Rheinland's Starquake I

[Backo]

The facility VI's voice startled Valdez as it broke the silence and made it's rather crude introduction. She looked down at the lights below them. It was more impressive than anything Eliza had seen thus far. She could not even fathom what kind of secrets such a grandiose facility held.

The Maltese's attention was grabbed by her companion again. Having such a gigantic facility with nobody around? It did not look like it was abandoned and forgotten. Was special agent Laurenz important enough to deserve her very own special underwater facility? In truth, Eliza had no idea what the rank of Kommissar meant in the structure of the Bureau. Perhaps Katharina was more important than Valdez originally imagined.

Her azure eyes locked on the agent's lips as Kat continued. Eliza listened silently, trying to process all the information as it came out of the Rheinlander's mouth. There was something more? Something Eliza did not predict that could influence the future steps of their two nations? Every next sentence instead of sating her curiosity, only fueled it further.

"Omega-3? I saw the aftermath. The Kingdom of Bretonia entered hostilities with the Independent Miner's Guild over Aland and managed to break their defenses and seize the shipyard. What of it?"

Operating in Bretonia allowed Eliza to learn of the events regarding Omega-3 almost immediately as they became public. She even had the chance to see the aftermath with her own eyes - all those ships turned into floating tombs, yet to be cleaned up by junkers and other brands of selfish scavangers looking to feast on the technological remains like vultures upon a fresh carcass. Was the station really worth the sacrifices made by both sides? Perhaps time would tell, she thought to herself.

Eliza approved of this attack against the guild. Those miners had fought against Malta tooth and nail in the Taus. Java and Falkland were blight upon what Outcasts considered the sovereign space of Malta and its people. She knew the other houses had better opinion of those miners, but doubted that Rheinland was particularly concerned about their wellbeing. Obviously there was something else, something she wasn't aware of that concerned Katharina.

The elevator finally made it's stop, but not before playing the all too cliche ring that most elevators seemed to make when they reached their destination.

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Republic of the Sword and Sun