"Mono/Dialogue"

  'Inner thoughts'

  Narration

  [Message/communication apparatus]

  Date: Late September 1091

  Location: ???

  POV: ???

  “We have received priority messages.” Those words snapped my attention back to the present, the matters regarding future domestics and abroad had been pguing my mind but I needed to be realistic at the moment. Using my cane, I approached the communication officer rapidly.

  “Read them out.” My voice drowned the nearby conversation, and they too listened with care. The operator nodded at my command and cleared their throat.

  “The Grey Serpent had made her move. Our lord had forwarded the necessary materials for us to progress onto the next phase. It cannot be understated that we must always prepare for every eventuality and possibility. Try not to engage her agents unless necessary.” Murmurs of understanding and skepticism intermingled, but I already have an idea of how to move the situation as we would need. This is a great tiding, one less enemy is always welcome.

  “Where is she heading right now?”

  “Our eyes on the ground had verified that she had been summoned by the Kazimierzian National Council. The city is silently preparing itself to receive her, and we could expect the concentration of manpower to keep her in check.”

  “I refuse to believe she is so careless to let such a thing occur, she might be willing to dance but ignorance and pse in judgment should be foreign to her.”

  “Yes Sir, we found out that a sensitive document had indeed been transferred to Lady Nelka Ramona. However, it was soon leaked to the governing body before she could strategize on minimizing the upcoming outburst. The Council was understandably furious, and there has been a loud call to have the Grey Serpent answer directly.”

  ‘It is an outright shame that the Grey Serpent stubbornly refused to move freely with either greed or ambition. She undermined her value, and with it came chaos. She acts like a coward, but when push comes to shove she will show ferocity eclipsing the Asns themselves.’

  “Quite ridiculous, isn’t it?” I couldn’t help the mirthless chuckle from bubbling over my throat.

  “Sir?”

  “She sacrificed many things to protect such an ungrateful nation, what does she see in these useless capitalists? They spent too much time counting on mere financing that even their current army is being dragged through the mud under a poorly attempted rearmament progress.” Tapping my cane on the cold hard surface, my eyes stare upward.

  “What a pity that she didn’t side with us, our nation could make use of such a resourceful dy. Useless grudges and meaningless pain have been mired too deeply…” My head shakes from the absurdity and pity I felt for a woman regarded as a nemesis of many people. She had done much, and her reward was to suffer in silence with little room for soce.

  “Anything else they wish to convey?”

  “Our forces and colborators are mustering as we speak. We had issued construction of observation posts on multiple sectors and discreet monitoring nets. A system of couriers and messengers had been established as a secondary measure during communication issues.”

  “It is but a matter of time until the situation escates, thus there is no further need to influence those factions and disturb our people’s modest peace. Relinquish to our independent elements the right to improvise but strictly enforce limits on them prioritizing no-contact policy with one another. Would that be all?” The Communication Officer nodded at my query.

  “Very good, direct our embedded operatives to start assembling for the upcoming and further escations. Send words to our allies and those bsted opportunists, but also take due care not to alert our foes. To further provide against the incoming intrusion, prepare a separate extraction team.” I turned back to the many eager and able men and women of this great country.

  “My brethren in arms, we march.” My subordinates hurried to their position, and a few head further outside the hideout. Old or young mattered not, they were here to cling to a singur dream. Their varying expressions or grim focus, their trembling figures or stoic bearing, and even their fear and forlorn hope were etched clearly.

  All of us are but fools. We have a singur dream too idealistic on this hell on earth; a dream that was threatened by those selfishly looking onto the past. I was one of those fools, but I realize…

  ‘A single nation couldn’t bear the weight of an entire world.’ My gaze heads towards a nd where deaths linger forevermore and outst even the best and worst of fate. A nd greater than we could fathom, and a nd that was tried again and again to tame but to no avail. If we insist on relying on the sophistry of old…

  ‘We will die alone. I fear that our death would not be raging against the lights growing dim, but a pitiful whimper amidst the cries of those who couldn’t protect themselves.’ How sinful have we become, to be reduced to this? No matter. My eyes stared back onto a space in front of me, a beehive of activity and long-forgotten camaraderie.

  Armories and vehicle depots are no longer sealed, with a great many weapons of war assembled and maintained as if we never lost them. The embzoned symbol of my country stood starkly in contrast with the darkening color around us. We have endured and we can finally step forth to a better age. For our people, we must try to weaken our foes. Even the Infected, maybe, just maybe, they would see that not everyone loathes their very existence.

