Chapter 15 S2

Artificial planet Yirim, central headquarters of the institutions of the Intergalactic Organisation 

Your Majesty, we are approaching the docking bridge," said an angel in pilot's clothing to Emperor Aroslan, who was standing in front of the large window overlooking the command centre of the Aegean imperial vessel. 

The latter confirmed the start of the manoeuvre to board the intergalactic port of Yirim, the so-called capital of capitals. The fleet's general pilot bowed and returned to his post to give the final instructions for the manoeuvre. Slowly, the enormous machine began its descent. 

Aroslan was lost in thought. While he knew that the vast majority of the organisation's staff and directors were happy to have him back, he was also aware that some of them were more than firmly opposed to his return to the intergalactic scene. He had decided to spend a fortnight on site to attend a series of extraordinary meetings aimed at giving direction to the organisation's action in the conflict with Zorkiel. 

The Emperor was expecting a fierce battle. The heads of state didn't have much power over the decision, as it would be made by the elected intergalactic representatives and the leaders of the Organisation, but he knew they wouldn't be cowed. They would seize every opportunity to use it to their advantage, and do everything they could to rally public opinion to their cause. Their aim? To strip the organisation of its power and recognition. To show that it is incapable of managing a crisis situation as great as the one Ornikarn is experiencing. 

But as long as Aroslan of Egea is there to support it, the people and leaders of the entire intergalaxy will never question the organisation's effectiveness or its power. He knew that he would be the first target of the dissidents. He was prepared. 

"Docking in five minutes" came a robotic voice from the ship's speakers. Aroslan clung to the safety rail. He frowned, concentrating on his crew's manoeuvre. Once he set foot on the dock, the battle would be on. He had to be ready. Too many lives were at stake for him to take this matter lightly. 

"Five...four...three...two...one....accosting successful" came the voice again. "Decompressing the air, disinfecting the ship, the doors will open in ten minutes and five seconds."

The Emperor waved to the Pilot General to congratulate her on her meticulous docking. She thanked him by placing her headdress on her chest and bowing. Aroslan then turned on his heel and headed for the upper pontoon. He had to be the first to set foot on the planet to show his determination. Then the rest of the crew would go down with all the other travellers. 

He hadn't come alone. He had taken with him his most seasoned fighters, those who carried out special missions throughout the intergalaxy and worked with the organisation. He also took along a number of experts in various fields, as well as masters of natural energy. He would have liked to take Jibaru with him, but Jibaru had convinced him to leave him behind to manage the Empire's external affairs in his absence. Which he was unable to argue against.

Jabiru was still on a mission to find Seiran's mother, but he would be joining them as soon as he had finished - in the hope that he would complete his mission in the near future! All these unknowns were so many hidden cards up the Emperor's sleeve that he couldn't play for the moment, making his situation even more uncertain. But that was the way it was. The intergalactic game was a poker game where the first to give in to the pressure lost. 

"Opening of the doors" The robotic voice said again, pulling the Emperor from his thoughts. Finally, the upper pontoon was lowered and the artificial sunlight entered the ship. Aroslan frowned but did not flinch. He couldn't let himself be blinded, whatever happened. He was now the powerful emperor who made his enemies tremble and made no concessions in diplomacy with allies or enemies. He absolutely had to match this image or any plans to militarise the mission against Zorkiel would fall through. 

Once the pontoon had been lowered completely, he stepped forward, his head held high and his gaze hard. Impassively, he walked down to the docking bridge and set foot on the metal floor. But no sooner had he put his second foot down than he felt a dangerous threat approaching him in a split second. 

Instantly, and before anyone could react, an immense blue rosette perforated with spikes at regular points appeared in front of him. With an extremely violent clash, a spear larger than the emperor himself slammed into the rosette with an unheard-of crash. Forming an unstoppable wall, the rose window acted like an invisible wall that the spear didn't shake in the slightest. 

The shockwave caused a wave of breath, frightening the crowd who had come to welcome the Emperor on his arrival at Yimir. The imperial guards began to run towards the emperor to protect him, but he raised his hand to tell them to stay where they were. Surprised, they hesitated for a moment before obeying and stood back behind their leader. In front of Aroslan, the immense rosette of natural energy glowed with a soft light as it slowly turned on itself. 

