Fiction:Great Xonexian Schism/Fall of France

Chapter 1: Dealing with Dissent
Parliament of France, New Paris Government District June 21, 2802 11:41 AM Local Time

“You want us to what?!”

“Have you lost your mind?!”

“Deputies, please! Let’s remain civil.”

The joint session of the French Parliament had dragged on for four hours. The cavernous assembly hall, home to representatives from the four corners of the French Colonial Empire, was packed. The atmosphere was volatile, unpredictable. What had been a tense conversation had quickly devolved into a shouting match, exploding into a frenzy over this new proposed motion.

“Don’t you people get it?” Deputy Faucheux, a small, bearded representative at the head of the forming coalition, continued. “This situation is insane. Maxime has ordered the use of our Armed Forces against the Delpha Coalition of Planets. Does that name mean anything to you? They’re the most powerful entity in the known universe!”

“Military action is unconstitutional without a declaration of war!” cried Deputy Julius as he slammed his fist down on his podium, overeager to prove himself Faucheux’s political ally.

“Since when does anyone care about declaring war anymore?” The representative had not even bothered to stand, making it difficult to know who had uttered the exasperated phrase which embodied the sentiment of a quarter of the room.

Deputy René Merle, livid in the face, rose in objection. The aging conservative crusader addressed Faucheux directly. “Deputy, if anything is jaw-dropping insanity, it’s this motion of yours. We’re in the middle of a goddamn crisis, the DCP has attacked us, and all you and your fuckwads can think about is ‘Blame the President!’ and ‘Let’s surrender!’ Where is your dignity, deputy? How dare you call yourself a Frenchman?!”

“Gen…––Gentlemen, please…” The President of the Senate, Casimir D. Girard, was having trouble making himself heard.

“How dare you speak of patriotism at a time like this?!” Faucheux snapped back with a badly concealed snarl.

“T HAT'S ENOUGH !”

All heads immediately turned to the floor of the chamber. Only one person in the recent history of the French Parliament had been able to command the unruly deputies and senators to such absolute silence.

Prime Minister Alexandre Valéry stood on the floor of parliament, flanked by two of his aides, an unreadable expression on his face. In short, he did not appear pleased. The statesman’s eyes scanned row upon row of deputies and senators until they finally landed on Casimir Gérard atop his podium. The two men made eye contact for a brief moment before Gérard stuttered back to his senses.

He addressed the entire assembly, “I would like to move to enter a short recess, lasting twenty minutes.”

“Seconded,” called one of his political allies from across the chamber.

“None opposed?” Gérard scanned the assembly. Nobody spoke up. “We will reconvene at twelve o’five.”

In the commotion that followed, Valéry waded through a sea of representatives as they exited Parliament. In the halls, there was a little more space, and crowds parted to let him and his retinue pass. Several of his acquaintances hailed him; he ignored them and kept on walking, giving off the appearance of an angry god. He eventually made it to Gérard’s office, a familiar roomy space with traditional wooden furnishings, a desk, a fake fireplace, and a number of comfortable lounge chairs to accommodate meetings between accomplices.

Valéry did not have to wait long for the anxious-looking politician to join him. Gérard was wiping his brow with a handkerchief as he closed the door behind him, and immediately began talking in a desperate voice.

“I swear, I had nothing to do with it. I knew nothing about it, they didn’t––…”

Valéry silenced him with a gesture.

“I know,” he said in a low voice. “And that is what distresses me.” With slow, ponderous steps, Valéry made his way over to Gérard’s desk and placed a hand upon it, feeling the familiar wooden surface. “I occupied this office for thirty years, and over that time, nothing surprised me. Nothing. I knew everything that went on within these halls, every bill, every motion, every ambitious grab for political power.” Slowly circumnavigating the desk, Valéry took a seat in Gérard’s chair and looked for the latter’s reaction. The man clearly gave a visible start, but was too terrified to speak.

“I don’t expect you to know every detail about what goes on, Mr. Gérard,” the Prime Minister continued, leaning back comfortably in the chair. “But this is not a detail.”

“No, of course it isn’t,” Gérard let loose a staggered breath.

Valéry produced a data pad from within his vest pocket and set it down on the desk before him. “How much support does this bill have?”

“I–I don’t know,” replied the statesman.

“Guess.”

“Those who are the most fervently opposed to Maxime’s policies on moral grounds will be quick to support it. That means the extreme left, maybe thirty percent of the votes. The bill doesn’t threaten you, I swea––…”

“The extreme left, and who else?” Valéry cut in.

Gérard stared at his superior for a moment, not comprehending. Then, in a moment of sudden clarity, his eyes widened in horror. “The extreme right…” he muttered.

“Yes, the extreme right,” Valéry leaned forward in the chair. “Ten percent of the votes if all conservatives vote together. That makes forty percent right off the bat. Another ten percent, and we’re finished.”

''Competence is such a rare bird to come by in these woods. Normally, politics runs on incompetence––a democratic government would not run smoothly without it. Yet, as we face rebellion on all fronts, as even our war slowly turns against us, competence and cohesiveness are what we lack the most, and that is what might prove to be our undoing.''



A BILL


 * Art. 1
 * THE JOINT HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT THUS ASSEMBLED HEREBY REAFFIRM
 * THAT any military action authorized by the executive against another sovereign state without a declaration of war is illegal according to the constitution of the French Republic.
 * THAT such a declaration cannot be made without the assent of the legislative branch.


 * Art. 2
 * THEREFORE, PARLIAMENT
 * DENOUNCES in the strongest possible terms the excesses of the executive which have led to the moral and material ruin of the French state.
 * DEMANDS the immediate resignation and re-election of the executive in accordance with French law.
 * CALLS for immediate cessation of hostilities with the Delpha Coalition of Planets pending a more permanent peace settlement in accordance with Galactic law.


 * Introduced in the National Assembly by Jean-François Faucheux