David smiled and attempted to do something of an elaborate bow for the King, but it came out sorta awkward in his grey-camo Talon armor. Amara covered her mouth and giggled to herself because of it, and did simple respectful head nod instead.
“I want to thank you for seeing us, Your Majesty. I believe we have quite a bit to discuss.” David finally spoke. His tone was friendly, but indicated he wanted to get into business sooner rather than later.
Tobias cocked his head some, unsure what to make of the body armour. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen in Prydania. And he had grown up around soldiers. His own Prime Minister stood behind him, off to the side of the throne dressed more like a rushed university professor than a soldier.
Regardless he retained his warm smile and gave both David and Amara a respectful nod in return.
“That we do Your Excellency” Tobias replied, stopped and turning to motion behind him. Royal Guardsmen followed William Aubyn as he turned to a back hallway behind the throne, stopping to escort the King.
“If you’ll follow me” Tobias added, his heart racing at the prospect of what had to be discussed, “we can get started.”
David nodded respectfully and followed behind, with Amara following in turn.
“At the same time, we would also be glad to assist in any current plans that you and your people have prepared.” He added along the way.
Tobias nodded. ”we do appreciate it, Your Excellency” he replied. He didn’t fear turning his back on the armoured Thenacan Prime Minister. Part of it was an innate desire to trust. The other was the contingent of Royal Guards.
The King led his guests into a small conference room off to the side of the main chamber of the throne room. William stopped by the door as Tobias entered, and motioned for David and Amara to follow. The room already contained an older man in a Royal Prydanian Army uniform, who stood and bowed his head respectfully when the King entered, standing by his seat as Tobias found his own at the head of the table. William followed, taking the chair next to his sovereign.
Tobias ran his fingers along the soft leather of the chair, partially to calm his nerves. Every official meeting since his coronation had felt like one more example of just how in over his head he was. Still, he steeled his resolve, pulling the chair out to sit. The Prydanian Prime Minister and military officer followed suit, sitting as the King did.
David and Amara also followed, sitting opposite of the King.
“Now... I’m fairly certain you all have heard about the recent influx of foreign weaponry among the rebels?” David began. He wanted to hear what they thought of the current situation. Since that news has probably changed the face of any battles in the future.
Tobias leaned back in his chair and turned to the man wearing the officer’s uniform. “Brigadier Kaleb Stahl,” he said softly, motioning to him. “He’s been actively investigating the situation.”
The Brigadier, an older looking trim and thin man with cropped brown hair but a greying reddish beard, nodded at his king. “Your Majesty” before turning to the Thenacan Prime Minister.
“The weaponry is advanced. Top of the line guns, anti-vehicle weapons, mortars, and all from Goyanes and Andrenne. It’s particular. We initially believed that Syndicalists were raiding shipments of weapons our PGU allies had sold us, but we have to come across any reports of any significant weapons theft…”
He paused to thumb through a folder before returning his attention to David.
“Further, our own economic situation might shed some light on the situation.”
William spoke up “simply put, the Prydanian Cross has yet to fully stabilize since the end of the Civil War. As a result we haven’t spent much on the higher end weaponry that’s available to us. We’re mostly spending what we can on Goyanes and Andrenne’s overstock of older weapons from the middle of the last century. Older, but reliable. What newer models we have bought are in the hands of elite military units. Of what little theft has been reported? None originate from these units. So we can only conclude that the Syndicalists are getting Goyanes and Andrennian weaponry separate from the shipments we purchased from those governments.”
David nodded. Amara was the next to reply “We have reason to believe those weapons were brought in from a third party as well. And we also have reason to believe that they were brought in via civilian boats or ships. Our current plan involved scouting the coast line of Prydania for possible suspects, caches perhaps. But beyond that, a more disturbing question: Who outside of Prydania could be sympathetic to the rebel cause, as well as have blackmarket access to modern weaponry?”
Then David also had something to add “We’re not trying to push for conclusions, in case it would cause mass diplomatic fallout. But we have to consider all possibilities.”
