"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
[Message/communication apparatus]
Date: August 1091
Location: Adeptus Sprawiedliwi Ministrial Office, Kawalerielki Alliance, Kazimierz.
POV: Narrator
“What a lovely way to start our little discussion, surely you do not mind having our specialty first, no?” Ioleta said calmly while sipping on her tea. She spoke with her usual soft and welcoming tone, but her eyes were abze with shimmering emotion boiling underneath. She is currently speaking with not one but two K.G.G.C.’s Spokesmen who sported the same smile with equally thorny eyes.
“That would be our honor to partake upon, Lady Grand Knight.” Said a man with slick bck hair and sharp eyes. He is dressed in all darker brown clothes and pants. He donned the K.G.G.C. trademark mantle on his shoulder while his partner wore a much more contemporary outfit and gsses.
Despite what he said, he did not immediately take a sip on it and merely held it in his palm with the tray. His colleague makes a courtesy bow before taking a small sip on his own. They watch her quietly and advance the discussion with quite a pointed argument.
“Lady Baroness’s movements had been quite concerning as of te, and we are here to try and understand it better.” The other spokesman made his cim, and Ioleta’s brows knitted tighter for each sylble.
“Which is why I assure you gentlemen that we are more than gd to cooperate. The Grey Serpent is not within our jurisdiction, and I dare wager she has been commissioned handsomely by the K.G.C.C.’s council … mayhap it pertained yours instead of ours?”
“Quite the bizarre jest you have there, Lady Grand Knight. K.G.G.C would gain little from an unchecked mercenary.”
“Mercenary, was it? Last I checked our common colborator was registered as a duly proficient messenger. No message she delivered had yet to fail, and my dear colleague in the National Council would agree.”
“We are aware, and that is why we hope for your cooperation to ascertain her motive. She consigned a state of alert in the northeastern edge was unlikely to be a mere coincidence.”
“This is a chaotic nd, and Lady Baroness with her colleagues keeps the nd as safe and controlled as possible. It would do well for us to understand that, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course. Contingency Contract had submitted the legal papers and stipution to perform their operation in said area, and from reports they had been quite successful. Albeit we found something strange… the amount of applicants has been unusually high, surely that too was not merely a coincidence?”
Ioleta’s smile is a dazzling work of art, but her eyes have been turned cold and her blood boiled forevermore. Her critical gaze made her voice bleed into a nigh-venomous hiss.
“Hoh? I like daring people, reminds me of simpler times.”
“I agreed with Your Excellency’s thinking, growth was often given impetus by the bold.”
“I found you quite bold as well, not every day could I have such an engaging conversation with the other side. Maybe I should try viewing circumstances from such side as well?”
“K.G.G.C. would be thrilled to have you, Lady Grand Knight. We are just mouthpieces on behalf of Kazimierz's continued growth and desire to move forward. It would do well for us to keep an amicable retionship, this nation has much to accomplish. Thus your willingness to cooperate further would be ideal.”
“Quite so, even I dare wager it hinges on the bance to truly move forward. The advancement had certainly been a massive boon. Why, even someone as busy as I met new faces coming and going from the National Council.”
Ioleta’s praise was mirrored on her reflection by the mahogany table separating the two sides. Her smile seen upside down turned into a sneer, and that did not escape the Spokesmen's notice. The younger one with gsses on smiled at her words, before commenting on his own.
“Indeed, and it was an exciting possibility to be sure. Perhaps only trumped by the now famous Margaret Nearl.” The Grand Knight flinched a tiny bit at the mention of Margaret. The Nearl’s sole competitor of the 22nd Major was a sensation that eclipsed her retive and even Degenbrecher herself.
Margaret scored a perfect victory in a battle royal match. Scoring 80 knockouts all by herself, surpassing Degenbrecher when she first started. Her skill could grow to even greater heights, and that also comes with its own set of problems. Unlike her more sensible retive, Zofia Narleka, she refused any form of sponsorship.
“Her skills were remarkable as if to showcase to the whole world what a real Nearl looks like. There have been talks, you see, to have her hold a conference to illuminate her goals and dreams. Sadly, she is quite a prickly person and dislikes attention like her Uncle.”
