Attempting to Subvert the Plan: Dominion Edition

Small Gains

Jacob Arendt could not help but stare. It was like seeing an Ultralisk going by on a unicycle. Yes, it was going to end in tragedy and screaming, but that didn't mean you didn't watch.

Smith stood up, carrying the weight bar with him. "Five," Smith said.

"Reps?"

"No, months on average with a more modest plan of action," Smith declared. "I have in fact counted out fifteen reps of twenty. I am almost done, and then I will do stretches."

He was still wearing a suit, is the thing, or rather a suit without a jacket that seemed to have been custom-made to look like a regular suit but be possible to fight in. Actually, he probably should ask about the supplier, because that seemed like a great birthday gift for Chuck, and it was the job of a Personal Secretary to find ways to bribe and baffle their boss. If Chuck was actually fighting to the death, then there was probably something very wrong with the situation.

But oh well.

"We should focus more on SALOME," Smith said. "This is what I'll include under my recommendations. The Chancellor has expressed concern with Mengsk's approval at the last planning meeting, and--"

"At a banquet two weeks ago, the Emperor declared that machines couldn't be trusted and that they were going to take humans' jobs, and that there was a problem of overreach, of doing what the government should not in some of the programs that have been pursued. He did not say it loudly: it was not recorded and did not make it into the news. But it was said," Arendt said.

Sixteen reps.

"Ah, then how about something purely internal, meant to counteract the bureaucratic overreach through an Inspector--"

"He hates that even more," Jacob pointed out.

Seventeen.

"I assume that he is not a fan of rationalizing the TRUST budget?"

"No, not at all."

Eighteen.

"Or employing former prisoners as part of a rational scheme to utilize their labor."

"Not even remotely."

"Increasing educational achievements in order to improve--"

Nineteen.

"Guess," Jacob said. And then he saw it. He had turned himself into a Smith watcher, both because he was amusing and because it was genuinely impressive watching him get into shape as rationally as if he'd just chosen to do so and then did so. So he saw the moment where Smith had an opinion, and that opinion was 'Mengsk is a fucking idiot' and then where he denied it, wiped it away, and felt nothing again.

"Listen, haven't you dealt with this before? You operated under the Confederacy. Didn't you have to bullshit some of the people over you?"

"I… did," Smith said. "But I also left employment for the Confederacy for a reason." Smith took a breath, and--

Twenty.

He set down the weights, wiping his forehead.

"I suppose there might, in certain limited circumstances, be some value in changing how the truth is presented and doing actions anyways as long as they are rational for the achievement of core bureaucratic values," Smith said, very calmly.

At this rate he would be a Vanguard of the Revolution in--

"So long as they do not pertain to personal business, which is of course beyond the scope of the Treasury's works."

A few hundred years.

Still, Jacob nodded, knowing it was a small step forward, a small gain in his quest to unlock the 'rebel' in Smith so that when the time came he'd not have to lock the man in a closet somewhere and throw away the key. He wouldn't like to do that, but by now he was becoming increasingly sure that the Chancellor was planning on doing in Mengsk, one way or another.

Jacob didn't know which way HE would jump, to be honest. He could get a lot by being a traitor, a 'scum' who betrayed his employer in such a case. But he did not want to, and there was something almost tempting about what he could gain if they won, if they knocked off Mengsk.

But Smith? Smith was a mystery… and Jacob wanted to get to an answer. He could just have someone stalk Smith's entire life and background, but he had a feeling that this wouldn't be appreciated.

So he watched, thought, and nodded to himself.

There was work yet to do, but at least Smith was a little closer to being ready for whatever crazy things were going to happen this year.

A/N: Reach 5/20 for Unions or Criminals to unlock more side-stories of their unlikely story?!

Shoulder Devil

So anyway, how did Victoria end up getting hired without Chuck needing to do anything?

October 2506
You stared at Arendt in disbelief. "So let me get this straight. In order to get the Ardonin plant up and running, we need over a hundred million credits worth of new equipment. The Dominion can't produce any of it now, and maybe won't be able to produce it for years." Your assistant checked his watch. "So we have to buy it - all of it - from Moria. And the Kel-Morians seem to know that we can't make any of this stuff, because they want to charge us even more than what the machines would normally be worth. Is that what the department's trying to tell me?"

"That's what the boys are saying," Arendt replied. "As to whether it's right, I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if we could get by without buying some of this equipment, but if anyone's got any bright ideas in that direction, they're not speaking up."

