Welcome to Gaia! ::

A few miles outside the Eldic estates:

Aemelia sighed as she and her three companions rode away from the main body of forces. Their squadron had been assigned to this end of the empire on word of several disturbances from the plains. They'd been forced out to this edge of nowhere just because a few ruffians didn't like their places in the society of Feretris. Well, that's what the Black Ops were for. These mongrels weren't worth any sort of serious appropriation of forces, so a small squad of highly trained specialists would do. Their group was sent to examine the recent heightened activities of the plainspeople. The ops squad was to set up a base camp near the border to observe and, should it be necessary, neutralize, the group responsible. The raids wouldn't normally warrant this attention, but the violence had been escalating over the previous months, so it was better to stop it before it became a problem than to wait until it was. That was the plan, at least, until they received the frantic messenger from the Eldic Estate. The messenger happened upon their group by chance and, not recognizing them for a group of soldiers, attempted to requisition a fresh horse from them. When they pulled rank on her, she shared the message from her mistress with the commanding officer. The CO, carefully considering what action to take, decided to send a small contingent to the estate to calm the populace as well as watch for further signs of external illusions being used to excite the populace. There was no way this could be a real dragon, so it had to be an illusion. To come at this time, coincidentally, would be absurd. It was also doubtless connected to the increased destructive acts of the plains. Therefore, the situation warranted watching, but their initial goal could not be forgotten. Four soldiers would be sent to keep an eye on the estate, and that had been Aemelia's lot. The CO had attached a memo with the messenger, detailing her actions and sent the messenger on with a fresh horse. Aemelia and her squadron were ordered to make haste to the compound, which was less than a day of hard riding away.

Aemelia sat atop her horse and looked down from the hill. She saw the estates, only a short ride away. The people were visible only as vague shapes, running frantically from place to place. The intel briefing of the estate had described it as laid back and peaceful, an ideal vacation spot and poorly defended border town. The defenses weren't that great, but at least they'd been mobilized. Whoever controlled this Estate had taken it seriously enough to get their defenses ready. Of course, asking for aid like that did imply that. Who but the desperate would ask for help fighting dragons? Aemelia smiled slightly, There was no way it could be a dragon, but some trick that had been played on these poor fools. They'd have to look into it and keep an eye on the town, regardless. She led her horse down from the crest of the hill to where the other three were resting their horses.

"We're a short distance away and we want to make it before nightfall" Aemelia said once she entered the makeshift camp. "Once the horses are ready, we press on."

Sae, the newest of the soldiers there, looked up and smiled. "All right. They ought to be surprised for us to arrive so early. The messenger is most likely not even a fourth of the way to the capitol yet. And the reinforcements will already be in town. They'll think we're psychic or something." She ended with a giggle as her horses nuzzled the side of her face.

"We'll probably be too early. I doubt they'd have made anything ready for us, since they have no knowledge who is coming with how many" Merideth, the skeptic of the group, replied. She was currently leading her horse to the nearby stream so it could have a drink. This was how things often went within the strike group. Sae, the eternal optimist and bright light of the group, would make a plan or prediction, only for Merideth to point out some of the flaws that they'd likely encounter. For being opposite sides of the coin, the two got along splendidly. The third member of the team, Fennian, often backed up Sae in these discussions. Fennian was the joking member of the group, but knew when to joke and when not to. This was a time to joke.

"Pfft! Don't be such a stick in the mud! I'm sure they'll have everything ready for us! I mean, we're going to the grand resort Eldic Estates! They've got room for everyone! There'll probably be a banquet in our honor!" Fennian said standing up from trying to make her horse drink water after taking it to the stream. She held both hands behind her back and walked over to Sae. At the mention of a big banquet, Merideth frowned slightly, thinking of the implications of having a large banquet for members of a semi-clandestine organization while Sae nearly glowed with energy.

"You really think so, Fennian? A banquet? For the four of us?" Sae's eyes almost sparkled with pleasure.

Fennian smiled semi-evilly as she reached a hand around Sae's shoulders. "Of course. I mean, we are their saviors!" Then she poured the water she'd been cupping in her hand down the back of Sae's shirt. Sae yelped and jumped forward as both Merideth and Aemelia smirked at the normal antics. Merideth remounted, as did Fennian. Sae did shortly thereafter, after she tried to dry her shirt slightly to no avail. Then, at a word from Aemelia, the group pressed on to the city.