“She is young, perhaps she does have stage fright and the overwhelming attention could be exhausting. I daresay that Margaret Nearl only wished to spare K.G.G.C.’s from expending too much effort for her sake.”
“Haha, K.G.G.C. would love to assure her that they got her back. She could be the new face of Unified Kazimierz, with wealth and glory made abundant for all of us.” He smiles contently, clearly enjoying jabbing at the Grand Knight who still holds such an impassive gaze. His colleague continues after him.
“The people love Heroic figures, and her family has been a veritable drive to advance our national pride, influence, and interest worldwide. We performed analytics and found a staggering surge of interest back on the Major, she is truly a Knight that reignited hope, wouldn’t you agree?” He takes another sip, more rexed than ever while letting his colleague continue.
“Suffice to say, Margaret Nearl is right on track to be the face of a new Kazimierz. She is everything for everyone who has a sliver of aspiration. K.G.C.C. only with that she would be more mindful of herself, moreover, she is still a young knight brimming with vigor.” A darker gleam flitted through the three’s eyes, on the already tense moment and shared smiles.
“… Nearl family will always be an integral part of modern history. I see have nothing but respect regarding their excellence. Her departure from the Adeptus was mentable, we will respect her will as is our duty. The Adeptus is not so soft to let a Campaign Knight return home that it would compromise Kazimierz’s safety and security.”
She said nothing else and stared the other two in the eyes. The spokesmen did the same, frigid and unmoving save for their business-like countenance. Two factions with differing goals and designs for what would constitute the real Kazimierz. Ioleta linked her fingers above her crossed legs, she reaffirmed her and, by extension, Adeptus’ stance on the matter.
“We too would be thrilled to have your expertise showcased.”
“Poring through documents would be quite the back-breaking work, but it is what it is.”
“On that, we can agree.”
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“What is that moronic woman thinking?” Nelka nursed a growing headache in her temple. She is still bound to her wheelchair, the nerve poison was neutralized but further expensive treatment was needed with full recovery in 4 years at the earliest. Richard does everything he can to ensure she is cared for with the best medicine avaible, even if it weakens his position amongst the Adeptus’ aligned Knight Association members.
Nelka has been dispatched from the Adeptus to understand Nyx’s motives and if possible dissuade her from muddying the already bckened swamp. The situation outside the Major has been burning so bzingly bright that hushes and whispers of civil wars grow along with it. That is unacceptable, it doesn’t take a genius to discern clusterfucks and the international incident this would bring.
The Interior Secretary never accounted for Margaret Nearl to leave the Adeptus and strike out herself. She had rated the girl as foolishly honest, but she thought that Nyx had made her somewhat more aware of what she was doing. Turns out even the Grey Serpent made a mistake in her training, and that happens to become a trigger for what comes next.
She had advised Ioleta to perhaps make some concessions with Lord Kiril Nearl. Her suggestion was met with a gre so harsh she got chilled to the bone. Ioleta doesn’t try to hide her displeasure and is reprimanded to never make such a suggestion again. The best thing to do is to exile Margaret, but she thinks that it would piss off Nyx. Her best friend’s soft spot is only hers, not for the organization she is in, and abusing it would be the very st resort.
‘Nyx, please tell me what you’re thinking… Have you been blinded by something so grave that you would jeopardize the children at the Orphanage? What the hell happened to you?’
To say that Nelka is stressed would be an understatement. Margaret had acted away from her theorized script, and that aggravated her. A silver lining however, her acts could be rectified, she believes that with eborate ideas, schemes, and works, she could pull it off and send her back to the Army or at least not piss off a certain Ashen-haired Pythia. Averting the colossal fuck-up that is a Kazimierzian civil war.
Then a person who shouldn’t act up, did, act up.
At least that’s what Adeptus’ analysts and observers had deduced. A theory like this usually wouldn’t fly, but Nyx is famous for attracting problems, it is almost like she is fate’s chewing toy when convenient. More damningly, she thrived from being pyed around.
