December 17th, 2267. 09:42 Vosture Prime – John’s Homestead
The anger within Elias began to well up once again. The murder of Paulus was nothing more than a random act of violence. There didn’t seem to be any purpose in it from his viewpoint, it was just horrifically petty. How could any human being do something so callous?
He squeezed the gun tightly once again. John was enjoying the view of their shuttle, seemingly indifferent to his reaction to the retelling of his first murder here. Elias felt deep down that he was going to enjoy killing John. Such a psychopathic individual had no business living in their new order, but for now, he’d try to acquire as much intelligence from this madman.
“You killed Paulus in cold blood. It was nothing more than an opportunist attack,” Elias said, “And to make matters worse you roped children… CHILDREN, of all people, into your schemes.”
John took a sip of scotch and shook his head, “On the contrary, it was quite calculated. And the children were nothing more than an extra set of eyes. They obviously had no idea what I was really intending to do. Well, they presumed what I was really doing, but I gave them explicit instructions to not go into any buildings or engage any of you.”
Elias could hardly believe his ears, “I’ll ignore the children for now, but are you trying to tell me that murdering one of my subordinates was intended?”
“Of course. Wow,” John chuckled quietly, “Your naivete shows. I didn’t know where you and your team had set up shop. My hope was eliminating him would result in y’all making a mistake. To my great surprise, you didn’t. You were smart, very smart.”
“When did you find our base?”
“Oh man, three or four weeks after the killing. I suspected the hook into the surveillance system the colony used was yours,” John said, “Made it an absolute pain in the ass to track y’all down. I had to spend far too much time on those hot cycles than I’d care for.”
“Hot? Oh, right, stolen…”
“And illegally modified. Got into two police chases with those damned things. Escaped both times thankfully. Though that did result in me needing to acquire another one.”
“Murder and kleptomaniac, what in the world does the military see in you?”
“A man of a great number of talents and a near God-like resourcefulness. How in the hell did y’all come up with the plan to corrupt the election?” John paused as he looked directly at Elias, “That idea and the initial rollout of it were honestly masterful.”
“How did you find out about it?”
“I didn’t. My VI did.”
“V… I…”
“Virtual Intelligence. It’s a step below artificial intelligence, which is illegal here. Their algorithms and logic circuits get wiped and reset on a frequent basis to ensure sentience doesn’t occur. There’s also kill commands written into the coding that ends the VI if they ever do ascend to sentience.”
“Unbelievable…” Elias could hardly believe his ears.
“When did you know something was amiss with the debate?”
Elias took a deep breath, “We didn’t, we knew William was a good debater, but we had no idea you were working with him.”
“It was less me working with him and more me countering your efforts from the shadows,” John said, “Would be so kind as to go into more detail about the corrupting of that candidate of yours?”
Elias sighed loudly. They were beaten badly from that perspective. Why was John so eager to hear how it happened? Especially when he was so close to death. Elias began to think but then quickly set aside those thoughts. Perhaps it’s just as simple as someone wanting to know the truth before departing this plane, there was more intelligence to gather from him. He would humor the enemy agent’s curiosity once more.
6 months ago. June 21st, 2267. 08:30 Xenuian Headquarters – Kaius’ office
Constantine and Elias sat in Kaius’ office. Neither showed much emotion. The topic of the morning was Paulus’ untimely death. The mood was dour indeed. The news Constantine was about to report upon wasn’t going to lift anyone up either.
“Don’t make us wait. What did the police say?” Kaius said eagerly.
Elias observed Constantine quietly. He was bracing himself for the bad news. That took him by surprise, Elias was a very positive person. Jumping to the bad news camp wasn’t his thing.
“Nothing but awful news,” Constantine said as he crossed his arms, “The detective was brutally frank with me. They have no leads at this time. None at all. The cameras recorded an assailant going into that apartment building. No one left it though.”
“And we scanned that building too.”
“How could they lose sight of the assailant?”
“The detective suggested the cameras in this area are unreliable,” Constantine said, “Which was later confirmed based on the recordings they shared with me. They are looking at the rest of the area trying to find someone, but they weren’t hopeful.”
