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Post by bookity101 on Aug 14, 2009 21:55:44 GMT -5
Noel shook his head, uncocking the pistol. "Major, please, just let it go, The King that you were hired to protect, has abandoned, and is now cowering behind the Assembly, most likely wondering if its worth it to continue being king." As Noel talked he moved forward, closer to the Major, the pistol dangling from claw in front of him. He did this till he was close enough that Otto wouldn't be able to hear him as he lowered his voice. "Major please, tell your troops to lay down there arms, and I will personally see to it that none of them die for doing as they were paid to do." He slowly lowered the pistol till it was at his side. "I give you my word as an officer who looks out for his beasts, that I will see as many of them home as I possibly can. I can't do anything more for them, or for you Major." He finished as he stepped back again to Otto's side. "Otto, will you let the beasts off with a different type of punishment?" He said, not looking away from the Major's eye's. "Because I have an idea if you would consider it."
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Miri nodded, turning Monty gently on the side, putting pressure on the wound she found on his back. "Ok this is not good Boss, you're bleeding out way to fast." Miri looked up, ignoring the question that came from Monty. "Countess, would you hurry up please?" She said, using Monty's jacket to help stem the blood flow. "I could use a paw or two over here." She glanced down at Monty again. "Stay quiet Boss, don't need you to die on me now," Here she grinned at him. "I mean come on, you haven't even paid me yet."
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Post by Ladorak on Aug 14, 2009 23:57:20 GMT -5
The mongoose was secretly grateful when Noel finally lowered his pistol. Good...he didn't want to blow this meerkat's throat open after all. Most of his guards were either being cut down or retreating with the rest into the gardens. He was rapidly being deserted. He had to get back there....perhaps try and get them to surrender. Not because he trusted Noel...he put little faith in the meerkat to "protect" any of his soldiers after all...for what authority did some naval captain have when it came to the Justice Ministry?
Lowering his own pistol, the Major sighed, looking back into the Palace. Much of it was being plundered by the crowd....but what else was new? If he only knew...they weren't actually stealing...they were planning on presenting the spoils to the Assembly. But it DID indeed appear as if the King had deserted his own cause. Why would he abandon his own Guard like this? Why did he not leave any word? Why was he.....such a coward? He most certainly wasn't acting like he was head of a nation. He had orders to follow at any rate, and shaking his head, he backed away.
"I place little faith in your ability to protect my troops. You don't have that kind of authority....no beast here does." he said, with a twinge of regret. "I must rejoin my troops...if you'll excuse me." he said, taking his leave of them as he vanished into the Palace, heading for the gardens. Otto sniffed, finally glad to put away his pistol.
"What's that idea you have? It's like the Major said though...I wouldn't have any real authority to help the Scarlet Guard...that would be up to the Ministry of Justice. And after tonight well...WHO knows who's going to be in charge of ANY of the Ministries. But what's your idea? I'll do what I can and try and work towards implementing it if at all possible." he said, walking slowly towards the entrance of the Palace. Who ever thought they'd be here....after all these months? The Assembly wasn't even a year old and already it had failed in the mission that beasts like Otto, Milton and others had set up for it. Oh well...it was a chance for a fresh start now.
*****************
Out in the gardens, the Guard were being broken into groups and slaughtered. Their ammunition was running low and they were badly outnumbered. Some were trying to surrender in groups now and some were taken prisoner....but others were massacred where they stood, the crowd driven into a frenzy of rage over being fired into by the King's "dogs." Milton was working on trying to get the crowd under control. He was personally opposed to violence himself, but realized that getting EVERY single beast to stop would be difficult. He was only one crocodile after all. Cutter was doing his best as well, but once again, he was one ferret in a sea of rather angry beasts.
