Power Play

Posted on Fri Nov 3rd, 2023 @ 12:05am by Princess Royal Giana Orsini & Duchess Aurelia Orsini & Empress Cosima Orsini & Crown Prince Paolo Orsini
Edited on on Fri Nov 3rd, 2023 @ 12:08am

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: The Pyramid
Timeline: Date 2371-09-02 at 1110
4733 words - 9.5 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Paolo sat in his office in the Pyramid. He had elected to study the government reports in silence as he’d had quite enough human interaction of late. For the past several weeks, he had spent the day in grueling meetings interlaced with secondary post-meetings. It had been an excellent learning experience for him, but had been just as exhausting as well. Now, he was enjoying blessed solitude as he perused the documents. In truth, as far as expertise in statecraft and policy went, Paolo felt ready to rule. But his political instinct was still undeveloped, and it took more than administrative expertise to rule well.

His eyes darted up as the doors to his office swung open. As the sun set out of the windows behind his head, he leaned back from his work and eyed the eight Imperial Guards that surged into the room.

“What’s happening?” He asked, his tone hurried, “What is it?”

“Prince Paolo, you must come with us immediately. There has been an incident and we need to secure you.” The lead guard spoke up as they moved to surround Paolo.

“What incident?” He asked, standing up, his thick brows furrowed. “Secure me where?” He asked again, and then responded more decisively, “take me to my father.”

“Prince Paolo, please. We must get you to safety.” The guard spoke up again. “Your mother and sister are being collected as well. Your sister Elana will be secured on Mars.”

Paolo frowned. Something else had happened. Giuseppe had gotten to someone else. He gave the slightest resistance to coming with them right away, wanting them to answer one more question first.

“Are you taking me to my mother?” He asked somewhat hoarsely.

“Your mother will be there, yes.” The guard confirmed and shifted his weight, obviously anxious and uncomfortable. “Please, come with us.”

Paolo nodded compliantly, having no reason to hesitate or mistrust these men. They had protected him all his life and he knew they had each been hand-picked for their loyalty to his father. One day, he would have to make sure they were loyal to him instead, but ideally not for decades to come.

“Very well.” He said with a heavy frown. “Lead the way, then.”


————-


Bella Gia headquarters was alive with a hum of activity. Preparations for the launch of their debut collections were in full swing. Upbeat classical music was being pumped through the building to keep energy up, though Giana was hardly even listening to it - she was too focused on the books and binders full of paper in front of her. Her little “vacation” had been enjoyable… the return from it not so much, but she was determined to put it all behind her and prove that she could, in fact, put forth something successful.

She sighed out softly and closed what she was looking at before picking up another binder and taking a few pages from it to inspect them closer. “Hmm…”

The doors to Giana’s office swung open rapidly enough that they hit the door stops on the back side. Nearly a dozen men in Imperial Guard uniforms came in, their polished black boots making squeaking sounds on the shining marble floor. The lead guard strode out before the rest of them and stopped halfway between the entrance to the room and her.

“Princess Giana, you must come with us immediately. There’s been an accident and we need to secure you.” He said in a hurried tone.

Giana had been startled when the guards burst into the room but it quickly cleared and a scowl settled on her pretty face. “I am perfectly secure here and quite busy.”

Her attention moved back down to her work. “Now if you’ll excuse me. Get out.”

“No, ma’am. Not this time.” The Captain of her guard said, sounding quite resolute. “This is an emergency of the first class; Rome has fallen. You’ll either come with us, Your Highness, or we’ll carry you out.”

Giana had only been half listening given she had dismissed the guards, but she was still aware enough to have caught what was said. Immediately she frowned and lifted her head, now looking directly at the captain. “What… what did you say?”

“I said there’s been an emergency and you must come with us.” He said, moving forward now and taking hold of her arm and shoulder as gently as possibly. He obviously was hoping not to have to carry her out in front of civilians and potentially cameras. Another of the guards formed up on her other side and grabbed her arm more roughly than he had. “Let’s go, ma’am. I’m sorry about this.”

Giana’s body immediately tensed and she planted herself where she stood. She spoke quietly, but it was a dangerous tone and unsettlingly calm for her. “You will both take your hands off of me this instant, and you will remember that I am Princess Royal.”

She pulled her arm from the guard who had grabbed her roughly and for a moment turned her icy gaze to him, then turned to look at the captain. “Did I hear you say Rome has fallen?”

