The Peace Proxy: Part 1 Read Online Free Page B

her ability to turn any controversy to her
advantage. Her nature was one of competition, both intellectually
and physically, but her upbringing had also taught her the
necessity of empathy, and she was gracious in
both victory and defeat. She attended college on a track scholarship, and it was there she first gained
notoriety in politics. At a student rally of the Economic
Reformation Party, the president of the local chapter was leading
the group in support of a politician running for the United Senate.
Katherine was walking by on the way to an academic lecture when she
heard the assertions of the young man leading the rally concerning
global monetary restructuring. It was this type of idealistic, illogical, and entirely unachievable proposal so readily claimed by the
politically uninitiated that she found particularly irksome. It had
become obvious to her that the momentum of
global economies was such that any claim of
rapid positive change was pure fantasy. She stopped and turned
toward the rally, refuting the orator’s claim on how his candidate
planned to accomplish this Herculean feat. An impromptu debate
ensued in which the local president’s assertions on the efficacy of
his candidate’s platform were quickly countered and the rally
fizzled. It was over in a few minutes, and
Katherine was not even late for class.
    When her class adjourned, someone was
waiting for her. Robert Stroh, the opponent of the candidate the
rally was held for, had been in the audience.
He had witnessed the exchange and was impressed. As Katherine left
the mathematics building, Robert made introductions and asked if
she had a serious interest in politics. He was handsome, slightly
graying at the temples, which added a
distinguished air to his youthful face. Initially, Katherine
was certain he was using the politics angle to ask her out, but as
they walked he explained the trouble he was having with his
burgeoning campaign and made a point to mention he was married.
After determining his interest was legitimate, she seriously
considered his request to join his campaign. In the end, she
decided it sounded interesting enough to give it a chance.
Katherine started working for the campaign within the week and upon
her graduation two months later, became the campaign manager. And
so, a promising future in physics was traded for a brilliant career
in politics. Her political savvy was uncanny and under her leadership, the campaign unseated the
incumbent. Robert proved to be a capable man of action in the Senate. When he was
appointed to the position of Secretary of State, he took his
prized assistant with him.
    Garrett’s childhood was the antithesis of
Katherine’s. Orphaned when he was four, with no surviving family,
he was raised by a close family friend, Arthur
Craig. A refined, gentle man , Arthur saw to
Garrett’s needs, but could not substitute for a father. He put Garrett through the one of most prestigious
boarding schools in the country. It was a lonely upbringing, but it
instilled in Garrett a sense of self-reliance that formed the core
of his confidence. As a college freshman, he took an interest in
football, a game he had never played. He tried out as a walk-on and, to the surprise of many, earned a position
as a wide receiver. By his junior year, he held two school records, and there was already talk of a
professional career, but a tackle in the first game of that season
left him with a compound fracture of the left femur. The injury
became infected and at one point, it was uncertain Garrett would
keep his leg. Fortunately, he did recover, but he had lost a year
of school. He tried to return to football, but
he never regained the speed he could so easily generate before the injury. Suddenly the journalism degree he had
been neglecting held extreme significance for his uncertain future.
He doubled his course load and graduated six months later than he
would have, had his injury not kept him from class for a year.
     
    Despite their