She is now, making contact with Catastrophe Messenger’s command HQ conducting Contingency Contract activity by the northeastern Kazimierz. Another problem in parsing fact from fiction would be how Nyx’s case was legally thorough and clean, technically speaking. She made the proposal, rectified it, and resubmitted it until it either fell through or passed. That being said, the blond-haired Kuranta could not understand which moron had waived a development this critical.
That was what she would have said if she had not read through the documents that were disseminated along with the MoU for CC. Nyx had submitted a report that a potentially illegal Originium weapon was tested. She had given the minutia of details she could, stating that there was a high chance it would happen. A case in point would be 7 veins of Originium being found just west of Wdirosa.
The question is, why the hell are so many mercenaries, PMCs, and even retirees answering her calls? There have been concerning reports that Nyx is gathering an army of her own under the guise of a Catastrophe Prevention and Security Contract. This, even as a rumor, is a serious matter.
The Grey Serpent is not in any way free of controversy, she had even willingly gone to jail for her severe infractions. Which wouldn’t hold up for long because she is so frustratingly flighty and blithe-spirited. She would deliberately act like a complete moron so idiots start thinking they could close in on her, and there were a lot.
She makes good on her promises and favors, and she always pays them off. This is where things get complicated, this increasingly exasperating woman is a strategic asset and a dangerous wild card. She had received reports of what transpired in Kazdel, like other select views, or what they could discern before their drones went kaput.
Nelka never doubted her, not one bit, but to see a glimpse into what she was capable of doing. She is honestly shocked. Doors are open for her, seeing her become a monarch’s right-hand woman is not even the most unrealistic scenario. She doesn’t have to enter the fray, she could just train and build a highly competent army and watch it grow her worth rise.
“Ma’am, we’re approaching their temporary HQ in 10 minutes.” A fully armed and kitted-out bodyguard called out from the front. He opens the partition between the armored cabin and the driver seat to inform her regarding their estimated time of arrival.
“Good, make sure to keep your eyes peeled. This mission could decide our fate moving forward.”
“Understood, we shall make sure you’re safe.” He closed the partition and Nelka snorted with amusement.
‘Of course you would since, ironically, anything happening to me meant that Nyx would instantly come to my defense… Terra, please give me strength through this nightmare scenario.’
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She finally arrived at the camp, and her worry only grew. She is not looking at makeshift control points to coordinate interested parties, no, she is staring at a highly sophisticated nomadic vilge. More than a few heads were turned in her direction, but after seeing her cadre of bodyguards, which also includes Ex-Campaign Knights, they mind their own business.
Being wheeled inside this hive of activity only made her a tad mad. She could not exactly project power this way, but swallowing her pride to achieve an objective is something she has grown accustomed to. Her destination would be a rge temporary FOB-like inner camp, complete with messengers coming in and out.
Her bodyguards presented the gatekeeper with her documents and was ushered in without much questioning. Nyx is famous, but she is no slouch herself when Kazimierz is concerned. Once inside, she scanned her surroundings once more. People from all walks of life are milling about to do their business.
She could see a mercenary and merchants bargaining for supplies and loot, their lively conversation attracts other potential customers. Turning to her right she watches as communication points to exchange information are hard at work, field reports are updated and contracts are id for taking. There are scuffles and conflicts of interest, but they keep it somewhat quiet since the ruckus would attract the wrong kind of attention from the wrong person.
Gazing to the left, the blond-haired Kuranta could discern common mercenaries from PMCs, even more damningly she found a group of Bcksteel employees mingling with Cordelia in some kind of wargame simution. Commanding officers from both sides even allow wagers to be pced to guess how it would py out.
She watched quietly as they made a mock scenario with the surrounding terrain as their battlefield. Soldiers and mercenaries were positioned on advantageous points, logistics were discussed, and the handling of civilians became a heated topic. What truly raised her brows would be the starkly contrasting view on how to deal with the infected.
Bcksteel employees would ter be done with them and move on. She had heard how their infected PMCs had been treated rather poorly, but the pay was still miles better than anywhere else. The Cordelian employees countered that liquidating them would only make a bigger mess. Sure they need to segregate them, but to intentionally stoke animosity would just mean one more enemy they had to worry about.
