xp_logs | Genosha: Savrola: In The Halls of Power (Reply)

As the conflict grows, President Moreau meets with his staff.

David Moreau stared out of the windows of his office. Hammer Bay and the Indian Ocean was spread before him; a beautiful transition from steel and concrete to the azure expanse of water, hatched with breaking waves. New construction was going on all over the city, as unfinished skyscrapers stretched ever further up, like fingers reaching to grasp at the sky. Prosperous, civilized, powerful; that was the Genosha he led, and the first steps towards an even greater destiny.

And now, all of it was in danger. Parts of the city where dark as rolling blackouts were in effect to replace the power lost from the grid thanks to the destruction of the Prenova geothermal plant. Elsewhere on the streets, flames licked up from burning cars as protests grew more frequent and violent. The deaths of Joseph Nku Reneau and Jobeth Razafimanjaka on live television, fighting Magistrates and a mutate had sent the population into a frenzy. He'd been forced to commit the Citadel's reserves to try and re-establish order in the city.

"Mister President, we're ready to begin." His secretary chimed briefly, and David nodded, walking through the doors and into the main conference room. Already, his political opponents were calling for answers, while his own party was almost equally incensed. A canny operator, David knew he had no more than a few days to stabilize the situation, or he'd been enmeshed in a near total revolt. Fortunately, a few days was all he needed.

"Please, be seated. Chief Anderson, can you give us a status report regarding where we stand, operationally speaking?"

"We have civil unrest centered in Hamme rBay, Carrion Cove, and Enmann. Massive protests, some escalating into rioting.GDF civil units have been entirely overwhelmed, and we've deployed Defense Forces to support them." Anderson looked haggard. The woman had been going non-stop for thirty-six hours now, and all the reports came in uniformly bad.

"Commander Grual has been pushed back on his assault on the escaped mutants in the Krolik Hills, and has been forced to retreat under the cover of aerial bombardment. Likewise our forces in Prenova and the loss of the geothermal plant. We know that the rebel forces are heading south towards the capital, and have sufficient firepower to withstand an assault." She turned over the page. "Commander Semoko's team has failed to capture the other escaped terrorists at the GBC building. I've relieved her of her duties for the time being."

"Re-instate her." Thomas said forcefully.

"What?"

"Re-instate her. Now. Commander Semoko effectively followed her orders under the mission profile. Punishing her for that sends the wrong message to other GDF commanders."

"Minister, with all due respect, she ordered the deaths of two members of the Commission."Anderson replied, shocked at what she was hearing.

"I have to agree with Chief Anderson here, Minister. Commander Semoko just killed two national heroes on television and the people of Genosha know this... If word does get out she is back on the front lines, it's will only fuel the protesters even more." Ryan immediately agreed with Chief Anderson, her eyes watching the faces of the Moreau brothers intently.

"I don't give a shit if she decapitated them with a butter knife on national television. Semoko is one of my best and I want her available for combat."

"Yours? Minister, I am the Chief Magistrate of the GDF, and my orders come from the President alone." Tam shot back, livid with rage. David Moreau simply raised a calming hand.

"No one doubts your authority, Chief. But, we have to consider your judgement. Thomas is right. As much as Joseph and Jobeth's deaths pain me, we are under a coordinated terrorist assault right now, and removing one of our more effective weapons to fight it only weakens us."

"I have strong doubts about the current strategy we are following here, Mr. President." Sasha Ryan folded her hands in front of her as she met the eyes of everyone present in turn. "We are going hard against hard here, without any consideration of appeasement of our citizenry. I agree the 'terrorists' must be contained, but the people themselves have a valid concern. We should seek a strategy to calm them down, to ease their mind. Our goal is not to strengthen their resolve. We are only confirming their beliefs this way."

"Dr.Ryan, I too share your concerns, but the most important issue at stake right now is stopping the existing threats from threatening the capital." David said. "Chief Anderson, I want the existing prisoners moved to the Genegineers labs and put through the Alpha Mutate process. That will be our frontline against the terrorists to the north. Crush them, and the city should calm down quickly.

"You do realize what this will do, don't you?" Ryan sat back, shock written all over her face. "Mr. President, this process removes every shred of freewill. And above that, the process cannot be reversed. I have to object...Strongly object. The mutate process was to be used for criminal mutants and in some cases for their own protection. This is not one of those cases. This is taking advantage of innocent lives."

