With Brandr out of the equation there was no-one to ensure his orders were relayed in the manner Signi intended. Subordinates like Brandr were worth their weight in gold and Signi was just beginning to realise, albeit belatedly, how much Brandr read between the lines of his orders to achieve the end goal Signi was aiming for.

Colonel Ryne Hygens was a capable enough officer and no doubt in the heat of battle he was a good man to have by your side, but, with regards to the cut and thrusts of a more diplomatic role. he was almost useless.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Hygens had the personal recommendation of General Brandr behind him, Signi would have replaced him, but, who with? Signi knew even less about the other officers of Hygens rank than he knew about Hygens himself.

It was almost as if Brandr had purposely isolated Signi from having too many dealings with others of Hygens rank or lower! Perhaps Brandr had designs above his current station?

Signi resolved to find out what machinations were going on behind his back, one way or another.

He decided to haul the Granarian Ambassador in front of him and scare the living daylights out of them.

“Hygens, get in here now man, NOW!”

Hygens must have been permanently hovering outside of the president’s office, as he scuttled in the door within seconds of the summons.

“Yes Mr. President, what can I do for you sir?”

“Hygens, get someone to fetch the Granarian Ambassador to this office immediately! In fact, I want you to go yourself! I want you to insist that they accompany you back here as a matter of some urgency!”

“Yes sir, I shall leave this very minute!” with that Colonel Hygens left the presidential office almost at a stumbling run, leaving Signi to stew over developments he no longer had close control over.

Munts later Signi’s intercom buzzed, almost startling him in the process, as he was so deep in thought.

“Well!”

“Excuse me Mr. President, the Granarian Ambassador is here to seek an immediate audience with yourself, can you see Her Excellency at the moment?”

“You know damn well I can Hygens, I just sent you to summon them to my presence!”

“I’m sorry sir, I am not Colonel Hygens, I am one of his aides Major Jaymz Aeezer.”

Well, Major Aeezer, get them in this office now!”

“Certainly Mr. President!” and with that the intercom buzzed showing an end to the contact.

Moments later there was a rapid knocking at the office doors and immediately a harassed looking Major entered swiftly pursued by a statuesque woman wearing the robes of a Granarian dignity.

“Mr. President Sir, may I present the Granarian Ambassador, Her Excellency, Bronise Grabeel. Your Excellency, President Vigi Signi.

“Yes, yes my good man, we are old friends!” she stated as she strode in front of Signi’s desk she sat unbidden in the chair.

“Well Mr. President, it seems that General Brandr has presented us with quite a conundrum has he not?”

“I do not know what you mean, what has Brandr done to upset the niceties of relations between our two nations?” demanded Signi as he sat down carefully at his desk.

“Surely you have heard the broadcasts of events pertaining to his attempt upon Her Royal Majesty the Queen, her court and the citizens of Granaria!”

“You mean that little soap opera you concocted to besmirch the good name of the Republic of Masonville, its peoples, its military and the office of the President of Masonville!”

“I assure you Mr. President, that was no soap opera as you choose to refer to it, that recording was a true and faithful record of events as they unfolded. Do you deny that was General Brandr’s voice we clearly heard giving the order to attack!”

“No Madam Ambassador, to my knowledge, General Brandr has never been to Granaria!”

“So, if that was not General Brandr we heard, who was it?”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea Madam Ambassador, nor do I care, but I can assure you it was not, it most definitely was not General Brandr! In fact he is elsewhere on official Masonville business!”

“So, if the individual we have currently under arrest, purporting to be Ambassador, Field Marshall Eydis is not General Brandr, then who is he?”

“I have no idea, and quite frankly madam, I have no interest in who so easily breached your security!”

“So, is he Field Marshall Eydis then?”

“Never heard of such a man, besides most of the Field Marshalls I ever met were senile at best, some were deranged even!”

“This individual was carrying identification issued by your office, signed by yourself!”

“Clever fake!”

