NES2 VIb - Return of the Chaos.

[Azale]

PUAF Capital District, Nouvelle Amsterdam, Parliament Building/ 1:25 A.M.-1:50 A.M.

Evariste buried his head in his hands as he sat. A man who had just recently eclipsed forty years of age, Renaud was expected to deliver a rousing “speech of righteousness” to the Parliament, a group filled largely with closed-minded old men. What would that do now? What good does a few hundred useless sentences do? He had grappled with himself on this issue for weeks, and it became unbearable now that the time was coming nearer.

“Premier Renaud? Sir Renaud?” Evariste slowly turned his head to face the voice as he continued,” Are you ready sir?”. Evariste chuckled lightly to himself and quickly stood up, straightening his back as best he could, “ Oh, don’t call me by my last name, Daniel. It makes me feel like I am back in the army…” Now Daniel had to look up to speak to him, but that is not by virtue of Daniel’s shortness as much as it is by the Premier’s sheer size. He towered over most people at 6’6” and was a very strong man from his years in the Imperial Provincial Army of America, “Very well then, Evariste. I just came to inform you that the Parliament is ready…for your words of wisdom.” There was an air of sarcasm after that last phrase, but it did not penetrate the Premier. Instead, he chuckled to himself again, “Words of wisdom they will get then.”

**********
Texas Province, Outskirts of Corpus Christi, Jones Plantation/ 1:40 A.M.-4:00 A.M.

Today was the day. An inconspicuous day, just like any other, unless you were in the know of course. To those people, today was the best chance for freedom. Diomedes was one of those people, but until the signal was given, he would continue his normal backbreaking work. The cotton gin had been invented decades earlier, but the cruel plantation master Mr. Jones insisted on having a near army of slaves pick the cotton as well in his vast field. The brutality of Jones was well known as well. Beatings and whippings were common, and no slack was given to women or children. The latter were expected to work as soon as they could walk. Many more memories flashed in Diomedes head, but he chose not to focus too clearly on them. It would wreck his concentration and he might miss the sign.

“YOU! Look at me! You worthless black piece of ****, get back to work!” Diomedes winced as the whip slashed into his skin. He would deck him out right now if it wasn’t for the pistol he had in his belt. “Yes suh.” Diomedes knelt to continue picking, but this man was not done with him yet, “Suh? Who the hell is suh? You calling me some ****** curse word?” Diomedes turned his back on the man, as if he had not even heard him. “You hear me boy? Don’t you EVER turn your back to me!” Suddenly Diomedes saw something. It was rising from the house, and it looked like…Oh crap…the sign!! There was perhaps no worse time for it to come. Still, he had to hold his end if the revolution was to succeed. “Are you HEARING me boy?” Diomedes could hear the whip being prepared. He had to act fast, before chaos could ensue and make the man think about shooting him. “Freedom will come to my people”, Diomedes rose quickly after those words, landing a strike right across the face of the whip man. He crumpled to the ground, dazed and holding his nose. He quickly lunged at the man, grabbing his pistol. “Don’t kill me!!! Don’t kill me, PLEASE don’t kill me!!!” The irony would be all too sweet, but Diomedes could not kill this man. Not if he supported the end of this terror could he terrorize others for no reason…of course, he had perfect reason in this case,” I will not kill you, you son of a *****.” Diomedes aimed the gun, firing straight at the ankle, “But I will not let you get in our way.”
__________

Diomedes felt like collapsing. He had been running, hell, he had been sprinting ever since he fled the plantation. From behind him he could hear gunshots and minor explosions, and he had several miles behind him and that awful place he used to call home.USED to. Only now did he stop to catch his breath, ever so cautiously looking around to ensure no one would see him and suspect something. His time to catch his breath would be limited though, as the mission was not yet over. He had come upon the city of Corpus Christi, and that meant it was time to find…Mr. Frederick.

