NationStates Jolt Archive

Federal Supreme Court
Los Angeles
California
Federation of Moral America

The layout was different from most others.

Like many similar courts of law, it had a Judge’s Desk, towering high above the rest of the room by a good two feet. Emblazoned on the front of the podium was the Star and Stripes of the Federation. Like many similar courts of law, it had a podium for the accused against the left wall, and several rows of seats behind for onlookers and press to watch the justice system at work. That was where the similarities ended.

Against the right wall, a row of five men stood stiffly at attention. Totally masked by their black clothing and opaque Kevlar headgear, they stared faceless across the room to where the accused podium stood. Their M16A1 Assault Rifles shone clean in the overhead lighting.

Justice Frederick Richmond sat behind the Judge’s Podium, looking down at the papers in front of him. Several flashbulbs went off as the state press recorded the occasion for posterity; another trial in a thousand each year. It would be over in a few moments.

Justice Richmond drew a breath. “Accused One-Three-Nine-Nine,” he read aloud, addressing the man standing in the dock. “You have been formerly charged with four counts of immoral behaviour.” Richmond adjusted his glasses. “Sexual intercourse outside of marriage, drinking alcohol in public, loitering with intent to commit crime, and homosexual activities.” He looked up at the man, who stood a straight as he could, looking across the room at the five uniformed men. “How do you plead?”

The man cleared his throat, looking a little afraid. His clothing was ruffled and he hadn’t shaved in several days. The detention centres of the Federation were not kind to their inmates, and it also continued the view put across by the press that these immoral groups were of bad appearance and beneath contempt. “Not Guilty, your honour,” he said a moment later. Several flashes of cameras went off in the viewing seats.

Justice Richmond sighed, and noted the plea on his papers. “Your plea of Not Guilty has been noted, One-Three-Nine-Nine,” the Judge replied. “However…” He drew himself up in his seat. “Evidence shown to myself by Law Enforcement authorities is impeccable and without repute. The Court does not regard your plea as valid.”

News Cameras whirred. Richmond continued. “Accused One-Three-Nine-Nine, you are formerly found guilty by this Court of the Federation and are sentenced to the mandatory sentence for the most serious crime committed, that of homosexual behaviour. Sentence of death to be carried out immediately.”

The uniformed men brought their rifles to bear in unison. Hidden eyes looked down five gunsights, and gloved fingers squeezed five triggers.

The five single shots echoed across the room. One-Three-Nine-Nine recoiled on his podium and slumped against the wall, leaving a trail of blood as he fell. A cleaner would be brought in to wash this away before the next trial.

The Federation Courts were extremely efficient.

OOC: Speech from leader coming later

[OOC- Tag. Somone new who can right well?! I thought I'd die before I saw it on the first post of theirs......]

Presidential Mansion
Los Angeles
California

The Mansion was lit up like a Millennium Celebration.

As thousands of people thronged outside its gates on the evening after the election, the large, Georgian style building was bathed in numerous spotlights. Firework displays exploded against the night sky behind them in flashes of blue and gold. All around the building, the Star and Stripes hung from lampposts, flagpoles and the walls of the building itself.

President Theodore Taylor was a tall, 42-year-old man that looked younger than his years. He was dressed immaculately in a tailored grey-black suit with blue tie, and wore the Morality Party pin on his lapel where it had sat for thirty decades.

The succession had happened quickly. Whilst Presidents were elected for life, their children did not automatically become the next national rulers. This was one of the few freedoms the Constitution allowed the people; as one Life President died, they were able to vote for the next Life President out of candidates who stood. Realistically of course, the Morality Party had held the Presidential seat for two generations through a complex web of political intrigue, monetary bribes and ordinary mob violence.

The first thing the Constitution stated the new President must do was to address the nation. This bored Theodore as Morality Party policies had gone unchanged for almost one hundred years, but it was a statutory requirement. Perhaps it would be easier with no Constitution at all; it didn’t do much except state in writing the powers the government held without challenge. ‘All in good time,’ Taylor thought with a smile.

