09-09-2019, 07:04 AM
Empress Camaxtica Military Headquarters Complex
Imperial Military Hospital
September 8th (atl 8, xatl mazatl)
10:45 am, Xiomeran time
Lipilhitl, Chief Surgeon at the Imperial Military Hospital, found himself oddly wishing to be staring down a firing squad. That wouldn't have been as daunting as what he was staring down - or rather, what was staring him down - at the moment.
Tepilcayotl, Xochiqui, and two other people stood in front of Lipilhitl. One of them was a man in his early forties, but looked much younger. He was in the uniform of a Colonel in the Xiomeran Army, a uniform so spotless that he could've posed for recruiting ads. Texōccoatl, the Emperor's son, looked with concern at the Chief Surgeon. "How is my father doing?" he asked.
"The Emperor....is stabilized for now. However, we have had to place him in an induced coma in order to stabilize him. We will need to operate quickly, to remove the bullets and begin treating his injuries. He suffered significant traumatic damage to his stomach, spleen and upper torso. Luckily, none of the shots hit his heart, although the third one came close," Lipilhitl said carefully.
"When will you be done with treating his injuries, and when will you be able to bring him out of his comatose state?" the fourth person demanded. Yauhmi, Topilpopoca's wife, had an expectant look on her face.
"It is hard to say....we must be cautious, Excellency. We cannot rush his recovery or his treatment. These are serious injuries, and with all possible respect....the Emperor is not a young man, which increases the danger," Lipilhitl began, then stopped as Yauhmi raised her hand firmly.
"He is the Emperor. He has the strength to recover, if you act quickly and correctly," Yauhmi said flatly, in a tone of voice that did not invite discussion. "I will not hear any words to suggest he cannot recover from this."
"Of course, Excellency," Lipihitl said, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. Yauhmi and the other three people turned to leave. "We expect updates every hour on his condition, Doctor. And immediate notification if anything at all changes," Tepilcayotl said.
"Doctor?" Yauhmi added, as Lipilhitl turned to walk away. "Yes, Excellency?" the Chief Surgeon asked.
"I am sure you want the Emperor to recover as much as we do. Please ensure you have no negative thoughts about this and do your utmost. It would be for the best....for everyone....if the Emperor recovers," Yauhmi said coldly. As Lipilhitl looked at the faces of the three men standing next to Yauhmi, he found no help. He nodded, lowering his head, as the four departed.
As soon as he was back in his office, Lipilhitl grabbed his cell phone and called home. "Tlazi? Yes, I heard the news. Yes, he is being treated here....Tlazi, I can't answer questions now. I don't have time, listen....I need you to pick up the kids from school and get out of Tlālacuetztla now. Get a flight today, now....go somewhere outside of Catica. I can't explain now....listen, Tlazi, this isn't the time to ask questions. I will explain later, but just trust me. Don't bother to pack or anything....just go now. I will call you again as soon as I can...Tlazi? I love you. Tell the kids for me too. I will talk to you soon," Lipilhitl said, hanging up.
The Chief Surgeon stared at the phone in his hand for a moment longer, then placed it down on his desk next to the pictures of his family. With a sigh, he turned to walk back to the intensive care unit.
Palace of Flowers, Press Room
September 8th (atl 8, xatl mazatl)
12:45 pm, Xiomeran time
The members of the Great Council of Xiomera, and the Cabinet, stood solemnly in a row behind Nopalliztli, the Chief Justice (cihuacoatl) of Xiomera. Nopalliztli stood at the podium, his steel-grey hair and long, solemn black robes projecting an image of solidity as he began to speak. "As you know, and as has been reported already by some in the media, at approximately 10:06 am today, as he was returning from discussions on Manauia Island, our great Emperor, Topilpopoca, was attacked by a cowardly assassin who snuck into the crowd and fired upon him in a treacherous assassination attempt. This act was committed, according to witnesses and to the video footage, by Cētlalhui, the former Secretary of Justice who was justly dismissed from office by our Emperor for his gross incompetence."
Nopalliztli gripped the sides of the podium as he continued. "The Emperor lives, and is currently being treated for his wounds at the Imperial Military Hospital. The assassin is also in custody, after the noble Secretary of Defense, Xochiqui, bravely risked his own life to confront the assassin and disarm him," Nopalliztli said. "The Emperor remains temporarily indisposed due to his injuries. Therefore, in accordance with Xiomeran law, I, Nopalliztli, Chief Justice of Xiomera, temporarily assume leadership of the nation and this Council until the Emperor recovers and can resume his duties - which we all pray will be soon."
"All government operations and business proceed as normal, with the following exceptions: there will be a 10 pm to 7 am curfew instituted immediately in the cities of Tlālacuetztla, Ixxiuitl, Mizcayotl, Nezahualpilli, Huitzitaca and Acalan. Travel within those cities during the curfew hours will not be permitted, except for those with a demonstrated need to do so such as employment or medical emergency. This is a temporary measure to assist with the investigation into the attempt on our Emperor's life, and we thank our citizens and visitors in advance for complying with the curfew. In addition, we will also implement additional security measures at all Xiomeran ports and airports as part of the investigation. This may result in travel delays, and again, we appreciate your cooperation as these necessary and temporary measures are implemented," Nopalliztli said.
"In conclusion, I wish to assure all Xiomeran citizens, and the world, that even with our great Emperor temporarily struck down by this cowardly insect who attacked him, Xiomera remains strong, stable and continuous," Nopalliztli continued. "Our nation does not falter, nor tremble, in the face of attacks or tragedies. Xiomera was strong before the dreadful incident this morning, but is just as strong now. We are also united in our prayers for our Emperor, and in our united and common resolve to not let this tragedy weaken us. Xiomera is the land of the golden sun, and the sun always rises," the Chief Justice finished.
