OOC: For 'Part One', please see Scions of the Red Planet
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14th December 2265
The Chancellory
Political District, Marinopolis
Mars, Martian Confederacy
First Chancellor Amelia Zhang was pouring over the latest opinion polling with considerable interest, even though opinion polling didn't really mean that much in the grand scheme of Martian politics. Although the Martian Confederacy was nominally a democracy with all of the obvious elements such as universal suffrage and regular elections, the truth was that the electoral system always favoured the so-called 'territorial dynasties'. While each of the fifteen constituent territories had elections to decide four senators to send to the Confederate Senate and one Executive Representative to send to the Confederate Council, those elections were populated by candidates handpicked by the families that exerted influence over those territories. Not only that, but the electronic voting system was operated by Hwaseong Voting Systems, one of the many, many subsidiaries of Hwaseong Industries, the Red Planet's ever-dominant single megacorporation. While it was absolutely a conflict of interest for Hwaseong to be so heavily integral to the Martian democratic system given the fact that it was also represented by four senators and an Executive Representative, the megacorporation had actually proven itself to be a guardian of the flawed democracy in the past. The Zhang family had risen to become the territorial dynasty of Marinopolis after the Townsend family was overthrown by Hwaseong and the other families for attempting to establish themselves as effective dictators of Mars, and First Chancellor Zhang recognised the debt that her family therefore owed to the megacorporation. Of course, Hwaseong Industries and its controlling Yi family did not really care that much about safeguarding democracy, it had been more a case of punishing the Townsends for becoming too clumsily ambitious. The megacorporation would gladly work with any form of administration, provided that Hwaseong's privileged position was protected.
Still, the opinion polling gnawed at the First Chancellor somewhat, despite knowing that she enjoyed the support of the elites of Martian society. Somebody at Hwaseong had obviously decided to have some fun and had included Seong-hun Yi as an option in the opinion polls, and it made for rather embarrassing reading. The Hwaseong heir and 'Elf Prince of Mars' had topped the polls for trustworthiness, public recognition, humility, everything. While she would've expected as much due to Seong-hun's people skills and the always-favourable coverage that his activities received from the Hwaseong-controlled entertainment media, one particular entry stood out as a genuine bruise to her ego.
Voting intention, she thought. Who the hell thought to ask people about who they would rather vote for?
Seeing the twenty-four-year-old's name as the top choice for a hypothetical election conducted between the names on the list was an irritation to be sure. The chime of the office door drew Zhang's attention away from the information as her requested guest had arrived rather promptly. "Come in."
The office door slid open and in walked Milo Woodward, Minister for Commerce and Finance and Hwaseong's Executive Representative. The sixty-one-year-old ran a hand over his short grey hair as he entered, offering his best friendly smile to the First Chancellor. "You asked to see me, First Chancellor?"
Zhang peered at him from behind her desk. "Yes, Minister. Perhaps you could explain what exactly is going through your employer's mind."
"Oh, are we talking about the latest opinion polls? I wouldn't worry about it. You come out of them looking particularly good."
The First Chancellor rose from her seat with a heavy sigh and stepped over to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the enormous neon red Hwaseong logo installed on the opposite wall of the Eos Chasma which denoted the location of the capital's Hwaseong District. "That is very much not the point here, Minister. Why was Seong-hun Yi included? Was this some attempt at humour, or an attempt to remind me of my supposed place? I don't appreciate being embarrassed, Minister."
Woodward maintained his extremely corporate demeanour as he replied. "With all due respect, First Chancellor, I wouldn't say that coming in second to Seong-hun is embarrassing. That's the way of society! Politicians have to accept that they'll never match the goodwill and love shown to celebrities. Politicians are the ones who have to deliver the bad news and be responsible for the bad things, after all. Our 'Elf Prince of Mars' has only ever been warm, loving, and sympathetic. The military really loves him because he's always willing to appear for them. I mean, there are probably those who are not that fond of him, but the numbers speak for themselves."
"Hmm."
"In any event, First Chancellor, there is something that I would like to propose. I understand that Marshal Dvornikov has received the go-ahead for claiming Vesta and Ceres as part of our attempt to look better after the Carpo Incident. Did nobody think about actually claiming something substantial?" He grinned as Zhang turned to face him, her interest clear to see. "The Lalande system, perhaps? We have a few mining operations in the asteroid belt of the system, but there's a potentially habitable planet there. Not much in the way of actual resources on the planet itself and our scans show that it could be a bit rough at the start, but it's doable. If one of the expeditionary forces were sent in, they could get a basic structure set up. Once our claws are in..."
The First Chancellor considered the potential implications of such a move. The successful establishment of Martian authority over another star system would be a tremendous coup, not only for her personally but also for Martian society at large. As the suggestion was coming from a representative of Hwaseong Industries, she was almost certain that there was an ulterior motive behind the suggestion, but she would inevitably have to wait to see what that motive actually was. "Very well, Minister. We'll get things underway. However, if this goes badly, I am not taking the blame."
Woodward nodded. "Of course, I understand. You know...maybe you could do a joint press announcement with Seong-hun Yi? Borrow a bit of his popularity and share responsibility with him."
Zhang narrowed her eyes briefly as she wasn't entirely sure if Woodward was joking. "What's your next suggestion, that we appoint him as...", she trailed off as she considered what she was about to say. "Hmm, perhaps that wouldn't be such a terrible idea for the future." Woodward's intrigued expression caused Zhang to laugh and wave her hand. "Just thinking aloud, Minister. A joint press announcement with him might not be the worst idea actually, I'll contact his father and see what can be arranged."