209: Let's have a coup

Earth Federation Parliament Building, the night before the meeting.

Viktor stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his private office, looking down at the brightly lit parliamentary district. His fingertips lightly tapped the crystal glass, and the amber liquid in the glass swirled slightly.

"Have all the council members on the list been contacted?" he asked without turning his head.

His adjutant stood in the shadows, quickly scanning a data pad: "They have been contacted. Thirty percent have explicitly expressed support, fifty percent are ambiguous, and the remaining twenty percent are still observing."

"Hmph, Catherine does have some ability, to have half of them not take a stance," Viktor sneered. "What about the Rockfire Clan?"

"Chief Worm has agreed," the adjutant's voice lowered, "but he demands the mining rights to three mines in the rear industrial zone."

Viktor's lips curled into a cold smile: "Give them to him. Anyway, once the dust settles, these promises..." He swirled his glass, "can be renegotiated."

The adjutant nodded knowingly and continued to report: "The Red Earth Clan's asking price is higher; he wants complete autonomy for two border colonies."

"Quite an appetite," Viktor narrowed his eyes. "Agree to him for now; once it's done..." He drew a finger across his throat.

The adjutant swallowed and continued: "There's one more thing. Councilor Cole, from the neutral faction, suddenly went to see Catherine this morning and talked for nearly two hours."

Viktor's hand suddenly stopped: "Cole? Didn't that old fox always claim to be neutral?"

"Yes, but according to the informant's report, Cole immediately summoned his core advisory team after the meeting."

A sinister glint flashed in Viktor's eyes: "It seems our 'Madam Speaker' hasn't been idle either."

He put down his glass and walked to the holographic projection table: "Notify our people. Tomorrow morning at seven, I want to see every person on the list in the Earth Federation Parliament Building East Wing conference room."

"Remember," his voice suddenly turned cold, "if anyone backs out at the last minute..."

Cold sweat seeped from the adjutant's back: "Understood."

Seven AM, Earth Federation Parliament Building East Wing, conference lounge.

The morning sun streamed through the windows, illuminating the room where over twenty council members sat around a long table, their expressions varied.

Viktor stood before the projection, a slight smile on his face: "Thank you all for taking the time to come amidst your busy schedules."

Worm impatiently tapped the table: "Enough with the pleasantries, Viktor. Can you actually deliver on your promises?"

"Of course." Viktor brought up an encrypted file. "This is a resource distribution map of the Southern Mining Zone. If the plan succeeds, you will gain exclusive mining rights to the three largest mines for thirty years."

A greedy glint flashed in Worm's eyes: "That's more like it."

Ira of the Red Earth Clan sneered: "We want more than just minerals. Can you really give it?"

"Autonomy for two border colonies, plus a permanent seat on the council. Appointment and coinage rights are non-negotiable; everything else is open." Viktor's expression remained unchanged. "It's all in black and white, no empty promises."

He looked around at everyone, his voice suddenly lowering: "But the prerequisite for all of this is that Catherine must step down."

The conference room fell silent.

"She's too dangerous," Viktor continued. "Secret negotiations with the Brood, the bio-soldier program, and those illicit research projects..."

"Evidence?" Councilor Mara of the neutral faction suddenly spoke up. "Do you have concrete evidence for what you're saying?"

Viktor smiled slightly and brought up a blurry image: "This is a fragment our intelligence agents risked their lives to obtain."

In the footage, a blurry figure was talking to the Brood. The voice was processed, but it could vaguely be identified as Catherine's: "...The Northern Mountains can be given to you..."

The council members immediately stirred.

"What does this prove?" Mara frowned. "We can't even see the person's face."

"What about this, then?" Viktor brought up another data report. "Over the past three months, the Speaker's office secretly allocated rare materials worth seven billion Earth Federation Coins, with their whereabouts unknown."

He paused, letting the information sink in: "During the same period, our frontline troops faced a shortage even of basic ammunition supplies."

This statement exploded like a bomb in the conference room. Even some of the previously silent council members began to whisper among themselves.

"Tomorrow, I will formally propose a vote of no confidence in the council," Viktor's voice was full of allure. "At that time, I will need your full support."

He scanned the room meaningfully: "The future of the Earth Federation is in your hands."

...

When Viktor entered the Parliament Hall, it was already packed. His gaze swept across the room, noticing that there were more council members supporting Catherine than he had anticipated.

At least a third of them glared at him with ill-will, while others had their eyes closed, completely disregarding him.

"Fellow colleagues," the presiding officer of the council struck his gavel, "an emergency meeting is convened today to deliberate Councilor Viktor's motion of no confidence."

Viktor calmly rose and walked to the podium. He deliberately slowed his pace, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

"Esteemed Speaker, fellow colleagues," his voice was steady and powerful, "I stand here today to expose a conspiracy that threatens the survival of the Earth Federation."

He brought up a holographic projection, displaying the carefully prepared "evidence."

"Over the past six months, our intelligence department has discovered at least twelve secret contacts between the Speaker's office and the Brood."

"Even more shocking, the Speaker is preparing to cede the Northern Mountains, a land soaked in the blood of our Earth Federation soldiers, to our enemies!"

