I.
Blackmail
Government Office Suites,
Vesper, West Engell Republic
Blackmail
Government Office Suites,
Vesper, West Engell Republic
The Commissioner to be Edwin Grafton was a tall gentleman with a balding head of thin black and silver hair, born with shimmering eyes of green or blue depending on the lighting. Without a majority in the Republican Legislature, and lacking only one vote, he was now preparing to correct the misbalance democracy had struck him with by applying leverage on some of the weaker points of his opponents.
Two binders rested beneath his eyes containing damning dossiers concerning the members of the two opposition parties that until this evening claim they will under no circumstances name him Commissioner of the Republic. The Winterhearth Mutual Benefit Party’s dossier was hugged by a crimson binder, the contents within cataloguing all manners of financial misdeeds such as money laundering and collusion with some of the Republic’s most infamous gangsters. In the black folder held ghastly evidence of some of the Pioneer Party’s entrenched elite having sexual conversations or relations with underaged boys and girls; their perverse preclusions ran the gambit.
Grafton stood up and handed the binders to the two party leaders, Ms. North of Winterhearth, and Mr. Jamesson of the Pioneers. The uniformed woman from Winterhearth MBP quickly flipped through the pages of financial records and pictures of her or associates with organized criminals with a defensive smile and laughter, nodding in understanding that this blackmail should and would work on most politicians. Mr. Jamesson conversely shook his head angrily and threw the binder across the room after seeing a security cam picture of himself and a clearly prepubescent child without dress.
“And what Mister Grafton?” North asked flatly, “The Bureau will not consider any of this, well . .” She hesitated and sent daggers with her eyes at Jamesson who had balled his hand into a fist, “This filth you have conjured on me will not stand in court, the finances are clean - we have better lawyers than you - and these picture of me with private business owners, who donate legitimate and accounted for money is hardly legal. Some of us in Vesper actually socialize, but you wouldn’t know anything about friendship would you darling?” Ms. North said with a practiced wink and smile.
“Perhaps you will introduce me to these enterprising friends of yours in time,” Grafton replied without returning the wink, “as to your friends Mr. Jamesson?”
“You’ll have our fucking votes!” Jamesson screamed. “I will,” Grafton agreed as he returned to his seat, leaving the pair to stand awkwardly before him, “All of them from you sir, and five from you Ms. North?”
“Two!” She offered with a reprised grin. “Four?” Grafton queried. “Three it is sir, good day!” North exclaimed before promptly turning and speed walking out of the room, tucking the red binder to her side like a football with no intent of fumbling.
The two men remained staring at each other intensely, Jamesson struggling not to shout again or use the fist he had made on his rival. “Our parties have a spanning history of cooperation,” Mr. Grafton reminded “but the shoe is on the other foot now . .”
“Your bloody Republican boot is on our neck now isn’t it?!” Jamesson interjected. “If you choose to see it that way that is your right sir, now see yourself out before embarrassing yourself any further” the future Commissioner suggested with a great sigh. Many such meetings remained with the head of the National Investigation Bureau, a crossdresser apparently, and the Chairman of the Economics Office who was predictably siphoning money from the Republic and hiding it all over the world in island banks or worse: Catholic Monarchies!
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