Thats right folks, NGC story lives!!! I'm reviving this story becouse I'm simply too stubborn to let it die, and besides I havn't finished my story yet. So here is the next chapter
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Chapter 17
It was raining inside of the floating city that made up the capital of the Draven Republic. It was a scheduled rain, artificial like everything else in Capital City. Many hours before the residents had taken in much of their outdoor materials in anticipation for the downpour, and so the streets looked almost abandoned. Even the cities police force took the weather in stride by reducing the number of patrols. After all no proper Draven wanted to be out in a rainstorm, so there was really no need for the heightened patrols that had become common in the wartime republic.
That was exactly what a lone man in a raincoat had been hoping for, as he traveled down the streets of the Republics largest floating city. Very few people wondered out of their houses, or for that matter even bothered to look outside during a rain, so the man was able to slip through the city with no one noticing. He didn't take any chances though, like a fish swimming through an ancient ocean he twisted his way, though ally's and streets alike, a few times he even retraced his steps, one could never be too careful in what had become a dangerous republic. That wasn't known to the general public of course, most people were simply too busy with their own lives to pay much attention to what was going on around them, the few that did seemed to change their mind quickly. The ones that didn't simply vanished.
It hadn't always been that way, only over the Last month had people began to turn up missing. Something was happening inside the Draven government. Ever since the loss of the Sledgehammer fleet the Yalare Administration had gotten very paranoid, many of the Committees that had been the staple of the Draven Republic had been either reorganized or disbanded all together. It was probably no coincidence that most of the disbanded committee's had been appointed by President Dravel himself, and tended to be political rivals of Yalare. Some of the chairmen of those committee's had disappeared from the public view, many had retired to the colony worlds, or so the Government said.
Representative Somar didn't think so, and as he made his way through the rain, he was sure that everyone in the Peoples Committee didn't think so either. Not that it mattered much what they thought, Yalare had managed to secure his position over the Last year with such skill and grace that he had rendered the Peoples Committee all but impotent. When they had authorized martial law, it had been thought that it would Last only a few months, until the tension caused by the Landing City disaster had passed, and so no one had thought to enact a time limit on the Martial Law vote, in their hurry to save the Republic, they had made it into a dictatorship.
Finally Somar came to his destination, a small indiscriminate house close to the edge of the floating city. The house seemed to scream of a modest background, but the very fact of the houses existence in a crowded city where tall buildings where the norm, gave away its true origins. As Somar walked toward the door, he noticed the rain tapering off, he had made it just in time. Soon the police would be back on the streets, he quickened his pace, and reached the door just before it opened. The man at the door seemed just as modest as the house he inhabited.
"Welcome, Representative Somar, rainy day isn't it?"
"Not as much as back home," Somar recited the code phrase, if he had said anything else, he would not be allowed in the house. The Man smiled and moved aside inviting Somar in.
"I'm glad you could make it Somar."
Somar took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack, like the rest of the home; it seemed to come from a simpler time. He couldn't even see a terminal, even though there must me one, it was a testament to the craft men who designed the architecture, hiding modern necessity in an ocean of antiques, and doing so without sacrificing the simple beauty of the time that it was modeled after.
"I wish the circumstances were different Hamal, I really do."
Hamal only smiled, but it was forced, he had been on the peoples committee for over 30 years, and only retired just before the Landing City disaster. Even though he was officially out of politics, he still had a lot of contacts, not only in the Peoples Committee, but also in the Prime Ministers inner circle. Hamal, was part of the Crown Conservatives, a political party that tended to favor loyalty to the Presidency. They tended to avoid too many programs that would "rock the boat", even if it meant making many of the same mistakes over and over.
Somar on the other hand was leader Industrial Reformists party and tended to favor a totally elected form of government, most of his party regarded the office of the Presidency in its current form to be a slap in the face of Democratic Society, so they almost always tended to side against the President. Prime Minister Yalare was a member of the Industrial Reformists.
Hamal was already heading towards the couch, an elegant, if not terribly expensive piece of furniture that was made out of what was once called wood. Hamal waited until Somar sat before continuing, "I understand," he made a small regretful sigh, "It appears our republic had been corrupted."
"Yes, it does." Somar made a small if mischievous smile, "Hamal, I know we haven't always agreed, in fact I think I called out an overbearing Idiot one time..."
"I believe the exact phrase was 'Overbearing Idiotic Weyrling Sympathizer'"
Somar snickered, and then turned serious, "However, I never doubted your commitment to the Republic. That being said, I need your help."
Hamal, considered for just a moment, no matter the two's political differences they had always understood each other's commitment to the Draven Republic; they just had different views of how to run it. "I'll do what I can, of course."
Somar considered how he was going to proceed, then decided the best route was probably the most direct. "I've been hearing rumors, none of them can be confirmed of course, but the people who are telling me have always been very reliable."
"What kind of Rumors?"
"Most have been discouraging, but inconclusive, over the Last month police forces have been beefed up in the floating city's, even thought the crime rate has actually reduced. Also over 24 junior officers have been promoted to ship captains, the Defense Committee claims that they are being promoted do to the man power shortages caused by Sledgehammer, but there are better more qualified officers that have been waiting for Captains slots much longer. The only connection that I can see between the officers is that they all have close ties to the Yalare family."
Hamal nodded, but wasn't surprised; undoubtedly he had already heard everything he was saying.
Somar continued, "Then there are the disappearances, many committee members, especially on the Defense committee have conveniently retired, but I know many of them, and when I tried to contact them, they all had taken their retirement off world, and were unable to be reached, and that's just what my sources have seen, I've only scratched the surfice."
"I see," said Hamal, "That confirms what my sources have told me, it seems that Yalare is securing the Republics armed forces, as well as the Committes that control them. Almost all of the new dreadnaughts built in Kornephoros seem to be crewed by officers loyal to Yalare, the ones in Acamar seem to be unaffected, but then again they are under the watchful eye of Josha, and dispite him, in effect, being put into exile at the CP headquarters he still has a lot of pull, and he's actually in Acamar, not 3 months away like our prime minister."
Somar spoke up, "But Acamar only has about one third the production capacity of Kornephoros, even if Yalare is unable to get any of his loyalists into Acamar, he still has over two-thirds of the new ships under his orders."
"But what will Yalare with those ships?" Hamal asked the question almost rhetorically, like a teacher asking a student something he should already know.
Somar hesitated; this was the moment he had feared when he made the journey here, taking such careful steps to avoid detection. Now was the defining moment. He could get up and leave and no one would be able to prove that anything he had said was treasonous, but if he continued and was caught he would most certainly have a quake and painful disappearance of his own. Somar did not like that thought, but if he left his republic was doomed, and he could not allow that.
Somar spoke slowly, and carefully, if he was going to go down for treason, he was going to make sure he did it with at least some dignity. "Hamal, I think the Prime Minister intends to take over the Republic when the time comes for President Dravel to be sworn in."
Hamal did not say a thing for a few moments, and Somar thought his fears were confirmed, that this had been some kind of elaborate rouse to get him to commit treason so Yalare could get rid of him. His fears ended almost as fast as they had begun, "I think your right Somar, the question is what are we going to do about it?"
Somar felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and the two talked for hours about a what they could do to make sure Yalare didn't destroy what the founders had worked so hard to create, and as they talked they never noticed 2 men in a building next door, as they aimed a listening dish towards Hamal's small house. The two men were no strangers to this type of work; after all they had been in the Last skimmer to leave Landing City.
[ March 21, 2003, 02:40: Message edited by: CaptRR ]
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