NationStates

INTRODUCTION

This thread is designed for the region of Noctur as a place for nations to post anything from their country which, although IC and canon, don't really serve any other purpose than fleshing out "daily life" of Nocturians.

So, if you're from Noctur, read on, and post what you will (according to the rules). If you're not, feel free to read the stories and enjoy them. And feel free to drop me a line (TG) telling me what you think of the stories.

WHAT TO POST HERE/RULES
Here are some examples of what you should post here:

• Short stories
• Vignettes/random scenes
• Jokes
• TV shows
• Movies/movie trailers
• Entertainment in general
• Tabloid articles
• Postcards
• Personal letters
• Business letters
• Court case transcripts
• Etc.

However, the only rule that I really impose on anything here is that ALL POSTS MUST BE IC/RELATING TO YOUR NATION..

I also ask that you post a title for every post you make. I will be updating a Table of Contents for anyone to look through in case something strikes his/her fancy.

Other than that, go nuts!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 1
Postcards in Aazeronia - Aazeronia
The Fall of the Aparthied - Nui-ta
State of the Federation, LET 44 - Radiatia
Presidential Actions (Keldon Silviu) - Radiatia
Archived Radiatian Newspaper - Radiatia
An Image from the Libertas Times, 1971 - Crata
Crata for Dummies - Crata
The Monk Alain (Trigal, Kavian Colony) - Nui-ta
The Spira Organization (Sangaur, Nui-ta) - Nui-ta
Potential Children - Nui-ta
Martin Kalva: Live in Midgard City (Stand-up Comedy Show) - Radiatia
FBEC Capital Radio, Question Time - ArghNeedAName
Radiatia One Year On From the Fall of Communism - Radiatia
A Eulogy for Trenta i-Harendo - Nui-ta
A Resolution to Mourn the Loss of Trenta i-Harendo - Detectatia
FBEC Capital Radio, Question Time (Radiatian Remix) - Radiatia
Liberal-Conservative LET 48 Primary Debate - Radiatia
What the Fuck Has Keldon Silviu Done So Far? - Radiatia
Revelations (An Innocent Crush) - Nui-ta
It All Ends Here - Segland
It All Ends Here (Pt. 2) - Segland
A Day in Das Engel - Radiatia
Innocence - Nui-ta
The Inheritance of Her Time - Nui-ta

Page 2
States of the Union - Poldania
Essay for Hortensia - Tuthina
Of Tories and Boxing Rings - Nui-ta
The Unwitting Paternity Test - Nui-ta
This Empty House - Nui-ta
Obliteration Imminent - Segland
The Honaduran People's Liberation Army Document #2013-14 - Honadura
Proclamation Defining Terms for Detectatian De-Escalation - Segland
Askaara and the Golden Man - Nui-ta
Fall of the Apartheid (War's End) - Nui-ta
He Had His Moments - Nui-ta
Show Some Respect - Radiatia
I Want a Seed Planted for My Birthday... - Nui-ta
Maybe It's Time to Come Home - Radiatia
Dissatisfaction: Spitting in Morality's Face Since AN 122 - Nui-ta
Heaven on Earth - Segland
They Grow Like Weeds - Nui-ta
And To What Do I Owe The Pleasure? - Nui-ta
When I Grow Up - Radiatia
Report Card of Johanna Ivers - Radiatia
Date Night - Nui-ta
Ka-ching!!! - Nui-ta
Story-Time - Nui-ta

Page 3
Story Time Part II - Radiatia
My Dad Almost Ate My Boyfriend - Nui-ta
Hold Your Head Up High - Nui-ta
Hold Your Head Up High (Pt. 2) - Nui-ta
Richard Gren Versus the Lions - Detectatia
The Ultimatum - Nui-ta
Old Guard - Nui-ta
One Last Hurrah - Nui-ta
Flames to Ash - Nui-ta
While the Radio Still Played - Segland
We Are All the Same - Nui-ta
Proclamation of a Communist State - Segland
Transcript of the Plea Hearing of Arthur S. Pallum - Detectatia
Ivers '52 - Radiatia
The Man in the Black Coat - Segland
Captain Radiatia: The Gritty Reboot (Prologue, Chapters One and Two) - Radiatia
Captain Radiatia: The Gritty Reboot (Chapter Three) - Radiatia
The City of Revolutionary Patriots - Honadura
Captain Radiatia: The Gritty Reboot (Chapter Four) - Radiatia
Captain Radiatia: The Gritty Reboot (Chapter Five) - Radiatia
Captain Radiatia: The Gritty Reboot (Chapter Six) - Radiatia
The Men Who Run the Night (Chapters One and Two) - Honadura
Captain Radiatia: The Gritty Reboot (Chapter Seven) - Radiatia
Celebrity Gossip - Nui-ta
Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve - Nui-ta

Page 4
All Good Things Must End (Part 1) - Segland
"How Laws Are Made" - Radiatia

Note: Each title above the photograph is the dialogue that appears on the back of the postcard.

AN 109

There was a knock on Evan Isaci's office door on the top floor of the Ministerial building, and Vincentius di-Amori's voice rang out on the other side.

"Prime Minister, would you do me the honor of granting me an audience with you immediately?"

Evan glanced up from his many papers and called out, "It's open".

Social protocol demanded that commoners bow to nobility even when the noble was the guest. Rather than give a full blown bow, Evan simply looked Vincentius in the eyes, bowed his head slightly without getting up from his chair, and then motioned for Vincentius to sit.

As Evan was Prime Minister, Vincentius took no offense to what would have been, to any other blue-blooded Nui-tan aristocrat, akin to an act of treason. Evan was an equal, as far as he was concerned.

"I wanted to talk to you about the past," Vincentius said softly, "and the future".

"What about it?"

"It's about the succession. I want your honest opinion, Evan Isaci. Do you think I made the right choice with Nicolai? Many people are saying I should have chosen Jeo instead".

Evan paused for a moment before glaring up at Vincentius sharply. One could see that the Prime Minister was in a devastatingly bad mood.

"You want my honest opinion? Here it is: I don't think any of them are fit to rule. They don't know enough about the world and about their own people to be good Emperors...or a good Empress in Ivana's case. They only reason they are considerable is due to their blood. I object to that immensely. Anything else?"

Vincentius eased uncomfortably.

"Do you think...do you think I should stay a bit longer? As Monarch?"

Evan softened a bit and leaned back into his chair.

"I think Nui-ta will lack a good Emperor when you are gone. This is coming from a man who has no respect for the Monarchy, as you know".

"You had no respect for the Monarchy under Vincentius II. My father."

Vincentius sighed.

"And that's why you helped me get rid of him all those years ago..."

"Strangling your shit of a father in his sleep? Much of Nui-ta rejoiced when they found out he was gone. The only reason the coup was never punished was because Vincentius II was a pile of dogshit...no offense".

"No, I know...my father wasn't even a father."

"You never changed, Crown Prince Vincent III"

"Stop calling me that Evan".

Evan smirked and held out a pack
of cigarettes.

"Want one?"

Vincentius frowned. "I thought you quit smoking. That's bad stuff for your lungs. Stop it. Nui-ta needs its Prime Minister. Do you have a death wish?"

Evan said nothing, reaching for a lighter and igniting his cigarette.

"My god you've been a chain smoker since I met you! It's a wonder your lungs work!"

Evan frowned. "Means I'm not smoking enough."

"Not enough? You DO have a death wish or something then?"

Evan sucked a little on the cigarette and then nodded.

"I don't want to die...but it helps The cigarettes. They just help me think".

"Or rather...stop thinking?" Vincentius questioned, "about all the shit in the war of Apartheid?"

Evan nodded.

"Yes...clears my mind. I'm
married to these cigarettes..."

"You're a widower. Don't rejoin your wife that fast. You'll have eternity with her in a few years".

Evan shook his head.

"After all the shit I've done? I'm going to hell, not her".

He sighed.

"We're going to hell either way with Jeo or Nicolai. At least Nicolai is thick-skinned. Pick him".

Evan tapped his cigarette over the ashtray.

"Maybe he'll do good. Maybe he'll gave a kid that does good. Who knows..."

"We used to be good friends," Vincentius sighed.

"And then you became a hardened military officer and politician, Evan Isaci".

"You were the one who went off and became Emperor of Nui-ta."

"But I never hardened up. What happened while I wasn't around to make you so...rough?"

Evan shut his eyes and took a deep breath of his cigarette.

"I worked to bring down Apartheid in this country. I
made it easier for families to live without fear or prejudice or hate. I took bullets for equality as a soldier. Although you weren't a politician or a soldier, so did you."

"I was a prince and a statesman, but I took bullets too...I fought too. Why am I so different?"

Another breath of the cigarette.

"I went home after all of that and no one was there. I ascend to power in a war and watch the chaos resume. I take over again after Trenta's accident and people accuse me of trying to kill her..."

"We fought for our home. But for me...there was never any home to return to".

Vincentius groaned.

"Don't hold such hatred in you. We can still be friends again. I remember how it was a long time ago."

"Don't you have a Monarchy to rule?"

Vincentius sighed.

"So I guess we won't be friends again?"

"Not in this life".

"Perhaps I hoped for too much".

"Oh god! Somebody please help my babies! My babies!"

