The Lion, the Witch, and the Intern

Alexis Ada Lovelace found she was suffering an existential crisis over Chapstick.

Heat did not care about you. Like Elder Gods or major political parties, you as an individual had no significant weight on what they did. Alexis was finding that out the hard way in the Kingdom of Puntland. The combination of dry air and warm temperatures had conspired to give her near constant nosebleeds and her supply of lip balm was running dangerously low.

Adjunct had carefully budgeted her expenses when she had set out on this new stage of her life. She had not accounted for climate or the landscape.

Puntland was beautiful, despite the unfortunate name. She had driven with Steven, the Food Services Manager, out to the shoreline. There, the lapis waters of the Indian Ocean crashed against ochre beaches freckled with green. As the salt breeze hit Alexis' face, she closed her eyes and dreamed it came from the Atlantic.

When she had lived in London, it hadn't been this bad. It was just the other side of the ocean, after all. Despite some culture shock about tipping and that Brexit business, she found her time there not nearly so shocking. After all, the United Kingdom was a prosperous nation, despite its woes. There, Alexis did not have to see what was thrust in her face every day here

The poverty was simply astounding. And pervasive. Somalia was found on the Horn of Africa, next to one of the richest trade routes in the world. Despite the climate, this region should have an outsized economic impact based solely on its proximity. It didn't matter

Food security was problematic. Regular food shipments were being divvied out as part of Steelheart's community outreach, but it wasn't enough. Alexis had resolved to take charge of that, once she could arrange face time with the CEO. Though she doubted the individual in charge was incompetent, something more had to be done.

As Steven drove them back, Alex looked upon a line of shanty homes arranged in neat rows and realized how much she hated the former King of Puntland. It was like a knot in her stomach, that loathing. The universe was indifferent, or even hostile. It would crush you, grind you down, turn you into dust. All without regard to who you were or what you did or who you cared about. The heat, the poverty, and the King.

They were all indifferent.

And Alexis was about out of Chapstick. She closed her eyes and sighed, asking Steven not to disturb her until they returned. Her computer began to work. She had much to do, after all.

Puntland, Somalia was not a place that came to mind when someone thought of trade and economic strength. Generally when talking about Somalia what was brought up was pirates and poverty. Two things that Steelheart Industries had arrived to do away with. It was a multipurpose company based around the improvement of humanity as a whole and their CEO and Founder was firm in his belief that the city, and then the country could be improved and brought up into the modern age. It was a lofty goal and one that would take about a year, or longer, if current estimates were accurate but those were numbers that were acceptable. Argus Black did not expect anything to be easy and he in fact expected a challenge. The first obstacle in their way had already been removed, the previous king replaced by his son. A much more agreeable person and one who saw the benefits of having Puntland brought into the modern age.

It was why the sixty year old South African native was currently having a meeting with the young King Ndwandwe. A great many changes had already been implemented in regards to making the city a better place. For example the ‘secret police’ were given a trial by the people, their sentence decided and the entire department shut down. A new police force had replaced them, bright shiny blue uniforms, voluntary, and open with the people. The port of Bandarbeyla was turned from a haven of sin into a functioning port town, food drives were a regular thing, and AC was provided for every house where it was viable to install it. Finally the projects to provide solar power, and the jobs for mining valuable resources were both underway. Things were slowly looking up in Puntland.

Despite all this there were still a multitude of issues that needed to be addressed. Problems that would pop up and ruin whatever was being implemented, or undo the hard work that had been put into place. Hell, there were still dozens of issues that needed to be solved that hadn’t even been tackled or looked at yet. All of this was something Mr. Black had been working towards fixing or delegating to his employees to fix, but things were moving slowly. The reports he was getting on his tablet, updating him on the machinations of his company, as he made his way towards the ‘throne room’ of the young king reflected this. Despite all the good they were doing, and the dent they had made, it was just that. A dent.

The older gentleman walked into the throne room, where a large table piled with official documents and economic states were scattered about. Sitting around it were ‘King’ Ndwandwe and his advisors, all of them talking in their native language. Discussing what should be done about this or that. Talking that came to an abrupt stop when Argus Black entered the room. “Oh no. Do not stop on my account. I believe we are of course all here for the same reasons.” He walked towards a chair at the end of the table, opposite of Ndwandwe and tapped out a few things on his tablet. Sending a message to one Alexis Ada Lovelace, requesting her presence in King Ndwandwe’s throne room. Detailing that he wanted her to speak on her experience in the city so far and what she believed still needed done and what should take priority. “I hope you do not mind that I have invited a new member of my employ to this meeting today. For a fresh and new perspective.” It mattered little what they wanted. She would be coming anyway.

In the operations of the Puntland project, the numbers and the metrics on the ground showed that Sage was the literal mover and shaker of mountains. It was hard to put numbers on creativity and ingenuity after all. Dabbler might’ve been the omni-disciplinary scientific genius, but Sage had actual discipline, and so she was a higher priority for meetings, with the witch relegated as a thinker. It wasn’t about competition though; each had their own job to do.

A summit was called with the “king”, chief Black, and Alexis, so Sage had to be yanked away from her overseer platform at the solar towers. Another solar tower had gone up, and more of the surrounding landscape had been flattened and depressed to supply the monumental amounts of sand and gravel they needed. All ten had been demarcated now, but it was a long game. Sage would need more weeks to erect them all. If only she had all her geomancer nieces and nephews here, they’d build this project up overnight. She couldn’t force fifty thousand laborers to work under the blazing sun either, oh well.

Sage cared little for cars and the winding road. She simply got on a metal surfboard, and did as she saw on those computer things. She surfed the desert towards the city and the palace, whose modifications had to remain in the domain of the superficial façade. Time was precious, and the show of “tearing down” the old palace had to be skipped. She made it in record time, her valets stuck in their car on the road, while she simply put her surfboard beside a tree in the parking lot.

