Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 21, 2023 18:04:26 GMT
Veulas, Prime Minister’s Private Residence
Prime Minister Malax was rather proud of himself. He had been given the most impossible task by his Queen; find people to investigate her attempted assassination who were both able to be trusted and whom they had never worked with before. Since there was certainly a mole in Vaplana’s current investigation and spy network, which they had relied upon so heavily in the recent decades, Malax’s entire list of contacts was essentially off-limits. Starting from scratch like this was one of the most challenging operations of his entire career.
Somehow, against all odds, he had found two groups who were both willing to take his job and had passed the background checks. Not necessarily with flying colours, but Malax was a little desperate at this point. Maybe they wouldn’t last, but at least hiring them, for now, would get the ball rolling with the investigation and give him time to find more investigators and potential leads.
His secretary popped his head into his office, letting him know his hired investigators were here to take their mission brief. He took a shaky breath and told him to send them up. So much was riding on this investigation, not only the Queen’s safety but also the integrity of Vaplana’s entire information network. If these people were incompetent or untrustworthy, he had essentially doomed Vaplana.
The Prime Minister’s office was a spacious room with multiple plush couches and coffee tables, surrounded by a sea of books perfectly organised onto luxurious wooden shelves. Malax positioned himself on one of these couches, eagerly awaiting the arrival of his hired help. He hadn’t told them much before this moment, in the interests of national security of course, but they all had undoubtedly seen the reports of the terror attack a few months ago. Any investigator worth their pay would at least suspect that this currently unsolved attack would be the prime focus of any Government activity. And, anyway, asking these people to investigate terrorist activity during his original request for such a high paycheck would have probably given it away.
When his guests finally filed in, Malax stood and greeted them warmly. “Welcome, welcome! I hope your journey here was enjoyable. Please, take a seat, we should get down to business, yes?”
His secretary, who had led his guests through his office wing of his manor, had temporarily disappeared to bring the guests refreshments. A silver platter was presented to every individual gathered, which was full of traditional Vaplanan pastries and cakes. He also offered everyone a drink of their choosing, especially recommending some of Vaplana’s specialty floral teas. Malax had chosen a flaky pastry filled with cream and had his own teapot filled with a sweet-smelling tea.
“I am very grateful to have you all here today. As you have probably guessed, the event I will be paying you handsomely to investigate is the terror attack on Aurelius bridge that occurred 2 months ago. But before I go into details, and give you your lead, there are a few administrative points I must go over since this is your first time working for us.”
“My administration does have standards of how we wish you to conduct yourself while on Vaplanan ground. The standard rules apply; please, no obvious weapons. The last thing we need is more panic on our streets. You will be permitted to defend yourselves if needed, but unnecessary aggression will not be looked kindly upon. I will do my best to protect you from consequence when possible but know I am limited as to how much I can intervene on your behalf.
As already discussed, you will receive half of your payment upfront to cover any potential costs of your investigation and this payment shall be made to your accounts once you leave my residence. The rest shall be paid when your investigation is complete.
Are these terms agreeable?”
Malax took a breath to sip his tea and to allow his guests time to ponder his ground rules.
“Now, your goal for this investigation is to find all parties responsible for this terror attack and unearth their motivations. I need you to go as far up the chain of command as possible. And you must be discreet. There have been several potential security breaches in relation to this investigation, so I warn you to be vigilant.”
“I do have one lead for you. Several key witnesses of this attack reported that one of my cars was used to pursue them until they reached the bridge. This car of mine is still missing, so finding it will undoubtedly lead you to your first perpetrator. The car’s details are included in the information packet my secretary will send to you upon your leave. Do take a good look through all of the information contained in it, even if it seems irrelevant several of our informants have sacrificed a lot to get even the smallest pieces of intel.”
“I believe that is everything. Any questions before you get to work?”
One of the individuals on the other side of the table cleared his throat with the raspy voice of an eldery man after having sipped from one of the more traditional herbal teas from Vaplana.
His name was Delian Withmore, a private investigator who had moved to Vaplana recently and had made himself a name through a number of jobs for minor nobles and businesses across Vaplana.
He had looked at the data he had received until now and raised his head at Malax when he was finished, just looking at him for a couple of moments.
”I see, I see…”, he mumbled.
He looked like one would expect from his voice, tall and slender, with wrinkled skin and grey hair, deep seated eyes and a somewhat crooked nose, wearing a formal looking grey suit and a hat which was resting on his lap currently.
“Are there any special contacts that we can rely on for informing ourselves or looking for cooperation?”
He seemed to be pondering for a moment on what the Minister had said, then continued.
“When and where was this car seen the last time before the… incident?”
He paused again.
“In regards to your terms, I find them… agreeable so far. I assume if we finish this task to the government's satisfaction, future co-operations would not be out of the question?”
He was… rather calm, and seemed despite his somewhat ominous presence like he couldn’t hurt a fly.
- - -
In stark contrast to the man's behaviour, beneath the facade, the AI controlling the frame was already working at top speed.
What possible leads did he have? What information was he given? What potential suspects could he derive from it?
Processes and programs combed through vast quantities of information.
He had been sent here with the task to gain contacts and favours with Vaplana, in a similar manner to how many other androids were currently doing it in other places in this new Galaxy.
The result had been… mediocre so far. Not outstanding, not particularly bad either.
He did a number of investigative jobs for small businesses and lesser nobles in the past months and although he had not quite gained any favour with Vaplana so far, he at least managed to gain enough trust and reputation to be called in by the government for this… admittedly rather interesting job.
It was somewhat ironic though, considering he himself had arrived under false pretenses and a false tourist ID, similar to how the terrorists had arrived here.
Coming onto the job itself it looked, as expected, already more complicated than the minor issues the business and nobles had come up with so far.
Though his logic matrices followed their usual routines his personality matrix couldn’t quite shake the feeling something more was behind this. He had read about the attack in the news, obviously, but the number of suspects was vast and they had worked quite thoroughly.
This one would take time and effort.
Right next to Delian was another tall man who has likewise taken to sipping the pleasantly warm tea, a man who’s real origin was no less veiled in secrecy than Withmore’s.
Officially one of the founders of recently established Securitas security company with no real family, he was actually from Malaak and is really ‘employed’ by SCUM to make sure their new front runs smoothly. Upon arrival, he expected that there would be little interest in what his business had to offer to inhabitants of this beautiful planet, but it seemed that some things never change, no matter the galaxy you are in or how pretty the planet is.
People and politics never change.
So there he was, lucky enough to be picked by Malax himself for this job, nibbling on the pastry and sipping his tea while paying full attention to what the prime minister had to say.
-------
There were jobs that started off worse, but it didn’t mean that this one would be easy. After all, they were starting basically from scratch, with countless possible suspects and stakes as high as they could reasonably get for Vaplana.
It would be up to Sebastian Lundron and Delian Withmore to solve this case.
And dozens of staff working for Sebastian back in the base, and all the resources that Malax was so generously granting them… But that's not what he would write in the report for The Council.
He was mentally taking note of all the rules Malax was presenting them with, and it didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary. Sure, he would prefer to be able to carry weapons openly, as it tends to have quite an impression. After all, intimidation helps avoid actual violence. As for the terms of payment, he wasn’t too concerned. Once he had heard the initial price he knew he was ready to do anything to get it; it was vital for the success of his current mission to secure as much money as possible. How or when this payment would come did not bother Sebastian much.
-------------
After listening to what Delian had to say, a thought occurred to him. If the assassins had possible ties to highest functionaries in the government, it would not be a stretch to say that one of them could have misled the minister into choosing a compromised asset for this mission… Such as a lone private investigator. Was he working with the terrorists? Was he bought out? Or is he completely innocent?
There was little use of questioning his loyalties now, but perhaps later someone could be sent to look into it, if anything suspicious happens. After all, living on Malaak does not leave one able to trust others easily, and Sebastian always liked to know who he worked for.
He stopped pondering about uncertain possibilities and turned to answer Mr. Wickford.
“Thank you for your hospitality. The terms and conditions of this deal seem reasonable, given the circumstances. I am sure that your informants have done their best to gather this intel for us but is there perhaps something you might be forgetting about?”
Sebastian said in his deep, fruity voice. His face was memorable due to his birthmark and a barely visible childhood scar that went across his right eye, which he additionally tried to cover by wearing smart glasses. His darker skin complemented his brown hair, curled to the left, giving him a somehow carefree look even when he was serious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Forgive me for interrupting, but reading about the incident at hand I couldn’t help but notice that the assailants were armed with weapons produced by Takeema, a corp from the Union of Worlds. If we may have access to the evidence and dossies regarding the attackers and their equipment, it would be quite helpful to the investigation. I have several other questions, but those can wait until the end of this meeting.”
Malax was pleased on both a personal and professional level. Professionally, that his guests were both very receptive to the job and keen to get started. Personally, that they were both enjoying his tea. He had breathed a sigh of relief that they were both asking questions, that was a sign that they would take this job as seriously as he was taking his own investigations. Malax was more than happy to answer any questions they had.
Malax turned to the pair, hoping to answer their questions adequately and without rambling too much.
“We usually have a network of informants all working together on jobs, especially ones of this magnitude. Unfortunately, however, all of our informants that were working on this investigation are currently… out of commission.” Malax signed and put down his teacup.
He was referencing the sudden deaths of several prominent Vaplanan celebrities, who were secretly spies for The Queen. He was hesitant to bring this up in the fear that these gentlemen would be put off helping him out, but if he didn’t at least warn them of the risks they would surely meet the same fate, and that would be of no help at all. He wondered if Sebastian had a hunch that this was indeed the case considering his questions, especially since the deaths of the celebrities had been big news. Having someone so inquisitive and switched on would certainly aid the investigation.
“All the information we currently have, and that I have passed onto you, is their legacy for this investigation and all we have to go off. I implore you to be careful with what I have provided you and be cautious going forward. There seems to be some out there determined to keep their secrets behind the curtain, and are willing to do anything to achieve that.”
“In terms of contacts for you, if you have any more general questions during your investigation then you may contact my secretary, who can either help himself or pass more complex questions to me.
One other source that will be potentially useful to you is Lady Liliya Severa. She is a key witness to the events that day, however, she is currently under strict protection by the Queen’s head of security. I can tell them you are coming if you wish to see her, but it may take a while before she can fit you into her schedule. The Queen and I have her rather busy at the moment.”
“As for the car, it went missing from my business garage on this property. It was last seen by witnesses exiting highway 1 just before the highway goes over Aurelius Bridge, and any attempts to track it down since have hit a wall. My secretary can take you to the garage it went missing from and get you the relevant CCTV to study.”
“If you want to see the equipment and evidence gathered from the assassins, I will send you the address of the police station where it is currently being held. It’s not far from here, just a short tram ride if that. The officers there know much more about the evidence there than I do, some were even first responders during the attack, although I expect that information will be more of the same as is contained in the information packet I have sent you. If you go there tell them I sent you and present your IDs, I will let them know who to expect so you’ll have no issues gaining access.”
After his small speech Malax loosened up a little, hoping that most of the heavy stuff was dealt with.
“I am very glad to hear my terms are agreeable to you both. I am confident some ‘new blood’ so to speak will give this investigation new life, so I have high hopes of seeing you back in my office soon with a list of names for me. Vaplana is always looking for new connections, especially in this field, so if you demonstrate some impressive skills and dedication in solving this case I can guarantee this will not be the last job you will be offered.”
“If you find yourselves needing anything in the field, please do not hesitate to get back in contact with us using the secured channels. Is there anything else I can do for you before you set off? Any more questions?”
"Out of commission? Hm... I see. Certainly most troublesome. My condolences."
Delian pondered, furrowing his brow, that would likely mean that this group, whoever it was, had quite some influence and was equally if not more well informed than the government itself... a secret service of sorts possibly?
They would have to be careful in their investigation.
He had indeed seen the suspicious row of deaths of the celebrities, though had not been aware at the time the events would be connected, at least not in that way.
His new... co-worker, seemed to be capable enough, for now, which should have likely been evident by getting chosen for the task but one never knew beforehand. He would have to keep an eye on him, if not only to ensure he wasn't part of their targeted group. He may have to do some research into his background sooner rather than later.
He picked up one of the pastries and took a bite, chewing carefully and continuing once he was finished.
"I suppose if getting an audience with Lady Severa may take some time, we may as well ask for one now and do other investigations as we wait."
He paused for a moment apparently thinking.
"...and yes, that CCTV footage would likely be helpful, once we are finished here. A trip to the police station would also be appropriate afterwards."
He nodded to himself then suddenly turned towards Sebastian, lifting his eyebrows.
"Well, what do you say? Any more questions or any objections?"
It was as much of a test as it was a genuine question.
“I am sorry for the losses Vaplana had to endure because of this ordeal.”
Sebastian said shortly after him. Just like his colleague, he too was suspicious of the quite unusual string of deaths. At least he could inform his superiors back on Malaak to be wary of anyone famous from Vaplana, which could prove to be very useful in certain circumstances. But alas, that was not his priority right now.
“I agree with mr. Withmore. Scheduling an audience with Lady Severa is a must, but we should also talk to every other witness. Since it looks like that will take some time, we should examine the evidence. Whoever was behind this is highly capable and rather brazen about reaching their goals by any means necessary.”
‘And for that reason, we should be careful not to get taken out ourselves’ he thought to himself. Perhaps it would be best to assign a few of his men to watch over them discreetly, see if anyone is tailing them while they are investigating.
“However, before we start off I do have another question regarding the vehicle stolen from you. I haven’t checked beforehand, but I assume that most cars belonging to you would be specially ordered and produced by a single manufacturer, and that each one would have a tracker on it at all times. If we assume that the perpetrators got rid of that tracker, then we could still go over CCTV cameras in the city at large and look for any government owned vehicle that isn’t where its tracker points to. I can have my guys look over it while we are out investigating, I just need access to it. That would require your permission I reckon.”
He took another bite out of the tasty pastry before continuing;
“These are really good. So, if there are no more questions…”
“You’re right in your assumptions about my fleet.” Malax nodded at Sebastian. “All government and Royal vehicles are produced by one company, and they all have trackers fitted upon completion. My fleet hasn’t seen an upgrade or any new additions for a decade at least, I reckon. Fidelia offered when she was coronated 4 years ago, but I didn’t deem the expense a necessary one when all my cars are currently working fine.”
“If you want access to the city’s CCTV and car tracking data you can get a hold of that at the police station too, I’ll let them know to prepare some footage for you to take. I hope until then what I can provide is at least a start.”
Malax stood from the sofa and retreated to his desk, pushing a small button before pulling out his PDA.
“I will contact General Brodin and Lady Severa on your behalf. When they get back to me I will send the date and time of your audience to you. The police station will also be expecting you within the next day or two.”
After a small knock, Malax's secretary entered the office and waited at the door.
“Brian, could you show our esteemed guests to the garage at their leisure and show them the CCTV we discussed? They have permission to take evidence copies away from the premises.” Brian nodded silently, patiently waiting for the men to finish their business in the office.
“I am touched by your condolences, gentlemen. I wish you all the best with your investigation. If you encounter any… interference we would greatly appreciate being made aware.” Malax held out his hand to shake before the men filed out of his office, and when Sebastian approached he smiled warmly.
“If you would like to know where I get my pastries, Brian can give you the address of the bakery. They’re simply divine, are they not?” He seemed a little giddy sharing his secret source of sweets, in typical Vaplanan fashion he could not resist the joy of sharing the finer things in life with those around him.
When Sebastian and Delian were ready to depart Brian led them through the Prime Minister’s residence. It was a sparsely decorated place, the few paintings he had up were very simple. The place just oozed minimalist professionalism. Down a huge flight of stairs, a short corridor, and then another staircase they came to a door guarded by a woman dressed in an elaborate green uniform. She also seemed to have a bandaged arm. Brian and the woman shared a glance and she stepped aside, letting the group pass into the garage.
“Apologies for the increased security presence, gentlemen. The attack has all of us on edge. Can’t be too careful.”
The garage was a huge underground room. There was one clear space running down the middle of the room leading to a huge door, with both sides of the space being lined with cars. Most of the garage was occupied with the same-looking model, a sleek grey 5 door with tinted windows. That was the Prime Minister’s fleet. The other small handful of cars, all gathered in a corner, were varying in size and colour. These seemed to be Malax’s personal vehicles.
Brian led the group nearer to the huge door leading to the outside, where they found a clear gap where a car should be parked.
“This is where the missing car was stolen from. The intruders entered via the outside door in the early hours of the morning and took the car after a small encounter with security. Here, watch this, it will show you what happened far better than I can explain it.” Brian held out his PDA to the two men so he could send them a copy of the CCTV.
The footage showed two intruders enter via the huge garage door. The smaller of the pair was holding what seemed to be a hacking device, while the larger one held an assault rifle. They walked down the centre of the room, seemingly looking for a particular car. They actually walked past where the stolen car was parked, heading towards the handful of Malax’s personal vehicles, before a security woman dressed in green entered the garage from the door the group had just entered from. When she noticed the intruders she raised the alarm, taking a shot in the arm before shooting back with a small pistol. The pair retreated back towards the door before jumping into the nearest car, the stolen one, before speeding away.
"I suppose if it hasn't been updated in ten years and the current Queen has been in service for only four, it had nothing to do with the producer of the fleet himself."
Delian mumbled to himself as if making notes. He also took note of the pastry shop, although it was of little use to himself, Vaplanan nobles seemed to have a weak spot for these sort of things.
From the looks of it, whilst stealing the car seemed to have been planned, the culprits had in no way expected the woman finding them whilst doing it. That is of course, unless she was with them, though that seemed unlikely at this point, given the alarm, footage and woman being shot.
"I assume the guard has been questioned about the incident and could offer nothing of particular note in terms of information?"
He then pointed towards the door the attackers came in through and looked at Brian.
"Say, would you open that door for for me? I assume it is locked."
Sebastian was pleased with the increase in security, it was even starting to resemble the peaceful parts of Malaak. Besides, there was less of a chance to be assassinated with so many officers around, unless the killers were suicidal.
“I agree, it would be interesting to find out how they got through that door and to it in the first place. Are there any surveillance cameras outside?”
While waiting for a reply, he got another idea. Since the perpetrators got in what seemed to be a random car and left in a hurry, it is possible that the car they intended to get was different in some way.
“Would I be correct in assuming that every car in the garage was searched after the incident? Maybe finding the car they were after in the first place could yield some more information. I will require a complete list of personnel who had access to this place as well as those authorized to tinker with the cars for maintenance as well as access to the security footage for a few days leading up to this ordeal. It’s best to be as thorough as possible, and my guys back at the HQ will give it a look over to see if anything was out of order. Those terrorists can not be estimated and to pull something like this off they likely have someone on the inside.”
“Yes, all security on shift that night have been questioned. Nothing much came from it apart from general descriptions, which can be seen from footage easily enough. As to how they got onto the premises, they were apparently in possession of a sophisticated hacking device. You can see it in the footage, here.” Brian paused the video to point out the smaller invader who held a complex-looking device. “We have no idea where this device came from or its full capabilities. Vaplana isn’t particularly tech-focused, so please do forgive our lack of useful information.”
“And yes, all of the cars have been searched. Even Malax’s private cars were searched, and nothing of note was found. We suspect the intruders were aiming for one of Malax’s personal cars since those do not have trackers and are not immediately recognisable as Government property to members of the public. Although, the flaw in that logic is that the target, The Queen, knows Malax very well. She would immediately recognise any one of his personal cars. But maybe that was the point, who knows… Anyway, I’ll open the main door for you.” Brian walked to a small panel on the wall next to the large door and pressed a button, causing the huge door to slowly open to the outside. Sunlight streamed into the room, pleasantly warming any who stood within its reach.
“We do have outside cameras too, but you don’t get as close of a look at the intruders on their view. I can still send you that footage if you like.” Brian pinged the two’s PDA’s with the new data, but all it showed was the intruders scaling the outer walls, sneaking across the gardens and entering the garage after the smaller of the two fiddled with their device for a while. On their exit, the two sped away in the stolen car and seemingly opened the house’s main outer gate remotely to escape, probably with the same hacking device used to gain access and disable security alarms.
He also sent over all of the information Sebastian had requested, a huge file that would have to be combed through another time.
“Please do exercise caution handling this much data, sir. The Prime Minister’s house is a protected area, and if this data was leaked we would be handing those terrorists more ammo to harm us with. Especially since you say we may have a traitor within our walls, that is terrifying! I know all of the staff here so well, and the thought that one of them harbouring such ill intent to my family is simply awful.” Brian, having been around the pair for a while now seemed to be loosening up a little, he spoke a little less formally now.
“ My uncle, Malax, he’s been very stressed lately. Being his secretary I see more than I would as his nephew, and I do worry about him more these days especially now he is obsessed with his investigations. Handing this job to both of you has been a huge weight off his shoulders, and we appreciate you both for such. Is there anything else you need from me before you head out?”
"Excuse me for a moment."
Delian began, walking away and heading out the door, looking around for a bit, he could see the outer walls, the garden, though given they had been seen on the footage there wasn't anything which had given them any significant cover.
He turned around, towards the door and pulled out his holopad.
Using the holopad as a proxy he began to make an attempt to connect with the doors security systems, he was successful after a couple moment, though that was only part of his experiment. Using a proxy system he began feeling through the security's keys and and connections.
