Il colore del sangue non è rosso porpora

[Taley]

Forum of Horace
Talemaniki

"In the city built on power we will show the empire what true power can achieve when it truely represents the people. Together we will change this nation one city at a time. Authority is vested in the people of a nation not in some false semi-divine figure in some lofty palace. We will show Blachernae that we will not be subjected to a tryant's oppression. We will revive the ancient Senate and restore the power to the people. We will introduce sweeping reforms to make all equall. We will end this nation built on good ol' boys tradition. If we stand together we can change our world!"

The crowd erupted into cheers. The ancient forum, built by Horace the Great the last sole Tiburian Empire and the first Talemantine Emperor, was filled with supporters numbering over a thousand. Many were waving red flags with gold Horacian Signets. Then the cheers broke into a chant. Ruberto! Ruberto!

Ruberto was the man on the dais behind the microphone. Behind him was a large banner with the words, 'Ruberto Morbidelli for Mayor'. Morbidelli, was a slightly short man in his mid sixties. A thinning head of black hair was offset by a pair of vivid blue eyes set in a face full of aged wrinkles and creases. With the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up his forearms, he raised his fist up in victory cracking that million dollar smile sending the crown in frenzyied cheers.

Ringing the forum were members of the Imperial Metropolitan Police Department in uniform waiting for the orders to disperse the crowd. This party rally was Morbidelli's voctory over them and the emperor. Due to foreign pressure from both Antioch and Rijeka the political rally was approved. Dispite the setback for the Socialists which Morbidelli led, from the snub to get on the ballet by the Electorial Commission, the socialist had found a backdoor into the race. Found in a law passed by the Senate the last time it actually met to pass laws, allowed any citizen to write in a candidate for election. This meant the socialists still had a shot at the Mayor's seat though even moreso a long shot campaign.

So unless the emperor convened the Senate to overturn the law to close the loophole, Ruberto would have to use his oppertunity to the fullest.

 

[Taley]

Blachernae Palace
Chancellor's Office

The Chancellor's office was on the far end of the Palace Complex. The Great Palace of Talemaniki had served as the seat of power since Horace the Great. The office also had a great veiw of the wide Forum of Horace. This was where First Minister Bishop Alexis Florioli stood at the window witnessing the most disturbing scene of his carear, the socialist rally. The socialists were using every loophole they could exploit. There was no guessing how low a socialist would stoop too to destroy a tradition dating back to the Tiburian Republic.

Alexis knew exactly what the socialists would do if they succeded. Morbidelli would use his position to convene the Senate and it would be a disaster of enormous porportions. However, Florioli was a good manipulator and was taought well during his tenure working for the Patriarch before his latest appointment. By allowing the socialist to move with their pursuits the foreign pressure would ease, further allowing him to sabotage the socialists. He would have to keep a close watch on Ruberto.

 

[Taley]

Talemaniki

Inspector Basil Petito was overseeing the clean-up of the Horacian Forum following the rally. Inspector was a medium high ranking title within the state police and it in no way suited Basil. Petito was only in his late twenties and had definatly not earned his position, and he knew it, especially when many of the other upper officers refused to let him forget. To bypass the usuall ten years on the job to obtain the rank, Basil just happened to be the son of a local hero, who died a few years ago protecting one of the princes from a socialist gunman. So his son was given a promotion to a job with a plushy salary and taken off from field work and moved into the office of Chief of Police and behind a desk.

Basil relished these jobs, as he hated being stuck behind a desk. He watched as officers directed people out of the Forum, breaking up a few altercations. Luckily there would only be a few arrests and the rally had gone very smoothly. His boss would be relieved. As the last people vacated the forum and the city center the city sanitation crews began the clean-up and the dismantling of the dais.

Basil bent down to pick up a small carboard flyer that blew by his foot. On it read 'Morbidelli for Mayor', white letters on a red field and a silhouette of the man next to the words. Basil didn't really see what was with the polarizing factor of this election. Would a bit more democracy really be that harmful? Are the socialists really going to destroy the empire? Probbly not. Then again those thoughts are exactly why his was just some young idealistic officer.