  The road would be long and arduous. There will be many sacrifices with many more good people; noble and brave people, grounded into mush, but if it means that the chain of hatred can be undone, so be it.

  He told me that utopia doesn’t always justify the means, but we did it out of necessity nonetheless. It won’t absolve our sins, far from seeing any chances of redemption, and ironically would only add yet another pile that could amount to nothing but hubris. If we succeed we will die a traitor, if we fail we will die a fool and worsen our outlook. How vile, how ruthless, how dispassionate yet compassionate is fate to allow us this much?

  My steps brought me towards a partitioned cabinet, separated by grime and dust long forgotten. The Old Empire is dead, and with it came a feeble titan rousing and carrying the earth on its lithe shoulders. Whipped into madness that knows no recourse but the touch of hope is all it needs to awaken a frenzied response.

  Never had I entertained that the time will arrive for this old bones to once more raise a banner high. I’m too old for this, but what’s better than for an old tree to succumb and nourish these young stalks? My hand reaches out to my pocket, an old photo had rested itself for years. My old comrades who had either succumbed or taken a stand against corruption… it shames me to no end that it took me this long to even have a quarter of their decency.

  While my eyes are drown in nostalgia, my arms get to work in working the cabinet to unload its treasure. There lies an old armor I had once donned, and it feels… fleeting. When was the st time I fought? When was the st time I shed blood? No… I hope the war never comes to pass, but there is no such thing as certainty.

  My arms are now cd in steel, my chest adorned with the finest of my time, and I put the old sword inside its scabbard. Lastly, the old photo…

  “Wish me luck, old friends.” It was now id on the empty armory. Alone, and even I’m not so heartless to dismiss otherwise. I could not drench their memories in my folly, they suffered enough but allowed me this small amount of selfishness.

  Vigor and strength had indeed vanished, but this much is sufficient. The cane that supported me for ages should suffice as its companion, and thus I stepped away from memorabilia of a time when I was a proud fool and foulest of a man.

  My longing was broken when a sharply dressed young soldier gave a sharp salute with one of his hands steadied on the bde to suppress his tremble. They too are now donning their insignia proudly like they should be even when their unfamiliarity and na?ve excitement bled as starkly bright.

  “All units are prepared to depart, Lieutenant General. We had received words that supply lines are secured, and more than 60% of our supporters had given their blessing on this long voyage.” I gave him a nod and pointed my sheathed sword to a congregation of soldiers crowding over a communication station.

  “Tell our analysts and strategists a new set of priorities, I want them to think of substitute pns for counteracting situations beyond our expectations. Worse come to worst, we will need to hunker down until the pyers of this twisted game make their moves.”

  “Yes sir, and we have just received words that His Excellency is on his way and we will need to expedite. Additionally, he wishes to know what else we would need on the upcoming mission.”

  “Assure him that we will fulfill our orders to the letter and if he has resources to spare…” I think about what would be needed first. Keeping the communication line in control is wonderful, but that should be a superfluous caution at this stage… Hmm, let’s py it safe.

  “Requisition several eyes in the sky. If fate deems it fit, the New Year shall be celebrated in our hovels, not the trenches.” The young man nodded resolutely and saluted. His receding figure brought forth a surge of pride and pang of guilt…

  What has become of our nation to ask these ds well beyond their duty? All I could give is nothing more than words of comfort and thanks for their sacrifice.

  “Your Majesty, please grant leniency to your humble servant for his transgression… I sincerely pray that the future you envisioned could be brought a step closer through our insolence.” Turning myself straight to the nd where he struggled for the betterment of our country, I bowed while my men toiled in their solemn but vigorous procession.

  Date: Early October 1091

  Location: National Council Hall, Kawalerielki, Kazimierz.

  POV: Narrator

  A woman is standing beneath many hostile or indifferent gazes, less than a tenth shows her a modicum of favorable respect. This ashen-haired Pythia has been no stranger to many incidents and deceits that come hand in hand when differing factions are trying to jerk her around to their scripts. One such script is this very predicament…

  Her receptions were unfavorable at best because of her test stunt, but she looks no different than the st time she was summoned to testify regarding the madness that pgued the 21st Kazimierz Major. A good portion of the people present couldn’t help but develop suspicions that this woman is a real bringer of disaster and a way too convenient panacea.

  Nyx doesn’t mind their opinions one bit, she always regards her tarnished notoriety as baggage that she rather has thrown on the wayside. As, when the chips are down all she can do is power through. That being said, all they could do was sit on their chairs with scowls or cold eyes etched on their faces.

