Eniel Nagon was in a very bad mood. This was reflected in his blue skin tending towards purple.

  The old man massaged the temples of the hypertrophied head characteristic of those of his species. Many took this part of his anatomy as proof that he was very intelligent. This was of course completely false: he knew many idiots among those of his species and the majority of them had more pronounced macrocephaly.

  Well, of course, he was remarkably intelligent, worthy of the stereotype about brain size. Besides, anyone who doubted it too openly would end up in a slander trial.

  During his life, he had accumulated more successes than anyone else in the universe. One could even say that the Universe, it was him.

  A surge of pride gave him the courage to get up and face the difficulties that lay ahead: after all, he had been the president of the universe for more than half a standard century. He was the most powerful being of all!

  “Come in!”

  This authorization allowed the security’s Z.I.A. to unlock the armored doors that closed his office. They seemed quite ordinary and quite thin, but they were made of an alloy without equal in the entire universe: full proof against any attack.

  A small creature with green skin entered. The skull of her species was also quite large compared to her body, but not as much. On the other hand, her long ears seemed to double the width of her head and accentuated this impression. Like him, she was old.

  He gave an annoyed grin: Xzeonia, chief inspector of the General Management Service of Administrative Agents. She was also his closest political ally, providing him with the support of Xerinean technology… It was very unpleasant to have to feel his power limited by such an existence: perhaps he would have to have her eliminated once the Final Solution was implemented. He would then no longer need allies and she knew too much to have the right to live outside of this position…

  “Xzeonia,” he greeted curtly, “I suppose you know why I am not in a very good mood?”

  The old lady glared at him, raising her head with an insolence that no one else would have allowed themselves. An insolence that she did not display in public.

  “President, I must assume that your secret services have been quite efficient in transmitting to you the recent maneuvers of our enemies. I came precisely to advise you on the course of action to follow…”

  “Let’s talk about your advice! The Orange Emperor, a guy who lives in the Utela galaxy… had you ever heard of him?”

  “Absolutely: he has been on the list of the ten billion most dangerous individuals in the universe for three decades.”

  The president gave his accomplice a jaded look: she had certainly read the entire list and knew by heart all the information about each of these people. Of course, he could do it too, if he had a memory chip implanted, but what was terrifying was that Xzeonia had no augmentation: it was her natural abilities...

  Yes, it would be necessary to think about putting the Xerineans under control once and for all: their monstrous intelligence was a danger to his democracy.

  “Well, guess what, I've never heard of him. A president of the universe has better things to do than to know every little galactic leader. But guess what, I know the name of the Utela galaxy: despite the years, my memory doesn't fail me…”

  “I didn't assume otherwise.”

  “So, you know that this guy, this member of this stupid Confederation, is plotting against me with the Hogloos? You know that they know about my secret fleet?”

  “I was only informed a few hours before you.”

  “And, do you know that we know who divulged this secret?”

  “This information also reached me. Sava Domeria and Libre Lhom… Accompanied by Vector Vermilion as well as Azxaron of the Xerbat clan and Xini…”

  “A lot of people from the obituary register, right?”

  “Indeed, they were officially dead…”

  Eniel lost patience:

  “Are you kidding me? You were responsible for this affair! How can they still be alive and, on top of that, have information even more formidable than what they had before? This is unacceptable!”

  The Xerinean gritted her teeth in annoyance. She was not going to let herself be insulted.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “It is clear that you are a politician: you seek to designate culprits rather than find a way to solve the problem.”

  The president winced.

  “Solve the problem? Solve the problem? I have done nothing else for fifty years!”

  With annoyance, he stood up and began to pace.

  “The war was supposed to be quick,” he complained, “just enough to start developing the secret fleet. And then, when this ridiculous Confederation that we have brought into being would have been about to collapse, I would have arrived as a savior. But no, these idiots are still holding out against the Zcarbbs! Their war-oriented economy is in ruins, but they are still holding out! They are fighting each other too, but they are still holding out! I have never had the perfect opportunity!”

  “With all due respect, Mr. President, you are exaggerating. The continuation of the war is in your favor: it is thanks to it alone that you have been able to indefinitely exceed the limits of your mandate. It is thanks to the fear it generates that the crowds are still following you!”