They reached it in fifteen minutes of easy riding. The guards at the gate brusquely demanded identification, which once produced caused them to go into a string of apologies about not knowing they were coming and that they didn't know who they were and all sorts of other excuses. Word was sent to the Lady of the Manor as the four soldiers were lead to fine guest rooms in the manor to clean up if they would wish before their meeting.

A short time later, the squadron was assembled and led to the Lady of the Estate.

The four soldiers were all seated according to rank at the table. That is to say, Aemelia was seated closest to the head of the table with her three subordinates next to her in whatever order they bicker for. It had ended with Fennian to her left, followed by Sae, and Merideth (who had stayed out of the argument, as she didn't really care) at the end. The food they were served, though possibly not up to the standards of the Estate, was far better quality than the trail rations they normally had to make do with. As such, the soldiers didn't complain in the least once the food had arrived. The three lower ranked members began eating while focusing their attention on their commander and their host. Chances were, they wouldn't be called on in this discussion, but might need to recall what had happened.

Aemelia smiled. The compound seemed peaceful and happy, but as a trained soldier who was used to all of the intrigue and subtleties of the royal capital, she could see the tension in all present, both about the presence of soldiers on their resort and as a result of...other events that had happened recently. Aemelia said nothing about any of this. It had no purpose other than serving as a note for future observations and might annoy their host, something which needed to be avoided at all costs. So she said nothing regarding that and answered the question.

"Well, we're attached to a platoon of soldiers sent to investigate the recent escalation of tensions of the tribes. We were to set up monitoring stations and try to find what has made the tribes more agitated. We intercepted your messenger earlier today, and our commander dispatched a small wing to set up a base of operations here. The report had some...rather unusual claims that are indicative of a magical assault on the city. We're simply here to observe for the moment and if anything happens, we are authoried to take whatever actions are needed."

Now, technically, the Black Ops. squadron does not exist, and as such there were some falsities in that description. It was not a full platoon, but a small strike and Observation force. Despite the non-existence of the Black Ops group, everyone knew they existed and any intelligent Lady of the Manor or other high official would recognize the three of them as belonging to it. Sending a group of four with near unlimited authorization to a town to oberve and take whatever actions were needed would tell anyone intelligent of the affiliation of the four of them.

Aemelia took a moment to look over the map and examine the surroundings. She had reviewed it briefly before being sent to the area, but now she had to actually pick out the best point for observation and swift action. This could literally make or break an operation and was drilled into every soldier who would ever be authorized to condict a mission. Thus, Aemelia studied the map carefully to pick the best location.

The reccomendation from the lady Isabel seemed to be the best option, even after carefully considering all other options. The location along the border seemed ideal for keeping an eye on any developing situations and for protecting the squad itself. If the information was accurate, which Aemelia had not yet concluded, then that location was by far the best location to stage whatever sort of assault would be needed from. Plus, it wasn't so far that Sae couldn't make good time back to the city on the backs of one of her friends. In all, it served the requirements of the squad excellently.

"I believe that we shall take you up on your offer, my lady. The prison would work well as a base from which we can operate. If there is no problem, we can begin to set up our operation there later today. I'd like to be established to start our observations as soon as I can."

Aemelia stood, prompting the three other soldiers to stand as they were finishing their meal. Aemelia gave a courteous bow to Isabel and answered, "We will gladly assist you in this time of trouble. Rest assured, we mean no harm to your compound and are well equipped to deal with any threats that may come our way. The prison and guards will be adequate to our needs and we will set off for there shortly. Thank you once more for your hospitality."

Aemelia then turned to leave the room as Merideth, Sae, and Fennian fell in behind her. Sae whispered quietly to the others "Ought I to send a scout along ahead to find the condition of the prison?" Merideth and Aemelia both nodded to this idea, which was all the go-ahead Sae needed. Once they emerged from the dining hall, she held her right hand and cupped it in front of her mouth. She drew in a small breath and held it for a moment before exhaling a cloud of glistening blue fog into her hand. The mist shimmered momentarily before coalescing into a small bird no larger than a fist. The bird was bright blue with some brown feathers on top. The tail was longer than one might expect on a bird this size, reaching about midway down Sae's forearm. The tail formed a fork when it ended, with a triangle forming between the prongs. It was the same sky blue that much of the rest of the bird was. Sae raised it up and kissed it softly before whispering, "Go forth, Thought. See what there is to see and come back to us."

