...have acknowledged their history; have seen reason; have voted for me! I cast my own six votes for myself, and accept my victory! The O'Ryans shall return to their rightful place as rulers of the galaxy! The Humans cheer, the Bulrathi smile, the Psilons sing praises to nose hairs and miniature crepes, and even the Darloks and Sakkra admit defeat, as the Mrrshans roar with pride of victory! We have achieved the hope of the O'Ryans and united the galaxy! Never again shall there be strife, for with my rule shall come the return of Pax O'Ryan, a true and eternal peace! The other one-time emperors look on as I proclaim the new galactic law, and tell the tale of hope and success that they have just completed.
The leaders who voted for me all look nervous. How can this be? Should they not be transported with the beauty of the tale I have just told, of the wonder and the glory of the O'Ryans who gave up their throne for just this moment, when the galaxy would learn of its own to acknowledge their greatness and leadership, their wisdom and their teachings?
Guanar grumbles dubiously, "To hear you say all that nonsense, I'd almost think you believed in it yourself. Pah. You have your victory. Take it cleanly. Don't try and rewrite history."
I bridle, but remember to show myself better in victory than does he in defeat. I must not rise to the bait. "The truth of our history is manifest," I tell him calmly, "As all shall soon perceive." I look out in contentment upon the galaxy.
"Truth!" Guanar's reptillian lips curl in a sneer. "Everyone knows the truth who wasn't taught kitten's-basket bedtime stories instead of history. The Ancients were insect beings - people who looked like that Guardian of theirs. They're waiting for the day when we'll learn peace, aren't they? Everyone knows that. And then we're supposed to go about learning their old technologies peacefully until we're ready to integrate into their society, and then they'll come out from their throneworld of Orion and..."
I sigh, smiling. The true history is sadly changed in their legends. "Not their throneworld. Their people. They are the O'Ryans ... and the last of their line is me!"
He snorts. "You're reading it upside down and backwards, your High and Mighty Masterfulness. No one knows for sure what their race was called other than "the Ancients," but inferences from the best available sources suggest Klaxons or Quack-ins or Click-Offs or something. Kittycats it ain't."
I shake my head. "The more fool you. Do you deny my rule as High Master?"
He shuffles his feet and looks down. "'Course not. I'm not fighting the whole galaxy."
"Very well," I aswer magnanimously. "Then we shall do as all our legends say, and regain the technology of the ancient O'Ryans peacefully. And for my part, I shall rule over you all from my ancestral home, as the Guardian stands aside for me!"
I board my flagship, and with my loyal escorts, set out for the home of my people. As I approach the star, a GNN report scrolls luminous across my viewscreen, speaking of my glory, full of promise, full of...
...wait, returns to O-what, now? Throneworld of the who?
... uh-oh.
...
And that is how I, Refeline Bashful O'Brian XXIV, former vice-emperor of the Mrrshan people, rose in spite of my own misgivings to be High Master - by default - of the New Republic. I'm afraid I'm no good at speeches - not the way my predecessor was - but I'll do my best to run things from here on Fierias. Luckily, I think I've got some idea of how to do it. While writing those endless streams of powerful, stirring speeches, O'Ryan always left the administration of our empire to me.
Scoring: Oh, I did great this time! Sure, I lucked into it a little, but talk about an early victory! ... Wait, I didn't put victory year into the scoring this time? Surely this was an oversight! Surely it had nothing to do with avoiding a massive scoring bonus for a lucky early win like the one I eschewed in my last game! Or ... wait....
Result: Diplomatic Victory, 2375 (+10)
6-Planet Benchmark: 2354 (+2)
Grand Total: 12
To see how everyone else did, check out the other reports and final results at Realms Beyond!
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