DrMedic
Respected Member
Posts: 211
Nations Owned: The Greater Imperium of Eleria
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Post by DrMedic on Jan 10, 2021 16:01:20 GMT -5
With Amelie now gone, Marina sat back in her chair, eager to take the opportunity to lay back a while. Almost as soon as she laid her head back, Director Bullen burst into the palace, startling her back into an upright posture. He gave her a salute, only stopping when she returned it.
"Dammit Bullen, what is it now? Lang just stepped out and I was hoping to take the opportunity to relax for a bit." She growled, praying it was something quick that didn't need her immediate attention.
"I apologize for the intrusion Your Majesty, but we have succeeded in capturing four of the spies within Iomairt. We're holding them for you at the Bureau, but please, don't feel as if there's any rush to interrogate them."
The Imperatrix sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples as she weighed her options, "How long have they been held there, and how much more space do you have?"
"We've had them for around nine hours now ma'am, and there's no need to worry about us running out of cells, we have more than enough open for them."
"Okay, just... I suppose keep them awake until I show up, I'm going to unwind for a second and then I'll stop by and see what I can't do. You don't need to worry about interrogating them either, I'll handle it. Take the opportunity to commend the men on their excellent work, then continue scouring the city for the remaining spies. Miss Lang seems to be quite adamant about this trade, but I'm not sure how much longer it'll take before she sorts out those Franch agents and tries to use them as bargaining chips against us. I'd rather her not be able to do so."
"Yes ma'am, I understand, I'll see to it right away." Bullen replied, saluting the Imperatrix as he excused himself from the room, returning to the IIB to pass out commendations and continue his counterintelligence work. Alone once more, Marina heaved a deep sigh, closing her eyes for a moment as she nodded off right there in her seat.
Back at his office in the bureau, Director Bullen quietly sipped a cup of black tea, patiently waiting for the men responsible for busting the four spies to arrive at his office. This game of spies was weighing heavily on him, the implications could be massive. The Greater Imperium of Eleria was but a fledgling nation, having not even existed for a full decade, and whilst they were always proud of their military and their position as an immovable wall within Touli, he knew that such a title could be easily claimed. Given the astronomical number of lives that could be lost in a potential conflict with the larger powers on Touli, he felt an even greater sense of responsibility. He had to ensure that Eleria held the advantages, that Eleria was able to call the shots on the continent, lest instability begin chipping away at the seams of the Imperium, the rest of the continent slowly following suit. With a trembling hand, he picked up his teacup once more, eager to get enough caffeine into his system to sustain him through the long night ahead. As he put it up to his lips, drinking deep from the dark red liquid that he so enjoyed, the team who had apprehended the Franch operatives knocked at the door, the Director beckoning them in, inviting them to sit before his desk.
"Gentlemen, do you know why I've called you in today?"
"No sir, we haven't any idea." One of the men said, the rest of his team anxious as to whether or not they'd done something wrong.
"Imperatrix Marina wishes for me to commend you all for you exceptional work, and I wish to not only extend promotions, but also ask how exactly it is that you managed to bag four at once."
The other three loosened up, relieved to know they hadn't made a grave error, their assumed leader bowing his head before Director Bullem. "I believe I can speak for each one of us when I say we are honored to receive such a reward, but we were only doing our duty for the Imperium. Catching them was quite simple anyways, especially considering that with half the damn bureau on their tails, they've been running around like headless chickens. All we really did is track one down and wait for her to meet with the others, then we got some backup and dropped in guns raised. They didn't resist, so we placed them under arrest."
Bullen mulled over the agent's words, doing his best to figure out why so many would group up in one place like that. Efficient for spreading information, sure, but certainly a quick way to draw unwanted attention. Maybe it was something they could use to their advantage, but if the other spies managed to pick up that several of their compatriots using such a simple tactic, it could make things much harder in the long run. "Right, but we must remember, they'll be adapting to our every move, so we've got to be quick and hide our trails. If they wise up to our tactics it could spell ruin for our operation, mix things up, keep them guessing, and if we play our cards right they may very well slip up and play right into our hand." He stood from his seat, giving the men a salute as he dismissed them. "Thank you very much for your service, you've done Eleria proud. Stay resolute."
"Aye sir!" The four shouted in unison, returning his salute in perfect form before returning to their duties.
