The Mullinix Book 1: Ascension

by Rodney Mountain

  Chapter 98 - The Speech

  Paulus and Suvorov took their seats in front of the stage. The local guard had already taken care of the security for the event, so they just had to take their seats and watch. Stacy joined them, still looking more than a little tired from the days of little sleep.

  "How’s he doing?" Stacy asked, "Anyone see Medo yet?"

  "We just got back ourselves," Paulus said, "I’m betting he’s nervous as hell now."

  "I think he’ll get the job done," Suvorov said, "Just watch."

  "We’ll find out in a minute," Stacy said, nodding at the stage, "Looks like they are getting started."

  The lights came up and the three Mullinix walked out on to the stage. Insegniferro, as the Elder, took the same position he did during the ceremony six months before. Medoferro took the second position in line, followed closely by Trinaferro. They all looked appropriately solemn wearing the necessary ceremonial garb that luckily was designed to fit well on either a man or a woman.

  They all watched as Massimaferro’s casket was moved out on to the stage and placed out on to a tilted platform, showing the embalmed body to the solemn crowd. Insegniferro, the one who was required by tradition to speak first in this situation, went over to the casket and took a quick look at his old friend before looking out at the audience.

  "Where are they?" Paulus asked Suvorov quietly as Insegniferro prepared himself to speak, "They’re not here…"

  "They’ll be here," Suvorov promised, "Just wait…"

  "Citizens," Insegniferro said in his loud teacher voice, exactly as he done before, "It is my sad duty today to report to you the death of our esteemed Mullinix, Massimaferro."

  Insegniferro looked up and met the crowd’s stare as he waited for the murmuring to die down a little. Medoferro and Trinaferro looked at each other, both a little scared by what this ceremony meant. They quietly took each other’s hands as they watched Insegniferro continue his opening.

  "I had hoped that the passing of Taliaferro had meant that I would never have to go through this ceremony again," Insegniferro continued, continuing with the truth. "Just as Taliaferro had been one of the longest serving Mullinix in history, unfortunately Massimaferro has now become one of the shortest serving. As my apprentice for over thirty years, I not only taught him but I myself have learned a lot from him and will miss him terribly. We in the palace hope, as you on the street most likely do as well, that Massimaferro is in a better place."

  Everyone bowed their heads in respect to the fallen Mullinix. Paulus looked out at the crowd and knew that unless those people showed up soon, Medoferro’s plan was doomed to failure.

  "As has happened before and will happen again," Insegniferro started, again using nearly the same wording he had during Taliaferro’s funeral before, "It is time for the Mantle of leadership to change. The tradition states that the reigning Mullinix must now step aside for another generation to take control. Unfortunately I now have to bend tradition a bit, as I have already ceded the power. I will now fulfill that tradition as best I can, however, and introduce to you our new Mullinix, young Medoferro!"

  Medoferro looked at Trina and gave her hand a squeeze before walking out and looking at the crowd. He was internally shaking, but knew that he was in the right and that a lot was riding on him. He pushed his hair back and paused a moment before addressing the breathless crowd.

  "Thank you for coming tonight," Medoferro said, looking out there, "I imagine a lot of you came to the last one six months ago and are almost as surprised as I am to see me standing out here in this spot so soon."

  A murmur of agreement came across as the crowd wondered just what he was up to.

  "I’m going to break from tradition a little bit tonight," Medoferro said, "Because this is a very non-traditional situation. Most of you who have been reading the news know that we have chosen a new apprentice. The first thing I will do, before I go into the rest of it, is introduce her to you."

  Medoferro waved for Trina to come forward and she did, nodding at him while she did. The chemistry between the two of them was apparent to anyone who cared to notice, but it did not take over the proceedings by any stretch.

  "Miranda Studebaker has been my friend ever since we were both in service center together," Medoferro told the crowd, "Her name first came up for Mullinix service at the same time mine did. It was purely luck and a comment at an inopportune time that got me over the job. Well, inopportune for me at any rate, as I didn’t want the job at all."

  This caused a nervous chuckle from the crowd and a smile and nod from Trinaferro.

  "Rather than put everyone through the search again," Medoferro continued, "We decided to go with their other choice, hence the reason Miranda is standing here on this stage beside me. I present to you, the citizens of the empire, Trinaferro, our new Mullinix apprentice! Stand up and bow for the audience, Trina, let them take a good look at you."

  Trinaferro blushed a little at Medoferro’s glowing introduction, but went to the front of the stage and bowed for the audience. Knowing she wasn’t expected to say anything at this time she waved and went to the back of the stage, gripping Medoferro’s shoulder quickly as she passed. Medoferro put his hand over hers and then faced the audience again.

  "The traditional requirements now being met," Medoferro said, "I now have to depart from Tradition to give you, the people of the empire, a bit of information."

  This caused a bit of a stir as the people were not expecting more than a few words out of Medoferro. They were also surprised that he had not spoken more about his predecessor, Massimaferro. Medoferro was about to remedy this, he just hoped he could deliver it convincingly.

