Spire Inspection Yard and Parade Deck, Magna Polis
Grand Commander GRIFFITH-II was waiting on the other side of a curtain, waiting for the time to come for him to step out onto the Speech Balcony, which had been untrodden for the better part of a decade. Outside, the public had been permitted past the Spire Security Building for the first time in a long time as well, just to see the Grand Commander state the goals and endeavors of the Federation for the year. On nearly every TV, and on every telescreen in the country, a live video feed of the Speech Balcony had been set up, with the words "STAND BY --- STAND BY --- STAND BY --- URGENT... URGENT... GRAND COMMANDER GRIFFITH VICTOR TO SPEAK IN THE OPEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE... STAND BY --- STAND BY --- STAND BY..." repeating on a subtitle ticker on the bottom.
GRIFFITH-II had avoided being visible outside of the Spire ever since the Liberty Confederation took his left eye in an assassination attempt only months after he took office. He had become terribly paranoid, only giving speeches and messages through the vast telescreen systems- large, flat TVs set up in public areas, used for both occasional propaganda and messaging as well as safety messages and lockdown notifications. Before now, several High Orators had already spoken, and now it was the Grand Commander's turn.
Upon seeing a silent hand signal by a member of the technical crew after the playing of the GWO National Anthem, the Grand Commander stood up from his small chair and threw open the curtain. Even though he was going to speak for the public, his head was wrapped (and topped with an elegant officer's cap), allowing nothing but the outline of his head and his glowing, red left eye. His chest was home to a relatively small (though clearly visible) amount of medals and campaign ribbons, as well as a large "salad bar." The crowd instantly cheered and threw up their arms in Roman salutes, repeatedly shouting "Saluto al Duce! Saluto al Duce!" GRIFFITH-II waited for them to fall silent before slowly walking, somewhat staggering, up to the podium. His now visible right eye (a pure, perfect brown eye) showed no sort of expression on it, and was pointed straight forward. He didn't have a script on the podium, but traditionally, Grand Commanders had never used scripts, instead choosing to speak what they honestly felt. He calmly, slowly glanced over the horde of people, kept a safe distance from the Spire by a rather large crowd of Federal Guardsmen and GWO Army infantrymen (plus an occasional IFV, in case the Liberty Confederation showed up) with riot shields and assorted infantry weapons. In front of the balcony, off to the sides, were two Divine Tigers with complete ERA applied, and the GWO flag being hung from the bottom of their 152mm cannons. Along the back of the balcony were exactly 15 Lictors of the Grand Guardians, donning full powered exoskeletal systems, allowing them to wear ornate yet very protective armor that would normally be almost impossible to wear without restricting movement to a crawl.
All of it for him.
"People of the Federation..." he began, his voice powerful, and combined with his non-verbal communication, packed with charisma and potential force. "Today we have congregated outside of the Spire, the home of myself and the two great men who came before me to serve as Grand Commander. Today we have gathered to know what our grand civilization's goals are this year, particularly regarding the lands beyond our borders. Well, I'll tell you, without the delay of time-fillers that anyone who has watched a democratic speech is quite familiar with.
"Our first and foremost goal, of course, is the maintenance of the Federation's prosperity and power. This is, arguably, the first goal of any country with a functioning leadership. Our economy is one of the best in the world, the kind that belongs to superpowers, and we intend to keep it, and thus far, we see no threats to it. Our power lies within the dedication and ferocity of the approximately seventy-five million men and women serving the Federal Armed Forces. They serve you all the time, ready to be sent into a Left-Wing hellhole at a moment's notice, and often being summoned to fight the scourge. This brings us to our second and third goals- the spread of the Enlightenment of Man and the curbing of growth of the CommuSocialist menace. Fascism must be spread to other countries if Humankind is to advance- but, even if it doesn't spread, Fascism WILL reign supreme, at least if you look at it in terms of Natural Selection. Fascism must, can, and will expand, even if people must die. And if Fascism, in a completely hypothetical situation, cannot expand beyond our borders, the Left-Wing menace must be halted, if it means that another End War-" the audience gasped and was visibly horrified. The End War meant very, very much to the people of the Federation. "-must be fought, if it means absolute Vendetta!" the audience was somewhat at a loss of reactions. Vendetta meant the extermination of a nation's entire population, something that had been performed only once so far by the Federation. "We will do such to end their cause! The Communist, the Socialist, the Anarchist; all of them must be eliminated, if not for their already perpetrated crimes, but for self-protection! The Left wishes harm upon us all, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. It is for me, at least. But it should also be noted that many disgusting, putrid democracies align themselves with the Left-Wing, and are often as horrible, if not moreso, than the leftists we seek to annihilate."
The Grand Commander paused, taking in several breaths, seeming as if he had to stop to think of what to say next, though he did not show any signs of puzzlement. His head leveled, and the general mood seemed to turn grim. In a much calmer, more sinister tone, he continued.
"The Reds must be exterminated, down to the last dedicated believer. We all may go down in history as evil, but our cause is just. Our dedication has never been as fierce as it will be in the next, trying year." His voice was beginning to climax again. "Fascism has trusted in us, just as we trust in it..."
After "it," GRIFFITH-II shouted to finish his sentence.
"Vincere!"
(To overcome/win!)
The crowd roared it back.
"Vincere!"
(To overcome/win!)
They practically screamed it back.
"...E Vinceremo!"
(And we will win!)
Meanwhile, the subtitles contrasted the action, relatively calmly displaying "VINCERE --- VINCERE --- E VINCEREMO..."
"Not one will be left standing when the Enlightenment is complete!"
With that, the Grand Commander departed, finishing the event.
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