  Ioletta, despite the factional disputes, is the De Jure leader of the National Council. She is aware of the many misgivings on her providing Nyx a favorable treatment. Of course, she would never trade her duty on Kazimierz for personal levity. Their retionship won’t hold within this hall that had once been led by a king.

  “Greetings, Lady Baroness. I would have been thrilled to welcome you with a positive enthusiasm, unfortunately, you had no such right in the face of your action and transgression. You had explicitly withheld information that could prove catastrophic and a danger to public safety.” Her voice was uttered coldly, her smile did little to hide the stinging sharpness of her tone.

  “Then all I have to say is, thank you, Lady Grand Knight.” Nyx bowed a little but even those blind with social cues could see her ck of regret or even shame on herself. Her face barely registered the intensifying scowl of those who have less than stelr history when dealing with one another.

  “To not drag this council further, I shall be candid in my questioning.” Ioletta’s hands gripped her podium’s side tightly. A small creaking noise and shake were noted down by the Grey Serpent, but once again she showed not the slightest agitation.

  “What was the reason for you hiding such critical information?” Her questioning acted less of an inquiry and more of condemnation and incrimination. It would have been better if Nyx showed any sort of reaction, but she appears too prideful for that.

  “I have never hidden such, the update log had been dutifully recorded and under sections 119 – 52, I had explicitly detailed the existence of the test potential Improvised Originium Weapon. What I did withhold would be how many had been uncovered.” One of the Councilmen pressed a button to light up their name pque, and Ioletta gave them the go-ahead.

  “Lady Baroness, I need to remind you to not twist your words. Grand Knight Ioletta had pointed out the core question. This council looks forward to your failure to report the existence of numerous votile veins. I suppose for all your wisdom, your practical intelligence was dulled.” A scathing remark with a few mocking grin. Nyx doesn’t design them with so much of an eyesh batted their way.

  “Indeed, I never so much glimpse on the inside of a civilian university; that is true, and yet I dare wager pushing a pencil in the right direction is still the core teaching.” She smiled sweetly, but that made the councilmen bristled on their seat. The Grand Knight's soft, but stern, voice cut between them.

  “Please, we have no scheduled allocation for childish bickering.”

  “… My apologies, esteemed Lady Grand Knight.” The councilmen repressed their feelings but their eyes are an ever intensifying gres on Nyx. Of course, her ire was directed to the Pythia as well. Seeing no way out of this, and with morbid amusement, the Grey Serpent answered.

  “I was guided by my reasoning that inadequate information could sow unnecessary chaos. A piece of information doesn’t necessarily need to be true, even a flimsy excuse of its existence is more often than sufficient to influence the masses. It won’t be long before the byproduct of incomplete information and evidence could be misinterpreted and abused.” Nyx eyes never left the one standing above her, but no one realized that she was watching everyone around her.

  “My reputation aside, I had adhered to my core organizational values. My action was based on how to delicately handle the matter as is. With Kazimierz Major tracking and gaining an uptake interest, I’m obliged to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”

  Her reasoning is sound. She is obligated to keep the situation under control as much as possible while juggling her duty in leading with Contingency Contract operation. Despite that, however, more and more gres are levied on her.

  “Understanding your point of view was no excuse and too light of a reasoning.” The effects of her words reached its zenith when the Grand Knight half spat her admonition.

  “It is the heights of insolence for you daring to viote our rights as a sovereign country under a flimsy guise of keeping the peace or status quo. Words spoken in this hall hold weight, and each shall be held accountable.” The Grand Knight is indeed retired from frontline duty, but her polished and controlled presence engulfed the lone woman standing below.

  “Choose your words carefully, it is never outside the realm of possibility to have you branded as an enemy of the state.”

  Her dispassionate, hostile, and harsh words rattled her detractors. They are accustomed to backstabbing competition and cruel games of chess. Her dispy of honesty to her duty felt so alien and foreign, that in on itself would have been a subject of mockery. Yet the woman standing on that podium embodied the grit and wit of a monarch’s own.

  Truly a shame.

  Nyx doesn’t seem to be the least concerned from explicit warning bearing down on her, giving a negative impression that was it had been a more private discussion she would have ughed them off. Quite ironic, considering the person in question has no illusion of the stake at hand, but all that managed to elicit is a soft, thin, smile on her face.

  Her eyes are dead-set unflinchingly on the Grand Knight.

