Flattery and Bootlicking
Author: Agent_047
last update2024-02-15 18:12:29

As Tim and Siobhan were facing the first day of their mission, the imperial agency council meeting finally drew to a close. The meeting had lasted a very long time, as more than a hundred agencies had given their progress reports, each of which lasted anywhere from ten to thirty minutes. All told, the meeting itself was a 25-hour marathon session from the end of Aron’s speech to the end of the session itself.

The vast amount of revelations prompted a flood of news articles, each of which focused on a single piece of information. They provided a sort of cliff’s notes version of the IAC meeting for those who couldn’t remain glued to their screens for the entire duration. As it turned out, the vast majority of humanity was still uninterested in the minutiae of the day-to-day operations of their governments, so even though the full recording of each progress report was available in the Akashic Record, they chose to read the articles instead.

(Ed note: I can’t believe it, but Cliffs Notes
Continue to read this book for free
Scan the code to download the app

Latest Chapter

  • An Argument Between Friends

    “I’m telling you,” Abdullah said, his face lit up with excitement, “if you read the announcement properly, the empire’s planning to make all of us six-figure earners, if not outright millionaires.”“How so?” Mussa replied, skepticism etched into his expression. “We’ll only be able to access that fund after retirement, and I don’t see us hitting that age anytime soon unless we retire early. And even then, the empire hasn’t set a clear retirement age. It’s only been a decade since they extended our life expectancy to two hundred years. Some people aren’t even sure that claim’s real, since no one’s lived that long yet to prove it.”Mussa, a former American and part of the Black minority community, belonged to an even smaller group within that community, those who still harbored deep institutional distrust, rooted in the historical mistreatment of Black people during slavery and unethical medical experiments.The only reason he hadn’t been among those forcefully relocated to other star sy

  • Suspicion

    "That is completely the opposite of what we experienced when we took over the world," Aron said with a chuckle as he skimmed through the report detailing the Zypharion people's reaction, comparing it to humanity's during their last world war.By just the second week, Dreznor had already gained the support of the majority of the population, a stark contrast to Aron’s own experience, which involved battling numerous insurgencies and unifying fractured governments.{Your situation was different from his,} Nova said in an attempt to offer some false consolation. {His people were already accustomed to living under a centralized authority. In your case, you had to unify multiple sovereign nations, each with distinct systems and professional militaries. If Earth had been in its current state back then, the transition might have mirrored Dreznor’s, though with a few differences in how quickly people accepted new leadership.}“What do you think?” Aron asked. “Should we help him expand his forc

  • Addressing the People II

    One of the humanoid dolls stepped forward, its feet softly pressing against the ground as it advanced toward Ukubun, the former planetary leader and Conclave-appointed representative. With each additional step, its body began to shift. Its limbs shortened, its skin darkened, and its features morphed into something all too familiar.Within moments, it stood not as a doll, but as a perfect replica of a man Ukubun and nearly every viewer across the planet instantly recognized.“Your very first victim after rising to power,” Dreznor’s voice rang out, steady and cold. “Your own brother. Burned alive. Publicly executed to set an example... for a crime you framed him for. A crime he didn’t commit despite having committed other, real crimes you could have used.”As Dreznor spoke, vivid, undeniable scenes appeared above the field, projected like living memories:Ukubun ordering the evidence to be planted, dismissing his aides’ warnings, his final private conversation with his brother confessin

  • Addressing the People

    Although the invasion had initially sparked widespread panic and desperate escape attempts, the immobilized ships floating helplessly in orbit served as a grim warning: there was no way out. The message spread quickly, and no one else dared try to flee.Life under a near-feudal leadership had taught the populace to adapt quickly to shifts in power. So, when it became clear the invaders weren’t targeting civilians, the general panic began to fade. Still, the people remained wary, choosing to stay hidden. The invading forces had made their intentions clear by targeting only military and leadership structures, but that didn’t guarantee that the civilians wouldn’t be next once the bigger threats were dealt with.It had now been seven days since the fighting started, and the sounds of battle had nearly vanished. The once-frenzied skies were now calm. Yet, no declaration of victory had been made, no broadcasts, no announcements, not even rumors. The silence weighed heavily on everyone. No o

  • INVASION

    Not even a second after Dreznor uttered the word surrender, a bullet shot toward his head, fired by a guard who had descended from a hidden panel in the ceiling, exploding it.At least, that was the outcome the leader expected.Instead, what he saw defied belief: Dreznor was still standing, completely unharmed, as if nothing had happened.“Haaah,” Dreznor sighed. At least I tried, he thought, clutching a fold of his clothes tearing it as the torn piece started reforming into something else. He aimed and fired at the guard who was still midair, plummeting helplessly toward the floor. The shot struck him before he landed, ensuring he wouldn’t feel the pain of the fall. What a thoughtful man, Dreznor mused inwardly.“Thanks for the answer,” he said coldly, and fired at the leader.BAM!The leader’s head slammed against the table, scattering a few items across the surface.“Let’s take a look at your crimes before passing judgment,” Dreznor said, walking calmly toward the unconscious lead

  • Offer

    Nova, who had been silently observing Aron as he went through documents related to the empire for approval, couldn’t help but notice the persistent smile on his face. It had been there for quite some time and showed no signs of fading.“What is it?” Aron asked when he looked up and saw her standing there, just staring at him.{I was trying to deduce what made you smile,} she responded, her gaze unbroken, clearly indicating that another instance of her was continuing the deduction in parallel.“So, did you find it?” he asked as he signed the final document, finishing his empire-related workload for the day.{I’m down to the final few possibilities, but I’m leaning toward either the joint project with the Conclave going well or a developmental update from one of our little protagonists, Dreznor, specifically,} Nova replied, her tone confident as she added, {So, which one is it?}“You’re half right about the joint project,” Aron said, sliding the final folder aside. “But the reason isn’t

More Chapter
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on MegaNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
Scan code to read on App