Thirty two years had passed since the The Bombardment of Earth. The Federation Council was meeting to set the succession to the Empress in motion as well as discuss other items of business including setting a time frame for the admittance of Earth to the Federation of Planets.
The people of Earth had hoped they had made a good enough impression that it would happen in no more than a hundred years.
Resorts were built for specific aliens including two for the aquatic people, the Cephalons and the aquatic Akkad. The Cephalons were widely respected for their intelligence but had not been embraced by the other planets except for Akkad, they were apparently too alien.
Humans thought they were cool.
The Cephalons were overwhelmed when they visited resorts with an entire lagoon for them to wander in from the comfort of their underwater accommodation.
The Cephalons were stunned by the communicators humans came up with for them; they no longer needed interpreters on Earth.
Humans were very clever people they thought.
It was their Ambassador to the Federation who nominated Earth/Cel for admission before the coronation ceremony of the Empress.
The ambassadors were somewhat surprised by the nomination but the only qualm the others could come up with was with the shortness of the time period before admission.
The Cephalon reminded all that a long wait was not a requirement for admission to the Federation, tolerance and friendliness to others were.
"No peoples have shown as much tolerance and friendliness to all of us as humans have. We need them with us," it said.
The Ambassadors and the Emperor were trying to think of a way to refute his statement then the Florian peoples Ambassador suddenly voted, "Yes."
Earth had built a resort within a large clear dome for them. They could breathe in there and had an enclosed patio area to host the ones that used oxygen.
Ambassador Amapola had already been to the resort with her family three times. They loved Cel's tropical forests.
The Devl Ambassador smiled and said, "I never would have believed I would do this just fifty years ago, but I vote yes."
The Kindred voted "Happily yes."
The Sprite voted, "Definitely yes."
The Saurian said, "They seem to think we are stars, they are the first people not to be initially frightened by us. We vote yes."
All awaited the Emperors vote. He was very happy at the sudden turn of events. He would live long enough to extend the invitation to humans although not long enough to celebrate with them himself.
But before he cast his vote he asked his daughter and future Empress to cast the vote for the Akkad, she would be the one to oversee the transition.
Ohme asked, "Is this my first decision as Empress?"
Her father smiled and said, "Yes."
The Ambassadors understood that simple word transferred all his powers to her.
She then said, "Earthlings have a lifestage called retirement. I hereby order you to enter the stage of retirement on the Federation Planet Earth and never interfere with the affairs of Akkad."
The Ambassadors laughed and promptly passed the proposition.
When the Empress arrived on Earth Clara was the first to formally greet her but they did not have a chance for a private moment so she went back to Felicity.
She was drinking a beer with Fiona and friends on Mr. Wu's patio until she saw Fiona's face register shock. She turned and was stunned to see him standing there, her only son, wearing a Marvin the Martian shirt and a very old baseball cap.
She leaped to him and cried between kisses until she then had to share him with Fiona.
The others wondered what the fuss was all about but soon recognized the Akkad as the Emperor and welcomed him back. One asked him why he was not at the celebration in Clara.
"I am now retired by order of the Empress. I am no longer allowed to take part in affairs of state. I can take part in the beer drinking please Mr. Wu."
Fiona and Clara decided not to tell the others why they were so happy to see him, alive.
They had not accepted the invitation to the Ceremony of Succession.
