His gaze shifted slightly, taking in the magnificent architecture that surrounded them with apparent appreciation.
"You see, there are fundamentally two ways to acquire power. You can take it…through violence, through cunning, through the application of superior force. This is the method preferred by most beings throughout the Star Seas. It's direct, it's unambiguous, and it leaves very little room for doubt about who holds authority in any given situation."
Stellarix found himself leaning forward despite his growing apprehension, drawn in by the hypnotic cadence of words that seemed to carry their own gravitational pull.
"But there's another way," Achilles continued, "Power can be given. Transferred. Shared according to agreements that benefit all parties involved. This requires a more... sophisticated approach to leadership, but the results tend to be far more stable in the long term."
He turned slightly, fixing Stellarix with eyes that held depths like the space between stars.
