02-14-2022, 05:14 AM
Chancellor's Manor, Geminus
February 13th, 2022, 6:24 PM
"Yes, I know of his reputation, but that isn't a good thing! You know that his nomination would piss off Meyer and the rest of the Greens. Why even suggest him?"
Chancellor Stendē sighed, putting her head in her hands. The first week of her administration had been solely focused on building her cabinet, and the coalition had been… less than civil in their help. She and her Vice-Chancellor had narrowed down thirteen of the fifteen cabinet members, working tirelessly on each appointment until a final candidate was selected. The two that were left were the positions of Minister of Environment (which the Green party coveted) and Minister of the Caxcanan Union (which, due to lack of precedent, was proving to be difficult to fill).
Leah Stendē put yet another résumé sheet aside with a sigh. Her new desk, once clean and polished, was filled with files and boxes of résumés. Lynn Morrin sat across the desk from the Chancellor, examining file after file closely. "What about Elena Sokolova? Seems almost overqualified. Former Deputy Ecological Manager at Saliovs National Park, former Research Team Head at the National Environmental Ministry, Ecological Advisor to the Governor of Geminus and later Minister of the Environment for Geminus Province. Looks like an absolutely amazing candidate. Pretty much the perfect candidate!"
Stendē sighed and shook her head. "If it only was that simple. Sokolova is a no, although it is hard to pass up that experience. She basically called most of the Green Party, including myself, spineless cowards for 'not doing enough to combat carbon emissions', which is flat out not true. She also seriously suggested that the Environmental Ministry should be given the judicial power to essentially serve as judge, jury, and executioner on vandalism and environmental pollution cases." Morrin winced and put the file to the side. "Yeah, not what we need right now."
Stendē picked up another set of papers, nodding to herself. "Here's one. Janis Abolinš. Former Head of Ecological Examinations for the Ministry of the Environment, Former Minister of the Environment for Serenity Province, and current Professor of Ecology at Vilcane University in Serenity City. Member of the Green Party, no obvious scandals or offensive moments in his career." She handed the papers to her Vice Chancellor, who read and nodded her approval. "Looks good. Let's add him to the pile of recommendations."
Both women were silent for a moment, not wanting to speak first. Stendē cleared her throat. "We can't delay this any further. We have to select a CU Minister. I know it's not exactly the easiest thing to do, but we have to set a good precedent with our appointment." She thought for a moment. "We could promote an ambassador who is already serving. That would be a simple way to guarantee that whomever we appoint has a strong relationship with at least one of the CU nations before they take office."
Morrin tilted her head, making a face of hesitation. "While that is a possibility, and may be a good idea once the CU is entrenched, currently the alliance needs to be stabilized and the administration built from scratch. We would need to find someone who can both maintain solid relations and build the administrative and military leadership structures. Someone who would be able to negotiate specifics with foreign governments and maintain a regulated amount of autonomy." She pursed her lips. "This is a very specific skill set. It's almost like…" She trailed off, a thought striking her. She looked at Stendē, a glint in her eye. "I have a thought."
It only took a few moments for Stendē to come to the same realization. "Oh, wow. That's… perfect. Administrative and Military experience, good relations with CU leaders, and not hard to get appointed." She sat back in her chair, relieved. "Dieuv, that's perfect." She picked up her desk phone. "Could you have Minister Lancaster come over here at her earliest convenience please?"
---
"No. No way."
Alice Lancaster sat in the third chair in the Chancellor's Study, with a defiant expression on her face. "I can't do that to him. Do what you wish, but it won't be with my support."
Both Stendē and Morrin were taken aback. "I thought you'd be on board with this. After all, you're the one who knows him best, besides the former Proviri of course. If he was offered a position like this, wouldn't he take it? I worked with him for six years. I think he'd love it." The Chancellor replied, eyebrows raised.
"Oh, he'd take it in a heartbeat. Which is why I hesitate to offer it." Lancaster looked down at the floor. "You saw how he looked by the end of his term. Dark eyes from little to no sleep, nails chewed raw, hair pulled out. He'd never admit it, but his time as Chancellor was his own special form of hell. I can't condone any plan that could do that to him again. I know this position wouldn't have that level of stress, but still…" She trailed off. "This kind of position would honestly be his dream job. Cooperative, with a lot of freedom to create new structures and propose new ideas to improve the region. But I just…"
Morrin bowed her head in sympathy. "Don't you think that he had similar fears and worries for renewing your appointment while he was in office? He'd hate to put any sort of inconvenience, and yet he still reappointed you, because he knew it's what you love and what you're good at. You've already said that this is something he would enjoy doing, and be skilled at. Plus, he's already elected to the Senate. This could potentially serve as a less intensive position for him than a Senate position."
The Diplomacy Minister sighed and adjusted her hair over her ear. "Fine. But promise me this: You won't let it get as bad as last time. I didn't do enough to try to help him recover from his taxing days, and that's on me. But promise me it won't get to that extreme." As the Chancellor nodded her assent, Lancaster sighed and stood from her chair. "I'll tell him. Thank you for consulting me on this, I respect that immensely."
As the Minister left, the Chancellor and her Vice-Chancellor exchanged satisfied glances. The Cabinet members had been selected, and their selections would now go to the Senate for confirmation. Now, it was time to focus on running Eiria and fulfilling their legislative agenda.