  Eniel stared for a moment, without saying a word, at an expensive painting that decorated his vast office. Some of his anger had gone and he had to admit that his advisor was right. The war had not gone as planned. Most of the Zcarbbs had stayed out of the conflict, or had limited their conquests to what they could manage without suffering too many heavy losses. The Confederate forces had also become better organized than expected and other opportunists, the Imperihom, the Hogloos, the Nomads… All had come to disrupt his plans even more. However, he retained absolute power over the majority of the universe.

  “However,” he continued, “now I will have to put a stop to it. If the Hogloos and the Confederacy join forces, they could become a real threat. Not to mention the rumors about my responsibility for the violent Zcarbb attack of the past, against Utela… I can always deny the gossip that the Network spreads, but it is hard to censor them completely. I must act now!”

  “We still have time to establish other countermeasures. Launching the secret fleet now could cause more problems than it would solve…”

  “No: I have waited too long. I know that it is the will of the Secret Council: I must finally fulfill my destiny, eliminate the Zcarbbs and unite the Universe!”

  Xzeonia's face visibly expressed her doubts, both about the existence of the Secret Council and about the president's sanity. Eniel hated that look.

  “I'll launch the operation in a few hours. In the meantime, tell me why these guys are alive? Did you know it?”

  The old woman sighed angrily.

  Operation Final Solution was about to be launched. Its consequences would probably not be what the president expected, but there were still many variables. In any case, her people had taken precautions to survive the worst, if it happened.

  “I guessed that their actions could not have been so suicidal, but I would never have thought that they could know the coordinates of the zone. I suppose that Xini had obtained them in one way or another: she is one of the most gifted of our people when it comes to computer security and therefore ways to circumvent it. I would not have expected them to return, especially now...”

  The president of the universe sighed. Xzeonia's sharp gaze instantly analyzed the slightest deformation of his face, obtaining infinitely more information on his state of mind than he could imagine.

  “Then,” he said, “there’s no point in continuing to talk about it. They can’t do anything more than they’ve already done. In the end, their futile efforts have only served as a trigger for my own will. Prepare the press conference: I want to be able to speak to the entire universe the moment the fleet teleports to the Zcarbb’s positions.”

  She bowed her head respectfully, indicating that she would comply. The president hated her in his heart, but he still needed her services and appreciated the trust that could be placed in her word. The people of Xerina never lied, or at least only once in their lives. So, all she had to do was say that she hadn’t expected these events and he would believe her.

  And it was true. As she communicated with the highest echelons of the Communications Institution, Xzeonia pondered, the prodigious power of her brain trying in vain to pierce the mysteries of the future through logic.

  “For too long, the Zcarbb threat has been advancing out of control. For too long, traitors have disrupted the peace of the universe and prevented any unified response to the invaders. It is time for that to change!

  Just a few hours ago, I was made aware of secret transactions between the Confederate traitors and certain important members of the Hogloos Nations. Once again, the enemies of peace are plotting in the shadows and weakening our defenses against the monstrous and merciless hordes that assail us!

  But this time, I will strike a major blow! The final blow of this war!

  In the greatest secrecy, and in accordance with the exceptional powers granted to me by the will of the people, I have ordered the construction of an army like no other that will soon put an end to the Zcarbb threat.

  It is a vast automated fleet, but with absolute security against Zcarbb hacking! Led by devoted servants of Democracy, it is absolutely incorruptible and will accomplish its mission without fail. These are Vermilions, these servants of Democracy that I speak of. I can hear from here the perfidious thoughts that the traitors will express: they will recall the ominous era of the tyranny of Emperor Vector Vermilion and will say that putting such power in the hands of these cyborgs is madness…

  But, the Vermilions of today are not those of yesterday. The new Vermilions are programmed for unwavering loyalty to our Democracy: they will never try to overthrow it; they will never betray its principles.

  In parallel with the deployment of this new fleet, in the heart of enemy territories, I order the general deployment of all our reserve fleets in order to reinforce our borders and launch a decisive breakthrough.

  Indeed, the power of the new fleet is so devastating that I do not think of sending it to liberate the territories occupied by the enemy, for fear that our citizens reduced to slavery will be caught up in the destruction of their cruel masters.

  Citizens of the Universe! Today, the end of the war is closer than ever. As I speak to you, three galaxies have just been purged of Zcarbbs by the first wave of attack. At this very moment, the new fleet is exploiting the liberated planets to rebuild itself and continue its assaults. This day is the beginning of the end: the end of the Zcarbb threat and the end of the Wars!

  Long live the Infinite Administration! Long live Democracy!”