Entering the Community of Nation States

[Shaen Reignor]

"This is my nation." The Reignor Nikolai Federow stood before the large window of his office, the highest floor of the skyscraper that served as the government building and the centre seat of power in the nation. The night had already come, and the many lights of the nightlife shone brightly.

 

There was a small smirk on the man's face as he looked at the sight and reminiscented of what it had been. Gods, how long ago was it when he gained power? He couldn't say, for it was a debate that historians of his nation would go on about for years. He had controlled things from the background for years, the President Thomas Traphill having been little more than a puppet in his hands towards the end.

 

Since the great war, the nation of Shaen had been on the brink of economical collapse, and at the risk of becoming a broken nation too much in debt and unable to pay back. He had wanted to see that poverty would be replaced by richness, and seeing the politicians he had made his decision. Defeating the system would mean having to do it from the inside.

 

Then the president had been assassinated, and in a rush he had stepped forth to assume control to prevent the nation from collapsing. Then when he had prepared to step from power, he had found the army and the politicians supporting him. In just months he had organized an effective government unlike those of the past in Shaen.

 

So he chose to remain in power, though many politicians learned to regret their choice. Wanting to get rid of those who backstabbed and lobbyed for power, he began to centralize the government. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. He knew this and accepted it, and above the rest he stood in his office, overlooking the nightlife of Shaen with a small smile pursing his lips.

 

The cities were protected by many police officers, and in his time the crime rates had been cut down to absurdly low figures. Some had claimed he employed too many police, but those voices were silenced. Some said his police were almost like an unit in the army already, and the Defence Ministry had received substansial boosts in the past too, its funding being on the rise ever since he rose as the ruler. The Reignor of his own country, finally.

 

Pulling out a cigarette from a silvery palmcase, he pocketed the case again only to draw out the old but perfectly working Zippo lighter. He flicked it only once before the cigarette caught afire in the tip, and pocketing the lighter, he took a deep breath and then let out a loud sigh.

 

The beginning had been survived, and with its population now ranking over four hundred million people, the Nation of Shaen was a source of pride for him. The ones that didn't get along with its ideal for hard work for building of a better future were left to die, and no true social welfare existed. He had some government funded support groups that helped those who had been laid off to get a new job or those injured too badly to work to be paid some pensions based on how much they had worked beforehand, but in the end those who just wanted to cheat the system were screwed.

 

Puffing out some of the smoke, an almost fiendish grin appeared to his face. It was the logical natural selection in his opinion. Race or Gender didn't matter to him, nor those in his nation. What mattered was the willingness to work and do their part. He couldn't care less if his advisors whined about letting a black, pregnant woman run a huge weapons factory belonging to the government or if they wanted to blame crimes on some group of minorities.

 

Those advisors were idiots anyway, in his opinion. Race and Gender didn't make anyone superior or inferior. It was their commitment to what they were doing, and their level of study. Even those were just rough values, and a person who didn't have a Graduate Student's cap didn't need to be ashamed next to an university graduate, if they both did their work well they were both respected.

 

Efficient like one perfect, great machine. The luxuries and games offered by wealth the people gathered from their work was the oil that lubricated the axels and gears of this machinery that produced more and more, enriching itself and expanding.

 

He drew some more of the smoke to his mouth, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the few vices he allowed himself. He preferred to not drink before business meetings, and even when he had no such scheduled he was careful about his alcohol. It did not fit his style at all.

 

"My Lord?"

 

The voice of his secretary caught his attention, and he turned to look at the doorway. The young man was barely twenty but had proven very capable of handling and organizing things, and so Nikolai had hired him personally. Of course, a cute young female secretary would've been a warming sight to his tired eyes, but he preferred the efficiency that this young man displayed in all tasks.

 

"What is it, Andrew?"

 

"The Board Meeting starts in fifteen, I have your speech and the other materials ready. Also, our invitations to the other nations have all been sent, and we're waiting to hear from them."

 

Nodding once, Nikolai looked at the sight out of the window one more time, then rising to look straight ahead. The reflected image of his own persona was faint and transparent on the glass, but it did show that his black hair had turned a hint wild again. Without a word, he brushed it back with his fingers, then turning towards Andrew. Walking to the door, he spoke seriously.

 

"Send the word to the Shaen Labour Alliance. I agree with them, I wont allow robotics to bring an end to the little man's usefulness in a factory. However, the cybernetic upgrades might make the work even more efficient. We'll need to see if a military application might be possible too in time, but for now, inform the factory and Konrad Jong-Il that the android replacements are not tolerated."

 

Andrew nod to the Reignor once, then flashing a warm smile while letting out a sigh. "He'll have a stroke when I tell him that his expenses in the purchase of those robots are going to waste."

 

"Efficiency is important part of the economy, but if we cut the workers from the line then we are only increasing poverty among the lower classes, and that'll lead to revolt, sabotage, and possibly even an uprising. You lived your youth under the former president's rule and saw how often he had his life on the line after making such decisions."

 

Tugging the front of his suit down a hint, Nikolai tilted his neck to the sides, adjusting the collar of his shirt. Sighing annoyedly, he took the offered speech from Andrew and marched into the Board Room.

 

 

// OOC: I hope this is a fitting intro, I thought I'd try and roleplay Shaen opening its borders again and wanting to re-establish contact with the nations in the region after its former president's assassination 7 years ago left the nation to mourn and then only now wanting to re-enter the international community. //