RENEWED SHALL BE BLADE THAT WAS BROKEN
19 Jan 2019Corrigendum
(Previous Entry - A LIGHT FROM THE SHADOWS SHALL SPRING)<< CLASSIFIED - EYES ONLY >>
17 JAN 3305
Cornelius lay prone, awaiting a signal from the strike team coordinator. It was dark. The weather was calm and a soft breeze brought a slight chill. The foliage was soft. He breathed slowly, quietly through his nose.
In his right fist he held the hilt of a black knife. The blade swept back along his forearm, stopping short of his elbow. Cornelius paused and took care to silently clear the path ahead of dry plant debris, so as not to generate unwanted noise as he hauled himself forward.
His role for the better part of the last two days had been to scout the perimeter of the complex, note the ordered procession of patrols, weapons emplacement locations, and sniper positions. He also verified the presence of the mission's primary objective.
Cornelius had been issued a pair of tactical lenses, which enhanced his visual acuity and presented him with a heads-up display without the need of a helmet visor or intrusive implants. They allowed him to tie into the team’s communications seamlessly.
All was still.
It was several weeks since Cornelius had been collected from Chione and ferried to Achenar aboard a nondescript Adder. It was standard practice for his hosts to operate out of commonplace vessels to maintain low-profiles while in the field. Being aboard the vessel brought back many unpleasant recollections...
The agents who transported him said little. He knew they were likely communicating via their implants. Cornelius ignored them, and focused on the commtab he had been instructed to read. Most documents he flipped through contained headers indicating various levels of ‘secret’ status. Standard IISS briefing material.
Double-I, Double-S.
Following his graduation from the Achenar Naval Academy in 3294, Cornelius had been hand-picked by IISS recruiters. He served among the ranks of the IISS for approximately seven years. Drusus Kane, working as an IISS agent handler at the time, served as Cornelius’ contact on a series of deep cover missions in independent, Federation, and even AIS space. His callsign, ‘Corrigendum’, was originally chosen because it was a clever compound of his first and last names. But with time, he began to live up to its definition. Whenever and wherever ‘correction’ was needed, ‘Corrigendum’ found himself deployed.
At first he applied himself with zeal, and received commendations for deeds he would never speak of again beyond the debriefing room. As the years piled on, Cornelius grew increasingly weary of the lifestyle. To the dismay of his superiors, he resigned from the Service in 3301 and joined Lavigny’s Legion. His time with Lavigny’s Legion turned out to be quite brief, as a shrewd Ambassador Cuthrick Delaney had other designs for him.
It seemed now that his career had come full-circle.
And so, Cornelius, or perhaps rather ‘Corrigendum’, found himself on the terraformed 3rd planet of the Paresa system.
The whole situation surrounding the rise of Nova Imperium felt… contrived. Instinctively he felt something about it was simply... off. He recalled the shocking murder of Emperor Hengist, and the insidious roots of Emperor’s Dawn that seemed to stretch throughout the Empire from top to bottom. He wondered if Emperor’s Dawn had declared itself publicly in its infancy, would it also have felt so contrived as this new movement?
Then there was the unmitigated effrontery exhibited by Nova Imperium’s so-called ‘Imperator’, which both disgusted and impressed Cornelius. For an Imperial to directly challenge the Emperor, regardless of rank or status, and publicly call for the Emperor’s deposal… well, it took a great deal of brass. Any casual student of Imperial history understood this seditious act was almost a guaranteed death sentence. Cornelius did not believe this ‘Duke Kaeso Mordanticus’ could have been ignorant of this. And so, he questioned Mordanticus’ true objectives, and whether he was not himself a puppet to some other will.
Cornelius shifted his weight and crept forward, slowly, silently. He had taken up a position that offered him a view of two enemy snipers. One was situated in an elevated treetop, the other on the crown of a grassy knoll. Each had privileged views of the compound and the immediate surrounds, including the avenues through which the IISS teams would funnel. He was tasked with eliminating them both. One was mere meters ahead...
A message flashed briefly into view:
ALL - Fleet engaged - Hold
Cornelius blinked the text away, and flattened himself into the turf.
Out in orbit, the ships of Nova Imperium were making a final stand against the might of Fleet Admiral Denton Patreus’ forces. The Imperial Navy was making a concerted push to bring an end to the week-long conflict. The distraction afforded by this push was the critical moment the IISS strike team was waiting for.