Looking for that man, Diomedes ended up straying into the downtown area. Perhaps this would have been very dangerous, considering his tattered clothing and skin tone gave away his status, but one thing had changed in the hours since his escape. Passing by the newsstand, he saw a boy come with a stack of the day’s papers. It was an odd time of the day to do so…something incredible must have happened. Diomedes stood there, eyes fixated on the papers. As the boy placed them down, he shot a wry, half smile towards the man in front him, holding the sides of the news stand. Diomedes walked closer…his heart pounding. He didn’t know why, but he felt something major was about to change his life forever.

He was soon peering over the paper, and his jaw dropped as he read the headline “EXTRA! PREMIER RENAUD OUTLAWS SLAVERY!”.

 

[silver 2039]

Haha your in civil war now.

 

[Azale]

Have you not been paying attention?

It is near impossible to avoid, and will become worse if I didn't do this. At least das says I have a chance to end it quickly...

Also, you know slavery is outdated. Technology is WW1 level as far as military goes, I can't have an archiac system in my country if I'm going to be successful anyway.

So there

 

[Disenfrancised]

Tech is more 1890s I thought?

 

[silver 2039]

I can't have an archiac system in my country if I'm going to be successful anyway.

Whats wrong with slavery anyway? Free labor they do the hard, unpleasant work that no one else wants to do. It bacially the equivalaent of Mexican immigrants who get paid menial wage and pick grapes or clean the toilets. I don't see whats so bad economically.

 

[North King]

Whats wrong with slavery anyway? Free labor they do the hard, unpleasant work that no one else wants to do. It bacially the equivalaent of Mexican immigrants who get paid menial wage and pick grapes or clean the toilets. I don't see whats so bad economically.

Slaves drag down the wages of other workers, and thus discourage the industry in a nation (no point to mass producing things by machine if you have free hands), and thus make the whole apparatus less efficient. Slavery was outlawed in the USA for economic reasons.

 

[silver 2039]

(no point to mass producing things by machine if you have free hands),

Um no. Theres plent of point mass producing thing. Investing in machinery will yeild greater production and you can afford in this machinery since you do not have to pay slaves thus production is increased by several times and greater profits are both in then allowing for expansion and more investment in machinery.

 

[North King]

Um no. Theres plent of point mass producing thing. Investing in machinery will yeild greater production and you can afford in this machinery since you do not have to pay slaves thus production is increased by several times and greater profits are both in then allowing for expansion and more investment in machinery.

Plenty of point--after much investment, maybe. History speaks against you, silver. The Romans failed to adopt more machine-based equipment (even simple stuff like waterwheels were underutilized) because they had slave labor, and the American South was grossly underindustrialized. Slave labor means that you have no immediate incentive to invest into mass production machinery, and since humans generally think in the short term, there was no incentive to them to invest in new production. This is based in history, not theory.

 

[Insane_Panda]

Tech is more 1890s I thought?

Well, the whole airships with bombs thing...

Some of it has reached WWI, most notably military tech (no tanks, however). Domestic tech is more on an 1880s-90s level.

 

[Disenfrancised]

Well, the whole airships with bombs thing...

Some of it has reached WWI, most notably military tech (no tanks, however). Domestic tech is more on an 1880s-90s level.

Yeah, hot air airships

 

[Insane_Panda]

Non, they are of helium. I have asked das on this issue via PM.

Military ones, anyways, are filled with Helium. Reconaissance ballons are filled with hot air.

 

[North King]

No hydrogen? Well that sucks. Suicide attacks with a hydrogen airship on an enemy attack would be quite amusing.

 

[Insane_Panda]

THE CARROT AND THE STICK
LE PALAIS DES TUILERIES - JUNE 1st, 1780, ANNO DOMINI​

Le Palais des Tuileries​

I have orated, celebrated, and conversed with the people of France and of the colonies, and throughout my travels one message has reverberated clearly to me. One message, which has above all permeated through my every thought. There is no other nation such as France.

