The Six Point Agenda

"Noobs..."


"Too easy..."


"Oh my God. Holy shit..."

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Lolcat Crew
Private Group Chat

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LCC_xXx9999DPSxXx @9999DPS
11 January 2021 2:17 PM


d00ds did you dig into the agenda we got from the last run? its the 6 pointer. there's some shady shit in there.

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LCC_C0NJUR3R @c0njr3r
11 January 2021 2:44 PM


omgomgomgomgomgomg trash it. nobody has to know

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[LCC]Djint @jinteki95
11 January 2021 2:44 PM


Print it. Drop it infront of Lodestar or Reaction2. Wash your hands.

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LCC_N01S3 @n_o_i_s_e
11 January 2021 3:08 PM


think she knows about this? shes gonna freak

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LCC_Sacrificial @xxxultmtscrfcxxx
11 January 2021 4:29 PM


dudes, no more runs against meds, plz. corps only.

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LCC_C0NJUR3R @c0njr3r
11 January 2021 5:03 PM


i wonder if lily knows

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Fertility Clinic AMR Suffers Security Breach
By: Tristian Bachelet

Local fertility clinic AMR of Norvalle is the latest victim of a security breach leading to unauthorized access to protected health information including names of clients and donors.

The company has confirmed that a system administrator's login ID and password had been compromised and was used in the breach. The incident was only discovered by AMR after being notified by Lodestar News that the news agency had been sent documents matching clients to the donor gametes used in in-vitro fertilization procedures. Based on the information delivered to Lodestar, AMR believes its entire database of over 2,400 patients may have been stolen.

AMR believes that the patient database was the target of the attack, as no malware was detected on any company asset following the attack.

"Presently, AMR of Norvalle is consulting with police and other government officials while also conducting an internal investigation into how cyber-criminals acquired an employee's credentials. We will continue to update the public as more information about this attack is revealed. We are also in the process of contacting clients and donors to inform them of the breach," a statement from AMR said.

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Featured
Liberals Attempt To Use Data Leak To Claim Foreign Royal As Illegitimate
Heather Prior | reaction2.co.sd
January 15th 2021, 9:21 pm


After a recent cyber attack by a joint Silien-Aydini liberal cyberterrorist group on Norvalle based fertility clinic AMR of Norvalle, children of clients are about to begin to learn the true nature of their upbringing and the true identities of their biological parents. After gaining access to the client database, the dark web was inundated with the identities of over 2,400 patients and every procedure performed.

The terrorists, however, appear to have planted falsified records into the documents, attempting to portray Sultan Osmanek of the Aydin Empire as illegitimate, not even genetically related to his predecessor Mehmed III. The fake data injected into the dump insinuates that Mehmed's wife, Haseki Sultan Zehra was a client at the fertility clinic, and that her children were born from samples from a different man.

By attempting to destabilize the legitimacy of the monarchies, this new radical left fabrication only proves the existence of the real globalist threat towards the nations of the world, as it has becoming increasingly evident that the left are hell bent on implementing government takeovers, stripping our rights away, and forming a new world order.

Click to page 2 to read more on who the liberals claim was the donor that lead to the sultan's conception.

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Notes:
1. Reaction2 portion of the post co-written and approved of by @Greater Ale Permars
2. Courtesy @Prydania for the Reaction2 header edits.
3. The Osana stock price thing isn't real. It's BS.
4. Obviously, splitting such a short article into two pages is all about that ad revenue!

OOC Soundtrack: https://youtu.be/k1-TrAvp_xs

The Imperial Palace
Antalya, The Capital district, Aydin
January 16th, 2021
9:23 AM

His head was spinning.

"How is this possible, this can't be happening!" He said slamming his fists on the wall, screaming in rage, his eyes full of tears. Rifaat stared at him, his eyes filled with confusion.

"My Sultan, I understand you're upset but this is not the time to break down. We must inform the Council and inform them, we must also move to suppress any possible dissent." Osman turned to him.

"Rifaat, my life is a lie, my father isn't even my father I don't even have a right to the throne!" He said sobbing.
"My life is ruined." He sunk down his back against the wall.

"Osman, he said kneeling down you must understand when your father died he left no other successors other than you and by law, you are his handpicked successor. You are safe, but now we must guarantee that by informing the council and putting to rest any doubts about your legitimacy." He said lifting Osman up. Wiping the tears from his face Osman turned to Rifaat.

"You're right, no matter if I am his son or not I am the chosen successor and it is time to remind the council of that fact. I can deal with family matters later..."

The Vault, Rivage Palace
Norvalle, Sil Dorsett
January 18th, 2021

Martin and his successors were known to keep their secrets close to their hearts whenever possible. There were, however, times where word of mouth was insufficient and only paper could contain the truth. For those times, the princes and princesses would have their own lockbox in The Vault, a small room two stories below the ground floor in the palace under armed guard. No one but the reigning prince or princess entered that room, until today...

It was the first royal decree of Lucien, Martin's successor, that established a long held family rule: "No reigning monarch was to open the boxes of secrets of their predecessors. The secrets of a monarch died with that monarch." However, decrees were often superseded by other decrees. Any monarch could throw the doors of the vault wide open and open the locks of the lockboxes if they wanted to; for reasons of tradition, they just never chose to. It remained possible, though to unilaterally issue a decree to undo Lucien's first decree... at least up until the 17th Princess changed the rules concerning decrees four years ago.

Madeline walked down the hallway of the sub-basement towards the vault, following behind the two royal women. She hadn't been told the reason why she was called to The Vault. She was nervous, almost frightened by the very existence of the sub-basement. Secrets from the last four-hundred years were kept hidden away and she didn't even know about it. With her wanting the government to be more transparent, the nature of The Vault was counterproductive to her goal, and before today she didn't even know it existed. She wasn't happy.

Claidie had an unpleasant history with Reaction2, especially with the reporter Heather Prior, and she often waived away their articles as tabloid nonsense. It would have been easy for her to ignore the story about the hack at the fertility clinic and the international stir it made and dismissed it all as fake news. There was a flaw to her plan, though; Lodestar News concurred in part with Reaction2's data. Lodestar was a much more reputable company, and they had done their research. Without publishing it for everyone to see, they brought their findings to Claidie directly. Her father had been implicated as a party to this Aydini scandal. Her father's lockbox had to be opened.

In the vault itself, with Alice and Madeline watching, Claidie pulled down the 16th box off the shelf and set it on the ground. She looked at Alice, who only affirmatively nodded, and then turned towards Madeline. "Madeline, I think you know what needs to be done here, but I need you to consent to this. You know the 2017 rules."

"Do what you have to," Madeline replied very dejectedly.

"And whatever we find stays. None of this leaves this room," Claidie very forcefully demanded of the Prime Minister.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then for the duration of this investigation, Lucien's first decree is rescinded," Claidie declared. "Let's get this over with."

After she opened the lockbox, she sat on her legs on the ground, confused, dismayed. The lockbox was nearly empty. Inside it were only three items: a picture of the princely family in happier times, a pair of casino dice, and a copy of an agreement Stéphane made with Baron Whittemore, which had already been made known to others. There was nothing of secretive value in it.

"That can't be right. He was on the throne for ten years. I can't imagine he didn't have any other secrets than what he did to the two of us," she said to Alice.

"Pull Christophe's box too," Alice replied. "This would have been, what, four or five years before father took the throne? Maybe he set it up."

Claidie brought the 15th box to the ground and opened it. She nodded her head, unsurprised by what she found. "Okay, that's more like it. This is what I expected." Dozens of documents were kept inside. One by one, Claidie glanced at each paper, trying to find a single Aydini related document without reading more than she had to. It was difficult for her to accomplish, and the documents she scowered started to reveal more about the motives of the peers she had a strained relationship with.

"Oh," she gasped in surprise, "now I understand why the peers are so upset. These are all marriage agreements. Grandfather was skimming money off the peers in exchange for ensuring the succession of titles and estates."

"All the approvals we've done over the past four years, Grandpa was taking money for?" Alice queried.