Feeling a tug on his hand, the crocodile looked down to see Sciurus trying to inform him of something. "Right...." he said, nodding. "It's about time we brought a stop to this nonsense." Catching something with his large eyes, the reptile could see a group of beasts taking aim at them from not too far away. They were part of the Scarlet Guard of course, about 4 or 5 of them. Reacting swiftly, Milton swung about, lashing his tail and knocking all of them onto their backs. "Now that's better." he said, standing over them. "No more violence tonight. That's about enough of that." he stated, brushing his hands together as if he'd just cleaned up a mess.
"Hey Sciurus....what say you to getting ourselves down to the Assembly Hall now and dealing with his delightful Majesty? We'll demand he be stripped of his powers, imprisoned someplace to stand trial, and that a National Convention be invoked in order to draw up a new Constitution for this country." the revolutionary leader turned to the squirrel, checking to see if he was of the same mentality.
All around them the battle was fizzing out. The Guard was fast running dry on ammunition and either being taken prisoner or butchered. By and large though, the killing was at last dying down. It seemed the crowd was finally placated at long last.
******************
"Heh....that's right....I didn't yet.....but I will as soon as we get back." the weasel said weakly but gamely. Sveltlana came over to the two of them, bringing the pawsom cab behind her.
"Well what do you want me to do then jill?" she asked, gazing down at Monty with a sense of both triumph and yet also regret that she owed him. MAYBE she felt bad as well, but if she did she was doing little to show it. "I can help get him into the cab...." she offered, unsure really of what it was Miri wanted. She slowly, as if she couldn't decide, reached a paw down.
Monty considered this, and then reached out for her, taking her paw in his. "Now....if both of you lift....I should be able to manage to get into that cab." he said, a bit breathlessly as he was still recovering from all that had just happened. He'd make it...he wouldn't die...at least he told himself that, and WAS feeling fairly confident in fact.
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Post by Carrow on Aug 15, 2009 5:27:33 GMT -5
Sciurus smiled as he watched his reptile friend deal some damage with his tail, and smiled even wider when Milton mentioned dealing with Augustine. The squirrel rubbed his paws. Finally, the opportunity had at last come for the insurgents to do what they had set out to, all those hours ago. Things had moved so fast, Sciurus thought.
"Oh, I would say that I am definitely up for that. You say he's in the Assembly Hall? Heheh, I knew he had to be squirreled away somewhere," the hypnotist replied, chuckling softly at his pun. "It's only just hit me now, Milton, all of this has just sunk in. By the end of tonight, Rosferia will truly be free!"
Sciurus couldn't put into words how happy he was that the battle was fizzing out. He had taken lives tonight, but could not dwell on this for long. There were other matters at paw. He just hoped he could last the rest of the night. Damn and blast those blackouts...
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Post by Ladorak on Aug 15, 2009 14:13:04 GMT -5
"Indeed!" the crocodile exclaimed happily. "Yes...that's the end we were fighting for. We got a bit sidetracked on the way but....eh....oh well. Our goal is approaching...and the finish line is in sight. So come.....though in fact it's only been passing by word of mouth that Augustine is in the Assembly hall. I don't personally know but I think he wouldn't flee anywhere else." The crocodile began reassembling the crowd. He could see Santere taking care of shepherding the captive Guard survivors away. There weren't nearly as many as had started out this evening. Their bodies were all around them, but Milton paid them little mind. No time for regrets...it was done. They had to be on their way. They had to bring Augustine to justice.
They passed by a wandering Major von Bachmann. He was promptly seized by some of the National Guard and led away, a look of pure disbelief on his face. Maybe he was shocked by the night's events, or perhaps he was numbed by the fact that his purpose, his REASON for guarding the palace in the first place had fled. He abandoned his cause....abandoned his troops to die. Why? What fate awaited him now?
Out in front of the Palace Boneparte was champing at the bits to get out there and see the results of the battle. "I have to see....I have to see what it's like." he said, heading out the front door of Lewis's shop.