Thought chirped once before leaping from Sae's hand out a nearby window and flying exceedingly quickly towards the south western border of the compound.

Aemelia had paused while they were sending out their "recon agent" and, once Sae was done, led the group to the stables, mounted, and commanded the guards designated to her to follow them in the direction of the compound.

"Well, this is a dingy little hole we're station in. We come all the way to the scenic Eldic estates and get stationed in a prison on the far side of the territory? I call foul!" Fennian complained loudly as she unpacked her various gear into the sparsely furnished room she would be sharing with Sae and Merideth. Aemelia, as commander, had been given the warden's personal chambers. The poor woman had looked dumbstruck when presented with the papers of authority from the lady of the manner. Fennian had almost laughed out loud had Sae and Merideth not silenced her.

Sae handed three books she'd brought with her to one of her friends she had summoned to help them make themselves as comfortable as possible. This figure was a woman who seemed to be made entirely out of alabaster. Her features were well defined, though since the only colors were those that naturally run in alabaster, the face gave off a detached, otherworldly look. She took the books from Sae (each soldier brought extra equipment, food, and other essentials. Each also were given leave to bring a few extra items. Aemelia often carried more, but that was her power, so none questioned it) and placed them on top o a small nightstand. The Emotia (which was named Decorum), said "Is that all there is for me, Lady Sae?"

"Yes, it is. Thank you, Decorum." Sae said. Decorum smiled and began dissolving into a fine white sparkling mist. Once fully dissolved, the gas flew towards Sae, who inhaled deeply and cleared the air of the residue. She then turned to Fennian and answered, "Well, compare this to sleeping on the ground in the wilderness. I'll take the comfort of a nice warm bed where I can get one."

Fennian muttered "Yeah, but we could be kicking back in the resorts instead of stationed in this fortress," but Sae appeared not to hear her. Merideth had been sitting on her bed, sharpening a knife of hers while listening to the conversation. The conditions were plenty comfortable enough for her small standards, so she had no cause to complain and thus no cause to enter the argument. She simply watched with the detached interest she paid to most of the discussions amongst her fellows.

~~~

Aemelia had sent some soldiers who had been stationed at the prison to shore up their Western defenses. Since she had been informed as to the weaknesses of that side, she paid special attention to make sure it was guarded. Still, she couldn't shake this vague feeling of unease. There was something...wrong with this situation. She walked to the door and opened it, with the guards outside snapping to attention.

"I want a full status report from all guards on all perimeters. Get it here as soon as possible."

"Yes ma'am!" replied the guards as the rushed off to complete their task.

Aemelia looked over her map for the thirteenth time this evening. She had sent the guards out an hour and a half ago. One had returned after half an hour, having checked a good deal of the soldiers in the prison itself. The other messenger had seemingly disappeared, however. After waiting a time, Aemelia ordered her subordinates into the room and sent one of Sae's Emotia to trace the path of the second guard. She found the trail, up to the waystation, and this information was relayed to Aemelia.

Aemelia began pacing around the map. If something was indeed wrong, as it most certainly apeared to be, she needed to be prepared for it. She motioned for the one remaining guard to step forward. "We may have a security breech. I want you to shift some of the soldiers watching the West back to the South. Heightened alert, which anyone is authorized to trigger full alert at the smallest sign of trouble. Go. Now." The soldier almost ran out of the room to act on her orders. Aemelia turned to Sae, Merideth, and Fennian. "Alright. Relaxing time is over. I want the three of you stationed at various points of the fortress. Sae, keep your friends' eyes and ears out for trouble. You will be stationed here [Aemelia points to the entryway to the main prison area, a large secure room with one entrance and one exit.] If anything tries to bust in the front or free the captives, stop them with everything you have. Fennian, I need you running recon. Send back information every few minutes. Do not confront any enemies without alerting everyone else. Merideth, I need you here [Aemelia pointed to a central area of the base]. I need you to be able to respond quickly at all times. Are we clear?

"Yes Ma'am!" All three said before hurrying out of the room. Aemelia sighed and looked over the map once more before going to prepare herself.