The Governorate's Agony: Part 4
"Pri... Prime Minister... I can... I can still... keep going... I can do more...!"
"Isn't this enough already, Governor-General? You don't seem to have anything left to bet anyway. Just lie back and rest now. This isn't the first time today..."
The true clash of swords between Baltic Union Washington and Billeneuve Atlas Persephone only ended after Baltic, having lost every last chip he'd brought for today's game, threw a tantrum insisting he could go on—only to be restrained by the others and injected with sedatives until he went limp and jelly-like.
It had been a marathon of a battle, thrilling enough to have sweat beading on the palms of every spectator. Right up until the final deal, so many planetary systems and vested interests had shuttled back and forth between them that no one could even remember the full tally. It was a game played on a galactic scale.
Those who feared the outcome might leave some smoldering embers—an incomplete burn rather than total annihilation—hurried out, leaving only Billeneuve and Baltic behind. The courtesans, being "slaves" rather than "people," had to stay put even as the guests fled.
Baltic, who had reigned over the table like pure madness itself while the cards flew, seemed to regain his composure only after the sedative coursed through his veins. At Billeneuve's urging, he sprawled out on the sofa like a starfish, intending to pass the remaining time under the full-body caresses of the women... but the drugs had him so pinned that he couldn't even twitch his fingers properly.
"Pri...me... Min...is...ter... Don't... think... you've... beaten me... completely... Next time... I'll... crush you... for sure..."
"Governor-General. How many hundreds of times have I heard that now? You said the exact same thing yesterday and the day before. The man who got stripped down to his soul by my godlike poker skills sure has big ambitions. Hahaha!"
Billeneuve, his poker face fully shattered, laughed openly in front of Baltic. But he didn't forget to add in a whisper, "You know I'm just kidding, right?"—to ensure the loser's mood didn't sour permanently and end their poker rivalry for good.
With the game over and the entertainment fully enjoyed, Billeneuve called for food service as a small mercy to the defeated before taking his leave. Soon, exotic dishes were paraded in, drawing everyone's eyes. The savory aroma pierced the air, making Baltic's slumped body twitch... but the drugs kept him from rising.
After hours of nothing but cards, he had to be starving—yet here he was, unable even to eat the food that had been ordered for him! Just look at him, a man born with a dick between his legs, meekly accepting spoonfuls blown cool by sultry sluts.
"Hard to believe a general who once vied for supremacy with Grozny has fallen to this. Well, I should be off. I've got matters to handle back at my estate."
The truth was closer to Baltic getting one-sidedly crushed by Grozny, but that felt too blunt, so Billeneuve phrased it gently as he took his leave.
Billeneuve turned away as if he truly had no further business with the man and headed straight for his Mars estate, where he awaited only his master's return. He'd maintained a stone face in front of Baltic, bursting into laughter only at the end... but once home, he couldn't sit still. Pacing the room with a grave expression, something clearly weighed on him.
"The Governorate's luck must have finally run dry... I heard Grozny got himself an amusing new toy, but even so—to think a warrior would slump like that without even considering a fight. Made for some delicious entertainment at today's poker table, though..."
Billeneuve Atlas Persephone had always been far removed from true patriots by nature. Having betrayed his flesh-and-blood homeland, the Atlantis Empire, decades ago to sell it out to the Lucid Empire, his disdain for the Lucid-appointed Governor-General Baltic Union Washington could mean only one thing.
He was plotting to switch sides again. Having betrayed his country once already, what was one more time? The problem was that the Cates Empire, current hegemon of the world, maintained an anti-Lucid stance—leaving him no new rope to grab, just groaning in frustration.
Billeneuve himself had been the one to force the syringe into the rampaging Governor-General's neck at the banquet hall today, calming him down. Accepting the poker challenge had been a test to see if Baltic was the kind of man who could beat Grozny—and pocket money was just a bonus. If Baltic had been truly loyal to his "new homeland," the Lucid Empire, Billeneuve never would have bothered.
