Senior Minister

  The place around the presidential precinct was enormous, but more so when it is given preparation beforehand to hold a gigantic event, like now. It had been years since there was such an event, and with celebrations no longer banned 'for the sake of whatever’, it was like a new piece of color was reinvented in the world. Lymoca was thriving with its people's passion.

  Festive colors above, lights and some light music below, the celebration was ongoing, with the President’s new cabinet already working with each other and meeting elsewhere. Similarly, Fox was meeting some people. More specifically, those from PSD’s representative captains’ teams.

  After meeting with Nala and her folk, Fox moved to Nauer’s team, who were drinking some and eating a few snacks. Nala wore another black dress, a cocktail type this time, which made her look inconceivably perfect; so beautiful and exotic.

  Nauer stood around a few others, of which one was Teon, and another 2 were a young man and woman. The young man was tanned, with dark brown hair and eyes. He was tall, and his body looked to have gone through several ‘scars’ through his secret world life, but he was standing and smiling like none of that ever mattered.

  The young woman had creamy white skin, dark azure eyes with a slight gleam making her seem golden, and semi long chestnut hair with a wild but smooth style. Talking intimately with Teon and Nauer, who wore extravagant yet fitting outfits, they noticed Fox before he arrived before them.

  “Raging Blood,” Nauer greeted. Fox lowered his head, nodding a bit before looking at Teon. “How is it going for you? Is this blondie making things difficult for you again? Should I use some force?”

  “…” Teon blushed a sweet pink a little, with Fox’s eyes showing some surprised understanding. Meanwhile, Nauer’s team cracked up, while Nauer scoffed negligibly.

  “I have to say— past differences remained there after… our nice encounter,” Nauer walked nearer to Teon, with the other two standing beside them. He looked up at Fox and said, slightly brushing shoulders with Teon. “I don’t have too clever words to express about this, but thank you for letting me try at living.”

  The atmosphere became unknowingly… serious. It wasn’t stern or intense, just important, but out of nowhere. Fox looked at Nauer, then at the glints flashing across Teon’s big black eyes. He glanced into Nauer’s eyes and said, “It doesn’t matter to me… But I’m glad.”

  “…” Nauer lifted his chin a bit, staring at those monstrous eyes with a sigh of relief, ever so taciturn it couldn’t be easily detected. Then, Nauer glanced at the other two and introduced them, “Fox, I’d like you to know my right-left agents, Elena and Moy.”

  “Hello,” Fox went ‘making business’ mode on and chatted the pair up. Moy nodded, shaking his gloved hand, with Elena nodding a bit more reserved, but with a slight lady bow and respect in her eyes. Fox looked at them again and added after thinking of some things.

  “I see good Captain potential in both of you. Are you trying to form your own teams?”

  “Yes, we are, actually.” Moy smiled smoothly and pointed between Elena and himself, who also nodded, although she did gracefully. Moy went, “Ever since the news of ‘more units’ to welcome the Raging Blood’s resurgence and the global situations when needed, we’ve been thinking of forming our teams under the representative captain’s troop.”

  “Good thoughts,” Fox nodded before grabbing a drink from a White Blood waiter. Only agents were allowed near the SAs, for multiple reasons. The ‘more units’ was about ‘receiving’ the Raging Blood, letting PSD opt for more presence internationally.

  It was also Fox who wanted to have the PSD SAs better prepared to move out in important, military-may-be missions, so there wouldn’t be a mess to choose between teams to make the numbers and skillset. It was much more vital than in an actual military, after all. Bions also played a significant role in the deployment.

  Furthermore, since the Raging Blood was picked, the PSD was on their way to make contact with all hoog secret organizations it has been silently and scarcely working with. These ‘more units’ would make everything easier, and show their prowess.

  “What about you, Fox? Are you also planning to make your own team?” Moy asked, while Elena liked to stare and keep silent, one of Fox’s people. Fox tilted his head to think, saying, “No, I won’t, but I may take agents in the next fields, should there be any.”

  “I see, quite a ruler, then?” Elena finally spoke, with Fox nodding left and right before drinking. Teon chipped in, with Nauer conserving his words for the moment. Fox spent a few minutes with them, knowing their specialties before leaving them. He didn’t miss the contented glints in Teon’s eyes after getting the ‘approval’ she so much wished to obtain.

  Next, he walked towards Lian, the White Blood’s representative captain. Lian was with his group, who directly bowed to Fox after noticing he was directing his footsteps towards them.

  “Fox, it’s few times we ever engage in conviviality together. Come,” Lian, the old black man, stepped aside and let Fox into the circle of Captains and other firsters who looked quite good. Fox stepped into the group, looking at everyone left and right, who stared at him in silence.