"Yeah. I guess father put a stop to that," Claidie confirmed, smiling. "Something he did right."

"We're going to have to go through all these boxes to see how long that practice has been going on for," Alice suggested.

"Stay on task," Madeline interjected. "Find the Aydini agreement. You two can sort through marriage arrangements and geneology later."

All of the marriage approval agreements were similar in form and generic, but as Claidie reached the middle of the stack of papers, one stood out as different. Rather than simply a single paragraph outlining the deal and five signatures, this one form looked more like a simple treaty. A list of six points, followed by three signatures. Flags adorned the top of the document; on the left, Sil Dorsettian; on the right, Aydini. She found exactly what she was looking for, and began reciting it.

"Point one, 'With the consent of His Highness Prince Christophe the Second, Lord Stéphane, heir to the throne of the Principality of Sil Dorsett,' and all of that, 'agrees to assist the Imperial Family of the Aydin Empire by providing material from which heirs to the Aydini throne may be produced.' Lodestar was right. Father did sire Zehra's children," Claidie confirmed.

"And Reaction2 tried to cover it up as a leftist plot," Alice added.

"Kinda wish they would have just not written anything," Claidie jested. "Lodestar's article was appropriate. Point two, 'The Aydin Empire agrees to...' okay this just quid pro quo stuff. Basically the same as what Christophe had been doing with the peers. Point three, 'The Principality of Sil Dorsett agrees that Lord Stéphane's involvement in this matter shall not be made public.' Basically, AMR should have deleted the data. Shame we can't sue or it would basically confirm that the story is true. Point four... is basically the Aydini side of point three. Point five, 'The Imperial House of the Aydin Empire will, should any accusation of scandal be levied upon it, continue to insist that conception of all heirs was natural,' so we shouldn't be hearing from them. Point six, 'The heirs to the throne of the Aydin Empire conceived as part of this agreement shall not be entitled to any right of...' oh, thank God they at least had the mind to exclude them from our line of succession."

"So Marianne is still your successor?" Madeline asked.

"We'll see about that in a year or so, but yeah, she's safely the heir," Claidie assured the Prime Minister.

The trio paused their conversation for a minute to let the revelation sink in, while Claidie closed up the lockboxes and put them back on the vault shelves. The thought of Claidie and Alice having illegitimate siblings, illegitimate foreign royals at that, seemed worse than the marriage arrangement their father subjected them to. Worst of all, it wasn't even Stéphane's idea. The insanity, the stupidity of it ran even deeper through the family tree.

"So what do we do?" a dumbfounded Alice questioned.

"The same thing I said before we started," Claidie said. "It doesn't leave this room. Anyone asks - I don't care who it is, it can be Osmanek for all I care - we deny it. We stick to the agreement, no matter how boneheaded it is."

The Imperial Palace
Antalya, The Capital district, Aydin
January 16th, 2021
9:32 AM

Osman walked quickly down the open stone hallway his footsteps echoing off the stones, with Rifaat not far behind they made their way past the gardens and into the council chamber and the belly of the beast. Sitting around the council table were several Beys and Soylu gathered and chatting with one another in the way only bureaucrats could, sly and subtly. One of the men stood up and bowed.

"Your, imperial majesty." The others did not stand, and continued speaking in hushed tones, suddenly out of nowhere Osman slammed his fist on the table breaking up their chatter.

"You dare ignore your Sultan!" He said his eyes full of rage. Another one of the men stood up, getting up his face.

"You have no right to command me, or any of my fellow Soylu I read the article. Your blood is impure and you hold no claim to the throne!" He said getting closer some of his peers cheered in the background, Osman held his ground as the man became more aggressive.

"You are nothing but the son of a Prince's whore, you have no place in this palace, and no place in this Sultanate." The next few seconds were a blur for him, a punch was thrown and in a matter of seconds, Osman took the man to the ground and began punching him. One blow after another, and another and another beating the man until his face had been all but mutilated. The once-boy Sultan stood up his face covered with the man's blood and faced the rest of the men.

"Do any of you still doubt my legitimacy?" He said fists clenched, eyes still ablaze. The councilmen startled by this display of brutality shook their heads and. quickly began to stand bowing before him.

"Good," Osman said turning to a guardsman. "Clean up this mess." He said gesturing to the bloodied corpse. Turning back to the men in the room he issued a warning.

"If any of you, think you can subvert my power, usurp my throne or defy my authority let me just tell you now, you are mistaken. Let it be known to you all, that if you dare repeat the actions of that man I will not only kill you but I will make sure you are wiped off the face of Eras." He said turning around and walking out.

Government Administration Building
Norvalle, Sil Dorsett
January 20th, 2021

Once Claidie's statement denying the "rumors" that her father had unnaturally sired Osmanek had been delivered to Lodestar News, she believed that was the end of it. She felt awkward having effectively taken the side of her least favorite conspiracy theory "news" organization, but she was happier with a short case of discomfort rather than living with the stress of accepting a truth she didn't like, at least this time. The comfort was short-lived as the ambassador to the Aydin Empire would soon request an audience. She reluctantly agreed to meet, fully aware of what was going to be on the agenda.

Claidie looked up from the paperwork she was reviewing and took her reading glasses off, motioning for the ambassador to sit as he walked into her office. "Mister Philibert Moineau, a pleasure to see you," she said rather awkwardly, indicating her obvious sarcasm. "Please, have a seat."

Philibert took out his notepad, scribbled all over with everything he wanted to address. "Your Highness, I requested this meeting to inform you of some very disturbing news from within the Aydin Empire, and to collaborate on a course of action."

"No doubt related to these rumors I've been hearing," Claidie remarked. "They're just that; rumors. I don't understand why we're spending time on something that's a blatant fabrication meant to discredit my family."

"Some seem to believe it's true, though," Philibert informed her. "In my time in service, I've become acquainted with one of the nobles on the Imperial Council, Cemil Bey. We had a conversation about a recent council meeting. It would appear that a significant portion of the council heard of the rumors, presumably through the Reaction2 story, and believe that Osmanek is indeed not Mehmed III's son."

"But we know Reaction2 isn't a reliable source of data, so why do they believe it?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that the last council meeting did get brutally violent after one nobleman called Osmanek the son of a whore," Philibert noted. "Wasn't able to confirm whether Osmanek beat the man to death or just badly injured him. Osman does appear to have reasserted his dominance."

Claidie's blood was beginning to boil. She wanted nothing more than to sweep the matter under the rug and forget about it, but now things abroad were complicating things. She was losing control of these "rumors", and she knew it. She felt powerless and at the mercy of a few cyberterrorists with nothing better to do with their time. But, rather than admit it, she felt keeping up the facade of strength was her best bet.

"I'm not about to legitimize some basement-dweller script kiddie any further than I already have. Personally, I think the matter is closed," Claidie insisted.

"I wouldn't say that. Osmanek is set on a face to face meeting with you and Alice..."

"Not happening."

"For what reason?"

"Same reason I don't want to dwell on this matter any longer. It would only further legitimize the rumors."

"A state visit would go a long way towards developing a working relationship with the Sultan, rumors aside. It's difficult to consider relations to be normal when two heads of..." Philibert suggested, before being cut off.

"Mister Moineau..." Claidie barked, angrily interrupting the ambassador. "Your job is to make things look normal between us and the Aydinis, not to make things normal. If it wasn't for their oil, I wouldn't care about them. We're too dissimilar, and honestly I'm personally outraged by the behavior of the Sultan and the incompetence of his government. You telling me that Osmanek pummeled a councilman only solidifies my position."

There was an awkward silence in the room for half a minute as both of them contemplated their disagreement. Claidie didn't appreciate being backed into a corner over oil, especially as she was actively promoting technologies to reduce the principality's dependence on it. Philibert began to think his tenure as ambassador was about to end, believing that the monarch was more likely to cut ties entirely than to resort to a state visit over "rumors".

"I'll send a letter, but that's all. All I can do is hope that they accept the truth," Claidie said.

