As he made his way back to the Coordinator's Office (reluctantly, on the subway), Joseph Bradley considered what course of action he might take against this law. It was clearly not stupid enough to be struck down by a review board, and public lobbying would do no good if it had the support of the subway industry. That left only one possible solution - death by bureaucratic procedure.
What powers do I actually have? thought Bradley gloomily. The man sitting next to him on the train giggled and smiled, showing a set of rotting teeth, then fell over. A businessman who had been standing uncomfortably nearby shoved aside of others and claimed the seat, glancing indifferently and Bradley, then opening his newspaper.
Nothing. I'm not even a figurehead for the country. Nobody knows who I am. I'm just some kind of bureaucratic placeholder. He tried to avoid sinking into bitterness - the Coordinator did have some power, even if it seemed otherwise. Well, what can I do? I can prune redundant and contradictory laws, sign important contracts (although the Diplomatic Coordination Council can do that, too), I can "facilitate communication between committees." So... I suppose I could control "communication between committees". Perhaps there is something I can do...
Somewhere in the Interzone Bureaucratic Offices...ABR-134-223:
An Amendment to The Bureau Of Transportation Budget, subsection Urban Subways, to append additional Conditions of Aid to existing formula for Government Funding in order to promote diversification of revenue.
(I) ABR-BOT-US-CA-43 (Reasonable Fees), is amended to read:
43a-2: Within the scope of section 43, A Fee is defined to be a sum of money paid by a customer in order to receive, in the near future, or in concurrent exchange for a service of the relevant industry.
...
43b-2: Action taken by the subway to downsize or otherwise limit its stream of revenue from customers or others in situ as a response to new regulations where the opportunity to retain such revenue is present will be construed as an act of independence as defined in 43a-5.
...
43c: No authorized government subsidy aid will be granted to any subway that does not apply all of the following regulations of fees and payments:
...
43c-3: Fees shall constitute no more than 50% of revenue obtained from customers in situ as defined in 43a-1b.
43c-4: Fees must be publicly declared to the customer before the customer is bound by contract or other law to pay said fee.
...
43d-2: Any form of in situ revenue, excluding relevant fees, that would dissuade customers from purchasing the primary service of the industry may not, unless otherwise directed, be overtly declared.
(II) The changes written in (I) shall be placed into effect 1 month after the passing of this law, and will remain in effect until specifically annulled or revised
Undersecretary for Law Revision Martin Adams stared critically at the regulation in the corner of his screen while making routine edits to a small business aid law. Normally this consideration would be attended to after it became first in the queue of work, but Coordinator Bradley himself had marked it - unofficially - as important. Bradley had personally sent him a letter instructing him to "determine what existing or future laws may mitigate the effects of this one." Even in private communications, there was some degree of bureaucratic obfuscation - privacy was never certain. Adams knew from experience (having worked with Bradley's trade legislation as Vice-Chair of the Legal Language Committee) what this meant - Bradley wanted the law killed. The task was set by the Coordinator, but the method of reglicide (as bureaucrats with no sense of humor like Adams often called it) was left to the subordinate.
And now, the fun begins. Adams set to work analyzing precedent, loopholes, and obscure bureaucratic technicalities. In particular, he was searching for a way to utilize the Coordinator's "discretion" on which bills are considered redundant.
Freeland - at Freeport Gen. Saad Ibrahim stood proudly on the deck of the newly constructed battleship FOR "Miasma". It was uncertain what the R in "FOR" stood for (as opposed to "Ectoplasm" in FOE [Fleet of Ectoplasm], the Freeland navy's western counterpart), as officially, the acronym had been constructed without determining its represented words. Ibrahim liked to think of it as Reclamation (reclaiming the nearby lands that have fallen out of Ectoplasm), while others, more into the cynical "Rear", referencing this division's location opposite the more vast Bay of Ectoplasm and Maw ("If the Maw is the front end, then what are we?" became the question of the Freeland Navy, answered in all manner of colorful ways).
Around Ibrahim were various military officials, including a beaming Commander George White, the commander of the Freeland Navy to his right, and Alan Arnold, the new Captain of the Miasma. staring at the gleaming metal vessel like an excited child. He stood behind a podium in a space built specifically for military speeches (this was the new flagship, after all). Ibrahim cleared his throat in front of the microphone, and as the amplified growlings spread across the deck, the crowd of navy officers, soldiers, technicians, and reporters fell obediently silent.
"Army and Navy, and People of Annexea," announced Ibrahim into the microphone, his voice becoming a forceful bellow in the air. "We are gathered here today aboard our new flagship, the FOR Miasma." The audience cheered loudly for a few seconds, then silenced as Ibrahim continued. "The creation of this ship, which has been constructed by the finest engineers and outfitted with the newest technology, signifies the beginning of a new era in Annexea. Now we shall claim the seas as our own, and as is our mandate, spread the taint of Ectoplasm to all the corners of the world!
"And not only will we spread our message of corruption, but we must also defend our homeland against those who would seek to destroy us! We must not wither under the critical eyes of outsiders, or allow ourselves to become slaves in the global economy! Annexea must stand strong against all who encroach upon our power." Ibrahim pronounced the last word with great emphasis, producing loud applause from the audience. "For this reason it is necessary for Annexea to continue to expand its military, so that we may have the resources to accomplish our goals!"
Ibrahim shuffled the papers on his podium. "This ship that we stand upon, the FOR Miasma," Capt. Arnold shivered with delight as he heard the name, "represents a triumph of the Annexean military. It has taken 3 years of negotiation to obtain the funding necessary for this vessel. Our hope is that this success will help to convince our friends in goverment," he stifled a sneer, settling with a tightening of his usual scowl, "of the necessity of increased funding. It is excellent that we have a flagship for our eastern navy, but what of the rest of the fleet? Many of our ships are old, obsolete, in need of expensive repairs that our stretched budget cannot accommodate. We have been given the money for this, our national symbol, and we have been given the money for impressive uniforms, but we have been given little more. It has been a victory to achieve a military the looks good, but now we need to create a military that
fights good." There were a few suppressed winces among the cheers, as there always were when speechwriters made questionable decisions.
Ibrahim forced a smile, something he did on the rare occasions that his PR people demanded it. "But enough politics! For now, let us celebrate this occasion. And now, it is time for the maiden voyage of the FOR Miasma!" With that, after more obligatory applause, most of the audience left the ship, and the crew moved to their stations to prepare the ship for its first launch.
