State of Lysasandor

Another Weird Country in the World Union.

Supreme Leader of The Military Dictatorship of Harfall, Maurnu, shambled into the large chamber of the World Union.

”On trial for atrocities and overthrowing democracy in your country,” the letter that summoned her there said.

The skeletal leader took a careful seat before the representatives of the world's many countries, eying the two leaders who sat in a box that was totally labeled ’The Weird Ones' though no one brought that up.

“Do I get a lawyer?” Maurnu asked carefully. She had willingly turned herself in, so it wasn't like she went through any sort of booking process.

Those representatives laughed at her while the weird leaders had more subtle negative responses. One of the watching leaders was just a mass of eyes and metal hands with claw-like fingers, tapping the desk in front of them quietly. The other was someone with a constant headache, rubbing their head with a tired hand.

“You get no lawyer,” a man on the security council giggled, “and you must defend your actions from our scrutiny.”

Unfair. Maurnu thought. “What exactly are you accusing me of then? Besides overthrowing the democracy in my country?” Something that was actually not a crime.

Supreme Leaders of Military Dictatorships had tendencies to commit more of those atrocities, but they weren't mutually inclusive. Five men on the council judging her also happened to be from countries run by dictators, and it was clear no one said a thing about them or brought their leaders in for judgment.

One of the representatives spat at her for daring to ask that question.

She huffed, then started speaking in her own defense. “I mean, my country is still a democracy. The people decided to rename it The Military Dictatorship of Harfall. I actually voted against the decision. And also, we've always had a supreme leader. It's just convenient that people keep voting me in, and that I have suddenly become undead.”

Pointing to herself, Maurnu brought attention to the fact she literally was just a skeleton with glowing green eyes and a bullet wound that pierced the ribs where the heart would have been placed.

“I've already died of assassination once, and elections are far more split than you'd imagine.”

The citizens of Harfall always voted for more military, more nationalism, more things to make a country look like an atrocity. They always voted in such numbers that the split between those for and opposed was usually between 60 and 80 percent of the population.

Very rare were unanimous elections. The last one was changing the country's official bird.

“The people just like me and they're the ones who gave me the title.” Maurnu would have been fine as a simple prime minister or president of Harfall. “I voted against it, actually.”

The representatives argued as she explained more about the Harfall voting system. While they had a Legislative Junta to make laws, any decisions they drafted would be voted on by the people, making Harfall more democratic than other democratic countries.

“Only our justice system can be said to work without such a heavy voting policy, and even they are checked on a regular basis. Only votes involved there were from the juries that weren't required for every trial or sentencing.

“Guilty,” came the whispers from above. Maurnu would have rolled her eyes if she still had them. “Completely.”

How much of this decision is being impacted by the fact that I'm undead?

The human leader in the ‘weird’ section glared at the representatives, still rubbing their head as they had been doing the entire time they'd been in this massive chamber. “I think she's innocent,” they announced.

Those uncanny floating eyes of the other odd leader nodded in agreement. “I suggest Harfall's seat in the World Union be moved to be closer to us.” A metal hand waved towards The Weird Ones box, that was conveniently placed close to the front podium of the room, and away from the others. “Like our countries, there has been a slight change in leadership, but no change or decrease in rights for the citizens.”

The other leader's head faceplanted into the table in front of them. “Let's go with that,” they mumbled.

“If you truly believe The Military Dictatorship of Harfall is committing atrocities on a regular basis, I am willing to oversee any new leadership to ensure that happens no more.”

Maurnu swallowed at the comment.

“I went on a vacation to Harfall earlier,” the human leader explained, “They were all pretty nice, if not a bit weird.”

The representatives judging Maurnu conferred with each other one last time, looking back to the two leaders. “Fine,” one of them grumbled, frowning and eyes furrowed, “The case is dropped and the Harfall seat will be moved to the weird box.”

A secretary was called to grab the proper paperwork to sign, and Supreme Leader Maurnu shambled to a spontaneously appeared seat next to the human leader.

“Welcome to the weird side,” they said, shaking the skeleton's hand, “That's Ulnavera and I'm Lysasandor.”

The representatives still scowled at what they had to do, but Maurnu saw fear sparkle through those men's eyes.

“They don't know what to do with us or how to get rid of us,” Lysasandor whispered, “and I think they're afraid to even try anything. That's why we get our own section in the chambers.”

The seat the skeletal leader had been given was quite comfortable.

A part of State of Lysasandor

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