An Empire is Declared! MT Open IC

[Maguzapach]

Feel free to Post, but follow the rules:
1. Don't write crap.
2. Use characters, ie. Don't post, "I disapprove" write the President giving a speech.
3. No god modding, metagaming etc.
4. No invasion, also, if you want to implement sanctions etc. Don't do it in the first post, go through the steps of the diplomatic process.

The Caruthians rushed through the halls, approaching the council rooms. The guards didn't stop them, the guards were no where to be seen. The doors to the council room burst opened and was soon full of the men. The council members were tackled and grabbed. Though that resisted were hit into submission. One by one they were dragged out.

The phone on the table rang. It rang again. A timid councillor looked ready to answer, but a man with a scraggly unkept beard reached across the table and grabbed the receiver.

Whatever the caller said, it excited the man. After several enthustatic responses in the affirmative, he hung up and let out a joyful cheer, which was met by jubilation from his comrades and fear from the captive councillors.

The television in the room was turned on. A sharp dressed man, perhaps in his mid thirties appeared on the screen.

"Many of you know me, Melchior Caruth as an able administrator and a cautious reformer, but the time has come for bold action, and for the sake of our nation, I have assumed the reigns of state.

Last night a conspiracy to squash my movement, our movement, a coup to seize power, was uncovered. Left with no other choice I, and those loyal to our cause struggled against this conspiracy, and with the blessing of Providence, we have one. In order to secure our gains, I have instituted a revolution. The era of the bureaucratic republic is over, from this day forth, we shall be the Empire of Maguzapach!

There will be many changes in the next few days, so I will keep you informed. I ask for your patience and understanding as we work this out together.

[Maguzapach]

Karzon looked at the screen with despair. He knew the struggle that he had waged to preserve the republic was over, and he had lost. In vain the magistrate sought to convince himself there was still hope: perhaps the announcement was premature? No, he knew Caruth too well, he was too cautious, too meticulous to announce his victory before it was certain. Besides the news media was the council's most well guarded political tool, and not the easiest department that the Revolutionary could seize.

Karzon looked to the screen, proving that hope springs eternal, half expecting an announcement from the Council. Alas it didn't come, and as the middle aged man had not heard from his contacts in the Council directly, he could only guess their fate.

Wiping his blond locks from in front of his face, his charged into his bedroom. Ignoring last night's lover, still sprawled out on the bed, he pulled out his grandfather's old suitcase from the top shelf of his closet, bringing down numerous objects with it. Cursing, he began to stuff the contents of his drawers into the large piece of luggage. The racket had stirred the woman on the bed, who however was not completely awake.

"I am going out for a short while, help yourself to breakfast" he said in response to her wondering expression. " If for some reason I don't come back, soon please lock up and leave" he added as he exited the bedroom.

"What's wrong?" asked the woman, having wrapped herself in bedsheets and followed her host into the next room.

"An emergency at work" he stated, before practically fleeing out the apartment door.

[Maguzapach]

The crowd filled the square, all squeezing towards the Southeast corner. The stench of sweaty human bodies was ignored, as they pressed together to hear the speaker. The chanting had stopped, so that all could hear.

She stood atop a few beer crates and underneath a lamp post. The sun beat down on the crowd on the warm spring day, causing the speaker to shade he eyes with her hand.

"Where is our Council!?" she demanded. "Where is our government?! Caruth is right about one thing, there has been a coup, and he is behind it!"

The crowd shouted in response. "We must show him that he will not, he can not, end our republic so easily and so quickly! We will fight! We will resist! We are the people, we are the republic!"

The crowd cheered enthusiastically, apparently ready to storm the gates, unfortunately for them, there were no gates to storm, or if there was they didn't know where to find them. Indeed, the Council had vanished and its building left vacant, already looted several times over.

The mastermind of the revolution was to be seen, everywhere. His visage was constantly on the news, posters, both denouncing him and praising him covered walls and were tied to lamp posts. Still, where was the man actually?

Where ever he was, he watched the video of the protest calmly.

"You say this was loaded on to the internet?" he asked his assistant.

"Yes, there are several versions of it, presumably from smartphones. It has only circulated for a few hours, but we have mapped out who shared it."

"Good, delete it from all sources, it is probably too late to stop it being leaked to the foreign press, but we will send a message that we now control the bureaucracy and have all the powers of state" Caruth smiled at the thought at how easy it was, now that he was in control. The woman was not totally wrong, it was hard work to end the republic, but not that was over and now the Empire had at its hand, the most efficient and expansive administrative state.

"Who is she, the Speaker?" asked Caruth, appearing especially curious.

"Vanilla Stabl" replied the assistant. "She works in the Social Action Department, but also interned for some of the more activist councillors."

"You should say worked, the Social Action Department is being eliminated and the council is already dissolved. She obviously has some democratic leanings. Well, she will be glad she will have more free time to protest."

"You don't want to arrest her?"

"Not yet, I want to show them that protest is useful, but I also need an enemy right now. Tell security to profile the crowd, arrest the most passive ones. Jail will scare them straight. Fire any of them that work for the government and map their social networks. I want to know who is who is this resistance."

[Maguzapach]

"Where am I? Where do you think I am? I am leaving and so should you!" Karzon almost shouted into his phone as he sat in his car, parked on the side of the highway. He had stopped earlier, knowing that the call would be distracting.

"You don't know him like I do. He has the support of the military and has intimate knowledge of how the bureaucracy works. Just watch, he will be declared Emperor by the end of the week and is already hunting down his opponents." Karzon paused to listen to the voice on the other line. Suddenly he turned his head away from the phone and swore.

"She is not a prostitute! I am warning you get out of there Melchior is as methodical as he is unethical. And now the power of state is in his hands. We only used a part of the state's capacity to monitor people, he will use it all. The internet is not safe, your phone is not safe, nothing is safe, he will see it all!" Hanging up Karzon drove farther, towards the border.

[Maguzapach]

"It is much worse than we expected, our department has been downsized out of existence, large parts of the resistance have been arrested, some have disappeared, and in the meantime the junta is remaking the government. They have purged the universities of progressives and have promoted rogues to leadership" the clearly distressed woman vented to the man sitting across the table. Her was attempting to speak in hushed tones, but her emotion wouldn't let her.

"Miss Stabl, I have always liked you, that is why I came here" explained the man, calmer, but not unmoved by his companion. He had longed hoped for a rendezvous with his colleague, but of a different ilk. "I am afraid it is evebln worse than that" he said before pulling an envelope out of his pocket and laying it on the table. "I suggest you leave. Here is a ticket to Hugoland. Other's have already fled there, they should be able to help you."

"What!?" she gasped "Flee the country?"

"It is possible for you to stay, but you would have to give up the resistance, I could protect you then" replied the man, his voice betraying a slight hope.

"How can I give up, when that mad man is taking charge of the country, he is reversing all of the progress of the last decade. He has annulled the Family Law Reform Act, the Advancement of Women Act, he has neutered all the diversity and equality initiatives. How can I let that happen?"

"It has already happened, if you stay here you will lose your freedom. I say this as a disinterested friend. Take this ticket and flee. Don't even go home. You are being watched, there is no telling what they will do" the man whispered over the table before standing up. "Farewell.”