DAY AFTER THE ARREST OF ALFONSO ROSINA
"It is clear insiders from the Palace are plotting my nephews downfall" Prince Lorenzo declared as he meet with various intelligence agency leads. "And you....you idiots couldn't stop it, you didn't know." he chastised them. "I have no choice. The estate out at Peruzia, we shall take the boy there. Just me, my wife and our trusted staff."
"I think that is a mistake." Major Rugania of the National Intelligence Service shook his head, "Peruzia is 10km from the nearest military base."
"We'll have our own security detail" Lorenzo spoke as though Rugania was a moron.
"With respect Your Highness if anyone seriously made a play for the Emperor then a 20 man security detail lacks the heavy firepower needed thats why we have the rapid reaction force so close normally. We could...." he was about to continue but Lorenzo held a hand up.
"Major I am well aware of tactical considerations. Make arrangements me and my nephew will leave in an hour." With that Lorenzo left leaving the rest of the room busy to discuss what had been said, they questioned whether Princess Brigida should be present but she'd taken control of the investigation directly and was busy with the Imperial Carabinieri and micro-managing them as best she could. Someone had tried to kill her beloved nephew and her Emperor and that meant somebody was going to have pay for it.
Two hours later
Peruzia was a small hilltop village that had been a happy family retreat for the Imperial family. Brigida and her brothers had played in the vineyards that dominated the slopes. A single track road spun its way up the hill with a security checkpoint at its foot ensuring no-one unexpected could utilise it. Lorenzo and his 3 year old nephew, the Emperor had however flown in via helicopter and were now seemingly nicely settled in the countryside of the Empire. It would be impossible for anyone to sneak up on them, the hilltop house gave excellent panoramic views across the countryside and the huge amount of surveillance equipment allowed them to see even the smallest detail. The fact that they'd also moved here with no pomp and ceremony that often accompanied any movement of the Emperor it was likely no one would know anything was happening here.
Emperor Franco was happy enough playing with some toy farm animals in the sunny central courtyard as members of his security detail patrolled the overlooking walkways. Lorenzo was sat in the office they had seen their own father and later brother run the Empire from and reading through some paperwork he'd brought with him when his phone rang. "Good afternoon Sister." Lorenzo said as he accepted the call.
"Shut up Lorenzo. How dare you move Franco without consulting me." She was virtually screaming. "He should not be at Peruzia" He hadn't told anyone to inform his sister and so clearly there was issues of security somewhere, maybe this was why he was in such a situation. "We're at high alert and you take him to a soft target."
"Dear Sister. We are perfectly fine here." He said confidently already hearing her ranting at him.
"You are not. I am coming there with the Section Echo to back up the slim security you have installed." Brigida literally yelled down the phone. He imagined the rather brute men of the Imperial Carabinieri's "enforcers" now streaming out of the Palace in the capital with their sirens blurring as though the very spirits of evil were descending on the nation. In truth that was exactly what was happening, a mass of trucks and cars were blazing a path through the busy streets of the capital with motorbike outriders halting traffic at junctions. Brigida herself sat in the passenger seat of one of the cars slowly fuming as she hung up on her brother.
90 minutes later
Brigida and Section Echo arrived at the checkpoint at the foot of the hill. The security service agent on sentry duty kept the gate shut and spoke to the Princess who was in the lead car. "I'm sorry Your Highness but I need to phone up to Prince Lorenzo to get permission to let you through. He told us...." There was no waiting for the conclusion of that statement as Brigida and a rather burly black boiler suited Carabinieri officer stepped out.
"You will open that gate now or my friend here will have you arrested." The way the Carabinieri held the shotgun he was carrying and the fact several other of his friends were now getting out of vehicles made the Security Agent reconsider his choice and he simply radioed in that the Princess and "her escort" were on there way up before hurrying back to his shed and pressing the button to open the gates. While the distance from the shed to the house was pretty short as the bird flies the lack of wings the visitors had meant a circular drive round and round the hill top meaning it would be a good five minute drive until they reached the top.
