10-27-2020, 09:19 AM
October 26th
Tlālacuetztla
Calhualyana watched the broadcast from Chuaztlapoc in silence. Her new advisory council, attending the mandatory meeting in the Chamber of Whispers, sat nervously in silence as the broadcast ended, unsure how the new Empress would react to the announcement that half of the Empire had just decided to secede.
The silence dragged on, until finally, Calhualyana started to laugh. Mild giggles at first, rapidly spiraling into full-blown laughter. Strangely enough, the Empress seemed pleased. Finally, General Zinahue worked up the nerve to ask. "Madam, I am sorry, but what is amusing about this? We've just lost half of the Empire."
A huge smile of triumph slowly crossed Calhualyana's face, confusing the General and the others in the room even more. "What have we lost, General?" the Empress asked calmly, finally relaxing from her amusement. "We've 'lost' a bunch of rabble, malcontents, separatists, seditionists and idiots. And the Empress of the idiots, Yauhmi, doesn't even realize what she's just given me." Calhualyana's clear pleasure was only confusing everyone in the Chamber even more, so she finally decided to explain it to them. "Yauhmi just handed me the most important part of Huenya - the productive, wealthy, valuable part - Xiomera. So we lost the western regions - so what? The constantly complaining and problem-causing rabble there have been nothing but problems for us, far more than they or their land are worth. The Empire is well rid of them, quite frankly. But by saying she no longer is claiming to be the Empress of Xiomera, Yauhmi just abdicated the Obsidian Throne. She now has no more claim to be the rightful ruler of Xiomera - and no legal standing to contest my claim to the Throne, either by Xiomeran law or international law."
As the meaning of what Calhualyana was saying finally sank in, the General began to laugh himself. Slowly, everyone else in the Chamber did too. "It is amusing, isn't it?" Calhualyana said, enjoying their laughter as much as her own. "Poor Yauhmi really must be going senile. She was so intent on virtue-signaling and proving a point with this 'Huenya' creation of hers that she didn't even realize that she was giving me the Xiomeran Empire, uncontested any further, and completely voiding her claim to rule here. Now, I can make a very convincing argument that I am the rightful ruler of Xiomera. And that is exactly what I intend to do."
As the laughter continued within the Chamber of Whispers, Calhualyana smiled. "If Yauhmi really wants to abandon Xiomera, and separate western Huenya from it, let's make it official." She turned to her scribe. "Take down this Order in Council. Effective immediately, the Four Star Flag is to be discontinued. It shall no longer be used as the flag of the Xiomeran Empire. The Eagle Sun Banner shall rise once more. If the western half of Huenya thinks they don't need Xiomera, let's show them we don't need them either."
"Besides," the Empress added with bemusement as her order was taken, "we can always conquer them again later if we decide it's worth it."
---
The Four Star Flag, the red banner with a golden sun and four stars to honor each of the four original Huenyan tribes, had not always been the official flag of the Empire. The flag that had become synonymous with modern Xiomera had only been in use since 1956, when the then-Emperor Chuetoco had ordered its commission as a way to appease and integrate the Necatli, Tepiltzin and Itotemoc by creating a national flag that included them.
Before 1956, however, a much more exclusive and ominous banner had been the hallmark of the Xiomeran Empire.
The Eagle Sun Banner was the first modern flag of the Xiomeran Empire, commissioned in 1863 by Empress Camaxtica to celebrate her victory in the first Xiomeran Civil War, and to celebrate Xiomera's ascent onto the world stage as a developed, technologically advanced nation. The golden banner, with its Xiomeran eagle and sun of fire caught between its wings, was a potent symbol of Xiomeran pride. It was also one that, by design, deliberately excluded the other Huenyan tribes in favor of Xiomeran ascendancy.
By resurrecting the Eagle Sun Banner, Calhualyana was sending a very direct message to the new state of Huenya: We don't care about what you've done. Xiomera will stand alone, and succeed without you.