"Hey wait! Boneparte! Be careful!" Lewis yelled after him, not daring to take one step outside of his store. He had no death wish after all. But Boneparte wanted to see with his own eyes the devastation wrought tonight. He ran across the courtyard, up the steps of the palace, and moved by a blue furred otter and another meerkat. He paused, unsure who this meerkat was. There weren't many in Rosferia, and so seeing one here was a bit unusual. He seemed to be an officer of some sort, but Boneparte did not stop long enough to figure out which branch he served in. He had no idea that his fellow was a business partner now with the sister of the love of his life....Valeata Mist.
Racing through the halls and out the back doors, he started walking more slowly now, his eyes taking in everything in the dim light of the rising sun. Squinting, using his paw to shield his eyes, he began to walking to and fro. The thing that stuck out most to him was the smallness of the area, amplifying all of the bodies....bodies....bodies. Red uniforms all over the place. Bodies lying limp, bloodied and torn. The gardens were compact, and made the casualties seem much bigger in his mind.
Of the 1,000 Scarlet Guards defending the Palace this morning, approximately 650 had lost their lives. Most had been shot down when their ammunition ran out. About 350 were now prisoners of the people of Cosnair. Turning this way and that, no matter where he looked there were bodies. It was something that weighed heavily upon him. For a meerkat who sought glory in battle...but no...this wasn't war.....it was mob violence, at least in his mind. He was growing more and more convinced that only a true democracy could really save this nation....otherwise it would quickly degenerate into bloody reprisals between royalists and republicans. There would be no end to it unless one or the other were snuffed out.
It was too terrible for him to look at, and eventually he turned his head away, walking back towards the Palace, convinced now more than ever that he HAD to leave this nation and return to his home island...back where he belonged.....because he most certainly had no place in these streets.....
*****************
The doors of the Assembly hall burst open for the second time that night, this time allowing access to the crowd led by Milton, Cutter, Sciurus, and others. There was immediately and at once a great clamor and a hubbub as the legislators demanded in many different tones that the hall be vacated, but nobeast paid them any mind. "What is the meaning of this!?" the president cried out from his podium at the far end of the hall.
"The meaning of this" Milton shot back, leveling a claw at the raccoon "Is that you have failed! ALL of you! We left you a nation....and you gave us back an empty shell! We CREATED this Assembly to be the guardians and legislators of Rosferia....and what have you done with it!? You've let the King run this nation into the ground! You've left the army a shambles and the Navy in a state of disorganization! We gave you authority, and you trod on it! You've become appeasers and weak kneed! Well this morning...we've come to take our country back! We demand a summoning of a NEW body of legislators, with NO bars laid down on who can be elected and who can vote. We want this body to draw up a NEW constitution for this nation and finally we want HIM" Milton's claw went over to where Augustine was sitting behind the president, "to abdicate his powers!"
Snorting at this, the raccoon shook his head. "Impossible things! None of this is constitutional! You must leave this hall at once and let US handle His Majesty. It is not for the common people to decide what is right and what is...." but Milton became impatient with this answer, and suddenly reached for a nearby legislator, dragging him down from his seat and forcing him to the floor with his massive arms. Opening his maw wide, he roared fiercely into the face of the terrified creature, his yellowed, jagged teeth encircling the unfortunate fellow's head. It was an all an act of course....Milton wasn't really going to bite down, but he doubted the president knew this. "Alright! Alright! Stop!" the raccoon called out, and Milton promptly released the legislator, who fainted on the spot.
"This is madness you realize!"
"No THIS Assembly is madness!" Milton responded. "We're not leaving until you agree to our demands. We want changes and we want them TODAY. Rosferia needs no King!" he folded his arms and smirked with his incredibly long snout. Well....he probably hadn't scored any points for pulling that little stunt but.....it got their attention at least. "Alright Sciurus....." he turned to push the squirrel forward a bit. "I'll let you take it from here. I'll be more of the...muscle just in case." In reality Milton was an excellent orator, and detested violence, but he'd use it if necessary in order to convince this wayward Assembly that change was needed...though of course he was hoping they wouldn't have to resort to any more violence tonight.