There would be three people on stage when he stepped onto the podium. His son, Christopher Taylor, was 26 and fulfilled the role of Vice President of the Federation. He looked more enthusiastic about the event, but he was still young and idealistic. He was dressed in the same suit as his father, just as immaculately prepared.

The other person would be the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The former occupier of that post had been 93, very loyal to Taylor’s father, the former President, and practically dead. Members of the Federation Police Force had helped that event along a little last night, which allowed the new President to appoint Frederick Richmond, a loyal and experienced Judge, with a minimum of fuss.

Christopher stepped up to his father’s side. “Ready, Mr. President?” His son smiled in admiration.

Theodore took a deep breath, and nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

As the three men stepped up onto the podium, TV cameras followed them and displayed the event both on specially constructed television screens in the Mansion grounds and live across the nation. The crowd went wild.
Theodore reached the podium, and stood for a moment eyeing the people below. All were dressed in smart suits or dresses, representing the strict dress standards enforced in public within the Federation. Theodore smiled. Black uniformed members of the Federation Police Force aimed their rifles at the sky and fired a burst to silence the crowds. Taylor cleared his throat.

“One hundred years ago,” he began. His voice was magnified several times back the huge amplifier stacks around the Mansion grounds. “In 1905, the former country of the United States of America fell.”

The crowd gave a collective cry of shame, as they were prompted to do by the flashing text of the television screens. Theodore continued.

“This terrible event was due simply to one thing; a loss of societal awareness!”

He slammed his fist on the podium, causing a loud echo across the amplifiers that sounded like thunder. On cue, the Police fired another burst into the air, magnifying the noise. The crowd was completely silent.

Theodore raised his voice. “The United States was united under one society, one set of values and meanings. This unity made us strong. This unity made us unbeatable!”

The crowd cheered again, going completely wild in applause and hollering. The Police fired again, and silence resumed.

“This unity was lost!” Taylor yelled angrily. He was getting into his element now. “This unity was destroyed by a divergence in beliefs and actions, brought about by liberal diversification of society!”

At the magic word, the crowd automatically booed and hissed. Hundreds of flashes went off from the press cameras. Cameras showed the scene live.

“This loss of unity brought the United States into a Civil War not seen since the Confederacy attempted a secession! This war lost us our nation.” Taylor clenched his fist dramatically. Well, I say never again!”

The crowd cheered again, before silencing quickly as they saw the President began to speak again. The Police were doing their job well.

“This nation will be reborn!” Taylor continued in his strong, precise voice. “I promise to continue and expand the policies of the Morality Party as consistently and as proudly as my father did before me, and his father before him.” He paused for a moment, taking a breath and creating dramatic impact. “We will build a greater union,” he called. “To ensure that the motto of our nation is understood and respected in all corners of the globe – Morality and Justice for All!”

The crowd screamed at an ear-bursting level as the speech ended. The Police emptied the rest of their clips into the sky. A pair of fighter jets roared overhead spewing gold trailers, and a tank roared as it fired into the night.

The Federation had a new President.

Official Statement from The Grand Imperial Empire of The Island of Rose:

Well well well, another moralistic oppressive state. But at least your state is a Democracy, so I will give you credit. But enough of that. We request an Embassy exchange with your nation. The reason? To have connections and to... keep an eye on you. You are young on the international stage, and I'm sure that you don't want to trip on the stage so early. We request the following to be the Embassy Guard.

1 Leopard II (With Crew)
3 Puma APCs (With Crew)
10 Humvees (With Crew)
100 Soldiers
1 Ambassador (Johnathon Vorne)
1 Chinook (With Crew)

Do you accept? We can negotiate on the Guard.
Sergei Ilyanov
Imperial Councillor of Foreign Affairs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Byeltsin.jpg)
http://img105.exs.cx/img105/8083/tior23vj.gif
Protector of the Seven Stars

Statement from the Foreign Affairs Department of the Federation of Moral America

Whilst we find the possibility of an embassy exchange appealing, our government would be uncomfortable with the presence of armoured vehicles on our soil. Drop the Leopard from the Guard and the rest is acceptable.

Whilst inside your own embassy your staff are subject to the laws and regulations of your own state, we feel it wise to remind you that activities outside Rosian territory is subject to our national laws and regulations, apart from the Ambassdor themselves who would have diplomatic immunity.