Elias nodded, “Which is consistent with what we’ve seen. And we can confirm that there was a thirty-minute gap. All a person needs to do is get into the neighboring district and then they are lost to the winds.”
“What has your review of the cameras been?” Constantine inquired.
Kaius chortled awkwardly, “We’ve found nothing, if nothing else we’ve confirmed the police’s view of things. The footage we did get of the attacker is near useless given the angle of the camera that did capture the attack.”
“Unfortunately, one of the problems with this location is the locals,” Elias’ frustration bubbled to the surface, “I know you are now understaffed, but I think it is going to be necessary for your people to accompany the rest.”
“Agreed and I want no less than groups of three from no one,” Constantine said, “I’ll rework my coverage, but I should have one to two agents held back for the foreseeable future to run coverage.”
Elias stood up, “Thank you, I need to contact our candidate. The next debate is in three days.”
“Good luck,” Kaius smirked.
“Our preparation should result in a convincing win,” Elias said, “But, I need to help our candidate out more.”
“Before you go, how is the redirection of local minerals going?” Constantine asked.
“Excellent,” Elias said, “We’ve got about five percent of the products redirected to this project. By the end of the month, we’re in a ramp-up phase.”
12:05 Xenuian Headquarters – Elias’ office
His lunch was cooling down with the passing minutes. Elias was focused on the intelligence report that his team had compiled. Eventually, hunger won out and he began eating his now-cooled ham and cheese sandwich.
“Castor, please come in here,” Elias said loudly through his open office door.
Castor pushed his chair back and stood up. He picked up his coffee mug and took a sip of it as he walked towards the door. His face bore the look of one concerned as if his name was called to go to the principal’s office in school.
“Tribune, you called,” Caster said cautiously.
“It’s Elias on this mission, you aren’t in trouble Castor.”
“Sorry, sir. I never liked hearing my name called by my boss. It never feels good.”
Elias smirked as he nodded, “Rest easy, you are not in any trouble. Tell me about this other candidate. William Rosberg, if I’m reading this there’s very little usable data here.”
“Well, it’s not so much that there isn’t usable intel against him. There is but given Dale’s request that the campaign doesn’t go dirty we can’t really use it,” Castor said before pausing, “And to be blunt the intel we do have isn’t really great.”
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“Explain.”
“William was a day one joiner of this colonial expedition. He came here with a few thousand credits and the clothes on his back.”
Elias rubbed his forehead, “So a self-made man.”
“Not only that, but he’s also done so without taking advantage of his employees. He’s quite well-liked.”
“What are his weaknesses?”
“Well, he’s got a fair few, but none are necessarily game-breaking,” Castor said, “He’s incredibly introverted, to the point of being very awkward in social settings. He puts on a good show at these debates but he’s desperately uncomfortable at the podium. He’s also a three-time divorce, twice prior to coming to this colony. He has a complicated relationship with his children, though that’s in part because of his ex-wife, which I don’t think we should go down that path.”
“Why not?”
“They got married shortly after he started his business. She was not at all faithful to him and there is substantial evidence that she’s poisoned the children against him. We believe if we try to push this narrative in any way that he will gain voters who are sympathetic to his plight. He had an ironclad prenup which resulted in incredibly favorable financial terms.”
Elias frowned, “Agreed, still, let’s do our due diligence though and document all of the information we can relate to that marriage. It can’t hurt to have it just in case.”
Castor nodded as he looked over at the door. Draco and Daphne had joined the conversation. They weren’t unwelcome additions, but it was surprising to see one or both of them joining a tactics conversation.
Draco then spoke up, “He’s far from a saint, but I think we’re going about this in the wrong direction. We should focus on attacking his company and wealth.”
Daphne scoffed, “That won’t work, not here anyway. Besides, there’s no evidence to suggest he’s ripping off his fellow citizens. He’s been on record for years saying he wants his companies to profit no more than ten percent.”
“Right, and we should say that’s too much,” Draco said.