The cries of a woman's terrified screams rang through the darkened village square. It was nighttime in the colonies, and the so-called end of working hours had culminated in a tragic scene. A transport cart carrying several bags of coal and metal had collapsed on the street, pinning two small children under the vehicle.

The crowd of colonial villagers gathered around the cart, as several miners rushed past the screaming mother, towards the cart. They had to do what they could to save the children, even though the little ones were no doubt crushed under the load.

"P-Please," the young mother whimpered, "please...my babies...my babies..."

Her cries and all the straining of the coal miners did hardly anything. A tiny hand reached out from under the cart and waved, seeking some hand to pull it to safety, but no one could get the child out. Muffled screaming could be heard...the children were trapped but horrifically still alive. If no one helped them, they would either suffocate or be crushed completely.

The crowd began to give up hope and disperse, and the frantic woman crawled along the cobblestones of the square, begging for help. There was no use tugging at the clothes of by-standers. The kindest of the villagers around merely did their best to console the woman and offer prayers, except the miners, who did what they could to keep the cart off the children as little as they could.

"Look, good woman," another woman wearing a pink Shalto (the traditional garment of Nui-tan females), "here comes a priest. Seek what you can for your children from him".

"Please, you must help them! They're my children!"

Another woman sneered downwards, "I hear your children are mixed class. Perhaps this is how the gods reclaim such abominations of souls".

Indeed, the panicking mother was a prostitute of ill-repute, and her children were mixed-class --- a cursable thing in the time of Apartheid.

The woman looked at the priest and cried, not for a last sacrament, but for the lives of her offspring.

"Please! I'm begging you! Just lift it enough for me to crawl next to them!"

The priest said nothing, brushing past the woman and towards the cart. His demeanour at first seemed cold, and the woman, at that moment, reached her hands forward and cursed the Gods to their very core. That a Stalari monk, whose sworn duty it was to be the spiritual righteousness of society, could be so cold, was a shock to all present.

But as one listened carefully, the woman's sacrilegious screams faded and the echos of faint chanting could be heard.

---

Ena kashan lokarrda temsi tem sho,
Ana vincholda kaursh chikano
Darshai aeka chikarshta
Akalana roshanda karushalna

---

And with one sudden movement, the priest reached towards the cart and pushed it upwards, with the help of the miners. Although both children were wounded --- one to the point of losing a leg forever, they were ultimately saved.

What amazed the people the most about this mysterious monk were three things:

• He accepted no alms for his deeds other than a simple roof to sleep under and a simple meal to eat.
• His eyes were bandaged, indicating that he was blinded.
• By the next morning, he had disappeared.

Such was the story of the monk Alain, whose mysterious feat in the village of Trigal, only 20 years ago, brought fervor to a colony racked by plight. In a time of hatred and anger, the monk was a symbol of unconditional love.

The monk still walks our country, in a guise yet revealed.

Konan von Shalazar stood on the third-story balcony of his home in quiet Ulur, Sangaur, and looked out towards the setting sun. The Sangaur summer heat was definitely sweltering, although the sunset made it seem to get cooler by the second, from a dismal 100 degrees to a "cool" 78 degrees Fahrenheit. It helped the heat that Ulur was near a lake, but not by much.

"Aren't you coming inside?" A gruff voice resounded from within, "the air conditioning is on and you need to see this". The speaker in question was Konan's elderly father, 70 year old Edel von Shalazar.

Konan raised an eyebrow and nodded, moving into the house and closing the door behind him. The climate control made it easier to breathe and harder to sweat --- which would be good for later, when Konan went to bed.

Edel led Konan down the hall to a living room, where the news was on.

"It's just a report about who won the regional boxing championship".

"I'll rewind it, Konan". Edel picked up the remote and hit rewind, causing the DVR to go backwards a minute a two to the previous headline.

"These new-fangled Crataan machines. Who ever heard of a rewinding television? I thought it was crazy enough in my day that they came in color".

"But what's so important?" Konan mumbled as the headline began.

A petition to address the issue of Monsignority has gained the necessary amount of signatures, 100,000, to be read at Parliament tomorrow. Many supporters state that the addition of such a class in the hierarchy would pay respect to international workers who live in the Empire and have worked for the benefit of Nui-ta, essentially becoming a group of merited immigrants and foreign workers. Talks have long been circulating about the issue of elevating the status of particularly important officials in Nui-ta from other countries, but this is the first time that a previously fringe issue has taken such importance. Right-wing parties such as Derch and Gold have shown opposition to the issue, while Central and the CRP have abstained from declaring a position at this time, citing the complexity of the issue. The Prime Minister's office was not available for common on the issue.

"That's disgusting," Edel spat. "Meritocracy already gave "commoners of merit" the right to become Lords, and now they want to give foreigners a rank? Truly sickening".

Konan remained silent, lost in thought.

---

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Inner Circle," Konan announced, "I have heard your opinions of the Monsignority issue and I stand, as Grand Master of Spira, to declare my decree on the issue at hand".

The ladies and gentlemen of the Inner Circle, all high Sangauranic nobility, sat and paid attention to what Konan had to say.

"The Spira Organization has been dedicated to the preservation of Nui-tan culture and values, and our beloved class system is one of many issues that we seek to protect. If an issue such as Monsignority found support in legislature, it would bring an era of change to our society. Having thought long and hard about the possibilities for the future, I believe that we should throw our support for such an issue".

Some of the nobles raised their eyebrows at Konan's statement, but allowed him to continue.

"As we know, pure Nui-tan blood is essential to our culture. All of us standing among us are descendants of the survivors of the Zanzeanic conquest. Many Nui-tan bloodlines were lost, and the blood of the lower classes is corrupted by the blood of foreign influence"

"However, it is not completely foreign. The commoners retain bits of Sangauranic blood that are too weak to trace, and the colonists are also engrained with our lines, if only but a little".

"Rather than remain separate from the lower classes and keep ourselves in an isolated bastion, which promotes inbreeding and increases the contempt of the common-man against us, I vote that we encourage these people to join in with the nobility and to assimilate to traditional Nui-tan ways and lives. In time, the class system will purify itself if we allow these individuals to join us and harness the pieces of our country that they hold within themselves".

"I therefore opt that we throw our support behind these new nobles, and work to incorporate them into our lives so that we may bring them back to the Nui-ta from whence our grand nobility came".

"The Spira Organization's Outer Circles are a philanthropic group. No one in the Outer and Middle circles, not even my beloved cousin who will soon continue the pure-blood di-Amori family's reign over our Glorious Monarchy, knows of the Inner Circle's existence. I implore you to throw your support behind me as I begin what we shall know to be the Kalari Project, an effort to identify individuals who are of particular importance to Nui-tan culture, history, our government, and our way-of-life, and show them the Nui-ta that once was. The Outer and Middle circles shall know it simply as a political movement in support of the issue".

Agreeing with Kanon, the members of the Inner Circle applauded and cheered with the Spira Organization's motto: Preservation of Nui-ta, and Equality for All

...and also the hidden motto of the Inner Circle

Veiled, we shall return the Monarchy's blood to one line.

"Are the Monsignors present?"

"Why wouldn't they be? This whole party is in honor of them..."

Ambassador Ivers of Radiatia, Ambassador Foresdale of Detectatia, and Lieutenant Colonel Farlong of Detectatia had been formally made Monsignors earlier in the day, and the two Inner Circle members of Spira were lounging idly, taking a peek at the new nobility. Not wanting to make their presence known, they kept the blue necklaces that signified their affiliation with Spira hidden, and did not introduce themselves as members.

"Who are those women talking over there, Rolo?"

Basta's hand motioned over at two women, both clearly non Nui-tan, who were casually chatting near the two Ambassadors.

Rolo blinked and nodded, recognizing them from his research.

"The one on the left with the violet eyes is Lieutenant Colonel Kiana Ivers. She's a by-blood colonist, so they didn't make her a Monsignora despite the fact that she's the wife of Ambassador Ivers".

"The other woman is Ruby Farlong. She's the wife of Lieutenant Colonel Farlong".

Basta chuckled.

"Don't you mean Monsignor Ivers, Monsignor Farlong, and Monsignora Farlong?"

"Yes. And there are two people who are Monsignor Foresdale --- the Ambassador and his husband".

"Any others we should know about? This sounds like its gonma be awfully boring".

Rolo looked around before nudging Basta and signalling at a young Caucasian girl, not quite foreign or colonial".

"That's the person of interest. Little Monsignora Johanna Ivers. Nine years old".

"What makes her so important for Spira?"

"Simple. The Foresdales and Farlongs only have political reasons to stay in Nui-ta. Although Spira is still watching them, its likely that once their duties are over, they'll be leaving Nui-ta and will be ineligible for the Kalari Project".

"The Ivers family, on the other hand...well. Lieutenant Colonel Ivers over there was born a Nui-tan subject, and although Monsignora Ivers was born in Radiatia, she was raised here".

Basta giggled.

"Oh I get it. Regardless of his position as a diplomatic official, Monsignor Ivers is likely to stay...and more importantly, the next generation".

"Precisely, Basta. Young Johanna's Nui-tan upbringing, lifelong title as a Monsignora, and colonial bloodline make her a Tier 3 Potential under the Kalari Project. Now why don't we do some recruiting? The younger you get them into this business, the more loyal they'll be when she's 16 and can actually join us for real. Basta, you're better with children. How about you do it?"

