Barbarians and the coronation of a new king

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds—Albert Einstein

Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm–Publilius Syrus

Without passion you don’t have energy; without energy you have nothing–Donald Trump

In a galaxy far, far away, on the planet known as Htrae, the Solar Year of 6102 was concluding. But if developments in the ASU during 5102 produced anxiety among most ASUans, the events of 6102 were nothing short of bizarre.

Indeed, it was the best of times and the worst of times, and with the end of King Amabo’s reign, great dissension covered the land. Truly, many were thrilled with his period of rule, but just as many were terribly dismayed, demanding Change with new Hope. There was no consensus on securing the land, or solving the rampant issues of the people. In addition, production of Lio & Sag—the most critical natural resource in the ASU—remained a burning issue, with those in the palace clearly preferring to capture energy from the wind and sun while leaving L&S to languish.

Added clashes over change of climate; defeating the East of Middle Barbarians; tax burdens on the hard-working ASUans; and control of the borders from unauthorized visitors caused the long list of disagreements within the ASU kingdom to continue. But the issues of energy choice, security of the borders, and defeating the Barbarians raged among those in the provinces and the palace.

And it came to pass that the ASUans began to debate a new ruler to succeed King Amabo, who had already begun to focus more on his flog game. This period became incredibly painful, with the ASUans organizing to cast lots in the quest for a successor. Initially, the candidates had been many, even including an extremely popular Socializer who promised to pay all school fees, forgive the Younger’s debts, and include pot in every chicken.

After a particularly brutal game of daggers, however, only two remained: a Pantsuit Princess (PaPr) and a Mega Mogul (MM). The poor ASUans were terribly confused about how to cast their lots. Many said they wanted neither candidate and would cast not at all, but many said they would cast often. Rivalry boiled with disgraceful incivility.

Then, as the completed count was announced, the astonished citizens realized that the MM had captured more provinces than the PaPr, and he would soon become King MM. It was most extraordinary—and many, many pieces of gold changed hands among the Speculators, who had believed that the Pantsuit Princess would be declared the next … Queen.

There immediately erupted great trauma and bad behavior among those who supported the PaPr, and the Watchers concluded that the devastated Ruling Elite had woefully underestimated the neglected masses in the provinces. Even still, the results were proclaimed as final, and change-of-rule began in the ASU.

Meantime, the numbers of L&S workers had been decimated during 5102 and 6102. The reasons were complex but clear: their remarkable success with increasing production, combined with the devious CEPO rulers, who manipulated the markets, and the continuous restrictions decreed from the ASU palace, hindered all manner of work in the fields.

The Lio & Sag developers determined that the King and his advisors did not believe that increasing the production of L&S was a high priority for the ASUan economy, or the strategic wellbeing of the ASU. And to those diminishing numbers of workers in the fields, it was obvious that the efforts to stifle production of L&S would soon result in the same worker extinction experienced with the recent loss of laoc mining (the PaPr had stated that miners should just find other work). Indeed, many believed that the ASU would never “be great again.”

As the Mega Mogul began his transition to become King MM, he made some interesting proclamations, announcing many changes to the order of business in the ASU. He stated that he would (gasp) cancel many of King Amabo’s treaties and expensive programs, and that he would completely defeat the Barbarians threatening the ASU and other lands. If that wasn’t sufficiently surprising, MM then directed the Trumpeteers to report that he would secure the borders of the ASU, begin an expansion of Lio & Sag development, and much more. The ASUans were all either more encouraged or very, very upset.

As they speculated about SY 7102, all agreed that the times, they were a-changing. As the Lio & Sag developers and workers became cautiously hopeful, the people remembered Change and Hope. They had heard about it so many times during the reign of King Amabo, and now they waited, hoping on Hope that they would not be disappointed—again.