Dark Fate, Chapter 248

Chapter 248 – Reaction

(Unwind Lounge, Government District, Ceres)

“I can’t believe he pulled it off,” Kitamura Ena, Japan’s Ambassador to Ceres, shook her head as she watched the TV playing the live broadcast of the signing ceremony. Sure, she could have been watching this in the embassy, but the Unwind Lounge was another of Emperor Greene’s clever ploys. By having a nice restaurant near the embassies, where privacy wards were in place around every table, it allowed diplomats to have a casual meal that could turn into a business meeting without getting caught up in international confusion. The fact that the food was actually incredible only added to the appeal.

“You should know better than to underestimate him,” chided Song Ai, the Chinese Ambassador. “He’s got enough charisma to sell someone their own car, if he wanted to, without using any skills. However, because he acts openly, without any major deception, it is hard for anyone to really go against what he is saying, especially when it sounds like it makes sense. I guarantee his reputation for honesty was what did the real work there.”

Carl Thurston, the US Ambassador chuckled. “Who would have figured that the most effective politician in the last fifty years would have ‘honesty’ as the secret to his success. Well, that, and overwhelming power. Being that much stronger than anyone else allows him to do what he pleases, I guess.”

The fourth member of their lunch group shook his head. Hwang Si-U, the North Korean Ambassador, said, “I think it is less the honesty or overwhelming power, and more his deciding that ‘the way it has always been’ doesn’t mean things will always be that way. According to what we’ve been able to learn about the previous timelines, he was trying to change things even before he had overwhelming power. And many of the changes he’s caused have nothing to do with his personal power.”

“Like the four of us sharing a meal while talking shop,” Ena smiled. “Even two years ago, the idea that diplomats from the US, China, Japan, and North Korea would be sitting in a booth at a restaurant having a friendly meal, without any of the political posturing that normally happened when different delegations met, would have been the stuff of cheap fantasy novels. Now, look at us.”

Carl shook his head sadly. “Sad that a quarter of the human race had to die to have something like that happen. But then again, according to Greene, this is better than where we were at this time the first time through. Though we don’t have any way of verifying that, except other people who have been through time loops.”

Si-U nodded. “For all the death, the Initialization did give us a chance to turn the page on things. Structures that were held in place because changing them would involve a massive loss of face to everyone involved were able to change with less conflict because responding to the new world does not invalidate what was done in the old one.”

Ai shook her head. “That works well for a certain scale, but there are reasons why China, the US, and Russia have been slower to change than other countries. Not to mention the UN. I don’t know if it is possible to change that body enough without fundamentally rebuilding it from the ground up.”

Ena leaned back in the booth. “Well, the problem is with the amendment process for the charter. One of the big things that would be needed to make the UN more representative of the world would be to eliminate the permanent seats on the Security Council, or at least strip the veto power those seats have. But to do that, beyond getting two-thirds of the representatives to agree at the general assembly and getting two-thirds of the nations to sign on, you would have to ensure that all five permanent seats agreed in both cases. Which effectively guarantees nothing changes.”

Carl chuckled. “And while the UN does nothing, or is incapable of doing anything, Ceres is acting, because they aren’t bound by the rules. The French are quietly freaking out as African nations have all stopped using other currencies and started using the System currency as standard, all while using the chaos of the Initialization to nationalize what industries survived monster attacks and other such things. At the same time, Ceres is openly working with many of them, and they are moving forward with some kind of Pan-African colony on Mars.

“In Southeast Asia, well, North Korea is only the most visible of the countries Ceres is dealing with. There’s reports that they’ve been speaking with Vietnam, Cambodia, and others, much along the same lines as their talks with the African countries. More importantly, he has them talking to each other, and working with each other, which is leading to another potential power block.

“And now, we have most of Central and South America joining up with Ceres. Even Cuba and Argentina signed on. And somehow he got Haiti and the Dominican Republic to shake hands on things. It wouldn’t be out of line to say that this is the biggest diplomatic shift since the Initialization.”

Ena laughed. “And the worst part is that no one can call him out on double-dealing or secret plots, because he’s openly stating his intentions every step of the way. And he didn’t approach any of the nations that have joined with Ceres. They came to him.”

“Not without reason,” Ai said. “If it were just his military strength, that would be one thing. His actions in the Middle East, and taking out the Giant Kraken, along with the trial by combat after? That would be one thing. But all the reports say that Costa Rica, Panama, and Columbia are already starting to see positive changes from the new regime, and it has only been a few months.”

