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A Return to Empire
Topic Started: Jan 28 2014, 06:11 PM (1,783 Views)
Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Soon after Atratinus and his defense team returned to the court room the judges were beginning to gather in a small room just behind their elevated seats within the court. The short recess period was quickly drawing to a close and the trial would soon continue.

Atratinus looked at his watch. Two minutes until noon. Two minutes still for any welcome or unwelcome thought to swirl around in his head. Two minutes until, he hoped, he could free himself of the chains the Archduke and the Margrave had tried to place on him.
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Whal
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"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
 *  *  *  *  *  *
In truth, Karl felt quite remorseful that he had come to blows with his son-in-law. His temper had flared, that much was obvious, yet it was not his intention to wound Adrian so deeply, but rather to instill in him a sense of caution regarding his future decisions. The Archduke would never force his daughter to divorce Adrian even if the Austrian Colognian Church approved of the action - once an alliance was solidified it was binding and Austria and Brandenburg had to remain allies no matter their leader's relationship.

Adrian was perhaps still too brazen for his own good, but he had ambition and heart - character traits that Karl could sympathize with. As much as the Margrave's recent decision's muddled his plans, Karl couldn't justify leaving Adrian to dwell on an altercation which obviously benefited neither party. Perhaps, Adrian simply needed more guidance in his life and the aging Archduke seemed an ideal teacher.

Karl left the room as quickly as Adrian had left. Finding the young Margrave slumped against an adjacent wall, the Archduke approached slowly and with a calm demeanor. As he knelt beside him, Adrian turned away apprehensively.

"Do you know what my father said to me the day he abdicated his title?" Karl asked, sitting down next to Adrian.

Adrian continued to stare away, down the hall and at the doors to the courtroom. He never even made a move to indicate to Karl that he was even listening. Karl lightened his tone and relaxed his posture.

"He said, 'Son, one day I hope you will come to understand why I have been so hard on you," Karl said reassuringly. " '..because there will come a time when you'll have to rely on your own intuition, and it is for that which a man is judged most."

Adrian turned briefly, showing the side of his face, but he reverted shorty after and continued to stare into the distance. Karl sighed quietly and slowly placed his hand on the Margrave's shoulder.

"Adrian, I do hope that one day you understand why I am so hard on you," He said remorsefully. "The decisions we make now, in our positions, determine the very fate of our people - the German race. I know you of all people know how important that is. Remember them....everything we do is for their benefit."

He patted Adrian's shoulder and then rose to leave. Adrian paused a moment before he finally responded.

"What are we to do about all this?" He asked sounding confused.

Karl replied, but continued walking, "The only thing we can....I'm going to dismiss the case."

The Archduke's words pained himself even more than they did Adrian. He had placed so much on Atratinus' capture, incarceration, and planned eventual execution, but he wouldn't dare condemn an innocent man of the former president's reputation and stature. The only way to protect his reputation now would be to dismiss the case against the man with whom so many had a great deal of grievances.

Karl swallowed hard, but put on his most determined face as he re-entered the court room and approached the prosecution's desk. From afar, all of the judges and the Reichskanzler looked on puzzled and bewildered. Ignoring Atratinus completely, the Archduke turned instead to his lawyer.

"It is out of a sense of duty and honor that I come to you now," Karl stated respectfully. "It has come to my attention that the charges levied against your client are indeed baseless. Therefore, I am compelled to break my legal impartiality and to throw this case away on the grounds of its illegitimacy. Your client is free to go...unmolested."

And that was it. No apology. No sympathy. Atratinus and his lawyer were stunned. Before walking away for good, Karl did turn to address Atratinus directly. He looked at the Porcuian blankly, as if addressing not a person, but an insect.

"Do not return to Austria. Ever," he threatened. "Never speak ill towards my family again."

With that, the Archduke made an abrupt about face and walked slowly towards the judges. Once they were all assembled close, he repeated a similar message to them as well. Everything had been for naught, but hopefully further catastrophe could be avoided.
Edited by Whal, Sep 15 2014, 10:58 PM.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Vopiscus Tarquinius Atratinus, the equally reviled and lauded statesman, had won.

The words that flowed from the Archduke's mouth seemed illusory at first. After all, he had gone to such great lengths to apprehend him and to put on this spectacle of a trial, each moment of which was captured, recorded, and transmitted across the globe. The courts of St. Petersburg and Constantinople, the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome, and all the power centres of countries far and wide were witness to the stunning turn of events in Vienna.