As soon as the Princess got half way up the hilltop the sound of gunfire filled the air. The men in the rear of her vehicle did their best to tune radios to find what frequency the Security Staff were using but by the time they found it they could just here shouts of panic. Even with no traffic on the road the officer driving instinctively hit the siren and planted his foot. It was nearly a disaster as they rounded the corner an old farm cart had been left across the road and the car bounced into the ditch before its left wing came off along with a wing mirror. It didn't deter the driver who having skirted the cart was bouncing through the vineyard as he snaked back towards the road, Brigida banged her head as she bounced into the roof despite being seatbelted in. A warning over the radio meant everyone else had avoided it but as they reached the summit they could see now a pair of dead security guards.
As was standard the heavier trucks that served as the Section's mobile armoury pulled up close by and perpendicular to the road giving a large defensive barrier if needed. Brigida had brought with her 25 men from Section Echo and without hesitation each was pulling on body armour from the boots of cars or running to the trucks to gear up. Sergeant Casspina appeared and without a word manhandled Brigida into the truck. "You wait here Your Highness." he covered his left ear with a hand to focus on the calls. "Security Services are saying a rouge agent began shooting at the Emperor. The Emperor is currently missing. Prince Lorenzo is being evacuated." There was a pause. "Three gunmen now reported."
Outside Captain Gabbadona had pieced together the same from the calls over his ear piece and was briefing his men, some of whom now carried ballistic shields. "The Imperial Carabinieri has never lost an Emperor. This jokers at the Security Service have ballsed up, now we sort their problem out. Our priority is the Emperor. Prince Lorenzo is not our concern. If a Security officer even considers not complying with us you shoot him twice in the chest and once in the head." The Captain hadn't seen Brigida stood at the top of the trucks steps and was half expecting instructions counter to his own.
"For the Emperor." Brigidia nodded towards the men, she herself was a proud veteran of that unit and knew exactly the mentality those men and women who served under its banner required. The group moved off and reached the courtyard entrance without any problem. The first pair of officers stacked at the corner and with a brief consultation of a mirror sprinted round and began searching for targets. Brigida could hear them yelling at someone to lie down and then the tell tale sound of a shotgun. Clearly someone wasn't complying. One by one the Carbinieri entered the courtyard and swept it, sporadic gunfire could be heard but sounded more from the rear of the home. The team worked quickly not considering the risks to themselves as they rapidly searched room to room. It was when they got towards the stables at the rear of the house that they began taking fire. They could see now pinned behind a heavily bullet riddled car a single Security Officer, his left arm soaked in blood but tucked in front of him the weeping three year old Emperor. The gunfire from the stables indicated some heavier weapons and then a crack as a Caribinieri officer fell highlighted a sniper on the roof. Without hesitation the entire gathered mass of officers blasted the roof top silencing the sniper before he could do anything else. Without confirmation whether the sniper was alive or dead several officers poured more and more fire towards his position while men with Ballistic shields ran forward towards the car, completely ignored the injured Security Agent and grabbed the Emperor. With the Emperor between them the men formed a box with shields that their ancient historical ancestors would have been proud of and hurried back to the security of what had once been a lovely farmhouse kitchen. While the gunmen might have expected a return of the shielded men to extract the injured agent that was not what happened next. A veritable shower of grenades of all kinds flew towards the stable, some thrown by hand, some by under barrel launchers. A mixture of explosions, gas and flashes of light filled the area nearly rolling the car the agent was hiding behind. The agent began screaming as one of the many pieces of flying shrapnel filled the air hit his leg. Three Carbinieri ran forward, vaulted the car and burst into the barn. Two men were struggling with a mixture of wounds, gas inhalation and sore ears when one felt the full force of a close range shotgun to the chest ending his existence, the other felt a similar weapon but this time to his legs blowing his knee cap apart. Other officers had returned and were now dragging the dead sniper down from the position he'd been in. While the squad of Carbinieri secured the area and now as a final act began giving forlorn treatment to critically injured security agent the Emperor was being put into the big heavy truck which was already expecting the Rapid Reaction Force from the base 10km away.
As the dust settled Prince Lorenzo was unaccounted for and was apparently running away with a pair of agents but Brigida had no desire to worry about that. She herself headed into the house to where Section Echo had the wounded gunman. He had been given next to no medical treatment and Captain Gabbadona knelt next to him unwrapping a first aid kit. He picked up a vial of morphine and put it on the ground. "Now Tomasso" he addressed the man who was clearly in pain. "Who paid you to do this?" he asked. He waited, repeated the question and when no answer was forth coming picked up the vial of painkiller and threw it towards the wall. The man who had been hopeful of a reprieve from his agony widened his eyes in shock. Gabbadona took out another vial and put it next to the syringe. "Who paid you." He asked again, and then having repeated his question threw the second vial. "How many vials do these kits have.....four?" he asked one of his men.
