The Jade Revolution - China 2001
- Thread starter KarvokaQueen
- Start date
- Original
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Shouldn't this be "The Dragon roared"?
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
Roared is a symbol of strength and attack, screamed means the dragon has been wounded and outmaneuvered.
Artemis
What's a pirate's least favourite letter?
- Location
- The Seven Seas
A return to Normalcy - Turn 4 Results
KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
[X] Plan Dealing with the Problems and the Public
-[X] Push for a strong, robust, security reform bill. Tao and Hu have both been pushing for expanded powers and budgets, and you're inclined to give it to them for more reasons than just the fact that it'll strengthen your faction in the Council, though that certainly helps. With a stronger security team, you can ensure that there is not another 9/12 and that the bastards responsible for this indignity are brought to justice, without compromising Democratic values. At least, not too much.
Fightan roll!
106 vs 39.
"We are in a generation-defining moment, here. The vote today will determine not just how we deal with the crisis that assails China, but it will determine the very future of the China we seek to build for our children."
The harsh stage lights of the Secretary-General's podium are almost blinding as you deliver your speech to the assembled lawmakers, and you have to fight the urge to blink as you see the flash of camera shutters going off.
"My fellow members of Congress, we must ask ourselves if the horrible attacks of 9/12 will define our future. The National Protection Act put forward by Congressman Sheng, is a bill that may as well have been proposed by the CCP!" You have to fight the urge to smirk as the chamber explodes into an uproar, there is much banging of fists on desks, screamed insults between legislative camps, all dissolving into furious background noise.
"I do not mean ill-will towards my fellow party members, but the NPA is a badly conceived bill, and I will never support it. I am not the only one who has qualms with the inadequacies of the NPA. Behind me stand the men leading the investigation into these horrendous attacks, who all agree that this act will only make matters worse." You gesture behind you as the arguments grow louder and more intense. There is a flutter of cameras going off, and you feel yourself sweat. While everything is going according to plan, you've never been much of a public speaker. Taking a deep breath to both calm your nerves and pause for dramatic effect, you continue.
"Supporting the NPA, and rejecting the expertise of the best and brightest of China's intelligence community, is a choice to ignore the situation that faces us. It is a choice to reject reality, to believe that we can fight this threat by merely throwing more guns at the situation.
"That is no better than digging one's head in the sand, a resort to martial methods we know are no better than simple totalitarianism. This threat cannot be solved by trampling our citizens in the hope that the terrorists will reveal themselves. No, that would be exactly what they want.
"To fight a war on terror, we cannot let ourselves be terrified. Instead, we must stand strong, and create a solution to ensure that this grievous attack on China will not inflict a greater toll on our spirit."
As you step back from the podium, the chamber erupts with applause. As you take your seat you exchange a nod with Tao before sitting down next to Hu. The applause continues as the Secretary-General ascends the podium and tries to restore some order to the chamber. Hu leans over to you, whispering, "I think Chi's slightly upset."
You laugh despite yourself, and turn your head to check, finding that the defence minister is indeed turning an incredibly bright shade of red. His gathered caucus of sycophants, who had taken the front row of the chamber in preparation of victory, are amongst the only people not applauding you.
You make a mental note to text Jin Lei to bring up some good alcohol to your office to celebrate your impending victory.
VOTE BREAKDOWN:
-[X] Prepare for the 2001 White Paper. With how badly things went this year, regarding the white paper, you're taking no chances this time around. You'll go over goals with the President, and your Department Heads, and get this thing as ready as it can be before next year. (Chance of Success: High. Result: Head start on White Paper. Duration: 1 quarter)
59. Groundwork on the 2002 white paper is completed. (+15 to white paper roll in Q1 2002)
Your eyes scan the conference room you've stuffed all your department heads into. You're still getting used to some of the new recruits. They're young and inexperienced, and several are clearly not altogether comfortable in the tightly fitted suits and pressure-cooker atmosphere of white paper meetings.
But as the meeting begins in earnest, with each department head providing a summary of their situation and ideas on the future, the pressure slowly lets off. There's no stalling and very little waffling on about irrelevant information.
You almost breathe a sigh of relief that the biggest hang-up during your initial planning meeting is that your new hire, a UoS economics grand named Shen, isn't in the system, so you have to send Gao to collect him.
You're feeling good about the white paper next year! If things go as well as they have during planning meetings, you're sure to be fine. No more 2 quarter delays for you!
-[X] Finish hiring replacement Department Heads. While Fei Hung and the Li's are excellent hires, at least on paper, you've still got several gaps that need filling as soon as possible. An infusion of fresh blood from the lower ranks is just what you need to complete your overhaul. (Chance of Success: Guaranteed. Result: MOFCOM ranks filled with young, ambitious new bureaucrats. Duration: 1 quarter)
50. Some good, some questionable.
"I see you only became a partner at Denton's a few years ago. Care to explain what makes you fit to head up the International Law office?" The young man shifts awkwardly in his seat, the powerful lights of your office reflecting off his expansive, sweaty forehead.
"Well, in...uh...I worked for several firms before I joined Dentons. I actually headed up the research team at Xiamen, when we were on retainer for Siemens." He stumbles over his words at first, but you're impressed by how swiftly he catches himself. You'd already decided to hire him, of course, this was just an exercise in confirming your instincts.
"Yes, I'm aware. Though it should be said that the laws are changing, both at home, and abroad. Research you did several years ago is certainly interesting, but hardly relevant in a modern context." To your surprise, he nods in agreement. You have to fight the urge to raise an eyebrow as he explains.
"Of course, ma'am. But in my time working with Siemens, and at Denton's, I've cultivated strong working relationships. If you check with any of my references, they'll agree." He answers strongly, without stuttering or stammering this time, and his forehead has become less shiny.
"Thank you, I will have my secretary contact you if you move to the next round of hiring." You both rise, and he bows respectfully to you. You'll have to knock the nervousness out of him, but as he is escorted out of the building by your secretary, you mark him down as a hire, pending further review.
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It is a slow day, which is a rarity in MOFCOM, and leaves you staring at your watch, and then to the wall clock, and then out the door to where your ever-loyal secretary is diligently tapping away at her computer.
The monotony of the day is briefly broken when a young man, flanked by your secretary, appears in the doorway. "Madame Minister?" You look up from your reports, and they both bow respectfully, Jin Lei more than the stranger, but it's a bow all the same.
"I present to you, Mr. Marcus Chen. He's one of the final round candidates for the MEO position." You nod, and pull open a drawer on your desk, tapping fingers against documents until you find the MEO collection, and pull 'M. Chen' out.
"Excellent. Take a seat, Mr. Chen. Tell me about yourself." You briefly check his face against the one in the folder, just to be totally sure he is who he says he is. Your eyes flick upwards as he takes a seat and you can see the sweat glistening off his high forehead.
"Well, first I'd like to say what a pleasure it is to meet you, Mrs. Hao. I've heard ...a lot about you, working in MEO. Good things, obviously!" Helaughs, and you can feel the nervous tension in it. "Well, uh, not all good. The old head of MEO was a bit, well, I mean you did fire him for the whole…"
You nod, well familiar with the fate of Mr. Yu. "Passing ministry documents to Communist Party members, yes. Well, at least I know you keep with with goings on in the office." You run a finger down his document. It's pretty straightforward stuff, for the MEO.
A decent university in the Capital, followed by placement into a lower tier management roll. His promotions were, at least, promising. The fact he rose to mid-level management inside half a decade is impressive, given the bureaucratic inertia inherent in the Old System.
"It was unfortunate, yes. Though, since his dismissal morale has never been higher! It has been good not working under that oppressive old cloud." You nod in agreement again, and look up from the document to find him looking at least a touch more relaxed (or rather, less sweaty).
"I can imagine, though, I must ask why you felt you are qualified for the role as Department head. It says in your file you are merely mid-level management,heading a few dozen bureaucrats, not whole departments within MEO." To your surprise, he nods his head in agreement, before launching into his impressively polished pitch.
It isn't as long-winded as some of the others, and despite the inherent skepticism you have of anyone who plays "the game" of office politics, as he clearly does, you find he's starting to sell you on the idea of a new, dynamic office manager.
Within the hour he's out the door, having satisfied your questions, you mark his file and summon your secretary, having him added to the "final round" pile.
-----------------------------
You take a long sip of your coffee, thankful that you had one of those shiny new machines installed. It was a welcome companion on long nights such as this, where you find yourself combing over the reports and reviews that inevitably find their way onto your desk.
You sigh and open another one, written by one of the hires. It's...decently composed. Not as professional as you'd like, and the formatting needs work. Still, your tired eyes can't find too many flaws in it, and you quickly scratch down some notes on a pad, before continuing to the next.
You don't actually remember falling asleep, just Jin Lei gently shaking your shoulder and telling you she brought some fresh clothes and breakfast. She has been so helpful, especially given the madness unfolding across China. As you finish your baozi, you go over your notes, and scratch down a reminder to give the girl a raise for looking after you like this.
-[X] Conduct an investment tour of North Korea. As a personal thanks to Kim saving your talks with South Korea, and as a way of shoring up the hermit kingdom, you could organise a tour of the DPRK with leading industrialists. (Chance of Success: High. Result: North Korea gets a fresh injection of investment, and Kim gets a new bottle of Black Label. Duration: 1 quarter)
47. The Sunshine continues as normal, and Kim continues to hoard alcohol.
"It is time! With the press of this button I shall unleash nuclear hellfire upon those damned japanese imperialists!" You take a step back as Kim's laughter grows maniacal, and with the press of a button, Tokyo is consumed by a terrific explosion.
"Hah, these westerners sure know how to appeal to the korean demographic." Kim laughs, as he spins in his chair to face you. After a long day of escorting dignitaries around the 'Hermit Kingdom' you've decided to relax with your unlikely friend in his personal estate. He has recently discovered the wonders of personal computers, and added it to his list of vices.
"Now, to business. I don't think you came all the way from Beijing with your well-heeled friends just to watch me play games!" He spun on the chair to face you, scooting it toward where you were resting on his couch.
"Or to drink all my damn Hennessy." You offer a noncommittal shrug and sip at your glass of obscenely expensive alcohol. "At least it's not the Richard. That stuff costs more per-bottle than the average worker here will see in a year."