"Mister President," Anderson said, her normally unshakable mask of professionalism showing strain. "My men have seen the footage of Joseph and Jobeth. They want to know how much is true. I want to know how much is true."

"Anderson!" Thomas snapped. "Are you questioning-"

"You're goddamn right I am." She slammed her fist down on the table, the anger in her voice startling both Moreaus. "One of your 'Specials' cracked, Moreau.I know all about your Press Gangs' connections to international mutant smuggling rings. I also know that the reports from intelligence were secretly rerouted through the Executive office before reaching us, and have been edited to exaggerate the connection between the Brotherhood and Xavier's. How much of this is a twisted justification, Mister President?"

"What is it that you want to hear, Chief?"

"That my life has not based on protecting a lie! That I didn't authorize kidnapping and putting fucking teenagers in jail because I was stupid enough to believe they were fanatics who were already targeting us!"

David Moreau stared at her for a long moment, composing himself. "Chief, you will put the remaining prisoners through the Alpha Mutate process and muster your forces to meet the terrorists moving south before they can reach Hammer Bay." He said, quietly.

"I won't give that order." She glared back.

David stood up, putting his back to them as he stared out the window. With a gesture, he indicated the ocean. "Don't you see what's out there, Anderson? Dr. Ryan? Less than a hundred kilometers of ocean between us and Africa. A frenzied, broken, post-colonial nightmare of warlords, religious extremists and multinationals are fighting for control like dogs over a bone. One day, that distance isn't going to be enough. And when they come, there won't be a Commission there to save us."

"The mutate process unlocks more than just our natural resources. We have a chance to make the first mutant based industrial base which can outstrip any first world economy. Behind them, we can bring all of Africa into a stable, economically viable union. Genosha would be the guardians of the richest resource area left on the planet, behind a new culture of tolerance and advancement." He sighed. "The Brotherhood isn't the first mutant group looking to take over. They won't be the last. Soon enough, all of our laws won't apply. They'll make their own, like Xavier's people, and impose them on anyone that they believe has wronged them. But Genosha will be safe from that, impervious to their demands. We will force them to meet us on our level."

"We currently aren't even following our own laws." Ryan shot back, fire in her eyes. "We are stooping down to the level of the Brotherhood here. You have been lying too long, Mr. President. When the Xavier youngsters were put through the mutate process, I was reassured it was for their own safety and protection. A temporary measure after which they could be reintegrated in society. Not so they could be used as soldiers. A young child was even put through the process and lost her life... How many more would there be with this new process No, I will not support a society build on slavery and lives thrown away as if they are nothing."

"My decision has been made, Doctor. Chief. If you choose to ignore my orders, you will be relieved of your duties and arrested. So I'll give you one more chance."

"With all due respect, Mister President, you can stick it up your ass." Anderson shot back, and as his bodyguards moved forward, pulled her service pistol. "Anyone takes another step, I'll give them a third nostril. Dr Ryan, if you'd like to join me, we're going to leave now."

"Fucking traitors." Thomas snarled.

"You sold our country for money and an impossible dream of power. Who sounds more like the traitors?" She said, as Ryan joined her and they backed out the door. The second it was closed, Thomas and the guards grabbed for their phones but David waved them down.

"Give them twenty minutes and then announce that you have been appointed to managethe GDF during this crisis." David said.

"You're not going to arrest them?"

"In time, but not now. I've already ordered the Commission held in their offices here for the time being. No sense confusing the men more than we have to."Moreau got up and clasped his brother on the shoulder. "Get your people deployed, Thomas. I'm counting on you to stop them."

"Don't worry, Dave. These mutants are going to wish they had never heard of Genosha before I'm through with them."

Thomas Moreau left his brother, worried at the stress that he was under. It wasn’t fair. David Moreau was a visionary; a man that understood what the real world was and how you were successful operating in it. Men like Etufunwa didn’t get it. They thought that playing nice with other superpowers would be what protected Genosha, but that wasn’t the case.

He clicked on his phone, calling up his GDF commanders and discussing with them his orders. The first thing that he did was order the prisoners moved to new accommodations near the mutate processing room in the prison. The sooner they were turned into proper soldiers for the front lines, the better. Then he made another call, this one to a secret number.

“Genegineer? This is Thomas. Yes, I’m aware of the situation. Do you remember the program I asked you to prepare? The second failsafe for the X-Tinction Agenda? Is it ready? Good, I’m on my way. No, none of the other volunteers. This one I’ll handle personally. I’m the only one that David can truly trust now.”