OOC - Dave/Libby Productions
25th October 2019, Arrakeen, Soviet Republic of Kaitaine 8:45am (Aranye East Time)The capital of Kaitaine was a strange place in parts it was a sprawling mass of white concrete buildings, a mosaic of identical squat residential block with the odd store or industrial unit dotted around. On the edges though houses clung to steep sided hills and these homes had gardens, yards and allotments, they harked back to a time before the Soviet had formed and today tended to be the residencies of Ministers or military figures.
Sarah Francis was the East Moreland ambassador to the Soviet. She assumed that in a past life she must have really upset someone to get this posting. It lacked the freedoms associated with other postings and her homelands relationship with the Soviet was a kind of marriage of convenience, it enabled the Morelanders to gather information while for Kaitaine it showed they had at least some support. It was time for the weekly briefing with the Soviet Vice President and so Sarah was joined by her usual duo of Red Legionnaires and the four KDF outriders. She actually enjoyed her meetings with Vadik Pasternak, he was an intelligent man and efficent clearly the product of his military career. He had a dry sense of humour and she could see why the Kaitaine military liked him. There was however an edge to him something that made Sarah think that despite the charm and kindness he showed in the meetings there was a granite like edge to him.
Sarah was taking in the sight of the sun glinting off the calm blue sea as they headed from the cliff sides into the city itself. The city was quiet, it always was in terms of car traffic, the regular buses and trams took care of the neccesity for a daily traffic jam. It was as they turned into a lane between two residential blocks that Sarah saw the first of the KDF outriders go down. The Red Legionnaire driving the embassy car swerved and pressed his foot flat to the floor as the one on the back with Sarah pushed her to the floor taking out his pistol as the sound of bullets bouncing of metal. The other KDF outrider to their front fell as gun fire from windows above struck home. A truck pulled across the end of the lane and the driver reacted quicker than the outriders behind him and one of them slammed into the rear of the vehicle. The other was off and on foot, his rifle firing up towards one of the windows. The driver bounced the car over the fallen motorcycle it modified suspension making light work of the task. The shooting outrider crumpled against the wall as he was taken out. The way they'd come in closed up as a van backed into them, the two vehicles boots smashing together. As the driver tried to force the van out the way four black clad figures burst into the alley before them while four more appeared from over the top of the van. The Red in the rear was now unlocking the boot safe and dragging out rifles. The vehicle was armoured and would hopefully buy them time but they had nowhere to go. It was then they noticed that one of the figures had crawled alongside the vehicle and placed a shape charge on the door. The boom from it caused the three inside the vehicles to feel their ear drums burst followed by a metallic buzz. Hands reached in and while disorientated the Reds did their best to get shots off but it was a hopeless situation. Soon they were dragged out the car and following a flurry of boots and fists a black bag placed over their heads and thrown into the back of the van which sped off. Their ringing in their ears subsided just enough by then to hear the sirens of incoming KDF vehicles as they bounced around in the back of the fleeing vehicle.
25th October 2019, Northfort Palace, East Moreland 9:30am (Aranye East Time)It hadn't been to long since King David had gone to bed. He'd been up working late on some details of a new health care policy with some of his Ministers. His bedside phone went and David picked it up. "Hello" the King replied trying to focus on the digital clock next to the phone.
"Your Majesty, sorry to wake you but there has been a kidnapping in Kaitaine. Ambassador Francis and her security detachment. We've already called a General Staff meeting." It was Quinn Germaine no doubt only awoken a few minutes earlier.
"I'll see them in the briefing room in ten minutes." The King hung up the phone, slipped out of bed and quickly washed his face in cold water hoping to wake himself up. He slipped into a shirt and trousers and hurried down to the basement of the Palace. General Katie Yacobs was already there, she was dressed in a tracksuit while next to her sat her daughter Grace, a member of the Intelligence Agency who the King had assigned to have special interest in Kaitaine. David had expected Redfern to be there but he wasn't but Brigadier Kelly was on a video screen, various ministers and aides finished the gathering to whom Quinn was already pouring very strong coffee for. "Who is kicking us off?" David asked.
"That'll be me." Brigadier Kelly's voice came from the speakers. "We got a call from Sergeant Hadfield about an hour ago now. He was in the car with the ambassador. The recording has him narrate what was going on outside and essentially we're talking a highly organised, highly efficent hit. I'd be proud of it. They took out the four KDF motorbike escort then blew their way into the car and took the three of them. Seems they wanted our guys alive." Kelly played the call and David shifted uneasily at every explosion and gunshot. "We're working on the idea that this was a Bene Gesserit squad of some sort. I suspect from how it was carried out and the fact they knew our vehicles capabilities so well that bastard Gillespie, Corrino, whatever he's calling himself planned it."
"Where do we stand finding him?" David asked.
"We know he is in and around Seitch." Grace Yacobs spoke. " We've a four man team there on the look out and orders to neutralise or capture if they can." The King nodded.
The various people around the table gave their assessments and opinions for the next hour or so before it came time to act. "Assume its the Bene Gesserit" David began, "I want us to have the most senior person we have over there make contact with McPherson. I want a green light to send in a team to get our people back if a chance comes up. I also want measures in place to carry out strikes on targets in this territory controlled by the Theocracy."
