The journalist grinned and asked, "Why, in this case, does Ashinik follow Yadan in the party's hierarchy? He was a vice-president in your company and he seems to have worked under the billionaire Ronald Trevis. Does he also think that the spaceport is a hole leading underground?"
Bemish froze. Ashinik is alive! The journalist pursed his lips and said, "Aren't you ashamed to repeat the rumors spread by corrupted officials to discredit the people's leaders?"
The next day, Bemish read an article about Weia in an influential and, therefore, liberal newspaper Standard Times. The article was written by the abovementioned journalist. The article presented the election company on
Weia as the fight between the corrupted officials and the true democratic representatives of the people. Yadan was the true democratic representative of the people. The corrupted officials and certain Earthmen who had reaped off a lot of money robbing Weia tried all they could to smear the people's leader.
An interview with Yadan followed the article. The journalist asked Yadan, "Is it true that you consider Earthmen to be demons?"
"I don't know where this crazy rumor came from. You see, Mr. Bemish doesn't speak Weian very well. You sometimes say "Go to hell" and we say "You are a demon, go home." It could be that one of my friends swore at Bemish and he, not really understanding our culture, took this expression literally. I can give you another example. Some Earthmen started a rumor that Following the Way claimed that their leader had been born out of a golden egg. But it's just a metaphorical expression. "To be born out of a golden egg" is equivalent to your expression "to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth."
Having finished the article, Bemish ordered Ashinik to be delivered to him. It appeared to be a difficult task. Even though Ashinik was no longer in hiding, he appeared everywhere accompanied by a triple layer of bodyguards. Bemish had to limit himself to the zealot's satellite phone number which was known only to a dozen people. He called him and screamed at him in perfect Weian, "I don't really speak Weian, do I? Was it your invention, Ashinik, to use Earth media to strengthen the sect's position? Was it your idea to persuade a passerby pen pusher that he knew the subtleties of local culture better than the Assalah Company director?"
"Ai-tana khari (Demon, go home)," Ashinik replied sarcastically and he dropped the receiver.
Bemish was pissed off to such a degree that he gave an order to fire Ashinik. The latter had still been formally a member of the Board of Directors.
Together with the majority of the Earthmen living and working in the Empire Bemish found himself facing a strange problem. On one hand, the local Earthmen understood perfectly well — better than the local officials — what exactly the so-called party of the people's freedom, led by co-chairmen Yadan and Ashinik, was about. It would not be difficult to start a large scale media campaign against these people. But such a campaign would crash the Weian stock market because nothing is as easy to scare away as money. At the same time, this campaign would not hurt the zealots since they didn't give a damn about demons' newspapers anyway.
The local Earthmen took a counsel and came to the conclusion that there was no chance these halfwits would win the election. So, let the liberal newspapers idolize the new heroes. Why should they bother exposing them? It would only be bad publicity for the new IPOs.
As the elections were approaching, the fund index grew like bamboo, since fund indexes in developing countries always grow before the elections. To scream about the party of the people's freedom under these conditions meant killing your own profit. A considerable part of the paper and speculation profits, obtained by the Earthmen financiers and manufacturers, was donated to Shavash's election campaign. They and their wallets just loved this future country's leader. Their enthusiasm for donations was based on the solid and persuading results of the sociological studies predicting Shavash's victory.
What the financiers didn't know was that these studies were paid for by Shavash. It is much easier to buy two hundred sociologists than to buy fifty million of voters.
The elections caused certain problems, however, to Assalah Company. Ashinik occasionally appeared on the pages of the Galaxy newspapers. While his general comments towards Earthmen were restrained, he used Terence Bemish as an example to explain the peculiarities of the corruption in the Empire. Mostly, he commented on the abuses of Assalah customs and unabashed insider trading in Bemish's funds.
It wasn't particularly beneficial for the company's quotes and their growth lagged noticeably behind the general fund index.
But the worst for Bemish was that, due to the elections, Kissur and Shavash — two people that meant a lot for the planet and quite a bit for Bemish personally — quarreled. Their breach started almost unnoticeably, at the moment when Kissur declared openly that he was against all the elections. Shavash had opposite views. When the sovereign declared in Shavash's face that he would never appoint him as a first minister, Shavash realized that he would be able to become a first minister only by people's volition.
Practically immediately, in a great hurry, Shavash channeled all his power and money into a huge political campaign and into the creation of his own party. Shavash's methods were as primordial as they were effective. The doors to the vice-prefect's manor stood wide open for the poor — they could get there free soup and pies day and night.
The minimal wage law was under consideration at that time. The first minister Yanik insisted on a fifty isheviks minimal wage while Shavash suggested eighty. Yanik won. Then, the vice-prefect Shavash declared that he would pay the difference to the workers in the capital drawing a salary of less than eighty isheviks.
Two assassination attempts were made at Shavash's life. It's hard to say whether or not they were real but Shavash clearly gained from them. He became the only man opposing the zealots for both foreign investors and well-intentioned people.
While Kissur and Shavash could live in peace at the Emperor's court, the fallout between became inevitable once the latter emerged as the head of Weian Democratic Alliance party since the former considered democracy to be an ultimate stupidity that Weia needed just as much as somebody would need a fur hat amidst a hot summer.
The final quarrel happened at a party in one of Shavash's country houses. Bemish attended it — he needed to meet some officials from Chakhar and hand a check for the election campaign to Shavash.
They were all drunk; Kissur was somewhat more sober while Shavash was boozed up completely. Shavash reclined on a sofa with one of his slaves sitting on his knees. The slave was a cute fourteen-year-old boy and nobody had any doubts about the precise nature of his relationship with Shavash. The boy was kissing his master's fingers and picking bits off his plate and finally the time arrived when the future prime minister, the light and hope of the people, the enemy of inflation and the paragon of virtue started walking towards an exit pushing the boy in front of him and looking horny. Two or three supplicants had been circling around Shavash hoping to discuss some important matters; they jumped out of his way not willing to distract the vice minister away from his modest boy. At that point, Kissur appeared in front of Shavash.
"Shavash," an Empire's ex-first minister said, "are you really going to Lannakh tomorrow?"
A meeting of three provinces was taking place in Lannakh with feasts for the chosen and pies for everybody.
"Yes."
"I beseech you not to go there."
Shavash smiled confounded.