"So you're the spokesmammal then?" asked the raccoon president, not leaving his post behind his podium. The entire hall was quieting down now, in order to hear the upcoming dialogue. The raccoon was drumming his claws on his podium, partly in agitation and partly in annoyance at this intrusion upon the Legislative Assembly. It was now the only audible sound in the hall as he awaited the squirrel's words.
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Post by Carrow on Aug 15, 2009 14:41:02 GMT -5
Sciurus had paled slightly when he had seen Milton's ferocious verbal assault on the raccoon. The crocodile was certainly a powerful creature, and knew he would do all he could to get the crowd's message across to the authorities tonight. He hoped it would not come to that, however. 'I have seen enough bloodshed for tonight, thank you very much,' the squirrel thought.
A gentle shove from Milton, and Sciurus heard his name being called. He had addressed an audience of this sort two months ago in the palace, and had come out of that meeting looking a lot worse for wear. However, it was clear from the resolute look on his face that had changed. He stepped forward further, nearing the raccoon and fixing him with his bright, blue-eyed gaze.
"I am the spokesbeast for this crowd tonight, yes, and I will start by saying one thing: You know that what my friend here has said is true. You know damned well."
Sciurus was not going to pull any punches here; He would let the president have it, and he smiled, knowing that every creature in the room's attention was focused on him.
"We are here for one thing, and one thing only. That thing is change. I call upon the Assembly: Take a good look at yourselves. What have you become? Mere puppets, bowing and scraping to our so-called King. We gave you the power to change Rosferia, and you pawed it right back over to Augustine, who has run this nation into the ground. You did not do a good job of helping the country. Neither has Augustine. So it would appear that you are mistaken, my friend. It has gotten to the point where the power to decide the right and the wrong has passed into the paws of the populace. We demand that a new legislative body be created, and that a new Constitution be drafted up."
Sciurus turned to face the King, his voice positively dripping scorn.
"And who do we have to lead us? A mewling, puking, terrified cub, who is as doomed as the rest of you who think that you still hold power.
"We gave you the time, Augustine. We gave you ample time to act, to start doing your bit for the country, and, last week, for you to step down. To abdicate, and finally let the people have their say. You have done nothing of the sort. You have done nothing except sit on your throne, frozen by indecision. And at the first sign of trouble, you run right to the Assembly, a legislative body who has lost all power... just like you have.
"Today is the day that Rosferia is given back to its rightful owners. The day that a true democracy is created. And LET ME TELL YOU, AUGUSTINE," the squirrel's voice now increased in volume, "there is nowhere left for you to run. It ends now. One way or another, come the dawn, you will no longer be of any importance. You have two choices. Either you abdicate, or we take your power from you, by force if necessary. In any case, you will be taken into custody to await trial before a court of law. Yes, what we have here, everybeast, is a so-called monarch who has committed crimes against our nation. So we say, step down. Step down, Augustine. It is certainly what I would do if I were in your position. You would be saving yourself a lot of trouble. Believe me, you would. So, what is it to be?"
Sciurus' voice had now become deceptively calm. The squirrel stood to his full height, eyes burning into the disgraced Augustine's, a look of triumph stamped upon his face.
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Post by Ladorak on Aug 15, 2009 15:13:47 GMT -5
Augustine was rather surprised by the squirrel's words. He was harsh this time.....much less diplomatic than he had been the last time they had met. Were his citizens really so hateful of him that they had to throw insults his way? But oddly enough....the leopard monarch could agree with some of it. He HAD been suffering from indecision recently. He must appear quite weak to his nation.
"Well Your Highness? They want you to abdicate. I suppose I shall ask you again." the raccoon said, a bit more condescending this time as he was tired. He had been awoken at a very early hour last night after all.
