The last song of the ancestors

He was cheered by the people of Ilu Nla. The spotlight of the NeTV channels and society was on him. Ojwang had a hard time holding back his laughter. The feeling of power was too tasty not to savor. He passed through the corridor of military police, climbed the stairs to the stage and headed for the pulpit.

Thousands of people jostled to see him. He was the last national hero. People pulled their smartphones out of their pockets and aimed their cameras at the head of state. The president extended his hand in greeting, and the citizens applauded and chanted slogans in his support.

Behind the cordon of security guards and the armored glass wall, Ojwang adjusted the microphone. He looked from one side of the crowd to the other. He shook his head, satisfied. In a firm voice, he declared:

"Citizens of Ilu Nla. It is an immense honor to govern this nation, a country that has adopted me like a son. Twenty years ago, I was just a tech entrepreneur looking for opportunities, and I've reached places I never dreamed of…"

Ojwang didn't finish his thought. In the Central Square, the population began to chant his name like a unison melody. They paid homage to him with handmade posters. Parents raised their children above their shoulders so that they could see the president.

With affected emotion, the man let out a sob. He rubbed his congested nose and, in an embarrassed voice, continued his speech.

"Thank you, thank you very much. Through effort and hard work, I have earned the merit that only commitment can achieve. I took as an example these people who are here celebrating with me. My inspiration was none other than you, the people of Ilu Nla."

A round of applause filled the atmosphere. It was more than four minutes of uninterrupted applause. Ojwang bit his thick lips. He scanned the crowd with his eyes.

"When I arrived in Ilu Nla, I felt like many of the children and young people who came to hear me speak. I saw beauty, wealth and prospects for the future. A promising land that I never imagined existed. I pinched myself to make sure it wasn't a dream, hehehe. Luckily for me, it wasn't."

Everyone laughed with the president. His good humor was one of his most popular qualities. It gave them confidence and lightness.

"When I started my investments in Ilu Nla, I aroused the sympathy of the progressive spirit, the allies of innovation. At the same time, I attracted the curious and even caused envy among some old-fashioned men and women. I don't deny that, at first, I believed that the problem lay in their values. How wrong I was, the fault lay in the character of these people. And those people were the mediums."

Ojwang made a number of comments regarding mediums. He demonstrated this with a solid knowledge base of Ilu Nla. This impressed the crowd; he knew more about national history than many of its citizens.

The president demarcated the origin of Ilu Nla at a time when confederation, led by traditional clans, was becoming unviable. The power struggle between them was great and constant. The seven major clans, direct descendants of the Divine Entities, decided to create a single nation-state. They established a hereditary monarchy.

But the leaders of the clan systems would not be left out of power. The Sovereign would share his regal functions with a council of ministers called the Circle of Sages, or the High Council of Ilu Nla. The monarch would represent the nation as Head of State, and the sage men would act as Head of Government, controlling the country's decisions.

The Sovereign's power was limited, almost symbolic in relation to his ministers. He was a figure of national legitimacy and the union of his people. The relationship between these bodies of power was never neutral, even among the sage it was much more one of conflict than of alliance for national interests. This was the case for over a thousand years. Ojwang continued:

"Thanks to this flawed system of power, the people were distanced from decisions. The mediums monopolized power, distorted their traditions and shamed their ancestors."

When he said this, the people were shocked. They looked at each other and agreed with what they were hearing. Dishonoring one's ancestors was the greatest crime one could commit in life, akin to an original sin.

"The mediums created a caste, full of perks. They corrupted and were corrupted in the process. The Sovereign ruled nothing, remained in the shadows, when in fact he should have been sitting on the throne. However, the royal family itself and its court also succumbed to the lust for power."

The people began to raise their fists. They approved of Ojwang's words and backed him up with shouts of support.

"Surrounded by fear and comfort, they let corruption poison Ilu Nla. As Minister of Science and Technology, I came across the most vexatious corruption. I saw the Circle of Sages and their clans making deals with criminal factions, and the Sovereign embezzling money from the Royal Treasury to pay for his luxuries."