You nod in agreement, swirling the drink and then finishing it in one gulp. You can see Kim wince as you do, but when your empty cognac glass is placed on the table he doesn't stop the attendant pouring you a fresh one.
With a fresh glass in your hand, you both get down to figuring out the best way to part Chinese industrialists from their money, and where that money would best go. You come upon a slight stumbling block when you realise that those industrialists might want something in the way of a return on their investment, but you resolve it with an application of tax credits. As it stands, North Korea will get some new factories, China's businessmen will find some new opportunities, and you'll continue to draw the Hermit Kingdom out of its shell.
-[X] Reach out to the Autonomies. Relations between Hong Kong, Macau, and the Mainland are good for the moment, but they could be much better. The Pearl River delta is an economic powerhouse, and pursuing economic integration treaties with both cities will be key to tapping the region's full potential. (Chance of Success: Moderate. Result: Tighter bonds with HK and Macau formed. Duration: 1 quarter)
97. The Autonomies are greatly brought into line, and Wen Hao gains a windfall of positive press due to her addressing anti-war protests. Profile raised, HK and Macau relations improved, and Wen Hao's profile massively increased.
When your plane landed in Hong Kong, you'd not expected anti-government protests to come out in force, but you suppose that was naive. Even with members of the HK Congressional Delegation in your government, fear that the mainland will swoop in and destroy the unique culture of this place is quite real.
As your motorcade speeds past crowds shouting and waving, you sigh and begin going over your speech cards, picking out some nice, friendly seeming prompts for the meeting, and just in case you have to address the protestors. Soon, though, you find yourself outside the Legislative Council, and taking a deep breath you prepare to face the protesters.
One of your security team opens the door, and you step out into the morning sun...and a cheer rises from the crowd as you do. You're stunned by the sheer number of flags fluttering in the breeze. From the top of your head you count at least a dozen Territory flags, A smattering of PRC and KMT flags, and even an ancient looking Fives Races under One Union flag.
Your previous assumption of a protest falls apart as you realise that not a single person here looks displeased at your presence. To the contrary; several shout out your name as you pass by them, and others begin chanting that silly title the Economist gave you (and which so many other papers picked up). You hide your embarrassment as best as you can, and keep moving.
Walking between the barriers, you reach the relative safety of the Legislative Council's main doors, and you're brought in by the Chief Executive, Emily Lau. She's surrounded by a rather impressive entourage of civil servants and police officers. "Greetings, Madame Minister. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Hong Kong."
You smile and thank her for the greeting, shaking hands for the cameras before proceeding inside the Council building, making small talk as you move. Eventually, you're lead to Ms. Lau's office, which finds you sitting at a coffee table, sipping on a cup of tea across from the Chief Executive.
You decide to start first. "I must admit, Ms. Lau, before I arrived I hadn't quite expected such a welcome."
The Chief Executive laughs, stirring in some sugar into her own drink. "I find myself in agreement, Minister. The Council generally isn't used to such overwhelming positivity, especially regarding our northern neighbour. Even the past few years have seen those feelings merely mellow, not disappear totally. No, this reaction is much more due to you than anything else."
You glance out the nearby window, which provides a lovely view of Tamar Park, and more importantly the many hundreds of people who've set up in it. "I'm not quite sure what I did to warrant such a welcome."
Lau notices your look to the gathered crowds, and shakes her head in disagreement at your words.. "I assure you, Minister, your welcome is most well deserved. Many in Hong Kong appreciate your...Shanghai sensibilities, so to speak" She takes a handful of documents from an aide's hands, and sets them before you on the table."As it stands, I look forward to working with you on furthering relationships between Hong Kong and the mainland. Shall we begin?"
The meeting is surprisingly brief, as there really isn't that much that needs to be discussed. The newly appointed Chief Minister is admirably on top of affairs in her fine city, and while the negotiations do take several hours, you'd budgeted your time as if this would be more like a council meeting in Beijing.
That is, fraught with the internecine infighting so common in Capitol politics. As pleasant a surprise as this is, you find yourself sitting in the cafeteria with a cup of coffee and not much idea what to do with your several spare hours.
Setting the cup down, you pull your purse up and unknowingly make the single most consequential decision of your entire trip to Hong Kong.
------------------
You didn't expect the speech to grab quite so many headlines (and certainly didn't expect your husband to do an unauthorised interview with the diocese of Hong Kong), and at the time didn't realise quite how large a crowd you'd accidentally gathered in Tamar Park, until you saw images that ran with the headlines!
It's odd, being such a sharp focus of media attention, but you feel yourself getting more used to it, and that, certainly, is a blessing. Even if you still hate public speaking.
-[X] Rebuild the Internal Review team. With the death of your main teams on 9/12, there's only one thing to do, and that rebuilds the team from the still surviving veterans. With your house more in order than ever before, Internal Affairs will be crucial to consolidating your control in MOFCOM (Chance of Success: Moderate. Result: IR Teams rebuilt. Duration: 1 quarter)V
52. Internal review teams are slowly brought up to standard. With some work left to be done.
"Of course, Chen and his crew's CV's have been forwarded to your secretary. I've had them cleaned, naturally." Tao's perfectly clipped speech is unnerving, as if he was talking about what he plans to eat for lunch, rather than transferring several of his internal security teams to your department.
"Good, good. And you're sure they'll be able to handle the work?"
"Yes, of course. They're young and capable. I went through their files personally."
"Are they loyal?"
"If they aren't, they've conducted the greatest infiltration of government since the scientologists tried to seize control of the FBI." He sees your confusion and laughs, waving it off.
"They're a cult in America. They've…hell, I'll have Chen bring their file over, when he comes to meet you. Americans are into some weird shit, is the short version." He lets out an uncharacteristically casual laugh, before picking up his tea and taking a sip.
"Will there be anything else, Madame Minister?" You shake your head and bid him farewell after you finish your drinks, returning to your work soon after.
-[X] Emergency Expansion efforts. Getting MOFCOM in Xinjiang and Hubei is more important than ever, and with the regional offices you'd spent most of the last quarter constructing now in ruins, you simply don't have the time to build them again. Send some bureaucrats to rent office-space in these regions and get working ASAP. (Chance of Success: High. Result: MOFCOM operations, minus fancy for-purpose buildings, resume in Xinjiang and Hubei. Duration: 1 quarter)
12. A fresh round of bombings confounds your new round of expansion.
Covered in interlude "Terror in the Sky"
-[X] Establish a memorial. MOFCOM's morale is badly wounded by the 9/12 attacks. Never in the history of your ministry, from its founding during the Warlord era all the way to the Modern Day, has it suffered such horrible attacks. Over 80 staffers dead. A memorial commemorating their sacrifice is the least you can do. (Chance of Success: V. High Result: A memorial to MOFCOM fallen is erected. Duration: 1 quarter) Jin Lei Action
11. ETIF targets the memorial, killing dozens. Jin Lei...not okay.
Covered in interlude "Terror in the Sky"
-[X] Hold a press conference. You almost feel like you have to do this, after what happened. A big, public press conference at Headquarters will certainly give you the best chance of addressing the media's fears, and may even appease the 24/7 news cycle for a few days. (Chance of Success: Unknown. Result: Press conference held. Duration: 1 quarter.)
62. Under the spotlight.
You hate public speaking. Not because you're all that awkward (Though, you can be), but because the incredibly bright spot lamps used to light up the stage make you sweat something fierce, and even perfectly dressed you always worry your makeup will start to melt. It's a somewhat childish fear, but nobody wants to be remembered as the molten-faced monster in the media, do they?
You power through regardless. Your decision to prepare for a press conference of unusual size turned out to be prescient, given what has been going on all over the country. You deliver a powerful, fiery speech about how you will not allow terrorists to intimidate you. It's not the first speech of yours this quarter that makes headlines.
-[X] Explore Congressional factions. While you know how many people represent which party, you've spent enough time away from the day-to-day of Congressional life you've no true handle on the internal factions of each party outside of the Ministerial Office. It'd be a good idea to figure out who's lead who. (Chance of Success: High. Result: You gain helpful info on the various congressional factions. Duration: 1 quarter)
98. The horrors of the Months of Blood garner you much sympathy within congress, and you've gained strong contacts
You're leaving a meeting with a group of DPC members who head up the "Liberty and Justice" Caucus when a young woman in an ill-fitting suit jacket and too-short pencil skirt comes sprinting up the stairs at you.
"Madame Minister! Madame a moment of your time, please?" The young woman looks up at you, and while you have a meeting with some representatives from the Economics Working Group, some part of your subconscious tells you to hear this lady out. She does a respectful half-bow when you stop, before launching into her speech
"It's an honour to meet you, Madame! I'm Lily Shen, we're…uh…on the same congressional list. Obviously, you're a bit higher up it than I am!"
Your mind immediately clocks her rather english sounding name, and you nod your head to her. "It's a pleasure, of course. Is there something you needed Ms. Shen?"
"Well, as we're both on the same list I wanted to invite you to the Shanghai DPC conference! There's…well, a lot of stuff going on in our great city, and you're the most prominent citizen of Shanghai right now. I know being a minister is very busy, especially with what's been happening, but I'd be honoured if you would attend." She pulls a business card from her jacket pocket and offers it to you. Now you're very strongly reminded of your awkward secretary.
"Thank you, Ms Shen, I will certainly try to make time to come to your conference." You tuck the card away and make a mental note to give it to your secretary when you're done today.
-[X] Perhaps they're right. You've certainly been under a lot of stress recently, even ignoring the attacks. Perhaps a few days to wind down would be valuable. +1 Beach Episode. +1 Super Secret Reward
No roll, beach omake
-[X] Push for a strong, robust, security reform bill. Tao and Hu have both been pushing for expanded powers and budgets, and you're inclined to give it to them for more reasons than just the fact that it'll strengthen your faction in the Council, though that certainly helps. With a stronger security team, you can ensure that there is not another 9/12 and that the bastards responsible for this indignity are brought to justice, without compromising Democratic values. At least, not too much.
Fightan roll!
106 vs 39.
"We are in a generation-defining moment, here. The vote today will determine not just how we deal with the crisis that assails China, but it will determine the very future of the China we seek to build for our children."
The harsh stage lights of the Secretary-General's podium are almost blinding as you deliver your speech to the assembled lawmakers, and you have to fight the urge to blink as you see the flash of camera shutters going off.
