NationStates Jolt Archive

"Government is a Diabolic Machine, it's mission directly at odds with the the powers it must assume. The Machine neither sees nor understand black or white, good or evil, moral and immoral, it must function no matter the direction it is steered by men, it can be steered to crush or to build, but it continues to function nonetheless.

The Machine at best is an instrument that through infernal contract with it's user some are sacrificed for the good of all and the Machine is allowed to blindly and evenly administer. We who use the Machine must decide who is placed upon it's altar, just as ancient man's rulers decided whom to place at the altars of Baal or Moloch as sacrifice.

We must steer the machine to build and protect while at the same time sacrificing to the Machine to insure it's monopoly on force that we may exert it for the stability of all."

- Aran Adhemar, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilek-Vaad


Sir Alec closed the card, a birthday card given to him by his former boss and mentor, Aran Adhemar, the man whose death had precipitated his rise in politics. Not exactly well wishes for another prosperous year of life. The card was five years old, Sir Alec wasn't sure why, but it's message seemed more relevant now, he did not fully understand it's message those years ago. Now maybe Leviathan was being steered in the wrong direction.

Sir Alec sighed and sat. He had poured himself a drink, but he didn't feel like drinking. He instead sent an e-mail from his smart-phone to an old friend, a man whom he hadn't really talked to since his mentor had died.

******

First Republican William Issem. The man currently at the helm of the Diabolic Machine. William sat reflecting on his accomplishments, he considered his two years in office as a success. He had all but neutered the former foreign policy of engagement and had replaced it with his own big stick, his friend Supreme Republican Commander Ring, had obliged him. They both believed that foreign policy was best when backed up by deployment of the Retaliatory Guard. Threat was the only thing foreigners knew.

To do this he had sidelined Sir Alec Connover the affable and popular Minister of Foreign Affairs. Now however, William was afraid. Sir Alec had stopped coming to the weekly party meetings. He hadn't shown up in the chambers of the Republican Council in nearly a week, he always had an excuse and begged off. Sir Alec was sidelined, but worse yet, he was alienated and outside of William's control.

William Issem, hero of the conflict in Allanea, One-Hundredman of the Retaliatory Guard, Field Marshall of the Purifiers Army now First Republican, for all his accomplishments and power he could not reign in one man. A man he hated. Sir Alec was the picture of slovenly lack of discipline, a drinker, a man who joked far too often of matters far to serious. Fear was the root of Williams hatred, things that Williams big stick diplomacy could not solve were solved in a single night by Sir Alec's affable diplomacy and worse yet, Sir Alec never offered any concessions.

Sir Alec's outward incompetence hid the mind shaped by Aran Adhemar and the Republican Order Party, something that William and his Progressives could not stand. Sir Alec was a member of the Progressives and through bullying by William and his supporters had toed the party line, but what if that mind that finally in single night brought peace between the Free Republic and The Federation was focused at William and the Progressives?

No, Sir Alec must be reigned in. It would have to be delicate, any real action William took to reign Alec in would be illegal, and the Velite General would end it. Party pressure on Alec was failing, so William needed the help of an old friend. A friend that he could not contact officially or through his office.

Sir Alec could not be allowed to be out of the control of William and the Party.


*****

Sir Alec answered the door and his old friend Scipio Nemeraan entered without a word and crossed to the sofa and took a seat. Sir Alec poured him a drink.

"Still drink sherry Scipio?"

Scipio nodded "That will do Alec."

Sir Alec handed him the drink and resumed his seat and toyed with his own untouched tumbler of scotch. Scipio looked at Alec expectantly. They were both silent for several minutes before Alec started.

"Things are going in the wrong direction." He said looking down into his glass.

Scipio took a drink of his sherry and nodded silently.

"I think, I think I'm no longer part of the picture. My successful conclusion of a treaty with the Federation, which should have been a triumph for the nation, is greeted with silent scorn by my progressive colleagues. William sees it as a challenge to his chairmanship." Alec finally took a sip of his scotch as he finished.