  “Does everyone think the same when looking at me, or do you have a hive mind I’m not aware of?” Fox commented after seeing their upturned, side, and eyes directly staring at him. Lian chuckled a bit, with quite the old tune, “We have certain questions we’d like to know about. But first, let me introduce you to my best girls.”

  Lian gestured to a pair of young women who were elegant, wearing white and blue-gray suits, and looking at Fox with intrigued eyes. Lian first pointed to a tender white young woman with big black-brown eyes, orange hair, and a shortie, “This is Paula.”

  “And this is Manie,” Lian pointed to another young woman beside him. She was pale white, with big brown eyes, long, smooth black-brown hair, and was slightly less short than Paula.

  “These two are going to fight it out when these old bones fall to the ground one last time.” Lian said. Immediately, the girls looked at him and frowned. Paula spoke first, while Manie frowned and crossed her arms harder than Paula.

  “Grandpa, don’t say that. Die whenever you want, but only if you can’t move anymore. You have to give it your all first. Dying; secondary.” - “Right. You must show how to deal with difficult things so we won’t have any trouble in the future. You can’t stop working just because you’re tired.”

  “Or maybe I’ll just have a heart attack and leave it all here and now,” Lian jumped his eyebrows and darted his eyes sideways, murmuring, “These two are going to be my reasons of death.”

  “I’ll punch your chest and treat your heart after it bolts out,” Manie stepped back and forth on her spot. “You won’t have the chance to die peacefully, old man.”

  Lian wore a wry smile. He could only look at Fox with some help being requested. Fox blinked before staring at the rest of the circle. “Why do you keep looking at me this way? Speak.”

  A man stepped out and asked, wondering, “Raging Blood, you were a talented teenager when you demonstrated you could kill those 3 military camp generals. While you didn’t choose White, your sensory capabilities are something every one of our Whites know and think about.”

  Fox lifted his chin a bit in understanding. Lian continued, “There are many things that they want to ask, and if you want, every resolved question will be a ‘favor’ to these people. What say you?”

  “Sure, but first, let me tell you about something. Have you never wondered when would high-intelligence, cutting edge tech arrive to the PSD’s hands? As of recently, I have confirmed a pair of ‘instruments’ that…” Fox went on to promote Miros’s work, spreading the much evolved versions of the Viper and Insect Snake after he first saw them.

  The Green and White Blood have cordially accepted the incoming changes to PSD, with their people already working towards the most positive, thought scenario out there. The firsters who were still a decade or so before being eligible to contend for Captain rank were given the opportunity earlier on. Similarly, those who were already Captains were transitioning to the idea of always having a couple of tens of agents at their disposal, under a representative captain, or a more powerful, influential Captain above them.

  As for Paula and Manie, they were quite caring of Lian, although the latter didn’t really show it, and the former did show concern. Regardless, they were like Elena and Moy, who were planning their own new teams to operate below Lian.

  The changes to PSD units were accepted, and the agents were moving onwards with the hoog secret organization as a whole. It was a monumental, significant matter.

  … After being questioned and answering their questioning, Fox walked to the main event’s stage. Everyone was preparing, too, looking at the time before heading to the main stage. Some people were already accommodating seats and the Ly flag with the Silverplated Eagle symbol.

  Not too long after, the President’s new and old cabinet members walked onto the stage, with the vice president, who would keep her seat, and some family members of everyone. The evening had arrived at its prime, with the hundreds of thousands surrounding the stage not showing all the others in the streets, coming to the event but unable to fit.

  When Fox went up the stage, he saw Javier Laran, Jennifer Paws, the latter which was nervous and fearful of him when he passed in front of her, and finally, Vanessa Valyer.

  Nala walked to him and grabbed his forearm, sticking it to her side as they walked to his seat. Fox gave Vanessa a glance and a nod, which Vanessa returned with a slight nod. Her azure eyes might have seemed casual, but the little bit of life crossing through them didn’t escape Fox.

  The streets were packed, but there were security measures to protect them from bumping into the wall and cause a stampede. There were also many stall vendors at the sides, on the sidewalks, making crazy money for months to come, with their supplies prepared for just this.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  There were no speeches today. The President would only share his presence here with everyone else and sing the hymn as everyone else would, as well. His image was only ceremonial, what mattered here, and now, was the congregation of these many people.

  With live footage sent to the rest of the country, with quite the attention from the world, Lymoca became like a little, tiny shining start while stranded in the middle of an ocean.

  “Now, let us all intonate our glorious hymn with respect and fervor along the national band!” A voice announced to the surroundings, with the noise around the immense crowd quieting quickly. In under a minute, everything was silent, with the long-’lost’ known commence sounding at last, slowly etching into the air and everyone’s ears.

