Eight Gods on a Windowsill

Eero couldn't afford to choke now. Emperor or not, Abryi was not going to deter his plans any longer. He had a mind to revolutionize the Empire. He just had to convince the Senate. And, when I have full control of the Senate, I will absolve the role of the Emperor and restructure the Senate to only have those loyal to the cause. He took a deep breath. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Amalya Senate, I have outlined the points which I will be making in the effort of this referendum today. I wish to return the Amalya Empire to its core, a proud victorious entity that can stand on its own without the assistance of its colonies. To do so, two things are required, order and living space." He paused a moment to allow all those in the room to take in what he was trying to convey. "In order to regain our former glory, we need to create infrastructure that would allow us to move the Amalya Marines much quicker to our borders than we are currently capable of. We suffer from spreading ourselves too thin in places that do not belong to us and with no intention of leaving. Either we annex those places and make them colonies of the Empire or leave.

In order to form a more perfect Empire that runs on efficiency, we require all of its citizens to selflessly serve the Empire. No more should Amali die for the sake of those who are not, if those under our protection are not also willing to serve the Empire. We spread ourselves much too thin letting non-Amali citizens reap the benefits of a standing military that they share no part in.

These non-Amali citizens do not serve the Empire. They take the rewards given to them without so much as any contribution to the Empire. They require protection which they do not contribute manpower and create laws that benefit only them. I propose that the citizens of the Empire be reeducated to relearn what it means to serve their Empire."

"How do you propose that we make such reforms?" Graz questioned. He had been eyeing the pamphlet that someone else nearby was holding. "These are no minor reforms and require quite a grand amount of capital to be invested to achieve."

Abryi was quiet.

"First, we should restore the Emperor's position as chiefly the head of the military and second, we need to give the Senate the power to enact such reforms, not just voting and then waiting for the Emperor to sign off on such reforms." Eero responded. "Once we have these in place, we can restructure our colonies to be autonomous arms of the Empire with the ability to govern themselves in exchange for a small contribution of soldiers to the Amalyan Marines."

"What do you think about military service?" Persja asked. "If all members of the Amalyan society are to serve, how long are we talking?"

"Service should be mandatory for all able bodied Amali men and women from the age of adulthood. Let it be that Amali women serve a time of five years and Amali men serve a time of eight years. That their service should be what gives the right to voting for policy and the Senate. Too long has it not been a requirement and we have many that know nothing about what kinds of effects that the policies they vote for will have."

Still Abryi was quiet. Eero had expected him to object to something so far. After all, Eero was asking for quite a big change in the way that the government worked. What Abryi did do surprised Eero a little. "What kind of effect do you think your policies will have, Eero?"

"The masses may object to the mandatory service, milord. However, as the governing body of the Empire, we may have to temporarily suspend certain rights the citizens have to recreate that order and give them the chance to be educated on the benefits of the policies. Many will be too uneducated to truly understand why such changes would have to be made."

Murmuring once more overtook the Senate hall. Eero could hear the senators discussing the outcome of such changes. The contemplated the meaning of the changes and how it would affect their positions as many of them had never served before.

"What about us?" Eegan queried. "Many of us have never served in the military, especially those of the Great Houses and young men such as yourself."

"We would be the last generation of Amali that are not required to serve. As we cannot serve during our tenure in the Senate." Eero responded. "Most of us will be too advanced in years to serve by the end of our tenure. Those that are not could be called to serve at the end of our term."

Once more Abryi was quiet.

Eero was sure that he was planning something. The objective of this referendum was to be quick and painless, to allow him to seize the means to do as he needed to reform the Empire in his image. He wasn't expecting to have to explain the nuances of his plans. It was almost as if those last few senators he had spoken to were in cahoots with Abryi to break down his chances. He wasn't about to let that happen.

Eero stood up abruptly. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have heard the tenets of the policies I wish to enact. I believe now is the time for a vote of confidence in them. Think of your homes and families. Think of all that can be achieved by creating such reforms."

Abryi's face was silent of any emotion. Eero watched as each of the senators contemplated visibly on their faces but, Abryi did no such thing. Instead, he was devoid of any kind of emotion. Eero had heard that he was something of a battle chaser. What Eero proposed would suit him, for a time.

When they inevitably vote in favor, I can use my powers to overhaul the Senate and dissolve it. When I have all the power, I can create a cabinet of close supporters. Then, I can remove Abryi from power altogether. The Great Houses are at an end. No longer will the Great Houses, especially the House of Rayne, have a hold over the Amali people. We will have our glory once more.

Suddenly, Abryi rose to his feet. "Before a vote is cast, I would like to admit that some of these policies have some great merit on their own. Others while have some merit, need changing to make such effects that you propose, Eero." He paused a moment. "I would like to invite someone into the Senate hall before we cast our votes. I would like to show you the reason the Amalyan Marines have been stationed so far away from our lands." He waved at the door. "You can come in now, Mara."

I entered the hall slowly, followed by two young kobolds. We bowed before all the men and women before us. There were so many people in one place.

"Mara, if you would please enlighten the Senate of why the Amalyan Marines have been stationed on your world."

I nodded. "Twelve years ago, a great war ended on our planet. It engulfed all known civilization. As a culture, we are just beginning to rebuild ourselves. If it were not for the Amali coming to our world to help rehabilitate it, it is very possible that civilization would have reverted back several thousand years." I paused. "We are grateful for the Amali. However, if it weren't for Abryi's forethought to assist an old trading partner, we would not be here to talk about how much good the Amalyan Marines have done."

Eero's face went white. He immediately recognized the two kobolds behind me. I could tell he didn't want to give away his connection just yet.

"Thank you, Mara." Abryi acknowledged. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have done my best to reform the military into a peacekeeping force rather than one of conquest. Too long has the Amali relied on conquering our neighbors instead of helping them." He paused. "I know that I have been absent for far too long. But, in order to make sure that my vision of creating such a force comes to fruition, it requires my presence. It requires that I train our forces to be something more than ruthless killing machines. I see this referendum as you having two choices. Either we can go back to the days before the Senate when we were nothing more than nomadic warmongers or we could create a semblance of peace throughout the universe. The choice, ladies and gentlemen, is yours." Abryi charismatically spread his hands to all those before him. "Now, all the yeas shall vote in favor of Eero's policies and the nays shall vote for mine."

Eero tried his best to hide how he felt. "Now, please hold your hands high as I count all of you."