“You did, ma’am. I’m forbidden to say more.” The senior officer said. “Now, if you don’t come with us ma’am, the fact that you are a princess will be the reason for us handling you roughly.”

“Give me just one moment.” Giana said and immediately raised her hand in a pointed gesture. “One moment. I simply need to let my assistant here know I am returning to the pyramid for the time being.”

She stepped out of the group of guards and moved to the door, opening it and calling to the woman sitting at the desk outside. The two exchanged a few words and then Giana returned to the men waiting for her. Gathering up what was on the desk, she pointed to two boxes on the floor. “Grab those and then let’s go.”

Without hesitation, the guards picked up the boxes and fell in with her, guiding her out of the room and toward the nearest transporter pad with suspicious eyes and drawn weapons.

—————

“Should I freeze trading on the stock exchange? If the news comes out, it won’t be a charmer for the economy.” said Contessa Pennington, her long-nailed fingers darting rapidly over the touch screen of her Sonus. “Of course, it depends on whether we intend to have it come out at all.”

On the other side of the table, the crimson pool of the Emperor’s sacred blood was being gathered with towels by men and women in cleaning uniforms. They did their work silently and solemnly, saying nothing, and only occasionally sharing foreboding classes at one another.

“For now, as I said, we keep it quiet. We have to establish continuity of government and see what the status of His Majesty is before a decision can really be made.” Dr. Ramsay said, his voice shaky as he paced lightly across the floor.

The set of doors to the right of the room opened and a series of hard footfalls could be heard coming down the short open hallway before a squad of guards and the Crown Prince emerged. Paolo’s eyes found the puddle of blood immediately and his eyes went wide as dinner plates. His lips parted and his breathing rate increased. He said nothing, however.

“The Crown Prince!” The Herald shouted, his own voice shaky.

All attention in the room turned toward Paolo in that moment and while many quickly turned back toward their tasks, not everyone did so. Some continued to look at him with varying degrees of sorrow and pity until most finally went back to work. The machine didn’t stop even in tragedy.

Colleen approached Paolo after a moment, but maintained a respectful distance to not trigger his guards to action. “Crown Prince Paolo, please this way. The Chancellor should speak with you.”

Paolo gave no resistance, but went with Colleen immediately. He was rational if nothing else and he knew nothing good would come from being difficult at a time like this. She walked him to Richard Ramsay who sat at the Secretariat table moving his fingers over a tablet. As he approached, Richard turned to him and stood.

“You’re Highness. Have they told you what happened?” He asked, the whining tone in his voice more pronounced than was typical for him.

“No, they haven’t. They’ve been saving it all for you, I think.” Paolo said, a hint of observable nervousness bubbling up above his princely calm. “What has happened? Where is my father?”

Just as Richard was about to speak, the doors swept open again, causing the herald to jump slightly as he hadn’t been expecting anyone to enter so soon after Paolo. He quickly steadied himself and hastily spoke.

“The Princess Royal!”


Giana strode into the room without any hesitation. She was annoyed, and it radiated out from every pore in her body and was clearly written on her face. Her blue eyes moved around the room, and it was only when they finally slid over the blood that was still being cleaned off the carpet did she soften. Her annoyance gave way to displeasure, but there was now obvious concern. She didn’t wait for invitation or direction and simply continued forward to where Ramsay and Paolo stood.

“What happened?” She demanded, any nervousness seemingly channeled into bite.

“His Majesty was stabbed by a marine under the employ of Giuseppe. It happened before anyone could stop him.” The Chancellor said, his thoughtful face reflecting an unusual amount of feeling. “The Emperor has been rushed to his medical suite in the sun-levels for critical care. We’re still awaiting word on his condition, but as of the last report, he’s still alive.”

Paolo’s lips parted in amazement. The emotion he was feeling, or the lack therof, could best be described as shock. His father, a pillar of strength and control, was suddenly silenced and removed from him. He felt the distance between him, and the throne, once comfortably, filled by Antonius, now giving wide and drawing him in. His heart began to pound in his chest.

“Where’s our mother?”

“The Empress is at the Emperor’s side. She refused to come here and the Imperial Guard weren’t willing to force the issue.” Richard said, pressing his lips together as he endured a surge of anger in his chest. “I can’t believe this happened to us…right in the belly of the damn beast..”

“Can’t you? Maybe that’s the problem.” Giana scoffed and crossed her arms. “Maybe that’s the problem with everyone. I seriously don’t know how anyone thought that Giuseppe was the type of man to just roll over and accept being usurped, but we all went prancing along with life anyways.”

