Tenesh Delorian
19-02-2007, 21:36
Senator Avadal D'lor sat silently alongside her good friend senator Dav Tor'nik, as they both looked down onto Or'kan Boulevard, the largest street in the renovated capital city of Gid Balash. Tens of thousands of citizens of the Republic looked upon the rows upon rows of Delorian tanks, infantry, artillery and other mechanisms of warfare. For three hundred years the republic had held these silly parades, honoring the foundation of the country and its independence from kingdoms which now did not even exist. Senator D'lor laughed to herself and turned to look at Tor'nik. She sat captivated by his rather hansome facial roster. They were both young - especially for their occupations. But, in the last years younger and younger individuals had been taking control of the republic - almost by definition, these younger individuals were far more ambitious; far more naïve. This included the latest Council of the Republic who had been elected just this year. He had promised the end of the escalating belligerence of the country and the end of a decade long nuclear program which had been the bane of the nation's budget; but, of course, he had done none of this. Council Rapshar Velagor was but thirty-two years of age and his policies were closely related to his wisdom.
D'lor turned back onto the street to look upon the tanks and she said, "Isn't ironic that because of our nuclear program we have not been able to modernize the armed forces in ten years, and so here we are parading tanks produced over forty years ago."
Tor'nik laughed a bit and turned to look at D'lor, "You forget sister, we are more powerful than ever!" D'lor could make out the sarcasm. Tor'nik went on quoting some of the things Council Velagor had said in the previous night's speech to the senate, "Our armed forces are fully equipped to defend this prosperous nation and soon enough they will go through a modernization program which will make Tenesh Delorian bristle with prestige and power."
"That isn't funny," snapped Avadal D'lor. "The money spent into our nuclear missiles could have been spent on continuing our economic prosperity. What enemies do we have? Who is even poised near us to invade our republic?" Tor'nik said nothing, but Avadal D'lor continued, "In fact, now we have more to worry from the inside than we do from the outside." She was referring to the military.
Suddenly the crowd's cheers augmented and both of them turned their necks to take a look at the military procession which went on under them. Behind the tanks followed a neatly orchestrated procession of trucks, each boasting its very own nuclear missile. There were at least a hundred of them, and each missile was inscripted with the words 'Gara'tor div taknathor'.
"Long live the people my rear end!" Avadal D'lor sneered. "This man is a threat to the republic. Whoever voted him in should be punished."
As the trucks passed by they were followed by the artillery. These were huge, hulking pieces of 8" cannons. They were the pride and prestige of the republic - her military strength was manifested through her artillery. Overhead, finally, passed the elite squadrons of the Delorian Air Force. Jets came down low and the common people oohed and awed. Even some senators were caught staring at the brilliance. Others were not so easily amused and had many of the same feelings that both D'lor and Tor'nik held. It was fortunate that corruption was still at a low, and that despite the recent changes in government procedures the republic was not on the verge of the collapse. Most senators still believed in the success of democracy, even if some of the younger leadership did not. Nevertheless, the final decision remained in the hands of the people and a popular ruler could threaten even the most steadfast senate if the people were behind them - there were historical precendents to prove this to be true.
It was only a few more hours before the procession was completely over, and it ended with the Council himself standing in the back of a luxury car, sorrounding by security guard soldiers, his right arm raised in a military salute - the hand outstretched across the chest, slightly twisted, with the hand open and stiff at a tanget from the chest itself. Tor'nik snickered, "Here comes the beautiful speech."
D'lor laughed and responded, "Calm." She was not sure she could follow her own suggestion.
The car stopped behind a podium which had been prepared previously for the occassion. Rapshar Velagor rose to it with glamor, prestige and grace and he completed yet another military salute - pounding his left chest with a fist and then finishing it with the same stiff arm salute he had been doing in the car. The people responded with shouts of glee and support, and to this he smiled. "Citizens of the republic," he began, "our day of power is here. We have finally acquired the tool to emboss our sovereignty, after three hundred years. No foreign armies can come and conquer us, taking away our liberties. We have acquired the last fort in our defense - nuclear power. We join a club that no longer worries about its sovereignty, but the sovereignty of others!" The crowds cheered and the Council paused, only to continue a few seconds after, "For three hundred years Tenesh Delorian has been a small republic and now we finally have the ability to fling ourselves on the world stage. You are, in other words, no longer citizens of a minor republic, but citizens of the republic!"
