by James Ashman
Chapter 9
"I don't know what the future holds. But I'll keep battering the threads of time until they resemble my vision of history."
"Feeling philosophical at a time like this?" Miku asked. She flashed a smile, which Alquin didn't feel like returning.
"Don't you have any last words?" Alquin asked.
"I don't expect you to go down. I won't need them," Miku said.
"Good, that's good. Get ready, or it will take you by surprise," Alquin said.
"I got it," Miku said.
"You aren't complaining. I'd think you wouldn't want to be in the midst of things," Alquin said.
"You ask that like you mean it. I'm being forced to be there, or I would be, either way, right?"
"Yes."
Alquin open the car door and took a step out. A moment later, Miku followed him. They were on the capitol planet of the empire, in the same area that they had visited not long ago. The mood, however, was entirely different than before. There wasn't a public audience, and the media was limited to government-controlled puppets. Official empire soldiers abounded, forming lines at the sides of the walkway. Farther behind them were additional units and soldiers, many of which had taken place at the perimeter of the grounds.
Alquin followed the lines as directed with Miku in tow, and eventually they ended up standing next to a line of other military persons, each of them wearing a concerned look.
Then they waited. Another few people arrived and took their places in line after Alquin. Each wore the same grim expression.
"His greatness, the emperor, has arrived!" said a pompous-looking official.
The emperor appeared, surrounded by a group of guards. His face was solid and stoic, but his eyes pierced every person seen.
Miku shivered when the cold stare hit her. She looked at Alquin, expecting a look of trepidation, however there was none. Alquin stared at the emperor without being phased, and then a small smile appeared.
The emperor sat in his chair and relaxed into it. The guards lined up at the sides, all looking fearsome and solid.
"Captain Arnes to approach," an official said. At his behest, the first man in the line of people took his place in front of the emperor and bowed.
"You're demoted and reassigned. You'll be part of ground assault forces from now on. Permanently," the emperor said. Captain Arnes shuddered, but whispered words of thanks.
Alquin sighed at the sight of the man accepting his fate so willingly. It was effectively a death sentence. Ground assault forces never lived long, and always died in gruesome ways. The best the ex-captain could hope for would be to be killed instantly by an enemy rifle. The man wasn't young either, making the punishment just that much more severe.
"Lieutenant second-class Tapp, lieutenant first-class Gene, and sergeant Lines, approach," the official said.
The group of three, the only three in front of Alquin, made their approach. They went as close as they could to the emperor, which was about twenty feet, and stood straight.
"Kneel before his greatness," the official said. The three men didn't budge. "I said to kneel!"
"Never," Tapp said.
"Insolent rebel!" the official said. He took a step forward.
"Stop," the emperor said. The official took a step back without a word and bowed his head.
"You three have defied orders. You're to be executed. Nothing further. Take them aside. I wish to witness this later," the emperor said.
"Defied? Defied orders? Ha, you call such atrocities orders? We are loyal subjects of the empire, but we have morals. And just because one man acted on his morals doesn't mean we should murder him! The captain was wrong! Our mutiny was well-deserved in the face of such cruelty. Our loyalty is to the people of the empire, first!" Gene said.
"Obedience is absolute to those with power, in this empire," the emperor said without emotion. He wasn't concerned at all.
The three men we're taken to the side by a few guards. They weren't able to resist in any meaningful way, so they refrained from making much effort at resistance. If anything, they held their heads high as they were led to the place where the emperor would watch their deaths. Before that, there were still people to attend to.
"Alquin Tor Rinard, approach," the pompous official said.
Alquin squeezed Miku's hand once, and then started walking towards the emperor. Miku kept in step beside him. When they stopped, Alquin made a medium bow and kneeled. Miku didn't do either.
"It disappoints me that you are here today," the emperor said. Alquin looked up at the emperor, who was staring with obvious disdain. The emperor looked at Miku, who was still standing, her face stoic. He narrowed his eyes, and then glanced sideways at the official next to him.
