At ten in the evening on a Monday night in Corinth, Atruria's legislature, the House of Burgesses, was bustling with excitement as Federalist, Grand Democratic, and Independent representatives from all twelve of Atruria's commonwealths discussed, debated, and voted on political matters. Whigs tore at the Grand Democrats for refusing to allow the budget to expand with the times and the Grand Democrats pounced right back, arguing that empowering the Federal government any further was a threat to the democratic process. Upstairs, President Josiah H. Lynch was having a private conference with Chancellor of the House, Theodore Stackhouse, about the possible creation of a new highway system, now that the GFR had expanded past six billion citizens, clearly providing stress to its infrastructural system. In many ways, this was just like any other night that the House had experienced for the past two months.
Outside, quiet and a shroud of darkness had fallen upon Republic Avenue. The Chamber of Deputies had been out of session for weeks now, most of the folks who worked at the Executive Department Building had gone home for the night, and the Presidential Palace was, at the moment, not occupied by the President. Slowly, a platoon of four Olifant-class tanks rolled up the Avenue, halting in front of the only entrance to the House. Six more vehicles, Ratel-class IFVs, soon followed and parked off to the side as 42 infantrymen from the GFR Army filed out of the sides of them, equipped with urban-pattern BDUs and R4 assault rifles, and took up positions just outside the door.
Finally, one lone civilian jeep rolled up to the building and four officers, in full dress blues, dismounted from the sides. "General," nodded one of the camouflaged soldiers to one of the uniformed officers, "We have taken up our positions and are ready to execute this operation."
"General," another officer announced, emerging from one of the Ratel-class IFVs. "I have just gotten off the radio with General Bellmon from 4th Division and he stands with us. Both Generals Blount of 2nd Division and Caldwell of 5th Division will not support us, and the temporary commanding officer of 3rd Division is very much on the fence about us."
Lieutenant General Achille Duvalier of the First Division, Army of the Grand Federated Republic stopped. "But Bellmon is with us? You are sure?" He asked
"Yessir," the man replied, "General Bellmon will follow your orders."
"Good," General Duvalier nodded. "Captain," he nodded to the officer in charge of the infantrymen at the door, "Execute."
In the next ten minutes, the historic grand door that was the entrance to the House of Burgesses had been completely obliterated by a C-4 charge, soldiers had seized the corridor and stairwell after a skirmish ending in four dead security officers, and the Burgesses, their staff, the Chancellor, and the President had been rounded up and imprisoned in the Grand Hall.
General Duvalier, wearing his formal blue double-breasted tunic and pants, decorated with grand ceremonial yellow epaulettes and a sash, and carrying an 1874-model cavalry officer saber, removed his black stetson cap, which bore the insignia of the First Division, as he stepped through the blown away entrance. Followed by his three equally ceremonially dressed aides, Duvalier marched through the corridor and into the Grand Hall, where he was greeted by salutes from his men.
"General Duvalier," wheezed President Josiah Lynch, an aging man, whose health was clearly failing him, as disappointment welled up in his eyes, "I never would have expected something like this from a man like you. I knew you didn't like where I was taking this country, and you had little respect for me, but I thought that you had respect for my Office."
"Mr. President, I am sorry but evil as this may seem, it is a necessary evil. I cannot and will not stand by while you allow this once glorious nation to fall into shambles. We were once a mighty power, but you have made us weak and poor. And while you continue to take us down the path of failure, the House and the Chamber do little to help the Atrurian common man. The bureaucracy and demagoguery of this government has reached new heights, heights that cannot be ignored. We need a strong central government that can slice through the corrupt politicians, the special interest groups that own them, and the lobbyists that prevent anything from happening.
If the people will not dispose of you all for their own good, then I must do so myself."
"Achille, no," pleaded the President, resigning himself to his fate even as he uttered the words.
"It is the only way to make this nation whole again, Mr. President, and if there is one thing I love it is this nation," General Duvalier nodded as an aide removed a pistol from his holster, aimed it at President Lynch's head, and fired, landing the bullet square between his eyes.
"I hereby declare myself, Achille Duvalier, the Interim President of the Grand Federated States of Atruria," turning to the infantry captain in charge, he motioned, "Captain, take the remaining government officials here and transport them to Arcture Prison. The others in here, the staff and such, are to be let go and monitored closely, you understand?"
"Sir," nodded the infantry captain as he instructed his men to carry out the orders through his hand signals.