"I'll give you a hard truth of my own, Your Highness. The more these rumors spread, the more you may have to do to prove what the truth really is."

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Meanwhile, in the Prime Minister's office...

Madeline was having a meeting with her good friend, the ambassador to Prydania, Malorie Allen. It was time for a periodic review of the agriculture trade deal, and Malorie was finishing her briefing about the progress of reconstruction when she asked if she could have more time to cover an unrelated topic. Madeline's schedule was open for a little longer, so it wasn't an issue. She thought it might have been about the new Prydanian constitution that was going to have a referendum on, but it wasn't Malorie's intent.

Malorie didn't just know about the fertility clinic hack from the news reports or from the rumors circulating around the government offices. She knew first hand by seeing the data dump herself, which didn't surprise Madeline at all. Madeline's husband had made her aware of Malorie's additional skills around cyberwarfare and security well before the AMR hack, and knew she also was familiar with the depths of the Dark Web. If anyone would know how bad things really were, it would be Malorie. She even wondered why Malorie was working in foreign affairs instead of defense. They began to discuss it, with Madeline treading ever-so-carefully to not confirm what she really knew.

"The data that was leaked from AMR of Norvalle, which contains the files that created the rumor, has been circulating throughout the dark web." Malorie said. "Knowledge of it is becoming more widespread among highly technical people, picking it up in various forums and spreading it to the next. Then, you have people, like me, who looked for the data set to read it for ourselves after the news came out about it. Now, whispers are spreading it in the open. It germinated within the onion's bulb before it popped up out of the ground and spread its stems."

"An onion?" Madeline asked, perplexed by the analogy.

"Refers to the layers of encryption that hides the dark web from the open web. Anyways, I think part of the problem here is the spread of this data set combined with Reaction2's unreliability. A malicious data set gets out, a conspiracy theory site tries to discredit the data, and people aware of Reaction2's poor reputation conclude that the data set must be true and that they're trying to cover it up with falsehoods," Malorie suggested.

"And any statement Claidie puts out denying the rumors just looks like more of the same cover-up," Madeline realized. "So, if we want to help Claidie stomp out this rumor, we have to take control of the narrative, somehow." She paused for a moment, but then she thought of an idea; a second attack. "Here's a thought... how hard would it be to fabricate an attack identical to the one that happened to AMR, something to show how easily the data could be manipulated, and make the case that the data that was put out on this 'dark web' doesn't prove anything?

"It'd probably be easier to have one of the sisters and Osmanek take DNA tests," Malorie inferred. "I mean, they do it all the time on the Gerard Spanghert show," she said, jokingly.

"I'm not putting a princess on trash television for this," Madeline replied, laughing. "As far as a generic DNA test is concerned, even if Osmanek was willing to do it, I know those two won't. It'd be an 'unnecessary medical procedure'. And, you couldn't get a court to compel them, either."

"Plus, for a 'half-sibling or unrelated' test to be accurate you need samples from the mothers as well. Claidie'll make sure Liliane isn't tested," Malorie reminded the Prime Minister.

"So, if we can't prove it's false, our only option is to discredit the idea, and do that better than Reaction2 did. How could it be done?"

"Well, if you wanted to deliberately put fake data on the dark web, you'd probably have to do an actual attack to learn the structure of what you wanted to simulate. But, once you know that, you could write anything you wanted before publishing it," Malorie explained.

"But let's say we made one up, something that looked convincing, even if it's not a real one..."

"... then a skilled scripter could populate the data. If they did it right, and put in effort to make up real-looking data, nobody would know its not what's actually in production. It'd just be very convincing test data. Question is... what do we want to put out there?"

"Oh, I have a few ideas. I'm going to take the heat off of her, make the people focus on something else." Madeline assured. "Get in touch with Minister Bettencourt. Maybe she knows some computer programmers in her cybersecurity group that can help. I'll be in touch."

"I'll see what I can think of too. There's just one issue I have," Malorie pondered. "What if it's true?"

"Even if it was true, I think we'd be better off pretending that it wasn't. Let's get our work done."

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Lolcat Crew
Private Group Chat

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[LCC]Sunblade @L80EBP
21 January 2021 1:41 AM


Ready to put your white hats on? It's time to clean up the mess you all made.

The Imperial Palace
Antalya, The Capital district, Aydin
January 21st, 2021
10:46 AM

From the top of the Palace walls, Osman looked out into the shimmering sea his mind flooded with thoughts of his so-called half-siblings. He knew of the two sisters, their less orthodox style and he in some ways found them mirroring himself. He had always been an unorthodox child, less focused on studies more focused on the company he kept. In a way, the two sisters represented a better version of himself, two people who instead of flaunting their wealth and recklessly galavanting around the world were able to become disciplined and capable. Some traits he deep down felt he lacked, maybe these estranged sisters could fill that vacuum and help him build himself into a better and more decent person. So he summoned Rifaat and had him draft a letter.

After this Osman made his way off of the wall and to his own personal mosque, a place he did not visit very often the building had been the place of worship for his predecessors for hundreds of years. The place was adorned with beautiful tile designs, gems and gold decorated many parts of the walls. making the place truly a beauty to behold. Osman kneeled onto the ground facing in the direction of the holy city, after taking a deep breath Osman touched his head to the floor in prayer. He sat there praying for a while, something he had never done before but there he was. Praying not only for himself but for the Princesses as well.

"I thought you were supposed to be the most honest woman in the country. That's what your followers say..."

"Hmm?"

"Why are you defending such a corrupt organization? It's just cover up after cover up after cover up..."

"I'm upholding a contract."

"They're lying to the people. The people deserve better. The people deserve to know the truth."

"It's just a family squabble."

"It's a scandal. Scandals breed distrust. Distrust fuels revolutions. You think there aren't other scandals - other lies - waiting to be uncovered? They have to go."

"They're doing the best they can."

"You can do what I couldn't. You can make them walk away. The Age of Kings must end."

"Leave me out of this."

"Hon?"

"When are you going to do what's right for the people, Madam Prime Minister?"

"Get out of my head!"

"Hon! Wake up!"

The Prime Minister's Mansion
Norvalle, Sil Dorsett
January 21st, 2021
2:17 AM

In the nights following her unprecedented trip into the Dorsett family's vault, the revelation that four hundred years of secrets were buried underneath the palace, out of the sight of the people, made Madeline restless. Conflict dominated her dreams, a clash of honesty and loyalty combined with party politics in the back of her mind. Her troubling subconscious vocalizations caused concern for her husband, who startled her awake to bring a brief respite to the night's chaos.

"You're sure you want to do this for another six years, on top of the two you have left?" Madeline's husband asked, worried about her composure.

"I'm fine, Will. I just can't get his voice out of my head."

"You can lock a person up but you can't lock up your memory of them. But, whatever's brought that asshat back into play must be serious. Want to talk about it?"

Madeline sighed heavily. She wanted to talk about it, but knew she couldn't without blowing the doors to Prince Stéphane's secret wide open. "Another time, perhaps," she said, covertly dismissing the suggestion. "I just want to get back to sleep."

"I shouldn't have gone to that rally," she thought to herself, realizing she had a problem deep within.

---

Djint's Basement
Somewhere in northeastern Sil Dorsett
6:33 PM

High-latency voice chats over "the onion" were never fun, but it was necessary. Djint was on a call with the mysterious "Sunblade", who had more than enough reason to want to stay concealed. It was her that created Lolcat Crew as an online computer gaming group back in 2009, but she never imagined it'd have to go into the underground after a couple of its members dabbled in the dark arts. She had considered cutting the black hats off from the group, but it wasn't just her that needed them.

"Does the boss know we know?" Djint asked.

"I don't think she knows it was friendly fire," Sunblade said. "I dunno why you thought dropping the agenda on Lodestar's door was a good idea, though."

"Transparency, babe. I thought the people had a right to know," Djint explained.

"Some things are better left in the dark," Sunblade suggested. "Of course, I still don't get why Deeps did that hit in the first place, and then he even wanted money for it. Like, what the hell? I should have kicked him from the group for that."

