“Alright, so let me get this straight. You want to create a pan-universal union of mortal races, where every race has their own specific job and duty?”
Kenon nodded, perched on his throne, going through a series of notes. In the last few days, the Rethavok leadership had been visited by a myriad of races, all devastated by the same catastrophe. A disaster that had destroyed most of the universe, sparing some but not others, almost at random.
“Yes, that is exactly what I plan to do, you two. Why, do you both have issues with my plan?”
Rethais and Veeksiar both took a deep breath.
“Do you want to explain or should I?” Veeksiar asked.
“Go ahead…” Rethais snarled, sitting himself down at a nearby bench. “You are far more tolerant than I am.”
Veeksiar nodded, then approached the High General. “Lord Kenon, normally, when we make large plans, we tend to discuss them with our secretaries, our assistants, our advisers. Especially when it comes to large scale issues and exo-political affairs. You are doing none of that. You are not talking to anyone. And, if I may be blunt, it is not just your advisers that need to know, but the common Rethan as well.”
Kenon looked down at Veeksiar, then across the hall to where Rethais was sitting. Both of them seemed somewhat angry and it was most likely because he had just helped about 250,000 Skyavok move into Thre-Ourani, moving the Rethans already living there into other cities. Somehow they had managed to do it very cleanly and calmly, but the suddenness of it all was clearly bothering everyone.
“You are perfectly correct, Veeksiar. I apologise to you both, I have not been keeping everyone in the loop, as you would say. As it stands though, we have a lot to do in order to help every affected race and establish ourselves as the peaceful superpower and union within our massively shrunken down universe.”
Rethais got up and stomped over next to Veeksiar. “See, that is exactly what we are talking about!” the Vice General snapped. “As far as Veeksiar and I had gathered from your inconsistent ramblings, you said we would only be helping those within the Reth-Vrekan Union sort themselves out on their own planets, not moving them into our territories and giving them our cities, essentially bribing other races into following and being loyal to us!”
“What Rethais is saying is that we need to tread extremely carefully in these troubling times…” Veeksiar tried to calm everyone down. “While the idea of being a major superpower is… admittedly pretty cool, we need to take things slowly and we need to be clear with everyone. For example, your plan to give everyone duties based on race. Would you be able to explain that?”
Kenon smiled, just a little. “That idea is very simple, Veeksiar. You currently see this situation as 250,000 Skyavok coming in and leeching off us. I instead see 80,000 medics, nurses and carers, with another 120,000 or so more once they have been trained up. The Skyavok are a small, physically weak race, but they are excellent in providing health and care. So that is what they will do for us, in exchange for shelter and protection. Because that is what they need.”
“That is just one race though…” Rethais tried to argue, before Kenon interrupted him.
“In the time that I have been in charge, I have been studying not just my fellow Rethans but other races as well. I know what they can provide. Our allies, the Vrekans, for example, are working overtime in quarries and factories, to recover from their huge loss of materials, notably metals. In order to do so, they have everyone working, including their military, leaving themselves defenceless…”
“We sent our own soldiers to assist them, but what-” Rethais had been desperate to make his point, but Kenon kept on silencing him.
“Dear Rethais, as a race, we are good at three things: organization, protection and reaction during disasters. We are going to offer our strengths to others, in exchange for other races to fill in where we are weak.”
Rethais sighed, tutting loudly. “That is an incredibly simplistic way to see things. There is no feasible way that other mortals will… bow down to you as we did.”
“They are in need, Rethais.”
“They are right now. What happens when this is over? You are naive to believe that everyone will fall in line.”
Kenon snorted, smiling as he stepped off his throne, heading down towards Rethais. “You are naive to think that I do not already have this planned out with Yisini and Epani. We are going to create a perfect union, whether you like it or not.”
Rethais backed down, knowing that he didn’t really have any counter-arguments to the power of deities.
“Very well, Kenon…” Veeksiar finally sighed. “But could you please tell us in advance next time? Because we deserve to know, and we want to help…”
“Of course,” Kenon grinned. “I apologise for that. I shall better inform you, every step of the way…”