At long last the Oligarchy had a victory actually worth celebrating. On the bright side, the Euterian terror campaign had made it quite clear that all citizens must stand together against a common foe. On the significantly worse side, old and 'unauthorized' propaganda had justified the war against Euterian by painting them as pathetic savages. This made the numerous failures of the Adrallan campaigns difficult to explain and justify.
For once the discussion was started by the High Counselor, "There was mis-communication in my pillar, and it will be handled by myself, there will not be a repeat, and the war effort will not be put in jeopardy."
The Exarch scowled, "This 'mis-communication' has had huge ramifications. riots across our worlds have caused agitation. Many have sent external support to the communists. This is unprecedented and extremely worrying. These concepts are taught as nothing but the very lowest of the low. This has shaken their faith in us, and while the Euterians saved us by murdering hundreds of millions, when this war ends, we may very well have a crisis on our hands beyond compare. We need to move now to nip it in the bud. Execute everyone responsible for that propaganda campaign and work on removing any references to it. We need to make the people forget we ever said the euterians are savages. This way our image is not so tarnished by their infiltration and victories."
The Arcarius studied his holopad as he chimed in, "Indeed. The current atmosphere is one of great discontent. we can't let this go with a mere slap on the wrist. We have a victory which is good, now we must exploit that to wipe out previous mistakes. The euterians are still a threat, and we took them far too lightly. We can not let the masses long remember that, or the worst civil disturbance in our history will become a full-blown rebellion. I will not go down as the Arcarius who led the Oligarchy to it's death after millennia of glory and greatness."
The High Counselor's face was contorted in anger at being commanded by her so-called 'equals', "This is an outrage. The Cultural Pillar is my jurisdiction and I am the equal of this council. You have no right to dictate to me. I am perfectly aware of the problems we face, but I am confident that the issue can be resolved without killing 200 people. They can be persuaded to not speak of it, and the new propaganda campaign will go forward repainting them as dangerous foes with a savy cunning, but still no match for Adrallan greatness."
The Exarch shook his head, "Unacceptable. We thought we could control the situation before, but the riots are larger than any ever seen before. We can take no risks. Killing 200 citizens may hurt the war effort, but we can recover. We not recover if even one of them speaks out. For the sake of the Oligarchy, they must die."
The High Counselor slammed her hand onto the table and rose from her seat, "No. I rule the cultural Pillar. 8 billion citizens, more than both of you combined. I will not let you determine my actions through your own self-importance. The army may fight our wars, and the economy may keep us fed and respected, but without the people complacent and accepting of us, then your precious little worlds fall apart. You need the Cultural Pillar. I have absolute authority within it, and that is the way it has always been. I do not tell you how to fight your wars, or how to build our economy. Not even when Bizanze burned did I tell you what to do. I said nothing when our interfearance in Kelmar lost us billions. But now, a few hundred people might spread some rumours, and you want to completely subvert my authority? No, that will not happen."
With that, the High Counselor stormed out from the Triumvirate chambers. The Exarch and the Arcarius shared a look as she walked out.
High Counselor Dela Arick was fuming. How dare they make demands of her? She had risen to the top of the Cultural pillar on the backs of hundreds, and exploited thousands more to hold her position. For all of the suffering she had inflicted on others, she had never enjoyed it. It pained her to ruin the lives of others, but ultimately she knew that she was doing the right thing. The system of the Oligarchy was inherently flawed, and none saw it that way. She had to change it. That was her driving motivation. Her efforts were finally paying off. Thousands now saw the system for the broken and cruel travesty it was. Hopefully once the war with the Euterians was over, she'd be able to lead the exploited masses to a new age of equality and appreciation. Though she had no intention of tying herself to the Baekdu. Even without the Oligarchy, Adralla would remain an independent and great power. And the communists were even worse, practically reveling in anarchy. no, her utopia would have her show her people into a beautiful new age of centralized republicanism, with more power to a central figure to lead the country, someone brilliant, kind, and well-suited for leadership, like herself...
She shook he head as she walked outside. Best not to get too lost in thoughts. Things needed to progress one step at a time. As she strode towards her waiting ship, she noticed her young right hand Malira Serrico walking toward her. She was one of the worst of her people, valuing progress and efficiency above all else, but her actual progress and eye for weakness and opportunity made her to good to ignore. Dela hoped to get rid of her soon, but women like Malira were far too careful to be disposed of easily. Dela almost wished the Euterians had made it to the homeworld to give her the excuse to kill Malira.
She gave Malira a disingenuous smile, "Is there a problem that requires my attention?"
Malira shook her head, "No madam High Counselor, I merely wished to know what the outcome of the Triumvirate meeting. Did you come to an agreement to the conduct of the home front for the war effort?"
High Counselor Arick sighed and continued walking toward her ship, "You may have risen far for someone so young, but the events of the meetings of the Triumvirate are for us alone to know. You will find out the results the same as anyone else. However high one might rise, there is always higher. There is the Triumvirate, and then everyone else. No matter how well ranked, you are still followers."
Malira followed the high counselor, "A profound lesson, I'll be sure to remember that if I succeed you one day."
Dela couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Don't get your hopes up. I don't intend to die soon, and plan to hold this position for quite some time. Who knows, maybe you'll die before me, or someone else will surpass you before I die."
Dela stepped aboard her ship as she finished and looked back to Malira. Malira stood just outside the ship with a sadistic smile and a look of triumph in her eyes.
"I doubt that Ex-Counselor."
*Breaking news from the Oligarchical News Network*
"After harsh military crackdowns on Euterian infiltration agents over the past year, it was theorized that only a handful of agents remained. Tragically these predictions proved true today. First High Counselor Dela Arick's personal shuttle was taken by Euterian agents and crashed into a lower-class residential area, causing dozens of death's including that of the High Counselor. This attack was soon followed by a bomb attack on an agency that focused on moral boosting, causing an estimated 250 deaths. New High Counselor Malira Serrico has spoken out against these terroristic measures, and decries them as the work of cowards in wake of Euterian failures on the battlefield. She calls for all citizens to stand together and to not let these attacks dishearten you. These are the desperate acts of a humiliated enemy. Further attacks on the Homeworld will be stopped by the newly formed 'Organization of Internal Secrurity', or OIS, which is dedicated to protecting citizens from all threats. She closed her speech by declaring that the only way for these attack to have succeeded is to lose hope, and that to do so would insult High Counselor Arick's memory and insult the very Oligarchy itself.
This is ONN, bringing you the latest information from the various corners of our glorious Oligarchy. Thank and have a productive day citizens."
