Constantine Veracek
| Constantine Veracek | |
 | |
| Full name | Constatine Arthur Veracek |
|---|---|
| Physical information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color and style | Gray |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Skin color | White |
| Other |
|
| Biographical information | |
| Date of birth | 1676 AN |
| Place of birth |
Mola Ram,  Aerla |
| Date of death | 1735 AN (aged 59 years) |
| Place of death | Noursala |
| Nationality | |
| Allegiance(s) | |
| Occupation | Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Communist Party of Aerla. |
Constantine Veracek (Commonspeak Spelling: Konstäntin Verasek, b. 1676 AN, died 1735 AN) was an Aerlan Communist political theorist and former assemblyman who serves as the Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Communist Party of Aerla since its foundation in 1720 AN. Born to an impoverished farming family in southern Aerla, Veracek naturally gravitated towards communism and far-left schools of thoughts. Often named the “Father of Aerlan Communism”, he stands as a controversial figure in politics and society.
Upbringing
Childhood
Veracek was born to a poor farming family in the town of Mola Ram (near the ruins of the former Hatayyian city of the same name) in the spring of 1676 AN. When Veracek was only five years old, his parents farm was burned by the Neo-Adamites, a pseudo-religious order, after they had failed to pay a ransom a Ƒ2500 over a land dispute with one of their priests. He and his family would suffer tremendously in the years to come, culminating in the eventual abandonment of the farm and their relocation to the municipal capital of Osilia.
In Osilia, Veracek’s father worked as a low-wage day laborer on construction sights, while his mom worked at a local restaurant and sold homemade postcards on the street for extra cash. Constantine would receive very little education during this time, with him having to teach himself how to read and write by reading a dictionary. Despite this, he was bright and dedicated to his studies, often reading books found in trash piles. According to Veracek, one of the books he took great interest in was a Graecian book on communist theory he found in an abandoned barn outside of town.
Introduction to Communism
Constantine’s life would drastically change when he was 16, in 1692 AN, when his father was killed by falling debris during a jobsite accident. The local courts in Osilia ruled in favor of the construction company, thus awarding no money in compensation to the now-widowed Margreta. This period led to Constantine to become even more disillusioned with the capitalist system than ever before, as he believed that the state courts had done nothing to protect the rights of his late father.
In 1699 AN, with his mother’s blessing, Constantine relocated to Noursala. Here, he met and grew close to many people who became influential in the founding of the Aerlan Republic. These people, however, did not help Veracek escape the even deeper poverty he found himself in. After a few years of working odd jobs around the city, such as a streetsweeper and a sewer cleaner, he ended up working as a bartender and host in the Hotel Magna in the Hakfah district.
This impoverishment did not deter, but instead emboldened, his political beliefs. Over the coming years, he would cultivate a network of like-minded communists from connections he made with statesmen that came to the Hotel Magna. When the Aerlan Republic came into being, he and his so-called “disciples” would join the Agrarian Bloc, a Social-Democrat faction of the new National Assembly. This group would soon become the 25-man strong “Communist Faction” of the party. He was elected to the Assembly in 1711 AN, representing Andersonville.
Political Career
In the Agrarian Bloc
Veracek became notorious for his flamboyant opinions and speeches in the Assembly. He became famous on social media, as his loud outbursts became viral. He was removed numerous times from the Assembly chamber and officially reprimanded by the Speaker of the Assembly “countless” times. Arnold Williams, Speaker of the Assembly, stated “Veracek, he’s an interesting fellow. His flamboyance is remarkable. I wish he would make better use of it.”
On multiple occasions, Veracek called for the people of Aerla to “tear apart” the National Assembly. He is said to have coined the phrase of “People’s Revolution” in Aerla, as he almost always referred to such during heated debates. During the Public Relief Scandal of 1720, Veracek was noted as stating “Corruption such as this shows how the corrupt bourgeois politicians of Aerla seek to use the people as poker chips in their pursuit of greed.”
Eventually, the Agrarian Bloc grew tired of Veracek’s tired rhetoric. He was officially removed from his seat by a near-unanimous party vote. Veracek left the party soon afterwards, calling the party “insufficiently revolutionary”, and the National Assembly an “Elitist-Bourgeois institution of corruption.” He vowed to never reenter the city of Noursala until Aerla became, in his words, a true people’s state.
The PRCPA
See People's Revolutionary Communist Party of Aerla
Arrest
In early 1732 AN, after a particularly rousing anti-Government speech at the Auburn Arts College, Veracek was detained by officers of the Criminal Police on charges of sedition, with a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Veracek was denied any interviews by the press by the police, and further interrogations were conducted by the State Security Directorate.
After Veracek's arrest, vice-chairmen of the party, James Lewiston, took charge. Lewiston was much less of a radical then Veracek was, preferring a legitimate rise to power via democratic means. This caused a rift in the party, with many of the more radical members holding a strong distaste for Lewiston's moderate policies.
