Alex Lander the Tenth looked at a map of Helghan, more a way to center his thoughts than anything. The problems gripping the planet could not be described in such a way; they were too complex, too far-reaching, too interlinking, too abstract. He could be looking at the graphs on his computer, watching as the stock indices and other indicators of the state of the world ticked steadily down or enjoyed a brief rise.
He didn't need to. He knew what was happening without the facts and figures. Helghan was dying--no, that implied passivity, a certain lack of blame to be placed. Halghan was being strangled, simultaneously giving more and getting less, a process that any toddler could tell you was unhealthy for the Helghanian economy. It was a disaster going down incredibly fast; Helghan was never the most prosperous world, but it was barely a month since the new changes were implemented and already there were bread line riots.
More annoying were the stockholders, complaining that Lander was losing money. This, combined with the fact that money really does make things possible, made fixing this problem annoyingly important.
"Damn money, the little bits of paper or data. Meaningless, worthless, until we decide that it's worth fighting, killing, dying over. Worth getting in the way of what matters, worth selling your soul, worth everything and anything. We make ourselves slaves to this id--"
"Sir? Smit's here again. He wants to talk about buying that little farming corp in the southern plains."
"Ugh. And I was in the middle of a train of thought...Send him in, let's see if we can wrap this up."
Buy 2 1 Economic Infrastructure.
The deal made, the profit increased, the margin closed. Money changed hands, to make more money for one and faster money for the other. Numbers switching hands, to the benefit of a handful. A waste of time, of potential. But it had to be done, to generate potential potential for future change. Change that Lander could not make alone, neither the man nor the corporation.
He stares at the map, considering the other major potential forces in this revolution everyone knows is on the horizon.
"Rouge--la flamme de la colère;
Noir--la nuit de l'ignorance;
Rouge--un monde sur le point d'être né;
Noir--la mort de l'espoir.
"War is coming, like it or no. The longer it is delayed the worse it will be, and it won't be good as it is.
"Military. We've got the Free Militia and Ketari Arms, along with the First Fleet and Vraxus for the ships, with some assorted minor factions that might be persuaded to the cause. The People's Party...not much popular support, but they've got potential. Too bad their shady past sets a terrible precedent. All these five, well-known around here for their support, silent or otherwise, for the revolution. What part could Lander play? Supplier, most importantly. Perhaps another people's man, of sorts, more moderate than the Party. Sensible, no? Perhaps I'd also draw the support of the upper class. Heh. Well, even in a People's Revolution, the bourgeois support is helpful--perhaps required, even. Power is power, but not all power is equal. The mob can only do so much, after all, and money, that ethereal construct, opens so many doors."
Invest all my Influence in improving the attitude of Corinthmetal.
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Topic: Helghan: From the Ashes (Read 2340 times)