Several days had passed since Hadrian’s day of execution. Tiberius had now officially been sworn in as the new governor. He had resigned from his position as Head Enforcer. He was now restructuring the leadership of the Capital District. To begin the restructure, he was going to appoint new leaders in various areas. He was to begin with his replacement as Head Enforcer.
Those of relevance entered the ceremonial room. These included Sanguine, Percival, Atlas, Ginger, Jeff, Etnad, Shamrock, Twaldi, Waldo, heads of noble families, and a dozen senior enforcers. There was no media presence for this event. These guests took their positions lining the room.
Two enforcers opened the doors to the ceremonial room; Tiberius entered. All the guests dropped to one knee. He slowly walked down the centre of the room along the red carpet. At the opposite end of the room were several steps leading up to Waldo’s old throne. Tiberius climbed the steps. He turned around and sat down on the throne. The guests stood back up.
‘First order of business,’ announced Tiberius. ‘I need to appoint my replacement. Percival, step forward.’
Percival walked forward. He stopped on the red carpet. He then turned to face Tiberius. He walked forward. He stopped in front of the steps. He dropped to one knee.
‘Percival, you have done a tremendous job as my deputy,’ said Tiberius. ‘You are the only one who could possibly replace me. Do you accept the role of Head Enforcer?’
‘It would be my honour, governor,’ replied Percival.
Tiberius nodded, and Percival rose to his feet. He then returned to his position by the wall.
‘My next priority is the Economic Institute,’ said Tiberius as he looked towards Atlas and Twaldi. ‘Twaldi and Atlas step forward.’
Twaldi and Atlas followed the same routine as that of Percival.
‘Atlas, you are relieved of your duty as head of the Economic Institute,’ said Tiberius.
Atlas sighed in relief.
‘Twaldi, you have been restored to your previous position,’ said Tiberius.
‘I’m deeply honoured to be returned to my former role,’ replied Twaldi.
‘Removing you from your role was a great injustice,’ said Tiberius. ‘You have shown great leadership over the years.’
‘It is such a shame you were not born the eldest of Rundo’s sons,’ said Tiberius as he turned to look at Waldo.
Waldo gazed angrily at Twaldi and began mumbling under his breath.
Tiberius turned to Twaldi and nodded.
Twaldi rose to his feet and returned to his position.
Tiberius looked at Atlas, and then he looked at one of the senior enforcers. ‘Remove him from the palace immediately,’ he told them in a stern tone.
Two senior enforcers grabbed Atlas and escorted him out of the ceremonial room.
‘My next priority is the media and information,’ said Tiberius. ‘Sanguine, Ginger, Jeff, and Waldo step forward.’
The four of them moved to the required position before Tiberius.
‘Sanguine, you are an excellent communicator,’ said Tiberius with a grin. ‘I want you to run the news and information departments. I trust in you getting the truth out to the masses.’
‘It’ll be an honour, my gracious governor,’ replied Sanguine.
‘Ginger, it is your time to shine,’ said Tiberius. ‘I want you to run the entertainment department. We have sadly lost so much great talent. Only someone of your expertise can revive it.’
‘I’m deeply honoured,’ replied Ginger as she bowed her head.
‘That’s not all. I want you and those wonderful children to move into the palace,’ said Tiberius. ‘Those boys are our new elite. They deserve to be treated with great respect.’
‘I’m very grateful for your generosity,’ replied Ginger.
‘Jeff, I will be honest with you,’ said Tiberius firmly. ‘I don’t like you. You lack true character.’
Jeff began to tremble.
‘However, you have talent,’ said Tiberius in a more relaxed tone. ‘You made Pound Ball a great success. You are also of good breeding. I will let you remain the owner of the Pound Ball League, but you must work together with Sanguine and Ginger.’
‘I am most grateful for your generosity and mercy, my governor,’ replied Jeff.
‘Of course, remember your actions do not only affect yourself,’ said Tiberius with a big grin.
‘Tell me, Waldo. How does the apple fall so far from the tree?’ asked Tiberius.
‘Is this tree in question on top of a great hill?’ asked Waldo as he looked up at Tiberius.
‘Indeed, unfortunately, the first apple happened to be so very round,’ chuckled Tiberius as he rubbed his stomach.
‘Ah yes,’ replied Waldo. ‘It just kept on rolling.’
‘You’re a fool. Therefore, you will be my head fool,’ said Tiberius as he raised his voice. ‘When I tell you to dance, you will dance. When I tell you to sing, you will sing.’
‘Will I get to wear magnificent costumes?’ asked Waldo in an excited tone. ‘Be the star of my own stage show.’
‘Bring a smile to my face and you will be in my good graces,’ chuckled Tiberius.
Tiberius nodded to the four of them. They rose to their feet and returned to their previous positions by the wall.