“So, Mr. President, you have no concerns about us trying this individual under Granarian law, with the expectation of a death sentence for an attack on the Queen?”

“Madam, you can do whatever you want with this idiot, who, it seems, so easily evaded your security measures! I care not, what I do want is the return of all property belonging to and originating from Masonville!”

“So, when the inevitable course of the laws of the land are obeyed, and General Brandr, sorry, do excuse me, this individual and his supporters are tried and convicted, you’ll have no concerns and will exert no pressures, militaristic or financial, on Granaria or its sovereign head?”

“Why should I trouble myself on this individual’s behalf, he must have had his own reasons to undertake the course of action he took, and as for his followers, well, more fool them for following so inept a leader. Now, . . . . Madam Ambassador, . . . about my property, I . . “

“I can assure you Mr President, we have nothing belonging to Masonville, well, excluding a few dead bodies in the Palace morgue, a few more up in the foothills, although most are mere fragments and probably frozen solid by now and buried under several feet of snow. But, in the meantime, if you want to send us a list of your missing personnel, we will see what we can do come the spring, there are also fragments of several vehicles, aircraft and artillery pieces frozen just as solidly to the ground, but by all means send me an exhaustive list for our perusal. So, Mr President, when do you want the return of your dead personnel, and those who, I am sad to say, will soon be deceased?

“After due diligence of course!” smirked the Ambassador.

“Quite honestly Madam Ambassador, you can do with the bodies, live and otherwise, as you see fit, they are of no possible interest to me! Now, as I was say . . .!”

“Well thank you for being so clear on the issue Mr. President, I can now report exactly where you stand regarding certain individuals, both alive and otherwise. Now, Mr. President, I am sure you have better things to be doing with your time than being sat here with me, I know that I have better and more pleasant things with which to occupy myself, so, with that, I shall wish you a good day! Until our next meeting!

“By the way, as we promised in our broadcast, here are copies of the film taken during the defeated attack, you may peruse that at your leisure. We have already provided copies to the main cine film cinemas distributors within Masonville for you, enjoy!”

And, with that, the Ambassador swept from the Presidents presence just as Major Hygens rushed in to tell him the Ambassador was already enroute to a meeting with Signi himself.

Signi sat there speechless, unable to fully comprehend how this confrontation had just got so badly out of his control. Now, not only did it seem diplomatic channels had been firmly slammed shut in his efforts to recover whatever may have fallen into the mountains, but it seems that Brandr was about to learn a painful lesson about failure!

His men were going to be collateral damage, as it was euphemistically called. Still, that was their problem, what was he to do next? That was the question!

Firstly, he’d better watch this film and see what had led Brandr to make such a mess of a simple plan!

Chapter Thirty-five.

Lieutenant Hajek looked around the squad room at his ten-man patrol. There was a degree of nervous banter amongst his troops. The noise and the blue haze from various substances being smoked filled the air.

Sergeant Parma was a good man, plenty of experience, a good, no nonsense N.C.O. with a lifetimes service to Masonville’s military and its president.

Of the other nine men, Corporal Stroh was a promising prospect. A bit too eager to lash out at the citizenry, he needed a few too many reminders that the general population were not their enemy as such, just a rabble who could get a little too uppity from time to time.

Today’s patrol would be a good “flag waving” exercise to show these people who were their betters.

“Okay men! Attention.

The slam of nine sets of feet moving as one, was like music to his ears. As was the slap of arms against shoulders. He looked at them, all staring intently in front. Even the four recent additions to his team were coming on. All needed building up from the scrawny specimens sent to him as replacements to the personnel sent to bolster other areas.

“Right men, our mission today is to show the general population, that we are there among them, for their protection and that we care for their welfare!”

“Yeah, right!” sneered Stroh to laughter from the older troops.

“Quiet in the ranks!” answered Parma with more than a snigger in his own voice.