Scipio nodded again.

"I don't want that sort of responsibility, or enmity. The Progressives came to me. I was happy being ambassador to Tanah Burung."

Scipio still said nothing.

Sir Alec looked up at Scipio "Well?"

Scipio grimaced "Well what. We haven't talked since Aran's funeral. We both know you already have an answer for your problem or you wouldn't have called me."

Sir Alec smiled "Like Aran said 'Don't seek out your negotiating partner until you've already solved the problem.' I just don't know if it's good solution."

Scipio smiled "Well, I can't say until you've run it by me. I'm just a bit perplexed, what could you possibly gain from me."

Sir Alec drew a deep breath "Chairmanship of the Republican Order Party. The Progressives big stick diplomacy has failed, only they don't know it, and the Supreme Republican Commander is more than happy to revel in his role as defacto Minister of Foreign Affairs."

Scipio looked surprised " So you want my job? Why not take chairmanship of your party, the Progressives."

Sir Alec shook his head "William has purged anyone that might have supported me."

Scipio frowned "Why not just switch sides?"

Sir Alec shook his head again "Because William has been expert at attacking your lack of ministerial experience, I can switch sides and be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, R.O.P. but progressives will still be in control, we need to sweep the R.O.P. back into power. I think we can do that, but I have to challenge William directly."

Scipio nodded "You may be right, what exactly do you have in mind?"


*****

William stopped his car and his friend got in, they then started to drive.

"William, what's up. What's wrong that you can't put the Velite Guard or the Shadows on?"

William looked over to Colonel Mitchell, retired. Stalwart of the House Arden and the Progressive party, former Purifier. "I need you to do surveillance on Sir Alec, he's out of my control. I need to know what he's doing and who his talking to."

Mitchell inhaled sharply "If he's done nothing illegal.........................then what you want to do is certainly not legal."

William nodded "That's why you need to find someone to do it."

Mitchell nodded "I can look into it."

"I knew I could count on you. If we lose power, the Progressives lose power, it would be a disaster for the Republic." William said as he pulled over again to let Mitchell out. "We need this handled, but it has be between just you and me."

Mitchell smiled as he got out "I will see what we can do."

William pulled off as Colonel Mitchell walked off into the night.

OOC:

Semi-open character roleplay, Colonel Mitchell will most likely try to find a foreign agent to follow Sir Alec and maybe 'get' to him. TG me if you want to have a foreignagent, or agents tangled up in this, or if you have one in Ilek-Vaad already (Vrak, Dyelli-Beybi, Macisikan etc............) then let me know. I'll post an in for a foreign agent tomorrow.

Colonel Mitchell picked his quarry carefully and then watched him for a day or two before getting his routine and then finally approaching him as he settled in to lunch.

He had chosen a suspected member of the VIS, one set up for 'soft' surveillance by the Velite Guard, nobody was following him, or watching him, but local commanders and Velite Investigators knew of him and made notations of when and where he showed up on their radar.

Colonel Mitchell approaches the agent's table and slips into the seat across the table and smiles at the VIS agent "Good afternoon, I'm 'Mr. Johnson', and I'm afraid you've been compromised............"

OOC: That's your in Vrak :D

*****

Across town Sir Alec was again meeting privately with Scipio Nemaraan.

"Okay, it's all set, in four days the ROP steering committee will sit down with us and hear you plan in detail. They seemed surprised that I wasn't objecting to it."

Sir Alec chuckles "Well, I am asking to take your job, and politically I've been the enemy for three years."

Scipio nods "Maybe politically. I'm just glad that you called."

Sir Alec smiles "I intend to put a good many things right in the near future."