“I am here as requested.” Sage simply announced, and stood beside Argus Black in an advisory role, simply waiting to do. She nodded towards Alexis in formal acknowledgement.

Dabbler was, naturally, Samantha Black in public, and was walking in FROM the palace interior. Even when she was supposed to act normal, she liked to keep people guessing. WAS she here at the palace all along? No matter. She gave the ever formal and stoic Sage a big hug, and a hug for Alexis too, and waved at the officials and the king. “Hello movie buddy! I’m present too!” she said cheerily, though the Ndwandwe just mortified.

...1 New Message
...From: Argus Black
...CEO: Steelheart Industries

Alexis had been lost in the machine dream when the message came.   The computer was cold, but not unkind.  The difference between imprinting on objects rather than people was that object did not have any emotions, save for in rare cases.  They felt what you felt about them, or how you thought how the felt about you.  The bond with her computer felt like clean, crisp air mountain air.  It had a clarity to it the normal world could not manage.  On top of her peek, Alexis felt like she could see forever.

Sempai had finally noticed her, however.  So, she woke.  Her report was nearly done, but a meeting beckoned.  She set her computer to autocomplete the fine details without her direct supervision, and asked Steven to hurry.  She strode toward the meeting with a purpose, her clothing changing even as she walked.  Denim jeans and her loose cotton top had been replaced with the ruthlessly professional garb she favored when appearing before the board.  Indeed, even the particle boots were replaced with a pair of two inch pumps, shiny and immaculate.  

Alexis strode into the meeting confidently, a polite smile on her face.  She had worked on that smile; spent hours staring at a mirror getting the perfect mix of assertiveness and deference.  One did not simply stroll into the boardroom, after all.  

With a mental reshuffling, Alexis was put away in a box, and Adjunct stood there.  Polite, professional, detached.  An instrument of corporate will made manifest.  Put her to a problem and that problem would be put down.  

"Good morning, Mr. Black," she said deferentially, the last one to arrive.  Her eyes turned toward the young king and gave him a profanatory bow.  "Your majesty."  Then to Niao, a faint hint of a smile was on her face. "Director Lu."  Then, because a sliver of Dabbler's personality had already melted onto Alexis, the witch got a wink and a pair of finger guns.  "Dabba-Dabba-Do."  She blanched a moment before quickly regaining control of herself.  She did give Dabbler her hug, though.  She couldn't do anything else.  

Adjunct gave a mental command and those present were bombarded with a half-dozen emails.  With an few extra for Mr. Black, Niao, and Dabbler.

They were.
...FW: Ecological Impact Study of the Kingdom of Puntland
...FW: Economic Forecast for the Somalia and Surrounding Region
...FW: Political Fallout of General Nagoyo's Political Annexation
...FW: Security Concerns (Updated Safety Regulations)
...FW: The International Outlook of Steelheart Industries
...FW: Birthdays

For the VIPs,
...FW: Dabbler's Consolidated Projects List
...FW: Essential Goods Shipments and Invoice
...FW: Bostonian Assets
...FW: Proposals

Dabbler also got a file full of memes.  

Not bad for a weeks work.  

Despite the bland titles, each of the emails contained a wealth of information.  Adjunct had a style of reporting that involved providing her conclusion first and 'showing her work' on how she achieved it.  Much of it was simply information they had available put through computer modeling and predictive algorithms.  

Ironically, the most insidious of the emails was the innocuous Birthdays, because Alexis hadn't stopped there.  Each entry had small bits of information about peoples hobbies or families, as well as their tribe, religious leanings, and political beliefs.  It was amazing how much information you could get from people's Facebook pages nowadays.

"I have prepared several presentations each tailored to topics you may wish to discuss.  I also have sixteen proposals waiting to be greenlit. You will find each of these in the Meeting Topics email I sent you."

...FW: Meeting Topics

Adjunct snapped her fingers, and a video projector with white screen appeared next to her.  She smiled at the room with a confidence that belied her power scale.  Behold her and know her, the Goddess of Bureaucracy unveiled.

"Where would you like to begin?"

Alexis Ada Lovelace. A recent hire to Steelheart Industries and one that had very interesting abilities. Upon arrival to this world through the ‘guidance’ of Dabbler and the use of the internet Argonath Belzenlock had been made privy to the ‘meta-human’. A subspecies of humanity that possessed a multitude of genetic mutations, allowing for a wide variety of abilities that appeared magical to the unknowing. They could do anything from being able to jump further to having the power of the sun in the palm of their hands. Or, like a very famous one, were actually empowered by the sun itself. As the God of War, Argonath saw the tactical advantage of these enhanced individuals that walked around with the powers of the gods. A small squad of them could easily take over a city, perhaps even a small country; and an army of them? Well. Not even the sky was the limit.

That of course was how the ‘meta-human’ rehabilitation and work program of Steelheart Industries was birthed. An idea to bring them in, to enlist the help of these meta-humans and allow them to use their abilities to help better their common man. To use their ‘gifts’ in productive ways if they didn’t see themselves as fighters (yet), and as for those deemed criminal to give them a chance to be reintroduced to society by working for Steelheart in the same way. It was also how Alexis was brought to the attention of Argus Black. Her gifts were aptly suited for the company and would make any situation she was placed in run that much smoother. He had yet to utilize her abilities for himself; instead allowing Lu Tong Niao and Dabbler to integrate her into the company and assess her aptitude for themselves. Today that would change.