Abdicate? Wait....could Augustine REALLY surrender his birthright like that? His family had ruled Rosferia for generations now....could he really just give that all up? He didn't want to disappoint his citizens and yet...he couldn't just give up his throne could he? Shaking his head slowly, the leopard remained seated. "I....I can't...come to a decision so rapidly. I was born into the Rosferian Royal Family...that's....something ordained upon me from birth I....I just can't give something like that up. It wouldn't be constitutional after all.....the Constitution states I have a right to sit at the head of the nation..." he trailed off, sounding quite unsure of himself.
"Very well! The King has refused...and constitutionally we cannot force him to step down off of his throne....however....I beg to differ with you when you say that we are powerless. We DO have the constitutional power to SUSPEND the King of his powers and rights to rule Rosferia. It wouldn't be permanent of course, but the only way he'd be re-granted any of his powers would be if the legislators gave it back to him....and obviously they wouldn't do that until after his trial is over....since a trial is what you want. I do wonder though.....where should we confine His Highness until his trial date? It would have to be a place of security...." several suggestions rose up. One was to lock him up with the Minister of Justice, but the president shot this down.
The Minister of Justice would most likely be losing his job after today, as would all the rest of Augustine's Ministers. He shushed them now with a raising of his paws. "Before talking about where to confine him.....let us first call a vote on Suspension of Royal Powers. Who here thinks that Augustine XVI, King of Rosferia, should be suspended from the throne?" it was almost unanimous, as nearly every paw in the hall raised, and the crowd who had entered added their own "here heres" even though they technically couldn't vote. The raccoon did a quick paw count.
"Very well! We have a majority!" he said, turning behind him to look down at the leopard. "I'm sorry Your Highness but as of this point forth you are suspended of your royal powers, and are hereby Citizen Augustine unless your powers be voted back to you by this or another legally sanctioned Assembly. Henceforth Augustine, consider yourself nothing more than a citizen of the nation....no more important than the rest of us." This brought approving cheers and applause from the entire room. Sciurus had scored his first triumph of the night it seemed.
"Furthermore....you are hereby placed under arrest by authority of the Legislative Assembly of Rosferia." the raccoon went on after the applause had died down. "You will stand trial for your crimes against the nation at a date that will be determined." Augustine merely looked out at the room in silence, an empty gaze upon his face.
"I understand..." was all he said.
"So...where should we confine his....I mean citizen Augustine and his family?" the president asked, remembering to no longer address him by "His Highness." This time, a legislator spoke up with a decent idea.
"How about Rainwall Palace? It's more centrally located than the Winter Palace is, and it's already being used as an overflow prison of sorts."
"No!" another one called. "Rainwall Palace has underground passages! The King might escape!" he had forgotten that Augustine was no longer King, but nobeast seemed to correct him.
"Then how about the Temple?" another asked. The Temple? What a splendid idea! The room seemed to agree with this notion. The Tempe was an ancient fortress and former stronghold of the Knights Templar. It had served as a place of refuge for pilgrims on their trek to the Holy Land but had since fallen into disuse once the Knights Templar were disbanded almost 400 years ago. Now all that was left of their fortress in Cosnair was a single, solitary tower that rose into the sky. It was the former keep of the fortress, and was the only standing structure left. It would be perfect for guarding Augustine and his family since there was only one way in and one way out.
"How does the Temple suit then?" asked the president.
"The Temple is fine!" Milton spoke up. "I would like to request that the former King be guarded by General Santere and the National Guard however. We don't want nor trust any other agency to guard Augustine. It will be General Santere and no other who will serve as jailer...is that clear?" asked the crocodile.
"Very well....General Santere of the National Guard will serve as chief of security at the Temple. Do you have any other requests?" the raccoon asked now, actually becoming a bit more amiable it seemed. He didn't appreciate intimidation, but he didn't mind abolishing Augustine either. His question was directed at Sciurus, who had just scored his second victory of the night with Augustine's arrest.
