Middle Management (Book two of the Yaatra Hombre series)

The Long Term

            The president of the USS was currently in his limo being driven in a visit to island of Brooklyn on the New York City Archipelago. He got the call from Director Brook that Mao Shih has been identified as the leader of Middle Management. President Li Jingping could feel a headache forming.

He only encountered the now disgraced business woman at fundraisers for his presidential campaign, as well as his party. She never made spectacle of herself and any publicity about her being minimal, well until now. He looked down on his phone to find a message from his press secretary demanding a meeting about reports of a destroyed ship in the corporate system that the press was starting to report on. He was soon to be briefed on it when he gets to his hotel.

Before he reached the hotel his phone started ringing. He looked down to see the Prime Minister's work number. He sighed in frustration. "Madam Prime Minister how may I help you?"

"I just got a call from Book." She started. "Apparently, the person who was in charge of the mysterious organization Middle Management was prominent Chinese businesswoman and frequent political donor to many of the Chinese Systems political parties."

"It's just one corrupt woman."

"A corrupt woman that left an opening for a political attack."

"I won the election last year; I can take and deflect the heat." He said calmly.

"It's not you that I am worried about it's the other parties in our coalition." She yelled at him.

He wiped his eyes at that. "You don't think..."

"My coalition is made of multiple parties from multiple planets and systems." She told him. "They will smell and see the blood in the water."

"You got the parties to sign..."

"Yes, but that can be self-righteous if they don't get something to keep the coalition after your party is bogged in scandal." She told him.

The president sighed. "I haven't talked with the party head."

"I'm sorry that it will come to this, but we must do what we can to keep our allies our allies." She said hanging up.

President Li scrolled through his contacts before calling the party head. "Mr. Dong I have bad news."

Somewhere in the Soviet System, five individuals were in a board room siting around a circular table. "Our operation to dismantle the galaxies credit laundry service and we can start our own." A bald male in his sixties told them.

"Our partners across the galaxy are quite happy with the news of more money coming their way." A red headed woman told them.

"Will they be ready?" The bald man asked.

"The leaders assured me that they will be." She told him.

"Regardless we only need 30% of them to participate." A man in his fifties with a full set of black hair and wore a finely pressed military uniform. "We have to be aware that groups may just take the money and not follow, or the authorities get the drop on them."

"I also make sure that those selected for the Blitz have strong reasons to take on the USS, and their local puppets." A man wearing a black robe in his sixties said stroking his long beard. "Hopefully god will talk to them to give them the courage to fight evil."

"We are close to our goal, but we have to hurry and wash our credits, the USS will still find and close the backdoor and they will be able to track us down." A man in his late 30's said.

The bald man hummed. "That has been taken into account and by the time they figure everything out an independent Soviet System will be accomplished."

All five of them raised their glasses of vodka. "For the motherland." The redheaded woman said.

"For the motherland." The rest repeated before downing their vodka.

In the Ministry of Justice in Rome, Nuova Italia, the Minister of Justice was in her office with a couple of her prosecutors looking over the recordings of the Middle Management board meeting. She had an agitated look on her face. She glared at the footage and at one person in particular.

"This just came form the USS, can anyone tell me why an investigation was never started on Maria Maresca?"

The two prosecutors looked at their boss nervously. "It's because there was nothing that would get an investigation started."

"No one went to the police, and no one blew the whistle on anything illegal within the company."

"But she is family with known organized crime members!" She yelled.

"That is not a reason to start an investigation in one of the largest private security companies in all of Europe." The other prosecutor told her.

"Yeah well the public won't hear that explanation." The minister said. "Maresca's company provided security to 30% of all of Italias events, now that the CEO is going to be outed as being a member of the board of Middle Management."

The minister took a deep breath. "Given the financial implications of the crimes allegedly committed, I have to freeze all the companies accounts workers are going to go unpaid and events are going to be cancelled."

In the department of Justice, Washington I.C., United Planet of America, the Attorney General was meeting with the FBI director. "This Paul Milligan what do we know about him?" He asked the director.

"A few charges of drug possession a couple decades ago but beyond that nothing out of the ordinary." The director told him.

"So, he kept a low profile all these years."

"Pretty much, we are planning a raid on many of the companies under his name, and we are putting him on our wanted list."

"Alright, the president is going to want updates by the day."

On the Yaatra Hombre, the crew were relaxing between destinations playing mahjong. The TV was on playing the news. "This is breaking news."

"This just in the head prosecutor has called a press conference with developments on the Middle Management investigation."

The TV turned to a press conference Xi Wu Brook was standing behind a podium. "Greetings everyone, thank you for coming." He started. "I called you her with the announcement that five members of the board of Middle Management and their leader are confirmed to be deceased while two other members are at large."

"Before I release the names of the fugitives let me take a moment to release the names of the deceased." He started before reading off the list of names. "The deceased are the leader Mao Shih and board members Kenichi Matsumoto, Wang Otgobayar, Zhu Li Cho, Muhammad Modi, and Habib Oni."

Brook took a moment before continuing. "We can confirm the deaths by recording made by an undercover team and through the wreckage of the Costa Santa Maria."

That announcement started a frenzy of reporters trying to get the head prosecutors attention. Brook raised his hands to calm the press. "I still have more details to tell you about and after I will take your questions."

"There are believed to at least two board members that have escaped." He continued speaking. "The two are Maria Maresca and Paul Milligan."

Angel then turned the Chanel to a soccer game between the Chanel to a soccer game between San Marino Calcio and Sudtirol in a Serie C game for the middle of the table. None of the crew were paing attention as they continued playing.