Brian had been right, they really were not particularly tech focused, whilst the security system may have been outstanding to them, his own standards were admittedly on a different level in that regard.
It took about two minutes until the door suddenly closed between Delian, Brian and Sebastian, only to open again moments later. Delian nodded without an explanation, apparently satisfied with his work, though he wasn't done yet, still connected with the system he began searching the door system and logs for traces that the the other hacker may have left behind and possible backdoors that were in the system as well. As he was waiting for the results, he put the pad back into his pockets and headed back to Brian and Sebastian.
"I... apologize for this little demonstration, there was something I needed to test. I would suggest hiring someone trustworthy to update your cyber security, though I suppose you also have numerous other problems at the time."
He paused for a moment.
"...and no, not at the time, considering you will still be available later. I would like to make myself an outline of the available information for the time being."
He had hoped to gain more information from the recordings, but it seemed that the ones at work here were too careful to blunder away their identities. At the very least they got their height nailed down and could get a clean view of their tools. This wouldn’t help much, but it did narrow the search by a bit.
He was more interested in the hacking device, it seemed quite advanced for Vaplanans, and he doubted he could open the door quickly and remotely no matter what equipment was given to him; he wasn’t particularly tech savvy, mostly because it never came up as something he needed to get better at. He will have to work on it later.
Perhaps there was someone who produced those devices?
Maybe they could be contacted?
Sebastian put away his holopad, satisfied with the answers he was given and the access to the recordings he has gained. Besides being quite useful to the investigations, he could also use the footage for other purposes, not necessarily so in line with Vaplana’s way of thinking.
“Thank you for your help Brian, I appreciate it. We will keep doing our best to track down the ones responsible for this. Could you give me your number so that we can call you back? Oh and before we go, Mr. Withm-”
He turned around as the door shut for a moment, he took a step back from the door, his hand instinctively going for the holster that simply wasn’t there, as the weapon was concealed.
Just as he was about to ask what was going on, the door opened just as quickly and suddenly as it closed.
After listening to what he said, he couldn’t help but follow up with his own questions;
“Mr Withmore, how did you…? If there is a security flaw I must insist you tell us about it now, before it jeopardises our investigation. Oh and do notify me with any information you pick up on, it will be for the best if both of us know everything.”
“Of course Mr. Lundron, here is my number. Anything at all you find yourselves needing, do not hesitate-” Brian yelped in surprise when the door next to him suddenly slammed shut, he was clearly not used to anything that was beyond a simple peaceful life. He was even more surprised when the door opened again, almost as quickly as it had closed.
“How… That security system is top-of-the-line tech!” Brian was very distressed that anyone could so easily thwart the security of his uncle’s home, especially with the high position he held. “Thank you for revealing such a flaw, Mr. Withmore! I will get on this issue immediately! I suppose we will have to break convention and get some off-world tech to align our standards with that of the wider galaxy…”
Brian took a moment to compose himself before turning to the pair.
“I suppose the time is near for us to part. Let me escort you to the exit, it would do us no good for you to get lost in the mansion when you have so much else to look into!”
Brian led the pair back through the garage, past the injured security guard, and up the stairs into the minimalist corridors of Malax’s home. Brian seemed a little more on edge since Delian’s demonstration, the gravity of Vaplana’s position seemed to finally have hit home for the poor man. He lived in a nation that was woefully unequipped technology-wise to protect their most valuable personnel against foreign influence, and that thought terrified him. By the time the group had reached the lobby where they had all met, Brian seemed less physically jumpy but all the more adrift in his thoughts.
“It has been a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. Again, we greatly appreciate your help with this sensitive matter. I presume you will be heading to the police station next? I have sent you the address you will need. I wish you both all the best!”
It was a quiet stroll to the nearest tram stop, giving the pair the opportunity to take in the peaceful Vibes of Veulas city centre. They could see Aurelius bridge in the distance, sitting still across the glittering river. Repairs had only just begun and would take a while to meet all of the strict requirements put in place to maintain Veulas’s architectural style. Inefficient by any other nation’s standards, especially considering the bridges’ importance, but the delay did not seem to bother many Vaplanans.
Traveling around Veulas was very easy, the trams ran so often that there was never more than a 10-minute wait for the next available. Such reliable public transportation meant there was little traffic on the streets during the quieter hours, although it seemed that almost everyone was also using the trams to get to their destinations. Luckily the lunch rush hadn’t quite hit yet, so the pair had managed to find a secluded corner of a carriage to quietly converse without risking being overheard. They still had a little while until their stop.
Drakador_Chaos [Exalted Network] — 04/02/2022 18:34
As they were sitting in the tram Delian, although subtly, still seemed to observe his surroundings diligently, though it was less about identifying who could follow them early on and more about from when they would start following them.
His sub-processes were still racing making predictions and assumptions, connecting dependencies and trying to calculate where they would lead.
Looking at his ‘colleague’ for a moment he nodded, apparently coming to a decision.
“So, what do you think so far, mister Lundron? The Vaplanan government seems to be in quite the predicament there, doesn’t it?” For the topic at hand, he talked almost unnervingly calmly, he was just about loud enough so Sebastian should be able to hear him, considering he was sitting right by his side, but quiet enough so the words would drown in the surrounding chatter for everyone else.
…and even if a potential follower would hear them, attracting their attention could possibly be even for their benefit, if that follower was careless enough. At least, according to his current calculations.
Their task so far was quite interesting and would likely present them with plenty of challenges. Luckily their clues were plentiful, unfortunately so were their suspects.
He waited for his answer, searching for the man’s background in the local section the ancnet in the meanwhile.
Sebastian was pondering what had happened thus far when Deliath interrupted him with his question. So far there was nobody following them that they could see, but they were, he thought, most certainly being watched by either the government or those that they were after. While he and Withmore were on their way to the tram station, he made a quick phone call back to the HQ updating his status, but not revealing anything that they were doing or have found out about the case. You can never be too sure.
But if someone was listening in on the phone call they could hear him saying that “It’s time you guys start helping.” Before hanging up.
This call would ensure that someone would wait for them when they reached their destination, watching but not following. That way they could have a look at Mr Withmore and start their own, separate investigation into him without Lundron ever telling them to.
And if need be, that person could follow the ones following Sebastian and his colleague if they noticed anything out of place.
He turned to Withmore, mildly surprised that he decided to ask in such a crowded place, but he must have his reasons. Perhaps he noticed someone following them and wanted to get them closer so they could hear what they were saying?
“I think that what we have so far is helpful, but not enough for a speedy conclusion to this ordeal. Too many potential suspects for now. As for the government, I reckon that they may not be vigilant enough about threats that… do not come from the outside.”
Delian’s search turned out somewhat odd results. There was surprisingly little documentation about this man, no date of birth, no country of origin, no known education and even no known online purchases or presence at significant events… The man beside him appeared to be a ghost, as far as the name went. Considering that there wasn’t much to go on for now, with time and clues in short supply, that may not be surprising. Perhaps it was just a perk of his job?
Delian nodded in response. It seems Sebastian had come to similar conclusions. A good sign.
"That may quite possibly be the case, yes."
The results of his search, or rather the lack thereof were... problematic. Not unexpected but suspicious, there was barely any info on 'Sebastian Lundron', which likely wasn't even his name, aside from from his occupation and his employer here on Vaplana, which seemed to be some sort of security contractor. As they still had time, he began searching for info on that one as well.
"Out of curiosity... From where were you contracted? Networking is an important part of our job, as you doubtlessly know."
Sebastian wasn’t too happy with so many questions regarding himself all of a sudden, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he merely sighed and replied quietly;
“Working for a company that takes its job seriously doesn’t allow for much freedom to disclose where we recruit from, I’m afraid. Perhaps after some more time knowing you and reviewing your performances, I could throw in a good word or two for you, maybe you could find out more if our cooperation continues in the future. Of course, I can always provide you with some contacts that might help you out more than I can networking wise. But, you are a private investigator aren’t you? May I ask what landed this quite important job in your hands? I'm not trying to insinuate anything, but I have found it is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to knowing your colleague.”
'It would be for the best if I stay cautious for the time being' Sebastian told himself.
Delian listened up at the possibility of attaining more information about the man, but the less it was possible to disclose at the current time, the more it made him suspicious. Although his reasons were understandable in this line of work. Regardless of that, it may be time to de-escalate the situation before he came across as too suspicious.
The man laughed.
"Oh, I did not mean to ask where your company gained you from, I was more asking about your company itself."
He paused and then continued, answering his question.
"I have worked here for a while now already. I did a number of jobs for the local nobles and businesses, which gave me a certain reputation. Which, on Vaplana, goes a long way to open up doors and possibilities."
It was, a curious situation, although he had disclosed information on 'himself' which was a cover, none of it was false or a lie. It certainly had its merits to work on long term operations.
Sebastian became interested. Before the man had his curiosity, but now he had his attention- Being close to someone connected with the local nobles could prove very valuable in the long term and it would not do well to alienate such an individual.
However, the mission he was on was top priority, so he had to find a balance between caution and building up rapport. It was probably for the best to keep tabs on this man, he would send someone to investigate deeper into him later.
For now, he merely chuckled along with Withmore.
“Ah I see, that is a different matter then. The company itself is a foreign private startup called Securitas, established on Vaplana recently. They are doing quite well for themselves. Pretty strict and professional, probably the reason why we were hired for this in the first place. Along with the fact that our new arrival greatly reduced the chance that we were working for the ones we are hunting for at this exact moment.”
Delaith nodded to himself, what Sebastian said was true according to his own research he had done in the meanwhile and so was his statement, to a degree. There was still the possibility they had been sent to manipulate the investigations though it became considerably more unlikely, given the amount of probabilities at play.
"I see, I see. Securitas you say? Quite interesting, so there are new ventures being set up even in times like these. I may take you up on your offer eventually, we shall see."
A small bit of the tension was gone, he would keep an eye on him, though it would be easier to concentrate on the task at hand now.
Memorial Park
As wary as the pair were, it was apparent nobody on the tram was interested in eavesdropping their conversation. In fact, everybody kept to themselves. The journey was very peaceful, polite chatter was all that filled the time from when they got on the tram to when they got off.
The tram slowly pulled to a stop not too long after the two finished their conversation, and it was their stop; Memorial Park. It seemed to be a popular stop, half the occupants in their carriage also filed their way out of the tram and into the sunshine.
The area around the tram stop was beautiful, especially for being in the middle of the biggest city on the planet. There was a small river winding through a lush green park mere metres from the station. The area was filled with wildflower patches and small trees which had been planted in remembrance of Vaplanan lives lost during the first Ancerious War, a small plaque on the station explained. Most getting off the tram headed towards the park to enjoy lunch, however, the two investigators turned left and began walking alone towards an old-looking building on the park’s outskirts. That was Memorial Police station, their destination.
Upon entering the building they were met with a rather sleek interior, much opposed to the ancient vine-covered brickwork of the exterior. The station reception was rather quiet, the trickling of a small water feature filled the silence pleasantly. There was nobody inside the waiting area apart from a receptionist in a crisp blue uniform behind a desk. The receptionist looked up from his desk upon their entry and smiled warmly in greeting.
“Greetings gentlemen, welcome to Memorial Police Station. How may I help you today?”
Delian pondered on the information h had gained on Sebastian for a couple moments, seemed somewhat absent until he was addressed.
"Ah, yes. We are here on... business. We have been sent here to review some information, the secretary of the Prime Minister should have announced us beforehand. Delian Withmore and Sebastian Lundron"
He nodded and waited.
Though he himself took little interest in it, he had to admit that the Vaplanan population had a hand with architecture and combining the aesthetic with the functional, the prince would be quite interested in this world. Even though their security could be better. On the other hand, the entire concept of being pacifistic was... somewhat alien to him, so it may be owed to that.
Sebastian didn’t have much to say, save for nodding when Delian announced them.
He got the message from his colleague when they arrived at their destination, there was nobody following them that he could see. He will launch a small investigation into who Mr. Delian Withmore really was, beginning with searching for any information on ancnet and forwarding his finds back to the HQ.
Sebastian took a moment to appreciate the contrast between the outside and inside design of this place, he was rather fond of it. Vaplanans had a certain talent for architecture and attracting tourists that couldn’t be denied, but he doesn’t see how their pacifist diplomacy could be sustained in dark times like the ones the galaxy was rapidly plunging into.
Sebastians search on Delian was... astoundingly uneventful.
What the old man said was true. He had arrived on Vaplana only a few months prior, living in a undisclosed location in the capital. He had been working as a private investigator for small companies and nobles which got him a certain reputation, there were some smaller details, some places he occasionally visited but nothing which stood out particularly.
However, interestingly enough, there was no information on him on the ancnet on the time before he arrived in Vaplana. Which was certainly suspicious but at the same time also not out of the ordinary given how vast the Galaxy was and that there were many places which did not exactly keep track of everything.
“Ah, of course, Mr. Withmore and Mr. Lundron. We have been expecting you.” The receptionist smiled widely and stood to shake both of their hands. “If you may follow me, chief detective Stone is eager to see you.” He led the pair through a set of double doors at the back of the room into the employee area. There was a long corridor with many doors on either side, leading to the offices and workspaces of the Memorial Park Police force. All of the officers that the group encountered while walking smiled politely at the investigators and made sure to clear the way for them, not wanting to interfere with the chief detective’s guests. The receptionist, in contrast, came off as very chatty and inquisitive instead of quiet and respectful.
“So, I heard you’ve been appointed to assist the chief for her ‘big issue’. Tell me, do you have much hope of catching the culprits behind the attack? I’ve been following the case closely, as have all of my colleagues. It was such a shock when it happened, so many of my fellow Vaplanan citizens were hurt that day. Some even died! My neighbour’s brother’s friend’s cousin was one of them… Such a tragedy. It would bring a lot of peace to all of us if some progress was made on this case. You do have plenty of leads, don’t you..?”
The receptionist barely came up for air when talking, leading to some of the police officers using the corridor to shoot Delian and Sebastian sympathetic looks. Clearly, this man was a well-known chatterbox. A nosey one. The group finally arrived at a door labeled Chief Detective Koletta Stone. The receptionist stopped before the door but did not knock for them yet.
“I do hope you have the experience and insight needed to crack this one, gentlemen. I do not intend to scare you, but there is a lot riding on this investigation,” He lowered his voice and leaned in to whisper to the two, “And, a little bird told me that this case is a rather dangerous one to be wrapped up in. I certainly don’t envy the two of you!” He chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood and finally knocked on the detective’s door. With that he finally turned back down the corridor, allowing sweet silence to grace Delian and Sebastian’s ears. They had a moment to themselves before the door swung open automatically.
When the two entered Chief Detective Stone’s office they were met with a rather exhausted-looking woman in her late 50s sitting at a desk covered in papers. She nodded to the two and gestured for them to sit, offering no greeting or any of the famous Vaplanan hospitality. Her tone was sharp, and she spoke matter of factly.
“Pardon my rudeness, but I am a busy woman.” She sighed and took a rather large gulp of what can only be assumed to be coffee from a crudely hand-decorated mug.
“I believe it is in all of our best interests to make this quick, so we may all get to our jobs. You have been sent to me by our dear Prime Minister to review my evidence and take over my investigation. While you may be acting under his authority, I would like to emphasise that I am still in charge of this investigation. Accordingly, I would appreciate being kept in the loop regarding any discoveries, and in return I will assist you in apprehending and detaining any suspects you unearth. Are we in understanding?”
She waited for an answer, studying the pair sat before her carefully. Her gaze was piercing, and the two felt as if she could almost read their thoughts like a book. Of course, that was impossible, but the woman’s demeanour was intimidating enough for them to doubt that fact for a short second.
Delian knew from extensive field experience that there were many sentient beings out there which had a talent to convey very little meaning with a lot of words. Unfortunately this officer seemed to be one of them. He did not appreciate the level of noise he was causing nor how much he knew about their job, however at the mention of a proverbial 'little bird' he listened up.
There may be more info to get out of this individual.
He made a mental note for later just before they stepped into the office of the Chief detective.
Considering how 'peaceful' Vaplana was supposed to be, the woman looked quite overworked for a human. At least from what he knew on human anatomy.
"Oh, quite so indeed. I cannot speak for my companion here but I have no intention to take the background work off you, after all it is only to our mutual benefit, is it not?
We will, of course, keep you informed, so long as we deem it safe and possible.
...after all there have been... incidents or so we have been told."
He paused for a moment apparently waiting for Sebastians response.
Sebastian gave the receptionist a polite smile while walking next to her, but was quick to (politely) shut down her questions.
“I am sorry for what has happened, and I hope you are coping well with the aftermath of that tragic event. I can assure you we are working on it non stop and we may have come closer, but we cannot afford to spare any details. This investigation cannot be risked, I am sure you understand.”
He nodded solemnly to the warning she issued the two of them, making a mental note of the receptionist and the mentioned ‘little bird’. He should consult Withmore about it when opportunity arises. He pressed onwards into the office when the doors slid open.
“Good day, I presume you were told about our arrival.”
He said as he sat down and let her speak. She got to the point quick enough and dominated the room with her character. He could understand the pressure and expectations that came along with the job, and admired those that would keep pushing on. Lundron was impressed, but didn’t falter, continuing on after Delaith.
“I believe that my partner said it well. We have no intentions in obstructing your work. If we all work together, I am sure we will make progress quickly, so yes, if it is at all possible we will keep you up to date if it's safe to do so.”
He made a small pause before continuing;
“It would of course be much easier if the aforementioned ‘incidents’ could be dealt with as soon as possible.”
“Good, good, it is a start at least that you are both agreeable. But, yes, these… incidents. I don’t suppose Malax told you much on those in fear of scaring you off…” Detective Stone sighed and held her forehead in her hand for a moment before continuing.
“You deserve to know what youre getting into, it’s only fair. All of the top-teir agents in your position on this investigation so far have come to a gruesome end. All assassinated in one way or another after making certain levels of progress. The information you have been provided with so far is the result of their sacrifice. We are doing all we can in this regard; we have detained several of the assassins themselves, but they are as tight-lipped as you would expect from professionals. We are no closer to finding the mastermind, which we presume is the same mastermind we are already looking for. So… yeah. I’m afraid all I can advise for now is watch your backs, and report any suspicious activity you find so we can work together on keeping you in this race. I will of course let you know if I have any breakthroughs with our detainees on this matter. But enough of that, since you seem eager to make a start I can hand you over the evidence I have, if you’re still interested of course.”
Detective Stone let out a small chuckle as she stood from her desk. Approaching a couple of boxes stacked in a corner she rummaged for a while until she finally found the one she was looking for. She picked it up and placed it down in front of Delaith and Sebastian. Inside were an assortment of items, notably a few pistols, a disassembled sniper rifle, some bullet casings and other equiptment befitting an assassin. There were also some papers containing a presumed design for the explosive device used on the bridge.
“Now, that is what my officers managed to gather from some of the assassins on the day of the attack,” She gestured at the guns and equipment, “And a demolitions expert managed to put that design together. Take it with a pinch of salt, there wasn’t much left of anything after the explosion, but that is his best estimate. And I have one more thing for you.” She pulled a tiny data chip from her pocket and held it up for the pair to see.
“This little guy will give you all the necessary access to our car tracking and CCTV system, preloaded with all Veulas data from the day of the attack. It will also give you access to live feeds and other day’s data if you need it, but that would take a little longer to load in. I also snuck in access to Vaplana’s criminal records too, but that is strictly between us.” She passed the chip carefully to Delaith.
“You have been granted initial access for a period of 5 days, so use your time well. If you need an extension, you’ll have to reach out to me and I’ll see what I can do. I had to cash in so many favours just for that small window of time, so if I hear you’ve been wasting it I will not be very happy. And if that chip is lost somehow… Well, I would not like to be in your shoes if that were to happen, gentlemen.” She maintained eye contact with Delaith as she laid out her warning and for an extra moment when she was done just to let it sink in how important that chip was. When she was satisfied the man before her understood, she finally turned away and retreated to her desk to take another sip of her coffee.
“I believe that covers everything Malax wanted me to say. Was there anything else I can do for you before you are cast out into the fire?”
"I see, that is... certainly unfortunate."
Delian pondered for a couple moments after she finished, looking over the confiscated equipment while doing so.
It may be best if he just downloaded the data from the chip and then just rigged it with a tracker, given it would run out in five days anyways that should not cause too many complications. With the additional access they may be able to track back where the intruders initially came from, though given that had likely already been reviewed he deemed it unlikely.
Although almost primitive, the equipment of the assassins certainly fulfilled its task, given the current track record. Considering that it may be beneficial to keep his disguise and Sebastian intact, they should probably stay out of the firing line where possible.
"Ah, yes, two things actually. Firstly, we do have access to the video footage now, but 'where' do we access it? I assume, that will be our next stop? That aside, the second thing would be if can you tell us anything about the gentleman who has led us to your office? He seemed very, hm... eager."
He paused for a moment, waiting, though coming to the conclusion what he said could be misinterpreted.
"Of course, I do not suspect him, I was merely curious."
Sebastian looked over the equipment while Delian was answering. It was nothing too fancy, but as long as it could get the job done, that wasn’t a concern. He recorded everything and took pictures, making a mental note to send it to HQ shortly. He stopped and paid very close attention to what Stone was saying about the chip- getting his hands on it became a considerably important secondary objective now. With it, they could keep tabs on possible allies and enemies on Vaplana, and if they could copy it… Well, the world would be their oyster for endless possibilities, even if not for a prolonged amount of time. Shame that she handed it over to Delian though.