Something about that sounded familiar. You suppressed a momentary flashback to some of the meetings you ran during the war. "Do you think anyone does have any bright ideas around here?" you asked.

Arendt flashed a brief smile, his gold tooth glinting. "Well, it's safer not to have them, isn't it? If you don't have any ideas, you can't be blamed when they turn out to be wrong. Anyway, it's not going to be cheap no matter which way you slice it. Moria's got us over a barrel and they know it." Arendt checked his watch again. "Now, Chancellor, it looks like it's just about three o'clock on the dot. You've got a meeting with Sam scheduled, so I'll just go let him in."

Without another word, Arendt stood up and put his pen away, then strode over to the office door and pulled it open. On the other side was a man in an immaculate dark grey suit with his hand upraised, having clearly been interrupted before he could knock on the door.

"Punctual as always, Mr. Smith," Arendt said with a smile, stepping aside. "The Chancellor will see you now."

----

As Samuel Smith walked in to stand before your desk, Arendt raised his eyebrow and tilted his head toward the door. You gave him a head-tilt of your own, and he headed back out to his own desk, shutting the door behind him. Once again, you took a moment to appreciate how much of a difference it makes having a competent assistant.

"Sit down, Sam." You gestured at one of the chairs in front of your desk. "I know you're doing good work right now getting the paperwork sorted for that xenotech fusion cutter project, so I don't want to keep you for long."

Smith folded his hands upon the desk and began to speak. "There is no need to concern yourself, Chancellor. I am confident that we have by this stage impressed upon the senior members of the design team the importance of keeping full and accurate documentation of their work at all times, which should ease considerably the process of ongoing compliance with the relevant laws and regulations. I have also charged the team with preparing a technical glossary, so that members of the Department might fully appreciate the implications of what this research has uncovered."

"Well, good, because I've got another job for you. Something I need you to oversee."

"Of course, Chancellor. As ever, I am at your service."

"The hiring process has been going good so far, but I still need a personal staff. Supervising everything that's going on in this department is like herding cats, and the amount of people who want to talk to me is unbelievable. Dealing with them myself isn't feasible, so I need secretaries. I don't have the time to get them in myself, so I need someone to hire them for me, and train them and show them how things work around here."

Smith was silent, waiting for you to finish. You leaned back in your chair and spun around ninety degrees to face one of the windows, turning your head to look sidelong at him.

"Now, this is all supposed to be my assistant's job. The problem I've got is that Arendt has a… very particular set of acquaintances. Most times, I figure that's going to come in real handy. But when it comes to finding people to fill out the Chancellor's office, those kinds of acquaintances might not be fully trustworthy. One lyote will keep out the rats, but a pack of them'll start stealing cattle. Do you follow my meaning?"

"I believe I understand the thrust of your analogy, Chancellor. You are concerned that Mr. Arendt's impartiality may be compromised with respect to his acquaintances, and thus are requesting special oversight on the normal hiring process."

"That's right." Well, close enough, you figured. "Now, you can let him do the legwork. Like I said, it's mostly his job. But just keep an eye on him, alright? Make sure everyone who comes in is on the level."

"Yes, Chancellor. As per the normal guidelines for hiring staff who may potentially deal with sensitive or privileged information, I will ensure that a security assessment is performed by Dominion Internal Security before any offers are extended. Likewise, I will verify that the published assessment criteria for each role are rigorously applied during the selection process in order to minimise the impact of any conflicts of interest, whether actual or perceived."

You nodded with a serious look on your face. "That's what I like to hear."

----

The Chancellor's assistant had a gold tooth, and it was very distracting. Amanda took a breath and refocused on what the man was saying.

"…and your references all check out. If it were up to me, Ms. Miller, I'd hire you on the spot, but I've gotta send all this upstairs," he said, gesturing to the papers scattered on the meeting table and smiling wryly. "The Dominion Treasury only hires the best, you know? And that means I need to make a full report to the Vice-Chancellor about you and all the other shortlisted candidates first."

Amanda nodded. Now that Mr. Arendt mentioned it, he did look a little bit tired.

"Now, let's talk credits. The budget is a little tight, what with the reconstruction and all, so we can't pay as much as we did before the war. But…"

Amanda half-tuned him out as he kept talking. There it was. The Treasury obviously knew that times were tough and the only alternative for a lot of folks was going to be the Labor Corps. Vardona didn't have so many refugees as the other surviving Core Worlds, but things could still get pretty dicey if you couldn't support yourself. There was nothing for it but to smile and nod and accept whatever Mengsk's people were going to pay her.