“We are there to show them President Signi, and the rest of the military are there for their safety and protection, and Stroh, that does not mean at the end of your rifle butt!”

“Sir, those coming together incidents sir, they have all been purely accidental sir!” answered Stroh.

“I mean it Stroh, another incident like last time and I may not be able to prevent an adverse mark from going on your permanent career record!”

“Sir, It wasn’t my fault sir, the tart would not get out of my way quickly enough, it wasn’t my fault I had to physically manhandle her aside, and her front, and her arse!” he laughed “It was her husband that took objection, I was merely defending my honour, and the honour of the president, sir!”

“I’m not going to remind you again Stroh, see that it doesn’t happen today, do you understand me?” snapped Hajek.

“Sir, Yes Sir!” replied Stroh.

“Right men let’s go and patrol the marketplace, it’s the first one since the fresh produce has started to arrive, so it will be extra busy today!

Parma, you and your four men will be with me down the right-hand side, Stroh, you and your four men take the left-hand side, keep your wits about you and we’ll meet up down at the High Street crossroads, before working our way back to base.

Any questions?” He glanced around the room noticing the somewhat nervous expressions on the four newer recruits.

“None? Good! Come on then, let’s go and see what we can see?”

“Some scrumptious tarts I bet!” sniggered Stroh.

“Stroh!” thundered Parma.

“Jam, Sarg, jam tarts, that’s all I meant! Can’t even have a bit of banter these days!” mumbled Stroh.

The two groups filed down the stairs, past the front desk and out into the marketplace.

Immediately the two sets of personnel set off on their designated patrol routes. Once outside, their senses were immediately assailed by the brightness of the sun, the heat of the day, the aromas of freshly baked goods, the stench of slaughtered beasts and the cacophony of noise from hawkers, callers and vendors, all trying to attract custom to their stalls.

Add in the aroma of sweaty unwashed individuals, and the whole scene was an assault to anyone’s senses.

Within moments the two patrols had lost sight of each other. Within ten munts Stroh’s men were especially strung out. After another five munts, he realised that he was on his own, not that he was worried. With all the weaponry at his disposal, not to mention his extreme size, weight and strength, he feared no-one nor any situation.

He should have been!

The first indication that things were not going according to plan with regards to his personal safety was the collapse of a refuse cart collecting offal from the nearby row of butchers, which came crashing into his right leg. Lashing out against anyone in reach, he soon regained control of the situation, or at least he did until his bootlace came loose, and he tripped over one of the offending ends.

“Careful sir, you could have come really unstuck mate!” chatted an old man who’d caught him by the arm.

“Let go of me, peasant!” yelled Stroh, snatching his arm away.

“No need to get uppity with me sonny, I was just trying to do my civic duty and prevent one of Signi’s prized specimens landing on his backside, covered in who knows what!” snapped the old man, not in the least bit put out by the response.

He’d expected little else truth be told.

“Get about your business old man!”

Stroh looked around him, for the first time in many annuals, he was a little on edge.

He stood on the steps of the building he was in front of, casually looking around so that, with his additional height he swiftly scanned the marketplace. He fleetingly made eye contact with one of those two new bumpkins that were part of Hajek’s patrol group on the other side of the square.

Stroh frantically waved his right arm to attract this recruit’s attention. That idiot! All that oaf did was to raise his hand to acknowledge Stroh’s signal before he turned and disappeared into the masses on the far side of the market.

Stroh waited for another ten munts before deciding the rest of his patrol had got lost in the crowds. So, deciding to carry on to the pre-arranged rendezvous point, he restarted his journey to the crossroads to meet up with Hajek and Parma. He would flay the other members of his section, regardless of Hajek, who was just a posh upstart and who’d no real idea what it was like to rise to the top of the dung heap by any means at your disposal.

Now, what was going on in front of him now?

“Oh thank goodness you are here officer!” moaned a grey-haired old woman, “These urchins will be the death of me, the little tykes have been stealing from my stall! I want you to arrest them and throw them into the town gaol!”