"My fellow members of Congress, we must ask ourselves if the horrible attacks of 9/12 will define our future. The National Protection Act put forward by Congressman Sheng, is a bill that may as well have been proposed by the CCP!" You have to fight the urge to smirk as the chamber explodes into an uproar, there is much banging of fists on desks, screamed insults between legislative camps, all dissolving into furious background noise.
"I do not mean ill-will towards my fellow party members, but the NPA is a badly conceived bill, and I will never support it. I am not the only one who has qualms with the inadequacies of the NPA. Behind me stand the men leading the investigation into these horrendous attacks, who all agree that this act will only make matters worse." You gesture behind you as the arguments grow louder and more intense. There is a flutter of cameras going off, and you feel yourself sweat. While everything is going according to plan, you've never been much of a public speaker. Taking a deep breath to both calm your nerves and pause for dramatic effect, you continue.
"Supporting the NPA, and rejecting the expertise of the best and brightest of China's intelligence community, is a choice to ignore the situation that faces us. It is a choice to reject reality, to believe that we can fight this threat by merely throwing more guns at the situation.
"That is no better than digging one's head in the sand, a resort to martial methods we know are no better than simple totalitarianism. This threat cannot be solved by trampling our citizens in the hope that the terrorists will reveal themselves. No, that would be exactly what they want.
"To fight a war on terror, we cannot let ourselves be terrified. Instead, we must stand strong, and create a solution to ensure that this grievous attack on China will not inflict a greater toll on our spirit."
As you step back from the podium, the chamber erupts with applause. As you take your seat you exchange a nod with Tao before sitting down next to Hu. The applause continues as the Secretary-General ascends the podium and tries to restore some order to the chamber. Hu leans over to you, whispering, "I think Chi's slightly upset."
You laugh despite yourself, and turn your head to check, finding that the defence minister is indeed turning an incredibly bright shade of red. His gathered caucus of sycophants, who had taken the front row of the chamber in preparation of victory, are amongst the only people not applauding you.
You make a mental note to text Jin Lei to bring up some good alcohol to your office to celebrate your impending victory.
VOTE BREAKDOWN:
| For | Against | Abstain | |
| National Protection Act | DPC: 305 (45%) DNCA: 20 (8%) DLC: 180 (96%) RC-KMT: 14 (5%) CPC: 120 (59%) CPWDP: 0 (0%) | DPC: 125 (18%) DNCA: 140 (54%) DLC: 2 (1%) RC-KMT: 180 (66%) CPC: 44 (21.5%) CPWDP: 102 (100%) | DPC:250 (37%) DNCA: 95 (37%) DLC: 5 (3%) RC-KMT: 78 (29%) CPC: 40 (19.5%) CPWDP: 0 (0%) |
| National Intelligence Reform Act | DPC: 665 (98%) DNCA: 200 (78.5%) DLC: 160 (85%) RC-KMT: 55 (20%) CPC: 134 (65%) CPWDP: 2 (2%) | DPC: 5 (1%) DNCA: 14 (5.5%) DLC: 20 (11%) RC-KMT: 167 (61%) CPC: 65 (32%) CPWDP: 100 (98%) | DPC: 20 (1%) DNCA: 41 (16%) DLC: 7 (4%) RC-KMT: 50 (19%) CPC: 5 (3%) CPWDP: 0 (0%) |
-[X] Prepare for the 2001 White Paper. With how badly things went this year, regarding the white paper, you're taking no chances this time around. You'll go over goals with the President, and your Department Heads, and get this thing as ready as it can be before next year. (Chance of Success: High. Result: Head start on White Paper. Duration: 1 quarter)
59. Groundwork on the 2002 white paper is completed. (+15 to white paper roll in Q1 2002)
Your eyes scan the conference room you've stuffed all your department heads into. You're still getting used to some of the new recruits. They're young and inexperienced, and several are clearly not altogether comfortable in the tightly fitted suits and pressure-cooker atmosphere of white paper meetings.
But as the meeting begins in earnest, with each department head providing a summary of their situation and ideas on the future, the pressure slowly lets off. There's no stalling and very little waffling on about irrelevant information.
You almost breathe a sigh of relief that the biggest hang-up during your initial planning meeting is that your new hire, a UoS economics grand named Shen, isn't in the system, so you have to send Gao to collect him.
You're feeling good about the white paper next year! If things go as well as they have during planning meetings, you're sure to be fine. No more 2 quarter delays for you!
-[X] Finish hiring replacement Department Heads. While Fei Hung and the Li's are excellent hires, at least on paper, you've still got several gaps that need filling as soon as possible. An infusion of fresh blood from the lower ranks is just what you need to complete your overhaul. (Chance of Success: Guaranteed. Result: MOFCOM ranks filled with young, ambitious new bureaucrats. Duration: 1 quarter)
50. Some good, some questionable.
"I see you only became a partner at Denton's a few years ago. Care to explain what makes you fit to head up the International Law office?" The young man shifts awkwardly in his seat, the powerful lights of your office reflecting off his expansive, sweaty forehead.
"Well, in...uh...I worked for several firms before I joined Dentons. I actually headed up the research team at Xiamen, when we were on retainer for Siemens." He stumbles over his words at first, but you're impressed by how swiftly he catches himself. You'd already decided to hire him, of course, this was just an exercise in confirming your instincts.
"Yes, I'm aware. Though it should be said that the laws are changing, both at home, and abroad. Research you did several years ago is certainly interesting, but hardly relevant in a modern context." To your surprise, he nods in agreement. You have to fight the urge to raise an eyebrow as he explains.
"Of course, ma'am. But in my time working with Siemens, and at Denton's, I've cultivated strong working relationships. If you check with any of my references, they'll agree." He answers strongly, without stuttering or stammering this time, and his forehead has become less shiny.
"Thank you, I will have my secretary contact you if you move to the next round of hiring." You both rise, and he bows respectfully to you. You'll have to knock the nervousness out of him, but as he is escorted out of the building by your secretary, you mark him down as a hire, pending further review.
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It is a slow day, which is a rarity in MOFCOM, and leaves you staring at your watch, and then to the wall clock, and then out the door to where your ever-loyal secretary is diligently tapping away at her computer.
The monotony of the day is briefly broken when a young man, flanked by your secretary, appears in the doorway. "Madame Minister?" You look up from your reports, and they both bow respectfully, Jin Lei more than the stranger, but it's a bow all the same.
"I present to you, Mr. Marcus Chen. He's one of the final round candidates for the MEO position." You nod, and pull open a drawer on your desk, tapping fingers against documents until you find the MEO collection, and pull 'M. Chen' out.
"Excellent. Take a seat, Mr. Chen. Tell me about yourself." You briefly check his face against the one in the folder, just to be totally sure he is who he says he is. Your eyes flick upwards as he takes a seat and you can see the sweat glistening off his high forehead.
"Well, first I'd like to say what a pleasure it is to meet you, Mrs. Hao. I've heard ...a lot about you, working in MEO. Good things, obviously!" Helaughs, and you can feel the nervous tension in it. "Well, uh, not all good. The old head of MEO was a bit, well, I mean you did fire him for the whole…"
You nod, well familiar with the fate of Mr. Yu. "Passing ministry documents to Communist Party members, yes. Well, at least I know you keep with with goings on in the office." You run a finger down his document. It's pretty straightforward stuff, for the MEO.
A decent university in the Capital, followed by placement into a lower tier management roll. His promotions were, at least, promising. The fact he rose to mid-level management inside half a decade is impressive, given the bureaucratic inertia inherent in the Old System.
"It was unfortunate, yes. Though, since his dismissal morale has never been higher! It has been good not working under that oppressive old cloud." You nod in agreement again, and look up from the document to find him looking at least a touch more relaxed (or rather, less sweaty).
"I can imagine, though, I must ask why you felt you are qualified for the role as Department head. It says in your file you are merely mid-level management,heading a few dozen bureaucrats, not whole departments within MEO." To your surprise, he nods his head in agreement, before launching into his impressively polished pitch.
It isn't as long-winded as some of the others, and despite the inherent skepticism you have of anyone who plays "the game" of office politics, as he clearly does, you find he's starting to sell you on the idea of a new, dynamic office manager.
Within the hour he's out the door, having satisfied your questions, you mark his file and summon your secretary, having him added to the "final round" pile.
-----------------------------
You take a long sip of your coffee, thankful that you had one of those shiny new machines installed. It was a welcome companion on long nights such as this, where you find yourself combing over the reports and reviews that inevitably find their way onto your desk.
You sigh and open another one, written by one of the hires. It's...decently composed. Not as professional as you'd like, and the formatting needs work. Still, your tired eyes can't find too many flaws in it, and you quickly scratch down some notes on a pad, before continuing to the next.
You don't actually remember falling asleep, just Jin Lei gently shaking your shoulder and telling you she brought some fresh clothes and breakfast. She has been so helpful, especially given the madness unfolding across China. As you finish your baozi, you go over your notes, and scratch down a reminder to give the girl a raise for looking after you like this.
-[X] Conduct an investment tour of North Korea. As a personal thanks to Kim saving your talks with South Korea, and as a way of shoring up the hermit kingdom, you could organise a tour of the DPRK with leading industrialists. (Chance of Success: High. Result: North Korea gets a fresh injection of investment, and Kim gets a new bottle of Black Label. Duration: 1 quarter)
47. The Sunshine continues as normal, and Kim continues to hoard alcohol.
"It is time! With the press of this button I shall unleash nuclear hellfire upon those damned japanese imperialists!" You take a step back as Kim's laughter grows maniacal, and with the press of a button, Tokyo is consumed by a terrific explosion.
"Hah, these westerners sure know how to appeal to the korean demographic." Kim laughs, as he spins in his chair to face you. After a long day of escorting dignitaries around the 'Hermit Kingdom' you've decided to relax with your unlikely friend in his personal estate. He has recently discovered the wonders of personal computers, and added it to his list of vices.
"Now, to business. I don't think you came all the way from Beijing with your well-heeled friends just to watch me play games!" He spun on the chair to face you, scooting it toward where you were resting on his couch.
"Or to drink all my damn Hennessy." You offer a noncommittal shrug and sip at your glass of obscenely expensive alcohol. "At least it's not the Richard. That stuff costs more per-bottle than the average worker here will see in a year."