----

Samuel Smith looked up from his desk as the Chancellor's assistant strolled into his office. "Ah, Mr. Arendt. Thank you for coming. I have reviewed the documents that you sent to me, and I find your assessments to be broadly in line with the realities of each candidate's experience and demonstrated ability. As a result, I see no reason not to approve the great majority of them."

"I'm glad to hear it, Mr. Smith. But am I to understand that some of the candidates were unsatisfactory?" Arendt asked as he pulled up a seat and sat down.

Smith suppressed a brief flash of irritation at this minor breach of etiquette. Arendt was a visitor to his office, and had not been asked to sit. "Perhaps. I am concerned that one of the candidates approved by you may have forged some or all of his documentation. Among other things, his purported academic transcript from the University of Tarsonis is missing the results of multiple units of study that were mandated by law during the indicated period of enrolment. If this transcript were accurate, he would not have been permitted to graduate."

"Is that so? That's awful. Sometimes it seems as though you can't trust anyone these days." Arendt drummed his fingers on the desk idly. "I suppose that invalidates his application, then."

"Yes, quite so. Please send me any further documentation you may have concerning this individual so that I might make a report to the proper authorities."

"I'll make sure you get everything you require," replied Arendt, a faint drawl entering his voice.

"Please do. I should also like to remind you that, as this is now a matter under the jurisdiction of the Department of Internal Security as defined by the Justice and Security (Investigative Powers) Act 2447, you are prohibited from discussing this matter with others as per the provisions in Section 11 of that act." With the smallest of pauses, Smith continued. "Moving on, I would like to discuss the question of compensation for these candidates. I see that in the great majority of the proposed contracts you have provided me with, a substantial fraction of the total remuneration is bound within a non-standard structure of bonuses, commissions, paid leave, fringe benefits, and other modes of compensation not based upon a regular salary. As you are no doubt aware, this will complicate the process of preparing departmental budget projections."

Arendt's expression was neutral, but he appeared remarkably attentive. "I trust that there's no problem with this, Mr. Smith," he said, seeming to choose his words carefully. "To the best of my knowledge, this is all well within departmental guidelines."

Smith nodded, assenting. "The Chancellor has granted you wide latitude in this process, Mr. Arendt. Provided you are confident that the results of this exercise will fulfil the duties entrusted to you, it is not my place to intervene. With that said, I have taken the liberty of preparing specimen payroll documents for this cohort of proposed employees." Smith retrieved a small stack of papers from within his desk, handing them to Arendt. "As you can see, given a set of reasonable assumptions, the total liabilities that would be incurred by this department fall well short of the funding allocated to hiring new office staff in this quarter. This is concerning to me for two reasons. First, although the minimization of expenses is generally a primary policy objective within the Dominion Treasury, any reduction in staff compensation should be conducted with great care. I must caution you that such actions may have flow-on effects to employee morale, which may in turn impact the department's ability to fulfill its statutory obligations."

"If you pay people less, they might not work as hard," Arendt commented, leafing through the papers.

"Yes. Secondly, the budgetary documentation I have seen so far this quarter appears to indicate that, despite the fact that the funds allocated here are unlikely to be fully utilized, you do not expect to return any significant surplus funding to the department. Is this the case, or has there been an oversight with respect to these documents?"

Arendt didn't react for a moment. "No, there has not been an oversight, Mr. Smith. Actually, the Chancellor wanted me to help him search for a man with some bright ideas." He looked up from the page. "That is to say, an advisor on industrial matters. He'd like to hire someone to help him deal with all the problems he keeps running into. That's what the headroom in the budget is for: to hire an expert."

Smith's expression was flat with disapproval. "This is highly irregular, Mr. Arendt. You may not be aware of this, but Emperor Mengsk has issued a decree that all new employees of a department, agency, or state-owned entity of the Terran Dominion must have their position, duties and reason for employment reviewed and approved before their commencement, either by the Emperor personally or by those to whom he has specifically delegated this task. The only persons thus delegated so far are employed by the Department of the Imperial Throne, and so the Chancellor does not have the authority to hire an expert advisor without first consulting with the Emperor's office."

Arendt gave a tight smile. "I am aware, Mr. Smith. The application is currently with Mengsk's office, and I am expecting a response very soon."

