Everything was quiet, on USS Europa. The planted corridors of the garden module reminded casual visitors of the tragic, fascinating and ultimately epic history of that little corner of the Asian peninsula, on Earth - Europa. Impune Lacessit was simply sitting there, looking at those works of art. Europa: according to ancient mythology, it comes from the Assyrian word Eur, the "Land of Darkness", the unknown land where the sun sets. Those good Assyrians, like most of civilization´s heirs, were always looking to the East, to Asia, to the "Land of Light", to the sun raise. Europa: always tragic, from birth.
Impune´s favourite painting was hanging there, on the entrance hall - an interesting place to take coffe, on every journey back to Sol.
With the characteristic grumpy voice, Impune reflected on the art out loud:
"The rape of Europa..what a cunning way to portrait the raise of a continent. Europa wasn´t a grwon woman yet, and she got raped by Zeus, who for the occasion decided to wear Bull. Violence and the power of Gods, the tragic birth of Europa"
Certainly, Impune´s days were usually spent on similar reflections, reading from a detached approach, and not with a particularly passionate outlook, the latest GNN news reports.
"This coffee is atrocious - where on the Universe are we importing the beans now...from the American Mid-West?"
"Sir, it´s fair trade coffee, from the Altarians"
Impune looked up at the stars, and enjoyed the remembrance of things past. At the time, when he first created the Commission for the Union of European States (later to be fortunately abridged to European Alliance), things seemed to be much simpler. There was a simple heterogenous and all-mighty Apolyton oligarchy, against which the Alliance was meant to fight for the rights of European elected Governments to exert a democratic control over their economies, in an increasingly Universilised market. The idea was instantenous, and the rest, as they say, is history. It all seemed to be so long ago, it all seemed to be so simple.
The Alliance revolutionised Universal politics. Regional blocks started to emerge all over the place. Earth´s peoples wanted their power back, and they wanted it soon. Europa, once again, leaded the way into a new political galactic system
"Lucious, do me a favour. Please send this invitation to Sir G-Force, we need to talk. Make sure we have better coffee, for when he comes"
"Yes, Sir, the visualmail will be dispatched today".
Not everybody was happy with the new state of affairs. The old oligarchs wanted their markets, and their credits. It was much to fun to buy upmarket football teams with it, and play football manager games in the real world. The old class was always going to fight for the privileges, but there was no turning back.
"Lucious. What is that troublesome pirate...ehem..what was his name again...Potinus something I believe...doing now? Have we heard anything of him - apart from what we get on GNN? He hardly makes the news these days"
"The Secret Services report that apparently he still enjoys to assault a few commercial ships, on the outskirts of the Galaxy. He and his gang have been kicked out from most Empires, though. It won´t be long before the only people he will be able to scare will be backward tribal species in some unexplored planet".
"Not a nice feeling, when the weight of History comes down crushing on your head, Lucious"
"No, Sir"
The old oligarchs did what they had always done throughout world history: they turned themselves into bandits, claiming to have a clear political ideology - destruction is all they sought. For a while, these gross pirates seemed to be able to turn things around, as in 1922 (earth history) in Italy, for example. The world was awaiting the feared black shirts in every corned of the Universe. But there is one thing the bandits did not fully comprehend: there are transitory systemic periods of history, which mark distinct change. Under the laws of these times, a wolf will be always be identified as a wolf, even in sheep clothing.
"Sir, there are still guests waiting, below."
This business of being an Honorary Senator pleased Impune.
"If I could only do away with useless delegations..."
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Euros!!!