  “Our blood, our blood, our blood, our blood, Lye~…!” A light, welcoming chorus was started by the vocalists on another stage between the crowd. It was paused, creating tension.

  Trumpets followed after the Lye, with an uplifting melody that touched the Lys’ hears, even without a loud volume, using just its rhythm and synchronization of all for several seconds.

  “We crash!” An elongated, powerful, mighty yet vulnerable beginning. ‘Crash’ sounded from every mouth, long and emotional, of the crowd. Even without a smooth high-pitch, just singing out of their chests was enough. With the same intonation, yet with more vulnerability, “Into the waves!”

  “With half our hearts!” It resounded with a slightly hopeful emotion. Then, with a small pause, and finishing with a steeled resolve, “Left in our breasts!”

  “With pain!” This time, ‘pain’ was super elongated, sounding with an angelical tone but hurting with falsetto. Similar to before, shorter and uplifting, but filled with weakness and sobbing, at least from the band. “Our land is left!”

  “To those whose hands will care!” The word ‘care’ had a strong emotion; like the breaking point of one’s emotions.

  It was followed by gentle, low, echoing strings. Slowly building by a trumpet and thundering drums that only grows more active and rhythmical, causing one’s chest to remain afloat.

  “Every step, every beat, every sword flung down—” A continuous singing with a dramatic pause after each ‘every’ and ‘down’. Then, a high and furious, surprising, “Brings forth!”

  “Another step, our raging blood— Lye — our broken hearts!” With an elongation at the end, yet quick and continuous from the previous verse and in between with a loud ‘Lye’ with a high tone.

  This was followed by thunderous and emotional drums with trumpets in the background, enduring for a few seconds as one’s heart turns hot, and from the past, is willing to die.

  “Weave our hats with the hands that protect us.” The singing returned across the capital city’s center, with a serene, soft and regular pacing. ‘Protect’ and ‘us’ were elongated. Then, as if waving through, up and down. A brief pause in the middle, with many trumpets forming a synchronized buff. “Push until the blood and our blood— Lye! Burst to foam as our blood crystallizes—”

  “Flown our words, as we scream fro our deaths—” ‘Scream' was emphasized, and ‘fro’ elongated, ending with pride before the next. More drums and trumpets wreak havoc in paused, great synchronization. It continues slow, with yet building up, and an elongated ‘rotten’ as the drums and trumpets move into climax. “With our shoes made of land and our rotten skin— Lye!”

  “Through the repelled, the land’s our drum, beating with our pumping blood!” A rapid verse with emphasis on ‘repelled’, ‘beating with’, a slight pause, ‘our’, and a magnificent end. But, left alone, the drums begin sounding with blood-boil-like emotion, continuing in the next part.

  “From the beginning,” fast and a bit high-pitched. Then, same as before, “Our blood and footsteps.”

  “The mud red like our eyes,” slow, with a small pause after ‘red’, with a sudden growing-majestic ‘like’ with a high-pitched ‘our eyes’.

  “As it’s with sea, it is lack of fear, we charge onwards!” Fast, slightly high-pitched in low volume for the first 2 phrases, and a reverberating, steeled ‘we charge onwards’.

  A slow, whispering violin slowly becomes stronger and stronger until it’s the main actor and like waves at sea, a general commanding troops on waving hills and mud; falling projectiles that slowly plummet and suddenly decimates anything touched.

  “We knew our hearts,” a slow, deep beginning after a sudden pause with a whispering violin in the background.

  “Our hands reek dirt— mud— warmth— blood— steel— hope— Lye~!” Sharp, high-pitched ‘dirt’, with a following pause for the subsequent words. Momentum slowly built, as trumpets and strings slowly return, but pausing for a tiny instant longer before becoming angelical and low volume but high-pitched, with a sweet ‘Lye’ with just violins before a tremendous chorus. And then, a follow-up with a stern, full-built momentum and thunderous roars.

  “We march slow!” Echoing with the thunderous, fully built momentum, and an elongated ‘slow’. Then, same as before, “We wield our swords!”

  “We aim to smite!” Similar, but with ‘smite’ growing majestic. A lingering angelical build up beside the instruments. “Our mounts war on!”

  “Raging blood, our deadly roars, we eat our dirt, and kill our foes!” Sung with a sudden rage, out of feeling and sacrifice. Then, an emphasized ‘fall’, ‘blood’, and ‘drown’ with a small pause each time, rising the volume for each. “Foes fall, in waves of our blood they drown!”

  “Stepping forth, cavalry goes. Through flying dirt, our smoking blood!” To end, a quick, deep, gigantic ‘blood’ with fervor.