This is not just Contingency Contract dealing and business anymore, this is a very real wartime drill. She doesn’t know what interest Bcksteel has, but she feels like treading lightly against them is a priority. Nelka has a hand in Cordelia’s creation, and she knows the real shareholder, but this degree of influence felt like a smack to her face.
‘What the hell? These people are already acting as if the Civil War is a guaranteed future…’ She had seen enough and told her bodyguard to expedite it. Wheeled through the sparser throng of mercenaries milling about, she found Nyx with an unknown Liberi… or Pythia? They are in the middle of a heated debate.
“How many times do I have to drive this into your thick skull? If we keep concentrating the focus along the valley, the problem would increase.”
“In other words, it is acceptable to keep up with this highly wasteful method. Appears you’re not as sharp as people thought you to be, quite disappointing in all honesty.”
“Listen here, miss, what I’m saying was we had been wasting time searching around the mountains. That pce is so fucking obvious for a distraction, and so far we found not one of them.”
“Then we have yet to find one. Flooding in the pins would not be a truly bright moment, not to mention the ire Kazimierz shall- oh my~! We have a guest.” Nyx turned her head away from the meddlesome dy. Her eyes light up a little seeing Nelka arriving.
“Oh hi, Miss Interior Secretary. Do you have anything to discuss with me?”
“I do, but who is this?”
“Just a random woman I picked up on my way home, completely irrelevant. So what is it do you want to discuss?”
“… Hmph! What an uncouth woman…” The White-haired dy turned to Nelka and bowed gracefully. Her gestures and polite presentations indicate her to be a schor of sorts, but that grin just rubbed Nelka the wrong way.
“My name is Ho’olheyak. An employee of Maynder-”
“Prospective employee, Miss Ho’olheyak. Do not make me put it in a report of you abusing their trust. It would do well for you to listen to my directions.”
“Oho? So you did tend to be dominant? Hmm~… then why are you willingly being leashed like a dog?”
“I’m a dog, but what are you? The way you keep pestering me like a starved pigeon speaks volumes of your contribution.”
“Excuse you?” Her grin turned into an offended frown, which in turn tugged a nasty smirk from Nyx. Their very productive chat would have continued if not for someone clearing their throat.
“Ahem, I was not aware that my time was so cheap to be disregarded like this, or was I wrong?” Nelka asked nicely, but her palms gripped her wheelchair’s arms tightly. She has no time to deal with their childish bickering when Kazimierz is teetering on the brink.
Surprisingly, the two women cmped up immediately. Reining her temper once more, she turns to the leader of this operation.
“We need to talk, Chief Paramilitary Consultant, just the two of us.”
“… You take it from here.”
“Finally, some progress. Don’t be shy to catch up, I will handle it in your stead.” Nyx just gave her triumphant grin an annoyed gre. She turned her attention back to the impatience Kuranta.
“Follow me.”
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“I bet you’re here about that report?” Filling in their cups with tea leaves fresh from Victoria, Nyx questioned her. Nelka said her thanks and took a sip of her cup. Once internalizing the calming presence and aroma of the tea, she spoke softly.
“Yes, the National Council doubted your cim on the matter. Even more so when you had yet to turn in satisfactory findings on these… Underground explosives.” Nyx shrugged before sitting opposite her. She reached out beneath the table to find a briefcase, a thick and reinforced one too.
“… Are you trying seriously, you had it but refrained from reporting? I hope you could provide a good reason for it.” The Pythia smiled sheepishly, a bit guilty for her stunt.
“Because I could not do it without gathering as much evidence as possible. You should read through it while I answer every question you might have. I could repeat it as many times as you want.”
“That offer wouldn’t be necessary.” The brown-haired Kuranta takes out a recorder from her bag. It is fairly compact, smaller than the terminal but big enough to record 10 hours long conversation. With that out of the way, Nelka opened the briefcase.