“I assure you, we will take good care of it. This will help us considerably, I imagine. And thank you for the heads up, I believe it was already mentioned to us somewhere before…”
Perhaps if he could even get hold of the prisoners and somehow send them secretly to the underground base… He could get them to talk, he was sure of it. Sadly, Vaplanan principles disagreed with him from what he could see, and he wasn’t about to push that boundary.
“It would be really good if the assassins could just spit it out already… I trust you that all of their background info will be made available to us immediately, and that your men have already contacted anyone close to them. As well as having their residences and important places checked for info.
Not far away, his own men were keeping an eye out on the building and its surroundings constantly. Blended in with the public, Delian and Lundron were being followed- he wondered if Delian would notice it soon.
“Besides my colleague’s question, i believe we can stop holding you up from your important buesiness.”
“If you do not have access to a computer to use the chip I’m sure I could bully one of my staff into giving up their desk for an hour or two. Up to you, really. And as for the assassins… I wish we had the powers to really make them scared, that would certainly make them talk. My nation’s peaceful reputation makes these people see us as soft and unwilling to do what is necessary. We have exhausted all lines of inquiry with them, they were here under false tourist visas so we really had nothing much to go off in the first place. If all else fails, as a last resort I may have to break a few rules to get what I need.” She looked around shiftily as if to make sure nobody else could hear her. “But… That is strictly between us.” She quickly resumed her professional posture and turned towards the door to let the pair out.
“Oh, you mean Oscar? Eager is certainly a fitting way to describe him. Sorry if he’s bothered you. He’s relatively new here, only joined my staff what, a month ago? He’s…” She paused to think for a moment. “Talkative. Mildly disruptive. But he is good at talking down troublemakers who stumble in. My officers try to keep their distance, say he asks too many weird questions about their work. It’s just yet another problem I don’t have time to deal with right now. Anyway, you should probably head on your way, if you need a desk just take one and I’ll make sure nobody bothers you. If not, well I expect to be hearing from you soon anyway.” With that Detective Stone saw Sebastian and Delian out of her office and returned to her desk, taking one last tired chug from her coffee mug before turning her attention back to her work.
As the pair leave Detective Stone’s office they happen to see Oscar’s retreating back scuttling down the corridor back towards the reception, a bundle of papers in hand and an earpiece to his ear. For such a seemingly relaxed receptionist he is certainly acting a lot more energetic than he was earlier. But the way to the offices with free desks was in the opposite direction according to Detective Stone’s parting instructions…
Delian looked after 'Oscar' as he left and then exchanged a look with Sebastian, lifting an eyebrow.
"Would you like to...?", he started, leaving the rest of the question up in the air in case they were listened to. If Sebastian were to go after Oscar, he could likely look at the other data in the meanwhile.
It certainly wasn't optimal but if Oscar was actually part of their targets, that would mean that they had just gotten another lead.
He pulled out his holopad as disguise again and then started trying to listen into whatever the mans earpiece may be receiving with his implants.
“Sebastian nodded, without answering and carefully set off after him as if he were just going for a walk, expecting Delian to join him. He used this time to press after the chip in question:
“I have a computer back at the base. You could come over and we can look at it together there, or I can hand it over to my trusted colleague there and have him report his findings… I do hope this free time activity proves to be boring however, else it may raise concern.”
After all, it was awfully convenient. Such big attacks are usually planned months ahead, at least, so Oscar would have definitely made for a valuable asset. Could it have been paranoia? Of course, but as the saying goes: It's not really paranoia…
…If they are really after you.
He noticed Delian holding out the holopad and waited for a convenient moment to ask if there was a way he could listen in on the conversation with it somehow. The fact that he had already been using implants was of course, unknown to him.
Seeing as Sebastian expected Delian to come along, he did so, investigating the chip data would have to wait then. He lingered a moment on Sebastians question. Was it just him or was he oddly intent on getting the chip?
"Personally I think it may be more beneficial if we look into it ourselves and the access here should be closer than your base."
It would likely be better to keep it for now, time would tell if something was actually behind it.
He continued walking waiting to 'see' the results of trying to listen into Oscars comms.
Delaith’s access to the earpiece was partially successful. He could hear everything that Oscar was saying, but the replies were enveloped in a whole lot of static. Security on this little device was unexpectedly a lot greater than anything he had encountered on Vaplana so far.
“...not scheduled… urgent communications only, agent…”
“I know, but this is an urgent matter!” Oscar’s voice was clear as day, or as clear as someone whispering into an earpiece could be. “There are new people on the case.”
“No big deal… proceed like before…”
“These guys are outsiders, not from here! I can tell they’re the real deal. They won’t be as easily handled as the Vaplanan spies, you need to intervene before they get too deep.”
“...see. Leave… will follow… Keep up the good work.”
And the conversation was over. Oscar proceeded to scuttle back to the reception, too engrossed in pretending to look casual to check if he was being followed.
At that moment an officer approached the pair.
“Detective Stone mentioned that you may be interested in using a workstation for a while. I can take you to mine if you like, or will you be following another lead for now?” He glanced down the now-empty corridor where the pair were looking. “Or I could help with anything else you need. Toilets are that way if you need that…” He gestured through one of the many doors, clearly a little confused as to why the pair were staring down an empty hallway.
Delian frowned for a brief moment, as the communication stopped.
It seems his suspicions have been proven correct, which unfortunately meant that this place had already been infiltrated. Though this information would unfortunately be of little use if they were to expose it now. One person would be caught and all further leads would likely run into nowhere. They would likely have to bait them.
Looking at the new officers confused face he shook his his head for a moment as if having been lost in thought.
"Ah, yes, a free work station would be quite appreciated, thank you."
He turned his head towards Sebastian.
"You still had some questions for the receptionist, regarding some of the locations here, yes? I will start looking through the data and then wait for you."
It was, obviously, just a facade not to reveal their suspicions, though the officer would not know that.
Sebastian stopped for a moment. Seems like he would just have to ask Delian about it later.
He turned to the officer, answering him; “Thank you. I do want to ask him about that place, and you wait for me there Delian; I won't be long.”
He bid Delian farewell for now and went to the reception to see Oscar again. It would have been much better if they could get some info on him beforehand, but it is what it is.
He waltzed into the reception, waiting for Oscar. When he finally found him, he put on a calm but friendly face and spoke to him.
“Excuse me, Oscar, I need some help with permits and locations. I know this isn’t your expertise, but detective Stone told me that you are quite helpful around here, so I wouldn’t mind stealing you for a moment and have you help me.”
He paused for a moment before continuing. “Unless you would rather I go ask someone else…?”
The officer smiled, happy that he could help.
“Follow me then!” He led Delian back down the corridor the way he had came, before opening a door and revealing a large open planned space, full of officers and desks. A few workers looked up at the stranger entering their workplace, but seeing him being accompanied by their colleague they merely nodded and returned to their own work.
“So this is where the magic happens.” Delian was shown to a decently sized desk covered in papers. The officer quickly gathered some up to make a space for him and offered Delian his chair, before grabbing another from another vacant desk nearby so he could sit with Delian.
“If you would like some space to do what you need to do, just let me know, but since you’re on the investigation I thought you’d like to talk before I go. I was part of the squad scrambled to save the Queen’s party that day you see, and while I’ve already been debriefed and all that you may have a different perspective. So, yeah… If you wanna ask anything from someone who was there I’m here if you need me.”
Meanwhile, at reception, Oscar was looking very startled and uncomfortable. He had clearly not expected to be needed right now, and was scrabbling to shove something into his desk drawer before Sebastian could see.
“Oh, Mr Lundron, so good to see you. Of course I am happy help, but you will need to be more specific I’m afraid!” He let out a small nervous chuckle, before slipping back into his professional demeanour. “I can direct you to whom to ask for certain permits, and while I am new to Veulas I am quickly learning more about this wonderful city. I can certainly do my best to guide you to where you are going next.”
Delian nodded ponderously.
"I see, so you have been there in the night of incident. That is... hm..."
He paused a couple of moments collecting his thoughts and calculating what sort of questions he could ask him, whilst looking at him.
"Say, I will assume you have been working here for a while actually, has there been anything feeling off, in the public or on patrols in the days prior to this incident? Had you seen any of these people prior to the incident or did they... sort of just appear out of nowhere?"
Though he already knew from Malax had told them that these people had arrived here through various falsified and forged data, it actually made him curious if they had integrated themselves with society beforehand, if had just appeared out of nowhere... it could mean they were hired and hidden by some noblehouse or some underground organisation. Furthermore, someone like him who was working in public a lot likely had a considerable better feel for public opinions and mood than Malax.
"Oh and actually, if you have the time of course, would like to stay and tell me the the story from your own view as we look through the recordings?"
Sebastian smiled at him and nodded.
“Right, right. And while that would normally be for the best-”
He pulled him off to the side, where nobody was nearby, speaking quietly and seriously now. He was willing to pretend to be foolish enough to think those new around here would be clean and that only older guys were corrupt.
“I am afraid I can not trust anyone else on this matter. I have reason to suspect that other investigators have died because the terrorists have someone on the inside.”
He looked to the left and to the right, making sure nobody was watching. “And isn’t it a little too convenient that Withmore appeared slightly before the attack? And that he had this investigation handed to him on a silver platter after only a handful of jobs for the local nobles?” He sighed, appearing tired and disappointed.
“I do not think so. Even your colleagues here at this very station could be involved- but you are new here, I doubt they would approach you with a bribe when you are practically fresh out, with respect for the justice you serve. I have reasons which I cannot reveal now to think he is working with them. And you will help me with this matter, or detective Stone will hear of it… and when you piss me off, even she will be the least of your worries. So, you will tell no one of this, and you and I will be working together to bring Whitmore down.”
He gave him a cold, unflinching stare, and a smile that conveyed a serious threat hidden behind it.
“So… Was I clear? Or do I ask miss Stone to free up a room just for the two of us, to help convince you?”
He was quiet as ever, letting his tone do most of the work.
The officer sat next to Delian smiled, delighted that he could help even a little by answering some questions.
“Nothing seemed off before the incident, not at all. The public seemed content. Petty crime will always be around, of course, but there was not much public discontent if thats what you mean. But now… Well, its been so long and we are no closer to finding out who did it. That has made people angry, we get heckled sometimes now on patrol. Its understandable, we are just as frustrated. And that’s not even touching the problems the war is causing. While Vaplana is not at the stage of protest yet, I can see the early signs… You hear people whisper, ya know? That our Government is incompetent and needs to re-militarise to protect us. But also on the other side of things too, people say that the Queen is betraying her father’s legacy by even considering the option. Its, well, a mess. The public talking so openly on such topics was never something you heard before, but there are certain media sites obsessed with the politics of the war, and it’s starting to resonate with people. I worry that the culprits behind the attempted assassination have a political agenda, and the start of the discontent is coming at their hand.
“As for what happened… I am part of the trained armed squadron, it is not enough work to consume all of my time hence why I work here also, but I received the call to action early on the morning of the incident. The Queen’s personal guard member had phoned the head General, Jax Brodin, but was cut off. He deemed it suspicious enough to mobilise us, I suppose. I was just heading out from here when we heard the bridge explode. We rushed over and part of my squad remained there to help the citizens, I and a few other older members of the squad followed the General’s orders. We were to fan out into the city and track a few targets, not knowing which would be the Queen’s party and which could be suspects. Intelligence doesn’t like to elaborate sometimes… I just happened to follow the lead that led to the Queen’s party, and just in time too as they were being cornered in an alleyway. We shot the assassins, only non-fatal wounds of course. But before we could bring them in for questioning most died. Some blame us, but I know for a fact they used poison to die before we could get to them.”
Meanwhile, in the empty lobby, Oscar did his best to look incredibly concerned at Sebastian pulling him aside as he did, and especially on edge at his threats. But, with careful attention, one could see a gleeful glint in his eyes.
“Wait… someone on the inside?!” He whispered, playing into Sebastian’s ‘game’ eagerly, layering concern and panic into his voice. “How terrifying, any one of us could be next! Especially if your concerns are true… I heard the same about his career, he has only done some jobs for some minor branch of the Navarro family and for Earl Lathai Mercia, literal nobodies in the grand scheme of the noble political stage. His career has indeed sprouted from nothing, you have good cause to suspect him.” Oscar, absolutely elated with the prospect of sewing discord amongst the pair of investigators, was eagerly telling Sebastian whatever he thought the man wanted to hear.
“I’m glad you deem me trustworthy, sir. I take my role here very seriously, I would never betray your trust. I will do whatever you deem necessary to out the mole.” Oscar took a moment to check his watch.
“Maybe we should go somewhere safer… I could take an early lunch and we could go to my apartment to talk, it’s only a street or so away. You could be back here within 10 minutes, so it would not make Mr. Whitmore suspicious that you were onto him.”
Sebastian nodded seriously, letting go of Oscar, internally congratulating himself on drawing him in without too much suspicion from other officers.
“Indeed, I am glad you share my concerns. I will make sure others hear of your achievements once we are done with the investigation. If you are sure your apartment is secure, we shall meet there.”
He took out his phone, and texted Withmore while telling Oscar that he just received a message. He didn’t have much time to act, so he wrote a quick reply to Delian;
>Going with O, track dis phone if u can. Dont follow.
Could never be too sure that Oscar wasn’t just going to lead him into an ambush, but if that were the case he trusted his detail to take care of it; Delaith just needed to know the location.
Once that was done he started recording with his phone, pretending to power it off and put it away in a pocket.
“Yeah, ‘tis just a scam. Lead the way Oscar, we don't have much time before he returns.”
His security would as always follow them from a distance and intervene if they saw anything unusual.
Delian, took a brief look at Sebastians message on his holopad and then nodded in response to the officers answer. Judging by the public discontent this incident had sown whoever orchestrated it was likely well aware of that and it was likely politically motivated, which meant despite the Queens survival they had succeeded, to a degree and they were quite intent on not being found out, given the loyalist suicide troops.
He nodded again.
"I see. I see. Do you know which poison they used? Was there anything out of the ordinary about it?"
He put the chip into the computer and began searching the cameras, or rather, what cameras there actually were, their surveillance seemed to be rather spotty, as expected of a planet with a naturally low crime rate.
He started by pulling up the recordings of the evening in question and let it run from shortly before the incident, waiting for the officers answer and input on the footage.
“Keeping Vaplana safe is reward enough, Mr Lundron, although I admit I would not object to you spreading the word of what is to come. But yes, we should hurry, it is certainly not safe here.”
Oscar quickly gathered up a few possessions and led Sebastian out of the police station. He did not notice Sebastian’s security detail following them away from Memorial park and down residential streets. He kept Sebastian occupied with pointless small talk, about the weather or which of his neighbours were involved in disputes with each other over trivial matters. None of it was of any interest to Sebastian, none of it was relevant to any of his interests. The tirade only stopped when they arrived at an unassuming terraced house located along a residential street lined with sweet-smelling trees.
“Welcome to my home! I am in the upstairs flat, if you’ll follow me.” The interior was just as normal as the street outside. Refurbished houses turned into flats were common place in Veulas, an old city that was now struggling with housing people with such strict building laws. It was a small flat, but Oscar seemed very proud of his little home. He was quick to offer Sebastian a beverage of his choosing in typical Vaplanan hospitality. It was all just… normal. Until Oscar thought Sebastian wasn’t watching when he took out a small device from his pocket and frantically sent a message.
Deliaith, back at the police station, was watching a black car plow across Veulas on the early morning of the attack. It flew through red lights, nearly hitting several cars and pedestrians while heading towards Veulas Central, the city’s main train station. Two figures had gotten out and looked around briefly before bundling back into their stolen car and speeding away, having missed their target by a mere minute or two.
“The poison was Moven, a common Vaplanan posion made from the Movennia berry. While the berry is not poisonous itself, when mixed with certain herbs it is extremely deadly. Kills almost immediately upon consumption. The ingredients are strictly controlled, but since they are harmless alone it can be hard to prevent all methods of acquisition… Making its use an extremely common method of suicide, as it’s relatively painless.”
Now the car was speeding along the highway towards the bomb site. The bombs, while invisible on the cameras during the day, had been set hours before by a small group of masked men shrouded in darkness. It was deadly quiet at night, even for a main road, so the group had been uninterrupted. But, unfortunately, they were unrecognisable with Vaplanan technology.
Outside the police station a small group of men swept the area. They had been scrambled here after Oscar’s warning, although their speed was aided by being stationed on watch in a flat nearby. They watched with glee as Oscar had led away Sebastian and his pesky security detail.
Nobody now stood in their way as they stormed the police station, through the empty lobby and the corridors to the main working area inhabited by Delaith and about 50 officers. Their entrance was unexpected, unimpeded, and deadly. They opened fire into the open planned office space, gunning down as many people as they could find. Well trained mercenaries, to be sure, and they wanted Delaith and all involved in his case dead. The officer sat beside him pushed him to the ground.
“You need to go, sir! This investigation is too important, leave!” He yelled over the sounds of gunfire and screams.
Delian had no time to ponder what he just saw in the records, there was too much going on at once, though it was certainly useful. He did expect that someone would come after them eventually, though he didn't quite expect them to act that soon and aggressive. For a moment he considered taking down the mercenaries but doing so in the middle of a police station would likely do considerable harm to if not outright blow his cover as such he would have to leave it to the officers.
"Stay safe young man.", Delian noted surprisingly calm for a man who was being attacked by a group of mercenaries and then simply nodded.
With a quick movement he pulled the chip from the computer and started moving out of the office the opposite way the attackers came from, keeping his head down whilst trying to observe the mercenaries. He started searching for a building plan of sorts as he would have to find a way out of the building which his followers wouldn't expect or maybe a way to circle around them. Given they had attacked from the front they likely had backup in case he tried to escape through one of the more obvious exits.
It was a shame really they didn't seem interested in capturing him alive, he could have gotten some quite interesting intel from that.
“Thank you Oscar, lead the way.”
Finally, something was happening.
Sebastian had managed to get closer to the mole, and his security detail would ensure that there would be no way out for Oscar even if the worst had happened and Lundron was captured or killed.
Despite the place being nothing special and somewhat small for most people, it had reminded Lundron of home- Yes it was normal if a bit small, and on Malaak you would have an entire family of 5 fit in a place such as this. Indeed, maybe the place would be considerably more dirty and the residents poor, but he believed in the goodness of his people, even if not all of them, and had no doubt that if you were kind to them some of them would show as much if not more hospitality to you than he was now receiving from Oscar.
He took a moment to decide before eventually settling for some Vaplanian tea. This gave Oscar just the opening he needed to send the message; despite beefing up his own personal security and suspecting this entire thing was a trap… He had forgotten that with him away, the station and Delian were vulnerable.
It didnt take Delian long to find a building plan for the entire police station. Security on Vaplana certainly was easy to bypass, almost worryingly so. There were several exits he could take. The main entrance was obviously out of the question, but two others caught his eye. There was a rear exit used exclusively by the staff that led out to a small car park and a shortcut to a bus stop. It was the second main entry point to the building, so was easy to access. But, would the assailants have sufficient numbers to cover it? The second noticeable exit was a little more hidden. There was a window on the first floor that opened onto a rooftop. Not a conventional exit, but less likely to be watched.
He would have to leave this room by a door to his left either way, which required a short dash across an uncovered space. If he wanted to leave fast he would then have to dash straight down a short coridoor before reaching the exit. If he wanted to use the window he would have to turn right, go through another open office space to reach the stairs, then make a left upstairs into a store room to find the window he needed.
The attackers were closing in, the number of injured were piling up. He needed to leave, now.
At the much quieter apartment, Oscar noticed that Sebastian had been admiring his home and his tea. He took the opportunity to send a flurry of texts. He was certainly in what looked like a busy conversation. Before too long, however, Oscar put his device down.
“Ah, sorry, my sister is getting married soon and cannot make a decision to save her life. Anyway, I am very interested to hear what you know. What has Mr. Whitmore done to make you suspicious of him? Given you both are already so involved in the investigation, who knows how many of your leads have already been compromised. Which have you followed up and which remain untouched for now? I worry it may already be too late if he has betrayed us…”
Delian, listened to the closing in gunfire and steps and calculated his options, then decided for the roof window. He would have to be careful, it could very well be there were people watching the building from the surroundings, some of which were also high enough to see the roof, though it would still be better than people potentially laying in wait for him at the backdoor. On the other hand, people at the backdoor would likely be easier to deal with than snipers.
Perhaps he could also find something useful in the store room, depending on what it held? He cursed the fact he had to act without weapons but it was what it was.
He nodded, grabbed something off the nearest table, and threw it low in the opposite direction of where he would be going towards, waited for the impact and then leaped across the gap towards the door with an agility and strength which betrayed his supposed old age, though not so much that it would seem superhuman, landing in a roll and then going into a low sprint towards his next target without looking back.
Finally the time had come, but he couldn’t afford to reveal too much. Caution was in order, as he couldn’t leave Oscar believing that he was lied to. The boy looked quite inexperienced, but Sebastain would be a fool to underestimate anyone, let alone someone who is involved with terrorists.
“Ah well, we all have our families to take care of… but to get back to the point: I need more concrete evidence to make my move against Whitmore, and you will be my tool for acquiring that evidence. As I have said, this is all quite ‘convenient’ for him, landing such a job after only a couple of investigations for the nobility. So far, we have a couple of very solid leads, as the would-be assassins made a grave mistake when it came to covering up their tracks… But I cannot speak of the finer details with you just yet. I can only say that it's clear the queen has powerful enemies.
