The planad strode around his office impatiently. The spymaster was starting to get on his nerves. He had hoped that Aqa would be a trusty ally as a newly promoted member of his privy council, but the lateness was starting to get him jittery. Planad Tyu's paranoia had shot up through the roof since the morning. What was once believed to be a perfectly balanced council turned to a list of potential suspects. If he couldn't trust his spymaster to check the suspects off the list, what was he supposed to do?
A voice had just entered into the planad's consciousness, blurting "They're all here sir". A guard had just entered the room, breaking him out of his thoughts.
The room was lavish, fine silk drapes and painting of the late planad dressed the walls. Marble columns held the upper floors like great giants shouldering the weight. A lion of pure gold watched the meeting, its gaze stalwart, unnerved. This was the meeting room of the privy council. A long table awaited the members of the administration, with a grand chair on one end reserved for the planad himself. Servants, unseen, moved around the sides of the room, sweeping madly.
Verya ran up to Aqa and saluted him and said "I held them off just enough, sir", then, changing tone from respectful to berating, continued "just what was so important to send me ahead like that?". Her gaze met him as her brows furrowed in a sign of discontent.
"I had a hunch Verya, and I was right. I spoke with the overseer of military affairs. I will speak to you after, now I have a meeting to attend" replied Aqa. He saluted Verya then patted her on the shoulder while smiling and walking past her towards the privy council meeting chambers. She didn't get a chance to respond.
Six men awaited Aqa inside, each already sat in their seats, leaving one empty for him. Planad Tyu, clad in his usual beige administration dress uniform with cape and all, sat atop his throne. To his right, the advisor, Salyle, a man whose narrow eyes plotted with each glance. He wore a beige dress jacket with kakhi dress trousers. To his right was General Vyke. His greying pencil mustache contrasting his clean shaven bald head. He was clad in his full khaki dress uniform, with badges adorning it. His figure was large and stocky, imposing himself over anyone in the room with his manner of speaking and almost brutish voice. Next around the table counterclockwise was the admiral. A man draped in a similar style dress uniform as the general, but in a dark grey. His slim sharp face contrasted the general's, his eyes wise and tired. On the opposite side of the table sat the chairman of the business council, representing the largest business interests. A man of many average qualities, including in appearances, almost a bland office drone, with the exception of his cybernetic eye and ear device, plated in gold. Next to him sat a meek man, the colonial liaison, the spokesperson of the regional governors on the planet. He sat gloomily forward, only straightening his back to turn to Aqa as he entered. Aqa's seat was to the left of the Planad.
"Look who has come to greet us" muttered the general.
"Now, now. My spymaster, I am sure your lateness is somehow justified" added the planad, looking at Aqa for a response.
Aqa took his seat and glanced around the room once. It was all he could get in without making it awkward. Both the colonial liaison and the business council chairman averted their gazes. The admiral looked past Aqa, while the general and planad stared straight at him, one with contempt and the other with a forced smile. "Your excellency," started Aqa, "I was held up in the morning by unionists" he lied. "On my way back however, I managed to figure something out. My spies in the planetary guard-"
"Spies in my guard!?" the general raised his voice and slammed his fist down on the table.
"Clearly much needed" commented the advisor.
"Surely you are not this daft Vyke? My naval forces account for spies among us, keeps us clean" came the controlled tone of the admiral, yet his dull manner of speaking only did more to sharpen every hidden insult.
"What, I" stumbled the general, outflanked "your naval forces? You mean the puny ship that goes for a navy around this star?" he hit back.
"Enough!" shouted the advisor. "You have interrupted Spymaster Aqa with your endless bickering".
Both men looked down, the admiral with a petty happiness.
"As I was saying" continued the spymaster.
Outside of the council chambers, two guards from the Capital Regiment held the door closed. Across them in the hallway, sat Verya on a bench. Her first breath for the morning. She was supposed to be the second in command of the intelligence apparatus of Azonis, and yet she followed around Aqa like his personal aide. She reminisced on commanding troops in the Planetary Guard, remembering the mountain training war games. She had got a first class in all of her command exercises, but every operation she led against the unionists always had something go wrong.
Just then a man walking down the corridor noticed her. "Captain Verya" he saluted her.
She looked up to see a short muscular man, in khaki uniform. In standing up to shake his hand, she noticed his epaulets. "They made you major now Varnik?" she exclaimed, smiling.
"Of the Capital Regiment no less. Its good to see you, but I heard you transferred to the secret service, how come?" he responded.
