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:3
Generals’ Inn, Lyttonwic, Themiclesia. 3:00 A.M.
A team of children, but not to be mistaken for innocent or harmless, silently opens the door of the Generals’ Inn – the official working place, and residence, of the senior generals of Themiclesia. The Generals’ Inn also contains communication equipment and various command effects. The children wear what the elderly will describe as WWII Era German elite troop uniforms; one might expect them to be too large for the children, but they are well trained and of an above-average size. Their commander had for years sent them to secret boot-camps and drills to bulk them up for service.
Gently, they approach the residential section, and come into the vicinity of the 6 senior army commanders.
At the hand signal of the team leader, lights flood on and the six generals are handcuffed and gagged. Alarmed, they scramble for the portal to freedom, but to no avail. Still struggling, they are dragged, by ropes newly affixed to their necks, to the landing on the boxy staircases.
The team leader, of perhaps no more than 16 but considerable physical stature, especially compared with the generals, now stood before the six subdued generals, and looks down disapprovingly.
“I wonder,” he began, “who made puny weakling such as these generals.”
His companions gave chuckles. The generals, still bewildered, start to mumble amongst themselves, but quickly so ceased as the team of children glared at them.
“Anyway,” the leader continues, in a more officious tone, “you, General James Hyde, are charged with treason against the people. How plead you?”
General Hyde, a younger general, at merely 53, meekly draws his head upwards to see his captor. His gag is removed.
“May I see the appellant?”
With a swift kick to the chest by the leader, made more painful by the hard soles on the boots, the General Hyde grumbles and flops over. Charge of treason, as per the usual custom, is brought by a process known as the ‘appeal of treason,’ dating from the 12th Century.
“The people charge you with treason. How plead you?”
“I refuse! I am entitled to a trial, even for treason, in the House of Lords. Now with you…”
The young leader simple puts his boot over the general’s face, and twists his feet.
“This man will not learn, huh? Well, since you are so holden of tradition, you know what fate befalls those who refuse to plead.”
The other generals, wiggle in their captors’ ropes, but they cannot escape. The gag is replaced.
At the wave of the leader’s hand, the general is dragged into the opposite side of the staircase, and the intruders begin to strip him of his pyjamas. Taking out a small knife, a junior jams it into the general’s thigh. Blood taints the soft, silky carpets, and the general whimpers in pain.
-----
For a week or so, all senior, prominent people faced similar fates when the Murder Party held up parliamentary action, and used its paramilitary organisations to full and fell effect. The generals, mentioned above, had the dignity of a death in private, and such was not afforded for the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Stephen MacKenzie, the Lord High Steward, the Lord Chancellor, the Justices of the King’s and Common Benches, most of the Peers in the House of Lords, etc., etc.
Then, the youth wing of the said party discovered the records, which detailed the names and residences of the registered voters. Voting in Themiclesia is a privilege reserved for the very few, and most voters are discovered and suffered a similar fate. Public execution, which has not been legal or practiced since 1867, during the premiership of Alexander Thompson, saw a resurgence in popularity.
With most public institutions so abolished, the Murder Party now managed to gain control over the military, and began moving its paramilitary organisation, which has unofficially existed since 1960, into the official military, and uncovered a massive stash of illegally imported weapons, causing the effective military number to spike to about 10 million active servicemen.
The neighbouring nations of Bigtopia and Maxtopia have already been defeated, their territories annexed, and their population imprisoned. To date, over 5 million Bigtopians have been registered as killed, and so have about 3 million Maxtopians. Their corpses have been especially moved into water sources to empoison the remaining population. Women and children have been singled out as targets for execution, all of which are carried out in public to increase intimidation.
In the place of the Prime Minister, a national president has been installed, and given diactator-esque powers.
The military power of New Tyran is the new government’s next target. Instead of raising up a great army and moving it to the New Tyran border, which will be conspicuous, a local militia has been raised up, under the leadership of the local branch of the Murder Party, with weapons privately moved to the border.
-----
But, little did the Murder Party know that the neighbouring nation New Tyran has been monitoring them ever since they took power. Themiclesia, being the nation she is, has very little espionage, or counter-espionage capability, and agents of New Tyran origin have been stationed in Themiclesia for a very long time, regularly but secretly reporting to New Tyran's Prime Minister about every Themioi move.
