Changing of the Guard! [GM] (Closed)

[rythmicjea]

TheTraveler — 04/10/2021
Changing of the Guard

A crowd of reporters has gathered in an official government briefing room. The Seal of Baklid proudly displayed on the Lectern. The buzz of Holocorders and soft chatter fill the large room. Along the from wall stood tall men in bright sharp Baklid Uniforms. On either side of the door, a pair of sharply dressed Jedi stood. Their faces, like the soldiers, were emotionless. There was a sense of anxiety that hung over the room.

The door opened and out stepped a female Kel Dor Jedi and a plain clothes security man. The pair took up places on either side of the lectern as a third man in a sharp suit followed them. He walked up to the Lectern and set his datapad down on it as he drew in a deep breath. Focusing his attention on the reporters before him, he started.

“The past twenty-four hours has been something of a crazy pod race,” There was a hint of an uneasy laughter from the room. “However, we have emerged from the darkness of chaos and entered in to new, brighter future for all the wonderful people of Baklid.” He paused a moment before continuing.
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“The day before yesterday, during a special joint session of Baklid’s Parliament, our Queen Lenora Delphinium faced a crushing popular uprising among Ministers from across the political spectrum. In a landslide vote of no confidence, the Queen has been deemed unfit to Rule. Sadly, our Constitution has no provisions for such a situation. However, with gratitude for the Republic and the Jedi, a peaceful transfer of power has been negotiated between the parties.” The hum of whispers grew across the audience as a few started throwing their questions.

He held up his hand, “Please,” he urged. “At the highest levels of the Baklid Government, our Republic Representation from Serreno, and among the Jedi, we have been working diligently to resolve this Constitutional Crisis that the Queen has created. As of nine hours ago, and after a special session of the Republic Senate, the Republic Senate voted in favor of the plan created by our Honorable Senator from Serreno. This plan has the personal backing of the Chancellor herself as well as the Jedi High Council. Not to mention this plan has been endorsed by the Jedi Council of Serreno and as well by the outgoing Queen Lenora.”

“Who will lead…..” a reporter cried out.

The man only nodded as he held up his hand a second time, “All parties involved have agreed that Retired General Walibra Reebil will become Baklid’s first Prime Minister….”
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Without warning the audience was in an uproar. So bad were the cries of questions there they were indistinguishable from other sounds in the room. It was clear that the announcement was something that they did not like.

The man tapped on the lectern, “Order! Order!” After a few more minutes of disorderly behavior the man yelled, “ENOUGH!”

He drew in a deep breath, “Now, this is a power sharing plan. The Queen will remain in her current position while the courts decide her fate. All the powers that are afforded to the Royal Family will now be passed on to the Parliament. The Prime Minister will oversee all day-to-day operations that would normally be dealt with by the Royal Family. The Queen will maintain command of her Palace Guard, though the unit will be removed from the active military roles.”

“All other military units will follow their normal chain of Commands and will ultimately fall under the authority of the Office of the Prime Minister. I have a letter from Prime Minister Reebil,”
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The man picks up his data pad and begins to read. “My fellow Citizens of Baklid, I am humbled to be asked to serve our world and our people once more. The road behind us has been laced with inaction, betrayal, and hardships. I cannot promise that tomorrow will be completely better, but I can promise you this. I will give of myself the same level of loyalty, devotion, and service that I had given to the Delphinium family my entire life. My first command was on the front lines in Europa, I fought and bled for peace to our people. When I served as Senior Military Advisor to the late King, I found paths to peace that other weaker officers failed to realize. At the funeral of Prince Taysky Delphinium, he was like a son to me, I alone stood by our beloved King as trusted friend. My own wife, with our unborn child, cut down by savages. Like Baklid, my wounds run deep. And this is what I bring to the table. My devotion to bring an end to this violence. A shared pain that we all have suffered at the hands of savages who only seek death and violence.”