He stepped forward and picked up the spear lying on the ground at his feet. He recognised the weapon at a glance. Sparks flew when his hand touched the handle, and he finally released the incredible object, not because of the pain but because it was being drawn back in the direction from which it had come. 

"-I see you're still delighted to see me, Qethéon," said Aroslan in a soft but strong voice.

-And you're as uninhibited as ever," replied his interlocutor. Intelligent people know when they're welcome and when they're not. 

Emerging from the shadows, his interlocutor took a step into the middle of the small welcoming committee that had moved aside to make way for him. Under the rays of the energetic sun, a giant appeared in front of the Emperor of Angels, his long, curly hair tied up in a careless bun. Only the President of the Council, who had come to lead the welcoming delegation, dared to interfere. 

-Qethéon d'Issangre, Any attack against Emperor Aroslan will be considered an act of rebellion against the organisation and its members," she proclaimed loud and clear, unafraid of the giant's reprisals. 

The giant showed no intention of stopping, which raised the tension a notch. It was only when blue arrows shot out of the rose window and planted themselves in front of his feet that he stopped. The wall of energy arrows was dangerous, even for him, he had to admit. 

-Leave it Rinna, the leader of the Forkins has a long history with me and I understand why he wants to talk as soon as I arrive," intervened Aroslan. 

The president hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside. 

-Very well, in that case I'll authorise him to have a private discussion with you on behalf of the Council as long as no damage is caused to the planet," she finally conceded. On the other hand, if the discussion does not resolve the dispute between you, he will have to explain himself to the Council and Parliament, and legal proceedings will be instituted for attacking a state representative outside the legal framework. 

Without waiting any longer, Aroslan nodded to the President to open an ID. Immediately, it was deployed and placed high up to give the two leaders more space for their exchange. The two men jumped down to join her. Down below, dematerialised screens opened up everywhere so that everyone present, members of the crew and the delegation, could see and hear what would be said in the ID. 

There was silence. The tension was now palpable, and everyone was hanging on the outcome of the so-called exchange between the two leaders. But nobody was fooled. Everyone understood that Qethéon was there to show that the Emperor of the Angels had lost his former power and was no longer a shadow of his former self. He was no longer the insurmountable bulwark of the organisation he had once been. And what better way to prove this than with a direct confrontation, before he had even set foot on the capital planet? By attacking without restraint at the first opportunity, the giant wanted to destabilise the head of state and raise doubts about his weakness in the minds of the entire intergalactic population. It would send a strong message to the citizens of the intergalaxy. 

-Let's talk, since that's what you want. 

Inwardly he was jubilant. 

-I take it you don't like my presence in Yirim for the conferences on Ornikarn's destabilisation of intergalactic peace? asked the Emperor with the same engaging smile. 

-Emperor Aroslan, you're breaking your promise by going to the capital planet Yirim and making the speeches you've been making lately," said the giant virulently. As a founding member of the organisation and representative of over fifteen percent of the intergalactic population, I demand that you go back on your word and leave Yirim at once. 

-Or else? asked the angel, still smiling. 

Qethéon frowned. He didn't like the way the angel was questioning him. He sensed something different in his tone, and even in his aura. Something that wasn't present in the Aroslan he knew. But he wasn't observant enough to work out what it was and continued to plunge headlong into his plan. 

-If you don't, the Forkins will regard your action as illegal and contrary to intergalactic order under the organisation's constitution," he growled. We will take whatever measures we deem necessary, legal or military, against the angels to remedy this situation and force you to resume your place within the organisation and the intergalactic order. 

-Which is? continued the emperor, whose smile seemed to grow wider as the conversation progressed. 

-The Forkin had to restrain himself from shouting at him, but couldn't help raising his voice. 

His response raised the ambient tension a notch. 

Suddenly, Aroslan's smile froze. His sky-blue eyes locked with those of the giant, who instinctively recoiled. Without really understanding why, he felt uncomfortable and had to restrain himself from grabbing the spear behind his back and brandishing it in front of him. 

-I see," the angel said simply. The problem, my dear Qethéon, is that I've never committed myself to anything on this subject. I simply announced a few decades ago that I was retiring from the intergalactic scene and that I would no longer interfere in the running of the organisation for the time being. I never gave an indeterminate character to my declaration, and if I didn't include angels in that declaration, that allowed my fellow citizens to continue to be involved in intergalactic life as much as they wanted. So it cannot be said that there is any established custom that angels have forsaken their place in the political life of the intergalaxy and the organisation. 