A curt nod was offered up to the Sage when she walked in and a smile for his ‘granddaughter’, one had to keep up appearances. Alexis walking in was gifted with actual words. “Ah, Miss Lovelace. Good, we can get this meeting started.” He greeted, and boy did they ever. Ten quick pings sent to his tablet without her even raising a finger or blinking. Fascinating to see her ability in action up close. All of the topics and points of interest for the meeting were good choices and deserved to be discussed. However Argonath wanted to start with a show of force. Remind the young ‘king’ just who it was he was dealing with. “Birthdays is an excellent choice dear, a refreshing start to the meeting. Afterwards I believe your proposals would be a good follow up.” Pure innocent old Argus Black. Why would he think the topic was anything other than what it sounded like.

“Hey wait, so can we throw birthday parties here at the palace? Do we have a budget for an events planner? Does Steven have butter and cocoa to make good cake? These are important matters!” Dabbler initiated, though of course, her priorities were elsewhere.

Sage lightly reprimanded dabbler with a folded-up fan to the head. She stood and spoke, her draconic presence exerting itself.

“It would be prudent for us to discuss the return of the rest of the civilian bureaucracy and judiciary system, considering the corruption of public funds and rampant cronyism under the previous administration. The president before Nagoyo has since made what money the country had left basically disappear. The acceptance of Ndwandwe’s temporary sovereignty as actually a form of martial law after the overthrow of his father will buy us some credibility with the other Somalian States.” Sage explained eloquently, though still a bit halting with her English accent.

“But birthdays.” Dabbler protested. Sage rolled her eyes.

“Stop celebrating birthdays! You get old and have to grow up and pay taxes and mortgages.” She retorted using Dabbler-logic.

“…That is a fair point.” Checkmate. Dabbler went back to her seat to play mobile games.

The present administrators looked at each other, then gave their answer. “But… we are the sitting government now. We can’t just step down. We need to take care of our… families.” Your personal interests you mean, Sage thought resentfully.

“You are not elected officials. You were former clerks and department heads who Nagoyo spared, and some of you are his personal friends. As you know well by now. Restoring democratic institutions will make you all heroes. You will have a spotless public image. IF you stick to the plan.”

Sage knew what they were talking about. It was difficult not to have word circulate in the political sphere of what Sage’s powers could do. She walked to the table, walked around and touched the metal cups they were drinking from, and the metal plates they had their meeting cakes. Eyes opened wide with wonder as all the cutlery and dishes turned to solid gold. They picked it up to inspect it, a few already pocketing golden spoons and forks.

“If it is a matter of having a pension for your retirement, money is no problem. But, if you have ambitions still for power, let me assure you all the money in the world will be for naught. You need this job much more than we need you. Now. Can we please get to work?”

Nwdwande listened to the proceedings, but his heart was heavy. Unprofessional it may have seemed, he wanted to unload this burden from his shoulders. “…I wish for us to come to a final decision on my father’s fate. I… I want him out, but … I cannot bear to see him beheaded under death penalty.”

"Excuse me, your Majesty," Alexis said with pleasant affability.  "I believe Chairman Black is setting the agenda of this meeting.  If he wishes to begin with Birthdays, let us start there. Other points can be addressed when we have dealt with that.  It may also give you perspective on how to manage your... honored father."  

That said, Alexis gestured to the projector which came to life.  Nex to it, a small drone with an unlit LED panel rose quietly in the air. The lights of the room dimmed, and the screen displayed the logo of Steelheart Industries.  Alexis appeared on the screen.  Not by the screen or in front of the screen, on the screen.  In reality, she had stepped to the side and was resting at ease off in a corner.

It was a computer generated image of her, created in real time by her super-computer handling sophisticated rendering software.  Alexis' power was inherently one of empathy and understanding, but that worked both ways, too.  Alexis had discovered to her delight that computers were far easier to work with if you didn't have to muck about with all that coding business.

"Birthdays." Alexis had a non-descript American accent; a chipper, region-less cadence owned by news anchors and some serial killers.    "Of the many employees that are part of the Steelheart family, we would be remiss in not recognizing the outstanding individuals that have allied themselves with out interests.  But did everyone know we have a special birthday boy amongst us even now?"

Above them, the drone had hovered over one of the recalcitrant administrators.  The LED lit and a spotlight shown down on him.  On screen, Alexis' chipper mood was almost aggressive.  A panel displaying the man's personal information began to scrawl next to her.

Overhead, Alexis began to speak.

"Major Nuur Cawad was born 37-year-old today to a subsistence farmer and his wife.  Currently, he enjoys watching television, spreading subversive propaganda and travel. His friends all say he is a very diligent worker and quite entertaining at parties but can be somewhat cruel and violent."  Alexis said this last bit with playful, disapproving tut in her voice, like she was scolding a kitten.

A small video played of Nuur Cawad at one of the former King's soirées.  It showed the middle aged man naked at the waist and having intense intercourse with an underaged girl.  Alexis had blurred out the girls face to hide her modesty.

Alexis laughed that news anchor laugh.  The light shining down on Major Cawad seemed to grow slightly more intense.  The man was visibly shaking.  "Oh my!  That will certainly set the tone at any shindig, won't it?"

However, Alexis was not done.  Another video played, this time of the Major executing a line of dissident as his family looked on.  "We should also not forget the majors tireless sense of duty," Alexis said with laughter in her voice.  "Here he is at a public relations junket interfacing with his customer base.  Such a dynamic speaker!  Look at how well he addresses questions regarding the former King's legitimacy."  A gunshot rang out as Cawad executed the prisoner kneeling before them.

The footage wasn't real, of course.  It was computer generated, as Alexis was.  However, Alex had run down eye witnessed accounts and pieced together stories of the events outlined.  Alexis did not give one wet shit if the images were real or not.  The stories were real.  The pain was real.

In her dark and secret place, away from the light of the projector, Alexis was incandescent with rage.  Ever since her time in that shitty cell with Niao, she could not stop the anger that dwelt in her heart.  It was almost a living thing in itself now, a serpentine thing coiling around her sense of self.  And the dragon did not have mercy.

