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[font=agency fb]The colonel checked the transmission record for last time...

[color=#FFFFFF]"Colonel, we have arrived... Colonel?" Giroux didn't feel like answering to the APC driver. He was feeling stressful, irritated, willing to return back to his normal duties. Indeed, he never expected that 'baby-sitting' a Sirian would be that annoying. "Fourty-fifth apartment, right?" Giroux asked. "Eh, oui Colonel. Just walk down this street and you'll find René and Abel guarding the place. Contact me if you ne--" Giroux left the APC before the driver could finish the sentence. Definitely, this wasn't a good day for the colonel.

He took a brief look to the dossier containing all the information gathered at the moment from the Sirian. He scanned the picture taken in the docking customs. 'Could fit the stereotype of rich young lady: Complaining the whole day about Junkers? Sure' He thought to himself. Once he reached the 45th apartment in the Rue Antoine Arnauld, he looked around the place and found Rene and Abel in the opposite pavement, behind a few hovercars. "Anything to report?" Giroux asked. "She didn't move from her apartment in these last two days, colonel. Everything should be clear." They saluted the colonel and went back to their positions.

Knocked at the door, ringbell... No response. Giroux sighed deeply and opened the door with the access card. "I don't care even if she's taking a shower". The apartment was quiet, not a single noise heard except for Giroux' footsteps. "Bonjour...?" No response. He looked around the bedroom, the bathroom, every place... Nothing. But there was something that caught the attention of Giroux placed on the mahogany table, in the living room. A pyramid shaped object, completely black with what seem to be engravings on the sides, however the room light was too dim to see well. He stepped closer. For what felt like a brief moment he saw something inside of it, he could not hear the sounds outside, not even his own breath and heartbeat. The unsettling silence was broken as a loud hovercar passed nearby outside the window, snapping Giroux out of the trance. He stood there for a little while but nothing happened.

Giroux left the apartment and moved quickly towards the two undercover operatives. "There's nobody in the apartment, messieurs." He said in a very annoyed tone. The two men began to apologize and wonder how it could happen while Giroux was making great efforts to contain his anger. "Pe-Perhaps in the market... That place is always a magnet for tourists and... We could comb the area once we rep--" "Don't dare to report this or I swear you'll be assigned to the Carcassonne next week. Move to the market main gateways and make sure she isn't leave the area."

Half an hour later, the APC arrived at the market outskirts. Wearing civilian outfit and picture in hand, Giroux asked every vendor about the woman in the picture. "Apologies, didn't see her." The answer he expected from the majority. He contacted the two operatives, no sight of the Sirian. He decided to end his search around the few restaurants around the market area, since it was mid day. This time the answers of the people were more precise, until a waiter of one of the restaurants could finally point her sitting in a table 20 meters away. Giroux sighed and thanked the waiter. Then, he approached the table and took a seat in front of the young lady.

"I told you to keep a low profile in that Junker spaceport and you almost scared one of my Sous-Lieutenants, then, we give you an excellent apartment here at Nevers so you wouldn't have to complain about those noisy Junkers and you decide to vanish. You're not making things easy, mademoiselle." He said in a forced calm tone. Then, he took a deep breath. "Oui, I'm the colonel you met in Lorraine space, Aubert Giroux."

[font=agency fb]"Beep! Beep! Beep...!" The constant sound of the alarm clock made Giroux to grab it and throw it violently against the wall. He got up from the bed and swallowed a few antidepressant pills. It was time to get back to work, this time checking the video/audio recordings in Angela’s apartment. He sighed deeply and stepped out of his personal room in Avallon Station.

“Colonel!” A lieutenant saluted Giroux when he entered the Counter-Intelligence Division chamber [color=#CCCCCC]“Here you have the data drive containing every minute of what happened in that house in the last three days.” Giroux just nodded at the lieutenant and picked up the data drive located on nearby table. Then, he connected it to one of the computers. “Lieutenant, wait outside.” He ordered. The recordings were strictly classified, only Giroux could take the first look and then, report it to the Marechal. He’d prefer somebody else doing this job, but orders were orders, and there wasn’t any other alternative to the Royal Navy for Giroux. ‘This mess will end soon, I know, I know…’.

He rewound the video recordings a few times, scanning every movement of Anje in the living room. As soon as Anje arrived to the apartment, she placed the pyramid shaped object on the mahogany table. Giroux frowned and rewound that part again. A decorative element? Probably.

The video reached the part where Anje sneaked out of her apartment. ‘Bunch of inepts, why didn’t the operatives notice her…?’ Giroux watched himself stepping into the apartment, registering the place. He shivered when he saw the part where he stared at the pyramidal object and didn’t move for a minute, like being in a trance. Giroux rewound that part again. He suddenly began to feel uncomfortable and paused the video. ‘What an idiocy, I think that day I forgot the pills…’. He resumed the video and jumped to the part where Anje came back from the meeting they had in the market. She sat in the coach in front of the mahogany table and stared at the pyramidal object.