People who are not afraid to do whatever it takes to consolidate their grip on power.
People who are interested in returning to the old ways, too scared by what's going on with the rest of the galaxy to act when they need to and would rather turtle in their shells and remain an afterthought of much more powerful nations.
He left the thought hanging in the air for a moment suspensefully.
“The very thought of it scares me but… It is possible that the Eco-Enlightenment party has grown rather fond of their domination over Vaplanan politics, and fear change that others would bring.”
Lundron’s face turned dark with worry as he went on; “And in their lust for power and inability to do what is right for their people… They may have decided to get rid of the queen, and have one of their own assume the highest power there is in the country while they still maintain high popularity.
I am not an academic, but from my understanding of Vaplanan history… There is precedent.”
He slowly starts getting up from his seat as he continues on talking faster.
“And if they are indeed involved, that would mean that Wickford, the very man who hired me, is also behind trying to delay the investigations by getting rid of those who take up the mantle until his sycophants get in. And Whitmore is exactly one of those bowing down to the likes of them. “
His breathing becomes quicker as he looks around, making sure that they are indeed alone, even here. “...And this means that the entire system is bent on the destruction of the monarch… except for one party who may be able to help us, but I am unsure if I should approach them…"
The poor unfortunate object that Delian launched was a large hole punch that had been lovingly modified to sport googly eyes. It stood no chance, the second it hit the floor a barrage of bullets flew its way. The distraction worked perfectly, Delian managed to escape the main bloodbath without even a scratch. Everybody around him was too preoccupied to notice his surprising levels of agility, he slipped away without a second glance.
The corridor was quiet. Delian could hear a couple of gunmen advancing through a room up and to the left, but he was not going that way. If he was quick and quiet he could pass through to the upstairs without issue. The door that led to the open space was closed, but from what it seemed there was nothing but silence on the other side of the door.
Sebastian had Oscar hooked. He was not very good at concealing his emotions, and he was making it very clear to Sebastian that Oscar completely believed everything he was saying without any doubt. He was nodding along as Sebastian became more and more passionate with his delivery, even letting out the odd gasp at the right moments.
“I had no idea this went that deep, but now you’ve said it I can’t help but think you're closer to the truth than anyone else has been. Politics here have always been cutthroat, but nobody has ever been so bold about things. I suppose it was only a matter of time before things escalated. If you think the Eco-Enlightenment Party is behind this having seen the evidence I may be able to point you in the direction of the Party I presume you mention… The VDL meet regularly to discuss policy, recruitment, all sorts really. They would undoubtedly do anything to help you to expose a rival, if you wanted to take the risk of meeting with them. They do have a bit of a reputation around here you see, but I’m sure it’s all just unfounded rumour and slander. Would that fit well into your plan, sir?”
Delian pondered for a moment whether he should've interfered but potentially giving away his identity and nature this early would likely have... less than desirable consequences, for both the Network and Vaplana. In the end these men were sworn to protect the populace, 'death in the line of duty', was the term if he remembered correctly. Hopefully at least the leader of the station would stay alive so they could contact her again later.
As he moved through the corridor, he considered the possibilities and options. Given their demeanour so far, it was unlikely there were any of the mercenaries in the silent room, though he still took caution to move silent but quickly, looking out for the door in case something or one may be there still. In this manner he continued towards the staircase and up it looking for his next direction.
As he did so, another thought came to his mind, now that he was not dealing with immediate danger anymore. What happened to Sebastian? Going up the stairs he called his number. If he was not involved it would be good to warn him and if he was then he would at least find out this way rather easily.
It seems that Sebastian had Oscar right where he wanted him. Seems like a passionate guy indeed, but his inexperience will be the end of him.
“I think that is just what we need. Risking it is the only way to advance forward, but I need to find a way to do it withoutDelian... Are you sure you could set up a meeting one on one with someone important? We can’t risk this going public.”
He checked his phone again, noting that some time had already passed, and he didn’t want Delian busting down the doors or his detail getting nervous. This was, after all, supposed to be a short visit.
“Speaking of Whitmore… We better start going back before he gets suspicious, don’t you think?”
The silent room was empty. Eerily so. There was blood all over the floor, trailing towards most of the exits bar the one Delian entered through. It seemed the attackers he heard before had already been through here, so he was safe for now. The stairs were just the same, there was nobody here. For a police station so large it seemed that only the rooms nearest the main entrance were full of workers. Was that a good or a bad thing..?
He finally made his way to the storeroom. It was uneventful aside from a few rooms that Delian could hear groups of injured survivors hiding in. The storeroom, however, was also empty of people. But, he did find something else of value. This room seemed to be where the police stored their defensive equipment, or at least what was left of it. Either the attackers or survivors had looted the room. All the gun racks were empty, and no live ammo remained. However, there were some small deployable shields scattered around, as well as some shock batons. If Delian wished to be able to defend himself within the parameters Malax had set, this would be his best bet. But, would the Vaplanan’s appreciate him borrowing some equipment?
Regardless, his exit was right there across the room. He would have to move a box so he could reach the window, but that would take no effort at all. Once he made the short fall to the roof, however, there would be no coming back.
Oscar nodded at Sebastian eagerly. “Of course I could!” He blurted out excitedly, before quickly realising what he said. “I mean… I’m sure with a little work and using some mutual connections it could be done. When would be a good time during your investigation to meet someone? You’re in a good position, I’m sure you could control when the meeting takes place.”
He began furiously typing again, talking with his ‘mutual contacts’. “VDL frequents a club near here they conduct all of their business from. I can send you the address. Just turn up when you’re ready, I’ll make sure the right people know to expect you.”
“Ah, well, wouldn’t you like to wait until I get confirmation of a meeting? I mean…” Oscar looked incredibly nervous. He was torn between protecting his new tool from the police station ambush he just ordered and not looking suspicious. “I could just send the confirmation to you later I suppose… If you wish to leave now I cannot stop you.”
Delian looked up and down the shelves and pondered, he was uncertain of what he should think of that the fully staffed police station had been unable to halt the mercenaries advance, was that a point for the mercenaries or one against the Vaplanan police force? He was aware they were usually a pacifistic state, so this was likely not something they usually dealt with.
He could've continue pondering about what the wider consequences of this would be but there was no time now.
He grabbed one of the shields and shock batons and put them on his belt, when there had been an attack like this, a set of missing non-lethal security equipment should be the least of Vaplanas concerns. Following that he moved to the window, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Leaping up, he grabbed onto the window frame for a couple moments, looking outside before moving out through the window, first thing of all, trying to find cover on the roof and see if there was anything suspicious in or on the surrounding buildings.
To Sebastian however, it was now certain: VDL is behind this. Only thing left to do now is inform Delian of the plan before proceeding.
"A club near here? Duly noted. Now, as much as I would like to stay here and chat, I should probably get back. Who knows what Mr. Whitmore is up to now."
Sebastian stands up, shaking Oscar's hand before leaving.
"I'm already glad you decided to work for me, Oscar. With the two of us, we will get to the bottom of this in no time."
With this new information in hand, he left Oscar's house, and his security let out a collective sigh of relief.
But they were already starting to get tired, so soon they would have to be dismissed for the day for some R&R.
He quickly messaged Whitmore:
'all good.
I am omw back as we speak, meet me at the station.'
Only thing left to do now was head back to the police station.
The view across the rooftops was rather pleasant, all things considered. Many of the rooves on Delian’s intended path down to the street below were either rooftop gardens or subtly fitted with solar panels. There didn’t seem to be anybody around, not even on the backstreets and alleyways below. There were certainly no attackers in view on the rooves.
The gardens would provide visual cover to hide if necessary, however, the cover was not suitable to defend him from a potential attack. The solar rooves were slightly better in that regard, but they were few and far between. Veulas, being an ancient and historic city, had very stringent building regulations, making it incredibly costly to install such modern (and, most importantly, protective) technology in public view.
The gunfire coming from downstairs seemed to be reaching it’s climax in intensity. It was unclear whether the invaders were winning or losing at this point. Either way, this position was no longer safe. It was time to leave.
In typical bad timing, Delian received a message from Sebastian just as he dropped out of the window, once he was beyond the point of no return.
Oscar was in two minds. Part of him wanted to follow Sebastian out of the apartment, prevent him from walking into danger back to the station. Sebastian was a valuable asset, after all. But, ultimately, he knew he needed to let Sebastian go. He could not make himself look suspicious, not now he had Sebastian hooked. All he could do was wave Sebastian goodbye, and promise to keep in touch with him.
Once he had left his apartment, Oscar frantically called his contacts outside, telling them it was imperative that his new asset would not be killed by their forces. Sebastian was now more valuable alive.
The streets heading towards the police station were eerily quiet. In fact, anybody that Sebastian passed had all been heading away from his destination at a notably faster pace than the norm in the relaxed city. All Sebastian could do was await a reply from Delian for now.
Sitting outside, beneath the window, Delian pondered for a moment. If this had been Sebastians work, it would be unlikely he would've just messaged him, on the other hand, it could also be he was aware they didn't kill him and was just trying to find out where he was.
He closed the window behind him as good as he could from the outside and then headed to the next rooftop utilising as much cover as possible.
...however, if he didn't answer him he may just let him run into a deathtrap, something that likely wouldn't sit well with his employer.
'Station has been attacked, advising moving away separately and meeting up at another spot.'
He paused, if he wanted to take the initiative, he would have to pick the spot and be there first. He looked through camera footage he had seen again, using the records in his memory. Something public perhaps? Would their attackers have access to the camera network? They may have Oscar, though that still needed confirmation. The bridge?
There should still be government personnel there, and it was under surveillance, that didn't stop their targets last time, but it was better than some back alley or one of their witnesses.
'Meet me at the Bridge the incident happened at.' Now... just to get there.
He looked at the streets around the building he was on, waiting for an opportune moment to climb down and blend into the people which were running away from the police station. As he waited he checked the looted equipment, the shock baton was easy enough to hide, though looking at the shield he started to doubt whether he could hide it beneath his mantle, probably would have to leave it behind.
Sebastian had received the reply.
This changed things. Torn between keeping the security team for his protection and not risking being found out, he decided for the latter; it was time to lay low. He was probably more useful alive than dead now, so unless he starts shooting he probably won't get shot at.
While the message itself was horrifying, it partially cleared Delian of suspicion in his mind. It would make no sense, to attack the station with only himself inside. Nothing to be gained except for arousing suspicion.
Perhaps Oliver called them in while they were still inside the station, to get rid of those working on the case?
Or was there some other, unknown and hostile element that was after them? Was Oscar not the only mole?
All those questions had to wait. For now he would have to make it to the bridge.
Sprinting along as fast ass he could, he looked for the quickest route on his phone. With the message of the new terrorist attack spreading, it would mean clogged traffic; calling a cab would do no good, and the city was pedestrian friendly anyways, so Sebastian started sprinting.
'Got it, heading there rn. Call authorities for evac, you are the target.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It took a couple of minutes, running through the streets that increasingly grew crowded as he approached the direction of the attack, but fortunately Sebastian made it to the meeting place unscathed. He was carrying a pistol that he was permitted to bring along, just like Delian, but he would rather not use it if possible.
The shield left behind, shock baton hidden and meeting point decided, Delian had made his way towards the bridge at top speed, trying to stay hidden whilst wading through the fleeing and unaware. Though the seemingly old man sprinting like an olympic athlete did garner some curious looks on his way, most people were too busy running away themselves to give it any mind, after all, strange tourists were of no shortage on Vaplana, as such his short journey went unimpeded.
Only shortly before Sebastian, he had arrived at the bridge where the fateful incident had happened, staying in the shadows for now and observing the surroundings to see if and what would come with Sebastians arrival.
A couple moments later a message reached Sebastian stating 'I am on my way, should arrive shortly, are you already there?'.
The old bridge, site of the previous terrorist attack and the attempt on Queen's life was mostly empty of civilians, as people were quickly catching onto what was going on and were leaving the streets, or evacuating that part of town alltogether. Police sirens from local patrols could be heard in the distance, on their way to the site of the attack from other police stations throughout the city. Sebastian was looking around, calculating possible escape routes and where Delian would arrive from while trying to catch his breath leaning on a streetlight.
And that's when he got the message.
'Im already there. Are you being followed?"
Whilst Sebastian was still waiting for Delian to show up, Delian was standing in a inconspicuous spot with a good view over the area, observing his surroundings for any suspicious movements in response to his messages to Sebastian.
'If anyone followed me then I at least haven't notice them yet.' He returned in the next message.
'I will be coming onto the crossing from the side opposite to the bridge. Keep an eye out if you see any suspicious movements', he added, keeping any eye on the reaction and if there was any movement in the surroundings or adjacent roofs himself.
it seemed luck was on the pair's side. From what they could tell nobody had managed to follow them here, and there was very low risk of anyone overhearing their conversation. The bridge, still damaged from the explosion, was not currently in use and such there was nobody around. Not even repair crew, which may seem odd to an outsider. However, considering Veulas's strict planning and building laws such delay was par the course. The bridge would be repaired properly, using the correct materials. When the job was finally done, it would be impossible to tell anything bad had ever happened here.
What was evident, however, was the slowly spreading realisation of another attack sweeping the city. Sirens echoed through the now empty streets, most civilians now safely locked inside their homes. The panic was, yet again, setting in. The investigators could feel it in the air. This was a population that had been sheltered from such terror for all of their lives. Vaplana was peaceful, and most had never even known hardship, let alone violence and blood in the streets.
If they were to stand any chance of stopping these events and keeping these terrified people safe they would have to act fast. There was still time to investigate one more lead before the day came to a close, and every scrap of information they could dig up would be vital to the investigation.
Delian observed the area for a while, though finding nothing he at least found new confidence in their position and his suspicions of Sebastian were now slightly lessened.
It seems the enemy was not one step ahead in every corner.
He approached Sebastian from behind who had still been on the lookout towards the opposite direction, putting his hand on his shoulder firmly, seeing what his reaction would be.
"It seems we are in luck. Nobody has followed us so far. Though the incident at the Police station is certainly regrettable, I would say we should take the opportunity to to talk to the parents of the queens confidants, they are in less danger so long as we are not being followed."
He looked around one last time to see if anyone was looking at them and for an opportunity to get a vehicle.
"We should probably move quickly though. We can inform the minister, or rather his nephew of the incident on our way, what do you say?"
Sebastian was almost startled by that, his arm reflexively going for the pistol without even thinking about it. His movements seemed precise and motoric, done without any thought at all- this man was used to reaching for his piece, or had it drilled into him in some fashion at some point. But he quickly calmed down once he realised it was someone at least a bit trustworthy, and his only true ally on the ground, Delian. He would have to leave thoughts about the stark contrast of the city before and after this second attack for later- but it was interesting to ponder how peaceful this all might have been before assassination attempt on the queen.
"You startled me. You make a great point but there is something urgent which I must tell you-"
Sebastian needlessly looked around once more to make sure nobody was nearby.
His tone changed to a quiet whisper regardless as he looked Whitmore in the eye to see his reaction.
"I may have a lead on the mole inside the police, and new suspects for this attack and the previous one. I believe that Vaplana's Defence League may be behind some of it, but there is no concrete proof. I believe we can organise a sting operation, but we will need detective Stone checked and on side."
"We should probably talk about it in a more secure location, so lets get going. We should inform them about the attack first."
While there were no cars around, it seemed that the public transport had not shut down completely. the area around the police station had a significantly reduced service, but the occasional vehicle would pass through. No passengers would be allowed to disembark in the exclusion zone, but if a tram or bus was waved down it would certainly stop to pick the two up. It was common practice to keep such services running for as long as possible with the assistance of the police to aid people in evacuating the area. There would be an officer on every bus and tram ensuring people did not disembark in the wrong place or to keep an eye out for escaping perpetrators. All the two had to do was choose where to go.
Delian observed the streets as the bus made its way through the cityscape, it was in a way morbidly fascinating of how stark the contrast between a normal day and that of an attack like todays was, if the reaction here was already so extreme it made one wonder what would happen if an actual war broke out or hostile ships entered the system.
He looked over to sebastian as he waited for him to inform their contact of the incident and then nudged him with his elbow.
"So, what did Oscar have to say? You spoke of it as if he has made some great revelation."
He continued to observe the stations passing by. they still had some ahead of them, he picked one that was close, but not too close by the parents home, if he didn't see they were follow it didn't mean they weren't, more caution had never been a mistake.
Sebastian responded quickly;
"He was very keen on prime minister Wickford being implicated with the entirety of the Eco-enlightenment party. He has a particular fondness for Vaplana Defence league however, who are the ones with the best motives for this. They are are against everything that the government stands for, the pacifism, the Queen herself..."
He tried to remember exactly what had happened for a moment and judge the situation.
"While it may just be a dead end conspiracy theory, I believe it is worth pursuing. The motives are there, and the militarism and isolationism would be something any enemies of Vaplana could exploit. Oscar has invited me to a place where VDL regularly meet and hold discussions, and implored me to come without you. I suspect they want a one of the people leading the investigation to be on their side. This could be the lead we are after and something to inform Wickford about, at least if wea re to start the sting with me on the inside."
Delian seemed to be thinking for a while then nodded.
"It makes sense, yeah. So it is likely a form of power grab. The question remains: If it really was them, who instigated it and were their external contractors 'only' involved or also had a stake in it?"
He pulled out his holopad and called their contact in the palace as they waited for their arrival.
The other question was what the VDL intended to do with Sebastian. He should be relatively safe if he went to the meeting, after all, him just disappearing would cause far more issues than if they hadn't contacted him in the first place, so that was not a concern.
Question is what he would do in the meanwhile.
Perhaps go to meet the Lady Severa?
"I can't think of any obvious external enemies that Vaplana would have immediately, which is the entire point of their foreign policy... So for now we should keep all the options open." Sebastian responded while they waited.
Delian shook his head.
"It doesn't need to be 'enemies' per se. It could be someone who would be interested in seeing Vaplanas stance or policies change as a prominent native and pacifist nation."
An uneasy week had passed. With the city on lockdown for most of that time it had been impossible to follow up any other leads. The chip held little else useful information except a couple of shrouded figures abandoning the stolen car before it was engulfed in flames. It was becoming clear that the Vaplanans had been working from scraps of information all of this time, it would not be easy to piece the events together if using traditional Vaplanan sources.
In better news, Delian had managed to arrange a meeting with Lady Severa at her home. In a fortnight's time. It would take a day's travel to get there on top of that, so there was little else they could do but wait, unless he wished to hunt down the perfect opportunity to corner the Queen's maid Thalia when she made one of her rare trips beyond the palace.
Sebastian, too, had some good news. A week after the attack on the police station he received an invitation from Oscar. It had not come in the form he expected, however. A handwritten note had been pushed under the door of his establishment. The more he thought on it, the more horror consumed him. He had not told Oscar his address, and his subordinates had insisted nobody had approached his dwelling on their watch.
But it was too late to back down now, the opportunity to gather information from the inside was far too tempting. Sebastian had said farewell to Delian that night and, accompanied by a group of stealthy guards, he headed for the meeting point.
He approached a shadowy back alley on the outskirts of Veulas. He was looking for a bar frequented by lovers of alternative techno pop music in the daytime, and a known meeting point for political dissidents at night. He went inside alone, his men taking strategic positions outside. It was too risky for one to accompany him.
Sebastian had been expecting a casual group setting from the impression Oscar gave, but it was clear his intuition was far off. This was clearly a recruitment rally, men and women taking it in turns to give passionate speeches while standing on tables. They talked about the growing galactic instability, the ancerium shortages, Vaplana's vulnerable position. All reasonable points when not taken to the extreme. Things had been going well enough, until there was murmurs by the door of the crowded bar. Then, after some yelling, a single gunshot. The bar erupted into chaos.
The VDL members who had been giving the speeches spoke of an infiltrator, a traitor. Someone had apparently tipped off the police who had stationed men to surround the bar and storm the place when their guard was down. Or worse, pick them all off one by one as they left. Sebastian knew one of his men had been found, and in the darkness had been mistaken for the authorities. The VDL members, desperately trying to hide their panic, began pushing their way through the crowd, shoving pistols into people's faces and yelling at anyone who looked 'suspicious'. Sebastian began edging his way to an exit, any exit, when another flurry of shots echoed off the walls in the bar.
People screamed. The smell of blood quickly filled the air. The potential VDL recruits, feeling trapped, reacted to the act of brutality enacted upon them. The crowd surged towards the doors, and there was nothing Sebastian could do to protect himself from the unstoppable force. He was shoved hard, falling to the floor.
It had felt like hours. His body was numb from the pain of so many feet trampling over him. He was sure the person laying next to him had died as she fell, her lifeless eyes staring deep into his soul and her blood pooling beneath her. Sebastian had no clue how much time had passed between the stampede and the bar finally emptying of the VDL members who were muttering to themselves behind the bar. It had been longer again before some of his men kicked down the door and dragged his paralysed body from the now burning building.
He had been immediately rushed to the nearest hospital. His connections with the Prime Minister afforded him stellar care in the form of a foreign surgeon, and he had been told he would recover. Eventually. With Vaplana's technology it would take months of physio to make him well enough to travel offworld if he wished to receive better care elsewhere. He had been effectively taken out of the investigation, albeit entirely by chance. Delian would have to continue without his ally.