"Inspector! The Chief is calling for you." stated some agent running toward him with a cell phone in hand.

"Thank you agent." He took the phone while the even younger junior officer stood as Basil talked. "Inspector Petito speaking."

"Basil, how is everything going at the forum?"

"Everything is going according to schedule Chief. Everything should be back to normal within a few hours."

"Excellent Basil. You are doing an impeccable job. You need to report to headquarters, because we have been summoned to the palace to give a report to the emperor."

"Yes sir." Basil closed the phone and looked ot the officer still standing in front of him. "Bring me a car."

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Rijeka
All-Workers Congress
One Week Ago.


"Good day, comrades," a classical entry for his speech, Pavel had chosen. Greeting the other delegates right after he had entered the stage, simple yet polite. He had their attention and they wanted him to explain, why they should vote in favour of his proposal. So he did.

"The situation in Talemantros has been dire for a long time. There is strong persecution of socialist activity and it is very hard for communist groups to operate openly. Even moderate factions, who wish to participate in the elections of the said nation, are usually outright banned from participating. Anything the Emperor sees as a threat to his conservative nation is met with repression, despite supposedly democratic standards. I want you to keep this in mind and bear with me, while I explain you the chance we now have in that country.

Elections for mayor of a capital town may not be the most revolutionary activity at first glance. I know, many of you, including myself, would reject such an approach under normal circumstances and not deem a party that undertakes such a venture worthy of our support. But as I have mentioned, the legal status of socialist groups in Talemantros is usually that of an illegall and persecuted group. The Socialist Party contesting in these elections has apparantly found a loophole in Talemantine legislation that will allow it to legally participate in the race, thus making it a organization protected by the very same laws that were made to repress its activities.

If the Socialist Party manages to win this election, then there will be no one in Talemantros who can prevent its members from gathering. And that very same thing will hold true for the political activities of its members. In other words, the Socialist Party could become a safe haven in which Communist could operate. It would ease a burden that has weighed down the socialist movement in Talemantros for a long time and allow said movement to escape the defensive position it is currently locked in. Socialism could regain its power to influence reality in Talemantros.

Furthermore, positions within the Talemantine government would give us power to change the legislation. Very limited power, yes, and I would much criticise anyone who believed that a bourgeoise country could reach Socialism through reforms. But - and I must stress this fact - this small amount of power would allow our comrades in Talemantros to revoke laws that have strangled the socialist movement for decades and could weaken the repressive force of the Talemantine state, increasing the space within which Socialists can safely operate in Talemantros.

In other words: voting in favor of a solidarity declaration is a vote in favor of progressive change within Talemantros. The Talemantine Socialists need us."

A few people clapped, others nodded. It was a very unexcited, but not a negative reaction. With a majority, the delegates passed the resolution, declaring their solidarity with the Talemantine Socialist Party, before moving onto the next point on their agenda.

 

[Taley]

Blachernae Palace
Throne Room

"Dispite a few moments of rowdiness on the part of participants the rally went on as planed. We approximate the attendence to be around three thousand in the forum. All in all it was a successful event your majesty." said Inspector Basil Petito.

Basil was reading off his report to the emperor, who sat upon his ancient throne in the magnificant throne room. Though the venue was odd as the room was only used for official ceremonies and the like. Nevertheless he stood infront of the aged monarch, while his boss, Durante Garin, Chief of the State Police, commander of the national police force, stood next to him.

To the right of the emperor was, Sven Jostein Saevas, Acolyte of the Vangarian Guard. Talemantine by birth, Aren by blood, and the leader of the Emperor's bodyguards for the past six years. Saevas was also one of the empire's prized soldiers. Even now like his ancestors and predecesors he stood guard prepared for any possible outcome.

"Good job Inspector." replied the emperor in a soft voice. "Keep and eye on these people. Socialists tend to always keep up their true motives hidden until the last possible moment. Stay vigilent Inspector."

"Your majesty the Chancellor wishes to speak to you." Said Saevas ending the conversation. The emperor waved him off and Sven turned to the Police Chief. "Chief Garin I'll walk you out."

