-New Slovakia-
21-07-2006, 03:37
((OOC: me post staking my claim to the Earth V territories I requested and stuff...))
"What is the status of our country, gentlemen?" A slender young man asks while sitting behind a large oaken desk enshrouded the dim daylight filtering through the heavy silk curtains behind him.
His gaze jumps between the many generals, politicians, and ministers of various domestic departments standing in the middle of the silken rug that dominates the floor. Most have sullen looks on their faces; knowing the grim reality that besieged them from outside the protective iron walls. Others have looks of indifference or confusion; oblivious to the true state of things, fools holding important positions granted by connections and corruptions, leftovers from the last administration.
General Gang Wang steps forward hesitantly, wiping the sweat off his brow that had coalesced under his service cap. "The rebels refuse to negotiate; they say they are independent now, and will fight to the death to make it stay that way. Here, in the areas we have back under our control, things are just as grim. Riots have broken out all over the Shandong region today, as well as: Hunan, Shaaxi, Ganzu, and Anhui. The afformentioned rioters are apart of the once underground pro-democracy group: New Lotus. The police are doing the best they can, but without some sort of intervention, they will lose control of the situation."
He steps back, allowing the Finance Minister, An Ec, to speak. A middle-aged woman with graying hair and tired eyes, skin wrinkling and beginning to sag. "What progress we were making before the outbreak of the conflict has been... shattered I am sorry to say. We're almost right back where we started. Factories are damaged or destroyed, roads are broken or breaking, and many of the educated have left or are leaving. If we do not do something... well, to put it simply: all will be lost."
She steps back, allowing the well built Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kuang Yue to step forward. He was younger than most of the others in the room, mid-thirties, whereas everyone else was middle aged or older. His cold face was hidden behind a pair some thick glasses protecting almost empty eyes. A long ponytail of his smooth, black hair ran down the length of his muscled back. "I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, but nothing from the world outside of our...'great' country is looking favorably in our direction, either.
"Aide has been and continues to be sparse at best, our standing is next to nothing, bordering on not even being recognized as a country I fear in some cases; and there are rumors of the rebels receiving monetary support from other countries, who those would be is up speculation at best, Mr. President."
He stepped back and another stepped forward, continuing a trend that would last for an hour. Some with legitimate concerns, others just prattle on and complain about things mattering more to them than the state, while still others seem to have no news at all despite the negative connotations they used through out their confusing speeches.
As the last person steps back, silence over took the room. The man, who has remained silently seated at the desk, twenty-five year old President Doa-zi Zhou, rises into the still air. "Well, gentlemen and ladies, it sounds like we are about to have quite an eventful day." Light floods into the room as Zhou throws open the the great silken curtains.
Smoke rises into the air from burning buildings, and burning streets. People can be heard chanting and singing for reforms over the blasts of gunfire and sounds of explosions still engulfing Shang-hi.
"I am going to gather the media here in three hours for a press conference, you all may go."
For a moment, everyone seems befuddled and confused, even those who already appeared that way are even more so now. But no one says a word, leaving them within their minds to fester with questions and more questions such as: what is he going to say, what is he planning? Still no words come forth amidst the burning light now encasing the President, giving him an almost angelic aura in contrast to the dim, dust covered surroundings.
* * *
It was exactly three hours when he began to speak, speak to the large crowd of reporters and observers that had gathered on the cracking concrete steps of the Executive Office. Cameras stare up at him through a menagerie of microphones, dominating the surface of the wooden podium placed under two still strong support pillars of the buildings depressingly gray facade.
His voice is calm, clear, and confident, while still permeated by the tinge of youth. Brown eyes are alert and active, looking into the center of each camera and the eyes of each reporter as his glare scans over and over again through the crowd.
"Today we may have gotten up again, just like any other day; sad and distraught uncertain for what the future may hold for us. Tired of the bloodshed, tired of the corruption, tired of the senseless loss of life that has taken those most dear to us in this, a time of great turmoil. Just tired, tired of it all.
