Damon's Ascension-Chapter 136: The Great Reshuffle Of Humanity 6

The doors of the Summit Spire opened with a quiet hum.

Inside, the main conference chamber was wide and bright, the walls made of polished dark stone streaked with glowing blue veins that was subtle, but clearly not of Earth. The ceiling stretched high above them, flat and dimly lit, showing a holographic map of the Earth slowly rotating in real time.

Rows of curved seats were arranged in tiers, all pointed toward the circular platform at the center where Damon now stood, hands still behind his back, his gaze calm and steady.

Once the last of the leaders had taken their assigned seats—with more than a few glances exchanged and silent whispers shared—Damon stepped forward and spoke.

"Thank you all for coming." He said simply.

"We’re here for one reason, because the world has changed, and pretending otherwise won’t fix anything."

He looked around the chamber, scanning the many faces which were old, young, military, civilian, traditional and modern.

"The appearance of the Inter-Galactic Union of All Species changed more than just power dynamics worldwide, but also how people live and how they earn, as well as how they think about life itself."

He gestured around the room. "This summit is not about control, nor is it about ego. It’s about three things."

He raised a finger. "First, resolving the mess at home, mostly in terms of local issues. There are plenty of national laws that no longer apply because Essence instances have rewritten what ’normal’ means. There are various questions of authority, education, safety, and rights, especially for awakened individuals."

A second finger. "Second, building a framework that connects humanity to the galactic ecosystem. Trade routes, travel rights, licensing for businesses, tech regulations. Whether we like it or not, the galaxy is already here, so we either shape how we join it or get shaped by others."

And then the third. "Third, a working draft of basic planetary law. This is not necessarily a constitution, nor a replacement for sovereign national laws, but a common set of rules for matters that now affect all of us: Essence Instance access, superhuman laws, extradition treaties, interstellar conflict, and civilian safety in global-scale disasters."

There was no applause, just the continuous low hum of energy systems as well as the quiet shifting of suits, robes, and uniforms.

Damon nodded. "To keep this simple, the summit will follow three major discussion arcs. First are political matters, including the status of borders, awakener roles in government, and emergency powers. Second are economic issues involving galactic trade, Essence coin integration, and the role of superhuman labor in traditional economies. Third are religious and cultural issues, because no one here is pretending this new era hasn’t already reshaped what billions believe about life, death, and power."

He stepped back, his voice steady. "I will chair each discussion, and each state will have speaking rights in turn. If you disagree, say it plainly. If you want something, ask clearly. We’re not here to impress one another. We’re here to not fall behind."

Then, for the first time, his tone lightened slightly.

"And let’s try to get through this without a power duel. It’s been a long week."

There was a ripple of amusement in the crowd, small smirks from China, a low exhale from Nigeria’s side, and even a dry snort from the Russian side.

As Damon turned to begin the first issue, a voice rang out from the middle row which was firm, elegant, and unmistakably French.

"Before we move forward, I believe there’s a matter we need to clarify. One that everyone in this room is thinking, even if they won’t say it." President Eloise Therrien of France said loudly, her accent crisp, posture composed and fearless.

The chamber quieted again while Damon paused mid-step and turned back to face her, wondering what trouble this woman wanted to cause here.

Eloise didn’t rise from her seat, but her gaze was direct. "You’ve called yourself Prime Representative, you’ve established a planetary embassy and you’ve summoned all our nations here—unilaterally—and declared yourself the chair of global discussions."

She raised a hand lightly, fingers splayed. "My question, then, is simple. What, exactly, are the powers of the Prime Representative? And how will your position affect the sovereignty of our nations?"

Then, her voice became sharper: "Will you rule like a tyrant? A supreme overseer, dressed in formal words and diplomacy? Just another Nazi in a different skin?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, voice firm. "Or are you meant to be a leader in the democratic sense, with checks, systems, and accountability? Because I speak not only for my government, but for the millions in my country who’ve already begun to ask... is this the dawn of unity, or of quiet domination?"

The room was silent again as the tension shifted into a higher gear, becoming sharper now, but still controlled.

Even Damon didn’t answer immediately.

He let the question hang because he expected this to come up in some form or way and it was just as well since he could nip this in the bud on live television.

Then he stepped down from the platform—one measured step at a time—until he stood on the same level as the rest of the seated leaders, his hands still behind his back.

"I understand your concern, and I’m not offended by it. In fact, I welcome it." Damon said calmly.

He looked directly at Eloise. "The title Prime Representative was not chosen by me. It was designated by the IUAS, assigned to an individual in every species who was voted in by the first hundred who were freely awakened per regulations. I wasn’t given this power, I was voted in."