Her head snapped suddenly to the side so she could look out of one of the many windows, a scowl still on her face. “We’re all a bunch of idiots.”

Richard grimaced at that, his anger directed at her for several long tense seconds before he spoke.

“And where do you get off lecturing us on the finer points of governance and security protocol, Princess? Where were you when he had the entire damn government looking for you and your boyfriend after you snuck away from the locus of security here at the Pyramid? Sitting in a hot tub in Montana!”

Richard was a friend of the family going back decades, but he had always been very respectful and kind. At times he had shown obvious displeasure with Giana’s attitude, but he’d never involved himself. Now the pressure and, perhaps, the absence of her father spurred him on.

“Let me tell you something, Princess. The people in this room have been busting their damn humps day in and day out for WEEKS, upending their private lives, their families, their hobbies, and their rest to safeguard your family. The least you could do is show a little damn respect for them. Blaming them for an unforeseeable betrayal by a vetted marine is unfair, and none of us want to hear it.”

The older man turned his head from her slightly, seeming to feel more discomfort with his own emotional outburst than what he’d actually said. He would, however, forgive himself. If he loved anything, it was the truth, and he spoke his version of it faithfully.

“Duchess Aurelia should be here any minute with your father’s hazard documents. They’ll give us instructions on what we should do. For now, we keep things quiet and calm.”

To her credit, Giana didn’t interrupt Ramsay’s angry rant leveled at her. Instead, she simply turned her head to look at him and seemed to listen. Once he was done, she let the silence sit between them a moment, and then took a step up close to him so she threatened his personal space, but didn’t cross it.

“I know this must be an extremely stressful time for you, Richard,” she began, her voice and expression both dry, “so perhaps it has affected your hearing and judgment both. I will not fault you for that. Had you listened instead of finally releasing the dam of your disdain for me, you would have noted I said everyone and I meant everyone - including myself. Such a blind and disrespectful outburst is unbecoming of you, Chancellor.”

“We don’t have time for this.” He said, shaking his hand and turning away from her immediately. “There is too much at stake to sit here blaming each other. It’s a childish distraction. I had them bring the two of you here to ensure continuity of government. You are next in the line of succession and I suspect you should be the first to know what the will says.”

This time, Giana rolled her eyes. Of course he would just deflect when he was in the wrong. Why should she expect anything different? “Childish when I do it, but not when you do it, apparently.”

Mercifully, before the exchange could go any longer, the doors opened once more accompanied by the voice of the herald.

“Duchess Aurelia Orsini!”

Aurelia walked into the room quickly carrying the thick crimson file securely in her arms against her chest. Emblazoned on it in gold leaf was the crest of the Emperor that was surrounded by a thin gold border - comparatively understated for what was held within it. She had also changed to a simple dark red wraparound dress - it wouldn’t exactly have been prudent for her to return while still smeared with the blood of her cousin. She made her way to Richard immediately and offered the file to him.

“Here it is, Chancellor.”

Richard reached out and grabbed the document from Aurelia, nodding his thanks as he sat it down on the large half-moon table for all to see. Without any fanfare, he opened in and slid out the first document. It was a decree of the Emperor with his seal affixed to it.

“Gloria Filii Secundi…” he said, reading the title written large along the top. He eyed Paolo silently.

“The Glory of the Second Son.” Paolo translated, his brow lowered.

“Correct, sir.” Richard said and then read the document in silence. When he was done, he handed it to Paolo with a respectful nod and turned to the rest of the room. “The first section makes the Crown Prince’ position in the succession more clear…the second establishes a Council of Regents until he reaches the age of majority. While the Emperor is still alive, his wishes for how the Empire should be governed without him are quite clear.”

Impatient eyes turned to him, but no one dared prompt him to continue. Things were stressful enough as it was, but by the energy in the room everyone was anxious.

Giana shifted to glance and read over Paolo’s shoulder, her expression still clearly communicating her irritation surrounding this entire moment.

“He appoints the Empress, the Princess Royal, and the Chancellor to the Council of Regents.” Paolo announced before looking up with a tight frown. He didn’t like being cut out like this, and he knew he would be in the current system. He turned and looked at Giana, his disappointment obvious.

Giana’s eyes had started to go to Ramsay, but as they were in motion she caught Paolo turning to her and instead they froze on him, their father’s eyes reflecting from her. Her hand came up and rested on the back of his upper arm, offering understanding to his position.