  “Your Grace’s query and concern are very much warranted, I would be gd to expin the circumstances of which I did what I did.” She carefully unraveled a series of papers on her stand, and she motioned the camera to lean closer. A projector was shown on the council, and she narrated her script by leveraging her beautiful voice; a step away from singing aloud.

  “On the 11th of October, I had uncovered an Originium vein that is a spitting image of the one I found in Bolivar. This much should have been a baseline consumption for the Council, what I meant, however…” She moves on to the next paper, and a few assembled members widen their eyes on the document currently shown.

  “We had collected more than 50 active Originium explosives embedded inside underground veins. 11 was found to be nothing less than a dud, filled with nothing but a mix of silicone, polyethylene, and Originium that had been refined above industrial and military standards they reacted as phlegmatizer instead of a detonator outright. Rendering them less lethal than what I had reported back in Bolivar.” A few councilmen whose territory had found and secured these veins start sweating a bit. If Nyx enjoyed their reaction, she doesn’t show it.

  What she does shows, is when she shared a physical proof of the device encased in see-through reinforced gss. It had been scrubbed clean of Originium of course, and it was checked and given clearance through the same door she came that could detect Originium burning in someone’s blood.

  “15 of these veins however, were modified and tinkered in polymerization between coaguting gel, manganese ore, and incandescent alloy usually included for a cutting-edge product, with the second ingredient being noted to be votile in the sense of how hard it was to be made. All these precious materials have been turned into expensive metallopolymers. If someone wished to manufacture a remotely controlled explosive, the material above should be sufficient… so why did they bother substituting them with high-grade materials?” The hall goes abuzz with chatters and murmur, Ioletta could feel her face turning pale slightly.

  Nyx pced the evidence back in its contained pce on her side. With it being an object of interest, it will surely be confiscated and studied wfully or not.

  “If they want to spread Originium and harvest like the previous ideas I had gathered with my fellows, all they would need would be corpses in abundance or mere tree bark. Why goes through this much length? What bothers them enough to invest so much? We know that Originium cared little on what manner of host it tched into, they; we, are all potential nourishment for it.” Nyx shrugged her shoulders theatrically.

  “With the influx of tourists, foreigners, and immigrants, mishandling the dissemination regarding the existence of weaponized Originium would cause severe consequences. I worked under my obligation to the Catastrophe Messenger in weighing my options to produce the best outcome.” K.G.G.C.-aligned members were visibly agitated hearing and comprehending her words.

  She has solid reasoning to not rock the boat between their disputes. It doesn’t matter who or what, Nyx's position as a middleman of sorts afforded her a narrow safety net where intersecting and differing agendas could coalesce when she is involved. Her moves to seal the information had effectively held K.G.C.C. at bay and actually in their interest.

  Her authority to requisition the commencement of the Contingency Contract counterweighed her position in the Adeptus. While it is true that the surge of Originium veins meant more costly manpower being deployed, it also streamlined their command and bureaucratic mess because of that inane charter.

  ‘Putting third parties on the ground also allows her the alibi to keep her investigation beneath notice. She doesn’t move from the CC Headquarters to divert all of their attention… She pyed us…’ Ioletta held herself from grinning bitterly.

  ‘Nyx gave K.G.C.C. security, wealth, and connection. Nyx grants Adeptus a breathing room and makes it easier to root out our dissidents. All of that was paid by a few stupid and unlucky mercs being used in her game… why did she do this?’ Yet that’s not even the tip of the iceberg that this brazen woman had done.

  If words get out that they are too mired in factional conflict and cost them security assurance, the next Major is going to be a slow painful death. Free Economy could gather vast amounts of capital, true, but they would have a hard time doing so if they are not trusted. Trust is a very votile form of assurance, hard to build but ridiculously easy to lose.

  Corinia would gleefully jump at any opportunity to knock them down from the veritable trade cities competition. Lungmen is unassaible so far, and their economic ties with Victoria through the Schwire Group are worrying. Discreet discussion takes pce, but that’s not all.

  Topics were discussed and Nyx eventually relented in giving more information to the council. Primarily regarding her works in Columbia and Bolivar. She shared that there were unconfirmed rumors of weapon testing being conducted in the badnds. This Originium weapon is deadly but not too lethal for the environment.

  She shared that governments of both nations had contracted her with the same search and research tasks. Despite failing, her work was satisfactory from how much information she managed to gain within such a tight schedule.

  “Next up… would be these…” She showed another slide to inform them of something that made the nobles stand up in shock. Few start wondering if the many findings for these veins were meant to shield the real situation brewing below their very nose.

