French Revolution Mafia [Concluded]

[GeneralHankerchief]

"There have been violent revolutions in the world before; but the immoderate, violent, radical, desperate, bold, almost crazed and yet powerful and effective character of these [French] Revolutionaries has no precedents. Where did this new race come from? What produced it? What made it so effective? What perpetuates it? Independently of all that can be explained about the French Revolution, there is something unexplained in its spirit and in its acts. I can sense the presence of this unknown object, but despite all my efforts, I cannot lift the veil that covers it."
~ Alexis de Tocqueville

Conclusion

The Committee of Public Safety had been very active during the past week. Commissioned as a sort of executive body in contrast with the National Convention's legislative characteristics, it had been formed to precisely direct France's efforts against her enemies, both external and - especially during the past week - internal. Due to various political sea changes, retirements, and deaths, the Committee's membership had changed quite a bit since its inception, but its overall mission had not. Even now, during the great whittling down of the Convention members, the Committee still continued its work.

With the execution of Csargo, for all intents and purposes the National Convention now was the Committee, as they each had the same three - and three only - members: Zack, Choxorn, and Manasi. As the splendor of the Tuileries Palace was much too overly-grand to house three people doing mostly clerical work, the three of them decided to meet in Zack's office (as he was the seniormost member of the Committee).

"Okay," Zack said, starting things off, "First order of business is continuity of government. With the Convention basically gutted, we need to decide whether to simply refresh the member base or start entirely anew. If we do decide to maintain the Convention structure, the next thing we need to decide is whether the emergency measures will remain in place or whether we will finally adapt Saint-Just's Constitution of 1793."

"Are you joking?" said Choxorn. "Nearly the entire legislative body of France has just been killed off. Of course we need to maintain the emergency measures!"

"Right, but our continued presence here and not in a shallow grave somewhere suggests that Csargo was the final Royalist and that the danger has passed," Manasi said.

"Just so," said Zack, nodding. "Now, Manasi, second order of business?"

"There's been heavy National Guard activity all day," she replied, reading off a report. "While not unusual in of itself considering the present circumstances, this particular activity is of note because, to my knowledge, it has not been cleared with any of us beforehand and we have no idea as to its purpose. I've sent a clarification request to the Commandant, hopefully we'll get his response shortly."

"Does he know we're at this address?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Choxorn, what news of the war effort?"

Choxorn coughed and adjusted his papers. "There's been a stabilization of fronts the past few days. The British have been as annoying as ever, but the rebellion in the Vendée has seen a startling lack of activity lately, and there are reports of little movement on the Eastern front as well. All in all I'd say it's been a rather pleasant surprise and a fairly solid balancing of the scales considering what's been happening in Paris."

"The drawing-down has made that much of an effect?" Manasi asked.

"It would seem so."

"That's... really stange," said Zack. "Almost a bit too fortuitous, if you ask me. I wonder if there's been any coordination going on..."

At that moment, there was a loud pounding on the door. "Open up, it's the Commandant!" came a voice from outside.

"I'll go see what he wants," Choxorn said, getting up to go outside. Zack and Manasi made idle chatter for a little while, until about two minutes later Choxorn poked his head back in. "There's been some more violence in this part of the city," he said. "They want to move us to a safer location."

"Sacre bleu, when will this ever end?" Manasi muttered, but she got out to join Choxorn just as Zack did - though at the very moment she stepped outside, a rough set of hands grabbed her and pulled her off to the side. "I am a member of the National Convention and of the Committee of Public Safety, a delegate elected and entrusted with maintaining the direction of the Revolution! What is the meaning of this?"

"In the name of the King, you're under arrest!"

"Wait, what?" She looked around for Zack, also grabbed and under control, and saw that he looked just as puzzled as he was.

Then they both looked to Choxorn. He looked unconcerned, even smiling. He was also completely free.

"At the very end, you almost figured it out," he said, a look of vindication on his face. "I looked bad there for a while, what with Jabbz, Monstrdude, and Kagemusha going down before I could blink. But then you all grew complacent. You put petty political rivalries ahead of hunting for the true enemy, not realizing that the absence of the Royalists was what allowed you the freedom to form these factions and rivalries in the first place. Once I survived the violence of 22 Prarial, I knew I was in the clear, so I started coordinating with my allies in the Vendée and the other governments of Europe. I'd say that France has been destroyed enough in your frittering around since 1789 and especially since last year, it would be a shame to destroy any more of the country when order was about to right itself. Luckily, my allies agreed."

Zack looked angry, Manasi crestfallen. But aside from fruitlessly struggling to get free, it was obvious that there was nothing they could do. The violence of the past week had cowed the citizens of Paris, the Guard had swung over back in favor of the Royalists, and the Convention... well, the Convention was about to become extinct.

"Don't worry, it won't be all bad," Choxorn said. "I've arranged for Louis XVII and the incoming government to label you all as misguided patriots, not the traitors that you really are. One of you might even get a burial in the Panthéon."

"History will remember us," Zack said. "Nobody will ever forget what has happened over the past few years. Nothing you do will stop will."

"Oh, I have no doubt that you're right," Choxorn replied. "However, the thing about history is that it judges you far along in the future... in the present, though, where we live and operate, the Revolution is over. And it will not rise again for quite some time, I think."

Zack and Manasi continued to defiantly deliver their last words, but when it came down to it, that was all they were: last words. Surely one of the guards would be recording them for posterity - but he would also be writing down what happened next: Zack and Manasi were summarily shot, the Convention was dissolved, and a few days later the son of the last king would be crowned Louis XVII, de facto inheriting the title that had been de jure his ever since his father had been guillotined.

History would decide whether the brief French Revolution of 1789 to 1793 was the harbinger of a later wave of events to sweep across Europe and the world, or whether it was simply a flash in the pan. In the more immediate moment, though, nobody could deny the main truth: After four-plus years of upheaval and uncertainty, France remained Royalist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The game has ended with a Royalist victory!

The factions:

Montagnards:
Montmorency
Jabbz
Lewwyn
seireikhaan
Snerk
BSmith

Populists:
autolycus
Logic
Zack
El Barto
Sooh/Winston Hughes
Arakhor

Girondins:
Askthepizzaguy
atheotes
Choxorn - last survivor
NotACop
Al Sipsclar
Kagemusha

Militarists:
Monstrdude
Manasi
Renata
Dp101
Fenn
Csargo