Winning Hearts and Minds

A year has passed, and Indra did a good job of improving Caturtunggal. All of his missions were accomplished and adored by everyone. Iwan, Bayu, and Agatha thought Indra was now chill, and his dream of revolution was nowhere to be found. Even during his incumbency, he has promised and proved no desire for revolution. The status quo stays the same without any changes at all. This peaceful era makes Iwan, Indra, Bayu, and Agatha flourish as good friends. Indra's satisfaction is getting closer with his nomination as the next governor of Yogyakarta. Things are looking good with the Sultan's blessing and Ayu as his partner.

As an A.I. virtual assistant, Ayu can't be Indra's partner, so she transforms into a droid version with her consciousness intact. She's with Indra today, having a public discussion at a coffee shop as a form of campaign. Today's the last day, so both must use this chance wisely.

“Good morning mas Indra and mbak Ayu, I’m Yayuk. I want to ask you about tourism. We have so many ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, and those temples have attracted so many tourists that there are concerns about structural deterioration, including stone reliefs and statues. How will you maintain the existence of these temples? Thank you.

"Thank you for your question; allow me to answer. There are two ways to maintain them. The first one is to limit tourism, putting a quota of a maximum of a thousand visitors daily, including holidays. It will hurt the revenues and less money for maintenance. Thus, the combination of the Culture Preservation Bureau and related religious organizations will maintain the temples. The smaller the temple, the lesser the quota is. Another option is to close all temples from any tourism except for religious purposes. Those temples are inherently places of religious significance and have been in use until this very second. With no tourists, the temples can function as their original purpose, a place to pray. Once again, the Culture Preservation Bureau and related religious organizations are responsible for maintenance. I hope that answers your question."

“Thank you mas Bayu.”

"You're welcome. Since we will reach the end of our discussion at 11 AM, there's a spot for the final question… Oh, you there with the conical hat! What's your name?"

"Good morning. I'm Rahmat, and I live at the Gedong Tengen colossal apartment complex. I would like to ask a question for mbak Ayu.

"Please, go ahead."

"Will you allow flying cars and motorcycles to be used in this region if you're elected?"

"Of course not; the air is full of birds, planes, and delivery drones. Dividing the airspace will be difficult, and flying cars and motorcycles are prone to birdstrikes. A plasma ball can save the driver's life if the driver falls. But it's over if the car or motorcycle got a birdstrike."

"To avoid birdstrikes, why not just put a mesh lid under the engine?"

"Please look at this picture. A car and motorcycle under the chassis, there's a compact electric turbofan engine and a battery. There are plasma shields used for military aircraft, but the massive energy consumption will dry the battery before the car or motorcycle even takes off. Even military aircraft only use it during take-off and landing. Now, here's how an electric turbofan engine works. First, it sucks and pressurizes air to flow into the chassis's edges. Thanks to that, every fan can spin, giving lift-off the power. After a stable lift-off, the engines on the edge tilted to a vertical or diagonal position. And there you have it, a flying car. For motorcycles, the engines can't be tilted. Instead, there are holes that open and close. If you put a mesh lid on those holes, you can imagine what happens next, right?"

"I see. Thank you for your explanation."

"Alright, Indra, it's 11 PM. Should we end it here?"

"Yes, thank you very much for joining us today! We deeply apologize for any mistakes and inconveniences we may have caused. See you next time!"

Ayu is sunbathing outside a coffee shop, while Indra is inside it with Iwan, Bayu, and Agatha. All of them ordered coffees, each different in characteristics: an iced palm sugar latte for Agatha, an affogato for Bayu, a ristretto for Indra, and a lungo for Iwan.

"I'm sorry, microgreens, I want to eat you. Thank you for your nutrients and sacrifice."

"You even apologize to microgreens? You really love nature, huh?"

"Of course, Tha."

That's what Iwan said, but with his eyes directed to Agatha, his brain rebukes such a statement. Memories of Iwan killing a rat with a book, burning a paper wasp nest, capturing laron for a midnight snack, and many more flows. But it suddenly stops as the rain pours down outside. Ayu moved inside, sitting alone while reading a book. The bonding continues for 2 hours, followed by a giant Margherita pizza. After a great lunch, Iwan goes to the toilet. Indra followed suit with a phone call from someone.

"Good afternoon, sir; how are you?"

"Good afternoon, Indra. I'm doing well. Do you have time for an online meeting tonight?"

"Yes, what will we discuss?"

"Building more housing, outside the legal boundary, of course. As we agreed on last week."

"I see; when will the meeting begin?"

"At half past eight. Oh yeah, I must congratulate you for winning the regional election. It's amazing how a young man like you climbed all the way to this point. An incredible feat, I must say."

"Thank you very much, sir, but the election has not yet started."

"Yes, the day after tomorrow is election day. But you already won the popularity surveys; 90 percent of respondents want to vote you as their next leader. Just get ready, okay? The road to leadership may be rough, but it will lead somewhere. Well, thank you for today. I still have another meeting to attend soon. Until then!"

"Thank you, sir, until then!"

Iwan at the sink, recording Indra's conversation on the phone while holding the heat of his butt. The sound from Indra's phone is clear enough, so it'll make nice evidence. Case reopened; time to work.