Basta nodded and quietly walked up to Johanna, taking note that her parents were likely watching from afar and that he had to remain curt and not linger, lest he be mistaken for some kind of kidnapper or pedophile...

---

Rolo's eyes scanned around the room, noting other people of interest for the plans of Spira. He quietly wrote their names on a small pad of paper that he had brought with them.

Salim Drogo, age 12, Tier 2
Kadensa Revolo, age 15, Tier 3
Jan Meir, age 10, Tier 3

He suddenly stopped and paused.

Crivan i-Harendo, age 11, and twin sister Kana, Tier 1

Sujir i-Harendo, infant, Tier 1[/b]

Obviously talking to an infant would be an issue, but [i]all three of the i-Harendo children were too important to pass up. Rolo made an immediate point of moving over towards the twins...

---

Basta tapped Johanna on the shoulder before bending down to her eye level.

"You dropped this, sweetheart".

Johanna stared innocently before deadpanning: "I'm not allowed to eat sweets this late unless Pazir tells me I can".

Basta immediately recoiled, but then planned around it.

"Oh, my mistake, you aren't the same girl close up. But you are Monsignora Ivers, yes?"

He had to hurry --- he could already feel the attention of Josko and Kiana Ivers as they cautiously watched the interaction take place. The last place that Basta wanted to be was in the ire of a powerful diplomatic official".

Calibrate, Basta! Calibrate!

Footsteps and murmuring. Kiana Ivers was coming towards them, and Basta could hear Josko Ivers beginning to excuse himself from the conversation he'd been having with someone else.

He pulled out a notepad suddenly and leered at Johanna with a smile, speaking louder so that the parents would hear him.

"I'm a reporter for the Nepos Wave, young Monsignora! I just wanted to know how you feel about being given such a nice honor!"

Kiana Ivers stopped in her tracks, allowing Basta to speak without turning her back on the conversation.

Johanna smiled.

"I got it from Pazir! Pazir is amazing!"

Basta nodded, writing down notes.

"Oh I see, is Pazir how you say Janshan?"

Josko had been schooling some Radiatian linguistics into Johanna after all --- school had instilled Melodian into her, but when referring to Josko, she used "Pazir," and Kiana's Hadinian heritage was clear from the use of "Mater" in place of the Melodian "Jushan" or "Jukan".

Johanna smiled innocently, "He doesn't like being called Janshan".

"Are you very close to your father, Johanna? And your mother?"

"Mmhmm!"

"You know your mother didn't get a title because she's a colonist. What do you think about that?"

"I think it's unfair! Mater does a lot of work! She's a soldier!"

"Yes, your mother is almost a Colonel. Wish her well for me --- I think I'd like to call her Monsignora Ivers too!"

Kiana was still watching, but seemed to smile slightly. Basta's words had been sincere.

Having asserted that he wasn't there to snatch their daughter, Basta quietly began to drill Johanna on what he'd really come there for.

"Did you know you get to be a Monsignora your whole life as long as you don't do anything bad?" 

Johanna smiled. "Really?"

"Yes really! Your father has earned it for himself and for you".

Not understanding that her title was uninheritable, Johanna peered curioisly at Basta.

"Hey...if I have a girl when I grow up can she be a Monsignora too?"

Jackpot.

"Oh no," Basta said, lowering his voice to sound sadder.

"In order to pass on a title, you have to marry someone with a title. You are a lower noble, petit Monsignora. I wish I could tell you different but I can't. That's how the law works".

Johanna frowned. "I have to get married? Eww..."

"Well not until you're much older, little one! But that was the question you asked, and I'm just answering with the truth!"

"Can I ask you another question? Is being a Monsignora hard?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm just a Lord from Nepos who runs an art studio and writes for newspapera on the side. But if it ever gets to be too much trouble, you'll have your friends to help you".

"You draw pictures? I love art!"

"But of course! It's my passion!"

He flipped a page of his notepad over and drew a quick doodle of Johanna.

"I'm in the newspaper business just to make money. What I like doing is to draw people. If you're ever in Nepos, look for the Kojol Studio. I'd be more than happy to do some drawings for your family if it gets my business out, young one".

"And you can have this, as a thank you for helping me get a story".

Johanna smiled and took the doodle happily, running back towards her mother. Basta smiled and turned away.

As Johanna sat down to eat later, she looked down at the notepad. Basta's papers had the studio address on them.

Alabasta Building, Suite 132. Corol Street, Nepos, Ocini.

He'd signed his name on the bottom, Basta Kaligeri, and added the Spira insignia on the bottom.

---

"Now, now children, stop fighting.  Your parents are watching".

Rolo moved to placate Crivan and Kana i-Harendo as they fought over who'd stepped on whose foot.

"Kana!"

"Crivan!"

Trenta, their mother, was busy consoling a crying Sujir. Hariem had come over to stop the twins as well.

"Stop that you two! Treat your siblings better!"

"Sorry Dad," they chimed in unison.

Rolo saw an opportunity here and grinned internally. He was terrible with children, but with adults...

"Viscount i-Harendo, I take it? Those gloves have got to be the i-Harendo family crest, if I know my families well enough". Rolo bowed, as he should, to someone of higher rank. Hariem bowed his head and stared quietly.

"Yes. Evening, Mr..."

"Rolo. Duke Rolo ze-Hanzena. I couldn't help but notice your family. You're in the news a fair bit!"

"Well with a wife who was once Prime Minister..."

"Oh yes, the cancer. That must have been awful. I heard she's in remission now?"

"Thankfully the gods have blessed us so. She got a lung transplant so that should hopefully put an end to this whole business".

"I see. Well between that and the new baby, your whole family must be taking in a great deal of enjoyment".

"There's still stress to consider. There is an 11 year gap between the twins and the baby so we have to childproof everything three times over," Hariem joked casually.

"Well if they get into a good high school, your children should be settled nicely. Any plans there? My daughter got into Selesti's A-Track program. Automatic acceptance to the University of Rahku with partial scholarship as long as her grades stay up".

"That might be a good idea with my son. They start lower secondary school next year and Crivan's been going on about wanting to become a businessman".

Crivan smiled and nodded.

"I like math and numbers so something with money might be nice," the young boy chirped.

"Ah," Rolo nodded, "good on you. And what about you, young lady?"

"I dunno..."

Hariem chuckled. "Very athletic, that one. What is your daughter doing, Duke?"

"Sylvia? Oh, she wants to teach".

"Is that program you're talking about just limited to Selesti Secondary?"

"No, lots of schools have then. They're sponsored by Spira, ever heard of them?"

"The cultural society, right? I've heard of them".

"Well if your kids do community service when they get a little older with Spira --- get an internship or something like that, they'll get offers. Trust me, the Organization is hollering for volunteers right now. All sorts of projects, from charity races to historical work to raising money to rebuild the Alinia Library --- you know, the one that burned down in the Partition? They're trying to recover copies of all the works stored there".

The philanthropist in Hariem perked a little.

"Well, it is for a good cause...lst me think about it".

Rolo smiled and handed Hariem a card. "The website. Check out the nearest office and hopefully you like what you see..."

As he turned away, Rolo's grin appeared outside his face.

"Two children who are already more than halfway to Kalari's level...Viscount i-Harendo, please do sign those precious little things up..."

S. Hunter: "And...welcome, to Question Time, the twice-weekly political debate broadcast live on Capital Radio. Today's episode is being recorded at a lecture theatre in the Leonard Paulus Building at the University of Quirm. I'm Sean Hunter..." (applause) "... and please welcome today's 5-member panel. Representing the government, we the Deputy Prime Minister and MP for Hoelland Fens and the Reformist Party, Michael Barton..." (applause) "...and representing the opposition, we have former Prime Minister and MP for Oteil-Burbach..." (applause) "...Tony Bacon. Our other panelists are the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers and Social Workers, Kenneth McLemore..." (applause) "...a journalist for the Pseudopolis Herald, Margaret Thompson..." (applause) "...and John Peter Blumenthal, professor at the politics faculty of the University of Rosenham." (applause and booing).

K. McLemore: "What's with the booing?"

T. Bacon: "Quirm and Rosenham are rival universities."

S. Hunter: "So Mr. Bacon, after keeping a low profile for a few years, you've been returning back into the public light quite recently with your memoirs. In particular, you have made some surprisingly frank admissions."

T. Bacon: "Indeed."

S. Hunter: "So our first question for the night is directed to you."

E. Stone: "Hello, my name is Ellie and this question is for Mr. Bacon. You admit that you did undermine Steve Kirkpatrick even though you denied it at the time. Why didn't you tell the truth?"

T. Bacon: "Well first of all, although I didn't tell the truth, neither did Kirkpatrick. He accused me of operating an elaborate sabotage operation against his party in order to divide and conquer them. What I had really done was much more modest. I sat down with my good friend John O'Donnell over a beer and suggested that he should take over as leader. Why didn't I tell the voters the full details of this? Because I had an election to win."

K. McLemore: "So you lied to voters? In an election campaign?"

T. Bacon: "Kirkpatrick also had an election to win. He wanted a scapegoat so that voters would blame someone else for his party's electoral decline and the cabinet collapse. He knew that many Socialist voters - even hardline ones - had lost hope in their party's survival and had decided to vote tactically for the Labour Party instead. So by giving unfounded accusations and distorted accounts, he tried to get them to be angry with the Labour Party so that they would vote for the Socialists instead, so I...responded by giving a distorted account as well. I wasn't going to give him ammunition."