Once the three men exited the room with Saevas and Garin at the front with Petito trailing behind giving the two men their space. "Durante be careful with Morbidelli. Something is off here and especially with the emperor being out of the country for the holidays. There is an increasingly chance for unrest and threats to his majesty. Please let me know the minute to uncover anything, even if it sounds farfetched."

"Do not worry Sven. If good ol' Ruberto is up to something then we will know it."

"That is what I like to hear."

 

[Taley]

King's Station
Fond du Loc, Marquette

Le Roi Station, or King's Station, was the busiest train station in the Marquettian capital. This meant that someone's anonymity could be asured in the crowded terminal. That was the only piece of ease that came to the mind of Belle De Merode as she continued to make her way through the crowd to the locker area. Dispite her sweaty palms her grib on the duffel bag tighten after she casually bumped into another person scurrying to catch his train.

She opened the duffle bag and for the last time lokked inside to check that everything was in there. In it was a set of clothes and a uniform from the Talemantine State Police and a sealed envelope full of a few sets of documents. The documents included passports, citizenship papers, background information, plane tickets, and even birth certificates if they would be needed, it covered everything someone would need to impersonate a Talemantine citizen.

Not knowing what was in the envelope nor what the clothes and uniform was for Belle zipped it back up and placed it in the open locker. She put in the correct amount of change, turned the key and pulled it out listening as the coin dropped into the machine. Satisfied that she had done exactly as tolded, and the number of jolets that would soon be in her bank account for this small job.

As she walked out of the station she dropped the locker key into a pre-addressed envelope and closed it. Before she got into her car she dropped the envelope into a public mailbox, knowing that it would soo be on its way to her employer's contact, whomever he was. Her part in this was over.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Sisak
Carentania

Sisak was the third biggest city of Carentania, a large metropolitan area located on the border to the Talemantine Empire, protected by the Vrbas river that divided into two seperate arms in the west of the city and entered the ocean on two seperate sides of the city and the peninsula it was partly occupying. It was the gate to the south for Carentania, but a heavily fortified one. Being so close to the arch-enemy of the country while at the same time concentrating a large amount of industry within its borders made the city an important strategic point, while the fact that it was the only part of the Vrbas Kraj that stayed within possession of Carentania gave it a certain propaganda value in any conflict that may or may not be to come.

For this reason, the city was the place where most of the First Armys divisions were stationed and with them a division of the Revolutionary Army Intelligence, Carentanias military intelligence service which was one of two that could operate in foreign countries. And because the other one, the world famous IIS - Industrial Intelligence Service - had only one purpose, that of industrial espionage, this particular mission would go to the RAI. After all, the higher-ups had argued, the position of the Socialists within Talemantros would affect the safety of Carentania as well, as it influenced the amount of Options that were presented to the Talemantine Emperor in regards to the oldest still existing socialist nation in Europe.

Guardsman Siro Kolar had been chosen for this rather peculiar mission. As experienced soldier and veteran agent he had the best qualification for a mission of this uncertain outcome. Someone had sent the Carentanian embassy in Marquette documents and clothes that allowed the Carentanians to infiltrate the Talemantine State Police - but it could just as well be a trap. At first being regarded as too dangerous, the benefits that could be gained from deeper penetration of the Talemantine security networks were too great to let them pass on and, in case this would be indeed a trap laid out by the Talemantines to catch Carentania in the process of spionage, the Carentanian authorities had already prepared a plan.

But besides Guardsman Kolars mission, which for now would be one based purely on the gathering of informations, several other teams would be sent to Talemantros. The majority of them would participate in the activities of the Socialist Party, monitoring them and standing ready to counter possible agent provocateurs the Talemantine authorities could send to the protests. It was important to weaken the anti-communist legislation in Carentanias southern neighbour to allow the political left to operate more openly and engage in the construction of a broader base of supporters.

And of course, Carentanian agents of the RAI closely monitored troop movements, examined troop strenght and assessed the capabilities of the forces stationed near the Carentanian borders. Just like they had always been doing every since that despicable Empire took Carentanian soil from the hands of the farmers and gave it to the bourgeoisie.