  The super built momentum slowly decreases, bringing down the melody, with the violin and strings leaving first, allowing the trumpets to finish in solitary.

  CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP… CHEERS!! “WOOOOOOoooooooooooo!”

  Lymoca has celebrated. It’s been a long time since last time, but it happened, at last. The hymn was sung after months when its public display wasn’t allowed. Now that they heard it, sung it, and became part of it, they couldn’t fathom why would there be such a ban.

  Fox looked at Nala, who was smiling. Not too much, but quite a lot, considering he wasn’t whispering nothings to hear ear. Then, glancing at Vanessa, he saw the joy flash through her eyes as she watched, the soundless, magnificent fireworks above in the sky. Beautiful.

  Lesly grabbed Luis’s hands. They had unfinished business. And Roam stared at the sky with calm interest in his eyes.

  ***

  10th month, 4th week, 7th day. Just 12 minutes before midnight. Presidential office.

  Fox stood before Luis, with Nala on his left and Esmeralda on his right. They faced the President, who was just about to become the Lymocan President for the 1,026-1,032 term.

  It would be official only in tomorrow’s celebrations, but it was something that took effect for matters like these. As long as it was the day accorded where Luis would become such term’s President, then he was practically it.

  “You are about to be off to Terka. How do you feel?” Luis asked Fox, looking up at him with some hidden contentment. Fox ignored it, letting the man get his good moments of ‘everything’ working well to build a more solid foundation. Fox said, “I am going to do my best.”

  “What does that mean?” Luis’s face fell a bit. He felt the possible underlying meaning behind Fox’s words. Fox shrugged, “I won’t do anything crazy— that would deteriorate Lymoca’s image. At best, only mine.”

  Luis brought his fingers to his forehead, slowly rubbing it with a slight frown before looking up again. “Your moves will be watched, so if there’s anything you need help with, just call me.”

  “What about when I leave, and what requirements should I meet?” Fox asked, not wanting to go around bushes or imaginative circles. Luis replied in a fake, good mood, “I’m glad you’re asking. I was just thinking about that.”

  “Terka is mostly stabilized, and the reconstruction is underway. The abandoned cities have their lands empty, so the hard labor to get them to look like cities again is on you. Keep a tab on the happenings around the criminal groups in Terka. PSD has taken care of the OCs. You just need to further validate our government with whatever Terka needs. It’s only 4 months, but if you do that well, it might be earlier.”

  “How much budget was used for Terka’s restoration, and… development?” Fox asked after feeling there was a lot of attention to this matter, more than just sending him for extra bonuses on behalf of Lymoca’s image. Luis became a bit serious, “A good portion… It is expected Terka’s future earnings repay it somehow, but…”

  “But Terka’s successful integration is key on this matter. Investing a lot to convince them to stay with us, huh?” Fox added, not needing an old, dying expert to opine on something so obvious.

  “Not even finished,” Luis shook his head, giving Esmeralda a look before returning to Fox, “That only covers half that decision of their country. I want Terka to stay with us, but only if they want to. It was already too much when we invaded their territory. So even if we fail, the payment to restore their country would have been made.”

  “Uhuh, and what about after those 4 months?” Fox asked. The way he asked made Luis think better of him and look up at him with satisfaction. Luis answered, “I’ll send a ‘temporary head of state’, not a president, to evaluate the progress. They’ll work like a Senior Minister would, but with each of the happenings there going through me to make a decision.”

  “Puppeteering at its finest,” Fox commented. Luis ignored it with half a roll of his eyes before continuing, “On the other hand… you have a direct ability to have the final decision there, but you’ll have a lower cabinet, so don’t make us look authoritarian.”

  “I won’t,” Fox replied flatly. Luis nodded. There were a few documents on the desk. Luis slid one towards Fox, bending his upper back before speaking, “This one is for you. Sign it, and you’ll acknowledge your release as the Chief Secretary of Security— becoming Lymoca’s Senior Minister in Terka.”

  “These are mine. I sign them and I move you from my cabinet to the Head of the Lower Cabinet, which is a brand-new system, which I’m going to sign first, before signing the other.” Luis gestured at two documents on his side of his desk.

  “Alright,” Fox nodded, not needing further instructions, and looked to his right while squeezing Nala’s hand. Esmeralda looked up at him, neither nodding, shaking her head, nor reacting with a facial expression. Fox nodded again before bending over to sign his document.

  Thus, Fox became the first Ly Senior Minister.

  . . .

  The next day.

  It was still just 7 AM, but there were dozens and dozens of news reporters, independent journalists, and a few international news anchors seated, waiting for the President. When he arrived, he greeted them good morning before starting, rather simple and crude.

  …