Months later, Justin stood on a high dais, words pouring out of him as he rallied the audience to a common cause.
“We are Forerunners, explorers of the unknown, walkers of that razor edge. This is the path before us. Will we back down? Or will we venture forth fearlessly!”
A resounding applause met his speech and followed him as he was beamed up.
When he reappeared it was at a circular table, occupied by a mere dozen people.
“Excellent speech brother” Fredrich complimented.
“Eh. I still think yours to the council was better.” Justin took a seat beside Fredrich,
“Well of course.”
Justin snorted and took a seat.
The men and women at this table were the true power of the revolution they had been building up the last few months. Each was an admiral or captain of renown and skill, unsatisfied with the chaos that had unfolded in what should have been a time of triumphant expansion.
They hailed from all nationalities, representing the universality of the disorder.
“Brothers and Sisters,” Fredrich began, “we are all here for the same reason.”
He closed his eyes and drew in a breath. When he opened them once more, they blazed.
“We. Are. Furious.”
“Our ascension should have been a time to come together,” he continued in a trembling voice, “and for a time it seemed we had. Earthly war ceased and the world council was created to stand as the voice of humanity. But we erred. The council had no Law. No constitution to bind them to a higher purpose. Even now it teeters on the brink of all-out war, as it struggles to navigate the lawless world it created.”
He drew in another trembling breath.
“Instead of simply agreeing to unite in exploring and acquiring the bounties of the cosmos, they stare at it like ravenous alphas at a pile of meat, constrained by each other and preventing the starving dogs behind from partaking.”
It is sadly the nature of humanity that few ever rise above the instincts of their biologics.
But, luckily, some do.
Fredrich’s chair toppled to the floor as he exploded to his feet.
“No more! If they cannot agree on guidelines, then we will impose them, acting as the parents they have so clearly proved they need.”
A contemplative silence filled the room.
“And what,” a dark-skinned man questioned,” exactly are we going to do?”
“We’re going to force them to accept a constitution.”
“Really?” the man scoffed, “One written by you? One designed to put Nirvivan above all?”
“This,” Justin butted in, “is exactly what stopped the council at home from implementing one. The very distrust that threatens the fate of our very species.”
He slowly stood up from his chair, fixing the dark-skinned man with a piercing gaze.
“But we are different. We are Forerunners, men and women of action. We have seen the shadow of the reaper, and we understand the consequences of disorder. The very fact you are present speaks louder than anything you can say”
The man sat back and crossed his arms, “We are here because we agree that something needs to change. That doesn't mean we agree with your solution. We are not as easily swayed as the men in the base below.”
“Careful,” Justin warned, “They are still Forerunners. It would be wise to watch your words.”
The man hesitated for a second before nodding and conceding the point.”
“Today,” Fredrich picked up, shooting his brother a glare “We have brought you all here, not only to discuss the how of the revolution but also the what. Every one of you brings with them their own unique nationality, culture, perspective, and understanding. We cannot speak for all of humanity, but with you all, we can create the framework for them to fill in.”
The captains leaned forward as a hologram appeared before them.
“This,” Fredrich enunciated, zooming in, “is the first draft of the constitution. And now we will refine it into something we all agree with. If we are to bring unity, we must be unified ourselves.”
This time, it was a short woman with a prosthetic arm that voiced her doubts,
“Is it truly possible to come to such a consensus? After all, the council failed.”
Justin turned an earnest gaze to her,
“It will be messy, yes. But change always is. And it will be worse if we stand complacent. We are Forerunners, trained to traverse the most difficult of paths, will this be the one that halts us?”
He was met with a wave of hesitant nods.
“Good. Let's get started.”
They wove law as I once did, but where I was one, they were many.
How joyous it must be to be accompanied.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
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It was a cloudy day when they finally struck.
The council was in full session, with dozens of sovereign nations subtly jockeying for position and power.
With every disagreement, they inched closer to destruction.
Among them, the few that could see the inevitable end, despaired, turning their heads up to the heavens as if they could intervene.
And they did.
Well not me, but nonetheless, they intervened.
With a muffled boom, hundreds of warships, members of dozens of fleets, fired their sonic disruptors as one. In an instant the clouds were banished, as if swept away by the hand of god.
I had done so once. This was more impressive.
The rays of the sun began to stream to the earth, piercing the doomed roof of the council and bringing light back to it.
One by one, the council members looked up as everything became basked in new radiance.
And gazed into a new sky. The combined fleet floated there, massive star-destroyers and personal crafts both, illuminated by the sun behind them. Standing there, ringed in light, there was no question of who they were.
They were the Forerunners, the first to ascend.
With a flash, beams of every color descended from the largest of the star-destroyers. The great domed roof shattered, and there they stood, the admirals, accompanied by a rain of clear glass.
The council screamed as the razor shards rained down on them, only to be stopped by a shield of plasma that manifested to protect them.
The screaming petered off, giving way to confusion as the council scrutinized the men and women before him.
