| From: | shadowtk@*********.com (Paul J. Adam) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Power Play |
| Date: | Sat Aug 4 17:50:01 2001 |
>>>>>[The last meeting, before the storm breaks.
Not good for me, but at least we'll get the job done.
+++++begin video
G: Representative Gowne
L: Colonel J R W Lynch
[The view is from Lynch's eyecam, in a loud and busy restaurant.
Somewhere called 'Southside 815' if the menu is to be believed. He and
Gowne are facing each other across a corner table]
G: Thank you for meeting me again, Colonel.
L: I wish I could say it was a pleasure, Representative.
G: You have a problem?
L: Yeah. Ernang. You say you want to clean up the UCAS, yet the more
data you get, the less I do.
G: It's remarkably difficult to move against such a politically astute-
L: Bullshit. Bull SHIT. You don't talk, you assemble proof, you find out
what's going on, and you act.
G: It could be said you're as bad as him.
L: Yeah. By someone who wasn't scared about having me tear their trachea
out.
G: What constitutes "proof"?
L: Well, let's see. He was assigned a personnel strength of one hundred
and forty-three. It appears the FRAG have lost over two hundred
killed or hospitalised over the last eight months, and yet they still
deploy over three hundred troops. Is there an issue here, or is my
arithmetic faulty?
G: General Ernang has stated that he's taken measures to-
L: _What_ measures?
G: We're regularly criticised for interfering in military affairs.
L: This isn't military, this is political. The FRAG are meant to be
deployed within the UCAS. We need to be sure of who they are, what
they're doing and where their loyalties lie. Otherwise, you're
heading for a reprise of SIGA or the FBI Projects.
G: SIGA was a reputable organisation-
L: Bartlett's SIGA, not Coppinger's.
G: Who's Bartlett?
L: <sigh, pause> Ask David Coppinger.
G: And the FBI Projects were very successful. Achilles took down Thunda-
L: Achilles was the exception. Torus joined forces with the criminals.
Cassiopeia never managed to solve a case. Gorgon lost half their force
to one car bomb. Achilles was the only Project that did jack, and that
was down to Chris D'Arkan, and Chris D'Arkan was captured and murdered
by the Children of Thunda.
G: The FBI took down Seamus Malone.
L: No.
G: No?
L: I hired a freelance assassin to kill Seamus Malone. We drove him out
of the UCAS with shadow muscle _after_ his thugs killed over two
hundred UCAS citizens, thirty cops and eight FBI agents including SAC
Elliot.
We drove out Malone despite the FBI, not because of them. It turns
out Malone had subverted the Regional Director.
G: I find that hard to believe.
L: It's true.
G: So _you_ say.
L: Gowne, understand this. I'm going to uphold my oath and do my job.
I'm trying to do it by the book, but nobody will listen. If you won't
exercise your oversight role, then fucking well stay out of my way.
G: Don't threaten me, Lynch. You don't scare me-
[Lynch moves slightly and fast, and his eyecam has the addition of an
aiming cursor and the text 6 EX. Gowne freezes and sits very still.]
L: Do I scare you now?
G: You wouldn't dare.
[A slight click and Gowne whimpers and flinches]
L: I scare you. We both know I'd kill you if I had to.
G: And this achieves... what?
L: I asked for your help, so we could do this right. Now, it's just
going to be *done* any way I can do it.
G: If you move against the FRAG, I'll have you court-martialled-
L: And if I'm right?
G: You think that's an excuse?
L: The only excuse.
G: You *will* obey the laws of this country, Marine.
L: Ernang first. Quis ipsos custos custodes?
G: We're checking and investigating-
L: You can court-martial me tomorrow, but in eight months you can't do
jack shit to Ernang? That's reassuring.
G: We operate within the rule of law.
L: So do I. Which is why I'm going to go fuck him up big-time for
breaking the law. And you had better stay out of my fucking way until
I'm done.
Then you can hold your hearings and court-martial me and do whatever
the hell you want to cover your cowardly ass, and we'll both know
that I did what had to be done while you were too worried about
playing politics.
G: You're insane, Lynch.
L: It's been said before. It's probably true.
G: I won't allow you to do this.
L: Do what? You won't allow me to stop a renegade from conducting
treason against the UCAS? Can I have that in writing?
G: I'll break you for this.
L: Yeah, you probably will. But right now, you've got less evidence
against me than you do against Ernang. So until you can bring
charges, go fuck yourself. [Lynch makes a move that might be
holstering a pistol] And if you charge me, you better be sure Ernang
was arraigned at least one case ahead.
G: Good causes don't justify evil deeds.
L: Like covering for a murderer and traitor.
G: There's no proof-
L: Yeah, there's no *proof*. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
Goodbye, Representative.
+++++end video
I should have handled that much better, but I lost my temper.
Gowne's not a *bad* man but he's addicted to procedure. And I think he
can't believe that a fast-burner like Ernang could go so bad: Ernang's
the "right sort of person" and Gowne can't face the notion that Ernang
might have gone bad.
I'm probably going to jail when we finish this. I'd appreciate help if I
do.]<<<<<
-- Colonel J R W Lynch <22:42:42/08-04-62>
UCAS Marine Corps
*****PRIVATE: Lynch
>>>>>[You're probably right about the jail time, but I can probably get
you busted out if all else fails and they throw you into Leavenworth.
Jesus, you know how to cause trouble...
Ernang is still publicly bulletproof. Hence Gowne's stand. But if you're
right about this Madagascar business... we can unravel his operation.
Meaning, you get to take all the risks and do all the work, and get then
shafted for doing what everyone else knows they should have done but
didn't.
Though not *everyone* is opposed. If you can blow Madagascar, that's
enough that I can let most of SOCOM off the leash and we can start
cleaning house.
It's a big sloppy shit sandwich, Jason, and until you eat it all you're
on your own. Fair summary?]<<<<<
-- VAdm Jane Kowalski <22:55:43/08-04-62>
Special Operations Command
*****PRIVATE: VAdm Kowalski
>>>>>[Same song, just a different beat. Been there, done that.
I'm going to get Lilith out and I'm going to shut Ernang down and then
we'll just have to see how things turn out.]<<<<<
-- Lynch <22:57:43/08-04-62>
