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The situation at the top of the polls didn't have much to do with me, but I still felt obligated to keep track of it. If nothing else, as a politician I had to be able to have an intelligent conversation about politics. I could turn most topics into fodder for denunciations of the Francois, but I couldn't rant and rave about specific leadership failures without knowing who the leaders were.

The previous ruling coalition consisted of four parties. Three could be considered center-left and one center-right. Such simple labels concealed quite a bit of complexity. The political spectrum of Germania was not nearly as tame as modern day Japan. If we're talking about the common denominator of these center parties it was that they wanted the war to end and they wanted the Germanian territory to be governed by a republic.

Otherwise, two of the center-left parties could be described as different flavors of socialism, one was a religious party, and the center-right party was a massive hodge podge of disparate groups. Between them the center-left parties had about forty percent of the vote while the center-right party was the largest single party at around twenty percent.

It was the center-right party that had blown up the coalition. They had felt that the center-left parties were having things all their own way in terms of day to day governance. It seemed to me that they were banking on some kind of electoral miracle if they wanted to put their own majority together but, of course, that was nothing to do with me. I just had to focus on appealing to my own group of fanatics so that I could secure a cushy job.

To that end, the only thing I could do was to pick up the pace on the campaign trail. I gave speeches every day and often twice a day. I repeated my stump speech so many times that I started hearing it in my sleep. I also grew more familiar than I would have liked with the Germanian railway's sleeper cars. The nicest thing I could say about that is that it was more comfortable than sleeping near the front.

Dressler showed his worth in the run up to the election. He had been organizing local chapters of the Germanian Workers' Party every time I stopped in at a large town. I had mostly believed that he meant for these organizations to arrange local get-togethers and to help promote future speeches. With an election on the schedule, though, their true purpose became clear: voter turnout.

In this day and age retail politics was the only game in town. It wasn't possible to broadcast a speech to millions of people. I had been pushing for efficiency of scale as best I could by drawing crowds numbering in the dozens. To turn those crowds into votes, though, there was no substitute for a knock on the door and a friendly reminder from a familiar face. Dressler set that part of the plan in motion while I focused on wowing as many crowds as I could. Once we had done all we could there was nothing to do but wait for the results.

I had turned eighteen a few months before the election, so I was eligible to vote. The Germanian Republic had adopted the trendy rule that anybody old enough to vote was old enough to hold office, so I was qualified there, too. The election was done by party list. Voters did not vote for individual representatives, but rather for the party that they supported. The party would then allocate however many seats it won to individuals of its choosing.

That structure was why I had worked so hard to raise our brand awareness. In this system there was no such thing as recruiting qualified candidates or impressing voters with a particular representative's biography. The only thing that mattered was the party.

In the end, the top of the polls saw a dramatic shift. The three center-left parties between them earned an outright majority of two hundred and fifty two seats in the four-hundred and eighty member Federal Diet. The center-right party that had kicked off the whole election saw its support plummet from ninety-eight all the way down to forty-five seats. Two other parties picked up those lost seats and together with the absorption of some bottom feeding parties began to jockey for position as leaders of the opposition.

Further down in the polls, the Germanian Workers' Party clocked in with forty seats! Well, almost. Thirty-seven to be exact. Quite a jump from the four seats that we used to possess.

The results exceeded my expectations. I had thought it would take years before we approached so close to our ten percent ceiling of forty-eight seats. I could only account for it as hard work paying off. It was a little alarming that so many people were willing to vote for such an extreme course of action, but I had prepared myself for that before I started on my new career.

The day after the results came out was more or less one long party. I did have one nervous moment when I contemplated how we were going to find thirty-six other people to serve as representatives, but Dressler came through with the excellent suggestion of allocating seats to local chapters in proportion to their success in turning out the vote. Not only did this bring in a good mix of motivated people but it would also provide a nice incentive for them to do their best in the following elections.