At about seven in the evening, Marina woke from her brief nap, checking the clock for the time as she rubbed her eyes. Realizing the hour, she quickly got herself dressed in something a bit more fit for her duties as of late, donning her admiral's uniform and retrieving her sword before making her way down to the IIB. Arriving at the office, she simply let herself in, saluting those she walked past as she made her way directly to the basement where her captives were being held. It didn't take her long to deal with the first pair, they talked quick enough, but the information she got out of them was a bit less than useful. Dissatisfied, she went to the cell of the man they'd captured, hoping that perhaps switching things up would give her a stroke of luck.
"Stand up." Marina ordered, giving the spy a glare as she stood in the doorway of his cell. Her captive didn't respond, simply returning her gaze with clear resentment. "I gave you an order, stand up before I make you."
The spy sighed, rolling his eyes at her. "And how exactly do you intend to do that?"
"You want me to show you?"
"I think I'll pass," he said as he stood from his seat, cracking his knuckles as he passed the Imperatrix in the doorway. "Let's get this over with."
"A wise decision, I assure you."
She directed him to the interrogation room, hand on the grip of her sidearm in case he tried to do anything rash. Fortunately, he sat down willingly, allowing the Imperatrix the time to close the door and take her seat across from him. "Well, at least you have better manners than the others, for that you have my respect. Would you like to take the opportunity to introduce yourself?"
"Hercule Marchessault of the FRGA, what is it exactly you're after madame?"
"The same thing you are, information. How long have you been here, and what is your mission?"
"I'm not at liberty to say."
"Oh? Who said that?"
"Judging by those clothes, you've served at least for a bit, surely you know how it goes when a superior gives you orders."
"I do, I gave a lot of them out, and I always told my men of our missions as we set out to complete them. How long have you been here, and what is your mission?" She asked, growing impatient.
"I'm not at liberty to say."
"So you're going to choose the hard way then?"
Hercule answered her with silence and a shrug.
"Okay then, I'll try to make this quick, but know that I've given you the opportunity to make this easy for yourself." Marina said as she stood from her seat, grabbing a strange tool with a pair of screws on it, as well as a set of leather straps. She used the straps to secure the man's thighs to the chair, letting his lower legs stay free whilst she put the tool between them, strapping it to the inside of his calves.
"What the hell is this thing?" He asked, beginning to tremble a bit.
"I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you, that wouldn't be any fun, would it? Now, are you going to answer my questions?"
"No, of course not."
With a silent nod, Marina turned each of the screws once, the man's lower legs being forced apart a tiny bit whilst his thighs were bound to his seat, putting a fair bit of torque on his knees.
"Oh you god-forsaken witch..."
"Well that didn't sound like an answer to me," she replied, turning the screws twice more, the spy starting to wince a bit. "Smarts right? Yet you're still going to try to stay quiet on me?"
"Burn in-" He cut himself off with a grunt as the screws continued to force his legs apart. A bead of sweat began to form on his forehead, the pace of his breathing speeding up a bit under stress.
"This hurts me too you know, I'd much rather just let you go home, you're doing this to yourself really."
He stayed quiet, hoping not to anger her any more in hopes that she'd be a little easier on him.
"Suit yourself then." She turned the screws once more, an audible pop coming from one of his knees as he shrieked in pain. "Feel like talking yet?"
"No, but I'll refer you to my superior if you wish, just please take this... device off of me."
“A superior? Oh you spoil me, I certainly hope him a bit more fun than you are, lest I grow a bored of you all and your simple little games. Unfortunately for you though, that little toy of mine isn't getting removed until you tell me about this superior and where I can find him."
"Her name is Edith Chapelière, she was at the meeting when I was captured, I'm fairly certain your lapdog took her into custody as well along with the rest of us."
"Director Bullen? Lapdog? He's sure to get a giggle out of that one. Still, I must thank you for your cooperation, do you think you can stand?"
"You care?"
"You gave me what I needed, right? I told you it would be easier for you."
Hercule sighed, somewhat disappointed in himself for failing to simply keep his mouth shut, but he knew simple regrets wouldn't do him any favors now. "Yes, I believe I can, just get me out of here."
With a nod, Marina removed the straps from his legs, the device falling loosely to the floor with a loud clang as her captive winced. Once his shackles were removed, she wrapped her arm under his, placing her hand firmly at the base of his neck to keep control over him as she led him back into his cell. Finally down to the only remaining spy in Elerian custody, Marina closed her eyes and stood in the hall a moment, taking the opportunity to clear her mind. It weighed heavily on her, doing such things to people when it could be so much simpler. Of course, enforcing dominion over an adversary was something she enjoyed a fair bit, but outright torture? To her it seemed barbaric, something the demi-humans would've done to her and her people, had they won the war instead. She'd much rather chip away at their minds and corrode their morale until she had them exactly where she wanted them. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have the time for it, these Franch spies were making it quite difficult for her to avoid torture all with their lack of compliance. "Just one more, it shouldn't be that hard, right? Shouldn't have to rough her up too bad, maybe she'll even just give me the information I need and I can be out and on my way, wash my hands of this situation, move on to something else, mother willing." She shook it off, straightening herself up as she stepped into the final spy's cell.
