07-24-2026, 05:16 AM
May 21, 2026
Federal Intelligence Service Headquarters, Ixtenco
The press briefing room at FIS Headquarters was standing-room-only packed. Normally, only the usual reporters and staff from the capital press corps would be present at a press conference there. But today was different. The rumor had gotten around that Director Cuetlancaona would finally break his silence about the presidential race, and his planned role in it.
The room bustled with noise and movement as reporters, cameramen and the like jostled irritably with each other to try to get better seats up front or a better line of sight to the podium. The established press corps, who jealously guarded their seats in the room in an unofficial but understood pecking order, were not pleased with the sudden influx of "outsiders" cramming into the space and trying to steal "their" spots. FIS uniformed officers organized the chaos as best they could in a manner that was polite and professional, but firm.
The noise abruptly cut off as Cuetlancaona walked through the door at the back of the room, leading to the podium. As he reached it and adjusted the microphone, all eyes turned to him. "Good morning," he said briskly. "Before we go through our usual weekly director's briefing to the press about current intelligence and security matters, I do have an announcement to make. And it is, I imagine, the reason I am seeing so many new faces in the room," he added with a slight chuckle. The ironic lilt to his voice clearly suggested that the Director thought it would be nice if the media was this interested in attending FIS briefings on a regular basis, and not just for his expected announcement.
"So. As we all know, there have been several offers extended to me, by various parties, to run for political office. I had promised that I would announce my decision on that today." The silence in the room grew even deeper, if possible. That silence was echoed in thousands of places around Huenya. Politicians and campaign operatives were watching the live broadcast from their offices. Everyday citizens around the country were eagerly waiting for the next words around their televisions, computers and phones. And across the Gulf of Epeloc, certain eyes in the Palace of Flowers and the headquarters of Imperial Intelligence were watching and preparing to make their own calculations based on the next few minutes.
"Since Election Day is getting pretty close, it is definitely time to make a decision. There were several questions I had to ask myself when making this decision. Has our current President's performance merited her replacement? Could I do a better job in the role? Would my departure from FIS to the Presidency make Huenya stronger, or weaker? Those questions are why it took me so long to decide. They are not unimportant questions."
Cuetlancaona tapped the podium. "There were also other questions to consider. Taking the position of FIS Director means making a commitment not just to the job, but to the thousands of people in FIS who work every day to keep Huenya safe and secure. Would I be upholding my commitment to them, just from a new position? There are also the concerns any of us with families would have, about my family and their well-being. I have considered all these questions, and the ramifications of my choice, thoroughly as they should be. And I have reached a decision. The offer I have decided to accept...."
In the room, the people who had been lucky enough to snag seats scooted forward unconsciously. Those standing leaned forward, drawn by the same unconscious impulse. Their gestures were echoed by thousands watching, waiting as the Director almost teased them before letting the shoe drop.
"The offer I have decided to accept....is none of them."
The press room erupted in a collective combination of gasps and sighs. In the other places people were watching, the same sounds echoed. This was with some exceptions. At multiple party and campaign offices, the combination of cursing and lamentation drowned out all other noise. And at the offices of the Unification Party and the Xiadani campaign, the sounds drowning everything else out were cheering with an undertone of relieved sighs.
And at the Palace of Flowers, a single perfectly manicured eyebrow rose. A note was carefully made next to a name, followed by the writer sipping her coffee and looking out at her expansive gardens in thought.
Back in Ixtenco, Cuetlancaona tapped the podium again. "I decided that right now, where Huenya needs me is exactly where I am. Leading the fight against those foreign and domestic threats that would seek to harm our citizens, or attack our Federation. This work is essential. Our nation has reached a point of stability, after a long fight for independence and battle against terrorists. The last thing we need right now is to change leadership in the middle of that continuing fight. That is true of FIS. It is also true of the Presidency. We can always play the game of 'who made mistakes' or 'how we should have done this', or 'how I would have done that'. But overall President Xiadani has provided the decisive and strong leadership Huenya needs at this moment. Under her leadership, Huenya has finally begun to direct its course, instead of letting others direct it for us. If I truly believed the President wasn't doing a good job, or that I could do better, I would run. But I don't, so I won't."
Cuetlancaona shrugged. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's focus on what I should be focusing on. This is our weekly report from FIS for this week...."
---
The aftermath of Cuetlancaona's announcement was immediate. Within hours, the marriage of convenience between the Conservative Party and the Party of Huītzilōpōchtli collapsed. Popol would announce that the Conservatives would once again run with him leading them, declaring that his party and the PH had "irreconcilable differences".
Acxopotl, meanwhile, would denounce Popol and the Conservatives as "fake conservatives" and resurrect his own presidential bid. He would also take a swipe at Cuetlancaona, who he called "Xiadani's puppet" and "too weak to be anything other than a functionary". His decision to insult Cuetlancaona did make a difference in the poll numbers for both himself and the PH. It caused an immediate ten point drop in following polls and sent their already low numbers to a position somewhere akin to the sub-sub-basement.
Eileen Finch and the Centrist Coalition would also continue their own campaigns, although with a profound sense of resignation and stubbornness. Their goal shifted from "come from behind and defeat the Unification Party" to "try not to be as far behind the Unificationists as everyone else."
Xiadani and the Unification Party would also continue their own campaigns. A different word starting with C would describe their demeanor, though - coronation.