Tlālacuetztla
Calhualyana watched the broadcast from Chuaztlapoc in silence. Her new advisory council, attending the mandatory meeting in the Chamber of Whispers, sat nervously in silence as the broadcast ended, unsure how the new Empress would react to the announcement that half of the Empire had just decided to secede.
The silence dragged on, until finally, Calhualyana started to laugh. Mild giggles at first, rapidly spiraling into full-blown laughter. Strangely enough, the Empress seemed pleased. Finally, General Zinahue worked up the nerve to ask. "Madam, I am sorry, but what is amusing about this? We've just lost half of the Empire."
A huge smile of triumph slowly crossed Calhualyana's face, confusing the General and the others in the room even more. "What have we lost, General?" the Empress asked calmly, finally relaxing from her amusement. "We've 'lost' a bunch of rabble, malcontents, separatists, seditionists and idiots. And the Empress of the idiots, Yauhmi, doesn't even realize what she's just given me." Calhualyana's clear pleasure was only confusing everyone in the Chamber even more, so she finally decided to explain it to them. "Yauhmi just handed me the most important part of Huenya - the productive, wealthy, valuable part - Xiomera. So we lost the western regions - so what? The constantly complaining and problem-causing rabble there have been nothing but problems for us, far more than they or their land are worth. The Empire is well rid of them, quite frankly. But by saying she no longer is claiming to be the Empress of Xiomera, Yauhmi just abdicated the Obsidian Throne. She now has no more claim to be the rightful ruler of Xiomera - and no legal standing to contest my claim to the Throne, either by Xiomeran law or international law."
As the meaning of what Calhualyana was saying finally sank in, the General began to laugh himself. Slowly, everyone else in the Chamber did too. "It is amusing, isn't it?" Calhualyana said, enjoying their laughter as much as her own. "Poor Yauhmi really must be going senile. She was so intent on virtue-signaling and proving a point with this 'Huenya' creation of hers that she didn't even realize that she was giving me the Xiomeran Empire, uncontested any further, and completely voiding her claim to rule here. Now, I can make a very convincing argument that I am the rightful ruler of Xiomera. And that is exactly what I intend to do."
As the laughter continued within the Chamber of Whispers, Calhualyana smiled. "If Yauhmi really wants to abandon Xiomera, and separate western Huenya from it, let's make it official." She turned to her scribe. "Take down this Order in Council. Effective immediately, the Four Star Flag is to be discontinued. It shall no longer be used as the flag of the Xiomeran Empire. The Eagle Sun Banner shall rise once more. If the western half of Huenya thinks they don't need Xiomera, let's show them we don't need them either."
"Besides," the Empress added with bemusement as her order was taken, "we can always conquer them again later if we decide it's worth it."
---
The Four Star Flag, the red banner with a golden sun and four stars to honor each of the four original Huenyan tribes, had not always been the official flag of the Empire. The flag that had become synonymous with modern Xiomera had only been in use since 1956, when the then-Emperor Chuetoco had ordered its commission as a way to appease and integrate the Necatli, Tepiltzin and Itotemoc by creating a national flag that included them.
Before 1956, however, a much more exclusive and ominous banner had been the hallmark of the Xiomeran Empire.
The Eagle Sun Banner was the first modern flag of the Xiomeran Empire, commissioned in 1863 by Empress Camaxtica to celebrate her victory in the first Xiomeran Civil War, and to celebrate Xiomera's ascent onto the world stage as a developed, technologically advanced nation. The golden banner, with its Xiomeran eagle and sun of fire caught between its wings, was a potent symbol of Xiomeran pride. It was also one that, by design, deliberately excluded the other Huenyan tribes in favor of Xiomeran ascendancy.
By resurrecting the Eagle Sun Banner, Calhualyana was sending a very direct message to the new state of Huenya: We don't care about what you've done. Xiomera will stand alone, and succeed without you.
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