Kalistan

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Anantonese Empire spoken out of existence
Kalistanis mourn as event goes unacknowledged around the world
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
September 1, 5707


Vigil attendees mourn in silence as clock strikes midnight and Anantonese Empire ceases to exist

As of 12:00:01 am, Kaliburg time on September 1, 5707, the Anantonese Empire, which used to formally unite Lodamun, Kalistan and Gaduridos ceased to be. According to Imperial Proclamation, at that second, the last formal ties to Gaduridos were officially severed and the southern nation was granted independence, whether it wanted it or not.

Tens of thousands gathered in Kaliburg overnight for a very somber vigil to mourn the death of what was once the greatest Empire in Terra as it passed away into history. The Anantonese Empire, at its height legally united the international affairs of half of Northern Seleya under the Crown in Kaliburg, and was the largest multi national state on the face of the planet. Over time, Lodamun, intent on pursuing foreign policy independent of Kaliburg first broke away, but Gaduridos remained loyal for another sixty-six years. The last public elections held in Gaduridos happened in 5663, but after that, Gaduridos went silent. And after doing what it could for the next 45 years to try to keep the nation afloat, Kalistan finally decided to stop trying to save a relationship that had become gangrenous. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto decided to cut ties late last year, and the decision, which was wildly unpopular and led to some violence earlier this summer, has now carried through. A similar vigil was peacefully held in downtown Sulari last evening.

"Kalistan did not need to do this," said Brad Carruthers, who, along with more than 35,000 marched to the National Assembly in silence to mourn the loss of the Empire. "Her Imperial Majesty did not have to do this. I understand what she said, her reasoning: She believes that keeping Gaduridos without being formally able to do anything with it, given its unwillingness to govern itself, is only a net negative for Kalistan. I get the argument. But this is an existential crisis for the people of this nation. We grew up with the Empire. Gaduridos was our brother. And we weren't ready to say goodbye yet. She did that for us when we didn't want her to. And now they have nothing."

The March went from the Kaliburg Annual Meetinghouse to the National Mall where the people arrived at about 11:30. There were speeches begging Her Imperial Majesty for a last moment reprieve for Gaduridos. "Rescind the proclamation, please!" asked one speaker. "Empire or no, this is a moment of deep sorrow for us all. A lot of us have family there: for more than a century, we have been united as Anantonese People. We have friends there, we have lovers there. We have nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters there. And now, through no fault of our own, there is this wedge between us. An independent Gaduridos is an estranged Gaduridos, and the end of the Empire immediately makes our two people foreigners to one another. Its not right. It should not have happened. The Empress can still undo it. It's not too late."

But as the clocks in downtown Kaliburg chimed Midnight, there was no word from the National Assembly, which, having yet to be reconvened, was silent and dark, nor from Cliff House. House Ananto said that the Empress, who is preparing to go into the hospital to deliver her third child within the next couple of weeks, was at home, and went to bed early as she remains on light duty until the child is born. After midnight, the crowd remained silent for 133 seconds, or one second for each year of the Empire. Some people were seen crying as the history of the event hit them. Many were simply resigned.

The Chancellor of the Empire appeared on TV-1, where he discussed with various pundits, the causes and implications of the end of the Anantonese Empire. But he summed it up with a concise and accurate evaluation of the legacy of the Anantonese Empire for all of Terra:

"For more than the life of any living human on Terra, the Anantonese Empire stood as a symbol of peace, unity and stability, not only in Northern Seleya, but in the world. Throughout that time, it was dismissed, critiqued or outright despised by many in the world. But it was an accomplishment which has inspired others.

"At one time, after the Canrille Empire collapsed into oblivion, the Anantonese Empire was the bedrock foundation of security and stability in this region. And at one point, our Empire was THE Empire in Terra. Now we are in an age of Empires, all of which were founded after the Anantonese Empire was founded. This is something that we can be proud of because it is our example that nations follow. Even those who pretend to be democratic.

"We all grieve as a nation, and I assure you, nobody feels this loss more than Her Imperial Majesty, on a very deep and personal level. But as she must keep her chin up and move forward, so must we all. We can celebrate, eventually, what we accomplished as a nation and as a continent. Even if nobody else in the entire world even notes its passing, all that matters is that we do: that we honor our history and that we keep it alive. Because as Kalistanis, our history is really the most important history of all."

The Chancellor concluded his discussion shortly before midnight by stating, "At the end of the day, the loss that we all feel is common, for those who demanded we keep the Empire, and those who knew why we had to end it. Its the same grief, and that grief unites us as a people. We may take as long as we need to grieve, and each of us will grieve in their own way, but ultimately we are going to have to pick ourselves up again as a nation, dust ourselves off, and get back to the work of government. Therefore, I can announce that this afternoon, Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress has authorized me to call for new elections, to be held nationwide on January 1, 5708. She wanted to make it clear that she does not intend to bar anyone who served in the dismissed National Assembly from running for office, but makes it clear that, with the exceptions that she made for Bentasur, her policy stands as it was proclaimed. The Anantonese Empire is over, and any revival of this particular political configuration will be forbidden by Imperial Fiat. So its time for our Deputies to go back to work."

The Chancellor also noted that all titles relating to the Anantonese Empire will be formally vacated and destroyed as of today, though all Imperial titles and all crownlands titles will be maintained, including Queen of Vintalli, Duchess of Athosia, and Queen of Andalay. The flag will also need to be altered, and a commission will be convened to decide what to do about our nation's currency.

The Anantonese Empire is dead. Long live the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan.

@TheRepublic