----

The cigar smoke hung heavily in the air of a little side office in a less-frequented corner of the Department of the Imperial Throne, in a Vardona office complex not far from the Treasury building. The blinds were drawn, so the late afternoon sun could do very little to chase away the deep shadows. A heavy-set man sat brooding at his desk beneath the window, until the gloomy silence was broken by the ringing of his fone. In a gravelly, disinterested tone, he answered. "Yeah?"

"Mike?"

"Jake. What can I do for you?"

"The deal's off, I'm sorry to say. Couldn't get it past the gatekeepers. Give my regrets to your cousin."

Mike nodded. "Well, you win some, you lose some. Earl will just have to find some other way to earn his keep."

"I'm sure he'll do fine. On an unrelated topic, though, I need your help with something. I need to hire a top-notch special advisor to the Chancellor, but I don't have approval from your department."

Mike chewed on his cigar as he considered the problem. "I can put it in the system without anybody asking questions. But if it's in there for longer than a couple of days, somebody's going to notice, and that could get awkward."

"So it's a no-go?"

"Well, not exactly. Once there's a current contract associated with the authorisation, it'll be set in stone. Nobody'll want to question it. They'd have to admit to a screw-up somewhere, and nobody wants that. The boss would have to get involved. Have you got anyone in mind for the job?"

"Yes, I believe I do," came the reply from the other end.

"Alright. I'll make it up and send it over to your office. Make sure you get the contract back to me ASAP."

"Will do. Thanks, Mike."

"Always a pleasure." The comm channel cut out, and silence descended on the smoke-filled office once more.

----

One perk of the Chancellor's job that you hadn't quite anticipated a few months ago was the hospitality. As it happened, there were quite a few people who wanted to take you out for lunch in exchange for the ability to talk to you about Dominion funding for this or that project. You were coming back to the office from one such rendezvous when one of your new office staff called out to you. You hadn't learned all their names yet. Amelia, maybe?

"Chancellor, Mr. Arendt left a memo on your desk that he said he'd like your opinion on," said the woman, who had been looking down at her keyboard. "It seemed like it might be important."

"Thank you, I'll be sure to read it. Carry on," you replied as you swept past her. As you opened the door to your office, you reflected that this was a little unusual. Arendt almost always spoke to you in person, which you preferred anyway since you still didn't read all that quickly. The memo was indeed on top of your desk, and as you drew closer you saw that the top page was remarkably official-looking. Picking it up, you noticed that it was printed on thick, textured paper. This could be either very good or very bad.

HIS EXCELLENCY the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the Terran Dominion is hereby authorized and directed to appoint a Special Advisor to the Chancellor, for the purpose of providing expert assistance to the Chancellor and his lawful delegates concerning such matters as the Chancellor may…

Well, this was unexpected. There was a note in Arendt's handwriting stuck to the bottom with a paperclip.

Chancellor,

I was thinking about that question you asked me the other day, and I got us permission to hire someone with some bright ideas. No extra cost to us: there's room for it in the office budget.

I think any of the three people over the page would be a big help with what we're doing. You already know Victoria and Jamie, but I've been in contact with a guy who does disaster relief, and he really knows his stuff. All three are vetted and should be able to start immediately. Trying to find someone else would be tough and we'd have to find some more money to pay off Internal Security. No guarantee we'd manage it before the budget gets renegotiated.

Please read through the dossiers attached and let me know who you'd prefer ASAP. I've confirmed that they're all still on-planet, but that may not be true for much longer. Message me back on textcom.

----

Victoria Archibald III hadn't been in the thick of the fighting during the war, but she still knew what a Vulture sounded like. Warily, she looked down through the departure lounge window towards the source of the noise. The bike flying swiftly up the road was unmarked, but the trademark grenade launcher assembly was very visible in the early morning light.

The rider pulled up at the entrance to the starport compound and was waved through by the red-armoured Dominion marines at the gate. He abandoned his bike at the main doors and jogged inside and out of sight. Some VIP who was late for his flight, but who could also handle a Vulture?

It wasn't long before the man strode into the lounge. Victoria sized him up discreetly. Actually, she recognised his face. This was the Chancellor's executive assistant, Jacob Arendt, and he was looking right at her. He'd come here in such a hurry to speak with her specifically? Why?

