Deployment

After Orion left the sidewalk that afternoon, leaving his companion behind. He naturally didn't notice that there was another figure who came to take his place a few minutes after he had just spoken with Kay Segreti.

‘What an interesting and dangerous young man!’ Kay Segreti thought to himself. ‘If anything, I admire his blind confidence in himself. No matter what, you will soon learn what it's like to be helpless in the face of absolute power.’

“Well, what did you find out?” A beautiful woman said as she appeared right beside Kay Segreti. She had an intense gaze, olive skin, and dark eyes dressed in a beautiful Navy blue sheath dress.

Her appearance was extremely eye-catching and made the entire surrounding dim in comparison. Some young male students couldn't help but stare while the female students looked at her with admiring eyes.

“The last 25 minutes I spent with that man was like having tea with a black panther.” Kay Segreti glanced at her before replying, then continued, “He has the physical bearing and inner self-confidence of an aristocrat shows that he is more than just a political idealist but a strategic thinker. You can even say he is quite the revolutionary” Kay Segreti said.

“Moreover, I see an implacability for which he cannot be had for any price. He has proven that he cannot be bargained with. And has shown that he will not cower at mere threats.”

The beautiful lady's eyes widened in shock as she said, “That's high praise, sir! Even from you.”

“But I did learn three interesting things from our conversation previously,” Segreti revealed.

“One, he has a mysterious backer with some serious political influence on the Bastion continent that could threaten us. And two, he doesn't want or need help from the Confederation of Nations but will take it if he has to as his words implied.”

“Three, we are weakened by our recent expenditures and he knows it. And that's where he plans to strike from.”

He took a pause and sighed, “My close observation of the crown prince of Eleftheria for the past few years has bore fruit and I can say now that he is a threat that cannot be allowed to gain more power.”

The beautiful woman chimed in and said, “So we are done with the psychological profiling of Orion Darkwood, the crown prince of Eleftheria. Now that we know how he thinks. We can make our plans accordingly.”

If Orion was here to hear those words, he would be shocked because the ‘us’ that man referred to as the nation he has taken up the cause again. And that was none other than Modena. 

With all that, what could be the identity of this intelligent young man who took the initiative to engage Orion in a conversation about his cause for freedom? 

“Come then! Let's return home. I need to report the result of my investigations to those old men. It will be quite amusing to hear what they have to say.” Kay Segreti mused.

…

The Capital Of Modena.

A week after Kay Segreti spoke with Kay Segreti in Victoris. On the top floor of a five-story quadrangular building with a large central atrium and over a thousand windows.

In an office with various shades of gray with harsh angles as accents, and cool-toned lights. There sat two individuals- a male and female- across from each other. The man was seen holding a piece of paper reading aloud the following words.

"We have received your report. From your findings, if he is as dangerous as you say. Then You need to deal with this as swiftly as possible. The atmosphere of the continent is stiff with the spark of rebellion and you must snuff out that spark before it catches fire. Hence, the young prince of Eleftheria cannot be allowed to reach the shores of Modena with his poisonous speeches of freedom. You are authorized to deploy Project Lángren!"

This was the directive that the Head of The Secretum Vigilum, Kay Segreti, was given as he sat behind his oak desk in the organization's headquarters in his office at a secret location after he read aloud to a very beautiful woman with an intense gaze, olive skin and dark eyes who was seated across his desk.

After he finished reading the message, the beautiful woman in front of him slightly frowned, and asked, “Why use Project Lángren? Don't you think those old men are being too extreme? I can understand the need for urgency in getting rid of the crown prince of Eleftheria because given a few more years, according to my calculations he will become the most dangerous and influential rallying force for a rebellion on the continent if he isn't already.

“However, using Project Lángren, an untested and unpredictable weapon for a covert operation that can be dealt with subtler means, is just overkill.”

Hearing her words, Kay Segreti calmly explained his thoughts about the directive as he answered.

“I don't think so. As you said, the crown prince of Eleftheria is a threat that cannot be allowed to grow further. And while Project Lángren is a bit extreme, it's also one of the best courses of action that puts the least amount of suspicion on us.

“Don't forget that the entire Bastion continent has its eyes on him. And for such a huge figure in the limelight, the cause of death by any means of assassination which can be fabricated to look natural or otherwise will make the other 5 nations suspect us.

He continued after a brief pause, “While we don't need to fear them due to our superior technological advancement in warfare as well as an unmatched military might on the Bastion continent. We still need to keep them subversive to protect our interests while we can intimidate one or two nations by using our ships to bombard strategic locations or just take out high-ranking officials in their governments as a show of strength.

“Our actions may draw the confederacy's attention as they won't just stand by and watch us do it since we would be breaching the terms of the Treaty of Metus. Besides, deploying troops to quench rebellions all over the continent burns a lot of resources that can be put to better use. 

He further added, “Hence why Project Lángrén should be used for this mission after all it's one of our trump cards and its origins reside in myths and legends. So the results of this assassination should have no lasting negative effects on our national image.”

“Hmmm. You do have a point.” the beautiful woman agreed, “No matter what, this will shock the world. And that goes without saying that I'm still skeptical as to how our new secret weapon performs in its first mission. I shall tell the good doctor to prepare for its deployment.”