K. McLemore: "You say it was a 'distorted account'. Can't you just call it a 'lie'?"

M. Barton: "I would argue that withholding the truth as you did gave your party an advantage in the election. You said during the election that your cabinet had been unjustly brought down by hardline Socialists. You would have got far less votes if it had been known that it was your own fault."

T. Bacon: "Even so, it was still 'unjustly brought down'. The coalition accord had a 'crisis clause' which said that in principle, the parties should avoid withdrawal from the coalition at all costs and not withdraw without giving a warning and giving a chance for the coalition to be repaired. Kirkpatrick just collapsed it in one go."

K. McLemore: "Well you interfered in his own party's affairs. You broke the coalition accord which stated clearly you couldn't do that."

T. Bacon: "We broke the coalition accords several times in all three of my governments. A single violation of a coalition accord is not a worthwhile excuse to bring down a government. Normally I've used 'eye-for-eye' retaliation. When the Socialists blocked the Mappus Commission labour reforms, we announced we'd scrap the public sector 'Living Wage' funding they were proposing. That was the worst dispute of the Bacon I Cabinet, but we resolved it by passing both proposals."

S. Hunter: "Our second question is for the Deputy Prime Minister."

M. Kılıçdaroğlu "My name is Mehmet and this question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Is the government planning any policy changes regarding the Merrina conflict?"

M. Barton: "We're not planning any reversals, but we are planning a review..."

(...)

S. Hunter: "...regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections in Radiatia?"

J. P. Blumenthal: "It's not going to be a good day for the Social Democratic Union, that's for sure. They are poised to lose control of the Federal Assembly to the Liberal Conservatives, and possibly the Senate too. And there's a load of provincial elections which they are likely to lose. Since Radiatian provinces will carry out the census-mandated boundary changes of Federal Assembly districts, it may lead to gerrymandering which would place the Social Democrats at a disadvantage in future parliamentary elections."

T. Bacon: "Silviu's situation should be familiar to many of us. Labour fared badly in the 2008 local elections, but our government returned with an increased majority in the general election two years later. In general, the main factor is the fact that turnout is lower. Voters who are unhappy with the incumbent government are more likely to vote than those who support it. Whereas in a general election, more people have a stronger sense of duty to go out and vote, regardless of whether they support the incumbents or not."

M. Barton: "Although Silviu's government are facing a recession, which you did not face in your first term."

T. Bacon: "And that is likely to worsen Silviu's situation."

S. Hunter: "So what will the next two years be like for Silviu?"

J. P. Blumenthal: "It's going to be a mess. You remember how the last 'grand coalition' between Labour and the Reformists collapsed in 1990? Basically, Radiatia will be forced to operate as a grand coalition for two years, but there won't be the escape route of calling early elections. The two parties, despite their differences, will have to compromise in order to pass legislation, especially compulsory stuff like the budget. At the same time, however, the LCP will try to undermine Silviu's reelection prospects. It will be in their interest to keep the government indecisive and gridlocked, as long as they don't get blamed for it."

T. Bacon: "My government had enough problems when we suffered losses in local and provincial elections. When the opposition took over many local councils and provincial assemblies, it made it harder for us to work with lower levels of government in order to implement policy. Try imagine what it's like when parliament itself comes under control of the opposition."

M. Barton: "Although Silviu won't be forced to appoint Liberal Conservative ministers. He will keep his Social Democratic cabinet, but the legislation passed by parliament and signed by the President will have to represent a compromise between the two opposing parties. The Radiatian parties are also not quite the same as their ArghNeedANamic counterparts. Because Radiatia doesn't have hardline parties such as the PDV and Socialists, the two Radiatian parties both contain hardliners in their own ranks - like Derro Vahnsehn - and have much looser party discipline."

J. P. Blumenthal: "Which will make working together even more difficult for Silviu and the LCP."

T. Bacon: "Whose idea was it anyway to have parliamentary elections every two years? It's not much time to for the government to deliver on their promises and show they're capable of leadership. It also means that parliament is elected at the point when the government is traditionally at their lowest approval level, thus allowing the government to become divided. I don't know why they chose to schedule elections that way, it just doesn't make sense."

K. McLemore: "There are a lot of things about Radiatia which don't make sense." (nervous laughter)

M. Thompson: "A divided government isn't going to be healthy for democracy. If the country is being ruled by a system of compromise and negotiation between the two parties which hold a duopoly on the Radiatian political system, what happens if they become unpopular? Who do voters blame for the mistakes they make? Who do they vote for if they decide in the next election that they want change?" (applause)

S. Hunter: "So who should Radiatians vote for?"

M. Barton: "As a member of the government, I am not in a position to endorse candidates in other country's elections."

T. Bacon: "I know it's not going to happen, but Radiatia should vote for the SDU. I know, I'm saying this because I support the Social Democrats anyway, but there's another reason. If Fyodorov and his Liberal Conservatives had won the last general election, I would have suggested that they should vote for the LCP again in this election. The important thing is that the government should be able to do what it has been mandated to do for the length of time it has been mandated to serve. Radiatia needs a decisive government. And it preferably needs one which is willing to implement the reforms necessary to ensure Radiatia's long-term development - which I have discussed in my memoirs." (applause)

K. McLemore: "I'd argue that although I don't like the look of those conservatives, the end result doesn't matter much. Silviu's so-called Social Democratic Union makes our very own Labour Party actually look like a proper left-wing party by comparison..."

I've been at this eulogy for a couple days now, since she died, and I don't know where to start. All I really know is that my wife was one of the greatest public speakers I have ever seen, and I could never find the words to describe exactly how great she was. I simply don't have that talent.

Trenta was something special; I knew this much right from the moment she and I first met. I was 14 years old. I went to Rahku Academy for Boys, but my family was in Sangaur, so visits home were few and far between. I could never keep up with what my father did while I was away with the house, there was always something going on.

It was either June or July, I believe, I'm not familiar with the international calendar. I know the date on the Nui-tan calendar was Le. 5, A.N 94. I think that's July.

Anyway, I came home that day exhausted because it was a five hour train ride home in the early morning and I was on my own the entire time. When I got home, I went to my room to take a nap. I must have been asleep for a couple hours when she woke me.

Yes, a twelve-year old Trenta Crumlo had the audacity to creep into my room to bring me some tea. She wasn't doing it for pay. My father hired her mother, not her. Trenta just decided that it would be a good idea to make some tea for the sleeping guy whom she'd never even met before.

This was not an act of kindness, as it turns out. This was an apology. I went through my schoolbag right after she left and found that my textbooks were missing. All of them. I needed those to do my homework, of course, and not doing your homework at RMB is still punishable by a literal kick in the rear end. So I angrily duckmarched myself into the little boardhouse that her family was staying in. I went straight towards her and I was HORRIFED to find that she'd been writing in my books. So I snatch it back, scold her, and walk outside.

I open my book...

Ladies and Gentlemen...Trenta Crumlo wrote the best textbook notes I'd ever seen. Now before you think I'm truly berating her, let me put some historical context down. This was back in the day when social apartheid still existed. As a commoner, she didn't have the priviledge of getting as good an education as I got. Her family had no way of sending her to a good school.

Her desire to learn was so great that she risked getting yelled at by myself or my father for stealing my things, and she used those books to study with much more dedication than I ever put into my schoolwork. And she felt BAD enough for having to use my books for her own self-advancement to take what little spare money she had, go to the cornerstore, buy me fresh tea leaves, brew the tea herself and then give it to me. When I realized that, I felt terrible. I went back to school a week later, bought brand new copies of my books, wrapped them up, and sent them in the mail to her. She'd already learned everything in them by the next time I visited. And instead of be upset with me for yelling at her the previous time, she came right up to me and thanked me profusely. Thanked me far more than I ever deserved...

She was intelligent, and she had a heart of gold. Those are the two things about her that made me fall madly in love with her. 
She was so many things that most people never will be, and I couldn't get enough.

There are many intelligent people, not all, but many, who are downright nasty characters. Trenta Crumlo i-Harendo was not one of those.

There are many underpriviledged people who simply accept what they are born as. They don't have the courage to seek a better life for themselves. Trenta Crumlo i-Harendo was not one of those.

That's why she was so lovable.

By the time she got into college, I was already cheering her on. She'd already become family to me.

She graduated, and I cheered.

She got a backbencher seat in politics in Central Party, and I cheered.

She ran for PM, and I ran out and voted straight Central Party for the first time in my life.

I got home from voting - this was right after I got into the King's Guard - and I was told the  squad I was on would be assigned to the Prime Minister.

From that day on, I spent everyday with her, and she gave me everything. I was in a horrible relationship with another woman, more of my family's choice than mine, and she gave me the courage to seek out the person I loved.

She loved me back and we were married. She gave me three children whom I wouldn't give up if my life depended on it. Every morning that the Prime Minister woke up, I was there, this was true. But every morning I woke up, she was still that cute little book-thief who grew up to become the best leader I've ever seen, the most beautiful woman I'll ever meet, the best wife ad mother a family could ask for, and the best friend I'll ever have - the one I'll love until the day the world comes to an end, if even that will stop me.