To protect our own embassy, we would wish to place an equal amount of soldiers and a transport helcopters as Guard.

Johnathon Matthews
Secretary for Foreign Affairs

OOC: How am I doing for my first posts? :)

The Eternal Imperium of Ankhmet would like to offer an embassy exchange. You would be offered 1 million sq. foot mansion in the 'Ra' district of Ankh, the capital city. You would have the protection of a battalion of the 'Angels of Ankhmet' ultra-elite rifle battallion and 10 tanks. Withing the walled compound you would also be welcome to have a force of up to 200 fully armed soldiers.

ooc:Amazing first posts :)

Official Statement from The Grand Imperial Empire of The Island of Rose:

Very well. We don't mind. Let me give you some hints on Rosian culture. Since we are all armed to the teeth, it would not be wise to offend a Rosian. Even though your Ambassador will have diplomatic immunity, the soldiers will not. Thus, watch what you say. Also, if any attempt is made to blow up the Villa or any Rosian crime, expect your nation to go up in a giant mushroom. And not by atom bombs, look up. Thank you for trading Embassies with the Empire, good bye.
Sergei Ilyanov
Imperial Councillor of Foreign Affairs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Byeltsin.jpg)
http://img105.exs.cx/img105/8083/tior23vj.gif
Protector of the Seven Stars

Sergei scoffed. "Prick. I wanted tanks."

((OOC: Well if I'm posting in your thread, they must be good :P))

The Eternal Imperium of Ankhmet would like to offer an embassy exchange. You would be offered 1 million sq. foot mansion in the 'Ra' district of Ankh, the capital city. You would have the protection of a battalion of the 'Angels of Ankhmet' ultra-elite rifle battallion and 10 tanks. Withing the walled compound you would also be welcome to have a force of up to 200 fully armed soldiers.

ooc:Amazing first posts :)

Statement from the Foreign Affairs Department of the Federation of Moral America

The Federation would be pleased to accept such an exchange. We would be able to offer you a similar sized building in the heart of Los Angeles, our Capital City.

Johnathon Matthews
Secretary for Foreign Affairs

OOC: Thankyou. :D

Excellent. We would like to begin moving our staff ASAP.
Dr. Shepmet Ra,
Head of the Ra Cult of Ankhmet,
God-Imperator of the Eternal Imperium,
The Undying Jackal

((OOC: Hey Moral America, by the way. If you need some good rifles go to my storefront. All custom made :D. Or I can always design some American-ish for you.))

OOC: Don't help the commies!Not that Rose is a commie I just call people that!

((OOC: Hey Moral America, by the way. If you need some good rifles go to my storefront. All custom made :D. Or I can always design some American-ish for you.))

OOC: Thanks for the advice. :) I need to have a go at building my military; something I'm not looking forward to, to be completely honest. :S

OOC: Don't help the commies! Not that Rose is a commie I just call people that!

((OOC: I'm an imperialist now, a liberal imperialist but meh.))

ooc:Hurrah for you!Go subjugate!

I would like to inform Moral America that Ankhmet is currently in a state of war with a nation who carries out executions for homosexuality. Whilst this will not happen in the foreseeable future in your case, we would like to tell you that we hope you will get over your conservative policies.

I would like to inform Moral America that Ankhmet is currently in a state of war with a nation who carries out executions for homosexuality. Whilst this will not happen in the foreseeable future in your case, we would like to tell you that we hope you will get over your conservative policies.

Statement of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Federation of Moral America

We thank Ankhmet for their statement regarding their current political opinions.

Johnathon Matthews
Secretary for Foreign Affairs

Rome, New France, Capital Island of Elegantiae Arbiter



A muffled giggle and something that sounded suspiciously like a growl emerged from behind the hardwood door.

“Ahhh!” came the sigh, and then another laugh.

Lord Monroe blushed and cleared his throat.

There was a momentary pause of movement from behind the door and the Lord timidly knocked. This was a unnatural meekness for the lithe and confident man, garbed in an attractive white waistcoat with a silk sash across his chest. The sash was bright, startling colors and set of the chalky-white of his outfit and his dark skin, the color of coffee mixed with cream.