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Post by Carrow on Aug 15, 2009 15:41:51 GMT -5
Sciurus was wreathed in smiles as he heard the raccoon's announcements. It seemed that things were finally looking up for Rosferia. The squirrel had been speaking for the citizens as well as himself when he had resorted to insulting the deposed leopard. He had felt every bit of the anger that his words had conveyed. Now the raccoon president was speaking to him again. Did he have any requests? He certainly did, and he would make them known.
"Very well. The matter is settled. As for our requests... I... WE call for the establishment of a new legislative body. An organisation to which any creature can be elected, as well as have the power to choose who represents them in government. We also want a new constitution to be drafted up. I think you'll find that our demands are perfectly reasonable, as, and no disrespect to you, sir, but this Legislative Assembly has not pawdled things at all well. Everybeast present is aware of this. We ask for nothing more than to take what really should have been ours by now: the power to run our nation to the best of our ability."
Sciurus got to the point as quickly as he could. They were now beginning to make progress, it seemed.
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Post by bookity101 on Aug 15, 2009 21:40:33 GMT -5
Noel turned to Otto, as they made their way to the Assembly. "There are some 300 of the Scarlet Guard still alive." Noel held his paws rigid at his side, think of the some 600 who had been slaughtered that day. The Revolution needed to happen, but not with so much bloodshed. He stopped, turning to face the bluefurred otter. "Otto, if they are taken to trial, with a biased judge, they will most likely be sentanced to death for treason against the new State of Rosferia." He shook his head, looking over at one of the clusters of wounded. "Don't you think that enough have died already?" He gestured to the bodies that were on everyside of them. "On both sides."
Noel started walking again, this time a little faster. "Mr Kurtz, I don't like losing beasts, it rankles me that I did not get back to you in time to stop this stupid fight from happening." Noel's eye's blazed with unreleased fury at the body of a young beast, no more than 15 years old that was lying in the path. "If you can convince whomever you would need to, I will take take custody of all the beasts left of the Scarlet Guard." He turned his eye's back to Otto's "My ship the Bold needs a new complement of workers any way, and my father is always looking for more crewbeasts for his merchant ships." Noel finished his idea just as they reached the Assembly. "Think about it please Mr Kurtz." With that, Noel slipped his way to the front of the room. *****
Noel stood, quietly listening to Sciurus make, and win, his first two points. He looked at the reporters box that was situated seeing the two youngest cats. He held his tongue though, knowing that he should address the issue that he thought of, not dicker about the policy of the thing..... Noel reached up and rubbed the back of his neck and right shoulder.
When he pulled his paw away, it was red with blood. He had apparently been grazed by one of the musket balls, and now that he realized that that he was hurt, he felt the ache appear on his shoulder. He placed a paw over the wound, finding it to be not so bad, be decided to wait to see how things played out.
><><><><><><><><>< Miri hauled him up, supporting Monty from her side of him, hoping that the Countess was holding him up as well, and helping into the carriage. She poked her head out of the carriage and yelled to the driver, "Get us to the closest vet you can find!" Then pulled her head back in. Mir felt the cart move, she turned to the Countess, "So how did you and Jal Sylver meet anyway?"
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Post by Ladorak on Aug 16, 2009 0:34:18 GMT -5
The otter's ears were listening to what the meerkat had to say, but he was hesitant to fully agree with it. "That's....quite a gutsy proposal Captain. I'm not sure you'd win many friends doing that. I'd be careful about who you support.....not many revolutionaries would be as.....understanding as I am." the otter cautioned. To show sympathy towards royalists was one thing...but the Scarlet Guard were different.
"They have to stand trial.....they're mercenaries after all...and since when do mercenaries have a place in ANY nation. It almost disgusts me really that the King would use foreign troops for his own protection, paying them more than he did his own army. As far as what sort of trial they'd be taken too well......Milton had the idea about establishing a new judicial system to start trying all enemies of the state. It would be new, getting rid of the old courts. Can't say how effective it will be....but it sounds like a good idea. Legally we can't try them no....but then again we're at war with most of their home nations. They came primarily from Gradvar after all. Some from Kostritz. We could count them prisoners of war right? Except we can't...they weren't fighting for their home nations. So then what? We HAVE to treat them as mercenaries...and being a mercenary tends to blur the line when it comes to justice."