The very first page shows some locations where these alleged explosives had been pnted. That in itself is concerning, but it has little in common when speaking about pattern or size and all being mostly centered in the badnds. Her eyes then tched on a photo beside the rgest vein to be nowhere near any known settlement but closer to border.
“Tell me about this one?”
“Oh that one, me and the boys found them a week ago. Using the VTOL made it easier for us to trace them. It was around 50 meters in diameter and found 450 meters beneath the surface.”
“Are you sure this is a credible find? Could you even cim that this is an actual weapon and not natural veins? If I calcute its worth based on the characteristics and details, this is a great industrial fuel where K.G.C.C. would have objected.”
“Let’s just say that investigation is underway and I have their safety as my interest. Then yes, this is a probable Originium weapon that I had seen before.”
“… Then why did you not file it in your paper? You do know that it would be much easier that way.”
“What? No, I did.”
“I mean the part that you had seen before. The only confirmation we managed to get from Catastrophe Messenger was the potential of an unstable Originium vein, there was no mention of it being confirmed as a weapon.”
“Which is exactly what I had been trying to ascertain. By the by, how well do you know how Originium Veins formed?” Nelka was irked by the question, she was tempted to refute that Nyx’s aim was to waste her time, but relented and answered to the best of her knowledge.
“It was caused by an amalgamation of Originium particles that parasitized over its host. It could range from simple tree bark to a living being.”
“That is a correct yman's terms… now, why the sudden pop-up of so many veins? If they wanna make a bank, then pnting the seeds of it would be more logical in the badnds or better Rim Billiton. Doing that here is asking for trouble. I mean Kazimierz is teeter-”
“Do not continue that line of thought or do I need to remind you that we have ws in pce to process threats to national security?” A very explicit threat that would have made anyone cmmed up. Nyx just looked annoyed seeing her denying it, but she relented.
“All right, sheesh, what I was saying… who the fuck is pnting seeds of money in a highly competitive region? Not only would there be so many pyers involved, it is going to cost them.”
“… Don’t tell me…” Nelka’s expression soured, she was looking for confirmation only to find more headache-inducing revetion. She looked back on the many positions for suspected veins and realized that it is arranged in a way that would allow rge concentration of forces to move unimpeded at first but stop them in confusion. Pins shall turn to contaminated marshes, refugees in the thousands shall flood inside out outside and yet… these pockets seems to be unharmed.
Then would these less than fully armed Originium contaminate that much nd? Not every pce is guaranteed to contain groundwater. Nyx detailed how the contamination was easily redirected without destroying the ecosystem too much. She and her colleagues eborated how the destruction back in Bolivar was 80% due to natural Catastrophes in the form of meteor showers. The flood was an anomalous interloper that happened after the storm.
These pockets on itself is too perfect because they wind around small vilges or inconvenient terrain, creating another set of barriers or a pce for designated use. It was an eborate design to funnel the opposing factions away from one another but this is a bewildering fact. How could it be discovered so quickly? What on Terra is happening?
It is not out of the question that Nyx is the one that has been pnting them, but that won’t make sense. The moment she gets this information to the national council, this whole charade is bust unless Nyx coaxes her or kills her. So why? Nelka decides that this much information should suffice for now and that disposing of those veins deemed detrimental takes priority.
“I had gained more information to support the veracity of your cim. I will make sure that the National Council hears about your finding in great detail… then…” She turned off the recorder, and her voice lost its authoritative edge.
“What the hell are you thinking, Nyx? We are talking about thousands of lives, yes the Wdirosan would probably be your primary objective… You shouldn’t have pyed with fire.”
She is concerned but also angry about how far this boneheaded woman is willing to go. Her ughable make-up, tired eyes, slightly hunched posture, and trembling fingers were enough for her to clue in the situation.
“… The optimal solution.”
“Optimal solution? Gathering small armies is your optimal solution?” Nelka parroted in disbelief. Her expression told the Grey Serpent just how unbelievable her cim was. Huffing out an incredulous scoff, she put her hands on her p. Her head shaking left and right, and she had the sudden urge to stand up and sp her.
“You have heard about the probabilities of more disruption in the upcoming Kazimierz Major, right? I mean, with this being off the record… let’s stop with the song and dance.”