"What is this woman's problem, and why did you bring her here? Answer, Alquin!" the official said.
"I can only speak for myself. As for her, I brought her because she is here to observe. She must, I commanded her to," Alquin said.
"Then, why aren't you lowering your head?" the official asked Miku.
"I have no reason to," Miku said.
"All subjects must lower themselves before the emperor! Of course you have reason to," the official said.
"That doesn't apply to me," Miku said.
"Of course it does!" the official said. His face had become redder than before.
"Why are you still speaking? This is a matter between Ingrid's emperor and Alquin, not me and you. How dare you speak after the emperor!" Miku said. Her tone was mocking. She knew the truth about why the official was speaking, but she wanted to rile him about the unspoken order anyways.
The official couldn't respond. He would have, but he feared that by saying anything more he would add to Miku's argument. Instead, he took a step back and looked forward. He had deferred to the emperor.
"Ha!" the emperor said. For a moment, he smiled as well. "Never forget that you too are a fool. Incompetent. But she is correct about one thing, even if she does deserve discipline. This is about Alquin. Do you know why you are here?"
"Last I was here, I was given privilege, which I thanked your greatness for. How can I have any inclination of what to expect at this time, though?" Alquin asked.
"You were given a set of instructions, were you not?" the emperor asked.
"I was," Alquin said.
"Then, have you fulfilled them?"
"I have."
"Oh? You say that, do you? Knowing that the space fortress Zeick was your target, and yet it still lives, you say that you have fulfilled your orders to assault it? Shall I explain why that doesn't work? No, for you have shown you're an intelligent general. So, explain it yourself. Why does it seem that you're words are impossible?"
"The Zeick is no longer a coalition item. We are at war with the coalition, not an independent entity; therefore for all intents and purposes of the war, the Zeick is gone."
"Insufficient. The order was to destroy it, assault it, take it over, whatever it takes to either eliminate it or bring it to our side. Not to let some rebellion in the coalition place it in the hands of traitors! I doesn't matter that it wasn't in coalition hands, your orders were to destroy it at that point! Do you understand?" The emperor slammed a fist on his chair, the second startling burst of emotion that day.
"I see. Apparently, it has been my mistake after all. I thought that saving the lives of several allied forces from destruction in a lengthy battle would be worthwhile."
"You valued the lives of those beneath you. That has cost you. As such, you will be appropriately punished. Alquin Tor Rinard, you are stripped of all military rank, and will be assigned as manual labor, somewhere, for the next five years."
"But that's too harsh! He's a general of such high rank, and you're demoting him for something so small! Why?" Miku asked.
"I don't answer questions. Be thankful I spared his life," the emperor said.
"His ways are absolute," Alquin said. "That's correct, isn't it? That no matter what, the emperor is to be obeyed?
We aren't to make individual judgments about what you think."
"My ways are the only way. You disobeyed. The circumstances surrounding the reason do not matter. If I had deemed them worthy of changing the order, I would have eventually. All generals know this. You were aware that the order wasn't to be rescinded. Yet you disobeyed anyways. I'm willing to pass it off as foolishness, and will let you live. If you learn from the obedience you will have to display to live at the labor camp, then you may still end up being worthwhile to have as a general. I did have hopes for you," the emperor said.
"Normally, I'd ask you to forgive me," Alquin said. Alquin then brought his hand up in salute.
"What?" the emperor asked. His eyes opened widely, and his face reddened slightly. Alquin was standing tall, and his eyes stared at the emperor. There was a light defiance in his face, and he was smiling widely.
"Normally," Alquin said.
"Arrest him!" the emperor commanded. His guards immediately started moving towards Alquin.
Alquin and Miku ran away from each other, Alquin going left and Miku going right. Off in the distance the growing roar of several shouting voices was heard. The group of guards all dashed towards Alquin, ignoring Miku.
