The Fork in the Road

[Nentsia]

Мсциславск (Mstsislavsk)
1584

It was a night as every other in the center of the Nentsian capital, Mstsislavsk - a name that foreign tourists will never learn to pronounce. In the past there were even politicians who proposed to change the name, but in the current political climate, such changes - for symbolic reasons - were unthinkable. For Mstsislavsk was named after the legendary medieval grand prince Mstsislav, who resisted foreign invaders with his army and managed to keep the city and its Kremlin out of the hands of a larger overlord for a while, before the inevitable happened anyway. St. Mstsislav is now a symbol of strength, of national sovereignty, of resilience and of national pride. Such powerful symbols have been kidnapped in the past years by the president, Aliaksei Vynnychuk, who has been using national symbols to promote loyalty towards his own person.

Looking out over the city from a luxurious hotel was the president's daughter, Ksenia. A middle-aged woman now, her father increasingly began to rely on her for everything and anything. It could be political, diplomatic, or something as simple as watching a movie with him. Having been the president of this country since 1559, the president was getting old. He had come to power as a reformer, a man who would change the establishment. But now it wasn't so certain anymore what his legacy would be. From the 1570's onwards, Vynnychuk's reign had faced growing accusations of corruption, abuse of power, election rigging, and the use of brutal violence against opponents and demonstrations. Since the 1580's the regime went into siege mode: the opposition had fled the country, and was colluding with the Mordvanians to overthrow the regime, while the regime used all possible means to suppress open expressions of dissent and to crush all threats. This was now the fork in the road: using ever more force to control the country, or to reach out to the enemy and propose reforms?

With the physical ageing and weakening of Vynnychuk, the face of the system appeared weaker and weaker. Ksenia Vynnychuk, who had been a Senator (never present) and a Deputy Prime Minister, aside from owning several major companies which were given favourable treatments by herself as the government, expected that she would take over from her father in the near future. The man did not trust any of his political cronies, and certainly not any of the military figures or officers from the security services. He had no sons or brothers. Ksenia was the only person he really trusted. He never outright told her however that he wanted her to take over. Only once he said that if he did, she'd be assassinated by someone. There will always be someone who wants to block the transition. It was for her own safety. But if Vynnychuk dropped dead tomorrow, her authority to succeed him could be weak.

Therefore Ksenia had made an arrangement with her father tonight. She would have a meeting with her father, and demand some guarantees. At about 1 o'clock in the night, a motorcade showed up before the entrance of the hotel. Bodyguards secured the area and shielded a person who quickly vanished into the hotel. Five minutes later, Ksenia received a phonecall from the hotel manager that the president was on his way.

Ksenia and some of her secretaries prepared themselves, and then there was a knock on the door. A bunch of muscular bodyguards came in, searched the room in a few seconds, and then let in the president - followed by his security minister, and his staff from the Office of the President. Ksenia greeted her father and they sat down - almost as if it was some kind of a diplomatic meeting. People tended to keep their distance from the president, and the president kept them at distance. He demanded respect, and people were afraid to insult the man.

Initially, Ksenia first had to convince her father that this was a private conversation and that she wanted to speak to him alone. After some hesitation, the president told everyone else to leave the room with the gesture of his shaking hand. ''How is your cancer treatment going?'' Ksenia then asked when everyone was gone. The president shrugged. ''I will die fighting'', he remarked somewhat cynically. Ksenia and the president drank tea. ''Are the doctors doing all they can? Have you consulted specialists in Nyland, Angiris and Lanlania?'' Ksenia inquired.

The president barely responded. Nothing frightened him more than medical talk. He distrusted his own body. Hospitals reminded him of how vulnerable anyone really is, and that we all carry our own deaths inside of us, long before we actually die. ''I have read about another experimental treatment..'' Ksenia tried again, but the president interrupted her with a gesture of his shaking hand.

''What do you really wish to discuss?'' he then asked with a low voice. Ksenia had prepared her formulation. ''Mr. President, I think you will not be around us for long anymore, and I think you know it. In the interests of the State and the Nentsian people, I think it is of utmost importance that you take the necessary preparations in case we lose you as our President. Appoint me as your Vice-President, and I am in the position to quickly dash the hopes of any eager usurper. The country is in good hands with me. I have your genes. Only you and I can bring stability and order in this country. Without us, it is lost.''

President Vynnychuk stared at his daughter the same way when a minister reports bad news to him: unmoved, bored even. Seemingly calm. After a moment of silence, he came with his response. ''The moment I announce that, you will be living in a cage. Mordvanians, Kubanizan mafia, Saratovian nationalists, traitor within our own ranks, the armed opposition - all of them want your head on a silver plate. You will live from fortress to fortress, travel in the dark of the night, and learn to fear everyone as a potential assassin. You will learn to distrust even those closest to you, and you will grow addicted, like an alcoholic, to your position. I want to spare you from all that, but I still wish for you to expierence it one day.''

Ksenia didn't move a single muscle in her face as she listened. ''I know what I am doing. Spare me the trouble when you are gone, and elevate me to the position of Vice-President. I have been in more troubling positions in my life.''

President Vynnychuk rose from his seat. Ksenia followed his example. He put on his long coat, and the bodyguards and staff re-entered the room. A call was made to the hotel staff to clear the hallways. The president did not feel like seeing anyone else this evening. When the halls of the hotel were cleared, the president headed back to his car, and disappeared in the night.

Ksenia walked over to her cell-phone and dialed a number of a man named Ihar Kumieha, who worked as a high-ranking officer for the UGB, Directorate of State Security. ''Do it. I will have your back.''

At the other end of the city that night, a group of Nentsian gangsters and UGB agents placed explosives under the car of vice-president Zmitser Gavrilenko - then having a dinner in one of the most exclusive restaurants of the country. When he left, around 2.30 in the morning, he and his wife, and four bodyguards were blown up.