“To be fair,” Carl added, “those three countries really had nowhere to go but up. A lot of the area being mountainous and having low population density meant that the Initialization had stronger monsters showing up there more quickly than in some other areas. And with tourism basically dead in the whole region thanks to it being more difficult to get around, and many of the resort areas being under attack? The countries were all basically on life support as it was.”

“True,” Si-U nodded. “However, I expect your superiors are going to be having fits, considering how much of a blow to US influence in the region this will be. Not just economically, either. The Ceresan military will basically make the US the second most powerful force in the Americas for the first time since the 1800s. And they’ll probably station a squadron of Renegades on Cuba, just to reinforce that point. Is there concern that Puerto Rico or some of the Commonwealth realms might attempt to find better fortunes with Ceres?”

“Well, obviously I can’t speak on the Commonwealth realms, but as far as I’ve been briefed, Puerto Rico is more likely to try for statehood than switching to Ceres, though if Congress rebuffed them, things could go the other way. The US Virgin Islands, on the other hand? That’s more iffy. And then you have all the dependent territories of different European powers who might attempt independence and annexation, which is a whole new can of worms.”

Ena breathed in sharply. “So, this is more than just a weakening of the United States’ influence in the global south. The international political center of gravity has been Europe and the United States since the Age of Sail. Now, it is shifting to Ceres. Ceres effectively has a hegemony in South and Central America, and much of the Caribbean. Add in the Panama Canal, and they’ve got economic influence outstripping their size, as well. Plus, they basically have claim to any raw materials the outer solar system may have, and no one can tell them differently.”

Ai nodded slowly. “It may be that we will not need to find a way to change the United Nations charter. If things continue on at this rate, the Ceresan Empire may encompass all of Earth within the next twenty years. Less, if there are more external crises that showcase Ceres’s ability in the meantime. Even if he doesn’t actively manipulate things, just seeing the ‘third world’ countries start flourishing under the Empire will cause others to consider joining. And the more countries that join, the more that pressure builds.”

Si-U laughed softly. “And the best part is that there is nothing anyone can really do about it. He isn’t coercing anyone. He isn’t conquering them, or starting revolutions, or anything like that. All he’s doing is offering fair deals to countries that are used to being looked down upon, and following through. That, combined with the proof that his forces can defend territory? Well, it makes them seem very attractive to anyone who isn’t in the club. Especially considering that Ceres now has solid links to two different interstellar civilizations, and has made sure everyone knows that those civilizations won’t treat us as equal until Earth speaks as one.”

“The real question,” Carl sighed, “is how much of this he planned, and how much he is making up as he goes. According to everything we’ve heard, his knowledge from the last timeline should have mostly played out by now, or diverged to the point where it isn’t worth speaking about. So, he can’t have just known it would work this way.”

Ena shook her head. “From what he told Ai and me, the way African and Southeast Asia are shaping up is going as he expected. He didn’t really make plans, but put things in motion. He isn’t guiding things directly so much as just ensuring that the path of least resistance leads through him. I do know that the Panamanian request surprised him, though. Ceres was very much not ready for that kind of an increase in their population or territory, and after the request was made, he had to quickly meet with different officials to work out the details.”

“Indeed,” Ai nodded. “Of course, that was just for Panama. Costa Rica and Columbia were not planned for, per se, but I believe that he expected that things would begin like dominoes falling. There’s a reason why the portal nexus taking people from one end of the Empire to the other has plenty of room for expansion. Now that things have started on that path, I expect he's already put a plan in place for when someone asks to join the Empire, but their colonial rulers disagree with that notion.”

Carl grinned. “Knowing him, my money is on a few of his Renegades just appearing over the major cities in the country that is trying to stop the territory from leaving, and just sitting there as he has a ‘conversation’ with whoever the head of state is.”

Si-U shook his head. “No, that would be both too predictable, and too easy for someone to screw up. That kind of response, over that wide an area, with that many people under Ceresan guns? Someone on the ground would do something stupid, and try to shoot at them, which we all know Emperor Greene would not accept without an overwhelming response. No, he would be more likely to just show up in the home of one of the leaders, just to prove that they couldn’t stop him if he wanted to hunt them.”

Ai giggled. “Probably make the guy watch as he has his way with the wife and daughter, as well. In his own bed, probably. And probably ensure that they both are impregnated before the end.”

Ena just shook her head. “You’re forgetting that some world leaders are female, Ai. So, he would probably do the same to them. Oh, assuming that he didn’t just put a [Slave Brand] on them to ensure compliance.”

Carl just sighed. “I’m just glad none of our leaders are stupid enough to provoke him.”