Chapter XXIII
- Location
- Florida USA
Chapter XXIII
Senate Chambers
Nova Roma, Gaul Continent
Alphard IV, Latium District
Marian Hegemony
29 January 3036
Corvus made a special show of frailty as he entered the senate chambers. He exaggerated his limp heavily, leaning on Josephina as he crossed the room. His nervousness for his first senatorial address already had his tics running wild, and he did nothing to restrain them. He made a show of tripping on the dais, and taking far longer to rise than a man his age was expected to take. Finally, he rose to take his place at the podium, looking out over the seventy-four most powerful people in the nation.
He gripped the podium with all of his might. His legs shook from the nervousness. This was far worse than the lecture series on Niops. There, all that was at stake was his pitiful reputation. Now, the fate of hundreds of millions of lives hung on the balance. The senate murmured among themselves as they waited for him to begin.
"I c-c-c-call th-this one-h-hundred and si-si-sixteenth session of the senate t-t-to order." Corvus eventually choked out, to dull applause from the audience. "S-s-senator Zielinski, by t-t-tradition as Senator Qui Praeest, I t-t-t-turn proceedings over to you." Just in time too, as the facial tics won one. He turned away, to make a show of being ashamed of the spasms and jerks.
Aleksander Zielinski allowed plenty of time for the senate and the watching holo-cameras to soak in on the sight of Corvus' tics before finally moving his hoverchair forward. He took her place at the speaker's podium halfway between the assembled senators and their Imperator. The man was ancient, and while physically infirm, had a confidence in his condition that Corvus lacked. He flicked a switch and the chair hovered higher off the ground, to give him a commanding view of his colleagues. He addressed the crowd with the ease of an expert. He sounded natural, yet Corvus knew every world had been carefully chosen and rehearsed for hours. "The senate is honoured by the presence of our new Imperator. We are thankful that he has shown his devotion to this house by his presence that his two predecessors have not. May he reign longer than both." He paused at the implied threat for applause from the crowd. "Let us also congratulate him on his impending victory against the Duchy of Tamarind." Another paise, another, larger, round of applause. "Personally, I was getting rather tired of my position as ambassador to that foul place, and thank the Imperator for presenting me with the opportunity to return home." He laughed, and the crowd laughed with him.
He switched to a more serious tone. "That is all the levity we can spare for now. The apparatus of the state has been left to rot under the last two administrations. There is much that must be done, and not enough time to do it in. Our Imperator has asked that we address two items of business before getting on with the session's agenda. The floor is his."
Corvus inclined his head towards the senator, and then took in a deep breath. "Th-thank you, Senator Zielinki, for your k-k-kind welcome. And thank you, t-to all of you, who have served in these d-difficult times. It is the senate who acts as the g-g-glue that k-keeps our worlds together. It is in t-times like these, that we are reminded of the t-times of trouble that faced the original R-r-roman state. That state evolved in it's time. From kingdom, to republic t-t-to empire, to tetrarchy, and varying d-degrees of power between emperor and senate in the Eastern inc-carnaton. B-b-b-but." He paused to let the tics take their course before continuing. "The worst times, were when one man ruled alone, and allowed his passions to rule him. Caligula, Nero, Elagabalus, and we must now accept, Sean. But the best rule c-c-came when the time Emperor and senate worked in harmony. The Hegemony is too great now for one man to rule it all."
Corvus paused as if to tic, though in reality, it was to build the suspense. It worked. They were all curious now. At least, curious enough to be silent.
"Johann Sebastian claimed to be recreating Rome at her height, but he established the government system of the Dominate. Yet the greatest of all Roman governments, was the Principate, under which the senate retained power. And the empire flourished like none other during the reign of Augustus himself, who favoured the title of Princeps, first citizen, over that of Imperator. As such, and in honour of your service to the Hegemony, I ask you to approve this law, Bill S-1 of the 116th session, which the pages will distribute to you now, to reform of system of governance to grant additional powers to the Senate, and to reform my role to that of Princeps, to act as a true leader of the senate and people, not simply as military governor to command it."
The chamber buzzed with excitement as the senators began to leaf through, looking for their new powers. Corvus coughed to grab their attention again, hoping the greedy fools would split their attention between him and the bill itself.
