NationStates Jolt Archive

The desolate palace of the late, unlamented Byron Tillema glowed green in the amplified-light imagery projected across the main screen of the command car.

"What's the count?" The speaker was a stunningly beautiful woman whose bulky battle dress and combat armor failed to completely erase her lush figure. A stubby Intruder battle rifle was hung in a patrol sling from her right shoulder. Her right hand was on the pistol grip, and her index finger lay outside the trigger guard. Despite her appearance, none of the men and women sharing the car with her met her eyes or even glanced in her direction.

Colonel Suoko keyed up the latest threat estimates on a sidebar. "Local sources tell us that three trucks and four APCs rolled in just before you arrived, milady." The colonel tapped the image of a still-smoking wing of the building as he spoke. "Assuming they were at max capacity, that gives us a starting figure of just over a hundred- not counting the initial garrison, estimated to be twenty-five. We have a confirmed body count of 31 so far."

Dark Torch's eyes narrowed slightly. She leaned forward and keyed in a command. The screen image shifted to another view of the palace, from a transmitter on a different side of the structure. Several large gaps had been blown through the sturdy walls. "Right. I want a diversionary assault on these breaches in the southwest wall. Splatter the area with small arms fire, and move in a couple Zhukov MBTs and Raschid LAVs to cover the attack. A couple of platoons of infantry ought to do the trick. If they make it inside the walls, well and good. Have 'em take a defensive position and push in no more than one more platoon."

She tapped a few more keys and got a different view. "My team will be going in over the wall- here- once the diversion really gets going." She touched the image with her left index finger and swept the assembled officers with a stern glare. "Once we're in, have the diversionary force pull back. We'll signal when we're in position."

No one met her eyes, but they all nodded. She nodded as well.

*****

Seventy-three minutes later, Dark Torch was standing in the palace kitchen, changing her rifle's depleted 100-round drum magazine for a fresh one. "Captain Cortez!" she called into the gloom of the smoky chamber.

A short man with bullet-spattered armor stumped into view from just outside the kitchen. "Here, sir. The survivors retreated down into the cellar with their wives and kids. No more than thirty or so, all told." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "The entrance is just out the doorway, here."

There was a slide-CLACK! as Dark Torch charged her weapon. She glanced around the kitchen, then turned her eyes on the floor. Captain Cortez nodded. "Yes, sir. I've checked the plans. The cellar runs right underneath the kitchen, here. There used to be an escape tunnel leading out to the river, but my sappers blew it when we secured the perimeter. Orders, sir?"

Dark Torch thought for a moment before deciding. "Get that drill rig in here. Punch a hole through this floor and bring up the tanks of L-11." She stepped out into the hallway and looked around quickly. "Plant 2 sensors and a camera on the steps to the cellar, and set six command-det Claymores in the stairwell."

She slung her rifle- muzzle down- over her shoulder and started toward the exit. "Rig the tanks for remote operation and pull everyone out of the building. We'll pump in a couple hundred liters of L-11 and finish this problem once and for all."

Captain Cortez looked pale, but swallowed hard and asked. "Sir, what about the women and children?"

The utter calm on the serenely beautiful face that turned toward him was the most inhuman thing the Captain had ever seen. "Captain, my orders from His Omniferocity are to pacify this rock. There are sixty or seventy former Militia types still breathing in Avalon who haven't realized their survival was someone's mistake. This will send the message loud and clear."

The new Governor-General of Old Tersanctus stalked out of the room to report to the Master of Malevolence that Dominion control of the island was complete.

<OOC>
Here is the original thread:

http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=97881&highlight=

"People of Old Tersanctus, I am Dark Torch, Dread Leftenant to His Omniferocity, the Evil Overlord."

All over the island, people watched their televisions with a mixture of emotions. Many were afraid. Afraid of the possible return of lawlessness and war that had swept the crowded island. Afraid of the cruel repression many feared would result after the Dominion completed the military conquest of the former colony. Many looked into the future and saw only continued uncertainty, darkness, and misery, and this, too, made them afraid.

