March 27, 1897
Undisclosed Location – The Order's War Room
The radio broadcast had rattled them.
Inside the dimly lit war room, the most powerful members of the Order of the Phoenix Society sat in silence, listening to the last echoes of Matthew Hesh's speech playing from a gramophone. The words had been measured, direct, and dangerously effective.
He had done something they hadn't expected—he had spoken over the media, bypassing their control, and planted doubt in the minds of the people.
When the speech ended, Gideon Langston, the Grand Chancellor, leaned forward, his expression unreadable. He turned to Victor Kessler, the Order's master strategist.
"How much damage did he do?"