"We must move forward, together. We must grow and change like the Romans did, to ensure that we too may survive as a people for twenty-two hundred years. We must case of, along with the other ways, our old name, that evokes not just an ancient man who tried to destroy the senate, but also a recent man, beloved of us all, who set us on the path towards reform. This bill declares the end of the Marian Hegemony, and the birth of something new, better: the Corvid Principate."
They stood and clapped for that one. At least, the half that had found the new powers and stipends the bill afforded senators. He grinned up at the senators. So predictable. They'd have let him rename the country the Fetid Shitheap for enough money.
He skimmed through the bill, page by page, making sure to linger on the expanded powers. Zielinski was no fool, and grilled him at every turn. But the rest, so used to being a rubber stamp, got tired of his antics and began to shout him down. They were over two hours past when the lunch break should have happened when he reached the final page.
"Penultimately, given the depredations that my predecessor has had on your numbers through his murders, I ask for the power to temporarily appoint senators, for the period of one session, so that senatorial vacancies can be filled temporarily so as not to impede the effectiveness of the state while new senators are elected and transported to Alphard. Finally, it was the wish of our last true Imperator, Marius, that the three Lothian worlds of Paulinus, Logan Prime, and Lindassa receive senators, as per the formula established when Illyria was granted senators, with 2 per world, plus an additional senator for every full five hundred million citizens. It was Marius sincerest wish, which he expressed on this very senate floor the week before his assassination, that they should be granted these seats. Now if there are any questions…."
Zielinski looked to his senators for relief. None could interrupt the Imperator, not even for lunch, but now Corvus had given him the opportunity to recess, to gather his thoughts and allies for a deeper look at the bill. One senator, a woman from New Venice, had risen even before Corvus had finished, and Zielinski called upon him. But rather than a recess, she called for closure. "I call for closure and a vote on Bill S-1." The aged Senator Doran, Livia's material grandfather, rose and seconded. The vote passed with a wide margin. Zielinski stared in wonder and disgust at Corvus, as he hobbled away for his lunch.
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The senate chamber was silent as he returned to the podium. He beamed the same empty smile he'd perfected in his youth as he picked up his notes and cleared his throat. "Senators, the Principate is in the m-midst of a great c-c-crisis. N-not the ones you're thinking of, I assure y-you. But a new crisis, bubbling beneath the surface. One that poses an existential threat to patricians everywhere, and even the state itself, let alone the d-d-damage that it has done to our psyches and the m-moral fiber of our n-n-nation."
He took a moment's pause to let them stew in their seats. "That crises is slavery. Just as the Roman state evolved, so too did it's economy. We must transition away from the slave economy for the economic g-good of the nation, for the protection of the realm from slave revolts, and most importantly of all, for the m-m-moral imperative of-"
His voice was drowned out by the voices of agitated senators. He allowed the tics to break forth as Zielinski pointedly waited before bringing the chamber back to order.
Corvus took his time fiddling with his notes. "Th-theref-fore, we p-p-put forward b-bill S-2. A bill to free all slaves within the Principate-"
Senators were on their feet now, slamming their hands on the desks in front of them, pumping fists in the air and screaming bloody murder. Every. Single. One.
Corvus looked down at his notes. He took slow, deep breaths. Slaveowners, every one. But He'd hoped a few, at least, would have the moral character to jump at the chance to free theirs, if their competitors were forced to do the same. He forced himself to continue, even though it meant screaming about the furor.
"Th-therefore, all slaves owned by the state w-w-will b-be freed within ten years t-time. All privately held slaves will b-be freed within twenty-five. N-n-no new slaves will be taken, for any reason, but it war, or criminality, or debt-"
The crowd drowned him out again. He shouted louder, but all he accomplished was to strain his vocal chords. Zielinski held up a hand, and the senate came to order instantly. That was the sort of man these senators respected. Zielinski was the worst of the bunch, who had made his fortune throwing enslaved men into the arena. "I move for closure and a vote on Bill S-2." The senators behind tripped over each other to second it. Within minutes, the bill was defeated, and Corvus left the dais in shame.
He shuffled away, unaided this time, then collapsed on the steps of the senate.
Josephina followed not long after, sitting beside him. She put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it gently. "You did well in there."
He nodded along, hiding his grin under his hands.
Livia's voice came from behind. "What the hell are you talking about? Those monsters just embarrassed him publicly, and after giving them more power! What the hell went well there? What the hell is our plan B?"
