POV Rio
Today was the day scheduled for the visit from Atlantis. Queen Mera had something she needed to discuss with me.
'I wonder what she could be coming here for. Perhaps Hydra has been causing issues. Unlikely. Perhaps a trade agreement. I don't see why she would need to come in person for that. Oh well. I am sure I will know soon enough.'
I enter the meeting room and see that Queen Mera is already here.
Rio: "Apologies if I made you wait."
Mera: "There is no need. I just arrived."
Rio: "Well, now what can I do for you today? You didn't say what his meeting was for."
Mera: "I didn't say as we were still deliberating up until today. My advisors are still somewhat undecided on the specifics, but the majority have agreed to the basis."
She hands me a document, and I read it. I raise my eyebrows and look at her.
Rio: "I must admit this is a surprise. Why does Atlantis wish to become a vassal?"
Mera: "I should start with some background. Atlantis has a small population. We barely number 300k. We used to be greater in numbers, but the war with Talokan caused severe depopulation. 2 cities were destroyed, and all we had was Atlantis. We couldn't expand southwards without triggering another war. The North was too cold for us to survive. To our East was England. And to our west, Talokan. Which meant we couldn't expand. Thus, our population has been low for centuries."
Rio: "I am curious. How did Talokan beat you in the war?"
Mera: "Our history says that Talokan outnumbered us, and they had a large amount of Vibranium. For every battle we won, thousands of Atlantians would perish. The War ended when we successfully crushed the enemy sieging Atlantis. But the cost was too heavy for both sides. We have made deals with the surface world in the past, but some of those deals cost us. You have been very equal and even generous with Atlantis. The world has been split into two camps. Hydra and the Imperium. We don't have the numbers or power to stay neutral. Eventually, Hydra will discover us, and then we will be caught in a war we can't win."
Rio: "But that would take decades. Hydra is far from being able to wage an underwater war."
Mera: "For now, they are, but in my short life, I have seen Human technology rapidly increase. Even with the shortage of materials, they will think of something. But the biggest issue is one that we cannot solve no matter how much we wish we could. Atlantians have struggled to conceive for a few generations, and it is only worsening. This generation has barely produced any children."
Rio: "Lack of genetic diversity. You people need new people."
Mera: "Exactly. If we don't resolve it soon, we might not last another generation. To be honest, this problem has been afflicting us since we first founded Atlantis. But the monarchs throughout history tried to fix it. But our loss in the war reduced the limited time we already had. It's why monarchs often take mates from the surface world. The Royal Bloodline is the least inbred."
Rio: "Which is interesting to note since it is usually the exact opposite in the surface world. Sigh. But I don't see any reason to not accept, but I have to ask, are your people okay with this?"
Mera: "Not all of them, but our people are, on average, very well educated. As such, no one in Atlantis doesn't know that we are facing extinction. There are some that want to form an alliance rather than a vassalage. But most of my advisors agree that this is the best course of action. The other reason I am here is to ask for your blessing for my marriage to Qui Gon Jinn."
Rio: "Ah, I was wondering when you were going to pop the question. I know you have been dating for some time. But I am curious why you need my blessing."
Mera: "I know Qui-Gon enough to know that he won't say yes unless he is certain that he wouldn't be betraying you. Even if that is a dumb thought, he is very loyal to you."
Rio: "Sigh. Yeah, I can see how he would say that. But yes, you have my blessing. And I will send this document to Glitterhoof. He will finalize the negotiations with Atlantis. But would you like for me to move Atlantis for you? I can make an island for it, or I can move it onto one of our continents. It would be safer, but the choice is yours."
Mera: "Thank you, and I am not certain if Atlantis should be moved. I know my advisors are not fully set on completely entering the surface. Being underwater gives us safety. I shall let Glitterhoof know if we come to a conclusion."
Rio: "Well, is there anything else you would like to discuss with me?"
Mera: "Now that you mention it, I have a cousin that is looking for a husband."
Rio: "I see. So that was all. Well then, I hope you have a nice day."
I teleport away. I had a few things else to do today, so my next stop was Mt. Everest. The reason for coming here was simple. I wanted to fuse all the Tectonic Plates sooner rather than later. I had made the plan and even made a spell to make sure it caused as little damage as possible. I am doing this to stop many types of natural disasters. As well as hindering Hydra. Geothermal power is useless if there are no geothermal vents. Other materials become even more scarce, such as sulfur and other minerals found near geothermal activity.
'It should also save a lot of lives. And make controlling Earth's climate that much easier. We already control most of the weather in our territory.'
I chuckle to myself when I think of Hydra trying to fight a Hurricane that we can just send their way. Or Tornadoes. Snowstorms, Lightning Storms. There was little that Hydra could do to stop hostile weather. And we can keep producing them. The next step of the plan was to change the orbit of Earth. The Imperium had already passed the bill and was waiting on me to make the change. The bill was to change the calendar to a 360-day long year with 12 months each 30 days long. The weeks would be altered to be 6 days long. So, each month would be identical, and this would mean that holidays wouldn't change the day of the week each year. We had to lose a day, so it was held to a vote, and since the weekend was now literal being only one day, Saturday was removed.
'Not that the weekend has much meaning. Since what days anyone has off is dependent on the job center. I do know there has been an increase in senators wishing to change the names of the week.'
They suggested returning to some of the day's original meanings. Monday would become Moon Day. Sunday would remain the same. Others think we can adapt those names, but we should change the names completely since we now know that Asgard exists and is not our gods. They are aliens. Some have suggested that the days should be named after previous monarchs. I have stayed out of it so far as they can't get quite vocal about their opinions.
'Except proposition 34. I vetoed it before it even got off the table. We are not changing the names to be based on me and different words to flatter me. It was so perturbing. And it would make people think I have an Ego bigger than Ego The Living Planet. Or the other option which was to let the public decide.'
The fact I had to explain to them that letting the public decide is one of the dumbest ideas in the history of mankind and then show the numerous examples of why it was a bad idea. Was annoying. While I was thinking, the spell had finished charging, and now all I had to do was focus on using it carefully.
'Okay, if my calculations are correct, then this should only cause a magnitude 3 Earthquake all over the world. It would cause barely any noticeable damage. Then, once that is done, I will rest and start shifting Earth's orbit. That will be even less noticeable. Maybe some Hydra scientists might notice but not for some time.'
I sit down and put my front two hooves together and start the long and delicate process.
Many Hours Later...
I stop once I finish and look at myself. I was covered in sweat, and my limbs were killing me.
'I will just take a bit of a nap while I restore my energy. The Clones I left behind can deal with running things while I rest. Using Plates is ridiculous. Why is it so hard to use it for a long time? And yet the Pokemon can use them with almost no restrictions. Well, I guess it's not that easy for them, but still.'
Several hours later, I finished changing the orbit of Earth and then crashed in my bed and refused to leave. I was left alone for the first 24 hours, but then I was rudely forced out of bed by Chrysalis. But I knew it was a conspiracy perpetrated by the deep state (my mother) to force honest, hard-working citizens (me) to not have rest when they deserve it.
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Authors Note:
Can anyone else relate to Rio right now? I have had it happen one too many times when a parent or sibling will force me out of bed when I just want to sleep in until 11 am or maybe later. In case you haven't noticed, Rio is altering Earth to become a more stable and controlled world. First, it was borders, then weather, and now the calendar. But to be fair, I think a nice, even year like Stellaris has would be nice. Congrats to Qui Gon Jinn for tying the knot. Or whatever people say these days. Until next time Ciao.