One nice surprise that came along with our success was a significant increase in donations. I was a little worried that we were being asked to sell out our values. Not that I had anything against accepting money in exchange for services, but if I were forced to back down on all of the commitments I'd been making then the voters would drop me in a hot minute. Our base of support was not made up of stable people. If they sensed even the hint of betrayal they would move on to the next firebrand in line.

Fortunately, as I learned after consulting with Dressler, it seemed that many local businesses liked to contribute to any parties that seemed like viable opponents to the communists. They didn't seek any particular favor from us and probably didn't care much whether or not we succeeded in implementing our own policies, but they were happy to spend some money if they thought it would hurt the commies.

I could understand. When that money was flowing into my pockets I didn't just understand the sentiment, I positively celebrated it.

Once we came down from the flush of victory the next order of business was the slightly tedious process of settling in to my new office space. The most surprising event to come out of that week was when the ruling coalition actually sought me out to see if I would be interested in joining up and expanding their majority. Of course, they were unwilling to budge from their policies of scrupulous adherence to the treaty of Triano and ever-increasing print runs of paper money, so I was forced to decline. My voters had supported me on the basis of my angry denunciation of those policies. If I wanted to keep my phony-baloney job I was going to have to stick to my guns.

On the first day after the new Diet was convened party leaders were given an opportunity to make some remarks. I took advantage of the chance to deliver a thundering broadside against the government's inflationary policies, complete with the analogy of the treaty of Triano as a boat anchor that the government was determined to cling to as the country drowned. When I finished I received a nice round of applause from my party and general indifference from everybody else.

I sat down with a grin on my face. After this, the only piece of official business left for me was to vote against everything the government put forward in opposition to our party's platform. In other words, to vote no for just about everything. Actually, that wouldn't be the entirety of my duties: I would also be cashing my paychecks and converting them into foreign currency.

Now that's a proper government job.

Later that day I had just settled into my new office when Visha announced a visit from an old friend. General Lergen, now Secretary General of the armed forces, had dropped by for a chat. I was a little surprised that he would make my office one of his very first stops after the formation of the new government, but I suppose that's the effects of sentiment. It never hurts to have friends in high places.

I welcomed him into the room with a genuine smile.

"General Lergen," I said. "Congratulations on your promotion."

The gold braid on his shoulders looked natural on him. He was young for the position, but he carried himself with confidence and panache. Combined with his always sharp appearance and I'm sure he was the talk of the secretarial pool. Although, come to think of it, I had never heard of any rumors of him messing around like that during the war. A quick glance at his ring finger confirmed my recollection that he wasn't married.

"Congratulations are in order to you as well," he said. "Your performance in this recent election was remarkable."

"I was simply fortunate that the people were interested in what I had to say," I replied, somewhat absently. I'll admit I was looking at him in a new light. If I was going to be a career politician then remaining single would eventually pose a problem. Similarly, if General Lergen was a "confirmed bachelor" then he must have been growing tired of certain inconvenient questions from high society. Maybe we could help each other out.

Of course, I couldn't just bring up such a thing in our first conversation.

"I try to meet with important members of political leadership in order to apprise them of our military situation," he said, taking the lead while I was lost in thought, "though I suspect you could deliver this briefing as well as I could."

I automatically straightened up and pulled myself together. Even if I wasn't in the military any more I couldn't kick my old habits when responding to a request for a strategic analysis.

"In terms of our officially recognized forces, we should be a match for the other states carved out of the Empire. Otherwise, we could perhaps hold off an invasion from Dacia if we're lucky," I said. "Against any kind of modern invading army we would be fortunate if organized resistance lasted a week. Military operations outside of our borders are out of the question."

"Just so," he said. Then he cocked his head, looking slightly puzzled. "Officially recognized forces?"

"The military forces permitted to us under the treaty of Triano," I said.

Most of the military history books that I read back in Japan were focused on war time. I was a little fuzzy on what had happened immediately after the first world war, but I was pretty sure that the country in our situation had started working its way around the treaty as soon as it could. It was the logical thing to do. For a state as steeped in military culture as the Empire it was almost an automatic response.