His eyes swept the room. "But that is not the only thing you asked, right? You asked what my scope of powers are, so let me have someone give you a rundown."

Damon clapped his hands and the tech in the room flickered slightly as a heavy presence descended that was undetectable to most expect those with technology related powers, whose faces changed slightly.

"I welcome Intion-5998 to our humble planetary embassy." Damon greeted mirthlessly, towards the central hologram which displayed the rotating sphere that was earth.

While the others were confused, a slightly robotic voice suddenly spoke from the hologram, sounding like it had speaker everywhere in the building.

"Greetings, Prime Representative Damon Arnan, I am Intion-5998. How can I help you today?"

Everyone in the room became alarmed at the sudden changed, with many world leaders shifting in their seats uncomfortably, not liking what they did not understand.

"I would like you to read out the full powers of the Prime Representative recognized by the IUAS, including their terms of office, powers and obligations." Damon requested with a smile that wasn’t a smile.

The hologram above flickered slightly, then stabilized into a rotating symbol, a silver circle with six orbiting rings. The voice of Intion-5998 returned, calm and unnervingly neutral.

"Processing request. Confirmed. I will now read the active clauses governing the role and jurisdiction of the Prime Representative of an emerging species as recorded by the IUAS Galactic Charter, Section 42-A through 42-H."

There was a short pause as the Intion accessed the databse. Then it began.

"Clause 1. The Prime Representative is the sole point of contact between the IUAS and their species."

The line dropped like a pebble into a still lake.

President Liang Xuejun’s gaze sharpened, Nigeria’s president leaned forward, expression unreadable while several aides began whispering rapidly into earpieces.

"Clause 2. The Prime Representative has exclusive authority to speak, negotiate, sign, ratify, and veto all galactic treaties, contracts, or engagements on behalf of their species."

"That’s... not a diplomat. That’s a sovereign." Prime Minister Greaves of the UK muttered coldly.

"Clause 3. The Prime Representative shall function as executive, legislative, and judicial authority in all interstellar dealings. No other planetary official may override their rulings in matters involving extra-planetary interests."

President Rourke exhaled through his nose, his jaw tight. "Well. That answers that question."

"Clause 4. Within planetary borders, the Prime Representative may establish emergency governance protocols if the biological survival or systemic development of their species is deemed threatened. During this period, all regional sovereignty is suspended for the duration of the crisis."

Brazil’s Luciano Andrade openly chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Emergency dictatorship with galactic approval? Sounds familiar."

"Clause 5. All galactic licenses, trading privileges, resource claims, technology imports, and species-grade upgrades are issued to and through the Prime Representative. No alternative channel will be recognized."

"The entire economy—" Someone whispered from the European side, horrified.

"Clause 6. The first Prime Representative of any new species is assigned a non-renewable initial term of twenty galactic standard years. Following this period, they may seek reappointment through a renewal consensus, every five years, subject to population-level approval."

Chancellor Holtz of Germany raised a brow. "Twenty years as an unelected planetary sovereign... with potential extensions?"

"Clause 7. The Prime Representative is personally responsible for the moral and strategic direction of their species. If their conduct results in catastrophic events, species collapse, or repeated treaty violations, they may be subject to removal by the IUAS Council. However, until such removal is formalized, their authority remains absolute."

Now, silence returned to the room like a cold wind.

Akua Sadi, still watching from the press row, could barely keep her hands from trembling.

Kojo whispered. "That’s not a head of state. That’s a throne."

The Intion finished the reading.

"End of clauses. Would you like me to summarize or explain any section, Prime Representative Damon Arnan?"

"No, thank you, Intion-5998. That was more than enough." Damon replied evenly.

He stepped forward again, not wearing a smile nor any visible smugness, just calm.

"I knew this would be a point of concern, so I made sure to let it be spoken here, in front of everyone, and on record. Yes, I hold extraordinary powers and yes, they were assigned through galactic law. But no, I don’t intend to wield them as a tyrant." Damon paused.

His eyes flashed deeply. "But the next person may."

That line turned heads and cut through tension like a knife.

"That’s why we’re here, to establish the systems around this office before it gets into the wrong hands. Before someone else earns the trust of the people and decides not to be polite about it which has happened many times since democracy began."

He looked across the chamber, meeting every pair of eyes.

"You don’t have to like me, nor do you even have to trust me. However, you do have to work with me, and if not for dealing with me, then for the dealing with the ones who’ll come after me."

His voice lowered slightly. "Because if we don’t write the future now, we’ll be ruled by someone worse later."

And with that, Damon turned back toward the central podium.

"Now then... let’s begin with the political issues.