In the echo of the gunshot, Alexis kept speaking.  "And finally, here is our wonderful Major with his adorable family. His three daughters and his beautiful wife.  Look at what a happy and healthy family.  Oh!  And little Wamba is such a little gymnast!"  

This one was real, actually.  The scene was innocent enough.  It showed the happy family at what appeared to be a barbeque a few days past.  Nothing untoward was happening, only normal family antics.

The problem came from the medium.  The images had been taken through a parabolic scope with distance, wind velocity, and ballistic drop calculated on the right.  The image zoomed in ominously on the family.  When Alexis went to a meeting, she went hard.

"We at Steelheart wish Major Cawad a very happy birthday and hope he and his family celebrate many more through the years of our long partnership.  Thank you for your kind attention."

With that, the lights came up in the meeting room.  Cawad had gone a few degrees paler.  Alexis walked around the table, her heels sounding unnaturally loud.  They were, actually.  She was having the speakers in the projector amplify the noise.  

"Gentlemen," Alexis said pleasantly.  "Before we continue, I would like to raise a concern I have over what was discussed earlier. You may feel you have leverage in this situation.  You do not.  You may feel you are entitled to our respect.  You are not."

"You continue to breathe at Mr. Black's sufferance."  She gestured to the esteemed older gentleman to whom she owed her employment.  As she spoke, her voice grew less convivial, so very less pleasant.

There was nothing but scorn in Adjunct's voice now. "So far, Mr. Black has used carrots, and only allude to sticks.  It is nice to meet you, Gentlemen.  I am head-fucking-bitch of the woodshed.  Stand in the way of Mr. Black or Steelheart's initiatives for this country, and I will burn your lives down to the ground around you." She met each of their eyes with a hard stare, before standing back up and smoothing a few wrinkles out of her business attire.

Alexis clapped her hands together, the loud report of the gesture causing the Assemblymen to jump.  The smile was back, as was the perky HR voice.  "I think that concludes today's birthdays.  I cede the floor to Chairman Black.  What is next on our agenda, sir?"

The initial remark about wanting to start with birthdays had not been taken very well by anyone. Dabbler and Sage both had their own opinions on the topic; proving they had not actually read or even glanced at the file that was forwarded to them. Something Mr. Black did immediately upon receiving each of the files. Sage’s opinion on which topic to start with was uninteresting to Argonath. Sure, democratic elections would sway the public opinion and make them believe that Steelheart Industries and the elected officials truly were here for their benefit but in the end what the people wanted didn’t matter. Whether it was ten or a thousand years from now, there was only one conclusion. There would be only one ruler, and any who stood in his way would meet the same fate. Death.

How they handled the ambitious fools however was very nicely done. Promise them their stupid gold and riches if they did as they were told. Line their pockets with the valuables they so desired and turn their minds away from what truly mattered. Sheep were so easy to herd when one knew the right strings to pluck. All but the new King were placated by this news, who once more brought up the issue of his father. An issue that Argus Black had thought to already be handled. His father’s fate was to be left to the people. A trial by his ‘peers’ as it were. It seemed that was not good enough for the young Nwdwande who insisted on coming to a decision, exile it sounded like. A decision that Argonath did not agree on and was about to speak up on it when Miss Lovelace did it herself. Initiative. Good.

She was proving to be a very good acquisition when she showed her wonderful proposal on Birthdays. The fact that the Major had a birthday today made the topic even better. The technology of this world would always impress and astound Lord Belzenlock. The technology of his home plane had lacked under the guidance of Lorasil. Peace and prosperity did not give rise to competition, it stagnated mortal development. They became content and lazy, having no reason to improve their daily lives as they thought it was already perfect. It was why he was able to conquer an entire dimension with his army of followers. Conquering one plane after another, turning the conquered into his own loyal men and women. Here though? Here they understood the art of war. War breeds invention. This computer and holographic projector with a drone imaging system? Well it was just one of the many examples.

The elderly Mr. Black gave a small clap when the presentation ended and Alexis wished the Major another happy birthday. Not wanting to ruin the roll she was on, it wasn't a long or loud clap, but it was accompanied by a smile in said Major’s direction. It was followed by a nod when said speaker gestured in his direction. This mortal had already proven her worth in spades. That kind of loyalty and drive deserved a reward. He would have to confer with Dabbler or the Sage on what would be an appropriate reward at a later date. For now it seemed all eyes were once more on him as she asked what topic was next on the agenda for the meeting. “A job well done Miss Alexis, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation.” He said with a nod before glancing at his tablet, as if deciding what to do next. “We should discuss the economic forecast next and then follow it up with a couple of your proposals. That way we have an understanding of where we currently stand economically speaking. A topic I believe our own Ms Niao knows a good deal about.”

Dabbler was deep into her game on the tablet. Gotta get that Angry Birds 2028 Deluxe Edition high score!

Meanwhile, Sage listened intently to the execution of their policy of carrot and stick, specifically giving a carrot but showing sticks. The gathered bureaucrats were all pale and quiet, and now much more cooperative.

Still, she had little stock in the pedigree of civil service. Most of them were appointees or relatives of previous officials. Less than half had a proper college degree. The civil service exams are a joke. Only away from her work did she resolve to add bureaucratic training to the agenda. Perhaps a reform to the penal code as well, similar to the Great Wall times.

Sage’s valets only just caught up to their boss lady, a small trio of fairly competent office workers in distinct green and gold clothes that marked them as Sage’s team. They made up for one of Sage’s deficiencies – technology. She was still learning how to use computers, and given how much focused she was on working she could only learn as fast as your typical tech illiterate boomer. Her powers did not mesh well with computers either, tampering with the metal components causing them damage.

