Nergal didn't like the idea of a coup. Now was not the right time, Beelzebub was spreading his resources too thinly. Nergal had not remained as Chief of the Secret Police without learning a thing or two about using people efficiently. There had to be a better idea than a palace coup. After a moment, a stroke of genius came to him. He hastily conjured a portal to Nergal.
"What is it, Nergal?" Beelzebub asked, slightly annoyed. "Losing your nerve already?"
"Not precisely," Nergal said, running a clawed hand through his mane. "I just think we could play this more intelligently that a brute-force coup. I thought of a way to protect the senators and still win."
"But we don't NEED the senators!" Beelzebub protested. "I told you, I do not intend to share power!"
"We don't need the senators in the long run" Nergal clarified. "In the short term, we definitely need them. We can dispose of them later, I promise."
"I'm listening," Beelzebub said thoughtfully. "Tell me your plan."
"We merge the secret police with the rebels," said Nergal. "I'll send an agent to tell them that the secret police will defect to their cause so long as they allow us to choose the new Devil. We then choose a weak candidate who we can control. Senator Orobas Smokemist should work. That horse-headed fool is offensive to nobody and easy to control. He has no political convictions and became a senator largely for the prestige. Once we no longer need a puppet king, I can have him quietly killed by the secret police."
Beelzebub's lips curled into a smile. "This might actually work. Go ahead, send an agent to the rebels and make an alliance if you can. But if it doesn't work, be ready to go forward with a conventional coup."
Nergal bowed his head. "Yes, my lord,"
*********************************************************************
The rebels escorted a demon who took the form of a leopard-headed man with flaming eyes up to Louis-Gaston. "We found this demon at the door," said a rebel. "He says he's with the secret police."
"I had expected Nergal's agents to be more stealthy," Louis-Gaston laughed.
"He said he wants to speak with you," said a rebel. "He spoke of an offer from Lord Nergal himself."
Louis-Gaston eyed the secret police agent warily. "I will hear you out. Speak."
"I am Flauros," said the secret police agent. "I know you may mistrust my boss, considering his wife voted for Decree 13666. Well, Lord Nergal does not share his wife's views on this. Neither is he the political idealist that you gentlemen are, but he also desires to see the Morninstars removed and give new faces a chance to rise to the forefront of Hellish politics. He pledges the secret police to aid your cause. Of course, he expects some input on your strategy."
"Like what?" asked Louis-Gaston.
"Like the choice of the new Devil," said Flauros. "Lord Nergal recommends Senator Orobas Smokemist, a politician with a long history of service to Hell and a platform that brings all of us together."
"That's because he has NO platform!" Louis-Gaston scoffed disgustedly. "All that perfumed dandy does is go to operas and masquerade balls to flaunt his title! There were many like him in my homeland of France in my time. Some were even my relatives. I've actually put some thought into who should be the new Devil, and I think I have an idea."
"Who?" Flauros asked nervously.
"Senator Tammuz Morningstar," said Louis-Gaston.
"You mean Lamashtu's son?!" said Flauros. "I thought you despised the Morningstar family."
"As foul as most of them are," sighed Louis-Gaston, "we need their accursed name for legitimacy. Many demons would refuse to be ruled by anyone but a Morningstar. And Tammuz is different from his mother, from any of the bastards. He's a newly elected senator, and he led the effort to kill Decree 13666. He may very well be the only Morningstar truly cares about us."
"Prince Enoch might," suggested a rebel.
"After the way he sentenced those Iron Knights in the Middle Ages?!" thundered Louis-Gaston. "I am no Iron Knight, but they were still human souls, quite a few of them French. No, Tammuz is our best bet. Tammuz will be our king and devil!"
"What about Princess Miasma?" asked another rebel. "She's the rightful heiress to Hell as Archdiablesse, and she's engaged to a former human."
"Where was she when Decree 13666 was signed into law?!" Louis-Gaston spat. "I'll tell you where! Holed up in her luxurious personal palace, no doubt having decadent sex with her bride-to-be on beds of bloodbloom petals! Only Senator Tammuz had the balls to fight for our rights, and he shall lead us into a brighter tomorrow!"
Flauros thought about this. Tammuz was not as ideal a choice as Orobas, but he could still be used as a placeholder by the secret police. Tammuz was young, idealistic, and thoroughly inexperienced. He was a fair backup. "How about we put this decision to a vote?" Flauros asked at last.
"Yes..." Louis-Gaston nodded, nervously fidgeting with his antlers. "A vote would be good. We are a movement for freedom, after all. I was on the wrong side of a revolution once. I will not side against democracy again."
"Fair warning, many of your rebels might not wish to vote for ANY Morningstar, no matter how noble," said Flauros, already planning to campaign against Tammuz among the ranks.
"Only one way to find out," said Louis-Gaston.