OOC: Bump..........just in case you forgot, don't rush though, we don't need you throwing anything else out :D

“Vulpix” looked at the Colonel with surprise and anxiety. His real name was Chad Hasharumpkinstle, nephew of the famed big game hunter and had been in the VIS for only a year. Unlike his famous uncle, Chad was not exactly the smartest knife in the drawer and tried to stifle his rising panic when the words, “I'm afraid you've been compromised…” were uttered. Still, it could be a ploy to actually reveal his identity so he wasn’t ready to take the Colonel’s word at face value. If indeed this was the case though, Chad remembered what he would have to do; go to a certain safe house in Great Lassic, retrieve a passport, make some superficial alterations to his appearance and then fly back to Vrak. In case he was cornered, he would have to fight his way out and try to kill as many of the enemy agents as possible.

He looked around the restaurant furtively before returning his gaze to Mitchell.

“Oh?” he replied, trying not to let his voice shake, “is that so?”

'Mr. Johnson' smiled at Chad nicely and opened his valise and handed him a manila folder. It was a copy of a Velite Guard threat assessment on Chad and an outline of his suspected ties and dealings in the Free Republic. As Chad looked it over Mr. Johnson ordered a drink and a sandwich. He then explained.

"You are the target of 'soft' surveillance. You aren't being traced or followed, but every Velite Guard in the area knows to report if you show up somewhere suspicious. Hardly good news for you in your line of work.

Now, I can help you, if you are willing to do some work for me. Of course if you aren't willing........."

Mr. Johnson didn't finish that sentence, he looked at Chad expectantly as his drink arrived.

Chad looked back at Mr Johnson's smiling face and wished he was as confident as him. He also wasn't sure how sincere the Vaadian's offer of help really was. He was astute enough to know that nothing comes free, especially in the business that both of them are in.

"How do you plan to help me?" he inquired, struggling to keep the wavering out of his voice. He was due for a contact in an hour so he did have some time.

"Well, I'm glad you asked that , Chad." He pauses and takes another drink and while sliding another manila folder across the table

"You see I have friends in the Velite Guard, I know several Inspectors. All it takes is one of them to log in, sign off on your file as 'Investigation Complete: No Further Action Necessary' and you will stop showing up in briefings, or in the computer when the Guard check for suspicious people in the area when they make routine checks.......You'll be off the radar unless you actually blatantly commit a crime.

All you have to do in exchange for this is to run surveillance on the man in that dossier. I'm sure your superiors will see the value in trading some minor surveillance for a better position for one of their agents. So what do you say Chad?"


Of course as Chad opens the dossier the first thing in it is a nice full color photo of Sir Alec Connover, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Chad's eyes widened at the sight of Connover. He did, of course, know of Connover like many agents would know of VIPs in various foreign governments. However, what he wasn't exactly sure was why exactly he was chosen by Mr Johnson. He idly wondered that it was entirely likely the VIS already had Connover under surveillance and Chad was very much a follow don't question orders type of fellah. Still, he was passed over for a promotion two months ago with the reason being given: "did not use correct judgment". Chad translated this as "not being risky enough" and saw this chance as a promotion in the VIS echelons.

He looked over the dossier and said.

"When do you need an answer?"

'Mr. Johnson'chuckles "I need an answer right now. If I don't get one, I'm afraid the Velite Guard outside will be alerted to the dossiers that you are carrying."

He pauses as his sandwich arrives.

"And knowing the VIS, that will get messy, you trying to fight four Guardsmen armed with assault rifles and flak jackets. Very messy indeed. So, I need a yes or a no before I finish my sandwich."

Chad's eyes widened slightly. Although he was trained in hand-to-hand and small arms like all VIS agents, he also was trained how to survive. And he didn't like his chances against four Velite Guardsman, even though he felt certain that he could probably hurt or kill Mr. Johnson. Still, Mr. Johnson was likely as well trained if perhaps not a former Guardsman himself though Chad. His mind was racing and then he thought about the possibility of advancing his career. Fortune favours the bold he comforted himself, however another nagging thought suddenly surfaced: A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. He wondered if indeed he did see this whole situation clearly but just as quickly he pushed his doubt aside.

"I accept," he said as he perused the dossier once again.

'Mr. Johnson' chuckles "I knew you were a team player Chad, you won't regret this."