Imperial Military Hospital
September 8th (atl 8, xatl mazatl)
10:45 am, Xiomeran time
Lipilhitl, Chief Surgeon at the Imperial Military Hospital, found himself oddly wishing to be staring down a firing squad. That wouldn't have been as daunting as what he was staring down - or rather, what was staring him down - at the moment.
Tepilcayotl, Xochiqui, and two other people stood in front of Lipilhitl. One of them was a man in his early forties, but looked much younger. He was in the uniform of a Colonel in the Xiomeran Army, a uniform so spotless that he could've posed for recruiting ads. Texōccoatl, the Emperor's son, looked with concern at the Chief Surgeon. "How is my father doing?" he asked.
"The Emperor....is stabilized for now. However, we have had to place him in an induced coma in order to stabilize him. We will need to operate quickly, to remove the bullets and begin treating his injuries. He suffered significant traumatic damage to his stomach, spleen and upper torso. Luckily, none of the shots hit his heart, although the third one came close," Lipilhitl said carefully.
"When will you be done with treating his injuries, and when will you be able to bring him out of his comatose state?" the fourth person demanded. Yauhmi, Topilpopoca's wife, had an expectant look on her face.
"It is hard to say....we must be cautious, Excellency. We cannot rush his recovery or his treatment. These are serious injuries, and with all possible respect....the Emperor is not a young man, which increases the danger," Lipilhitl began, then stopped as Yauhmi raised her hand firmly.
"He is the Emperor. He has the strength to recover, if you act quickly and correctly," Yauhmi said flatly, in a tone of voice that did not invite discussion. "I will not hear any words to suggest he cannot recover from this."
"Of course, Excellency," Lipihitl said, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. Yauhmi and the other three people turned to leave. "We expect updates every hour on his condition, Doctor. And immediate notification if anything at all changes," Tepilcayotl said.
"Doctor?" Yauhmi added, as Lipilhitl turned to walk away. "Yes, Excellency?" the Chief Surgeon asked.
"I am sure you want the Emperor to recover as much as we do. Please ensure you have no negative thoughts about this and do your utmost. It would be for the best....for everyone....if the Emperor recovers," Yauhmi said coldly. As Lipilhitl looked at the faces of the three men standing next to Yauhmi, he found no help. He nodded, lowering his head, as the four departed.
As soon as he was back in his office, Lipilhitl grabbed his cell phone and called home. "Tlazi? Yes, I heard the news. Yes, he is being treated here....Tlazi, I can't answer questions now. I don't have time, listen....I need you to pick up the kids from school and get out of Tlālacuetztla now. Get a flight today, now....go somewhere outside of Catica. I can't explain now....listen, Tlazi, this isn't the time to ask questions. I will explain later, but just trust me. Don't bother to pack or anything....just go now. I will call you again as soon as I can...Tlazi? I love you. Tell the kids for me too. I will talk to you soon," Lipilhitl said, hanging up.
The Chief Surgeon stared at the phone in his hand for a moment longer, then placed it down on his desk next to the pictures of his family. With a sigh, he turned to walk back to the intensive care unit.
Palace of Flowers, Press Room
September 8th (atl 8, xatl mazatl)
12:45 pm, Xiomeran time
The members of the Great Council of Xiomera, and the Cabinet, stood solemnly in a row behind Nopalliztli, the Chief Justice (cihuacoatl) of Xiomera. Nopalliztli stood at the podium, his steel-grey hair and long, solemn black robes projecting an image of solidity as he began to speak. "As you know, and as has been reported already by some in the media, at approximately 10:06 am today, as he was returning from discussions on Manauia Island, our great Emperor, Topilpopoca, was attacked by a cowardly assassin who snuck into the crowd and fired upon him in a treacherous assassination attempt. This act was committed, according to witnesses and to the video footage, by Cētlalhui, the former Secretary of Justice who was justly dismissed from office by our Emperor for his gross incompetence."
Nopalliztli gripped the sides of the podium as he continued. "The Emperor lives, and is currently being treated for his wounds at the Imperial Military Hospital. The assassin is also in custody, after the noble Secretary of Defense, Xochiqui, bravely risked his own life to confront the assassin and disarm him," Nopalliztli said. "The Emperor remains temporarily indisposed due to his injuries. Therefore, in accordance with Xiomeran law, I, Nopalliztli, Chief Justice of Xiomera, temporarily assume leadership of the nation and this Council until the Emperor recovers and can resume his duties - which we all pray will be soon."
"All government operations and business proceed as normal, with the following exceptions: there will be a 10 pm to 7 am curfew instituted immediately in the cities of Tlālacuetztla, Ixxiuitl, Mizcayotl, Nezahualpilli, Huitzitaca and Acalan. Travel within those cities during the curfew hours will not be permitted, except for those with a demonstrated need to do so such as employment or medical emergency. This is a temporary measure to assist with the investigation into the attempt on our Emperor's life, and we thank our citizens and visitors in advance for complying with the curfew. In addition, we will also implement additional security measures at all Xiomeran ports and airports as part of the investigation. This may result in travel delays, and again, we appreciate your cooperation as these necessary and temporary measures are implemented," Nopalliztli said.
"In conclusion, I wish to assure all Xiomeran citizens, and the world, that even with our great Emperor temporarily struck down by this cowardly insect who attacked him, Xiomera remains strong, stable and continuous," Nopalliztli continued. "Our nation does not falter, nor tremble, in the face of attacks or tragedies. Xiomera was strong before the dreadful incident this morning, but is just as strong now. We are also united in our prayers for our Emperor, and in our united and common resolve to not let this tragedy weaken us. Xiomera is the land of the golden sun, and the sun always rises," the Chief Justice finished.
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