William began to speak before Tobias interrupted him. “Cogoria” he replied coldly, a noticeable shift in tone from his earlier softer and affable inflection.
“They would sow something like this.”
William looked tense, but it was Stahl who replied. “It’s something we’ve considered given that government’s militant leftist sympathies but we’ve so far found nothing to suggest their involvement.”
“And we do have to consider the possibility of Goyanes and Andrenne providing them the weapons themselves” he added.
“We can’t jump to that conclusion” William interjected. “It wasn’t too long ago we were the underground resistance. Sowing confusion and distrust among your enemies is key when fighting from the shadows. We have no reason to suspect our PGU friends would turn on us like this after all they’ve done for us…”
“They want us in a state of weakness, so we’ll need them more than ever” Stahl replied defiantly.
“Is there any leadership among the rebels? An HVP (High Value Person) we can capture and extract info from? We need to stay focused on the people using these weapons too.” David asked, raising his tone somewhat. He didn’t come here for arguments among allies, but to find evidence and solutions.
William nodded…”Anthony Jacobsen. A particularly nasty piece of work. He was given command of the Security Squads from Keris to Beaconsfield. He had a habit of slaughtering entire neighbourhoods if it suited him…”
Tobias spoke up.
“Regardless of who it is, and I don’t for a moment believe it’s Goyanes or Andrenne, Jacobsen is most active Syndicalist leader we know of.”
“Do we have an idea on where he is? Or someone who can point us to him?” David asked next. He could do methodical planning, taking down one thing at a time till the enemy is fully vulnerable.
“Somewhere in the Vesturlands, between Keris and Sarum” Tobias replied. Stahl looked a bit surprised as the King answered.
“Your Majesty?” he asked.
“I’ll happily leave you to your work Brigadier” the King replied, “but I like to know what the people who who plotted my family’s extermination are up to.”
William spoke up. “His Majesty is correct, Your Excellency. Jacobsen primarily worked out of the western Vesturlands in the Keris March. He’s likely got contacts there he trusts.”
“So we’re stuck with luck on surprising and capturing someone who knows where Jacobsen is?” David replied.
“David, between both of our forces, we can sweep the area several houses at a time. But it would take good timing and coordination to capture them before they realize they’re being hunted en-mass.” Amara added, then turning to Stahl. “Brigadier, do you have people already searching for Jacobsen and his men?”
“We do, yes. The area was one of the worst hit during the war though. It’s not that people are anti-government. They really are just tired of soldiers with guns.” Stahl sat back in his chair.
“We also have operatives in the field. A joint exercise with our friends from Goyanes. To pursue the weapons trail and any information on his whereabouts” William added.
“Jacobsen is a monster, Your Excellency” Tobias added. “But he’s very smart. And I know he’s in contact with Cogoria’s foreign agents.”
“We don’t know that Your Majesty, with all due respect” Stahl replied.
“No, we don’t, but I know it’s them.”
“How so Your Majesty?” Stahl asked.
It was William, however, who responded.
“Because if the situations were reversed we’d be idiots to not be doing it to them.”
David sighed and shook his head. “We can’t bring accusations against Cogoria just yet. If Zhukov thinks we’re on to him, he’ll use it as an opportunity to disrepute us. It would turn into a political shitfest that may drag on for months if not years- not even counting the semi-world war that happened mere months ago! We need solid proof first, and it may lie with Jakobsdóttir. We’ll focus on him first. Is there anything else, Your Majesty?”
“Only that you spare the people in the Vesturlands of any hardships. Jacobsen has loyal men and women in that part of the country, but I won’t see the people there suffer on account of a few traitors. I want Jacobsen to know he’s losing the battle for the hearts and minds of this country. Not just the situation on the ground.”
“What would you advise as the best course of action to avoid stressing the locals?” David asked. “...I realize having an armored car rolling through a peaceful neighborhood would likely set off alarms.”
“But they could be diverted towards areas where the fighting is still raging.” Amara added, then turning to Tobias. “I think that would be a suitable arrangement. We give your men the extra firepower afforded by our armoured vehicles, while you provide trucks that will help us blend easier among the more peaceful zones.”
