A rare day on New London, one without rain. The warmth of the sun out of place against his black overcoat, warming his back and shoulders until he hid from its gaze inside. The Palace equerry greeting him at the door, a middle aged woman in a Royal Marine uniform, a Commander. He turned his cane over to her without question, openly admitting it should not accompany him further as it contained a hidden blade, for his own protection. He never used to carry it, but this was not the Bretonia he left and he wasn't prepared to be taken out because of his belief in people. The war had changed many things, the good will of everyday citizens towards those in power was just one of those changes.
She led him up the stairs, not wanting to waste any time he attempted to quicken the pace but to little avail, the woman, who was obviously far more well versed in the affairs of the Queen than he was, kept her tempo. After being led down a wide corridor with various portraits of Prime Ministers and a number of notable Lords they arrived to what Victor considered 'The Room'. The room where She met everyone worthy of her time and attention. The room where Prime Ministers were invited to from Governments, the place where they came to confess the sins of State, the place where they resigned in either shame or because they had lost confidence...either from the public or from Her.
This was the place, he had decided, where the SIS dropped the 'Secret' from its title, where it told Her everything in a way it was their variation of a confession. The Government needed to know most things, but not all. She on the other did, the Service reported to her, no one else. Not the Government, not the Home Office, not the Admiralty, Her. Today, it was time to give his report in full, without any reservations or omissions a full an honest assessment of the Kingdom. He had hoped O'Brian and James would be present, but from what he was told, it was not looking likely. Nevertheless he would reveal what he knew with or without them, they could touch base with him later if needs be. The Commander knocked on the door before a voice within sounded the word for entry.
Director Steiner, your Majesty
He walked in and spotted his lord and master before bowing his head. Your Majesty.
As Victor entered the room, he would notice the man standing by the window, back to the door. He wore a simple black suit, arms crossed as he watched the tourists clinging to the gates of Buckingham Palace.
As Victor turned to face the centre of the room, his eyes settling on those simple, yet commanding chairs that had played host to Ministers, military commanders, and even the odd intelligence director in the past. One faced the door, with a plain table beside it and a button sitting alone on top. This, the Queen's. One press of that button would dismiss him, with no need for the words to be said.
Opposite, strangely, sat two chairs. To his left, of course, the seat for whomever had been invited to meet with Her, but the one to the right shadowed by the Royal Navy uniform that floated before it.
It appears the Prince and the Lord had found time after all.
Director Steiner, a pleasure as always. Please, take a seat.
Her hand waved gracefully to the empty chair in front of him. A smile on her lips as she invited him to join them
You have quite the collection of minds here Director. Why don't you begin with why you wanted us all to be here?
The feeling of unfamiliarity never ended in this place, so infrequently was he here that he never had time to adjust. Perhaps that was the point don't get too comfortable. He did as instructed and glided into the chair that awaited him, he was now center stage, behind the quiet calm and the patience of that whom he served lay another altogether more frightening element. Her time was not to be wasted.
Ma'm, as you are no doubt aware I gave my report to the Government last week on the situation currently facing Bretonia. While it was truthful in its assessments it did not contain everything. He struggled in his mind to determined whether or not he had lied by omission or if he had simply deemed the government as 'not needing to know'. It mattered little in the end, he wouldn't apologise for it. The missing details of the report concern not only the internal workings of the Government itself but also that of the Armed Forces and external diplomacy. He paused, catching his breath for a moment before he continued at a more controlled pace wanting to ensure that was he was saying was not opened for interpretation.
The problems are interconnected ma'm, a few months ago I attended a meeting with Fleet Admiral Sommerville where we discussed the problem of Auxesia with our allies the Crayterian Republic. A plan was devised that involved removing them from our borders, however it not only involved the deployment of Bretonian Forces away from the House but also utilizing those of the Craytarians. I have recently met with the members of the Crayterian Intelligence service who have conducted patrols of the Inverness system and what they reveal is somewhat alarming. Putting it simply our lads will be walking into an ambush the likes of which will make Vespucci look like a pillow fight. In addition, the Auxesian influence within the house and outside of it runs far deeper than expected, Rheinland and Kusari have both refused outright to even consider the possibility of investigating Auxesia. Furthermore, the recent treaties ongoing with Kusari present a greater problem, one in which we completely concede the Taus to the Empire, in practice if nothing else. Admiral Sommerville acknowledges the weakened position he finds himself in but has also requested the SIS move more agents and officers into the Dublin and Edinburgh systems to reinforce the dwindling defences. Ma'm, the Service doesn't have the men to do that, even if we did we cannot station them there permanently, they are intelligence officers, not fighters.