I hope you don't forget about us, wherever you may be, Trenta Crumlo i-Harendo. I hope you don't forget the people you led, the country you served, the friends you made, and the family that will always love you.

Don't forget about us.

We won't forget about you.

A RESOLUTION TO MOURN THE LOSS OF TRENTA I-HARENDO

House of Deputies Resolution 404

STATUS:

Passed by: Deputies, Freeholders.

TEXT:

1. WHEREAS Trenta i-Harendo. former Prime Minister of the Aristocratic Monarchy of Nui-ta recently passed away, and
2. WHEREAS her contribution to the advancement of women in government is praiseworthy, and
3. WHEREAS her contribution to social equality and advancement in Nui-ta too is praiseworthy, and
4. WHEREAS her work in the Nui-tan government serves as an example to all civil servants, and
5. WHEREAS her recent death is a great loss and tragedy to Noctur, now, therefore, be it
6. RESOLVED by both Houses of the Vox here assembled, that the Detectatian government and people offer their condolences to the Nui-tan people and their government for the loss of Trenta i-Harendo, and 7. be it
8. FURTHER RESOLVED that the Detectatian national flag shall be flown at half-staff for a period of three days as a symbol of mourning, and be it
9. EVEN FURTHER RESOLVED that the Vox hereby posthumously awards Trenta i-Harendo the title of Honorary Citizen of the Federal Republic of Detectatia, and be it
10. EVEN FURTHER RESOLVED that any and all legislation possibly in conflict with this resolution is hereby declared null and void.

Done by the MEMBERS of the 154th Detectatian Vox at the HALL OF THE VOX at 3 Capitol Circle, Federal District of Trestone.

And signed by
The Honorable BEN GLASKER, Speaker of the 1st House of Deputies,
The Honorable ARIS PLATO, Presiding Officer of the 1st House of Freeholders,
His Excellency RICHARD GREN, 2nd Premier of the Federal Republic of Detectatia.

ACTION:

Introduced to the House of Deputies by His Excellency RICHARD GREN, Motendahuert, 1st District.
Approved for Committee Review in the House of Depties by a vote of: 403 AYES, 2 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS.
Approved by the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Passed by the House of Deputies without amendment by a vote of: 801 AYES, 5 NAYS, 1 ABSTENTION.
Passed by the House of Freeholders without amendment by a vote of: 48 AYES, 0 NAYS, 0 ABSTENTIONS.

OOC: This is an edit of ANAN's post above, wherein I have added a Radiatian character to the debate, just because I've been dying to write a Radiatian response to some of the things that were said.



S. Hunter: "And...welcome, to Question Time, the twice-weekly political debate broadcast live on Capital Radio. Today's episode is being recorded at a lecture theatre in the Leonard Paulus Building at the University of Quirm. I'm Sean Hunter..." (applause) "... and please welcome today's 5-member panel. Representing the government, we the Deputy Prime Minister and MP for Hoelland Fens and the Reformist Party, Michael Barton..." (applause) "...and representing the opposition, we have former Prime Minister and MP for Oteil-Burbach..." (applause) "...Tony Bacon. Our other panelists are the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers and Social Workers, Kenneth McLemore..." (applause) "...a journalist for the Pseudopolis Herald, Margaret Thompson..." (applause) "...the Right Honourable Jerold Griffin, former Radiatian Internal Affairs Minister under the Toriah Administration..." (applause) "...and John Peter Blumenthal, professor at the politics faculty of the University of Rosenham." (applause and booing).

K. McLemore: "What's with the booing?"

T. Bacon: "Quirm and Rosenham are rival universities."

S. Hunter: "So Mr. Bacon, after keeping a low profile for a few years, you've been returning back into the public light quite recently with your memoirs. In particular, you have made some surprisingly frank admissions."

T. Bacon: "Indeed."

S. Hunter: "So our first question for the night is directed to you."

E. Stone: "Hello, my name is Ellie and this question is for Mr. Bacon. You admit that you did undermine Steve Kirkpatrick even though you denied it at the time. Why didn't you tell the truth?"

T. Bacon: "Well first of all, although I didn't tell the truth, neither did Kirkpatrick. He accused me of operating an elaborate sabotage operation against his party in order to divide and conquer them. What I had really done was much more modest. I sat down with my good friend John O'Donnell over a beer and suggested that he should take over as leader. Why didn't I tell the voters the full details of this? Because I had an election to win."

K. McLemore: "So you lied to voters? In an election campaign?"

T. Bacon: "Kirkpatrick also had an election to win. He wanted a scapegoat so that voters would blame someone else for his party's electoral decline and the cabinet collapse. He knew that many Socialist voters - even hardline ones - had lost hope in their party's survival and had decided to vote tactically for the Labour Party instead. So by giving unfounded accusations and distorted accounts, he tried to get them to be angry with the Labour Party so that they would vote for the Socialists instead, so I...responded by giving a distorted account as well. I wasn't going to give him ammunition."

K. McLemore: "You say it was a 'distorted account'. Can't you just call it a 'lie'?"

M. Barton: "I would argue that withholding the truth as you did gave your party an advantage in the election. You said during the election that your cabinet had been unjustly brought down by hardline Socialists. You would have got far less votes if it had been known that it was your own fault."

T. Bacon: "Even so, it was still 'unjustly brought down'. The coalition accord had a 'crisis clause' which said that in principle, the parties should avoid withdrawal from the coalition at all costs and not withdraw without giving a warning and giving a chance for the coalition to be repaired. Kirkpatrick just collapsed it in one go."

K. McLemore: "Well you interfered in his own party's affairs. You broke the coalition accord which stated clearly you couldn't do that."

T. Bacon: "We broke the coalition accords several times in all three of my governments. A single violation of a coalition accord is not a worthwhile excuse to bring down a government. Normally I've used 'eye-for-eye' retaliation. When the Socialists blocked the Mappus Commission labour reforms, we announced we'd scrap the public sector 'Living Wage' funding they were proposing. That was the worst dispute of the Bacon I Cabinet, but we resolved it by passing both proposals."

S. Hunter: "Our second question is for the Deputy Prime Minister."

M. Kılıçdaroğlu "My name is Mehmet and this question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Is the government planning any policy changes regarding the Merrina conflict?"

M. Barton: "We're not planning any reversals, but we are planning a review..."

(...)

S. Hunter: "...regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections in Radiatia?"

J. P. Blumenthal: "It's not going to be a good day for the Social Democratic Union, that's for sure. They are poised to lose control of the Federal Assembly to the Liberal Conservatives, and possibly the Senate too. And there's a load of provincial elections which they are likely to lose. Since Radiatian provinces will carry out the census-mandated boundary changes of Federal Assembly districts, it may lead to gerrymandering which would place the Social Democrats at a disadvantage in future parliamentary elections."

J. Griffin: "It's actually 'states' not 'provinces'. States have provinces within them... I know I'm being pedantic here, but it's very important to make that distinction when discussing Radiatian politics, simply because it helps you understand some of the issues. But yes I agree with the jist of what you are saying, gerrymandering is and has been an issue for a long time and as a member of the Social Democratic Union myself, it is a concern."

T. Bacon: "Silviu's situation should be familiar to many of us. Labour fared badly in the 2008 local elections, but our government returned with an increased majority in the general election two years later. In general, the main factor is the fact that turnout is lower. Voters who are unhappy with the incumbent government are more likely to vote than those who support it. Whereas in a general election, more people have a stronger sense of duty to go out and vote, regardless of whether they support the incumbents or not."

M. Barton: "Although Silviu's government are facing a recession, which you did not face in your first term."

T. Bacon: "And that is likely to worsen Silviu's situation."

J. Griffin: "I think Mr. Bacon is correct. I don't think Radiatians are going to pin the blame for the recession on a guy who hasn't been in power more than two years. And low voter turnout has been a problem in Radiatian politics for years but it's definitely worse in the midterms. I don't think people get how important this election is."

S. Hunter: "So what will the next two years be like for Silviu?"

J. P. Blumenthal: "It's going to be a mess. You remember how the last 'grand coalition' between Labour and the Reformists collapsed in 1990? Basically, Radiatia will be forced to operate as a grand coalition for two years, but there won't be the escape route of calling early elections. The two parties, despite their differences, will have to compromise in order to pass legislation, especially compulsory stuff like the budget. At the same time, however, the LCP will try to undermine Silviu's reelection prospects. It will be in their interest to keep the government indecisive and gridlocked, as long as they don't get blamed for it."

T. Bacon: "My government had enough problems when we suffered losses in local and provincial elections. When the opposition took over many local councils and provincial assemblies, it made it harder for us to work with lower levels of government in order to implement policy. Try imagine what it's like when parliament itself comes under control of the opposition."

M. Barton: "Although Silviu won't be forced to appoint Liberal Conservative ministers. He will keep his Social Democratic cabinet, but the legislation passed by parliament and signed by the President will have to represent a compromise between the two opposing parties. The Radiatian parties are also not quite the same as their ArghNeedANamic counterparts. Because Radiatia doesn't have hardline parties such as the PDV and Socialists, the two Radiatian parties both contain hardliners in their own ranks - like Derro Vahnsehn - and have much looser party discipline."

