“May I speak freely?” Sonii asked.
The Governor turned to face his highest ranking official. “You may.”
Sonii cleared his voice and stood. “With respect sir, I think it would be in our best interest to request the Council of Royal Knights consider placing their finest soldiers in areas where there might be protests. Rohania would be a good start. As you know, in the past there have been several violent protests there, as well as outside the immigrant camps. The only way to deter citizens from thinking is by mere force, something Commander Augustus is very good at. And while I share your optimistic view that all of Tisaia’s citizens will eventually agree with the legislature and our office, I think it’s best we take appropriate measures,” Sonii said, as he sat down, winded from his short speech.
The Governor massaged his mustache again.
“This is what I have been saying for some time as well. Just make sure it gets done, then.”
Sonii nodded and rushed out of the room to a hallway leading to the staff offices. He would send a confidential memo via carrier to Commander Augustus immediately, informing him of the bill’s progression through the legislature and the Governor’s request for soldiers in Rohania. As the Chief of Staff made his way through the marble hallway, he felt a sense of victory. The pieces were coming together very well and soon the puzzle would be complete.
Time: 12:26 p.m. January 29, 2071
Location: Legislative Chambers, Capitol Building. Lunia, Tisaia
Sonii sat in a leather chair at the top of the legislative chamber, looking down on the chamber below. Next to him sat the most powerful man in all of Tisaia and probably the entire world, Governor Felix. Beneath them their Plebocrat puppets debated Bill 12b as the rest of the legislature sat silently at their desks. The discussion over the bill was nearing its second hour and not a single non-affiliated legislator had dared speak.
He couldn’t help but smile as the debate continued. If none of the independents spoke up, the bill would come to a vote without any objection. But just when he looked down at his watch, one of the independents tapped his gavel to speak.
Sonii scowled when he saw it was Representative Eduro, a popular politician who had gained the respect of the Plebrocrats through the years. He was known for his distinguished career as a Royal Knight and for his willingness to caucus with the Plebrocrats.
Sonii watched Eduro, who was nearing the age of 70, limp over to the main podium with the assistance of his legislative aide. The representative slowly walked up the steps in the north end of the chambers, which overlooked the desks of more than a hundred other representatives. He grabbed the wooden podium and looked at his colleagues. Silence washed over the room.
The Chief of Staff moved uncomfortably in his chair to get a better look at Eduro, who stood directly below him. He thought of Eduro as a fossil, his face plagued with scars representing battles Sonii had only read about. The truth was the old man was more than just a fossil; he was a powerful voice, a voice of reason many other non-party members respected and listened to, a voice that even some of the more moderate Plebrocrats listened to.
Sonii sat back in his chair, careful not to alarm the Governor. Eduro was dangerous. Not only because he was popular with his colleagues, but because he was popular with the citizens of Tisaia. He would certainly have a monument resurrected in his memory after his death. All of these things made him a threat to the Governor’s cause. It was people like Eduro who slowed progress in Tisaia.
“Representatives of Tisaia, we’re called here today to vote on Bill 12b, and we’re faced with a daunting question. Do we share our Biomass with governments who have survived the nuclear holocaust of the past century? Do we reach out to our fellow man, or do we keep our plentiful supply of Biomass for ourselves? We know from our past that energy does not always come in endless supply. However, times have changed.
“According to reports from some of the greatest scientific minds in all of Tisaia, we have found a way to engineer Biomass energy on a level that could sustain Tisaia for centuries. We can do this, I've been informed, efficiently and at a cost so low there should be no other option but to share this wealth with other governments.”
Sonii groaned silently, realizing what was unfolding in front of his eyes. He did not dare look at the Governor who sat silently in the chair next to him.
The chamber ignited in protest as Eduro stepped back from the podium, a hint of a smile on his ancient face. His voice was strained and scratchy from years of battles behind the very podium where he now stood, but he still had some fight left in him. He approached it again, raising his hands to quiet the audience.
“Tisaian representatives, hear me now!” he yelled over the commotion.
“We now know of several other governments still intact and barely surviving.”
Sonii flinched. Was it possible Eduro knew of these other governments?
He slouched in his chair as it all started to come together. Eduro was one of the Knights on the recon mission. He was breaking an oath he swore years ago. The Chief of Staff watched in horror, his surety and secrets crumbling in front of him.
“Some of these governments used to be our allies, others were our enemies, but now is a time to forget the past, to forget the killing, and to have a shared sense of humanity. Now is a time to share our energy with them so they may have the quality of life many of us have come to know.”
Eduro paused to take a sip of water before continuing.
“For too long we’ve abandoned the principals on which Tisaia was founded—principals of freedom, justice and equality. We imprison our immigrants, starve our citizens in Rohania; and worst of all, we keep our resources stockpiled in bunkers beneath our cities. I ask you all now, what are we afraid of? Another war? Another holocaust? I can tell you humanity can’t survive another war. Any just God would have already abandoned us. Now we must seek forgiveness, and share our energy, food and resources with others that need it now more than ever. It’s our duty as Tisaians; it’s our duty as men.”
The room erupted into upheaval, some representatives standing, others jumping from their seats. Most of them were chanting “blasphemy,” but there were a few that remained silent—a few that supported the old Royal Knight.
The chamber was divided. It was what Sonii feared the most. Now there would never be a unanimous vote on 12b. Eduro knew what he said would cause great turmoil in the chamber. In fact, it was one reason he hadn’t discussed his short speech with his aides before giving it. He was old and wanted to die proud of his service. There wasn’t any way he could support 12b. He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer only a month before and he knew he didn’t have much time left. It was after his diagnosis he decided he could take whatever Governor Felix, Commander Augustus and any of their cohorts could throw at him. If he was going to die, then at least he was going to do it with honor.
Sonii looked down at Eduro as he limped away from the stage by himself. Even his aide was too terrified to help him back to his desk.
“I want Eduro’s resignation on my desk by tomorrow,” Governor Felix snorted, before disappearing into the bowels of the Capitol hallways.
Sonni listened to the echo of clanking armor from the Governor’s two guards who raced after him. He sighed, reluctantly rising from his chair to follow the most powerful man in the world out of the chambers. “This is going to change things,” he muttered.