The IISS had intelligence sources within Nova Imperium’s upper echelons that indicated Kaeso Mordanticus was overseeing fleet operations from a remote compound in the temperate forest of Paresa’s earthlike world. The very same compound Cornelius had surveyed for the past two days.
Another message flashed:
CORRIGENDUM - Proceed
Cornelius made his move. He came slowly to his knees, then transitioned into a low crouch. His matte-black suit of reactive armor was a hole in the night. With cunningly silent steps, Cornelius closed the remaining distance between him and his quarry. He rotated the weapon in his hand.
He struck!
The swift, brutal stroke with the butt of his weapon cracked the back of the sniper’s head. The figure’s limbs went limp. He struck a second time to be sure the man was out cold. Satisfied, Cornelius drew the limp body out of the way to make room for himself.
Cornelius examined the weapon left by the other man. It was a Manticore PRG 42, personal railgun. A powerful weapon, quite capable of defeating the body armor he and other members of the team wore. He checked the capacitors and judged the weapon could fire a dozen shots or so.
Cornelius sent a prepared message via his tactical lenses to report his initial success to the team. He then claimed the incapacitated sniper’s position and trained the Manticore’s sights on the sniper in the trees.
The tactical lenses displayed the response:
CORRIGENDUM - Fire at will
The scope was powerful. Even at a few dozen meters in the dark Cornelius could describe wrinkles on the sniper’s brow...
He tried in vain to halt the torrent of thoughts that followed this observation. He wondered how the man in his sights found himself behind the scope of his own rifle. If Cornelius had met this man in other circumstances they might have gotten to know one another, perhaps even become friends. He might have regaled Cornelius with tales of the halcyon days his youth, and of his own proud service to the Empire. His sense of duty was likely no less than Cornelius’. He wondered whether the man honestly believed in the cause of Nova Imperium, or what other motive he might have for serving in this capacity. Perhaps someone had leverage over him, as the IISS now had over Cornelius. He wondered what the man’s name was, and whether he had a family. Perhaps grandchildren? Would he not rather be home with those whom he…
An insistent message flashed across Cornelius’ lenses:
CORRIGENDUM - This Op cannot be delayed - Take your shot!
Cornelius clenched his teeth. This was why he left the IISS.
Forcing himself to focus on the task at hand, he regulated his breathing, disabled the safety, and refined his aim. His finger tightened on the trigger, and he felt the thrum of the railgun against his cheek...
He’ll know no pain, Cornelius consoled himself.
* * *
18 JAN 3305
"Turn it up! They are talking about us!" A proud voice shouted to the Lounge Attendant.
The Lounge Attendant obliged by generously increasing the volume of the GalNet broadcast.
Imperator Mordanticus, the leader of isolationist group Nova Imperium, has been captured by the Empire. His arrest was made during the conflict between Nova Imperium and the Empire in the Paresa system.
Chancellor Anders Blaine made a pronouncement on behalf of Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval:
“With its fleet destroyed, Nova Imperium’s seditious agenda has been halted. The so-called Imperator, Duke Kaeso Mordanticus, will be brought before the Senate on Friday the 25th of January to answer charges of treason against the Empire.”
The rest of the broadcast was rendered unintelligible by a cacophony of cheers.
'The Lounge' was a glorified waiting room at an IISS debriefing facility. It was a reward for a job well done, and served to isolate agents before they could be debriefed. It boasted a fine selection of rare liquors and spirits, and a spread of gastronomic delicacies fit for the Emperor herself.
Cornelius contented himself with a seat along the room's far wall. Before him was a half-drunk glass of ice water with a hint of lemon. He watched as a buoyant cube bobbed past its neighbors and breached the surface.
“A toast!” Shouted a voice. “To Emperor Arissa! Bask in her glory!”
“Bask in her glory!” Numerous voices echoed.
Upended glasses, stemware, and bottles glittered in the pleasant light.
Cornelius celebrated successful missions in years past, but now he found the act crass and repulsive. Duty demanded the taking of life from time to time, and he felt no urge to celebrate that duty. Nevertheless, he had performed his duty several times the night before, ‘for Emperor and Imperium’. And countless times before that...
Rather than celebrate a ‘job well done’, it was his way to raise a glass of ice water in private to honor the souls he reaped, and to forgo the fare afforded him.
The flicker of the holoscreen caught Cornelius’ attention as the image of Duke Kaeso Mordanticus rotated. He met the hologram’s eye as it came around.
Cornelius brought the glass to his lips and took another sip.
(Continue Reading - THE CROWNLESS AGAIN SHALL BE KING)