4. Make Empire Great Again (2)
After the emperor departed, the Senatus Aula erupted into a hive of shock and terror, like a kicked beehive. The 3,000 senators, all old enough to be the 21-year-old's father or grandfather, had been outmaneuvered and lectured by him, then swept up in the mood to applaud—only to snap back to rationality the moment he left. They had no choice but to chatter all at once.
The noise, amplified by the acoustic design of the two-kilometer-wide dome, overlapped, echoed, and distorted into something like standing amid a roaring waterfall.
"Silence!!! Order—!!"
Senate Chairman Marcus Valerian slammed his gavel from the podium, but the sound drowned in the din, ultimately forcing even him to give up.
The first to speak was Livia Castellana, vice chair of the senate and a key figure in the Liberty Faction. At 95, hailing from the border Secundus Arm autonomous district, she had devoted her life to expanding citizenship and hetero-species rights since entering the senate. As the moderate leader within the Liberty Faction, she had long served as a bulwark against radicals. The woman who had sworn at the coronation the day before—"For all citizens of all stars"—now rose, addressing the surrounding Liberty Faction senators.
"Calm down, everyone. Calm. Aren't we all senators loyal to His Majesty the Emperor and the people?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a soothing quality that quieted the area. Roughly 800 Liberty Faction senators within her sphere of influence fell silent first.
"Let's chew over His Majesty's words. Not just the surface."
But Yuri Solovyov, the 42-year-old Liberty Faction senator from the Tertius Arm border sector sitting beside her, couldn't contain his excitement and jumped in.
"What's there to chew? His Majesty just handed us everything we've wanted all at once! Legislative initiative, prime minister position, governor ratification, hetero-species autonomy—it's practically our entire 50-year agenda! He just gave it all! All of it! Kyaa!!! Our Emperor His Majesty—"
"That's exactly why it's suspicious," Castellana countered calmly.
"A 21-year-old new emperor, on just his second day on the throne, dumps 50 years of stale agenda items all at once. No prior consultation, no debate—just announces and leaves. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
Solovyov's excitement, which had moments ago manifested as "I just imagined myself turning loyalist lol," cooled a bit. Stripping away the happy delusions and thinking rationally, it did feel off.
"Well... it is a bit strange..."
"Not just strange—this was calculated."
Castellana leaned back in her seat. Her 95 years of political instinct guided her next words.
"His Majesty didn't draft those reforms overnight. This was prepared before ascension—maybe years ago. Risky to say, but... isn't the imperial household the most rigid, authority-clogged organization there is?"
The Imperials would have cheered, "Kyaa~ Liberty bros, you're serfs from now on lmao," but this stayed within Liberty ears, so no such uproar.
"Look at the clauses' polish. Legal terminology flawless, logical connections airtight. Sure, nitpickers might find holes, but we'd have to suspect even those were anticipated. That's no one-night document."
Convinced no such perfection could emerge from the imperial household's stuffy old-fart stench, she stroked her chin, firing up a tiny happy circuit of her own: "This time it's different?!"
A new emperor bold enough to say that outright couldn't be all lies.
Solovyov pondered briefly, then nodded.
"So... His Majesty conceived this reform during his crown prince days?"
"Ask the more fundamental question. Why."
"Why...?"
"Why would a 21-year-old emperor voluntarily shrink his own power? No emperor in history has done it. The only time power-holders relinquish authority willingly..."
Castellana smiled meaningfully, as if spotting the ninja hidden behind the happy circuit.
"...is to gain something bigger. Obvious, but that's the only conclusion."
Solovyov's eyes widened.
"Something bigger...?"
"Think. His Majesty is only 21. With immortality treatment, he could reign for centuries."
Immortality treatment—technically lifespan maximization, but with average human lifespans at 200-250 years, imperial top-tier tech theoretically enabled 500+ years, earning the "immortality" label. Of course, no one dwelled on why, despite it, only seven emperors in 1,200 years.
The longest-reigning, Kaius III, had ruled ~300 years amid far cruder tech. Today's? 500 years, maybe more.
Castellana ticked off fingers like calculating.
"Ascend at 21, rule 500 years: 521 total. If these reforms fully embed over those 500..."
Solovyov replied slowly.
"...the empire's structure itself transforms."
"Exactly. His Majesty isn't planning for 10-20 years. This is a 100-, 200-, maybe 500-year blueprint. Looks like ceding power now, but really redesigning the empire's systems to his specs over centuries."
Solovyov's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?!"
"So His Majesty's true intent is..."
"The longest reign in human history to enact the most fundamental revolution. Can't do it overnight, so gradually—yet radically—over centuries. Avoid chaos by buffering through parliament."
Castellana glanced at the door the emperor had exited. Admiration gleamed in her eyes.
"Conceiving that at 21... I think this emperor will be different."
The Liberty Faction unknowingly nurtured loyalist seeds. Drugged on this euphoric high, they just savored the moment.
On the opposite side, the Imperial Faction mulled a similar yet divergent interpretation. These fanatic monsters, doped on emperor-worship to the point of shielding him from cannon fire, suddenly had their shattered worldview patched.
Strong empire! Strong imperial authority! Strong humans! Under those three superiorities, national pride had paralyzed them—until the emperor injected a tranquilizer and declared, "Our empire might collapse." Utterly absurd empire-doomsaying from him.
