Quote:There was a knock at the door of the Empress' Offices.  The knock was late, but not unexpected.

"It opens" said Mary.

"Madame, it is your sister," said Lady Marian Southern, after entering the room and standing by the door.

"Please show her in, Lady Marian,"  said Mary.

"Aye, my Lady," said the Empress' personal Assistant, who stepped forward and waved at the lady outside of the room to enter.  Lady Marian then disappeared from the room and closed the door behind her.

"Sorry I'm so late," said Margaret.  "The trip in was a bit of a pain."

"What was the matter," asked Mary.

"Oh, the Ferry was late getting into port first of all because we had fog in Kaliburg, then when we were coming in, the driver nearly hit a deer.  It was just a bunch of little stupid things."

"Would you like to take a shower first?  Maybe have some dinner?  We had spaghetti tonight.  Some tea maybe?"

"No, let's just get this over with so I can relax the rest of the night," said Margaret.

'Alright then.  What's the news?"

"So the Party I think is settling on a team.  They were kind of cagey when I was asking them who they were going with, but I think they have a name they want, and finally agreed to tell me after a vote.  Really Mary, I don't know why you don't just do away with that stupid Party..."

"They serve their purpose, Meg.  Sometimes when I want to bury something, the Party helps me kill it in endless debate...  the caucuses provide the illusion that there's an opposition...  its a necessary evil.  So.  Who is it?"

Margaret paused.  "I don't think you're going to like it..."

Mary took a breath as she stirred her tea.  "Well, get it over with then," she said, dispassionately.

"It's Anderson."

"Oh Meg.  How could you let them pick her?"

"I tried to tell them.  I told them you weren't going to want her."

"Want her?  How could they even think I would consider her?  She's a god damned republican!"

"No she isn't, Mary," Margaret said, with a laugh.  "That's totally not true."

"It's a no.  I'm not going to have that idiot."

"Well, she's the one they want," said Margaret.  "She's the one they are going to vote for."

"No," said Mary.  "There's no way."  Mary paused and then pressed a button on an intercom.  "Lady Marian, get Hurst in Kaliburg on the phone for me please."

Margaret jumped up from her chair and ran to the Intercom.  "Lady Marian," she said into the machine.  "Belay that for a minute, please," she said.  Mary looked up at her younger sister.

"What do you think you are doing, Meg?" she asked incredulously. 

"Just think for a second, Mary," said Margaret.  "You can't interfere with what they are doing, remember?"

"Well if they want to pick a democrat to be the next Chancellor, what else do you suggest I do?"

"You had me in a room for a week and a half talking to these people.  What was that for?"

"To make sure they did the right thing," answered Mary. 

"Right, but you didn't want to do it yourself?  Remember what you were talking about with the Democratic Club?"

Mary sat back in her chair.  "I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass."

"Mary I'll call Hurst for you.  But if you need to have another name, then tell me who you would like, and I'll pass it on.  Don't undermine your own work with the reformers by getting involved."

Mary stared at Margaret.  "What the hell is this country coming to when I can't tell these people who they are going to name to serve in my own damned government?"

"Just give me a name, Mary.  I'll make the call.  That way we can keep you air gapped."  There was a long pause.  "Mary, I'm trying to help you..."

"Well, then I want Edwards," said Mary.

"No, he's already on the record saying he would, and I quote, teach the democrats a lesson or two.  The Party won't vote for him."

"Ok then what about Malcolm?"

"He wants to spend you into the dust with military spending.  And we just learned that he wants to cut poor spending."

"Oh God damn it," said Mary, exasperated.  "Well, I mean that's everyone."

"Come on Mary, there's 79 Deputies...  What about one of the freshmen?"

"You mean like Lady Alvarez?  What is she?  Like 15?"

"Alvarez is 29...  But... she's actually not bad."

"Are you kidding me Meg?  No, not her."

"Well, you have to pick someone.  And she's family at least..." said Margaret.

Mary let out a long sigh and sipped another draught of her tea.  "Do you think the Party would vote for her?"

