How I Became Emperor Ch. 10: Summer

"You also presumed that there are circumstances in which a local government can countermand a higher level edict, something that is supposedly enshrined in federalized systems like the United States, or Germany. Initially, perhaps that is also how it worked - but I'd be hard-pressed to identify a state where the power truly rests with states or cities, not with the higher governments.

"I don't deny that the right to self-determination rests somewhere. I just don't think it's a power that is devolved from a higher level without bloodshed of some kind - and usually followed up by bloodshed in defence of the right. Something that a small community could not achieve - not historically and not in modern day."

My Professor had re-appeared for the last stage of my argument, and had leaned up against the side of her screen. She was now wearing stretch jeans with some 'artful' rips along the sides to show some skin beneath. She wasn't wearing one of the sweaters - but instead a white t-shirt that stretched across her breasts enough to show me that there was no bra underneath, and that let some skin peek out beneath the top and bottom layers.

"Good argument." She conceded. "Let's settle up on our requests for the moment. Given that you had me do a second workout today, I'm going to need to request you continue the massage from before. Make sure to include my back this time though." She lay out across the bed, face-down, but resting her chin on her hands so she could still speak. I lay hands on her shoulder-blades and rotated my fingers in small circles to begin.

Professor Lex let out a contented sigh, then asked, "And your request?".

Again I was a little unsure of how far I could push things. I certainly wanted to - but at the same time had a niggling voice in the back of my mind shouting at me how inappropriate this was. "Uhm...." I stuttered, trying to buy some time. "Well..."

I caught sight of the alarm clock on her bedside table, and saw with horror that my lesson was supposed to end in 5 minutes. What cruel fate would tease me so thoroughly only to drop me in cold water? I decided on my request. "I want today's lesson to extend. At least 30 minutes."

Professor Lex was quiet for a moment, but nodded. "I'm feeling gracious. You get an additional hour." I couldn't see her face while massaging her, but looking back on the moment, I suspect she was smiling.

"Work a little lower," she asked, before continuing our political back-and-forth. "You're trying to alter the salient core of our argument I think - with good arguments to be sure - but moving away from the core question of self-determination.

"We both now agree that there is a right to self-determination, but disagree when it can be exercised. From my point of view, any conglomeration of people can declare themselves self-determining, be they only a small group of friends or a large country. I'll agree that a smaller group is less likely to demand independence using the argument of self-determination, mostly for practical reasons. It's difficult to efficiently administer a wide body of laws if there are few people that are part of the body-politic. It's also harder to maintain and develop relationships with other self-determining bodies - something necessary since we don't live in complete isolation.

"But the fact that it doesn't happen often, doesn't mean that it couldn't happen or that it has not happened at all. There are numerous micro-nations around the world, places that claim a citizenship or population of less than three digits, on some occasions even in the single digits. They are unrecognized entities on the international stage, and tend to be seen as gimmicks or methods of trying to get attention. But the people running these micronations tend to have some core beliefs, whether religious, political, moral or otherwise, that has led them to declare their independence from whatever national entity is generally recognized to have jurisdiction.

"So simply by evidence, self-determination as a right does exist at a low bar of membership."

I had worked my massage down to her lower back, and had found a curious knot in a muscle just above the hip-bone that I was working to de-stress. The Professor's words came in a more halted form as I worked.

"My request. Good lord, you-... have good fingers." She grunted. "I want you to-... get more leverage." I honestly didn't know what she meant - and so got up on my knees to try and provide more, and more equalized pressure through my fingers, but my Professor shook her head. "No. Straddle me." She buried her face in the blanket to stifle the moan.

Well, she had made the request - so I swung a leg across hers, and continued to work on the knot. My Professor continued to emit sounds of pained pleasure as her muscles slowly succumbed to my ministrations. Doing my best to sit back far enough that the bulge in my pants would not rub against her legs noticeably, I started to give my counter-argument.

"I think we are still talking cross-purposes. Modern concepts of free will are more modular and segmented than historical self-determinism. Any organization can form and delegate powers that it essentially creates from thin air. But political and societal power is different - because it is granted upwards - at least it should be in a democracy.

"For a society or group of people to move towards modern self-determination they need to have critical mass. I'll grant you that the critical mass required is highly dependent on circumstance and membership of the group. For example, some small community, economically unimportant and remote enough to be away from the eyes of the government can much more easily declare and demand independence. An integrated and economically or militarily important region or group of people cannot."

Having cleared the knot in her muscle as much as I would be able to I decided to resume ministrations on my Professor's legs. I reversed position so I was sitting across her back and could evenly attend to the shapely calves before me.

"So yes. A hermit living off the land and without any contact with the people or government of the region within which he lives is self-determining and by all important measures independent. But if the military of that government decided to turn up and express the government's right to determination over the region and its inhabitants - without an opposing military force there is nothing that will stop them. The hermit can resist - but he will either be subdued, imprisoned until he conforms, or killed. If the government happens to be supremely lenient he may achieve exile - though with virtually all modern governments I don't see that being a likelihood.