"Edith Chapelière I assume?"
The woman in the cell looked up at her, seeming somewhat confused as she spoke softly in Franch.
{I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying, but I heard my name.}
Marina raised an eyebrow, taking a moment to think to herself, recalling her old native tongue from back when Eleria was still a colony. She responded in Eoch, matching Edith's tone as she spoke.
{That's fine, I can understand... most of what you're saying, provided we keep things simple. These languages are similar enough, no?}
Edith winced, she knew there was going to be trouble now, but she couldn't give up the act.
{Yes, I think so. What do you want from me.}
{Information and compliance, is this something you can do for me, or will you be difficult like the rest.}
{I am not at liberty to tell you anything, I am sorry to disappoint you.}
{Wrong choice.} Marina said, grabbing the spy by the arm and essentially pulling her from the steel bed she sat on, dragging her down to the interrogation room while Edith did what little she could to resist. As a last ditch effort, she jammed her legs against the doorway, hoping to buy herself a little bit of time. Marina simply cursed at her in Tireil and kicked her in the shin, dislodging her from the doorframe as she dragged her over to the chair. {Sit!} She ordered, slamming the door shut behind them.
Edith was shocked with how quick her captor had changed, her tone having almost instantly swapped from soft and gentle to aggressive, hard, and cold. She sat in the chair still warm from its last occupant as her eyes darted around the room, searching for any clue regarding what was about to happen. The Imperatrix, on the other hand, was through putting up with these foreign invaders. Her patience had already been worn thin, and she was not about to spend the rest of her evening worrying about some adversary from another kingdom. She removed her gloves, angrily throwing them onto a table before slamming the restraints on the chair closed, locking Edith in place.
{Now, whether you like it or not, you're going to tell me every last thing you know about the Imperium, and why you're here. I don't care how long it takes, I don't care if I have to beat you within an inch of your life, and I care so very little if you end up expiring like a the worthless little rat you are anyways. You have two choices here madame, you can either let that information go, or you can hold onto it in vain while I shatter every last bit of resolve you have in you and leave you as little more than a shell of your former self. A hollow husk to be returned to your kin as a reminder of what Eleria does to those who would seek to shackle her once more.}
The spy sat still and silent with a stiff upper lip, she was determined not to give anything to this woman, she had made her vows to her country, to her people, and she refused to bend.
{Very well, have it your way then. Get any blood on my uniform and I'll make you pay personally for every last second I have to spend washing it out.} She growled, unsheathing her sword, using the flat to strike at the woman. Over and over she asked questions, and each time the prisoner failed to answer, she continued her assault. Eventually it got to the point she sheathed her blade altogether, resorting to using her bare hands as she worked tirelessly to beat the mission details out of the spy. All the while, Edith remained as quiet as possible, having been steeled by her time in the GA. For once, Marina had truly run out of patience, as a final effort to force the agent into talking, she left the room and grabbed a garrote from upstairs before returning to the chamber and holding it up in front of the foreigner. {You know what this is, right?}
Edith nodded silently, making peace with the fact that she'd served her country to the absolute best of her ability, taking solace in the duty she'd fulfilled so well.
{This is it, one of two things happens here, either you talk or that pretty little head of yours comes off, choice is yours.}
Edith stood firm, refusing to give up anything to her final, dying breath.
