Chapter 527 (1/2)
“Senator Firefly, the floor is yours,” the Speaker said, sitting down in his chair, as Gary rose. Gary flashed a smile to the room and took his time slowly walking to stand at the podium in the center. His suit was charcoal with a maroon shirt and a crimson tie. After an offhand comment from Randidly, Ms. Terrygate had spent an increased amount of time sewing as she attempted to raise her Skill
At first, Gary had been dubious whether such effort was worth it, and whether sewing would be a Skill worth having. But his current suit was a testament to the amount of improvement that was possible over a month when there was a concerted effort. Plus, it had the strange side effect of increasing his Reaction and Focus by 5 stat points each! Gary had never heard of such a thing.
It had been so shocking that Gary hadn’t quite figured out how to use it to make a profit yet, which was quite unlike him.
President Howard sat with folded arms watching Gary walk up towards the podium. The System had done away with “parties” as a concept, and there hadn’t been enough time for new ideologies to emerge, but Gary Firefly and Alan Howard had always been opposed. Mostly on the issue of where funds should be allocated.
Gary wanted the money to go through the military first, with more emphasis on training and ‘hardening’ the Tier System. Meanwhile, Alan poured money into West Providence like he was giving water to a fish bleating weakly on land. President Howard also argued against defining the Tier System too rigidly, in fear of creating a caste system.
Didn’t the fool realize it was far too late for that? If they were going to have the damn thing, they might as well make it clear, and not rely on the mysticism of an AI to determine. It would give the lower class workers hope to rise. Right now, there were so many damn probationary citizenship applications coming through that the Bureau of Citizenship was in shambles. They needed money too.
Everyone did.
But today’s agenda concerned two issues, one of which was at least ancillary related to citizenship: the rising number of refugees and their new neighbor Rawlands.
”Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for letting me be the first speaker today, as we discuss these critical issues facing our great nation,” Gary said, knowing full well that most would love for him to not to possess the dubious honor of starting with the floor. Yet, here he was, mostly due to the extra clout that Gary had from Randidly.
”We are here today to talk about whether to recognize this Zone 32, this Rawlands as an independent nation. Obviously, this is a point of contention, as it was a nation that was previously under the umbrella of the United States of America, the predecessor to the UHF. But of course, like us, this Zone dragged itself up by its bootstraps, through every trial and tribulation thrown at it, to arrive here. This is an accomplishment deserving of our admiration. They were not prepared, as we were. They were not warned. They could only struggle against each new threat that arrived before them in turn, doing their utmost to survive.”
Gary smiled. ”You might be wondering how I know these things. That is because a traveler from Rawlands stopped into my orchards a few weeks ago, and we've become very good friends. His name is Randidly Ghosthound, and he is a great warrior. Although the technology of there Zone was practically stuck in the stone age, they were still able to leverage the System to receive significant benefits. I might also wager that these benefits are superior to our own. The Classes they have access to are different than ours both in focus and diversity. Mr. Ghosthound told me once that over in Rawlands, they believed that your Class does not just come from the criteria given to us by the Village Spirits, but also is shaped by your understanding of the world.
”When is the last time we saw a Class not related to our chosen profession? Why do we lack this diversity?
”I cannot speak to the undoubtedly compelling that President Howard will soon present for us today, but I would like to make my stance known; the commune of knowledge and connection of trade between our Zones can lead to nothing but benefits. I believe that Rawlands should be recognized as a sovereign nation.”
Now, Gary paused, looking at the bored and glazed eyes arrayed before them. There were enough briefings and secret meetings prior to this that Gary didn't doubt most knew how they would vote. What he needed was something to stir the pot. Not that he believed that in the end, Rawlands wouldn't be recognized but his sights were set further afield, and this was just one round of a grand game.
”...in the interest of giving my fellow congress members a clear picture of how things stand, I have brought Mr. Ghosthound to today's session. He is currently waiting outside. If there is a majority who shares my feelings, perhaps it would be best if we question him directly.”
*****
Randidly's eyelid twitched. ”Ma'am, there has been an attack at the power plant. Power is out. We've been sent to escort civilians to a disaster station until we can apprehend the culprits-”
”I don't believe you,” The woman said spitefully, her wrinkled face squeezing together. ”You don't truly believe in what's going on. If you are going to lie to my face, then why would I come with you? What if you are a salesman?”