The woman on the TV screens was dressed in an austere business suit of dark grey silk, which only accented the improbable beauty of her features. Her dark hair was conservatively styled, with two jet-black pins holding it in place just visible over her head. She wore no make up. "As of ten hours ago, I am also the Governor-General of Old Tersanctus. Many of you are wondering what the future holds, now that Old Tersanctus is an asset of Evil Overlord Enterprises.

Most of you will not feel the Dominion's yoke in your daily lives. The severe regulation of the average citizen/shareholder would be impractical to implement here. So long as the laws are obeyed and necessary work is performed, you may largely live your lives as you see fit.

Apart from the northeastern portion of the island- which will be restricted solely to citizen/shareholders of the Dominion and those of you who are accepted as such- Old Tersanctus will see to its own governance. City police will still enforce the law. Local courts will still conduct the administration of the law. Town and city councils will still- within the limits of EOE regulations- conduct their own affairs.

There will be changes, however. No interference with EOE security personnel or activities will be permitted. No dissent will be tolerated. EOE Internal Security will deal with lawbreakers who evade the local police. Usage of computers, telephones, and all other means of communication will be monitored by IS personnel. Weapons of any kind are not permitted- save for police and military personnel. Camera monitors and other sensors will be placed in all public areas to assist in the detection and prevention of any sort of crime. All travel outside the country will go through the seaport of Two Harbors or Dantes airport in Avalon. All citizens will be issued a Self Synchronous Identification Number- or SSIN- which will be required for many activities.

Some of you may not wish to live here under these restrictions. Those people are free to depart- forfeiting all property and rights here in Old Tersanctus. Those who remain will get increased security, stability, and prosperity. Some of those who remain may be offered positions within Evil Overlord Enterprises, which confers many honors and privileges.

Some of you might have ideas for making improvements. Once your SSIN has been issued to you, you may visit the EOE website and post your suggestions. Suggestions that improve efficiency or profits will earn benefits for the author- including cash rewards or additional privileges.

A list of regulations will remain available on Channel 9 for all citizens to see. Beginning at 0000 tonight, all citizens are responsible for knowing and understanding these regulations. Ignorance of these regulations will not be a valid excuse for violating them. The regulations and official pronouncements will be broadcast 24 hours a day on Channel 9, and are also available on the Evil Overlord Enterprises website.

That is all."

Dark Torch stalked into the Council chamber and went straight to the podium. All of the chatterinng between the civilians present ceased as if everyone had been simultaneously garroted. She glanced around the room, noting the few who met her eyes openly amid the far greater number who quickly looked elsewhere. Her strict personal discipline kept the contempt out of her voice and off her face.

"This meeting will come to order. As Governor-General, I welcome you to the first National Council. All of you have been chosen to represent your districts by the regional and city councils. Your first order of business will be to agree to the rules under which His Omniferocity allows you to operate. The rules are listed on the screens at each seat. Please review them and sign in with your SSIN."

The Councillors dutifully checked the monitors built into each workstation in the new Council Building. All of them were already familiar with the gist, but didn't want to be seen openly defying the Overlord's representative. Once the last Councillor had keyed in his SSIN, Dark Torch resumed speaking.

"The next order of business will be the island's food situation. We're losing arable land at a rate of 2% per year to outdated farming practices, overgrazing, and erosion. The most optimistic estimate I've seen puts Old Tersanctus in famine conditions within 20 years unless we act now."

Several of the Councillors blinked in surprise. They were used to the far more sedate pace of the former government's legislature. A hum of electronics called everyone's attention to the massive display screen which lowered from the ceiling behind the podium. The screen began displaying data and pictures to accompany Dark Torch's words. The more computer-literate Councillors quickly discovered that their workstation monitors mirrored the display.

"Evil Overlord Enterprises has already begun construction of eight aquaculture stations on the western side of the island. While these stations will ultimately render the fishing villages now existing there redundant, they will also create nearly 12,000 jobs- most of which will probably be filled by the people living in those villages.

