Chapter 8:
Samus's gunship hurtled through subspace as Samus sat in the pilot's seat, meditating and reflecting on recent events onboard the Space Lab Moreau. She absently gripped the disk that contained the recording of Elric's treachery. If the information was legitimate, and not a Space Pirate trick, then this could change everything with regards to how people viewed Elric. Elric's policies had received a great deal of criticism from Earth, and Earth close to the point of secession. However, Earth was not the only planet concerned with Elric's new policies. Aliehs III and Corella 5 were other planets of great importance to the Galactic Federation that had become greatly concerned over what they, and most of the planets in Sol, saw as a gross abuse of the powers granted to Elric. Samus also remembered that Earth, Aliehs III and Corella 5 all did not vote to grant Elric emergency powers, and had been some of the few planets that spoke out against Elric filling in the vacant seats on the Council after the attack on Daiban. If the information on the disk was, indeed, true, then it was likely that Elric staged the entire attack on Daiban specifically so that he could not only claim emergency powers, but also be able to put his own people in place so that he would have a solid voting bloc that would accede to his wishes. After all, they would owe Elric a great deal. Samus soon realized that there was another issue with Elric…his Vice-Chairman Cyrus. The people of Earth were very wary of Cyrus when he became the Vice-Chairman. In fact, there were rumors that Cyrus had been a known criminal on Earth, and a dangerous one at that. The recording that had been uncovered by Samus on Research Facility 777 had only intensified those rumors. While the recordings had not been confirmed to have been real by Federation data analysts before the events on Daiban, where most of the information was lost upon its destruction, Samus strongly suspected that the analysts may well have been on the payroll of Elric. While there was no proof of Cyrus's criminal activity that had been released, given the events of the past year, Samus would not have been surprised if Cyrus had been shown to be a criminal, or even someone who had a hand in former Chairman Keaton's assassination.
She then looked out the window and saw the rings of bluish-white energy that flowed past her cockpit, as if she were traveling through a tunnel. She still had a couple of hours or so before she reached Earth. She sat back in her chair uneasily once more when she heard Adam's voice speak over the ship's speakers, "Penny for your thoughts."
Samus bolted up, startled at the sound of Adam's voice. At first, she did not say anything, her thoughts being too muddled at the moment. Deep down, she had a bad feeling about what would happen once this information was released to the rest of the Federation, but she also felt as if the Federation needed to know what she knew. "Things are about to get bad," Samus eventually answered. "Really bad. If the information in this recording is shown to be accurate, then it could very well start a civil war. We must be ready."
"I know," Adam agreed. "And the worst thing is that Elric must have already been preparing for this," he continued. "After the deaths of almost a third of the Federation Council, he placed his own people in the vacant seats. They will owe him when he takes power, or risk him revealing their dark secrets. Even should everything you found out about Elric be true, he will still have a great deal of support from other planets. Elric is forcing other rich worlds, mainly Earth, to feed some of the poorer or less developed worlds and colonies. Those worlds that are benefiting from Elric's policies may fervently support Elric, regardless of what his actions did to the Council, or possibly even to Daiban."
Samus nodded at Adam's sentiment. Earth would accuse Elric of setting up the killings of many members of the Galactic Federation Council so that he could get his people on the Council so that they would vote to give him emergency powers. And in return, he would give them gifts, such as making them sector governors, which he was already beginning to do. The only thing that was blocking Elric's complete takeover was the fact that Earth, Aliehs III and Corella 5 were all rejecting his proposals, and they had the clout of being three of the primary starship manufacturers inside the Galactic Federation. However, she had already heard rumors that Elric was countering by basically pitting the rest of the Federation against the humans, since Earth, Aliehs III and Corella 5 were human planets, and also some of the biggest producers of food, materiel, and military equipment in the Federation.
Samus then glanced down at the eye on the computer screen in front of her that represented Adam and asked, "So, have you managed to get any reports on the fates of the ships that Aurora Clone Zero took control of during my battle during my battle with it?"
"I have," Adam replied in an upbeat tone. "I am pleased to say that each and every ship and station that Aurora Clone Zero had gained control of through their Aurora Units was saved when Aurora Clone Zero was killed. The Aurora Units are already having their memories purged so as to wipe away any trace remnants of Aurora Clone Zero that may have been transmitted to them. This will keep the ships quarantined for a bit, but once the process is completed, they should be just fine."