No promising ship named "Lucid Empire" seemed likely to sink anytime soon, no matter how much he stomped his feet. So, what to do in the meantime? After much deliberation, he hit on a good idea: replace the Governorate's head with someone a bit more trustworthy.
Closé Deputy Governor seemed less corrupt than Baltic and at least tried to get things done. Maybe reaching out first to swap Baltic for Closé as quickly as possible? No—Closé was already scheming against the Governor-General. Simply not interfering with those schemes might be enough.
Closé wouldn't last long against Grozny either, but he'd be better than Baltic. Sure, Closé would bolt at the first opportunity, but for now, with the Governorate's finances squeezed dry by Baltic's embezzling, he was at least trying to keep the fight going.
"Baltic used to charge headlong into Grozny's defenses in a haze of bloodlust, but lately he pulls back, claiming he can't afford the casualties. At this rate, I might get swept away by those resistance fools and their nonsense."
Billeneuve muttered to himself, nodding gravely. He knew full well how heavy his crimes were. Just the unauthorized treaty he'd stamped—stealing the imperial seal to sell out the nation without the Emperor's delegation—was enough for the death penalty. Resistance fighters, left and right alike, hated his guts.
Excluding the Lucid instigators of the Great War, I'd probably be their top arrest-and-execute target. But... I can't accept ending up like Baltic, turned into a beehive pizza by those damn commie bastards and strung up on the streets...!
Truth be told, Baltic's value now was nothing more than a cash-dispensing poker opponent. Billeneuve had already sucked him dry, front and back. And having seen with his own eyes how lax the man's security was, there was no reason to hesitate.
He'd spotted it when leaving the banquet hall, laden with food service for Baltic: at the exact moment he exited the room, Baltic was the only male left inside. No armed guards nearby, either. In other words, no one to protect him if things went south.
Maybe he skipped escorts to avoid looking like a coward, but with Lucid's homeworld plagued by constant coups, how long did he think he could hold the post? Did he really believe his underlings lacked the ambition or guts to assassinate him and take his place?
Forcing himself not to look cowardly by skimping on guards was pure hypocrisy—he'd long shown the classic coward's habit of fleeing key battles without even thinking of fighting the enemy.
Well, if some assassin exploited that sloppy security and punched a hole through Baltic's skull, it wouldn't matter—as long as the new Governor-General, Closé or whoever, protected Billeneuve's interests.
"Closé was scheming some prank against Baltic... said he wouldn't just kill him outright, right? Heh... heh... That 'tool' he's preparing to catch Baltic with—thinking about it still just makes me laugh."
As Prime Minister of the puppet Atlantis Empire, Billeneuve had planted spies in the Governorate to monitor internal conflicts, lurking plots, and who might oust the current top dog, Baltic, to claim the Governor-General's seat.
From various channels, it was clear: Deputy Governor Closé was plotting not mere death for his superior, but something far worse—a humiliation beyond dying. Using none other than the Kaldir Cocktail, which Baltic loved so much he'd drained the Governorate's coffers issuing production orders for it.
Even without my help, Closé won't hold back his grudge much longer—he'll blow it all up soon. Fine... I'll neither support Closé's plan nor tip off Baltic—just watch. Next, extend an olive branch to the conservative faction in the anti-Lucid resistance.
"Hey, I know you're waiting out there—come in already!"
Billeneuve finished his long deliberations and called out to the door. Several men rushed in, left a thick report on his desk, bowed deeply, and departed swiftly. The report was packed with intel on anti-Lucid resistance movements—information that had long guided Billeneuve's decisions on his footing.
Facing the common enemy of the Lucid Empire, Atlantis's myriad political factions had pledged to unite... but the rift between the right-wingers, who loathed communism and sought imperial restoration, and the left-wingers denying that very goal in favor of a republic, was deeper than imagined.
Accelerating that ideological chasm even further and sweet-talking right-wingers like myself would make them perfect insurance against contingencies. Such divide-and-conquer was the Governorate's job by rights, but with its head lost to booze, smokes, gambling, and women, what choice was there?