[b]The Golden Lady, Part Four, The German Exile, Part Five, The Agriculturalist, Part Seven, Iron Lady, Part Ten[/b]

It was rainy season, and Aurelia was glad that her estate had electric lights as she sat in her room, writing with a new-fangled ballpoint pen. While she cannot send letters right now, she can draft them in preperation for the postmen once the storm had passed. In reaction to her cronies' complaining about Archie's betrayal, she had written on fine stationary:

[i]Let Archie's treachery stand; I already have a way around it. Remember that the Constitution has the Vice-President be elected separately from the President. And unlike the Presidency, the candidates for that position are lackluster and obscure; and more importantly, the Vice-President is also [b]Secretary of Foreign Affairs.[/b] With one stroke, I get all the power I want, with some patience, I will keep my place as Top Dog.[/i] She rejoiced in her counterstroke; just as Ludwig had established his own stake in this interplay, so had she. And yes, she had known that the exiled German geologist was behind this idea; he had even discussed this in her estate.

The next letter she drafted was a note to Henry Cornell informing him of her plans to get around Archibald's challenge, and requesting him not to do anything rash [i]yet[/i]. The last thing the Philippines needed was foriegn interference in its affairs. That said, she did leave a caveat in her postscript. [I]PS: If you absolutely [b]must[/b] do something, make sure the Japanese look bad.[/i] A moment's thought, and the plantation owner added a second post-script: [i]PPS: Archie knows how to increase tobacco yields without using foriegn fertilizers and pesticides; that's why he should be kept around.[/I] Some more thoughts, and another postscript: [i]PPPS: If you can get us more planes, we are willing to pay; profits from our deal are manifesting.[/i]

Now for the next letter; the corrupt Worker Co-operatives in Subic Bay were making threats. Aurelia decided to write a simple reply: [i]Your usefulness has ran out; we no longer need you.[/i]

Briefly, Aurelia thought of her son, [i]Candido[/i]. How was the young man doing in Alaska? Was he still fascinated with 'Woolly Mammoths' like his father, or was he turning to more useful pursuits? His last letter was a bit disturbing; it showed that he was still interested in his 'Pleistocene Park'  project, but wanted to fund it with mercenary work. And he was asking her for start-up funds... 

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The rains in Manila were over for now, but Archibald Santos still questioned the need for holding the New Philippines Party Convention (Now attended by the Houists and Muslim Congress) in the city when the streets were still soaking wet at best and flooded at worst. Nevertheless, he couldn't deny it, he was having fun. Especially when Priscilla herself, in her position as New Philippines Party leader, walked over to him, a smile on her face as she said to the Agriculturalist, "I knew my people would make an adult decision once I leave them alone."

Archibald was embarrassed at how happy his Lady President, soon to be just a citizen, was. He rubbed the back of his head, before saying, "Well, I doubted I was the right man for the job, but Ludwig did a good job telling me how much my country needed me. That and I can't wait to send more trade missions to other countries; there is this really fascinating type of plant called [i]Kola[/i], which in turn is the source of the drink, Cola. If we can get our hands on it, we will have another product to sell!"

Priscilla nodded enthusiastically, "I will be the first to buy such goods once they are available. That said, I will probably be half-way to Africa by then."

The sound of footsteps was heard close to them as Isiah Macadangdang, the Youth League leader, went to Priscilla and embraced both her and Archibald, before saying to both: "I never anticipated such a countermove from you two! You just saved both the country and its democratic principles from that reactionary!" 

As the young man's [i]Barong Tagalog[/i] shone in the pale sunlight which shone through the window, he grinned even as his Lady President observed that he couldn't bring himself to address Aurelia by name. 

Then came the Man of the Hour, Ludwig himself. Dressed in a formal dress suit of grey fabric with brass buttons, the German turned on the crude microphone and after testing it, began to give a speech:

"Greetings, people of the Philippines. When I first came to the Islands to participate in the 'Priscilline Concilliarist' experiment, I didn't know what to expect. To be honest, I still held various 'racial attitudes' about the people here and their intelligence. But then I worked with them, got to know them, and saw that despite their lack of development, simple virtues and a sense of family drove them on. And that is the prime virtue of the Filipinos: They are Family."

"And so, it is my moment of joy to announce, even as rainbows light up the sky: That Archibald Santos is the new General-Secretary of the New Philippines Party, and our Presidential Candidate!"

Applause sounded out.