The hall immediately erupted. Council members supporting Viktor pounded on tables and roared, while Catherine's supporters protested loudly.

"This is slander!" Old Councilor Cole suddenly stood up. "Viktor, your so-called evidence cannot withstand scrutiny!"

"Is that so?" Viktor sneered. "Then please, Speaker, explain why the defensive fortifications of Penielgman City, near the Northern Mountains, began to be modified in the past three months? Why were large quantities of supplies transferred from the reserve warehouses?"

He turned to the entire assembly, his voice suddenly rising: "Because our esteemed Speaker is preparing to hand over the entire North to the Brood!"

"Nonsense!" Councilor Mara snapped. "Penielgman City is undergoing urban renovation; this is a project approved by the council!"

Viktor was prepared: "Then I ask, does renovation require dismantling air defense systems? Does it require transferring strategic reserves?"

He pressed his advantage: "Even more suspicious, just three days ago, the Scientific Research Department suddenly transported a large batch of supplies to Penielgman City! These supplies were completely undocumented."

"What exactly did she send? If it's weapons, why can't I, the supreme Commander of the war zone, even access the records? If it's not weapons, what could be so secretive that our esteemed Speaker would conceal it!"

This bombshell plunged the entire council into chaos. Even some neutral council members began to waver.

Viktor watched the scene with satisfaction, about to deliver the final blow, when suddenly—

"Are you finished?"

A calm voice cut through the clamor, instantly silencing the entire hall.

Catherine slowly stood up, a smile that was hard to decipher on her face.

"Councilor Viktor's performance was quite impressive," she said softly, "but don't you think something is missing?"

Viktor frowned: "What do you mean?"

"My motive, my motive." Catherine pressed a button on the table, and the holographic projection instantly switched. "I don't know what you imagine my reasons are, but I know why you are jumping around here today."

The screen clearly showed Viktor telling council members in a secret meeting room: "...once it's done, these promises can be renegotiated..."

Next was his conversation with Hawke: "...the Sirius Clan will gain control of Sanchez Industrial City..."

Finally, he said to his adjutant: "...if anyone backs out at the last minute..." while making a throat-slitting gesture.

The Parliament Hall was deathly silent.

Viktor's face instantly turned ashen: "This... this is faked!"

"Is that so? Then explain why your evidence is real."

Her voice remained calm, yet it pierced Viktor's heart like a sharp sword: "If you want power, you can just say so. Why frame others, collude with ambitious individuals, and even risk dividing the Earth Federation?"

Cold sweat seeped from Viktor's forehead: "You... you spied on me?"

"I monitor everyone who endangers the security of the Earth Federation." Catherine turned to the entire assembly. "Fellow colleagues, we are facing an unprecedented crisis. External enemies, internal traitors. At this critical juncture of survival, some people are only thinking about power struggles..."

Her voice suddenly rose: "Even going so far as to fabricate evidence and slander colleagues!"

"I didn't!" Viktor roared. "All that evidence is real!"

"Then what about this?" Catherine brought up another document. "Your so-called 'secret meeting' records, they were generated by your military's general AI, weren't they?"

"But you probably don't know that your AI is just a backend subroutine of 'Aura' within the Earth Federation's Scientific Research Department."

"All those dirty commands leave traces. Do I need to pull them up for everyone to see?"

She walked step by step towards Viktor: "And the resources you used to bribe council members were military supplies withheld from frontline troops. And you, you dare to stand here and boast, putting the blame on me, the Speaker!"

The entire hall was in an uproar.

Catherine stopped in front of Viktor, her voice so soft that only he could hear: "You thought I didn't know about your little tricks? From the first time you contacted the Sirius Clan, I've been waiting for this day."

"But that's all irrelevant now. My plan is complete."

Just as Viktor was deeply confused by Emma's last words, something unexpected happened.

Emma turned and walked to the Speaker's seat, bringing up a document on the holographic screen: "This is my letter of resignation."

The entire Parliament Hall instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"I respect the democratic process of the council," Catherine's voice echoed through the hall. "Since some people question my leadership, I am willing to step down."

She looked around the room, her gaze lingering on each council member's face for a moment: "But I must remind you all, the war is not over. The Brood are still eyeing us covetously, and yet we are beginning to fight among ourselves internally..."

Her voice suddenly took on a note of sorrow: "This makes me wonder if anyone still remembers the original intention of the Earth Federation's founding?"

Old Councilor Cole suddenly stood up: "Madam Speaker, please reconsider!"

Immediately after, Mara and over twenty other council members also stood up: "We oppose this motion of no confidence!"

Catherine shook her head slightly: "No, my decision is made." She handed her resignation letter to the presiding officer of the council. "All handover procedures are complete and effective immediately."

With that, she slowly walked down from the Speaker's seat and headed for the exit. As she passed Viktor, she said softly: "Congratulations, you got what you wanted."

Viktor's pupils constricted violently. This wasn't right, it was too wrong.

The person who clearly lost today was him, why was Catherine surrendering?

His finger secretly slid to the communicator hidden in his sleeve, sending a signal to his private army ambushing outside.

No matter what tricks she was playing, she had to die today.