“… Hah… fair enough. I was involved in the matter of fiscal and security between branches inside the Adeptus, and some more thanks to Richard. We decided to be more proactive because problems would always worm their way in.” A note of distaste left her lips, and her speaking partner snorted.
“Yep. It is almost like fate needs something to happen, and for us to react to it. Well, it makes things more interesting, to say the least. I have a nagging feeling that this whole thing is a ruse, and Margaret’s involvement in the Major could be the scapegoat if shit went haywire.”
“I see… so thousands of lives being at risk is interesting for you?”
“… Ease up, I just wanna make harmless little jokes.” Nyx tried to ugh it off but her friend’s gaze bore a hole into her. Her smile tightened and a pensive expression surfaced.
“There is nothing ease about it. Mercenaries from all corners of Terra are marching to this very nd, Bcksteel PMCs arrived in full force and I had heard that Fort Barron is somewhere in the waste. Lastly? I did not remember ever agreeing to create a small army for you.”
“I already made my promise to you, they are here as a precaution.” She spoke solemnly, but her dreadful expression was closer to being scared. Nyx's voice is divided between fear and hope in equal parts.
‘So pitiful, so frustrating. She couldn’t even convince herself who was speaking at the moment.’ Her wounded arm tried to reach out to her, but she soon grimaced. Exerting herself for so long was unwise, Nelka chuckled forlornly. She needs to be stern again.
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Grey Serpent… Remember that, Grandmaster Ioletta would not be taking a lenient approach if you stepped out of line. Think carefully, lest you made foes on those you hold dear.” Nelka proceeds to leave, the squeaking of her wheelchair failed to garner even a gaze from Nyx.
That same old farm girl’s disappointment had never been so btant before. She recalled the day of what happened to this frightening friend of hers who crumpled in her arms, weeping and ashamed. She even suspects that every progress Nyx had made to be a better person was dashed after her return from Kazdel.
Now this sight of her eyes that never left the floor carried a simir undertone, but she was not going to dig deeper. The Interior Secretary could not afford to let her heart dictate what is expected of her duty. Nor does she have any reason to lean on her emotions for counsel; the subject of the matter had shut her heart tight.
Once outside the room, passing her eyes from the gaggle of mercenaries and merchants haggling. Surpassing the PMCs who continue their wargames. Even above the many suspicious figures in the midst that are bartering for information. Nelka’s eyes are focused on the lush nd of Kazimierz. It had been trampled so many times but they endured.
Endurance is not what she wants however, she wants peace. She gazes through the windows on sets her sights firmly on the meadows, forests, and rivers that are recovering from Ursus’ scorched earth policy. She worries about the future after the civil war if it did erupt, and this time… Kazimierz wouldn’t recover as a single state.
Protections of Kazimierz would guarantee Wdirosa to be spared from the fmes of war. No matter how powerful the Grey Serpent truly is, the woman named Nyx has never looked as weak as she currently is. She remembered a certain retired Hero. He is the only one that had yet to use his fame and influence.
‘How shameless… we must rely on Lord Kiril once more. He is the only one who could do the right thing… the Adeptus and National Council had asked much of them… Conversely, the Adeptus would not be able to plead upon the Nearl anymore. Mr. M?ynar had risen to prominence outside of martial skills and he is not going to be forgiving.’
Their fame is declining, but judging by this nation's current state, they are going to be a sidelined but powerful noble house. Margaret had succeeded their house as the Knight Primus, and she was getting much closer to victory. The girl is bright, kind, and woefully a greenhorn in politics. Thus with a tired sigh, she left the temporary HQ and straight to the National Council to avoid stoking the embers of resentment any further.
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author’s Note:
Yo there, this is me, myself, and I, the Author who is a bit frustrated with how things are going. I’m quite pressed economically at the moment, so I have been focusing on how to find a job.
I don’t have much to say here other than trying to understand just how in hell Margaret managed to leave practically unscathed. I’m banging my head on the wall so hard for this one.
Would you prefer it for me to take my time or just expedite the process?
This is the st chapter of the month.
Ciao
