Hyperspatial Travel
28-03-2008, 11:35
He stood in front of the mirror, ermine robes gently swaying as he moved from side to side. Imperial purple tinged the edges of his garments, and, while the clothes were unwieldy, they spoke of dignity. Dignity he did not possess, and dignity he did not truly think he deserved.
The Realm was a place of curious custom. On one hand, it was one of the greatest capitalistic societies known to the universe - a few eclipsed them, such as the Allaneans, but not many. It had democracy of the mind, in which thousands, no, millions of minds came together in congress, and made decisions en masse.
For all this, it was still oddly bound by ancient traditions. Two millenia ago, the first Emperor had raised himself upon the throne of Travellia. He had proclaimed the First Realm, the Old Realm, in that time of far-off legends, in that time of strange events and newness in the universe.
He had birthed a single son. His son, however, had only become Emperor-Elect by the time of his desposal. When the great failure of the First Chronosian War came about, he had been deposed, replaced by the democratic League. Yet his son had been retained. Some said it was to show the League's power over even the Emperor's family, others believed that it was to legitimize the new government. The son had been raised Emeperor,
Whatever the cause, the Emperor had remained. For an eternity, the position had been a merely ceremonial one, and, when the League fell, the leader of the New Realm, Magnius, showed his true blood - genetically derived from the first Emperor himself, he was rightful Emperor of the Realm. The title fell into disuse, for he was a military man, and preferred to be named Magnate, a title that spoke of simpler, more direct measures.
Yet it had remained. Even after the grand disaster that was the Great War, the Emperor had remained. However, the Realm was led by Magnius, and, as he was Emperor, the title itself held not a candle of power next to the man.
Mallus thought nervously of his illustrious ancestry - it was an ancestry that had both grand honour and horrific treachery, one that gave with the left hand, and took with the right. Many decried the position as evil, others said it was a fine monument to the Realm's history. However, it gave the Realm a figurehead. When one spoke to the Realm, the spokesman changed constantly, depending on who was available, for the people themselves made the decisions of the nation. This being somewhat alien to many nations, the Emperor was an easy enough man to talk to.
Still, his history.. after the death of Magnius, and the revival of the Realm some centuries later after its destruction, there had only been one man descended from Magnius. He had led the Realm for a while, before, once again, the authority had been given to the people of the Realm, along with the administrating AI. His great-grandfather.
He was not dead, that man. No, the title of Emperor was simply given up after a number of years. While the position held many privileges, it also held many duties, and freedom from those duties was eventually desired.
So he was to sit the throne. His father had left, desiring an infantry command on a battleplate over rulership, and, while he did not truly want the throne.. what else was he to do with his life? Many loved him, and his position, and to turn them down, at his young age, seemed almost impossible.
Besides, there were only seventeen others to take the throne. The dynasty was hardly secure, and most of those were wastrels and fools - others engaged in positions of such importance that they could not be removed.
He spoke, in front of the mirror. "I will do it."
"Will you, my lord? Very good of you, I must say so myself."
He frowned. "Please, Aurelius. If you are to watch while I preen myself, could you at least watch silently?"
The AI said nothing, in acknowledgement.
He smiled, his lips curving up, in the thin lines that were known so well. His face looked cruel, and he was still a gangly boy, hardly ready to ascend the throne. Yet he was the first in line, and tradition demanded it.
The sceptre lay nearby. He hefted it in his hand, running his hand down the side to activate the ancient power unit. The weight was lifted from it considerably, and the invisible absorption bubble extended around his body.
"Aurelius, when shall we hold the coronation. With the Magnates in attendance, the grand freeholders, and the worldmind representatives as well? Or shall we hold something smaller."
Aurelius was silent for a moment, and then spoke, his voice seemingly coming out of nowhere - he merely reverbrated the air to cause the sounds he wished.
"The tradition is dying, my lord. I do not wish to see it so, but the lack of ceremony by your father and grandfather have removed much prestige from the position. While you are largely powerless-"
"I know this.", Mallus interrupted.
"-it is the prestige of your position that is desired by the people. You must look and sound majestic, and you should inspire them. The line of royalty extends back further than most nations have existed, and that alone is a source of prestige. We shall hold a ceremony so grand that it shall not be forgotten for a thousand years. The magnates, the freeholders, the worldminds, the guildminds, the avatars of the great warships, perhaps our new allies, the Keluaun, should they care to come, and representatives of any nations who choose to come. We must reassure the people of your majesty and grace, and, by meeting both their representatives and the representatives of others, you shall restore an air of authority to the position."
"Why don't you take up the crown, if you like it so much?", Mallus challenged the AI. He had not expected such a ceremony, and the crowning, alongside with the shock of the immense ceremony to come was falling badly on him.
The slightest hint of bitterness could be detected in Aurelius's voice.
"I am not the descendent of Magnius the Great."
Greetings. The Realm of Hyperspatial Travel is crowning its new Emperor, Mallus Exaieonae, and wishes most heartily to meet with any of your representatives who wish to see him crowned. The ceremony will be held on the planet of Hypatia, in the system Kaisar in three days time.
Note that a three light-hour peacetime FTLi field is in effect in the system of Kaisar. Ship-transit gates will take your ships into orbit of Hypatia, but any attempt to jump into the FTLi field will inevitably fail. Kindly send notification of your representative's attendance before they arrive.