Atratinus' heart raced and his bruised and bandaged torso ached, yet he remained as stoic as ever. His glasses rested squarely on his face and his hair remained neatly combed. While the legal defense team broke out in reserved cheers, the former President stood absolutely still. The clockwork began to click and tick, the gears moved in the only manner they knew how.

The immaculate crowd was stunned, and understandably so. Many had heard stories of the Porcuian before them, the gentleman equal parts man and...something not quite human. The wealthy noblemen, members of government, and the few women in attendance struggled to make sense of the Archduke's admission. Oh, they had been so close! This was their moment, Austria's moment! What had happened? Would this creature truly be allowed to wander free?

On the courtroom floor, below the curious and confused gazes of the powerful and influential patrons in attendance, Karl II felt a cold presence behind him. Without needing to turn, the Archduke knew what was behind him.

"Honorable jurists," Atratinus stated clearly and plainly. While the Archduke had predicted to hear an obvious purr in the Porcuian's voice, he instead only heard the unmistakable tone of one who is serious, one who is calculating. "While I certainly am pleased to hear of the baseless nature of the charges leveled against me, I wish to remind the court that a formal admission, on record, is required by Austrian law. Furthermore, an explanation on the nature of and reasons for the dismissal of charges is also required."

What Atratinus could not immediately surmise was what this introductory admission did to the Archduke's standing, and by extension the Margrave's, in the eyes of his Germanic brothers. While he could not expect them to feel used or tainted, the former President hoped that he could at least plant a blade into the Archduke's and Margrave's side, if not twist it.

"If this court stands behind its code of ethics and honor, it will pursue this matter. Should it turn out that evidence has been fabricated in order to implicate me in a conspiracy of regicide, conspiracy to commit murder, and a conspiracy of the subversion of the internal affairs of the Austrian State then I shall charge the responsible party with the capital crime which they have committed. The legal directive here is clear and the legal language is unambiguous."

The Porcuian's characteristic voice and tone did not betray his racing heart. Atratinus took the time to gaze at each and every judge with those cold, grey eyes which now seemed to come to life. Slowly, Atratinus also gazed over at Reichskanzler von Pless and lastly at the Archduke himself.
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Margrave
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Is very much a holla-back girl.
 *  *  *  *  *
Margrave Adrian stepped behind the former President. "Let it go." He whispered into his ear. "It is by my action to live today, and it should be your action to cease this."

Atratinus was surprised. This was not the Margrave he had been used to dealing with. Begging him to drop the matter? He smiled. Where was the proud peacock of a ruler? The boastful and prideful young German who-

Then Atratinus felt the barrel of a Luger against his back.

The Margrave he knew was behind him after all.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Conscious of the judges before him, the Austrian statesmen flanking him, and the cameras and audience surrounding him, Atratinus struggled for a brief moment to hold back, to not unleash the very same monstrosity that had lashed out and nearly subdued the Austrian Crown Prince Ferdinand and the Count von Boul-Dier. In the end, Atratinus did nothing save to turn around slowly. His eyes did not drop down to the pistol Adrian wielded. Instead, Atratinus shifted his eyes and took note of the reactions in saw in the numerous faces in the crowd. He also took note of the television cameras pointed directly at him and the others gathered at the front of the courtroom.

"Have you thought through what you are doing?" Atratinus whispered, though well within earshot of the Archduke and the Austrian Chancellor. "Surely you must realize that I am perfectly within my rights under Austrian law."
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Whal
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"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Karl II did not hear the click of Adrian's luger through the commotion in the courtroom, but he didn't need too. He could tell by the look in Adrian's eyes and the posture of Atratinus that something was wrong. The Archduke was growing tired of the entire affair and he swiftly motioned himself in between the pair in order to disarm the situation.

His eyes went wide when he saw the pistol pointed at Atratinus abdomen. Ignoring Adrian's temperament, he grabbed the pistol from the Margrave's hands as discreetly and as quickly as possible and placed it inside his suit. Sensing the gazes of the Reichskanzler, the judges, and the world, the Archduke acted decisively.

"Are you mad?" Karl's eyes screamed at Adrian. "Have you heard a word I've told you?"

