State of the Empire: An Ironclad Empress and the Martian Giant
Her Imperial Majesty delivers the State of the Empire address
Martian Empire — Beyond the darkened forum and the powerfully placed lighting that accentuated the podium stood a figure flanked by large banners. As she spoke, her voice carried over the silent room of Parliament. Billions had tuned in to hear the speech, to hear her speak, and for the first time in years was there a sense of pride. She is Empress Nerys Gloriana. We know her as the Ironclad Empress.
As the Empress addressed the nation, the tension in the air was palpable. So thick was the anticipation that it could have been carved and chiselled by an expert artisan. It was as though, at that very moment, the entire nation stood still.
''My fellow Martians, we endeavoured ourselves on a momentous challenge to rebuild the glory and pride of our people. We sought to define what it means to truly be Martian. Our Empire now stands as a testament to the sheer strength and will of our people. We are defiant, we are strong, we are the Martian Giant. Mars Invicta.''
It was an opening to a speech unlike any other, and one that saw Parliament erupt into cheering. Mars Invicta — a phrase adopted from the Kadrians, had become the nation's rallying cry. And across the beer halls and gatherings of people who had tuned in to the speech was this ritualistic battle cry echoed.
Throughout the address, the Martian Empress pulled on this renewed nationalism. As it was revealed, the nation had finally recovered from its economic woes and unemployment had since declined. The refugee crisis was mostly over and though the nation had found itself in a new war, there was a sense of optimism among the many citizens of the Empire.
Though humiliated in the Great War, Empress Gloriana's reforms and the economic revolution spurred the nation onward. The term 'Martian' was no longer the privilege of just a single species, but of all citizens in the Empire. And for the first time in the nation's history, was the Empire truly united — not as colonists and mainlanders, or humans and xenos, but as Martians.
The Empress described the age as one of the 'New Martian Order'. And with this, she adopted the regnal name of 'Gloriana'. The speech had reignited the smouldering embers of Martian Nationalism, and Kaseism was on full display during the address. As her remarks drew to a close, she set out the plan to continue to rearm and modernise the fleets. The Empress described a need to maintain a strong military, even as diplomacy was now being routinely engaged with its neighbours, if only to never suffer such a humiliation again like the Great War.
The Empress received a standing ovation by Parliament as they chanted Mars Invicta.