***Might Prove Useful***
Central, Amestris, February 1920
"And so, it is with great pleasure that we welcome home our 'Hero of the People,' Colonel Edward Elric!" The Chairman exclaimed from the stage full of politicians and military brass. Since his height had required that he lean down over the microphone to make the announcement, his wire rimmed glasses nearly slid off his long, straight nose. He pushed them back up and stepped to the side of the platform. The Chairman brushed his greying brown hair behind large ears as he joined his fellow assemblymen, all dressed presentably in grey or brown three-piece wool suits.
The crowd went wild at his well delivered introduction. Boisterous music played at his cue and entwined with the masses' excitement. Green Amestrian flags waved in children's hands as they sat on their parents' shoulders to get a glimpse of the man who had single handedly concluded a cold war with an unknown enemy.
Watching the over the top display left a bitter taste in his thin lipped mouth. Yes, Mr. Elric deserved praise for his work in Germany to bring about the end of that threat, but this was too much. The Chairman had both read the top secret briefing from the General's Council and heard Mr. Elric's first-hand account during his debriefing, but wasn't the young man's promotion and press conference enough? Did he really need a national publicity tour?
It was preposterous that the flamboyant youth taking his place in front of the microphone had matured since his early career antics. Major General William Hakuro had complained enough during their card nights at the club about the brash child his sense of honor had forced him to nominate for the State Alchemist's Exam almost a decade ago. It was merely a rude twist of fate that the child who had somehow been responsible for saving William on that train had also ended up passing the prestigious exam.
For years, The Chairman had heard William complain that 'The Hero of the People' was nothing more than a spoiled brat who was more a vehicle for the upstart Mustang than a real national treasure. 'After all,' he would argue, 'who would send a child into the field on dangerous missions?' The Chairman had noticed William's nuanced frustration under his anger as he asserted many times over drinks that both Mustang and Elric must be trading sexual favors for superior treatment.
Of course, The Chairman hadn't believed that complaint, but Mustang's quick advancement made it a possibility for the older of the two officers in William's chain of command. He doubted a child would barter sex for preferential treatment; however, The Chairman had not suspected that Bradley had been experimenting on people either, so he guessed anything was possible.
Either way, this farce of a 'Welcome Home and Thank You' tour was a waste. Cheers rose from the gathered citizens, and the Chairman gritted his teeth behind his tolerant public smile. There were real threats to Amestris that the people should be concerned with rather than thinking they were now safe. The cold war may be over, but there was still an arms race to watch with a cautious eye.
Watching a green ocean of flags wave, The Chairman bit the inside of his cheek to keep from outwardly snorting. Amestris was not an isolated island, and other nations had heard of the devastation wrought on Central in a matter of hours. They would not take a threat like that lying down, nor should they. They, too, would want to fortify themselves against a foe powerful enough to cripple a dominant Central for months.
The Chairman knew this, just as any person of average intelligence would know it, if they ever stopped applauding Mr. Elric's captivating speech. The only difference was that The Chairman was playing the long game while his peers were still playing with day to day, week to week, month to month matters. Even those high ranking men and women in the military were unbelievably short sighted. The country didn't stop competing, didn't stop developing just because one man came home.
Of course, Mr. Elric should be celebrated for the hero he was, but the country should not be deluded enough to believe that all their fears were assuaged because of the actions of one man. Creta was trying to create flying machines that could combat the German ships, or ones just like them, though reports showed they were still unable to work out the mechanics of flight adequately enough. Aerugo was developing armor for their soldiers to mimic those of The Invaders. Even Drachma, as cold as it was up north, was working to implement antiaircraft weapons.
It was no far stretch of the imagination that the Xingese were preparing as well. In fact, it wouldn't surprise The Chairman to find that the ambassador, Prince Ling Yao, was here to gather intelligence as a way to ingratiate himself with his bloodthirsty brother, the emperor.
And who's to say that Amestris' enemies didn't plan to use these new 'defenses' against her? The Chairman was disturbed that the nation was not afraid. However, he was glad that the Amestrian Research & Development department was not slacking in their zeal to understand the discarded German technology left behind after the assault. He found most of their briefs to be educational, and frankly he was glad that these scientists were on Amestris' side.
Looking over the beaming military brass on the stage, The Chairman couldn't help but think how far they had fallen. His country had always been a strong military power ever since its founding, that is, until Bradley fell. Now it was in the middle of a reformation, albeit a slow and calm one, but one nonetheless. The Civilian Assembly had only been revived nearly 5 years ago, and while the military had handed over legislative power, it still retained control over the rest of the state. Nevertheless, this governmental change coupled with the invasion may smell like blood in the water to foreign nations.