The man kept reading from the data pad, “I know many of you still love our Queen and so you should. I know in my heart, that her plan for Peace was set in the right place. And had we been dealing with peace loving sensible people, her plan could have worked. Sadly, she was misguided by ideals she learned in the Core. Our Queen has spent too long living in the Core. Spent too much time forgetting about the pain and suffering of her own people. Those who bent a knee to her and begged her to lead them into the future. Despite what you have read about in the media regarding her acts of treason, I believe in my heart that her attempts to bring peace was not treasonous, just misinformed about our collective enemy. And while the Courts are deciding the fate of our Queen, we must decide our future as a people.”
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The man kept reading as the Kel Dor next to him turned her head to glance at the door. “Rotterdam, the city that our late King once described as the new Jewel of Baklid, is plagued by gang violence. The massive Refinery, which should have been an economic windfall for all our people stands only in partial use due to the violence in Rotterdam. The story is the same in Duntry, a city known for its tourist industry as well as its historical sights. Riddled with gang violence! And then there is Makatu. A place named for and in the spirit of a deity who holds life sacred. Jedi led peacekeepers were ambushed and murdered at the very gates of this ancient and holy place.”

He raised his head from the data, “Thank you, there will be no questions….”

There was a sudden outburst of commotion as Prime Minister Reebil stepped up to the Lectern, “I will answer your questions now.”

“Prime Minister Reebil isn’t true that the Queen demanded your resignation,” a reporter asked.

He nodded, “we had a difference of opinion on how to bring peace to Baklid. Her plan was the worst ever seen before and only saw the violence escalated. We all know you cannot trust these savages. They do not love their children like we do. They refused to even learn to speak the common language of the galaxy. I mean, I am sure there are good and fine savages out there. But you must ask yourself when you see one on the street, is that a good one, or will that one want to murder my child!”
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He nods to the reporters and cameras, “you know it’s true. Our Queen just does not know these savages like we do. She didn’t have to live with their violence the way we have had to. She spent most of her life being pampered at some elite Core World Academy learning how to talk with a special Core accent.” His words, voice and tone were mocking the way Queen Lenora speaks. A few reporters snickered at the simple jest. Prime Minister Reebil smiled and nodded to the humorous sounds from the audience. “Next question,” he said.

“If your intention is to abandon the Queen’s Path to Peace Plan, what will your next steps be,” another reporter asked.

He smiled, “well for about a year now, our fighting brothers and sisters, who love this world, had been side lined by the Queen’s terrible plan. Its just terrible what she did. These Baklid loving men and women want nothing more than to bring peace to our world. But they could not. They were even denied helping Republic peacekeepers.” He paused and leaned sideways on the lectern. “Can you imagine that. Having all the ability to save someone’s life. You can hear them crying for help, you can hear the death and suffering. But because of some really really really bad decision made by an elitist, you must sit there and do nothing. But its worse! I have been told that some were ordered to turn the communication links off.” He waved a hand, “I promise to find those cowardly officers who would do this, and I will throw them out of the military!”

“Who told you that our forces were ordered to turn off their links,” a female reporter asked almost in disbelief.
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He did not look to her, “people told me.” He then pointed, “you sir, you have a question.”

“Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister,” the Reporter said. “Can you tell us about the Queen’s trial and what you heard of it.”

He smiled, “I am not saying she is guilty,” he said waving his hands in a surrendering pattern. “But I will say this. If you or I had done half of what she is accused of, we would not even get a trial. They would find us with a bullet in the back of our head in some field.” He smiled then laughed, “probably claimed it was suicide.” A few more reporters laughed at the joke, as he turned and bent his arms behind his back and crossed them like that. “Yeap! Suicide!” more laughter.

“Mr. Prime Minister,” A female reporter said standing up. “Do you feel like peace is possible with the people of Europa?”

He laughed, “Peace? They turned one of their most holy cities into a war zone.” He held up his hands in defense, “they are not fighting us,” he said almost accusingly. “You have to ask yourself, who are they fighting. Maybe each other?” He moved his eyes around the room. “Listen, I have been fighting these savages all my life. I was born in Rotterdam, met and married my wife in Rotterdam. I know these savages like no other. They gave away their own children to their enemies.” He leaned on the lectern with a grave look on his face, “who does that, but savages.”
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His eyes searched the room, and his finger found an older female reporter. “If they would give their own children away, then what do you think that they would do to your little girl or boy.” She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. “Now, as I have said. I am sure that there are good and fine savages out there. Working hard in their fields to feed their families. The problem is that these very few good savages know who the bad ones are.” His voice held that dark tone. “And they willfully protect them. You can’t have peace with savages like this.”

He continued, “More peacekeepers are killed by these savages than anyone else, and you know that this is true. I alone will fight to protect you and defend you from these evil savages.” He waved a hand to the crowded room, “Thank you, that is all.” He turned and walked from the lectern as the people around him followed suit.