Federal Intelligence Service Headquarters, Ixtenco
The press briefing room at FIS Headquarters was standing-room-only packed. Normally, only the usual reporters and staff from the capital press corps would be present at a press conference there. But today was different. The rumor had gotten around that Director Cuetlancaona would finally break his silence about the presidential race, and his planned role in it.
The room bustled with noise and movement as reporters, cameramen and the like jostled irritably with each other to try to get better seats up front or a better line of sight to the podium. The established press corps, who jealously guarded their seats in the room in an unofficial but understood pecking order, were not pleased with the sudden influx of "outsiders" cramming into the space and trying to steal "their" spots. FIS uniformed officers organized the chaos as best they could in a manner that was polite and professional, but firm.
The noise abruptly cut off as Cuetlancaona walked through the door at the back of the room, leading to the podium. As he reached it and adjusted the microphone, all eyes turned to him. "Good morning," he said briskly. "Before we go through our usual weekly director's briefing to the press about current intelligence and security matters, I do have an announcement to make. And it is, I imagine, the reason I am seeing so many new faces in the room," he added with a slight chuckle. The ironic lilt to his voice clearly suggested that the Director thought it would be nice if the media was this interested in attending FIS briefings on a regular basis, and not just for his expected announcement.
"So. As we all know, there have been several offers extended to me, by various parties, to run for political office. I had promised that I would announce my decision on that today." The silence in the room grew even deeper, if possible. That silence was echoed in thousands of places around Huenya. Politicians and campaign operatives were watching the live broadcast from their offices. Everyday citizens around the country were eagerly waiting for the next words around their televisions, computers and phones. And across the Gulf of Epeloc, certain eyes in the Palace of Flowers and the headquarters of Imperial Intelligence were watching and preparing to make their own calculations based on the next few minutes.
"Since Election Day is getting pretty close, it is definitely time to make a decision. There were several questions I had to ask myself when making this decision. Has our current President's performance merited her replacement? Could I do a better job in the role? Would my departure from FIS to the Presidency make Huenya stronger, or weaker? Those questions are why it took me so long to decide. They are not unimportant questions."
Cuetlancaona tapped the podium. "There were also other questions to consider. Taking the position of FIS Director means making a commitment not just to the job, but to the thousands of people in FIS who work every day to keep Huenya safe and secure. Would I be upholding my commitment to them, just from a new position? There are also the concerns any of us with families would have, about my family and their well-being. I have considered all these questions, and the ramifications of my choice, thoroughly as they should be. And I have reached a decision. The offer I have decided to accept...."
In the room, the people who had been lucky enough to snag seats scooted forward unconsciously. Those standing leaned forward, drawn by the same unconscious impulse. Their gestures were echoed by thousands watching, waiting as the Director almost teased them before letting the shoe drop.
"The offer I have decided to accept....is none of them."
The press room erupted in a collective combination of gasps and sighs. In the other places people were watching, the same sounds echoed. This was with some exceptions. At multiple party and campaign offices, the combination of cursing and lamentation drowned out all other noise. And at the offices of the Unification Party and the Xiadani campaign, the sounds drowning everything else out were cheering with an undertone of relieved sighs.
And at the Palace of Flowers, a single perfectly manicured eyebrow rose. A note was carefully made next to a name, followed by the writer sipping her coffee and looking out at her expansive gardens in thought.
Back in Ixtenco, Cuetlancaona tapped the podium again. "I decided that right now, where Huenya needs me is exactly where I am. Leading the fight against those foreign and domestic threats that would seek to harm our citizens, or attack our Federation. This work is essential. Our nation has reached a point of stability, after a long fight for independence and battle against terrorists. The last thing we need right now is to change leadership in the middle of that continuing fight. That is true of FIS. It is also true of the Presidency. We can always play the game of 'who made mistakes' or 'how we should have done this', or 'how I would have done that'. But overall President Xiadani has provided the decisive and strong leadership Huenya needs at this moment. Under her leadership, Huenya has finally begun to direct its course, instead of letting others direct it for us. If I truly believed the President wasn't doing a good job, or that I could do better, I would run. But I don't, so I won't."
Cuetlancaona shrugged. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's focus on what I should be focusing on. This is our weekly report from FIS for this week...."
---
The aftermath of Cuetlancaona's announcement was immediate. Within hours, the marriage of convenience between the Conservative Party and the Party of Huītzilōpōchtli collapsed. Popol would announce that the Conservatives would once again run with him leading them, declaring that his party and the PH had "irreconcilable differences".
Acxopotl, meanwhile, would denounce Popol and the Conservatives as "fake conservatives" and resurrect his own presidential bid. He would also take a swipe at Cuetlancaona, who he called "Xiadani's puppet" and "too weak to be anything other than a functionary". His decision to insult Cuetlancaona did make a difference in the poll numbers for both himself and the PH. It caused an immediate ten point drop in following polls and sent their already low numbers to a position somewhere akin to the sub-sub-basement.
Eileen Finch and the Centrist Coalition would also continue their own campaigns, although with a profound sense of resignation and stubbornness. Their goal shifted from "come from behind and defeat the Unification Party" to "try not to be as far behind the Unificationists as everyone else."
Xiadani and the Unification Party would also continue their own campaigns. A different word starting with C would describe their demeanor, though - coronation.
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