All farms not using modern crop-rotation or other advanced farming techniques will be taken over by Te'lee Latifundia. Technicians and scientists from TL will determine which farms will benefit most from modern equipment and techniques. Those farms will be given new equipment and training to get them started. This equipment will be a loan, which the farmers must pay back from the sale of surplus crops within ten years.

Any farmers who do not wish to take advantage of this offer or whose farms are deemed unsuitable will receive a sincle cash payment for their land and new workers will be imported by TL to replace them. This will also happen to any farmers who fail to repay the loans on schedule. A similar program will start immediately for the many ranches across the island.

The details of this program have been loaded onto your workstations. Make suggestions and comments via your SSIN. Both will be reviewed and good suggestions will be forwarded to the folks at TL.

The next item is water. Water quality has been declining for years, and the fallout from the explosion near Bensing hasn't helped. Megalaff Industries has begun construction of six water-purification plants near Two Harbors, Empire Landing, Long Point, Toyon Bay, Avalon, and Church Rock. Desalination plants are also being constructed to get more fresh water from the oceans. Massive underground piping systems will distribute this water throughout the country. This will take a lot of manpower, but we should have the system operational within 2 years."

A red light lit next to Dark Torch's monitor. She hit a key, which dimmed all the chamber lights except for one spotlight which focused on one of the Councillors. "You have a question, Councillor Borman?"

The startled Councillor rose to his feet. "Who is paying for all of this?"

As he returned to his seat, the lights resumed their normal level. Dark Torch said, "Excellent question. I am not so much of a fool as to wait until you fatheads got around to dealing with these issues. I just contacted the appropriate corporate entities within the EOE structure and made the arrangements. Those companies will recoup their investments through fees and similar strategies. This method has worked very well in other countries. It will work here."

Another red light lit up. The speaker this time was a heavyset woman with orange hair at the far end of the chamber. "Yes, Councillor Locke?"

"Why are we here? I thought we were supposed to be the legislature, but all we've done for the last ten minutes is look at computer screens and nod our heads."

Dark Torch smiled into the room. It was not a particularly pleasant expression. Several Councillors looked away. "You are here because the trappings of Democracy are an essential underpinning to what is basically a corporate dictatorship." Her smile grew into something a rabbit might see on the face of the last wolf it met. "Make no mistake about your status. You are here to give the people of Old Tersanctus a voice in their government. Whether or not that voice is heard is entirely at my discretion. As time goes on and the people grow more familiar with using the EOE Web to make suggestions and complaints, you lot will be relegated to the status of an anachronistic debating society."

She returned to her discussion of upcoming public works. "The nation's road network is already inadequate for normal civilian traffic, and is completely inadequate for the demands of military and security forces. To deal with this issue, any surface travel between cities must be by public buses and trains which will be provided free of charge. Beginning Monday, Megalaff Industries and Guy Smiley Enterprises will begin construction on a network of underground trains to run between the cities. Similar construction will take place within each city for light rail systems. All of this work should be completed within 8 years, and the rail network, as well as the pedestrian slidewalks we'll be building at the street level should be completely operational within 10 years. Once the rail network is operational, all surface roads will be reserved for military use."

Dark Torch's talk went on, but several of the Councillors silently shook their heads and swept the chamber with their eyes. They noted who seemed to be going along with the Governor-General's ideas and who was not. A single thought grew simultaneously in their minds: She's got to go.

"Sir, Fleet Marshall King sent this message..."

"Milady, I am a representative from the Religious Council..."

"...the latest financial reports"

"... behind schedule and wants to increase recruitment ..."

Dark Torch glared at each person trying to catch her attention. When the last flunky stammered into obedient silence, she turned a baleful eye onto the local-hire secretary. "Do any of these have an appointment?"

The secretary shook her head. "No, milady. But they didn't leave when I told them to go, and I didn't know what to do. It all sounded very important ..." Her voice trailed off and she shrank visibly in her chair.

Dark Torch keyed her personal communicator. "Willens, get in here."

The outer door opened almost before she finished speaking. A slender man in a conservative black suit stood in the doorway, his right hand resting on his belt buckle and his jacket unbuttoned. His hard eyes swept the room quickly, then focused on the Governor-General. He said nothing.