J. P. Blumenthal: "Which will make working together even more difficult for Silviu and the LCP."

J. Griffin: "Not necessarily. For a start the idea behind the new system is, I think, to actually slow down the government. Radiatians are sick of having governments that privatise one year, and nationalise the next year. But where this system is better than MMP and the old system, is that the people compromising will be the centrist Social Democrats and the centrist Liberal-Conservatives... so things will be very much to the centre. Whereas before you'd have the main parties having to form coalitions with minor parties who often represent extreme views. So instead of say, a moderate Social Democrat compromising with a moderate Liberal-Conservative on the budget, back then you had the moderates in the United Democrats or Workers Party forced to compromise with, say, socialists or communists. I really think that the old system lent itself to extremism, this one keeps things stuck in the middle for better or for worse."

T. Bacon: "Whose idea was it anyway to have parliamentary elections every two years? It's not much time to for the government to deliver on their promises and show they're capable of leadership. It also means that parliament is elected at the point when the government is traditionally at their lowest approval level, thus allowing the government to become divided. I don't know why they chose to schedule elections that way, it just doesn't make sense."

K. McLemore: "There are a lot of things about Radiatia which don't make sense." (nervous laughter)

J. Griffin: "Very droll, Mr. McLemore. But again, Mr. Bacon, you're missing the point the thing is..."

M. Thompson: "A divided government isn't going to be healthy for democracy."

J. Griffin: "Whoa there, keep your fur on as we say in the north. I have two points now. Firstly to Mrs. Thompson, or Miss Thompson I'm not sure... well, what's with this veneration of democracy? Radiatia is not a democracy, it's a republic, with representative democratic elements. We don't want democracy, we want minorities to be protected. You don't want the masses of Radiatia all having their way because... well women wouldn't have any rights for a start, if we were purely democratic.

"And secondly, in response to Mr. Bacon, you're all sitting here scoffing at Radiatia and calling us undemocratic and yet... holding biannual elections for the Federal Assembly and only half of the Senate - not the full Senate, is actually more democratic. Because unlike here where a ruling party can spend four years stuffing things up and then be forgiven at the end, in Radiatia the government is being held accountable... or more accountable... to the people.

"So we've got you on one side of me scoffing and saying we're too democratic, and then we have her on my other side scoffing and saying we're not democratic enough. I don't want to use this word because I don't want to live up to a stereotype... but could you please be a bit more efficient?"

M. Thompson: "Yes, but if the country is being ruled by a system of compromise and negotiation between the two parties which hold a duopoly on the Radiatian political system, what happens if they become unpopular? Who do voters blame for the mistakes they make? Who do they vote for if they decide in the next election that they want change?" (applause)

S. Hunter: "So who should Radiatians vote for?"

J. Griffin: "That's a good question. Who should they vote for? The Communist Party? The Greens? The Radiatian Destiny Party? The Standing at the Back Looking Stupid Party? Think for a moment who you're alternatives are! And... if they don't like the two main parties, they can still vote for other ones. There's no law stopping them from doing so. But the two main ones have broadened their appeal, which is the reason that people are going for them in the first place. We like efficiency. We don't like having a new party formed for every shade of the political spectrum."

M. Barton: "As a member of the government, I am not in a position to endorse candidates in other country's elections."

T. Bacon: "I know it's not going to happen, but Radiatia should vote for the SDU. I know, I'm saying this because I support the Social Democrats anyway, but there's another reason. If Fyodorov and his Liberal Conservatives had won the last general election, I would have suggested that they should vote for the LCP again in this election. The important thing is that the government should be able to do what it has been mandated to do for the length of time it has been mandated to serve. Radiatia needs a decisive government. And it preferably needs one which is willing to implement the reforms necessary to ensure Radiatia's long-term development - which I have discussed in my memoirs." (applause)

J. Griffin: "I think you're making the assumption that President Silviu is somehow the leader of the party. He isn't. And Gregori Fyoderov isn't the leader of the LCP. Silviu wasn't able to get most of his reforms through the SDU parliament anyway, because half the SDU are full-fledged socialists, the rest are moderates or even conservatives. But you talk about them being able to do things for the length of time that were mandated to serve, well, they were given two years. They didn't do anything. And again... Radiatia... efficiency... don't make Radiatians wait or they will replace you."

K. McLemore: "I'd argue that although I don't like the look of those conservatives, the end result doesn't matter much. Silviu's so-called Social Democratic Union makes our very own Labour Party actually look like a proper left-wing party by comparison..."

J. Griffin: "Again. Silviu's Social Democratic Union? No. The Social Democratic Union. Silviu didn't found it. He doesn't own it. Silviu is a third way centrist. In the primaries he was pitted against liberals, and socialists and progressives and all the rest. He came out on top, and he was allowed to define his Presidency and candidacy as he wished.

"I think that there may be a cultural misunderstanding taking place too. Radiatians value efficiency, we all know that, but there's also the value of individualism here and that's big. The President is an individual. The MPs and Senators are individuals. They're loosely joined in the same political parties but really they're serving maybe their constituents but ultimately they're serving themselves, and if Radiatians don't like that then Radiatians should run for parliament themselves. That's the way we see it. It's the way we are."

"Excuse me Empress," an attendant stated as he knocked on the door of Sharina's private sitting room.

"Yes?"

"Your cousin is here to see you".

"Konan? Send him in..."

The courier nodded, and Empress Sharina found herself giving an audience to her favorite cousin, one Konan von Shalazar, head of the Spira Organization.

"Konan," Sharina smiled sweetly, "sit".

The young man took a seat and smiled softly back at Sharina.

"I just heard the good news, my dear," Konan said to Sharina. "I'd like to congratulate you on your pregnancy. I think Rowan will find himself a very happy man".

"It's a girl," Sharina smiled. "For the first time in centuries, Nui-ta will have a female heir...of course that means the di-Amori line will likely end with her and the line will become di-something else, but..."

"The child is a blessing nonetheless. Did you already decide on a name?"

"Eza. Just as you recommended".

"Good," Konan nodded, "your pregnancy comes at a lovely time. No one will ever suspect a pregnant Empress to be the conspirator behind the bombings".

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Hush, Sharina. Relax. The chairman of ILOP and almost every single commissioner are all Spira-affiliated. I had this state's commissioner personally check for bugs fifteen minutes ago. We're untouchable, Sharina".

"Almost every commissioner?"

Konan sighed. "Beware Rahku State. The commissioner of that state is....hard to persuade".

"What's his name?"

"Sijur ke-Driovion".

"A Baron. Damn. People will notice if he goes missing".

"People will notice if a commssioner goes missing regardless of what class rank he holds, but Sijur is special. For one, he's the commissioner of the largest state in Nui-ta. For two, he's a baron. For three, he's related to the i-Harendo family. He married her brother. Another death in that family will draw a lot of attention..."

Sharina paused.

"Don't tell me...you knew Trenta i-Harendo would die from the start?"

"Oh no, Trenta's death was a happy accident. People cannot have faith in the old administrations for my plan to work, and Trenta was the embodiment of all the faith they had".

"But yes, she died too young on her own, and people are already looking in the direction of the i-Harendo family. We were going to have Ashal track down her ashes but it seems they've been well-disposed of. Any further disappearances or deaths would be...bad for business".

"Besides, I've got an eye on that son of theirs. The academic halls of Nui-ta are already raving over our young Crivan i-Harendo. We could use a brain like that. We just have to hook him while he's young, and killing his uncle won't exactly help that".

Sharina sighed, "So I just have to remember that Rahku State isn't safe yet".

"Not yet. Soon. But not yet," Konan mused. "Anyway, I like your idea to form Ashal from the Dreshilites. Get a few disenfranchised penal prisoners of Nui-ta some explosives, let them roam around the streets that chained them, and when they get caught, let the penal colony take the blame. Because they know nothing about Spira, no blame comes to us".

"You really are brilliant, Sharina. If Rowan doesn't come around to seizing control, you'll make a wonderful monarch".

"So what do these bombings have to do with coaxing my husband to seize control again?"

"Simple...I'll make sure Parliament remains ineffective. This will make Ultimus Renton look bad, and I can have him cast out. Then I can get people sympathetic to us elected in. That way, either Rowan takes power after coming around to why we need an absolute monarchy so badly, or Parliament gives power to you".

"It's as simple as that..."

---

Goons were following Johanna in the streets again.

"Hey there baby, where ya goin'?"

"Come back here. We just want your bag, sweetheart. Not your cherry. Why you runnin'?"

"It's your birthday, right? We could use some of the chainge in your pockets..."

"Ain't your dad that rich Monsignour or somethin'?"

Johanna started running.

Why does ILOP have to be so thin-spread? Damn the Foroga bombings!

She wasn't watching where she was going, and suddenly slammed into a passerby.

"Ow! Hey! I'm sorry! --- Crivan?" She saw a familiar sign on the gloves of the person she'd bumped into: the sign of the i-Harendo family.

Crivan sighed. "Johanna, what are you doing out here this late?"

Johanna whimpered. "I had tutoring at school and it ran late. I was on my way home and then I took a wrong turn and then...and then..."

She cried a little. "It's normally safe because of the cops!"

Crivan sighed, getting up and dusting his white mourning clothes off as the goons approached.

"Hey tool," the lead goon said, "back off. Girl's ours".

Crivan glared a little. "Shouldn't you be crashing your motorcycle headfirst into a brick wall or something?"

"Shut your damn mouth!" The goon pulled out a knife, causing Johanna to scream. "Listen, you say another word and you're gonna be sorry".