Prime Minister Malax was rather proud of himself. He had been given the most impossible task by his Queen; find people to investigate her attempted assassination who were both able to be trusted and whom they had never worked with before. Since there was certainly a mole in Vaplana’s current investigation and spy network, which they had relied upon so heavily in the recent decades, Malax’s entire list of contacts was essentially off-limits. Starting from scratch like this was one of the most challenging operations of his entire career.
Somehow, against all odds, he had found two groups who were both willing to take his job and had passed the background checks. Not necessarily with flying colours, but Malax was a little desperate at this point. Maybe they wouldn’t last, but at least hiring them, for now, would get the ball rolling with the investigation and give him time to find more investigators and potential leads.
His secretary popped his head into his office, letting him know his hired investigators were here to take their mission brief. He took a shaky breath and told him to send them up. So much was riding on this investigation, not only the Queen’s safety but also the integrity of Vaplana’s entire information network. If these people were incompetent or untrustworthy, he had essentially doomed Vaplana.
The Prime Minister’s office was a spacious room with multiple plush couches and coffee tables, surrounded by a sea of books perfectly organised onto luxurious wooden shelves. Malax positioned himself on one of these couches, eagerly awaiting the arrival of his hired help. He hadn’t told them much before this moment, in the interests of national security of course, but they all had undoubtedly seen the reports of the terror attack a few months ago. Any investigator worth their pay would at least suspect that this currently unsolved attack would be the prime focus of any Government activity. And, anyway, asking these people to investigate terrorist activity during his original request for such a high paycheck would have probably given it away.
When his guests finally filed in, Malax stood and greeted them warmly. “Welcome, welcome! I hope your journey here was enjoyable. Please, take a seat, we should get down to business, yes?”
His secretary, who had led his guests through his office wing of his manor, had temporarily disappeared to bring the guests refreshments. A silver platter was presented to every individual gathered, which was full of traditional Vaplanan pastries and cakes. He also offered everyone a drink of their choosing, especially recommending some of Vaplana’s specialty floral teas. Malax had chosen a flaky pastry filled with cream and had his own teapot filled with a sweet-smelling tea.
“I am very grateful to have you all here today. As you have probably guessed, the event I will be paying you handsomely to investigate is the terror attack on Aurelius bridge that occurred 2 months ago. But before I go into details, and give you your lead, there are a few administrative points I must go over since this is your first time working for us.”
“My administration does have standards of how we wish you to conduct yourself while on Vaplanan ground. The standard rules apply; please, no obvious weapons. The last thing we need is more panic on our streets. You will be permitted to defend yourselves if needed, but unnecessary aggression will not be looked kindly upon. I will do my best to protect you from consequence when possible but know I am limited as to how much I can intervene on your behalf.
As already discussed, you will receive half of your payment upfront to cover any potential costs of your investigation and this payment shall be made to your accounts once you leave my residence. The rest shall be paid when your investigation is complete.
Are these terms agreeable?”
Malax took a breath to sip his tea and to allow his guests time to ponder his ground rules.
“Now, your goal for this investigation is to find all parties responsible for this terror attack and unearth their motivations. I need you to go as far up the chain of command as possible. And you must be discreet. There have been several potential security breaches in relation to this investigation, so I warn you to be vigilant.”
“I do have one lead for you. Several key witnesses of this attack reported that one of my cars was used to pursue them until they reached the bridge. This car of mine is still missing, so finding it will undoubtedly lead you to your first perpetrator. The car’s details are included in the information packet my secretary will send to you upon your leave. Do take a good look through all of the information contained in it, even if it seems irrelevant several of our informants have sacrificed a lot to get even the smallest pieces of intel.”
“I believe that is everything. Any questions before you get to work?”
One of the individuals on the other side of the table cleared his throat with the raspy voice of an eldery man after having sipped from one of the more traditional herbal teas from Vaplana.
His name was Delian Withmore, a private investigator who had moved to Vaplana recently and had made himself a name through a number of jobs for minor nobles and businesses across Vaplana.
He had looked at the data he had received until now and raised his head at Malax when he was finished, just looking at him for a couple of moments.
”I see, I see…”, he mumbled.
He looked like one would expect from his voice, tall and slender, with wrinkled skin and grey hair, deep seated eyes and a somewhat crooked nose, wearing a formal looking grey suit and a hat which was resting on his lap currently.
“Are there any special contacts that we can rely on for informing ourselves or looking for cooperation?”
He seemed to be pondering for a moment on what the Minister had said, then continued.
“When and where was this car seen the last time before the… incident?”
He paused again.
“In regards to your terms, I find them… agreeable so far. I assume if we finish this task to the government's satisfaction, future co-operations would not be out of the question?”
He was… rather calm, and seemed despite his somewhat ominous presence like he couldn’t hurt a fly.
- - -
In stark contrast to the man's behaviour, beneath the facade, the AI controlling the frame was already working at top speed.
What possible leads did he have? What information was he given? What potential suspects could he derive from it?
Processes and programs combed through vast quantities of information.
He had been sent here with the task to gain contacts and favours with Vaplana, in a similar manner to how many other androids were currently doing it in other places in this new Galaxy.
The result had been… mediocre so far. Not outstanding, not particularly bad either.
He did a number of investigative jobs for small businesses and lesser nobles in the past months and although he had not quite gained any favour with Vaplana so far, he at least managed to gain enough trust and reputation to be called in by the government for this… admittedly rather interesting job.
It was somewhat ironic though, considering he himself had arrived under false pretenses and a false tourist ID, similar to how the terrorists had arrived here.
Coming onto the job itself it looked, as expected, already more complicated than the minor issues the business and nobles had come up with so far.
Though his logic matrices followed their usual routines his personality matrix couldn’t quite shake the feeling something more was behind this. He had read about the attack in the news, obviously, but the number of suspects was vast and they had worked quite thoroughly.
This one would take time and effort.
Right next to Delian was another tall man who has likewise taken to sipping the pleasantly warm tea, a man who’s real origin was no less veiled in secrecy than Withmore’s.
Officially one of the founders of recently established Securitas security company with no real family, he was actually from Malaak and is really ‘employed’ by SCUM to make sure their new front runs smoothly. Upon arrival, he expected that there would be little interest in what his business had to offer to inhabitants of this beautiful planet, but it seemed that some things never change, no matter the galaxy you are in or how pretty the planet is.
People and politics never change.
So there he was, lucky enough to be picked by Malax himself for this job, nibbling on the pastry and sipping his tea while paying full attention to what the prime minister had to say.
-------
There were jobs that started off worse, but it didn’t mean that this one would be easy. After all, they were starting basically from scratch, with countless possible suspects and stakes as high as they could reasonably get for Vaplana.
It would be up to Sebastian Lundron and Delian Withmore to solve this case.
And dozens of staff working for Sebastian back in the base, and all the resources that Malax was so generously granting them… But that's not what he would write in the report for The Council.
He was mentally taking note of all the rules Malax was presenting them with, and it didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary. Sure, he would prefer to be able to carry weapons openly, as it tends to have quite an impression. After all, intimidation helps avoid actual violence. As for the terms of payment, he wasn’t too concerned. Once he had heard the initial price he knew he was ready to do anything to get it; it was vital for the success of his current mission to secure as much money as possible. How or when this payment would come did not bother Sebastian much.
-------------
After listening to what Delian had to say, a thought occurred to him. If the assassins had possible ties to highest functionaries in the government, it would not be a stretch to say that one of them could have misled the minister into choosing a compromised asset for this mission… Such as a lone private investigator. Was he working with the terrorists? Was he bought out? Or is he completely innocent?
There was little use of questioning his loyalties now, but perhaps later someone could be sent to look into it, if anything suspicious happens. After all, living on Malaak does not leave one able to trust others easily, and Sebastian always liked to know who he worked for.
He stopped pondering about uncertain possibilities and turned to answer Mr. Wickford.
“Thank you for your hospitality. The terms and conditions of this deal seem reasonable, given the circumstances. I am sure that your informants have done their best to gather this intel for us but is there perhaps something you might be forgetting about?”
Sebastian said in his deep, fruity voice. His face was memorable due to his birthmark and a barely visible childhood scar that went across his right eye, which he additionally tried to cover by wearing smart glasses. His darker skin complemented his brown hair, curled to the left, giving him a somehow carefree look even when he was serious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Forgive me for interrupting, but reading about the incident at hand I couldn’t help but notice that the assailants were armed with weapons produced by Takeema, a corp from the Union of Worlds. If we may have access to the evidence and dossies regarding the attackers and their equipment, it would be quite helpful to the investigation. I have several other questions, but those can wait until the end of this meeting.”
Malax was pleased on both a personal and professional level. Professionally, that his guests were both very receptive to the job and keen to get started. Personally, that they were both enjoying his tea. He had breathed a sigh of relief that they were both asking questions, that was a sign that they would take this job as seriously as he was taking his own investigations. Malax was more than happy to answer any questions they had.
Malax turned to the pair, hoping to answer their questions adequately and without rambling too much.
“We usually have a network of informants all working together on jobs, especially ones of this magnitude. Unfortunately, however, all of our informants that were working on this investigation are currently… out of commission.” Malax signed and put down his teacup.
He was referencing the sudden deaths of several prominent Vaplanan celebrities, who were secretly spies for The Queen. He was hesitant to bring this up in the fear that these gentlemen would be put off helping him out, but if he didn’t at least warn them of the risks they would surely meet the same fate, and that would be of no help at all. He wondered if Sebastian had a hunch that this was indeed the case considering his questions, especially since the deaths of the celebrities had been big news. Having someone so inquisitive and switched on would certainly aid the investigation.
“All the information we currently have, and that I have passed onto you, is their legacy for this investigation and all we have to go off. I implore you to be careful with what I have provided you and be cautious going forward. There seems to be some out there determined to keep their secrets behind the curtain, and are willing to do anything to achieve that.”
“In terms of contacts for you, if you have any more general questions during your investigation then you may contact my secretary, who can either help himself or pass more complex questions to me.
One other source that will be potentially useful to you is Lady Liliya Severa. She is a key witness to the events that day, however, she is currently under strict protection by the Queen’s head of security. I can tell them you are coming if you wish to see her, but it may take a while before she can fit you into her schedule. The Queen and I have her rather busy at the moment.”
“As for the car, it went missing from my business garage on this property. It was last seen by witnesses exiting highway 1 just before the highway goes over Aurelius Bridge, and any attempts to track it down since have hit a wall. My secretary can take you to the garage it went missing from and get you the relevant CCTV to study.”
“If you want to see the equipment and evidence gathered from the assassins, I will send you the address of the police station where it is currently being held. It’s not far from here, just a short tram ride if that. The officers there know much more about the evidence there than I do, some were even first responders during the attack, although I expect that information will be more of the same as is contained in the information packet I have sent you. If you go there tell them I sent you and present your IDs, I will let them know who to expect so you’ll have no issues gaining access.”
After his small speech Malax loosened up a little, hoping that most of the heavy stuff was dealt with.
“I am very glad to hear my terms are agreeable to you both. I am confident some ‘new blood’ so to speak will give this investigation new life, so I have high hopes of seeing you back in my office soon with a list of names for me. Vaplana is always looking for new connections, especially in this field, so if you demonstrate some impressive skills and dedication in solving this case I can guarantee this will not be the last job you will be offered.”
“If you find yourselves needing anything in the field, please do not hesitate to get back in contact with us using the secured channels. Is there anything else I can do for you before you set off? Any more questions?”
"Out of commission? Hm... I see. Certainly most troublesome. My condolences."
Delian pondered, furrowing his brow, that would likely mean that this group, whoever it was, had quite some influence and was equally if not more well informed than the government itself... a secret service of sorts possibly?
They would have to be careful in their investigation.
He had indeed seen the suspicious row of deaths of the celebrities, though had not been aware at the time the events would be connected, at least not in that way.
His new... co-worker, seemed to be capable enough, for now, which should have likely been evident by getting chosen for the task but one never knew beforehand. He would have to keep an eye on him, if not only to ensure he wasn't part of their targeted group. He may have to do some research into his background sooner rather than later.
He picked up one of the pastries and took a bite, chewing carefully and continuing once he was finished.
"I suppose if getting an audience with Lady Severa may take some time, we may as well ask for one now and do other investigations as we wait."
He paused for a moment apparently thinking.
"...and yes, that CCTV footage would likely be helpful, once we are finished here. A trip to the police station would also be appropriate afterwards."
He nodded to himself then suddenly turned towards Sebastian, lifting his eyebrows.
"Well, what do you say? Any more questions or any objections?"
It was as much of a test as it was a genuine question.
“I am sorry for the losses Vaplana had to endure because of this ordeal.”
Sebastian said shortly after him. Just like his colleague, he too was suspicious of the quite unusual string of deaths. At least he could inform his superiors back on Malaak to be wary of anyone famous from Vaplana, which could prove to be very useful in certain circumstances. But alas, that was not his priority right now.
“I agree with mr. Withmore. Scheduling an audience with Lady Severa is a must, but we should also talk to every other witness. Since it looks like that will take some time, we should examine the evidence. Whoever was behind this is highly capable and rather brazen about reaching their goals by any means necessary.”
‘And for that reason, we should be careful not to get taken out ourselves’ he thought to himself. Perhaps it would be best to assign a few of his men to watch over them discreetly, see if anyone is tailing them while they are investigating.
“However, before we start off I do have another question regarding the vehicle stolen from you. I haven’t checked beforehand, but I assume that most cars belonging to you would be specially ordered and produced by a single manufacturer, and that each one would have a tracker on it at all times. If we assume that the perpetrators got rid of that tracker, then we could still go over CCTV cameras in the city at large and look for any government owned vehicle that isn’t where its tracker points to. I can have my guys look over it while we are out investigating, I just need access to it. That would require your permission I reckon.”
He took another bite out of the tasty pastry before continuing;
“These are really good. So, if there are no more questions…”
“You’re right in your assumptions about my fleet.” Malax nodded at Sebastian. “All government and Royal vehicles are produced by one company, and they all have trackers fitted upon completion. My fleet hasn’t seen an upgrade or any new additions for a decade at least, I reckon. Fidelia offered when she was coronated 4 years ago, but I didn’t deem the expense a necessary one when all my cars are currently working fine.”
“If you want access to the city’s CCTV and car tracking data you can get a hold of that at the police station too, I’ll let them know to prepare some footage for you to take. I hope until then what I can provide is at least a start.”
Malax stood from the sofa and retreated to his desk, pushing a small button before pulling out his PDA.
“I will contact General Brodin and Lady Severa on your behalf. When they get back to me I will send the date and time of your audience to you. The police station will also be expecting you within the next day or two.”
After a small knock, Malax's secretary entered the office and waited at the door.
“Brian, could you show our esteemed guests to the garage at their leisure and show them the CCTV we discussed? They have permission to take evidence copies away from the premises.” Brian nodded silently, patiently waiting for the men to finish their business in the office.
“I am touched by your condolences, gentlemen. I wish you all the best with your investigation. If you encounter any… interference we would greatly appreciate being made aware.” Malax held out his hand to shake before the men filed out of his office, and when Sebastian approached he smiled warmly.
“If you would like to know where I get my pastries, Brian can give you the address of the bakery. They’re simply divine, are they not?” He seemed a little giddy sharing his secret source of sweets, in typical Vaplanan fashion he could not resist the joy of sharing the finer things in life with those around him.
When Sebastian and Delian were ready to depart Brian led them through the Prime Minister’s residence. It was a sparsely decorated place, the few paintings he had up were very simple. The place just oozed minimalist professionalism. Down a huge flight of stairs, a short corridor, and then another staircase they came to a door guarded by a woman dressed in an elaborate green uniform. She also seemed to have a bandaged arm. Brian and the woman shared a glance and she stepped aside, letting the group pass into the garage.
“Apologies for the increased security presence, gentlemen. The attack has all of us on edge. Can’t be too careful.”
The garage was a huge underground room. There was one clear space running down the middle of the room leading to a huge door, with both sides of the space being lined with cars. Most of the garage was occupied with the same-looking model, a sleek grey 5 door with tinted windows. That was the Prime Minister’s fleet. The other small handful of cars, all gathered in a corner, were varying in size and colour. These seemed to be Malax’s personal vehicles.
Brian led the group nearer to the huge door leading to the outside, where they found a clear gap where a car should be parked.
“This is where the missing car was stolen from. The intruders entered via the outside door in the early hours of the morning and took the car after a small encounter with security. Here, watch this, it will show you what happened far better than I can explain it.” Brian held out his PDA to the two men so he could send them a copy of the CCTV.
The footage showed two intruders enter via the huge garage door. The smaller of the pair was holding what seemed to be a hacking device, while the larger one held an assault rifle. They walked down the centre of the room, seemingly looking for a particular car. They actually walked past where the stolen car was parked, heading towards the handful of Malax’s personal vehicles, before a security woman dressed in green entered the garage from the door the group had just entered from. When she noticed the intruders she raised the alarm, taking a shot in the arm before shooting back with a small pistol. The pair retreated back towards the door before jumping into the nearest car, the stolen one, before speeding away.
"I suppose if it hasn't been updated in ten years and the current Queen has been in service for only four, it had nothing to do with the producer of the fleet himself."
Delian mumbled to himself as if making notes. He also took note of the pastry shop, although it was of little use to himself, Vaplanan nobles seemed to have a weak spot for these sort of things.
From the looks of it, whilst stealing the car seemed to have been planned, the culprits had in no way expected the woman finding them whilst doing it. That is of course, unless she was with them, though that seemed unlikely at this point, given the alarm, footage and woman being shot.
"I assume the guard has been questioned about the incident and could offer nothing of particular note in terms of information?"
He then pointed towards the door the attackers came in through and looked at Brian.
"Say, would you open that door for for me? I assume it is locked."
Sebastian was pleased with the increase in security, it was even starting to resemble the peaceful parts of Malaak. Besides, there was less of a chance to be assassinated with so many officers around, unless the killers were suicidal.
“I agree, it would be interesting to find out how they got through that door and to it in the first place. Are there any surveillance cameras outside?”
While waiting for a reply, he got another idea. Since the perpetrators got in what seemed to be a random car and left in a hurry, it is possible that the car they intended to get was different in some way.
“Would I be correct in assuming that every car in the garage was searched after the incident? Maybe finding the car they were after in the first place could yield some more information. I will require a complete list of personnel who had access to this place as well as those authorized to tinker with the cars for maintenance as well as access to the security footage for a few days leading up to this ordeal. It’s best to be as thorough as possible, and my guys back at the HQ will give it a look over to see if anything was out of order. Those terrorists can not be estimated and to pull something like this off they likely have someone on the inside.”
“Yes, all security on shift that night have been questioned. Nothing much came from it apart from general descriptions, which can be seen from footage easily enough. As to how they got onto the premises, they were apparently in possession of a sophisticated hacking device. You can see it in the footage, here.” Brian paused the video to point out the smaller invader who held a complex-looking device. “We have no idea where this device came from or its full capabilities. Vaplana isn’t particularly tech-focused, so please do forgive our lack of useful information.”
“And yes, all of the cars have been searched. Even Malax’s private cars were searched, and nothing of note was found. We suspect the intruders were aiming for one of Malax’s personal cars since those do not have trackers and are not immediately recognisable as Government property to members of the public. Although, the flaw in that logic is that the target, The Queen, knows Malax very well. She would immediately recognise any one of his personal cars. But maybe that was the point, who knows… Anyway, I’ll open the main door for you.” Brian walked to a small panel on the wall next to the large door and pressed a button, causing the huge door to slowly open to the outside. Sunlight streamed into the room, pleasantly warming any who stood within its reach.
“We do have outside cameras too, but you don’t get as close of a look at the intruders on their view. I can still send you that footage if you like.” Brian pinged the two’s PDA’s with the new data, but all it showed was the intruders scaling the outer walls, sneaking across the gardens and entering the garage after the smaller of the two fiddled with their device for a while. On their exit, the two sped away in the stolen car and seemingly opened the house’s main outer gate remotely to escape, probably with the same hacking device used to gain access and disable security alarms.
He also sent over all of the information Sebastian had requested, a huge file that would have to be combed through another time.
“Please do exercise caution handling this much data, sir. The Prime Minister’s house is a protected area, and if this data was leaked we would be handing those terrorists more ammo to harm us with. Especially since you say we may have a traitor within our walls, that is terrifying! I know all of the staff here so well, and the thought that one of them harbouring such ill intent to my family is simply awful.” Brian, having been around the pair for a while now seemed to be loosening up a little, he spoke a little less formally now.
“ My uncle, Malax, he’s been very stressed lately. Being his secretary I see more than I would as his nephew, and I do worry about him more these days especially now he is obsessed with his investigations. Handing this job to both of you has been a huge weight off his shoulders, and we appreciate you both for such. Is there anything else you need from me before you head out?”
"Excuse me for a moment."
Delian began, walking away and heading out the door, looking around for a bit, he could see the outer walls, the garden, though given they had been seen on the footage there wasn't anything which had given them any significant cover.
He turned around, towards the door and pulled out his holopad.
Using the holopad as a proxy he began to make an attempt to connect with the doors security systems, he was successful after a couple moment, though that was only part of his experiment. Using a proxy system he began feeling through the security's keys and and connections.
Brian had been right, they really were not particularly tech focused, whilst the security system may have been outstanding to them, his own standards were admittedly on a different level in that regard.