"Well, she's one of the few people who both sides recommended, but you had me veto that choice.  But I think she could get the votes, if we said she was a compromise."

"She's too much of a Brethrenist," said Mary.  "She's too close to the Meeting.  If she's the chancellor, every single ruble for procurement will be a big fight."

Margaret thought a moment.  "Is this your only objection?  That she's a Brethrenist?"

"I mean, yeah, She's in the lunatic wing of her Meeting.  She's a real hippy..."

Margaret laughed.  "Mary, You're a real Hippy yourself!"

Mary shot her sister an appalled look.  "I most certainly am not!" she said.

"You are!  Look at you:  You only wear cotton, linen, hemp or wool.  You are a vegan.  You live up here in the forest like an elf.  You don't use gasoline.  All you care about is peace and the environment and planting trees.  You are such a hippy!"

"Yeah, and I shoot guns for sport and have a gem horde.  I'm the Empress of a goddamned empire!  I am the Empire!"

"No, ma'am, you're a total hippy.  Look, if that's your only problem with our cousin, that she reminds you of yourself too much, I think we have our girl..."

"No, Alvarez is wrong on Athosia...  I don't want her."

"What do you mean?" asked Margaret.

"She thinks I should give up on Athosia and just leave Baltusia alone...  She said that to the papers last year."

"Mary, first of all, that's a small thing.  One person isn't going to change anything in Athosia for you or anyone.  Second:  She has property there:  in fact her whole family does, a LOT of it.  I don't think they are going to want you to abandon Athosia...  Third, she sponsored a bill to invest in Baltusia's rail network just last week.  She really wants you to work with Baltusia to finally build that line.  The Alvarez' have a lot of money in Athosia.  I think if you talk to her, you'll find that she's probably really open to your positions."

Mary rubbed her temples and let out a sigh.  "I need more tea," she said as she got up and crossed the room.  At the tea stand, she looked back to her sister:  "Are you sure you don't want any tea?"

"Did you put the opium in it already?"

"There is no other way to take it," said Mary as she poured her own cup once more.

"I'll pass then," she said. 

"Alright," she said as she crossed the room and sat back down.  She took a long sip.  "If you were me, would you pick Jennifer?"

Margaret thought for a moment.  "The Nationalists like her connections to the Crown.  The Internationalists like her pan-Seleyan viewpoint.  And I'm pretty sure we can guess where the Brethrenists are at.  The democrats might like that she's young and could be reform minded...  IBSI likes her.  I'd pick her."

"She's untried..." said Mary.

"She's impressionable, and can be persuaded," said Margaret.  Mary rolled her eyes and then exhaled as she began to feel her tea work on her.  "Alright." she said as she reached over and pressed her intercom once again.  "Lady Marian, call Hurst now and patch him through here."

"Yes Madame," said Lady Marian Southern's voice on the other end of the line. 

Mary looked at Margaret.  "I hope you're right about this one."  After a moment of silence, Lady Southern said "Hurst is on 1, Madame."  Mary pressed the button and said thank you, and Margaret stood up, walked to the desk, picked up the phone and said, "No, its me...  It's Alvarez.  No...  No...  Look Bob...  No, I'm here with her now.  It's Alvarez.  Yeah, I know.  Nope, it's not open.  It's Alvarez.  Alright?  Yeah, tell him if he has any issues, to call me, not her.  Got it?  Alright.  Let me know when its done.  I'll be up.  Alright..."  And she hung up.  Mary took another sip of her tea.

"I better take that shower now," said Margaret.

"When you're done, have Don fix you a plate.  I'll see you then.  We can play some cards.  The kids are asleep and Martin is in town this evening.  We'll talk about the others."

"It's gonna be a long night, isn't it?" asked Margaret.

"No," said Mary.  "It doesn't have to be.  If the Party gives you what you want."

"Big IF," said Margaret.

"When..." said Mary with a lazy smile.

Quote:Kōtei, Gemun, 23 August 5650
A 42-years-old Secretary-General of the State Council, and Soca's right-wing (wo-)man Shui Meng entered the Premier's room on the third floor of Kōtei, located in the northern wards in the Capital City.