  "This is a dangerous time for the empire," Medoferro told them, speaking loudly and clearly, "I know that most of you were led to believe that Massimaferro’s death was a sad fact of timing. I must apologize for letting this bit of misinformation stand so long. I will now correct it, and give you my reasons for it.

  "Massimaferro was not stricken by a standard heart attack, nor was he sick from any normal ailment over the past week. While most of us traveling with him were trying to help him, one of our own betrayed us in a most heinous way. You have heard the rumors surrounding our search for Ari Coblein up north.

  "I am here to tell you now that the rumors are true. Massimaferro’s fatal heart attack was caused by an allergic reaction to a drug that Medico Coblein had been surreptitiously administering to him in an attempt to muddle his mind for the upcoming economic conferences in Siraq!"

  Medoferro let this piece of information settle in the crowd’s mind as he prepared himself to continue. The audience was listening attentively and waiting for more. Medoferro was about to continue when a mass of people started approaching. The guards looked worried for a few minutes until Medoferro held his hand out to stop them.

  "I told you they would come," Suvorov grinned, looking at Paulus, "Now let’s see if Medo can deliver."

  "Welcome!" Medoferro exclaimed, "Please, do join us here. I think you will find the rest of the information I’m giving of interest."

  Cholt and Hardin, the two unabashed leaders of the disaffected people, walked in with their followers. Suvorov had already made sure that there was a section of seats left available for them. The crowd swelled with these extra people, who Medoferro let get situated before he continued.

  "Now," Medoferro said, "You may think you know why Massimaferro was drugged by Ari Coblein. You think the Siraqis did it to gain an advantage. That was my first thought as well, but that thought only lasted until I had the facts.

  "Once we apprehended Ari Coblein the pieces began to come together. The Siraq conference was not the main event, but merely a sideshow. The real problem in the empire is not the trade deal with Siraq, but it is the festering sore in the south. You all know what I mean by this, as it is one of the more common derogatory terms used by people all over the empire about the Cirrus region.

  "
You see, all of this has been caused by someone who has been playing a game of which we have just lately become aware. Those of you who are familiar with Cirrus, either by the news reports or from personal experience, will know about whom I am speaking, the man responsible for the colossal disaster that Cirrus has become."

  Medoferro let them make their guesses as he got his breath and made himself ready to continue. He looked out into the crowd towards Cholt and Hardin. They were making eye contact with him, determining how far to trust what he was saying.

  "That man," Medoferro said finally, "Is Colonel Ellis LaPorte. You see, things were done down there in our name that we were never told about. Evidently, this has been going on for nearly a decade, and had been completely undiscovered due to the complicity of the duplicity of some key people.

  "As you may have suspected after hearing this, most of what you know about Cirrus is wrong, it turns out, and that was thanks to another traitor in our ranks, one that you all know about now, former Clerk Exchequer Anthony Stack.

  "Major Stack served with Colonel LaPorte in several postings, including the first years of LaPorte’s provisional administration of Cirrus. Once he was put up, through Ellis LaPorte’s machinations, to the position of Clerk Exchequer the changes in Cirrus began in earnest.

  "Massacres were covered up, fake incursions by the Mavelans were created, all for the purpose of extorting funds from the Mullinix general treasury. It all started out as a grand scheme of fraud and deceit, only for financial gain. It quickly turned into something much more dire for the empire. Mr. Tally, could you stand up please and let the crowd see you?"

  Paulus nodded, pulling his small frame up and facing the audience. It didn’t take much to tell that Paulus had just recently been through a really lousy time, as he was still a bit gaunt and the food hadn’t caught up to him yet. Medoferro let the crowd look at him for a few moments before continuing.

  "Paulus Tally is Massimaferro’s personal representative," Medoferro explained, "All of you should be aware of his rank and purpose. They represent us in the field so that we always have an idea of what is going on in the empire. It is a system that has worked well for us over the years, but was perverted by LaPorte’s Machiavellian plan.

  "You see, Paulus was sent down to Cirrus just like many of you were. His job was to try to figure out what was going on down there, why so many people like you were getting so angry at us about what was going on down there. Unfortunately, he got a bit more than any of us bargained for.

  "He found evidence of many of the illegal activities and the apathy that Ellis LaPorte has been cultivating down there. Most of you who have been there have stories to tell and reasons for being in the positions that you are now. At one time money was enough for Colonel LaPorte, but as you all know, that is no longer the case.

  "He’s been trying to force people to stop caring about what happens to Cirrus for a reason. None of this made sense to us until Paulus managed to escape and return here. Even when I first learned about his being behind the death of Massimaferro I was skeptical, mainly because I didn’t know why he was doing this."

  Medoferro paused for a moment to let people digest what he had told them. He was thankful for the few drama classes he’d taken in school, as they were proving immensely useful here. Once the crowd settled he continued on with what they all knew was coming.

  "I now know why he is doing this," Medoferro said to them, matter of factly, "As I said, greed and gluttony are not enough for this madman. He wanted more. What more can one want other than money and the control he already exerted over the lives in Cirrus?