It took about two minutes until the door suddenly closed between Delian, Brian and Sebastian, only to open again moments later. Delian nodded without an explanation, apparently satisfied with his work, though he wasn't done yet, still connected with the system he began searching the door system and logs for traces that the the other hacker may have left behind and possible backdoors that were in the system as well. As he was waiting for the results, he put the pad back into his pockets and headed back to Brian and Sebastian.
"I... apologize for this little demonstration, there was something I needed to test. I would suggest hiring someone trustworthy to update your cyber security, though I suppose you also have numerous other problems at the time."
He paused for a moment.
"...and no, not at the time, considering you will still be available later. I would like to make myself an outline of the available information for the time being."
He had hoped to gain more information from the recordings, but it seemed that the ones at work here were too careful to blunder away their identities. At the very least they got their height nailed down and could get a clean view of their tools. This wouldn’t help much, but it did narrow the search by a bit.
He was more interested in the hacking device, it seemed quite advanced for Vaplanans, and he doubted he could open the door quickly and remotely no matter what equipment was given to him; he wasn’t particularly tech savvy, mostly because it never came up as something he needed to get better at. He will have to work on it later.
Perhaps there was someone who produced those devices?
Maybe they could be contacted?
Sebastian put away his holopad, satisfied with the answers he was given and the access to the recordings he has gained. Besides being quite useful to the investigations, he could also use the footage for other purposes, not necessarily so in line with Vaplana’s way of thinking.
“Thank you for your help Brian, I appreciate it. We will keep doing our best to track down the ones responsible for this. Could you give me your number so that we can call you back? Oh and before we go, Mr. Withm-”
He turned around as the door shut for a moment, he took a step back from the door, his hand instinctively going for the holster that simply wasn’t there, as the weapon was concealed.
Just as he was about to ask what was going on, the door opened just as quickly and suddenly as it closed.
After listening to what he said, he couldn’t help but follow up with his own questions;
“Mr Withmore, how did you…? If there is a security flaw I must insist you tell us about it now, before it jeopardises our investigation. Oh and do notify me with any information you pick up on, it will be for the best if both of us know everything.”
“Of course Mr. Lundron, here is my number. Anything at all you find yourselves needing, do not hesitate-” Brian yelped in surprise when the door next to him suddenly slammed shut, he was clearly not used to anything that was beyond a simple peaceful life. He was even more surprised when the door opened again, almost as quickly as it had closed.
“How… That security system is top-of-the-line tech!” Brian was very distressed that anyone could so easily thwart the security of his uncle’s home, especially with the high position he held. “Thank you for revealing such a flaw, Mr. Withmore! I will get on this issue immediately! I suppose we will have to break convention and get some off-world tech to align our standards with that of the wider galaxy…”
Brian took a moment to compose himself before turning to the pair.
“I suppose the time is near for us to part. Let me escort you to the exit, it would do us no good for you to get lost in the mansion when you have so much else to look into!”
Brian led the pair back through the garage, past the injured security guard, and up the stairs into the minimalist corridors of Malax’s home. Brian seemed a little more on edge since Delian’s demonstration, the gravity of Vaplana’s position seemed to finally have hit home for the poor man. He lived in a nation that was woefully unequipped technology-wise to protect their most valuable personnel against foreign influence, and that thought terrified him. By the time the group had reached the lobby where they had all met, Brian seemed less physically jumpy but all the more adrift in his thoughts.
“It has been a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. Again, we greatly appreciate your help with this sensitive matter. I presume you will be heading to the police station next? I have sent you the address you will need. I wish you both all the best!”
It was a quiet stroll to the nearest tram stop, giving the pair the opportunity to take in the peaceful Vibes of Veulas city centre. They could see Aurelius bridge in the distance, sitting still across the glittering river. Repairs had only just begun and would take a while to meet all of the strict requirements put in place to maintain Veulas’s architectural style. Inefficient by any other nation’s standards, especially considering the bridges’ importance, but the delay did not seem to bother many Vaplanans.
Traveling around Veulas was very easy, the trams ran so often that there was never more than a 10-minute wait for the next available. Such reliable public transportation meant there was little traffic on the streets during the quieter hours, although it seemed that almost everyone was also using the trams to get to their destinations. Luckily the lunch rush hadn’t quite hit yet, so the pair had managed to find a secluded corner of a carriage to quietly converse without risking being overheard. They still had a little while until their stop.
Drakador_Chaos [Exalted Network] — 04/02/2022 18:34
As they were sitting in the tram Delian, although subtly, still seemed to observe his surroundings diligently, though it was less about identifying who could follow them early on and more about from when they would start following them.
His sub-processes were still racing making predictions and assumptions, connecting dependencies and trying to calculate where they would lead.
Looking at his ‘colleague’ for a moment he nodded, apparently coming to a decision.
“So, what do you think so far, mister Lundron? The Vaplanan government seems to be in quite the predicament there, doesn’t it?” For the topic at hand, he talked almost unnervingly calmly, he was just about loud enough so Sebastian should be able to hear him, considering he was sitting right by his side, but quiet enough so the words would drown in the surrounding chatter for everyone else.
…and even if a potential follower would hear them, attracting their attention could possibly be even for their benefit, if that follower was careless enough. At least, according to his current calculations.
Their task so far was quite interesting and would likely present them with plenty of challenges. Luckily their clues were plentiful, unfortunately so were their suspects.
He waited for his answer, searching for the man’s background in the local section the ancnet in the meanwhile.
Sebastian was pondering what had happened thus far when Deliath interrupted him with his question. So far there was nobody following them that they could see, but they were, he thought, most certainly being watched by either the government or those that they were after. While he and Withmore were on their way to the tram station, he made a quick phone call back to the HQ updating his status, but not revealing anything that they were doing or have found out about the case. You can never be too sure.
But if someone was listening in on the phone call they could hear him saying that “It’s time you guys start helping.” Before hanging up.
This call would ensure that someone would wait for them when they reached their destination, watching but not following. That way they could have a look at Mr Withmore and start their own, separate investigation into him without Lundron ever telling them to.
And if need be, that person could follow the ones following Sebastian and his colleague if they noticed anything out of place.
He turned to Withmore, mildly surprised that he decided to ask in such a crowded place, but he must have his reasons. Perhaps he noticed someone following them and wanted to get them closer so they could hear what they were saying?
“I think that what we have so far is helpful, but not enough for a speedy conclusion to this ordeal. Too many potential suspects for now. As for the government, I reckon that they may not be vigilant enough about threats that… do not come from the outside.”
Delian’s search turned out somewhat odd results. There was surprisingly little documentation about this man, no date of birth, no country of origin, no known education and even no known online purchases or presence at significant events… The man beside him appeared to be a ghost, as far as the name went. Considering that there wasn’t much to go on for now, with time and clues in short supply, that may not be surprising. Perhaps it was just a perk of his job?
Delian nodded in response. It seems Sebastian had come to similar conclusions. A good sign.
"That may quite possibly be the case, yes."
The results of his search, or rather the lack thereof were... problematic. Not unexpected but suspicious, there was barely any info on 'Sebastian Lundron', which likely wasn't even his name, aside from from his occupation and his employer here on Vaplana, which seemed to be some sort of security contractor. As they still had time, he began searching for info on that one as well.
"Out of curiosity... From where were you contracted? Networking is an important part of our job, as you doubtlessly know."
Sebastian wasn’t too happy with so many questions regarding himself all of a sudden, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he merely sighed and replied quietly;
“Working for a company that takes its job seriously doesn’t allow for much freedom to disclose where we recruit from, I’m afraid. Perhaps after some more time knowing you and reviewing your performances, I could throw in a good word or two for you, maybe you could find out more if our cooperation continues in the future. Of course, I can always provide you with some contacts that might help you out more than I can networking wise. But, you are a private investigator aren’t you? May I ask what landed this quite important job in your hands? I'm not trying to insinuate anything, but I have found it is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to knowing your colleague.”
'It would be for the best if I stay cautious for the time being' Sebastian told himself.
Delian listened up at the possibility of attaining more information about the man, but the less it was possible to disclose at the current time, the more it made him suspicious. Although his reasons were understandable in this line of work. Regardless of that, it may be time to de-escalate the situation before he came across as too suspicious.
The man laughed.
"Oh, I did not mean to ask where your company gained you from, I was more asking about your company itself."
He paused and then continued, answering his question.
"I have worked here for a while now already. I did a number of jobs for the local nobles and businesses, which gave me a certain reputation. Which, on Vaplana, goes a long way to open up doors and possibilities."
It was, a curious situation, although he had disclosed information on 'himself' which was a cover, none of it was false or a lie. It certainly had its merits to work on long term operations.
Sebastian became interested. Before the man had his curiosity, but now he had his attention- Being close to someone connected with the local nobles could prove very valuable in the long term and it would not do well to alienate such an individual.
However, the mission he was on was top priority, so he had to find a balance between caution and building up rapport. It was probably for the best to keep tabs on this man, he would send someone to investigate deeper into him later.
For now, he merely chuckled along with Withmore.
“Ah I see, that is a different matter then. The company itself is a foreign private startup called Securitas, established on Vaplana recently. They are doing quite well for themselves. Pretty strict and professional, probably the reason why we were hired for this in the first place. Along with the fact that our new arrival greatly reduced the chance that we were working for the ones we are hunting for at this exact moment.”
Delaith nodded to himself, what Sebastian said was true according to his own research he had done in the meanwhile and so was his statement, to a degree. There was still the possibility they had been sent to manipulate the investigations though it became considerably more unlikely, given the amount of probabilities at play.
"I see, I see. Securitas you say? Quite interesting, so there are new ventures being set up even in times like these. I may take you up on your offer eventually, we shall see."
A small bit of the tension was gone, he would keep an eye on him, though it would be easier to concentrate on the task at hand now.
Memorial Park
As wary as the pair were, it was apparent nobody on the tram was interested in eavesdropping their conversation. In fact, everybody kept to themselves. The journey was very peaceful, polite chatter was all that filled the time from when they got on the tram to when they got off.
The tram slowly pulled to a stop not too long after the two finished their conversation, and it was their stop; Memorial Park. It seemed to be a popular stop, half the occupants in their carriage also filed their way out of the tram and into the sunshine.
The area around the tram stop was beautiful, especially for being in the middle of the biggest city on the planet. There was a small river winding through a lush green park mere metres from the station. The area was filled with wildflower patches and small trees which had been planted in remembrance of Vaplanan lives lost during the first Ancerious War, a small plaque on the station explained. Most getting off the tram headed towards the park to enjoy lunch, however, the two investigators turned left and began walking alone towards an old-looking building on the park’s outskirts. That was Memorial Police station, their destination.
Upon entering the building they were met with a rather sleek interior, much opposed to the ancient vine-covered brickwork of the exterior. The station reception was rather quiet, the trickling of a small water feature filled the silence pleasantly. There was nobody inside the waiting area apart from a receptionist in a crisp blue uniform behind a desk. The receptionist looked up from his desk upon their entry and smiled warmly in greeting.
“Greetings gentlemen, welcome to Memorial Police Station. How may I help you today?”
Delian pondered on the information h had gained on Sebastian for a couple moments, seemed somewhat absent until he was addressed.
"Ah, yes. We are here on... business. We have been sent here to review some information, the secretary of the Prime Minister should have announced us beforehand. Delian Withmore and Sebastian Lundron"
He nodded and waited.
Though he himself took little interest in it, he had to admit that the Vaplanan population had a hand with architecture and combining the aesthetic with the functional, the prince would be quite interested in this world. Even though their security could be better. On the other hand, the entire concept of being pacifistic was... somewhat alien to him, so it may be owed to that.
Sebastian didn’t have much to say, save for nodding when Delian announced them.
He got the message from his colleague when they arrived at their destination, there was nobody following them that he could see. He will launch a small investigation into who Mr. Delian Withmore really was, beginning with searching for any information on ancnet and forwarding his finds back to the HQ.
Sebastian took a moment to appreciate the contrast between the outside and inside design of this place, he was rather fond of it. Vaplanans had a certain talent for architecture and attracting tourists that couldn’t be denied, but he doesn’t see how their pacifist diplomacy could be sustained in dark times like the ones the galaxy was rapidly plunging into.
Sebastians search on Delian was... astoundingly uneventful.
What the old man said was true. He had arrived on Vaplana only a few months prior, living in a undisclosed location in the capital. He had been working as a private investigator for small companies and nobles which got him a certain reputation, there were some smaller details, some places he occasionally visited but nothing which stood out particularly.
However, interestingly enough, there was no information on him on the ancnet on the time before he arrived in Vaplana. Which was certainly suspicious but at the same time also not out of the ordinary given how vast the Galaxy was and that there were many places which did not exactly keep track of everything.
“Ah, of course, Mr. Withmore and Mr. Lundron. We have been expecting you.” The receptionist smiled widely and stood to shake both of their hands. “If you may follow me, chief detective Stone is eager to see you.” He led the pair through a set of double doors at the back of the room into the employee area. There was a long corridor with many doors on either side, leading to the offices and workspaces of the Memorial Park Police force. All of the officers that the group encountered while walking smiled politely at the investigators and made sure to clear the way for them, not wanting to interfere with the chief detective’s guests. The receptionist, in contrast, came off as very chatty and inquisitive instead of quiet and respectful.
“So, I heard you’ve been appointed to assist the chief for her ‘big issue’. Tell me, do you have much hope of catching the culprits behind the attack? I’ve been following the case closely, as have all of my colleagues. It was such a shock when it happened, so many of my fellow Vaplanan citizens were hurt that day. Some even died! My neighbour’s brother’s friend’s cousin was one of them… Such a tragedy. It would bring a lot of peace to all of us if some progress was made on this case. You do have plenty of leads, don’t you..?”
The receptionist barely came up for air when talking, leading to some of the police officers using the corridor to shoot Delian and Sebastian sympathetic looks. Clearly, this man was a well-known chatterbox. A nosey one. The group finally arrived at a door labeled Chief Detective Koletta Stone. The receptionist stopped before the door but did not knock for them yet.
“I do hope you have the experience and insight needed to crack this one, gentlemen. I do not intend to scare you, but there is a lot riding on this investigation,” He lowered his voice and leaned in to whisper to the two, “And, a little bird told me that this case is a rather dangerous one to be wrapped up in. I certainly don’t envy the two of you!” He chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood and finally knocked on the detective’s door. With that he finally turned back down the corridor, allowing sweet silence to grace Delian and Sebastian’s ears. They had a moment to themselves before the door swung open automatically.
When the two entered Chief Detective Stone’s office they were met with a rather exhausted-looking woman in her late 50s sitting at a desk covered in papers. She nodded to the two and gestured for them to sit, offering no greeting or any of the famous Vaplanan hospitality. Her tone was sharp, and she spoke matter of factly.
“Pardon my rudeness, but I am a busy woman.” She sighed and took a rather large gulp of what can only be assumed to be coffee from a crudely hand-decorated mug.
“I believe it is in all of our best interests to make this quick, so we may all get to our jobs. You have been sent to me by our dear Prime Minister to review my evidence and take over my investigation. While you may be acting under his authority, I would like to emphasise that I am still in charge of this investigation. Accordingly, I would appreciate being kept in the loop regarding any discoveries, and in return I will assist you in apprehending and detaining any suspects you unearth. Are we in understanding?”
She waited for an answer, studying the pair sat before her carefully. Her gaze was piercing, and the two felt as if she could almost read their thoughts like a book. Of course, that was impossible, but the woman’s demeanour was intimidating enough for them to doubt that fact for a short second.
Delian knew from extensive field experience that there were many sentient beings out there which had a talent to convey very little meaning with a lot of words. Unfortunately this officer seemed to be one of them. He did not appreciate the level of noise he was causing nor how much he knew about their job, however at the mention of a proverbial 'little bird' he listened up.
There may be more info to get out of this individual.
He made a mental note for later just before they stepped into the office of the Chief detective.
Considering how 'peaceful' Vaplana was supposed to be, the woman looked quite overworked for a human. At least from what he knew on human anatomy.
"Oh, quite so indeed. I cannot speak for my companion here but I have no intention to take the background work off you, after all it is only to our mutual benefit, is it not?
We will, of course, keep you informed, so long as we deem it safe and possible.
...after all there have been... incidents or so we have been told."
He paused for a moment apparently waiting for Sebastians response.
Sebastian gave the receptionist a polite smile while walking next to her, but was quick to (politely) shut down her questions.
“I am sorry for what has happened, and I hope you are coping well with the aftermath of that tragic event. I can assure you we are working on it non stop and we may have come closer, but we cannot afford to spare any details. This investigation cannot be risked, I am sure you understand.”
He nodded solemnly to the warning she issued the two of them, making a mental note of the receptionist and the mentioned ‘little bird’. He should consult Withmore about it when opportunity arises. He pressed onwards into the office when the doors slid open.
“Good day, I presume you were told about our arrival.”
He said as he sat down and let her speak. She got to the point quick enough and dominated the room with her character. He could understand the pressure and expectations that came along with the job, and admired those that would keep pushing on. Lundron was impressed, but didn’t falter, continuing on after Delaith.
“I believe that my partner said it well. We have no intentions in obstructing your work. If we all work together, I am sure we will make progress quickly, so yes, if it is at all possible we will keep you up to date if it's safe to do so.”
He made a small pause before continuing;
“It would of course be much easier if the aforementioned ‘incidents’ could be dealt with as soon as possible.”
“Good, good, it is a start at least that you are both agreeable. But, yes, these… incidents. I don’t suppose Malax told you much on those in fear of scaring you off…” Detective Stone sighed and held her forehead in her hand for a moment before continuing.
“You deserve to know what youre getting into, it’s only fair. All of the top-teir agents in your position on this investigation so far have come to a gruesome end. All assassinated in one way or another after making certain levels of progress. The information you have been provided with so far is the result of their sacrifice. We are doing all we can in this regard; we have detained several of the assassins themselves, but they are as tight-lipped as you would expect from professionals. We are no closer to finding the mastermind, which we presume is the same mastermind we are already looking for. So… yeah. I’m afraid all I can advise for now is watch your backs, and report any suspicious activity you find so we can work together on keeping you in this race. I will of course let you know if I have any breakthroughs with our detainees on this matter. But enough of that, since you seem eager to make a start I can hand you over the evidence I have, if you’re still interested of course.”
Detective Stone let out a small chuckle as she stood from her desk. Approaching a couple of boxes stacked in a corner she rummaged for a while until she finally found the one she was looking for. She picked it up and placed it down in front of Delaith and Sebastian. Inside were an assortment of items, notably a few pistols, a disassembled sniper rifle, some bullet casings and other equiptment befitting an assassin. There were also some papers containing a presumed design for the explosive device used on the bridge.
“Now, that is what my officers managed to gather from some of the assassins on the day of the attack,” She gestured at the guns and equipment, “And a demolitions expert managed to put that design together. Take it with a pinch of salt, there wasn’t much left of anything after the explosion, but that is his best estimate. And I have one more thing for you.” She pulled a tiny data chip from her pocket and held it up for the pair to see.
“This little guy will give you all the necessary access to our car tracking and CCTV system, preloaded with all Veulas data from the day of the attack. It will also give you access to live feeds and other day’s data if you need it, but that would take a little longer to load in. I also snuck in access to Vaplana’s criminal records too, but that is strictly between us.” She passed the chip carefully to Delaith.
“You have been granted initial access for a period of 5 days, so use your time well. If you need an extension, you’ll have to reach out to me and I’ll see what I can do. I had to cash in so many favours just for that small window of time, so if I hear you’ve been wasting it I will not be very happy. And if that chip is lost somehow… Well, I would not like to be in your shoes if that were to happen, gentlemen.” She maintained eye contact with Delaith as she laid out her warning and for an extra moment when she was done just to let it sink in how important that chip was. When she was satisfied the man before her understood, she finally turned away and retreated to her desk to take another sip of her coffee.
“I believe that covers everything Malax wanted me to say. Was there anything else I can do for you before you are cast out into the fire?”
"I see, that is... certainly unfortunate."
Delian pondered for a couple moments after she finished, looking over the confiscated equipment while doing so.
It may be best if he just downloaded the data from the chip and then just rigged it with a tracker, given it would run out in five days anyways that should not cause too many complications. With the additional access they may be able to track back where the intruders initially came from, though given that had likely already been reviewed he deemed it unlikely.
Although almost primitive, the equipment of the assassins certainly fulfilled its task, given the current track record. Considering that it may be beneficial to keep his disguise and Sebastian intact, they should probably stay out of the firing line where possible.
"Ah, yes, two things actually. Firstly, we do have access to the video footage now, but 'where' do we access it? I assume, that will be our next stop? That aside, the second thing would be if can you tell us anything about the gentleman who has led us to your office? He seemed very, hm... eager."
He paused for a moment, waiting, though coming to the conclusion what he said could be misinterpreted.
"Of course, I do not suspect him, I was merely curious."
Sebastian looked over the equipment while Delian was answering. It was nothing too fancy, but as long as it could get the job done, that wasn’t a concern. He recorded everything and took pictures, making a mental note to send it to HQ shortly. He stopped and paid very close attention to what Stone was saying about the chip- getting his hands on it became a considerably important secondary objective now. With it, they could keep tabs on possible allies and enemies on Vaplana, and if they could copy it… Well, the world would be their oyster for endless possibilities, even if not for a prolonged amount of time. Shame that she handed it over to Delian though.