"Stop all movement!" Miku said. The guards who had approached Alquin turned to see Miku at the emperor's side. A short knife was in her hand, threatening the emperor's neck.
The sound of several shouting voices turned out to be a large crowd of soldiers, who now had encircled the area en-masse. All were armed.
"You've arrived," Alquin said.
"For Alquin!" they shouted.
"And now for you," Alquin said while turning to face the emperor.
"What do you think you are doing?" the emperor asked calmly.
"Can't you tell? It's called, rebelling. You over there, let those men go."
Tapp, Gene, and Lines were released by the guards, saved from their previous fate.
"Come over here, you three," Alquin said.
"What's really going on?" Tapp asked.
"We don't have much time to speak, but I just wanted to offer you your lives back. I heard enough of what you said earlier to know that you deserve better than what this fool dictates. I don't agree with him. People are people, rich or not. I intend, no, I have, taken over, and will change the rules to reflect such thought. Do you wish to follow me, or do you wish to be executed by the emperor?" Alquin asked.
"Certainly, we don't agree, but how can rebellion succeed?" Gene asked.
"Oh? Who's going to say anything about a rebellion? The emperor has simply had an unfortunate change in personal circumstances, and thus has passed his title to an extremely capable person that he has trusted implicitly. Unfortunately, the emperor will no longer be able to make any public appearances, and may pass away in the next couple years, so all his power has been given to this general. Knowing how absolute and peculiar the emperor was, it's only natural that his successor be unexpected. Isn't this all correct, ex-emperor?"
"Curse you," the ex-emperor said.
"And me," Miku said.
"I should have executed you the moment you dared to hold your head high. You traitors!" the ex-emperor said.
"I'm not a traitor. I cannot betray that which I never belonged to," Miku said in a whisper to the emperor.
"Did you hear about it? Can you believe it?" Teena asked Yue. He looked up and smiled.
"I'm not safe from you even in the library, I see," Yue said.
"So you haven't heard? Well, we did just pick it up," Teena said. As she spoke, Kelin and Genbu arrived.
"Has she told you yet?" Kelin asked.
"Told me what? I've been enjoying a book for a while, but I suppose I can be interrupted," Yue said. He closed the thick book and placed it on a table.
"Deer Mountain? Ah, anyways, there has been a revolution," Kelin said.
"In the empire, that is," Genbu said.
"What kind of revolution? Has the government been replaced?" Yue asked.
"No, not that kind. There is a new emperor!" Teena said.
"What? But I thought… just explain before I jump to conclusions," Yue said.
"There is a broadcast in the empire right now, which we have a hold of. It's basically the new emperor introducing himself and explaining that the old emperor is gone. It sounds like a fake story, and likely is. But if he is able to silence the old emperor that easily, then even those who realize it's fake will have to acknowledge him. In a way, the old emperor set himself up," Kelin said.
"The mightiest deserve to rule, right? Someone who wanted to be mightier took over, then?" Yue asked.
"That's just it. His speech ends with a commandment. That authorization has been revoked! All people, regardless of power or riches, are equal subjects. Although, the new emperor seems to have excluded himself from this, but as for the rest of the empire, they are equals," Kelin said.
"Strange. What kind of person is this new emperor?" Yue asked.
"Him. You've met him before," Genbu said. He then brought up a display of the empire's image.
"It's that general. The one who has… Miku! She's there! Alquin!" Yue said. In the display, behind Alquin, Miku could be seen. "What's she doing?"
"At least she is safe, apparently," Genbu said. He had been worrying about Miku for a long time, and the strain on him had been apparent for a while, no matter how much he tried to hide it. But now he spoke with a touch of relief.
"This is definitely the product of a rebellion," Yue said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That's my assumption as well," Kelin said. "The emperor wouldn't simply hand over his empire to a young general.
"There is going to be chaos in the empire," Yue said.
