The curtain call

_A/N: Pardon my long absence, a combination of work, business with other forum sites and a general loss of interest in CHYOA caused it all. I’m back now, and ready to update more frequently.- - - - - -

_

Augustine Tomah, Minister of Education, seethed at the growing power and influence of Aviel Mandebaum in the All Whig Party. At first they did not think much of the Israeli, thinking her young and inexperienced and unable to influence Liberia in any manner despite possessing an admittedly fat bank account (not knowing her exact wealth) and some talented personnel in her employ.

They gave her the position of Minister of Economics and basically saddled her with the then Minister of Public Works, Moses Jusu, a highly corrupt man who had been pocketing the construction budget for God knows how long. They believed her naive enough to try and fail at negotiating for more action in construction of vital public works for the country.

What they did not expect was for Moses to suddenly be indicted for corruption and jailed, and for his body to be subsequently found dead with blood pouring from his orifices. With him dead, Amos Kollie was named the new Minister of Public Works.

Worse, with Aviel’s effective deployment of the LAF to eliminate the warlords that still remained from the time of the Liberian Civil War, there were fewer pawns to use to maintain their control of the country. If they were to reassert their control over Liberian politics, they had to get rid of her and all her friends, and that window was closing fast.

Augustine Tomah’s first action was to stir up feelings of discontent in his latest campaign speech, decrying Aviel’s liberal use of the military to ruthlessly mop up every single warlord in Liberia. It did not work; the results she obtained and the fact Aviel achieved far more for the country than any other politician in recent history only cemented her growing popularity. What’s more, Aviel made no effort to hide it, freely admitting that rather than risk the warlord hanging around like ‘annoying flies’, as she put it, she moved to remove the problem root and stem.

Which made the people trust her that much more.

To think this fucking foreigner would outdo us all! Augustine thought angrily, I’ll show her, I’ll show all her cronies!

There was only a month left before the official election, and Augustine was becoming increasingly ****. There had to be a way to end her, some way that wouldn’t be traced to him-

Oh, why didn’t I think of this before…?

A wicked grin crossed Augustine’s face, and fighting to keep a neutral expression, he ordered for his trusted subordinate to make the necessary preparations after giving him the outline of his plan.

Smoking a cigar with all the nonchalance he could muster, he smiled at the prospect of his inevitable victory.

“I know for sure Augustine doesn’t like me, and I believe he’ll try something nasty,” Aviel commented.

“Yup, maybe something like ‘Set the Warlords loose at the next cabinet meeting’?” Wakeyo idly commented.

“Better yet, maybe try and knife me at a campaign speech,” Aviel added, “He’s never liked the kind of success we’ve enjoyed.”

“What a goddamn hypocrite,” Amos commented, “Before you came, they were all happy and reassuring the populace with sweet lies and false promises. Now you come and achieve what they didn’t, and they’re raising hell over the issue. Hypocrites, the lot of them.”

“They’re jealous of us, what do you expect?” Wakeyo mentioned, “You can’t just expect them to be automatically accepting of us foreigners upsetting the status quo and potentially losing the reins of power.”

“I know that,” Amos replied, “Fact is, I don’t think we should keep them around any longer.”

“Are you suggesting we deal with them the same way we dealt with the Warlords?” Aviel asked.

“Exactly,” Amos nodded.

“I don’t disagree, but I thought you’d be more… opposed to it,” Wakeyo noted.

“I can see why you’d think that, Wakeyo,” Amos sighed, “Studying in America - a country that emphasizes high degrees of personal liberties above all - should have influenced me to think the same. I do believe we need to maintain a certain standard of personal freedoms, but I’ve held my position for years before you came along; I tried to do things by the book, follow the laws and avoid getting into trouble. All I got for my efforts was a whole lot of nothing and too much wasted time and money, all because I tried to play by the book.”

Amos did not realize he was ranting until he took a moment to calm down and take a deep breath, reassessing his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be ranting like this,” Amos apologised, “I never rant like this before, I just.”

“It’s okay, Amos, it’s okay,” Aviel reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder, “You’ve had to hold it in for a long time, it’s okay to vent in good company. If you need an ear, Wakeyo and I are all ears.”

Amos nodded smilingly at Aviel, “Thanks, Aviel.”

Aviel’s smile quickly faded, “But there’s now the matter of how to eradicate this corruption and when; we can easily eliminate the warlords, no problem. The real problem is Augustine and his whole merry band of corrupt politicians in the All Whig Party, and the other parties as well.”

“None of the other parties have the talented personnel we need, and all those loyal to us are basically our own merry band,” Wakeyo put forth, “I never thought I’d say this, but we ought to focus on securing a one-party state for Liberia.”

A One-Party state, where only one democratic party held complete and total dominance in politics and which brooked no dissent or contest to its power through the existence of other political parties. China was one such state, with all power centered in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since the inception of its first Chairman Mao Zedong.

And Israel, its population comprised mostly of European and American Jews, also followed a similar mindset and the Western political system of democracy, which was also why the Israeli Knesset was so hopelessly divided between different parties with no real unity.

For Wakeyo to so readily suggest it…

“I know what you want to say, Aviel, but this isn’t Israel or the West, it’s an African country filled with warlords and surrounded by warlords,” Wakeyo stated, “Forget trying to start a democracy or a reasonable government, we need to establish a firm rule of law, a military junta. Otherwise, we’ll be crushed.”

If Aviel had the option to return to Israel and forget about all the flaws of African societies, she would have argued otherwise. Now, trapped in Liberia with what few allies she had and lacking any real options elsewhere, she found that she could not truly say no.