"Today we may have gotten up again, just like any other day; asking ourselves why this has all happened, why this is still happening, and why this all seems like it may never end. Asking question after question of our current state of existence.
"What have we done to answer these questions and right these horrible wrongs? We've looked forward in time, to our futures. But nothing has come of it; we look away more frightened and insecure than we every were, seeing only that we cannot see anything. That nothing beyond the right here and the right now is certain no matter how well we prepare for it. Lost we are, in the sea of the future on a boat rocking back and forth through unstable tides.
"But why are we lost? Why are the tides so unforgiving and tumultuous? Why does fate seem to conspire against us? Brothers, mothers; fathers, and daughters. There is no reason for future suffering or so much uncertainty. None that is the fault of our own.
"Whose fault is it, we ask and ask? Like we've asked every day since my election and since the war began. It's the government, the corrupt and inefficient government that has oppressed its peoples - us - since its conception."
His tone was now critical and slightly indignant, increasing in volume steadily while he gauged the reaction from the crowds who were becoming all the more angry and enraged at the truth spoken, and he who spoke the truth.
"Many will say, 'Wait you're the Government! You're the oppression! You perpetuate the corruption! It is you who should pay for this!' You! You! You!"
His voice was indignant and angry, full of the same rage that was festering in the crowd now larger than before, matching the rage felt by chose across the country able to tune in through radios and TVs in broken homes or empty streets. Carrying the same feelings everyone felt since war tore the entire country apart. Families fought families, and friends fought friends; sentiments that will never be forgotten.
"But..." his voice returns to a serene calm in its tone, no longer pounding the air with livid sound. "...I tell you, each and everyone one of you out there with those thoughts, that I am not and was not the Government, the oppression, corruption... I was, and still am, you. Just as you are me.
"We all wanted to change things. We dreamt of it, played with the notion in our imaginations while we silently watched things get worse. Wishing for our chance to turn things around, to make things right again. Some of us got that chance while others didn't.
"I thought I had gotten my chance when I was elected to President. I thought that my time, our time, to change things had finally come. That there would be no suffering, just waves of reforms to make our lives better, to make your lives better. The dream seemed like it would no longer be a dream but a reality, the reality we have all strived for.
"Dashed I was, dashed against the sharp rocks of politicians who sought to use me only as a way to please you, to distract you from their failings, from their corruption, from their evil. I was nothing but a powerless figurehead. One destined to just be seen and not heard."
He pauses, making sure to get his point across.
"But I did not give up!..." he is as indignant as ever, looking into the crowd with righteous ferocity. "... Just as you did not give up! Just as you did not stop fighting! Just as you did not stop believing!... I did not stop. I continued on hoping, praying, and fighting against the unassailable currents even at their worst. Just as you did.
"Be it from the farms, from the cities, the mountains, the desert plains; you all pushed onward in your quest, in your struggle. Just as I have. We never gave up, we will never give up. We will fight the fight till our war with evil is won!
"So I tell you today, something you already know. That no longer shall we ride recklessly through uncertainty guided by the whims of oppressors. That this day is not like any other day, this day is a new and different day, the beginning of something great! And I shall lead you there, I shall lead you all there, just as you will lead me there. We will lead each other into paradise."
The crowd now encompassing every inch of every street for miles around, cheers and roars, echoing into throughout the country side. Along with the echoes from other cities, and other towns. The echo of change had swept through the hearts and minds of everyone, everywhere.
Doa-zi Zhou now had firm control over all of China, save for the still rebellious Tibetans to the southwest. But that would not be for long, he was sure of that.
He had just forced them to be angry at the Government, but not at him, someone who was actually the leader of that Government. He had managed to convince them, atleast for now, that he was seperate from the corruptiong of the old establishment. Even though that wasn't the whole truth.
He had tried for reforms honestly, and he was resisted, but he was no crusader. The power pleased him, and the thought of gaining more pleased him even more. But no one else knew that; he was young and appeared to be an idealist; an optimist amoungst pecimists, they'd believe him, for now.