“What are you on about Mother?” demanded an irate Stroh. “I don’t have time to deal with your minor squabbles! Now, out of my way old woman, before I turn my attention on you and seize your shoddy wares!”

“I’ll give you shoddy wares indeed!” ranted the woman, advancing on Stroh with a pair of scissors pointing up into his face. “I retail the finest cloth this side of the great Villiar sea! Those little swine have stolen at least two bales of cloth from me today and at least one yesterday, and all you can say is I sell shoddy goods, well, it’s not good enough, where’s your superior officer you young thug, I’ll not be insulted by the likes of you or any other of Signi’s lackeys!”

“Oh shut your fat lip you old harridan, you make my headache with all your caterwauling, now be quiet!” he stormed, as he threatened to bring the butt of his rifle into contact with her head.

As he started the downward trajectory of his firearm, he was momentarily surprised to find that he couldn’t complete the sweep as the weapon seemed to freeze in mid-air. He started to look up at his top hand, when he noticed two other hands on the barrel of his rifle.

That was the last thing he saw within the marketplace, as a rough canvas sack was dropped over his head and a huge fist was piledriven into his lower stomach driving all the air from his body. The trailing bootlaces were swiftly wrapped around both legs before being tightly tied together, effectively hobbling him. Before he could he respond he felt himself being loaded into a sizeable cart and judging by the smell, he was covered in offal and quickly secreted out of the marketplace.

Stroh started to struggle upright before he felt something pointed and very sharp being thrust into his neck.

“One more move or sound out of you soldier boy, and it’ll be your last, now lie still, there’s a good boy!”
hissed a woman who could well, have been the same one to have distracted him initially.

Two horas later Hajek and Parma paced anxiously back and forth across the roads leading to the High Street crossroads.

For some reason four members of their section seemed to have disappeared during that morning’s patrol.

One munt the six were making steady progress down the edge of the market, the next moment, or so it seemed, the three youngest of the recruits had simply vanished, and now, just to add to the growing sense of unease that Hajek felt the more senior man had disappeared, plus, even more disconcertingly, the whole of Stroh’s section was missing too.

As far as Hajek was concerned, the market was nothing out of the ordinary. Yes, it was busy, but as the biggest market within Masonville there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary going on, as far as he could tell anyway.

He’d unlocked the official phone cabinet and registered his concerns and made a full report over that morning’s events. He’d been instructed to wait for reinforcements. So that was what he was doing.

From his vantage point way down the bottom of the marketplace, which doubled as the ceremonial parade ground on special commemorative days, such a President Signi’s official birthday, or the anniversary celebrations held each year to mark the birth of the republic of Masonville, he could barely see the town watch base’s depot, from which he’d set out earlier that day.

He then heard the jangle of bells, and it looked that every soldier within the barracks had descended into the marketplace and were working their way down to his present position.

Not long later, four trucks entered the marketplace and started forcing their way down through the crowds which reluctantly, or so it seemed, separated to allow their passage.

One truck travelled down either side and the other two were forcing their way through down the centre of the square

As Hajek looked on, all four vehicles slowly ground to a halt. Curls of white smoke seemed to issue from the covers over the back of each vehicle, then, before he could fully appreciate what he was witnessing, orange and yellow flames seemed to lazily lick their way up the sides of the tarpaulin’s covering the rear of each truck. Before long the whole body of each vehicle was well ablaze.

Screams from nearby bystanders became ever more strident, as soldiers, some enveloped in flames leapt from the rear of each vehicle.

Lieutenant Hajek exchanged a horrified gaze with Sargeant Parma as both started to try and work their way against the departing masses, as small explosions started to be detected from each truck.

Eventually Hajek and Parma had to seek refuge in a doorway to prevent being trampled by the stampeding mobs. Along with the crackling noises of highly flammable wood and fabric, which were rapidly disappearing within the intensity of the flames, were interspersed with the screams of trapped individuals being incinerated alive!