“Then if we’re dealing with the corrupt politicians, it’ll be once I’m officially sworn in as the President,” Aviel declared, “And only a week after; no sooner, no later.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Wakeyo saluted.

“Gentlemen, this is do or die,” Aviel stated, “We succeed, or we die. There’s no room for defeat or making peace.”

_Current Relationships:_
Wakeyo Ephram Adane: 85/100
Amos Kollie: 60/100

Current Political Power: 30/500

Current Bank Balance: €50,000,000

_Political Parties of Liberia:_
All Whig Party - 72% Votes
Liberian Liberty Coalition - 7% Votes
Coalition for Democratic Change - 3.5% Votes
National Democratic Coalition - 2.5% Votes
Other Parties - 15% Votes

_Development of Liberia:_
Factories - Breaking even, undergoing expansion
Infrastructure - Sufficient, undergoing renovation
Defenses - Nonexistent
Dockyards - Nonexistent
Education - Centrist-oriented, growing

Political Actions Available:

Recruit Talent: You need more supporters and bureaucrats on your side, both to secure your position and your party's in the cabinet, and to better perform the various national tasks the country needs to get back on its feet. (Cost: 50 Political Power) (Hires talented bureaucrats to your side)

Rally Political Support: The All Whig Party is in a stable position, but enjoys nowhere near enough support to win the next presidential election. Rallying more support from the electorate will help your chances. (Cost: 30 Political Power) (Increases percentage of Party-held votes)

_National Development:_ Liberia is a nation on the road to recovery, but nowhere near the point of complete recovery.

Factories (Cost: 10 Political Power)
Infrastructure (Cost: 15 Political Power)
Dockyards (Cost: 15 Political Power)
Defenses (Cost: 30 Political Power)
Education Institutions (Cost: 50 Political Power)

National Modifiers:

Weak Army: - Like most African armies, the Liberian Armed Forces are a pale shadow of modern armed forces throughout the world, making them weak and susceptible to defeat against a determined army. (-20% combat effectiveness for army, navy and air ****)

Corrupt Administration: - The Liberian Government is inept and corrupt to the very core, so take care whenever you try to push for an agenda, or the rest will work to bring you down. (Strong Malus to rallying political support by rallies or campaigns alone)

Scars of the Civil War: - Even now, the country reels from the Liberian Civil War which ended stability and ravaged the country, and granted warlords frighteningly great power over hapless citizens. (-20% combat effectiveness for army, navy and air ****, malus to development)

Jewish Connections: - Through Aviel's connections back in Israel, she is bringing in talented men that Liberia lacks, hoping to use their talents to uplift Liberia to greatness. (+2 to monthly political power gain, bonus to development/recruitment, malus to boosting political support)

Aviel nodded smilingly; though the soldier within her chafed at the lack of usable dockyards and defenses for national security, the improved infrastructure and educational amenities ensured a growing standard of living for the locals, strengthening support for the All Whig Party and guaranteeing her win in the upcoming Presidential Election.

The current President, Alex Dawon, was an old and senile man on the verge of collapse, yet by virtue of being one of the most ‘respected’ presidents (a mere puppet), he has lasted his entire two terms with little to no trouble for him. He was a placeholder, and everyone knew it.

It wasn’t an easy road; more than once she had problems trying to push forward needed upgrades for vital infrastructure due to slow political power gain, and though she started out with a filthy rich bank account, it was fast drying up without a sustainable source of income. Oh, how she missed her rich life back home…

Her watch, a sleek, black Garmin Fenix 7 worth roughly seven hundred euros and a treasured 20th birthday gift from her late father, showed the time as close to 8pm, and relaxing on a plush leather chair in her home safely away from the windows and behind cover, she calmly watched and did nothing, casting glances to her watch every now and then.

As the seconds ticked by agonisingly, she watched and waited, her back stiff and her eyes darting rapidly between different points.

In the shadows, many warlords moved towards the house, their goons ready to perform one of the most daring raids they were ever paid to do. Stakes were high, and there was no going back.

“Hey, you think she’ll be there?” Asked a goon.

“She has to be; whites like her will always love their fancy homes with all their fancy furniture and gadgets.”

“How much you think there is in that house?”

“Probably thousands of dollars’ worth.”

“Hah, we’ll be filthy rich by the time we’re done with her. By the way, she’s a real beauty.”

“Wanna have a turn with her?”

The clock ticked by - a few seconds past 8pm.

It was not uncommon for soldiers to exchange light-hearted banter between themselves on a mission, but professional soldiers always maintained a healthy level of discipline and professionalism, wisely ceasing all chatter when about to engage enemies. These warlords and their warbands, on the other hand, were little better than armed peasants lacking true experience against professional soldiers.

And they did not see the trap being sprung until it was too late.

The first three fell to silenced shots, and the warlords quickly scanned their surroundings with guns aimed on shaky hands, afraid of what they were facing.

“Engage, engage!” They heard their attackers shout.

The forest was awash in a shower of bright lights and thunderous noises; Liberian warlords dropped like flies as the superior Israeli troops and their Liberian comrades-in-arms unleashed their fury upon the pests of Liberia, eager to give a definitive end to the Liberian Civil War.

The seconds ticked by - one minute past eight.

Dozens of corpses littered the grassy ground as screams of pain and panic filled the ranks of the warlords, and try as they might to retaliate, they might as well be infants against troops of the IDF - one of the best armies of the Middle East.

Before long, all gunfire ceased and no Liberian warlords remained standing.

Tick, tick, tick. Two minutes past eight.

“Cease fire!” Tobiah ordered, “All stations, enemies KIA.”

Aviel took a sip of water, quenching her parched throat.

Now to prepare for an election…