The Lonely Earth - Earth ISOT into Magitek fantasy

Chapter 6: Faith and Ideal Part 1

You claim to have a council-based democracy, correct?" the interviewer inquired.

"Yes, indeed," Saerana replied, her gaze momentarily lifting from her papers to address the question.

She went on to explain, "In the Coronia, every group of a hundred to five hundred individuals elects a delegate to represent them in their district council. These district councils, in turn, send their delegates to the ship council, and the process continues with delegates from each ship council joining the fleet council. Finally, representatives from the fleet council form the Armada council. Should the constituents or lower councils express dissatisfaction with the higher councils' performance, they can initiate a recall through a vote."

The interviewer couldn't help but express her concern, "Doesn't that mean you're always in a state of campaigning?"

Saerana nodded calmly, clarifying her perspective, "In a way, yes. I am here to serve, not to lead. Doing right by my peers is a continuous responsibility."

Curiosity led the interviewer to inquire about taxes, but Saerana's response surprised her, "We don't use money here."

"Excuse me?" the interviewer's astonishment was evident.

Saerana elaborated, not skipping a beat, "Within the fleet, we rely on machine labor and summonings to produce what we need, and those resources are provided freely. Anything that requires trade is exchanged using vouchers obtained through work credit. These vouchers are for one-time use only."

Now, the interviewer turned to the topic of immigration, "With such generous provisions of home, food, water, electricity, and more, how many immigrants do you get?"

"It varies depending on the location. Here, we're still working with your government on a system for exchange, so there have been no immigrants yet," Saerana replied.

The interviewer probed further, mentioning Trump, to which Saerana offered a diplomatic response, "I've faced tougher situations before, but I don't particularly enjoy engaging with him. I'd advise being cautious about the company he keeps."

The interviewer reassured Saerana, "I think many of my colleagues share that sentiment."

At this point, Saerana changed the dynamic, turning the tables on the interviewer, "I have a question for you, though," she said, setting aside her pen and leaning forward with a meaningful look.

"Go ahead," the interviewer responded, intrigued.

"What do you think of the view?" Saerana asked, swiveling her chair around to face the awe-inspiring panorama beyond the window.

"It's beautiful. The expanse is more breathtaking than what you see from an airplane," the interviewer replied, admiring the scenery.

Saerana revealed some history about the office, "This room used to be much larger before we divided it into multiple spaces. It was once the bedchambers of the Sky Lord Urthis."

The interviewer acknowledged having heard that the Coronia was previously run differently, referring to its past reputation.

As Ahmad joined Saerana at the window, they observed the endless sea of white clouds below as the Coronia approached California on a slower, more scenic route. The dialogue and the view had made the conversation more engaging and memorable.

"The Atericil fleet traces its origins back to the Mage-Priests of Atericil, a staggering twelve thousand years ago, long before the aeon of strife," Saerana began, her words carrying a weight of history. "But don't expect to recognize those ancient ships or their crews today. In the aeon of strife, the Mage-Priests perished, and the iron masters, who commanded golems, took control. After the iron masters met the same fate, the war-captains rose to power. Eventually, the sky lords, having amassed considerable wealth, grew resentful of the war-captains and overthrew them. That's just part of our turbulent past."