"So: small groups can be self-determining only with the ignorance or disinterest of the government or governments which formally declare their interest in the land or people. In order to counteract governmental interest one would need to have that critical mass - either in terms of military might, or popular opinion, or at least political leverage over the people in the government to be able to maintain or fully declare one's independence."

I closed out my argument and continued to slide my hands along Professor Lex's shins for a minute, being carefully thorough. Then rising to kneel above my Professor I requested: "Turn over, please."

My Professor didn't hesitate and flipped over immediately. I sat down gingerly on her belly again, and resumed the massage on her shins - which did require me to lean forward and awkwardly pressed my mostly flaccid, but still stiffening penis against her belly. I figured, however, that it would be safer to do so now than later, as I worked my way up the legs. My Professor rested her hands gently on my own thighs as I worked. She directed her response to my back.

"Assume a community living in a remote wilderness. Northern Canada. Greenland. The Amazon. The Sahara. Nominally all of these places are claimed. There is supposedly a master for each of these locations. But the people who live there don't respect the rules of the far-away government. In some cases they don't even know that the government exists. For all intents and purposes they are isolated and self-determining.

"And when an army comes, or a police force, or a magistrate, the community might appease that group or individual for a bit, then return to their usual lives. They don't pay taxes to the nominal government. They don't vote in its elections. They don't involve themselves in its affairs. By default they are self determining."

I moved up to the thighs. My Professor continued unfazed: "Also look at recent pushes for independence across the world, from East Timor, Scotland, South Sudan, Basques and Catalunians, heck, there's even a Sardinian independence movement. They all move to varying degrees in a world where they have devolved rights, and though their arguments are all historic and cultural and ethnic, at the core it's about a movement by a group of people that drive it. Without the individuals to make the argument for independence and self-determination, none of these movements would exist."

My Professor rested for a while, making small sounds of enjoyment. When I reached my own thighs, she made her request: "Turn around. Continue working your way up."

I had to oblige, and did so willingly. So I was now letting my hands wander over her belly, applying pressure to various locations, trying not to press too hard or cause pain. Professor Lex's belly was taught - I could feel that through the thin white shirt. And the gentle mounds a little further up still stretched the fabric enough that I had to be careful with each movement not to cause the shirt to ride up her body - and reveal more than she wished to.

"You make a couple good references." I granted her - trying to keep my thoughts on the political discussion. "All of those independence movements, both successful and ongoing, are demonstrations of a modern sensibility for a right of groups to self-determine. However, each also has their geopolitical arguments for independence. East-Timor gained independence from Indonesia in part through a strong guerrilla movement, and through political pressure placed on Indonesia on its behalf by the UN, in particular Portugal - the previous colonial overlord. They had the military and political - or diplomatic - might to fight back. South Sudan owns most of the former Sudanese Oil reserves, and Catalunya vastly outperforms the rest of Spain economically. Both had the economic basis for getting foreigners to back their bids for independence.

"The Basques and Sardinians are slightly unusual in this instance - but both have geographic boundaries which would make it easier for them to defend any territory they would claim from the former overlords - the Basques protected by mountains, the Sardinians by the mediterranean sea.

"All of these have enough reason to not only want independence or self determination, but reason to believe that they have a realistic possibility of achieving it. Small as that chance might be.

"The counter to this are native Americans. I doubt any scholar would strenuously deny that they have more cause than many, ethnically, historically, institutionally and even morally to demand self-determination. But the most they can achieve is special treatment of Indian reservations under the overlordship of the US government. The populace is too disparate, underfunded and economically unimportant to get much international attention, and without enough military or geographic capacity to defend themselves against the US military. They have a snowball's chance in hell of achieving independence."

I was following the instructions of working my way up her body, but had carefully avoided touching or even brushing Professor Lex's breasts. It was a threshold I didn't want to cross first.

On top of that I now had a request on my side to make, but the only requests that flitted through my mind were... inappropriate. I continued for a minute or so, tickling at the lowest rib of the Professor, but too hesitant to move further when my Professor spoke up.

"No request?"

I smiled at her honestly curious tone, and decided to mirror the sincerity.

"No request. At least none I think appropriate." I looked sheepishly down at my Professor.

She smirked, knowing she'd got me in a tight spot. "Very well. I deferred my request before, I'll let you defer yours now. But you need to use it right after my turn, before you start your next rebuttal, agreed?"

I nodded.

"And don't stop on my previous request either," she pouted, grabbed my wrists and forcibly moved my hands onto her breasts.

I froze. My mind was blank. I had my hands cupping her magnificent cleavage, through the flimsy material of a t-shirt and a stiff bra. This was... incredible.

Professor Lex left me in my consternation for a long moment, then clicked exasperatedly. "You'll also need to continue the massage." She demanded.

Automatically my fingers began to lightly clench and unclench. Professor Lex let her eyes roll back momentarily, enjoying the sensation. Then she flicked the lids back open, fully alert again, as though I was not essentially feeling her up right then.