The giant frowned. He could feel the drops of sweat beading on his forehead. The more the angel spoke, the more uncomfortable he felt. 

-Stop taking us for fools! Your declaration has been interpreted by the organisation and by the member states as a commitment to the lasting and unlimited withdrawal of angels from intergalactic life! he exclaimed, as if he suddenly had to raise his voice to affirm his words. 

-That's an interesting objection you're making, because it seems to me that the motion to recognise my declaration as such was rejected by the Council and the intergalactic parliament, and that barely a tenth of the governments of the intergalaxy have recognised it," Aroslan argued without losing his composure. In other words, this motion has never been recognised as valid and has no legal force. It is a unilateral commitment which only binds those who make use of it and cannot be used against me. 

Aroslan had now lost his smile. His eyes still fixed on those of his interlocutor, he had gradually increased the intensity of his aura to overwhelm his opponent. By doing so, he wanted to make him lose his nerve and end the discussion quickly by ridiculing him, showing what a poor leader he is, submissive to his warrior impulse and weak in rational argumentation. When he said that he was going to be a target for his dissidents as soon as he set foot on the capital planet, he didn't mean it literally. However, this sudden, lightning attack was the perfect opportunity for him to make his mark. He had already anticipated a situation like this, it had simply arrived earlier than expected. Now all he had to do was act as he had planned against opponents he knew very well and who knew him much less because of his withdrawal years earlier. 

Giving in to his usual pattern, Qethéon wanted to respond but couldn't find anything intelligent to say. In spite of himself, and under the ever-increasing pressure of the angel's super-powerful aura, he let out a cry of rage and grabbed his spear to brandish it in front of him. 

Unilateral decision or not, you're no longer the super-powerful angel you once were! Your word and your decisions no longer have any force in the organisation, and I'm going to prove it to you now! Aroslan, the bulwark of the world, is no more, and today a new intergalactic order will be born, whether you like it or not! 

Aroslan struggled to hold back a smile of satisfaction. What an easy enemy to fool! Qethéon had fallen straight into the trap. With a sweeping gesture of his arms, he conjured up a set of four rosettes of varying sizes in front of him, all intertwined and rotating in different directions at different speeds. 

-Show me this new intergalactic order you're going to create, Qethéon, I'm curious," he said this time with a broad smile that split his face from ear to ear. 

The forkin shuddered as he met his gaze. He had never seen such cruelty and bloodlust in the angel's eyes. He wondered for a moment if the man in front of him was indeed Aroslan of Egea, but there was no doubt. The fine features of his face and his long white hair were undoubtedly those of the Emperor of Angels. He was looking at an Aroslan he had never seen before, and the thought made him shudder. 

Without dwelling any longer on these thoughts, he let out a loud cry that swelled into a war cry. With his spear in one hand, he leapt forward at an incredible speed for someone of his size and weight. A split second later, he was on top of the Emperor, ready to strike with all his might. But just as he was about to send his spear towards the emperor's head, he saw the angel raise his head and face him, a chilling smile on his lips, his eyes almond-shaped. 

Qethéon realised that he had made a serious error of judgement in thinking that the emperor had weakened since his last battle. As he had never seen him fight after his official retirement, he had always thought that the angel had become rusty through lack of practice. At that precise moment, as he was about to strike him with his spear, he realised that he was completely wrong. Not only was the angel not the least bit rusty, he was more powerful than ever. More powerful than ever. Or maybe he'd just never realised how powerful he really was before. In any case, his warrior instincts told him one thing: he had to flee at all costs if he wanted to survive. 

It was then that he put both feet on the ground, and playing for all he was worth, facing the angel who was surrounded by all kinds of blue rosettes. He needed two seconds to form a shield, but the angel's relentless attacks would not allow him to do so. Once again, he had to leap into the air to avoid a deadly beam. Without waiting, he materialised his shield in front of Fergon, praying with all his strength that it would stop the concentrated rays of pure natural energy that the emperor had been sending him earlier. 

He countered, putting all his strength into the movement, and the shield resisted. However, he slid more than a hundred metres and looked down at his forearm in amazement. There was nothing left of the shield he had just materialised with his natural energy. If the attack had lasted even a second longer, it would have hit him full force.