"Yeah, but if anyone's gonna have a shot at keeping up with Darshak if we need it, it's gonna be Deeps. It's why he's Deeps, the DPS in the group."

"And now the two of us are playing healer. You got that script ready?"

"Yeah, but you said you wanted to add a special line in it somewhere, right?" Djint asked.

"I need a line explicitly for Madeline Ellison, random client and procedure IDs are fine, but it's gotta have code V88.01 in there somewhere," Sunblade explained.

"The Prime Minister? Are you serious? And what the hell's a V88.01?"

"Hysterectomy."

There was a distinct pause in the conversation as Djint's mind crashed while trying to process exactly what Sunblade had asked for. "You are evil. I thought we were doing white magic here," Djint said with a chuckle.

"Well, just get that done and I'll take care of the rest before I fly up north."

---

Claidie's Office
Government Administration Building, Norvalle
January 23rd

"Feed me."

A small rectangular body stood still and quiet, patiently awaiting its next meal. Its singular blue eye glowed brightly in the room. Its mouth open enough that it could fit a small book through it, but not wide enough to show off its barbed metal teeth. It was not one to bite the hand that fed it. It only had a hunger for tree pulp. "Feed me," it seemingly called out to its owner, and she was more than happy to oblige. A single piece of paper was gifted, and it held on tightly, pulling it in and turning it into shreds.

Claidie met with her sister after working hours to discuss the Grand Vizier's letter. The letter confirmed the ambassador's suspicions that the demand on her to consent to more action would fester into something truely intrusive. Though Claidie was infuriated at Rifaat's suggestion, the paper shredder provided some amount of solace, reminding her that she could simply make issues vanish.

"You know, the Aydinis could save a bit of money on printing costs if they'd cut down the size of their letterhead logos," Alice said, trying to keep the conversation a little bit light-hearted. "No need for half a page to be taken up by a flag."

"They'd save more if they wouldn't send anything at all," Claidie retorted. "Instead, they paid to play, and now I'll make them pay even more."

"We could just ignore it altogether and drop the matter. Continue on with our business," Alice suggested.

"No, we can't do that. They're obsessed with this," Claidie told Alice while pacing back and forth and around the room. Her thoughts were so unnerving that she couldn't stand or sit still. "They're so obsessed that they're now demanding DNA testing. Do you think it'll be safe for us to ever go there unless we consented to something so intrusive? Do you think any government official or even a private citizen would be safe there? What if someone was held hostage there?"

"Huh. You might be right. They'd have the advantage. We couldn't push back militarily; we'd be crushed. Sanctions would hurt us more than it would them," Alice postulated.

"I'm starting to wonder if coming clean is the better option. The imperial family doesn't seem to be interested in upholding the agreement, so we could claim they're in violation anyways. The only thing Osmanek would get would be citizenship by acquisition..."

While her mind was racing, her mouth went idle, stuck open. "Yes, and that's how I'll defeat him!" Claidie thought to herself. It was at that moment that she knew she had a new strategy option available to her. She had a feeling that once Osmanek knew all the pros and cons to having citizenship, and had awareness of all the laws around it, he wouldn't want it. She looked at Alice with a manaical grin. "I will make Osmanek not want to find out!"

Before Claidie could fully explain her plan to Alice, there was a knock at the door. Claidie acknowledged it, and the door opened. "Ma'am, the Prime Minister," a security officer announced, and Madeline was waved in. Madeline had a smug look on her face and was almost laughing. She was carrying a newspaper, thinner than ordinary, hiding the headline from the others.

"Did you read the 'news' this morning?" Madeline asked, sarcastically. Hearing nothing she laid the paper down on Claidie's desk, headline side up.



Skimming through the article, Claidie was not amused. "Great, more Reaction2 bullshit," she thought to herself. Out loud, she was a litle more proper, if a little less diplomatic. "I wish we could put them out of business for nonsense like this. Everyone knows your children are yours. This is obviously and blatantly... false..." she said, slowing down as an epiphany hit her.

"Exactly. A tabloid. I mean, aside from the fact that they've apparently never heard of surrogacy, it's fake," Madeline confirmed.

"Meaning 'the rumor' is just tabloid news, lost in the muckery of other articles like this," Claidie realized. "I'll add this to my arsenal, along with a weapon that could do a significant amount of financial damage to the Aydinis."

"If the agreement was breached by the Aydinis, I assume?" Madeline verbally wondered, quietly to avoid attention from outside the room.

"Not just by them... By either of us. I think it's about time to bring Osmanek in."

"Wait..." Madeline intejected, still keeping quiet. "You're not thinking about revealing the agreement, are you?

"I'd prefer not to. If reasoning with him isn't enough, though, I just might. I'll make sure it's worth it to us. Now, help me draft this letter?"

"I'd love to."

Claidie reflected on the headline on her desk for a little longer than she should have, and asked what she already knew the answer to. "You did actually give birth four times, right?"

Madeline was slightly annoyed, but entertained the question anyway. "You should try it sometime, if want to know what real pain feels like..."

The Imperial Palace
Antalya, The Capital district, Aydin
January 24th, 2021
11:22 AM

The courtyard garden of the İmparatorluk Harem was always a serene and calm place. A location that Emiri frequently found herself, the place was a sanctuary of sorts, a safe haven from the hectic nature of the court and a place where she could let her hair down and be left to her own devices. And after the revelation of her true birth, it was the only place where she could truly let out her emotions. It had been hard finding out her "father" was not even her real one, but it was some Prince in a country she had never been to.

But it had now made sense why he was so cold to them as kids, how could this man, so filled with pride for himself and his country ever come to love the children of another man. How could he handle looking into his heir's eyes and instead of seeing his own only seeing those of another man? It was hard to think about, but it was to her the only way to cope with the knowledge that not only your life was a lie but your entire existence was just some farce. Sometimes she could just never get it out of her mind that she was just a piece on a chessboard that could be moved at a whim, whether it be by Osman's hand or fate itself it always seemed as if she was just a toy to be thrown around and played with.

---

Osman paced across the tiled floors of the throne room, the letter that had arrived was an unexpected one. The Princesses had countered his offer with one of their own, an invitation. The two were toying with him, he could at least sense that, but he was still left wondering "Why?" Osman took a seat on one of the steps leading up to his throne and sighed. The only way to figure this out, he thought was to at last enter the lion's den himself and finally confront these alleged half-sisters of his and finally break through some of this fog that clouded his life.

Rivage Palace
Norvalle, Sil Dorsett

On the upper floor of Rivage Palace, Claidie was keeping to herself in the entertainment room, a brilliantly decorated venue that more closely followed her father's elaborately rich style than her own more simplistic way^[1]. A craps table was the latest addition to the room, and Claidie bided her time by rolling dice and even practicing betting strategies, all while waiting for her sister to lead Osman there. While she wasn't using them, she had moved her father's pair of dice to the table.

A palace guard knocked, and Claidie called out to admit him into the room. "Your Highness, His Imperial Majesty The Sultan of Aydin," the guard announced, and Alice and Osman walked in.

Osman entered into the room and looked about the place, it was quite the sight but among the many things dotted around the room, the bar was the first thing that caught his eye, with the many bottles lined on the shelf calling to him, but now was not the time for a drink. "It's time to get to the bottom of this whole matter," he thought as he approached the waiting Claidie.

The exchange of pleasantries and handshakes was brief, but Claidie seemed distracted. She walked back to the craps table, focusing on her father's pair of dice. She picked them up, and, without making eye contact with Osman, began to fiddle with the dice, reflecting on her father during better years.

"Your Majesty, I know I teased a variety of things to make the trip worthwhile for you, but let's begin with why we're really here," Claidie suggested. She started with a story she learned from her sister, hoping to explain her resistance to the rumors of Osman's heritage.

"These dice were the same ones that my parents used when they first met. Not too long ago, Alice visited my mother out west and learned more about the start of their relationship. The story goes that my mother was on a gambling trip. She took it right after she graduated from academy^[2], and my father was just walking around the casino that day. He became smitten with her, joined her at the table, and took advantage of her 'virgin's luck' to make a bit of money for the both of them.

