Secretary - General Guy Ambitious

Guy Ambitious, the secretary-general of defence, was in dismay. Not only his trump card Hades was killed, but the other subordinates were not performing the way they should. And to his misery, Raisena, the son of the Commander General of the Combined Armed Forces, was making his mark. 'If it continues, my plan will be foiled' was his constant worry. While he was racing his thoughts in his office, his secretary knocked, "With your due permission, may I come in?". "Yes, you may,"  he ordered rather coldly. His secretary entered his office with a red envelope in her hand and a terrified expression on her face. She said, "Sir, a messenger from the Prime Minister's office came with a message addressed to you,"  showing him the envelope and passing it over to him. She continued, "The messenger also said that it was urgent and that you must reach the Prime Minister's office by 4 in the evening. Failing to do so will result in a penalty." "Prime Minister called me? It's not going to be good. Not good, not good. Anyways, thank you; you may continue your work. Also, if the Brigadier arrives, tell him to meet at my residence tomorrow." "As you wish, sir," and she left. Guy gave a horrid look at the envelope took a paper knife and tore open the envelope. His eyes widened as he saw the contents of the letter. All his worries were pouncing his brain. "Oh my God, how did he? No, first, when did he? No, no, no, something is off. The defence minister maybe? No, he can't. The old man? No, he is sly but still a cautious man. Then who?" His mind was running wild; he was blank; he could not think of anything else. He gave a deep sigh of worry and looked up. It was already three. "It can't be helped, to face him.  I guess. I have to face him. Let's prepare for the worst." He stood up from his chair, adjusted his uniform, took his coat and ordered his secretary to prepare his official car. It will take about 45 mins to reach 7th Street where the Prime Minister's office is located. Ideally, it takes under 20 minutes but because of the heavy rains, because of road repair and added traffic in between, it took way beyond 1 hour for the civilians and low-ranking officials. But because of his rank and the red star on his car, he could go easily. He hurried towards his car, and his valet opened the door for him and he ordered his chauffeur to speed towards the 7th Street. 

It was around 3:50 when he arrived at the 7th Street. He asked his valet to confirm his meeting with the receptionist. He looked at the large and beautiful white complex that stood in front of him, with huge gardens and beautiful ponds filled with lilies. He turned his head and saw beautiful moss gardens and pretty willow. "Every time I come to this place, the realization of my status comes to me. It makes me realize every time that there is someone who is always above me, and here there he is!". After receiving affirmation from the reception, he entered the huge white building with Southern architecture. He climbed the stairs and arrived at the waiting area, and then he was taken into the office. The Prime Minister and Personal Secretary to the Emperor, 'Sardar' Vikram Bahadur 'Nirala', the second most powerful person in the Empire after the royal family, was looking outside the window by the curtains. His office, compared to other top-ranking officials, was relatively large. Books and important documents towered his huge rosewood desk. To the right, he could see many books and papers in his library. A large sofa set was in the centre with a huge oval table. Beautiful Persian carpets covered the floor. The room was spacious and brightly lit. The Prime Minister turned towards Guy, greeted him with his iconic smile, and gestured for him to sit. "Greetings Secretary-General, How are you? I hope my message arrived on time. I was a bit worried that if it arrived late, then I wouldn't have been able to see you," Sardar said eloquently. "Thank you, sir; I am fine due to the grace of God. I was also a bit surprised when I received your letter and when I was told to come here." "You were not expecting it, am I right?". "No, sir, it's not like that."  Guy stopped as he saw a man in black uniform open the door and bow to the Prime Minister, and then he served tea, offering to the Prime Minister and Guy. He bowed again and left the office. 

'Sardar' sipped his tea and then looked upwards, and then he spoke authoritatively, "I will be very blunt. I advise you to abandon the idea. We already know what you are planning. You will end up being labelled as a traitor and at best tried for treason or sent to exile, which is unlikely. Your plan was great, but you forgot the eyes that were watching you. It is funny. And it is sad. This empire is united by one belief but divided by ethnicities. Even though we follow the same faith, we are now divided by the difference in our ethnicity. Your mission to grab power to create a separate state for Anglis people is sad. Neither the Emperor nor I would tolerate further division of this state. We have witnessed once, and you all know the consequences. We will not let another Reedia form." Sardar stopped. He observed the Secretary-General; his face was getting paler. Sardar took another sip of tea from his cup. He continued, "Oh my, I lost my cool. Don't worry, I have a proposal for you, but first, you must answer me, Who gave you the idea? No more importantly, where did the idea come from?" 

