17-06-2025, 11:14 PM
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.