"They got into a little bit of trouble that night, took things a little further than my grandfather approved of, and were basically forced into marriage to cover it. Life was good for the first decade or so before my grandfather started to decline and the pressure of Stéphane's eventual ascension eventually drove a wedge between him and my mother."

Osman moved to sit down, and spoke. “You see in Aydin, royal marriage is a bit complicated with the Sultan being able to take many wives and take many as mistresses, forcing my mother to compete with other women to compete with my father for his attention. She won that contest, and their relationship grew. But from what I have gathered, my birth changed all of that, he was suddenly more cold. His love had seemed to almost die. But, forgive me. I interrupted you, so continue.”

Claidie didn't seem to mind the interruption. "It's alright. We're here for an exchange, right? Aristocratic marriages here are just as complicated. But, as complicated or forced as my parents' relationship might have been, and despite things not working out once the reality of royal life started to set in, I have no doubt of how much he truly loved her. That's why I'm offended by these rumors that have been going around. That's why I refuse to believe them. Let me ask you... Why do you believe them?"

“My father, from the day I was born…” Osman cleared his throat, “From the day I was born, the man was nothing but cold to me, He looked at me as if I was almost subhuman, like I wasn’t even his child. We never really had any sort of connection, not like you see with most fathers and their sons. He was even cold with my sisters, always ignoring them, only ever visiting when he had to. Our mother did her best, to raise me as his heir and them as good royals but the lack of a fathers care and attention...” His eyes danced around the room desperately avoiding Claidie’s gaze."

His eyes began to water slightly. “You can never really replace, not to mention the fact that me and my sisters' fair complexions are something of an oddity and something that our father and mother never liked to speak of to us.” He took his handkerchief and blotted his eyes, drying the brewing tears it had stinged him to talk about it to someone, the weight of it all, he could feel it pressing down on his shoulders like a rock.

Claidie was feeling just as cold as Osman described of his father. She wasn't going to allow a sad story to influence her strategy. She still felt that the best solution wasn't to give in right away.

"So the Reaction2 story provided you with an explanation as to why your life has been the way it has been. I can see your motivation, but it still doesn't mean the story is true no matter how much you want it to be. It's like when NDF lost two of their three seats a few weeks ago in our last election, they immediately cried foul. They were adamant that I changed the final tally to help Miss Ellison's party and kick a declining fringe party out. And yes, Reaction2 ran with that headline. Doesn't mean what they claimed was true."

“Your Highness, I know of Reaction2 and their spotty reputation, but the attack on the fertility clinic was real, and the records leaked were as well. And for their reputation, what is the saying? 'Even a blind squirrel finds a nut.'” Osman looked at her and gave her a small smile. He had known the unreliable nature of Reaction2, but he also knew they were looking to discredit the information taken from the data breach. But, with them being unreliable that would simultaneously make their claims of the AMR data being falsified false and his position assured.

"And their spotty reputation is exactly how we got into this mess," Claidie frustratingly responded. "You didn't trust what the Reaction2 article said. They said that it was a plot to undermine our monarchies. I'm not saying that they're right all the time. They just ran a headline not too long ago claiming Miss Ellison had a hysterectomy ten years ago. Look!"

Claidie pulled the newspaper Madeline gave her before off of one of the tables and offered it to the Sultan. "Was the data they gathered up genuine that time? No, it wasn't, but the point is that it shows that the records from AMR could have been tampered with. Two cyberattacks in close proximity to each other, both filled with falsehoods, both causing distrust in our institutions."

Osman read through the newspaper unamused. “The Reaction2 article claimed that the information on our two families was falsified, and if they are as unreliable as you claimed, the take that they took would then be unreliable leaving the link between us relevant and possible.” Her odd defensive nature put him off a bit, if she really wasn’t his half sister and she knew, that why wouldn’t she just perform the DNA test like he originally proposed. This all just left him more perplexed and more suspicious of her.

"To be honest, I don't really understand it myself," Claidie admitted. "People love their tabloids, don't they? A bad article, three different ways to look at it. One, a complete fabrication. Two, a cover-up. Three, the truth. I think it's either one or three, and you think it's two. I guess I'm not dissuading you from that."

She paced around the room for a little bit; the liquor bottles were tempting her with the false premise of being what she needed to relax under the pressure Osman put her under. She understood Osman's logic, as much as she didn't like it. It was difficult to continue to defend not only her position but Reaction2's as well. With her first effort a loss, her mind switched gears.

"Alright... let's presume you're right. Let's say that this AMR hack is legitimate and that Alice and I are your half-sisters. Why not just sweep it under the rug?" Claidie asked. "Go back to Aydin and tell your people that it wasn't true, and reclaim your legitimacy. What do you hope to gain from all of this?"

Osman looked up from the newspaper and stared at his alleged half sister. “One thing you must understand about Aydin is that it doesn’t matter who I was born from, but whether or not I was the chosen successor of the former Sultan. Sure, some nobles will be bitter, but a quick show of force has been shown effective in quelling their dissent.” Osman said, his face now serious. He remembered the noble he beat to death not too long ago in the council chamber. He remembered how it felt to smash the man's face into mush, with his bare hands no less.

It was a horrid rage filled experience, one which he would never want to recreate again. The very thought of the man's mutilated face made him squirm, he was disgusted by his own brutality. Osman looked down and then back at Claidie. ”I only hope to gain one thing and one thing only, The truth. If you two truly are my half sisters, I want to affirm our relationships. To me, family is one of the most important things in my life, and to have alleged sisters that have been hidden from me for years is something that I want to be absolutely sure of.”

"He's saying everything he thinks I want to hear. Something's not right with this," Claidie thought to herself. Her suspicions of Osman grew more intense the more he talked. But, she also had a good feeling that Osman was just as suspicious of her. She didn't hesitate to think to exacerbate the tension a notch or two.

"If that really is your motive, I admire it," Claidie said back to Osman. "But, the one thing you need to understand about family... Sometimes, even family can be horrible to family. I know. You're lucky to be a man. You don't get sold off for dowries in arranged marriages to other nobles, like my father tried to do with me. His own heiress, and he still wrote up a contract to guarantee me to the Whittemores in exchange for enough money for a warship. I fled the court because of that."

"And then there's another thing I discovered recently," Alice said, supporting her sister, "about a lot of high society marriages... We started investigating the actions of our predecessors, something we once promised not to do, and found that they'd been skimming money from the peers in exchange for approving marriages to allow the passage of titles. Our cousin, Phoebe Covington... her grandfather wasn't even descended from one of the original barons. He bought that title after the Trintignant family refused to pay Aubin to approve a marriage to keep their barony intact. Same with the Whittemores.

"Wait, what?" a puzzled Claidie asked.

"Yeah, Thomas lied about that. The Whittemore name didn't come down through marriage. The Larrousse family backed out of the scheme and his family bought in. I had to look before Liselle's reign to find it."

"Ridiculous," Claidie replied. "So, Your Majesty," she said, turning her attention back to Osman, "You've heard my experience with family. You've heard pieces of Alice's investigation into our own family. And now this rumor pops up about more misconduct? I'll tell you this... I love my sister, but forgive me if I don't hold family in high regard."

“I understand that feeling.” Osman said with a sigh. “My 'father' was never a good man to me, he was cold and unfeeling. But after his passing I realized that the only way I can prevent myself from being shaped into his image, is that I must make the conscious effort to care for my family and put them on a pedestal of sorts. It is in a way paying the dues of what my 'father' owed my family.”

"Family aside, there's much more to consider here. If we do as you ask, we have to consider the consequences in case this is actually true," Alice insisted.

"And I've already looked into quite a few different things," Claidie affirmed. "So, let's start with the obvious one... consequences to the country. Specifically, the line of succession. If this is confirmed, the people are going to immediately suspect that the government is vulnerable to foreign influence. Trust me, the people are paranoid about foreign influence. Our relationship with your allies, the Syrixians, tanked during our short-lived Phoenix Union stint. When I bailed on Rajesh by leaving Pataliputra before our scheduled meeting during the two thousand years celebration, my opinion poll numbers went up. The Prime Minister's went down because she didn't leave with me."

