The Script

[Marcus DuBois]

Office of the Consul on Public Engagement, Propaganda, and Interdominance Relations

Alexandrova Lesya Vladislavovna sat at her desk and stared through the screens floating before her. The hum of the air circulating in the room was whisper quiet, a white background upon which to frame her thoughts.

The Ascendancy's directive lay in her mind, made all the more sharp by the revelation earlier in the week. Both she and Leonid had known of course. Knowledge was the currency of the world and between the two of them, there was little across the empire and world they didn't catch at least some whisper of.

In this, though, they knew for the most simple of reasons. Because Nikolai had told them. They were his to the core, part of his inner circle. Not the Sphere and its Privileges. That was politics. That was show. That was reward for those who needed to be bought. No. They were in the true Sphere. And they made his will known, shaped the people he ruled- or would one day rule.

And now there was a new need. The revelation had been...controversial. Privately she wondered if it had been necessary. Leonid had seen it as opportunity. It could be. If it could be shaped, controlled.

Awe would wear off. Awe would give way to familiarity. And the saying was true regarding familiarity. It was what those unknown gospel writers, in perhaps the greatest work of propaganda ever written, has shown so clearly. Miracles were miracles...until they were common place. And they became common place very quickly.

This needed to keep its vitality, its importance. It needed to be nurtured and fed, but not openly, not obviously. The appearance needed to be of comfort and acceptance of the newly strange. The truth was more subtle. Nikolai needed to be viewed as a god by all. Anything overt would be rejected outright. They needed a deft hand.

And so Alexandrova pored over the internet, combing through journals and posts and articles and threads, seeking voices, fresh voices, young voices. Voices that could speak the truth they needed to hear.

A few were promising. It could not be a sycophant, not a gushing man or woman with a childish crush. It needed to be powerful and emotion filled but logical and forceful and undeniable.

She read until the words ran together. But it was enough. She had to make a choice. She singled out three prospects, three that seemed to be what she wanted. She would look for more. This wasn't the job of one person. But it was a beginning.

She forwarded the samples to Leonid along with her thoughts.

Example:
"Supersition. Myth. Supernatural. Powers."
Author presents an interesting perspective. The connection to mythology is a tantalizing one, not simply for history's sake. Connecting Asc's power to past myths satisfies the need to make him appear comfortable. The god who abides by law, by elections. The god that can live with man, as may have happened in the past. But the implication, perhaps not realized by Ms. Alohkin, is that connecting him to the ancient gods bathes him in their light, in their power. Even subconsciously, this sense of worship and awe can be kindled. I recommend an invitation for further interview.

Leonid soon responded. She had waited only for a second set of eyes and his thoughts, though in truth she knew what he'd say. Their partnership went back decades, each of them coming to know and trust each other. And it was a partnership, an alien thing in this place of insatiable lust for power.

His responses, when they came, were expected.

Invitations were extended. Travel arrangements were made. Now came the interesting part.


Edited by Marcus DuBois, Aug 3 2016, 11:41 PM.