"How many ships had Aurora Clone Zero managed to control?"
"About two thousand," Adam answered. "In essence, about a quarter of the Federation fleet, pre nationalization of all member world militaries, of course."
Samus breathed a sigh of relief. A potential disaster had been averted. While in the grand scheme of things, two thousand ships was not a large number, especially given the tens of thousands of capital ships that the Federation now had access to with each of its member worlds now having their militaries being nationalized by the Federation, the losses would have been very significant since they would have likely represented large portions of a fleet that might not serve Elric if his policies, or rather his enforcement of those policies, got too far out of hand. Samus still knew that a great deal of work still had to be done.
She then input a few commands into the communications console, opening a heavily encrypted channel to the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. After a few seconds of static, the face of President Richardson of Earth, along with Councilman Colin Williams, Earth's representative on the Galactic Federation Council. The President appeared to be in his early to mid-fifties with dark hair that was beginning to gray. "This is Samus Aran calling President Richardson of Earth, do you read me?"
"I read you loud and clear," the President and Councilman Williams answered.
"I have obtained important information from Space Lab Moreau. This could be vital to not only to Federation security, but also to Earth and its coalition in its bargaining with Elric and the rest of the Federation."
"Send us the data and we'll analyze it."
"I can't risk sending such sensitive data over an open feed," Samus replied. "I am going to come to you directly to have it scanned. If it is confirmed, I'll then take it to the Radio Tower in New York City. A transmission from the Radio Tower can reach even the farthest reaches of the Federation. Also, please get your best data analysts for this. I want to be absolutely certain that the data is legitimate before we send it out."
She saw Councilman Williams and President Richardson talk quietly with each other. After a minute or so, Williams responded, "Okay, Samus. We'll be waiting. But we can't afford any mistakes to be made in this. We are going to take precautions should this be a setup. You should take some precautions too. The Watchmen are everywhere down here and I'm certain that they're setting up sensor outposts and subspace radio receivers to pick up on transmissions, even encrypted transmissions."
"A good idea, sir," Samus responded.
"We're looking forward to seeing you," both men said as the screen went blank and the channel was closed.
After the channel closed, Samus sat back in her seat. For a second, she was wondering if she should have been a little more suspicious of the ease with which they had agreed to meet her. Still, after thinking it over, she decided that it was worth the risk. Besides her, at the moment, no one hated Chairman Elric more than Councilman Williams. He and Elric were quite clearly political enemies. Heck, Elric had a ton of political enemies, but there was something different about the enmity between him and Colin Williams. Samus had seen the same within his friend, Councilwoman Madeline Powell of Mars. They had both remained behind to help coordinate the evacuation of Daiban along with a few others, particularly representatives of Aliehs III and Corella 5, when the rest of the survivors of the Council Massacre had fled. As such, she felt as if she could trust them. With that thought in mind, she sat back in her chair and took this opportunity to get some rest, letting the hours pass by as her ship hurried towards Earth.
Down on Earth, inside the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., America, Councilman Colin Williams of Earth, Councilwoman Madeline Powell of Mars, the representatives of Aliehs III, Corella 5, Colony Z-1A, and several other worlds sat with President Jonathan Richardson. "So, do you think this is legitimate?" the President asked the others.
"Samus is trustworthy," Councilman Williams answered. "She has saved the galaxy many times over, sometimes at a cost in terms of either payment or respect, as was seen when she was put on trial for the destruction of the BSL research facility."
"That's not what I meant?" Richardson clarified. "I meant, do you think that it was Samus that was speaking to us? We already know about one attempt to clone her by Elric. What better way to get us all out in the open and take us out than to give us everything we could have ever wanted in terms of taking down Elric?"
"I admit, there is a risk," Powell said. "However, what choice do we have right now? Elric is rampaging over the rights and privileges of all sentient beings on Earth, Aliehs III, Corella 5, etcetera. How long do you think it will be until he holds the entire Federation in an iron grip and starts trampling on the rights of everyone else?"
"I agree," one of the other Council Members, a human male from Aliehs III stated, nodding. "We have to do something now, before it's too late. We have a unique opportunity to end this before the situation dissolves into a civil war."
