Numbers Will Entrance, Seduce And Lie To You
Posted on Nov 28, 2016 @ 10:06pm by Ambassador Xana Bonviva
Edited on on Nov 28, 2016 @ 10:06pm
Mission: Aftermath
=/\=
“Numbers will entrance, seduce and lie to you”
=/\=
Location: EARTH
SD: 2.161128.2100
Scene: San Francisco - Hussein Karimi’s Campaign Office
Hussein Karimi was like most politicians; he liked order, precision and things to be executed per his vision. He had a campaign office in San Francisco, near where the rest of Earth’s government was (or being rebuilt).
So in a tall building that had a view of the Pacific Ocean, SFA, and the Golden Gate bridge, Hussein stepped off the turbo lift and and was met by a frantic aide. “I’m so sorry, I couldn’t stop her. She just...took over.”
He raised an eyebrow but walked down the paneled wood hallway past the smaller offices, towards the conference room that was on the end at the left. The conference room had large paneled windows that overlooked the bay. The large polished table gleamed reflecting the sunlight that streamed in. There was a semi-circle of aides that were gathered around the head of the table, seemingly taking notes all watching a tall azure woman dressed in a smart white pantsuit standing in front giving orders.
Reading off a list Xana Bonviva seeming ticked off the next item, “Where are those bios on the Assembly?” Looking up she said, “And I mean the real bios, not the fluff their staff give out.”
“All of them?”
“Listen to me: a quarter of the votes are gone. They’re gone, we never had them,” Xana announced as she pounded the table for emphasis. “But that means statistically speaking we have a quarter of the votes in our pocket. We’re playing for the middle. I don’t care if the government is in Paris, San Francisco, or on a rock in the middle of the Delta, there are no secrets in a Federation government. In one hour we are going to know more about the assembly than their mothers and lovers. I want info and I want it now. Everything is fair game.”
Hussein stood quietly, watching as his staff took this in, wondering if they'd pick up on the flaw of Bonviva’s logic. That you couldn’t neatly slice and dice the Assembly as being for or against them, at least not in those percentages that she was giving. It was an audacious statement made by his newly appointed campaign manager, leaving him to wonder if this her way to her the team to rally and hustle or if she had another gameplay.
An intern who was appearing to not appearing to pay attention as she was entranced by her PADD asked, “Why do we care about the entire Assembly if it was the ass-hat?”
Xana yanked the PADD out of her hands, “You get this back when you learn to pay attention. Now I believe you’re referring to President Sardak. But every politician from local Tribble catcher to President has one thing in common: they all care what everyone else thinks. Which leads me to my next question: where are the latest poll numbers?”
From the back of the circle another aide pushed his way forward, “From FNN and FedComm? Here you go.”
Xana took a minute to scan the numbers before commenting, “I’m reading them now but let’s have the Communications Team reach out to let them know we’re disputing these. And where’s our poll?”
“We don’t have one. And how are we disputing the other polls’ numbers?”
“We don’t have one *yet*. By the end of today we’re putting a poll in the field, so help me if I have to start cold calling people I will do it. But we’re doing it with *our* questions,” the woman at the center of the semicircle said while she went back to pacing. “And send those questions from FNN and FedComm on the polls to me.”
“Why?”
Hussein watched as Xana stopped as her pacing. “Excuse me?”
“Numbers don’t lie. Why are you disputing the numbers?”
“Numbers will entrance, seduce, and lie to you all the time,” she corrected. “They lie when 71% of the Federation say they’re tired of scandals yet on FNN and FedComm ratings go through the stratosphere when scandals go on the air. From there we slide into complacency.” Holding up the PADD with the polling numbers she said, “You saw bad polling and thought to dial it back, am I right?”
“56% of the Federation think that Earth is to blame and should go, 35% does not think so and 9% are undecided with a +/- 3% spread,” the aide pointed out. “Yes, we need to dial it back.”
Suddenly the azure woman smiled, enjoying the challenge. “I’m seeing that we should dial it up. It means our message isn’t getting through. But that message needs to get to FNN, FedComm, and anyone else who will listen. We need someone from the campaign to hit back. Right now all they’re hearing is that Earth is a problem child, and that's because we need to show up to the fight.
“We have not persuaded people, but we will. Otherwise we are like the Klingon radical who watches a crowd run by and says: “There goes my people. I must see where they are going so I can lead them.” This campaign is not going to follow the crowd, we’re going to have the crowd follow us.” Suddenly Xana Bonviva saw Hussein Karimi in the back of the room. “You have your assignments, let’s go.”
Hussein watched with interest and wry amusement as *his* staff suddenly realized he was here “I believe I need to take a meeting with Ms. Bonviva,” he commented dryly.
Xana took the hint and followed Karimi as they crossed room, through the hallway, into a well appointed office that was dominated by a large glass desk. Behind him there was another panoramic view of San Francisco.
As the man leaned back in his deep chair he said, “You know I imagined this morning going much differently.”
“Complacency will be our enemy,” Xana replied.
Steeping his fingers in a deceptively calm manner Karimi said softly, “And here I thought it would be lack of communication.”
It had been sometime since Xana had directly reported to someone so close. She was very used to going in and running things her own way. This was going to take some getting used to again. Crossing her legs in the chair she said, “Look, you have every right to know what I’m doing and I’ll always tell you. But you wanted me for campaign manager, I need to be able to give orders to and run the staff as I see fit.”
“It’s my name and face that everyone will see.”
Xana looked at Hussein and figured it was as good time as any to layout what she wanted to do for him. “You’re right. You are going to be the face of Humanity. So we need to discuss--”
“The issues. We need to talk about what Humanity brings to the Federation,” Hussein pointed out. “We’re not talking about that and we should be.”
“Maybe, if we ever get a debate.”
“We’re debating now?”
“I haven’t gotten to that yet, that’s the next phase, if we get there. Maybe. But until then, we need to sell *you*,” Xana explained. “Most of the Federation when it thinks of Humanity it thinks of Richard Edgerton, and we don't that to be their only thought. Right now you look like an uptight, overly-educated politician. If people want that, they’ll stick with Sardak.”
Karimi raised an eyebrow at that. “I’m so glad I brought you back for this,” he said in a voice that conveyed anything but that.
Xana smiled at that, but her insides were twisted wondering if she was quickly talking herself out of a job. “Do you think I wore short skirts and heels for years because they were comfortable? Do you think people saw my children or heard about my husband,” she said with a note of a wistfulness that she tried to rush past, “because *they* liked it. No, politicians need to sell themselves. People want to like who they see on the holo, they have to want to invite you in for dinner; it’s why we’re down in the polls. They need to know you, the man. They say they care about the issues but--”
“--but numbers entrance, seduce…” Hussein trailed off. He gave her a look, “If we turn around the polls--”
“--when we turn around the polls,” Xana corrected.
“--will the numbers still lie?” Karimi asked.
=/\=
NRPG: I wanted to pick up from the last scene that Shawn wrote in “Terminus”. I figured that Xana’s strengths previous were in retail politics and that would be why she would be needed as a campaign manager. Karimi, from what I gathered, was brilliant at diplomacy and the tactics but clearly he’s reached out for a reason (but like many he may regret it *g*).
Obviously this is her first go as campaign manager and there are flaws in her logic which I’ve tried to point out (however feel free to keep pointing them out!).
Anyone want to be staff for Karimi? :)
=/\=
Sarah Albertini-Bond
As
Xana Bonviva
“Politics is almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you only be killed once, but in politics many times.”
-Winston Churchill