There was the sound of the door unlocking, and the Arbiter stuck his head out, cheeks paler then Monroe’s flushed, but with exertion, rather than embarrassment.

“What is it?” he said curtly, peevishly.

“Ah- we’ve been receiving reports, sir, of a country that may pose a threat. It is called Moral America and it has a vendetta against ‘immoral’ actions, executing homosexuals, adulterers and the like. It does not appear to be aggressive, m’lord Arbiter, but it is no doubt their value system conflicts heavily with ours.”

“Yes, and? Are you proposing we invade them for being ignorant?” the Arbiter said, arching a dark eyebrow in vague amusement, “Xenophobia isn’t fashionable, Monroe.”

Monroe seemed to get his bearings back and spoke more confidently.

“I thought it wise to establish contact with them, so to cement a friendly relationship that would delay evangelist action on their part in the future.”

“You’re the Foreign Minister, Monroe, do what you thinks best.”

Another, masculine voice came from inside the room, “Hurry up, love.”

The Arbiter grinned at Monroe, “Run a long, then. Oh- tell my wife to begin planning that ball we discussed, the ‘Debutante Ball for the Whole Country’, as she called it. Ta!”

He disappeared behind the door and Monroe shook his head, a rueful half smile on his face.

The permission being gotten, he sat down to a terminal and typed out a message to Moral America.

---------

Official Correspondence to the Government of Moral America

Honored Friends:

Our nations have not come in contact before and this is a saddening lack that should be rectified by friendly and mutually beneficial correspondence and alliance. Our nations are both young and in a world that is full of giants, powerful and unlikely to take notice of small countries.

Yet the people of Elegantiae Arbiter can recognize the power even in young countries, such as yours. Our people, too, intend for a glorious future. In such situations, it is wise to band together, so that we may both achieve our ends.

If such a proposal interests you, further arrangements may be made. We could arrange a diplomatic meeting or work on the draft of some sort of treaty. Even if this doesn’t follow through into any relationship, I hope our nations remain on good terms.

-Lord Monroe de Cours, Foreign Minister of Elegantiae Arbiter.

Statement from the Foreign Affairs Department of the Federation of Moral America

Our government is indeed interested in the possibility of diplomatic and alliance relations between our two countries.

We are both, as you say, new states in this world and mutual relations in matters regarding diplomacy will help strengthen and ensure a future for both our nations.

We will contact you regarding further developments.

Johnathon Matthews
Secretary for Foreign Affairs

OOC: How am I doing for my first posts? :)[OOC: Sarzonia wouldn't like you very much ICly for your moralistic stances (especially considering the president is openly gay), but I have to say I'm impressed with your RPs in this thread so far!

You're SURE you just started RPing here?!]

Official Correspondence from Elegantiae Arbiter

The news is gladdening to us and we would appreciate to continue this contact. Elegantiae Arbiter would propose an exchange of embassies, exploratation of trade options and a meeting of our respective leaders.

We look forward to further notice.

-Lord Monroe de Cours, Foreign Minister of Elegantiae Arbiter.

[OOC: Sarzonia wouldn't like you very much ICly for your moralistic stances (especially considering the president is openly gay), but I have to say I'm impressed with your RPs in this thread so far!

You're SURE you just started RPing here?!]

OOC: Well, I have had some experience with RP writing before and I basically enjoy telling a good yarn. :) It's nice to hear I'm doing okay for my first few posts.

OOC:
No IC statment as you're modern tech and I'm space, but...


<snip>
“Not Guilty, your honour,” he said a moment later.
<snip>


Honour? From an American?

Must've been a tourist. Or spy. ;)

Otherwise, very nice.

OOC:
No IC statment as you're modern tech and I'm space, but...



Honour? From an American?

Must've been a tourist. Or spy. ;)

Otherwise, very nice.

Well, I'm actually British, so the whole thing is kind of a mix. :)

Well, I'm actually British, so the whole thing is kind of a mix. :)

OOC:
A mix, eh? Sounds Canadian. :p