Washington, D.C.

Number One Observatory Circle

(Official Residence of the Vice President of the United States)

Vice President Philip Cain was not in a good mood, but looking at him it was hard to tell. One of the things he always took great pride in was his complete control over his emotions and facial expressions. That control was a deciding factor why he never lost a game of poker, except when it suited him.

Even when by himself, he always presented an image he carefully cultivated; an image of composure, sophistication, and culture. It was one of the secrets of his success, but there were other secrets, those that no one knew about.

Even his rise to this exalted position of the USA vice Presidency was planned by him from the start. If he wished, he could have easily run and won the election for the presidency. Despite that, a step away from the ultimate spotlight suited him more. From here, he could influence decisions and somewhat stay away from the direct piercing gaze of the media. This function granted him a certain amount of power, but that power was small in comparison to the one he enjoyed as the Primus of the ‘High Council’.

The position he inherited from his father, who inherited it from his. Philip Cain was bred and conditioned from his birth to rule the undeserving masses, to be first among all men. That was belief his father ingrained into his very soul, that he was better than anyone else, and that his ultimate destiny was to control and direct the path of all humanity.

Then that idiot, Hashim Osmani almost messed up his plans. The Millennial Sports Arena attack was an extraordinary failure, but he never had any high hopes for its success. The money invested was of those beneath him, he personally did not lose a single dime. What’s more, he will find a way to exploit their failure, making his hold on the entire Council much stronger. Even more, the atmosphere of the widespread and heightened fear could be exploited for his personal gains.

Still, Hashim Osmani’s senseless attack on the President without asking permission was… unforgivable. Not that it mattered, but the crazy fool should have done the right thing and fall on his sword. It was a moot point now; Mr. Osmani has died from a heart attack while recuperating at the highly secured room in the hospital. He smiled, thinking of one of the quotes his father often said. It was by Joseph Stalin, “Death is the solution to all problems. No man—no problem.”

Nevertheless, there was a new problem he needed to deal with, a new player that had to be taken off the board. Just an insignificant upstart who thought that he could change his fate; it would not be the first, and certainly not the last idealist he had put beneath the ground.

He listened to that idiot babble some utopian nonsense on the CCTV video from the President’s attack and realized he could potentially become an obstacle for his future plans. As Mr. Stalin said, problems of such nature have an easy solution. First and foremost, Philip Cain was born to rule.

Vice President took one last look at the file he has been reading, before exiting the room. It was a thick Military Intelligence file, with an oversized TOP SECRET stripe across it.

The name scribbled on top of it with a big black permanent marker was… MICHAEL FREEMAN

The End of Book 1

***

And thus ends the first installment of The Space Legacy.

But have no fear (Max is here), and the story is far from over. ٩(- ̮̮̃-̃)۶

Before I start uploading Book 2, Max has a few things to say, so from the next Wednesday you will be graced with his personal take on some things (and you will finally find out what that AI is truly like).

Igi

P.S. Max and I hope you stay in good health during these trying times. And may the deity of your choice bless you all.

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"Sometimes rank is a function of firepower.'"

Schlock Mercenary maxim

;)