Wings

by Fearadhach MecRaudri

  He noticed that some of the accusing looks from the senior members went from him to Sar, who seemed somewhat amused by it while continuing his speech. “There has been some talk about how the Senlan have violated Convention with their attack, but that is not entirely unexpected. Since all of you know full well who is responsible for all of this, I am going to give the floor over to Gabern for the current status report.”

  Gabern felt as if the bottom had dropped out of him for a moment. The blood drained from his face, but he was able to quickly restore his color. A slow pull on his drink was all the time which could be spared to gather his thoughts. It only took a few moments to stand, pulling his composure about him as one might draw together a cloak.

  He found it galling to be so nervous before these people, and that he would be considered such a junior member that he would have to wait until asked to give the report that only he, out of all those present, could be qualified to give. While his near forty years did mark him as terribly young, he’d worked hard and earned every scrap of what he had, damn it! Still, he knew the steps to this game, and he had chosen to play it.

  Mental notes were made of the other’s reactions: the accusing, the curious, and the jealous. He realized that many of the other junior people present had been coming here for years and not been allowed to utter so much as whimper. This gave him an odd sort of confidence as he spoke “It has been general policy to allow occasional breaches in the Conventions in a conflict, as long as the damage is controlled and each side makes only one violation. This keeps the populace more focused on the fighting going on between the factions, and makes the Legion look like the avenging cavalry if and when we send them in to break things up.”

  Some of the senior members began looking bored, and he decided to dispense with telling them about how the convention violations allowed them to make demands of the organizations. “In this case everyone involved got lucky. There were no civilian casualties, and there was no footage of the fight itself on the news. However, since the Senlan did strike an almost purely civilian target as their opening move, we have the chance to demand a lot in the way of reparations.

  “It was anticipated that they would open by defying the Conventions, as was their attitude that we would do nothing about it. At first, we claimed that we were only going to confiscate certain assets, including some well-developed caves in some outlying regions which should make good covert research bases. They tried to refuse, of course, so we forced them to accept several Bat-Wings into their ranks in some of the more Column-heavy areas. Having eyes on the ground in those areas will likely lead to a great deal of intelligence, and at almost no risk since the Senlan will be the ones responsible for the safety of our operatives.

  “The Senlan were actually chosen for this war for precisely these reasons. It was known that they were beginning to get a bit too bold, although that they would be this bold was a surprise. They have been dealing too much with people too far down the food chain, and too susceptible to bribes, and have gotten accustomed to being able to push things much farther than should be allowed.

  “Even so, this was surprising, and it may do to consider taking a look at some of the families the Senlan have been exerting influence over: it would appear they have been allowing themselves to be pushed too far.

  “At any rate, the original intent had been to make this a fairly quick war, but we have begun to reconsider that. These two factions have grown stronger than they probably should have, the Fendal with money, the Senlan with numbers, and both with influence. It may be a good idea to keep the scales balanced for a while, then call the Legion in to sort it out. Either way I plan to have most of the vice laws removed in Kendal province when this thing is over. The population there has grown war-weary already from the various organizations popping up and outsiders trying to push their way in, as well as the regular Column incursions to raid wealth and supplies.

  “With that area removed from being a major hub of organized crime…” He noticed the subtle movement of Sar’s shoulders, and caught himself just in time. He had been about to take the next subject and run with it, which would not have gone over well with this assembly. The approval had been for him to speak about one subject, and one subject only. How it galled! He had no alternative, though. Play the game. He took a pull from his drink, then sat as he finished speaking, “we move away from my areas of direct responsibility. Sir, is there anything I should add to my report?”

  Sar waved a hand at him, not even bothering to look back. It was something of a backhanded compliment, saying that Sar was confident enough in him to not look back and check. Someone else began speaking about where the prohibitions should be applied next, and when. The discussion went on for some minutes, and some candidates were decided. There were several small criminal organizations which were pushing to get the bans passed, and all seemed pliable enough. It was decided that a province would have to be chosen soon, and that they would push to have the laws in place within the few weeks.

  Gabern nodded to himself at the decision, exactly what he had planned to recommend. Imposing the prohibitions in one place at the same time they were removed in another was far too obvious a move for them to make, even though the only ones they were fooling were the plebes. It was better to make sure that there were in place for several months, or allow some time to pass without any prohibitions at all. The last, of course, was a sort of extreme sanction against all the organizations at the same time, and generally reserved for extreme circumstances.

  It only took a few minutes before someone brought up the next item of real interest to him. “Ok, with that settled, what about all this complaining from the Kennien and Hawthorne families about some new shipping company which has grown large enough to cut into their profits but is refusing to sell? I did some checking into it, and the company is growing rapidly. They are also privately held, so we can’t force a hostile takeover.”

