With the abundance of knowledge Lady Irene received, she now knew Alexander was capable of reading people's thoughts.
It was a scary realisation; nothing could be hidden from Alexander. The only reason things were as they were was that Alexander didn't bother.
'He understands the nature of people, and also knows how to not interfere with people's freedom of thought and expression.'
The Proudstar matriarch stared at Alexander's figure in admiration, finally getting a deeper understanding of the kind of person he truly was.
'No wonder they act this way towards him,' she glanced at her co-leaders, smiling briefly.
"You three should go in first," Alex said, stopping at the main entrance to the Council room and turning to face the three leaders.
Alexander was the highest authority in their universe right now; as such, his position was above everyone else, and the necessary protocols had to be followed.
"Yes,"
With a polite bow, the three heads made their way past the doors and into the grand chambers. Almost immediately, the call to rise came, and all Council members got up and bowed their heads, as protocols dictated.
The three heads made their way towards their seats at the forefront, their confident gaits being followed by the hundreds of Council members.
Reaching their seats that faced the rest of the Council, the three leaders did not sit. Instead, they turned around to face the house, their gaze focused on the entrance. Like them, the Council members did not sit, understanding that Alexander was coming in next.
Although some in the Council were not too keen on this, they had no choice in the matter; strength was king, and they had to acknowledge it.
The moment Alexander took his first steps into the grand chambers, the three heads unashamedly bowed, prompting the Council members to do the same.
The Council chamber grew silent with nothing but the sound of Alexander making his way towards his seat. Situated slightly above the heads of the three leaders, his seats represented his power and authority within the Council.
Alexander slowly made his way past the bowing Council members and heads, coming to a stop before his grand chair and turned around to face the entire house.
Looking up at the guest sitting area, he spotted his brother and Julia, also on their feet, smiling proudly at him. Aaron, in particular, could not help the grin on his face.
Thinking about where they came from to where they were now, the young Gray was beside himself with joy. He had never been so glad to be a younger brother to him.
'I must live up to his expectations,' the young Gray said.
Naturally, no such expectations had been placed on him. However, he couldn't allow himself to be a disappointment to his elder brother, who was changing their universe for the better.
With a wink in their direction, Alexander looked back at the Council and sat down, prompting the heads to follow, and then the Council members.
[The 245th Council Meeting will now begin…]
The system voice that initiated the proceedings came alive, its feminine tone resonating across the chamber's walls.
"Today is a special day…" Lord Basso began, his gaze roaming the various expressions of the Council members. Naturally, he didn't care for the bitter ones.
"Lord Alexander wishes to present a proposal to the council. We will listen, consider it, and vote," he added.
'Tsk, who is he kidding?' Lord Baltor sneered in his chair. 'This is nothing but a farce… Alexander can decide whatever he wishes, and there is nothing we can do or say that will change a thing.'
Indeed, he was right.
However, Alexander could not also choose to do something without letting the people be aware. After all, the people of the empire were aware of this very meeting.
Although they didn't have the privilege of witnessing the events, the proceedings would be made available to the public once they were complete.
Before he did anything, the people would be made aware and given the opportunity to choose for themselves whether they wanted to be a part of it.
"However…" Basso was not done. "Before Lord Alexander begins, the floor is open to anyone with an issue they want addressed."
"..."
No one made a sound as the Council members looked around, wondering if anyone had something to say. The Valemont family head, Malcolm, waited for a moment. Seeing as no one else was rising, he chose to proceed with his concerns.
"Yes, Lord Valemont," Basso nodded. "What do you have for us?"
"Thank you, Lord Basso." Malcolm stood up and addressed the Council. "With the increasing trend of universal companies and organisations, there has been a steady rise in new conflicts between conflicting parties."
His introduction quickly made the others aware of his problem. After all, they all had their private forces exploring the universe and claiming territories for themselves.
For him to present his issues here meant he was facing a rather tricky situation he needed help with. With how Malcolm was taking occasional glances at Alexander, they figured it would have something to do with him.
"We, as the government, cannot lay claim to the entirety of the universe," Malcolm continued, uncaring about the thoughts of his colleagues. "However, there must at least be some kind of order to this madness.
"Laws and conditions have to be put in place to control the situation, or I'm afraid things will spiral out of control sooner rather than later."
"Thank you, Lord Valemont," Basso nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm glad you raised this issue before the house. However, there is no need to worry."
"What do you mean, Lord Basso?" Malcolm asked, tilting his head in confusion. Naturally, he knew everyone was aware of the situation, but for Basso to say not to worry eluded him.
"The proposal to be made today by Lord Alexander precisely tackles this issue." Lord Jaseph took over and said.
"What…?" Everyone turned to look at Alexander, who was observing them calmly.
"The emergence of universal companies and organisations has come to stay. As such, it is in our best interest that we establish a body that will ensure peace and order is maintained throughout the universe."
What Jaseph did not add was that as more organisations and universal companies emerge, people will begin to drift apart, resulting in a situation in which the empire might collapse.
Baltor and his companions had attempted to do this through a forceful takeover. It was bound to happen. Even then, some degree of control had to be present.
"Is there anything else to add?" Basso asked again, looking around for anyone who had something to add. "Good… we can now proceed to the proposal presentation."
Alexander stood up the very next moment, making his way down to the grand podium, which was placed between the heads and the Council members. It was slightly elevated to give a view of the entire house.
The house observed calmly, waiting for Alexander to proceed. Of course, to some, this was a disaster in the making. They could already foresee how this would affect their own plans.
'Fuck…' Baltor felt his stomach twist bitterly. 'Why won't you just leave us alone and do your own stuff?'
"!"
The moment that thought flashed through his head, Alexander directed a sharp gaze his way, nearly frightening him out of his skin.
"As the heads have already stated, this is a proposal meant to stabilise things in our universe." Alexander began his speech confidently, his gaze remaining on the Council members.
"For the past several months, I've witnessed the rising tensions among exploration teams and organisations, each vying for a claim on a discovered planet, star system or even an entire galaxy.
"Some have already resorted to fighting amongst themselves, and while unfortunate, it is the nature of man — we seek and we claim." He added. "However, that does not mean we return to the ways of old."
"Before this universal calamity hit our universe, our forefathers fought amongst themselves, killing senselessly for the dumbest of reasons. Naturally, I dare not say conflict can be completely uprooted."
The chamber remained silent as they took in Alexander's words. While his words were obvious and could be removed, they had to be said as a reminder of where they once were and where they currently were.
"However, conflict can be controlled with the right measures." Reaching this point, Alex made a gesture, lighting up the holographic screens of all Council members. "Before you is the proposal I am putting forward… a proposal to establish a universal order.
"This is an order that will span the entire universe… I present to you the Universal Accord Commission (UAC)"
Up in the guest area, Aaron revealed a proud smile as he stared at the holographic screen before him. This was a name he came up with himself. Naturally, his brother took care of the finer details, but still, the name truly held weight.
"I came up with the name," Aaron leaned over and whispered to Julia, who chuckled and shook her head.
"It's impressive, Aaron. You did well." Julia replied.
"Thanks."