Breath. Slow. Slow. Breath. Slow. Breath. Draw your focus. Reach out.

“Hello Mr. ahhh, President. I ‘ave bad uhhh, news for you.”

“Yes?”

“The numbers are uhh, clear, you vill not vin re-election.”

“How is that possible?”

“Your antics have, uh, angered great many people in your ahh, star system.”

“I… I can’t lose. You see the investigations, I can’t lose, I have to stay in office, I’ll be finished, I mean, they got me, they got me bigly Vladutin.”

“It is of no concern.”

“No concern?”

“You will, simply, deny the election results.”

“Refuse to concede?”

“Yes, you will say it’s a fraud. All of it. You’re going to start saying it’s a fraud now, so that it is no surprise when you claim fraud later.”

“But after the election, the courts are still going to honor it.”

“All vat matters is vat your followers believe it vas fraud.”

“Why?”

“You’re going to get valked out of The Palace in cuffs. It will be, uh, big media circus.”

 “I don’t see how that will help.”

“You aren’t ahhh, seeing big picture Danny. You ‘vill be ‘valked out, and in following months, my ah, agents and your ahh, followers vill launch a campaign to ah, restore proper democracy.”

“And what will I do?”

“You vill, ah, be patient.”

“Anyway, our agents and your uh people, will ensure that certain radical groups begin uh, open fighting, and your replacement uh, Molester Joeden, they’ll call him, cause of his tendency to sniff children, will be bad choice to calm star system. You have great support among military. They vill turn to you to stabilize country, and after disposition of Joeden, and vith the hexagon at your back, you vill become ah, new emperor of Romerica.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“I know you do, Danny, it, it vas how you say, big plan all along.”

“I knew I liked you Vlad.”

“Just remember Danny, ve ah, do not need you. You could ah, just as easily be replaced, if ve ah, needed someone more agreeable and eager to ah, work with us.”

“I understand Vlad.”

“After all, we ah, still have those photos of you with ah, the girls from Eppfry’s pleasure world. Your followers are, ah, not so forgiving of you as you think.”

“Jesus, Vlad I get it.”

“I’m sure you ahh, do Danny.”