You nod in agreement, swirling the drink and then finishing it in one gulp. You can see Kim wince as you do, but when your empty cognac glass is placed on the table he doesn't stop the attendant pouring you a fresh one.
With a fresh glass in your hand, you both get down to figuring out the best way to part Chinese industrialists from their money, and where that money would best go. You come upon a slight stumbling block when you realise that those industrialists might want something in the way of a return on their investment, but you resolve it with an application of tax credits. As it stands, North Korea will get some new factories, China's businessmen will find some new opportunities, and you'll continue to draw the Hermit Kingdom out of its shell.
-[X] Reach out to the Autonomies. Relations between Hong Kong, Macau, and the Mainland are good for the moment, but they could be much better. The Pearl River delta is an economic powerhouse, and pursuing economic integration treaties with both cities will be key to tapping the region's full potential. (Chance of Success: Moderate. Result: Tighter bonds with HK and Macau formed. Duration: 1 quarter)
97. The Autonomies are greatly brought into line, and Wen Hao gains a windfall of positive press due to her addressing anti-war protests. Profile raised, HK and Macau relations improved, and Wen Hao's profile massively increased.
When your plane landed in Hong Kong, you'd not expected anti-government protests to come out in force, but you suppose that was naive. Even with members of the HK Congressional Delegation in your government, fear that the mainland will swoop in and destroy the unique culture of this place is quite real.
As your motorcade speeds past crowds shouting and waving, you sigh and begin going over your speech cards, picking out some nice, friendly seeming prompts for the meeting, and just in case you have to address the protestors. Soon, though, you find yourself outside the Legislative Council, and taking a deep breath you prepare to face the protesters.
One of your security team opens the door, and you step out into the morning sun...and a cheer rises from the crowd as you do. You're stunned by the sheer number of flags fluttering in the breeze. From the top of your head you count at least a dozen Territory flags, A smattering of PRC and KMT flags, and even an ancient looking Fives Races under One Union flag.
Your previous assumption of a protest falls apart as you realise that not a single person here looks displeased at your presence. To the contrary; several shout out your name as you pass by them, and others begin chanting that silly title the Economist gave you (and which so many other papers picked up). You hide your embarrassment as best as you can, and keep moving.
Walking between the barriers, you reach the relative safety of the Legislative Council's main doors, and you're brought in by the Chief Executive, Emily Lau. She's surrounded by a rather impressive entourage of civil servants and police officers. "Greetings, Madame Minister. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Hong Kong."
You smile and thank her for the greeting, shaking hands for the cameras before proceeding inside the Council building, making small talk as you move. Eventually, you're lead to Ms. Lau's office, which finds you sitting at a coffee table, sipping on a cup of tea across from the Chief Executive.
You decide to start first. "I must admit, Ms. Lau, before I arrived I hadn't quite expected such a welcome."
The Chief Executive laughs, stirring in some sugar into her own drink. "I find myself in agreement, Minister. The Council generally isn't used to such overwhelming positivity, especially regarding our northern neighbour. Even the past few years have seen those feelings merely mellow, not disappear totally. No, this reaction is much more due to you than anything else."
You glance out the nearby window, which provides a lovely view of Tamar Park, and more importantly the many hundreds of people who've set up in it. "I'm not quite sure what I did to warrant such a welcome."
Lau notices your look to the gathered crowds, and shakes her head in disagreement at your words.. "I assure you, Minister, your welcome is most well deserved. Many in Hong Kong appreciate your...Shanghai sensibilities, so to speak" She takes a handful of documents from an aide's hands, and sets them before you on the table."As it stands, I look forward to working with you on furthering relationships between Hong Kong and the mainland. Shall we begin?"
The meeting is surprisingly brief, as there really isn't that much that needs to be discussed. The newly appointed Chief Minister is admirably on top of affairs in her fine city, and while the negotiations do take several hours, you'd budgeted your time as if this would be more like a council meeting in Beijing.
That is, fraught with the internecine infighting so common in Capitol politics. As pleasant a surprise as this is, you find yourself sitting in the cafeteria with a cup of coffee and not much idea what to do with your several spare hours.
Setting the cup down, you pull your purse up and unknowingly make the single most consequential decision of your entire trip to Hong Kong.
------------------
Liberty, Equality, Justice!
(South China Morning Post, October 8th, 2001)
Minister calls for 'Unity of all Chinese People' against threats to Democracy and Freedom
(Hong Kong Telegraph, October 8th, 2001)
Minister addresses huge Anti-War crowd in Hong Kong
(Shanghai Post, October 8th, 2001)
Commerce Minister praised as "Forward Thinking Federalist" by Chief Minister
(Hong Kong Telegraph, October 9th, 2001)
Mainland China, through the eyes of a Foreign Catholic
(Sunday Examiner, October 12th, 2001)
(South China Morning Post, October 8th, 2001)
Minister calls for 'Unity of all Chinese People' against threats to Democracy and Freedom
(Hong Kong Telegraph, October 8th, 2001)
Minister addresses huge Anti-War crowd in Hong Kong
(Shanghai Post, October 8th, 2001)
Commerce Minister praised as "Forward Thinking Federalist" by Chief Minister
(Hong Kong Telegraph, October 9th, 2001)
Mainland China, through the eyes of a Foreign Catholic
(Sunday Examiner, October 12th, 2001)
You didn't expect the speech to grab quite so many headlines (and certainly didn't expect your husband to do an unauthorised interview with the diocese of Hong Kong), and at the time didn't realise quite how large a crowd you'd accidentally gathered in Tamar Park, until you saw images that ran with the headlines!
It's odd, being such a sharp focus of media attention, but you feel yourself getting more used to it, and that, certainly, is a blessing. Even if you still hate public speaking.
-[X] Rebuild the Internal Review team. With the death of your main teams on 9/12, there's only one thing to do, and that rebuilds the team from the still surviving veterans. With your house more in order than ever before, Internal Affairs will be crucial to consolidating your control in MOFCOM (Chance of Success: Moderate. Result: IR Teams rebuilt. Duration: 1 quarter)V
52. Internal review teams are slowly brought up to standard. With some work left to be done.
"Of course, Chen and his crew's CV's have been forwarded to your secretary. I've had them cleaned, naturally." Tao's perfectly clipped speech is unnerving, as if he was talking about what he plans to eat for lunch, rather than transferring several of his internal security teams to your department.
"Good, good. And you're sure they'll be able to handle the work?"
"Yes, of course. They're young and capable. I went through their files personally."
"Are they loyal?"
"If they aren't, they've conducted the greatest infiltration of government since the scientologists tried to seize control of the FBI." He sees your confusion and laughs, waving it off.
"They're a cult in America. They've…hell, I'll have Chen bring their file over, when he comes to meet you. Americans are into some weird shit, is the short version." He lets out an uncharacteristically casual laugh, before picking up his tea and taking a sip.
"Will there be anything else, Madame Minister?" You shake your head and bid him farewell after you finish your drinks, returning to your work soon after.
-[X] Emergency Expansion efforts. Getting MOFCOM in Xinjiang and Hubei is more important than ever, and with the regional offices you'd spent most of the last quarter constructing now in ruins, you simply don't have the time to build them again. Send some bureaucrats to rent office-space in these regions and get working ASAP. (Chance of Success: High. Result: MOFCOM operations, minus fancy for-purpose buildings, resume in Xinjiang and Hubei. Duration: 1 quarter)
12. A fresh round of bombings confounds your new round of expansion.
Covered in interlude "Terror in the Sky"
-[X] Establish a memorial. MOFCOM's morale is badly wounded by the 9/12 attacks. Never in the history of your ministry, from its founding during the Warlord era all the way to the Modern Day, has it suffered such horrible attacks. Over 80 staffers dead. A memorial commemorating their sacrifice is the least you can do. (Chance of Success: V. High Result: A memorial to MOFCOM fallen is erected. Duration: 1 quarter) Jin Lei Action
11. ETIF targets the memorial, killing dozens. Jin Lei...not okay.
Covered in interlude "Terror in the Sky"
-[X] Hold a press conference. You almost feel like you have to do this, after what happened. A big, public press conference at Headquarters will certainly give you the best chance of addressing the media's fears, and may even appease the 24/7 news cycle for a few days. (Chance of Success: Unknown. Result: Press conference held. Duration: 1 quarter.)
62. Under the spotlight.
You hate public speaking. Not because you're all that awkward (Though, you can be), but because the incredibly bright spot lamps used to light up the stage make you sweat something fierce, and even perfectly dressed you always worry your makeup will start to melt. It's a somewhat childish fear, but nobody wants to be remembered as the molten-faced monster in the media, do they?
You power through regardless. Your decision to prepare for a press conference of unusual size turned out to be prescient, given what has been going on all over the country. You deliver a powerful, fiery speech about how you will not allow terrorists to intimidate you. It's not the first speech of yours this quarter that makes headlines.
-[X] Explore Congressional factions. While you know how many people represent which party, you've spent enough time away from the day-to-day of Congressional life you've no true handle on the internal factions of each party outside of the Ministerial Office. It'd be a good idea to figure out who's lead who. (Chance of Success: High. Result: You gain helpful info on the various congressional factions. Duration: 1 quarter)
98. The horrors of the Months of Blood garner you much sympathy within congress, and you've gained strong contacts
You're leaving a meeting with a group of DPC members who head up the "Liberty and Justice" Caucus when a young woman in an ill-fitting suit jacket and too-short pencil skirt comes sprinting up the stairs at you.
"Madame Minister! Madame a moment of your time, please?" The young woman looks up at you, and while you have a meeting with some representatives from the Economics Working Group, some part of your subconscious tells you to hear this lady out. She does a respectful half-bow when you stop, before launching into her speech
"It's an honour to meet you, Madame! I'm Lily Shen, we're…uh…on the same congressional list. Obviously, you're a bit higher up it than I am!"
Your mind immediately clocks her rather english sounding name, and you nod your head to her. "It's a pleasure, of course. Is there something you needed Ms. Shen?"
"Well, as we're both on the same list I wanted to invite you to the Shanghai DPC conference! There's…well, a lot of stuff going on in our great city, and you're the most prominent citizen of Shanghai right now. I know being a minister is very busy, especially with what's been happening, but I'd be honoured if you would attend." She pulls a business card from her jacket pocket and offers it to you. Now you're very strongly reminded of your awkward secretary.
