Prince Crimson Arc
25th April
Going down into the tunnels with Zayd to see Maya, I gained some valuable insight into the man known as Sayyad bin Osman. He seems like he might be a good addition to the council I'm building, though I'd like to meet him in person first. Thanks to something Maya said, however, the conversation the three of us had, has put some distance between me and Zayd. Although, I think that might be my fault.
The Imam, Al-Sayris, has answered my summons, meeting me in my office. It has been two days since me and Zayd travelled into the tunnels to meet with Maya. In that time, I haven't returned to the tunnels, but have turned my attention towards finalising who I want on my council. Today, the new Legislative Council of Ceres will meet for the first time, but I have other business to attend to before then.
I stand to meet the Imam as he enters the Governor's office, "thanks for coming to meet me, Imam. Please come sit."
I extend my hand outward and downward to Al-Sayris, as he approaches my desk. The Imam shakes my hand, then the two of us go to sit, pulling our chairs in as we do so. Since I've been so busy over the last week, the room remains completely bare. Only the desk and two chairs left behind by the office's previous occupant, Commander Gallagher, remain in the room.
"Since you asked me here, I'm going to guess that my services are no longer needed."
"Sorry. I spoke with many people, especially your fellow Palestinians, over the past week. It would appear that you no longer represent the people you are on the council to represent."
"I see… well, it was nice of you to speak to me personally about this, but you didn't have to. I had a feeling that I'd be on the way out since your little speech."
"Sorry. I am grateful for your service to the Freehold."
"Stop saying sorry, I know you're not," Al-Sayris replied, standing up as he did so, "you've done what you think was necessary, and I respect that. I'll see myself out."
I shake his hand once again, and watch as he leaves the room. Watching him go, I think about what he said. He took his sacking quite well, as a matter of fact, even though this means he no longer has a job. Unlike some of the other council members, Al-Sayris doesn't have another job. I wonder what he'll do now. I have to respect him for how well he did take his sacking. A lesser man would've argued and complained, but he just accepted what was done.
I lean back in my chair, and hear the springs creak as the coils are stretched out. This chair must be quite old, I think, but I wonder why it was left behind by the Commander. Perhaps he doesn't have enough room in his apartment for it. The apartments are quite small after all. Left alone to my thoughts, I find myself thinking of Zayd. I haven't spoken with him since the day we went to go see Maya. He's probably still upset with me. I'm still upset with him. What did he mean by 'it just seemed like something you would do'? I don't remember ever doing something like that to him. That's unfair. I've been thinking that he would probably come to apologise to me at some point, but that just hasn't happened. Maybe I should go to him. I don't have anything to apologise for though, do I?
Kyle knocks on my door interrupting my thoughts, and I wave him on in.
"How did it go with Commander Gallagher?"
"He was a bit surprised, but he accepted it once I explained it to him," Kyle told me as he sat down across from me, "I still don't entirely understand why you wanted him gone, however. He did a good job as my Deputy when I was Governor, and I'm sure he would continue doing a good job on the council."
"I said before, didn't I?" I say to Kyle, perhaps sounding a little irritated, "I don't see any reason for the military to be involved in the council. The council is an advisory board for the Governor, and yet the military answers directly to the Consulship. As I, the Governor, am here to represent the Consulship, the military unit here on Ceres answers directly to me. There's no need for Commander Gallagher to be on the council, is there? The military does as I decide. It does not need to advise me on what it does. Is that explanation enough for you?"
"Well, yes, I understand that… but that doesn't mean Gallagher wasn't good for the council, does it? He still did an adequate job, and brings valuable expertise to the council."
"Perhaps so, but the previous council, yourself included, stood by and did nothing as the colony floundered. Changes had to be made. The old had to make way for the new, and unfortunately for them, the Commander and the Imam were the ones I decided to have removed from office. That's all."
"Yes…" Kyle persists, "I understand your removal of the Imam – he was a cancer to the council, he did not contribute anything of value, but why the Commander? Surely there's room for one more member-"
"I've already made up my mind, Deputy Governor," I say standing up so that I tower over Kyle, "let me remind you that you were the one presiding over all that incompetence. Don't think even you are safe in your position. I'll see you at the council meeting later."
"Yes, Governor."
The new council seats itself in the conference, some members returning to old seats that look as if they fit perfectly, others perch nervously unsure of where to sit. The new council, including Deputy Governor Matthews, has three returning members. Deputy Governor Kyle Matthews, the Treasurer Francesca de Marcos, and Henrik de Vries are the only returning members from the council before my arrival, and dismissal of the previous. Both Kyle and de Marcos I asked back because I thought they were too valuable to remove at this stage. For de Marcos, that is definitely the case, for Kyle, however, I think I might just be curious. Curious about what exactly happened between him and my father.
The first of the two new members I appointed to the council, is Mohammed bin Sayyaf. He's the leader of the ICMU who comes at the recommendation of the majority of the Palestinians I talked to, including those who work for Medano. He's seen as a community leader, in addition to being an economic leader. I appointed him for both of those qualities. I need people who the Palestinians trust, and people important to the economy on my council, and he ticks both of those boxes. That's why I kept Mr de Vries on as well. Because of his corporation's economic contributions to the colony's economy.
The other new member I appointed is Edna Hrvêtsky. Edna is the head of the colony's Agriculture Department. When Ingprad decided to leave Ceres, the then twenty-eight-year-old from Czechia, convinced a team of their agriculturalists to stay, keeping the hydroponic farms functioning. Basically, it's thanks to her that the colony is still here, and that it didn't starve to death. Because of this, the Palestinians trust her more than most of the other non-Palestinians on Ceres. Not only that, but she's a tough fighter and has a good work ethic. I'm sure she will be a valuable addition to the council.
I make my way across the room from the door to the far end of the conference room, where my seat at the head of the table is. Following the Deputy Governor's lead, all of them stand to attention until I take my seat.
"Thank you all for coming," I say in greeting, "as of now, all of you are confirmed as members of the Legislative Council of Ceres, the official advisory governing body for the Colony of Ceres. Before we begin, I would like to once again say that I intend to make meaningful change during my time as Governor. I will turn around the colony's financial deficit, and save the future of this colony. I want to make it clear to all of you here that if the situation is not improved, the Freehold will pull its' support of the colony. I'm sure all of you understand the consequences of that. All public officials and servants will be pulled from Ceres, no new ships will arrive from Luna, your crops will die. Your mining ships will run out of fuel. And everyone left here will die a slow and painful death.
Now that all of you understand just what is at stake, I hope we can all work with extra vigour. To begin, I would like to show you a plan that myself and Miss de Marcos have been working on…"