“I assure you, we will take good care of it. This will help us considerably, I imagine. And thank you for the heads up, I believe it was already mentioned to us somewhere before…”
Perhaps if he could even get hold of the prisoners and somehow send them secretly to the underground base… He could get them to talk, he was sure of it. Sadly, Vaplanan principles disagreed with him from what he could see, and he wasn’t about to push that boundary.
“It would be really good if the assassins could just spit it out already… I trust you that all of their background info will be made available to us immediately, and that your men have already contacted anyone close to them. As well as having their residences and important places checked for info.
Not far away, his own men were keeping an eye out on the building and its surroundings constantly. Blended in with the public, Delian and Lundron were being followed- he wondered if Delian would notice it soon.
“Besides my colleague’s question, i believe we can stop holding you up from your important buesiness.”
“If you do not have access to a computer to use the chip I’m sure I could bully one of my staff into giving up their desk for an hour or two. Up to you, really. And as for the assassins… I wish we had the powers to really make them scared, that would certainly make them talk. My nation’s peaceful reputation makes these people see us as soft and unwilling to do what is necessary. We have exhausted all lines of inquiry with them, they were here under false tourist visas so we really had nothing much to go off in the first place. If all else fails, as a last resort I may have to break a few rules to get what I need.” She looked around shiftily as if to make sure nobody else could hear her. “But… That is strictly between us.” She quickly resumed her professional posture and turned towards the door to let the pair out.
“Oh, you mean Oscar? Eager is certainly a fitting way to describe him. Sorry if he’s bothered you. He’s relatively new here, only joined my staff what, a month ago? He’s…” She paused to think for a moment. “Talkative. Mildly disruptive. But he is good at talking down troublemakers who stumble in. My officers try to keep their distance, say he asks too many weird questions about their work. It’s just yet another problem I don’t have time to deal with right now. Anyway, you should probably head on your way, if you need a desk just take one and I’ll make sure nobody bothers you. If not, well I expect to be hearing from you soon anyway.” With that Detective Stone saw Sebastian and Delian out of her office and returned to her desk, taking one last tired chug from her coffee mug before turning her attention back to her work.
As the pair leave Detective Stone’s office they happen to see Oscar’s retreating back scuttling down the corridor back towards the reception, a bundle of papers in hand and an earpiece to his ear. For such a seemingly relaxed receptionist he is certainly acting a lot more energetic than he was earlier. But the way to the offices with free desks was in the opposite direction according to Detective Stone’s parting instructions…
Delian looked after 'Oscar' as he left and then exchanged a look with Sebastian, lifting an eyebrow.
"Would you like to...?", he started, leaving the rest of the question up in the air in case they were listened to. If Sebastian were to go after Oscar, he could likely look at the other data in the meanwhile.
It certainly wasn't optimal but if Oscar was actually part of their targets, that would mean that they had just gotten another lead.
He pulled out his holopad as disguise again and then started trying to listen into whatever the mans earpiece may be receiving with his implants.
“Sebastian nodded, without answering and carefully set off after him as if he were just going for a walk, expecting Delian to join him. He used this time to press after the chip in question:
“I have a computer back at the base. You could come over and we can look at it together there, or I can hand it over to my trusted colleague there and have him report his findings… I do hope this free time activity proves to be boring however, else it may raise concern.”
After all, it was awfully convenient. Such big attacks are usually planned months ahead, at least, so Oscar would have definitely made for a valuable asset. Could it have been paranoia? Of course, but as the saying goes: It's not really paranoia…
…If they are really after you.
He noticed Delian holding out the holopad and waited for a convenient moment to ask if there was a way he could listen in on the conversation with it somehow. The fact that he had already been using implants was of course, unknown to him.
Seeing as Sebastian expected Delian to come along, he did so, investigating the chip data would have to wait then. He lingered a moment on Sebastians question. Was it just him or was he oddly intent on getting the chip?
"Personally I think it may be more beneficial if we look into it ourselves and the access here should be closer than your base."
It would likely be better to keep it for now, time would tell if something was actually behind it.
He continued walking waiting to 'see' the results of trying to listen into Oscars comms.
Delaith’s access to the earpiece was partially successful. He could hear everything that Oscar was saying, but the replies were enveloped in a whole lot of static. Security on this little device was unexpectedly a lot greater than anything he had encountered on Vaplana so far.
“...not scheduled… urgent communications only, agent…”
“I know, but this is an urgent matter!” Oscar’s voice was clear as day, or as clear as someone whispering into an earpiece could be. “There are new people on the case.”
“No big deal… proceed like before…”
“These guys are outsiders, not from here! I can tell they’re the real deal. They won’t be as easily handled as the Vaplanan spies, you need to intervene before they get too deep.”
“...see. Leave… will follow… Keep up the good work.”
And the conversation was over. Oscar proceeded to scuttle back to the reception, too engrossed in pretending to look casual to check if he was being followed.
At that moment an officer approached the pair.
“Detective Stone mentioned that you may be interested in using a workstation for a while. I can take you to mine if you like, or will you be following another lead for now?” He glanced down the now-empty corridor where the pair were looking. “Or I could help with anything else you need. Toilets are that way if you need that…” He gestured through one of the many doors, clearly a little confused as to why the pair were staring down an empty hallway.
Delian frowned for a brief moment, as the communication stopped.
It seems his suspicions have been proven correct, which unfortunately meant that this place had already been infiltrated. Though this information would unfortunately be of little use if they were to expose it now. One person would be caught and all further leads would likely run into nowhere. They would likely have to bait them.
Looking at the new officers confused face he shook his his head for a moment as if having been lost in thought.
"Ah, yes, a free work station would be quite appreciated, thank you."
He turned his head towards Sebastian.
"You still had some questions for the receptionist, regarding some of the locations here, yes? I will start looking through the data and then wait for you."
It was, obviously, just a facade not to reveal their suspicions, though the officer would not know that.
Sebastian stopped for a moment. Seems like he would just have to ask Delian about it later.
He turned to the officer, answering him; “Thank you. I do want to ask him about that place, and you wait for me there Delian; I won't be long.”
He bid Delian farewell for now and went to the reception to see Oscar again. It would have been much better if they could get some info on him beforehand, but it is what it is.
He waltzed into the reception, waiting for Oscar. When he finally found him, he put on a calm but friendly face and spoke to him.
“Excuse me, Oscar, I need some help with permits and locations. I know this isn’t your expertise, but detective Stone told me that you are quite helpful around here, so I wouldn’t mind stealing you for a moment and have you help me.”
He paused for a moment before continuing. “Unless you would rather I go ask someone else…?”
The officer smiled, happy that he could help.
“Follow me then!” He led Delian back down the corridor the way he had came, before opening a door and revealing a large open planned space, full of officers and desks. A few workers looked up at the stranger entering their workplace, but seeing him being accompanied by their colleague they merely nodded and returned to their own work.
“So this is where the magic happens.” Delian was shown to a decently sized desk covered in papers. The officer quickly gathered some up to make a space for him and offered Delian his chair, before grabbing another from another vacant desk nearby so he could sit with Delian.
“If you would like some space to do what you need to do, just let me know, but since you’re on the investigation I thought you’d like to talk before I go. I was part of the squad scrambled to save the Queen’s party that day you see, and while I’ve already been debriefed and all that you may have a different perspective. So, yeah… If you wanna ask anything from someone who was there I’m here if you need me.”
Meanwhile, at reception, Oscar was looking very startled and uncomfortable. He had clearly not expected to be needed right now, and was scrabbling to shove something into his desk drawer before Sebastian could see.
“Oh, Mr Lundron, so good to see you. Of course I am happy help, but you will need to be more specific I’m afraid!” He let out a small nervous chuckle, before slipping back into his professional demeanour. “I can direct you to whom to ask for certain permits, and while I am new to Veulas I am quickly learning more about this wonderful city. I can certainly do my best to guide you to where you are going next.”
Delian nodded ponderously.
"I see, so you have been there in the night of incident. That is... hm..."
He paused a couple of moments collecting his thoughts and calculating what sort of questions he could ask him, whilst looking at him.
"Say, I will assume you have been working here for a while actually, has there been anything feeling off, in the public or on patrols in the days prior to this incident? Had you seen any of these people prior to the incident or did they... sort of just appear out of nowhere?"
Though he already knew from Malax had told them that these people had arrived here through various falsified and forged data, it actually made him curious if they had integrated themselves with society beforehand, if had just appeared out of nowhere... it could mean they were hired and hidden by some noblehouse or some underground organisation. Furthermore, someone like him who was working in public a lot likely had a considerable better feel for public opinions and mood than Malax.
"Oh and actually, if you have the time of course, would like to stay and tell me the the story from your own view as we look through the recordings?"
Sebastian smiled at him and nodded.
“Right, right. And while that would normally be for the best-”
He pulled him off to the side, where nobody was nearby, speaking quietly and seriously now. He was willing to pretend to be foolish enough to think those new around here would be clean and that only older guys were corrupt.
“I am afraid I can not trust anyone else on this matter. I have reason to suspect that other investigators have died because the terrorists have someone on the inside.”
He looked to the left and to the right, making sure nobody was watching. “And isn’t it a little too convenient that Withmore appeared slightly before the attack? And that he had this investigation handed to him on a silver platter after only a handful of jobs for the local nobles?” He sighed, appearing tired and disappointed.
“I do not think so. Even your colleagues here at this very station could be involved- but you are new here, I doubt they would approach you with a bribe when you are practically fresh out, with respect for the justice you serve. I have reasons which I cannot reveal now to think he is working with them. And you will help me with this matter, or detective Stone will hear of it… and when you piss me off, even she will be the least of your worries. So, you will tell no one of this, and you and I will be working together to bring Whitmore down.”
He gave him a cold, unflinching stare, and a smile that conveyed a serious threat hidden behind it.
“So… Was I clear? Or do I ask miss Stone to free up a room just for the two of us, to help convince you?”
He was quiet as ever, letting his tone do most of the work.
The officer sat next to Delian smiled, delighted that he could help even a little by answering some questions.
“Nothing seemed off before the incident, not at all. The public seemed content. Petty crime will always be around, of course, but there was not much public discontent if thats what you mean. But now… Well, its been so long and we are no closer to finding out who did it. That has made people angry, we get heckled sometimes now on patrol. Its understandable, we are just as frustrated. And that’s not even touching the problems the war is causing. While Vaplana is not at the stage of protest yet, I can see the early signs… You hear people whisper, ya know? That our Government is incompetent and needs to re-militarise to protect us. But also on the other side of things too, people say that the Queen is betraying her father’s legacy by even considering the option. Its, well, a mess. The public talking so openly on such topics was never something you heard before, but there are certain media sites obsessed with the politics of the war, and it’s starting to resonate with people. I worry that the culprits behind the attempted assassination have a political agenda, and the start of the discontent is coming at their hand.
“As for what happened… I am part of the trained armed squadron, it is not enough work to consume all of my time hence why I work here also, but I received the call to action early on the morning of the incident. The Queen’s personal guard member had phoned the head General, Jax Brodin, but was cut off. He deemed it suspicious enough to mobilise us, I suppose. I was just heading out from here when we heard the bridge explode. We rushed over and part of my squad remained there to help the citizens, I and a few other older members of the squad followed the General’s orders. We were to fan out into the city and track a few targets, not knowing which would be the Queen’s party and which could be suspects. Intelligence doesn’t like to elaborate sometimes… I just happened to follow the lead that led to the Queen’s party, and just in time too as they were being cornered in an alleyway. We shot the assassins, only non-fatal wounds of course. But before we could bring them in for questioning most died. Some blame us, but I know for a fact they used poison to die before we could get to them.”
Meanwhile, in the empty lobby, Oscar did his best to look incredibly concerned at Sebastian pulling him aside as he did, and especially on edge at his threats. But, with careful attention, one could see a gleeful glint in his eyes.
“Wait… someone on the inside?!” He whispered, playing into Sebastian’s ‘game’ eagerly, layering concern and panic into his voice. “How terrifying, any one of us could be next! Especially if your concerns are true… I heard the same about his career, he has only done some jobs for some minor branch of the Navarro family and for Earl Lathai Mercia, literal nobodies in the grand scheme of the noble political stage. His career has indeed sprouted from nothing, you have good cause to suspect him.” Oscar, absolutely elated with the prospect of sewing discord amongst the pair of investigators, was eagerly telling Sebastian whatever he thought the man wanted to hear.
“I’m glad you deem me trustworthy, sir. I take my role here very seriously, I would never betray your trust. I will do whatever you deem necessary to out the mole.” Oscar took a moment to check his watch.
“Maybe we should go somewhere safer… I could take an early lunch and we could go to my apartment to talk, it’s only a street or so away. You could be back here within 10 minutes, so it would not make Mr. Whitmore suspicious that you were onto him.”
Sebastian nodded seriously, letting go of Oscar, internally congratulating himself on drawing him in without too much suspicion from other officers.
“Indeed, I am glad you share my concerns. I will make sure others hear of your achievements once we are done with the investigation. If you are sure your apartment is secure, we shall meet there.”
He took out his phone, and texted Withmore while telling Oscar that he just received a message. He didn’t have much time to act, so he wrote a quick reply to Delian;
>Going with O, track dis phone if u can. Dont follow.
Could never be too sure that Oscar wasn’t just going to lead him into an ambush, but if that were the case he trusted his detail to take care of it; Delaith just needed to know the location.
Once that was done he started recording with his phone, pretending to power it off and put it away in a pocket.
“Yeah, ‘tis just a scam. Lead the way Oscar, we don't have much time before he returns.”
His security would as always follow them from a distance and intervene if they saw anything unusual.
Delian, took a brief look at Sebastians message on his holopad and then nodded in response to the officers answer. Judging by the public discontent this incident had sown whoever orchestrated it was likely well aware of that and it was likely politically motivated, which meant despite the Queens survival they had succeeded, to a degree and they were quite intent on not being found out, given the loyalist suicide troops.
He nodded again.
"I see. I see. Do you know which poison they used? Was there anything out of the ordinary about it?"
He put the chip into the computer and began searching the cameras, or rather, what cameras there actually were, their surveillance seemed to be rather spotty, as expected of a planet with a naturally low crime rate.
He started by pulling up the recordings of the evening in question and let it run from shortly before the incident, waiting for the officers answer and input on the footage.
“Keeping Vaplana safe is reward enough, Mr Lundron, although I admit I would not object to you spreading the word of what is to come. But yes, we should hurry, it is certainly not safe here.”
Oscar quickly gathered up a few possessions and led Sebastian out of the police station. He did not notice Sebastian’s security detail following them away from Memorial park and down residential streets. He kept Sebastian occupied with pointless small talk, about the weather or which of his neighbours were involved in disputes with each other over trivial matters. None of it was of any interest to Sebastian, none of it was relevant to any of his interests. The tirade only stopped when they arrived at an unassuming terraced house located along a residential street lined with sweet-smelling trees.
“Welcome to my home! I am in the upstairs flat, if you’ll follow me.” The interior was just as normal as the street outside. Refurbished houses turned into flats were common place in Veulas, an old city that was now struggling with housing people with such strict building laws. It was a small flat, but Oscar seemed very proud of his little home. He was quick to offer Sebastian a beverage of his choosing in typical Vaplanan hospitality. It was all just… normal. Until Oscar thought Sebastian wasn’t watching when he took out a small device from his pocket and frantically sent a message.
Deliaith, back at the police station, was watching a black car plow across Veulas on the early morning of the attack. It flew through red lights, nearly hitting several cars and pedestrians while heading towards Veulas Central, the city’s main train station. Two figures had gotten out and looked around briefly before bundling back into their stolen car and speeding away, having missed their target by a mere minute or two.
“The poison was Moven, a common Vaplanan posion made from the Movennia berry. While the berry is not poisonous itself, when mixed with certain herbs it is extremely deadly. Kills almost immediately upon consumption. The ingredients are strictly controlled, but since they are harmless alone it can be hard to prevent all methods of acquisition… Making its use an extremely common method of suicide, as it’s relatively painless.”
Now the car was speeding along the highway towards the bomb site. The bombs, while invisible on the cameras during the day, had been set hours before by a small group of masked men shrouded in darkness. It was deadly quiet at night, even for a main road, so the group had been uninterrupted. But, unfortunately, they were unrecognisable with Vaplanan technology.
Outside the police station a small group of men swept the area. They had been scrambled here after Oscar’s warning, although their speed was aided by being stationed on watch in a flat nearby. They watched with glee as Oscar had led away Sebastian and his pesky security detail.
Nobody now stood in their way as they stormed the police station, through the empty lobby and the corridors to the main working area inhabited by Delaith and about 50 officers. Their entrance was unexpected, unimpeded, and deadly. They opened fire into the open planned office space, gunning down as many people as they could find. Well trained mercenaries, to be sure, and they wanted Delaith and all involved in his case dead. The officer sat beside him pushed him to the ground.
“You need to go, sir! This investigation is too important, leave!” He yelled over the sounds of gunfire and screams.
Delian had no time to ponder what he just saw in the records, there was too much going on at once, though it was certainly useful. He did expect that someone would come after them eventually, though he didn't quite expect them to act that soon and aggressive. For a moment he considered taking down the mercenaries but doing so in the middle of a police station would likely do considerable harm to if not outright blow his cover as such he would have to leave it to the officers.
"Stay safe young man.", Delian noted surprisingly calm for a man who was being attacked by a group of mercenaries and then simply nodded.
With a quick movement he pulled the chip from the computer and started moving out of the office the opposite way the attackers came from, keeping his head down whilst trying to observe the mercenaries. He started searching for a building plan of sorts as he would have to find a way out of the building which his followers wouldn't expect or maybe a way to circle around them. Given they had attacked from the front they likely had backup in case he tried to escape through one of the more obvious exits.
It was a shame really they didn't seem interested in capturing him alive, he could have gotten some quite interesting intel from that.
“Thank you Oscar, lead the way.”
Finally, something was happening.
Sebastian had managed to get closer to the mole, and his security detail would ensure that there would be no way out for Oscar even if the worst had happened and Lundron was captured or killed.
Despite the place being nothing special and somewhat small for most people, it had reminded Lundron of home- Yes it was normal if a bit small, and on Malaak you would have an entire family of 5 fit in a place such as this. Indeed, maybe the place would be considerably more dirty and the residents poor, but he believed in the goodness of his people, even if not all of them, and had no doubt that if you were kind to them some of them would show as much if not more hospitality to you than he was now receiving from Oscar.
He took a moment to decide before eventually settling for some Vaplanian tea. This gave Oscar just the opening he needed to send the message; despite beefing up his own personal security and suspecting this entire thing was a trap… He had forgotten that with him away, the station and Delian were vulnerable.
It didnt take Delian long to find a building plan for the entire police station. Security on Vaplana certainly was easy to bypass, almost worryingly so. There were several exits he could take. The main entrance was obviously out of the question, but two others caught his eye. There was a rear exit used exclusively by the staff that led out to a small car park and a shortcut to a bus stop. It was the second main entry point to the building, so was easy to access. But, would the assailants have sufficient numbers to cover it? The second noticeable exit was a little more hidden. There was a window on the first floor that opened onto a rooftop. Not a conventional exit, but less likely to be watched.
He would have to leave this room by a door to his left either way, which required a short dash across an uncovered space. If he wanted to leave fast he would then have to dash straight down a short coridoor before reaching the exit. If he wanted to use the window he would have to turn right, go through another open office space to reach the stairs, then make a left upstairs into a store room to find the window he needed.
The attackers were closing in, the number of injured were piling up. He needed to leave, now.
At the much quieter apartment, Oscar noticed that Sebastian had been admiring his home and his tea. He took the opportunity to send a flurry of texts. He was certainly in what looked like a busy conversation. Before too long, however, Oscar put his device down.
“Ah, sorry, my sister is getting married soon and cannot make a decision to save her life. Anyway, I am very interested to hear what you know. What has Mr. Whitmore done to make you suspicious of him? Given you both are already so involved in the investigation, who knows how many of your leads have already been compromised. Which have you followed up and which remain untouched for now? I worry it may already be too late if he has betrayed us…”
Delian, listened to the closing in gunfire and steps and calculated his options, then decided for the roof window. He would have to be careful, it could very well be there were people watching the building from the surroundings, some of which were also high enough to see the roof, though it would still be better than people potentially laying in wait for him at the backdoor. On the other hand, people at the backdoor would likely be easier to deal with than snipers.
Perhaps he could also find something useful in the store room, depending on what it held? He cursed the fact he had to act without weapons but it was what it was.
He nodded, grabbed something off the nearest table, and threw it low in the opposite direction of where he would be going towards, waited for the impact and then leaped across the gap towards the door with an agility and strength which betrayed his supposed old age, though not so much that it would seem superhuman, landing in a roll and then going into a low sprint towards his next target without looking back.
Finally the time had come, but he couldn’t afford to reveal too much. Caution was in order, as he couldn’t leave Oscar believing that he was lied to. The boy looked quite inexperienced, but Sebastain would be a fool to underestimate anyone, let alone someone who is involved with terrorists.
“Ah well, we all have our families to take care of… but to get back to the point: I need more concrete evidence to make my move against Whitmore, and you will be my tool for acquiring that evidence. As I have said, this is all quite ‘convenient’ for him, landing such a job after only a couple of investigations for the nobility. So far, we have a couple of very solid leads, as the would-be assassins made a grave mistake when it came to covering up their tracks… But I cannot speak of the finer details with you just yet. I can only say that it's clear the queen has powerful enemies.
