Chapter 255 Storming The Council 1
Dante and Augeus shared uncertain looks. One definitely had plans to confront the Prime Human Council, but that was sooner when all his plans slipped into place, while the other knew the length and breadth of the Prime Human Council's power as well as the ramifications of what Portia wanted to do.
Meanwhile, Beatrice and Portia wore the same confident grin as Beatrice punched in the coordinates without hesitation and looked at her mother with something akin to idol worship. Looking at the two beauties standing side by side, looking like one big sister and one little sister, Dante felt his head spin.
Augeus patted his shoulder with a knowing look. The two men were not entirely sure about this venture, but they were here to support their women. Even if the sky fell, they would find a way to hold it up, though given Beatrice and Portia's monstrous power, that might not be needed.
At full warp speed, it didn't take the dreadnought even an hour to get to the Milky Way system because the Portinari clan's galaxy was not that far away.
When the Inferno came up to Earth, they were pinged by Planetary Control as to why they were here and given a place to park. Beatrice glanced at Portia for directions, and the older woman seemed to ponder before smiling.
"Sure, let's play nice for now. If I go violent right away, those fellows would not dare to gather in one room for me to smash their skulls in."
As such, the Inferno parked in the military spaceport obediently as its crew disembarked. When they walked up to the space elevator that led down to the planet side, a few cyborgs led by a man in a military uniform decked with medals rapidly approached.
His expression was cold and domineering as his eyes swept over the group when he came closer, trying to identify them. When he looked through, he noticed that their bearing was special but could not recognize anyone among them.
After all, Portia had been dead for almost 20 years, Augeus was a clan leader who nominally stayed in the ancestral home, Dante was a new sensation that did not show his face in social circles much, and Beatrice was well-known, but mostly stayed in her dreadnought.
"Admiral Kessner of the 3rd Fleet. May I know why you have come to the home base without forwarding your purpose first or setting an appointment? We had to rush to clear space for you to land." He greeted and then questioned with a hint of unhappiness in his voice.
Portia glanced at him up and down and smiled. "Is that so? We must have given you quite the trouble by coming in unannounced, but I have something important to tell those councilors that cannot wait."
Admiral Kessner listened and felt his heart skip a beat. He then paid attention to the dreadnought itself, especially which admiral it had been issued to. When he saw the name attached to this dreadnought, his pupils constricted, and his brow was covered with sweat.
"Right, you must be Admiral Beatrice Portinari, then! Greetings to you, fellow admiral!" The fellow made a military salute to Portia, stunning the group.
Portia paused and playfully made a military salute back while Beatrice seemed to not know whether to laugh or cry.
"My illustrious reputation has been hijacked by my mom... What should I do?"
"Please come this way; I will immediately prepare a private shuttle escort to the Council Headquarters." Admiral Kessner offered, which the group took up.
They were soon rushed through the space elevator down to the planet and hit the streets of what used to be the United States of America but was now the Prime Human State. The name had been changed a few thousand years ago since the former USA took up the mantle of being the center of the Prime Human Civilization's governance.
The Council Headquarters was located at the former pentagon and had been completely remodeled and reshaped. As the shuttle glided over a bustling cityscape below, filled with a deluge of awesome vehicles whizzing by.
Traffic obviously flowed seamlessly, guided by automated systems run by Quantum AI. The chance of car crashes and the like were literally zero. It was more likely for the world to end than for a mistake to happen in that regard.
There was a subtle noise in the air, one that was a hum of superior engines, quieter and more efficient than the previous makes utilized by humanity for travel. No more honking, swearing, and 'fuck your mother' from drivers, just a gentle buzz of progress as AI drove everyone where they wanted to go.
The power of technology surrounded everyone. Dante only needed to take in a single breath to feel his Nanite Resonance superpower wanting to connect to many things in the area, as the majority of hardware was based on nanobots. They were simply the best building blocks for anything and everything, used in every facet of life.
Looking out of the shuttle window as they rushed through the 'streets' of the city, which was in the air, giant holographic billboards adorned skyscrapers, displaying vivid colors and messages. Advertisements for various products littered the space, clearly indicating that various building owners hoped to profit from ad revenue.
The buildings themselves shimmered with a rainbow of lights, a vibrant display of architectural artistry. Dante had not looked at the planet properly when he first came here since he was on guard against Beatrice, but now he could safely say that he could see the appeal.
If Planet Etonia looked cyberpunk-ish, then Earth was very much like The Jetsons.
As they approached the Pentagon, the shuttle descended, revealing a massive structure transformed into a Council Chamber for all of humanity. The historic symbol of power now changed to unite the entire pure human species, beaconing a beacon of racial cooperation for benefits.
