We Unhappy Few by G R Fabacher

Author:G R Fabacher [Fabacher, G R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-30T18:30:00+00:00

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Godywn entered his apartments. His wife was asleep; he could hear her snoring softly. He move to the service on the coffee table and poured himself a single slim finger of whisky, the good dwarven blended. Some people liked single malt, and he had no qualms with them, but they were wrong.

“I’ll take some of that if you’re offering.” Horatio said from the shadowed corner.

“Void and fire,” Godwyn cursed softly. “I thought you spies only did that kind of shite in the movies.”

Horatio tilted his head and held out his hand. Godwyn pushed the highball into it. The spymaster swirled the liquid around and sniffed it appreciatively. “Gandy VerDarren. That’s Federation whisky.”

“Well, they’re isolationists, but they’re greedy little isolationists. As long as they can launder the foreign profits from their great auditors then it counts as power for the sake of their weird little nation.”

“If you need something smuggled and the Guild won’t do it, you go to the Feds.” Horatio agreed. The spymaster took a sip of the whisky and put the glass down on a coaster.

“Thank you, the missus would be upset with me otherwise. Why are you here, Horatio?”

“Mmm… very good speech.” The spymaster inspected his thumbnail.

Godwyn fixed his spymaster with a piercing gaze, “Thank you…” he said slowly.

“A nice little ultimatum in the guise of a swell of patriotic pride.” He casually put a hand over his heart.

“Not everything is a ploy, Horatio.”

“Certainly not…” Horatio smirked.

Godwyn sat down across from the other man. Holding out a hand to give him the floor.

“However, it seems to me that it was designed to shunt the higher-ups in our governing council into pick your side or not. If they come out against you and are found wrong, then they’re as good as blacklisted.” He took another sip. “But, if you are found wrong, the only thing you’ve done was commit criminals, criminals we’ve already disavowed, to an abrupt end of their sentences.”

The spymaster rubbed his thumbnail with the tip of his fore finger, holding the hand up to his mouth. He stopped suddenly, continuing his train of thought, “At first the committing of the Rangers to the field seems like a personal ante, some skin for the game. It’s not though is it, Haraius? The loss of the Rangers would be unfortunate, but a small force of special operators in the Bleak Marshes, things happen, don’t they?”

Godwyn sat with his face a mask betraying nothing.

“So, you’ve set it up that if you lose, you at least know who in the higher echelons of the Republic doesn’t support your administration, and this hardline anti-Union platform of yours. The only way for someone to win is not to play, and you know a zoo full of political animals just can’t resist the call of what looks like you making a risky wager.”

Godwyn smirked and raised his glass, knocking back the rest of the nightcap, “Congratulations, Horatio.”

“Just appreciating a prime card when it’s played, sir. You can count on my support, of course.

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