Sailcloth Algae
"This is Kailimee Hundachi and with me is Antoine Mjolnir. We are here at the famed Tzekaukus sailcloth algae ponds, where yesterday a terrorist attempt struck. Antoine, you have the details?"
"Yes Kai-lee, shortly after 23:00 local time, a group of masked individuals, wearing nondescript dark clothing optimized for ease of moment. The believed seven individuals infiltrated the hydroponic pond area, and salted the ponds with an unknown, salt-like substance."
"Soave Lamoureux speaking."
"Right Honourable Lamoureux, this is Minister of the Interior, Shamtzli we met in Lai Dang."
"Yes, how may I help you today Minister?"
"We, that is myself, and the rest of the New Etruscan council of ministers, were wondering if you could do us a favour..."
"I'm delighted to be of help, Minister, but how may I be of service."
"You may have heard of the events in Tzekaukus last night..."
"I've seen some footage, apparently, some terrorists are making a nuisance of themselves."
"We'd like to borrow your top investigative unit..."
"I'll need a very good reason to release Joint Task Force 2 from their regular duties."
"I wasn't thinking of something from your NFSIS, more from your NFPKS, this is a police investigation, here, not strictly terrorism, yet."
"While I understand you're reluctant at letting our Information Services perform officially in your land, they are the ones with the training to deal with a terrorist organisation not the NFPKS, who deal more with riots than..."
"Let me interrupt you, who would you send to investigate a case of organized crime?"
"Oh, if it's not political in any way, I'd send the NFPKS, they're just too dependant on our public service to be truly independant."
"Except, they are not dependant on OUR public service, but YOURS."
"Oh, that is a fine distinction. And you suspect they are indeed, political?"
"Yes, we suspect they are linked to a protest movement that wants us to withdraw from Lai Dang."
"Then I cannot help you."
"What?"
"You know as well as anyone the treaty provisions I'm sure, you need to contact Lai Dang Treaty Authority."
"They have investigators?"
"I suspect they do, they requested some of my best, by name."
"What?"
"And if they did request some of yours, I'd ask, gently, of course, some of my peers in the council of ministers, where they've gone..."
"I don't think I need to. I suspect the ones they took from us are not civilian, unlike yours..."
"Ah, a fine distinction, perhaps that is the case..."
"In any case, thank you for your advice, Right Honourable Lamoureux."
"Happy to serve, Minister Shamztli."
"Right Honourable Lamoureux."
"Executive Advisor Gagnon. Thank you for coming on such short notice."
"It's the least I can do, I'm sure you have something interesting for me."
"I know we supplied civilian investigators to the treaty authority at Lai Dang, I'm told we might have supplied them military personnel as well."
"We did."
"Just like that? No prevarication, no well, you know..."
"You didn't ask me for names or numbers, I can safely tell you there are some."
"Would any of them be willing to spy on our counterparts?"
"Of course not. The magically enforced oath of service doesn't just curl your hair..."
"Oh."
"Now, they do not lose their loyalty to the state however they're just prevented from doing activities explicitly proscribed by the Treaty... We can possibly gather some information..."
"Well, perhaps I'm looking at the wrong end of this particular donkey..."
"Sir?"
"I'm told the strike on Tzekaukus Sail Algae and Moray Catch last night was political."
"Yes, the Fenici First."
"You're aware of them?"
"They've been trying to recruit our non-coms and enlisted, for some time. I've been liaison to the NFSIS for some of those sensitive activities."
"Do we know if they are still active?"
"They are dormant, we hit their leadership quite hard, but they were never acting alone..."
"Why not?"
"Well, I should say, they never were only our problem... They're even more numerous is New Etrusca, and as far as I know, they're not dormant there..."
"What about New Lolland?"
"They are a minority there, since there never was as many Fenici in New Lolland. New Etrusca is almost half, just like us."
"How public were they?"
"Royalmount?"
"Ugh, yeah, that was nasty, did we find out how to purify the water?"
"Yes, was so simple. The radioactive particles react strongly with fluoride and chloride, we just re-chlorinated the basins, then precipitated the salts and dredged them out. Took us two days."
"Did their modus operandi look familiar to you?"
"Yes, but those aren't the same salts, likely much harder to filter out..."
"Oh?"
"See that dark grey sheen? That's a palladium compound, if I recognize it correctly. It's highly toxic and caustic, not radioactive."
"Sodium tetrachloropalladate. They poisoned the whole basin, we'll have to flush the whole crop. Not that it would help, it's caustic enough, the sailcloth would have ripped in moments."
"So, this is industrial sabotage..."
"Yes, or a terrorist..."
"Thank you, that will be all, I don't need to dwell on people eating sails with something that'd burn the algae."
"Minister?"
"Your analysis?"
"The summary, someone poisoned the algae beds, to sabotage production."
"It wasn't terrorism?"
"It might have been, if they'd used less of it, but with this much, the sails wouldn't have held up to a newborn child's first breath. And the Moray all died."
"Quite. Now comes the hard part... Leave me."
Irmagard took a stiff drink, she kept fine bourbon in a desk drawer for just such an occasion. Then fortified, she placed a call.
"Lai Dang Treaty Authority, how may I direct your call?" The robotic voice was very lifelike...
"Political" She didn't even finish saying 'resolutions' before the call connected.
"Minister Shamtzli, such a pleasure."
"I won't ask you how you know who I am..."
"I know of all of the ministries, affecting or affected, by my work. It simplifies most of my work. How may I assist you today?"
"I'm told I'm to formally request your assistance."
"Oh, in what matter?"
"The matter of politically-based insurgency protesting our participation in the accords."
"Oh, that advice you received was timely and accurate, I was about to call you to propose our assistance."
"Splendid." She said through gritted teeth. "And this assistance can get here soon?"
"Two of my agents were vacationing in New Etrusca, I'll just cancel their return trips and direct them to Tzekaukus, will that do?"
"Sure." Vacationing my left nipple! They have spies in New Etrusca!
"Will that be all?"
"Surely, they'll need more details."
"I'll have them report to Puma Knight Brady, for the beginning of the New Etruscan work week, at the 8th cycle."
"You... know quite a lot about this investigation..."
"We've had our eye on you for some time..."
"Sir?"
"You may want to ask your Secretary of Defense... He has interesting hobbies..."
Irmagard turned crimson with rage, that son of a pustulent coyote!
"So, tell me again to mind my own business, I dare you!"
"Minister Shamtzli, such a pleasure."
"Minister Thrush, I'm concerned..."
"About?"
"Someone just mentioned to me you were the target of an investigation..."
"An investigation? But in New Etrusca, that could only be you, my dear."
"As if it were that simple, when we signed the Lai Dang treaty, thanks to our 'military veteran'." Her sarcasm was biting. "We agreed that the Treaty Authority had such powers too."
"I'm being investigated, by Treaty Authority? On what charge?"
"I've not seen charges, but I suspect your 'hobbies'."
"The bored ape yacht club? That's cryptocurrency"
"If only, funny how each token has a ship named after it, in Tzekaukus harbour. A military ship..."
"They're sailboats, they're no threat..."
"Lots of people said the same thing. Then I asked my military engineers. Who checked the solar-sail attachments, and the military-grade dinitrogen fuel cells, and the state of the art missile vertical launch cells. The sails were always a distraction, the best place to put the newly damaged sails from Tzekaukus Sail Pond, now damaged... Except, that was too obvious, you blazed a trail to them..."
"I did not..."
"Well, someone did."
"Err, let me make amends, I certainly..."
"Oh, too late, the sailboats were seized, as any military ships not authorized by treaty..."
"NOOOO."
"It's not within my power to stop them. Not with a joint Kagomine, New Firenzan and Moniqan squadron off our coast to ensure our compliance..."
"What?"
"The Hunarch Madrigal is rather convincing... Or did you mean to declare war by firing at a ship with the Hunarch of Moniq aboard?"
"Thundergod's bowels!"
There was a flutter of noise, first indistinct, then firming up, a skycutter coming closer. A skycutter landing on the skycutter pad atop the building.
"Please excuse me. If you do not resist, you will not be harmed, I intend no harm to those within, I just don't want to explain while they might be fleeing." The angry ruler of Moniq said, as her bodyguard simply seized bodily the building's lesser-trained guards, who had, apparently, blinked first.
"We're not fleeing, your majesty, we will await you, guards, let them in."
"I don't need to tell you how irregular it is for me to meet with you, and not with them..." She indicated the higher-ranked officials' offices, on the upper floors of ɑm foʊ̯ lueɪ̯mmef dsæo's tallest tower.
"No, nor is the reason for your visit, I was just apprising Minister Thrush that I knew of his 'hobbies'."
"I'm to believe this is unsanctioned?"
"Not by me, I'd have to ask... them... if they knew..."
"And yet, you are the minister responsible for treaty compliance. They were in breach of your own laws, just by not telling you..."
"You remind me of duty."
"Hardly." The tall, regal woman, just barely entering middle-age, shifted, showing off her element-granted power, derived from Physical, from the raw, instinctive need, Shamtzli imagined. Well she didn't have to imagine very long. Thrush's nostrils spread, and he looked like a diminutive bull in heat for a second, until his control reaffirmed itself. 'For her to do so much, with just a shift, loosening her breasts, her power must be off the charts!' Thought Shamtzli.
"I'd be ranked sixth, in the over-conclave, if we had one tomorrow. My sister-wife, Sothlee, would have this male's brain melting out his ears with a gesture..."
"It's obvious he's been without supervision for too long."
"Am I to trust you to reign him in now?"
"The treaty's agents arrested all his Fenici First and Fist of the Phoenix cronies, we should be able to just arrest him now."
"What?" Still stunned from being patronized so blatantly, Thrush tried to speak.
"With testimony of your accomplices, of your participation in illegal political activity? I am making you go away for a long time, did you think Tercium Thirty-Seventh would have no consequence, Thrush?"
"That's for the best, I'd have to have to forcibly extradite him... You know your rules of tribunal not caring how the accused lands in the tribunal, as long as he's there? Well, I had an appendix added to the treaty, something of my own devising. Reciprocity. If a country with rules of evidence needs to try a New Etruscan, Treaty Authority is empowered to help the rules of evidence be met to try him, and any military and civilian agency of all member states are deputized to help."
"Treaty Authority?"
"In this case, the Ministers of Defense of Kagomei, the entire state of Moniq, and... I believe the NFSIS and NFAF, since the New Firrezan ship with us carry two different blazons..."
"The STATE?"
"I am Hunarch, I am Moniq. None may deny me anything in Moniq, not that many of them would try..." She pointed to the last of the floor guards, still trying to wrestle her bodyguard's weapon away, and failing, being outmassed by one third his weight, outreached by 10 cm and clearly not having had has much Krav Maga as his opponent had Blue River Te Kara. "Let him go, Xongghu, he will behave in the presence of his betters." As Xongghu did let go, the guard did try a foolish act of resistance. The Hunarch, having almost as much Blue River Te Kara as her bodyguard sent a straight hand to his forehead, barely half her full strength. The guard folded.
"You could have killed him, my liege."
"He is more useful alive. You..." She pointed to the next highest ranking guard. "...call some medics and get your colleague to the infirmary. I doubt I hit him hard enough for a concussion, but I'd rather err on the side of caution."
"I will leave Minister Thrush in your care, it'd be better I never run into him away from your... protection... I helped negotiate that treaty, I take attempts to circumvent it rather poorly..."
Thrush just melted away from her. She just affixed him a hard stare, and he paralyzed.
"Your men are so vulnerable, do you not train them in New Etrusca?"
"He was never good at accepting feedback, he'd have flushed out of any training anybody can devise."
"In the absence of a statement about the earlier attack on the sail algae ponds, Antoine will deliver an informative statement from the factory about their product." Also, you lost our bet, Kailimae smirked to herself.
"Sail algae is an angiosperm plant emitting sagittal flangettes whose err stigmata can be combed into a natural matted fabric. Said fabric is very resistant and allows ships to harness the wind. However, in its own native habitat, it is a dangerous photosynthesist, immobile, but whose cilla can hit with brutal force, capable of incapacitating all but the largest fish or mammals with enough blows. Insects are crushed, and become fertilizer for the algae, which is essential to a thriving algae grove."
"Yes Kai-lee, shortly after 23:00 local time, a group of masked individuals, wearing nondescript dark clothing optimized for ease of moment. The believed seven individuals infiltrated the hydroponic pond area, and salted the ponds with an unknown, salt-like substance."
"Soave Lamoureux speaking."
"Right Honourable Lamoureux, this is Minister of the Interior, Shamtzli we met in Lai Dang."
"Yes, how may I help you today Minister?"
"We, that is myself, and the rest of the New Etruscan council of ministers, were wondering if you could do us a favour..."
"I'm delighted to be of help, Minister, but how may I be of service."
"You may have heard of the events in Tzekaukus last night..."
"I've seen some footage, apparently, some terrorists are making a nuisance of themselves."
"We'd like to borrow your top investigative unit..."
"I'll need a very good reason to release Joint Task Force 2 from their regular duties."
"I wasn't thinking of something from your NFSIS, more from your NFPKS, this is a police investigation, here, not strictly terrorism, yet."
"While I understand you're reluctant at letting our Information Services perform officially in your land, they are the ones with the training to deal with a terrorist organisation not the NFPKS, who deal more with riots than..."
"Let me interrupt you, who would you send to investigate a case of organized crime?"
"Oh, if it's not political in any way, I'd send the NFPKS, they're just too dependant on our public service to be truly independant."
"Except, they are not dependant on OUR public service, but YOURS."
"Oh, that is a fine distinction. And you suspect they are indeed, political?"
"Yes, we suspect they are linked to a protest movement that wants us to withdraw from Lai Dang."
"Then I cannot help you."
"What?"
"You know as well as anyone the treaty provisions I'm sure, you need to contact Lai Dang Treaty Authority."
"They have investigators?"
"I suspect they do, they requested some of my best, by name."
"What?"
"And if they did request some of yours, I'd ask, gently, of course, some of my peers in the council of ministers, where they've gone..."
"I don't think I need to. I suspect the ones they took from us are not civilian, unlike yours..."
"Ah, a fine distinction, perhaps that is the case..."
"In any case, thank you for your advice, Right Honourable Lamoureux."
"Happy to serve, Minister Shamztli."
"Right Honourable Lamoureux."
"Executive Advisor Gagnon. Thank you for coming on such short notice."
"It's the least I can do, I'm sure you have something interesting for me."
"I know we supplied civilian investigators to the treaty authority at Lai Dang, I'm told we might have supplied them military personnel as well."
"We did."
"Just like that? No prevarication, no well, you know..."
"You didn't ask me for names or numbers, I can safely tell you there are some."
"Would any of them be willing to spy on our counterparts?"
"Of course not. The magically enforced oath of service doesn't just curl your hair..."
"Oh."
"Now, they do not lose their loyalty to the state however they're just prevented from doing activities explicitly proscribed by the Treaty... We can possibly gather some information..."
"Well, perhaps I'm looking at the wrong end of this particular donkey..."
"Sir?"
"I'm told the strike on Tzekaukus Sail Algae and Moray Catch last night was political."
"Yes, the Fenici First."
"You're aware of them?"
"They've been trying to recruit our non-coms and enlisted, for some time. I've been liaison to the NFSIS for some of those sensitive activities."
"Do we know if they are still active?"
"They are dormant, we hit their leadership quite hard, but they were never acting alone..."
"Why not?"
"Well, I should say, they never were only our problem... They're even more numerous is New Etrusca, and as far as I know, they're not dormant there..."
"What about New Lolland?"
"They are a minority there, since there never was as many Fenici in New Lolland. New Etrusca is almost half, just like us."
"How public were they?"
"Royalmount?"
"Ugh, yeah, that was nasty, did we find out how to purify the water?"
"Yes, was so simple. The radioactive particles react strongly with fluoride and chloride, we just re-chlorinated the basins, then precipitated the salts and dredged them out. Took us two days."
"Did their modus operandi look familiar to you?"
"Yes, but those aren't the same salts, likely much harder to filter out..."
"Oh?"
"See that dark grey sheen? That's a palladium compound, if I recognize it correctly. It's highly toxic and caustic, not radioactive."
"Sodium tetrachloropalladate. They poisoned the whole basin, we'll have to flush the whole crop. Not that it would help, it's caustic enough, the sailcloth would have ripped in moments."
"So, this is industrial sabotage..."
"Yes, or a terrorist..."
"Thank you, that will be all, I don't need to dwell on people eating sails with something that'd burn the algae."
"Minister?"
"Your analysis?"
"The summary, someone poisoned the algae beds, to sabotage production."
"It wasn't terrorism?"
"It might have been, if they'd used less of it, but with this much, the sails wouldn't have held up to a newborn child's first breath. And the Moray all died."
"Quite. Now comes the hard part... Leave me."
Irmagard took a stiff drink, she kept fine bourbon in a desk drawer for just such an occasion. Then fortified, she placed a call.
"Lai Dang Treaty Authority, how may I direct your call?" The robotic voice was very lifelike...
"Political" She didn't even finish saying 'resolutions' before the call connected.
"Minister Shamtzli, such a pleasure."
"I won't ask you how you know who I am..."
"I know of all of the ministries, affecting or affected, by my work. It simplifies most of my work. How may I assist you today?"
"I'm told I'm to formally request your assistance."
"Oh, in what matter?"
"The matter of politically-based insurgency protesting our participation in the accords."
"Oh, that advice you received was timely and accurate, I was about to call you to propose our assistance."
"Splendid." She said through gritted teeth. "And this assistance can get here soon?"
"Two of my agents were vacationing in New Etrusca, I'll just cancel their return trips and direct them to Tzekaukus, will that do?"
"Sure." Vacationing my left nipple! They have spies in New Etrusca!
"Will that be all?"
"Surely, they'll need more details."
"I'll have them report to Puma Knight Brady, for the beginning of the New Etruscan work week, at the 8th cycle."
"You... know quite a lot about this investigation..."
"We've had our eye on you for some time..."
"Sir?"
"You may want to ask your Secretary of Defense... He has interesting hobbies..."
Irmagard turned crimson with rage, that son of a pustulent coyote!
"So, tell me again to mind my own business, I dare you!"
"Minister Shamtzli, such a pleasure."
"Minister Thrush, I'm concerned..."
"About?"
"Someone just mentioned to me you were the target of an investigation..."
"An investigation? But in New Etrusca, that could only be you, my dear."
"As if it were that simple, when we signed the Lai Dang treaty, thanks to our 'military veteran'." Her sarcasm was biting. "We agreed that the Treaty Authority had such powers too."
"I'm being investigated, by Treaty Authority? On what charge?"
"I've not seen charges, but I suspect your 'hobbies'."
"The bored ape yacht club? That's cryptocurrency"
"If only, funny how each token has a ship named after it, in Tzekaukus harbour. A military ship..."
"They're sailboats, they're no threat..."
"Lots of people said the same thing. Then I asked my military engineers. Who checked the solar-sail attachments, and the military-grade dinitrogen fuel cells, and the state of the art missile vertical launch cells. The sails were always a distraction, the best place to put the newly damaged sails from Tzekaukus Sail Pond, now damaged... Except, that was too obvious, you blazed a trail to them..."
"I did not..."
"Well, someone did."
"Err, let me make amends, I certainly..."
"Oh, too late, the sailboats were seized, as any military ships not authorized by treaty..."
"NOOOO."
"It's not within my power to stop them. Not with a joint Kagomine, New Firenzan and Moniqan squadron off our coast to ensure our compliance..."
"What?"
"The Hunarch Madrigal is rather convincing... Or did you mean to declare war by firing at a ship with the Hunarch of Moniq aboard?"
"Thundergod's bowels!"
There was a flutter of noise, first indistinct, then firming up, a skycutter coming closer. A skycutter landing on the skycutter pad atop the building.
"Please excuse me. If you do not resist, you will not be harmed, I intend no harm to those within, I just don't want to explain while they might be fleeing." The angry ruler of Moniq said, as her bodyguard simply seized bodily the building's lesser-trained guards, who had, apparently, blinked first.
"We're not fleeing, your majesty, we will await you, guards, let them in."
"I don't need to tell you how irregular it is for me to meet with you, and not with them..." She indicated the higher-ranked officials' offices, on the upper floors of ɑm foʊ̯ lueɪ̯mmef dsæo's tallest tower.
"No, nor is the reason for your visit, I was just apprising Minister Thrush that I knew of his 'hobbies'."
"I'm to believe this is unsanctioned?"
"Not by me, I'd have to ask... them... if they knew..."
"And yet, you are the minister responsible for treaty compliance. They were in breach of your own laws, just by not telling you..."
"You remind me of duty."
"Hardly." The tall, regal woman, just barely entering middle-age, shifted, showing off her element-granted power, derived from Physical, from the raw, instinctive need, Shamtzli imagined. Well she didn't have to imagine very long. Thrush's nostrils spread, and he looked like a diminutive bull in heat for a second, until his control reaffirmed itself. 'For her to do so much, with just a shift, loosening her breasts, her power must be off the charts!' Thought Shamtzli.
"I'd be ranked sixth, in the over-conclave, if we had one tomorrow. My sister-wife, Sothlee, would have this male's brain melting out his ears with a gesture..."
"It's obvious he's been without supervision for too long."
"Am I to trust you to reign him in now?"
"The treaty's agents arrested all his Fenici First and Fist of the Phoenix cronies, we should be able to just arrest him now."
"What?" Still stunned from being patronized so blatantly, Thrush tried to speak.
"With testimony of your accomplices, of your participation in illegal political activity? I am making you go away for a long time, did you think Tercium Thirty-Seventh would have no consequence, Thrush?"
"That's for the best, I'd have to have to forcibly extradite him... You know your rules of tribunal not caring how the accused lands in the tribunal, as long as he's there? Well, I had an appendix added to the treaty, something of my own devising. Reciprocity. If a country with rules of evidence needs to try a New Etruscan, Treaty Authority is empowered to help the rules of evidence be met to try him, and any military and civilian agency of all member states are deputized to help."
"Treaty Authority?"
"In this case, the Ministers of Defense of Kagomei, the entire state of Moniq, and... I believe the NFSIS and NFAF, since the New Firrezan ship with us carry two different blazons..."
"The STATE?"
"I am Hunarch, I am Moniq. None may deny me anything in Moniq, not that many of them would try..." She pointed to the last of the floor guards, still trying to wrestle her bodyguard's weapon away, and failing, being outmassed by one third his weight, outreached by 10 cm and clearly not having had has much Krav Maga as his opponent had Blue River Te Kara. "Let him go, Xongghu, he will behave in the presence of his betters." As Xongghu did let go, the guard did try a foolish act of resistance. The Hunarch, having almost as much Blue River Te Kara as her bodyguard sent a straight hand to his forehead, barely half her full strength. The guard folded.
"You could have killed him, my liege."
"He is more useful alive. You..." She pointed to the next highest ranking guard. "...call some medics and get your colleague to the infirmary. I doubt I hit him hard enough for a concussion, but I'd rather err on the side of caution."
"I will leave Minister Thrush in your care, it'd be better I never run into him away from your... protection... I helped negotiate that treaty, I take attempts to circumvent it rather poorly..."
Thrush just melted away from her. She just affixed him a hard stare, and he paralyzed.
"Your men are so vulnerable, do you not train them in New Etrusca?"
"He was never good at accepting feedback, he'd have flushed out of any training anybody can devise."
"In the absence of a statement about the earlier attack on the sail algae ponds, Antoine will deliver an informative statement from the factory about their product." Also, you lost our bet, Kailimae smirked to herself.
"Sail algae is an angiosperm plant emitting sagittal flangettes whose err stigmata can be combed into a natural matted fabric. Said fabric is very resistant and allows ships to harness the wind. However, in its own native habitat, it is a dangerous photosynthesist, immobile, but whose cilla can hit with brutal force, capable of incapacitating all but the largest fish or mammals with enough blows. Insects are crushed, and become fertilizer for the algae, which is essential to a thriving algae grove."
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