"The guard wouldn't allow a girl into high command" she said, hiding her distaste.
"They know that they're no match for you, those old farts."
"Well you've become one of them Varnik," she chuckled awkwardly. "So you directly responded to the attack this morning. How are you holding up?"
Varnik frowned. "We got hit hard and by surprise. It was luck that helped the planad live today. We lost a lot of good soldiers. Ryka bled out on Mako Avenue."
Verya took that like a gut punch. Ryka was a great platoon leader and one of the people who made the Guard more than just a job.
"I'm sorry you had to find out like this, waiting in this hallway." He looked around. It was as if the fighting that happened here earlier didn't happen at all. Broken windows covered with drapes, dust and debris cleared, and all that remained were some bullet dents that wouldn't be seen without attention given to inspecting the marble wall.
This put Verya in a less friendly mood. "Its ok. She was a good soldier, I'm sure she protected Azonis to the very last breath." She lowered her tone, half whispering "I heard this was an attack from inside the APG."
"You damn spies," he chuckled bitterly. "The 6th Light Regiment. I trust you with this information, apparently the higher ups have noticed some strange developments in the 6LR. This has been going on for a while. Soldiers dismissed or missing on 'field exercises'. And the colonel hadn't been present at any of the joint exercises, always feeling 'ill' for the past few years. No complaints were made, as the force exceeded its recruitment goals, being able to levy more recruits, and their regions have had little union action. I don't know what to make of it."
Back in the privy council, Aqa continued "spies have pointed out that the general's reports so far have been under-emphasizing the danger here. In fact internal reports of the Palace Regiment estimate that the combatant forces of the 6th Light Regiment have taken almost no serious casualties, and attacked in a very planned manner, retreating just the same. This must have been carefully prepared for a few months at least. Moreover the Planetary Guard is in no shape to chase them down. The closest regiment, that is the Palace Regiment themselves, have taken heavy losses, with no infantry companies ready to fight. The six next closest regiments, those with any reasonable time of response, are all stretched thin in places with high unionist and crime activity, and can't leave for threat of a colony revolt. That is all planad Tyu."
The room took a second to process this. "Thank you spymaster for your excellent report" asserted the advisor.
"Indeed thank you," appended the business council president, speaking for the first time. "Unionist threats are very real, and the business bottom line cannot be upheld without the patriotic soldiers of the Planetary Guard. While this is a grave threat, a collapse of the economic levers due to unionist uprising are far more potent, so unfortunately I must plead that the Planetary Guard do not move a majority of forces." The statement came like a subdued double pronged threat.
The room was always uneasy when the business council president had something to contribute. The general considered speaking, but thought better of it. The admiral liked to watch the scene unfold, this was not his main concern, just the planetary administration squabbling it out.
Tyu himself broke the air of silence. "Then it is decided. The spymaster will personally resolve this. Trace the 6th Light Regiment and assassinate their leadership. Fight smart, not hard, is that understood Aqa?"
"Yes sir." Aqa was now tasked to deal with the rebellious threat just as the planad planned from the start. "I also ask that the Military Investigations Office do not interfere with this now private investigation, as they were planning to originally."
"Is that understood general?" asked Tyu. 'This isgreat' he thought. 'It has been made abundantly clear to the general just how transparent his moves are to Aqa, he should be put in his place by this'.
"Yes your excellency" general Vyke muttered, defeated, but to himself thought 'Yeah right. I'm going to put that upstart in hisplace.'
The advisor squirreled into the tension, and eased it by saying "There was one more matter for the council to discuss, take it away admiral."
The admiral cleared his throat with a cough, then, having acquired the room's attention, proceeded. "The Key'Ya'Nosh monitor vessel that has been on trajectory towards Azonis for the past four years is now only seven months away. One month from missile range. No communication has been successful, we predict an invasion attempt. We are assuming an aggressive stance. The Azonis Fleet is composed of one monitor vessel class 'Azonis' and one support vessel class 'Mako'. Under current circumstances, we give it a high probability of victory."
The table cheered. Despite the general's dislike, he also clapped at the report.
'But they know our military capability, why would KYN send in a ship just to lose? There must be more tothis' thought Aqa to himself.
The council had adjourned. Aqa was to take his spies south and find the 6th Light Regiment.
"Sir, how was your session?" asked Verya, excited to finally see the doors open, knowing she didn't have to wait much longer.
"We have our work cut out for us Verya."