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Septiman Dreams
Topic Started: 17 May 2018 - 22:03 (57 Views)
Evangelous Dimitriou
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Duke of Kalosia
An inability to stop the past creates a motive to change the future. But a collective inability, to affect that which has been building steam for decades, creates a clear cut extremist cause. Now, it seems, was as good a time as any to enact said desires to change the future, for better or for worse. For Johano Gauss, it would be for a less tyrannical Septima.

The unusually harsh actions enacted by Grand President Valora Schuler have not made many friends in the Seven Republics. Her coalition in the Grand Parliament refers on the brink of collapse, even in a confidence and supply arrangement, individual Republican leadership has vowed to take whatever steps necessary to protect their people should she overstep unnamed bounds, and perhaps most glaring of all, her drastic attempts to use the military to put down simple riots by the Monarchists. Johano was in this last group, a recently minted Officer in the Grand Navy, assigned as the naval attaches to the Grand President. He had made numerous friend at the top of the federal political life, and not a great deal of them were thrilled about Schuler either.

When a number of Monarchists were killed in a military raid of a rally on the outskirts of the capital of Flava, the most agrarian Republic, Johano became convinced that he must finally take some measure of action to ensure that civilians, even civilians following the similar madman of Petro Herzog, would not continue to die senselessly. A number of quiet conversations in elevators, restaurants, bathrooms, and even with an Aerospacial Corp Officer he was courting had led to support for his grand plan to save the Republics, including amongst the other attachés.

This had been building up for a week, until the day of May 17, 2018. Grand President Schuler was to attend a meeting with coalition leadership, and before that, attend a lunch held by military leadership. It was when Schuler was preparing to leave her office that Johano and the others made their move.

The officers walked into the office past the guards with no issue. They were simply there to discuss what would be discussed at lunchtime with the leadership, and so no one took heed of them very closely. The ceremonial, yet functional pistols on everyone’s belt was therefore unnoticed. Johano had stopped halfway between the door and the desk and began his short monologue to Schuler, who just now noticed the pistols.

“Madam Grand President, for several months, your actions have not been in the best interests of the people of the Seven Republics. Unilaterally reserving the right to launch an attack from space, seeking to install puppet governments in Akarus, Vallen, and Kapel, using the military to violently put down rallies by your political opponents. It has been decided that, for the good of the nation,” he took the pistol off his belt and pointed it at her, “I must ask for your resignation before you continue to destroy what was made 300 years ago.”

Schuler scoffed at his final remark and rolled her eyes. “And what did we make 300 years ago, Lieutenant? A grand experiment in democracy? A shining beacon in the sea? We made a system where if you had the ability, you could make it to the top. I have made it to the top, and I will not stop because some officers did not like my performance. Step out of the way.”

Johano pulled the trigger and a shot rang out, tunnelling through the Grand President’s chest. She collapsed immediately, with an angry, her shocked expression on her face, while Johano and the others had a face of both confidence and regret. The Lieutenant especially, as his pistol was dropped to the floor before the presidential guardsmen came rushing in.
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Evangelous Dimitriou
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Duke of Kalosia
Power is always an illusion. The ability to convince others, many others, that they hold the power to do whatever for their own benefit is as much magic as it is science. Therefore, a political system of governance’s primary purpose is to convince the people it wishes to rule over that it has power over their lives and that any other competing system is illegitimate and not worthy of attention. The Septiman Wars for Independence in the 1700s was a particularly brutal and long period of Republicans ‘convincing’ the people that democracy served a better purpose than monarchy, and the people accepted it. In 1799, many delegates formed up in Castietya to create a national government that could last, and they managed to do it even as seven highly distinct Republics were formed in the preceding decade. This government has found its latest test of integrity in 2018, as Valora Schuler was assassinated by military officers and replaced by her Grand Prime Minister, Ludoviko Braune.

Braune was an old guard left-wing politician, having been in national office since the 1970s, before the Blue Revolution in 1990 that swept the left into power for the next two decades. When a politician stays in office for over 40 years, it tends to create a sense of arrogance, intense knowledge of the political system, and an acute sense of public opinion. Braune was no different, always finding the best path to ensure his continued employment. His appointment as Grand Prime Minister came with his status as one powerful member of coalition leadership, and with it a path to the Grand Presidency in the circumstance that Schuler finds herself either without the support of the coalition leadership (as it was increasingly looking), support of the military (as it ended), or support of the people (as it likely wouldn’t occur). Death is also a good reason for an individual to be unable to continue on as Grand President, and so Braune was sworn in at noon in the capital of Libereco, the first municipality to have declared a democracy on the Septiman isles.