Dark Torch knocked once on the secretary's desk. When the young woman looked up, she asked, "What is your name?"

Nearly in tears, the secretary answered, "Sylvia Olbedo, milady."

Nodding in the direction of the man in the doorway, Dark Torch said, "Do you see that man? His name is Willens. He is my Chief of Staff. His office is just outside the door." She paused to lend weight to her next words.

"No one comes into this room without an appointment. Willens will see to it that you get my appointment list each day. If there are last-minute changes due to some emergency, Willens will tell you so. If anyone refuses to leave after you tell them to go, Willens will remove them. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, milady."

Dark Torch nodded. "This is your first day, and you didn’t know the drill. Now you do. No further mistakes will be tolerated. Do you understand?"

"Yes, milady."

"Good. Now, do your job." Dark Torch walked through the inner office door and let it close behind her.

Sylvia Olbedo looked silently at the door for a moment, then turned to face Willens. "Have you sent me the appointment book for today?"

He nodded silently. Sylvia tapped a few keys and quickly scanned the file on her monitor. Turning her eyes on the mob in the waiting room, she asked, "Do any of you have an appointment today?" No one spoke. "If you don't have an appointment, you'll have to come back later when you do. You may speak with Sr. Willens outside. Good day."

The first one to react was the tall, austerely robed man from the Religious Council. "I will not be dismissed so easily, young lady! I represent ..."

Sylvia tuned him out and spoke to the man in the doorway. "Mr. Willens, would you please remove this person?"

Willens spoke for the first time in a clear, carrying voice. "Father Anthony, you may address your concerns to me, and I will see about getting you an appointment."

Father Anthony glared at Willens. "I will not be patronized by a mere functionary. I demand to speak to the Governor General ... urkh!"

The priest's voice cut off as Willens slid two steps into the room while smoothly drawing a large pistol from inside his coat. The barrel of the weapon slipped between Father Anthony's teeth while he was in mid-sentence, choking the words off in his throat. Willens stepped in very close to the priest and whispered into his ear.

After he finished speaking, Willens stepped back to the doorway and re-holstered his weapon. "My office is just outside. If you will all precede me, we can see about getting you on the appointment list."

Everyone left the room except Sylvia. They all avoided making eye contact with Willens and avoided looking at Father Anthony at all. The priest, pale and trembling from a combination of rage and fear, stumbled after them. Willens touched his left forefinger to his eyebrow and winked at Sylvia before closing the door behind him on the way out.

Sylvia sighed, then straightened in panic at the sound of a low tone on her computer. She hit the flashing red key, and the Governor-General's face filled the screen. "Mis Olbedo, do I have any appointments this morning?"

Sylvia quickly checked the appointments list before replying. "No, milady."

Dark Torch nodded. "Very well. I will be out of the office until noon. My schedule is on your computer, along with the prioroty contact list. Contact Willens if there are any problems."

Sylvia replied, "Yes, milady" to a screen already going dark.

Dark Torch walked into the Presence and stopped 5 meters from the Throne. As usual, she saw the Evil Overlord only as a dark shape on a slightly darker background. She could not see (but was aware of) the many weapons trained on her and the multitude of sensors that tracked every motion.

After all, she had designed part of the system herself.

She inclined her head to the shadow before her and spoke. "Your Omniferocity summoned me, I am here."

A magnificently gloved hand reached out of the shadows and touched a control on the master panel next to the throne. A holographic playback of her speech before the Grand Council of Old Tersanctus appeared to her left. When the recording finished, the Autocrat of Armageddon demanded, "Explain this action."

"The Grand Council is just what I stated, my Lord. During the gradual consolidation of your power over the island, they will serve largely as a rubber-stamp legislature for whatever programs we choose to run in Old Tersanctus."

"Was it necessary- or wise- to tell them so?"

"I believe so, my Lord. My projection indicates approximately half will act like the worthless drones they are- irreparably staining the others with that reputation. Approximately half of the rest will become actively opposed to us, and the remainder will either resign for more fruitful activities or become actively involved in the local government councils- which is where we want the real authority to reside anyway."