“Brigadir Stahl will see that the suggestion is made a reality” Tobias said with a smile.
Stahl dutifully bowed his head and nodded “of course Your Majesty.” He turned to David, “Your Excellency.” he added.
Stahl was in his khaki field getup, surveying the countryside west of Landerene. It wasn’t far to the Kanadian border, but there were enough farmhouses and cooperatives between here and there to make it a hassle to search. It wasn’t made easier by the fact that the fighting here had been so bad that many farmers had banded together to form “Green Militia,” loyal to neither the Syndicalists or the Royalists during the war. They’d been dissolved when the war was over, but the hostile feelings to anyone who wanted to stop them from getting on with their lives was apparent.
He got back in a Royal Prydanian Army truck and radioed to the armoured Thenacan vehicles. “Proceed cautiously, approaching township of Ute. Rely on Prydanians to translate if you’re not fluent in Goyanean.”
The Black-Wolf IFV drivers replied “Affirmative.” in Mercanti. Unlike the Talons, the operators of Thenaca’s armored machines were drawn from the Home-Guard, and so lacked any special training for operating in foreign lands.
David, Amara, and the Talons waited in the backs of the Prydanian army trucks, fully armed and armored with green camo netting. It was a lot less safer in an attack than if they stayed in the IFVs, but they could go into areas where the local populace may not like seeing big armored machines rolling through. And the chances of an attack from the emboldened rebels remained low enough.
The trucks rolled into the township of Ute, a few small buildings and rows of houses, a church, a town hall, and an indoor marketplace being the extent of it. Stahl exited the vehicle as Prydanian soldiers secured the town square. A man wearing an old, worn suit emerged from the town hall, shaking the Brigadier's hand. “We’ve been expecting you sir. What can we help you with?”
Stahl simply motioned to the emerging David and Amara. “We’re on a bit of official business” he replied, “and we’re looking to avoid as much of a show about it as possible.”
“Well that’s going to be a bit hard with a few trucks of soldiers” the man replied.
“Mayor, we’re not here to do anything but talk, but you know I can’t bring my men and foreign dignitaries here without loaded weapons.”
The mayor nodded, raising a hand to wave at the Thenacan Prime Minister. “Do they speak Prydanian?”
“Well you can ask them, but I’m sure we’ll all get along just fine.”
David and Amara came up to the mayor, guns put away and helmets removed. “Hello, good Mayor. I hope our presence does not bring any ill to your people.” David began, with accented Goyanean. His time with the Talons and the Diplomatic Corps has given him time and reason to learn many languages.
The Mayor smiled. This area of the country had a strong Goyanean presence during the UKAG era, and as such it was still widely used.
“Thank you” he replied, “it’s not every day we see a Prime Minister in Ute. I do believe William Aubyn passed by once though.”
Stahl tried his best not to roll his eyes. “The good Prime Minister of Thenaca has some questions he’d like to ask about Anthony Jacobsen” the Brigadier continued.
“Mostly about where he is. We believe he has been in contact with other foreign agents to bring in advanced weaponry that has harmed many of our aid workers. We want to capture him and find out where they are coming from. Do you have an idea on where he operates? Maybe know someone who is close to him that could point us to him?” David asked the Mayor.
The mayor’s expression became one of concern. “I’m afraid I haven’t seen Jacobsen in some time. Before the War ended. Of course some of his men still haven’t given up the fight, but I don’t know where he is. If he’s even still alive.”
“Oh? You know something we don’t?” Stahl asked, curiously. “He’s still alive as far as we know. OSU may be recently established, but I think they’ve got a good enough handle on things to know whether a man is alive or dead.”
“If he is still alive” the Mayor replied, “then I haven’t seen him. Or heard of him in some time.”
“We’re going to go inside Mayor. And have a talk. Because I’m tired of killing my own countrymen. And I know you’re tired of seeing it. So let’s head inside and sort this mess out so no one has to mourn again.”
David and Amara followed the two inside the townhall. The other Talons emerged in the meantime to patrol the town, or at least stretch their legs.
