The Revolution Came

Chapter 42: Your Obedient Servant

January 30th, 1944

With Ken Drick Winchester dead, the Magdiwang Radical Party, born from the chaos of the November Riots, was on the verge of collapse.

Dwayne Newhiskey knew it wouldn't take much to finish them off. A single, decisive push, and the path to the Empire would be clear. Then, at last, he could mend the Republic's fractured ties with Great Britain.

But one obstacle remained.

Rivera.

That federalist will be the death of us all. The only way forward, the only way to survive, is to establish the Empire, he wrote to Senator Torenda.

The response came swiftly.

"You're talking treason."

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It was the Election of 1944. With Ken Drick Winchester dead, the Republic stood at a crossroads. Dwayne Newhiskey had maneuvered his way onto the ballot, securing the Magdalo moderates' endorsement as their candidate. Across the aisle, the Magdiwang radicals, now weakened by Ken Drick's death, had chosen Cody as their champion.

Yet, the election was not just a battle of candidates; it was a battle for the nation's soul.

Tensions flared between the North and South as the issue of slavery took center stage. The scars of history ran deep, during the Revolution, Northerners had fought for independence, while many Southerners had remained loyal to the Crown. But with the Republic's hard-won freedom, those old allegiances had shifted. Now, a new division threatened to tear the nation apart.

Before his assassination, Ken Drick had been on the brink of enacting a civil rights bill. Recognizing slavery as a moral evil, Northern senators and congressmen had begun rallying to abolish it once and for all. But in doing so, they had unwittingly exposed the country's greatest fault line: the growing alignment between slavery's defenders and the Imperialist Movement.

The Republic's future was no longer just a question of governance, it was a question of survival.

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The Grand Assembly Hall was packed with citizens from every province. The tension in the air was palpable. The nation stood at a crossroads: abolition, imperialism, and the very survival of the Republic hung in the balance.

The moderator, a stern-faced man in a dark suit, cleared his throat. His voice echoed across the marble chamber.

"Mr. Rivera, what is your stance on the question of slavery?"

Cody Rivera stood, buttoning his coat. He spoke with measured authority.

"Slavery is a moral evil, a contradiction to everything our Republic claims to stand for. We fought against British rule for liberty and justice, yet we continue to deny that same liberty to others within our own borders. How can we call ourselves a free people if we still treat human beings as property? The time for half-measures is over. If we want to be a nation of principles, we must abolish this institution once and for all."

A murmur rippled through the crowd, some in agreement, others in defiance. The moderator nodded and turned to Cody's opponent.

"Mr. Newhiskey, your rebuttal?"