For some time now, New Tyran has been readying her forces in case Themiclesia attacks.
Who helped New Tyran? The Home Secretary was visiting New Tyran for a conference during the coup d'état in Themiclesia.
Gently, they approach the residential section, and come into the vicinity of the 6 senior army commanders.
At the hand signal of the team leader, lights flood on and the six generals are handcuffed and gagged. Alarmed, they scramble for the portal to freedom, but to no avail. Still struggling, they are dragged, by ropes newly affixed to their necks, to the landing on the boxy staircases.
The team leader, of perhaps no more than 16 but considerable physical stature, especially compared with the generals, now stood before the six subdued generals, and looks down disapprovingly.
“I wonder,” he began, “who made puny weakling such as these generals.”
His companions gave chuckles. The generals, still bewildered, start to mumble amongst themselves, but quickly so ceased as the team of children glared at them.
“Anyway,” the leader continues, in a more officious tone, “you, General James Hyde, are charged with treason against the people. How plead you?”
General Hyde, a younger general, at merely 53, meekly draws his head upwards to see his captor. His gag is removed.
“May I see the appellant?”
With a swift kick to the chest by the leader, made more painful by the hard soles on the boots, the General Hyde grumbles and flops over. Charge of treason, as per the usual custom, is brought by a process known as the ‘appeal of treason,’ dating from the 12th Century.
“The people charge you with treason. How plead you?”
“I refuse! I am entitled to a trial, even for treason, in the House of Lords. Now with you…”
The young leader simple puts his boot over the general’s face, and twists his feet.
“This man will not learn, huh? Well, since you are so holden of tradition, you know what fate befalls those who refuse to plead.”
The other generals, wiggle in their captors’ ropes, but they cannot escape. The gag is replaced.
At the wave of the leader’s hand, the general is dragged into the opposite side of the staircase, and the intruders begin to strip him of his pyjamas. Taking out a small knife, a junior jams it into the general’s thigh. Blood taints the soft, silky carpets, and the general whimpers in pain.
-----
For a week or so, all senior, prominent people faced similar fates when the Murder Party held up parliamentary action, and used its paramilitary organisations to full and fell effect. The generals, mentioned above, had the dignity of a death in private, and such was not afforded for the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Stephen MacKenzie, the Lord High Steward, the Lord Chancellor, the Justices of the King’s and Common Benches, most of the Peers in the House of Lords, etc., etc.
Then, the youth wing of the said party discovered the records, which detailed the names and residences of the registered voters. Voting in Themiclesia is a privilege reserved for the very few, and most voters are discovered and suffered a similar fate. Public execution, which has not been legal or practiced since 1867, during the premiership of Alexander Thompson, saw a resurgence in popularity.
With most public institutions so abolished, the Murder Party now managed to gain control over the military, and began moving its paramilitary organisation, which has unofficially existed since 1960, into the official military, and uncovered a massive stash of illegally imported weapons, causing the effective military number to spike to about 10 million active servicemen.
The neighbouring nations of Bigtopia and Maxtopia have already been defeated, their territories annexed, and their population imprisoned. To date, over 5 million Bigtopians have been registered as killed, and so have about 3 million Maxtopians. Their corpses have been especially moved into water sources to empoison the remaining population. Women and children have been singled out as targets for execution, all of which are carried out in public to increase intimidation.
In the place of the Prime Minister, a national president has been installed, and given diactator-esque powers.
The military power of New Tyran is the new government’s next target. Instead of raising up a great army and moving it to the New Tyran border, which will be conspicuous, a local militia has been raised up, under the leadership of the local branch of the Murder Party, with weapons privately moved to the border.
-----
But, little did the Murder Party know that the neighbouring nation New Tyran has been monitoring them ever since they took power. Themiclesia, being the nation she is, has very little espionage, or counter-espionage capability, and agents of New Tyran origin have been stationed in Themiclesia for a very long time, regularly but secretly reporting to New Tyran's Prime Minister about every Themioi move.
For some time now, New Tyran has been readying her forces in case Themiclesia attacks.
Who helped New Tyran? The Home Secretary was visiting New Tyran for a conference during the coup d'état in Themiclesia.
