One-Move Checkmate - Part I

17th March

Staghead, Artemis, State of Luna

Over the last two days, I haven't talked to Frank at all. Not since I met him just after the meeting of the Provisional Government. Of course, he must've heard about what happened at the meeting, and how I didn't vote for his proposal for the lunar state, but he hasn't contacted me at all about it. Even I am not sure why I didn't vote then. What Alexander and I talked about, back in Christchurch and on the way here to the moon, stuck with me. How long did I blindly follow Frank? Twenty years? Why could I not, or perhaps why did I refuse to see what Frank was doing this whole time? His manipulation, his ruthlessness. Why was I so blind to it?

His lifetime's work is paying off now, however. The world is moving because of everything that Frank has put into place. The declaration of lunar independence, and the attacks on the Chinese and Pakistani communications systems, began all of this, and made the world set down the path that presumably leads to Frank's dream. In the Sinai, Israeli forces clash with Egyptian, and in Riyadh a military coup d'état led by General Al-Ta'if successfully captured the city and detained the King and Crown Prince among other high-ranking officials and members of the Royal Family. Outside the capital, there's still opposition, but the people of the countryside are overwhelmingly supportive of the military coup. The Indian military has successfully captured huge swathes of Kashmir, cutting Pakistan off from China, and taking over a Chinese naval base on Sri Lanka. The war's even spread to South America. In Columbia, Chinese and Peruvian forces are combatting against a mercenary army employed by two transnationals with interests in the region, Subarashii and Obsidian, which enjoys the reluctant support of the Columbian government. In the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand have committed to sending a joint fleet to Fiji to capture the Chinese air base on the island nation. All of this seems to be going according to Frank's plans.

So, over the last two days nothing much has happened. Whether Frank hasn't talked to me simply because he doesn't have a need for me, or because he's angry about what happened at the Provisional Government meeting, I don't know. Only two things of note have happened since then. Other than that, I've simply been sitting around here doing nothing in particular.

Firstly, when I came to my apartment here, it is only temporary, but it is my apartment, I was approached by a stranger. The stranger informed me about a plot that some powerful people wanted my help with to execute. A plot to assassinate Frank Scuderi. At first, I was shocked, but I found myself unable to answer. Over the last week, my unwavering belief in Frank has been dying. I'm no longer sure whether I support him and his dream, but I understand, thanks to Alexander, that I have to make the choice myself, whatever I end up choosing. I can't just blindly follow Frank anymore.

Yesterday, I went to go see Alexander. It would seem that he made it clear to Frank that he wasn't going to stay here on the moon, yet Frank didn't give him a seat on the first shuttle back, making sure Alexander couldn't leave for another week. So, Alexander's been given a temporary apartment on the same block, in fact the same floor, as me. I went to go see him because I knew that he doesn't know anyone else on the moon. No, that's a lie. I didn't go to see Alexander because I thought he might be lonely. I was hoping he might tell me what exactly Frank's dream is. I'm sure that Frank told him. If Frank was to trust anyone with the knowledge of his and Aria's dream, surely it would be the child that they had together. And as it turned out, Alexander did hear what the dream was. He refused to tell me what it was, but he said he didn't believe in it. That it was wrong. That Frank was wrong for pursuing it. Alexander said to me: 'my parents' dream comes from the right place, but my father is going the wrong way about it'. I don't quite know what that's supposed to mean, but I can guess. Frank's dream is correct and good, but the methods that Frank is using to achieve it are wrong. That the ends don't justify the means. That Frank's methods will ruin the original intention of his dream.

Since I've had nothing else to do the past two days, I've instead had a lot of time to think about what the stranger said, and what Alexander said, as well as why Frank hasn't called for my help. My first thought was that the stranger was some instrument of Frank's to test me, it does seem like something he might do, but he has more than enough enemies that it really is possible that there is a plot, if not multiple, to kill him. The stranger left a contact with me, and though I don't have any intention to call him back, I haven't deleted the contact. It occurred to me that it might be good to have as an insurance policy. An insurance policy... I've never thought that I would want or need an insurance policy to protect me from Frank before now. And I still hope that I won't need it.

As for why Frank hasn't called for me… it could just be that he hasn't had need for me. It could be. It seems more likely to me, however, that Frank isn't talking to me because of how I betrayed him at the provisional government meeting. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I didn't vote along with what Frank wanted and had asked me to do, but I know I was aware of what it meant when I didn't raise my hand to vote down Mei's amendment. If Frank became suspicious of me when he found out about that, it would explain why he hasn't called me since then. Why he hasn't given me anything to do since then.

But I also need to think about whether I should even answer Frank's call, if he does ask something of me. Like Alexander said back in Christchurch, I need to start thinking and acting for myself, rather than blindly following his father. And I think he's right. I do need to learn to think for myself, and make sure that this is what I truly wanted. What I've wanted for the past twenty years, was simply to support Frank and Aria to help them achieve their dream, but that has blinded me. I followed Frank too closely and devoutly. I looked at the bright light that is Frank, that I was drawn to like a moth, for too long, and I could no longer look away. But now that Alexander has got me to look away, perhaps even for just a second, I can see how I might've been wrong to follow Frank so doggedly.

When Frank did call, however, I ran to him without a second thought.