As the marketplace rapidly emptied, the four lorries blazed fiercely, and were practically mere shells long before the fire brigades arrived on scene. All four vehicles fuel tanks had long since exploded, small arms ammunition was still cooking off and one by one the tyres exploded in the intense heat. Some ninety munts after the alarm was first raised about the missing soldiers, all that was left to mark the days events, was the charred remains of the lorries along with an incredible amount of abandoned and trampled detritus and smashed stalls. All evidence of the speed with which the populace seemed desperate to disperse.

President Signi had witnessed events from the presidential palace balcony, and he’d sent Colonel Hygens and Major Aeezer down to ascertain exactly what had happened. Both men were stunned by the reports of events that unfolded on that fateful day, and, truth be told, neither were willing to make the report to Signi of what appeared to have taken place, and only a few days before the big celebration parades due to be held in this self-same square.

As far as they could determine, a total of ninety-seven officers and men had entered the square that day, either on foot or transported within the subsequently destroyed lorries. As far as the latest roll calls could show, some fifteen men, mainly officers or N.C.O.s had perished or were being treated for their wounds. Of the rest, there was no trace of twenty-eight, despite detailed searches being conducted of all the premises in the immediate neighbourhood.

A few others may lie trapped within the still sizzling hulks, but it was unlikely to be more than a very few.

Later that evening Signi was sat at his desk trying to assimilate the latest developments. Such an incident was unprecedented. Of almost one hundred men leaving the barracks today, loyal efficient peaks of Masonville’s elite forces, sixteen were dead, three had severe burns and unexpected to last the night and two others were less injured, but unlikely to ever return to active duty. Of the remainder, almost thirty were missing, with no clue as to their whereabouts!

Signi ranted and raved all night and kept his aides racing from one report of trouble to another throughout the capital. Things seemed to quieten down around four in the morning, but, as the sun rose in the early dawn of the next day, a ghastly sight shocked all who saw it. Seven of the lampposts within the more sheltered areas of the marketplace all wore gruesome decorations. From each of the seven were hung most of the remaining missing N.C.O.’s, all with blackened faces, protruding tongues and eyes, which were being attacked by the resident crow like population. Most had simply been strung up and left to choke out their last remaining breaths, one or two, Stroh being the predominant victim, had obviously been tortured first. Stroh had been fed his amputated genitalia before being left to struggle against the noose’s relentless grip.

The remaining security personnel were more than a little shaken with the speed and ferocity of the attack on a group of individuals who’d thought themselves above the laws applied to the ordinary citizenry. Signi was incandescent with rage.

Chapter Thirty-six.

Admiral Suarez sat in his cabin aboard the Vasco da Gama, unable to conceal his smile. The reply on his desk was the printout of the message that had been received because of their “S.O.S.” message. The one they’d been broadcasting for several hours.

“Karin and Raul aok need tech help”
“Karin and Raul aok need tech help”
“Karin and Raul aok need tech help”

Even the unexpected meeting with Garia and the information she had to impart couldn’t remove the sense of relief he’d felt at the news that the two missing members of his family were safe and sound.

Even if one was altered beyond all belief visually, he was sure Raul’s core beliefs and sense of fair play and justice would still be seen within Raelynne!

Yes, Raelynne Elstrae Strall Suarez, who will have already pleased her mother by adopting both grandmothers’ names into her own new appellation. Ava would be beyond pleased, having gone from doubting the continued existence of either her child or his wife, to now know for certain both were alive, well, and actively working to help downtrodden individuals on the planet he was currently orbiting would thrill her to bits.

At the moment his technical experts were busy fabricating equipment that would be despatched to Karin and Rae within the next twenty-four hours. They were having to learn new ways of manufacturing old equipment just in case the impending mission was compromised in some way or to be met with unforeseen obstacles.

