Kialga
TNPer
- TNP Nation
- Kialga-Lourti
- Discord
- Elegante#5102
Months had passed since Jasmine had issued the declaration of independence on behalf of the people of Cetus. Annora could not bear the silence the Hall of Governance held. The pillars once reverberated with the sounds of governors and ministerial staff on their daily duties for Cetus and Kialga-Lourti. Now, those bodies had either fled back to Kialga-Lourti, or had been killed off if they had remained within Cetus and loyal to the Commonwealth.
That was Jasmine's idea, not hers.
Jasmine had taken the reigns of Cetus, declaring herself a President. Leading the people blindly to retake government buildings, private offices, and public spaces. Holding witch hunts for those who remained loyal to the Commonwealth. The streets were calm now, the last Kialgan official being killed before the middle of April even settled in. Offices sat vacant, homes reaching the very earliest stages of disrepair. The morale of the people plummeting far below the bodies that were hastily buried in a cemetery behind the old Governor's Mansion. Aside from the flag that represented the "free" Cetus dangling against the far wall, the Hall of Governance was completely still.
Taking her time in striding down the hall, Annora was flanked by two armed guards, both of whom stood a good foot taller than the young woman who took point. The trio climbed the stairs beneath the flag of the Republic, whose fleur-de-lis stood out as a sign of a time before the Kialgans called the land home. Before the bloodshed that tore her people from their protectors on the distant continent. Before the end of safety and well being as the Cetians knew it. The footsteps of the guards matched Annora's heels clicking as they approached the office that Jasmine called home. Not a true home, but a home for the affairs of the "government" that led the people of Cetus.
The doors fell open with a push from the guards, revealing the office that held the most recent history of Cetus. From waging war alongside allies in Rhuvanland, to declaring war against the Kialgans who swore to protect the Cetians, to waging war against the Cetians who wished nothing more to remain protected behind a power that knew what it was doing. Jasmine sat behind the desk, back to the door, looking across the ocean, similarly to how she always did in wartime. Boxes containing documents that would go unread lined one side of the room, while a seal that was far beyond recognition to Annora laid itself across the floor beneath her feet. Jasmine remained facing the ocean, only emitting the familiar sound of her drinking to the room. Annora watched the back of the chair, nodding her head for the guards to approach it from either side.
"Jasmine," Annora began with a confident voice, "This has gone on for too long. The people are depressed, the economy is weak and dying at best, and the very fabric that makes our nation what it is and was is coming apart." The guards stood at either side of Jasmine's desk, while Annora remained in the doorway. "You have done nothing but murder those who stood in your way. This Republic that you have created is gone to the birds, and nothing will bring it back," standing taller, Annora watched as Jasmine spun the chair around and the guards raised their weapons to her.
"It was for the people, Annora, don't you remember? The lives lost in Rhuvanland? The mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers who had to deal with the loss of their family every night because the Kialgans were greedy and bought us out? Bought your family out!?" Jasmine had taken a standing position. "House Simonett sold us out to the Kialgans. Your own mother sold us out."
Annora stared her counterpart down, someone she once saw as a friend and equal, reduced now to a bloodthirsty heathen who defended her own backside while leaving her people dead.
"There has been more Cetian bloodshed since April then there ever was in Rhuvanland. More Cetian lives have been lost since you took to sitting your ass in that chair as "president" then there ever was when Snyders was sending troops of all Districts to Rhuvanland. You understand that, Jasmine? You have killed more of our ow- killed more of my own people then Snyders ever did. And for what? You are one of the Lourtians, Jasmine, or have you forgotten? Snyders himself sent you over here to govern us, to lead us and help us prosper as Kialgans. You were nothing more then Snyders aide before he posted you here, and this is how you repay him?"
Jasmine snorted, brushing the hair out of her face. "I did it for Cetus, Annora. For us, and our people. They took me in as their own, treated me like a goddess, and let me lead them within the rules of the Commonwealth. And I did it. I lead this District as if it were my own. It isn't a Capricorn, but it's close enough. This was my time to shine, to prove to Snyders that I could rule the nation with him. Until he shut me down in the backroom. Stripped me of ever becoming his Representative. Endorsing that damn Holmes for another term." Grinning, Jasmine watched Annora's face contort. "And you know why? Cetus was an easy stepping stone. I kept leading Cetus, I didn't throw a tantrum over Snyders, but I plotted to get even. Cetus was my step, Cetus is my country now."
Before she finished her speech, the butt of a gun clocked Jasmine in the temple. As she folded into the floor, Annora stepped over to the front of the desk and watched the guards pick up the crumpled body. Nodding, Annora dismissed the guards. Turning to face the door, Annora planned her speech. Not only to the people of Cetus, but to the international community. This was going to be Cetus' one saving grace.
