Conductivity

Many believe that once they reach the top, power will remain theirs forever. It is a perceived state of dominance exerted by a small group over a larger population. In reality, power is granted by the people to their leaders. Those who give it can also take it away, thereby proving that the real servants are those who proclaim to rule.

Power is merely a temporary societal state for the few privileged who ascended through a combination of merit and luck. It cannot be transferred to tangible objects nor can it be monetized. It can be lost or taken away at any given moment, yet it must be given to someone.

Chapter I

It was a cloudy May day in Rome, one of the last before the hot summer. Susanna was sitting on the living room couch of her suburban family apartment. She knew the pressure would be high over the next month, and her grandfather, Gabriel, was trying to be supportive.

“Susy. I know you are stressed right now, but your abilities grant you a solid advantage over all your predecessors–me included, of course.”

Susy knew that. She also knew that he was trying to comfort her, though she was not sure if anyone could say or do anything to make her feel better. Perhaps not even her twin brother, Alessandro. She looked at her grandfather with a practiced genial smile.

“I know you are trying to help, Grandpa,” she replied, then looked down at the floor. “But no one can predict what the outcome will be. There is so much that goes into winning that has nothing to do with my abilities.”

They were referring to the Roman Fights, a series of tests devised to decide who the next monarchs of the Kingdom of Italy would become. The Augustus family had been ruling since the founding of Rome. For almost 3,000 years, this family had been on the throne, though much had changed over time.

For the best part of history, they were regarded by other European royal houses as barbaric due to their selection process, where descendants were not chosen based on birth order and where, perhaps even more outrageous, royal blood was not a deciding factor. This system ensured that no member of the governing household would think of themselves as better than the masses, purely because of their family of origin. This was a striking difference from many other historical families where, inevitably, the concept of blue blood was introduced and sparked the beginning of their downfall.

The Fights ensured not only that the Augustus family stayed humble and ambitious by being constantly reminded that current rulers could be the last had they not managed to successfully produce and train suitable descendants, but also that members of the public could challenge the ruling family and take over the throne. After all, in a country of tens of millions of people, it was very likely that someone with great potential could eventually come to overthrow them. In the same vein, the Fights were also an opportunity to scout for the best talents in the kingdom; making it to the arena could lead to a permanent position in the government ranks, usually working under the royal for or against whom they battled.

“Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind?” Gabriel asked Susy.

“I’m worried how the public will react once they find out what I can do. I am sure that many people will think that I am somehow cheating. I don’t even blame them,” she replied, continuing to look down at the floor.

Even when a candidate had won the seat, they still had to maintain public support; failure to do so could result in a vote for removal. Thus, it was mandatory for any Augustus who wanted to win the Fights to train both physically and mentally from a very young age.

The current system comprised three people: the ruling monarch with King or Queen titles and two subordinates with Prince or Princess titles, responsible for Domestic and Foreign Affairs. The three monarchs were always chosen within a few years of each other and governed until retirement unless dying, abdicating, or being voted out. Retirement age was the same as for the rest of the population; however, they could choose to stay a few more years, which usually only happened when they were waiting for a descendant to be old enough to participate in the Fights. Forcing a monarch into retirement was a necessary rule, as turnover prevented the establishment of a totalitarian regime, and older people were often unable to keep up with an ever-evolving society.

A second layer of insurance against the risk of the kingdom turning into a despotic, nepotistic oligarchy was set by the law that no person sitting on the throne could issue direct rulings; instead, citizens directly decided whether to pass a law by majority vote. Direct democracy was put in place a few decades prior to maintain public satisfaction with the country’s direction. Under this framework, the three monarchs had to assess required changes in their respective jurisdictions, and Domestic Affairs was tasked with surveying the population to establish whether there was enough approval to proceed; if so, they then could draft or amend a law and request citizens to cast their vote.

Though cumbersome on the surface, this was a clever system that Susy’s great-grandmother, Queen Elena, put in place after the Second World War, when discontent was high, and the public felt betrayed by the situation her predecessor had put them in against their will. Allowing the population to decide the country’s direction ensured that Italy was never again threatened by internal revolts and kept the number of strikes significantly lower than in any other Western country. Ultimately, whether governments like it or not, citizens have all of the power over a country’s future. Fighting this reality was purposeless.

Gabriel looked at Susy, trying to make eye contact in an attempt to give her more reassurance. She felt his stare but did not look up; she did not appreciate being looked in the eyes much unless it came from Alessandro.

He gave up and tried a more rational approach. “We have bought metal detectors. Do you know the ones that you have to go through when you have to board a flight to the US? All participants will be scanned before entering the arena, and it will all be live-streamed. They are actually quite cool,” he said with a smile.

“Yes, you have told me that,” she replied while trying to hide an eye roll. “And yes, I am familiar with those detectors. I studied at Berkeley, remember?” she said with a slightly annoyed tone.

Gabriel sighed. “Is birth control causing you mood swings?”

Female participants were offered birth control pills ahead of time to avoid being on their period if they made it to the physical stages of the competition.

Susy turned to him with her eyes widened. The question clearly irritated her.

“NO,” she said with her teeth clenched.

“Ok then… are you upset because if you win, you won’t be able to work at the prosthetic research lab anymore?”

Susy shook her head, expressing a mix of confusion and anger. “No! I told you what’s up!”

Her grandfather looked straight back at her. “Look, I know that you’re the emotional one out of the three, but don’t take your frustration out on me. It is not very princess-like.”

Susy rolled her eyes and took a deep inhale. She knew that her grandfather had a very high IQ, while his emotional intelligence was low, and right now, he really was trying his best at being helpful.

