When you watched a tale of misuse of power on the UNN, it was far away and thus easily forgotten, but when trouble hit close to home it was harder to ignore.
And when those misuses of power began to threaten your livelihood and the future of your family, even the most torpid of viewers would be forced to take a stand.
Angus did not want power for himself and he had no desire to replace the faceless, conscienceless Council with a tyrant of his own making. No, when the Confederacy fell, he would become part of the process of creating a democratic government that sought to benefit all mankind, not one that served the will of one man.
He sensed a presence behind him and smiled as he caught the fragrance of Epiphany, his wife's perfume. Angus turned to see Katherine standing in the green dress of shimmering taffeta with navy bodice she had worn to Arcturus's graduation ceremony earlier that day.
"You look beautiful, Kat," said Angus, accepting one of the thin-stemmed wineglasses his wife carried.
"You've told me that already today, but don't let that stop you," Katherine smiled.
"Never," said Angus. "How did I ever convince you to marry me?"
"You didn't. I asked you, remember?"
Angus sipped his wine. "I maneuvered you into a position where you had no choice."
"You keep on thinking that."
It was a familiar pantomime, one he and his wife often played out in the few moments they had together in private, away from prying eyes and the needs of business and revolution. Theirs had been a tempestuous courtship, for both were passionate, independent individuals who did not like to be overshadowed by another.
But through it all, they had felt a shared need for companionship, recognizing that being one half of a couple could be as liberating as freedom.
Their wedding had been the most glorious day of his life, and throughout their entire married life they had been pillars of strength for one another, supporting each other through times of bliss and despair, and never wavering in their love.
Katherine leaned her head on his shoulder, and Angus kissed the top of her head.
"Dorothy asleep?" he asked.
"Out like a light," said Katherine. "Today really took it out of her, bless her."
"I'm not surprised."
"Yes, it was quite a day, wasn't it?" said Katherine, and Angus laughed so hard tears rolled down his cheeks.
When he had composed himself, he said. "You always did have a knack for understatement, dear."
It had indeed been quite a day, a day that had seen his son finally graduate and the principal of Styrling Academy hauled off to jail by a former student.
When Angus's fone had trilled in his pocket, he had been irritated at the interruption of his son's graduation day, for he had left strict instructions with all his subordinates that he was not to be disturbed.
Then he had heard a multitude of clicks, bleeps, and whistles of hundreds of fones and personal consoles receiving incoming data streams. A ripple of consternation spread throughout the crowd and Angus felt his stomach lurch as he saw that the originating signal belonged to Arcturus's console.
"Oh Cod, what's he done now?" Angus whispered as his fone's screen lit up and a number of files opened. His practiced eye quickly scanned the contents and his anger built as he flipped though the various statements and account records.
"The thieving little bastard...” hissed Angus, looking up and seeing that same anger on scores of other faces now staring in fury at the principal of Styrling Academy. "I told you he was nothing more than a damn crook!"
"Who?" asked Katherine, puzzled at the suddenly tense atmosphere.
"Steegman," barked Angus, making Dorothy flinch. "These are his private accounts. The little toad's siphoned millions from the school treasury and fund-raisers over the years."
People were getting to their feet now, an angry hubbub of voices cutting through the sound of the band and the shouted names of graduating students.
Onstage, Steegman looked puzzled and angry at the disruption, calling for quiet and order. But as an irate school governor marched over and thrust a portable console in front of him, his face blanched in horror as he realized what the entire audience had just read.
Looking back over the day, Angus chuckled as he remembered Steegman's halfhearted attempts to calm the situation. Violence had been averted only by the chief of the SPF's hauling the principal away and bundling him into his groundcar, to the uproarious cheers and applause of the entire student body.
The news had traveled fast, for Arcturus had been thorough in his dissemination of Steegman's files, and within the hour the scandal was being reported on the UNN. Steegman was not connected to anyone of influence, and a great deal of the money he had stolen had come from some very wealthy, very powerful families.
They would throw Steegman to the wolves, and the courts were sure to show him no mercy.
In the aftermath of Steegman's arrest, the vice principal had tried to calm the situation, but gave up in the face of a horde of angry parents and jubilant students, who cheered and hurled their mortarboards into the air.
A near riot had only been avoided by the contagious glee of the students, who danced and laughed and sang as Steegman was driven away in disgrace. Recriminations and a thorough investigation of the depths of the principal's corruption were sure to follow.
With Steegman's departure, the staff and parents milled around in confusion until the vice principal led them off into the main administration block like a marching mob, leaving the jubilant students to continue the party on the main lawn.
Some of the academy's masters had wanted to cancel the graduation ball planned for the evening, but after the day's amusements, it was clear the students weren't going to allow this day of festivities lo end so quickly.
Now, with the day behind them, Angus and Katherine stood and drank wine as the architect of the day's mischief enjoyed his graduation ball.
"I should be angry at him," said Angus.
"Who?"' asked Katherine.
"Arcturus, who else?"
Katherine chuckled. "I know, but it's hard to be angry with him for today. After all, he's graduated now, and you can't say Steegman didn't deserve what happened."
"Oh, he deserved it all right," agreed Angus with a smile. "And to get his just desserts so publicly... I almost don't mind losing the money to have been there to see it."
Katherine leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
"What was that for?"
"Do I need a reason to kiss my husband?"
"No. Never."
"Good. I'm proud of you," said Katherine. "You know that, don't you?"
Angus nodded. "I know that."
"I'm proud of you both, you and Arcturus. You're very alike, you know?"
Angus furrowed his brow and turned to face his wife. "The boy is willful."
"He's his father's son," Katherine pointed out, laughing.
Angus grunted, unwilling to concede the point. "He has a fine mind and the capacity to achieve anything. And he wants to waste that talent on prospecting, flying around the fringe worlds, and associating with backwater hicks and Kel-Morian pirates? It's no life for a Mengsk. We're made for bigger and better things than that."
"If I didn't know you better, I'd say that was arrogance speaking," said Katherine.
"You know it's not, though," countered Angus. "I know you see it too—you've told the boy often enough that he can be great if he wants to be.”
"That's just it, isn't it? It has to be if he wants it. You should know by now you can't make Arcturus do anything he doesn't want to. The more you try and force him down a path, the more he'll resist you."
"Willful," said Angus again, though his tone was mellow this time.
"Just as you were," pointed out Katherine. "Until you met me."