"Word," Crivan deadpanned.

The goon charged. A sickening crack was heard a few seconds later as the miscreant found out the hard way that Crivan was the eldest son of a retired elite soldier.

"Listen," Crivan sighed, "I tend to leave bratty little shits alone, but you say another word and you'll break another wrist".

"Get him!" Two more thugs hollered, leaping forward. Crivan pivoted and kicked one thug in the face before turning again and punching another thug right in the nose. The goons took this opportunity to run.

"Where'd you learn to do that?!" Johanna gasped.

"My dad," Crivan shrugged coolly. Johanna blushed a little but then chuckled.

"Both my parents were soldiers but they haven't taught me how to do anything like that!"

"Maybe you should learn? It's not safe to walk around without knowing how to defend yourself".

Crivan extended a hand to help Johanna up, only to suddenly hear an "ow!"

"I cut my knee when I fell," Johanna whimpered.

"Let me see," Crivan sighed. "Ouch. That cut isn't deep, but it's a cut. Can you bend your knee?"

"I can't put a lot of weight on it without it hurting".

"You'll probably need a lift the rest of the way, can you climb on my back?"

Johanna went bright red in the face but then nodded and reached upwards. Crivan was growing quickly --- he was already tall enough and strong enough to carry Johanna around as if she weighed only 5 pounds.

"Well why should I defend myself? I mean, I've got you around, don't I?"

Crivan laughed. "This was a fluke chance. Not that I didn't like it, but what if you're all alone someday?"

"I won't be!" Johanna laughed. "My dad was busy, and he used to be a Lieutenant. He usually walks me home. My mom comes with too, and she's a Colonel! This happened a few days ago when my mom was walking with me to go home and she beat the snot out of those guys!"

"And what about when you're older?"

"I'll just have to get a boyfriend with muscles?"

Crivan rolled his eyes. "I'll check the bodybuilding association for you".

He set her down, just outside the gate of the Radiatian Embassy where she lived.

"Can you get in on your own?"

"I can, thanks!"

"Oh! Johanna, before you go..."

Crivan pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from his bag and wrote a phone number on it.

"My uncle works for the police. Give him a call about this, okay?"

Johanna smiled and took the paper. "Thanks Crivan!"

As soon as she got inside, she blushed a little. Her father was busy in his office and her mother was out on official business.

"He's awesome!" She giggled, finding herself with a little crush.

Off the northern coast of Segland

The sun shone down on the gulf, making it a favorable time for divers and beach-goers to go about in their activities. Crystal clear waters allowed for excellent vision when submerged in the waters, making it surprising that the highest and most revered artifact of Consology had not been discovered yet.

But a regular Seglandic family had gone on an excursion to the coastal resort town of Stabroek, renowned for its sunny weather year-round. They boarded a small craft to go out into the gulf and go scuba diving, a common activity in the area. Everything was perfect.

They all got into their diving gear and walked over to the gunwale. "You all ready?" asked the father, looking at his wife and kids. The children nodded, and so they jumped over the side. The parents had been sure to bring a waterproof camera with them.

One of the kids came upon a reef and motioned to the others. They came over and took pictures of the colorful coral reef, its biodiversity unparalleled by anything else.

Yet an antenna-like object was protruding from the seabed, and the mother noticed. "What in the world is that?" she thought. Pushing away some of the sediment, a spire began to be unearthed. In shock, she immediately took out her camera and snapped several pictures.

Gesturing to her family, they surfaced and got back to the boat. The mother showed her husband the pictures, and his mouth gaped open. "That must be it...we've got to tell the local Church!" he said.

Church of Consology in Stabroek

"Image 1 of 4 being uploaded...image 2 of 4 being uploaded...image 3 of 4 being uploaded...image 4 of 4 being uploaded...upload complete." The computer spoke in a monotonous voice, narrating every action that took place.

The Church's leader stared at the screen. "Good God, it's the Beacon...we found it."

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

An attendant entered the office of Johannes Wilfried Folse, the Seglandic Minister of Foreign Affairs. This particular attendant was a devout Consologist and a close friend of Folse.

"Minister Folse, we believe that the Beacon has been found," said the man.

"Valentus be praised," muttered Folse. Scipio Valentus was the man who spearheaded the Church of Consology, and he was seen as a prophet by Consologists.

The minister himself was only a Consologist in private - to serve as a minister, being atheist was required.

"Has the Empire been notified yet?" Folse inquired.

"Of course, sir," replied the attendant. "Visairese agents will arrive shortly to inspect the artifact, and I am quite sure they will be pleased."

"Naturally. But when will the emperor take action?"

"If this truly is the Beacon, then they will deploy the invasion force within days. You are guaranteed a seat of power once the Chancellor and his supporters are dead."

"Then let the Reunification begin."

Ryoshū, Visaire

"Your Imperial majesty, the minister reports that someone found the Beacon in the Gulf," said Kaede Sato, personal assistant and messenger of the Visairese emperor.

He found himself in a grand room, the walls adorned with gold and precious gems. The emperor himself sat on a solid gold throne, hands folded in a common Visairese gesture of anticipation. The messenger knelt before him.

"Excellent," said Emperor Akira softly. "Let our friends know that they must carefully ensure that this truly is the Beacon before we make any rash moves." He was aging, and his physical appearance did not contradict that.

"As you wish, your majesty," said Sato before leaving the presence of the emperor.

---

Derrstrand Interrogation Camp, Seglandic Republic

The same family that had happened to find the holiest artifact of Consology but a day earlier was now detained in Derrstrand, the most notorious of all the "interrogation camps" in Segland. Derrstrand was run by the Church, with minimal government intervention. This made it the perfect place to extract important information about a secretive topic.

Kobus Heeren, a member of the Church's intelligence branch, was pointing a gun at the father's head. The other family members, even the children, were kneeling in a line with their hands tied behind their backs. "Who sent you to find the artifact?" he demanded.

"No one, I swear," replied the dad, trying to keep cool.

"Really? I don't understand, then, why no other divers happened to come upon it when it was so obvious."

"Well I don't know either, damn it!"

Heeren slammed his gun into the man's skull. "Please keep your language civil," he said. "Now," he continued, "you do realize that I have to kill all of you?"

"No...please..." the father whimpered. "Not my children..."

"Oh, but they know about what you found. They must die. No one can know about the Beacon's discovery except for those who are supposed to - and you are not supposed to."

"But we found it!" yelled the father.

"'Finders, keepers, losers, weepers' doesn't apply here, Mr. Dirk." That was the first time Heeren had addressed the man by his actual name.

"Can't you just keep us isolated or something until this whole matter is resolved?"

"We can't even run the risk of having you all escape with such important information as this. Say goodbye, Mr. Dirk."

Dirk opened his mouth, but Heeren put a bullet in his forehead. The father's head slumped forward, and the children screamed. The wife was already crying.

In rapid succession, the agent then shot all of the other family members. To ensure that they were dead, he put a second round in each of them.

Rubbing his hands, Heeren returned to his quarters to enjoy some breakfast.

---

Undisclosed Location, Seglandic Republic

Six men sat in a circle around an antique table, illuminated only by candlelight in the darkness. An eerie aura emanated from the men. They only addressed each other by their code-names.

"Shaker, do you have the Church reports?" asked one man, his head covered in a strange garment.

"I do." The man they called Shaker then read aloud the report:

"We believe that we found the Beacon. The Visairese agents arrived on time to inspect it, and they agree with us. If this is true, we may be in the end times. The next step is to figure out how to activate the Beacon, a process which may take awhile. There are vague hints in the Codices about something called the Ray that could unlock the secrets of the Beacon, but we have no idea where this "ray" could be. The Beacon itself is safely locked away in the vault under the Kapstriek Company's headquarters."

"Very well," said another man. "We must now locate this Ray."

---

Kapstriek Company Headquarters

In the dead of night, 20 SSIS agents deployed by the Seglandic Director of Intelligence surrounded the headquarters. The report by the Church had been intercepted by the government in a stroke of pure luck, so the Director decided to try to capture the Beacon. Something of its magnitude could not be in the hands of the Church, which would undoubtedly use it for sinister purposes.

One agent bashed down the door and scanned for booby traps. Seeing none, he signaled for the rest of the men to enter.

"The vault is in that direction," said the team's commander, pointing in the direction of a large steel door. The group split up, 10 of them staying by the entrance to make sure no one else got in.

A specialist walked over to the code input for the vault, and he hooked up a computer to it. The system began to guess passwords at a very fast rate, and the door finally said "Access Granted". It slid down into the ground, revealing a staircase going down.

The 10 remaining agents descended down the stairs. Reaching the bottom, in a large glass display was an amazing structure. It was a completely black spire, only about 4 feet in height. Yet this was the most important artifact to the Consologist religion.

The commander pulled out a hammer and slammed it into the glass, breaking the case in an instant. No alarms went off, and the Beacon was now completely exposed. Two agents went over to it and picked it up; it was surprisingly lighter than it appeared. The agent in charge grinned and went back up the staircase, the rest of his group following behind him.

The entire team of 20 SSIS agents left the building. There were no casualties, and the mission was over as quickly as it had begun.

But the team had made an elementary mistake - they didn't check for bugs or cameras. And now, the Visairese spy who had been assigned night duty in the headquarters knew all about the Seglandic government's secret operation.