"Those are all of our forces," Lergen said, sticking to the official line.

"Of course," I said. I suppose he had to be cautious if he wasn't sure that I was on board. Or perhaps he was being considerate of my reputation as a stickler for the rules. "By the way, although we did not join the ruling coalition, please rest assured that our party will vote in favor of any military appropriations that come before the Diet."

"We don't require much funding these days, as we abide by the restrictions of the treaty," he said, putting some emphasis on the last few words.

"Of course," I said again. I tried winking at him so that he would know that I understood what he was trying to say.

"Violating the terms of the treaty could lead to war," he said.

Now he was just playing devil's advocate. It was a little irritating to be tested as though I were still his subordinate, but it made sense that he couldn't just hand out state secrets willy nilly.

"Everything could lead to war," I replied. "For example, maintaining a military too weak to throw out invaders."

"I don't want to be the man to start the next war," he said.

"We didn't want the last war either," I said. "I think that to start the second world war would be a terrible crime... but to lose it would be a terrible mistake."

He sat back for a moment, lost in thought. "I wondered when I read about your speeches... you truly don't fear another war, do you?"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. Even if he felt he had to test me, it was clear that he was going easy on me. I'd talked military strategy off and on with the man for years. He never would have accepted any answer predicated on fear. Once that idea was thrown out, the answer was obvious.

"Another war is coming whether we fear it or not," I said. "The peace created by the treaty of Triano is inherently unstable. Something that can't go on forever won't. Sooner or later somebody is going to take up the challenge and try to become the hegemon of Europe."

"I... I can't refute that," he said.

High praise from a stickler like General Lergen. Unfortunately he still refused to divulge any information regarding the government's unofficial military expenditures. I figured it was on a need to know basis and I didn't need to know. I just really, really wanted to know. Ah, well, I would just have to hope that it wasn't anything too egregious. If the government truly managed to tick off the Francois, never mind a world war, they could stomp us flat by themselves.

We made small talk for a while before General Lergen took his leave. I had time to have a snack and get myself settled before my next meeting. If the first meeting had been with an old acquaintance and left me with new questions, the next meeting would be with a new acquaintance and would, I hoped, lead to some answers.

Visha's good friend, Elya, had agreed to take the day off from waitressing to come meet with me.

She came bouncing into the room right on time. I'll admit that I was feeling a bit nervous as we shook hands. I was really hoping I could persuade her to join us. The complete surprise at the polls was just one facet of the problems we faced due to our inability to dig up information about the outside world. Elya had worked in intelligence gathering during the war. By all accounts she was quite good at it until the military was forced to fire her because her history as aerial mage ran afoul of the treaty of Triano.

I had wondered sometimes during the war why Visha seemed to think that she and I had roughly similar figures. Looking at her now, I could understand where that confusion had come from if Elya was Visha's closest companion growing up. Thanks to my mild puberty I was far less hormonal than most teenagers. I was still human, though. Fortunately, years of war had left me with a decent poker face.

"It's good to meet you in person," I said. "I feel like I half know you already from Visha's stories."

It took a little effort, but I mostly managed to keep my eyes on Elya's as I led her to her seat before taking my own place behind my desk.

"I feel the same way," she replied. "If you don't mind my saying so, Visha admires you greatly, Miss Degurechaff."

"Just Tanya, please," I said. "After all, I hope to be working closely with you."

"I hope so, too," she said. She giggled, which did some interesting things to her body, while fluttering her eyelashes as well. I could see that she had what they call a naturally flirtatious personality. I could overlook it for the sake of obtaining a talented subordinate.

"What sort of work did you do during the war, exactly?" I asked.

"I developed a network of informants and for the most part kept it running smoothly," she said. "I also helped compare and analyze information retrieved from other sources."

"No direct information gathering?" I asked. I would have thought that at the very least a spy with aerial mage training would have an easier time escaping if discovered.

"Unfortunately, my appearance is too memorable," she said, turning slightly to show herself off to best advantage.

