Aron retook his seat, allowing the next speaker to stand and introduce their preferred form of government. Once all of the proposals were in, the world leaders would vote to see which would be adopted.President after president stood, some of them using every second of their allotted time and speaking passionately about the forms of government that they thought best while others simply announced their support of one of the previously mentioned suggestions. Alexander, of course, had strongly backed Aron’s proposal, which came as no surprise to anyone at all. Those who knew the situation already knew that Alexander was basically Aron’s sockpuppet, while those who didn’t know the situation, or only thought they did, assumed that Alexander was backing the much younger man due to having worked alongside him for a time and received much help and many benefits.Esparia’s president, Jose Inez, also joined Alexander in supporting Aron. After all, why wouldn’t he? He was only the president than

Over the next few days, the summit continued without interruption. That wasn’t to say that nobody tried to sabotage or interrupt the proceedings, but they were easily fended off by the ARES troopers patrolling the city and the Aegis teams guarding the leaders. But while New York City was relatively peaceful, that wasn’t the case for the rest of the world, as protests sprang up with every article of the new world constitution that was ratified.……On December 30th, President Nazarbayev banged his gavel for the last time as he said, “With the ratification of the final Article of the Universal Constitution—”Everyone in the room applauded for a long while, feeling the heavy burden lift from their shoulders. The applause lasted until President Nazarbayev tapped his microphone, causing the raucous applause to slowly die down until it was quiet enough for him to continue his speech.“I would like to say that our job is completed, but Article II has yet to be completely enshrined into the co

When the clock ticked over to 12:01 AM, marking the new year’s arrival in New York City, Aron took his place behind the podium, dressed in his new imperial regalia and carrying the symbol of his rule, a short, golden rod with a platinum globe on top of it. His manner was dignified and a serious expression was on his face.“Good day to everyone around the world. We are Emperor Aron Michael, the first emperor of the Terran Empire. We’re here tonight to explain how the empire will function, what the unification process will entail, and the rights and responsibilities that you, as citizens, possess and owe as well as the benefits We will provide you,” he began, keeping in mind that every word and action of his would be recorded in the history books for posterity.(Ed note: Aron’s using the Royal We here as he’s representing the empire rather than himself as an individual. I’m not the best at using the Royal We, so forgive any mistakes I may make; they’re wholly mine, not Agent’s.)“Curren

“Now I’m absolutely positive he’s gone insane with power,” Rick Ashley said, watching Aron make outlandishly impossible promises one after another. He looked at the mirror-topped coffee table in front of him, dusted with white powder and littered with razor blades and once-tightly rolled hundred-dollar bills that had slightly loosened up. “But that’s just even better for me!” He paced back and forth in his study, alternately cackling, smiling, and sarcastically applauding. “There’s no way the implementation of all those ‘rights’ will be anything but an absolute train wreck. The longer things go on, the more cracks will appear, cracks that the sheeple in my flock can survive and thrive in. The man is an idiot... an IDIOT! Some things just aren’t meant to be integrated, and the divisions will get wider and wider as cultures and beliefs and indoctrinations begin clashing with each other!” He imagined himself climbing to those lofty heights of power and wealth, leading a revolution agai

Aron took a deep breath and relaxed, a compassionate expression on his face as he wrapped up his first imperial address. “I know the many changes coming all at once are difficult to accept. Especially as drastic and bold as they are.” He smiled wryly. “But there’s an old saying in my family: ‘begin as you mean to go on’, and that’s what I’m doing here. There will be an inevitable teething period as everyone grows accustomed to the new changes to, well... everything, really, but I believe in humanity. I believe in our ability to adapt to anything, and overcome what we can’t adapt to.“Mankind isn’t the fastest animal on the planet. We aren’t the strongest ones, either. We can’t swim in the ocean or fly in the sky unaided, we aren’t particularly stealthy, and we don’t have a very thick, robust hide. What we do have, however, is a sapient mind. We can imagine, we can develop, and we can make conscious decisions to follow our better natures instead of our worst.“I know I’m asking a lot o