NationStates Jolt Archive

Sorjun Leanfust sat before a wall of monitors, examining battle plans and video feeds that popped up on the screen. The Brotherhood of Avåkne was a shadow empire that ruled behind the curtain of the stage that was Gravedom. While King Koja read from his scripts and meddled with the people, Leanfust was orchestrating a masterful chain of events that would lead to be Gravedom’s single greatest victory and Lorkhan’s major defeat.

“Our cell in Lorkhan’s capital is ready my lord.” a black clad associate informed the blond haired blue eyed mastermind. “We only await the word of our völva to enlighten our path.”

Kujegard was loyal to the last. It was a widely accepted rumor that he would one day replace Leanfust should the worst happen. Of course, Leanfust would never attest to this or even conceive that he might one day relinquish leadership either in life or in death.


“I shall speak with our völva privately.” Leanfust insisted. “In the mean time, inform Quander to ready our defenses against what will certainly be Lorkhan’s counter attack.”

Kujegard bowed and hurried out of Leanfust’s personal chambers. The tall brooding man turned over to a large plain wall and pressed a button on the underside of his wrist watch. The wall slid open revealing a hidden screen that switched on as it opened. On the screen was the form of a hooded woman whose visage was concealed by shadow and the distorted feed from wherever the woman originated.

“I foresee a great victory for you Leanfust.” the woman spoke silently with a chilling tone that cut through Leanfust’s cold heart like a heated knife. “Your enemies will cower in pools of their fallen comrade’s blood. The perversion of our lands and sacred rites has endured too long. Strike your targets tonight. Do this without hesitation or remorse and you will celebrate until the morning‘s sun.”

The transmission cut out and Leanfust grinned at the prospect he had been promised. His grin soon became a laugh, the would-be conqueror shaking at his own vision like a demented fool in some dramatic play. And that was exactly the nature of Leanfust’s situation. He was being played like a fool.

Holden Kraft marched through the narrow corridors of the Basilica, Lorkhan’s center of military command that towered over the Thrawn Memorial District in Jarten Prime. Soldiers and officials he passed by snapped to alert with a firm salute, taking full attention of his status as the highest ranking military official in the country. He barely noticed them as he marched to his private office, his absolute concentration, lost within the whirlwind of pending change and all it’s many possibilities. A great storm was coming and he wanted to be at the center of it.

The second revolution in two decades was brewing, though this particular revolution was on a far more massive scale and would see Lorkhan positioned as the all encompassing power in the region. Kraft had little understanding of the true nature behind the plot, but he knew the contents of the folder that had been passed to him by the Mind of the OCULMAGT had enough information he could use to appropriately position himself.

Kraft slid his ebony colored keycard through the scanner embedded on titanium door that served as the point of entry to his quarters. Several receivers popped out of their slots, allowing Kraft to enter further information through retinal scan, voice identification, and thumb print. The scanners pinged each time he passed their tests, and Kraft was finally able to enter a seven digit code that popped the door open.

“Good evening, J5.” Kraft said to his mechanical servant as he entered the room. The robot was a one of a kind prototype built by ODI-Arms specifically for Holden Kraft’s use and accommodations. It was rather bulky, and the treads that it operated on could sometimes be annoying, but it served it’s several purposes rather well.

“Refreshments, sir?” the robot inquired of it’s master in it’s mechanical monotone voice.

“No thank you, J5. I’ve important matters to attend to that may concern Project Crown.”

The robot understood and immediately initiated it’s appropriate surveillance and input programs. Though Kraft didn’t know it, J5 had been tampered with by the OCULMAGT to spy on it’s own possessor, especially when it came to Project Crown. Project Crown was a secret project that Kraft had been working on with a select few trusted generals. Kraft had been secretly planning to take over Lorkhan and reignite the Empire of Nordland for over a decade. Coincidently, Tiber Valias was planning the same thing, and Kraft was one of only two in Lorkhan’s cabinet who were recently made aware of the situation. The plot would change everything drastically. Tiber Valias was already a step ahead of Kraft, and this meant that Kraft would need to rewrite his entire plan.

Originally, he intended to use the Varjsoldat program to pummel hostile tribes on Gravedom’s boarders, and bring an end to the long violence and hostilities that occurred in the surrounding region. Surely the popularity he would win from commanding such an event would put him in position to replace Valias had some planned unfortunate accident happened to him.

As Kraft read through the contents of the folder, he realized that would not be the case. He was to withdraw 40% of the guard surrounding the Office of Foreign Affairs and position them at the palace and congressional buildings. He was instructed to prepare the PDF for mobilization and ready a military occupation of Gravedom, and to in ready himself as a Procurator.

The order was peculiar, as Kraft knew that no outside elements would dare strike any of the major centers of government even with standard security, never mind with an increased PDF presence on the ground. It was strikingly obvious that events were being staged, and that an attack on the Office of Foreign Affairs was imminent.

“Every noble cause has it’s martyrs…” Kraft whispered to himself as he picked up a nearby phone and called the security office at the Office of Foreign Affairs.

“Commander Nolan, this is Military Executor Kraft. We’ve evidence that suggests a terrorist group is plotting an attack on the Palace of Norns. I want you to send half of your troops over there immediately to up their security. Oh, and Nolan, no one is to know about this.”

Kraft slammed the phone down and looked into the empty eyes of L5, contemplating his next move. The contents of the folder would prove to be useful to him. He would wait for Valias to carry the weight of his people to victory, and when the moment was right, the truth of this incident would be exposed. The strategy had changed, but the game remained consistent.

“Make a note, J5.” Kraft instructed the droid. “Commander Nolan is to be -removed- by the end of the night. I want you to erase any memory you have of this conversation.”

The Mind stood in his darkened domain, about ten miles away from the Basilica in one of the many safe houses the OCULMAGT had operated out of. He watched Kraft through the use of J5's surveillance. Kraft was showing himself to be increasingly suspicious, and his trail far more revealing to the OCULMAGT's ever watching eye. The Abyss was surely about to become far more treacherous.