Ramsay blinked, seeming surprised by the information, and ran a hand over his face. He was tired and very upset, but he seemed to be in control of himself. He looked at Giana and gave her a nod.

“We need to meet. The three of us have some things to get in order. I’ll go down and get the Empress myself and we can meet in a separate room.”

“We’ll go together.” Giana replied instantly and finally looked at Ramsay, then back at Paolo. “Do you want to accompany us?”

She would be damned if she would give Ramsay the chance to edge her out of anything by preying on her mother.

Ramsay showed a hint of setting his jaw, but seemed more in a hurry than annoyed.

“I would.” Paolo said, and then turned for the exit before everyone else. Ramsay wasted no time falling in line with him as the three of them exited the room together with a healthy host of guards behind them.

As soon as they stepped into the nearby elevator and Ramsay ordered the appropriate floor, he turned to Giana and Paolo.

“I don’t mean to cause discomfort, but it was a lot of blood…your father isn’t a young man anymore and, to be Frank, not the healthiest. He eats too much pasta and cheese.” He said grimly. “We’ll need to plan for the worst even as we pray for the best.”

“We’re Italian. We bleed pasta and cheese.” Giana quipped with a sternly straight face; a joke but certainly not delivered like one. “Father planned for the worst for us, isn’t that the point?”

He gave a grim smile at that and nodded gently.

“That is the point, yes. But it takes cooperation to turn a directive written on a piece of paper into an actionable system. The process the Emperor established requires just that: cooperation. My guess is that he wanted to prevent anyone from being strong enough to challenge the Crown Prince’s claim. He picked you, his sister, the Empress, his mother, and me, a man with experience and no ambition for a crown.”

He looked at Paolo and frowned.

“To be very honest, of course.”

“As usual, Dr. Ramsay. I’d expect nothing less from you.” The boy said.

Giana remained silent during the exchange between Paolo and Ramsay. She didn’t remind him in the moment he had been second choice, and the only reason his name had graced the paper was because of her sister’s cowardice and need to feel “special” by being ordinary. She never would be; not that she would ever wrap her head around that. For Richard… she would hold onto that fact until it pleased her to point it out.

“Giuseppe needs to be taken care of. No more games.” She said sternly.

“What, exactly, does that mean?” Richard asked, his expression skeptical without being critical. Though, since he was a smart man, he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

“You know what it means, Richard.” Giana snapped at him slightly. “He needs to be removed from this life and preferably the next. No more games, no more back and forth, no more sliding back on these decisions.”

Richard pursed his lips and gave a slight sigh as the doors to the elevator opened.

“As I said, this situation requires cooperation; mutual cooperation. I see the logic in your statement, but I think we will be hard-pressed to convince your mother.”

They stepped out of the elevator and into the medical section. There was a bustle of activity, as would be expected, but they strode through it all without interruption. Eventually they came to a particularly comfortable waiting room where the Empress sat with her Private Secretary, her head resting worriedly on her hand. When she saw them enter, she stood immediately and moved toward them, the flowing white of her night gown moving elegantly about her.

“Giana, Paolo.” She said, her brows furrowed. She hugged Giana first, pulling her close, and then Paolo. “Your father is in surgery. They say the knife nicked an artery. It’s serious.”

Giana returned her mother’s hug stiffly. “I know, mother, but Richard insisted we come speak with you about the current state of things.”

Richard approached and bowed his head before the Empress. Then, in a calm voice, he explained the contents of the decree. Claudia listened with her hand over her mouth, seeming to take it all in as if it were a dream.

“My gods. What are we going to do?” She asked quietly.

“Well, first things first, we need to divide responsibilities.” Richard responded with an intellectual tone of certainty. “The work of the Emperor involved too many small decisions for us to sit and vote on every one of them. We can meet regularly and consult each other and make decrees known to the other regents before they’re published as the document suggests.”

Instead of looking at Ramsay, Giana looked to Paolo instead. “Richard is right in the need to split. If you were in the position to decide, how would you do it?”

Paolo understood Giana was trying to ensure he felt involved. Despite the discomfort and awkwardness of the situation, he appreciated the effort. He thought for the space of a few silent moments, looking between the three regents.

“Dr. Ramsay has experience with the Imperial Bureaucracy, so I think he should have the lead over the Secretariat, giving him responsibility for Foreign and Domestic policy. The internal politics of the Empire are most familiar to mother; she knows the Lords and already has experience with many of the members of the Imperial Senate. She should manage them. And the military…I suppose that should go to you..”

