White Knights and Black Sheep (NU & Achk)

[Norgeras]

A harbor in Aechkaerin. 7th January 2019


The biting cold wind blowing down north onto the harbor had forced Markus to halt the journey in Aechkaerin. Romula had caught a hefty cold and he had been ill equipped to deal with a sick child on top of a pair of spoiled imperial brats. Not to mention he had the KND on his heels for technically kidnapping them.

He went to the closest drug store the harbor had and asked for a couple of child medicine. He cursed having to ask too many questions but using his phone was out of question, the next contact waiting in rodina and his last one already compromised. He could only hope that the true regent had planned well enough ahead to protect her daughters from Alexandra's pet dog and the cry baby of an emperor Orion.

He made up a story about family vacation to the clerk, hoping no one would check. A 25 year old and two almost 9 year olds raise coursered flags and he didn't need the attention of local authorities atop of his current persecutors.

Back at the harbor his heartbeat stopped for a split second. Rema had left the boat and was sporting her annoyed princess pose. “Did you remember to get a treat?”
Of course he did but it had been too risky staying any longer.
“no time.” Markus replied, where as she stomped on the ground. “Then go and get something proper to eat for us!” she then breathed in, adding very loudly: “Now!”

Markus panicked. He quickly grabbed the protesting princess and started the engine. Praying no one would think anything wrong until he was off the radar again.

[Achkaerin]

Vicky Shearney had to take a moment to think when the call came in over the radio from the harbour police she was in the middle of her evening walk around Santiago. It wasn't unheard of to get a call from the port, usually it meant that they'd stopped a drugs runner or someone with contraband goods or some such. This was reading like a child abduction but something seemed a little off about that, according to the night watchman at the harbour the children had been left on the boat while the presumed abductor had left the boat only to return later.

"Harbour Police this is Santiago Gold." Vicky said "Please confirm direction of target vessel."
"South east." came the response from the harbour police.
"Deploy units to pursue and I want air support." Vicky said, she got out her phone and dialled a number

Angel's Rise

Angel's Rise was the next population area down the coast in the direction the fleeing boat had been seen going, the senior police officer in Angel's Rise was Melissa Snow known to her friends as simply 'Snowy' she was having a night to herself for the most part, her daughter was out with friends, then her phone rang.

"Melissa Snow." she said answering it.
"It's Vicky Shearney over in Santiago." Vicky's voice came over the line "I've got a fugitive boat heading your way I know you've got a police boat down there I need you guys to help us out with intercepting, it's a suspected child abduction."
"I'm on my way." Melissa said, she hung up the phone and sighed something told her this was going to be a long night.

[Norgeras]

Markus was oblivious to the fact he had grabbed another set of Persecutors. He was busy trying to Balance between steering and taking care of the Feverish Child.

"Damn it." he cursed as he adjusted his course to the closest other Port on his Map.

Rema was pouting in a corner glaring at her sister while scribbling in a paint book:

"Mum said her dad has a Secret Hideout Prepared just in Case. We going there?"

"Don't know." Marcus replied: "We get our next information in Rodina. It's a real adventure isn't it. You just never know."

"Adventures are stupid if you don't get proper Treats." She huffed: "Like Candied Rose Pedals. Or Raspberry Jelly Breadrolls. Or both together."


The Ship slowly approached the Harbor on it's own, with Markus preparing to get the Brat something sweet so she'd shut up. If only he had though about packing sweets. He should have thought about that when transporting kids.

[Achkaerin]

Melissa had everything set up, the police had tailed the suspect vessel from a reasonable distance with air support in the form of a helicopter equipped with a night vision camera doing most of the leg work, it had been a simple enough plan follow from the air and from distance and see what if anything the ship they were monitoring did, where it went. As it turned out it was pulling right into Angel's Rise port, Melissa kitted out and ready was standing behind a wall, the rest of her colleagues in Angel's Rise police (with the exception of two constables) were hidden in various places around the jetty, so inside ships, small buildings etc. She waited and watched as the target boat pulled into the harbour and tied up.

"Standby." Melissa said over her radio, she watched through binoculars as a man got out of the boat and headed towards the harbourmasters office "Team one take the man, team two the boat." she waited a few more seconds gauging the distance between man and boat until she was sure it was enough "Go!"

Police officers sprang into action, one team of three went with Melissa and tackled the man while another team went to secure the boat. No chances were being taken by any of them, and if mob handed meant safety then so be it.

"Your under arrest." Melissa said as they pinned the man down "Cuff him."

[Norgeras]

"Under what charges?" Markus barked, pinned to the ground. He had prepared a make believe story ahead, it wasn't like he didn't expect questions. Just not that they'd throw him on the ground right away. Bloody brutes.

"I'm on vacation with my two Nieces. What the hell are you doing!"



