Sulla Is Inevitable - Chapter 4

  Sulla Is Inevitable

By David Billiot

Copyright 2026: All rights reserved

Chapter 4

That night Senator Narius Pelota was in a secret meeting in one of the grand ballrooms of his vast estate paid for from the proceeds of many of the businesses that the People’s Party had confiscated from the rich.

Narius was a man of preparation. He set up his businesses so that money came in and none went out. Thanks to the work and sacrifice of the Helmethead brothers it was possible for Narius to seize lands on many Allied worlds, turning the inhabitants into paying tenants. They could get reductions in rent and even full Republic citizenship sponsored by Narius himself if they would just pledge that they themselves and all of their descendants would be loyal and always vote for the People’s Party.  

On this night five hundred and thirty nine such Allies to be sponsored were assembled.  They were to take the oath of Republic citizenship the next morning but before Narius would let that happen they all had to first take their loyalty oath to him and the People’s Party. And he wanted to make sure that they knew that the oath was very serious. 

CT-0DA brought a man named Booker bound and gagged up to the platform at one end of the ballroom. The man was a Black man, the descendant of humans who used to be used as slaves.  During the war to end slavery the Constitution Party had made slavery of humans illegal, and the People’s Party had never forgiven them for it. For hundreds of years the People’s Party’s militant arm tried to keep the Blacks in check, preventing them from voting, and blocking any kind of advances in education or economic status. However, the Great Bargain of 64 changed that. The Great Bargain was simple. If the Blacks pledged themselves and all of their descendants to be loyal and only vote for the People’s party then the lynchings would stop. 

The man of the Black people being shown to the Allies on the platform had broken the promise made by his ancestors. He had voted Constitution Party in the recent election. This had to be answered.  A noose was put over his head and fastened to his neck. CT-0DA touched the console display and the floor under the Black man retracted. The Black’s feet tried to kick and feel around for something to catch his weight. It was useless. He wiggled and struggled as the robe cut off his air. 

As the Black man was dying Bentbeach administered the oath of loyalty to the Allies there present. The Constitution Party was always trying to enforce the rule that all the inhabitants of an Allied world would all become citizens at the same time, following their ideology of one rule for everyone. Narius didn’t believe in that. He believed in his own plan. He would pick and choose for citizenship only those who would promise him their vote.  Preparation would win. If prepared properly the outcome of any action from war to an election was already determined. 

After the ceremony, the Black man’s body was still hanging there once everyone had left.  In the ballroom now was only Narius, Bentbeach, and the messenger from Blackbridge.  The Rtype guards and CT-0AD stood at the ready. 

The king of Blackbridge was calling for aid. Blackbridge had done the Will of Narius and attacked Atolia but it had not gone well. 

“Please.” the messenger pleaded. “Atolia has captured King Merdad.  He will execute him. You must tell them to stop.”

Narius heard the plea and was very upset. He had ordered Merdad to kill Governor White.  He had been so sure that White had no actual skill for command in battle. But according to the reports White had defeated Merdad not once but twice. The second battle resulted in the king’s capture, causing Blackbridge to submit to the Republic fully. 

“So his luck has not yet run out.” Narius said coldly. Then he gestured for his guards to get rid of the messenger. The messenger didn’t understand what was about to happen to him. The metal Rtype guards grabbed the man and dragged him away to kill him while he was screaming for mercy. 

“There is no mercy for the weak if you can’t even kill a man such as White.”

Narius went to the chair by the wall and his advisor Bentbeach looked at him nervously. CT-0DA also looked worried. It was illegal for the Ctype to be here on a Republic core world, the capital no less, but CT-0DA was owned by Narius and was used to train troops in hand to hand combat. There were many rules and laws that applied to everyone else but not Narius himself.  

Narius had built both his military and political career on preparation. Troops have to be trained. Equipment has to be manufactured and requisitioned. Fleets have to be in formation. With all the chess pieces in place the battle is already won before the first shot is fired. 

And into the carefully laid out plans of Narius now comes a man like White. This upstart thought he was better than everyone else. He just walked into a room and reality bent to him. 

Ladbin could be said to be luck but really it was because the enemy knew Narius was preparing that White was able to capture the pirate king. It was all because of Narius. Not White. Narius had been furious when White captured Ladbin.  Ladbin had been the mastermind of a Muzal terrorist attack wherein conspirators flew spaceships into skyscrapers. Narius had allowed it to give a black eye to the president from the Constitution Party at the time. Each Republic world got one vote for electing the president but it had never happened before that the ultimate winner did not also match the popular vote of the Republic Capital world. The fact that the mentor of Narius would have lost that election while getting the popular vote was an insult too far for Narius.  The People had been cheated and that meant the Constitution Party had to pay. 

Since the attack, many members of the People’s Party had come to love the Muzal teachings. Many members were converting to the Muzal religion and learning the Muzal language.  The People’s Party pushed to remove restrictions on Muzal traveling in the Republic. They ran on the issue of the Constitution Party having Muzalaphobia. 

Narius had in fact had no plans to capture Ladbin. Narius had already secretly agreed to let Ladbin go. He would be of further use to Narius. But White had captured him and delivered him to Narius in public; circumventing the Will of Narius and forcing Narius to go back on his own word. It was unforgivable. 

White’s achievements during the Venwa invasion were likewise either just luck of the amateur or the fact that when White acted in the name of Narius, it was the respect the people had for Narius alone that caused White to be successful. It was really because of Narius that White had not failed.

His victories during the Allies War were luck. Or perhaps it was due to fear of Narius. Again, White took credit for glory that rightfully belonged to Narius alone. 

It was not possible for a man to just show up and with no preparation do the things that White was allegedly able to do. 

His rebuilding of Atolia was luck. Totally luck.  There was no other explanation. 

And this alleged victory over Merdad had to be due to the incompetence of the king of Blackbridge.  White had no actual battle experience. None. It was all luck.  But soon his luck would run out. Soon, preparation would win over luck as it rightfully should. 

But White was the small fish. The big fish at the moment was Triumph. Narius was a man of planning and preparation. The plans were made. The preparation done. The so called presidency of Triumph was soon to be at its end. Very soon. 

… 

Marcus was in the brown uniform he’d been given.  He too was in a secret meeting.  The orders came from the leaders of the People’s Party and now filtered down to the ground troops. 

“We wait for the word and then we attack the shopping center. You are free to inflict as many casualties on the Cons and necessary to draw all available police resources.” the leader said. 

“We have to kill people?” Someone had asked the question that Marcus himself had been thinking. 

“Cons aren’t people.”

At the end of the meeting the symbolic burnings of the Republic flag and Republic Constitution were done. 

“This time tomorrow, Triumph will be no more!!”