He sighed now. "I don't know frankly how to treat them. They're a mess.....and I can't say a lot of them would even agree to serve with you. They might consider it....'below' them after all. Who knows what their mentality is like? The sooner we decide what to do with them the better in my opinion. Mercenary is very vaguely defined when it comes to legal justice. Just DO be careful Captain......I can't say that all of my fellow revolutionaries will view support of the royalists as leniently as I do." He was genuinely concerned for the meerkat, and would rather he not get embroiled in some deal that could be viewed in a negative light by fervent revolutionists. Even associating with those who guarded royalty might be perceived as not having a full love of liberty by some. It was only a shame but he had no real power...just like von Bachmann had said. He was just Otto Kurtz right now, and held no position within the government....granted that might change, but this morning he had no real authority in anything....
**************
The president considered this. "Abolish our own government then?" he asked, unsure about this.
"You can't continue like this. How many of you are here tonight? 100? How many USED to sit here? 745 or thereabouts right? You REALLY think you can keep pretending that your ghost of an Assembly is correct in it's ways? You don't even have half your members present right now." the crocodile said, though a bit more gently than he'd spoken last time. It was hard to argue with this. The raccoon sighed.
"Yes....what you say is true.....we are down to less than half. Something MUST be done...you are correct."
"Let me make a correction to what my squirrel companion requested though. We want this new body, but THEY would be the ones to draft the new Constitution...which is why they're being summoned in the first place. Everybeast aside from criminals of course would be allowed to run and vote." Milton piped up now.
"A new Constitution....that would be something wouldn't?" the president mumbled thoughtfully. It was at that moment that Otto and company walked into the hall.
"Oh yes! And another thing!" the crocodile added, as if remembering something. "All of the King's Ministers should be sacked, and new ones should be appointed in their place. For Justice Minister.....I want to see Otto Kurtz take that position! We want a new Tribunal to go into effect to replace our old court system and I want to see Otto heading it!" The otter was flabbergasted. He most certainly had NEVER mentioned such a thing to Milton before, in fact the otter had barely talked with the crocodile before this....and here he was nominating him for Minister of Justice?!
Many cheers and shouted agreements rose up. The otter's impeachable character was well known, and many thought he would make a fine Minister of Justice for Rosferia. "Well...I...I must admit I'm not actually seeking this position...." he said, but was drowned out by the roars of approval. The president waited for it to die down.
"Very well!" he exclaimed. "I have no problem with nominating Otto Kurtz for Minister of Justice. As for the summoning of this new body......let's set a date. Uh.....the 20th of September...more than a month from now. It will give us opportunity to wrap things up and also to hold elections for this...National Convention. Who here present votes in favor of the summoning of this new legislative body?" By a show of hands the majority supported the movement, and the president declared it passed.
"Fine! The National Convention will meet on September 20th....and elections.....let's set those for the 27th of this month." the raccoon stated, consulting his papers. This was met by more cheers of approval. Rosferia would be getting a true democracy....AND a new Constitution! "And why not vote for Otto Kurtz as well?" asked the president, amid the cheers. Once again it seemed an overwhelming majority supported the otter's nomination. "Looks like that's settled too! Mr. Kurtz....the Assembly has voted....do you accept their judgment?"
Most eyes turned to the blue furred otter now, who shifted his weight visibly with his tail. "Well ah....admittedly...this IS a bit of a surprise but....oh....why not." he said at last. He didn't really want the job....but he'd take it. Besides he could always resign once the elections started. He REALLY wanted to be in the new Convention, but perhaps he could serve his country has Justice Minister until then.
"Good! It seems we've accomplished quite a lot here tonight. I want the former Royal Family taken into custody and escorted to the Temple at once." the raccoon president declared, several soldiers from the National Guard moving forward to do so. A few of Augustine's guards from the Winter Palace who had followed him raised their muskets, but the leopard bade them to not resist.