{You're awful at making the right choices...} The Imperatrix said, wrapping the wire around the spy's neck as she slowly began to pull back, choking her captive out. {You know, this could've been a lot easier for you, and I really don't want to do this. I'd rather not have blood on my hands during peacetime, but you aren't leaving me much a choice. Not that it matters now, your pitiful little country will wither away and die like the rest, crushed under the foot of the Greater Imperium as we ensure the peace and prosperity of mankind on Touli. I hope your King submits to our demands, and if he doesn't I hope he's enough of an imbecile to not have anti-air defenses set up around population centers, it'd be a shame for all those innocent civilians to end up in the crossfire of such a situation. Alas, once the bombs are dropped they're out of our control, it's not our fault if we drop them over the AA guns and they drift off-course, that's just life. Funny how that works, yeah? Oh, and don't worry, I'll make sure to send your remains back home. They'll remember you for a while until they're snuffed out defending that pitiful little kingdom you hold so dear.}
Edith was struggling, her vision beginning to fade as blood struggled in vain to rush into her head and keep her alive. All the while, Marina's words ate away at her. This was it? Some refusal to hand over the details of such a simple mission and this Imperatrix was so willing to go to war over it? She couldn't let that stand, for her country, she had to give up something, at the very least to buy at little bit of time so that they could prepare for war. She struggled to speak, tapping on the arm of the chair as best she could, praying Marina would notice and let go of the wire that was so close to snuffing her out. Fortunately, Marina had been paying very close attention to her, her grip on the wire loosening a bit, just enough to allow the spy to let out a few words.
"Fine! I y-eild!" She barely managed to stifle the words out, but they were clear enough that the Imperatrix got the message. Not a moment later, the garotte fell from her throat, Edith immediately gasping for air as she struggled to regain her composure.
"Oh, so you do speak Tireil then, that's good to know. I'll get you to an infirmary, but not until you tell me why you're here and what you know."
"We... we were sent to see if you were a threat to us, initially your air force was a matter of great concern to Franerre, but we determined that you had no intent to do us harm, and were told to await further instruction in Iomairt."
Marina worked over her words, searching for any hint of a lie, but even with all the experience she had she couldn't pick up on one. "Wait, that's it?" She asked, genuinely confused, "You weren't trying to start another revolution or destabilize us or sabotage our Imperium? I almost killed you over that?"
"Oui, that's right."
"I went through all this over something so small? I mean, you still learned military secrets, and I'm not very pleased about that, but really?"
"I'm afraid so."
Marina stood still before the captive, her hands stained red with blood, pondering on why Edith hadn't just mentioned it before and been done with it all. After a minute or so, she shook it off, figuring she'd have plenty of time to think about it when she was home. "Okay. I suppose you should follow me upstairs, unless you'd rather let your throat swell up and choke you to death."
Edith nodded, following the Imperatrix upstairs to Director Bullen's office. Marina and Bullen talked for a moment, Marina giving the director orders to see to it that Edith was treated for her injuries and held in the cell pending release. Once her job was through, Marina bade them both farewell and returned to the palace, drawing herself a bath and spending a bit of time alone to unwind.
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Post by callmedelta on Jan 11, 2021 0:48:45 GMT -5
Lang strode into the restaurant across from her hotel, feeling oddly calm. Today was the day. Here she would succeed or fail, no more waiting or deliberating. It was liberating to have the weight off her shoulders. Would her plan work? Lang didn't know, but Lang did something, and she was proud of that. Maybe she was just trying to find some silver lining for the scenario she found herself in, but that didn't matter to Amélie. She sat down at the same table as a few nights ago, and almost instantly the same woman as last time came up to take her order. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Lang," the woman whispered in commons, "Bathroom. Now." The pair quickly headed towards the bathroom, though thankfully the restaurant was near-empty, so only a few men saw them. As soon as the door was closed, the woman exploded at Lang. "What the fuck did you tell them?!" she demanded to know, "Because of you, we've lost five agents! Who knows where they are now?"
Lang didn't even flinch at the woman's words. It was nothing Lang hadn't told herself, after all. "If it's any consolation, I doubt they are dead," the ambassador answered, "The Imperatrix assured me that Coteau was still alive and well, and I don't see any reason that were to change. If you want to avoid those five's fate, I suggest you listen to me.
The agent sighed. “Considering how fast they snatched us up, I’m sad to say you’re probably right about your plan.”
Lang turned to exit the bathroom, before pausing. “You know, I don’t think I ever got your name.”
“That was because you didn’t need it,” the agent said, “But the name’s Marissa. Now, let’s get going.”
“Wait, what about the other agents?” Lang asked.
“Them? Don’t worry,” Marissa assured, “I’m fact, they were in the hotel lobby with you. Frans is watching the door, once he sees us leaving, everyone else will join us. But we’d best hurry up, no telling when the Elerians would be watching.” Lang have a curt nod, before opening the door to the bathroom and exiting the restaurant. True to her word, around 30 seconds after the pair left the restaurant, four men and two women walked out of the hotel.
“Is the really the best plan, Marissa?” Frans asked, “Just waltzing right up to the Imperatrix and asking nicely to be let go?”
“It’s better than just sitting here, waiting to be snatched up,” Marissa retorted, “Now let’s go. We’re a crowd, and there’s no telling if they’ll snatch us before we get to the palace.” The assembled Franchmen and women hurried along their way, a quiet tension between them all.