He pauses again reaching into his pocket and taking out a cell phone, handing it over to Chad.

"Now, you'll begin tomorrow, home addresses, favorite hangouts are listed in the dossier. If you need any equipment call the saved number in that cell phone. Also call that number every other day to find out where to drop off photos, voice recordings and other surveillance of the target. I expect copious amounts of both.

If the target does accidentally wander into work at the House of the Republic, do not attempt to surveil him there, you'll surely get caught. You got all that?"

Chad merely nodded. He sure didn't feel like a team player but bodily harm by Guardsmen tended to make one's mind up quickly. He stuffed the cell phone in his inner breast pocket and then thought of equipment that he would need. The VIS already provided him with a car but he thought that he should ditch that since that also was under surveillance. At least he could ask for a car, some bugs, a wad of cash, and some camera equipment. He didn't think he would need any credit cards from whatever mysterious contact came from the cell phone since they could be tracked and he already had his own. As well, the mission sounded quite routine since he didn't have to establish contact with Connover but just watch him.

He idly wondered if he still would be watched, despite Mr. Johnson's assurances of making the inspectors "go away". As well, if this was so, well, routine, why bother with him? Inwardly, he shrugged.

"I understand, Mr. Johnson. Shall I be on my way?"

'Mr. Johnson' nods as he tucks into his sandwich in earnest.

"Yes, that should be all for today. I look forward to hearing from you, you have quite a bright future ahead of you." He says with a smile as he reaches for the mustard.

Chad could then be on his way, leaving 'Mr. Johnson' to his lunch. On his way out , if he bothered to look closely it didn't seem there were any Velite Guard on the busy street, at least not any within a couple of blocks.

Chad was too riled up to notice that there weren't any Velite Guards outside. Although, he thought to himself as he crossed the street and stole a furtive glance each way, they could in that van just parked outside the restaurant. Or around the corner, or....

He stopped and shook his head and then opened the door to his car, the dossier folded neatly inside his jacket pocket. Get a hold of yourself. Make your usual contact and then onwards with the new mission.

====

He drove to his small apartment and parked his car inside the garage. He opened the door and looked at his sparse furnishings. The television with accompanying DVD system was in one corner with an older couch opposite. The coffee table had bits of take-out still on it. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, although he did a customary exam just to be sure. Finally, he settled on the couch and picked up the phone. It was secure and the messages would be encrypted. After punching in a certain sequence on the number pad, he heard the familiar hiss and then a voice answered.

-Vulpix, Delta Delta six oh four
-Acknowledged. Report.
-Usual surveillance. Was contacted by a Mr. Johnson. Possibly of Velite Guard.
-Follow standard protocol.
-Negative. New mission possibility. Surveillance of Alex Connover.
-Denied. Follow standard protocol.

Chad was getting exasperated. Why can't he change his usual surveillance? Other agents did it. His voice had an added edge.

-Negative. Will pursue.
-Den...

But Chad already hung up the phone. He then looked around the room and decided to start packing. He looked at his new cellphone and made a call. He would need a safe house from their end to stay for a short time.

The phone is answered by a gruff sounding man "This is Mr. Johnson, what do you need?"

The voice obviously wasn't the Mr. Johnson he had just met with, regardless the voice on the other end seemed to know all about Chad and his needs, Chad would be instructed to meet this new Mr. Johnson at a Shisha bar in the 'Nargile, inside the walls of the Old City. He was instructed to be prompt.

The Nargile is the neighborhood by the East Gate of Great Lassic's Byzantine walls that divided the new 'Ring' from the 'City Center' the old and new cities respectively. The 'Nargile' gained it's name from the Turkish immigrants that have settled there nearly continuously from 1816 onward and the number of 'nargiles' or Shisha bars that crowd the streets of the medieval neighborhood. The bar he is to find is the 'Topkapi Annex' and appears to be the hang out of several dozen local roughs. The patio out front is swarming with the rough looking young men, crowded around 3 and 4 hose hookahs watching the streets suspiciously.

