Order of Magnitude

LI. Domestic Terrorism

     Prime Minister Sloane slogged to his office. It was time for his morning briefing. The worst part of his day. Since he was privy to a lot of information that the general public would never know he always felt that a heavy burden was constantly on his chest. But even worse than the secrets that John Q. Public didn't know were the ones that he did. Reports of ordinary citizens being murdered by parvs were all over the news, and the public was looking to him for answers. It was times like this when he cursed those fools in the Assembly for voting him into office.

      Maris was the first to speak. She was always the first to speak when she had particularly bad news. Deep down, Sloane wondered if she relished the idea of making his day miserable. He loathed her for that.

      "Another person was killed last night," she said. "That's four this week altogether."

      "So far," Jagger added.

      Sloane studied their faces. Was that a hint of a smile fighting at the corners of Maris's mouth? Probably, he thought. The sadist.

      "That's tragic, indeed, but the important thing right now is keep doing what we've been trying to do. Once we get word out about our new Parv Patrol Unit, then the people will start to feel more safe and secure."

      Maris cleared her throat significantly.

      "What is it now?" he barked at the mousy young woman.

      "The treasurer is having difficulty allocating funds for the Parv Patrol."

      Sloane had to laugh out of his frustration. He looked his demure adviser right in the eyes. "They better find it," he said. "The public is more scared than ever. We need to reassure them that they are safe, and a special unit to hunt down and kill their enemies will do just that."

     "The public will settle down," Jagger said. "We haven't suffered many civilian casualties, so statistically they are already safe. We need to remind them of that."

      "Safe? Men and women are being murdered in their homes, and you want me to tell them that they are safe?"

      "No, but maybe we should remind them that they are at a greater risk of winning the lottery than being attacked by a parv."

      "Tell that to the guy who was killed last night. Or the other three this week. Tell their families that they are still safe."

      "It is a shame that this is happening, Mr. Prime Minister, but fear-mongering is not the way to get results."

      Sloane pounded his fist on the table. It took all of his strength to not call her an insulting name, but that's what made him the stalwart leader that he was. "This is not fear-mongering," he said. "How can you be so dense that you don't understand that? The public is looking to us to solve this problem, and that's just what I'm going to do. Once we announce the formation of an entire government-funded group whose sole purpose is to eliminate parvs, then everyone will start to feel better."

      "But the government can't fund this group. Not without serious restructuring of-"

      "Maris, please step outside of the room," Sloane said evenly.

      "Excuse me."

      "You heard me, get of here. You're relieved of your position."

      Maris looked to Jagger for support, but he kept his mouth shut, and focused on the floor for a few moments. She took one last look at her former boss, and gracefully glided out of the room.

      When the door slammed shut, Jagger stared the Prime Minister in the eyes. "That wasn't wise, sir," he said. "If people believe that there is turmoil from this office it could undercut the effectiveness of our message."

      "There's plenty of room out there for you, you know."

      Jagger swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm just saying we should consider our moves very carefully."

      "I am," Sloane smiled for the first time in days. "I've already thought of a work-around for our treasury."

      "You have?"

      "Of course. I'm not a complete idiot." The Prime Minister picked up his telephone and pushed a few numbers with complete confidence and authority. "Frank," he said curtly. "Draft me an immediate executive order to divert funding from our standing military to our new Parv Patrol Unit. Thank you." He hung up the phone without giving Frank a chance to respond.

      Jagger was stunned. "Sir, without a strong army, we-"

      "We what? Won't be able to send relief to Evangelina? Who cares. Are problems right now are not foreign, they are domestic. We have to secure our own nation from the terrorists that reside within. And our army can't do that." Jagger nodded his head, but Sloane could tell he was still apprehensive. "Relax, buddy," he chuckled. "Once we eliminate these pests we can realign our budget, and it will be like none of this ever happened. Heck, we'll probably be regarded as heroes for this. Now, is there anything else?"

      Jagger shook his head fiercely. "No, sir."

      "Then you're done here, see yourself out. And Jagger, I hope for your sake you bring me better news tomorrow."