In the closing days of 1733 AN, Veracek would be found guilty of Sedition by the Municipal Court of the Auburn Municipality, being sentenced to 20 years in prison. This caused outrage among the party and many called for immediate action against the Aerlan government. The chair of the Auburn Branch of the party, Emil Pachad, responded to the arrest by creating an armed breakaway faction to "create a real armed struggle against the oppressive regime of the traitorous Noursala bourgeois." He would dub the new faction the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Death
In late 1735 AN, Veracek was found unresponsive in his cell in Noursala Men's Prison during morning roll call. According to the corner's testimony, Veracek had committed suicide by slashing his throat with a safety razor and bled out before his body was noticed. It had been noted that Veracek had begun seeing the prison psychologist, but there were no indications of suicidal intent in any of their meetings. It was discovered a few days later that Veracek's niece, Theresa Hallman, received a suicide letter that was smuggled inside of a small birdhouse that he made in a woodworking class. The exact contents of the letter have not been released to the public, although investigators claim it contains "The exact nature of [Veracek's] mental decline during his stay in prison."
Veracek's death lead to the effective death of the PRCPA as a relevant organization. Most of its members left to form small regional groups. The more radical members of the group went on to join the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces, who quickly began to spread a rumor that Veracek had been murdered in his cell by police acting under government orders. In an online message, the PRAF declared "The next years in Aerlan history will see the downfall of the criminal regime that has murdered countless political prisoners. Comrade Veracek's martyrdom will not in vain, we will liberate Aerla by the gun and bayonet."
Veracek's remains were cremated in accordance to the wishes of his niece Theresa Hallman, who was the last family member who stayed in close in contact with him during his political career. The remains were then buried in a small cemetery near his hometown of Mola Ram.
Political Beliefs
Aristocracy
In a 1717 AN pamphlet titled "The Shëkas: Oppression in Plain Sight", Veracek attacked the status of many of the landed aristocracy that still existed in Aerla. He stated that "Why should the good people of Aerla allow these bourgeoises to sit in their high castles and require us to call them 'lord'?" He also criticized the Aerlan government for allowing the aristocracy for keeping their titles and land. He called for the immediate removal of several aristocrats in power such as Inspector General of the Army Eric Jost, Commissioner of the Criminal Police Ludwig von Seylitz-Meringhoff and Chief of the Armed Forces Recruiting Joachim von Letzebürger.
The Military
Unlike many other Communists in Aerla, Veracek believes the Grand Army of Aerla to be an illegal institution. He stated that it should be the job of local workers to band together and form what he calls "Folksmilsäs". Veracek stated that "The general staff of the Aerlan Armed Forces push the good young men of the country around to fulfill their lust for conflict."
"On Cerulea"
In late 1728 AN, in the light of the Normark-Cerulea War, Veracek wrote a pamphlet titled "On Cerulea" denouncing the "Unrevolutionary and Unsocialist" government of Cerulea. While stating his distaste for the so-called "Imperialism" of Normark, he stated that actions taken by Cerulean Supreme Soviet (i.e. the extradition of Annika Raudsepp, Muhammad Abdullah and Nada Lesjak to their fates back in Hurmu) lead the nation to an irreversible path to destruction.
Assassination Attempts
Due to his controversial opinions and stances, Veracek had been the target to many assassination attempts. These included:
- 1721 AN:
- Shots were fired at Veracek from a moving car while he was talking with a florist at a flower shop. All 4 shots fired at him missed, but broke two of the shop's windows
- A suspicious bubble mailer was placed at the doorstep of PRCPA headquarters, addressed to Veracek. A police bomb squad safely diffused the small, homemade plastic explosive device inside the mailer. The return address was an abandoned grain mill in the town of Oak Grove, Mt. Kane Municipality.
- 1722 AN
- A rental box lorry ran a series of red lights to ram into Veracek's sedan, which was parked at the side of the road of a T-junction in the town of Murpheesboro. While the crash did injure Veracek, the point of impact was in the rear of the vehicle (just barely missing the fuel tank). The driver of the lorry was ejected through the front window, dying from head trauma on the scene. The driver, who's identity remains anonymous, was reportedly by the media to be a mentally-ill 37 year old engineer.
- 1723 AN:
- A man, who Veracek claimed to be a plainclothed State Security Directorate officer, fired a Politroterepistol .357 at him from an alleyway. The bullet grazed his shoulder, but caused no significant harm. The would-be assassin was chased off by Veracek's body guards, but would ultimately escape.
- 1724 AN
- Veracek, while walking to a local supermarket, was tackled to the ground by a masked assailant. Veracek was able to fight the assailant off of him and ran away back to PRCPA headquarters.
Veracek has publicly stated "I am not afraid of these assassins, or of dying for that matter. If I am slain, there will be countless thousands who will avenge me."