"These Councilors are already beginning active resistance measures against you." The figures of several Councilors were highlighted in green. "They will try to use religion as a power base to strike against the Dominion's control."

Dark Torch nodded. "That was my analysis as well. The Kungshao priests are the last remaining vestiges of the old regime with any influence at all. It was the only practical choice for any would-be revolutionaries."

"What measures have you taken?"

"Step one is to isolate the Council behind a web of incompetence- something that they will do almost entirely by themselves. When necessary, I will take pains to reinforce that public impression of their overall uselessness. This step is already in progress.

Step two is to bolster the authority and functions of the local Councils. To that end, I am working to get as many members of the former Peoples' Resistance Movement elected to the Councils as possible. I have also begun a campaign of paying a great deal of public attention to the functions and operations at the local level."

"And the SSIN."

"Quite so, my Lord. The people will get immediate benefits from reporting problems and suggesting solutions through the Self-Synchronous Integrated Network. Coupled with the local Councils getting all the prestige and authority, this should completely undermine any potential legitimacy the Grand Council might otherwise have."

"And in the process, you uncover a great many would-be revolutionaries and their prospective leaders. I approve. Keep me apprised of the situation."

"I will, my Lord. How long will I remain Governor-General?".

"Once consolidation is complete, I will dispatch a replacement for you. The Department of Economic Penetration has upgraded the profit potential once again, thanks to your efforts. You will retain 5% of the net profits from the Old Tersanctus project as a bonus. You may go." A magnificently gloved hand reached out to the control panel again. A previously unseen door swung noiselessly open behind her. Dark Torch bowed slightly.

"By your leave, Your Omniferocity."

She turned and stalked out of the Presence. Her aide immediately signaled for her modified BF-7 bomber to warm up its engines. The flight back to Old Tersanctus would be a long one, and Dark Torch did not like anything to increase that time. She was not above having people executed for such displays of incompetence.

From the look on her face, the aide knew only that he did not want to be the one who irked her in any way whatsoever.

Bump for future updates


TEO

"My Lady, I am pleased and honored ..."

Dark Torch cut the man off in mid sentence. "You have not worked with me before." It was a statement of fact, not a question, but Director Carsons answered it anyway.

"No, milady."

She nodded brusquely. "Since you will be working for me henceforth, you will file this for future reference: I do not like speeches, and flattery bores me."

Joseph Carsons was not a military man, but he had built himself a career in Evil Overlord Enterprises. He could sense the danger. "Understood, milady."

"Good." Dark Torch waved Carsons into a chair across the desk. "You have been appointed to take control of the Old Tersanctus economy and infrastructure. You will be working closely with Brigadier Armstrong, who will maintain security and similar functions. Are you familiar with the history of ancient Rome?"

Carsons was taken aback at the seeming change of subject. "A little."

She raised an eyebrow and continued. "When the Romans conquered a province, they put two people in charge. I am using a variation of that system. The Romans appointed a Rex, who ruled the province. Under him was the Dux, who handled all military affairs. Do you understand?"

"Yes, milady."

"Here, you will be the EOE equivalent of the Rex, except you will not be superior to the Dux. You will each be in charge- under me- of the different facets of EOE governance of the island. If there is any conflict between the two operations, I will decide who will be responsible for that area." She fixed Carsons with a hard stare. "You will cooperate with Brigadier Armstrong, or I will replace you."

Carsons nodded. "I understand completely, milady. What about my staff?"

"There are fifteen EOE personnel, and you can hire as many locals as you need."

The interview was over. Carsons rose and bowed slightly. "I will go and acquaint myself with my department, then."

“Do so. Have your budget request on my desk by 0530 tomorrow.”

“Yes, milady.” Carsons bowed again and departed. On the way to his office, he began to smile. Working directly for Dark Torch would not be pleasant, but it was certain to be profitable.

SO12 San Mancuso Headquarters
Established Foreign Affairs

The report before him had been composed over an extended work cycle, it clearly showed the authors desire to complete the task speedily:

“EOE have completed their initial subversion of Old Tersanctus, modernisation and establishment of a command structure is believed to of begun & already been established in regards to each respectively. Reaction from the civilian populace has been muted to some extent, all potential aggression against EOE has already been isolated or at least subdued to the extent of insignificance.