The building itself was pretty much an architectural marvel, seeming to rise with limitless precision and endless grandeur across the ages. Its sleek, silver exterior gleamed under the sun's gentle touch as blue lights crisscrossed across the building's form in demarcated lines.
Surprisingly, at least for a bureaucratic building, traffic flowed smoothly around the Pentagon, and it was evident that this place was the heart of a universe-wide governing body. Vehicles, from elegant planet-side shuttles to advanced atmospheric hovercraft, ferried dignitaries from all over the universe to and from the building's entrance.
As Dante gazed at the spectacle, he understood that this was where the universe's leaders came together to battle against a hub of unity for pure-blooded humans, shaping a better future for humankind at their expense.
Once again, Dante could not help but thank the stars that he was a pure human and that pure humans ruled this universe. Otherwise, his rise would have been significantly bumpier if it was the cliché 'humanity are slaves to stronger species' kind of thing which might be present in other universes for all he knew.
They got VIP parking and entered the building through the VIP entrance. A few aides rushed up to them and required them to identify themselves before they could continue forward, as they only had Beatrice on file.
Even then, the council had summoned Beatrice and Dante many times, so she was quickly expedited through the process. However, when the aides identified a smiling Augeus, they bowed with respect, as this was one of the topmost rulers of the universe!
However, Augeus could not be happy because he knew his title and position were empty. A country could claim sovereignty all it wanted, but if everyone else refused to acknowledge its sovereignty, then it was as empty as smoke and gas.
When they identified Dante next, there was visible shock on their faces. The name of Dante was pretty thunderous in the current social climate of the universe, and many different things were said about him.
One thing that was true, though, was that the Prime Human Council had pinged him multiple times in a hurry, but he always found a way to escape, so why was he here now?
Of course, their reactions were nothing compared to how they behaved when they finally identified Portia. The aides actually stepped back and became pale as if they had seen a ghost, and they could not even speak for a few moments.
"What, why are you acting like this? Isn't it normal for a person to resurrect after death?" Portia joked with a grin that made the aides even paler.
"Oh? Not going to welcome me? I mean, I have returned to take my official duties along with my husband." Portia's smile disappeared as she began to frown.
This made the aides feel a chill as they hurriedly bowed. "We welcome Councilwoman Portia to the Council Headquarters!"
Dante was surprised by this as he glanced around to see that Augeus and Beatrice did not react to this. He had no idea that Portia, before her death, had been a member of the illustrious Prime Human Council, but then again, it also made sense.
She was one of the strongest beings in the universe and was the wife of one of the clan leaders of the top clan. Inviting her to be a member of the council was an obvious choice the council would make in order to control this powerful chess piece by giving her a voice.
Otherwise, what if she was a maverick and decided to do things gung-ho? With her level of power and influence, she could cause a great amount of harm, so it was better to give her power to shackle her down with responsibilities.
What surprised Dante was that Augeus had also been a member of the council. Why did he lose his spot?
Augeus seemed to see Dante's confusion and smiled. "I took an extended leave from council duties for 50 years after what happened to Portia in order to focus on Bea and the clan."
Dante understood. It would be very damn strange if the clan leader of what was called the number one pure human clan was not even part of the council that ruled the universe. Augeus had been in the midst of grief and understood that his priority now was to focus on his daughter rather than pursue power.
This choice might be another reason why the clan was being slowly pushed out from the power circles of the universe. Whatever the case, both he and Portia were here now and ready to claim their positions back by any means necessary, with violence as the priority means of a solution given Portia's demeanor.
"Ermm, councilwoman, the council is now in session. Would you like me to prepare a seat for you?" an aide asked after gulping.
"Sure, sure, but lead me to the council chambers first. I've forgotten the way after being gone for so long." Portia patted the fellow on the shoulder with a genial smile, while the aide in question felt like his shoulder was about to blast off into the sunset.
Geez, how strong is this woman?
He reluctantly led the group rapidly through the halls, using Portia's position as a councilwoman to pass through many checkpoints until they appeared outside a set of double doors that led to the council chambers.
Naturally, when the council was in session, it was sealed off from the outside, and people were to use a different entrance to come in and present their cases if necessary.
As such, when Portia requested to be brought to the main door, the aide was puzzled but obeyed. When he noticed Portia standing before the door and sizing it up, he was about to inform her that she could not use that door and that he could lead her to the special entrance for council members when his words were caught in his throat as if someone had squeezed his neck.
After all, Portia raised a dainty leg and smashed the entire door in, sending it flying like a missile into the other side of the council chamber as she casually walked into the room even with the alarms blaring.
"Motherfuckers of the Prime Human Council, your Grand Ancestress Portia is back!"
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