Well, better him than plainclothes goons from Internal Security. There was no point pretending, so Victoria turned to face him, laying the datapad that she had been reading on the seat beside her and smoothing out her dress. Better to take the initiative.

"Mr. Arendt. Please sit down," she said as he approached, gesturing at the seat opposite her. He did so without hesitation. "Tell me, what brings you here in such a hurry?"

Arendt smiled, a little bit sheepishly. "I've come here to offer you a job at the Treasury, Ms. Archibald. Not the Vice Chancellorship. The Chancellor feels that your expertise would be highly valuable to us in a more independent role."

Victoria felt a surge of contempt. "I'm going back to Nephor, Mr. Arendt. It's clear that you've realised this, so you should also realise that if Mengsk wants to keep me here, he'll have to send in the troops. I'm not a tame animal to be kept in an office so that the Emperor can say he's got the last of the Archibalds on his payroll."

Arendt nodded slightly and leaned forward with his hands on his knees, a serious look on his face. "I know what this looks like, but it's not like that. We really do need someone like you. You know as well as I do that the industrial base in the Core Worlds is completely trashed and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. If we're going to get the Sector back on its feet, your knowledge and experience is going to be essential."

He's only half lying, Victoria realised. It was just a hunch, but it felt correct. He, personally, thought that he needed her — but not for the reasons he was giving. She had no idea what his angle was, but maybe she could make use of it. She gave the Chancellor's assistant a very sceptical look. "I think it's fairly clear by now that Arcturus isn't interested in giving me the authority that would be required for that kind of thing. Evidently, he wants subordinates who'll do exactly what he tells them. People with as few independent thoughts as possible. People like Chuck Horner and Samuel Smith. There's nothing for me to do in the Treasury except rubber-stamp the orders from on high."

Arendt looked pained. "You're not entirely wrong about Mengsk, but listen-"

"Nephor is my birthright, Mr. Arendt. I'm going there to rebuild what my family lost. If you want me to help you, you're going to have to offer me something commensurate with that. Not just the opportunity to beg for scraps from Mengsk's table. The warp lanes are finally opening up to civilian traffic, and this is my chance to get in on the ground floor of the reconstruction. What can you give me that can measure up to that?"

He was irritated now, she could see. "Look, if you go to Nephor, maybe you'll make it big. You're a smart girl, you've got connections. You've got a chance. But the absolute most you'll manage is becoming CEO of some parts company or other. Rich, but no way you're getting Old Families rich. And frankly, it's just as likely that you'll end up frozen out and having to take a job as an assembly line worker to avoid starving in some bombed-out ruin. You and I both know that."

He paused to give her a chance to interject. She said nothing. It was true.

"Mengsk does like his yes-men, but the Chancellor actually has a lot of autonomy in choosing what the Treasury focuses on. Horner's a loyalist, so he gets left alone most of the time. And the job I'm offering you doesn't have any fixed responsibilities. All you'd have to do is give advice on whatever obstacles come up during the reconstruction." Arendt stared into Victoria's eyes, emphasizing his next words clearly. "Do you understand what I'm saying? The Chancellor didn't even finish high school, and I'm offering you a perch on the man's shoulder. If you whisper in his ear that something's a good idea, he won't know enough to say otherwise. I don't care if you plan to be an angel or a devil up there. Smart girl like you could think of a lot of things to do with that kind of influence, I'm sure. Doesn't matter to me. I just want you to join up."

This hadn't been what she was expecting. There was something going on here, but it didn't matter. If what he said was even partly true, then it wasn't an opportunity she could afford to pass up. "I have a condition," she replied, meeting his stare with her own. "The dropship can leave without me this morning, but I'm going to Nephor soon no matter what. Can you guarantee that I'll be able to work from there at least half the time?"

Arendt nodded. "That shouldn't be an issue. I'll write it into the contract."

The two of them hashed out the details right then and there. The terms he was offering were a lot less restrictive than Victoria would have expected if this had been Mengsk's way of keeping her under control, so by the time they were done she was feeling almost confident.

The Vulture that Arendt had ridden in on was still there when they headed downstairs together. Arendt climbed on and started the engine. "You know," he commented, "I was worried that you were going to demand more money. The Archibalds haven't lost their touch, have they?"

"I think we both know that the pay in the contract is just a formality," she replied as she climbed on to sit behind him. She leaned in toward his ear. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Jacob," she said.

The engine roared as they pulled away from the starport and onward to the offices of the Treasury of the Terran Dominion.