Chad realizes that this is his first time in Great Lassic that he hasn't seen a Velite Guard foot patrol within three or four blocks.................

The door was picked open, albeit not as easily as it might have been if it was an ordinary door. The VIS had a habit of ensuring that wherever their agents were placed, that the access points would be modified so that it would be hard for someone to break in. Chad was not exactly dumb since he scrambled the code before he left. Which made the larger, beefier man mad and his smaller, calm companion crack a wry grin.

-What did you expect? said the Small Man -that he would make it easy?
-Of course not, replied Hulk, -but it infuriates me.
-Never mind. Search the room. He was in a hurry and would have left behind something. Something for us to find him with.
-I doubt it.

=====

While the two men searched Chad’s former apartment, Chad was at the outside of the Topkapi Annex. He, like all VIS based in Ilek-Vaad, had a working knowledge of the city, but was not intimately familiar with the Nargile. He was wearing non-descript clothing and carried only a few items - nothing electronic aside from the cellphone. He knew that his laptop would have a GPS locator on it but wasn’t sure if the other items would. He wondered absently about the new cellphone. Could it be bugged? Likely, he thought.

He made his way in, avoiding eye contact with the toughs and sat with his back to the wall. He ordered something non-alcoholic and waited.

Chad found the sofas in the Annex comfortable and all of them are grouped around hookah pipes, it is easy to find an open sofa as the place is only about a third full, through the clouds of smoke several occupants of the Annex glance at him shiftily.

"Coffee, we have only coffee........." the waiter grunted as he shuffled over to Chad, pausing to jab a bony finger in the direction of the nearest hookah "What type of shisha?"

After several minutes and before the coffee arrives a tall blond haired map comes from somewhere in the back and takes a seat next to Chad "Ah, Vulpix. In trouble so soon?"

He chuckles drapes his arms casually across the back of the sofa "Where are my manners, I am Mr. Johnson, it looks like you're running away. Don't worry you can stay here, the VIS won't come here if they know what is good for them............" as he says this the other men at the sofas grin and produce a menagerie of weapons "No one comes in without Sultan Pasha's permission. I assume you'll looking for equipment too? Just make a list, oh and if you know who is coming after you, just jot their names down and I'll make sure that they know not to bother you."

His grin is unsettling at those last words. Who knew there was such a criminal element in The Free Republic?

Chad looked at Mr. Johnson blankly.

“I wouldn’t underestimate the VIS, Mr. Johnson,” he said with a sudden pang of loyalty to his organization. In fact, he was very loyal to the Vrak Intelligence Service but he truly believed that in order to get ahead he had to take some risks. He was a maverick, a lead dog, a visionary, or whatever other appropriate cliché in this circumstance. Or so he believed. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with being a rogue and was quickly finding out that it was losing the glamour that he thought it would entail. In truth, Vulpix was far down on the food chain in the VIS and if he was smudged out of existence, well, the VIS had plenty of other agents to take his place. What the VIS did abhor was any of their agents not following orders and since they would have some sensitive information carried about in their craniums, the VIS was more worried if an agent was interrogated by a hostile enemy intelligence outfit. Hence why if the “cleaners” that were after him now did catch him, they would kill him in the most efficient way possible. Which Chad knew.

“I honestly don’t know who exactly is after me, Mr. Johnson. I just know that if an agent of the VIS does what I do, they would be set upon quickly. Which is why I also need some kind of disguise, preferably a temporary one. I’ll get to making the list right away with the particulars.”

The new Mr. Johnson nods appearing to appreciate the situation.

"My colleague, ah, Mr. Johnson, has provided funds for whatever you may need, within reason. He wants you to get started as soon as possible. You can have one of the apartments upstairs. I already have an assortment of video and audio recording and amplifying devices..........." he pauses and slips his arm down from the back of the sofa and drapes it across Chad's shoulders, in the manner as a sleazy car sales man "I always try to anticipate the needs of the customer."