Giroux sighed deeply when 15 minutes passed without Anje doing anything else, just staring at the object. Minute 19:09, 25:45, 49:23… nothing changed. ‘It must be a loop, come on, don’t tell me it’s been corrupted… Damn machines…’ He thought to himself. He rebooted the computer, and connected the data drive again, but he could watch the same scene. This time he watched the whole part. Now he was sure it wasn’t a loop, because from time to time Anje scratched her hair and looked briefly around the room, before looking back at the strange object. Giroux felt a shiver down his spine and suddenly he didn't feel irritated. This time he felt curious about what was going on with Angela, something was wrong, something that nobody could explain. Why meditating in front of that object? Why did Giroux feel in a trance when he stared at it? He took the data drive with him. It was time to report to the Grande Marechal.

[font=agency fb]She watched Anje leave the restaurant, and kept her gaze at Aubert untill he left too. Everything is going well so far, she thought. But it was obvious that the colonel was worried about the lack of informations, and sometimes people do stupid things to satisfy their curiosity.

Kate left the restaurant a few minutes after the royal transport departed. The view was amazing in the street, and those who never came on Nevers before could spend hours contemplating the scenery. But work, is work. Half an hour later, she arrived in the zone Anje's apartment was located. There was a back street next to the apartment building, that wasn't being watched by the Counter Espionnage agents. She hid behind a few dumpsters, and took off her dress and equipment. She moved several trash bags, looking for something, untill she found her sealed medium sized black box. After entering the code, the box unlocked in a small beep, revealing her spectre armor. This new armor acted like a second skin, so lightweight but so impressive at the same time. The armor gave her the shape of a man, and the vocoder changing her voice into a male one. It was the perfect disguise, for a yet to be perfect spectre. She put on her helmet, activating the display on the holo-screen in front of her eyes.

Kate put the dress and unnecessary equipment inside the box, before closing it again, and hiding it under the trash bags. She looked at the building, wondering how to reach Anje's apartment. After searching in her bag, she found the two adhesive palm extensions, and clipped them on her suit hands. She bagan to climb the building using the adhesive, and reached the bathroom window of Anje's apartment. The windows was left open, Kate thought Anje may have thought she would use a such complicated manner to reach her. Once inside, she cautiously opened the door, incase she would have a guest. All she found was Anje, sitting in front of the pyramid, staring at it. Kate approached her, the vocoder still on.

[color=#FFCC33]"Hey. What's new ?" she said, on a friendly tone.

Planet Nevers, Martinique, Estate of the Grande Marechal. 14:00 SGM.


"...I don't give two damns if he's a loving father or not. Crime like that will not go unpunished Colonel, see to it that he gets his due, or I'll be forced to take other measures. Report to me when you're done. Albert, what's next? "

[color=#000000]"Colonel Giroux is here to see you, Madame. Concerning ope-"

"I know, I know. Send him in."

[color=#000000]"Very good, madame."



LaCroix stepped away from the fireplace and walked over to her desk. There were papers lying all over it, some marked Classified, others normal reports, and yet others of a more personal nature. She sat down in a rather large bureau chair and lit up a cigarette. Only after this did Albert open up the massive wooden doors to her office, granting entrance to the Colonel. She does like her image.

The Colonel stepped through the massive wooden doorway and into her office. Normally when people first came in there they were surprised, stunned perhaps by the extravagant, massive office the Grande Marechal spent most of her desk time in. Not the Colonel. He was here to do a job, not admire the sights. He walked up unto the Grande Marechal's desk and then stopped. He saluted proudly before speaking.

"Mon Grande Marechal, the status reports as ordered." he spoke.

"Excellent, Giroux. This'd better be some good news, or I'll have to take other measures. His majesty is getting... Impatient. "
She placed her cigarette in the ashtray and took the folder from the hands of Grioux. The Colonel stood there for several minutes as the Grande Marechal closely read every word in his report. "This disc?", she asked. "Video only of the bugged apartment in which we are currently housing the subject."

The Grande Marechal took the disc out of the folder and inserted it into a slot in the wall. A rather large projector came down from the ceiling and then projected the image onto the wall. "Play".

Several moments passed as she carefully viewed every second of the video recording. There was one thing that stood out in the whole room. Whether it was a Sirrian thing or something else, it had to be investigated.
"The Object on the table. I want to know more about it. I want to know what would cause a person and one of my Colonels to freeze for such a long period of time. Again Giroux, I want to know who she is, who she works for and what her exact reason for being here is. "Wonders of the universe". Sirrian bullcrap. Get me stone solid answers. I've arranged for certain.. Measures to be taken for your next meeting with this Anje. I've placed her ship is under twenty four hour surveillance, along side this I have arranged for twelve marines to aid you in your.. Investigation. Should she continue this vague cryptic oracle crap, bring her in. We'll get her to talk here. Dismissed. "

With that as orders, Giroux saluted and made his way out of the massive office. Back to work.