"You called, Mr. Soca?", the woman asked, as she entered the room, looking at the empty chair. She looked around, searching for Abatai. He was standing in front of the window, looking at the Golminula River, as it flows through the city.

"Yes, Shui. Thank you for coming. You have been by my side for almost a decade now, and you are the third most powerful person in the government, but do you feel the power? Do you feel the weight you bear as the member of government?", Soca asked, turning to face her with a unreadable expression on his face.

Shui took a minute to think about the question her boss asked her. Of course, she felt the weight of her position as the third person in the nation, but she was rather confused by the question, or why would Premier even ask her that. She took a moment again, and said: "Yes, obvisouly I do, I think as anyone in a position this high would, but why?". Shui looked with her puzzled eyes at Abatai, as he went a cigarette he got from abroad in his cabinet.

"You know", Abatai began, as he lit up his cigarette. "I have been in politics for like, what, more than 40 years now? chuckles I know how this system works, I know how people work here, I know how democrats operate. They take their opportunities and hit us at every given moment", he stopped to smoke. "Where I am going with this is, I want you to be honest with me: do you want to keep this job, and work for the best of our country?"

Shui again looked at him confusingly, blinking a couple times. She tried to give Abatai's sudden question a thought, but nothing came to mind. Shui and Abatai sat in silence for a minute or two, though it felt longer, before Shui went: "I mean...yes? Obviously I want to. I wouldn't sit in this chair, rally around the nation with you, or join socialists in the first place, if I didn't want that. Where are you going with this?".

Abatai continued to smoke his cigarette, not looking at Shui as she spoke to answer his question. "Where I am going with this...", he mumbled. "Well, my dear Shui, we have to be dirty. If you want to keep your position, you have to be like them: attack, do black PR, accuse, find dirt, any corrupt connections or affairs. Imutu (Vice Premier and Minister of Justice and Civil Affairs) came to me today, and said we they found a secret document that has evidence of Aora's (BDA/DPC leader) connection to the money laundering scheme with the contracts for a company his brother owns. We can flood democrats with a scandal, bigly decreasing their chances to win anything in three years". He shook the ash from the cigarette into the ashtray.

"Wh-what? But why? I mean, we can just work hard, and show people our achievements, why would we turn into them, and just use their wicked methods to win something we already have in our bags, if we simply focus on their inability to keep their own alliance together?", she asked almost angrily.

"Shui, you're not in a movie, this is not a simulation, or a videogame. This is reality. People don't work this way, they can turn against you in a snap of the finger, if you just convince them enough. We do a lot, and people like us for that, it is true. But the reality is harsher, sadly. The stronger one wins, and it's either us or them. Either we pull our a dirty bomb and use it against them now, or they will do it to us in three years or earlier. These belis in ND are thinking we're screwing them up just like Gurun did fourteen years ago. And democrats will capitalise on this, to create chaos, so we gotta strike first", Abatai spoke calmly, as he was looking into her brown eyes.

"I-I don't understand, but what do you want from me then?", she asked confused.

Premier Abatai extinguished his cigarette into the ashtray, and pulled a folder from his cabinet. He put it on the table, and pushed to Shui. "I talked to Imutu. She wants to hold a briefing, where she will announce that they found the documents, and will open a criminal case against Aora. I want you to be there. I want you to organise it, and make the most out of it. Make this story front and center. People hate corruption, as long as you remind it to them. So, yeah".

Shui took the folder, reading it, as Abatai spoke to her about it and what he wants his secretary-general to do. She looked through the evidence and accusations, getting shocked more and more as she read further. "This...would kill anybody, this is a lot. Wh-why now? Why the big fuss?"

"It doesn't matter when. We do a public stunt, and politicise something that is still a thing that we must do in the end as the government, if we want to get rid of corruption", Abatai replied, as Shui sighed.

"Sure, I will do it. I will keep you informed on how this goes. Now, I need to go, and look what I can do", she stood up and went to the door. "But, I want a guarantee, that this will not be used against me later on". Abatai simply nodded in response.