CH 3 The Politics of War
“Red Athens needs new leadership,” Edgar Willow said to the
old lady, “we need a new direction for the city, and that isn’t something the
old Houses can bring. If you vote for me, to be next military consul, I’ll not
only stop the Italian Communists from taking this city…I’ll rebuild what they
destroyed across this planet.”
“And what
experience do you have?”
Edgar knew she
would ask this question, this being the twentieth house he had come to he had
been asked the same question in half of them.
“I used to be a tank gunner for the Confederation, then I moved my way
through the ranks. I understand what
happens when politicians try to be generals, I was a private once, I know how
to speak to and handle the common soldier..”
“But the Dorians
are like the Kennedy’s back on Terra. Do
you really think you can beat James?”
“I don’t just think
it, I know it. Sure, Dorian has more
money than me, but I think I can work with the other houses better than he
can. And that means progress for the
city.”
Edgar Willow was running to be the next military consul of
Red Athens. He knew this office was the
most powerful on the planet, next to the leader position of the powerful
Italian Communists. He promised to take
the war to Green Sparta and the Italian Communists, to break the siege, to end
the gang wars between the Black Dragons and the Tygers. But on this day he was running for the
office, if he wanted to do anything to help his people he first would have to
win. His main challenger was named James
Dorian, a member of the powerful Dorian house.
Edgar was a citizen
common on Red Athens; he wanted to make a difference. He didn’t stand out in a crowd; didn’t have a
high IQ; often quit on projects that he started; but none of this mattered to
him—he had to think he could do it if he was going to have a chance.
He didn’t look like
a man running to be consul, instead he looked like a regular member of the
proletariat: his hair evenly combed; his pants a bit tight on the ends; and a
working attitude that anything could be done if you took it one thing at a
time. He picked up his views by going to
speeches that political appointees would give at colleges and town hall
meetings. He knew what worked for him
and he hoped if he applied that knowledge he could be the next consul.
The only real
chance Edgar had to win the military consul position was to ally himself with
at least one of the other houses in the city of Red Athens. His first choice was the Shang house. The Shangs were a well respected family; the
house had put a lot of money into rebuilding the cities defenses. The last consul had been a Shang, but had
died fighting for the Red Athens Defense Force when the Italian Communists had
first attacked the city. So, if Edgar
wanted to win, he would need the respected house’s support. Shang was known for their contempt of gangs;
loathing of a central government; but also for their skilled warriors and
artisans. Kai Shang had rebuilt the
house from the ground up, bringing in new soldiers, and promoting those who
caught his eye. Then there was the
famous muralist Min Shang who had decorated so many coffee houses across the
metropolis.
His other option
was the Kell house. The Kells were one
of the older houses on the planet but had connections to the triad, which made
them an enemy of the yakuza Black Dragons.
They were the biggest player in most of the gang wars across the city;
many accused them of selling drugs.
Edgar really didn’t want support from a house constantly at war, and
seen in a black light by the public. If
he did ask for Kell support it would be a sign of desperation, and few people
would vote for him.
He knew Red Athens
couldn’t hold out much longer if the Italian Communists continued their
siege--keeping all supplies away from the city.
But Red Athens wouldn’t fall, or at least Edgar hoped it wouldn’t, and
he thought the best way he they could do that was to hire someone new to
oversee the military operations of the city.
He was taking a
grass roots approach to it. Many said
going home-to-home asking for votes was dangerous, and that people didn’t want
to be bothered. Yet he knew going home
to home would work for him, make him something better than a picture on a
holovid commercial, or something worse, a name no one could put a face too.
Or vote for.
He was a member of
the resurrected Red Athens Republicans.
Edgar chose this party to be his voice after he saw them working in the
lives of citizens: they would go door to door—much like what he was doing—and
ask the people how the city could be improved.
Some might say defense. Others transportation. What mattered was hearing the people. And he felt the elitist New Confederates did
the opposite—they never asked the people their opinions.
And that wasn’t all
that turned him onto the Red Athens Republicans. Under the leadership of Kai Shang they had
opened doors to the Old Confederation that many thought broken forever. The outer rim gained little respect from the
Confederation and Shang had opened up new trading venues, selling legal wares
instead of being a drop off point for drug dealers.