[font=agency fb]"Noir Deux in position." "[color=#FFFF99]Noir Quattre here, I have the entrance completely covered." "Blanc Trois and Blanc Un got the main windows on sight." "Blanc Deux didn't report any movement coming from the safe house, she must be there..." The endless chain of voice messages made Giroux to turn off his comms device. He was losing his patience, but this time he would go straight to the point, no matter how many tricks would Anje use to hassle him. Solid answers, that is.

A Lieutenant approached Giroux as he left the APC which just stopped two streets away from Anje's house. "Colonel, we have cut all the traffic within a 1 kilometer perimeter from that apartment. Every unit is already positioned and watching every movement coming from the place, if there would be any." Giroux didn't seem to be paying attention to the Lieutenant. He looked absorbed, like 3 light years away. Actually, the only thing he had in the head now was the pyramid-shaped object he found on that table. "I'm proceeding to the safe house in 1 minute. Every unit will remain alert, I don't want to look for that Sirian around the market again." He finally said. Then, he walked through the streets which seperated him from the apartment.

Giroux glanced at both sides of the streets before taking the security card from one of the ballistic vest's pockets and opening the door of the apartment. "Bonsoir...? I hope it's not too late for..." He cut the sentence, waiting for any response coming from Anje. There was none. "Hello...?" Giroux repeated for last time. No response. Following his instinct, he stepped into the living room, hoping he'd find the pyramidal object there. As soon as he entered the room, he found Anje standing next to the huge window, silent. And the most important thing for Giroux, the artifact was still there.
"I guess it's time to tell me what's going on here, especially with that brick you got here on your table. I'm running out of time and my superiors are getting impatient. We can clear this right here and right now politely or I could just take alternative -and harsh- measures. Let's see what you can tell me about 'wonders of universe' now, d'accord?"

[font=Agency FB]A soft knocking came at the heavy, wooden door of the Grand Marechal's office. She had just sat down at her desk again, and let out a rather audible sigh; as they always say, she thought, "no rest for the wicked"....

"Oui, what's the matter? Come in, and be quick about it."

The door knob turned, and Blaise peeked his head in.

[color=#99FF99]"Ma Grand Marechal, there are a few things that may be of interest to you. If you have a moment, that is..."

She eyed the bottom of a wine bottle at the edge of the doorway; it was only the wine that saved Blaise from a 10-minute lecture about her workload. Two quartz wineglasses were set on her desktop, and she motioned for him to enter.

"Roussette de Savoie, I think you'll enjoy it." Blaise uncorked the bottle and filled both glasses before taking a seat in front of her desk.

LaCroix took a long sip from her glass before setting it back down. "I always do, Mersenne. Now that you've successfully bribed me for my time, what did you wish to speak about?"

Blaise retrieved a datapad from his coat and slid it across the desk top. "The first report from the Naval Research Institute, concerning the shipment of what the Sirians call 'artifacts' from the messieurs of the IND."

The Grand Marechal picked up the datapad and read through it, her head resting on her left hand while her right hand tapped on the pad's surface. After a minute that seemed like an eternity, she looked up to Blaise.

"And? As much as I enjoy some quality literature, tell me what they found."

"Nothing beyond the superficial, ma Grand Marechal. They've determined they're composed of a synthetic crystalline lattice with alternating facets in a ratio of 1 to 1.618. SEM analysis of the surface details displayed an uncannily-precise structure with a margin of error less that 0.001%, despite the supposed age of each item. Emission tests have determined that they're inert; as far as the institute is concerned, they're nothing more than elegant rocks."

Blaise took a sip from his own glass as the Grand Marechal stared back at the datapad, and sighed; he knew long beforehand that this was precisely what she didn't want to hear.

"Somehow, I feel as though we've been stiffed..."

"Concerning the Sirians, I wouldn't put it beyond them. Regardless...all may not be lost just yet. I've read some of the debriefings from monsieur Giroux, and his new 'friend'. Perhaps she can make heads or tails of these so-called rocks."

"He's already busy playing chauffeur, and it would be nice if she actually stayed in her residence..."

LaCroix lit a cigarette for herself, breathing in deep before exhaling a pillar of blue-gray smoke that suffused the air above her.

"Options are always good, ma Grand Marechal. We should use this option before she makes herself scarce."

Blaise emptied his glass before standing up, and nodding to LaCroix. She returned the nod, and poured another glass of wine for herself. Blaise was already gone by the time she set the bottle back down.