Secretary-General Guy Ambitious was defeated by the Prime Minister. He was sitting in front of a formidable force. Deciding the prime minister was not an option. He had to admit defeat. Suddenly he felt something hot over his thigh. He saw his hand shaking, and tea was pouring over his thigh. He was defeated, and there was nothing left he could do. With a heavy defeated voice, he spoke, "I admit my defeat, Mr. Prime Minister; I wholeheartedly admit it. I have no words to explain. I am at a loss for words. So many things happened so quickly. The lust for power blinded me. But never have I ever taken the wrong path. Never have I ever tried to eliminate my political opponents. My selfishness led to the deaths of many of my companions. It all started when I was at the military academy. Many students there came from many backgrounds. It was fun. But we never knew that we were already starting to form a wall. It was one during our lunch break. We were all at the dining hall when a guy from the northern states started making a fuss. It was because a Perian boy was sitting next to him. Similar things were happening here and there in my neighbourhood too. I don't know how the seed of division started growing in my mind. And then the Reedian government, under the command of Devrai, formed an Anglis state, and then the riots broke out between the Anglis people and the Watana people from the north. We were leaving in peace for years and years in the north, sir! Both Anglis and Watana people. Not all Anglians are like Devrai, sir! And yet, the ones who decided to stay were stuck in a riot with those with whom we had lived in harmony for hundreds of years. It was when I sought to gain power, to make our voices heard. But in the way, I was distracted, the devils illusioned me, and I deviated from my goal. I started assembling people under the pretext of getting them more rights. I was using them. And because of that, one of my most trusted men—I think you know him, sir—Hades had to die. And this was when I lost track. I started making mistakes, and now I have been annihilated. But sir, please don't hurt any of my companions. They have nothing to do with it. It is a request from a defeated man. Please accept it. Please."

"I see. Well, Mr. Secretary, I have a proposal for you. You know, after the formation of Reedia, the Empire changed its policy, and it is now advocating equal representation in all sections of society, and despite this, we are still fighting with each other. I am a Para, you are an Anglian, our Emperor is a Deccan, the Empress is Perian, and so on. We are all from different ethnicities. But we are all the citizens of Akol, and that is the factor that makes us united. As long as you do your duty for your nation, nothing else matters. This Empire has 10 major ethnic groups and many other smaller minor ethnicities. In its 100 years of existence, no event has happened in which we were fighting in a civil war. The only sad event was the division of Reedia, but it was not because of the ethnic differences; it was all political. As you can see, even after 20 years of its existence, Reedia fails to prove itself as a state that can live with peace, and on the other hand, we, the people of Akol, are standing tall. And this is all that matters." The prime minister stopped. Then he took out some papers that were beside him. He presented them to Guy and told him to look at them. "You see, Mr. Secretary, these documents indicate that the Commander General is planning something 'bad'. It is problematic since no soldier will disobey the command of their boss. And before they realize what they are doing, it will be too late. You see, my very purpose of calling you at this hour, making you accept your mistakes, and giving you a proposal to retribute to your mistake is because of this very reason. I want you to join the side of the Emperor. And if you do, all the charges framed against you will be removed. You will also be awarded the position of Chief of Military Staff, a new position replacing the Commander-General and the Secretary-General posts. You will have to assist us, and we will assist you. I know you feel very strongly towards ethnic discrimination, and you know, we all want to eliminate the ethnic differences from this Empire. So what do you say? Will you join us? Will you help us in removing scum from this nation? Will you, Mr. Secretary-General? Will you?"

Guy Ambitious was flabbergasted. He was surprised. This came from nowhere. Thoughts were running through his mind: 'So the cabinet knows that something is going on inside the Defense Ministry, and they have successfully uncovered half of the truth. They also know the backgrounds of the key people involved. They cannot be underestimated. It is better to ally with them, and also the idea of forming a nation is too out of context. Instead of committing treason, I will get that old man out, and then I will have full control of the military. But can I trust the Cabinet? Damn it, I am stuck. I have no option left.' With a sigh, he accepted the proposal. The Prime Minister called for his assistant. The same guy in black uniform came and handed over a bunch of paper to Guy, and the Prime Minister told him to sign it. After all was done, the Prime Minister himself escorted Guy Ambitious out of the building. As he was about to sit in his car, the Prime Minister whispered, "You know, Mr Secretary, the Brigadier is my trusted right man, and so is your driver... And Hades is alive," and before Guy could say a word, the man in black uniform closed the door and his car zoomed out of sight.