"Yes Your Majesty" everyone got to their feet as the King stood indicating they had better be about their business. Just as the King was about to leave Quinn returned.
"Your Majesty you may want to see this." She used a remote control to flick the monitors to a new channel. A paused YouTube video was on.
YOUTUBE VIDEO
A trio of hooded figures filled the camera lense which pulled back to reveal four clearly female figures wearing masks and carrying rifles stood behind and beside them. A figure at the front, a masked woman appeared.
"We are the Truthsayers of the Theocracy of Kaitaine." it began, "We have captured three Morelanders tresspassing on our territory waging war against us. As such we demand the complete ceasation of hositilies against us by East Moreland, we demand they cease their intelligence sharing arrangement and we demand they recognise our nation as the true and sovreign rulers of Kaitaine. We have shown we are capable of striking in both East Moreland and now in our own lands. This shall be the first and final warning we give to King David and his followers. We shall be in touch."
The screen showed the three hooded prisoners being unmasked to show their faces before the camera went off.
25th October 2019, Seitch, Kaitaine 10:30am (Aranye East Time)Stacey Bradshaw burst into the Palace at Seitch her tablet grasped in her hand. She hurtled into the old throne room which served as a kind of mess hall for the Truthsayer officers. "Corporal slow down." A Liutenenant yelled at the youngster whose eyes darted about the room. Spotting her target she ran over. "Sir" she panted as she put the laptop down. "I've been getting loads of messages on social media about this." She stepped back and hit play allowing the video to run for Nathanial Corrino
"Ah shit" The man formerly known as James Gillespie, a respected Red Legionairre muttered. "You shown McNeill?" Nathanial drained his coffee and picked up the device.
"No" Bradshaw was the Truthsayers poster girl, a social media "influencer" althought Nathanial had no idea what that actually meant. She did however have a knack of finding things they could often use out there on the web but this video was worrying. They found Joanne McNeill in a side room drawing on a map updating it with details from reports. The pair showed her the video.
"Ah shit" she muttered. "Either one of the Arrakeen commanders has gone rouge or.....well I don't know. Its bad enough Corrino here having his own personal fanclub out there in the desert somewhere but those Badgers are gonna go apeshit over this. We need to find them before anything bad happens. The Morelanders already think we tried stealing nuclear waste and now we're apparently entering the kidnapping business."
"I'll see what I can do" Nathanial turned and headed out making his way to his office. He reached into his top draw and pulled out a mobile phone. He looked at the time, it was still early but he figured that meant they'd at least be in. He scanned down the contact list until he found the right number and hesitatingly set it ringing. It seemed an age until a groggy voice came from the other end.
"If this isn't Rollo MacAllister trying to seduce me then you can piss off" the voice came back.
"
Alice" Nathanial said hesitatingly.
"Holy Fucking Helus" Alice Goodwin said as she sat up in bed. "Traitorous bastard." She was about to hang up.
"Alice I need you to give me five minutes." He waited half expecting the phone to go dead.
"Time starts now." Alice had got to know the then James when she'd flown helicopters for Red Legion and had been out for beers with Redfern and his team a number of times. She had fancied the bloke but he'd never shown any real interest and she was now thankful they'd never been anything other than drinking buddies.
"When you turn on the news you'll see your ambassador to Kaitaine has been kidnapped. They're blaming us. Its not us. I might be a traitor in your eyes but those two guys are my brothers in my eyes. I'd not let any action against the Red's be taken unless I had a choice. Hell they've been trying to kill me for weeks and I've done nothing. I know what I did and I deserve their scorn, but I still carry my sword, I still say the words before going into battle. Believe me when I say it wasn't us. I need a favour."
"You've about a minute left." Alice said.
"Get a message to Redfern for me. Tell him I'll find the guys and I'll get him whatever information I can. Those people are not Truthsayers."
"OK" Alice believed him. Gillespie had been a good Legionnaire and was devouted to his friends, or at least it had felt that way. He could have killed Redfern when the Major confronted him but he hadn't, he could have assassinated the King he'd had enough chances. Surely if he had an anti-Moreland agenda something would have happened long before now but the man was decorated war hero. The phone went dead and Alice jotted down the number before getting herself out of bed, showering and heading into the barracks which was a five minute walk from her little Aldfield Cottage.
The Barracks were a buzz of activity already, clearly word had reached of the kidnapping. A few of the guys were even chatting away in Celt, a clear sign they were polishing up on their language skills expecting a deployment. Alice was a common site around the base being what they called her, "a taxi driver" she headed towards the admin corridor. "Alex" she knocked on the door.
"They called you in?" Redfern was busy scribbling on a notepad as Alice dropped into the sofa behind the door.
"No. I've had a rather strange phone call." She spent the next few minutes talking Alex through what had been said and then answering his questions. "I think he's being honest" She concluded.
"Hmmm" Alex wasn't so sure. "I'm being asked to work with the intelligence agency on this, I'm on standby to head to Arrakeen, you're now on that bus. Head home pack a bag for a week and get back here. I've a feeling things are gonna get weird."