He motions to one of the other men with his free hand "Mustafa, take our guest here up to his room so that he can freshen up." He looks back at Chad "and after that give me your list, and then happy hunting Mr. Vulpix."

Mustafa, apparently, comes over "Follow me." he says humorlessly, leading Chad into the back and up a flight of stairs to the third floor and opens the door of a clean, but sparsely furnished room. A large duffle bag sits just inside the door.

"If you need anything, just ask the old man downstairs, he can get a hold of Mr. Johnson 24 hours a day."

He then leaves Chad to it.

Chad merely nods at Mustafa's gruff statement. He also wasn't keen on Mr. Johnson being so loose with his codename. Well, at least his former codename he supposed. He looked over the room and closes the door. He gave the room a sweep for bugs: windowsills, the phone receiver, anyplace that one could be concealed. He already thought that the provided cellphone had a method of tracking him but was sure that when it was off, it wouldn't pick up his voice as a listening device. He opened the contents of the duffel bag and proceeded to memorize the contents. Finishing that, he looked over the dossier and began to prioritize his list. He would need a disguise first so he hoped "Mr. Johnson" got the message.

The room is parse, and there is no phone, everything is clean and almost sterile, most places and things that could be bugged seem to have been removed, it was obvious that the room was often occupied by people concerned about their 'privacy'. The duffle bag contains the usual listen, watching and recording devices that any good member of the VIS would no doubt be familiar with.

The dossier gives Sir Alec's home address and several places that he frequents, a gentleman's club, Vaad's Gate Steak House, The Bowling Green Pub and lists various casual associates. According to the dossier, Sir Alec has been skipping Republican Council sessions at The House of The Republic . Obviously whoever put the dossier together hadn't actually tried to find out why, or where exactly he is, but then again that is Chad's job.

About thirty minutes later the old waiter from the shisha bar downstairs would knock at Chad's door , delivering kokorech for lunch ( a lovely grilled lamb intestines sandwich) and a suitcase for Chad.

The suitcase contains a very complete disguise kit, something used by a Hollywood studio, there is also a change of clothes.

ooc: I get so wrapped up in the "other" thread that I forget about this one!

IC:

Chad looks over the dossier again and prioritizes the list. As he is doing so, he graciously accepts the kokorech and forces it down. Not exactly to his liking but he can stomach it.

Given that it is creeping towards nighttime, he decides to stake out the Gate Steak House and Bowling Green Pub. He is also hoping to meet some of the casual associates there, since he figures they may also go to the same place Sir Alec haunts. He changes into his new set of clothes and expertly attaches a moustache to his face, being careful to match it to his newly dyed blonde hair colour (Vrakians naturally being brown or black haired). With him he will take his cellphone, a portable camera, a portable tape recorder, and a fair bit of cash and credit cards. The latter he doesn't want to use if at all.

Avoiding as much eye contact as possible, he exits the building and gets into his newly provided vehicle. After a quick consultation with the map, he leaves for the Steak House.

Vaad's Gate Steakhouse is one of the cities finest restaurant located in the North Gate in the old Byzantine city walls just North of the Acropolis, the house of the Vaad. The restaurant takes up the whole of the old gate house with an entry way on either side of the gate, one for the bar, and one for the restaurant proper.

Entering no problem, but even arriving early there is already a two hour wait for a table and the bar side is packed with businessmen and important socialites rubbing shoulders. While not the most popular establishment in the city, it is considered the place for 'proper' Vaadians and the Vaad's Gate is almost uniformly packed with dark haired, dark eyed stone faced Lasseans.

Sir Alec could easily be there in the dining room somewhere or in any of the private VIP dining rooms, which he of course favors for having dinner with diplomats. The bar and restaurant are both served by dozens of waiters, waitresses and other staff, any of whom may know Sir Alec.

Chad quickly realizes what a task he has and how much money he could easily drop just hanging around waiting to see Sir Alec. That and the drive up take-away of course means he may never see him.

OOC: No worries.