SotU2 Chpt 14

=Chapter 14=
==State of the Union - Book 2==
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Kirin River, Irian
Free Worlds League
5th March, 3065
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Isis watched the video message flip to the end of message logo. It was vaguely disconcerting to her that here in the Free Worlds League the logo represented the Word of Blake rather than ComStar. She’d known that they’d taken over the HPGs there in 3052, but her time in the Capellan Confederation and Federated Commonwealth had meant that her communications had continued to be delivered by Focht’s branch of the schismed HPG operators, and even when messages originated in the League, they’d carefully stripped any representation from their rivals from how messages were packaged.
Using the remote wand, she activated the intercom for her mansion. Her home, although it would probably take more than a few months for her to get used to it. “Olive, please pack my bags for an absence of several weeks.” On affirmation from her maid, she contacted her secretary to arrange passage. Having a staff to arrange these matters for her was comforting - years without that support had given her confidence that she could probably manage without, but the time and effort that they saved her was well worth the cost.
And these were her staff, not provided by her supposed-father or supposed-fiancé. Or, for that matter, borrowed from one of the Steiner-Davions.
Isis was about to make another call when the video-phone pinged that she had another inbound call. Caller identification took a second longer before Galen Cox’s name appeared on the screen where she’d just replayed the earlier message.
“Galen,” she greeted him as his face appeared. “I was just about to call you.”
He nodded. “Then we have good timing. I was afraid that I’d be catching you in the middle of something.”
“It’s too urgent to wait until dinner tomorrow?” They’d scheduled that to celebrate his closing the deal with Irian. The final paperwork should have been signed this morning for twelve ‘Mechs of three different types, as well as a supply of parts to keep them upgraded. As she’d predicted, Irian had focused in on getting an immediate deal once Galen mentioned the possibility of offering a deal to Technicron instead. The discussion of prices had been similarly fraught until Galen had dangled an options clause for further purchasing. Sigmund Hughes wasn’t going to see the prospect of ongoing profits from SLDF sales be lost over a couple of million C-bills and had overruled Rivarez.
“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to cancel,” Galen told her. His regret sounded sincere. “I received orders today from the Commanding General to secure the deal here - job done already, as it happened - and proceed with all haste to Atreus. Apparently the political situation is blowing up there and he wants me to back-up our staff there in case the SLDF gets called to intervene.”
Isis nodded. “I was about to call you for the same reason. I just received a formal summons from the Speaker of the House, requiring me to attend as a witness for an impeachment hearing or provide reasons why I could not. I didn’t expect the question of the Captain-General’s identity to boil over like this, not unless one of the Mariks broke rank.”
However little some of the House might be offended that they’d been accepting the leadership of an imposter, the Prince of Regulus had some legal validity in his corner if it could be proven that the Mariks had supported someone outside their ranks for the office. The Mariks had first refusal on the post, so once one outsider had been elected then there was scope for another and the one thing that virtually every member of House Marik agreed on was that Kirc Cameron-Jones would take the Captain-Generalcy over their dead bodies.
Isis wasn’t quite as opposed, but only because she doubted the Regulan prince would really object to those exact circumstances. If it came down to it, she felt it was better to survive and fight another day than to die just to give Cameron-Jones a little satisfaction.
“I’m guessing it was a very short message,” Galen told her, shaking his head. “The impeachment isn’t over his identity. Kirc Cameron-Jones has presented evidence of massive embezzlement on contracts where the Word of Blake was involved.”
“...pardon?”
He shrugged. “It’s an open secret that Thomas was offering financial support to the Word of Blake in organizing their Militia during the early 3050s.”
“Well, yes.” She did remember something of that. “It was a quid pro pro for technical support, but didn’t Parliament - or the defense committee at least - sign off on that, since the Word of Blake Militia would essentially count as an additional provincial force in the event of war?”
“That’s right,” Galen agreed. “but in addition to that, they were also siphoning off a few percent on their commissions for various contracts, with his tacit blessing.”
Isis nodded slowly. “I take it that it was more than the usual degree of governmental corruption?”
“Let me put it this way: I’m a Lyran and even I’m shocked.”
She rubbed her face. Galen was a long way from the stereotypical money-grubbing Lyran, but even so, he had to have seen a lot of corruption during his time in the AFFC. “Just how bad is it?”
“I don’t know for sure. Victor got reports when he was Archon-Prince that Thomas Marik had agreed to wink at up to three percent. But when he raised the matter, Cameron-Jones claimed that it’s closer to fifteen percent.”
“Fifteen - !” She realized she was half shrieking and tamped down on her words, taking a deep breath. “Those contracts are worth billions! Even if it’s just on the commissions… dear god, that’s a fortune.” It made the SLDF deal with Irian pale by comparison. “How could anyone have hidden that?!”
“The Blakists do control essentially all the FWLM’s interstellar communications. If they’d broken their codes - or been given them out right - then they could have doctored the numbers that everyone was getting.”
Isis tried to sit down and then realized that she was doing so anyway. “Surely an audit would turn it up?”
Galen nodded. “That’s why the Regulan MPs have called for documentation to be couriered from every major military contractor to Atreus and for a full and independent comparison between those accounts and the military’s. If they’re right then the difference will be in the hundreds of millions.”
“More like billions.” The FWLM wasn’t as large as the AFFC but it was still millions of soldiers strong and fielded one of the largest warship fleets anywhere, and the Word of Blake had been involved in modernization of that force for over a decade. The sheer scale of the finances were mind-boggling. “My god.”
“They may not be able to prove that the Captain-General was involved,” the blond offered, in scant comfort.
Isis made a dismissive gesture. “Either he didn’t know and he’s incompetent, or he did know and they can bring treason charges. Unless the audit shows that the money isn’t being taken, the Captain-General is finished. I can’t honestly think that Cameron-Jones would bring this up unless he was certain. He’d look like an utter fool if he was wrong.”
“Are you sure you want to go into that mess?” Galen asked her
“If I don’t, I’m abdicating all ability to do anything to mitigate it,” she replied. “Do you have travel arrangements yet?”
Galen shook his head. “My next call is the spaceport. I’ll have to travel commercial.”
“I’ve already got my secretary looking for seats, you can travel with me.” Isis gave him a crooked smile, looking for something positive. “Dropship food is terrible, but we can put a raincheck on our meal until we get to Atreus. There have to be some decent restaurants there.”
“We might have a narrow window of opportunity, before the hearings,” Galen warned. “but sure. It’s a date.”
Isis was almost certain that her cheeks didn’t redden at that phrasing. Almost.
“If he is out, do you have any idea who’s likely to replace him?”
She shook her head. “That’s the problem. Normally, I’d say Corinne was the most likely candidate but if the Word of Blake is tarred by a scandal, that’s likely to impact her as well. In that case Kirc Cameron-Jones is going to press his own candidacy and there’s Photon in the wings. Best case, Thomas abdicates in favor of one of them and throws his support to them in return for a pardon. At least that would let him leave office with some dignity and keep his family safe.”
“Do you think that that’s likely?” Galen asked
Thinking back to the man she’d met on Tharkad, Isis winced. “Unfortunately, no.”
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