He liked Kai
Shang--that was probably the biggest reason he joined the RAR. Kai didn’t give long speeches, but he was
able to move people with the few words he said.
Edgar liked him because he wasn’t fancy in dress nor spoke down to
people; he was real. His death had left
a power vacuum in Red Athens that wasn’t ever filled—at least in Edgar’s
mind.
Before Kai Shang’s
death the city had hope; after hope seemed to ebb.
He continued on his
journey from house to house. He couldn’t
help but wonder how Isis’ sun and moon must have looked on this day. The dome shielded Red Athens from sunlight
and moonlight; as well as invading armies.
The Italian Communists (IC) were like a rabid pack of hyenas, waiting
for the right chance to kill their enemies just to show that they could.
Edgar realized then
that the war would probably not end for years unless something big happened;
like a Gettysburg. If the war didn’t
take a drastic turn, if the siege wasn’t lifted, then the populous would start
running low on food, and would tear themselves apart.
The next person on the docket was an elderly man. He had fiery red hair growing down in back,
held in a ponytail, and was reading a magazine and drinking some hot tea on his
porch.
Edgar had to bring
up all his courage just to approach the man, for some reason he didn’t want to
disturb him. Then the old man saw him
and looked curious enough to subdue Edgar’s negative thinking, even if only for
a moment. He went through the same
introduction process—saying he was running for military consul; explaining his
views; asking for the man’s vote—and tried to coat it with interesting bits of
background on himself.
For all his efforts
the man seemed bored at the end of the speech.
Edgar tried to spice it up by telling old war stories and this seemed to
change the man’s expression from boredom to interest.
That’s It, when
it gets boring start telling old war stories to old men.
“Well since that
Dorian guy hasn’t personally come to my house I think you’ve got my vote.
You’re a veteran ya say? Right?”
“Yes…mister?”
“Call me Clyde.”
“Clyde I used to be
a private in the Confederation.”
“What do you think
of them damn Italian Communists,” said
Clyde shaking his head.
“I think they can be beaten if we pull the city
together. I mean we have twice the
manpower the IC do, but we just keep losing.
I think Kai Shang did good things but he was a politician first and not
the general he should have been…if we had stopped the Italian Communists
forming up in Green Sparta years ago instead of ignoring them then the whole
planet wouldn’t have been engulfed in war with these guys.”
“Hmm. Kinda reminds
me of that bastard Adolf and all those Nazis---“
“I wouldn’t compare
them to Nazis. They don’t mass murder people; but they do act like other
communists in history have…subjugate the press and then make the people follow
party lines—or else.”
“Look,” said Clyde,
“I don’t usually vote but I use to be a soldier back when Red Athens was a new
city and all we had was a milita. Ha!
Those were some days. All you
needed to do was wear a uniform and hold a gun and the ladies would be all over
you. Anyways, you’re a veteran and you
got some good ideas. I’ll vote for you,
but can I tell you something?”
“Sure.”
“I think the rest
of this block is pro-Dorians so I wouldn’t even waste my time with them.”
Edgar looked around, as if the houses themselves would
explain why they were all pro-Dorian, then nodded and walked away.
In all his walking
Edgar Willow could count how many votes he had likely gained on two hands. He would have to try another tactic to get
voters attention. But would he have
time? Red Athens was on the brink of
being torn apart by an invading army that was hell bent on taking the entire
planet Isis.
All he was sure of
is that he would be very busy if he won the office; the military consul
position came packaged with enough pressure to make a root canal seem
bland. The Italian Communists were
better equipped and better trained than their counterparts in the Red Athens
Defense Force; and they were filled with a patriotic fever that couldn’t be
matched by even the most enthused armies in history.
So he would have to
start acting now; he couldn’t afford to wait until he was officially elected—he
could help now.
CH.
The sounds of
battle echoed through the room. For a
second Johnny McGavin thought Day was still sleeping, but when he looked over
he could see her eyes were open.
“
“They’ll hold.”
“How can you be so
sure.”
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