  “Grave robberies, and from the looks of it… we’re giving them quite the spook.” Images of ransacked resting pces of fallen knights are being shown. The degree of desecration done on them was appalling, to say the least, and the Adeptus faction is looking through the situation like it personally offends them.

  “When was this uncovered?”

  “It hasn’t been too long, and I had contacted the main office to expin it to you.” Confused gnces were exchanged, and for once Nyx’s expression cracked into bewilderment.

  “Do not attempt to mislead the Council, Lady Baroness. There was never such a message.”

  “I did not, and I have written proof and logs in my office regarding it. All filed, prepared, and carefully curated along many field reports to understand this puzzling situation.”

  “Then if that is true, that point you had presented to the council would be one of the earliest in our line of questioning.” The situation is slowly unraveling into quiet chaos, someone had been intercepting messages. With the threat of someone inside the National Council influential enough to disrupt communication links, the situation had become messier.

  Another Councilman takes the spot to question her.

  “You have cimed to do your best, but I find it hard to imagine that you wish to protect peace by abusing our trust. Your action is in direct viotion of the w, and I cannot stress enough that you have twisted the arms of the w for your agenda.”

  “Then if abusing the trust meant that I could gather much more credible evidence? I neither deluded myself to be right nor was blind that I had overstepped my bounds, but the result shows for itself. ”

  “Yes, it shows that you shall be punished accordingly.”

  “Goes without saying of course.”

  “…” The Councilmen gave up trying to incite even a modicum of shame or defiance from this woman. Her conduct and acts do not showcase self-respect that would dissuade them from ripping her to shreds, but it did inspire a sense of confidence that she knows what she is doing.

  “Was there anything you wish me for, Lady Grand Knight?” She turns her attention back to the woman whose pensive expression went retively unnoticed. Ioletta made eye contact with K.G.G.C.’s spokesmen and they nodded at her.

  “We would continue our questioning ter, for now, the meeting shall be adjourned to accommodate the revetion you had elucidated in this Council. Make no mistake, you’re forbidden from leaving the city unless under explicit order requested and cleared by the National Council. For now, you will be interned in Section 72 High-Security Internment Block. We shall notify Contingency Contract to continue operation, but we shall instruct your parent organization that you be stripped from the commanding chain.” Her expression suddenly faltered into exhaustion.

  “Fortunately for you, the current situation won’t allow someone so skilled and accomplished to be left behind. You will expect direct assignment from the National Council. Failure to comply will result in you being officially designated as a criminal. We shall discuss who will be your handler at a ter date. Thus I decre the session adjourned.”

  With her words as w, several knights that wore armor a mix of military and police entered the hall and rushed towards her. Nyx bowed her head and simply complied with the Grandmaster’s words. She turns her attention to the ensemble waiting for her and presents her arms forward.

  “I am in your care, so go ahead.” (Un)Surprisingly, the officer disagreed with her offer (taunt).

  “We are here to escort you to where you are incarcerated, wasting state’s property must be avoided.” Nyx let out a snort and walked with walls of men and women encircling her. She spied their hands and saw that not a single one of them wasn’t trembling. She feels kinda bad seeing a little Feline on her side seemingly on the verge of tears.

  Ah to hell with it, just one harmless joke.

  “I might just run, you know.” A good chunk of her escort held their breaths, their hands gripping the bde, mace, and baton so tightly that their knuckles turned white. The commanding officer gets his shit together and chides her.

  “Your words just now had been recorded and no, you won’t do that. You’re too prideful to run away like a coward after that masterful dispy of insolence.”

  ‘In a twisted way, that was admirable.’ Of course, he won’t say that. There is a difference between trying to keep his sanity from crumbling and signing up for an equivalent of a court martial with all its wondrous severance package that entails.

  “To be honest, steel won’t hold you, your compliance is all we could ever hope to have.” One of them mumbled a whisper. Appears that they will return home without spending time in the infirmary if they’re lucky. Awkward smiles, grimacing grins, or half-hearted chuckles were replied with a tiny one from her.

  “Hah, good joke kid.”

  [END OF CHAPTER]

  Author's Note:

  Yo there, this is me, myself, and I, the author who is stressed as fuck.

  Guess this is the limit on how Nyx could still get away scot-free huh? Also, who was it that leaked the information? All will be answered in due time… maybe…

  Update number 2 of this month. I may or may not update more chapters this month, my health has been on a down low these past few weeks. Sorry for that.

  Ciao