Paolo eyed her meaningfully, communicating something uncertain and nebulous. He clearly had designs on this arrangement.

“What about the security apparatus then?” Ramsay asked, eying the two of them. “Imperial Intelligence, Terran Security, the Compliance Authority. These are particularly dangerous weapons, which is why they typically report to the Emperor himself.”

“There are three of them, aren’t there?” The Empress asked rhetorically. “Let’s split them up. I can take Internal Terran Security and, therefore, the fight here at home. Clearly we still have domestic enemies to root out.”

Richard nodded at that.

“I can take the Compliance Authority and work on shoring up the loyalty of the government on every corner.”

“That would leave Giana with Imperial Intelligence, which will be helpful militarily.” Paolo said, looking at her again. “It’s a big job, but I'm sure she can handle it.”

Giana listened quietly and as Paolo laid out his designs, she felt a wave of regret for ever having asked the question. When he eyed her, she looked away from him, away from them all. She had been trying to help her brother, and that is what he had given her: something she knew nothing about where her decisions would never be respected and always second guessed; where if either of the fronts failed - offensive or defensive - it would be her fault. Unconsciously her arms came up and crossed, her hands grabbing the opposite elbow in a defensive gesture.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” She agreed unenthusiastically.

Richard watched Giana, his brows lowered in mild irritation. If the Emperor didn’t recover, he would find it difficult dealing with antics like this for the next three years.

“Is there a problem with that arrangement?” He asked, his tone stressed.

“If you and mother are content with it, Richard, there’s hardly anything I can do to change it.” Giana rolled her eyes at the man. “Now that it is settled, is there anything else that you felt like needed to be discussed immediately?”

He shook his head at her, more assured than ever that they should do anything to make sure she stayed a Princess and nothing more.

“Do you feel prepared to deal with the military machine, Your Highness? The Emperor hasn’t appointed a new Secretary of the SCotAF since Montgomery’s betrayal and there are dozens of operations pending. There’s no shame in saying you need a more manageable assignment.”

“I will be fine, Richard. My betters have decided this is what I am most suited to after all, haven’t they?” She posed with a scoff and then waved her hand. “Now, is there anything else? I have some reading to do.”

“My first act is to resign as Imperial Chancellor so as not to muddy the waters of the roles in the Secretariat.” He said, turning his attention from Giana’s annoying helpless act. “My second will be to appoint a replacement. If this is all uncontroversial to you, that’s all from me.”

“That makes sense to me, Richard.” The Empress Regent said with a slow nod. She was still somewhat dazed from the present situation. “I will investigate everyone who has ever made eye contact with the man who stabbed my husband.”

“Do you know who you will be appointing?” Giana asked, fairly confident of the answer but she wouldn’t bet on it.

“Considering the nature of the current crisis, and considering that the work of the Secretariat will mostly surround managing public opinion, perception, and stability, Secretary Zajak comes to mind. But I am also considering the merits of Treasurer Pennington and the Vice Chancellors. I think I can already guess what you think.”

“Can you now? What would that be, enlighten me.” Giana’s voice was dry and she was quite aware of the lack of support of her mother and brother standing by her while Richard continued to snipe with every comment.

Richard shook his head, unphased by the conversation and sensibly uninterested in the challenge.

“If that’s all, your Majesty…Your Highnesses..”. Richard said, bowing at the waist before turning and heading for the door.

Paolo frowned, looking from the back of Richard’s head to his family members. This was a grim day in a bad few weeks. After a while, he turned back to Giana.

“I can help you with the military. I’ve read every government box paper on them produced in the past two years. I also spent a lot of time with Father at the meetings.”

“Yes… that was a quite a cunning suggestion from you, brother. Father would be very proud I’m sure.” Giana looked down at him as she spoke, frowning and shaking her head. Obviously, she didn’t think her father being proud of him was something to be happy about in this instance.

“Thanks.” Paolo said with a smile forming from his previous frown.

“You two go then.” Cosima said, placing her hands on their backs. “I’ll make sure you’re updated about your father’s status. And be very careful; your father works hard at statecraft. Try not to mess it up before he’s back.”

“I’m sure I’ll make you just as proud as usual.” With another juvenile roll of her eyes, Giana immediately walked away from her mother and brother.

As she went, Paolo looked confusedly at his mother and said nothing, his expression projecting more than any question. Cosima shook her head silently as well, and pat him on the back. Giana was being Giana. There wasn’t much more to be known about it.

OFF