One Step Closer [Plot/Closed]

Octavius paced the length of the meeting room as Roark and Cassandra discussed other candidates for the upcoming Republic. They had settled most matters but were finding it difficult to decide on a few of the members. Octavius had little patience for this portion of being a leader, politics leaving a bad taste in his mouth. The Unity Corp had been busy working to bring them intelligence on the different candidates; luckily, while their General had vanished to go adventuring off to another country for months, Bahir had been left in charge. The man seemed intent on forming the Corp into something to be respected, enhancing the training of the members to include more on gathering information, a crucial thing in times of adversity.

Octavius knew the opening of the new Republic would be an uncertain thing for a bit as they worked with different members to try and establish a stable government to replace the inexperienced Emperor currently on the throne. Even once the declaration was made public, it would take months or years to stabilize the new government. It was a necessary step to further Reim in the world-view, and Lagi had made decent strides, following in Balbadd’s footsteps to banish slavery, but it was not enough. It was simply too easy to corrupt a single ruler with no one to act as a check on their power.

They had established the declaration, working tirelessly to make sure it was as perfectly crafted as possible. Elections would be held every two years, decided upon by a group of representatives educated in those areas. These representatives would choose one member to defend their interests on the council. If there was evidence of corruption or a representative not acting in the best interest of the country, a trial would be held and the person would be replaced, if necessary. These trials would be open to the public, to help build the faith of the people in their government. For too long, the public had been blind to the decisions being made by their ruler. Now, it would be up to the people to advance their country.

Cassandra and Roark were currently arguing about when the transition should take place, Cassandra wanting it done as soon as possible while Roark felt they should wait for Lagi’s return. Their voices rose and Octavius finally spoke, his voice firm.

“Roark, your son chose to abandon his position as a leader to seek power and wealth on the other side of the world, possibly inviting his own death in the process. He left, knowing we were planning this transition, and gave us barely a warning. We have to assume he did not care if he was present for the transition, at this point. It takes weeks to travel to Kou and weeks to travel back, even with that dragon of his. It will be months before he is able to return to his post. I suggest a compromise between both of you. In one month, we go public with this announcement. If Lagi has returned, fine. It would be nice to have him here to ease the transition, but he isn’t necessary. If he has not returned, then he will return to a Republic, not an Empire. He made his choice, we cannot continue to put this on hold just because he chose to leave in a crucial period.”

Roark grumbled, but agreed. The sooner the Republic was established, the sooner the country would find stability and growth. Cassandra shot Octavius a thankful smile. While it would not be pleasant to undertake the transition without Lagi present, Octavius was correct, his presence was not required. The country needed stability, something it had not had since the original Emperor had died. The sooner they could give Reim stability, the better.