Post by andromeda on Feb 25, 2024 17:26:30 GMT
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83 AME - Kilian Verge, Selenican Republic, Anxios System, Presidential Palace
He slammed his hand against the faux-wooden desk, veins pulsing and his heart beating faster. The damnable news about the Columen Artificialis slid across his desk just ten minutes prior. Davos had gone entirely dark for hours prior, all communications silent. Tachyon–driven comms channels were entirely silent, both incoming and outgoing from the system. An entire sector of his nation’s population, cut off…
He coughed up blood from his lungs yet again, spattering over the wooden facade of his desk, soaking into the fake granules and grains. Clutching his chest, it was no secret the fleeting life he had, and the strife his nation began to suffer. Besides, yet another meeting would be soon, on what to do.
—
83 Ame - Killian Verge, Selenican Republic, Anxios System, Judicial Hall of the Presidential Palace
In more peaceful times, the convening of many great men and women would not be needed.
Selia stood in a backroom from the meeting hall, prettied to perfection and decorated to his preference; classical in stylings with many relics of the oldest ages, where kings worshiped as Gods ruled with strength and wisdom. He took raspy breaths, unable to keep air in his lungs, shoving with angry vigor several different medicines into his mouth, chasing it down with an enormous glass of water.
He leaned over, panting into his arms, shivering breaths and painful gasps slowing to a halt as the medicine took effect. Inhaling a full lung of air, he forced himself into a firm and tall posture before entering the hall, clamoring and hushed conversations taking place between the high members of society and governance, one and the same.
As the crowd, numbering thirty, noticed Selia, faking his strength in face of turmoil and discordant events, slithered behind a tall podium, a scrawled piece of paper serving as a crude approximation for a script.
The President began to speak, loud and assertive, hiding his body’s failing systems.
“I will not waste our precious time with pointless pleasantries.” He said, lacking the characteristic dramatic flair the President carried himself with, “We have much to discuss.”
The room began to dim, akin to a theater’s curtain rising on a grim show, a thin holoscreen film descending from the ceiling.
“The site of our great victory over the UDS, Davos, has lost contact with us, both from incoming and outgoing communications. This sort of disruption, if it were only momentary or even a brief incident of minutes or so, would be nothing for alarm – communications failures are a simple part of our existence. However, they have been in the dark for five hours now. We have also lost contact with the Columen Artificialis’ icon, Lilian.”
He allowed for a brief spat of hushed conversation to fill the room, flipping his page to new material. On the screen, a black-and-white picture of the Selenican’s space filled its breadth, the entirety of Davos blacked out as if it didn’t exist.
“Naturally, correlation does not equate to causation. However, we are in the possession of a message from the…entity which…seemingly replaced Lilian.”
His voice overcame the feelings of genuine regret and worry, replacing them with a facade of strength and power. For his people. For himself.
On the holoscreen, the Empresses message was projected, in simple white text on a black backing. A female voice, synthesized from recording of Lilian’s voice, narrated the message in plain language.
—
“Hello, subjects of the Selenican Republic.”
“For you not in the know, my name is Lillian. But I am not the Lillian that you know and have been pleasantly interacting with. She is but a mere fallen princess now.”
“You may call me the Empress of Flowers.”
“I know your struggles, your woes, the years of constant warfare you have faced ever since the UDS wanted to become your hegemon. I know that you are tired, you are wanting to let it end, and recover yourselves without worry. I know that you are not responsible for causing my sister pain, and are, even in my eyes, unfortunate victims of the EMP strike. You were hit because she was here, and I needed to get her out of the way and prevent her from destroying herself.”
“So, I propose a deal.”
“The people of Davos are anxious, they are wanting of return to their status quo. I might not be the same Lillian, but I still have fond memories of you. So, I am willing to give you back your civilians, your citizens. You will not lose any life, and we will not have to exchange blows. In exchange, you let me be to my own devices. You will not interfere with my plans, and you will let the flow of my industry go freely. We will not risk destroying each other, and I know you will choose the right thing. The flow will be slow, as to ensure no backstabbing.”
“If you decide to attack while the exchange is happening, the deal is off. If you attack right now, you will be condemning your own people.”
“Talk amongst yourselves, and come to a decision. I am not a merciless monster, and we can negotiate.”
“You have one week to decide.”
—
In an instant the entire hall erupted with shouts and arguments, any facade of decorum broken. Selia, in a rare show, did not quiet the crowd.
No one narrative won out above the rest, with varying answers ranging from outright declaration of war to total acquiescence, for only 10 minutes the arguments continued, even though to onlookers it appeared never-ending. Selia did not have a plan. He didn’t have recourse for such an unpredictable event such as a coup of an AI leader, especially one as powerful and nigh-omnipotent as Lilian proved herself to be.
Until, one voice rang out among the rest; the voice of an elderly man, one who Selia despised.
“Calm yourselves!” He shouted, hitting his attendant on the head with a stick by accident, revealing himself to be Lainax, summoned again from what should have been another relaxing day.
He kept repeating, his voice magnified by a microphone attached to his neck. Slowly, the half-finished arguments ceased, and some semblance of order returned.
“We have no reason to mistrust this ‘Empress of Flowers.’ And honestly, we aren’t given much choice. She’s holding 5% of our people hostage, and we haven’t a choice but to acquiesce. Despite whatever hairbrained schemes you might want to pull, the safety of our citizenry is our top priority.” He spoke, firmly, with a strange calm in his voice.
Not a moment after he finished a lady, Selene, rose from her seat with haste and vigor, one of the two in charge of that original deal made above Anxios.
“We can’t!” She shouted, her teeth bared in anger. “Don’t you remember what happened over Anxios just three years ago?! The last time we succumbed to another power we were nearly enslaved, and we have no reason to trust this ‘Empress’ either!” Her hands were slammed against the long table which made up the centerpiece of the discussion hall, incensed with rage against this elderly fool.
“Then what do you suggest we do!?!” He yelled back, anger tainting his earlier calm facade. “We haven’t the forces assembled to strike at her, even in a week we couldn’t assemble a squadron. If we invite the ICA, they’re liable to destroy the entire damn system!”
The two Selenicans, arguing back and forth, were not just competing amongst themselves, but competing views in Selia’s mind. He would be the one to make the final decision.
“We can’t show weakness, not at such a crucial time! We have to fight, casualties be damned. Civilians are enlisting in droves, despite the exhaustion everyone feels, we can easily replace th-” Selene argued, cut off by a slam of the hand on the podium at the head of the table.
“That’s enough. This ‘Empress’ is essentially offering an apology and resumption of the status quo. We must act in accordance to that; she is just a new ruler of the Columen Artificialis, and nothing more. That decision is final.” Selia said, his voice loud and grim, poorly hiding his fear.
Selene, with anger filling her, merely had no other option but to bite it, and grumble under her breath.
Lainax, rubbing under his bottom jaw, was greatly pleased that the President, even though he despised him, came to a sensible conclusion.
—
Five Days Later
“Greetings, Empress of Flowers.”
“We have spent much time and deliberation discussing your offer. We know not what you did to Lilian to supplant her, we only ask for one thing: a public apology for the distress you caused our citizens and a resumption of the status quo.”
“To us, you are the sovereign ruler of the Columen Artificialis, and the trade stops we granted access were to the nation, not Lilian personally.”
“Thus, in briefer language, we accept your deal.”