"Very well," Richardson eventually said. "But take every precaution you can. Even if Samus is not a clone and this is not a trap, there is still the chance that Elric could have found out about Samus's transmission and is going to come to Earth to try and stop this transmission."
"We will," Williams assured him. "I also recommend bringing in a contingent of Marines, just in case any Watchmen try to take control of Earth's defense grid. That would be the most expedient way to cut off Samus's access to Earth."
The President nodded in agreement. "And it will also grant him near complete control of Earth as well," he added. Once the discussion had concluded, the others went to the back to make the calls to the necessary personnel and defenses so that they could prepare for Samus's arrival, as well as any assault the Galactic Federation would launch on the planet.
Onboard Federation One, Elric sat at his desk in his private office as the ship was making its way back to Earth at its best possible speed. He looked down at his computer, which displayed his ship in the center of the display, along with his escorts, and the shipment of food and medical supplies. He was not thrilled about having to ask the N'Kren for help, mainly because they were mortal enemies of his masters, the Magic Lords, and he feared that they may have suspected him of serving the Magic Lords once again. Still, there had been no indication of them knowing about his service to the Magic Lords. He was safe, for the moment.
Soon, a small chime sounded and a red light was flashing on the computer screen. He pushed a button and the face of the Chairman of Defense, Rickard Lorenz, appeared. "So, how did it go?" Elric asked.
"It went better than we could have possibly hoped," Lorenz answered with a satisfied gleam in his eyes. "The Cornerian government was more than willing to lend us war materiel to assist us in the destruction of the Space Pirates and so that we could effect repairs to our damaged ships that are shoring up the Kriken Border."
"What's so great about that?" Elric asked. "That's what we were asking for to begin with, anyway."
Lorenz answered, "In exchange for us helping to improve the shielding on their fighters, General Peppy Hare, the Supreme General of all of Corneria's forces asked the Star Fox Team to assist us."
"The Star Fox Team?" Elric asked, not recognizing the name.
"A group of mercenary soldiers with highly advanced weapons and technology," Lorenz answered. "They were famous for defeating the evil Emperor Andross, who had declared war on Corneria and on all of its allied planets; destroying the Aparoids, and fighting back the Anglars. While the Star Fox Team, and Corneria's armed forces, are not willing to directly get involved in any civil conflicts, they are willing to help us hold the line against the Kriken Empire, assuming we send them some help for dealing with the remnants of Andross's forces and the Venomian rebellion. If nothing else, it will free up some ships to help us out should Earth and the other problem planets secede."
"Do it!" Elric told him elatedly.
"Understood, Chairman," Lorenz replied. "Oh, one more thing, while the Star Fox Team was not going to fight any civil conflicts for us, yet, they were willing to sell us some of their Landmaster tanks. They were expensive, but given their designs, I think that they were well worth the investment. If nothing else, we can study their technology and use that knowledge to improve our own armor. We're sending them to Earth and other hotspots as we speak, though I had the Defense Department keep a couple in reserve for study so we could use them to enhance our own armor."
"Good work," Elric complimented Rickard Lorenz. "When you're finished, join me at Earth and bring your armor. We're going to have a little talk with Cyrus."
"Yes, sir," Lorenz responded as the screen went blank.
Elric was about to return to his work when two figures appeared from a shadow in the corner of his office. Elric heard the lock on his door activate and knew that any override signal would be jammed. "How may I be of service to you?" he asked the two figures, who he knew to be the Magic Lords from before, Aglara and Aramon, cautiously as he rose and genuflected before them.
"We heard that your men killed one of the Chosen Heroes," Aramon answered. "Is it true?"
Elric nodded. "It is. The Pokémon Trainer Leaf, also known as Mia Ketchum, is dead. They showed me the body. We also have the heroes Donkey Kong and Captain Falcon in captivity. I am returning to Earth this moment so I can ensure the destruction of any resistance on that world before it forms and spreads to other worlds."
"The resistance has already formed," Aglara told him. "It won't do you any good to kill the Councilman of Earth. The discontent with your policies will most certainly spread, even, or rather, especially, with Councilman Williams and the others dead. Just make sure that the Chosen Heroes are killed. And tell your people to kill Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, and all of the other prisoners onboard their shuttle immediately. As for the others, there are still a great many more heroes that have been identified but are not yet dead. What about Mia's twin brother, Pokémon trainer, Ash Ketchum?"