Rema was blinking as the Boat was entered, she tilted her head, huffing angrily as she put her arms to her hips: "I Demand to immediately know why you enter our ship! Get off you lowly peasants!"

Romula on the other hand was groaning in her bed, putting her blanket over her head: "Be more silent! I'm sick and i want quiet!" before rolling together under her blanket.

Rema groaned: "Sister, i am defending our place. Shush."



The Police would find fake Uburzian Passports for the children, calling them Rita and Regina. Problematic was mostly that Child Passports in Uburzis actually where paper made still, and rather convincingly fake able.

[Achkaerin]

"For suspected child abduction." Melissa said, she nodded to her colleagues who pulled Markus to his feet and marched him to the nearest Police van they'd deal with this down at the station, there was never any messing around the issue when it came to this sort of suspicion. She turned around as PC Braid one of her colleagues came over.

"The two girls are on the boat." Braid said "One of them is quite vocal calling us 'lowly peasants' the other apparently ill. They're sisters."

That piqued Melissa's interest even more, it was certainly an interesting choice of words and it made her question even more who these two girls were. She walked the distance to the boat stepping aboard just as Rema threw the latest round of demands.

"Who are you?" Melissa asked

[Norgeras]

"The papers are on the Boat, for Christs sake, you aren't just seriously apprehending me for being a man, are you?"

Markus was panicking, the girls would have to play their role at this point. And with their mood it was likely they slipped something.




"I Demand you bring him back this instant!" Rema stomped with her foot on the floor: "We are traveling way to slow as it is, and i am sick of this wanne be empires incredible dull food. And your terrible Weather got my sister sick! So get him back /this instant/!"

The sick girl rolled over in the bed pulling her pillow over:

"Rema, be quiet please!" before wincing in her pillow.

[Achkaerin]

"No we're apprehending you because we have reasonable suspicion that you've kidnapped the two girls on the boat." PC Braid said as he put Markus in a van for the trip down to the station. Across the harbour the girls were also being moved into transportation, one of them quite vocally the other a lot more easily because she seemed sleepy and as the other girl had said ill. Either way Melissa wasn't entirely happy with the situation something about it just didn't seem right, she conversed with her colleagues that were left on the dock going over everything that had been said, heard and done of course they'd review the body cam footage later if necessary. Though one question loomed large above all the others - who were these girls?

About twenty minutes later they were at the police station, Markus was being initially held in a cell, they'd get round to questioning him soon enough but first things first they had to figure the two girls out. Melissa was leaning against a wall in a room where the local doctor Doctor Hughes was taking a look at Rema, Angel's Rise was such a small community that virtually everyone knew everyone else and Hughes had helped Melissa in her younger years when giving birth to her own daughter Jenny.

"What's the diagnosis?" Melissa asked
"She's got a fever which we'll need to see if it comes down or not." Hughes said "I'll come by in the morning to see how she's doing then but obviously call me if she gets any worse in the meantime if she does I'll need to know who she is if I'm to do anything."
"I see." Melissa said, she let Hughes out of the room and then crouched down in front of the girl who wasn't ill "Ok your sister is ill, if you want her to get better then you have to tell me who she is so we can help her."

[Norgeras]

Markus puffed up but shook his head: "Their my Nieces. Papers on Board. I'll file a complaint once this nonsense is over."

Well they where, with one tiny bit of an issue, The names on the Paper where Regina and Rosamunde. Not a word about Rema.



Rema on the other hand just crossed her arms, leaned back and huffed: "Well, guess i'll be sole inheritor. Also tell the peasants to prepare some cake. This housing is not up to par, either."


If anyone would have thrown the name Rema, and maybe Uburzis or another Buzzword into an Internet search machine, they'd likely get two hits immediately one was a video circling since last august, a wonky Smartphone clip with Princess Rhiannon punches one of the two Twins, caption: "Princess Cat Fight. East Moreland vs. Neu Uburzis" and another thing was a Police Report stating the two Girls have left the Palace with unknown help, leaving supervision. Speculations that the perperator where under orders by the late Wilhelmina of Uburzis, which was killed last year in Zimalia and believed to be responsible for the Murder of an UC citizen.

