Eight Gods on a Windowsill

The whole city was abuzz with the murmurs that the Senate had finally convened. The gossip echoed throughout the streets. It had been assembled without the Emperor and that alone was something most unusual. The Senate hadn't come together in nine years but for the yearly State of the Empire address and a few minor referendums. All the mindless chatter didn't bother Eero in the slightest. Things were going to change for the Empire, for him, and he was sure of it. Too long had the Empire been at the whim of the off-worlders. Especially, since they only made up six percent of the Senate and seventy percent of the population. Too long had the Emperor's whim been the law of the land. The House of Rayne was left unchecked.

The Senate was not divided by population for representation but by administrative districts. Eero managed to get away with not convening the Senate mainly because the senators had so much on their plates with their districts that they had no real time to sit in idle chatter. Besides, as Minister Prime, Eero had some powers that did not require the Senate at all, including the defense of the Empire's borders.

Eero eyed the Senate floor. The wide room had a tall ceiling that provided great acoustics for oration. The sandstone that made up the walls, ceiling, and floors. The ceiling and walls were painted with images of the founding of the Senate itself and the drafting of Havgard's constitution. Crown Prince Havgard was Rayne's grandson and his contributions to the administration of the ever-growing Empire made it easier for the Emperor to control the masses. The desks were made from red sandstone and the seats were a black nanite polymer that molded to the person who sat in it, allowing for various body types. These were fairly new and meant to accommodate the different races of the Empire. The senators had taken their places throughout; but, there were several empty seats. Some were the delegates of the other races, which Eero had barred from taking their seats and others were senators that objected to his referendum. This was going to be extremely easy to get what he wanted.

Some promising candidates were missing; however, which made Eero a mite uncomfortable. He still needed twelve hundred out of the thirteen hundred senators present to vote in his favor. The missing senators' clout as members of the Great Houses would go a long way to ensuring things went in his direction. He was sure of his victory and that was why he could blithely move forward with his agenda. Some two hundred other senators were not present.

Eero calmly took his place at the head of the Senate, a throne of gold reserved for the Minister Prime. The Emperor's throne was vacant, as it had been for nine years. Abryi was elsewhere doing gods knows what. A slow smile crept over his face. He was extremely lucky that elections were held at random, usually when the Minister Prime lost the faith of the Senate. He managed to be elected just before Abryi left for Terra, nine years ago, after the former Minister Prime Yagan lez Dorna's failed invasion of Kestrel the prior year caused him to lose the faith of not just the Senate, but also the population. There were riots in the streets. So, Eero ran on reforming the Empire and its military. He bided his time, making connections and cementing relationships with the elite. If he had tried to implement his agenda immediately, he knew nothing would pass through. So, he focused on small reforms. So small in fact that the senators voted by mail.

As Eero took his seat, he thought over all the senators he had tried to convince to his plans. Each one he had to work over to get them to see the light of his agenda. He had his ways. As he waited, a small group of senators walked through the door. These men were the same ones Eero had been waiting for. His smile widened. If these men voted in his favor, the Senate would likely vote in favor. They carried a lot of weight. His smile widened.

Now, there is no contesting my agenda. The question is what to do once I obtain the right to have all the powers of the Emperor? Should I use this to depose the Emperor? Should I purify the Empire? Or, do I bring to light all the foul things the House of Rayne had wrought on the Empire? Choices, choices. Eero held back the urge to laugh. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Amalyan Senate, as you are aware, the Emperor, Abryi lez Rayne, has granted me the powers to conduct the Empire in his absence. As such, I have called this assembly in lieu of the Emperor to discuss several notes of interest to create reforms and allow us, the Senate, more freedoms to protect the Empire in his stead."

There was a large murmur that echoed throughout the Senate hall. Senators were discussing what kinds of freedoms Eero meant. They were discussing just how much power would be removed from the Emperor or if any at all would be. Most of the senators were looking around at the absences of other senators and wondering if their lack of presence meant that they didn't agree with the plans Eero had. Some were even asking what the changes would mean for the Empire itself.

"What kind of freedoms are we talking about, Eero?" A young senator asked.

"I've taken the liberty of outlining the timeline of some reforms I would like to implement in a pamphlet that sits on your desks." Came Eero's response. He knew that several senators needed more convincing than others. A couple even asked for his thoughts on paper. 

These reforms would make it much easier to overthrow the Emperor without a revolt and make the Empire more democratic, much like it had been before Rayne took power from the Second Amalyan Republic. Rayne's takeover hadn't been one of violence, however. Rayne used his immense strength to convince the Council of Great Houses to nominate him as the first absolute leader of the Empire. The Council of Great Houses became the precursor to the Senate but with fewer powers.

Suddenly, the hall flooded with the sound of boots. Police, the City Guard, and members of the Forsaken entered through the large door. More murmurs followed as they spread out through the hall, each taking a spot on the surrounding walls. The missing senators and representatives of the other races under the Amalyan banner also entered with them, taking their seats alongside the other senators.

Eero eyed them carefully. He was furious. "What is the meaning of this?" He balked as they took their defensive positions around the room. "Who called the Forsaken and the City Guard here? This is a meeting of the Senate." His eyes moved to the door as the sound of another pair of boots made their echo through the chamber.

"I called them, Eero lez Razikan." A voice he was not accustomed to hearing much but everyone knew. As the Amali man stepped from the brightness that cast his form in shadow into the dimmer light of the Senate hall, Eero could see someone who he had been dreading. The one person who could ruin his plans for the empire. Abryi lez Rayne. "As the Emperor I retain the express right to command the arm of the law." He smiled. "I had heard that you intended to convene the Senate and I thought that there should be more protection for you fine gentlemen, since the events of late. We cannot have the body of law be affected by such problems." He proceeded to walk over to Graz's seat and take up the pamphlet. "You don't mind sharing, do you, Graz?" There had been no mention of a starliner landing, so it had to be one of the Emperor's friends who brought him here.

Graz shook his head. "Of course not, milord."

The murmurs of the other senators made Eero feel uncomfortable. He was sure that he had sent Hagnr after Abryi. He had made it very clear that he didn't want the Emperor to appear during the referendum. His presence complicated things. If Abryi is here, where is Hagnr? Did he actually defeat that kobold this time? Or, did they come to some mutual understanding again? Eero was deathly silent, pondering all his choices. They were fewer than they seemed before the Emperor's arrival.

Abryi walked over to his throne. It was just as big and gaudy as Eero's. At one point, the Minister Prime had always been elected among the princes of the House of Rayne. A practice, Abryi's grandfather, Yrhat III, put an end to. As he took his seat above Eero, he thumbed through the pamphlet. "Interesting ideas in here, Eero. But, by all accounts don't let my presence stop you. I believe you had a referendum to conduct?"