Corvus patted the step next to him, Livia sat and leaned in close. "What you s-saw fail in there was plan B: their one chance to end this with honour. What you saw succeed, this morning, was the first ph-phase of plan A."
"You promised no secrets between us."
He nodded his head, rose, and offered her a hand. "You're r-right. Come with me. I have something to show you."
Imperial Palace
Nova Roma, Gaul Continent
Alphard IV, Latium District
Marian Hegemony
It seemed to Livia as if the palace archives had become a second home for Corvus. Or perhaps, they always had been, but she had paid her uncle too little attention to notice. Either way, by now she'd learned that he spent more hours down here than he did in his chambers. They had come directly from the senate chamber and after three hours of watching him dig through papers and stacking them in her arms, she was tiring of the search.
"Why can't you just tell me, Uncle? If your plan is so convoluted that you need this many documents to explain to me, then I have to warn you, it might just be a little too complex to have a chance of success."
Corvus giggled as he dug through the papers. The laugh was beginning to grate on her. He'd been giggling like a school boy almost non-stop since his coronation. "Primary documents, my dear. Always b-better to see the source for yourself. Besides, if they d-decide to do me in like Caesar, then Octavius had better have a good idea of what the plan was, eh? Ah!"
He pulled himself out of the stacks with a file in hand, and then led her to the central table. Scribrarians cleared the way to give them space, then made their way out of room under the withering glare of Maximus and Gnasher.
"This one f-first." He said, handing her the final file.
She flipped it open and began to skim. The first page was the archivist's filing notes, but her heart skipped a beat as she recognized her father's handwriting on the second page. Her pace slowed as she drank in every single word. He may have been a monster to others, but he had never shown that side to her. In these words, he saw yet another side. Marius the father, Marius the killer, and now Marius the statesman. Grand reforms, against which even her and Corvus' wildest dreams paled. It had to be for the public, didn't it? She found it hard to imagine her father giving up a shred of his power. She flipped back to the archivist's note. Private Notes of Imperator Marius O'Reilly, Penned March 3021, it read.
"More." She said. Corvus understood her perfectly. He passed along another set from April of 3023, then from October of 3019. He passed them one at a time for hours. She understood the under must be a ploy to lead her to a certain conclusion, but that didn't dissuade her from devouring the notes. It was hard to tell the time in the windowless stacks, but it must have been the early hours of the night she finally stopped.
"He wanted to grant all the Lothian worlds senate seats. Plus the worlds who surrendered or asked for annexation. He...he was going to empower the senate too? And the slaves, a path to freedom for privately held slaves? I don't understand. This doesn't sound like him at all. How much of him don't I know, Corvus?"
Corvus looked wistfully off towards the stacks. "More than either of us can ever grasp, I fear. Harcourt Kelly's notes provide some context you'll appreciate when you can find the time."
She grabbed the notes from 3019. "This one, it reads just like your proposals for senate powers."
"It should. It w-was."
"Why did he write this?"
"He believed in it, m-maybe? I think, at least, Harcourt seems to believe that Marius was a true reformer. If only he c-c-could have stepped back and shared power, he could have done what we're trying to do and more."
She sat, dumbfounded, trying to reconcile the emerging narrative of her father's life with the already conflicting stories. It was only then that she noticed the food that Maximus must have brought hours ago. Corvus stayed quiet as she thought and ate.
She flipped through a draft of legislation from just before her father's death. She spoke with her mouth still half stuffed with figs. "This one….this is it...isn't it?" Corvus shrugged. "Senate seats….to all 7 worlds of the Lothian League...plus to all who accept the...Pax Marianus." She swallowed. "How many votes does that buy us?"
"In his lifetime? Not enough, but the precedent…." He trailed off, then grabbed quill and paper. "86 seats in the senate from the core Marian worlds, 74 of which are currently filled and 12 of which are not, but soon will be. We have allies or those who can be swayed among them, like Gurdeep and your grandfather, but the others will vote against whatever bill I present, especially one as radical as total and immediate abolition."
"But Uncle, you can choose which 12 they will be, surely we can find 12 who can be bent to support it?"
"Yes, but that would reveal our hand far too early. A few, for sure, not not that many." He glanced up and pointed the pen at her bodyguard. "Him, for example. The senators from Algenib were killed in the coup. He and a picked senator, they'll do."
