Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Four: Status Report

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Four: Status Report

October 31st, 3031

"Quintus, why didn't you show me the recording before?" Hanse asked as he doubled over in laughter while watching the BattleRom showing the capture of one of the spies.

"Because I knew that you wouldn't take it seriously if I showed you this." Quintus replied with a sigh. "The only reason that we didn't lose any of our people is because they were wearing Mithril."

"I know." Hanse struggled to breath without bursting into laughter again. "Just watch it from a comedic angle this time."

–

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Recording Date/Time: 1900 hours New Avalon Standard Time 21/09/3031 

The Blakist infiltrator sighed with relief as he collapsed into the office chair of his penthouse apartment and turned on the swivel to look out upon Avalon City. Being a part of the Palace Guard paid really well, and even if he was just an infiltrator he might as well enjoy the money while he could.

"Incoming call from Julia," His caller ID said from his slate.

"Julia!" He answered while thumbing his electrified baton and spinning it in his fingers. "I thought we weren't supposed to contact each other."

"They're at the door," She said and then her voice just cut off.

"Hmm," The Blakist said as he shrugged and continued spinning his baton. Putting his hood up he cued up the security feeds to his apartment building. "So they're onto us." He muttered as the feeds started going out one by one. "I guess I'll get ready then." He grabbed three GyroJet pistols and set them into holsters as he also prepped the suicide tooth that he had. He then used a stimpatch and readied himself for when they came through the door.

The door didn't stand up to a towering two meter tall man clad in Mithril. And the Blakist flinched backwards at first before bringing the first of the gyro jet pistols up to fire. "You think you can face us!" He taunted. "We will have unlimited power when we seize Terra and your homeworlds!" He fired the pistol cursing as he missed the power armored man moving through his apartment.

"You will fail!" The Blakist yelled as a different trooper moved in closer to engage him. "You know what wasn't reinforced in my apartment?" He asked as he moved out of the way of the Davion trooper. "The Windows bitch!" He laughed maniacally as the trooper fell down from the penthouse before the trooper that first came into his apartment reached him. Trying to activate his suicide capsul, he moved his tongue around only for the Davion soldier to force his mouth open, nearly breaking his jaw in th process and yanking out the suicide tooth.

"You are under arrest, by committing treason and being a foreign agent you have temporarily forfeited all of your rights until a proper investigation and interrogation is performed. Don't remain silent, being vocal may save your life." The Davion Soldier said as he restrained the hooded man.

–

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"Okay, maybe it's not as funny the second time around." Hanse said after they finished watching the recording.

"It is admittedly funny in some parts." Quintus said. "And we'll have to use some of it for training, but aside from that it just goes to show that whoever accomplished this was no amatuer. They were well trained and if we didn't have the Mithriland extremely professional personnel this could have been a disaster."

"We're finished with interrogation and cross checking the information correct?" Hanse asked.

"Yes Hanse," Quintus replied. "They're a significant force based out of the Outworlds Alliance. The remnants of the radical faction of Comstar that we thought had been eliminated. The switch was made on Delos IV and they had other agents on the planet to assist with the switch of the real Ian and this duplicate." Quintus showed the details that they had uncovered on his slate. "The Switch had to have been made in a three week window," Quintus paused. "And if I were in charge I would have made sure to do the swap early on in order to get as much information out of the real Ian in order to make the fake as convincing as possible."

"Do we have a name?" Hanse asked bluntly after looking through the files in silence. "Because we're about to go on the warpath."

"Vesar Kristofur, former Precentor Rom of Comstar according to the records that Hull seized all those years ago." Quintus replied. "And you know just as well as I do that we don't have the resources to move on the Outworlds Alliance yet."

"When Hull gets back we'll have him boost production of the Clan tech, and start to get the Swordsman and other mechs Royal grade refits and production, I want to be able to utterly destroy the ones who did this to Ian, and I want them able to know that they were outmatched from the beginning."

"We'll get on it right away." Quintus said. "I'll send Dana and Jonathon your way before you have an explosive chain reaction."

Altair, October 31st, 3031

"We made them retreat from here, but I'm not certain that it's a good thing." Stone said as he climbed out of his Marauder. "We're going to be stuck here until we can get relief from Archon Steiner." He looked at the pockmarked and slightly melted armor of his 'mech.

"I'm just glad we made it out of here alive sir." Vance climbed up to meet him. "That was the hardest fight we've ever been in."

"I still don't know why Wolf left though." Stone said as he took a sip of water from his canteen. "It'll probably bother me for a while though, and until we finish tying all of this down for the Steiners to send a relief force we're going to be on our own."

"I'll start getting the list of our people who speak Japanese together." Vance agreed. "We've got the hardest job ahead of us now, pacification."

Kessel, November 2nd, 3031

"It's good to see someone here to take over." Colonel Zoe Carter greeted the CO of the 2nd Skye Rangers. "We nailed down and fought off a significant amount of forces over the last six months or so."

"We got your reports." The CO of the 2nd Skye responded. "We'll take it from here and the Archon wants your unit to report to Tharkad for some Rest and Recovery before pushing into Combine space even further."

"Thanks," Carter replied. "My unit will be happy to hear it."

New Avalon, November 4th, 3031

"We're never getting deployed." David Hull-Kerensky complained to his drinking partner Morgan Hasek-Davion.

"Tis the life of being the only heir." He agreed as he knocked back his own shot."Until we're able to convince the higher ups that we're responsible enough to not expose ourselves in front line combat."

"The downsides of being nobles." David agreed. "We should probably head back to the Palace though." He looked around. "The detail that Mathis has assigned to me don't like me staying in one place for too long."

"Same." Morgan jerked his head back towards the area where his own bodyguard detail was attempting to remain hidden. "Mine are a little more obnoxious than yours though."

"Mathis just emphasizes stealth a little bit more. But, I all but guarantee that I've got some plainclothes guards as well as Mithril close and on standby." David said as he stood up. "I've got a feeling that something bad is about to happen."

The two heirs had barely gotten into their armored vehicles before an explosion and fireball erupted from the bar they had just left.

"Get down!" The head of David's bodyguard detail yelled. " And stay down, the windows are armored, but you're not in Mithril." The vehicle peeled off and moved aggressively back to the Davion Palace as fast as it could navigate the traffic.