The Ambitious Puppet

[Dab]

[Chapter 3: The Bretonian Skunkworks]

[font=Courier New]Estranged
[color=orange]Chapter 4
[color=#996633]In Progress

March, 819 A.S.

Evyn smiled as Michelle shut the door to her office. Fleet Admiral Frasier had just been reinstated into his old position despite the disgrace of his resignation just three months prior. This was in large part due to the low numbers of capable ranking officers in the Armed Forces after five years of fighting. The Queen had personally requested he return and make make himself useful. His return, and the brash new policies he was putting into place had left the Admiralty in a state of disarray and a cloud of confusion hanging over the Armed Forces. But it wasn't the state of the Admiralty which amused her, even though it was as fortunate a turn of events as she could ask for.

Rather, it was the introduction of a new personality into the once tight-knit Admiralty corps that had her attention. Michelle Garibaldi had been a high-ranking Intelligence officer before being recently promoted to Admiral in the latest round of sweeping reforms intended to revitalize the Bretonian war effort. Evyn had been regularly tutoring her as to the current state of affairs in the war, as well as the diplomatic and political climate Bretonia was in. It was no short task.

Garibaldi had been originally assigned as a member of her staff, supposedly during one of Bretonia's many manpower reshuffles. The truth, however, was far more interesting, and gave Evyn the chance to have a bit of fun. Garibaldi had been assigned to her staff under an Intelligence project to keep Evyn under surveillance. Unfortunately for Ms. Garibaldi, the directors in the BIS hadn't given her full access to the scant information on her still retained by the agency. Garibaldi was being told to catch a mouse she didn't know existed in a room with no light. It was rather silly of Intelligence to assume she didn't still have methods of access into classified files and information. When a puppeteer tugs enough strings for long enough, the puppet is going to learn his habits and his methods.

She fished out the small crucifix hanging from the necklace she wore. With her induction into the noble cast of Bretonia, she had been expected to follow the traditions of the royal family in being a follower of the Church of England. Despite the name of the country since its arrival in Sirius, the royal Church never abandoned its original name, and remained one of the rare holdovers from the world humans had abandoned. The crucifix was not just a decorative piece of metal, as many people wore. It was actually a disguised datadisc. One that likely held more information on her than the central databases of the Bretonian Intelligence Service.

She twirled it through her fingers as she spun the plan through her head again. This small piece of hardware would play a central part in its conclusion. All of the information on her since the Spring of 817 A.S. and her first step into Bretonia since the ill-faited attempt on Admiral Nelles' life...

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