"His location has yet to be confirmed," Elric answered, "but sources indicate that he is traveling in the Unova Region of America."
"Make sure that he dies," both teenaged Magic Lords commanded in unison. "Find and kill the heroes, and we will ensure that there will be no challenge to your rule. Also, you must find the psychic Pokémon, Mewtwo. He is one of the few Chosen Heroes that can challenge us one-on-one."
"I shall," Elric assured them. "And when I do, what do you want me to do?"
"Tell us so that we can finish him ourselves. He may be able to defeat us one-on-one, but he can't defeat two or three of us at once. Either way, you'll stand no chance in defeating him yourself."
"Understood," Elric replied. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?"
"Yes, there is," Aglara answered. "We have identified another of the Chosen Heroes. Kill her for us."
"Her?" Elric asked, puzzled as to whom they were talking about. "Who?"
"Samus Aran," the female Magic Lord answered. They saw the expression of surprise and loathing on his face. Samus had done a great deal of damage to him politically that only the attack on Galactic Federation Headquarters and the destruction of Daiban had been able to rectify, partially. "It will be most fortuitous for you to do so, for she is now in a position to destroy you to the point where even we will have difficulty saving your political career, not to mention your life."
Elric began to be concerned at what they were telling him. "Why? What has she done?" Elric asked, almost begging them to tell him what they knew.
Aramon gave a grin and answered, "She has discovered your darkest secret regarding the Space Pirate attack on Daiban. Once she arrives at the Radio Tower in New York, she will then learn of the fact that you knew that the Space Pirates were going to attack Aurora Unit Zero and take it over, using it to destroy Daiban. If anything, the documents from Cyrus's computer at the tower will also make it look like you were the one who leaked the data regarding the location of Aurora Unit Zero to the Space Pirates, not his people."
Elric's face was aghast. He knew that Cyrus was planning something; he just did not know what it was. Aramon then continued, "That will bring us to another mission. You must cut ties with and kill your Vice-Chairman, Cyrus, immediately."
This order surprised Elric. "May I ask why?" he replied. "He's the one who assassinated former Chairman Keaton for me. He has not made a single move against me during my reign as Chairman of the Galactic Federation."
"That you know of," Aglara interjected. "However, we see all that is out there. We know that he is planning to unleash a horror that will destroy this universe, and you with it. You must stop him, no matter the cost."
"I will," Elric assured them in a dark tone.
"But ensure that the heroes are killed first. Cyrus is not close enough to the completion of his goals that taking him out cannot wait. But you must act quickly. Samus and other people of concern are going to rendezvous at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. before going to the Radio Tower. You must kill Samus and the others before they release the information on you. If you fail to do so, then even we might not be able to ensure your safety, for with our current numbers, any war we wage against the Galactic Federation will still be very costly, despite our power. And there is the very real possibility that we could lose in a direct conflict with the Federation. For your own sake, kill Samus and the others, first. Then, take down Cyrus and his people. After that, you will be well on your way to having complete control of this galaxy." The Magic Lords then muttered under their breaths, "What's left of it," which was followed by sinister grins.
With that, the two Magic Lords then vanished into thin air. Elric quickly then activated the ship's intercom and opened a channel to the captain of the ship. "Captain, accelerate to Earth, maximum warp speed now! I need to get there as quickly as possible!"
"Understood, sir," the Captain replied calmly.
Elric then opened a ship-wide channel. "All Watchmen, report to the Assembly Chamber in one hour. I have an important mission for each of you. Also, contact all Watchmen on Earth and tell them to split into two equal forces and converge on New York City's Radio Tower and the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Many of our enemies are going to assemble at those two locations. We have a chance to crush them all with one swift strike and end their resistance before it spreads to other worlds."
A chorus of affirmatives answered him. Once he was finished, he sat back in his chair and waited as he felt the ship accelerate to its maximum faster-than-light, or warp, speed. He then entered a series of commands in on his computer and opened an encrypted transmission to a secret ally. After a few seconds, he saw the background of the bridge of a Space Pirate Frigate. The face of Ridley soon appeared on the screen. Upon seeing Chairman Elric, Ridley gave a grin. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Chairman Elric. What are you doing calling me on the encrypted channel?"
"I need your help in dealing with a problem that has come up that could affect both of us."
