Frostbite: The Vikings' tale

[vovan]

Originally posted by SKILORD
If you thought i was writing fast before look out. I'll have alot of free time too once exams are done.,

Bring 'em on

[SKILORD]

Peter Romanov had persevered. A long talk to Catherine had won him the choice to run the foreign ministery out of the Embassy in Trodelheim. He visited Ragnar often, they discussed the ways in which Ragnar freed his people from the barbaric dark ages the world had never quite shook off. Libraries had become a common sight, as had Banks and Marketplaces, where the people of Scandinavia learned to turn their mighty swords to business, attacking the competition with feirceness equal only to the berserk runs on the battlefeilds of the past.

Ragnar had become worried lately, as he commonly did during elections. The Socialist candidate, Trovold Herman, loomed in the distance, the army of lower middle class families behind him prepared to swoop upon the wealthy of Scandinavia, looting their stores for the cause of others.
Peter was on his way to a debate, Ragnar appeared confident on the stage, he was well prepared as he always was for debates, on a podium he could not be stopped. Trovold stood, excitement in his overzealous eyes, prepared to argue.
"If you were being mugged and there were a policeman present would you expect him to assist you in keeping your money?" Ragnar started with a question.
Trovold seemed unprepared. He shuffled through his papers. Ragnar had no papers.
"I suppose i would want him to stop the theif."
"What if the theif were poorer than you?"
"Why does that matter?"
"You propose upon your election to send those very same policemen into the homes of the wealthy of ou nation to mug them, sending their money to those who choose not to produce."
Trovold was caught, he looked shocked, he had not anticipated this, he had expected them both to read a speech, ask some questions both had prepared for and leave.
"But are you saying the wealthy are more important than the poor?"
"Are you saying the poor are more important than the wealthy? Do you feel that the drunkards of the street are of equal worth to us as the Industialists who have blessed our nation's cities with factories and wonders. Through the stock exchanges they have built the wealth is spread to those with the good sense to invest soundly. Wouldn't a socialist government be redundant?"
"No, The world is not as pristine as you imagine, have you been out on the streets, have you seen the rabble huddled in the alleys, waiting for a gift from heaven? I will provide that gift." He was looking at the audience now, playing to them, Ragnar rolled his eyes.
"Are they incapable of working?"
"Some are."
"Why do they not check into a poorhouse, i have established those."
"Maybe they are too proud."
"If they are too proud to confess their handicapped nature and their poverty why should they accept handouts from you if they will not seek food when i offer it."
"Your stinking money, you have been so stingy with government funds!"
"Is the government's job to spend money? I have always seen it as the defender of people from the force of others."
"Is not poverty a force imposed on them by others?"
"No. The Industrialists, as i have mentioned, have built stock exchanges to help the people invest to produce mutual wealth."
"I wish you luck in the election, your beloved industrialists are vastly outnumbered by the masses of poor."
"I wish you luck, if you are to rule a nation as stupid as you take Scandinavia to be."

[vovan]

Originally posted by SKILORD
as had Banks and Marketplaces, where the people of Scandinavia learned to turn their mighty swords to business, attacking the competition with feirceness equal only to the berserk runs on the battlefeilds of the past.

Another quality piece. Keep it up

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Oh yes quality indeed

[TheGuitarist]

Great! That was a nice one-liner at the end.

[SKILORD]

The papers all showed the tale of how President Lobrok had called the Scandinavian people stupid. That they listened to it proved the point he had not made. He had debated repeatedly since then with Trovold, He had managed to survive better than the candidates of the past, by reminding the audience every few sentances what Ragnar's "opinion" of them was, though he had beaten him finally when he explained economics to the people, the rich profit by paying you your hard earned salaries, if they drive you to poverty they lower their market, he had said, that had stumped the Socialist, who had quickly changed the issue. Ragnar had a plan though, to remove all desire from voting Socialist from the minds of the masses.

Peter was on Ragnar's business. It was true that he shouldn't have been, being a Russian official he had no formal loyalty to the man. But if Ragnar were forced from the Presidency, to return to his hut in the forest who would speak reason to him? Peter saw nothing wrong with the socialist stance, Ragnar found it a crime against humanity and had tried to explain why to the Russian. Peter couldn't understand him, but ceded to a man he knew to be wiser than he.
Peter opened the door, all doors wer open to him in Scandinavia and people laughed behind his back and called him the president's Russian, but they had to respect him, he was a representative of Ragnar.
Kreigsmarne, a wealthy Industrial magnate, sat peacefully behind his oak desk, smoking a cigar.
"What do you need?" the Industrialist demanded.
"Ragnar needs a favor."
by the end of the meeting both men were grinning. Peter thought one down, ten to go.

-

By the election every major factory had given a hefty raise to it's employees. It was reasoned that the cost of the raise was less than the taxes that would have been imposed by a Socialist regime, the workers profited not having to pay either this way, though few realised this. The people of Scandinavia forgot all their monetary concerns at the ballot box, and it was reasoned that the 1/8 of the voters that wished to deny Ragnar another teerm were still sore over the 'stupid' remark.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

[SKILORD]

War had erupted between Spain and Russia, It was a war of extermination, and Viking funds found their way to the Russian treasury, Ragnar shrugged off compliments to his generosity, the he profited from the Russian's continued survival, there wasn't a generous bone in him. An ROP had been secured and Scandanavian troops and Navies had surrounded Russia from every angle, Spaniards who looked forelornly upon it called it the mighty fort of neutrality.
Peace was made, Ragnar had helped draft it and signed it as the enforcer of the terms. The United Nations was completed in London and before the last brick had been laid it was known who the Secretary General would be.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Great stuff and well done for keeping both going.

[SKILORD]

Wait till you see my next peice, i'm writing a story set in my north america division MOD. I played as the Hudson Bay Company, but needs some action (I'm working on annoying the CSA so that Quebec the US, Cuba and I can whip up on them.)

[TheGuitarist]

Excellent story. Looking forward to the next one, SKILORD.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Go and nominate it Tom for round fourteen.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

BIG BUMP

My personal favourite of SKILORD's work