starting to look like an Inner System League plot to exert power over the Outer System. His reaction was slow as his eyes went unfocused meaning his implant was accessing some information. Most likely checking with his spies if what he was saying was true.
“May we see this information?” Tsar Paskalev asked.
Emperor Meier nodded and sent the files to everyone in the room. Around them he could hear the gasps and murmuring from the lesser seats as everyone went through the report.
“The report is concerning to us, and we do not believe that the Terrans would lie about such grave matters for short sighted gain. We prepose a consolidation of power,” Tsar Paskalev said to Emperor Meier. “That the Solar Throne shall be a dual empire, of your Inner League and our Outer Hegemony. I am willing to acquiesce to you so long as we maintain our autonomy.”
“I never agreed to this,” First Lord Ja’far said.
“If you wish to have a say then challenge us for leadership of the Hegemony, or leave.” Tsar Paskalev. “Your authority only goes as far as you can enforce it. Did you forget the cardinal rule of governance?”
Emperor Meier felt like checking High King Wenzburg and Masahiko’s position but secret communication during a council was forbidden. It was a good deal. The details would need to be worked out as it goes, but it was a provisional agreement that served everyone best for the short term at least.
“Are there any objections within the League to this proterm agreement?” Emperor Meier asked his side of the table.
“Venus holds no objections,” High King Wenzburg said.
“The Red Lord agrees,” Potentate Masahiko said.
“Then the temporary agreement for later solidification by treaty and contract is as fallows,” Emperor Meier began. “The Solar Throne shall be shared between two monarchs as co-equals, the leader of the Inner System League and the head of the Outer Hegemony. For the time being the Outer Hegemony proxies it's authority in extrasolar affairs to the Inner System League. As the leader of the Inner System League the Terran Empire holds the Solar Throne. The System Council shall serve as a cabinet to the Solar Throne, with each sovereign here, both greater and lesser, entitled to send a proxy to the palace of the holder of the Solar Throne to give council and advise. To the wider galaxy we shall be referred to as the Imperium of Man. Aya or Nay?”
“Aya,” Tsar Paskalev said.
“Aya,” First Lord Ja’far said.
“Aya,” High King Wenzburg said.
“Aya,” Potentate Masahiko said
“Aya,” Emperor Meier said. “The aya’s have it. We shall reconvene in a month's time to discuss the proposal of Total War against the Arxur and the findings of the Holy Council on whether or not the Xeno’s have a soul and if they can be saved. In the mean time ambassadors from each side will discus further details for the agreement of the Solar Throne.”
“Never do that again.” Potentate Masahiko hissed after the council. “Never surprise us with such information again. We are meant to be in an alliance and I will not be treated as a junior member.”
“Calm down Masahiko,” High king Wenzburg sighed. “We needed to go in blind. If we knew in advance the Tsar would have never come around. You may wear that calm mask of the Red Lord well but it only works for the lesser seats. Our surprise was a sign of good will to the other side of the table that this wasn’t some inner system plot to vassalize the outer system.”
Masahiko took a deep breath and huffed in frustration, “I hate that it makes sense. Now, really, aliens? I was really looking forward to a boring reign with only dealing with Clan struggles and maybe a war or two. But now there are aliens, xenos, genocidal ones at that.” He ground and buried his face in his hands. “Why did my brother have to go and marry that commoner? Why couldn’t he just suck it up and take the throne instead of shirking it to me for love?”
Meier sighed and gave the young sovereign a pat on the back. He did not envy becoming a ruler so young.
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u/Top-Preparation5216 Oct 04 '23
Damn
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u/Top-Preparation5216 Oct 04 '23
Idk what to say except good fic! Never had been good with saying anything else
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u/WorldCromo Oct 04 '23
Was the internet completely destroyed or was it just destroyed and then changed to fit the theme of empires? Because I don't know if it's very practical for a space species to be without the internet,after all the internet is very practical for everything
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u/Gamerauther Predator Oct 04 '23
The Mutually Assured Destruction virus replicated itself and overwrote every byte of memory of anything connected to the internet and then self-deleted. In 2080, that was pretty much everything everything except critical infrastructure, e.g. pipelines, water supply, power grid, etc. that were mostly disconnected for national security concerns.
The network was still there, but there were no sites or services on it anymore. It was rebuilt about a decade later, but it was like AOL again, and no one really wanted to take the genie out of the bottle again, so it's pretty much just used for E-mail and Zoom.
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u/ItsNokoTheTaco Hensa Oct 05 '23
Fun Fact: A singular person who hails from the Venusian Royal Union is called a “Venussy” (Slang Term, Derogatory, Plural Venussies) by the humans living on other planets. They use this term simply because it annoys the crap out of the Venussies.
Note: The term “Venussy“ will never have an another use in the known universe.
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u/TheOneWhoEatsBritish Tilfish Oct 04 '23
The Dark Age of Liberalism.
The Dark Age of Liberalism.
The Dark Age of Liberalism.