"Slightly down. It wasn't as much as yours went up," Alice said, correcting her sister. "But, Claidie's right. The people just don't tolerate foreign influence. The people are already nervous about a Severyn in the line thanks to Aunt Marianne's marriage to Gorrelt, but an Aydini Sultan just one step away from a seat? That wouldn't just re-energize the NDF, that would start a rebellion. The only solution would be that you and all of your descendants be excluded. So, you gain nothing by pushing for this."

Osman sighed again and faced his other alleged half sister. “I don’t want Sil Dorsett, and for all intents and purposes, I renounce my claim to the principality.” He shuffled in his seat. “All I want is confirmation of my family ties.”

"You never had a claim to begin with. I will say this, though, you should also consider what you stand to lose from a positive result. Assuming these rumors are true, then as the son of a Sil Dorsettian citizen with sufficient residency, you automatically gained Sil Dorsettian citizenship when you were born," Claidie informed the Sultan. "Of course, I'd expect you to immediately renounce said citizenship, being sovereign of another country, but that wouldn't absolve you of your responsibilities from the time in which you were a citizen. Specifically, taxes. More specifically, inheritance taxes. You inherited an estate after your predecessor died. A foreign estate, yes, but Sil Dorsettian law doesn't distinguish between domestic and foreign estates. It's all taxed the same, and nobles and even the extended princely family has to pay back to the government."

"Phoebe's not going to be happy after Marianne and Gorrelt pass," Alice speculated. "What's the inheritance tax rate?"

"Deux dîmes."

Osman stared at Alice for a moment, and he began to piece it all together, it all made sense, the counter invitation, the constant denial and now this a possible threat towards his inheritance. They knew the truth and they wanted to dissuade him from finding it. But why? He was now more agitated with the two but he tried to keep calm.

Claidie continued on, though her voice lowered in tone, and she became more aggressive sounding. "The point is this, Your Majesty," she said, bordering on being contemptuous, "your words have consequences. The question is... are you willing to live with them?"

She held her hand up to her lips, thinking to herself. "Demand he go all-in, or back off?" she asked herself.

"We'll arrange to have the testing done, here, under one condition... Royal Aydin Oil, from what I understand, is state owned. From what I recall, you are the state, and thus you fully own it. You will transfer a twenty percent share of the company into a blind trust. Upon completion of the transfer, we'll do the test you've requested, assuming I can convince my mother to comply to ensure the test is accurate.

"If I can't convince my mother to participate, we won't do the test, and the shares will be returned to you. At that point, the matter is out of my control. If we do the test, and it turns out that you were wrong, and that we aren't related, the shares will be returned to you. You wouldn't owe inheritance tax in that scenario. If we do the test, and it turns out that you're right, and that we are related, then the shares are transferred to the Sil Dorsettian government as payment for the inheritance tax you would owe as a naturally-born citizen. You, of course, would also gain all of the privileges of citizenship, so long as you chose not to renounce it. But you and any future children of yours will not have a claim to either my seat or Alice's.

"The choice is yours. Are you truly willing to take this kind of risk?" the senior princess asked, while delivering an intimidating stare at the sultan. "All-In, or Fold?"

Osman smiled, the pieces had all come together; they knew all along the truth of his birth, they had just been toying with him. This would be a win-win-lose scenario. They get the shares and he gets the truth. But, in the end, that was all that mattered to him… the truth. “I’m all-in.”

---

Notes:
[1] "The entertainment room had everything a gamer or gambler could want. A pool table, televisions, a bar with bottles of liquor and wine at the ready, a roulette table, a blackjack table, and even a pair of racing simulator stations. The room had brilliant white walls, with golden trim, ornate rugs, [and] artwork." - from "Poker Night at the Rivage".
[2] "A high school-level equivalent in SD."
[3] Post co-written by GAP.

"I don't believe it. He called," Claidie thought to herself, in complete shock. It was difficult for her to keep a straight face and contain her jubilation over what she had basically taken from Osman, but she was also faced with a feeling of dread over what was coming next. She had no hint of how Osman would react once he found out that she knew the truth ahead of time. She didn't plan for it. "Alice, will you summon the Prime Minister for me, please?" she asked her sister, receiving only a curt nod in reply.

While Alice was away, Claidie took the time to explain exactly what Osman had done. "You should watch my Viedéo channel sometime, because clearly you don't know how to gamble. Let me put it to you like this. You're holding a seven-two offsuit, we just dealt the flop and there's a queen, jack, and ten of spades. I bet enough to put you all in, and you called me, not because you think there's two sevens on the turn and river, but because you want to see if I have the ace and king of spades. No gambler does that.

He looked at her and smiled. “I wasn’t playing to keep the money, I was playing to win the truth.”

Once Alice returned with the Prime Minister, Claidie wrote down a set of instructions, folded them, and handed them over. "Madeline, will you please escort His Majesty to see Mister Trintaudon to take care of these instructions?" She turned to Osman to explain further. "Christophe Trintaudon is our financier, with connections to many banks within the principality and around the world. He'll assist you with establishing the trust."

Madeline and Osman left to take care of the sultan's business, leaving the sisters some time to think about what they had just accomplished and what would come next.

"I can't believe he did that," Claidie said. "We just got twenty percent of Royal Aydin Oil because he couldn't let the rumor be a rumor."

"You know how problematic that is, right?" Alice replied. "Twenty percent of a company that threatened to cut exports to us if you didn't put a stop to the E-Series, your signature project."

Claidie froze for a moment, stuck processing her sister's reminder. "Okay, yeah, I can see how that would be a problem. So... what should I do? Just give it back?"

"No. Don't just give it back. Not without something else in return. I will say this, though..."

"What?" Claidie asked, sarcastically. "That he doesn't know what he's doing?"

"I suppose?," Alice wondered, surprised that her sister's thoughts somewhat lined up with her own.

"He's completely unqualified to be Sultan," Claidie explained. "It's not even a matter of being his family's heir, or what upbringing or lessons he's had. He is incapable of critical thought. When word of what he's done gets out - and it will - it's going to be another tool in the anti-monarchy movement's shed.

Alice moped around the room, pondering and weighing what options her and her sister had left. She began to accept that "the rumor" would be confirmed and made public. An option to suppress it wasn't an option any longer. She believed the acquisition of part of Royal Aydin Oil was going to be seen as suspect, likely moreso in Aydin itself rather than in the principality. She contemplated the possibility of Osman being seen as a fool back home for his actions. She knew her sister was right about anti-monarchists salivating over the whole story. But then she thought back to the six points in the contract, and then thought back to Claidie's demand of Osman. She had a solution.

"We have to help him," Alice said, "mostly for our sake. I know what you'll get in return when you hand those shares back."

---

Meanwhile, outside the sisters' entertainment room, Madeline greeted the young sultan before they walked through the halls of the palace towards the office areas on the lower floor. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. I trust your first meeting with them went well?"

Osman turned to Madeline. “Yes, it went wonderfully and it seems we were all able to come to a good agreement, but I must ask you... isn’t it all a bit strange for you?”

Although she was fully aware of the purpose of the meeting, being absent from the proceedings left her puzzled by the vague nature of Osman's question. "I'm not sure I understand the question, Your Majesty," she replied.

Osman continued. “You know, to rule alongside two monarchs. That isn’t at least a bit strange to you at all?”

"It's not too far off from a lot of other monarchies, to be honest. We just happen to have a politically active monarchy, and two equal monarchs at that. That might be the only oddity, Madeline explained. "It wasn't always like that, though. Before the 2017 reforms, my position was effectively advisory. Parliament's too. They wrote the laws Claidie couldn't think of, and I provided a commoner's opinion on them, but Claidie had the real power."

Osman listened patiently. “In Aydin the whole concept of co-rule or sharing power is absolutely unknown. All power is left to me.” He thought to himself all of the decisions he could remember he made, there were so many of them at times it felt overwhelming, the amount of weight put onto his shoulders.