  Something about the families mentioned tickled the back of Gabern’s mind, but wouldn’t come to the fore. While his brain searched for the answer the conversation was picked up by someone he didn’t recognize, “There is a little more cause for concern here than what is on the surface. The person behind this company is one we have had to take care of twice before. His name is Terl Johnson. I see from your looks that some of you remember the last time we had problems with him, some dozen years ago.

  “For the rest of you, some time ago this man ran a small start-up which got big enough to catch attention. I don’t remember most of what happened then, but the company was publicly traded and the hostile takeover a simple matter. More recently he built up a company making rock-drilling equipment. Having learned from his previous endeavor, this company was privately held and he refused to sell. It took five different lawsuits against his patents before we were able to pressure enough of his partners into selling their shares to us.

  “This time the guy has learned again. The company itself holds no patents, nor anything we can really go after, and it is a wholly owned concern: by him alone. We also can’t go after any of his large contracts; everything he does is strictly small time. This made me wonder what had those two families complaining, but it seems that he is charging almost as little as the small, independent carriers out there while offering insured service and such things. This is putting downward pressure on prices all across the board. In the meantime, he is starting to expand his fleet to handle some of the larger contracts, which is probably what has the Kennien’s and Hawthorne’s in such a tizzy.”

  Sar had called the relevant data up on a pad and reviewed it before he spoke. “Well, I will agree that something is going to have to be done about this company before too long. If it keeps growing at the rate it has been, then this guy is going to have enough money to branch out to wherever he wants, and we can’t have that.

  “It looks like the two Families want to get the legislature to craft some legislation which, ostensibly, will be to help the independent shippers, but will in fact be d
esigned to force him out of business. I don’t think I like that idea. This guy is smart, and might find a way around something like that.”

  Cohen paused to consider, and looked slightly startled as a young female voice entered the conversation. Gabern recognized her mentor as the Expansionist party whip, and noted that the whip seemed as surprised as anyone else when she began to speak, “What I don’t understand is why this guy is still walking around breathing? I mean, he has challenged us not just once, but twice, is doing so again, and he thinks he can get away with it? Who does he think he is?”

  An uncomfortable silence fell as the established persons of the room all stared at her mentor, and the junior people either nervously shuffled about in their seats, stared silently into their glasses, or looked around wondering why the atmosphere of the room had suddenly changed. Gabern found it difficult to keep from barking a laugh. He could practically hear the thought in the head of many of the people in the room. “Who did he think he was indeed? Who do you think you are, girl, to be speaking out of turn?”

  The experienced juniors in the room knew what would come next, and so did he. The whip pursed his lips for a moment, then turned to the one who had spoken, “I believe I left my briefcase in the car. Go fetch it.” She looked at him with a certain curiosity then smoothly complied, leaving the room and giving off no indication that she thought anything was wrong. No one moved until the door had closed behind her, then Sar looked at him and thrust his chin towards the front door.

  Gabern did not need to be told. As he hurried out of the room the girl’s mentor had begun to apologize to the group, saying that things had been explained better than that. The voice cut off as the living room door to swung shut behind him, and he then hurried to the front door to lock it. He turned off the doorbell, and the exterior lights near the door. There was a moment of uncertainty about whether to call the girl a cab, but he decided to let her fend for herself. He heard her knocking on the door as he returned to the living room, and suddenly figured out what it was about those two family names that was tickling the back of his mind.

  They were companies which specialized in the transportation of food, just like the company run by this Terl guy. There had been some discussion that the company might be running food to The Column, but dismissed it as unlikely. As the door to the living room opened Sar was speaking, “No, Yolanda, I don’t want to go applying another of your ‘creative’ solutions. These plebes are not worth the trouble, for one, and they have a way of getting out of them for another. This guy needs to be taken down, and hard. As often as not, when we let you ‘handle’ one of these situations, the plebe resurfaces later and is even more annoying to deal with.”

  Yolanda quirked a half smile and drained the last shot of whiskey from her glass as she held Cohen’s eyes. “Yes, yes, I know, but what does it matter if they come back or not? The purpose of taking them down is to make them serve as a warning to others. If we are going to expend the effort to take some plebe down, I would much rather watch them go down in flames than let the accountants take him out with that boring pile of trash you call a tax code.”

  Sar rolled his eyes and then fixed Yolanda with a harsh look, “What in the name of The Captain’s Chair do you think that tax code is for, woman?! You think that huge mess is kept around, and kept regularly updated, for someone’s entertainment? Dealing with these threats is an annoyance and a nuisance, one most of us would prefer to keep to a minimum. If this guy goes down in flames there will probably be, what, three more coming to take his place? You know what that tax code is for. It is a blunt instrument which keeps the plebes in line. But, in order for it to work, it must actually be used.

  “Therefore, Yolanda, you will STOP playing with this particular rabbit before he manages to win another election. I know how much you enjoy your games, and I am even willing to let you indulge on occasion, but this particular flea is getting a bit too popular. You are to throw the tax code at him until he is buried under it. Am I clear? And, if you don't, I don't care how effective your more creative solution is, you will find yourself at the receiving end of that pile of paper."

