certainly wrote a check his ass could not cash,” replied the moderator. Let’s watch with our viewers a slow-motion replay of Mountain Storm’s arm coming off with just one snap of the monitor’s powerful jaws. My, oh my, look at that!”
“That was truly terrifying,” commented Cable Eye. “Can we see that again? Please turn up the sound for our viewers at home. As a last resort, might Mountain Storm hope to garner some sort of sympathy vote? That was almost as painful to watch as I’m sure it was being on the receiving end of those teeth.”
“There is no evidence of a sympathy backlash yet,” commented the moderator, checking the poles on his computer. “Dragon King’s approval numbers just rose to an all time high of eighty-seven percent. Endorsements are rolling in, too. Dragon King already had most of the military vote. Now several animal rights organizations are endorsing his candidacy, including the Humane Society and the Audubon Society. It seems he is popular on both sides of the border.”
“Email comments are streaming in,” advised Cable Eye. “Desert Snail from Jellystone writes that the monitor dragon should be taken to the vet to make sure it did not contract a social disease from Mountain Storm.”
“Oh, that was bad,” said the moderator. “Betty in Scorpion Valley writes that obviously Mountain Storm hates all animals. That dragon would not have attacked if Mountain Storm had not provoked him with his hostility.”
“Are there any favorable emails?” asked Cable Eye. “We want to be fair and balanced.”
“Buffalo Poacher writes from the New Gobi City Prison, ‘I can’t wait for Mountain Storm to join us. That punk is going to be my bitch!’”
“Is that a favorable comment?” asked Cable Eye.
“I am not sure,” replied the moderator. “What does Buffalo Poacher mean by bitch ? Is that Old Earth prison lingo? I think I will need to get an upgrade for my translator box if we are going to take any more emails from the Big House.”
* * * * *
Arthropodan Imperial News Service:
Results from the hotly contested election in the Eastern Region near Jellystone are finally in. It appears ex-terrorist and bandit leader Mountain Storm has pulled off a surprising upset of populist frontrunner and ex-marine sergeant Dragon King. Mountain Sting led a victory parade to the Governor’s Mansion, waving to supporters with his good arms and stump.
Of about a half million votes cast, Mountain storm received 682,432 to Dragon King’s mere 325,401. Embarrassed by the loss, and suffering from a case of sour grapes, Dragon King is already crying foul and alleging ballot-counting irregularities. However, it appears the margin of error is not close enough to justify the expense of a recount.
All election results are required to be certified by the Emperor. It is rumored that His Majesty does not think Mountain Storm is fit for office. Whether the Emperor’s low opinion of Mountain Storm will affect the certification process remains to be seen. Democracy advocates feel Imperial meddling in election vote outcomes would set a bad precedent.
* * * * *
A week later, the Emperor declared the election invalid due to obvious ballot fraud. He appointed Dragon King Provisional Regional Governor until a new election could be organized. A source at the Palace suggested the Emperor might ask for neutral peacekeepers already serving along the border to supervise the next election. This was thought to be the only fair solution to an already tainted election process.
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Chapter 13
General Daly talked to me on the monitor. “The Emperor has been in close communications with the President again,” said the general. “You know what that means?”
“We’re screwed?” I asked.
“It means we have a mission,” explained General Daly. “That’s what we live for!”
“That means
“That was truly terrifying,” commented Cable Eye. “Can we see that again? Please turn up the sound for our viewers at home. As a last resort, might Mountain Storm hope to garner some sort of sympathy vote? That was almost as painful to watch as I’m sure it was being on the receiving end of those teeth.”
“There is no evidence of a sympathy backlash yet,” commented the moderator, checking the poles on his computer. “Dragon King’s approval numbers just rose to an all time high of eighty-seven percent. Endorsements are rolling in, too. Dragon King already had most of the military vote. Now several animal rights organizations are endorsing his candidacy, including the Humane Society and the Audubon Society. It seems he is popular on both sides of the border.”
“Email comments are streaming in,” advised Cable Eye. “Desert Snail from Jellystone writes that the monitor dragon should be taken to the vet to make sure it did not contract a social disease from Mountain Storm.”
“Oh, that was bad,” said the moderator. “Betty in Scorpion Valley writes that obviously Mountain Storm hates all animals. That dragon would not have attacked if Mountain Storm had not provoked him with his hostility.”
“Are there any favorable emails?” asked Cable Eye. “We want to be fair and balanced.”
“Buffalo Poacher writes from the New Gobi City Prison, ‘I can’t wait for Mountain Storm to join us. That punk is going to be my bitch!’”
“Is that a favorable comment?” asked Cable Eye.
“I am not sure,” replied the moderator. “What does Buffalo Poacher mean by bitch ? Is that Old Earth prison lingo? I think I will need to get an upgrade for my translator box if we are going to take any more emails from the Big House.”
* * * * *
Arthropodan Imperial News Service:
Results from the hotly contested election in the Eastern Region near Jellystone are finally in. It appears ex-terrorist and bandit leader Mountain Storm has pulled off a surprising upset of populist frontrunner and ex-marine sergeant Dragon King. Mountain Sting led a victory parade to the Governor’s Mansion, waving to supporters with his good arms and stump.
Of about a half million votes cast, Mountain storm received 682,432 to Dragon King’s mere 325,401. Embarrassed by the loss, and suffering from a case of sour grapes, Dragon King is already crying foul and alleging ballot-counting irregularities. However, it appears the margin of error is not close enough to justify the expense of a recount.
All election results are required to be certified by the Emperor. It is rumored that His Majesty does not think Mountain Storm is fit for office. Whether the Emperor’s low opinion of Mountain Storm will affect the certification process remains to be seen. Democracy advocates feel Imperial meddling in election vote outcomes would set a bad precedent.
* * * * *
A week later, the Emperor declared the election invalid due to obvious ballot fraud. He appointed Dragon King Provisional Regional Governor until a new election could be organized. A source at the Palace suggested the Emperor might ask for neutral peacekeepers already serving along the border to supervise the next election. This was thought to be the only fair solution to an already tainted election process.
back to top
Chapter 13
General Daly talked to me on the monitor. “The Emperor has been in close communications with the President again,” said the general. “You know what that means?”
“We’re screwed?” I asked.
“It means we have a mission,” explained General Daly. “That’s what we live for!”
“That means
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