"And what is it you want me to do?"
"I want you to go to Earth and kill Samus Aran," Elric answered. He had anticipated Ridley being eager to get another chance at revenge on Samus. What he had not expected was Ridley to blurt, "Earth? Are you crazy? That planet's an impregnable fortress! We just got finished getting our asses handed to us by the Galactic Federation fleet and losing Space Lab Moreau. Only six ships managed to escape. There's no way I'm risking any of my remaining forces in a futile attack on Earth. That was one of the few planets that destroyed a Leviathan Seed with its escorting fleet without any problems!"
"You won't be going in alone," Elric explained as calmly as he could, given his current feelings of anger and not a small amount of fear. "I'll be taking along some starships of my own to soften up Earth's defenses. It should allow a transport to get through. And even if they should fail, I will have my men take control of Earth's Defense Grid so that it won't fire on your ship."
"Really," Ridley asked skeptically. "The last time someone tried to breach Earth's atmosphere, its guardian dragon vaporized them with a single energy blast."
"My forces can keep Rayquaza busy while you go out in search for Samus. I need her dead!" Elric blasted.
"And what are you willing to give me in exchange?" Ridley asked, visibly spreading his wings in a gesture that demonstrated his strength and power. He knew that Elric was desperate for his services and that he could not refuse. He was in the pilot's seat in this negotiation.
"One million Gold Credits now, plus eleven million and a fully functional, just off the assembly line destroyer-class warship upon the successful completion of the mission."
Ridley's scoffed. "Not good enough."
"What?" Elric blurted. "That's more than anything you could wish for after your last debacle at Space Lab Moreau."
"Make it a cruiser and I may be willing to entertain your offer," Ridley countered.
"A cruiser?" Elric gasped. Cruisers were mainstays in the Federation fleet. A frigate could be reported as missing since they were trying out several new designs. He could just have one of the newer frigate designs be declared unfit for duty and give it to Ridley and the Space Pirates, but it was a different story for a cruiser. The newer cruisers had already been tested and were already being fielded. The loss of a cruiser would not only look terrible, but also bring attention to its loss. Eventually, he looked back at Ridley on the screen and said, "Twelve million credits now, plus a frigate once the job is done. That's the best I can do."
"Then you can't do good enough," Ridley answered before shutting down the link.
"Damn it Ridley, get back here?" Elric roared, but it was to no avail. Ridley cut the transmission and Elric was left to seethe at Ridley's balking of his offer. He was angry because he knew that the dragon knew that he had no intention of holding up his end of the deal. He would have quickly betrayed Ridley and the Space Pirates as soon as it was expedient to do so, and he would then have given himself the credit for finally eliminating them once and for all once their destruction was complete. However, with Ridley's refusal to assist him, the plan was not to be.
Elric then leaned forward once more and input a series of commands on his armchair pad, opening a private channel to his supporters inside of Federation One. "This is Chairman Elric to all Galactic Federation Council Members that I appointed to the Council upon the destruction of Daiban and after the loss of a third of the Council. Your presence is needed inside the Main Assembly Chamber immediately. Do not let anyone else know where you are going, not even your aides."
Another chorus of affirmatives came in over the radio. Once that was finished, he sat back for a moment and relaxed. Elric could not help but shudder in anticipation. Soon, some of his most important enemies would be dealt with. After Colin Williams and the others were dead, then he could take his time hunting down the rest of the Chosen Heroes, assuming they ever appeared at all. If Ash were truly Pokémon League Champion material, then he would be found soon enough once he won a league. And if he were not, then he would be of no significant threat to the Magic Lords, and his power. And killing Cyrus would be easy. He then rose and went over to a closet in one of the corners and opened it. Inside was a suit of armor similar in design to the armored suit that the rogue bounty hunter, Sylux, had worn before his death at the hands of Samus Aran. He stared at it and smiled. With that suit, he would have the power to kill Samus Aran. And if she were truly a threat to the Magic Lords, perhaps he also had the means to get out from underneath their thumb and truly rule without any opposition to speak of. He grinned as he closed the closet and went over to the door and proceeded on his way to the Main Assembly Chamber. In a few hours, all of his problems would be solved.