Adrian's face was strangely blank, perhaps deep in contemplation. Not waiting for a response, the Archduke then turned to Atratinus who looked pleasantly amused at the tension between the two German monarchs.

"Yes, Herr Atratinus, you are most certainly correct," Karl stated perturbed and with a glare. "However, as per Austrian law, officially the Archduke represents the highest judicial authority and may subject his ruling to the court as he sees fit. The case is dismissed."

Karl starred Atratinus down and whispered so that only the trio could hear, "This is my country..you have nothing.."

Not waiting for Atratinus to respond, the Archduke walked slowly in the direction of von Pless. With a slight whisper covered by his hand, Karl instructed that transmission of the trial be terminated by the RSD. It took little under a few minutes for the message to be transferred to the policemen in the building.
Edited by Whal, Sep 27 2014, 03:45 PM.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

It was only several hours later, sitting in a plush leather seat aboard a private airliner, that Atratinus allowed himself to fully reflect on the ordeal which he had experienced. From the initial act of the Habsburg overthrow of the popularly elected republican government of the East German Federation, to his incarceration in the infamous Kaufstraum Castle in Carinthia, to the trial itself, the former President of the Republic of Porcu took every minute available to him during his flight back to Ariminae to analyze just what had transpired - and if possible, why.

Undoubtedly, it was the final act which proved to be the undoing of all the effort by the Archduke. Anticlimactically stunning and shockingly disappointing, the result of the trial - of Karl's own plan to put away a rival for good - was interpreted in two very different fashions in the respective capitals of Vienna and Ariminae. Vienna was in a state of open disbelief. 24 hour news channels, despite their favoritism, could help but openly wonder what had brought about the sudden dismissal of the case. Naturally, speculation was brief and there was little reason to believe that the prosecutors had had anything other than a devastating case against the vile, vampiric, and mischievous Vopiscus Tarquinius Atratinus. Still...

On the other hand, the news of the case's dismissal was greeted with celebration in the Republic, as was the former president upon his arrival in Ariminae. The crowd which had gathered inside the airport terminal was able to overpower the relatively few security officials present and broke immediately for Atratinus. Knowing he had nothing to fear, the former president basked in the adulation that accompanied the reception of the dismissal. For at least the better part of a week, media outlets throughout the Republic focused intently on the motives of the Austrian and other Germanic states to try and pin an unfounded and baseless crime on Atratinus. Commentary was mostly superficial, but occasionally there were journalists who seemed to have found the truth, though they had no way to prove it. Even the eventual documents that Karl II provided to the court, the reasons provided for his decision to call off the trial, were not helpful. Outside of the Margrave and the Archduke, only Atratinus knew for certain, however.

In those days following his return, despite his appearance of happiness and relief, Atratinus still harbored a worry. What would become of the loose alliance between the little Germanies? At the very least, the trial had been a tremendous embarrassment to the Archduke, especially, and to the Margrave, to a lesser degree. The individuals sent as representatives and acting as judges were not fools, nor uneducated gentleman, and the queer occurrences of the trial could not have gone by without notice. Yet, there could be little doubt over the Archduke's persuasive abilities, so Atratinus eventually assumed that Karl would be to charm his germanic cousins again. Nonetheless, as the immensely powerful Atratinus began to eye the grand, marble columns of the Forum, he wondered if he was at least able to put a temporary chill on the hopes and plans of the Archduke.
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Whal
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"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
 *  *  *  *  *  *
The quiet ride home from the imperial court building was an ordeal for Karl II of Austria. So ashamed and angry was the Austrian Archduke following the trial that he simply refused to share his vehicle with another soul. No matter how many times he tried to wrap his head around the events of recent months, Karl was unable to make sense of how things had transpired so poorly. In actuality, however, he was fully aware. He just refused to acknowledge that the fault was as much his own as it was Adrian's.

Of all the chapters in the mighty debacle, it was the resolution which troubled Karl the most; to the say the least for his fellow Germanic brethren. Undoubtedly, the events which had transpired inside Vienna were an embarrassment to the rising success and prosperity the country was currently enjoying. A visible black stain on the Archduke's gigantic reputation, the Austrian people were nonetheless oblivious to such a large shortcoming. Unlike their Porcuian counterparts inside the Republic who demonized the Archduke as a tyrant and a warmonger, the Austrians continued to venerate their glorious leader with the admiration of a people drunk on everything Habsburg. While there were brief grumblings in beer halls and behind closed doors, the consensus remained the same - the Archduke could do no wrong, Atratinus escaped justice under unjust means. For the average Austrian, their love of the Archduke outweighed their fears that he had lost the battle for justice.