All right, enough was enough. That had to be deliberate. She was trying to get a reaction out of me. Now that this was turning into a contest of wills I couldn't allow myself to lose if I wanted to keep my self-respect. I kept my focus on her face while working through some simple math problems in my head. I couldn't remember any old baseball statistics, unfortunately. Magical formulae, though, I could run through a lot of those. Actually, wait a minute.

I broke off the impromptu staring contest and opened the drawer under my desk. I withdrew a pair of Junghans Mark Three computation orbs and slid one across the desk to Elya.

"Synchronize to that and use it for mana detection," I said.

She looked a little confused, but did as I asked. I waited a moment before using the other orb to call forth an illusion. A second copy of myself fully kitted out in the combat regalia of the 203rd mage battalion snapped into view to my side. I waited for a moment, pleased with myself, watching the first honest expression I'd seen so far appear on Elya's face as her eyes widened with shock.

"That- but- how-"

"This computation orb is trash on the battlefield," I said, "but it is built for precision work. If you structure your spells properly then no mana will leak out to be detected by others."

She stared at me for a long moment before she snapped out of it. She reached out to hand back the computation orb, but I waved her off.

"Consider it a signing bonus," I said. "Learning how to use it well will be one of your responsibilities."

She clutched the orb to her chest like a precious jewel. "Yes!"

"Ah, I may be getting ahead of myself, though. Our party is small and far from the levers of power," I said. "We will have little call for investigating matters of state for a long time. I'm a little worried that you might find our work to be beneath your talents."

"No!" she said, then paused for a moment to collect herself. She continued in a more level tone of voice. "I didn't come here just because you're a friend of a friend and a war hero. After Visha told me about your party platform I took a trip to meet with her and listen to one of your speeches. I believe in what you are doing one hundred percent!"

Another true believer. Someone with her talents could have caused all kinds of trouble at the head of her own little splinter group. It was a lucky break that I was able to hire her and turn her energy to more positive endeavors. I was a little worried that she would become disillusioned once she realized that we would never manage to break through our ceiling and win a truly significant percentage of the vote, but that was a concern for the future.

"All right then, consider yourself hired. Officially you will work for the Germanian Workers' Party as my secretary," I said. While I could draw a government salary as an elected official, employing Elya required a little creativity. Fortunately, she could use the same loophole that I had exploited for myself by working for the party rather than the government. "We've received some significant new donations thanks to our recent success. I'm told this is simply a matter of course, but I'd like to make sure our donors aren't expecting anything specific in exchange for their money. Also, I want to know if anybody who should have made a routine donation instead decided to hold on to their money."

"Understood," she replied, taking notes in a small notepad that she hadn't been holding a moment before.

"The only other external matter I would like you to look into is military spending," I said.

"Military spending?" she asked, looking up at me with some confusion in her eyes.

"Specifically, any military expenditures or activities that are prohibited by the treaty of Triano," I said.

"The government is violating the treaty?" she asked. I couldn't tell if she was more shocked or excited by the notion.

"Does General Lergen seem like a fool who would leave his country unprepared for war?" I asked.

"Ah," she said, perking up, "I see."

"Keep this investigation low key. We don't want to air military secrets in front of the whole world," I said, making a calming gesture with my arms. "General Lergen is a friend. He'll tell me about anything truly important. I'm just curious about the trump cards he's keeping close to his chest."

"Got it," she said. "That's all of the, um, external investigations?"

I nodded, then braced myself. "You know I'm not the original chairman of the Germanian Workers' Party."

"Johan Dressler was the founder and original chairman," she said, nodding. "He and members of his clique still sit on the executive board."

As expected, she had done her homework. It was always a relief to work with a competent professional. I did feel a little guilty about repaying Dressler's trust and support with suspicion, but politics is a contact sport. Watching your back is mandatory. With all the recent success of the party it would only be natural for Dressler to want to take it back over.

"He has been nothing but helpful recently," I said, "but I'd still feel better with somebody keeping an eye on him and his friends."

It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you. And if they aren't out to get you then they'll never find out about your paranoia. That's fine too.