Maximus saluted the Imperator, but otherwise stood unmoved by the coming promotion.
"N-now, add in the Lothian worlds, 14 votes, add in the worlds such as the trio of Niopian worlds, 6 votes, the Intendancy of New New Spain, 6 votes, Gurdeep will deliver us 2 from New Venice, and your grandfather another one. Kendall has over two billion people, which earns us another 6 all from one world, add in the Bolanese and Kashamarkan worlds who surrendered without a shot. The Tamarind worlds won't be accepted, that's a bridge too far as long as we're at war, but the piece de resistance is this." He slid a two page addendum over to her. "An addition, not even finished, granting Timbiqui 3 seats. That pr-precedent allows us to g-grant senators to worlds who were aggressive at first, but who eventually came to a negotiated peace.
Livia's eyes went wide at that. "Circinus has 9 worlds."
"10 if you include the colonia on Valerius. Yes, that's 20 more senators. All my creatures. Now, add in the other odds and ends, exclude a few political inconvenient worlds and...there! 74 votes against, and 84 votes in favour."
She grabbed the paper and looked it over. The math worked out. She hoped it reflected reality.
"Burn that fuckin' thing on your way out." Called a voice from across the room. She looked over to see Ambrose pushing past Maximus. She held up a hand to call off her future senator, and the Legatus approached. "We need to talk, we've got a situation developing."
"Where?" Livia asked.
"Everywhere."
Corvus held up a hand before she could make a smartass response. "S-seriously now, please. It's l-late and it's b-been a long day."
"All right: Hugoists. Sean took a liking to the creeps. Something about them being the only pricks more depraved than he was, real bacchic reveler types. He had what counts for the highest authorities here on Alphard, and they got murked in the coup. They were barely holding it together as is, and now the factions are at each other's throats. What's worse, we've got Hugoists coming from all the sphere Galedonian and Rasalhaguian mostly, but you got a bunch of weird ones from Oberon, which is supposed to be where this Hugo guy comes from."
Corvus rubbed his brow. "I can't deal with this r-r-right n-now."
"I can." Livia declared without hesitation.
Ambrose smirked down at her. "All right, well, we've got Bartlett's Bulldogs under contract right now, and the Book of Hugo actually mentions their commander, supposedly they were drinking buddies back when he wrote them. But he'll do anything for cash, so Bartlett luls them into a false sense of security, and then-"
"St-stop!" Corvus called. "The state will not be used to m-m-murder our own people. D-deal with it how you like, Livia, you are Consul, but please, the state cannot use violence against these people." he sighed as he pushed himself up, shaking a little on numb legs. "I've been sitting for t-too long. A walk in the gardens, and then bed."
Livia patted the chair next to her and leaned in towards Ambrose as he sat. "I need you to charter a flotilla of jumpships and passenger dropships and prep to leave for Pompey. I've got an idea."
Ambrose's counter-smile grew from sarcastic to genuine as she laid out her plan. By the end, he was laughing along with the plan
Marian Amphitheatre
Livy Metropolitanus, Vesuvii Continent
Pompeii, Latium District
19 May 3036
Livia stood, arms raised, soaking in the screams of the crowd at the Marian Amphitheatre. She soaked up the attention; it had been far too long since she'd cultivated the adoration of the palace girls in her youth. She hadn't realized how much she missed it until today. She waited until every single voice in the crowd went silent before speaking.
"People of the Corvid Principate! This week, you have seen grudge matches the likes of which we have never seen! Now, in honour of my adoption by our glorious Imperator, Corvus O'Reilly-Logan, and in recognition of his conquest of the Duchy of Tamarind, I present to you the Primus!"
The crowd cheered again as the gladiators strode out. The survivors of a week of bloodshed represented five of the Hugoist factions. She couldn't even keep track of how many hadn't made it this far.
"In red, the Hugonian People's Front! In blue, the People's Front of Hugonia! In yellow, the Hugonian Popular Front! In green, the Hugonian Full Frontal Nudity for all People Party, and in orange, the Followers of the Third Book of Hugo. The last team to survive will be declared the true voice of the word of Hugo, to lead their people to the sacred land promised by Hugo."
The assembled warriors raised their weapons as one in salute, as one reciting the ancient words, Avē Consul, moritūrī tē salūtant!"
She flopped back into the Editor's chair, with Ambrose by her side, surveying the rubes in the field below.