The population revolted like never before. Ojwang's voice was like moral fuel. His denunciations had never reached so many, and were as direct as in that speech.

"Truly I tell you, I am not the knight of hope. But if I had remained passive about this situation, I would be no better than them. Therefore, imbued with a civic duty, I have taken it upon myself to return the stolen future of this nation. I didn't do it alone, I had the support of brave men and women in our Glorious Revolution. No one will fear tomorrow anymore."

A sphere-shaped image was holoprojected into the air above the stage. In the foreground was Ojwang, followed by his three generals: Gahiji, Luena and Jitujeusi. Then there were hundreds of thousands of anonymous soldiers who had fought in the so-called revolutionary process. Under the applause of the population, with the most inflammatory speech, he said:

"We have removed the cancer that was eating away at Ilu Nla. Before, we were divided, now, hand in hand, we will walk towards the future. We will remedy our weaknesses, all of them. Schools will not be indoctrinated, the media will stop politicking, quality of life will be our horizon. There will be no sadness or malice, only relief."

The drone cameras of the NeTV networks projected the faces of many emotional citizens. They zoomed in to increase the drama of the situation.

"Unfortunately, the traitors of the homeland do not rest. Two days ago, the Circle of Sages, through its lieutenant in the criminal underworld, the medium Yasini. He induced a popular uprising in Chrome Hill."

Yasini's image was holoprojected onto the back of a police car. The Intelligence Service manipulated the images so that his physiognomy became more aggressive. His features acquired an aura of animalistic violence, very different from the introverted teenager he was.

"The criminal factions, fearful of losing their power to the mediums, launched a violent counter-attack. Many lives were taken in the process. Thanks to our valiant cyber troops, we have extinguished the flames of conflict and discord…"

The people exalted their Armed Forces, and manipulated images of the cybersoldiers were projected. In these images, they helped injured civilians, saved domestic animals from fires, surrendered criminals without firing a single shot. They then revealed the destruction caused by the criminal factions linked to the mediums.

The interim president saw the mediums as the biggest obstacle to his plans. They were his natural enemies. He emphasized the degraded image of the adepts of the mediumistic arts, and associated crime and urban violence with them.

It was necessary to break down the symbolic capital of his adversaries, to the point where their mere mention evoked disgust in society. Public opinion had fluctuated a lot in relation to mediums, and the president's approval rating in internal polls was falling all the time. The mediums had to be painted in enemy colors.

"During this real terrorist attack, civilians were used as human shields. The expertise of our Armed Forces handled the situation. Never again will this nation fall victim to those who usurped the joy of this people, of my people…"

"LONG LIVE THE CIRCLE OF SAGES!"

Shots were heard. The shots hit the protective barrier, and its reflective force ricocheted the projectiles. Several people were hit and died. A security team removed the interim president from the stage. Cameras took aim at the sniper. A military drone with a taser hit him. The man fell to the ground epileptic.

The crowd ran bewildered from one side to the other. Many people were trampled in the confusion and seriously injured. Tactical teams crossed in the opposite direction, they needed to restrain the terrorist. They managed to handcuff him and drag him away. The electroshock knocked him out.

The NeTV cameras were lost in the attack. Ojwang came out of the attack unscathed. In his armored car, escorted by several agents, he was rushed to a shelter. With the surrounding streets evacuated, it was easy.

At the facility, he asked to be left alone in a room. Out of the public eye, he lay down on a sofa. He went to the minibar and got ice cubes. He prepared a gin and tonic. General Luena's plan to set up a fake sniper and carry out an attack in the middle of the speech was considered a masterstroke.

The subject had been brainwashed by nanomachines. His mind was programmed to carry out a single mission and then kill himself. He would be identified as an extremist sympathizer of the mediums and indoctrinated by the sages. This would further criminalize the image of his opponents.

Ojwang tried hard, but he couldn't contain his satisfied smile. He had played his final card in the court of public opinion. He stretched out on the sofa in the shelter. He was in stasis with his success. Everything was going better than planned.