"Those who are hit the hardest by the new emperor's command, the rich, won't stand for this," Teena said.
"You're forgetting something, all of you," Kelin said.
"And that is?" Yue asked.
"The rich have no real power in the empire. If you really think about it, they never have, the emperors just allowed it due to their views on status. But what power do they have when the person who effectively gave them any authority is gone? They were allowed to do what they wanted because there was no one to tell them no. And now there is. They have to accept it. And, it's more likely that all their assets are in government-controlled banks and institutions," Kelin said.
"It's a paradigm shift, then. No matter what, it's a change for the better," Yue said.
"I didn't say it's for the better. It's just a change," Kelin said.
"We should pay our respects. That person, Alquin, he's familiar with us now. Maybe he will stop the war!" Teena said.
"That's a good idea. Let's pay him a visit, if possible," Yue said.
"We should strike now, while the empire is struggling," member four said. The other council members mumbled lightly.
"Without the old emperor around, there is little incentive to keep procrastinating. A death-stroke would raise our approval rating," member three said.
"The president is going to attempt diplomacy," member one said.
"Bah, that fool," member six said.
"Peace? After all these decades? Has he forgotten why we are fighting to begin with?" member five asked.
"Haven't we all?" member three asked.
"The economy, of course. And the great tragedy. A shame that something so terrible has become something so profitable," member four said.
"Ha, have you developed a conscious now?" member one said.
"He's up for re-election. As am I. An end to the war would do us well," member three said.
"And let the economy eventually die out? You'll be re-elected either way. It's more important that we continue the fight, securing the nation for our successors," member two said.
"There's no guarantee that it will bubble and burst without a war going on," member three said.
"And has history taught you nothing? Overpopulation, lack of industri
al jobs, abundant apathy, just to begin with, have all been remedied! As long as we are consistently using resources, the economy is stable! It's those lapses, those peaceful lapses, that destroyed us in the past. Just think of what will happen to the job market, after being fed by a war effort for decades! It will collapse! We'll have millions of people out of work, all because you want to be re-elected," member two said.
"There is still the matter of casualties. The recent efforts have been particularly terrible failures. The loss of life in the past two years alone has been twenty percent higher than the years before that! The people are getting anxious!" member four said.
"And does it matter? So what if the people complain? They think that simply because they have the ability to voice their concerns something will come of it. Let them vent, then forget. Even if they don't, as long as they know they can speak about it, they think we care! Free press indeed! As long as they can speak of it, they don't realize that there is nothing it will change. Lessons learned from the past. And yet you two are still worried about what the public thinks! Knowing that it doesn't matter! Have you forgotten what really makes elections work?" member one asked.
"You got your positions because the previous three and four were also scared. Don't repeat their mistakes," member five said.
"Alright. I'll place my trust in you men. My apologies," member three said.
"I suppose I can wait and see. This first term has been much more addicting than expected. I didn't want to lose out on having it again," member four said.
"Ha, honest now? Good. Remember, you're on the council, which is much more difficult to mess with than something as flexible as the presidency. He does have to worry about public opinion. And he doesn't acknowledge the war's importance," member two said.
"So what should we do about the new emperor? We could launch an assault, but with the loss of the relay near Blatt, we're going to lose a lot of time. They may be reorganized by the time our forces arrive," member four said.
"We launch the second Zeick-class fortress," member two said.
"It's complete?" member four asked.
"It's undergoing final testing. But it appears that the piggyback function works. We will be able to send an entire fleet without using a relay," member two said.
"So we can end the war quickly, after all," member three said.
"It still has some limitations. One fleet wouldn't be enough, but no more could be taken. It may be in our best interest to seek a temporary truce, and strike when the most gain could be gathered from it," member one said.
"We could acquire the entire empire in one fell swoop. And then use its resources to keep the economy stimulated," member seven said.
"That's also a possibility. Let's discuss this further at the next session. For now, we are dismissed," member one said.