Back on Earth, Cyrus stood inside his lab, Charon and several Team Galactic Grunts standing at his side. In a transparent container was a red ring that resembled a chain of energy. He looked over at Charon and asked, "Are you sure that this will allow me to control Dark Arceus and command him to create a new universe?"
"It should be," Charon answered a little waveringly. "It has never been tested on a Pokémon that has been said wherever it has appeared to be a god."
"But Dark Arceus is not the original Arceus," Cyrus countered.
"I know," Charon admitted. "Dark Arceus is a complete unknown right now, save for your knowledge of his existence. Had you not learned of him while trapped in the Distortion World, we would have no knowledge of there being a second Arceus to begin with. And there's still the possibility of this Dark Arceus not really being an Arceus to begin with." He then paused as he looked back at the chain. "To be honest, I don't know what good I or anyone else would be in predicting whether or not this chain will work. We don't even know if Dark Arceus is good or evil."
"He's the opposite of Arceus, which means that he's likely evil," Cyrus said. "From what little we know of the original Arceus, while he does have a temper, he won't strike at humanity unless truly angry."
"Then let us hope that this chain works," Charon mused. "For if it doesn't, who knows what might happen."
As Cyrus was about to go and get the container holding the new Red Chain, his secretary, a young woman with brown hair and brown eyes came in, out of breath. "Sir," she called over to him, "Chairman Elric says that he is coming back to Earth as quickly as possible and is demanding to see you soon. Some of our agents, however, have said that he is bringing a large number of Watchmen as well."
Cyrus's surprise showed on his face. "Any idea of the current loadout of the Watchmen? Are they expecting a fight?"
The woman nodded. "They were said to be armed heavily. My contact said that they likely intended to kill you."
This revelation did not seem to concern Cyrus, and his face remained plain. "So he likely suspects my plans," he muttered. He then turned to the secretary and asked, "Was there any information on anyone else coming? A bounty hunter, assassin, or any other soldiers?"
The secretary shook her head. "No sir, at least not for you, that I know of. He does, however, have other forces assisting him in intercepting and killing Samus Aran."
"Who?"
"Chairman of Defense, Rickard Lorenz," the secretary replied. "He is bringing in designs from the Star Fox Team's Landmaster tanks to the Watchmen down on Earth. He is also going to be coming as well, though the Chairman of Defense will be dealing with the resistance on Earth, as well as a potential encounter with Samus as well.
"Damn it," Cyrus cursed. "With firepower like that, we're going to be hard-pressed to stop him should he come for us after dealing with the others."
"We have some powerful weapons of our own," the secretary countered, trying to put Cyrus's mind at ease. "Besides, if you manage to summon Dark Arceus before they arrive, it won't matter what they bring to bear against us, all will fall."
Cyrus smirked. She was right about that, though. If he managed to summon Dark Arceus before Samus and/or Elric found out what he was planning and moved to stop him, it would not matter what they had, Dark Arceus would crush them. He did not have to worry too much. He still had a little time to accomplish his goals. He then went to work making the final calculations and plans for unleashing Dark Arceus upon the universe, and gaining his own universe in the process.
Back onboard Federation One, Elric stood in the assembly area with three hundred representatives of the Galactic Federation Council, nearly one third of the entire Council. Elric made certain that the entrances to the chamber were closed and locked and once he had, he placed a square device similar to a hand radio on the podium. The device soon emitted a high-pitched screech that lasted for a couple of seconds.
"My apologies, friends," Elric apologized. "I had to be certain that we were not being recorded by any of my, or your, enemies."
"Why have you called us together?" one of the Council Members, a tall, blue-skinned man with sharp features and black hair asked.
"And why have you locked the doors?" asked a second member; this one appeared to be a male humanoid reptile.
"We have a problem," Elric began gravely. "Right now, there is a rebellion that is beginning to form on Earth."
"Hasn't that been forming since three months ago?" asked a third member, this one a woman with bird-like features.
Elric nodded. "Yes, it has, Ma'Vo. However, things are getting worse. Now, Earth is about to receive data that will put us at an extreme disadvantage. In her quest to destroy the Space Pirates, bounty hunter Samus Aran has uncovered many of our secret projects and is going to Earth to give them information on these projects."
"What 'projects' might they be?" asked a rugged looking Simian. "I have yet to fund any illegal projects. We all have been careful about that since that fiasco almost a year ago with what happened onboard the Bottle Ship and Research Facility Seven-Seven-Seven."