“Daphne is right, we have a full video where the rest of the board wants to raise prices, but William stubbornly digs his heels in versus the board. If we have that video, we must presume his campaign does as well. If they release that it will prove that he’s working to keep prices relatively level.”
Daphne took a deep breath, “He still has business in the old part of the colony, right?”
Elias shook his head, “The last old factory was shuttered last year. It’s down the street from us actually. Constantine had already searched the building. There was nothing of us left for us.”
“He shut down a factory, he’s not an ally to the working man,” Draco said excitedly.
“There was a substantial severance package related to the shuttering of that factory. Forty percent of the workforce was transferred to other, newer, sites. Thirty percent were transferred into other departments,” Castor said, “Virtually none of the working men lost jobs. Almost all of the lost jobs were white-collar roles. Several of them are still on the payroll despite landing new jobs.”
“Those benefits run out at the end of next month. While generous, the timing of it could be used against him,” Daphne said, “Not sure of how effectual a campaign like that would be.”
“Keep digging,” Elias said, “The man has to have skeletons in his personal or work closet. They are out there, it’s just a matter of finding them. Daphne and Castor, please focus on his life prior to arriving on this colony.”
The pair nodded and left the office. Elias took a sip of his coffee and gestured for Draco to take a seat. It was time to shift gears and discuss their recent security changes.
“Well, I do have some good news. I’ve been reviewing the footage of our people outside of the building and there’s been no sketchy activity.”
“So, Paulus’ death is a random act of violence?”
“One not unheard of here. His situational awareness was lacking, Constantine was on his ass about that very thing since we’d gotten here. We need to have eyes on the back of our heads.”
“What about any leads on tracking down this unknown murderer?” Elias inquired.
Draco sighed, “Look, I want the guy dead too. I get it, boss, I really do. But he vanished like a fart in the wind. Whoever it was is fucking gone.”
“What about the individual, was he really a drug addict?”
“Hard to say, paraphernalia was found in the trash pile. He didn’t look all that steady on his feet but…” Draco couldn’t finish his thought.
“But what?”
“Imagine Constantine running a counter-op against us. Wouldn’t he or Linus or the others look exactly like that?” Draco took another deep breath, “I’m not convinced that’s what happened, I actually kind of believe the police based on the drug arrests that have happened in our neighborhood.”
“Work with Constantine, I want surveillance trackers set up near where we buried those bodies. Hide them well.”
“Understood, it can’t hurt to have that in place just in case.”
Elias nodded. Draco stood up and left the office. Elias was left worrying about what was going on. Something about Paulus’ death didn’t sit right with him. Random acts of violence were exceedingly rare in their home world, and this world was downright feral in comparison. Perhaps it was just a matter of not understanding how brutal the dregs of Confederate society could be, but his gut was screaming at him that something else was going on. But what exactly was happening?
19:05 Xenuian Headquarters – Upstairs Living Room
The sizeable holographic projector was displaying the debate. Elias and several others were watching with rapt attention. For sixty-five minutes their chosen candidate knocked things out of the park. The other candidates wilted under the exciting questioning.
Except for William, if anything he looked downright miserable upon his platform, though that was expected. He was getting tired, or at least that’s what Elias was presuming as his most recent answers had lost a bit of impact compared to the first couple. Elias was monitoring the polling data on a spare tablet, where he was seeing William annoyingly chip away at Dale’s lead.
“It’s only two points, Elias,” Kaius said, “That’s within the margin for error, and would still require a seismic shift.”
“Good lord, that woman should be jailed for that word vomit she committee,” Draco said before looking at the two senior leaders, “He’s right boss, our guy is still killing it.”
The talking in the room quieted as the moderator spoke up, “Thank you, we now move onto the final question before we get to the audience questions, Do you agree with public sentiment that the old industrial district be revitalized and if so, what role, if any, should the colonial government play? Mr. Rosberg, the floor is yours.”
Dale perked up and smiled before answering, “Well I certainly agree with public sentiment that the old industrial district is a problem. Let’s call it what it is, the blighted district. Property values are effectively non-existent, as are public services.”