His intelligence personnel had learned from intercepting sources within Masonville that President Signi was planning on holding a mass rally on this coming Saturday. This, apparently, coincided with the one hundred and twentieth anniversary of the military classes of Masonville declaring themselves a republic.

For the good of all was the original stated aims, lofty ambitions that had rapidly developed in a different direction completely. Nowadays, it seemed the over-riding ambition of the Masonville elite was to ensure their own continued longevity in power! No matter the cost to the ordinary citizen. All the benefits that control of a totalitarian state seemed to provide, specifically unlimited power and wealth, but not for everyone to share and enjoy, just for a very few, namely those who claimed they were exerting control of the masses, purely for the common good of the masses being exploited!

However, if all went to plan, the broadcasts to the masses, not only within the capital’s square, but at every venue where President Signi expected to continue to extol to one and all, that the benefits of maintaining the status quo for everyone’s benefit, were going to be hijacked. He was going to be one very stunned and annoyed individual.

All the indications were that the civilian population were flexing their collective muscles. It would seem that the Masonville military had been infiltrated, certainly amongst the lower ranks. The attacks in the marketplace had removed several of the more barbaric officers from corporals upwards. It remained to be seen how many of the military were sympathetic to the upswell in demands for social change and justice for the ordinary individual. The populace were heartily sick of living in fear and suffering constant repression, and it seemed things were about to explode.

But, in spite of outside help of a technical nature, which was actively being prepared, the impetus for change had to come from within the sovereign nation, the ordinary individual had to stand up and be counted.

The last thing anyone wanted was to create a power vacuum within Masonville. That would be a disaster of unmitigated proportions. Such a situation would almost certainly result in several contradictory and competing claims for power! Civil wars did no one any good but the arms dealers, who were more than likely to be selling their wares to all sides.

Wars never proved who was right or who was wrong, they just showed who was left!

Karin certainly had gathered enough evidence of the adverse effects of such strategies that had occurred within the annuls of her own home planets recent history, a history she wanted all involved to learn from, and to avoid repeating at all costs.

It seemed that there was an upswell of resentment against the power Signi had imposed from his supposedly impregnable palace. The many years of inflicting pain was finally about to blow up in his and his friends faces.

The admiral could only hope that the information that Karin was busy compiling ready for broadcast and that Raelynne was actively preparing to help disseminate via her technological know-how, would reach the masses and that they understood the message contained within the broadcast.

These actions were against every policy the Survey Service normally operated under. Not to influence events on a peoples being observed, but these were exceptional circumstance that had been forced on them as a result of the actions of some of the residents down on the subject planet.

This broadcast was going to be a monumental event, one that everyone was hoping to impart information that would allow for a rare event, a peaceful revolution. The last thing everyone involved wanted was a settling of old scores, and something they were actively pursuing! Everyone hoped that the feared bloodletting didn’t occur, only time would tell.

Events were gathering pace, and once the touchpaper had been lit, it would be impossible to put it out.

In fact, there were indications that events had already begun to unravel for Signi.

There was nothing the admiral could do now; the whole crew of The Vasco Da Gama was on tenterhooks waiting for events to finally reach their culmination. Everyone was worried for their crewmates, but all knew that events were going to play out regardless of their concerns.

Maurice decided it was time to contact Ava and send her a message.

He was looking forward to telling her that her children were both safe and well, even if her son was now her daughter. He knew Ava would simply be so grateful to know that her child was safe and well, the gender change would undoubtedly be a surprise, but he knew his wife as well as he knew himself, she would shower love on both Karin and Raelynne regardless.

He would need to arrange for her to travel to be at his side, but that would likely be a while off yet, they would undoubtedly have messages exchanged via the communications network, but physical get togethers would have to wait for events down on Villiar to stabilize and for the Nirvanian Survey Service to grant permission for Ava, a civilian after all, despite being the wife of an admiral, to travel so far out into the universe.

Still, that was in the future, now, let’s construct his message. He reached across his desk and started to record his good news to Ava.