On the international stage however, the results of the affair were not so clear. Whether or not Austria's enemies benefited from the situation was self-evident, but it was the reactions of fellow German states that troubled Vienna's government the most. The trial was to be Karl's victory over Atratinus, over Porcu. The world was supposed to be a witness to the power and prestige of the Austrian Empire, but what they saw instead was little more than a charade - a farce at Karl II's expense. There was no telling the damage to the Archduke's reputation among his peers; however no one with any sense would doubt that the calculating and charming personality of Karl II would remain in this position. Already, the capitals of the smaller Germanic realms were receiving telegrams apologizing for the debacle on one hand and inviting the various heads-of-state over for lavish dinner parties on the other. If the Archduke was a master of anything (and there were many) it was mesmerizing a crowd and foreign dignitaries alike.

The abrupt ending to the trial coupled with the absence of a reason was an undeniable embarrassment to the Archduke, however it would seem to most that his calculus was not interrupted in the slightest. From the few speeches made to cheering crowds in the days after the trial, the Archduke reassured his people that Austria's rising prosperity would not be hampered by the illusiveness of one man. To the crowd, the Archduke appeared confident, determined, and resolute in his condemnations of what he referred too as "a joint Porcuian-Marslavan plot to contain Austria's inevitable rise." His calming speaking voice was replaced by the boisterous and eccentric tone of his oratory persona; the results of which were euphoric. The world was reaffirmed of the Austrian people's commitment to holding on to their new-found leader. Regardless of the public image of Karl II, in private the Archduke was consumed with anger and disappointment. Many a time following a meeting with his ministers or late at night, the Archduke had to retreat to a vacant room to scream and thrash around whilst cursing Atratinus, Adrian, and himself. The only solace he could manage to find was in the further advancement of his agenda - although, copious amounts of alcohol did take some of the sting away. More and more, the Archduke began locking himself away in his study plotting and scheming. As he scribbled away and read within the solitude of his study, Karl began drafting the future of his new Austria.
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Margrave
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Is very much a holla-back girl.
 *  *  *  *  *
Adrian and Eleanor's flight home was an agonizing one. Not a word was said between them, and Adrian barely moved. He refused food and drink, much to the concern of others on the plane.

Eleanor took the initiative. "Adrian von Lebus." He ignored her. "Adrian!" He looked at her but did not say a word. He did not focus on her, and indeed had the "thousand-yard-stare" of someone lost int their own mind. "What has gotten into you?" He stayed silent, instead looking back out the window.

She gave up when she saw her efforts were going to get nowhere. When they returned home, there was no jubilee or parade. Berlin was embarrassed by the Margrave, and he knew it. Everyone went about there business. At the palace in Potsdam, Adrian sat alone in his study, contemplating his failure.

Adrian studied his Luger meticulously. He loved this weapon. It was dull steel, but had intricate carvings on the barrel and body. It had been given to him by father while he was growing up in Porcu. Now the whole world saw responsibility for the attempted murder of a former Porcuian President. Had he betrayed the land that raised him?

Adrian thought to himself for a long time. Eventually he put the barrel of the gun in his mouth, and pressed the end to the roof. He lost all connection to the world. Adiran barely heard the guards stationed outside the door as they came in and wrestled the gun from him. He screamed and fought them, begging them to kill him. They restrained him until an ambulance arrived in the night, and Adrian was taken to the Saint Isidore Psychiatric Hospital. The other patients were moved and the staff sworn to secrecy. Even though it was a hospital, it was a prison in all but name. Adrian didn't know how long he'd be here, or who was pulling the strings in his absence.

Meanwhile, Adrian's brother, Adalbert, was sitting in his office in his Saxon demesne. Rudolf, the Chancellor and Uncle, came in, informing the Duke of his regency and of his brother's hospitalization. As of now, only those two and Eleanor knew outside of the hospital staff. Kaiser Karl, too was informed by his daughter.
Edited by Margrave, Sep 28 2014, 02:51 PM.
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