- Emperor Julien II, then King Julien-François I, in an address to the Senate, c.1742 A.D

History, though some would beg to differ, is decided by the actions of a few, powerful men. The currents of the people have something to do with it, yes, but not as much as some revisionist historians would have it. History, ultimately, is forged by the leaders of nations, and by their ministers. It is not the duty of the people to direct wars and foriegn policy - it is the duty of their sovereign. The people, in contrast to this, support their sovereign, and indeed, empower him. They are essential, this much is true, yet they do not turn the wheels, they do not shape the world unless through great action as a whole. Revolutions, even popular revolutions, are not spearheaded by the people, they are spearheaded by those characters who have so well manipulated and enthralled the people to do their bidding. The masses are the foundation of history - yet it is the leaders and geniuses of nations, of movements, and of revolutions which truly drive it forwards.

~~~​

Paris, in the summer, is rather mild. The city does not, as some others, become a giant cooking pot - the weather is usually fair, unless there is a wave of heat. On occasion, the weather will gray, and rain will grace the banks of the Seine. More often than not, however, it is rather calm, and the city retains, through all seasons, its magnificent beauty. In summer and spring, the glory of the Empire surrounds you and inspires. In winter and fall, it overcomes you. However, this was summer - gone were the overbearing black coats, immense monuments, and gray skies. In were the light colors, beautiful architecture, and bright, cerulean days.

In the center of it all, amidst the beauty of summer, along the banks of the Seine, in the Palais de Tuilieries, two men were discussing the latest issues of state. These men, as it turns out, were men of power.

~~~​

Philippe de Terraillon was holding the latest edition of Le Parisien, examining the headlines. Le Parisien, always somewhat friendly to the Empire - even since the days of the Kingdom - was considered, by all that worked in the government, as the paper of record.

"Look at this, your majesty. Unknown group voices support for Egalitistes, urges the revolution of European Workers." de Terraillon laughed. "If only they would ever learn. These revolutionaries have no tact, no brains, and no sense. They are mere bugs which occasionally bite."

"Indeed, you are right there, Premier, however, one must look at the other figures aswell." Valérien, who was sitting at his desk, under an immense portrait of his father, drew out some papers. He got up from his desk, and walked accross the room to where Terraillon was sitting, adjacent to one of the tall glass windows.

Terraillon adjusted his glasse and began to read "...poll suggests a large plurality of Imperial Workers supports the Egalitiste movement..".

He set down the paper, looking at it once, then taking a look outside the window. The Seine was calm today - and the trees looked wonderful. It was summer.

"Of course these workers support the Egalitistes, they are workers." He said, merely shrugging it off.

"Yes. Men are swayed easily by a few harsh words. However, men are more swayed by prosperity, by," he paused, walked up against the window, and looked out towards Paris. "by this." He gestured his arms towards the city.

"The grandeur of Empire can never be matched - atleast, not in times of strenght, of wealth, and of power. The revolutionaries, as fiery as their rhetoric may be, have chosen a particularly bad time to attempt a revolution. If a man is rich and his country safe, than he is less-enclined to hate the current order. As it stands, our Empire is quite rich, and our military is quite large. We, as a whole, are quite safe."

Terraillon remarked "Indeed, this is all true. These egalitistes cannot last in the face of Imperial success - the nation must perish so that they shall live. They thrive on our defeat, they WISH for our defeat."

"And does not that smack of treason?" The Emperor said, turning from his window, and giving Terraillon a smirk.

"Why yes, your majesty, I think it does."

"And is not treason illegal?"

"Indeed it is, sir."

"Than Egalitisme, must too, be declared illegal."

"Wonderful." Terraillon remarked, folding away his paper and putting away his glasses.