What that meant was that the Visairese Empire had an excuse to invade.

Innocence

---

"Tell me more! Tell me more!" Kana pleaded, sitting on the couch with Johanna at the Ivers residence.

Johanna laughed, "and then my dad goes: "If you touch me or touch her, you'll be going down to a prison in Latiso!" And then he hit a button on his phone and the cops show up!"

"I had no idea your dad was so cool! I mean, smart, sure. But that was just awesome!"

It was at that moment, while Kana and Johanna were chatting, that Kiana came into the room.

"Did any of you want anything to eat?" She asked kindly, taking the rare off-day that she had to be just a mother.

Kana smiled, "is it true? Do you really make dumplings?"

"Wanna try some?" Kiana winked. "I made some earlier today..."

"Would I?!" Kana grinned, enthused. "YUM!"

"Come now, you haven't even tried them yet," Kiana laughed as she went into the kitchen to get some.

"Mom! You need to teach me how to cook!" Johanna chuckled.

"I'm off today! If you two girls want to learn, get in here!"

---

When the two girls finished their cooking lesson, they made the short trip by bus down to the i-Harendo residence.

"Dad! Guys! I'm home!" Kana laughed. Now 14 years old, Kana was well into puberty --- she looked more and more like her mother each and every day.

Johanna stopped to take a look around the house --- she'd made brief visits to the house in the past, but this was the first time she'd ever taken a good look around since Trenta i-Harendo, Kana's mother, had died.

The house had always had something of a minimalist design when it came to furniture, although Johanna noticed that there seemed to be fewer decorations than usual.

"Why are all the pictures gone?"

Kana sighed. "Crivan and my dad don't really like a lot of decorations. That was more my mom's thing. I've been away at boarding school for most of the time, as you know, so it's just them and Sujir".

"Where is your dad?"

"He's probably in the living room or in his room. He didn't have to go to work today."

Kana paused. "Do you have the dumplings your mom asked us to bring your dad?"

"Um...yeah! Right here! I've got some for Crivan and Sujir too!"

There were some footsteps in the hall.

"Welcome back," a voice said.

Johanna looked up and shook a little --- Hariem's sudden appearance had startled her. In the year since Trenta had died, Hariem had lost quite a bit of weight and gone very gray. He was still healthy, but the signs of aging were creeping a little faster across his face. He looked like a second ghost within the house, white mourning clothes (he was the only one in the house wearing white at this point) giving him an ethereal look as though he didn't even belong to the present day.

"Oh...hi Mr. i-Harendo. Long time no see."

"You've grown, Johanna. How are you today?"

"Good...do you have a sore throat?"

"No, why?"

Kana nudged Johanna and whispered, "My dad's been really quiet since my mom died. Don't say much about it".

"Oops, sorry..."

Hariem looked at Kana, "I've been waiting for you to get back. You have to go to the doctor tomorrow".

"Why? I just had a checkup..."

"They want you and Sujir to get another one. I just took Crivan earlier today while you and Sujir were out".

Johanna blushed a little at Crivan's name, drawing Hariem's attention.

"Something wrong, Johanna?"

Busted... Kana winced to herself, unsure how Hariem would react towards Johanna.

"Um...well...uh..how...howisCrivan?"

Hariem smiled kindly. "Oh, he's upstairs. Why don't you two go up and talk to him?"

As they went up the stairs, Kana grinned at Johanna. "I guess my dad likes you, Johanna!"

Johanna stopped and then went back down. "That reminds me," she said, passing a package of dumplings to Hariem, "these are from my mom for you".

Hariem nodded. "Thank you".

---

"You're telling me some gook tried to make you do dirty films at gunpoint in front of your dad, so your dad called the cops?" Crivan asked, raising an eyebrow towards Johanna.

"Yeah, and then the cops came and then they took him and then---"

"Wow. What a story. If it was the first story, I wouldn't believe you".

"You NEVER believe me!" Johanna laughed. "And what would you do if someone held a gun up like that if it was us, hmm? Martial arts him to death?"

"Crivan probably could beat a guy with a gun".

"No, I'd just make sure not to get into those kinds of situations in the first place," Crivan laughed. "All I want is a nice, quiet life once I turn 16. I want to get an education, have a small family with a nice modest wife, retire content and die happy".

Johanna blushed a bit. "Nice modest wife eh? Hmm...so I guess now I know what kind of girls you're into?"

"Yep. Quiet ones. I wonder what my first girlfriend will even be like. I hope she likes the same books as I do..."

Johanna felt a bit disheartened. She wasn't a big reader.

"Well," Johanna said, trying to steer Crivan towards her a bit, "what if we did end up cornered by a guy with a gun?"

"Simple, I yell run and we both run towards the nearest police station. Other than that, good luck".

"Crivan!" Kana yelled, "that's a little mean!"

"Hey, that's the truth! I'm not gonna come up with some crazy search-and-rescue plan! You're my friend and all --- that's why I'm not using you as a meatshield!"

"I don't want to be a meatshield!" Johanna cried.

"NO ONE IS GOING TO BE A MEATSHIELD!" Kana groaned, realizing that Crivan was unknowingly hurting Johanna's feelings.

"You guys have gotten into stuff like this before and come out alright, yes? Like when Crivan got those guys with the knives? You'll be fine. You're both just reading too seriously into this".

Kana sighed. "Now I'm gonna use the bathroom. Play nice".

Johanna looked up at Crivan whimpering a little once Kana had left.

"So seriously, what would you do?"

Crivan began taking the hint, although he found himself unable to answer. He didn't want to come across as too presumptuous --- he had no reason to be interested in Johanna.

"If it makes you feel any better, and here's the truth," Crivan sighed, thinking of something to say that would make Johanna feel better without crossing any lines, "I'd...I'd make sure we both got out okay, okay?"

The Inheritance of Her Time

---

"Carina, I'd like to talk to you for a moment..." Benson i-Harendo signalled, motioning for Carina to come into the office.

In his 40's, Benson i-Harendo was an accomplished general. An entire life spent towards soldiering and the military was now beginning to pay off, and Carina Crumlo found herself under the employ of the rich Viscount and General as a humble housekeeper.

She stood in front of his desk as he sat staring at her.

"Do you know why I called you in my office, Mrs. Crumlo?"

"No, sir".

"That daughter of yours...I noticed her in the hallway the other day. Does she have asthma?"

Carina paused, thinking about her daughter, Trenta. Trenta was 13 years old at this time, with asthma so bad that just walking around triggered a terrible attack.

"Oh dear, I told her to stay in bed...she complains of not being comfortable".

"What medicines are you using?"

Carina paused again.

"Sir, with all due respect, I can't pay the money for the medicine. It's very expensive".

"So she's sick with no medicine? And you didn't question this?"

Carina COULDN'T question it to the nobility: in those days of social apartheid, she as a commoner had no business complaining about her personal affairs or her children to the nobility. She said nothing, feeling a lump in her throat. 

Benson nodded.

"Right then. Carina, as your employer I feel compelled to do my duty towards my subordinates and see that your daughter gets taken care of. I've called a doctor in to check on her and he'll be here tomorrow making a house call. See to it she gets seen about. Don't worry about the costs".

Carina was baffled by Benson's generousity.

"Th-thank you...sir..."

"Don't thank me. It's not just that I'm your employer. A kid that young shouldn't be that sick. I don't care what class she belongs to..."

"Hariem will be leaving for school in two days and he won't be back for four months. He'll allow Trenta to use his room while she rests up. It'll likely be more comfortable for her".

---

"You sure about this, Mr. Hariem?" A young Trenta Crumlo asked as Hariem showed her around his room.

"Think of it as payback for helping me study. You're not imposing on me --- I'm leaving in a couple hours so you and your brother can both use this room and the next room. My dad wants to be sure you're both alright".

"Alec isn't as sick as I am," Trenta laughed.

"Still," Hariem smiled, "I'm sure he'll enjoy it. The rooms are all yours for four months. Recover well, okay?"

"Sure".

"And just call me Hariem. I'm two years older than you, not your uncle".

"But---"

"No buts. Besides, all my friends call me Hariem".

Trenta smiled. "Thanks...Hariem".

---

He was alone in the prayer room of the house. Trenta had been dead for almost a year now. It was her 41st birthday today.

Hariem sighed as he meditated on her life. There were things he wished to say to her --- new things. Recent disasters he wished she was around to help him cope with --- and yet he was glad she rested in ignorance of these things.

I wish you were here, he thought, I really need to talk to you...

The twins are gonna be 15 years old soon. This may be the last year I really get with them. Then they'll be all grown up...

I'm worried for them. The country changed so much right after you died. Everyone is wishing for your administration back. I wish for it too.

I know it was her choice, byt the truth is that I hate that Kana's in military school. She has to serve right after she graduates. I don't think her term will be so peaceful. I'm just praying I'm wrong about that...

But it's Crivan I'm most worried about, Trenta. He's sick. They think he's got asthma. They think he has what you had. Not him too Trenta...not any of them...

I may be a soldier but I can't gun down illness. I can't make this go away...damn it. Where are the answers? What am I supposed to do?

I did not want them to inherit all of you. I wanted the inheritance of your kindness and your intelligence. Your faith. Your will. Your stamina...

Not your time...not the inheritance of your time...