"Do you think you were prepared for when your time to accede to the throne came, to take on absolute authority?" Madeline asked.

“I, for years, had been trained in the arts of royalty, but no training in the world could have prepared me for the monumental task of inheriting absolute authority over a nation. I know that may sound weak to you, but I am not even sure if I can handle it now.” His face was now solem and his head was bowed low.

"I think what I mean is..." Madeline said before pausing, unsure of how to describe what she was looking for. "When Prince Stéphane died, he was only in his fifties. It was unexpected. Claidie was only in her twenties and she was pursuing other aspirations. She wasn't focused on being a future ruler. I think she was aware her time would eventually come, but I think she expected to have a lot more time to experience other things before she needed to settle down. I think that's what upset her the most, having those opportunities stripped away from her. I'll be the first to tell you that she does not enjoy this job."

Osman chuckled a bit. “So I guess it runs in the family then, younger people unprepared or unwilling to take up the role of their predecessor.” He gave Madeline a weak smile, “But Claidie is at least surrounded by competent and trustworthy people like you and Alice, in Aydin it is nothing but a viper’s nest filled to the brim with snakes willing to strike at any moment, the only people I can trust are my sisters, but they are still young and I fear are not fully capable of assisting me in the ruling of the nation.” He sighed.

"Alice has her own share of issues," Madeline retorted. "She was more like her father than Claidie, basking in all of the attention she got in high society's social seasons, believing her royal duty as a second daughter was to be married off for political advantages. You know what broke her out of that mentality?" Madeline stopped walking for a bit and looked straight at Osman, her usual bright smile gone. "Witnessing a Cogorian military parade after the Oktobergrad incident, and gazing upon the portraits of the more than seven thousand people that perished in that incident. Suddenly all the soirées seemed irrelevant to her."

Osman shook his head slowly, “I see.” He had heard of the Oktobergrad incident, a horrible tragedy. But he had never truly connected with the victims maybe it was all the drugs and alcohol in his system that numbed the pain or maybe that was just who he was, a cold and unfeeling wreck always looking for that next hit of adrenaline or that next high that took his mind off of his precarious position. “She is truly someone to admire, her ability to focus her pain to break out of one of life’s most alluring aspects is truly something to look up to. But I cannot say the same for myself.”

"It took her time to get where she is today. Perhaps that is all you need as well," Madeline suggested, as the two approached Christophe Trintaudon's office. "Trust me, a few years ago, I don't think you'd claim she's someone to admire. Anyways, we're here."

---

Notes:
[1] Osman portions written by @Greater Ale Permars.

Two weeks passed since the first meeting between the Dorsett sisters and Osman. To the surprise of the sisters, their mother didn't impede the investigation, and her cooperation ensured that the results were going to be accurate. In the entertainment room where they met before, Claidie, Alice, and Osman gathered by the poker table once again. Claidie looked upset; whether it was from the annoyance of having to conduct yet another meeting or if she learned something more she didn't like, Alice couldn't figure out why, but Claidie was not smiling. In reality, though, Claidie was contemplating what to say. She knew what she had to say, but the delivery was important. She sat a pair of folders on the table and addressed the Sultan.

"Your Majesty," she said before pausing for a few seconds. "I'm sure by now you probably know the outcome of this. So, before we get into what I have in this folder, which is what you've been looking for this whole time...," she said, pointing to one of the plain, unmarked folders, "let's talk about what's in this folder."

She pointed to the other folder in the pair, and passed it to Osman for him to read. In the folder was the original copy of Sultan Mehmed's agreement with Prince Christophe, outlining all that was to be done, what was to be exchanged, and all of the limitations. With the truth about to be officially revealed, there was little sense in keeping that document locked up in a box hidden in a vault. It would eventually be returned to its box, but not until Osman had a chance to read it.

Osman looked over the document, and his eyes quickly scanned it. It took a moment for him to process the solid deal he held in his hands; the deal which led not only to his creation but the creation of the rest of the Aydini Imperial line. He almost felt betrayed by it. For all those years his “father”, if he could even call him that, hid his true lineage. But what is done is done, he knew that as much as he hated his father for never telling him the truth he understood that it was the only way. At least at the time. “Fascinating.”

"I need you to understand that this agreement, made between Mehmed and my grandfather, is why I tried to obstruct you from learning about this," Claidie stressed. "I'm not happy about what we've discovered over the past few weeks, and it's not just this one particular discovery that we're so focused on, but all of the revelations that have come to light while doing the investigation. Besides that, you must understand that I was legally obligated, by what effectively amounts to an international treaty, to make this as hard on you as I could and impede you every step of the way. It's why I discredited Reaction2, and it's why I demanded that you put up twenty percent of Royal Aydin Oil before I would even think of letting you have a look at that," she said, pointing at the agreement. "I thought that was enough to scare you away."

Osman laughed a little. “I never have been one to scare all that easily, but I understand where you were coming from.” Osman had always enjoyed taking risks, ever since childhood he would test the waters rough or not always looking for the line which most of the time, he crossed. A natural curiosity and impulsion led him all over the place, where this came from he had no idea but that was how he’d always been. But this was different, his urge was not just a strong pull on him but an almost overwhelming curiosity in his true origin. Something which he thought these two sisters could reveal to him.

"Now, I have every intent to give you back that part of RAO," Claidie announced. "Considering my interests, especially in developing the nation's electric motorsport initiatives, it doesn't make sense for me to hold a stake in our competitor. But, its return is going to have to be part of a new agreement between the two of us. That contract, in your hands, has technically been breached, and I need to protect my family and my nation from any fallout of that having happened. You understand, right?"

“Of course, and if it ends up that you really are family you’ll have no concern from my direction, I swear.” He smiled sincerely; he had no ill-intentions. All he really wanted to do was get to know two “sisters” who he shared a special connection with without his knowing. In truth, he admired the two and thought very highly of them and if it turned out that they weren’t related and he had been a complete nonce, he’d just have to deal with it.

"Now, with that out of the way, let's get to this," Claidie suggested, opening up the folder with the results of the DNA testing. She glanced over the results, ensuring that she wasn't about to embarrass herself over something that turned out to be nothing. However, everything was as she expected, and she handed the papers over to Osman. "Confirmed," she sneered, only saying one word to tell Osman what he wanted to hear.

“Well isn’t that fantastic.” Osman smiled, this was good news. His curiosity had been satisfied and as an added bonus at no real cost to him. Although dampening his elated mood was the contempt which he felt in Claidie’s delivery of the news. He wondered why she might have felt that way, had he come off as overly arrogant? He had the tendency to do so at times while trying to sound confident. He could only hope that the displeasure he heard could be remedies in some way.

"So, brother, Claidie cringed, "let's talk about new terms to keep the status quo. First, you'll keep your shares of RAO. Even though the revenue from it would substantially benefit the government, I have no business with it myself, as I previously explained. In return, any provisions in the original contract relating to penalties for you finding out about all of this are not to be enforced. You keep your money, I keep mine.

"Secondly, I'm not going to announce all of this to the public. Let the news media speculate all they want. I'm keeping my mouth shut. I expect you to do the same as much as possible. If anyone questions me, I'm going to continue deflecting all of this. If anyone questions you, point them to the law and the line of succession that Mehmed established. Speaking of lines of succession, the original agreement stands. You have no claim over my nation, nor do I have a claim towards yours.

"Finally, you can expect no preferential treatment on the world stage from me. I'm not going to defend you or even remain silent if I think you or your government has done something wrong. I'm also not going to demand reductions in tariffs or anything like that; you can work that out with the Prime Minister. There also won't be any defense agreement solely because we're related. Again, you'll consult with the Prime Minister if such a thing interests you.

"Agreed?"

“Those terms are acceptable, but I have but one small condition…” Osman smiled. “I would like for you both to meet our other two siblings, Emel and Emiri. They know of the situation and I thought it would be nice if we could all meet together, you know... like a family would!”