Again he was quiet, keeping calm as much as he could, the situation wasn't going to get much better from here. A letter was also recieved from the Minister of Defence regarding our operations within Kusari and the Tau regions. In short we have begun the process of withdrawing. We cannot maintain our positions there mainly due to possible political fallout. However, if Bretonia pulls it's forces back to Leeds and proceeds with an attack of any kind in Inverness and it fails the kingdom will be wide open to attack from the North. We predict they would penetrate as far as Cambridge before we would be able to stop them and without the Service operating within the Taus and our list of allies wearing thin, we would have no warning of such an attack. While the possibility of an attack weighed heavy on his mind for quite some time it was not his primary concern, not by a long shot. He had been confused by the lax attitude taken by not only the Government but the Armed Forces as well, surely they knew that the risk of an invasion was real? Surely they were not so complacent as to have forgotten to prepare. Yet he could find no evidence of preparation for the defence, only letters telling the Service to fundamentally back off. Ma'm I worry that this is....politically motivated. What if someone wanted this to happen, Kusari on our border with no means to stop them from entering would lead to political, economic and military dominance for years. We would be forced into the Omegas which would bring us into direct conflict with Rheinland. To me ma'm this looks more and more like a conspiracy. Although I must be honest, I have no evidence of such. Yet the signs present as one that isn't preparing for an economic boost but rather...submission. The Government refuses to allow us to act and the smallest possible overstep would lead to disaster within the region.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the worst part of the whole affair, a subject he despised and avoided unless it was absolutely critical. There are also developments within Newcastle, ma'm...we may have found a way to remove the city.
Carina sat quietly, assessing the information presented to her. She was always careful in choosing her words, the family more than aware of the knifes edge the crown rested upon. Rock the boat too much, and it could spell the end for them all.
Instead, it was Michelle that spoke first
I wish you had shared these concerns with me sooner, Lieutenant Commander.
Ever the military woman, O'Brian continued to refer to military rank. All field agents still retained their commission, it was said that it helped encourage the cooperation of forces in the field. Often, the reality was dictated more by mission parameters.
If you can provide me a full report on what exactly we'll be walking into, I can discuss it with Admiral Sommerville. He's determined to deal with the threat, but I'm confident we'll be able to come up with a solution.
This time, Prince James spoke up
It was my understanding that our relations with the Empire were warming? You suspect an invasion from them? Or perhaps a renewed effort from Gallia? I hope you understand that we cannot involve ourselves in the politics of the house..
The smallest look from Carina. Her face gave nothing away, but it was enough to quiet James
Director, the Prince is right. We cannot involve in the politics of the Kingdom. I'm afraid that is a minefield you must navigate yourself.
As regards Newcastle however, what I do know is that while we maintain a policy of destruction of any alien material, destroying that particular blight has proven quite the challenge. You have a solution?
I do not trust Admiral Sommerville. While I will not go so far as to call him a traitor, I do not believe he is acting with the best interests of the House in mind. There was something ugly about questioning your friends, as if one was 'lesser' for evening thinking about it. Yet he had cause enough, the signs were not looking good but Victor had to remind himself, ever so quietly, O'Brian favoured Liberty and His own family favoured Rheinland. The fact that Sommerville favoured Kusari was not unusual, but the lengths at what the man was willing to do were concerning. Calling off the Intelligence Service? Selling an entire system? I would not be surprised if he has already started asking about the Intelligence Service's role in Bretonia, or questioning the loyalty of my own Family. Lord Steiner tells me that the Lords are in constant argument over selling ourselves to Kusari or going it alone. It is Sommerville's supporters who seem to be throwing caution to the wind. I didn't tell you Admiral because right now there is no evidence, it is in the wind as it were, a gut feeling that is telling me something is very wrong.
He knew full well what he was about to ask but he had no idea of what the reaction would be. There was normally a solution to their requests, which they phrased somewhat openly, rare was the day he ever received a straight 'No'. Having addressed O'Brian he now intended to address the royals. Kusari is something of a black hole at the moment, we have never had many allies in that region but the few we did have proved to be....different. Kusari is xenophobic sir, sometimes in the extreme sometimes it is well hidden but it is always there. They do not deal with Strangers unless they benefit from the transaction, Kusari benefits massively while they play nice with us. They probably won't directly invade at the drop of a hat, but they could and that is the threat they have made subtly. They have no reason to invade because they will dominate us in other ways. I would not be surprised if Samura or Kishiro begin to by used exclusively in transportation of good and people between this house and theirs. Then of course we need to worry about the Hogosha and the problems they present, if they are introduced into the house The SIS will be threatened directly, the Kusari intelligence agency has been known to use Hogosha as both agent and informant, legal free reign in this House would undermine our own efforts majorly. I am aware you cannot involve yourself in politics directly, we on the other hand can.
Finally he turned to the Queen We may be able to destroy it. Certain information has been received and certain individuals procured to assess the viability of the task. I request your permission to continue exploring that possibility, I will not say it is not without risk but for the time being we are simply exploring the possibility without committing to any course of action. I will update Admiral O'Brian if anything changes of course but for now, it looks promising.
