Cardinal of the Kremlin

[arvg]

Katz heard them approaching, climbing the stone steps towards the ramparts where he stood, resting his elbows upon the red brickwork staring across Red Square towards the GYM department store, at the massive broadcast screen mounted to it, somewhat similar to a jumbotron. Displaying the news on repeat, again and again.

"...Unmitigated and undeclared State of War..." The voice boomed across the square.

Katz wearily stood from his vantage point, turning in the warm late spring air, to face the two Ambassadors. Drawing a deep ragged breath as he walked forward.

"Xavier," he greeted, trying his best to manage the Papal greeting Doc Holliday had taught him.

Before shaking Victor's hand warmly, "Victor. I know this is not your first visit to the Kremlin, and I know in the past I have been... more hospitable, but the circumstances..." he turned his head along the walls to the far end, where the tower still smouldered.

"You are, no doubt, wondering as I am, as to what is going on," he said, leading the way along the wall towards an upper level command post, where Coalition Soldiers were attempting to co-ordinate rescue operations.

"And I will tell you what I know. When the blast was detonated, the State Duma was in full session," he pointed to the Grand Kremlin Palace, where one of the walls had collapsed, and fires still smouldered. "And a tour group of school children were returning to their shuttles through the Spasskaya Tower. It is believed that one of the Chaperones of that group of Children was carrying an explosive device..."

Katz shook his head, "And this is where things get confused. How an explosive device got into the Kremlin at all is beyond me. We have some of the tightest security in Sirius, a device capable of breaching our security has to be of either Alien origin, or so highly advanced it... well I will allow the Coalition's Technology expert explain."

The reached the Command outpost, where a holographic image of a slightly befuddled doctor was pacing too and fro, smoking a cigarette and clutching a mug of tea.

"Doctor XiaoBei, I believe you know both Mister Cross and the Ambassador..." Katz introduced.

XiaoBei gave his usual nod, before completely ignoring both of them. "Ikon, I might have a solution as to how the explosive device was smuggled into the Kremlin."

Katz raised an eyebrow, "Do tell."

"I can do one better than that, my Ikon, look up..."

Katz looked up, as a roar of air buffeted the group, whipping coats back and hair out of place, a second later an eerie alien chime reverberated through the air, and a Coalition Storm phased out of Cloak over the ramparts. It pivoted in the air and shot skywards again, it's demonstration over.

"A cloaking device?" Katz remarked. "A cloaked bomb?"

"Not a bomb," XiaoBei stated. "Note the explosion pattern, and the damage. A bomb crater would scatter debris in a circular fashion... this is not a circle."

Katz walked a little to the side of the ramparts, taking a better look. "If it wasn't a bomb then..."

"A cloaked cruise missile, low yield... it'd have to be low yield... too much of the missile would have to be dedicated to fuel for the cloaking device... then the device itself. You'd have a very small warhead..." XiaoBei shrugged. "The technology level required for an attack of this magnitude..."

"I was told this was Zoners," Katz stated, gesturing to the two Ambassadors, "I have ships... in Omega-49!"

"It was the Deuterium used in the warhead." XiaoBei said. "It could only come from Omega-49."

Katz stared down at the conundrum and then back at the Ambassadors. "Care to offer your conjecture?"

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