He paused to take a sip of water, “Drug use and crime are synonymous there. I don’t think anyone wants to live there, but those who do, do so because they are financially incapable of living anywhere else. That leads to a tricky situation with what the government should do. Anything we do is going to be expensive. With the state of general neglect and disrepair that many, if not most, buildings are in it will be a highly costly affair to repair.”
“Ultimately razing the whole region isn’t a financially sound decision due to how prohibitive our taxes would need to grow to sufficiently fund all of the work. There’s a reason why businessmen, even one of my fellow candidates, have moved out of that area. And this is by no means a knock-on Mr. Marven, were I in his shoes I’d want to move away from that district as well.”
Dale took in a deep breath, “The general sentiment is not shared by the very wealthy though. They don’t see the benefit in moving their operations back to that area. This has caused the colonial representatives to have no shortage of headaches when it comes to zoning problems. My plan is quite simple, map out the blighted area, and then begin a two-block by two-block rehabilitation. If any buildings are salvageable, we do that, otherwise, we recycle as much of the existing buildings’ materials before leveling things.”
“While that is happening, we fix some of the messes that the zoning board has by pushing some of those businesses that have escaped the blight. We also must do a better job of ensuring our industrial output doesn’t get left in the rearview mirror as it has here.”
The moderator then spoke up, “Thank you for your response, Mr. Rosberg. Mr. Marven, would you care to step forward?”
“I would and thank you. I will keep my answer rather brief. I agree with everything my esteemed opponent has said. The old industrial area is an eye sore, its crime-ridden, and to be brutally frank most of the buildings are complete shitholes, pardon my French.”
That comment got laughs out of Castor and Draco. Kaius was grinning while Elias just shook his head. The head shaking continued when the live polling data shot up two percent for William.
“I also agree that a measured approach is necessary. My solution would differ only slightly. The zoning issue would be fixed immediately, but I wouldn’t force existing businesses to resettle immediately. I do believe the government should offer incentives to move there. But in doing so we will need to increase expenses in ensuring public services are available to the newly restored areas.”
William leaned away from the microphone and coughed, “Excuse me. I would also ensure that we build at least two new firehouses and up to four new police precincts for the area. We cannot repeat the same mistakes we did initially. Ultimately, this isn’t going to be solved overnight or even within a year. We’re talking about a decade-plus of hard work fixing those problems. We also must ensure the people we do displace are given an opportunity to find living arrangements that are economical for them. I will cede my remaining time.”
Elias shook his head, “He’s good. Not the most eloquent speaker when compared to our candidate, but he understands the issue at a deeper level than Dale.”
“I will send him additional materials to review ahead of the next debate,” Castor said sheepishly.
“I don’t believe he was finding fault with your work Castor,” Draco said, “Dale was born with a silver spoon, a member of the elite and uber-affluent. He’s never worked with the common man, always stood above, not among them.”
“William was born with similar affluence but came here with nothing and despite his overwhelming affluence prefers to work side by side with everyday people,” Elias said, “There’s no amount of preparatory work that we can do to solve or account for that wisdom.”
For the next forty-five minutes, six questions were fielded. Twenty-four answers were given. But nothing much changed with those answers. Dale continued to lead the field with William’s responses impressing the audience. The other two candidates continued to look hopeless and lost.
The moderator then spoke, “Patrick Nielsen, please stand and ask your question.”
Elias’ eyes bulged out as he stood up, “What the hell?”
“Why is Nancy not asking the final question?” Draco asked.
“Maybe she didn’t show up or asked not to be called at the last minute,” Castor said.
“Fucking hell,” Elias said, “Tomorrow your job is to track down Nancy and find out why the hell she didn’t ask the question.”
“Understood.”
The curveball amounted to a nothing-burger for the group, which was little comfort given the circumstances though. That was not supposed to happen, yet it did. First Paulus dies a senseless death and now their closely laid out plans were not executed precisely. Something was going on.
Or was it? Elias closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Perfection in any mission was impossible. They’ve planned extensively and ninety-nine percent of it was executed flawlessly. After his heartbeat slowed down to normal, he began to think more rationally. Today was a victory for them, tomorrow though? Tomorrow, additional work would be hoisted upon them.