He gritted his teeth. He was proud of his dual-manipulation skills, both supportive and creative. But he realised the limit of his skills in the face of the immensity of the angel's power. He realised that he didn't really know what kind of manipulation the angel was using, nor did he know her fighting style. In any case, he knew his old fighting style, the one everyone had seen during the Great Schism War. But what he was seeing here was something completely different. 

Gathering his courage, and realising that he was going to lose anyway, Qethéon concentrated all his natural energy and made a shining suit of armour appear on his body. He armed his spear with two more spikes and protected himself with a huge metal shield. Thus equipped, he then infused all his remaining natural energy into his equipment to strengthen it and sharpen his blade. He was going to go all out in a suicidal attack. And taking his momentum, he lunged forward with a war cry that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. 

From the ground, all you could see of the DI was blue lightning flashing in all directions. The screens showed the battle better, but it was still very blurred. The flying cameras had stopped so that we could see the Emperor of Angels, and as for the rest, we could see a dark line crossing the blue light from time to time. But that was all. This fight was more like a conditional death than a real fight. The condition was that as long as a ray didn't hit the condemned man, he stayed alive. 

All the witnesses were stunned by the spectacle. Most of them had never seen the emperor fight, or only in archive footage of the Great War. Such a display of power was frightening, all the more so as Qethéon was known for his brute strength and sharp warrior instincts. He was easily considered one of the most powerful heads of state in the intergalaxy. So to see such a powerful man being steamrollered in a completely unequal battle made many shudder. The dormant power of the Emperor of the Angels had just come to life before frightened eyes who realised how wrong they had been to mistake the Angels for a fading power. 

President Rinna watched the battle carefully. She was well aware of the Emperor's true power, and knew perfectly well how it would all end. What she feared was the consequences of this fight. Would it stir up dissent and create more conflict? Or, on the contrary, would it calm the ardour of the most vehement? She didn't know, and like any politician, she didn't like uncertainty. That's why she had hoped that the Emperor would not go along with the Forkin's provocation, but that was to underestimate the Emperor's capacity for anticipation and foresight. 

After all, he was a manipulator of pure natural energy through the mechanism of creative manipulation. But when it comes to pure natural energy, it's a completely different matter. The energy isn't used to create something, it's used directly by the manipulator, increasing the power of the attack hundreds of times over. It was something unique and therefore little known in the intergalaxy, and extremely dangerous. These rosettes were natural energy machines. The more natural energy they were fed, the more they produced. It was an increase in power that was very difficult to counter. 

In any case, it was impossible for someone like Qethéon. And that was why the emperor had been so willing to go along with the giant's plan. He knew he could beat him in style and show off his power to maximum effect, causing as little damage as possible. Anyone who doubted his power would be silenced by this display of might and his popularity would be solidified as anyone wishing to take him on by force would be completely discredited. It was the perfect plan to silence those who hoped to bring him down. 

The chairwoman tinkled. This angel was stubborn, there was nothing to do anyway but wait. After a moment, the jets of light calmed down. The DI calmed down and the Emperor signalled to her to raise the dimension. 

Worried, the President complied. The Emperor landed on his feet in a perfectly controlled fall, while the Forkin fell from the top of the ID to the ground with unheard-of violence. There was dead silence on the landing deck, where a crowd of curious onlookers had come to see what was happening. 

Qethéon lay as dead on the ground. His body was covered in burns and his eyes had rolled back in their sockets. There was nothing left of his equipment. Only a few charred pieces of metal indicated the already distant presence of a warrior's paraphernalia. The President approached and placed a finger under his nose. After a few seconds, she stood up to make her announcement. 

-He's still breathing. 

A murmur of relief went through the assembly. 

-President Rinna, I'm counting on you to carry out your declaration at the start of this battle," said the Emperor with his usual smile. 

Once again, he resembled the naive and totally harmless angel he used to let show. His aura had completely disappeared, leaving everyone in his path stunned. 

As he passed the President of the Council, she said just loud enough for him to hear: 

"-For a pacifist, you are extremely violent. 

To which he replied. 

-In a world as imperfect as ours, you don't fight rabble-rousers with doves. I will fight as long as necessary with my own weapons, no matter what violence is caused, as long as peace is not an established value in our world, and as long as our fellow citizens do not ban this excessive use of force. The day when peace is so firmly anchored in our system and our mentality that it will be unthinkable to question it, only then will I stop using violence as a means of expressing intergalactic politics. That's the decision I made when I came back here.

Then he walked past her into the main body of the airport.