Chapter 817 – Six Months To Extinction

The reveal of the Watcher’s Plans did not put a break on Arascus’ ambition. Memories that were never to be shared were in fact shared. In private meetings at first, they were dissected, torn down to their base organisms, and then filed away into documents and folios. Whereas it was not a solution, it was a beautifully Imperial way of dealing with the issue.

What was a dream could be feared. What was stuck and made into bureaucracy, with researchers and historians and professors working on it, was just a problem to wait out. Ultimately, ever since discovering the existence of these blades and these watchers and everything else to do with them, they have been a weight above my head.

Although it is much like the Second Arc. The Empire did not wait, it did not ask for permission, it simply acted. And when it acted, it acted in the same, predictable manner that it always did. A plan was drawn up, an impossibility was stated, and then broken down. And now, as we build lattices to send into space, I do not see the Second Arc as some ticking time clock.

And likewise, whereas the Watchers still worry me, there comes a point where you see all the greatest minds on Arda working on an issue, and you simply realise that it is a matter of time before the giant you are part of finds a way to defeat the monster before it.

- Excerpt from Goddess Fortia’s, of Peace’s, private diary.

Kassandora turned around from her whiteboard: Agenda. There things dominated the board, in levels of importance. “Ultimately, these are the issues that currently plague us, and they are either going to be settled now, or one of them is going to haunt us forever.” Arascus had delegated the job to her and Kavaa, and whereas it wasn’t a promotion factually, it effectively was in all but name. Kassandora hated promotions. She had her station, and she knew what had to be here, but Arascus had only pushed the Empire faster since the return from the depths. “Since we are all here.” Kassandora said dryly.

Everyone of note, that would either be assigned, or that could potentially be relied upon for an idea, was here. The only person lacking were Arascus, Malam and Helenna and the bureaucracy. Those three were still doing the day to day runnings of the Empire. A new policy had been started, Arascus would go around to ennoble workers working on the Million Man Miracle with the low ranks of aristocracy that needed to be given out anyway: Barons and Baronesses for small towns and villages, because the aristocracy itself was starting to feel the Empire straining.

Every damn day, a show was being hosted. A theatre production be started up, villages got their own halls, fruit and berries. If there ever was a time in the Empire to make money, it would be now, as they were heading for extinction and everyone was spending what they had to make use of these final precious one hundred and eighty four days before the estimated impact of the Second Arc. “First.” Kassandora proclaimed. “We cross out what is not important.”

On the board behind where the items of the agenda: Second Arc, Starpurge, Ardan Unification, Of Empire, Monster Extermination. She looked at the table. Fer, the bundle of golden locks falling down past her shoulders, smiled, obviously knowing which one would be suggested. All the daughters did, there was one subject for them that was particularly touchy. Then Maisara and Fortia, with Fortia in the middle of the big three. On the other side of the table was Kavaa, Kassandora’s right hand. Seated there because there would be no pretending that Kavaa’s position was earned without nepotism, and so, it may as well be so blatant that no one would dare object to it.

Irinika close by, smoking, as she always did. In a dress of pure black darkness. That swirled and clung to her. Allasaria then, in one of pure white and gold, which annoyed Kassandora because it didn’t match the usual dark colour scheme of the Empire. Then Anassa, in red. And Elassa, thankfully in the dark uniform that she had been mandated to wear. Behind Maisara were Neneria and Iniri and Olephia. Then Baalka opposite Olephia at the very end of the table.

And the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Kassandora was annoyed because the rest of them were annoyed. Irinika was obviously seething about the fact she lost the place at the right hand to Kavaa. Allasaria was obviously annoyed she was third from the head of the table. Anassa was failing at the fact that she was forced to sit down here, and that she wasn’t next to Irinika. Elassa flat out did not want to be here, and she had made it known when she arrived.

Fortia and Maisara were shooting death glares at Allasaria, and Olephia was leaning forward, her cheek resting in her palm, shooting at glare at Fortia. Kassandora did not even know what that was about. Neneria was quiet, as she always was. If there ever was a way to make a terrible atmosphere for a room, then it would be here, right now. “Right.” Kassandora pointed to Of Empire. “We know that Of Empire is on the moon, we cannot reach her, I am moving this item off the priority list.”

The Empire did not take objections, and Kassandora did not take objections, but she still waited a few moments for everyone to see if anyone raised an objection. And of course, Allasaria did. “Is the Of Empire issue not more crucial than that?”

Fortia stepped in, much to Kassandora’s dismay. “The moon is a big place, unless we know exactly where she is, we can’t even start planning to reach her. And that is jumping over the obvious problem, which is that we don’t have a delivery method.”

“And...” Irinika mused through her pipe. “I would declare that the Empire should be more prepared to welcome its own Divine. The Palace, at the very least, should be ready so that she has a place to sleep.”

From the end of the table, Baalka stepped in. “I agree with that.” But Baalka was more blunt, Irinika only hinted at the issue, Baalka said what every daughter feared. “Plus, we actually need to discuss with father on how the new family structure will look.”