They fiddle with their laptops a moment, before the big screen showed a more conventional presentation. It was fairly bare bones and straight to the point, having no need to be dressed up. Sage had to take time to smooth out Dabbler’s more complicated diagram of interconnected sectors, with a large number of mathematical concepts even the ancient dragon found challenging to figure out.

“…No, not that one, those are Samantha’s chalkboard scribbles.” Sage said to her team, who brought up the original diagrams. Dabbler’s thought processes put on a 2-dimensional plane was like peering into the Necronomicon; things man was not meant to know. There were far reaching calculations such as human population growth, rate of climate change, reactions from the neighboring regions, and so forth, extrapolated in statistics, chaos theory and other mathematical models that were outside her purview.

They team go through a few more slides until they come upon the right ones. Sage’s arranged the concepts into simple linear progression that would be understandable to laymen.

PHASE 1: CLEAN ENERGY

“Economics is explicitly tied to energy. In ancient times, it was a question of amassing rice and manpower to assemble bricks from mud and straw.” Sage opened, showing pictures from her personal journals, from a surprising old project- the Great Wall. Or rather a portion of it. The technology has changed but the underlying principle was the same.

“In the modern sense, energy comes from electricity. Make electricity cheap, and everything else in the country goes down in price. Food, water, transportation, manufactured goods and services. As of this year and probably the next we will still be running on imported coal, oil and gas. This is inevitable for our immediate needs. But Dabbler thinks we can decouple from fossil fuels in two years. The first solar tower will go online at the end of April, but the energy it will produce will be our good will to the other Somalian States. Puntland will still be running on fossil fuels, until the 4th tower goes up, in August. Assuming nothing goes wrong.”

PHASE 2: MAG RAIL AND ELECTRIC CARS
“Once power rates drop, then we can begin installation of a Magnetic Rail corridor to connect us to our distant port, and every town in between. The rail will carry goods as well as people. Every municipality along the way will be pegged for development. The lands around the rail will be a new economic corridor devoted to mixed use developments and hydroponic botanicals… I am recruiting foreign planners and contractors to augment my work force, as I’ve not the time to plan those myself. It is more expedient to buy rail systems from abroad, as our ore refining facilities will take far too long to get online.”

PHASE 3: DEEP EARTH MINING AND METAL REFINEMENT

“As foreign investors and contractors expand our roads, and the Solar Towers are all erected, I will lead the Deep Mining operations in our iron, gold, palladium and rhodium deposits. Much as I can create these metals on a whim, it is a terrible use of my time. The work needed to build refineries and working the mines will make a working boom, drawing a large number of the labor pool from not only this country but possibly surrounding neighbors. Everyone will want a piece of the Puntland steamed buns, so to speak.”

FINAL RESULT: REGIONAL TRADE

“And so, the final result of our project – Any piece of ore that is taken out of the deep mines will be refined and processed into steel, alloys or even finished goods, and be on a container ship after 72 to 120 hours, making 10-30 times return on investment. Assuming there are no deviations to this plan, the region will become a net exporter of essential metals to India, UAE and the rest of Africa. We will not outpace South Africa in quantity, but we will make the highest grade materials to compensate.”

“For these projections for the nation’s economy to come to fruition though, hinges greatly on mutual cooperation between Ndwandwe’s cabinet and Steelheart Industries.” The presentation ends, and Sage returns to her Valets to make more plans.

“This sounds… incredibly fantastical. Too optimistic. Nothing of its like has ever been achieved before. Such a plan should take 15 or more years to achieve.” The committee said, having their skepticism at the timeline.

“For you baseline humans perhaps. We do not have that limitation, and I can be a ruthless task master. As we have-” Sage’s talk was interrupted when a guard suddenly crashed the meeting and put himself between the Steelheart head and the state head.

“Mister Steelheart! King Ndwandwe! We have urgent news!” A young soldier called attention to himself. When a soldier delivered urgent news, everyone listened.

“What is it, soldier?” Ndwandwe silenced the room to let the young man speak.

“…They are coming into the city at high speed! They are on their way here! We must get you to safety!” The soldier said in a panic, still breathing fast.

Dabbler only then put her game down. “Who are ‘They’ ?” she said rather unconcerned for the danger. ‘They’ did not need to be explained much; They meant danger, and time wasted on wondering what was time wasted doing nothing. Sage orders her valets to take shelter deep into the palace, as she slides steel plating over windows, the soldiers taking positions to defend the palace.

Adjunct had listened to the Sage's presentation with rapt attention, though her mind was divided.  Efficient completion of the various large scale projects being undertaken was paramount, but Alexis was of the opinion that Steelheart was presently too small for the size of the tasks it was attempting.

So, Alex had delegated a part of her hypercognitive state to analyzing Niao's projects for stress points.  Poke holes in her plans, as it were.  There were a few rather obvious ones she could name.  Specifically, that four large towers made of metal and glass were very large targets if someone decided to attack the country's infrastructure.

That was not a zero chance proposition.  Security in Puntland was a bad joke.  Blue shirted police offering kind words and assistance might reassure the population, but eventually there would be a major attack.  There were still Loyalist forces at large, and they needed to be dealt with.  Even beyond that, this region of the world was known for its banditry.  An attack would come soon, she was sure.

Beyond that, too, were the regional politics at play.  The rest of Somalia had something to say for Puntland's independence, and the growing industrial power of Ethiopia may decide to throw a 'welcome to Africa, here's a land war' at them.  There were pieces of the region that Ethiopia would need to become a major exporter in the next few decades.  Adding Puntland to their holdings under the auspex of regional peacekeeping was straight out of the handbook.  

Then consider China.  The People's Republic had invested heavily in Africa, primarily to gain control of the relatively rich deposits of rare earths discovered there.  With the recent 'discoveries' of large scale deposits in Puntland, there would be overtures.  Some might of those might involve 'insurgents' or 'revolutionaries' damaging or destroying those towers in order to case Steelheart to require outside assistance in their repair.  