He sat back, a little overwhelmed himself at everything, one could say many things about him but he had not been idle, and that was probably the best thing about this situation. Half his accusations about Sommerville and Kusari was speculation, but he reasoned it was entirely plausible and even if it wasn't it was still his job to make sure it wasn't. Ma'm, you cannot act politically, we can. Allow us to act in your stead, allow us to observe and to record. We can be the emergency break if needs be.
Her voice was level, controlled, but it could not hide the hint of coldness that crept into her words
That, is a very serious accusation, Director. I suggest you are certain of your convictions before you air them here.
The Lords may argue as much as they wish, and they may indeed lease our territory for monetary gain, but need I remind you that I am Empress of the Tau's. Protector of the Near Omegas. It is my assent that is required to release any territory to the rule of others.
She was still sitting, but seemed to have drawn herself to her fullest height. An imposing image for any Bretonian given access to this room.
A breath. A moment. Steiner could see the slow rise and fall of her chest as she inhaled and exhaled.
Director, you misunderstand me. I cannot act politically, but I also will not order you to act on my behalf. My family does not exercise opinions on politics, and I continue to live by that wisdom imparted by my ancestors. Further, this government.. my government, has the full support of the Crown.
O'Brian took the moment to interject, clearing her throat to take attention
Perhaps we might focus on the alien construct? If there is a possibility to remove it.. Well I made a mistake in the past on that front already. I would be eager to deal with it once and for all.
What, exactly, is the risk involved with following this course of action?
It would be a lie to say he wasn't uncomfortable by her response, she had made it very clear he was to act according to her wishes, as would the Government and unfortunately for him, he had no evidence to suggest they were acting to the contrary. Therefore he would do nothing....or would he? If there was something afoot it was his duty to find out. He had no evidence today but if he did his job, if he paid attention to the smaller details his enemy would reveal themselves in time, then he would be free to act. But he needed to be careful, she had made it clear, there was to be no sale of any system without her say so and while she would not act, that did not mean she couldn't act. He would continue to observe, he just hoped he would not realize the plot when it became too late.
Your humble servant, ma'am He said, conceding to her. One does not simply argue with the Queen.
Facing O'Brian, and eager to move on from the brief but awesome display of royal authority he had just been subjected to and he answered her question. Well the obvious issue is that we have no guarantee that the city is actually....dead. Dormant yes, but dead? We don't know. We also have no idea what is inside or what kind of internal defences it has, if any. In theory we can bring the shield down for a moment to insert a small team who would then infiltrate the city and disable the shields, allowing the Fleet to initiate a full bombardment of the place....some within the Service suggest it might be an idea to study the city but considering we are dealing with an unknown, and the reputation Alien ruins have in terms of....influencing people, I personally think it would be wiser and safer to simply destroy it.
We had been operating under the assumption it was dormant. The active shield.. well, something must be maintaining it?
O'Brian had spoken first, but it was James that took the attention next
You can bring the shield down? I'd always been under the assumption that wasn't possible.. Or at least we didn't have the technology or knowhow to make it happen. You have found a way?
The Queen stood, deciding to walk around the room as she aired her thoughts
I too wonder about the risk. How safe are our people if they go in? We cannot allow a crisis to form within our borders.
Questioning the plan was expected, he himself did not know if it would work as planned, if it worked at all. He contemplated each concern quietly before replying in a more deliberate fashion We believe that the shield is running more or less on automatic, the technology isn't something we understand mainly because we have not been able to identify a power source, that is to say, no one has been in to have a look, because we can't. We have made assumptions which we don't have any cause to doubt at the moment. Brining it down would require us to go inside, for now we can breach the shield in the same way human skin is 'breached' by a needle, something small and quick, a small team would be able to get inside, but once we're in, we will be alone.
There were unknowns, no one would argue that point and no one would be able to predict what would happen if and when they got inside, perhaps an automatic defence system? perhaps it wasn't empty to begin with. What was logical however was that the source of the shield would be inside, once disabled, the city would be open to bombardment. Did the nomads ever anticipate an invasion of one of their cities? he didn't know, but they would be foolish to not have at least prepared for the possibility. I will not say that success is guaranteed yet if we allow the city to be left alone there are those who are inevitably going to find it and turn it against us. We have reason to believe there are those looking for it already. If it is a one way trip...I have always maintained with my people, as I do now to you, that I will not order anyone to do something I am unwilling to do myself. Therefore I will go. I have the experience and the knowledge of what we are dealing with to be prepared enough for what we must do....I am also perfectly willing to ensure that if a mistake has been made, I will give my all in stopping it. There was some degree of determination in his voice, not enough to be threatening, but enough to convey his conviction.