"Yes sir." The amused officer replied. Brigida had joined them and rather than intervening merely leaned against the wall. Gabbadona asked the question again and this time the man gave a name it started quiet a few in the room.
"P...Pri...Lorenzo..." he muttered.
"And you can prove this" Brigida asked as she came forward and picked up the syringe filling it with half a dose of morphine.
"Yes...Yes ....please" the man pointed towards the camera in the corner of the room. "The Imperial Carabinieri insisted on having microphones in all communal areas here. Lorenzo planned this." Brigida gave the man half the morphine. It would take the edge off but not totally. Her brother had never paid much attention to the arrangements for security or read many messages. If it involved the Imperial Carabinieri he just assumed his sister was all over it and frankly he'd always been a bit of a snake.
"Check the footage." Quickly Section Echo made their way to the CCTV monitoring room in the attic and began quickly checking the information they'd been given. Lorenzo was missing and implicated in treason. This motivated the Carabinieri to work quickly. Soon a Corporal appeared with a grim look.
"Your Highness its true. We heard him discuss that they would kill the Emperor and then your brother would flee. He had arranged for you to then be killed by Security Agents in Ovado." That explained why he hadn't wanted her to come he was making a play for the Imperial Throne. Now it was simple, just like always Brigida would tidy up the mess.
"Download the footage. Do we know where my brother is?" Brigida asked.
"No but we'll find him and arrest him." Gabbadona.
"Arrest him?" Brigidia laughed, "Why would we arrest him, my brother died bravely trying to defend his nephew after all the security agents died." The room seemed confused as Brigidia removed the pistol from Gabbadona's holster and shot the security agent who had betrayed them. "My brother is a hero.....understand?" She handed the gun back.
"Frankly no." One of Gabbadona's men protested and instantly regretted as his Captain slapped him.
"You idiot." Gabbadona hissed. "We have always been the King makers so to speak, more so than the Imperial Guard. They just go out and smash things, we solve problems. Problems the crown often don't even know exist. If we have survivors that means a trial, if there is a trial that means anyone else involved will run to ground. If there are no survivors anyone else involved will feel safe and we, we track them down. Now we just need to get Lorenzo."
The sound of helicopter blades filled the air and the Rapid Reaction Force had arrived. Gabbadona took four of his men, including one of his men who was part of their own aviation unit. First and foremost all officers enforcers of the law but Section Echo contained a real mix of skills. Now with a Telemon helicopter in their possession they headed off after Lorenzo who having had to negotiate the vast majority of the hillside on foot was not that far ahead of them. The Telemon made a single pass overhead as Gabbadona radioed in that they had come to transport the Prince back to the capital, his sister had been injured and the Emperor was safe. The Prince took the bait and had the car pulled over as the helicopter landed in a field off to the right. Accompanied by his two hand-picked security agents Lorenzo got out of the car and headed for the helicopter, as its slide door opened Gabbadona was already taking aim with a pistol and fired two rounds into Lorenzo as his fellow officers did likewise to the Agents. The three members of Section Echo hurried forward even as the rotors kept spinning. Lorenzo was spluttering as a bullet was in his lung, the other in his stomach. His two escorters lay dead. "Shit" Gabbadona shook his head. "I owe you each a bottle of Port" he laughed the three having a sick bet as to who would not get a kill with their first shots. Gabbadona knelt by the injured Prince. "Your sister sends her regards, Long live the Emperor." he placed the barrel of the gun on Lorenzo's temple and pulled the trigger.
That evening the media reported the grim news. A terror attack on the Emperor at his countryside retreat. 10 dead Security Agents, several traitors and a brave final stand by Prince Lorenzo who had been executed at point blank range before the brave Captain Gabbadona had saved the Emperors life. It was a story that brought glory to the Tornincasa family, pride to the Carbinieri and shame to the Security Agents, meanwhile it did solve the Empire's problems. The clunky and awkward dual regency was gone and now Brigida would lead the Empire forward.