"Again, your argument about capacity doesn't actually speak to the moral or ethical right a community might have to self-determination, regardless of whether they have the means to do so.

"But accepting your argument on the terms, I still think you are seeing things slightly biasedly. If there is such an international consensus behind the independence of Catalonia and Basque regions, why do they not have it? And by your argument of means, Greenland also has reasonable historical and ethnic reasons for independence from Denmark, same as Iceland achieved, and yet the most they have is a specialized devolution of powers. Both Greenland and Iceland are islands - or at least remote regions to the core nation of Denmark, and should have a geographic and regional knowledge superiority that would give them a hand up in the real-politics of warfare. I also suspect that both would have international support from other major nations given their access to rare earth metals and oil, not to mention control over large parts of the North Atlantic. Yet only one of them has independence while the other does not."

She did let a moan escape her here as I continued to knead at her breasts, trying desperately to focus on her words, not her chest.

"Self-determination includes the ability to decide to be part of a larger whole. The thirteen colonies deciding that they would band together to form a larger government. The cantons of Switzerland joining together. Self-determination is as much about adopting an identity as it is about forming one. There are, for example, few nations that don't allow for a way to gain citizenship of that country, to adopt its identity."

I could see my Professor consider whether to press her point, but with a small assertive nod to herself she decided to force me to form a counter argument. She made her request though first. "Stop."

I froze, fingers still forming clefts. My Professor lightly lifted my hands and then raised her torso enough to remove the T-shirt. Then she grasped my hands firmly and placed them back on the push-up bra such that my fingers delved into flesh. "Resume." I did so slowly, savoring the feel of her smooth skin and the hint of contours beneath her bra.

For a while I did not respond, and Professor Lex didn't hurry me, giving me time to let my brain catch up. It was at a disadvantage of course, the blood flowing to other parts of my body. Then I grinned an evil smile. "That was two requests. You jumped the queue. And I still have my previous request that I have to use!" I was so elated at catching her out at her game, I completely forgot that I didn't have a request lined up.

"Very well." My Professor sighed. "I'm going to need to remember to be more careful in future. I'll skip my next turn. Now, your request?"

I didn't think long. "Your hands need something to do too, I think." I wiggled my hips to make sure she got the meaning. I didn't particularly want to spell it out explicitly in case I still had misunderstood how far my Professor meant for the "lesson" to go. She got the meaning of my oblique observation, and shortly I had a hand pressing firmly against my erection - if through the fabric of my trousers.

"So..." I began slowly with my counterargument. "You relied previously on the justification that a choice of subjugation to an existing dominion and power structure is an excellent expression of self-determinism. And were you to continue the argument I'd suspect you'd rely on the fact that a westerner can obtain a citizenship of any western nation with comparative ease, certainly when we look at it in a historical context."

My Professor's brief nod in response to my assertions was enough to momentarily distract me from my hands on her tits - and her hands on my cock.

"A social contract argument that submission to an existing power structure is a legitimization of that power structure. But what this does not take into account is the brainwashing and cultural myopathy of a youth weaned and raised on a doctrine that reinforces this thought.

"In fact, we are beginning to see the first signs of rebellion by a new youth against the neo-liberal ideals that won supremacy in the west, post-world-war era. The initial flashes of nationalism, conservatism, nativism and anti-liberalism (for lack of a better term) show their face in the media and youth of today.

"So what you need to answer is whether a choice made for you by circumstance and ideological indoctrination is still a self-determining decision. For me, it definitively is not. Self-determination means to me that the decision is reached without outside influence, particularly the kind that can be exerted by a government through education or information limitation."

For a minute I let that concept weigh in.... I jest. I simply enjoyed the sexual touching my teacher and I had going on, before requesting: " Remove my pants."

There was some wrangling and readjustment of position needed to get me undressed below the waist, but there was no hesitation. My Professor only arched her eyebrow at me in challenging recognition of my daring after she had already got my belt undone. Nevertheless, in relatively short order we had resumed our original positions, with my hands still engrossed in her tits, and her hand caressing my cock through my underwear. Bad day to wear Batman underwear, as I remember. It actually got a giggle out of my Professor, and another look from her as if to say 'really? REALLY?'

"But," my Professor continued, sounding completely unfazed by either my clothes, or our unorthodox conversation, or even the heated intimacy of our hands and erogenous zones. Indeed, she let one of her hands wander behind me to grasp my butt cheek - perhaps to let me know that she had chosen the spoken word carefully for its double-entendre - something reinforced by her repetition of the word. "But there is no decision that is ever internally influenced. You yourself couched your argumentation earlier on the premise that historical, geographic and cultural contexts for self-determination are some of the prime rationales, and those are all external forces.

"So again we are probably talking about degrees of separation, and what forms a community into a single bond. After all, that is what gives that community enough mass and drive to become self-determining."

She bit her lower lip while she considered her next words, a small admission to her arousal, and an extremely erotic sight for me. "But it is our job as academics to define and establish a line in the sand for the identification and clarification of these concepts. Only by debating these lines can we determine them with any meaning."