The Story Of One World I, Chapter VIII, Part I — Ombro, The Counselor
Ombro
She chided herself for her crude handiwork. Not only had she taken excessive risks by staging an assault in the police station at an inopportune time, depleting her already scarce energy reserves, but she had also placed herself in a highly precarious position. Her actions soon would be severely limited, potentially derailing the entire plan. However, she quickly revised certain plan elements to accommodate the changing situation. For now, she would have to release control over the figures of Judzhur Temanov and Kevar Argomantis — they would become temporarily inaccessible — and instead introduce a new element. Ombro was reluctant to play this card so early and would have gladly avoided the necessity altogether, but circumstances demanded swift decisions.
Well, this element was not much worse than bringing revolutionaries into the game, and in some ways, it was even better. Holistic solutions — often crucial in solving complex problems — must never forget that the weakness of the whole is determined by the frailty of its weakest link. In contrast, strength operates oppositely. So far, strength had not been an issue, but weakness was becoming increasingly risky. She thought risk should be viewed not as a danger but an opportunity.
She found the necessary house quickly — it blended into the background of the luxurious homes of the Aristocratic Crescent, yet it was crafted with exceptional taste to the trained eye. She approached the shady path to the neat wooden door and quickly switched from her camouflage suit to her own. Breaking tradition, she didn’t smash or blow the door open; instead, she simply knocked.
The door opened almost immediately. The man standing on the threshold wore a perfectly tailored, severe suit. His features were pale and delicately precise as if carved from marble or ice. To Ombro, his face disturbingly reminded her of someone else from another life, and this resemblance pleased her.
Judging by the man’s reaction, he recognized the visitor, too:
“Ah, Ms. Zealot. I assure you, killing someone as insignificant as myself will yield you no benefit,” he said, his voice steady and confident. Ombro always admired people who could maintain their composure and exhibit resilience.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Counselor. I have no intention of killing you. I need your help.”
The Counselor
He was not afraid. He understood it probably made sense to fear the odd lady sitting in his living room, occupying his favorite armchair, mere meters away from him — yet he did not feel fear. The Counselor was deeply fascinated by people — their behavior, motives, desires, and aspirations. One might even say that analyzing people was his favorite hobby. However, this particular individual remained a mystery to him. He could not discern her desires, which stirred genuine interest and a dreadful unease, almost a physical itch in his brain.
“So, Ms…”
“Ombro. Ombro Kashita,” the guest replied in a gravelly, low voice.
“So, Ms. Kashita, how may a humble public servant assist you today?”
“Let’s start by clarifying how our cooperation could benefit you. You’re a man who has dedicated his life to managing public opinion, adept at manipulating people, so my methods are unlikely to seem dishonorable or incorrect to you.”
“Suppose you’re right. Continue, I’m listening.”
“Let’s start with the bad news: I know who you were before you became the Counselor. I know about your connection with Faethon Savone. And I know about your activities outside of work. Thus, as you understand, your fate entirely depends on how I use this information.”
“Fascinating, Mr. Kashita. Could you share it with me? I fear I’m blissfully unaware.”
“You’re keeping your composure, which I like. But as you wish. Your real name, which you have diligently and effectively erased from all databases, is Salahakara Savone. The (now infamously) renowned General Faethon Savone is your brother. I traced the deletion of your records — two months before your current appointment and one month before Faethon signed his penultimate officer’s contract. I trust you’re smart enough not to deny it.”
“Well, I see no point in disputing that,” the Counselor mused, eyeing his interlocutor, “Proceed.”
“Excellent. Based on all the facts at my disposal, I concluded it’s highly likely that you are aware of your brother’s views and support them. I checked further, probing deeper. I noticed several minor facts, each innocuous on its own but together painting a clear picture. Unusual money transfers to offshore accounts, periodically ambiguous statements to the press. Overlaying all this with your brother’s actions and views, it’s clear your real actions don’t align with your position as Ungurabut’s closest advisor.”
“And you repeatedly mentioned ‘my brother’s views.’ Could you enlighten me on what you know about Faethon’s views?”
“And still, you dodge, Counselor. But then, it’s hard to blame you; your position is precarious. I’ll answer this, too. For now, just a hello from Inisio,” Ombro observed him: the Counselor visibly flinched at the name, then realizing the futility of further evasion, smiled slightly and nodded, “Good, Counselor. So, I served under Faethon long enough to understand his real goals. I assume you know what happened on Fraktura, so now we know everything: you, your brother, and me.”
“You served in the 379?” the Counselor exclaimed in astonishment.
“Yes, I did.”
“But there were no women in the squad… Well, never mind. Yet, at least one more person knows what your squad did on that planet: Kevar Argomantis. Unless, of course, you are him.”
“Thank God, I am not him. But he doesn’t know.”
“How is that possible?”
“Didn’t your brother tell you?”
“We had very little time to talk before he… went about his business.”
“I see. Argomantis is not a problem for us — only for a while. I’ll take care of him. Due to some childhood psychological trauma or something similar, he completely lacks any memory of his life’s most unpleasant moments. So for him, the events on Fraktura ended exactly as reported: objectives achieved, the enemy neutralized.”
“I see. That’s reassuring to hear. Since he arrived in the capital, I’ve been closely monitoring him, especially after he contacted the police following his brother’s murder. By the way, could you explain the choice of targets?”
“Yes, easily: the treasurer had been working for the past few months to secure funding for a new cleansing campaign, including an action to re-inspect and re-cleanse Fraktura by General Kai’s ‘Solvo’ group. The Minister of Culture and Propaganda was preparing the ground for shaping public opinion. I assume you’re aware of that. Both their assistants were strong enough to take their places immediately, so they also had to be eliminated. Now it
will take a considerable amount of time to find suitable replacements for them all, and to further complicate this process, I will need your help. But more on that later.”
“And whom do you plan to eliminate next?”
“There aren’t many targets left, but they will be difficult to remove. Moreover, the military’s involvement complicates things further. By eliminating the officers who were directly involved in the search for Faethon and attempted to expose me, I set them back several weeks but also tied my own hands. Here again, I will need your help.”
“I understand. You started with the ‘bad.’ In my understanding, you will end with the ‘good.’ Am I correct?”
“Yes, Counselor, you are right. The good for you is that if you help implement my plan, I will keep your secrets and give you what you most desire: power. Once my plan is fully implemented, I will need someone ready to take responsibility for the state. Someone wise enough to lead the new country. And I see that potential in you.”
“Well, Ms. Kashita, lay out your plan.”
Continued here:
The previous part is here:
