GNI/- - Personnel Database

[Lanakov]

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The Gallic National Intelligence - Personnel Database entry

• Name, surname: Bernard COUTON
  
• Date of Birth and age: 28th of February 708 AGS / 42 years old
  
• Codename : Six Trees
  
• Ships used : Sexarborius (Frigate), Albiorix (Gunboat)
  

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AGENT DOSSIER

Bernard Couton is, counter-intuitively, an easy man to find.
After moderately successful studies, he entered public service early on as staff officer, one among countless others tasked with the day-to-day running of the Gallic military administration.
His records are plentiful : he has served in a variety of unremarkable though essential postings all across Gallia, eventually rising to the corps of military attachés, essentially aide-de-camp to superior officers. There, his evaluation records depict a well-connected individual with proper manners and impenetrable equanimity. He was not known as an ardent Royalist, but never gave a reason to be suspected of harbouring Conseillard sympathies. Performance review points to this lack of enthusiasm, as well as a tendency to not go the extra mile, to explain his stagnation in the hierarchy. There are hints throughout his file that he took major umbrage at this, though went to great pains to conceal it.

He served the then-commandant Isabelle Montlaville de Chanteloup during her stint in internal security and counter-intelligence. She wrote this about him in her end-of-term report :
"COUTON, B. : Discreet, punctual, efficient. Knows a lot of people like him. Clearly dislikes the aristos but he hides it well enough. Senses when I'm not to be bothered. Not as dumb or pompous as many of the others. Might be useful in something else than serving coffee and making appointments. Recommend sending him to CDT Gauthier's Les Révélateurs unit. I am certain they can put him to better use."

His well-documented paper trail thins out by the end of the Second Gallic War. He wasn't important enough to be targetted by either faction during the breakdown of the old order, but was useful enough to be given menial jobs (by his standards) in the new administration. Officially, that is still what he does : his full job title is currently "Supervisory office manager in the department of demobilisation & reintegration, central administration, ministry of the Interior". Short term evaluation indicates he feels no nostalgia towards this part of his career and finds himself at ease in the intelligence community, where he seems to have found his purpose. However, evaluators have had trouble ascertaining his loyalty to the current regime and his stance on the Duchy, the Corsican state and the République, as before, although he strikes all the marks of a true patriot.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION

Agent Couton, although recently inducted, is dedicated to the cause and the standard post-recruitment inquiries have verified his discretion.
Though of a reserved nature, he is not above boasting of his vast network of relations and this reflects his internal logic.
When he looks out at the city or considers a given problem, he sees contact information, names, people, job descriptions, the favours he is owed, the secrets he is privy to.
We can't fully ascertain the extend of this internal web of his, nor the veracity of his affirmations, but it is one of the few topics that will get him going with complete confidence.

Other topics of interest are spicy or unusual situations involving high ranking officers he bore witness to, or heard about. The distinction is sometimes difficult to make. He is more reserved in regards to his politics, although out of customary caution rather than mere lack of an opinion. He is an avid reader and openly despises the uneducated, particularly among the wealthier classes.
He hardly reacted when approached about his personal finances, confirming that he is from a relatively well-off family and accustomed to having what he needs, and likely not needing much.
The topic of sex and marital affairs elicited a similarly nonplussed response : he claims to be happily wed, though mentioned his wife only once during his presentation.

In conclusion, Couton is the proverbial man hiding in plain sight. He would easily be confused with just another civil servant assigned to menial tasks, a fairly boring, middle-of-the-road character with few motivations and little to offer to an intelligence agency. We ascertain that he is actually a capable, and potentially dangerous, operative, with a keen sense of observation and remarkable memory. His interpersonal skills seem to have served him well, having survived several dramatic changes in administration and witnessed the coming and going of generations of military leadership. He will make a mental note of all that is said, grasp what is left unsaid, and disclose little of what he thinks. This, along with an allegedly extended network of contacts across Gallic society, could make him a powerful asset, or a dangerous liability should his loyalty come into question.

RISK INDICATORS

• Money - Low risk of Couton being bought by an adversary. He seems to have all the material comfort he requires, and enough reserves to go by his unremarkable lifestyle.
  
• Ideology - Moderate-to-low risk of Couton betraying the Union or the Service for his beliefs. Though he bears no more visible love for the Union than he did for the Monarchy, he exhibits a fundamental understanding and clear attachment to the CORE GALLIC VALUES.
  
• Compromission - Low risk of Couton falling victim to compromising material. He has left a visible enough paper trail not to arouse suspicion, and doesn't seem to care much for relationships not involving his job. We regard as low the likelihood of there being undisclosed dirty laundry in his past that might be used against him.
  
• Ego - Significant risk of Couton being persuaded by flattery or provocation. He has a high opinion of his worth and considers having been unfairly treated in the past, and not employed to the best of his abilities. He should be given assignments that play to his perceived strengths in order to lower risks.
  

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