"Thank you, Ms Shen, I will certainly try to make time to come to your conference." You tuck the card away and make a mental note to give it to your secretary when you're done today.
-[X] Perhaps they're right. You've certainly been under a lot of stress recently, even ignoring the attacks. Perhaps a few days to wind down would be valuable. +1 Beach Episode. +1 Super Secret Reward
No roll, beach omake
Q4 GDP GROWTH
The figures are in, and despite your initial sunny optimism despite 9/12, you've revised figures over the quarter, especially after the Month of Blood, in which thousands were killed, and tens of millions of dollars in property were destroyed. Still, at the very end of the quarter, as you get ready to roll over into the next year, you're slightly surprised (not really, you've followed reports obsessively all quarter) that growth figures are bang on the Government's target.
2%
Notable Headlines of Q4
The news throughout Q4 has been wall to wall coverage of the War in Afghanistan, and the Month of Blood, especially. Chaos on the homefront
Fidayeen storm J&K House, kill 29
(The Tribune, October 1st, 2001)
Swissair files for bankruptcy
(Daily Telegraph, October 2nd, 2001)
Norinco CEO accused of attempting to bribe NRDC members!
(Global Times, October 4th, 2001)
US, Allies, invade Afghanistan
(The News, October 7th, 2001)
ONE DOWN - ETIM LEADER KILLED BY AFGHANS
(Global Times, October 8th, 2001)
TWO DOWN - ETIM LEADER KILLED BY PLAAF
(Global Times, October 15th, 2001)
FAR-RIGHT LEADER IS SLAIN IN ISRAEL; A BLOW TO PEACE
(New York Times, October 17th, 2001)
NIRA passed into law, as Xinjiang erupts into protest
(China Daily, October 13th, 2001)
31 Exposed to Anthrax on Capitol Hill; House shut down; Senate Offices close
(Washington Post, October 18th, 2001)
NorInCo accused of Illegal dumping in Liaoning Province
(Dalian Daily, October 20th, 2001)
Minister accused of turning blind eye to toxic dumping!
(Peninsula Morning News, October 23rd, 2001)
MOFCOM MEMORIAL BOMBED! DOZENS DEAD!
(CCTV news ticker, 3:04pm, October 24th, 2001)
"Death tolls continue to climb in Wuhan, where a memorial organised for fallen members of the Ministery of Commerce was attacked by a duo of suicide bombers. It is feared as many as one hundred people may have been killed." - CCTV reporter Julian Chen
Terror in the Sky, as ETIF hijacks China Eastern Flight 117!
(South China Morning Post, October 25th, 2001)
Protesters clash in Urumqi, dozens injured
(Xinjiang Daily, November 1st, 2001)
Dozens feared dead after Xinjiang Barracks Bombing
(Xinjiang Daily, November 3rd, 2001)
A Ray of Hope for Rural Farmers: MLR announces "new deal" for farmers, with major state farms to be broken up and divided amongst smallholders.
(Northern News Daily, November 6th, 2001)
Judge throws out case against "Hebei 11", CCP hails 'Triumph of Justice' as NAO faces abuse of power allegations
(Hebei Daily, November 8th, 2001)
NorInCo CFO charged by Ethics board, alongside 3 CCP MPs!
(Chinese Financial Review, November 10th, 2001)
Shipping attack! Hundreds feared dead after ANFO bomb explodes in Qingdao Harbor!
(Qingdao Globe, November 11th, 2001)
COWARDS FLEE BEFORE A WORLD UNITED
(Global Times, November 12th, 2001)
Northern Alliance Forces liberate Kabul from Terrorists
(Shanghai Post, November 14th, 2001)
Radical Islamists riot across Xinjiang!
(Shanghai Post, November 14th, 2001)
ETIM takes credit for riots, calls for "Day of rage" against "Chinese Invaders"
(Xinjiang Daily, November 15th, 2001)
WAVE OF CARBOMBINGS TARGET REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS
(Global Times, November 17th, 2001)
KNIFE ATTACK ON BEIJING SUBWAY!
(Beijing Daily, November 21st, 2001)
ENRON'S COLLAPSE: THE OVERVIEW; ENRON CORP. FILES LARGEST U.S. CLAIM FOR BANKRUPTCY
(New York Times, December 3rd, 2001)
EXPLOSIVE MINDEF LEAK: ARMY UNPREPARED FOR RIOT DESPITE WARNINGS
(Fujian Morning Post, December 6th, 2001)
A highly placed member of the Ministry of Defence has leaked documents to the Post, indicating that the Defence Minister did not take the warning of ethnic riots in Xinjiang seriously, in the leadup to the days of rage starting in Mid-November. Minister Haotian has categorically denied the allegations in the leaked documents, but refused an offer of interview.
State Security Service Sweep Sees Shocking Subjugation of Terror Cells across country!
(South China Morning Post, December 7th, 2001)
The Ministry of State Security has announced the conclusion of Operation Anthrax to the public, revealing that they have successfully apprehended dozens of ETIM members across the country, including the mastermind of the November 11th Qingdao Port Bombing.
The figures are in, and despite your initial sunny optimism despite 9/12, you've revised figures over the quarter, especially after the Month of Blood, in which thousands were killed, and tens of millions of dollars in property were destroyed. Still, at the very end of the quarter, as you get ready to roll over into the next year, you're slightly surprised (not really, you've followed reports obsessively all quarter) that growth figures are bang on the Government's target.
2%
Notable Headlines of Q4
The news throughout Q4 has been wall to wall coverage of the War in Afghanistan, and the Month of Blood, especially. Chaos on the homefront
Fidayeen storm J&K House, kill 29
(The Tribune, October 1st, 2001)
Swissair files for bankruptcy
(Daily Telegraph, October 2nd, 2001)
Norinco CEO accused of attempting to bribe NRDC members!
(Global Times, October 4th, 2001)
US, Allies, invade Afghanistan
(The News, October 7th, 2001)
ONE DOWN - ETIM LEADER KILLED BY AFGHANS
(Global Times, October 8th, 2001)
TWO DOWN - ETIM LEADER KILLED BY PLAAF
(Global Times, October 15th, 2001)
FAR-RIGHT LEADER IS SLAIN IN ISRAEL; A BLOW TO PEACE
(New York Times, October 17th, 2001)
NIRA passed into law, as Xinjiang erupts into protest
(China Daily, October 13th, 2001)
31 Exposed to Anthrax on Capitol Hill; House shut down; Senate Offices close
(Washington Post, October 18th, 2001)
NorInCo accused of Illegal dumping in Liaoning Province
(Dalian Daily, October 20th, 2001)
Minister accused of turning blind eye to toxic dumping!
(Peninsula Morning News, October 23rd, 2001)
MOFCOM MEMORIAL BOMBED! DOZENS DEAD!
(CCTV news ticker, 3:04pm, October 24th, 2001)
"Death tolls continue to climb in Wuhan, where a memorial organised for fallen members of the Ministery of Commerce was attacked by a duo of suicide bombers. It is feared as many as one hundred people may have been killed." - CCTV reporter Julian Chen
Terror in the Sky, as ETIF hijacks China Eastern Flight 117!
(South China Morning Post, October 25th, 2001)
Protesters clash in Urumqi, dozens injured
(Xinjiang Daily, November 1st, 2001)
Dozens feared dead after Xinjiang Barracks Bombing
(Xinjiang Daily, November 3rd, 2001)
A Ray of Hope for Rural Farmers: MLR announces "new deal" for farmers, with major state farms to be broken up and divided amongst smallholders.
(Northern News Daily, November 6th, 2001)
Judge throws out case against "Hebei 11", CCP hails 'Triumph of Justice' as NAO faces abuse of power allegations
(Hebei Daily, November 8th, 2001)
NorInCo CFO charged by Ethics board, alongside 3 CCP MPs!
(Chinese Financial Review, November 10th, 2001)
Shipping attack! Hundreds feared dead after ANFO bomb explodes in Qingdao Harbor!
(Qingdao Globe, November 11th, 2001)
COWARDS FLEE BEFORE A WORLD UNITED
(Global Times, November 12th, 2001)
Northern Alliance Forces liberate Kabul from Terrorists
(Shanghai Post, November 14th, 2001)
Radical Islamists riot across Xinjiang!
(Shanghai Post, November 14th, 2001)
ETIM takes credit for riots, calls for "Day of rage" against "Chinese Invaders"
(Xinjiang Daily, November 15th, 2001)
WAVE OF CARBOMBINGS TARGET REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS
(Global Times, November 17th, 2001)
KNIFE ATTACK ON BEIJING SUBWAY!
(Beijing Daily, November 21st, 2001)
ENRON'S COLLAPSE: THE OVERVIEW; ENRON CORP. FILES LARGEST U.S. CLAIM FOR BANKRUPTCY
(New York Times, December 3rd, 2001)
EXPLOSIVE MINDEF LEAK: ARMY UNPREPARED FOR RIOT DESPITE WARNINGS
(Fujian Morning Post, December 6th, 2001)
A highly placed member of the Ministry of Defence has leaked documents to the Post, indicating that the Defence Minister did not take the warning of ethnic riots in Xinjiang seriously, in the leadup to the days of rage starting in Mid-November. Minister Haotian has categorically denied the allegations in the leaked documents, but refused an offer of interview.
State Security Service Sweep Sees Shocking Subjugation of Terror Cells across country!
(South China Morning Post, December 7th, 2001)
The Ministry of State Security has announced the conclusion of Operation Anthrax to the public, revealing that they have successfully apprehended dozens of ETIM members across the country, including the mastermind of the November 11th Qingdao Port Bombing.
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KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
Hey all! Really sorry this took so long, I hope you enjoy it.
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
so overall a good turn apart from the parts where ppl got blown the hell up?
also goddamm that a lot of news!!!
still nice chapter even if there are part of it i`m not fully sure what is going on.
hope whatever the delay was is fixed.
thanks for posting.
also goddamm that a lot of news!!!
still nice chapter even if there are part of it i`m not fully sure what is going on.
hope whatever the delay was is fixed.
thanks for posting.
MaHaL
Conductor of the Choir of Death
- Location
- Canada
Wait, what the fuck is this real?
Holy shit it is.