“I am not a princess yet, and it’s not fair to compare me to my brothers. After all, what I can do is also thanks to my emotions. But you’re right, I shouldn’t be annoyed at you. I know you’re just trying to be supportive.” She then exhaled deeply.

Every time there was a throne turnover, the position was made publicly available, and anyone fulfilling the minimum requirements could participate in the Fights to become the successor. The Augustus family always put forward one person from their ranks and, even though the role of king or queen had always been covered by a blood member of the family, not all three positions were necessarily held by one of them. This was the case for the soon-to-be-replaced throne.

Indeed, while Gabriel was king, and his brother, Prince Robert, was in charge of Domestic Affairs, Prince Omar, who ruled over Foreign Affairs, was not born an Augustus, but rather won his Fights against the proposed member of the family. He was the son of immigrants from South Yemen; his parents emigrated to Italy as political refugees due to protesting against their country becoming a close ally of the Soviet Union. Omar was raised in the capital and graduated from the University of Rome with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry.

He was tall and strongly built, having worked on construction sites with his father during winters and in tomato fields during summers to support his studies. He knew a lot about the Arab world thanks to his parents keeping close ties to their original culture, but was also very much westernized, adhering to modern values and identifying as fully Italian.

Gabriel saw his potential, predicting the impact of globalization and the importance the Middle East would have on the world’s economy. Omar was fluent in Arabic, which gave Italy an advantage in oil trading and secret dealings to prevent involvement in many wars.

Although some initially questioned the suitability of someone of non-Italian descent to be on the throne, he had won the people’s approval with his sturdy, tough, yet peace-oriented approach.

A second reason why Omar’s origins were a point of concern was the fact that, as the head of Foreign Affairs, he was obligated to be on the front lines had Italy decided to attack another country without prior provocation. This rule was put in place even before the introduction of the Christian calendar and would probably never be removed. It ensured that the country did not step into foolish wars, risking people’s lives, and wasting public funding unless it was strictly for self-defense. It was very common amongst rulers to act recklessly or glorify wars when others had to suffer the consequences. Thus, being forced to place their own life on the line before anyone else compelled a lot of Omar’s predecessors to take on the peaceful route. Over the years, Omar had shown considerable aptitude and discretion and had become a widely beloved figure.

Susy had observed him from afar. After all, it was decided that she would compete for this role when she was 13. That was when she first showed signs that her physical capabilities went beyond what regular humans can achieve. She was happy with this choice, as the seat of Foreign Affairs was one with great reward, but mostly behind the scenes. She was not one to crave the spotlight and, in fact, easily got stage fright. At the same time, she found it very rewarding to make others happy and rarely argued, unless it was with her close family; within her inner circle, she was a lot feistier and, at times, fairly unpleasant, but ultimately complied if logical and objective reasons were laid out. That was an essential trait to have in case she had to be the first to kill or be killed in battle.

Each role required a specific personality and set of skills, hence ensuring that the right person took over was the family’s paramount objective. Partially, this was what ensured the continuance of the Augustus dynasty, along with their influence and relevance both nationally and worldwide. The other reason was their willingness to integrate whoever the winner was, recognizing that intelligence and talent are not restricted to royal blood but can be found anywhere.

Gabriel smiled. “Let me get Ale in here. He doesn’t mind when you unload your frustration onto him,” he said, then got up and left the room.

As he walked out, he thought to himself, ‘Why does she have to be so difficult? She should feel honored that I am proposing her for this role.’

He was secretly excited that one of his direct female descendants was competing for Foreign Affairs: if Susy were to win the Fights, she would be the first female to ever hold this position. Historically, no woman had ever made it, primarily due to men having bigger body sizes and a stronger cultural inclination to participate in physical fights; two components that carried far more importance for this role than for the other two.

Gabriel had no doubt that she qualified physically, but it was her mental stability that concerned him. Her default mode was to please people around her, often neglecting her own needs and wants. That in turn could make her stress levels skyrocket, a few times to the point that only her emotionless twin could bear; Ale had a controlled demeanor, which balanced the intensity of hers.

Gabriel found him in the kitchen, making himself a cream cheese, salmon, and avocado sandwich. He leaned close and whispered in his ear, “Your sister is being snappy. Please do something so that she gets a grip.”

“Can I eat my sandwich first?” Ale asked in his usual monotone.

“Ok, fine. Also, don’t tell her that I called her snappy. She will get even snappier, and you know how hard it is to deal with her sometimes.”

Ale sighed. “I know that you come from a generation where the word feelings is taboo, but you can at least try to keep up with the times.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “This is exactly why I’m retiring.”

“No. You’re retiring because you’re in your 70s and have outstayed your welcome on the throne.”

“Details! Anyway, please just try to calm her nerves, and by no means tell her that she is snappy.”

Ale sighed again. “Alright.”

Ale’s apathy was also a useful trait when dealing with difficult people, as it was incredibly hard to provoke him and cause him to act irrationally. For this reason, it was decided that he would participate in the Fights to become king. He liked the idea because even though he couldn’t feel much himself, it was nice to know that his unemotionality could contribute to other people’s well-being and happiness.

He wrapped what remained of his sandwich, headed for the living room, and sat on the couch next to Susy.

He showed her the sandwich. “Hey, are you in the mood to eat some of this? Grandpa said that you’re being snappy. Maybe some food will help.”

Gabriel was still in the kitchen, but was close enough to hear what his grandson had said. He rushed back into the living room and looked at Alessandro with restrained anger.

Susy saw him and wasted no time getting back at him. “Do not take your frustration out on Ale. It is not very king-like.”

Both twins chuckled, and even though Gabriel was not pleased with how the situation went down, he was happy that Susy was feeling better.