Osman subtly crossed his fingers. The family had not been truly together since Mother died in 2012, with “father” becoming even more distant and less affectionate. Osman had always tried to keep close to his sisters, protecting them and shielding them until he thought they could really fly. But they had both seemed resistant and somewhat hesitant to his influence, but Emiri in particular had always pushed back against him. Maybe uniting this lost family, he thought, could save his from falling apart.

While thankful that Osman didn't counter her proposals with any substantial changes, Claidie was astounded over the fact that Osman again focused so hard on the internal affairs of the family and not the external factors that threatened to complicate matters. She had a feeling she could ram through any idea she wanted, but she knew there was still risk, and so she didn't push matters further. A promise to meet with the other siblings seemed trivial to her.

"If that's really all you want, I see no reason to object," Claidie stated. She turned to her sister. "Alice, do you have any reason to object to that?" she asked her sister, with Alice simply shaking her head, declining to comment.

Claidie had one more piece of paper in her folders, a handwritten agreement already drafted with everything she had just verbally demanded, with space for Osman's demands. She wrote a single extra line: "Princesses Claidie and Alice agree to hold near-future and regular summits with Sultan Osman and Princesses Emel and Emiri." Her eyes seemed to widen a bit, and her grimacing seemed to vanish as she put her signature on the paper before passing it to Osman. She didn't quite smile, but she seemed to be a bit more accepting, knowing her concerns were handled.

“Perfect, the girls will be elated!” He said smiling, this was a complete and utter success. Not only did he get to meet his half sisters and unite his family. He did it at no cost to himself. He had won, an indisputable personal victory.

Before they parted for the day, Claidie offered one final gesture. "I know I said you wouldn't receive preferential treatment, but, I'm not going to leave you out to dry. If you need any sort of guidance, I'll be here. There's more at stake than just our family."

---

Later that night, Claidie and Alice went to the vault. The elder sister was carrying a small lockbox, rather heavy for its size. It was labeled as just "17", similar to the rest of the boxes in the vault labeled with just numbers. She sat it down next to her father's old box and double checked to ensure it was locked.

"I never thought I'd need a lockbox for family secrets," Claidie contemplated out loud.

"I hope you won't ever have to put anything else in it," Alice suggested.

"I hope so too," Claidie replied. "Once we sort out those damn marriage arrangements, I don't want to come back down here again."

---

Notes:
[1] Osman portions written by @Greater Ale Permars.

Epilogue

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Tucked away on the upper floor of the Silver Crown Casino, the high limit poker tables, inaccessible to the common gambler, were reserved specifically for the richest businessmen and noble-born socialites. Even members of the princely family could be seen visiting and playing hands from time to time. Malorie didn't exactly fit the stereotype. Though she had made a small fortune from daytrading and gambling in her university years, the clientele that frequented the tables were far beyond her in wealth. The only reason she was even in the room was because she had been specifically invited by a more qualified patron.

She sat down next to her single opponent for the night's game. While she pulled cash from her purse and gave it to the dealer for the game, she pulled a little bit more and gave it directly to the blonde-haired woman beside her.

"There, my twenty thousand Livre fine," Malorie begrudgingly said. "Let's play."

The game was five-card hold, and Malorie's opponent was Princess Alice. Her occasional patronage was a small draw for the casino, with people hoping to catch a glimpse of her from time to time; her sister's appearances were more common. This time, however, it was just the two of them and the dealer, and the doors were closed.

"What do you think? Five and ten thousand blinds?" Alice asked, with Malorie nodding in agreement.

The dealer sent the cards to the pair, an eight and a queen of hearts for Malorie, and a four and seven of diamonds for Alice. With Malorie calling the blind, the hand moved to the early draw, a five of spades, a jack of hearts, and an ace of clubs. Both stared at each other, trying hard not to give away their position, and they checked. On the middle draw was a four of spades, giving Alice a pair, but both checked, with Alice concealing her weak advantage. The late draw was an eight of spades, giving Malorie the higher pair, but both checked and let the hand go to a showdown, with Malorie winning back half of the fine she gave Alice earlier.

"So, how did you figure it out?" Malorie asked, while the dealer was shuffling.

"Because apparently you didn't follow instructions. My sister told me about the second Reaction2 article and I was a bit suspicious of it. I asked Miss Ellison if she had anything to do with it, and she said she had you work with Miss Bettencourt on coming up with it. I asked Emma what she knew about it and she said she never heard of it. At that point, it had to have been just you."

"And that's why you said to take the twenty thousand hit."

The dealer dealt the second hand, a 2 of spades and a queen of hearts for Malorie, and seven of diamonds and nine of spades for Alice. Alice calls the blind and the next three cards are laid out, four of hearts, ace of diamonds, king of hearts.

"It was either that or I was going to have to sic Emma's team on you to find out if you had anything to do with the first," Alice said while motioning to check. "Claidie may have let you get away with it. I wouldn't. It would have been worse for you."

"Worse than twenty thousand?" Malorie asked, while putting the same amount into the pot, prompting Alice to toss her cards away. Malorie had made back the entire fine. "Look, it wasn't me directly. One of my friends is a very skilled runner, and he went rogue. He's been getting more ambitious and reckless, going after targets he shouldn't be going after.

"I imagine he likes the challenge," Alice replied.

The third hand was dealt; a ace of hearts and a queen of spades for Malorie, and a five and six of diamonds for Alice. Malorie added ten thousand onto the five thousand she already owed for the blind, and Alice called. The next three cards were king of diamonds, seven and ace of clubs.

"You know, why are we talking about this here? Couldn't we have done this elsewhere, without the dealer?" Malorie asked, while putting forty grand into the pot.

"She fine. Mélissa's a good friend of the family. She was even at the game Claidie hosted with all the Bergum Pact heads," Alice said reassuringly, while calling Malorie's bet.

The middle draw was a two of hearts, giving Alice a dead hand. Malorie bet another forty grand. Alice could see that her chances were dim, and she folded.

"In a way, though, it was a blessing in disguise," Alice said. "Wouldn't have learned what a scam our monarchy was if I hadn't had a reason to investigate old family documents."

Malorie was shocked by what Alice said, surprised she would denigrate her own position the way she did. "And here I was thinking you were getting more comfortable having a share of the big chair," she said.

"I think you know that's not true, not after our trip to Oktobergrad. That hurt, but then recently I learned some things my grandfather and ancestors further back did once this whole story got out. Not exactly happy about it."

Mélissa dealt the next hand, a four of diamonds and six of spades for Malorie, and a ten of clubs and eight of hearts for Alice. Alice called the blind and Malorie checked, moving the game on to the early draw; jack of spades, nine of clubs, eight of diamonds. The two women each checked. The middle draw was a eight of clubs.

"You know my sister's been moving the nation towards having a powerful democratic institution and a symbolic monarchy. It's a step towards having a normal life for once. I used to not agree with her, but over the years I've come to realize that what she's doing is the way to progress forward. Not just the nation itself, but ourselves," Alice explained, while putting in fifty grand, causing Malorie to give up. "It's going to make the coming elections more important than ever... You said your friend was getting more ambitious. You think he has the skill to go after some big players?"

"Yeah. He knows how to get in just about everything. He says he has so many zero-days up his sleeve even I don't know what's vulnerable or secure."

"I don't want us to become the next Alemriche and have a puppet government run by foreign imperialists. I want to find out if the Syrixians are targeting us next, but I need it to look like an amateur's doing the job."

"What do you have in mind?" Malorie asked.

"Tell your friend to run."

---

Lolcat Crew
Private Group Chat

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LCC_xXx9999DPSxXx @9999DPS
15 March 2021 10:58 PM

First to seven wins. You seriously gonna race me with Striker, Sherman, and Shrike, though?

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[LCC]Sunblade @L80EBP
15 March 2021 11:04 PM

Yeah, why wouldn't I?

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LCC_xXx9999DPSxXx @9999DPS
15 March 2021 11:05 PM

Icebreaking is an noob strat. Once I get my virus combo up, it's over.

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