  Yolanda's eyes grew wide and silence descended on the room again. Sar did not make threats lightly, and that amounted to nothing less than a threat to declare war. The two of them stared daggers for several moments, and few dared to even breathe. Finally, Sar let a small grin spread across his face, "I mean it Yolanda. But, you need to remember that this is a promise coming from me, not a threat from you. I have promised you that you will feel the receiving end of the tax code if you push me. I have not threatened to destroy you with it. You have a choice, eliminate this nuisance with the poison directed, or take a taste of the poison yourself."

  All eyes moved to Yolanda, so Gabern took advantage of the moment and made his way across the room to his datapad. He sent a private message to Sar's pad, to let him know that all of the companies they had been discussing before shipped food, and that the two families in question fought the record-keeping requirements implemented by CentGov some years before.

  Sar kept Yolanda's gaze until she gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Sar nodded gravely in return, took the briefest glance at his datapad, and kept a thoughtful look in his eye as small pockets of conversation sprang up. He allowed them to go on few a few moments before asking a question of the room in general, “A return to the matter of this upstart shipping company. Someone refresh my memory here, aren’t these the two families who refused to play ball a couple of years ago when we had an upstart bank that was difficult to take down, and didn’t they fight us awful hard on those record-keeping provisions?”

  There were nods around the room, and a number of startled looks they began to remember… something. Gabern wasn’t sure what. Sar spoke into the confusion. Well, this changes matters a little. For one thing, I think it is time that we teach these two families a lesson. Now that I think about it, this isn’t the first time that they have been uncooperative, and I’m getting tired of it. Also, there have been certain concerns about The Column brought to my attention, and I think this may be a way to address them.”

  Gabern didn’t catch who asked the next question: “What sort of concerns about those rabble could possibly be addressed by leaning on some two-bit families and their shipping businesses?”

  Sar smiled, “The sort of concerns that have to do with food. The companies in question all primarily ship food, fertilizers, and hydroponics system nutrients from one place to another. Those record keeping measures we put in place, which those in question fought so hard, were there to help us get a better picture of how much food is disappearing down the proverbial rabbit hole. The preliminary answer is coming back already, and it appears to be ‘a lot’. The next item I was going to bring up was that we needed to find a way to constrict the food supply around the world, and I think this could be part of that puzzle.

  “We will let this new company operate for a while, and tell the Kennien’s and Hawthorne’s that they are on their own. They have refused to help one time too many, and so we feel no reason to come to their aid. Yes, some of the other Families out there will probably try to come to their aid, but I want us to discourage that.

  “Their companies will then respond by breaking the law in dozens of ways in order to drive these guys out of business. We are going to have to act to shield them from the repercussions of that, for a while. This Terl guy will feel emboldened by the fact that we haven’t even tried to take him down yet, and trapped by the tactics of our companies. I think we can count on him to proceed to break the law as well, trying to fight back. If he doesn’t, we will need to encourage him to do so.

  “Once the thing gets to the point of being a real mess, in about three or four weeks, preferably, we have law enforcement step in, shut everybody down, and go through all of their books. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks of non-operation to sink Terl’s company, and we can find or invent something to jail him for a long time.

  “The int
erruption of service will create a food shortage worldwide. Any food being siphoned off by The Column will then dry up, and they will have to do something more overt if they are having a food problem. We will then be able to tell a lot about their numbers by just how much they take and how desperate they get.”

  A murmur of agreement spread around the room, but the Conservative whip had a datapad in his hand and a concerned look on his face. He looked pensive for a few moments then spoke up. “I don’t know, Sar. I am always rather hesitant to go messing about with the food supply. I feel even more hesitant when the frailty of the food supply is taken into account. I fear that if we cause this interruption it could get out of control, and fast.”

  Sar waved the man’s concern away with an irritable shake of the hand, “Recovering the food growth will not be a major problem. There is a recent discovery we have been keeping under wraps for just such an occasion. There are a few things which I have had on hold, waiting for one more piece so that we can cause a nice, frightening food crisis. Once things look bleak enough, we will trot out our new discovery and save the day, all nice and neat. The exercise should keep the plebs occupied and worshipful for some time.”

  Yolanda spoke up, annoyance mixing with chiding and amusement in her voice, “Why Sar, you are keeping secrets from this circle? I thought we were all working together here.”

  Gabern shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as did a number of others in the room. Those words were too close to a challenge for most people’s comfort, and Sar did not respond lightly to challenges. He just smiled a somewhat dangerous smile at Yolanda, though. “What, Yolanda, you think this is the only circle I am party to? Really? Do you think, with the duty I have taken on of making sure that the plebes stay in line and don’t find out what is going on beneath the surface, that I tell you people everything? Be glad that I don’t. These meetings would last for days if I did.