  "He wants power, citizens. He wants to be able to be in control of life or death. He wants to be able to do what he wants, when he wants and how he wants without the controls we have put in place to ensure that one person cannot do this. The Mullinix structure is too rigid for what Ellis LaPorte wants, so he decided to do something that would ensure his power over the people in Cirrus and give him a chance at ruling others.

  "You see, he plans on defecting to the Mavelans and bringing Cirrus over with him. His reward for such treachery? He will become the Mavelan governor of the Cirrus region. I don’t know how much you know about the Mavelan power structure, but a governor down there wields literal life and death power over each and every citizen. They answer to no one but King Facie, who could care less about the people so long as they pay their taxes on time."

  "Good!" one malcontent in the crowd yelled, "Serves them right! Let them deal with that hell hole!"

  "I admit," Medoferro nodded, "That if we allowed Cirrus to go back to the Mavelans, it would solve a few problems. But that’s only one part of this equation. It would definitely be easier to just let Ellis LaPorte get away with his treachery and to give a chunk of the country that’s always been a problem over to him. I’m sure that would make a lot of people’s lives easier."

  Medoferro paused again, looking back at the other Mullinix. Trinaferro gave him a quick smile for encouragement. Insegniferro remained looking dignified, but gave him a quick nod and a sly smile. Medoferro nodded back and turned to the crowd.

  "However, it wouldn’t be the right thing to do!" Medoferro exclaimed, "Those people down there decided of their own free will to become Mullinix citizens. Twenty-five years ago, they went against everything they knew and overthrew the cruel Mavelan overlords that ruled over them.

  "Not only did they overthrow them, they asked us for help. Massimaferro and Insegniferro, then both young Mullinix, decided to give those people a chance at freedom. And the people of Cirrus City and the surrounding areas repaid this nation with dividends that we’re still feeling.

  "Every adult citizen passed all their citizenship requirements, most of them while still working full time jobs and providing for their families. The people in that area did nothing to deserve what was done to them by Colonel LaPorte. They are all Mullinix citizens and deserve decidedly better than the hell planned for them by LaPorte and the Mavelans."

  Medoferro looked over the crowd and made sure this point set in properly. He wanted to make sure that each and every person out there realized that this could have happened to any one of them, had they had the misfortune to have been born in an area that wasn’t so close to the center of the empire.

  "I want you to think long and hard about what it means to be a citizen of the Mullinix Empire," Medoferro said to them, lecturing almost like a teacher, "Because what you decide today will help decide just what being a citizen of this empire means. If we let them do this to Mullinix Citizens in Cirrus, then what is to stop them from doing it to Mullinix Citizens anywhere?"

  There was a general murmur of agreement. Medoferro had struck a chord that everyone could agree with. Even the malcontents in the back were agreeing with the wisdom of Medoferro’s words. Suvorov actually smiled a little from the front row. They all knew that Medoferro had them, now it was time to close it up.

  "I don’t have any easy answers for you now," Medoferro told them, "But I do know this. I am not going to stand idly by and watch Mullinix citizens be taken without a fight and enslaved by the Colonel LaPorte and his Mavelan Friends. I cannot let that happen, not without at least trying.

  "The military recruit class will be diverted at this time to the south by train. This is already being set up. The one thing we are short on, however, is military trained personnel who actually know the Cirrus region. I do not want to have to send in green troops without people who have been there. I will if I have to, but I am hoping that some of you might want to help."

  There was silence for a few moments, aside from a single forced laugh. Medoferro knew that it would take more than a plea. This is why he had decided to go down himself.

  "I know," Medoferro said, "Most of you don’t want to remember that place, let alone go back there. But this won’t be a repeat of last time, I promise you that. I won’t let it become such."

  "How can you promise that?" Cholt ye
lled, "That’s what they said the last time!"

  "Because this time I am going down there too," Medoferro said, "They won’t let me be in the front lines, but I will be in Cirrus along with the people commanding this army of freedom. I promise you, on the honor of the office that I now hold, that we will not let this go down quietly!"

  There was a band of applause from the locals, but the reaction among the disaffected elements was a bit more mixed. Medoferro watched out and waited for someone to move towards the stands that Marina and other house staff members put up for people to sign up with.

  Medoferro watched nervously for a moment as everyone watched. There were quiet conversations among the disaffected sorts in the back, but for a long moment nobody went for the stands to sign up. It continued that way until the least likely person stood up and made eye contact with Medoferro.

  Cholt, one of the leaders of the disaffected people, looked long and hard at Medoferro while trying to size him up. Medoferro met the look and didn’t disappoint the man. Cholt finally nodded and walked over to Marina’s stand. Everyone in the crowd breathed a small sigh of relief as he signed the book.

  Cholt’s signature was the icebreaker. Men started forming in lines at the stands to sign up for the expedition. Patriotism won out over the deep-seated distrust of the government. Medoferro had done it, he had won over the people he badly needed. Insegniferro went over and clapped Medo on the shoulder as Trina went and gave him a large hug.

  "Thank you all!" Medoferro exclaimed, "Go ahead and sign up. We’ll form up in the parade grounds in three hours. Be ready to go at that point, as we’re not going to give LaPorte a chance to warn his Mavelan cronies. It’s time to do this, and more over it is time to do it right!"