And this was only one of the topics Alexis was presently dwelling on.  

So when the presentation was abruptly interrupted, Alexis had only reacted about three seconds after the announcement was made.  Alex started as if someone had shocked her and resolved to assign a piece of herself to watching for such shenanigans in the future.  

Immediately, Alexis rose from her chair.  A blue mist briefly surrounded her as she was in a jumpsuit of dark ballistic weave with trauma pads and joint guards in dark grey.  An assault rifle with an attached grenade launcher was summoned a moment later.  A pair of dark safety glasses appeared over Alexis' eyes as she took an earpiece from her pocket and slid it in place.

"Equip yourselves," Alexis ordered.  "One rifle a man, two clips each.  Luck of the draw on the vests."  Alexis had learned certain lessons from Boston, it seemed.  

Adjunct couched the rifle in her arm.  She wasn't too worried.  Dabs and the Sage were here, and they were both heavy hitters.  They had to evacuate Mr. Black, of course, and the King.  The assembly members... well, they should make the attempt, anyway.  She'd consider it Major Cawad's birthday present if they succeeded.  Alexis waved a hand toward the open floor, where a stand of assault rifles suddenly manifested, along with ballistic vests and helmets. They were nothing terribly advanced, only AKs of the simplest pattern she could find.

For her last bit, she waved the soldier that had come in away from the door.  Alexis focused, and a three meter by three meter block of solid concrete manifested against the primary entrance.  Giant rocks were surprisingly versatile, Alex had discovered long ago.

Calmly, Alexis worked with her computer.  It interfaced with the earpiece to pick out local radio signals.  She attempted to tune into the police band in order to gain a better understanding of the situation.  

"I am interfacing with local communications now.  The networks here are so fucking crude..." Alexis glanced to Mr. Black and winced, covering her mouth with her fingertips.  "Sorry, sir."

In Argonath’s early centuries economics was not his strong suit. It was not his purview. He destroyed that which the mortals made, helped them to build it up even better than before. There were no needed costs for that. It simply was how things were. He was a God. A force of nature, nay, a constant accepted force of the universe. What reason did he have for knowing why this circular object made of vairing material equals some good or service? It wasn’t until his prerogative in the ethereal hierarchy shifted that he started to not just understand but become a master at economics. His ruthless efficiency at war translated seamlessly to politics and economics. It would not have been a stretch to say he was the John Maynard Keynes of his world. At least if he had been more willing to share his own ideas.

It was how Steelheart Industries had been doing as well as it had been up until the addition of the Steel Sage. It was also how he was able to understand the diagrams from young Dabbler that were on screen, even if only momentarily, before the Sage’s team got to the part that was actually her presentation. A presentation that the King and his staff would actually be able to follow. The presentation was well put together, Niao worded it brilliantly and hit home on every point she made. There were some holes that could be poked into the plans, and perhaps not all of them were as sound proof as she hoped but it was miniscule at best. Outside factors notwithstanding this was all more than feasible. In fact, a few of those outside factors could even be manipulated into working in Steelheart’s favor.

The committee of course was fixated on the wrong flaw. Insinuating and even outright stating that they did not believe what had been clearly shown to them. That there was no way Steelheart Industries could feasibly do what they were saying they would do. That they could turn Puntland into an economic powerhouse. This was no surprise to the millenia old God however. Mortals always caved in the face of greatness, they refused to understand even the simplest of things and lashed out at the unknown.

You had to sit them down and quite literally poke and prod at what you were showing them, forcing them to see what it was that you yourself so easily saw. They needed someone to guide and lead them to the answer. There was an old mortal saying that you could lead a horse to water, but cannot force him to drink. Argonath disagreed with this statement. You could absolutely give someone an opportunity and force them to take it. If your will surpassed their own.

He was about to speak up and make his own set of comments on the economic ‘issue’, and rebuke the committee member when they were interrupted. A young soldier rushed into the meeting room, strode between Argus Black and King Ndwandwe and proclaimed ‘they’ were coming. Someone, or more accurately, multiple someones were already in the city and making their way here to the palace. At the exclamation that the king and himself needed to be moved to safety two of his own staff acted. Metal barriers were placed on the windows, boarding them up, courtesy of the Steel Sage. Miss Lovelace reacted brilliantly. A fleury of action, summoning a ballistic suit and weapons for herself, assault rifles for the gathered committee members and finally a solid concrete barrier in front of the entrance.

It was a fair defensible position. They were trapped inside just as much as those outside were stopped from coming in however. Not that it mattered to Argus Black, and the ‘old man’ echoed this feeling. He did not move during the mad dash from the King’s staff to arm themselves, he did not move with Sage’s staff to hide deeper into the castle. The only action he took was to stand up and dust himself off, looking as if he was straightening out his tux. “I do wonder who this ‘they’ are. It is very rude to interrupt a meeting. I had not even had the time to speak my own mind on the issue presented by our own Ms Niao.” He spoke as if he did not have a care in the world.

In truth Argus Black, or rather Argonath Belzenlock did care. He was quite interested to see who would attempt such a blatant attack in broad daylight. A question that was soon to be answered as the sounds of footsteps and voices could be heard rushing towards their direction. Mr. Black met this noise by striding forward, his walking cane tapping on the ground as he approached Adjunct. “Language Miss Lovelace" He rebuked in a 'grandfatherly' tone, if only too keep up apperances. "It seems we will find out who they are sooner rather than later. Are you ready Miss Lovelace?” Was it odd that the sixty year old man was striding towards the front with no noticeable armor or weapons on hand? Certainly. But that was part of the charm and cover of Argus Black, that and Argonath knew that nothing these mortals used would harm him. He was a God.