"No...no more violence tonight. I.....I have to submit to this....." he was concerned for his family now after all. His wife's pelt was not the color it used to be, and his son well...was ailing to say the least. His guards had no choice but to stand down to the will of the people. Augustine tried to hold his head high however as he and his family were led towards one of the exits to the hall. His daughter followed and his wife held their son in her arms, the same as she'd done when she arrived. It was noisy now, as there were cheers, shouts of joy, and general outpourings of relief that the long night HAD in fact given way to the dawn.
***************
The carriage conveying Montegu Sylver, Miri Talien and Sveltlana Bogginski took off in the direction of the nearest vet...which would just be opening up now that the sun was climbing into the sky. The Countess listened to Miri's curious question. Why did this jill want to know? It was a rather unexpected query, but one that the lemming did not mind answering.
"Well....I met him in his flat. I had traveled to Welkin to attempt to assassinate Prince Miska, head of Slattland. My faction was going to seize power you see....but sadly Miska was very good at covering his tracks. I have a distant claim to the throne of Slattland, and was planning to utilize that to my advantage." she had no problem relating about her rather wicked plot to the jill. She wasn't in Slattland after all.
"I decided to make use of the best detective there was to locate Miska. That happened to be the Right Honorable Montegu Sylver. I arrived at his place to request his assistance....pretending to be a jill in distress. I could....one look into these eyes of mine....and he was quite taken with me." she smirked, proud of the power she knew she occasionally held over Monty. The weasel, for his part, chuckled weakly and lifted his head a bit.
"Hey....nothing wrong with being taken in by an attractive jill...right?" he asked, smiling now, though the lemming of course did not return his gesture.
"Needless to say, he was able to catch on in time and foiled my plot. He was suspicious of me from the start, but I could tell he was also drawn to me as well. Hah! To think of such a thing." she said, shaking her head with contempt.
"Well....to me I guess.....Sveltlana is....." but he stopped. He didn't want to speak about the Countess when he was this close to her. Maybe after she departed he'd tell Miri more. "Never mind." he said finally, shaking his head, that smile still on his face as he closed his eyes. He knew his own weakness....and apparently it was the only one he knew he had. He let nothing else get to him....well there were a few things....but by and large he was very hard to get to. "At any rate....why did you ask Jis Talian?" he opened his eyes, that calm, placid look still about him as he withdrew his chibouque and began to chew the stem (he didn't actually smoke). "Simple curiosity?"
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Post by Carrow on Aug 16, 2009 7:09:52 GMT -5
Great seasons, things are moving along quite quickly, Sciurus thought. We have scored multiple victories tonight. Otto as Minister for Justice? Well, that was quite fitting to the squirrel. He was planning to run for a seat on the National Convention, and knew that quite a few of his friends were too. Seeing that Otto had entered, the weary squirrel walked slowly over to his mustelid companion, a tired smile on his face. The events of tonight had exhausted him, worn him out emotionally and physically. Add to this what had come upon him earlier, and it was safe to say that Sciurus was dead on his paws.
"I had a chance to do my bit, mate," Sciurus told the otter, yawning. "And things snowballed quite quickly after that. It is done. Rosferia is finally free..."
Now the squirrel's thoughts turned to the elections on August 27th. He would have to begin preparing right away, as there really wasn't a whole lot of time in between now and then. A slight tear trickled down his cheek. He felt immensely proud of himself. Proud of the fact that no matter what he had said, playing down his skills as an orator, Milton and the others had backed him. A great weight began to lift off the squirrel's shoulders. The populace had finally achieved what they had set out to. Sciurus was well aware that there were other challenges to be faced, that this was only the beginning. The squirrel swayed on his paws slightly, fighting to stay upright. Oh, but that can wait for now, he thought. What I need is a good, deep sleep. I can rest more easily now that this has been dealt with, I can indeed...
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