Operation Snow White - Wikipedia
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Explosives are surprisingly easy to obtain/make. Stuff like matchheads and fertilizer are commonly used in improvised explosive devices not to mention ready-made explosives used in mining or the manufacture of fireworks (which China is the largest producer of).
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm more curious where they got this many people. Explosives, depending on the area, are easily acquirable or makeable.
Using them without being sent into low orbit, OTOH.....
Valkur
The True Valkyria, Valkur!
- Location
- Fólkvangr
Okay new question...how good is there bomb making school? I feel like this is some Gundam plot level precision terrorist bombing. Normally I expect trainee's to blow there fingers off and self attrition.
Its kinda scary how organized and big these guys seem from the get go.
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well, they have been around since 1989, and have deep ties to both Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and in OTL carried out more minor bombings in 1992 and 1997 and would carry out more actions up through today sending fighters to the Syrian Civil War.
@KarakovaQueen what does our character think of her own political situation and the chances of backlash against her? She's been making enemies and friends and also was the face of the current terrorist response strategy.
I'm not sure whether we should be battening down the hatches, desperately trying to appease the Chairman and the Defense Minister, consolidating political gains, or angling to carve out more political influence
I'm not sure whether we should be battening down the hatches, desperately trying to appease the Chairman and the Defense Minister, consolidating political gains, or angling to carve out more political influence
Well at least the state security services got better in fighting the terrorists quickly but not enough to preemtively save the fallen in MOFCOM again. We also need to know what is happening on NorinCo since toxic dumps and being charged by the Ethics board is a serious matter for the next quarter.
KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
The Minister of Defence is currently embroiled in his own personal scandal, regarding the Army's mishandling of the Xinjiang riots, and the President is very...hands-off, regarding his ministers. He's quite old, and while he can and does affect the overall direction China is going, he's not a day-to-day manager.
KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
Yep! You're a Democratic Party of China MP, from the Shanghai Electoral List.
- Location
- Actually pretty lost
So it looks like some things went very well, some things went okay, and some things went badly but not for any reason that can be blamed on us?
@KarvokaQueen can you tell us the GDP growth for the quarter since the goal was 2% and 2.75% for official and Wen's respectively or is that going to be after the interludes?
Interlude - Fire in the Sky
KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
You are rushed through the security door, three heavily armed police officers standing watch as it slams shut behind you. You cough the last of the ash from your lungs as you slump down in an office chair, and the day's events finally hit you at full force. The explosion, the shooting, the choking dust that still seemed to linger in the air. It was one thing to be rushed into a bunker on 9/12, cordoned off in your secure office in Beijing, taken under heavy armed guard into a cold war era nuclear bunker and sealed off from the world, but being in the middle of the madness was something else entirely.
You take a shaky breath and power on the secured computer, to get an update on what happened at the memorial. Immediately, you're confronted by dozens of messages from almost every department in the Chinese government. You can't bear to even read them, scrolling downwards until you find what you know you'll dread to read, but must regardless.
Some cold, efficient part of your brain tells you it could've been far worse, and that the casualty list is less than a fifth of the 9/12 attack. Your cold efficiency is swiftly overruled by other, more potent emotions. You have to fight back the urge to scream at the sheer futility of all this. Hundreds have died, on your watch, for what? You can't tear your eyes away from the report, and reread it over and over, as if trying to will it out of existence.
Eventually, you push away from your desk and make your way over to the liquor cabinet. Now wasn't the time to think too hard. You'd lose yourself if you did. Better to lose yourself in something far more familiar to your palate than this ash that refuses to leave your tongue. You grab an unopened bottle of whisky and pop the cork, pouring yourself a neat glass right to the brim of the delicate crystal. You stare into the amber liquor as it laps up against the sides of its container, a murky reflection of your face gazing back.
This muddled view was what the world saw. They called you the Dragon Lady, for that perfectly stoic, capable, driven woman that administered the Ministry of Commerce. You'd taken on that role, as a necessity of your time working in the hostile environment that was the civil service, but now you felt trapped by it, chained to it. In that aftermath you wanted nothing more than to scream, to rage against your own feelings of impotence, but you know how futile that is. With a deep breath, you look away from the reflection in the bottle, take a sip of your drink, and refocus on your work, the only way to reclaim agency in a crisis like this.
The worst part in all of the madness had been finding Jin Lei afterwards. She'd been safe, thankfully, but the expression on her face...you were used to her flushing red in embarassment, her cheeks dimpling when she smiled, her serious expression where she worried away at her lip as her eyes focused totally on whatever task lay before her...
You weren't used to emptiness, a faint sort of confusion that simply hovered in a cloud around her. After you'd gone through the gauntlet of EMTs and paramedics, you tried your best to prompt her, but she simply begged her leave, saying she'd get some rest at home at home...
You banish the memory with a swig, simply allowing the fiery alcohol to burn through the tension that seems to have siezed your entire body in its grip. You top off your glass, before grabbing the rest of the bottle in your other hand and heading over to the room's couch, which you collapse into with a sigh, grabbing the remote near you and flicking on the TV, which dutifully starts reporting on the horrors of the day.
"-with several dozen casualties reported as of now, and this reporter would expect more as the search and rescue efforts continue-"
You ponder what to do next, as you steadily work your way through your glass. What's there to do? You're thankful that MOFCOM itself wasn't hit by the bombings, though that victory is bittersweet when you consider the loss in personnel that once again has hit the Ministry, for reasons far more awful than the purges you'd lead last time.
"-the timing couldn't be worse for the Ministry of Commerce, which has established itself as something of a bastion-"
You imagine that you'll spend a significant chunk of tomorrow embroiled in meetings with Tao to determine the source of these attacks. After that you'll...
"-the Ministry has been unable to comment on these events just yet-"
Well. What can you do? You laugh bitterly as you realise that the work of your deputy and secretary over the past weeks has left you little option but to sit around and do nothing, to simply watch as your Ministry flounders as the latest bout of terrorism hits it directly.
"-and now, the only question left is, how will the Dragon Lady of MOFCOM respond?"
You make a decision. You'll have to cancel your holiday. At the very least, push it back a month till you can go through the process of rehiring, filling up the yet-more depleted ranks of MOFCOM, notifying the President and potentially Haotian about increasing security in Beijing, meeting with Tao and discussing a plan of action for the janitors...
You've nothing else to do, so you might as well do this.
You're brought out of your reverie as your phone rings. You set your glass to the side and pull the device from your pocket, recognising the number as Jin Lei's home. Perhaps she's calling you just to have another day off? You know the girl needs it, more than anyone. You answer the call, ready for the inevitable immediate apology.
Instead, you hear another voice. "Hello? Is this Wen Hao?"
"Indeed it is. Is this...Ai?" You remember the voice from your first call to your secretary. You remember her being bubbly and excitable, and it reminded you of Feng, when you were both much younger. Jin Lei's description of her girlfriend certainly seemed to match that.
Her voice is far from bubbly, though. You can feel her anxiety through the phone. "Minister, I…thank you for answering. It's about your secretary, my, uh, girlfriend. She's…" The woman trails off and you feel panic suddenly clasp its cold fingers around your heart.
"Has something happened?" You fire back, wincing as your question is met with dead air. Now you're panicked, and feel like an asshole.
"No, it's...look I'm not a doctor or anything but...shit." Ai cursed and you could hear what sounded like a thump through the phone. The panic gets worse as you worry something might've happened to the both of them, and you reach for the landline just in case you need it.
"She's just...after what happened at the memorial she's totally seized up. I can't get her to respond to fucking anything and I don't know what to do! I know you're the busiest woman in China but my girlfriend really looks up to you and ImalloutofideasandIdontwanttol-" Hearing that your most loyal and helpful secretary has gone catatonic shocks you, even having seen how badly she'd taken the memorial bombing. Her girlfriend doesn't sound to be in much better shape.
"Shh. Take some deep breaths, alright Ai? You did the right thing calling my office." You hear sniffling on the other end of the line, and rustling that could be nodding.
"I'll be right over, okay? But first I need you to do something for me. Can you read out your address? Once I've gotten it, I'll come over, and we'll both make sure your girlfriend is alright. Understand?" There's more rustling, and then Ai slowly reads out the address, her voice shaking the entire time.
"Thank you, Ai. Go check on Jin Lei for me, I'll be around as soon as I can." When the girl gives a verbal okay, you hang up the phone, take a deep breathe, and call Gao to tell him that you're heading home early. He sees your face and knows better than to ask why, only asking if you'd like for him to call a cab for you.
You can barely keep your face still as you walk out through the halls of MOFCOM and into the waiting car, and only the panel between you and the driver keeps your privacy beyond that. What the hell were you thinking? What on earth lead you to believe that Jin Lei could handle these bombings better than you could? You were hardly handling them as is, and you simply thought that your secretary could walk away from this only asking for a day off???
The absurdity of all this almost makes you want to slap yourself. You command one of the great ministries of China, and like some absent minded child, let those close to you fall through the cracks. A knot of angst forms in your stomach, only growing stronger as your driver brings you in closer. Before it can consume you, though, you arrive at the apartment building. Muttering a thanks to the driver, you step out into the cool evening air.
The massive concrete slab has no elevator, so you begin making your way up the steps, thankful for it as focusing on climbing up the many floors distracts you from all the worry you feel for your secretary, and the anger you feel for your mishandling of the situation. You finally arrive at the room Ai directed you to, a flimsy looking wooden door belying its sheer importance to you in that moment. You rap your knuckles against it, and after a moment you hear the click of a lock and find yourself face to face with the woman you'd heard so much about. Ai's face is lined with worry, and she's clearly been crying. Relief eases the worst of the stress visible on her face as she looks up at you.
"Oh, Wen - I mean, Minister Wen, it's good to see you at last," She stammers out, bowing so deeply you half-worry she's about to kowtow. You're not quite sure how to take it, but elect to respond with a (much more appropriate) nod of your own.
She flushes red as she realises she's committed a faux pas, and shoots back up, ushering you into the cramped apartment building. "She's been like this since…" Ai trails off, and you don't have to see her face to know how close to crying she is. "Please, Wen. She really looks up to you, do whatever you can I just…" She trails off again, deep, shuddering sigh breaking the silence of the room.
