Sheryl Jasvinder

The entire Coalition-Rais Land task force gathers in the meeting room, with BOI-69 sitting at the head of the table. As the final members file in, the door is quickly closed and securely locked, to prevent anyone from intruding. BOI-75 gives me a friendly poke in the ribs as he takes the empty seat besides mine and settles into the briefing.

"Everyone, we have managed to get a break in the search for the Citadel interlopers." 69 begins, "As our informant had told us, the three Citadel Valkyries were hiding in the old city's transmission station this whole time. No. 75?"

75 leans back in his chair and waves 69's question lazily away, "My man Jasvinder's got this. He can take the question."

I rise from my seat to take over the explanation as 69 scowls unhappily at 75's carefree attitude. I don't mind taking over for 75 of course. It at the very least shows that the Blue Ocean Traitor trusts me at least. 69 gestures at me to proceed.

"As instructed earlier, BOI-75," I pause to stifle a chuckle at the ridiculous sounding call sign and notice 75 grinning slightly at the joke as well, "and I have been conducting aerial surveillance of the old city using our bulwarks. There are surveillance photos we took ..."

"Photos on screen!" 75 grandly declares to the beast man tech standing next to the meeting room's projector consoles. The lights immediately dim and a blank white screen descends from the ceiling. The collage surveillance footage we obtained begins playing in slide show format.

"As we can see," I continue as the screen cycles through the images, "The three Valkyries match the description given to us. Two women and one man. We also confirm that our suspects had been staying at the old city transmission station." And of course one of them is Hiro. Coincidence? Or the Divines pulling strings in the background?

I'm going to go with strings being pulled. I need to contact Earth urgently. Or find a way to send a message to Don.

"Tell Big Boy 69 about the clincher, Jasvinder." 75 crows from his place beside me.

"Big Boy." I try to keep my face straight, but a chortle escapes from my lips nonetheless.

"Please try to be serious." 69 sighs and rubs his chin in resignation, "The joke was not funny the first time you told it, 75. Its not any funnier now."

"Right the clincher." I turn back to the business at hand, "Remember the informant saying that the three Citadel Valkyries were going for a meeting at the restaurant called Grand? They showed up at the meeting place right on schedule."

"So we can assume our informant is being serious here." 75 concludes, "We going to raid the old city transmission station then?"

"Not possible." 69 demurs with a frown on that carbon copy face of his, "Without a formal request from Rais Land, we can't actually take action directly within the city itself. Short of an actual invasion from the Citadel, naturally."

"Fine. Fine. Though I suppose there is another plan in the works?" 75 shrugs in response. Keeping up appearances with the local flesh bags is truly tiresome. The Blue Ocean Initiative truly has the patience of saints.

I keep these thoughts to myself of course.

"Yes. We have received word from our informant that the Citadel Valkyries intend to make their escape soon." 69 explains, "That is when we will make our move."

69 then brings up a clicker and points it at the projector unit, causing a map of Rais Land to be displayed on the screen. A smaller window opens at the corner of the screen, showing a row of trucks parked incongruously alongside a black limousine.

"Isn't that limo one of the surveillance targets?" I ask while sitting back down, racking my brain on how to send a message out. I can't use the transmission station at the Coalition embassy. Its going to be under watch for sure. And going to the old city transmission station is not possible, now that those flesh bags have taken up residence there.

"Just so." 69 agrees, "The Citadel Valkyries know that we are keeping track of these vehicles as well, so they plan to make a break for it during the night, a few days from now."

"But ...?" 75 asks expectantly as everyone waits for the other shoe to drop.

"But what they don't know is that we are aware that the vehicles are just going to be a decoy." 69 states smugly, "The Valkyries intend to send the vehicles straight to the border and while we are busy performing the intercept, they will slip past us in a separate car."

"And we know this how?" I ask, "The mystery informant again?"

"Correct." 69 confirms with a nod, "The Citadel infiltrators plan to use the car owned by the old city transmission station to get to the city limits. From there they will use their bulwarks to make a break for the freshly built Valkyrie camp out in the concrete desert."

"Clever." 75 mutters, all sense of jocularity gone, "The car they'll be using. It'll have Rais Land plates right?"

"Meaning we won't be able to stop the escape even if we did intercept the car. It would breach the agreement the Coalition has with Rais Land concerning sovereignty and such." 69 grunts in approval, "Once the infiltrators take off in their bulwarks, we would need to brave the risk of any squadrons scrambled from the concrete desert camp in order to make the arrest."