[Achkaerin]

Melissa wasn't impressed with Rema at all, who the heck had raised this brat? She stepped outside of the room and found her own daughter Jenny leaning against the wall waiting for her. Melissa looked curiously at Jenny, this was unexpected.
"I thought you were out with friends." Melissa said "What are you doing here?"
"They were drinking and saying things..." Jenny said "Things about me."
"Then they're not your friends Jen." Melissa said pulling her daughter into a hug "I'd take you home but it's going to be a long night, if you want to lie down you can use the office couch."
"What's she doing in there?" Jenny asked, because they were hugging she could see Rema through the window portion of the door.
"She's a suspected abducted child as is her sister." Melissa said
"You do know who that is don't you?" Jenny asked
"No." Melissa said

Jenny broke the hug and fumbled around in her jacket pocket for her phone.
"It was on all the social media platforms a while back." Jenny said, being an aspiring writer she kept up to date on various things, she found her phone and within moments found what she was looking for "Princess Rhiannon of East Moreland in a bit of a scrap with two Uburzi's princess's. See anyone familiar?"
"That's the two girls we just picked up." Melissa said "Braid google Rema and Neu Uburzi's and see what you get."
"Yes boss." Braid said, a few seconds later the constable was smiling as he handed Melissa a piece of paper "Police report that says Princess's Romula and Rema left the Neu Uburzi's Palace and haven't been seen since, it's believed there was outside help involved."

"And they end up here." Melissa said she turned towards the interview room door where they were holding Markus, it was very clear Rema wasn't giving them answers so it was time to get some the other way.

She stepped into the interview room and sat down opposite Markus

"Unless you're Uburzi's Royalty they're not your nieces." Melissa said "They're Princesses Romula and Rema and I think you know this. I also think that in some way you're trying to do something noble and I would guess that's because you believe for some reason that the two girls wouldn't be able to stay safely at home. Of course I'm making these guesses based on our evidence gathering but you'll notice I'm not recording this conversation so this is your chance to tell me what's going on here."

[Norgeras]

Markus bit his lip, one of the Girls must have slipped something, figures. He took his hands up in the air:

"Well, guess im done for anyway. Their Mother blackmailed me for smuggling drugs from Zimalia to Neu Uburzis with a Company Airship. Now that she died her fail safe triggered to get her children away from the Prince Regent. My Instructions said either he or Alexandra the Second where responsible for the Death of Prince Theseus, rather than Wilhelmina. According to my contact it was also them ensuring the Doctor vanished who claimed Alexandra ordered him to let her Son die before her, and not treat him. This meant Throne wouldn't fall to the Twins, but to Orion instead."

Markus faltered: "I am dead either way now. If i go to the Prison island i'll get killed, and if i'm here the Wingert Goons will make sure of it as well."

He crossed his Arms: "I was picked because i can sail a boat. When the twins vanished from the Palace i had them show up on my Doorstep with instructions and a man from the Palace staff. I was ordered to Bring them to a contact in Rodina. That or the Evidence against me would have been released. The Papers you look for are behind the medicine Cabinet. Pat, supply stops, and where to meet the contact. though i'm sure he bailed now. I didn't trigger the Dead Man Switch on the Boat for a while now."

He tilted his head, back and forth before blinking again:

"Uhm, maybe get your people of that boat."


Not that it mattered, unless they had detected it before, the Boats Motor exploded with a delayed C4 Charge setting the Tanks ablaze while the they where discussing inside the Police Station.

[Achkaerin]

Melissa stood up this had just gone way above her paygrade, this was now something far more sinister than it had first appeared and was certainly not within her capacity to make decisions about what happened next.

"Don't go anywhere." Melissa said, it didn't really need saying and it wasn't like Markus could do anything there were enough officers to keep him in order. No sooner had she stepped out of the interview room than she was being told that the boat had just blown up. Not that that really meant anything except Markus possibly ending up on a criminal damage charge. "Once it's secure do what needs doing."

Melissa now headed to her office and picked up the phone this wasn't a phone call she'd ever imagined making.

The ringing of the phone woke Lizbeth Stewart, the Achkaerinese Minister for Home Affairs, she was spending the night at her home in the city of Elsion as opposed to her Senate flat in Valtheim. She groped for and eventually got hold of the phone and then answered it.

"Stewart." Lizbeth said
"Senator this is Melissa Snow I'm the senior police officer in Angel's Rise." Melissa's voice came through the call
"What can I do for you?" Lizbeth asked, then she listened as Melissa explained the situation she was dealing with "I see. You have all the evidence?"
"Yes we were fortunate in that regard." Melissa said
"I'm on my way out there." Lizbeth said "You'd better send what you have to the relevant authorities."
"Understood." Melissa said, despite what she would like to believe she had a feeling that this was far from over.

[Norgeras]

Markus hadn't spoken any more so far. In his mind, he was a goner now. No way he'd survive. If only he had left his hands from those drugs...

Rema on the other hand was an unsufferable brat:

"I  DEMAND CAKE!" she barked at the doors:
"NOT BREAD! C_A_K_E! DO YOU LOWLY PEASANTS NOT KNOW WHAT A CAKE IS?"

Romula's Fever was rising, she was sweating heavily, crying and wincing as her condition got worse. It was most likely a bad cold she had, and probably should have been treated days ago.