Confronted with your failure, you don't trust yourself to speak, humming your agreement as you walk up to the couch. Looking down at Jin Lei is physically painful, her face is pale in the dim light, and she looks almost like a husk, her eyes dull and unfocused. You sit down next to her and push a few stray strands of hair away, gently stroking your secretaries head. She shakes at your touch, and your hand recoils, before gently settling your hand on her shoulder instead. "Jin Lei, it's me." You find your voice after a few more moments, and are shocked by how weak it sounds.
Sitting here, on a lumpy couch, next to your most loyal assistant and aide, someone who believes in you more than anyone but your husband, and being unable to help her when she needs you, hurts you more deeply than almost anything you've ever dealt with.
And the worst part of this all, is you know why this has happened. From the moment you got a phone call about Lei, you knew. It's your fault, you've been so preoccupied with work, so focused on pushing perfection and excellence, meeting deadlines, winning over the press, and winning the war in Cabinet, that you'd neglected to make sure the people you depend on, the people like the poor girl crying right next to you, were okay. Some part of you knew that your singular focus could only ever lead to this, and you did nothing to stop it.
You can barely stop yourself, as you simply sit down on the couch and wrap the bundle in a hug with all your strength. A hiccup turns into a squeak of surprise, before a few folds of blanket fall away, revealing Jin Lei, dishevelled, glasses missing, and a face red with tears. "Ai-"
You're immediately snapped out from your inelegant breakdown, head snapping up to get a first proper look at your loyal assistant. She looks extremely rough, hair dishevelled, glasses missing, eyes still somewhat unfocused. "Jin Lei." You immediately cut her off, "I'm sorry."
She blinks, and her brow furrowed in confusion, eyes widening in recognition.. "What? M-Minister?"
"I am sorry. I am so, so sorry, for everything. For abandoning you, for today, for every fucking thing that has gone wrong that you did nothing to deserve. I'm- I'm sorry that I've expected so damn much, for constantly forcing you to pick up after me, to make you have to do extra work just so you can make me take a damn holiday."
Jin Lei blinks, shock clear on her face. "Minister..."
You gulp, trying to find the words before your silly secretary can say something like it was her own damn fault. You barely find the breath, but you roll on. "I know it's hard, and unfair, having to put up with shit that no one should have to. And I'm sorry, that you have to deal with those things, when I can barely-" your voice cracks, "when I can't-"
Jin Lei pulls her arms out of the blankets and, tentatively, hugs you. With that, the walls you've built up over decades of public service crumble like so much sand in the wind, and you bury your head in her neck and start to cry. All the pain and stress that the pest month has inflicted on your guarded soul rushes out, now ther is nothing to contain it. Jin Lei's grip on you strengthens, and you can hear you say something, but can't understand what, as you both let all the stress and pain out.
You don't know how much time passes between when you start crying, and when you stop. You're only roused out of the dour fugue when you hear the sound of a kettle, slowly raising your head from Lei's shoulder and blinking away some residual tears.
Ai fills her teapot, and brings over three cups, placing them out on the table. "Sorry if I woke you, Minister. Just figured...I'd make something soothing." She pours out the cups, and the familiar fragrance of wulong eases your spirit further, as well as awakening Jin Lei, who looks even worse off than you do. The steam rising from your tea cleanses the last of the negative thoughts, and you lean against your secretary as you both begin to drink, the warmth further easing the pain of your afternoon. Ai sips at her own cup of tea, and the creases of worry that crossed her face melt away into nothing as you all enjoy the companionable silence.
Your secretary takes a slow, shaky breath, before placing down her teacup. "I guess we both needed that, huh?" She rests her head on your shoulder, and her breathing becomes more steady. "Thank you, Hao."
"No, Lei. Thank you, for everything." Despite yourself, you let out a nervous laugh. "This hasn't been the most relaxing few months, and....I know I put a lot of expectations on you, I just…" You run out of steam and stop, both girls staring at you as you try to find better words. It takes what feels like an eternity, but is really just the time it takes Ai to refill your cup. "I think, all this chaos has made me realise just how much pressure we've all been under. I want to thank you for all you've been doing for me, and...I appreciate it, even if I don't say so anywhere near enough."
Jin Lei laughs tiredly. "I guess we both really need a break. Good thing all the work got done, huh?" She sits up at that, setting her cup down. "I suppose I better check in with Gao. We're already planning on giving everyone some time off for this, might as well take advantage of it. Ai," she looks up to her girlfriend, "can you pass me the phone, please? I need-"
"No." The petite woman crosses her arms, glaring at your secretary. "No phone. No calls. No work. You had me worried to bits about you, and now you want to work? No, I'm sure this Gao fellow can handle it."
You let the two bicker back and forth for a bit, taking another sip of your tea. You hadn't thought about it before, but you'd surely need to give everyone else time to recover. It'd line up well enough with your own holiday to Putuoshan, and then Jin Lei would get her own time to relax.
You pause, and think. And an idea crystallises. You look back up at Jin Lei pouting under Ai's lecture, and settle on a plan.
"Actually," the couple both look towards you as you speak, "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask Lei to make one call, Ai."
Jin Lei looks triumphant at this, but Ai simply turns her glare towards you. "Listen here, Minister, I just watched the both of you cry your hearts out over work, and if you think I'm going to let you order my girlfriend to do even more-"
"Actually, Ai, that's not the reason for this call," you interrupt. "This is something far more important than just that. Jin Lei," you turn to focus on your secretary, "do you still have the details down for the Putuoshan resort?"
Jin Lei blinks at the non-sequitur. "Uh, I do? I do."
You nod. "Good. Call them, and book another room. For you. You're coming."
Jin Lei nods absently, already following your orders, before her hand freezes by the phone, head snapping back to stare at you. "Me? I'm coming?"
"Yes, you're coming-" "Yes, you're going-" You and Ai both turn to each other, before nodding in agreement and facing Lei again. "You're coming-" "You're going."
Jin Lei looks between you both, before sighing. "I guess I'm not winning this one. I'll do that, Minister." She turns back towards the phone, picking it up and dialling some registered number.
"And," you interrupt, causing her to look back, holding the phone against her chest, "I really am sorry, Lei. For everything."
Jin Lei smiles, then giggles to herself, before leaning over to your face, and gently tapping her finger on your nose. "Forgiven, Hao. You're forgiven."
You take a shaky breath and power on the secured computer, to get an update on what happened at the memorial. Immediately, you're confronted by dozens of messages from almost every department in the Chinese government. You can't bear to even read them, scrolling downwards until you find what you know you'll dread to read, but must regardless.
PRELIMINARY CASUALTY REPORT: MOFCOM BUILDING ATTACK
Some cold, efficient part of your brain tells you it could've been far worse, and that the casualty list is less than a fifth of the 9/12 attack. Your cold efficiency is swiftly overruled by other, more potent emotions. You have to fight back the urge to scream at the sheer futility of all this. Hundreds have died, on your watch, for what? You can't tear your eyes away from the report, and reread it over and over, as if trying to will it out of existence.
Eventually, you push away from your desk and make your way over to the liquor cabinet. Now wasn't the time to think too hard. You'd lose yourself if you did. Better to lose yourself in something far more familiar to your palate than this ash that refuses to leave your tongue. You grab an unopened bottle of whisky and pop the cork, pouring yourself a neat glass right to the brim of the delicate crystal. You stare into the amber liquor as it laps up against the sides of its container, a murky reflection of your face gazing back.
This muddled view was what the world saw. They called you the Dragon Lady, for that perfectly stoic, capable, driven woman that administered the Ministry of Commerce. You'd taken on that role, as a necessity of your time working in the hostile environment that was the civil service, but now you felt trapped by it, chained to it. In that aftermath you wanted nothing more than to scream, to rage against your own feelings of impotence, but you know how futile that is. With a deep breath, you look away from the reflection in the bottle, take a sip of your drink, and refocus on your work, the only way to reclaim agency in a crisis like this.
The worst part in all of the madness had been finding Jin Lei afterwards. She'd been safe, thankfully, but the expression on her face...you were used to her flushing red in embarassment, her cheeks dimpling when she smiled, her serious expression where she worried away at her lip as her eyes focused totally on whatever task lay before her...
You weren't used to emptiness, a faint sort of confusion that simply hovered in a cloud around her. After you'd gone through the gauntlet of EMTs and paramedics, you tried your best to prompt her, but she simply begged her leave, saying she'd get some rest at home at home...
You banish the memory with a swig, simply allowing the fiery alcohol to burn through the tension that seems to have siezed your entire body in its grip. You top off your glass, before grabbing the rest of the bottle in your other hand and heading over to the room's couch, which you collapse into with a sigh, grabbing the remote near you and flicking on the TV, which dutifully starts reporting on the horrors of the day.
"-with several dozen casualties reported as of now, and this reporter would expect more as the search and rescue efforts continue-"
You ponder what to do next, as you steadily work your way through your glass. What's there to do? You're thankful that MOFCOM itself wasn't hit by the bombings, though that victory is bittersweet when you consider the loss in personnel that once again has hit the Ministry, for reasons far more awful than the purges you'd lead last time.
"-the timing couldn't be worse for the Ministry of Commerce, which has established itself as something of a bastion-"
You imagine that you'll spend a significant chunk of tomorrow embroiled in meetings with Tao to determine the source of these attacks. After that you'll...
"-the Ministry has been unable to comment on these events just yet-"
Well. What can you do? You laugh bitterly as you realise that the work of your deputy and secretary over the past weeks has left you little option but to sit around and do nothing, to simply watch as your Ministry flounders as the latest bout of terrorism hits it directly.
"-and now, the only question left is, how will the Dragon Lady of MOFCOM respond?"
You make a decision. You'll have to cancel your holiday. At the very least, push it back a month till you can go through the process of rehiring, filling up the yet-more depleted ranks of MOFCOM, notifying the President and potentially Haotian about increasing security in Beijing, meeting with Tao and discussing a plan of action for the janitors...
You've nothing else to do, so you might as well do this.
You're brought out of your reverie as your phone rings. You set your glass to the side and pull the device from your pocket, recognising the number as Jin Lei's home. Perhaps she's calling you just to have another day off? You know the girl needs it, more than anyone. You answer the call, ready for the inevitable immediate apology.
Instead, you hear another voice. "Hello? Is this Wen Hao?"
