3.2 - Lucan 'Vex' McGuire

Apartment 2304, Royal Crown Tower.

 0755 hour, November 15, 2023

Vex found that his workspace is a luxurious two-story apartment, where the 1st floor is the office, guest room, and kitchen, while the 2nd floor is a place to relax and rest.

In his office, Vex can find a variety of information about the primary and secondary weapon system, both those that are under development, or those that have been adopted by the US military and its close allies, including assets that have been retired and given reserve status.

Also, Vex finds a contact list of people who have influence in the development and trade of military products.

Beeeeep beeeep!

While holding a bowl of cereal that he was about to enjoy, Vex opened the door, and his gaze immediately met a middle-aged man with a super neat appearance.

"Mr. Vex, my name is Bob. Miss Claire sent me to assist you."

"Come in, Bob."

Vex led Bob into the kitchen before speaking.

"Snacks and drinks are in the refrigerator and cabinet, restaurant brochures with delivery services are near the telephone, please choose your own."

"Thank you."

Without hesitation, Bob made a cup of iced coffee before sitting in front of Vex.

"Bob, Miss Claire asked me to include the cost estimate as accurately as possible. It's just that the Task Force to be formed is much bigger than I expected. So we have to contact a lot of people."

"..."

"The problem is, I'm afraid the people on the contact list won't be willing to help, considering they hate me so much."

Bob casually answered.

"Don't worry Mr. Vex, Miss Claire knows that when you were an advisor to the Minister of Defense of the Central African Federation, you angered many figures in the arms trade world."

". . . "

"So Miss Claire has made sure that the people you are worried about will help us wholeheartedly."

"Are you sure? For information some of them tried to kill me, and I thwarted their tender because they forced the sale of scrap goods."

Bob smiled cheerfully before saying.

"Actually, some of them immediately tried to eliminate you as soon as they knew Miss Claire was planning to meet you, but you are still fine until this moment."

 'Hell!'

Vex cursed in his heart, before casually he said.

"Well, then we'd better get started."

Without a word, Bob smiled a little before finishing the ice coffee in his hand.

- - - - -

Apartment 2701, Royal Crown Tower

0840 hours, 17 November 2023

Laying on the sofa and enjoying a jumbo waffle, Claire studied Lucan 'Vex' McGuire's profile, which she had previously only skimmed through.

Vex is the only child of a middle-class family. When he was in grade 11, he lost his parents in a car accident. He then refused a basketball scholarship from a professional club, preferred to enter the Airborne Ranger, and completed his training at the age of 18.

His military career is full of rewards, and although he has difficulty keeping up with the chain of command, he never insubordinate and always completes the missions he receives flawlessly.

At the age of 22, he married a Japanese-American woman from an upper businessman family, and at the age of 25 he passed the SFOD-Delta selection.

While assigned to the Central African Federation, Vex was accused of blasphemy against the bodies of two of the guerrillas he had killed. The Central African Federation government fiercely defended Vex, but the defense was ignored by the US government. Vex then dishonorably dismissed from the Delta Force.

A week after he was kicked out of Delta, Vex divorced his wife and lost custody of his four-year-old daughter.

Vex then disappeared in rural Louisiana and no one had ever managed to meet him, be it his friends or journalists. It took two years before Vex appeared again, then accepted an offer to train the Central African Federation Army's sniper unit.

However, somehow he ended up as a Minister of Defense advisor, and played a major role in the reform and modernization of the African Federation Armed Forces.

Vex is known to have observed his ex-wife and daughter from afar several times, but he never tried to fight for custody of his daughter in court, even though he had sufficient funds to win the fight. Moreover, his wife had remarried to a veterinarian and gave birth to a second child.

Vex has a confidential account in Switzerland, at six different banks with different identities, with a total deposit value of up to USD 8.4 million. Vex also has non-liquid assets in the Central African Federation, but the local government is closely guarding information about his wealth.

Claire turned to General O'Neil before asking.

"Why did you dishonorably dismissed Vex?"

"To avoid martial court."

General O'Neil replied casually, then paused for a few moments before continuing.

"At that time the choice was to roast Vex or roast the whole team. So I chose to roast Vex even though I was aware that the accusations inflicted on him were false."

Claire tilted her head before asking curiously.

"Wasn't it evident in Vex's combat knife that there was guerrilla DNA, which was mutilated and made into dog food?"

"In Vex's combat knife, there was the DNA of the guerrillas who were killed, because he killed him. The two guerrillas were actually Russian Merc, and Vex was not involved in the event of defamation of their bodies."

Claire immediately got up and sat cross-legged before speaking.

"Tell me what wasn't written on the report."

General O'Neil gave a small nod before starting his story.

In return for refusing to make the country a base of operations for anti-American fundamentalists, the Central African Federation received assistance in the form of military equipment and training. Until one day the young country was involved in a conflict at the border, and suffered many casualties due to the activities of snipers.

A team of shooters from Delta was deployed to provide assistance, and managed to silence sniper activity at the border within two weeks. On the last night before Delta's personnel withdraw, Russian Merc tries to avenge their protégé.

After silently silencing a machine gun nest, the two ex-Spetnaz then split up. One tried to go deeper to finish off a high-ranking officer, while the other tried to comb the perimeter to finish off the American sniper.

At that time Vex was lucky, the ex-Spetnaz who was combing the outer perimeter knelt right beside him, without realizing that Vex had pulled out his combat knife. After neutralizing the visiting Russian Commando, Vex then warned of infiltration from the enemy.

The entire Forward Base immediately started sweeping, but you can't underestimate Crazy Ivan. The last ex-Spetnaz managed to kill four people and injure a dozen others before he got an additional hole in his head.

To avenge the deaths of their fallen comrades, local personnel held a jamboree. A bonfire and alcohol party while using the slain ex-Spetnaz's body as a knife-throwing target. Meanwhile Vex continued guard duty at the perimeter.

Several international journalists who happened to be at the Forward Base succeeded in capturing the jamboree, then wrote a story where Vex was the main character in the event. The negative sentiment from the public then flared up and some politicians used it to pressure Delta.

Claire nodded slightly before asking.

"One thing I still don't understand, why is it that my psychologist concludes that Vex is retreating into rural Louisiana to punish himself?"

"I don't know for sure, but imagine someone willing to trade his life for mastering an art. Then when he manages to master it to the highest heights, suddenly he can no longer practice the art with respect."

"..."

"And while he loses most of his identity, dirt is wrought on what is left. If that happened to me, I am sure I will be driven to destroy this world."

General O'Neil was pensive for a while, while Claire remembered a piece of information on Vex's profile.

Every time Vex was in the city where Potus would visit, the Secret Services accompanied by members of the FBI and local police SWAT, would kindly ask him to leave the city.

Because Analysts in the Secret Service put Vex on the top list of people to watch out for, as a figure who has both the motive and means to kill Potus.

General O'Neil took a deep breath before speaking softly.

"The fact that Vex is not an enemy of this country is a miracle in my opinion."

"Yeah."

Claire nodded lightly before eating the last waffle slice in her hand.

*****