Broken Skies: War in the Eversky
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________________________The Sun Sailor, a pub in the City of Solace.
12th Day of the First Month of the Sunlight Season, approximately ten o'clock at night
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You arrived separately, and quietly, causing no more disturbance than was necessary to order your drinks, and find your seats. It's a lowly lit place, with clear air, and the faint smell of beer soaked into the unvarnished tables - but it'll more than do for your meeting. Which is a good thing, because this is where your contact in the World Court informed you that you were to report for your briefing, and you've no way now to ask to be briefed anywhere else. It's not unheard of for IRIO Agents to meet their handlers in places like this - or indeed, for the very same agents to meet the villains they handle themselves here - but it's by far less common to find yourself meeting someone so high up like this.
So high up, you weren't even told who to look for, or what their name is.
All you were told was that some time between 10:15 and 10:20, an agent of the IRIO would go to the bar and order a cocktail. If the cocktail was green, you were to then get up, and follow them out to one of the back rooms.
If the cocktail was amber, you were to remain in place.
If it was red... be ready for a fight, and await direct orders from that agent.
The time is 10:13 now. Prepare thyself, Agents of the Court.
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Lt. Daniel Hunt ran a hand through his hair, and glanced over his shoulder at the other man - his superior, Andius Ponta. The back room they'd found for the meeting was one of the larger ones available at this particular venue, and all but guaranteed to be impenetrable to the Agents of the Heavens' Eyes - specifically because The Sun Sailor was one of the lesser known IRIO hideouts and safehouses, built for exactly this purpose, and kept secret specifically to enable the IRIO to effectively police the World Court itself, in the event of splinter factions making power grabs. Which was, of course, exactly what was happening.
Blasted Heavens' Eyes. A rabid pack of fanatical zealots, the whole lot of them. A week ago, Daniel had almost found himself suspended for getting into a fistfight with one of their inquisitors who had started asking too many questions. It'd been a good fight too, until the bastard pulled a knife, and Dan broke his arm in reply.
His only regret was that the wound would heal.
"Daniel, sit down, for God's sake you're even making me nervous." The General huffed, sipping gingerly at a tumbler of iced ginonade - a rough and haphazard combination of cheap gin, lemon juice, and a bitter tasting tonic water. The General claimed that expensive liquors never settled right with him, hence the poor quality of the gin. 'Better a headache in the morning, than being a floral liqueur drinking wimp in the night' he always said. Daniel had come to accept that sentiment - though he preferred rum.
"We ought to be nervous, sir. What we're doing could see us executed."
"What, preventing war?"
"Acting behind the Heaven's Twits' back, sir. They consider that which their eyes cannot perceive to be heresy."
"They consider all sorts of tripe to be heresy."
Daniel gave him a brief scowl.
"They're dangerous."
"So is gin. Come, you have a few minutes left. Sit."
Before Daniel could sit, however, the door burst open - and Dan's hand went to the grip of his pistol, scaring the life out of the young spy who had come to give her report.
"I- oh shit, what- sorry, sir, I- ah, arse." She stuttered as she found herself pushed back against a wall reflexively.
"Daniel, put her down. Lucy, you ought to knock. Now what have you to report?"
Daniel let her go, nodded his apologies, and refastened his pistol holster as she stepped forward, saluted, and gave a detailed account of the comings and goings in the bar for the past hour.
"In summary, sir, all of the assets known to have entered Solace in the last month, or to have been here beforehand, are now present in the bar and lounge. Their disposition makes it clear enough that they're awaiting our signal - and moreover, there does not appear to be a single Heavens' Eyes agent within the premises."
"How sure are you?"
"Damn sure, sir." She gave a little grin, flicking dirty blonde hair out of her eyes, her posture collapsing from a smart salute to a more casual one, her hands on her hips.
"Superb. Green light, then, Daniel. Lucy, go find your room in the inn down the road and try to get some sleep. The second watch will take over in three minutes, to the second, and at that point you can go and order, Daniel. Remember to make sure they all see the colour."
"Yes sir."
And so the plan was in motion.
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