Elric scowled at the Councilman. He knew that some of his personal appointees had been suspicious of his activities, and would use their information on him against him in the future. Fortunately, he had something on them that none of them could get around. Elric's scowl then turned into a sly grin. "Each of you got your seats through technically illegal means," Elric answered the Simian.
This caused a murmur to rise within the three hundred Council Members had been assembled. "I circumvented the Galactic Federation Constitution after Daiban's destruction and the deaths of the Council Members whose seats you currently occupy," he explained. "Now yes, you all, as well as many others, did grant me Emergency Powers, under the Emergency Powers Act. However, before that measure could pass, I chose you all for the Council since votes had to be cast on bills and other matters that could not wait, and could not be voted on without a full Federation Council. And yes, I did so because I knew that you were my political allies. However, as you almost certainly know, that did not go over very well with Colin Williams of Earth, Madeline Powell of Mars, and several others, including the representatives of Aliehs III, one of the Federation's primary shipyards, and Corella 5, one of our primary food production worlds, along with Earth. Earth, Aliehs III, Corella 5, and a few other important worlds have since formed a coalition of their own inside the Galactic Federation. With the information that Samus will give them, they will then move, and they will likely get the support of the Galactic Federation Military."
"That still does not answer why we have been called here," a Council Member in one of the back rows called out to Elric. "You have your own personal Police and military force in the form of the Watchmen. Why do you need us?"
"Because I need ships," Elric replied. "Earth is the most heavily defended planet in the Federation. I'm going to need more than a dozen or so ships if I wish to show my strength to Earth should they allow Samus Aran passage. My Watchmen on the planet are already going to take action, but all contingencies must be taken into account. Remember, if I fall, your political careers are likely to fail as well."
Elric let that sink in as the members looked over at each other. They knew that he was right. While much of the Federation had supported Elric's policies, many of those worlds had not been nearly as prosperous as Earth or the other worlds. Not only that, but many of the people on those worlds had not taken a significant interest in the politics of their representatives. While they did not know what information Samus was going to let loose upon the Federation, they knew that they had supported Elric in everything that he had done, so far. If something happened and irrefutable proof was let loose that Elric was a criminal, then their own careers would almost certainly suffer for it because of their association to Elric. Had they known the truth about him, though, half of them would have instantly turned on him immediately. Eventually, a cat-like humanoid female asked, "What do you and the Watchmen need, Elric?"
Elric answered, "I request that your people give me at least one cruiser-class capital starship for my mission to Earth. If a rebellion is on the verge of beginning, it will start there. Also, if you can spare a communications ship or two, please send some. Should Samus manage to land, we'll have to jam all transmissions leaving Earth. It is my hope that I am merely being overcautious in my need for such a large fleet. But if the Watchmen aren't able to secure Earth's defense grid, or Earth calls back all of its ships, then we will be in trouble, especially since I am not certain that I can rely on the Galactic Federation fleet. Admiral Castor Dane has already stated publicly that if the situation on Earth comes to blows, that he will support the people of Earth and any who stand with them. I have a feeling that a lot of the other admirals will side with Dane on the issue as well."
"How long do we have?" the cat-like alien woman asked.
"I would say about an hour or two, tops," Elric replied.
The others gasped. There was a stunned and uneasy silence for a few minutes. Eventually, the cat-woman responded, "That will take some doing. We cannot guarantee that you will get everything that you want."
"Just do your best," Elric told her. "That's all I can ask."
"You can count on us, sir," the Council Members inside the chamber proclaimed as they saluted Elric.
Elric then saluted them back and then called, "Dismissed!"
With that, Elric unlocked the doors and the Council Members filed out of the Main Assembly Hall through the secret passages used when secret meetings were held in the chamber. As they left, he gave a soft chuckle. Indeed, this had been spur of the moment. He would be surprised if even a dozen starships showed up in time to try to stop Samus. Still, a dozen would be better than none. And if by some miracle most of the ships arrived, so much the better. He had ordered his Watchmen to converge on Earth, so chances were that they would likely be crewmembers of at least some of the ships that came to Earth. He then left the Council Assembly Hall to go back into his office. He had a few more calls to make to his subordinates, as well as the mission that he had to give to his Watchmen in the Assembly Chamber.