"Indeed it is. Is this...Ai?" You remember the voice from your first call to your secretary. You remember her being bubbly and excitable, and it reminded you of Feng, when you were both much younger. Jin Lei's description of her girlfriend certainly seemed to match that.
Her voice is far from bubbly, though. You can feel her anxiety through the phone. "Minister, I…thank you for answering. It's about your secretary, my, uh, girlfriend. She's…" The woman trails off and you feel panic suddenly clasp its cold fingers around your heart.
"Has something happened?" You fire back, wincing as your question is met with dead air. Now you're panicked, and feel like an asshole.
"No, it's...look I'm not a doctor or anything but...shit." Ai cursed and you could hear what sounded like a thump through the phone. The panic gets worse as you worry something might've happened to the both of them, and you reach for the landline just in case you need it.
"She's just...after what happened at the memorial she's totally seized up. I can't get her to respond to fucking anything and I don't know what to do! I know you're the busiest woman in China but my girlfriend really looks up to you and ImalloutofideasandIdontwanttol-" Hearing that your most loyal and helpful secretary has gone catatonic shocks you, even having seen how badly she'd taken the memorial bombing. Her girlfriend doesn't sound to be in much better shape.
"Shh. Take some deep breaths, alright Ai? You did the right thing calling my office." You hear sniffling on the other end of the line, and rustling that could be nodding.
"I'll be right over, okay? But first I need you to do something for me. Can you read out your address? Once I've gotten it, I'll come over, and we'll both make sure your girlfriend is alright. Understand?" There's more rustling, and then Ai slowly reads out the address, her voice shaking the entire time.
"Thank you, Ai. Go check on Jin Lei for me, I'll be around as soon as I can." When the girl gives a verbal okay, you hang up the phone, take a deep breathe, and call Gao to tell him that you're heading home early. He sees your face and knows better than to ask why, only asking if you'd like for him to call a cab for you.
You can barely keep your face still as you walk out through the halls of MOFCOM and into the waiting car, and only the panel between you and the driver keeps your privacy beyond that. What the hell were you thinking? What on earth lead you to believe that Jin Lei could handle these bombings better than you could? You were hardly handling them as is, and you simply thought that your secretary could walk away from this only asking for a day off???
The absurdity of all this almost makes you want to slap yourself. You command one of the great ministries of China, and like some absent minded child, let those close to you fall through the cracks. A knot of angst forms in your stomach, only growing stronger as your driver brings you in closer. Before it can consume you, though, you arrive at the apartment building. Muttering a thanks to the driver, you step out into the cool evening air.
The massive concrete slab has no elevator, so you begin making your way up the steps, thankful for it as focusing on climbing up the many floors distracts you from all the worry you feel for your secretary, and the anger you feel for your mishandling of the situation. You finally arrive at the room Ai directed you to, a flimsy looking wooden door belying its sheer importance to you in that moment. You rap your knuckles against it, and after a moment you hear the click of a lock and find yourself face to face with the woman you'd heard so much about. Ai's face is lined with worry, and she's clearly been crying. Relief eases the worst of the stress visible on her face as she looks up at you.
"Oh, Wen - I mean, Minister Wen, it's good to see you at last," She stammers out, bowing so deeply you half-worry she's about to kowtow. You're not quite sure how to take it, but elect to respond with a (much more appropriate) nod of your own.
She flushes red as she realises she's committed a faux pas, and shoots back up, ushering you into the cramped apartment building. "She's been like this since…" Ai trails off, and you don't have to see her face to know how close to crying she is. "Please, Wen. She really looks up to you, do whatever you can I just…" She trails off again, deep, shuddering sigh breaking the silence of the room.
Confronted with your failure, you don't trust yourself to speak, humming your agreement as you walk up to the couch. Looking down at Jin Lei is physically painful, her face is pale in the dim light, and she looks almost like a husk, her eyes dull and unfocused. You sit down next to her and push a few stray strands of hair away, gently stroking your secretaries head. She shakes at your touch, and your hand recoils, before gently settling your hand on her shoulder instead. "Jin Lei, it's me." You find your voice after a few more moments, and are shocked by how weak it sounds.
Sitting here, on a lumpy couch, next to your most loyal assistant and aide, someone who believes in you more than anyone but your husband, and being unable to help her when she needs you, hurts you more deeply than almost anything you've ever dealt with.
And the worst part of this all, is you know why this has happened. From the moment you got a phone call about Lei, you knew. It's your fault, you've been so preoccupied with work, so focused on pushing perfection and excellence, meeting deadlines, winning over the press, and winning the war in Cabinet, that you'd neglected to make sure the people you depend on, the people like the poor girl crying right next to you, were okay. Some part of you knew that your singular focus could only ever lead to this, and you did nothing to stop it.
You can barely stop yourself, as you simply sit down on the couch and wrap the bundle in a hug with all your strength. A hiccup turns into a squeak of surprise, before a few folds of blanket fall away, revealing Jin Lei, dishevelled, glasses missing, and a face red with tears. "Ai-"
You're immediately snapped out from your inelegant breakdown, head snapping up to get a first proper look at your loyal assistant. She looks extremely rough, hair dishevelled, glasses missing, eyes still somewhat unfocused. "Jin Lei." You immediately cut her off, "I'm sorry."
She blinks, and her brow furrowed in confusion, eyes widening in recognition.. "What? M-Minister?"
"I am sorry. I am so, so sorry, for everything. For abandoning you, for today, for every fucking thing that has gone wrong that you did nothing to deserve. I'm- I'm sorry that I've expected so damn much, for constantly forcing you to pick up after me, to make you have to do extra work just so you can make me take a damn holiday."
Jin Lei blinks, shock clear on her face. "Minister..."
You gulp, trying to find the words before your silly secretary can say something like it was her own damn fault. You barely find the breath, but you roll on. "I know it's hard, and unfair, having to put up with shit that no one should have to. And I'm sorry, that you have to deal with those things, when I can barely-" your voice cracks, "when I can't-"
Jin Lei pulls her arms out of the blankets and, tentatively, hugs you. With that, the walls you've built up over decades of public service crumble like so much sand in the wind, and you bury your head in her neck and start to cry. All the pain and stress that the pest month has inflicted on your guarded soul rushes out, now ther is nothing to contain it. Jin Lei's grip on you strengthens, and you can hear you say something, but can't understand what, as you both let all the stress and pain out.
You don't know how much time passes between when you start crying, and when you stop. You're only roused out of the dour fugue when you hear the sound of a kettle, slowly raising your head from Lei's shoulder and blinking away some residual tears.
Ai fills her teapot, and brings over three cups, placing them out on the table. "Sorry if I woke you, Minister. Just figured...I'd make something soothing." She pours out the cups, and the familiar fragrance of wulong eases your spirit further, as well as awakening Jin Lei, who looks even worse off than you do. The steam rising from your tea cleanses the last of the negative thoughts, and you lean against your secretary as you both begin to drink, the warmth further easing the pain of your afternoon. Ai sips at her own cup of tea, and the creases of worry that crossed her face melt away into nothing as you all enjoy the companionable silence.
Your secretary takes a slow, shaky breath, before placing down her teacup. "I guess we both needed that, huh?" She rests her head on your shoulder, and her breathing becomes more steady. "Thank you, Hao."
"No, Lei. Thank you, for everything." Despite yourself, you let out a nervous laugh. "This hasn't been the most relaxing few months, and....I know I put a lot of expectations on you, I just…" You run out of steam and stop, both girls staring at you as you try to find better words. It takes what feels like an eternity, but is really just the time it takes Ai to refill your cup. "I think, all this chaos has made me realise just how much pressure we've all been under. I want to thank you for all you've been doing for me, and...I appreciate it, even if I don't say so anywhere near enough."
Jin Lei laughs tiredly. "I guess we both really need a break. Good thing all the work got done, huh?" She sits up at that, setting her cup down. "I suppose I better check in with Gao. We're already planning on giving everyone some time off for this, might as well take advantage of it. Ai," she looks up to her girlfriend, "can you pass me the phone, please? I need-"
"No." The petite woman crosses her arms, glaring at your secretary. "No phone. No calls. No work. You had me worried to bits about you, and now you want to work? No, I'm sure this Gao fellow can handle it."
You let the two bicker back and forth for a bit, taking another sip of your tea. You hadn't thought about it before, but you'd surely need to give everyone else time to recover. It'd line up well enough with your own holiday to Putuoshan, and then Jin Lei would get her own time to relax.
You pause, and think. And an idea crystallises. You look back up at Jin Lei pouting under Ai's lecture, and settle on a plan.
"Actually," the couple both look towards you as you speak, "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask Lei to make one call, Ai."
Jin Lei looks triumphant at this, but Ai simply turns her glare towards you. "Listen here, Minister, I just watched the both of you cry your hearts out over work, and if you think I'm going to let you order my girlfriend to do even more-"
"Actually, Ai, that's not the reason for this call," you interrupt. "This is something far more important than just that. Jin Lei," you turn to focus on your secretary, "do you still have the details down for the Putuoshan resort?"
Jin Lei blinks at the non-sequitur. "Uh, I do? I do."
You nod. "Good. Call them, and book another room. For you. You're coming."
Jin Lei nods absently, already following your orders, before her hand freezes by the phone, head snapping back to stare at you. "Me? I'm coming?"
"Yes, you're coming-" "Yes, you're going-" You and Ai both turn to each other, before nodding in agreement and facing Lei again. "You're coming-" "You're going."
Jin Lei looks between you both, before sighing. "I guess I'm not winning this one. I'll do that, Minister." She turns back towards the phone, picking it up and dialling some registered number.
"And," you interrupt, causing her to look back, holding the phone against her chest, "I really am sorry, Lei. For everything."
Jin Lei smiles, then giggles to herself, before leaning over to your face, and gently tapping her finger on your nose. "Forgiven, Hao. You're forgiven."
KarvokaQueen
Queen of the Coffee Cups
- Location
- City of Coffee, Upside-down land
Well, that was a dour interlude! Don't worry though, you'll get a much more cheerful beach episode soon.
In other news, I've also updated the turn results to include Growth this quarter. Despite the terrorism crisis, things are still looking pretty good in a purely economic sense!
In other news, I've also updated the turn results to include Growth this quarter. Despite the terrorism crisis, things are still looking pretty good in a purely economic sense!