D'lor smiled, "We have to admit, he is good at what he does." She took a look at the throngs below her, "If we don't watch it, he may become too powerful."
Tor'nik sneered, "He is making himself the hero of the populists and us the old, conservative senate. What we need are senators with far more charisma. What we need is to match him."
"Or make him look bad," added Senator D'lor.
Tor'nik nodded, "Yes, or that."
The Council slowly finished his speech and then stepped off the stage, waving at the crowd as his car drove away with him inside of it. This, history would remember, was the man who made the small nation of Tenesh Delorian a nuclear power.
D'lor turned back onto the street to look upon the tanks and she said, "Isn't ironic that because of our nuclear program we have not been able to modernize the armed forces in ten years, and so here we are parading tanks produced over forty years ago."
Tor'nik laughed a bit and turned to look at D'lor, "You forget sister, we are more powerful than ever!" D'lor could make out the sarcasm. Tor'nik went on quoting some of the things Council Velagor had said in the previous night's speech to the senate, "Our armed forces are fully equipped to defend this prosperous nation and soon enough they will go through a modernization program which will make Tenesh Delorian bristle with prestige and power."
"That isn't funny," snapped Avadal D'lor. "The money spent into our nuclear missiles could have been spent on continuing our economic prosperity. What enemies do we have? Who is even poised near us to invade our republic?" Tor'nik said nothing, but Avadal D'lor continued, "In fact, now we have more to worry from the inside than we do from the outside." She was referring to the military.
Suddenly the crowd's cheers augmented and both of them turned their necks to take a look at the military procession which went on under them. Behind the tanks followed a neatly orchestrated procession of trucks, each boasting its very own nuclear missile. There were at least a hundred of them, and each missile was inscripted with the words 'Gara'tor div taknathor'.
"Long live the people my rear end!" Avadal D'lor sneered. "This man is a threat to the republic. Whoever voted him in should be punished."
As the trucks passed by they were followed by the artillery. These were huge, hulking pieces of 8" cannons. They were the pride and prestige of the republic - her military strength was manifested through her artillery. Overhead, finally, passed the elite squadrons of the Delorian Air Force. Jets came down low and the common people oohed and awed. Even some senators were caught staring at the brilliance. Others were not so easily amused and had many of the same feelings that both D'lor and Tor'nik held. It was fortunate that corruption was still at a low, and that despite the recent changes in government procedures the republic was not on the verge of the collapse. Most senators still believed in the success of democracy, even if some of the younger leadership did not. Nevertheless, the final decision remained in the hands of the people and a popular ruler could threaten even the most steadfast senate if the people were behind them - there were historical precendents to prove this to be true.
It was only a few more hours before the procession was completely over, and it ended with the Council himself standing in the back of a luxury car, sorrounding by security guard soldiers, his right arm raised in a military salute - the hand outstretched across the chest, slightly twisted, with the hand open and stiff at a tanget from the chest itself. Tor'nik snickered, "Here comes the beautiful speech."
D'lor laughed and responded, "Calm." She was not sure she could follow her own suggestion.
The car stopped behind a podium which had been prepared previously for the occassion. Rapshar Velagor rose to it with glamor, prestige and grace and he completed yet another military salute - pounding his left chest with a fist and then finishing it with the same stiff arm salute he had been doing in the car. The people responded with shouts of glee and support, and to this he smiled. "Citizens of the republic," he began, "our day of power is here. We have finally acquired the tool to emboss our sovereignty, after three hundred years. No foreign armies can come and conquer us, taking away our liberties. We have acquired the last fort in our defense - nuclear power. We join a club that no longer worries about its sovereignty, but the sovereignty of others!" The crowds cheered and the Council paused, only to continue a few seconds after, "For three hundred years Tenesh Delorian has been a small republic and now we finally have the ability to fling ourselves on the world stage. You are, in other words, no longer citizens of a minor republic, but citizens of the republic!"
D'lor smiled, "We have to admit, he is good at what he does." She took a look at the throngs below her, "If we don't watch it, he may become too powerful."
Tor'nik sneered, "He is making himself the hero of the populists and us the old, conservative senate. What we need are senators with far more charisma. What we need is to match him."
"Or make him look bad," added Senator D'lor.
Tor'nik nodded, "Yes, or that."
The Council slowly finished his speech and then stepped off the stage, waving at the crowd as his car drove away with him inside of it. This, history would remember, was the man who made the small nation of Tenesh Delorian a nuclear power.