“What,” the council chair started breathlessly, “is the meaning of this?”
The gathered admirals only gazed around disappointedly.
Gaining back her voice, the council chair tried again, “Excuse me! What is the meaning of this!”
The dark-skinned admiral, Noah, stepped forward.
“This is an intervention.”
“An intervention? Well, this better be damn important for you to invade the SEAT OF THE COUNCIL.”
Fredrich stepped forth beside Noah, “it is.”
“You” the chair pointed, “you’re a Forerunner. Wait.” she paused closely observing the rest of the gathered admirals, “You’re all Forerunners! Well, in that case, by the authority of the council chair, I command you to tell me what is going on here.”
Upon realizing they were Forerunners, men and women under her command, she had visibly relaxed. Justin’s next words shattered that illusion.
“It truly is an intervention. This council needs help. And we are here to provide it.”
“What right do you have?” the chair questioned.
This time it was the woman with the prosthetic arm that responded,
“Every right. We are citizens of the myriad countries represented here, and as such, we have every right to make our voice heard in the halls of government.”
“Thats…Thats…” the chair stuttered, evidently still recovering from their dramatic entrance.
“Enough.” Fredrich stepped forward once more, “I will spare you the speech of last time. If you cannot be convinced to act you will be forced. By nightfall, this assembly will have a fully developed and deployed constitution to fairly guide all interactions and truly unify us.”
Protests erupted throughout the hall, a kaleidoscope of different languages, all carried the same sentiment.
That's not fair.
“Nothing is.” Justin roared, silencing the crowd, “Nobody gets everything they want. But compromise is the lifeblood of cooperation. And you will learn its art”
The chair finally seemed to gather herself, “This is rebellion! The people will never stand for it.”
Noah let out a dark chuckle, “oh, they stand for it all right.” He waved his hand, pulling up massive holograms of protesting people. Protesting against the council and the war they could all feel themselves inching towards.
“You seem to have forgotten that you all are nothing more than a voice for those people. You are servants not kings. So serve, dont rule.”
In the silence that followed, Fredrich summoned a new hologram, this one dwarfing all the others.
“This is the preliminary document we have drafted, one that has been approved by every Forerunner here. You all are going to improve it. And then you are going to ratify it.”
“We won't give in to this strong arming!” someone in the back yelled.
Justin raised an eyebrow, “Even if it's backed by the people you represent?”
He swiped a finger, bringing up massive holographic representations of polls and votes.
“As you can see. The majority is heavily in favor of a new constitution.”
The holograms flickered out.
Justin sighed, “Beyond all the petty struggling you have let yourselves become embedded in, you were all elected or appointed for a reason. So dig deep, find that reason, that unique perspective, and share it. Have it immortalized in this budding declaration. Stand for your ideals, but do it for the collective good, rather than personal good.”
Fredrich pulled a chair out of nowhere and sat down, “The universe has become so much larger than just our small planet. Out there” he pointed to the brilliant sun and beyond, “are things wondrous and terrible. In unity we can find them, in unity we can finally act as a government truly should, not this hollow shell.”
The rest of the admirals followed Fredrich and pulled chairs out of nowhere, taking a seat on the raised speech platform. Justin leaned forward, sweeped a resolute gaze across the gathered assembly.
“We will moderate this discussion and act as the voice of the people. You all will finally show why you were all elected in the first place. It will be done once it is ratified by both a vote of this council, and a vote from citizens worldwide. Nobody will leave until the work is finished.
Slowly, one by one, the council members began to nod.
Finally, one spoke, “I think article 16, point 43 is too overbearing.”
High above, I grinned.
—-----------------------------------------------------
In the end, it took nearly a week to fully create and ratify the code. A week where not a single person left the council chambers. It was beautiful to my eyes, a creation worthy of divinity should it have been accomplished by a single person. It was a weaving, and a war all in one, but under the guiding words of the Forerunners the needle was threaded, and law established.
Sometimes, I forget about the power of law. It is not flashy, nor is it noticeable. It is subtle, and it is pervasive. It unlocks the true potential of a collective by allowing it to police itself, removing the need for higher interference. I remember the first laws I created, the guidelines in the delicate dance of matter and energy. Yet the laws of man are different, flexible where mine were absolute. They were strange at first, binding the creator as tightly as anyone else. An edict of greater power than he who created it. I remember the first laws man created, written by Themis under the watchful eye of Micheal. I remember the first law broken, the first punishment meted out. I remember the unity law brought them, the binding of individuals to shared purpose. I remember how they changed, binding and yet obedient to the people’s desires. I remember it all. The failures of law. The triumphs. The darkest moments. The brightest.
So I can say with confidence, as the sun rose on the dawn of the eighth day it was bright.
It was triumphant.
The falling pencil hit the ground point first, and when it rolled away, a mark was made. A mark of its own making, rather than of the hand guiding it.
Even in its binding power, the law was freeing.
I smiled.
Today would not be the end.
And yet the void still whispered…
—-------------------------------------------------