(OOC: Damn, that was a hilarious post
"Hey guys! Look at my very own Nazis!"
)
RIS building, Astoria, Kosciuszko Avenue
It was a small conference room somewhere inside the three-story building complex which housed the RIS headquarters. Equipped with nothing more than a table, several chairs and a multimedia projector, it looked like any other corporate conference room on Nova Terra.
Save, of course, for the couple dozens uniformed men and women, the armed guards outside, the cameras and motion sensors all over the surrounding corridors and the RIS commander's office right next door.
The young woman who was heading the briefing wore a captain's uniform and a RIS badge. She was one of the new generation, the young hotshots, university educated, energetic and competent. Kulinsky had to admit the brass was treating the MCP investigation seriously, and they put together an excellent team for that, with the right mix of old vets and new guys full of ideas.
The young captain's name was Elizabeth Potocka, and she put the briefing together to discuss the recent breakthrough in the MCP case, bring Kulinsky and his people up to speed and discuss next steps.
"Now, let us move to the heart of the matter. Our little anarchistic friend here",with these words, Kutchinsky's photo appeared on the screen,"Has been very active in certain anarchistic circles for a long time. We've investigated all those groups, and as you know discovered they were very well funded by various sources."
Potocka flipped the presentation slide to a list of all known anarchist groups.
"Kutchinsky's convictions seemed genuine, which was a bit of a surprise. We expected him to use the group to his own ends, rather than participate wholheartedly, seeing as he's a former RMI officer."
Another slide flipped. This time, it showed surveillance photos of Kutchinsky taken by the FBI before his arrest.
"Fortunately, his skills made him a valuable asset to the group, and they used him several times to establish financing sources. Over a period of two or three years, Kutchinsky's group grew into a full-fledged well-finances and well-organized terrorist cell. A rise in piracy and ecoterrorist activities coincides with these events."
"By squeezing Kutchinsky for information, we've managed to trace the financial transfers back to a well-known Triad clearing house in Mangka. We've also established that this same clearing house was financing at least three other groups, including the MCP. Interrogation of arrested MCP operatives confirms that."
Kulinsky noted the name of the clearing house which appeared on the slide. It seemed familiar.
"We've taken a dozen high-ranking Triad members related to the clearing house under surveillance. It took six months, but after a provocation involving a male prostitute and two blackmails, we've managed to get some names and account numbers."
Kulinsky raides his hand.
"Does Mangka government know about that?", he asked
"No. We've decided against informing them of the operation, seeing as the Triads have people in the highest circles of their government.", Potocka responded, matter-of-factly
"Continue, please."
"Thank you. The account numbers we got were dispersed throughout the FUN and the MESS. It took another three months to identify the companies out of which the monetary support for anarchist organization originated."
The slide changed again, showing more than twenty logos. Around half the people in the briefing room were visibly shocked.
"I assume this information has been verified?", Kulinsky asked again
"Yes. You can see here twenty large companies owning assets in the entire FUN. They are owned by six major players from Shroomania, Langley, Baerne and PeZookia itself. We are absolutely sure they have funded several anarchistic groups, including Kutchinsky's 'Movement For Freedom' and the MCP. At this point, we are in the process of putting them all under surveillance."
"One more thing. All six of those business magnated have recently expressed vocal concerns about the King's tax reforms, and went as far so as to finance huge marketing campaigns lobbying against them."
"This is alarming", mentioned captain Tusk, one of Kulinsky's original subordinates working on the case, "If they did, in fact, finance a group like the MCP, this seems to indicate they don't shy from violent methods in order to achieve their goals."
"I agree with my colleague. The big question is: What
are their goals?", asked another young officer.
"They're business moguls. Profit and power are likely candidates."
"These tax reforms target the richest companies and individuals in PeZookia. Capital flight is impossile to do on that scale with current regulations. A lot of their money is at stake here...we may safely assume one of their goals is the abolishment of these reforms.", said Kulinsky, going over his notes.
"And how can they do that?", Potocka asked rhethorically
------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Basil's Hospital, Astoria
King Paul was feeling much better now. The doctors still strictly forbade him from doing any real government work, so he did as much as he was allowed to and spent the rest of the days either sleeping, undergoing a daily battery of tests or walking around the hospital's park. Even then, he remarked that most PeZookians couldn't count on receiving such excellent health care...
How did I turn out to be so important all of a sudden? - he wondered, walking amongst the trees, accompanied by a nurse and his bodyguards. He spent some time in hospitals back on Old Earth, and the experience was simply beyond comparison. Even the food wasn't all that bad here. King Paul was really starting to wonder how many people could've been helped for this expense, and if his position really justified it.
Adding insult to injury, he missed his wife. The doctors absolutely forbid anybody not strictly necessary from seeing him, but it seemed like an overreaction. The occasional phone call did nothing to soothe this feeling.
"You highness, it's time for your shots.", the nurse said. Paul nodded, and turned back towards the hospital building.
Inside, he greeted Anna Jakovlevska, one of his bodyguards who always stayed inside the hospital bedroom. She was one of the grand total of two women in the GROM unit, and a field medic at that. The King has no concerns for his security in this place.
As he laid back on his bed, another nurse walked in, carrying a small tray with assorted medicines. She laid the tray on a small white table and unpacked a disposable syringe.
"May I?", Anna asked, motioning towards the tray. The nurse nodded and let the GROM woman rummage through the tray as she filled up the syringe.
She'll find nothing there..., the nurse thought. It would be all too easy - labels on Shroomanian unbranded medicine vials sounded like an alien language to anybody outside the profession.
To her surprise, the bodyguard woman suddendy went tense, and then snapped like a cobra. The nurse was on the floor before she could react or say anything, her arm painfully twisted in an expert grasp.
Anna was shouting into her collar microphone.
"Emergency in the Red Zone! Backup requested!"
The nurse attempted to struggle, but Anna just tightened the hold, causing more pain. Four additional bodyguards rushed into the room, one immediately moving to cover the only window, two others aiming their weapons at the door, and the last one throwing a heavy bulletproof vest over the King. Outside, a rifle-armed BOR squad rushed out from the hospital security station and started racing towards the King's room.
"What the
hell is going on here?", the King managed to exclaim after the commotion died down. The nurse was being escorted out in handcuffs. Anna picked up the smashed medicine vial and showed the label to her King.
"Pancuronium bromide, sire. A muscle relaxant...enough of a dose to kill a horse."