"Cunning bastards." 75 bites his lip in consternation, "Though I suppose a tough fight is still a better outcome than letting the lot of them slip through our fingers." There are various noises of unhappiness coming from the other members of the task force, but a general air of agreement with 75's statement prevails in the meeting room.

"But we obviously won't be playing the infiltrators' game." a satisfied look crosses 69's face as he takes up the thread again, "Now that we know their plan, a countermeasure can be prepared in advance."

"Eh?" 75 blurts out in surprise, but 69 doesn't bother explaining any further, merely turning his gaze right at me. Soon enough, everyone in the room is staring at me as an awkward silence builds up. I hate it.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" I ask nervously. Did they notice something wrong with me? Do they suspect?

"There's one person in this room not officially affiliated to the Coalition." 69 hums happily.

"Uh, yes?" I respond, not quite sure where this is going.

75 claps me on the back happily, "Well, well. This is the chance to make your bones with us newbie. You ready for your time to shine?"

"You want me to attack three Valkyries by myself?" I ask, not liking the direction this conversation is taking, "You do realize I can't manage this without any serum, right?"

"You won't be alone." 69 reassures me, "The sovereignty agreement cuts both ways. That's something the Citadel Valkyries have forgotten."

"That's right!" 75 exclaims as he snaps his fingers, "Mutual respect and all that. We don't touch Rais Land and Rais Land doesn't touch us."

"I don't understand?" I query somewhat helplessly.

"Alright, this is the plan. The actual plan." 69 goes back to the briefing, "We know that the infiltrators will be trying to make their escape in a Rais Land registered car. At worst, they expect us to try to perform an intercept once they cross the city limits if their attempted decoy fails to throw us off scent. I have even deceived the informant as such to maintain the secrecy of our movements."

"The informant will be travelling with the targets then?" I muse.

"Yes. A description of her will be issued later." 69 confirms, "Now, instead of waiting until they cross the city limit, we will spring the trap while they are still in the old city itself."

"Meaning I will attack the car by my lonesome?" I fold my arms defensively, "I told you already, I don't think I can handle such a task."

"Patience, Jasvinder." 69 holds up a hand to forestall any further protest, "As I said earlier, we will be backing you up. You will move to confront the vehicle while the rest of the task force will surround them. As a citizen of the Citadel, you are not part of the sovereignty agreement. Feel free to use your bulwark as you see fit."

"And if the infiltrators fight back?" I purse my lips, considering the plan.

"Then we will step in of course." 69 smiles gently, "We are entitled to assist in upholding law and order in Rais Land. Though if the Citadel Valkyries are smart, they'll surrender to you without much bother."

"Makes sense I suppose." I reluctantly agree, "Why are we going after the Citadel infiltrators anyway? What have they done?"

"I had to let them go at the local trafficker's yard." 75 curses, "We should shut that place down anyway. A disgrace is what it is. Slavery to man has no place in a world ruled to be by God!"

75 thumps the table with his fist and there are low murmurs of agreement from everyone, including the beast folk staff.

"I agree. There is only one shepherd who rules over us all." 69 drums his fingers on the table, "But the Rais allows it to operate, and so we respect that decision. The Coalition is not here to lecture anyone on how to run their country."

"I thought you were Blue Ocean?" I furrow my brow in slight confusion.

"Strategic partnership." 69 quips, "Kind of like what we've got going on with you right now Jasvinder. Though that means we need to follow local policy, however much we disagree."

"Building friendships, etc, etc." 75 fills in, "We are in this for the long term brah. Things will change. You'll see."

"Makes sense. Since the Coalition is supplying the clone bodies." I nod in agreement, a piece of the puzzle falling into place.

"But those infiltrators were trying to traffic a bunch of beast girls to the Citadel." 75 continues, "Which is really not cool, especially ever since we made it clear to the Rais."

"But why only beast girls?" I scratch the back of my head, "What about the males?"

"Uh, well, you see ..." 75 stutters slightly looking around the room for help.

"The Coalition gets first pick of beast girls." 69 answers, "And before you ask Jasvinder, the fate that awaits them in North Arcology is far kinder that anything else they might experience."

"The Coalition?" I press, sensing a juicy secret.

"We need the manpower." 69 explains blandly, his expression telling me that this discussion is over.

"You are fighting the good fight with us." 75 quickly cuts in, "That's something you can put your money in at least."

"I suppose." I finally concede, not willing to break cover yet.

"Good." 69 turns back to the screen, "Now, the infiltrators will need to take this route to leave the old city. See the intersection right here, that's where we'll make our move ..."