Chapter 7.1

We returned to a compound rippled with nervous energy and unease. I didn't really understand what had happened, of course they wouldn't bother to explain things to someone like me. But I heard things. I know something went wrong in one of the other squad's mission and were almost completely wiped out. There were whispers of a betrayal of one of the Paelan sleeper agents, but they didn't know who. The next few months were spent in turmoil, solely focusing on finding out who'd betrayed them.

They were slowly making contact with each of their agents, and while I didn't know exactly how many there were, there were well over a hundred, while those who could have leaked the information were little over forty. The names got split up and each squad got a list of names to check, ours consisted of nine individuals scattered throughout Paela in different professions deemed useful to Garlantia- police, politics, industry, business, and even education.

But the work was slow, Paela couldn't notice a massive influx of travellers and the work had to be done in secret for obvious reasons. While this gave the traitor time to evacuate, at least then we would find out who it was in process of elimination.

Waiting for our turn to enter the country was agonising, we had our orders and we had our plans, and all that was left to do was to wait until we were told we could enter the country. A restless tension settled upon the entire compound which put the men in fowl moods, most of all Leon who was also on a losing streak in their evening game of cards, which he retaliated with making my life difficult by giving me extra work so I'd miss dinner time or complaining I didn't do it properly and insisting I do it again.

When it was finally our turn to enter Paela we split into three smaller groups and took a third of the names each, and once we'd entered the border, we headed in opposite directions, Rickon leading one group and Jay and Leon leading the others. Our names rested in North Paela, past their capital city, Emmerson Lee and Tasia Marr were stationed in the same company in different departments, whereas Carswell Jessup worked his way up to be the PA of the mayor of the town responsible for fifty percent of Paela's fuel processing. Coming from the south, Carswell Jessup was first.

We located him at the office, but we waited until the end of the day, followed him a few blocks to his home, and when no-one was looking, we grabbed him at the front door. When he felt Rickons hands around his mouth pulling him back, he lashed out with his elbow, hitting him in the stomach, but then Quin appears from the side and injects a needle into his forearm. I watch as his expression of panic melts as he falls unconscious and Rickon bundles him into the boot of our car. We drive ten minuets to the edge of town to a predetermined abandoned building. Two men wait outside on watch and Rickon and I enter the building with Quin dragging the man from the car behind us. He slouches him roughly onto a chair. We wait for a further half an hour for the drug to wear off. When he begins to moan and his head flops from one side to the other as he tries raising his head, Rickon lightly taps him on the cheeks.

"What are you doing?" he mumbled, peering dozily through cracked eye lids.

Instead of answering him, Rickon asks "Do you know why we're here?" as he speaks a look of understanding spreads across his expression as the fog in his mind faded, he began to understand the situation.

He sighs and rubs his eyes of the sleep "I was wondering why communications were suddenly down." He offers his arm. "better get it over and done with then." Quin hands Rickon another needle.

"What is that?" I blurt without thinking.

To my surprise, Rickon answers "It's modified pentothal."

"Truth serum kid." Carswell Jessup explains nonchalantly.

I watched with morbid fascination as the drug took effect

At first, Carswell Jessup closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on Rickons voice, but the more time passed, the more impossible that was. Soon he was swaying in his chair and slurring his words like he was drunk.

Rickon was careful with the questions; he asked questions in a way that we got what we needed to know but Carlswell Jessup didn't gain any more information that he wouldn't have already had. He begun with questions that we already knew the answer to, and mixed short answer and long answer questions so it wasn't so difficult that he couldn't answer, but difficult enough that it would be hard to lie under the influence.

"Give me your name."

"Carlswell Jessup."

"Where do you come from?"

"Garlantia." The first and question he answered easily,

"Which country are you loyal to?"

"Garlantia."

"When was the last time you had contact with someone from Garlantia?"

He seemed to be a little confused as if he couldn't quite understand the question, then suddenly something clicked and he answered. "Two months ago."

"What was your report?"

He hesitated, and I thought that Rickon would get suspicious, but he waits patiently for the answer. Sweat trickles down his brow as he tries to remember, "Mayor Kennin… Kennington received permission to sell fuel to Reaga… Scheduled to start… 6 months. Drawing up plans." His words were a bit hard to make out but Rickon didn't seem to be having any trouble.

"Was this the truth?"

"yes." He nodded drunkenly.

"Did you use the inscription device issued by Garlantia?"

"Did I? Inscription device?" He muttered, then tried to think about it, "Yes I did."

"Would you ever give false information if asked by Paelen agents?"

He gave a very clear "No." in response and Rickon seemed satisfied; the questioning ended as the answers became more difficult to understand. He began getting confused and his answers were slurred, then after a couple of minutes he fell completely unconscious.

"Boy, watch over him." Rickon instructed as he radioed to the other group that Carswell Jessup was in the clear. There wasn't really much watching to do, he was unconscious with his head flopped forward to rest on his chest. But regardless, I silently watched the unconscious man until Rickon returned.

"Charles Forrest and Ella Ratched are both in the clear. Jay's going to check Arthur Maul and meet us back in Garlantia."