SAGE
“Witch. Make your battle preparations!” Sage said, trying to guess where these invaders might come in, the palace guards trying to get a glimpse from the view ports in the steel panels. She sensed them moving outside, but they moved at a blistering speed that she could not track their number effectively.

DABBLER
Dabbler grumbled at how she missed with the big fat angry bird, scoring zero for this stage. She finally locks her phone and concentrates on the seriousness of the situation. “Okay, fine! Dabbler, make your battle preparations! Dabbler, take this seriously! Dabbler, stop electrocuting people to death!” She sees the general staff move into the secure bunker. The blast door will probably keep them busy. Ndwandwe stayed in a corner of the room, like a lost chicken.
“Well, aren’t you getting into the bunker, your highness??” Dabbler asked.

“…I am the king… I shouldn’t run…”  He said, seemingly unconvinced by his own words, but ducking behind a large potted plant nonetheless.

“Fine. Your neck is on the line. Don’t make a peep until we’re done, okay? NOT A SOUND. O Queen of shadows, in thyne name, shroud from the sight of mine enemies, this unworthy wretch.” Dabbler waved her hands and intoned the Shadow Queen, at the king, who vanished from sight and obediently made no noise.

“O Shadow Queen, I call upon thyne shadows, weave an illusion to deceive mine enemies!” Up next, the very shadows seemed to coalesce at the throne, creating an uncanny illusory image of the king, albeit his dialogue was supplied by Dabbler. “Ayyyy Lmao I’m Ndwande Y’all! I like the internet, hamburgers and Hollywood movies!” He said with a most undignified voice.

(CONCENTRATION 3 of 4 slots taken – Invisibility, Illusion, Familiar senses)

PLAINSFOLK

The fighting outside got louder and louder, as automatic rifle fire was replaced with growls and roars. “Everyone! focus fire on that window.” Sage commanded the palace guards, rather than wait for their enemies to burst in from somewhere. Guns were aimed at the window, and the enemies took the rather obvious trap- but not for the reason of being easy to dupe or trick.
The moment the first figure moved in through the window bullets began firing, but the robed figure moved with the speed of a cheetah. Not quite a speedster, but still blisteringly too fast for the small space of the palace. What was worse, they carried staves which they spun really quickly, deflecting bullets midair. To make the situation even worse, there were several of them; they fanned out and ran down the palace guard, attempting to surround the magic users.

Alexis and Sage were rushed by a trio of these enigmatic warriors, crossing the palace floor faster than one could blink. However, due to their speed they found themselves unable to avoid running right into the familiar purple portal of Dabbler’s make, sending them careering into a second companion. At the speed they travelled, they were sent careening and tumbling over the floor, but recovered quickly enough. “Haha! Serves you right!” Dabbler as usual, saw this skirmish as a game, using their speed against them.

Sage cursed in her native tongue, as the attackers wore no metal armor nor wielded metal weapons. One rushed her and she could only react with an instinctive earth shield, which bore the brunt of a staff thrust. So quick Sage was forced to resort to a parry with her ceremonial sword, the attacker bursting through to reach for Alexis with a clawed hand, attempting to grab her and throw her to the ground.  

Argus too was getting a high-speed cat spear towards him, though they were seeking more to incapacitate him. One came at him from the front and another out of his sight, intending to hit him high and low.

From the shadows a large anthropomorphic lion-man figure with an impressive blonde mane emerged from seemingly nowhere- and snuck up on the throne, slicing it cleanly in two with a massive blade. However the illusory Nwandwe made no reaction, until Dabbler noticed and unconvincingly decapitated him seconds later, sending the illusion to the ground. “Alas, I am dead.” He said, theatrically.

“…Accursed… an illusion!” He growled, realizing he had wasted his perfect opportunity to kill the king. The Lion Man looked around, watching as his Pride Clerics – female warriors – dealt with the trickery of the magic users. He also eyed the old man Argus, who seemed unfazed by it all.

One of the things Alexis' parents had always believed in were self-defense courses.  Before her powers ever manifested, Alex was a young and attractive woman in a world where people with super-strength routinely broke into well-guarded buildings.  Having a their daughter know when to duck and cover was only a reasonable precaution in light of that. 

Something that was stressed in those training courses was to fight as hard as you could.  Kick, bite, gouge, do whatever you had to do to get away.  If you won, you knew what would happen to you.  The cost was known and limited.  If you lost, however, your assailant could do whatever they wanted to you.  You had to get some mean in you if you wanted to live.

Alexis had long ago taken that lesson to heart, but she had a bad habit of act without thinking. Like many intelligent people, Alexis was a very passionate person and often acted rashly when emotion was upon her. Which was ironic as Alexis could literally mess with her own perception of time.  If Alexis had proper training or battle experience, she might have simply taken a step back, scaled down the flow of causality, and began to put bullets where her assailant couldn't parry.  

Instead, Alexis acted out of fear.  Seeing that the Sage was being assaulted, something in her brain shifted. She dropped her gun and drew a knife, ignoring her own attacker and going for Niao's.  Despite the fact that the Sage of Steel was a far more capable combatant than she, something in Alexis compelled her to defend the smaller woman. The ignored grab landed easily, and Alex was suddenly thrown to the ground with a great deal of force.  

Extended as Alex was for the thrust, her head slammed down against the hard floor of the conference room.  Alexis lost consciousness for a few seconds, before coming back to herself.  She put her hand on the ground and attempted to rise, but a sudden wave of nausea prevented her from going far.

A sudden scrawl of red text blurred across her vision.

...Alert:  Concussion Sustained
...Grade: 3 (Severe)
...Seek Immediate Medical Care.