Allasaria turned to Baalka. “Family structure?” She asked.

“Will she be a daughter or will she step into the role?” Baalka asked dryly. Everyone knew what the role was: Mother. Fer’s ears bounced up as she suddenly paid more visible attention at the table.

“Excuse me?” Allasaria asked. Everyone turned to look at the Goddess of Light. Even Olephia pulled off her brooding gaze from Fortia to stair with disbelief at what she just heard. “What?”

“Surely you did not think it’d be you.” Neneria said quietly. “Allasaria, surely even you are not that stupid.” She shook her head. “I agree with Kassandora on setting this to low priority.”

“I do too.” Irinika said.

“Aye.” Anassa chimed in.

“My stance is known, yes.” Baalka said. Olephia nodded from the far end, Fer looked around the table quizzically, then smiled and turned to Kassandora. Of Beasthood must have already smelled the sheer bafflement that was coming off Kassandora.

“This is not some voting procedure.” Kassandora said. “Ahh… yes? It’s low priority. I wasn’t asking for your agreement in the matter?” She had to ask the question. What was this? Was it actually just Allasaria’s presence? She would be removed if she had some aura of democracy around her. “But okay?” Kassandora turned around, a line went through Of Empire. “Next on the list, Ardan unification. Priority number two.”

The Goddess of War turned back around. “However, this relies entirely on my father.” Fortia and Maisara smiled to each other and Fer collapsed back to the table now that the topic was no longer interesting to her. “It could shift, Karaina is the next target, and Etala is rather sympathetic thanks to the Clerics. Guguo is only major issue. I would not bring this up in the first place, because it is meaningless, however, there is something you should know.”

“What?” Fer asked.

“The UNN is collecting enriched uranium, Guguo took. Other nations are starting to buy it.”

“Well of course.” Fer said. “You ran an advertisement campaign during the Surface War on how grand nukes were.”

Fortia chimed in with a point so banal that if she were a human, Kassandora would throw her out of the meeting on the spot. “I said this would happen. I said it would happen after Ainai.”

“Do you want a gold star?” Kassandora asked. “A ‘I’m very smart’ sticker?” Fer chuckled to herself.

“Forti is very smart Kassie, no need for the sarcasm.” And Fortia smiled, and stared at Kassandora from behind Fer, who was sprawled out on the table with a taunting, mischievous smile. Kassanodra stared more so at her own sister, but she held her tongue.

“It changes nothing.” Kavaa said. “The nukes had to be used, everyone saw it. It’s only a matter of time before they get built. We either move in before then, or after, it will be shock and awe strike.”

“With what exactly?” Irinika asked.

“With you.” Kavaa said. “And Anassa, and Elassa, and you, Allasaria.” The Goddess of Health leaned back on the table and eyed the four most powerful Divines in the Empire.

“That is the fall-back plan.” Kassandora had thought of it already. It wasn’t a difficult scenario to imagine. Potentially, they could even intercept nuclear bombs from the sky after they were launched. “Either way, we have some time. No one has a missile program yet. Not even the foundations of one. We’re at least a year out.” Kassandora wrote it on the bored. One Plus Year next to Ardan Unification.

“One year to unify Arda.” Allasaria said. “That is optimistic.”

“There’s thing marvellous little saying.” Fer mused to no one in particular. “Animals understand it: if you have nothing smart to say, then it’s better to keep quiet.” Allasaria narrowed her eyes.

“Was that to me?” And Fer kicked into action once again. She sat up, rising to the height of Fortia and Maisara and then straightening her back. The ears on top of her head, short as they were, made the difference, and she was taller than Allasaria.

“Considering you last, then yes, it was to you.” She said.

Allasaria narrowed her eyes. “So this is how you operate? Kassandora just speaks and everyone follows along.”

“You do understand you’re just the Goddess of Light?” Maisara said. “You’re not even an Imperial Bureau.” Maisara had it correct. No one in this room had the authority to circumvent bar a Bureau bar Kassandora herself, and that was because was the leader of the Imperial Military. The only reason she held this meeting was because this set of idiots needed someone to tell them what to do.

“This is not a discussion, Arascus is not here, so you can assume that this meeting has been decided before you even stepped foot here.” Kassandora said. “Note how many Divines are here, this is not a council, it is a presentation. I am presenting.” Kassandora did not give time for Allasaria to answer. “So, as I was saying, Ardan Unification, the only real risk is the development of WMDs from other independent nations, it is priority two, because it is the second thing we have any sort of influence on.”

“Well…” Fortia said. “You don’t.” Kassandora opened her mouth and closed it as she turned back around, this time to stare at the Goddess of Peace. Fer chuckled, what an actual teacher’s pet that one.

“That was smart.”

“No.” Kassandora said. “I don’t, today, I will go to Arascus and make sure that you also are listed as a volatile personality and thus incapable of making decisions regarding national expansion.” That wiped the smile off Fortia’s face, and Fer turned around.