"What is the status of our country, gentlemen?" A slender young man asks while sitting behind a large oaken desk enshrouded the dim daylight filtering through the heavy silk curtains behind him.
His gaze jumps between the many generals, politicians, and ministers of various domestic departments standing in the middle of the silken rug that dominates the floor. Most have sullen looks on their faces; knowing the grim reality that besieged them from outside the protective iron walls. Others have looks of indifference or confusion; oblivious to the true state of things, fools holding important positions granted by connections and corruptions, leftovers from the last administration.
General Gang Wang steps forward hesitantly, wiping the sweat off his brow that had coalesced under his service cap. "The rebels refuse to negotiate; they say they are independent now, and will fight to the death to make it stay that way. Here, in the areas we have back under our control, things are just as grim. Riots have broken out all over the Shandong region today, as well as: Hunan, Shaaxi, Ganzu, and Anhui. The afformentioned rioters are apart of the once underground pro-democracy group: New Lotus. The police are doing the best they can, but without some sort of intervention, they will lose control of the situation."
He steps back, allowing the Finance Minister, An Ec, to speak. A middle-aged woman with graying hair and tired eyes, skin wrinkling and beginning to sag. "What progress we were making before the outbreak of the conflict has been... shattered I am sorry to say. We're almost right back where we started. Factories are damaged or destroyed, roads are broken or breaking, and many of the educated have left or are leaving. If we do not do something... well, to put it simply: all will be lost."
She steps back, allowing the well built Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kuang Yue to step forward. He was younger than most of the others in the room, mid-thirties, whereas everyone else was middle aged or older. His cold face was hidden behind a pair some thick glasses protecting almost empty eyes. A long ponytail of his smooth, black hair ran down the length of his muscled back. "I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, but nothing from the world outside of our...'great' country is looking favorably in our direction, either.
"Aide has been and continues to be sparse at best, our standing is next to nothing, bordering on not even being recognized as a country I fear in some cases; and there are rumors of the rebels receiving monetary support from other countries, who those would be is up speculation at best, Mr. President."
He stepped back and another stepped forward, continuing a trend that would last for an hour. Some with legitimate concerns, others just prattle on and complain about things mattering more to them than the state, while still others seem to have no news at all despite the negative connotations they used through out their confusing speeches.
As the last person steps back, silence over took the room. The man, who has remained silently seated at the desk, twenty-five year old President Doa-zi Zhou, rises into the still air. "Well, gentlemen and ladies, it sounds like we are about to have quite an eventful day." Light floods into the room as Zhou throws open the the great silken curtains.
Smoke rises into the air from burning buildings, and burning streets. People can be heard chanting and singing for reforms over the blasts of gunfire and sounds of explosions still engulfing Shang-hi.
"I am going to gather the media here in three hours for a press conference, you all may go."
For a moment, everyone seems befuddled and confused, even those who already appeared that way are even more so now. But no one says a word, leaving them within their minds to fester with questions and more questions such as: what is he going to say, what is he planning? Still no words come forth amidst the burning light now encasing the President, giving him an almost angelic aura in contrast to the dim, dust covered surroundings.
* * *
It was exactly three hours when he began to speak, speak to the large crowd of reporters and observers that had gathered on the cracking concrete steps of the Executive Office. Cameras stare up at him through a menagerie of microphones, dominating the surface of the wooden podium placed under two still strong support pillars of the buildings depressingly gray facade.
His voice is calm, clear, and confident, while still permeated by the tinge of youth. Brown eyes are alert and active, looking into the center of each camera and the eyes of each reporter as his glare scans over and over again through the crowd.
"Today we may have gotten up again, just like any other day; sad and distraught uncertain for what the future may hold for us. Tired of the bloodshed, tired of the corruption, tired of the senseless loss of life that has taken those most dear to us in this, a time of great turmoil. Just tired, tired of it all.