All in all the society has been effectively merged in to typical EOE operations, more extensive aspects will obviously take time and those are believed to of already been established either before subjugation was achieved or immediately afterwards. Information from EOE itself has reported an increase in buoyancy in all related affairs, spending money to make money is paying off greatly for investors and we can expect to see growth, albeit marginally restrained by the necessary expansion of Old Tersanctus infrastructure, increase steadily over the next few years with the greatest payoffs achieved once aspects such as industry, agriculture and utilities are made acceptable to EOE standards. As of the time of this reports writing their seems limited potential for foreign interest as is typical of the EOE as a whole.”

The report continued for several pages afterwards detailing suspected shipments of material and personnel, none of which was really known but given the likelihood of infrastructure needing to be rebuilt and expanded upon such assumptions were not totally ill founded.

Brigadier General Iasmin Armstrong strode into Dark Torch's office a step ahead of Director Carsons. She came to attention and remained there until the Governor-General waved her into one of the two seats in front of the desk. Dark Torch held up a hand for silence as she finished keying a complex series of orders into her console, then turned to face her two subordinates.

"General, Director. I want to discuss a few issues with you both." The Governor-General hit a key, bringing a large display screen down from it's overhead storage. The screen lit with several graphs.

"We've been seeing an increase in the number of requests by the local police to IS for back-up. In most of these cases, the IS troops ended up in firefights with armed bands of criminals. Interrogation of the survivors suggests that a national criminal organization is responsible."

General Armstrong leaned forward in her seat. "We've also had an increase in seizures of contraband- mostly weapons- at the ports and fishing villages."

Nodding, Dark Torch said, "These indications of large-scale, organized activity contrary to EOE regulations are part of the problem that I wanted to deal with."

Director Carsons was still studying the graphs on the screen. Dark Torch highlighted the left graphs. "This is the other issue. Clean-up around the old air-force base near Bensing is going very slowly, as is road construction, public transportation development, and uranium mining."

Carsons turned to face the Governor, but held his tongue. Dark Torch continued. "Here is what I propose." She turned her head to General Armstrong. "Every vessel smuggling contraband into Old Tersanctus is to be seized. Everyone on board will be arrested and tried in Internal Security courts. Those convicted will be sentenced to hard labor. The same goes for these organized criminals. The survivors will be sentenced to hard labor or death- depending on whether or not they resisted arrest."

She turned back to Carsons. "Depending on the length of sentence, these convicts will be working on necessary public-works projects. Those sentenced to Life will work in the mines or the radiation clean-up program. Those with lesser sentences will work on everything else. I have ordered a detachment of IS personnel to provide security for the work sites. Prisoners will live in camps set up at the work sites."

General Armstrong looked at the ceiling for a moment, then asked, "What about replacing these local police with IS personnel?"

Dark Torch cut her hand through the air in front of her. "No. Local police will remain in control of local law enforcement in the cities, with IS support as needed. Local courts will handle all matters not falling under IS jurisdiction. IS will continue to handle law-enforcement and security outside the cities, and you are still responsible for external security matters here."

"Sir, IS would have a lot better chance of rooting out these organized gangs ..." The Governor cut off Armstrong's objection by pointing a finger at the bridge of the General's nose.

"General, I have already directed Captain Castellano from IS Special Services to begin dealing with the organized crime problem. If the local police call for help, IS will give it to them. Other than that, IS is to maintain a low profile in the cities. End of discussion."

"Boss, there's someone in the lobby asking to see you."

Curtis Platt looked up from the latest revenue reports he'd been scanning. The door guard, Azure, looked worried. "What's the problem, Azure?"

Stabbing his computer keypad with sausage-sizedd fingers, Azure sent the image from the camera located over the front desk of the Plaza Hotel to Platt's desk. "Take a look, Boss."