People who are not afraid to do whatever it takes to consolidate their grip on power.
People who are interested in returning to the old ways, too scared by what's going on with the rest of the galaxy to act when they need to and would rather turtle in their shells and remain an afterthought of much more powerful nations.
He left the thought hanging in the air for a moment suspensefully.
“The very thought of it scares me but… It is possible that the Eco-Enlightenment party has grown rather fond of their domination over Vaplanan politics, and fear change that others would bring.”
Lundron’s face turned dark with worry as he went on; “And in their lust for power and inability to do what is right for their people… They may have decided to get rid of the queen, and have one of their own assume the highest power there is in the country while they still maintain high popularity.
I am not an academic, but from my understanding of Vaplanan history… There is precedent.”
He slowly starts getting up from his seat as he continues on talking faster.
“And if they are indeed involved, that would mean that Wickford, the very man who hired me, is also behind trying to delay the investigations by getting rid of those who take up the mantle until his sycophants get in. And Whitmore is exactly one of those bowing down to the likes of them. “
His breathing becomes quicker as he looks around, making sure that they are indeed alone, even here. “...And this means that the entire system is bent on the destruction of the monarch… except for one party who may be able to help us, but I am unsure if I should approach them…"
The poor unfortunate object that Delian launched was a large hole punch that had been lovingly modified to sport googly eyes. It stood no chance, the second it hit the floor a barrage of bullets flew its way. The distraction worked perfectly, Delian managed to escape the main bloodbath without even a scratch. Everybody around him was too preoccupied to notice his surprising levels of agility, he slipped away without a second glance.
The corridor was quiet. Delian could hear a couple of gunmen advancing through a room up and to the left, but he was not going that way. If he was quick and quiet he could pass through to the upstairs without issue. The door that led to the open space was closed, but from what it seemed there was nothing but silence on the other side of the door.
Sebastian had Oscar hooked. He was not very good at concealing his emotions, and he was making it very clear to Sebastian that Oscar completely believed everything he was saying without any doubt. He was nodding along as Sebastian became more and more passionate with his delivery, even letting out the odd gasp at the right moments.
“I had no idea this went that deep, but now you’ve said it I can’t help but think you're closer to the truth than anyone else has been. Politics here have always been cutthroat, but nobody has ever been so bold about things. I suppose it was only a matter of time before things escalated. If you think the Eco-Enlightenment Party is behind this having seen the evidence I may be able to point you in the direction of the Party I presume you mention… The VDL meet regularly to discuss policy, recruitment, all sorts really. They would undoubtedly do anything to help you to expose a rival, if you wanted to take the risk of meeting with them. They do have a bit of a reputation around here you see, but I’m sure it’s all just unfounded rumour and slander. Would that fit well into your plan, sir?”
Delian pondered for a moment whether he should've interfered but potentially giving away his identity and nature this early would likely have... less than desirable consequences, for both the Network and Vaplana. In the end these men were sworn to protect the populace, 'death in the line of duty', was the term if he remembered correctly. Hopefully at least the leader of the station would stay alive so they could contact her again later.
As he moved through the corridor, he considered the possibilities and options. Given their demeanour so far, it was unlikely there were any of the mercenaries in the silent room, though he still took caution to move silent but quickly, looking out for the door in case something or one may be there still. In this manner he continued towards the staircase and up it looking for his next direction.
As he did so, another thought came to his mind, now that he was not dealing with immediate danger anymore. What happened to Sebastian? Going up the stairs he called his number. If he was not involved it would be good to warn him and if he was then he would at least find out this way rather easily.
It seems that Sebastian had Oscar right where he wanted him. Seems like a passionate guy indeed, but his inexperience will be the end of him.
“I think that is just what we need. Risking it is the only way to advance forward, but I need to find a way to do it withoutDelian... Are you sure you could set up a meeting one on one with someone important? We can’t risk this going public.”
He checked his phone again, noting that some time had already passed, and he didn’t want Delian busting down the doors or his detail getting nervous. This was, after all, supposed to be a short visit.
“Speaking of Whitmore… We better start going back before he gets suspicious, don’t you think?”
The silent room was empty. Eerily so. There was blood all over the floor, trailing towards most of the exits bar the one Delian entered through. It seemed the attackers he heard before had already been through here, so he was safe for now. The stairs were just the same, there was nobody here. For a police station so large it seemed that only the rooms nearest the main entrance were full of workers. Was that a good or a bad thing..?
He finally made his way to the storeroom. It was uneventful aside from a few rooms that Delian could hear groups of injured survivors hiding in. The storeroom, however, was also empty of people. But, he did find something else of value. This room seemed to be where the police stored their defensive equipment, or at least what was left of it. Either the attackers or survivors had looted the room. All the gun racks were empty, and no live ammo remained. However, there were some small deployable shields scattered around, as well as some shock batons. If Delian wished to be able to defend himself within the parameters Malax had set, this would be his best bet. But, would the Vaplanan’s appreciate him borrowing some equipment?
Regardless, his exit was right there across the room. He would have to move a box so he could reach the window, but that would take no effort at all. Once he made the short fall to the roof, however, there would be no coming back.
Oscar nodded at Sebastian eagerly. “Of course I could!” He blurted out excitedly, before quickly realising what he said. “I mean… I’m sure with a little work and using some mutual connections it could be done. When would be a good time during your investigation to meet someone? You’re in a good position, I’m sure you could control when the meeting takes place.”
He began furiously typing again, talking with his ‘mutual contacts’. “VDL frequents a club near here they conduct all of their business from. I can send you the address. Just turn up when you’re ready, I’ll make sure the right people know to expect you.”
“Ah, well, wouldn’t you like to wait until I get confirmation of a meeting? I mean…” Oscar looked incredibly nervous. He was torn between protecting his new tool from the police station ambush he just ordered and not looking suspicious. “I could just send the confirmation to you later I suppose… If you wish to leave now I cannot stop you.”
Delian looked up and down the shelves and pondered, he was uncertain of what he should think of that the fully staffed police station had been unable to halt the mercenaries advance, was that a point for the mercenaries or one against the Vaplanan police force? He was aware they were usually a pacifistic state, so this was likely not something they usually dealt with.
He could've continue pondering about what the wider consequences of this would be but there was no time now.
He grabbed one of the shields and shock batons and put them on his belt, when there had been an attack like this, a set of missing non-lethal security equipment should be the least of Vaplanas concerns. Following that he moved to the window, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Leaping up, he grabbed onto the window frame for a couple moments, looking outside before moving out through the window, first thing of all, trying to find cover on the roof and see if there was anything suspicious in or on the surrounding buildings.
To Sebastian however, it was now certain: VDL is behind this. Only thing left to do now is inform Delian of the plan before proceeding.
"A club near here? Duly noted. Now, as much as I would like to stay here and chat, I should probably get back. Who knows what Mr. Whitmore is up to now."
Sebastian stands up, shaking Oscar's hand before leaving.
"I'm already glad you decided to work for me, Oscar. With the two of us, we will get to the bottom of this in no time."
With this new information in hand, he left Oscar's house, and his security let out a collective sigh of relief.
But they were already starting to get tired, so soon they would have to be dismissed for the day for some R&R.
He quickly messaged Whitmore:
'all good.
I am omw back as we speak, meet me at the station.'
Only thing left to do now was head back to the police station.
The view across the rooftops was rather pleasant, all things considered. Many of the rooves on Delian’s intended path down to the street below were either rooftop gardens or subtly fitted with solar panels. There didn’t seem to be anybody around, not even on the backstreets and alleyways below. There were certainly no attackers in view on the rooves.
The gardens would provide visual cover to hide if necessary, however, the cover was not suitable to defend him from a potential attack. The solar rooves were slightly better in that regard, but they were few and far between. Veulas, being an ancient and historic city, had very stringent building regulations, making it incredibly costly to install such modern (and, most importantly, protective) technology in public view.
The gunfire coming from downstairs seemed to be reaching it’s climax in intensity. It was unclear whether the invaders were winning or losing at this point. Either way, this position was no longer safe. It was time to leave.
In typical bad timing, Delian received a message from Sebastian just as he dropped out of the window, once he was beyond the point of no return.
Oscar was in two minds. Part of him wanted to follow Sebastian out of the apartment, prevent him from walking into danger back to the station. Sebastian was a valuable asset, after all. But, ultimately, he knew he needed to let Sebastian go. He could not make himself look suspicious, not now he had Sebastian hooked. All he could do was wave Sebastian goodbye, and promise to keep in touch with him.
Once he had left his apartment, Oscar frantically called his contacts outside, telling them it was imperative that his new asset would not be killed by their forces. Sebastian was now more valuable alive.
The streets heading towards the police station were eerily quiet. In fact, anybody that Sebastian passed had all been heading away from his destination at a notably faster pace than the norm in the relaxed city. All Sebastian could do was await a reply from Delian for now.
Sitting outside, beneath the window, Delian pondered for a moment. If this had been Sebastians work, it would be unlikely he would've just messaged him, on the other hand, it could also be he was aware they didn't kill him and was just trying to find out where he was.
He closed the window behind him as good as he could from the outside and then headed to the next rooftop utilising as much cover as possible.
...however, if he didn't answer him he may just let him run into a deathtrap, something that likely wouldn't sit well with his employer.
'Station has been attacked, advising moving away separately and meeting up at another spot.'
He paused, if he wanted to take the initiative, he would have to pick the spot and be there first. He looked through camera footage he had seen again, using the records in his memory. Something public perhaps? Would their attackers have access to the camera network? They may have Oscar, though that still needed confirmation. The bridge?
There should still be government personnel there, and it was under surveillance, that didn't stop their targets last time, but it was better than some back alley or one of their witnesses.
'Meet me at the Bridge the incident happened at.' Now... just to get there.
He looked at the streets around the building he was on, waiting for an opportune moment to climb down and blend into the people which were running away from the police station. As he waited he checked the looted equipment, the shock baton was easy enough to hide, though looking at the shield he started to doubt whether he could hide it beneath his mantle, probably would have to leave it behind.
Sebastian had received the reply.
This changed things. Torn between keeping the security team for his protection and not risking being found out, he decided for the latter; it was time to lay low. He was probably more useful alive than dead now, so unless he starts shooting he probably won't get shot at.
While the message itself was horrifying, it partially cleared Delian of suspicion in his mind. It would make no sense, to attack the station with only himself inside. Nothing to be gained except for arousing suspicion.
Perhaps Oliver called them in while they were still inside the station, to get rid of those working on the case?
Or was there some other, unknown and hostile element that was after them? Was Oscar not the only mole?
All those questions had to wait. For now he would have to make it to the bridge.
Sprinting along as fast ass he could, he looked for the quickest route on his phone. With the message of the new terrorist attack spreading, it would mean clogged traffic; calling a cab would do no good, and the city was pedestrian friendly anyways, so Sebastian started sprinting.
'Got it, heading there rn. Call authorities for evac, you are the target.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It took a couple of minutes, running through the streets that increasingly grew crowded as he approached the direction of the attack, but fortunately Sebastian made it to the meeting place unscathed. He was carrying a pistol that he was permitted to bring along, just like Delian, but he would rather not use it if possible.
The shield left behind, shock baton hidden and meeting point decided, Delian had made his way towards the bridge at top speed, trying to stay hidden whilst wading through the fleeing and unaware. Though the seemingly old man sprinting like an olympic athlete did garner some curious looks on his way, most people were too busy running away themselves to give it any mind, after all, strange tourists were of no shortage on Vaplana, as such his short journey went unimpeded.
Only shortly before Sebastian, he had arrived at the bridge where the fateful incident had happened, staying in the shadows for now and observing the surroundings to see if and what would come with Sebastians arrival.
A couple moments later a message reached Sebastian stating 'I am on my way, should arrive shortly, are you already there?'.
The old bridge, site of the previous terrorist attack and the attempt on Queen's life was mostly empty of civilians, as people were quickly catching onto what was going on and were leaving the streets, or evacuating that part of town alltogether. Police sirens from local patrols could be heard in the distance, on their way to the site of the attack from other police stations throughout the city. Sebastian was looking around, calculating possible escape routes and where Delian would arrive from while trying to catch his breath leaning on a streetlight.
And that's when he got the message.
'Im already there. Are you being followed?"
Whilst Sebastian was still waiting for Delian to show up, Delian was standing in a inconspicuous spot with a good view over the area, observing his surroundings for any suspicious movements in response to his messages to Sebastian.
'If anyone followed me then I at least haven't notice them yet.' He returned in the next message.
'I will be coming onto the crossing from the side opposite to the bridge. Keep an eye out if you see any suspicious movements', he added, keeping any eye on the reaction and if there was any movement in the surroundings or adjacent roofs himself.
it seemed luck was on the pair's side. From what they could tell nobody had managed to follow them here, and there was very low risk of anyone overhearing their conversation. The bridge, still damaged from the explosion, was not currently in use and such there was nobody around. Not even repair crew, which may seem odd to an outsider. However, considering Veulas's strict planning and building laws such delay was par the course. The bridge would be repaired properly, using the correct materials. When the job was finally done, it would be impossible to tell anything bad had ever happened here.
What was evident, however, was the slowly spreading realisation of another attack sweeping the city. Sirens echoed through the now empty streets, most civilians now safely locked inside their homes. The panic was, yet again, setting in. The investigators could feel it in the air. This was a population that had been sheltered from such terror for all of their lives. Vaplana was peaceful, and most had never even known hardship, let alone violence and blood in the streets.
If they were to stand any chance of stopping these events and keeping these terrified people safe they would have to act fast. There was still time to investigate one more lead before the day came to a close, and every scrap of information they could dig up would be vital to the investigation.
Delian observed the area for a while, though finding nothing he at least found new confidence in their position and his suspicions of Sebastian were now slightly lessened.
It seems the enemy was not one step ahead in every corner.
He approached Sebastian from behind who had still been on the lookout towards the opposite direction, putting his hand on his shoulder firmly, seeing what his reaction would be.
"It seems we are in luck. Nobody has followed us so far. Though the incident at the Police station is certainly regrettable, I would say we should take the opportunity to to talk to the parents of the queens confidants, they are in less danger so long as we are not being followed."
He looked around one last time to see if anyone was looking at them and for an opportunity to get a vehicle.
"We should probably move quickly though. We can inform the minister, or rather his nephew of the incident on our way, what do you say?"
Sebastian was almost startled by that, his arm reflexively going for the pistol without even thinking about it. His movements seemed precise and motoric, done without any thought at all- this man was used to reaching for his piece, or had it drilled into him in some fashion at some point. But he quickly calmed down once he realised it was someone at least a bit trustworthy, and his only true ally on the ground, Delian. He would have to leave thoughts about the stark contrast of the city before and after this second attack for later- but it was interesting to ponder how peaceful this all might have been before assassination attempt on the queen.
"You startled me. You make a great point but there is something urgent which I must tell you-"
Sebastian needlessly looked around once more to make sure nobody was nearby.
His tone changed to a quiet whisper regardless as he looked Whitmore in the eye to see his reaction.
"I may have a lead on the mole inside the police, and new suspects for this attack and the previous one. I believe that Vaplana's Defence League may be behind some of it, but there is no concrete proof. I believe we can organise a sting operation, but we will need detective Stone checked and on side."
"We should probably talk about it in a more secure location, so lets get going. We should inform them about the attack first."
While there were no cars around, it seemed that the public transport had not shut down completely. the area around the police station had a significantly reduced service, but the occasional vehicle would pass through. No passengers would be allowed to disembark in the exclusion zone, but if a tram or bus was waved down it would certainly stop to pick the two up. It was common practice to keep such services running for as long as possible with the assistance of the police to aid people in evacuating the area. There would be an officer on every bus and tram ensuring people did not disembark in the wrong place or to keep an eye out for escaping perpetrators. All the two had to do was choose where to go.
Delian observed the streets as the bus made its way through the cityscape, it was in a way morbidly fascinating of how stark the contrast between a normal day and that of an attack like todays was, if the reaction here was already so extreme it made one wonder what would happen if an actual war broke out or hostile ships entered the system.
He looked over to sebastian as he waited for him to inform their contact of the incident and then nudged him with his elbow.
"So, what did Oscar have to say? You spoke of it as if he has made some great revelation."
He continued to observe the stations passing by. they still had some ahead of them, he picked one that was close, but not too close by the parents home, if he didn't see they were follow it didn't mean they weren't, more caution had never been a mistake.
Sebastian responded quickly;
"He was very keen on prime minister Wickford being implicated with the entirety of the Eco-enlightenment party. He has a particular fondness for Vaplana Defence league however, who are the ones with the best motives for this. They are are against everything that the government stands for, the pacifism, the Queen herself..."
He tried to remember exactly what had happened for a moment and judge the situation.
"While it may just be a dead end conspiracy theory, I believe it is worth pursuing. The motives are there, and the militarism and isolationism would be something any enemies of Vaplana could exploit. Oscar has invited me to a place where VDL regularly meet and hold discussions, and implored me to come without you. I suspect they want a one of the people leading the investigation to be on their side. This could be the lead we are after and something to inform Wickford about, at least if wea re to start the sting with me on the inside."
Delian seemed to be thinking for a while then nodded.
"It makes sense, yeah. So it is likely a form of power grab. The question remains: If it really was them, who instigated it and were their external contractors 'only' involved or also had a stake in it?"
He pulled out his holopad and called their contact in the palace as they waited for their arrival.
The other question was what the VDL intended to do with Sebastian. He should be relatively safe if he went to the meeting, after all, him just disappearing would cause far more issues than if they hadn't contacted him in the first place, so that was not a concern.
Question is what he would do in the meanwhile.
Perhaps go to meet the Lady Severa?
"I can't think of any obvious external enemies that Vaplana would have immediately, which is the entire point of their foreign policy... So for now we should keep all the options open." Sebastian responded while they waited.
Delian shook his head.
"It doesn't need to be 'enemies' per se. It could be someone who would be interested in seeing Vaplanas stance or policies change as a prominent native and pacifist nation."
An uneasy week had passed. With the city on lockdown for most of that time it had been impossible to follow up any other leads. The chip held little else useful information except a couple of shrouded figures abandoning the stolen car before it was engulfed in flames. It was becoming clear that the Vaplanans had been working from scraps of information all of this time, it would not be easy to piece the events together if using traditional Vaplanan sources.
In better news, Delian had managed to arrange a meeting with Lady Severa at her home. In a fortnight's time. It would take a day's travel to get there on top of that, so there was little else they could do but wait, unless he wished to hunt down the perfect opportunity to corner the Queen's maid Thalia when she made one of her rare trips beyond the palace.
Sebastian, too, had some good news. A week after the attack on the police station he received an invitation from Oscar. It had not come in the form he expected, however. A handwritten note had been pushed under the door of his establishment. The more he thought on it, the more horror consumed him. He had not told Oscar his address, and his subordinates had insisted nobody had approached his dwelling on their watch.
But it was too late to back down now, the opportunity to gather information from the inside was far too tempting. Sebastian had said farewell to Delian that night and, accompanied by a group of stealthy guards, he headed for the meeting point.
He approached a shadowy back alley on the outskirts of Veulas. He was looking for a bar frequented by lovers of alternative techno pop music in the daytime, and a known meeting point for political dissidents at night. He went inside alone, his men taking strategic positions outside. It was too risky for one to accompany him.
Sebastian had been expecting a casual group setting from the impression Oscar gave, but it was clear his intuition was far off. This was clearly a recruitment rally, men and women taking it in turns to give passionate speeches while standing on tables. They talked about the growing galactic instability, the ancerium shortages, Vaplana's vulnerable position. All reasonable points when not taken to the extreme. Things had been going well enough, until there was murmurs by the door of the crowded bar. Then, after some yelling, a single gunshot. The bar erupted into chaos.
The VDL members who had been giving the speeches spoke of an infiltrator, a traitor. Someone had apparently tipped off the police who had stationed men to surround the bar and storm the place when their guard was down. Or worse, pick them all off one by one as they left. Sebastian knew one of his men had been found, and in the darkness had been mistaken for the authorities. The VDL members, desperately trying to hide their panic, began pushing their way through the crowd, shoving pistols into people's faces and yelling at anyone who looked 'suspicious'. Sebastian began edging his way to an exit, any exit, when another flurry of shots echoed off the walls in the bar.
People screamed. The smell of blood quickly filled the air. The potential VDL recruits, feeling trapped, reacted to the act of brutality enacted upon them. The crowd surged towards the doors, and there was nothing Sebastian could do to protect himself from the unstoppable force. He was shoved hard, falling to the floor.
It had felt like hours. His body was numb from the pain of so many feet trampling over him. He was sure the person laying next to him had died as she fell, her lifeless eyes staring deep into his soul and her blood pooling beneath her. Sebastian had no clue how much time had passed between the stampede and the bar finally emptying of the VDL members who were muttering to themselves behind the bar. It had been longer again before some of his men kicked down the door and dragged his paralysed body from the now burning building.
He had been immediately rushed to the nearest hospital. His connections with the Prime Minister afforded him stellar care in the form of a foreign surgeon, and he had been told he would recover. Eventually. With Vaplana's technology it would take months of physio to make him well enough to travel offworld if he wished to receive better care elsewhere. He had been effectively taken out of the investigation, albeit entirely by chance. Delian would have to continue without his ally.