Religions often pair apocalypse with salvation, and theirs came. They just hadn't expected their "all-in emperor loyalty till death" to morph into "Let's do this together."
Senate Chairman Marcus Valerian, at 180 the head of Primus Arm's greatest noble house and de facto Imperial leader, set down his gavel, arms crossed. Beside him clustered four core Imperials.
Victoria Krupp, 120, blonde CEO of Stella Industries dominating 40% of imperial arms manufacturing, glared viper-like.
Cassius Aurelius III, 160, claiming descent from the first emperor, ultra-conservative Primus Arm grand noble revering tradition and hierarchy.
Reinhardt Schenkopf, 88, retired navy lieutenant general representing military interests, academy classmate of Eisenhardt Marshal.
Seraphina de Medici, 145, from a Holy Light Church-tied noble house, ultimate religious conservative defending noble privileges.
This old-farts' reunion looked ready to stink up the place, yet they led the Imperials.
Valerian spoke first, his 180-year voice steady.
"I'd like your thoughts."
Krupp replied.
"Honestly, sounded insane at first. But pondering it... this could be genius."
Aurelius snorted—maximum contempt his 160-year dignity allowed.
"Genius? A 21-year-old kid surrendering imperial edict power?"
"Lord Aurelius, don't just skim the surface. And watch your words—'kid'? Insulting to His Majesty."
Krupp snapped back sharply.
"Examine the reforms. Legislative initiative, prime minister, governor ratification—all empower parliament. But more parliamentary power means...?"
"Chaos."
"And after chaos?"
Aurelius paused. Krupp answered herself.
"Craving for order. If parliament bickers without function, citizens cry 'We need a strong emperor!' His Majesty empowers it deliberately—to make it crumble under the weight."
"Hoo...?"
Valerian's eyes glinted faintly. Persuasive.
The vast galaxy defied full coverage even with AI. Population over 800 trillion—likely 1 quadrillion with proper census, hetero-species included. Parliament? Just desk debates from the capital. Bound to self-destruct.
The emperor's "Be field politicians" pep talk was nice, but leave cushy seats for death-risky planetary hops? Unrealistic.
Krupp's 180-year experience bolstered her logic.
"But that doesn't explain hetero-species autonomy."
Schenkopf noted. Krupp nodded.
"Border stabilization. Rebellions eat 12% of imperial revenue yearly. Autonomy cuts them, freeing funds for military modernization, fleet expansion—or new expeditions."
"Expeditions..."
de Medici narrowed her eyes.
"77% unexplored galaxy, right?"
Valerian nodded.
"Indeed. His Majesty commanded 'Make Empire Great Again.'"
"True..."
"Making a great empire great again? Means greater than now."
Silence. Simple, yet clicked. Crisis talk instilled urgency, then "We can be great again." Empire wasn't at worst—had survived crises, subjugating hetero-species repeatedly. History proved resilience. If the emperor sensed crisis, it was crisis.
Imperials couldn't deny him, so this conclusion stuck.
Valerian embraced it—his most certain in 180 years.
"His Majesty plans centuries of reign via immortality to remake the empire from roots. Empowering parliament, granting autonomy—all pieces of a grander picture. Success or failure, it flows to plan. Stabilize internally, resolve conflicts, ultimately claim the galaxy's 77% unexplored as imperial soil—that's the real goal."
Krupp sighed in admiration.
"A 500-year plan..."
"Galactic unification in 500... No rest."
Schenkopf summed militarily.
"Terrifying."
"Terrifying?"
Valerian smiled.
"Beautiful. No emperor in 1,200 years realistically envisioned galactic unity. At 21? The founders' true heir."
Aurelius grumbled silently. With Valerian's verdict, Imperial mainstream aligned.
Liberty's "500-Year Revolution" and Imperials' "500-Year Unification" converged: The emperor would toil centuries, leading all hardships.
Liberty believed democratic overhaul; Imperials, galactic supremacy. Premise same: "Emperor works centuries."
Senators acted swiftly.
Castellana, heeding "Form parties," drafted a founding declaration signed by 600+ of 800 Liberty senators by ascension day 3.
Article 1: For all citizens of all stars!
We accept His Majesty's reforms in full, appending detailed implementation: legislative initiative procedures, prime minister election rules, sector governor ratification standards, hetero-species seat allocation, etc.
Castellana thought while drafting: "His Majesty draws the big picture; we fill details. Can't burden one man 500 years alone. He already deems himself mere human. Show we work, and he rests easy for grander visions!"
"Long live Emperor His Majesty!!!"
The Liberty Faction had morphed into Imperials unawares. The high was too potent, framing them as "Reform pioneers shattering outdated Imperialism"—a holy crusade leaving no room for reflection.
Imperials matched pace. Day 4, Valerian reorganized into a formal party.
Aid His Majesty's great undertaking to eternalize imperial glory!
Accept reforms, with Imperial values: Limit hetero-species autonomy scope; defense council gains imperial rep seat for command transfer; strengthen emperor's veto on prime minister selection.
This sparked fine effects.
"Parliament's the real enemy!"
"Argh! You idiots!! Didn't His Majesty step up reluctantly because of you?!"
"Loyalists hear this!!! Parliament was the foe! We unite to abolish it!"
"We're the true loyalists! Long live Emperor His Majesty!!"
Until parties chanting "abolish parliament" emerged.