Curtis examined the picture. The woman standing at the desk was short and slim, and wore a well-tailored suit of subdued brown fabric. Her face was mostly unremarkable, except for the high cheekbones, and was neatly framed by the woman's short, dark hair. Frowning, Platt zoomed the camera in on the right side of her suit coat. Invisible to untrained eyes, a slight bulge in the fabric indicated a holstered weapon.

Closing the circuit, Platt said, "I see what you mean, Azure. Make sure everyone gets out of sight or loses their iron. Have someone take her to the Swan Room, and tell her I'll be in shortly."

"Right, Boss."

While his bodyguard alerted the rest of Platt's security staff, Curtis punched a complicated command into the hotel's computer network. He looked up as he finished and watched Azure move his holstered pistol to thesmall of his back. "Ready when you are, Boss."

Nodding at the now-hidden weapon, Curtis said, "If this woman is from the government, you'll be in for a long stretch in prison for carrying that."

Azure shrugged. "I'll take that chance. If she's been sent by the new syndicate boys to take you out, I'd rather have something handy to debate the issue."

When Platt walked into the richly-decorated meeting room, Heather Castellano sized him up. He was a bit thinner than she'd expected from the intelligence reports, but that might just be in comparison to the mastadon of a bodyguard who walked beside him. She stood up, and noted with approval the way the bodyguard carefully stepped in front of his principal. Platt walked around the larger man and extended his hand.

"I am Curtis Platt. I own the Plaza. I understand you wished to speak to me?"

Smiling slightly, Heather flipped open her ID card holder and showed it to Platt. "Mr. Platt, I am Captain Castellano from EOE Internal Security. The Governor-General has tasked me with dealing with the organized criminals on Old Tersanctus."

Platt gave the badge and ID card a passing glance, then met her eyes calmly. "What does that have to do with me, Captain? I run a hotel, not a syndicate."

He's got nerve ,Heather noted to herself. She sat back down at the table. "Mr. Platt, please don't insult my intelligence. We have detailed files on your pre-liberation activities. At one time, you controlled all of the illegal activity on the island. Since the Dominion took control, you've more-or-less retired. Aside from one or two irregularities in your legitimate operations, you've kept your nose clean and off the radar screen. Very commendable."

Platt was still standing. He cocked his head slightly, still looking her in the eye. "Even assuming your little fairy tale was true, I still fail to understand why you're here."

Smiling broadly, Heather said, "Internal Security would like your help in dealing with these bush-league mafiosi." She almost laughed aloud as Platt's jaw dropped in amazement.

Platt sat across the table from her and shook his head. "That's one hell of an icebreaker, Captain. What the hell do you suppose I can do to help?"

"There are a variety of ways the Dominion can deal with organized crime. How this particular problem gets resolved is entirely at my discretion." Heather leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. "I could just send in IS troopers and shoot them all, but that would probably get the civilians a little upset. We could simply co-opt the whole organization- make it part of Evil Overlord Enterprises. That might be an option if you were running things ..." She let her voice trail off and looked Platt in the eye. He was shaking his head slightly, as was the bodyguard. Putting another mark in the 'plus' column of her mental evaluation of Curtis Platt, she went on.

"... but that's not a good idea with the current pack of wingnuts." Heather tapped her right forefinger on the polished wood inlays on the table. "With all of that in mind, I've decided that the first step would be to put the word out to the local syndicate bosses that IS will no longer tolerate armed groups of bandits in Old Tersanctus."

Platt raised an eyebrow. "And where do I come in?"

"According to our intelligence, you probably still have contacts in the criminal community. I want you to make contact with the syndicates and tell them to disarm."

"Why should they?"

Heather stood and walked toward the door. "Because if they don't, I'll have every single one of them killed."

Platt turned in his chair to face her. "Why should I be your messenger boy?"

Heather stopped in the doorway and smiled broadly again. It was not a pleasant expression. "How about this, Mr. Platt? If you do this thing for me, I will formally list all of your security personnel as Internal Security assets."

"What good is that?"

Still baring her teeth in what wasn't really a smile, Heather said, "It means that your bodyguards won't be sent to the mines for carrying illegal firearms. Have a nice day, Mr. Platt."