‘We now have the capability to produce our own blue juice!’ exclaimed Tiberius with joy. ‘I want our noble peers to grow their businesses. Access to the blue juice will invigorate your minds to enable you to do great things. Our publicly owned pharmaceutical company will meet your required needs.’
The heads of the noble family bowed in acknowledgement of Tiberius’ gift.
‘Leaders of the House of Divine Knowledge stand before me,’ called out Tiberius. ‘The rest of you may leave.’
The guests left the ceremonial room in single file. The senior enforcers closed the doors behind them. Head Philosopher Etnad and Head Theologist Shamrock stood before Tiberius.
‘I’m deeply honoured to have the two most reverent Linap stand before me,’ said Tiberius in a joyous tone.
‘We were hoping you could return sanity to our continent,’ said Etnad.
‘Sanity is a given,’ said Tiberius confidently. ‘I give you much more. I will put our whole country on the verge of greatness.’
‘You have an opportunity to stop the greatest calamity in our history,’ said Etnad forcefully.
‘A higher power has called upon you to save us from a terrible fate,’ added Shamrock with enthusiasm.
‘What are you nutters rambling on about?’ said Tiberius, sounding a little annoyed.
‘The serum will destroy our species,’ said Etnad in frustration. ‘There is time to stop this madness.’
‘Oh, you want me to reverse the referendum,’ chuckled Tiberius. ‘Who am I to deny democracy?’
‘You are the governor,’ said Etnad as he gazed intently at Tiberius. ‘You have the power.’
‘The will of the masses is that we upgrade our species,’ said Tiberius firmly. ‘I will enforce their will, and you will abide by it.’
‘It violates our teachings,’ said Shamrock. ‘We can….’
‘Enough,’ shouted Tiberius. ‘The evolved Linap are the future of our species. They are an improvement on the original. You will teach of their superiority.’
‘That is in violation of the teaching of the House of Divine Knowledge,’ shouted Etnad.
‘Enforcers!’ shouted Tiberius.
The enforcers drew their weapons.
‘Let’s just remain calm,’ said Shamrock. ‘There is no need for conflict.’
‘It wouldn’t be a conflict,’ chuckled Tiberius. ‘I was just going to have you killed.’
‘Let’s reach a compromise,’ suggested Shamrock in a nervous tone.
‘It’s simple,’ said Tiberius. ‘The House of Divine Knowledge will continue to be in charge of education. A key part of that education will be the reiteration of the fact that the new species is superior to the old. Make sure all new texts reflect this teaching.’
‘The independence of the House of Divine Knowledge is guaranteed,’ stated Etnad abruptly.
‘I won’t tell anyone if you won’t,’ chuckled Tiberius.
‘I understand,’ responded Shamrock. ‘We will update our teaching material accordingly for when we teach the next generation.’
‘Great!’ said Tiberius forcefully. ‘Now get out!’
The enforcers escorted Etnad and Shamrock out of the ceremonial room.
That evening, Tiberius was to make an official announcement from his office. This announcement was to be televised live to all of Sapey.
‘Good evening, citizens of Sapey,’ said Tiberius as he stared into the camera. ‘Today, I officially began work as your new governor. I have appointed some of the most talented Linap to get our illustrious country back on track.’
Tiberius read the names of all the newly appointed leaders.
‘You are probably wondering why I referred to Sapey as a country,’ said Tiberius. ‘This is because it is more than just a continent of connected districts. We work and live together, supporting each other. The Capital District plays the biggest role in that. This role continues to expand. We provide the currency. We provide the law and its enforcement. We provide high-level leadership. Therefore, the Capital City of the Capital District should be the Capital of our country.’
Most at home felt a little uneasy about what Tiberius was saying.
‘We now live in a new era of democracy,’ said Tiberius. ‘This new system shall be honoured. We will continue to have elections. New district leaders will be elected in a couple of months. These district leaders will represent their districts in the Capital District. They will provide valuable input into our decision-making processes. They will form the Government of Sapey.’
Sanguine was standing with a camera crew; he seemed very pleased with his son’s announcement.
‘It might sound like a considerable concentration of power in the Capital District,’ said Tiberius. ‘I assure you that it will be the exact opposite. The power over leadership will always sit with you. Power over production will sit with the several large businesses. They will be known as the Business Sector. Alset monopoly power will no longer exist. The House of Divine Knowledge will also play an important role in advising leadership teams and will shape the education system. The trinity of leadership will safeguard you. Government, House of Divine Knowledge, and the Business Sector.’
Those at home felt put at ease by Tiberius’ new structure. Demadrian watched the announcement from the mansion in Carrington City. He knew Tiberius was now fully in control and that his power was only going to grow. He knew he had to think of something to stop him before it was too late.
Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time is the sequel to the book Sapien Loop: End of an Era. Sapien Loop: End of an Era is available on Amazon, in collection series on my 
