Salute To The General

Zion concurred with a nod. "You're right in saying that these are all unlawful, but in reality, it would be impossible to establish a relationship with the businessmen without accepting their gifts. In other words, it would thus be impossible to work cohesively with them for the betterment of the economy. By refusing the gifts from my subordinates, I'd not be able to build camaraderie with them, which would adversely affect the development of our operations."

He continued, “This would be especially apparent if you were to be suddenly parachuted into a decisionmaking role in a new working environment. By refusing to accept any of their gifts and rejecting their goodwill, you'd never find acceptance amongst them. In turn, it'll be hard for you to get many things off the ground and you would, consequently, fail to get anything done right."

"Is that why you customarily accepted some of the less valuable gifts offered, like the cigars and alcohol, while sending back the money?" Nathan asked.

"That's right!" Zion replied. "That's where I draw the line at. Be it money, luxury cars, property, etcetera, those are the things I'd never touch. To be precise, the gifts I'd accept aren't worth much, and most of the time, it's for the purpose of building up a rapport with my subordinates and other stakeholders in order to facilitate our working relationships. Everywhere I've been, I've got on well with both those working for me and those who I'm working with. At the end of the day, I've also delivered results. That is an undeniable fact."

At that point, Zion regarded Nathan in earnest and said unhurriedly, "Hence, I'd continue to insist that what I did cannot be considered graft. It was all for the sake of facilitating the work on the ground, and I have the track record to back it up. My own bank account holds less than a hundred thousand worth of savings. Had I been corrupt, surely I'd have more than that meager amount no matter how I approached it."

Nathan appeared perplexed.

What Zion had described was his own philosophy with regard to work and also his personal approach to managing interpersonal relations. Though it would be difficult to declare without ambiguity the rightness or wrongness of it, it was definitely against regulations. That was how Erwin managed to find dirt on Zion and what led Zion to be in the predicament he's currently in this day.

Nathan remained contemplative for some time before he spoke up again. "You may be in the opinion that what you did can't be considered graft, but others may not necessarily share that view. We, at least, know that Erwin doesn't. Neither does Braydon, nor the Integrity Department's Special Investigation Unit!"

Zion regarded Nathan. "What aboutBelonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

you then? Erwin and the rest of them have their own agendas, so I don't care what they think. What I'm interested to know is, how does a man like you view this issue?" "I'm a soldier and in the service, discipline is paramount. It is not permissible to even accept the offer of a needle or a thread. Hence, I still feel that what you did is wrong. On a personal level, I do feel sympathy for your plight, in spite of everything. It cannot be denied that you've indeed accomplished many things and that your merits may have far surpassed your transgressions, but at the end of the day, you must still be made to pay a heavy price for your illegal activities," answered Nathan steadily with a straight face.

Zion's astonishment quickly became a self-deprecating chuckle. “You may be right. Perhaps what I did really is wrong. It suddenly occurs to me that perhaps I should not have gotten into politics and ought to have joined the army instead. After all, things are a lot more clear-cut in the military when contrasted with the murkiness of the political arena."

Nathan said, "Although you're deep

in the muck and made some mistakes for professional reasons, you did not do so out of greed and had always been true to your own values. Thus, I reckon that those overseeing your case would take that into consideration and be more lenient when passing their judgment. It is likely that you would be removed from your position and kicked out of the team. Though you may avoid having to do time, your reputation would be ruined once this case becomes public knowledge. That would probably mean that your career may be done for good."

Indeed, no matter how the higher-ups chose to handle the case, Zion would no longer be eligible to contest in the next presidential election. He might even face expulsion and wind up a civilian, allowing Erwin to attain what he set out to do.

Zion nodded in acknowledgment.

"I'm already past that. I'm not getting any younger and am due for retirement. After this is over, I'd go find myself a place where I could live out the rest of my days in peace, as the future belongs to the younger ones like you. I have one final word ofadvice for you, Chief Cross. I don't think Erwin Holmes is the best man for the role of President. For the sake of the nation and the people, I think it's about time you step up and run for president."