The first thought that Argus Black had when the attackers busted their way through the entrance was not a positive one. ‘They have weapons of war my world could only dream of, and yet they use wooden staves? Disappointing.’ The second thing that made its way through his mind was one of interest. The last time he had seen a Lionfolk was back on Geinus, and they had served him with pure undying loyalty. To see that the species existed here was fascinating. They were a prideful species, but full of strong warriors and did not bend or break easily. Dedicated to their cause and filled with a sense of honor that was sorely lacking in most species. Whether or not that was true of the tribe here on this plane of existence was yet to be seen. Although, they definitely had the same warrior mentality if this attack was anything to go by.

The attackers were quick, expertly able to dodge and even deflect the incoming gunfire with their wooden sticks. Rushing towards the magically inclined individuals in the group. Only for a group of them to be stopped by Dabbler’s quick thinking with one of her portals. The rest however rushed towards their marks, dealing with them in varying degrees of success it seemed. Alexis, the fool reacted poorly and with no situational awareness. That or she valued Ms Niao’s life over her own which was illogical and served no purpose other than to get herself harmed. The Steel Sage was infinitely more capable of dealing with these common threats than Alexis would have been. A thought that was proven when she was grabbed from behind and slammed into the ground, rendered out of the fight. He might have commended her bravery if she had moved with the firearm, but no, she even discarded that in favor of a knife. It would seem battlefield tactical awareness as well as simple self-defense classes would need to be added to employee training.

Lord Belzenlock was faring much better in his own ‘battle’. As a millenia old god of war he was able to track and pinpoint the actions of every single person in this room. His own attackers were swiftly dealt with. The one coming at him with a spear from the front would watch as the ‘kindly old man’ reacted with speed far surpassing their own, grabbing the spear and using his godly strength to pull them in close before bashing their windpipe with his opposite elbow. The female attacker down for the count. The one who came at him from behind would watch as their mortal weapon broke against his suit jacket, or so it would appear. “It appears as if you have lost your weapon. Here, you can have this one.” Argus Black retorted, spinning around and stabbing the spear he had ripped from the hand of his front attacker, into the stomach and out the back of the second one.

A sickening squishing noise was made as the lights left his opponents eyes and the spear was removed from their body. “Ah, well it appears they did not want my gift. A pity.” He spoke in an even, almost emotionless tone, tossing the spear to the ground near where Alexis was having trouble staying conscious. “Samantha dear, do see about getting a healer or doctor for Miss Alexis here.” Mr. Black surveyed the room before his eyes and body turned towards the blonde maned male lion. The leader of this Pride perhaps? “You there. Care to explain why you interrupted my meeting with the young King? Other than your failed assassination attempt of course. I doubt this was a spur of the moment thing. You may either tell me of your own free will, or I will have the answer in more, unconventional methods.” The CEO spoke with authority, both hands resting on his cane, his face flat and unreadable, clearly unaffected by the small battlefield around him.

Dabbler controlled the battlefield as best she could, zapping one lioness cleric as she came barreling at her, eliciting a growl of pain. She used her portals to gently evacuate Alexis, while Sage doubled down on defending and counter attacking. They find a spot on the far side of the throne room, to help their fellow.

The Clerics recognized the threat Argus suddenly posed. Smoke bombs were tossed his way, as the healthier females swiftly came in to rescue their injured companions. King Nagoyo had been sprung from his cell in the dungeons and had the temerity to return wearing his military uniform, acting like a restored king right away.

“Kill them all! I demand it!” The man shouted, pointing at all the soldiers who were complicit in his overthrow. The Clerics prepared their staves and spears.

Ndwandwe, having been watching the fight go on. He had only one idea in his mind to preserve the lives under his responsibility. “Wait! I know you. Mufasa. My father saved you. Many years ago.”

“So, the pup has been hiding like a coward. Yes child, I am he your father had saved… and now I come to settle my honor debt.” Mufasa expressed his displeasure at the trickery, as his Clerics readied their weapons to attack the current king.

“No more fighting! I… I, Ndwandwe, son of Nagoyo, hereby invoke the Ritual of Challenge for legitimacy!” He stood and said to Mufasa, causing him and the lion folk to change their stance.

“What are you waiting for? Kill him! End him! Do as I say!” Only Nagoyo was unmoved. They had the advantage in his mind, they could kill most of them, all these traitors and enemies.

Mufasa growled at Nagoyo. “I have saved your life already, that you stand free again in your ‘throne room’ my debt is settled. The Challenge has been invoked. You as king must answer it.” The old man shrinked from Mufasa’s words and presence, taking a step back.

“Fine. You’ll be my champion, Mufasa. Now kill that ungrateful brat!” Nagoyo commanded Mufasa, impatient and barely willing to abide by the rite.

“I accept…” The Lion Man grinned at Nagoyo. “…But, the princeling also has a right to invoke a champion. However, I see he surrounds himself with treacherous sorcerers… No foul sorcery may be used in the ring of honor, only steel and skill may decide this ritual combat!” He growled; his feline eyes set on Argus Black. The bloodlust in Mufasa was palpable, though it was clear he also believed in a code.

“That is a very convenient rule.” Sage said mockingly, finding the exclusion of magic entirely stupid... of course, as manipulator of elements, it was biased against her. Sage unraveled the metals woven into her robe, using those to prepare a neck and head brace for Alexis to keep her from moving to much. Dabbler ported a sofa over Alexis to sit, then the witch plopped on the sofa.

“You done goofed now, angry knife cat!” Dabbler said, putting her arm around Alexis to steady her, while feeding herself some jalapeno popcorn from her hat. Sage decided to remain standing, eyeing down the female cats opposite of the room.

Ndwandwe had now witnessed how Argus had defended himself from the Clerics. “…Mister Black, I do not wish to add to my debts, but… I see you too are not what you seem. I ask humbly, will you be my champion?”