Ties with Amestris' neighbors had always been frayed, if not downright antagonistic. Previous Führers had made no effort to befriend or even be civil to the nations that surrounded their state. In fact, there were still border skirmishes along most, if not every, boundary.
Their only friend was the desert. The sandy wasteland to the east was so wide, ranging between Amestris and Xing, it took a month to cross. It would slow any army, regardless if it came from the east or if it was circling through the desert looking for an undefended frontier to attack.
Amestris and her leaders could not let themselves become complacent. The Chairman knew he needed to find more allies within the country to keep it safe from those dangers, especially after the young blond alchemist giving a humble speech now had given the country a temporary reprieve.
Looking around the dais, The Chairman considered those willing to ride Mr. Elric's coattails. The aging and soft Führer Grumman, the young and cunning Brigadier General Mustang, a spackling of other lax Generals beside him, with the top members of the Civilian Assembly standing by The Chairman on the other end.
They were all there, wearing blue uniforms or grey suits and false smiles, gaining goodwill just by sharing a stage with the charismatic and beautiful young Colonel. The Chairman would need to catalyze his allies, both civil and military, to ensure that the country stayed on guard against the remaining foreign and domestic threats.
The Chairman considered his influence within the state before and after joining the Civilian Assembly. Being a member of an old military family, he had always been an active participant in the goings on at the club and social events held by the family heads. Before he had lost so much, like most people had in The Invasion, The Chairman had joined the new governmental body as soon as it was revived when he'd heard about the atrocities Führer Bradley had committed.
Sweeping his eyes over a nearly preening Führer Grumman, The Chairman considered the contrast in leadership. Initially, he could not believe there had been no oversight to catch such blatant disregard for human lives by Bradley. Believing at first that the government was too powerful, being controlled by a Führer with no protections in place, he had then been appalled that the new Führer had given up power too readily to the Civilian Assembly five years ago. How was such a man supposed to protect them from foreign or domestic threats if he was willing to bend so easily to public pressure? And The Chairman had been right to worry.
Every man on the stage knew where The Invaders had come from, where they had gone, and why they had come in the first place. Now, however, that risk would never be reawakened thanks to Mr. Elric and his younger brother, who incidentally refused to receive any credit.
In fact, Alphonse Elric had declined to participate in any events related to The Invaders. He had simply said, 'Brother deserves all the credit,' for saving Central and ending the cold war in Amestris. The nineteen-year-old Elric even refused to be thanked, stating, 'I only want to do my best for the people of Amestris,' which was fine by The Chairman. It was one less wild card to worry about.
The man of the hour finished his brief speech to another round of cheers before he waved his way off the stage, bringing The Chairman back to himself. He had heard about the elder Elric since his debut on the national stage at age 12 and was intrigued. He was also slightly bewildered that a preteen had saved William's hide, applied to and passed the State Alchemist's Exam, in addition to becoming a national hero at such a young age.
The Chairman had wondered at the time whether the Führer had lost his mind allowing such a thing in the first place, but as stories of the young man's deeds spread, The Chairman questioned more his drinking partner William's judgment. He deduced that the Major General may have assessed the child with embarrassment, envy, and disbelief instead of a clear head, even if Mr. Elric had been as much of a handful as The Chairman's research had implied.
Destruction and praise followed each of Mr. Elric's mission reports The Chairman had found, not to mention the incredible success rate the teen had in the field before his so-called treason against Bradley. Of course that last bit had all been forgiven and forgotten before Mr. Elric's rapid rise through the ranks without even being in the country.
It would be better to assess Amestris' youngest Colonel himself.
As The Chairman and the other officials moved to descend the stairs to stage right, he saw the Mr. Elric maneuvered into position at the bottom of the steps by Brigadier General Mustang. To The Chairman's surprise, he noticed their curious exchange. Mr. Elric rolled his golden eyes then gave a slight head shake to which Brigadier General Mustang returned with a onyx look that held an unheard order. After a millisecond sigh, Mr. Elric turned to his tailcoat riders. He wore a charming smile and began to shake their hands obediently, thanking them all as they left the stage.
So, the upstart Brigadier General could handle the volatile yet charismatic Colonel? Interesting. Perhaps The Chairman' briefings on the two alchemists needed updating. Reading between the lines, The Chairman had gleaned from his research that the young man had been difficult to control, although he had gotten the job done in a fraction of the time it would take others to do it. Also, there were reports of the two officers in front of him having an antagonistic relationship which was reiterated by Mr. Elric himself in his debriefing. The Chairman might be the only civilian to have heard those words, and only one of four assemblymen to receive a copy of that top secret report on Germany, but he would put his briefing to good use.
Hmm. It would be wise for him to investigate the pair further. They might prove useful.