"I still think this is a bad idea," Frans whispered to Forde, "We could make it to the continent, from there it's a free shot back to home."
"When did Marissa make you first in command?" Forde whispered back, "Just stick to the plan. You trust commander Marissa, don't you?"
"I do, I do, but good people can make bad decisions, Forde," Frans answered, "And besides, isn't this basically admitting defeat?"
"Haven't we been defeated, Frans?"
Frans sighed, "I suppose we have."
Caeda intensely scanned the party's surroundings. She spotted at least three tails they'd picked up. They hadn't been arrested yet, so that was a positive, Caeda supposed. She scanned again, catching another tail, though if she had just missed it or if they had just joined, Caeda didn't know. She looked towards Commander Marissa. Wordlessly, Commander gave her back a nod. She'd seen the tails too, but they were to continue on, anyway. Caeda scanned again. That made five.
"If it comes to blows, how is this gonna go down, Garcia?" Natasha asked, "I trust Mari to grab the Ambassador and run. Think you can handle the two F's?"
Garcia chuckled. "Yeah, I can make sure the three of us split. We'll split behind, that gives you side. Meet up at Alphonse, or Belle?"
Natasha bit her lip. "Alphonse. It's on the other side of the city, gives us more time to lose trails. You sure about splitting behind, though?"
"I haven't been sure of anything the last few days, Natasha."
Commander Marissa didn't show it, but she was just as worried as the rest. Her agents had been dropping like flies, how wouldn't that tax a commander? She cursed herself for letting them get so rusty. Having an 'easy post' would do that to an agent. But there was no sense in fretting over the past. Marissa had to make the most of what she could, now, to save the rest of them. Unfortunately, that involved running down the streets of Iomairt with her agents in tow. It conflicted with all of her trained instincts from the GA. Running around in broad daylight, practically screaming your presence to any passerby? If this plan failed, Marissa would survive just to make sure the FA never heard the end of it. Who was she kidding, Marissa was practically as much at fault as Lang. She'd let the people under her watch get rusty, let her protocols get lax. The ambassador was just a scapegoat for her own faults.
Lang let out a sigh of relief, they were here. It was do or die, hopefully not literally, but Lang's calm hadn't faded. She reminded herself to thank Seth later for training her to do so well under pressure. Nevertheless, the only thing to be done was to ask the Imperatrix to let them go.
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DrMedic
Respected Member
Posts: 211
Nations Owned: The Greater Imperium of Eleria
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Post by DrMedic on Jan 13, 2021 10:58:41 GMT -5
Seamus and the rest of his squad tailed the foreigners all the way to the foot of the palace. They'd been hunting them for several days now, but this sort of behavior was very much out of the ordinary for both groups. Never in his career as a counter-intelligence operative had he seen a group of spies reveal themselves so willingly or in such large numbers, and never had he revealed himself or the rest of his squad, as I'd he had much a choice in the matter. The franchmen were headed straight for Whitecliff Palace, and nobody knew whether or not they were armed or had some plan for mass destruction. To the best of Seamus's guess, they weren't going to do anything absurd and didn't have anything exceedingly worrisome on them, but what better way to start a war than eliminating a head of state?
At the steps of the palace, he looked to the rest of his squad, giving each of them a light nod as they all kept their hands near their hips. He looked to the guards at the gate, there were five close by, one woman in particular clad in a blood red, gold-trimmed uniform, no doubt she was their leader. He gave her a nod and put on a pair of fake spectacles before raising his hand with five fingers extended and straightening the right side of his collar. Once he was sure she'd gotten his message, he returned his hand to his side, pensively waiting to reach for his sidearm.
Agnes raised an eyebrow at the man, confused why he was giving her that signal. She'd held the honor Chief of the Palace guard for quite some time, she knew every single signal by heart and could identify each in a split second, but this was one she never thought she'd see. The man identified himself as an operative of the IIB, and apparently four of his colleagues were with him, likely the few that were close to him in the very back of the group. Quietly she issued an order to the four guards that were with her. "Apprehend the group. Five of ours in back, IIB, draw on my command."
Once she felt she'd given enough time for those with her to receive the message, she shouted at the group of foreigners before the gates while the guards around her drew their rifles in perfect unison.
"Halt! In the name of His Majesty, The Imperator, you shall go no further!" She commanded in Tíreil, the squad of agents in the back drawing their sidearms as well, leaving the group of outsiders surrounded.
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