The honeymoon period is over. Now, the real fun begins.
February 13th, 2022, 6:24 PM
"Yes, I know of his reputation, but that isn't a good thing! You know that his nomination would piss off Meyer and the rest of the Greens. Why even suggest him?"
Chancellor Stendē sighed, putting her head in her hands. The first week of her administration had been solely focused on building her cabinet, and the coalition had been… less than civil in their help. She and her Vice-Chancellor had narrowed down thirteen of the fifteen cabinet members, working tirelessly on each appointment until a final candidate was selected. The two that were left were the positions of Minister of Environment (which the Green party coveted) and Minister of the Caxcanan Union (which, due to lack of precedent, was proving to be difficult to fill).
Leah Stendē put yet another résumé sheet aside with a sigh. Her new desk, once clean and polished, was filled with files and boxes of résumés. Lynn Morrin sat across the desk from the Chancellor, examining file after file closely. "What about Elena Sokolova? Seems almost overqualified. Former Deputy Ecological Manager at Saliovs National Park, former Research Team Head at the National Environmental Ministry, Ecological Advisor to the Governor of Geminus and later Minister of the Environment for Geminus Province. Looks like an absolutely amazing candidate. Pretty much the perfect candidate!"
Stendē sighed and shook her head. "If it only was that simple. Sokolova is a no, although it is hard to pass up that experience. She basically called most of the Green Party, including myself, spineless cowards for 'not doing enough to combat carbon emissions', which is flat out not true. She also seriously suggested that the Environmental Ministry should be given the judicial power to essentially serve as judge, jury, and executioner on vandalism and environmental pollution cases." Morrin winced and put the file to the side. "Yeah, not what we need right now."
Stendē picked up another set of papers, nodding to herself. "Here's one. Janis Abolinš. Former Head of Ecological Examinations for the Ministry of the Environment, Former Minister of the Environment for Serenity Province, and current Professor of Ecology at Vilcane University in Serenity City. Member of the Green Party, no obvious scandals or offensive moments in his career." She handed the papers to her Vice Chancellor, who read and nodded her approval. "Looks good. Let's add him to the pile of recommendations."
Both women were silent for a moment, not wanting to speak first. Stendē cleared her throat. "We can't delay this any further. We have to select a CU Minister. I know it's not exactly the easiest thing to do, but we have to set a good precedent with our appointment." She thought for a moment. "We could promote an ambassador who is already serving. That would be a simple way to guarantee that whomever we appoint has a strong relationship with at least one of the CU nations before they take office."
Morrin tilted her head, making a face of hesitation. "While that is a possibility, and may be a good idea once the CU is entrenched, currently the alliance needs to be stabilized and the administration built from scratch. We would need to find someone who can both maintain solid relations and build the administrative and military leadership structures. Someone who would be able to negotiate specifics with foreign governments and maintain a regulated amount of autonomy." She pursed her lips. "This is a very specific skill set. It's almost like…" She trailed off, a thought striking her. She looked at Stendē, a glint in her eye. "I have a thought."
It only took a few moments for Stendē to come to the same realization. "Oh, wow. That's… perfect. Administrative and Military experience, good relations with CU leaders, and not hard to get appointed." She sat back in her chair, relieved. "Dieuv, that's perfect." She picked up her desk phone. "Could you have Minister Lancaster come over here at her earliest convenience please?"
---
"No. No way."
Alice Lancaster sat in the third chair in the Chancellor's Study, with a defiant expression on her face. "I can't do that to him. Do what you wish, but it won't be with my support."
Both Stendē and Morrin were taken aback. "I thought you'd be on board with this. After all, you're the one who knows him best, besides the former Proviri of course. If he was offered a position like this, wouldn't he take it? I worked with him for six years. I think he'd love it." The Chancellor replied, eyebrows raised.
"Oh, he'd take it in a heartbeat. Which is why I hesitate to offer it." Lancaster looked down at the floor. "You saw how he looked by the end of his term. Dark eyes from little to no sleep, nails chewed raw, hair pulled out. He'd never admit it, but his time as Chancellor was his own special form of hell. I can't condone any plan that could do that to him again. I know this position wouldn't have that level of stress, but still…" She trailed off. "This kind of position would honestly be his dream job. Cooperative, with a lot of freedom to create new structures and propose new ideas to improve the region. But I just…"
Morrin bowed her head in sympathy. "Don't you think that he had similar fears and worries for renewing your appointment while he was in office? He'd hate to put any sort of inconvenience, and yet he still reappointed you, because he knew it's what you love and what you're good at. You've already said that this is something he would enjoy doing, and be skilled at. Plus, he's already elected to the Senate. This could potentially serve as a less intensive position for him than a Senate position."
The Diplomacy Minister sighed and adjusted her hair over her ear. "Fine. But promise me this: You won't let it get as bad as last time. I didn't do enough to try to help him recover from his taxing days, and that's on me. But promise me it won't get to that extreme." As the Chancellor nodded her assent, Lancaster sighed and stood from her chair. "I'll tell him. Thank you for consulting me on this, I respect that immensely."
As the Minister left, the Chancellor and her Vice-Chancellor exchanged satisfied glances. The Cabinet members had been selected, and their selections would now go to the Senate for confirmation. Now, it was time to focus on running Eiria and fulfilling their legislative agenda.
The honeymoon period is over. Now, the real fun begins.
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