“That was smarter, Forti.” She chuckled. That hur-hur-hur of a laugh that obviously was meant to play on the nerves.

“Excuse me?” Allasaria said.

“Oh fuck me.” Anassa said. “Allasaria, shut up. In this room, there’s…” She looked around. “Who exactly? Neneria, you have permission, right?”

“I do.” Neneria said. She looked around the table. “Who doesn’t exactly?” Baalka raised her hand, so did Olephia and Iniri. And then Kavaa. All the eyes settled on her.

“What the fuck?” Fortia said. “Why do you have permission to expand the Empire?”

“Why do I not?” Allasaria asked.

“Because I don’t either.” Irinika said. “And that’s that. It’s decided only by Arascus and no one else. Most people don’t.”

“That’s not how it should run.” Allasaria said.

Maisara took personal offense to that. “But it does!” Maisara said. “But it does and that’s how it runs and everyone knows how it runs, so don’t bother complaining because no one else does, do they?”

“Why do you not get to expand the Empire?” Iniri asked Elassa from across the table.

“I asked Arascus not to.” Elassa said. “Well, he proposed it to me, and it’s better in the long-run. So I don’t get pulled into whatever shit there is.” The fact Elassa had been taken off the list was actually Kassandora’s doing, during the Surface War, when she had been thinking of how to exploit this loophole and order Elassa to start annexing territory for herself. The others weren’t so easily pushed around. Or they were, but with Iniri and Baalka, they had more loyalty to Arascus than to her. With Kavaa, she would just refuse. Neneria had permission, but that meant little when dragging the woman out onto the battlefield was a feat in itself and Olephia… Well, there was precisely zero way to actually pressure the most powerful Divine in existence.

“So that is the Ardan Unification topic covered.” Kassandora said. “Karaina will fall next.” She turned to the bored. “Number three, is this Starpurge. It is a priority one.” She wrote the number down. “At the same time, it is a priority five.” That was the lowest tier she used. It effectively: ignore.

“Why?” Elassa asked. “I don’t want to be difficult here, but shouldn’t we put more thought into it?”

“Arascus is handling it.” Kassandora explained. That was a question that did not actually annoy her. “We don’t know what Starpurge is, how it works, or anything like that. There are Bureaus on the issue, it is a priority one, because if Arascus comes to you and tells you to do something about it, you listen to him. If you have spare time, then you work on it. But you don’t make spare time. Understood?” She looked around the table. No one argued back this time, thankfully, that was a blessing itself.

The thought came too quickly. It was Anassa who spoke. “If I discover something, who do I report it to?”

“Me or Arascus.” Kassandora said. “There’ll be a Watcher Department created soon. Helenna will be in it, Fortia, you too, I assume that you Ana, Neneria, Irinika and Iniri. And Elassa.” Everyone who had signed the King’s Pact. “And you, Allasaria.” That one almost hurt to say. Allasaria somehow found joy in that, and looked around with a smug look. “But that’s not my field.”

Kassandora turned back to the bored, then to the Second Arc. “This is the priority one task.” Kassandora said. “Elassa, you will go back to the floating island production. After that, you’ll probably be required in Pheonix Nest. Anassa, nothing changes, you’re with Elassa. The rest of you.” Kassandora looked around the table. “Second Arc matters do not concern you unless asked directly by someone involved in the project. “No independent help is wanted or required.” This point wasn’t to the rest of them as much as it was to one very specific member.

“Understood.” Irinika said, raising her hands and leaning back. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Allasaria.” Kassandora said. “Do we understand? If you get some grand idea, you do not act independently. You do not call me. You do not call Arascus. There is a Department for this, Million Man Command has its own number, but you do not go to help, you do not go to offer ideas, you do not go to make it cleaner, or more efficient, or whatever else you think you will do.”

“I… see.” Allasaria said.

Kassandora did not like the sound of that. “This is the Empire, it works because we have jobs, and we stick to those jobs.” Kassandora crossed Second Arc off the bored. And now, for the part of the meeting that she actually had been called to do, and why Arascus had given her every powerful Divine in the Empire. A little pet project. Something that would keep her busy.

“And now. Onto the proper job.” She turned to the final piece of news: Monster Extermination. Proper, true monster extermination. “Fer, Fortia, Maisara, Neneria, Iniri, you’re on this, with me, because you’ve faced monsters, Malam is busy.” Kavaa would be involved too, because Kassandora was. “Olephia, you’re on standby in reserves, so you have to stay near airports if I need you.”

The silent Goddess of Chaos gave a thumbs up from the end of the table. Kassandora began drawing a map of the area just from area, although it would be accurate enough to pass. The whole that had been carved open two weeks ago was still there, and there was still movement. Whereas the tunnels themselves had been fortified and were holding, it would be a matter of time if they didn’t seize initiative. And then, Allasaria, seemingly having a moment of brilliance, realised what was going on. “This is just to keep me busy, isn’t it?”

Damn right it was. “You and Irinika are the heavy hitters, I plan to send you two in first.”