His first meeting was with the coalition leadership, naturally as they debated who would be selected as the new Grand Prime Minister. 4 candidates were deemed most likely to ascend to the position, although the coalition only supported one. They were the following:

•Jozefo Siegel, the Grand Diplomat of the Diplomatic Mission of the Seven Republics to the Artemian Union in Byzantium. He was an old man who was very skilled in foreign relations, but was reliant on experts and additional staff more specialised in other areas where foreign policy was not. He was a devout Republican, dedicated to the eradication of monarchy in private beliefs, and would not tolerate Monarchists among his staff at the Diplomatic Mission. This led to some head banging with the other diplomats of the Artemian Union, but time has led to a tacit understanding of not bringing up political systems around him. He would be a mostly effective Grand Prime Minister.

•Amika Stroman, a Grand Parliamentarian and the primary supporter of Petro Herzog and monarchy in general in the Grand Parliament. She is the youngest member of the 4 candidates, and her lack of first-hand experience with the Blue Revolution (as she was born that year), as well as the charisma of the Billionaire Emperor towards young women has converted her from a mostly mild-mannered member of the Centrist Party to a diehard Monarchist. Her tenure would result in horrendous gridlock until Herzog is allowed to return to the country and take his place as Emperor of the Aquicans.

•Jasper Henn, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Alta Lagoj. A left-wing politician in primarily name only, he is renowned for his incredibly skilled administrative powers as well as his pragmatism in passing legislation that can best be described as balancing all sides. He is a compromise candidate in that he can make whatever compromises necessary to ensure the stability of the system. If he is selected as the new Grand Prime Minister it is widely expected he would offer Petro Herzog a short time to remain in the nation in order to strike a deal to end the rallies, or to otherwise compromise with Stroman to ensure the Seven Republics can continue.

•Dezirinda Steube, Party Leader of the Social Democrats in the Grand Parliament, and the widely expected new Grand Prime Minister. While not having office for as long as the ancient Braune, they hail from the same Republic of Bronzo Marbodo, and in fact lived in towns less than twenty kilometres from the other. She stood as the primary leader amongst the coalition by way of intense competitiveness, and she has the greatest chance of creating a grand coalition for the purposes of evicting the Monarchists from government at both national and republican levels. A Steube Prime Ministership would result in Herzog declaring open war against the Seven Republics and could lead to total chaos as the rallies turn into rebellion.

Braune has a difficult decision, and the intense pressure from all sides does not make the choice any easier. Coalition leadership has voiced their support for Steube, the Republican Presidents have stood by Henn, Monarchists threaten riots if Stroman is not selected, and the government he presided over desires a Siegel Prime Ministership. Power is a difficult magic trick when you have to sustain it.
Edited by Evangelous Dimitriou, 22 May 2018 - 21:47.
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Evangelous Dimitriou
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The meeting with the coalition’s leadership over the weekend went about as smooth as a cold knife through a block of wood. Steube’s as one of the four major candidates led to her basically listing a number of demands out in front of Braune and threatened a complete lack of support should she not be selected by next Saturday. Braune’s time as Grand Prime Minister led him to develop new ideas for governance, however, and he would not back down in front of the coalition so easily, nor would be blindly accept Steube as his successor by simple virtues of geography and party affiliation. He would properly vet each of the candidates, and Steube was the first.

“Madam Parliamentarian, do please take a seat. You look very gauche at the moment.” The words cut through the air like a hot knife through butter as Steube was starting to grandiosely explain her plan to end the Monarchist threat. She looked absolutely shocked as the weight of his words crashed into her. She sat down with her expression completely unchanged.

“You are well versed in my schedule for the next week. Therefore, it is safe to assume that you are aware of my plans to meet with Prime Minister Henn, Parliamentarian Stroman, and Grand Diplomat Siegel to discuss the possibility of their selection as Grand Prime Minister, and what their plans for the government of the Seven Republics would be in that scenario. Your status, as leader of the Social Democrats, does not change the question I will ask to both you and the other three contenders: If appointed as Grand Prime Minister, what would you do? I welcome an official letter through the usual channels, as I’ve a meeting with the Prime Minister of Alta Lagoj.” He stood up with everyone else in the room following suit, and gave a small bow with his head.
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