The Fringe Wars

4.11

Dogmatic Decisions

Parliament, Myr

Gabriel Heid was growing tired of inept underlings. Every day, he spent more hours supervising others' duties than keeping an ear to each of the colonies. He had to remind himself that he needed patience for just a bit longer. He'd devoted his entire life to strengthening the Collective. He'd sacrificed everything and everyone he loved to see his vision become a reality. The war would be over soon, as he'd projected, and the Collective would be stronger than ever once his Forces established profitable control over the colonies and, thus, the Collective overall.

Heid had desired an upheaval. Statistically, civilizations prospered when a significant conflict took place once every generation. But Seda Faulk had escalated what should've been a series of straightforward riots for equal rights into a war for independence. The rogue had caused unnecessary deaths and expenses, and it would take years for the Collective to recover from the recession the torrents' antics had brought on. As a result, Heid had to adjust his plans and forcibly take control of all the fringe stations, stretching the CUF's resources more thinly than expected.

Citizens were drastically outnumbered by colonists, especially within the CUF. He'd been fortunate the operations had gone swiftly, but as long as Seda was alive, the torrents could still complicate Heid's plans. He didn't want to kill the Terran—Seda's death would inspire additional revolts that the CUF would then have to expend further resources to quell—but the time had come that Seda's death, and its aftermath, was a necessity to ensure success.

He opened the desk drawer to his left to reveal a small safe. After entering a ten-digit passcode, the door slid open to reveal a single tablet. He pulled out the tablet that was known to himself and very few others. After going through the security protocols, he tapped out a message that needed few words.

Ranger–

Approval granted to terminate Aeronaut.

For the free...

–Mason

Heid closed the tablet and returned it to his desk safe, pushed to his feet, and strode to his office door. All senators had offices on the second floor, though the offices of the co-chairs—Heid and Etzel—were the largest and most opulent, larger than most fringe homes.

Parliament looked more like a castle than a government building, courtesy of the Myrad architect who'd designed the structure. Alluvians generally took more to clean lines and open spaces. Heid prided himself on embracing both cultures in his environment. Classical silver pieces—but not too many—sat atop Alluvian bamboo tables.

He wiped a fingerprint from a one-of-a-kind casting of a fishing vessel. He'd liked the art piece so much that he'd paid the artist to destroy his cast, ensuring only Heid could savor that particular specimen.

He left his office within the Parliament building and hadn't walked more than five feet from his office before his assistant rushed forward.

"Senator, I need your signature."

Heid stopped. "Of course you do, Jasmine." He pressed his thumbprint over at least a dozen forms and letters before handing the tablet back. "I've often said that when it comes to politics, the size of the thumbprint is far more important than the volume of the voice."

"You are a wise man," she said before changing the subject. "They've finished the wall. It's stunning. Have you seen it?"

"I was heading there before you stopped me."

Jasmine shrank. "My apologies, Senator."

He squeezed her shoulder. "No need to apologize. You're doing your job, and you're doing a fine job at that."