The message was sent to the universe at large - few would be able to miss it, disseminated through both unofficial and diplomatic channels. While not as grand as a war, it was certainly an occasion for nations who had no real contact with the Realm to meet them - or for nations who had some contact to build valuable friendships.
The Realm was a place of curious custom. On one hand, it was one of the greatest capitalistic societies known to the universe - a few eclipsed them, such as the Allaneans, but not many. It had democracy of the mind, in which thousands, no, millions of minds came together in congress, and made decisions en masse.
For all this, it was still oddly bound by ancient traditions. Two millenia ago, the first Emperor had raised himself upon the throne of Travellia. He had proclaimed the First Realm, the Old Realm, in that time of far-off legends, in that time of strange events and newness in the universe.
He had birthed a single son. His son, however, had only become Emperor-Elect by the time of his desposal. When the great failure of the First Chronosian War came about, he had been deposed, replaced by the democratic League. Yet his son had been retained. Some said it was to show the League's power over even the Emperor's family, others believed that it was to legitimize the new government. The son had been raised Emeperor,
Whatever the cause, the Emperor had remained. For an eternity, the position had been a merely ceremonial one, and, when the League fell, the leader of the New Realm, Magnius, showed his true blood - genetically derived from the first Emperor himself, he was rightful Emperor of the Realm. The title fell into disuse, for he was a military man, and preferred to be named Magnate, a title that spoke of simpler, more direct measures.
Yet it had remained. Even after the grand disaster that was the Great War, the Emperor had remained. However, the Realm was led by Magnius, and, as he was Emperor, the title itself held not a candle of power next to the man.
Mallus thought nervously of his illustrious ancestry - it was an ancestry that had both grand honour and horrific treachery, one that gave with the left hand, and took with the right. Many decried the position as evil, others said it was a fine monument to the Realm's history. However, it gave the Realm a figurehead. When one spoke to the Realm, the spokesman changed constantly, depending on who was available, for the people themselves made the decisions of the nation. This being somewhat alien to many nations, the Emperor was an easy enough man to talk to.
Still, his history.. after the death of Magnius, and the revival of the Realm some centuries later after its destruction, there had only been one man descended from Magnius. He had led the Realm for a while, before, once again, the authority had been given to the people of the Realm, along with the administrating AI. His great-grandfather.
He was not dead, that man. No, the title of Emperor was simply given up after a number of years. While the position held many privileges, it also held many duties, and freedom from those duties was eventually desired.
So he was to sit the throne. His father had left, desiring an infantry command on a battleplate over rulership, and, while he did not truly want the throne.. what else was he to do with his life? Many loved him, and his position, and to turn them down, at his young age, seemed almost impossible.
Besides, there were only seventeen others to take the throne. The dynasty was hardly secure, and most of those were wastrels and fools - others engaged in positions of such importance that they could not be removed.
He spoke, in front of the mirror. "I will do it."
"Will you, my lord? Very good of you, I must say so myself."
He frowned. "Please, Aurelius. If you are to watch while I preen myself, could you at least watch silently?"
The AI said nothing, in acknowledgement.
He smiled, his lips curving up, in the thin lines that were known so well. His face looked cruel, and he was still a gangly boy, hardly ready to ascend the throne. Yet he was the first in line, and tradition demanded it.
The sceptre lay nearby. He hefted it in his hand, running his hand down the side to activate the ancient power unit. The weight was lifted from it considerably, and the invisible absorption bubble extended around his body.
"Aurelius, when shall we hold the coronation. With the Magnates in attendance, the grand freeholders, and the worldmind representatives as well? Or shall we hold something smaller."
Aurelius was silent for a moment, and then spoke, his voice seemingly coming out of nowhere - he merely reverbrated the air to cause the sounds he wished.
"The tradition is dying, my lord. I do not wish to see it so, but the lack of ceremony by your father and grandfather have removed much prestige from the position. While you are largely powerless-"
"I know this.", Mallus interrupted.
"-it is the prestige of your position that is desired by the people. You must look and sound majestic, and you should inspire them. The line of royalty extends back further than most nations have existed, and that alone is a source of prestige. We shall hold a ceremony so grand that it shall not be forgotten for a thousand years. The magnates, the freeholders, the worldminds, the guildminds, the avatars of the great warships, perhaps our new allies, the Keluaun, should they care to come, and representatives of any nations who choose to come. We must reassure the people of your majesty and grace, and, by meeting both their representatives and the representatives of others, you shall restore an air of authority to the position."
"Why don't you take up the crown, if you like it so much?", Mallus challenged the AI. He had not expected such a ceremony, and the crowning, alongside with the shock of the immense ceremony to come was falling badly on him.
The slightest hint of bitterness could be detected in Aurelius's voice.
"I am not the descendent of Magnius the Great."
Greetings. The Realm of Hyperspatial Travel is crowning its new Emperor, Mallus Exaieonae, and wishes most heartily to meet with any of your representatives who wish to see him crowned. The ceremony will be held on the planet of Hypatia, in the system Kaisar in three days time.
Note that a three light-hour peacetime FTLi field is in effect in the system of Kaisar. Ship-transit gates will take your ships into orbit of Hypatia, but any attempt to jump into the FTLi field will inevitably fail. Kindly send notification of your representative's attendance before they arrive.
The message was sent to the universe at large - few would be able to miss it, disseminated through both unofficial and diplomatic channels. While not as grand as a war, it was certainly an occasion for nations who had no real contact with the Realm to meet them - or for nations who had some contact to build valuable friendships.