"Today we may have gotten up again, just like any other day; asking ourselves why this has all happened, why this is still happening, and why this all seems like it may never end. Asking question after question of our current state of existence.
"What have we done to answer these questions and right these horrible wrongs? We've looked forward in time, to our futures. But nothing has come of it; we look away more frightened and insecure than we every were, seeing only that we cannot see anything. That nothing beyond the right here and the right now is certain no matter how well we prepare for it. Lost we are, in the sea of the future on a boat rocking back and forth through unstable tides.
"But why are we lost? Why are the tides so unforgiving and tumultuous? Why does fate seem to conspire against us? Brothers, mothers; fathers, and daughters. There is no reason for future suffering or so much uncertainty. None that is the fault of our own.
"Whose fault is it, we ask and ask? Like we've asked every day since my election and since the war began. It's the government, the corrupt and inefficient government that has oppressed its peoples - us - since its conception."
His tone was now critical and slightly indignant, increasing in volume steadily while he gauged the reaction from the crowds who were becoming all the more angry and enraged at the truth spoken, and he who spoke the truth.
"Many will say, 'Wait you're the Government! You're the oppression! You perpetuate the corruption! It is you who should pay for this!' You! You! You!"
His voice was indignant and angry, full of the same rage that was festering in the crowd now larger than before, matching the rage felt by chose across the country able to tune in through radios and TVs in broken homes or empty streets. Carrying the same feelings everyone felt since war tore the entire country apart. Families fought families, and friends fought friends; sentiments that will never be forgotten.
"But..." his voice returns to a serene calm in its tone, no longer pounding the air with livid sound. "...I tell you, each and everyone one of you out there with those thoughts, that I am not and was not the Government, the oppression, corruption... I was, and still am, you. Just as you are me.
"We all wanted to change things. We dreamt of it, played with the notion in our imaginations while we silently watched things get worse. Wishing for our chance to turn things around, to make things right again. Some of us got that chance while others didn't.
"I thought I had gotten my chance when I was elected to President. I thought that my time, our time, to change things had finally come. That there would be no suffering, just waves of reforms to make our lives better, to make your lives better. The dream seemed like it would no longer be a dream but a reality, the reality we have all strived for.
"Dashed I was, dashed against the sharp rocks of politicians who sought to use me only as a way to please you, to distract you from their failings, from their corruption, from their evil. I was nothing but a powerless figurehead. One destined to just be seen and not heard."
He pauses, making sure to get his point across.
"But I did not give up!..." he is as indignant as ever, looking into the crowd with righteous ferocity. "... Just as you did not give up! Just as you did not stop fighting! Just as you did not stop believing!... I did not stop. I continued on hoping, praying, and fighting against the unassailable currents even at their worst. Just as you did.
"Be it from the farms, from the cities, the mountains, the desert plains; you all pushed onward in your quest, in your struggle. Just as I have. We never gave up, we will never give up. We will fight the fight till our war with evil is won!
"So I tell you today, something you already know. That no longer shall we ride recklessly through uncertainty guided by the whims of oppressors. That this day is not like any other day, this day is a new and different day, the beginning of something great! And I shall lead you there, I shall lead you all there, just as you will lead me there. We will lead each other into paradise."
The crowd now encompassing every inch of every street for miles around, cheers and roars, echoing into throughout the country side. Along with the echoes from other cities, and other towns. The echo of change had swept through the hearts and minds of everyone, everywhere.
Doa-zi Zhou now had firm control over all of China, save for the still rebellious Tibetans to the southwest. But that would not be for long, he was sure of that.
He had just forced them to be angry at the Government, but not at him, someone who was actually the leader of that Government. He had managed to convince them, atleast for now, that he was seperate from the corruptiong of the old establishment. Even though that wasn't the whole truth.
He had tried for reforms honestly, and he was resisted, but he was no crusader. The power pleased him, and the thought of gaining more pleased him even more. But no one else knew that; he was young and appeared to be an idealist; an optimist amoungst pecimists, they'd believe him, for now.