"Verywell, this is what we shall do. We shall crush Egalitisme with a strong, firm hand. We shall root it out, and we shall destroy it. The Gendarmes will have something to do again besides putting down some thieves - they will be unleashed upon the revolution as our armies were once unleashed accross the world. The leaders of Egalitisme are to be declared traitors, arrested, and executed. The newspapers supporting the movement are to be shut down. The unions will be placed under watch. We shall re-assert our control. There shall be, in the space of a few years, no strong movement left. They are to be crushed - no, they are to be exterminated"

The emperor paused, somewhat heated up in the discussion.

"However, if we are to do this, than we must do something else aswell. We cannot simply beat them down. That is the mistake of history. We must beat them when they are wrong, and we must reward them when they are right. Social legislation, of the highest order, must be passed. I do not care what those reactionaries in the Senate think - this legislation will be passed. It is to be declared 'tanamount to our security' - write that down."

Terraillon was scribbling furiously on a notepad.

"The people, if we are to win their support, must be awed - they must be awed and rewarded. Thus, we will awe them, and we will bestow upon them gifts of the greatest kind. We will give them security, and we will give them prosperity. The revolution claims for the equality of the worker, but do we see them enacting social law? No, we do not. They clamor for action, they clamor for the destruction of the State. Yet does the destruction of the state benefit the worker in any way? No, no it does not. These peices of legislation must be under our backing, under our order. If the people see that we will give them in abundance what the revolutionaries can only promise, than they will support us."

The emperor paused oncemore.

"Actions, my friend, speak far louder than words. You now understand what is required."

"Yes, your Majesty. I will begin drafts of the legislation immediately, and I will begin the draft of the Imperial Orders required."

"Egalitisme, your Majesty, shall be smashed."

SECTION III
The Act for Imperial Security​

Whoever shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the Holy Roman Empire, or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements, or join the participation of ideaologies intrisicly against the ideals of the Empire and with the purpose to harm the Empire, and whoever when the Holy Roman Empire is at war, shall willfully cause or attempt to cause, or incite or attempt to incite, insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the Holy Roman Empire, or shall willfully obstruct or attempt to obstruct the recruiting or enlistment and conscription services of the Holy Roman Empire, and whoever shall willfully utter, print, write or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, treasonous or abusive language about the form of government of the Holy Roman Empire and the institutions therein, or the military or naval forces of the Holy Roman Empire, into contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute, or shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any language intended to incite, provoke, or encourage resistance to the Holy Roman Empire, or to promote the cause of its enemies, or shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall willfully by utterance, writing, printing, publication, or language spoken, urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production in this country of any thing or things, product or products, necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war in which the Holy Roman Empire may be engaged, with intent by such curtailment to cripple or hinder the Holy Roman Empire in the prosecution of war, and whoever shall willfully advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated, and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any country (or radical ideaology) with which the Holy Roman Empire is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the Holy Roman Empire therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than 100,000 Francs, or the imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both: Provided, That any employee or official of the Imperial Government who commits any disloyal act or utters any unpatriotic or disloyal language, or who, in an abusive and violent manner criticizes the Army or Navy or Government of the Holy Roman Empire shall be at once dismissed from the service

...

 

[alex994]

Lurker's Comment: "The Pax Franconia?" What would be the Latin form for Peace of France anyways?

 

[Grandmaster]

The ITCfAoFaJ denounces Emperor Valerien and his ministers as enemies of freedom (and justice), for their continuing efforts to subvert the workers' movement with socially-progressive legislation. Freedom and justice cannot be advanced by the calculated lawmaking of an imperial government; they can be advanced only by the liberation and collective action of The People.

 

[Insane_Panda]

What would be the Latin form for Peace of France anyways?

The Pax Gallica. It is used in the BT.

 

[JosefStalinator]

Wait im confused... who exactly is grandmaster?

 

[Grandmaster]

The International Terrorist Conspiracy for the Advancement of Freedom and Justice, bien sur.

 

[stalin006]

i am confused as why put the word terrorist in his name. Should be more like liberator or freedom fighter

 

[Insane_Panda]

Valerien announces his love and everlasting support for the ITCfAoFaJ.