PORT SAINT JOY, MAKAI ISLANDS
The Belle Cup was one of the premier World Yachting Races, and hundreds of yachts from dozens of nations were gathered at the starting line, a nautical mile out from Port Saint Joy. Makai Coast Guard patrol boats were everywhere, as well as a Eurocopter keeping a close eye on proceedings. On shore, those invested in Yacht Racing and sponsoring Yachts could watch proceedings on plasma-screen tvs or through high-powered telescopes(for a small fee, of course) at the extremely exclusive Club Drake Martins, named after a Famous Anglyic explorer who had chartered these waters.
Amongst those watching was William Taino, Minister of the Interior and unnamed Minister of Intelligence. Officially, they had hired some high-roller oaf named John Boro-Boro to be the Minister of Intelligence, but in reality he was just a cover, to discredit the true nature of the Ministry of Intelligence and cover Taino's longterm involvement. Boro-Boro was in the crowd elsewhere somewhere too, betting on the Guianan Yachts, who word had it were the favourites to win this year. Taino wasn't holding his breath.
Circulating amongst the rich, powerful, and multicultural crowd, Taino cut an impressive figure in his immaculate white suit and black tie, his eyes permanently shaded by expensive ray-bans. In his left hand he held a half-full daiquiri that he hadn't really drunk any of. It was just a prop, like the gold Belmontien watch on his right wrist. His real purpose here was having a discreet conversation with someone else who was fittering their money away on the Yachts.
In the corner, attended to by many beautiful Makai and Angylish women, was the fat pig Yiyuan that Taino had reluctantly come to consider his main customer and partner in ongoing Operations in the West.
The women were laughing at some crude joke that the yellow-skinned rat had told, and he was sloshing his cocktail around, evidently having had a bit to drink. He was very much enjoying the good life, and it was becoming a concern that the Yiyuan expense account might be depleted before ongoing Intelligence operations had been concluded. Taino did not want that to occur, because, as a professional spy, it hurt his sense of pride and ability to have to terminate masterful espoinage because of a want of funds.
Luckily, Taino thought, he had the President bitterly indebted to him. With an election slowly approaching, Ithorangi would need all the friends he could get to overcome the inertia and stagnation of his current administration and defeat the vibrant, progressive Opposition Party and its charismatic ex-barrister leader, Kaluhia.
"Ah there you are. I would have a word with you. In private." The former nephew to the Jizhou Premier scowled, but reluctantly dismissed the women attendants. "Taino. It has been some time since we spoke. You have news?"
"Perhaps some that might be of particular interest. But follow me, we need somewhere private to talk. I dont want anyone to know of our...connection."
The Jizhou playboy nodded. They moved swiftly to a backroom, a septic white storeroom that had a spartan chair and table. It felt more like an interrogation room than anything else. The noise of the party was muted here, and Taino quickly got out a strangelooking PDA, waved it around the room, and then, after it bleeped, he sat down, satisfied. "Good. We're alone. Its worth being careful these days. Oikawa and Sarmatia are allies, and our idiot President has allowed the Free Press to run its mouth off against Sarmatia. They haven't dispatched any professionals yet, but its a concern that they will."
Yiyuan nodded, feeling like a co-conspirator in the game of spies, an equal. In truth, Taino was repulsed by the man, and could barely be bothered to remember his full name. He was only this candid with Yiyuan because he had nobody else he could fully trust not to reveal this arrangement. Not after the debacle in Jizhou, where he lost half a wetworks team and a secretary, all of whom he now reluctantly assumed had died in the ferocious fighting. It seemed her efforts to sell him out to her government had come full circle, and now the "Yiyuan Clique" as it was scornfully named by the press, was taking refuge in the Makai Islands. But there were a number missing, unaccounted for.
"But, to business." he said, and fished some papers out of his jacket, and handed them to Yiyuan. "You'll like who we have managed to net in Wing Sing. We're concerntrating all future Operations into...Oikawan-occupied territory from there. We have an...arrangement." he talked smoothly and to the point, omitting irrelevant details.
The young Jizhou billionaire grunted, and thumbed lazily through the files. "Tan? The Rock-star? You have got to be joking with me, Mr.Taino. What good is she? Where are the rest of my family? Where are my generals?"
"Patience. Those that survived the purge will be found more easily now we have this arrangement. With this woman we can begin making this a serious Government-in-Exile. Have you put any thought towards this? No. You have been busy...recuperating yourself at great expense here. If you want your power back, if you want the Oikawans to ever stop hunting you, we do things our way. There will be no armies, no counter-strikes. This is a War of Information, of words, of currency. This woman will be crucial in rallying Jizhou support, here and across the Implarian. She will be safe in the Makai Islands." Taino sighed, biting back a desire to be more critical of this man. It was enormous work, using the resources of a tiny Implarian island-chain to set up a far-reaching Intelligence network into the world's most powerful Empire. A part of him actually did dare to dream of defeating the Oikawans, of seeing them humbled in Jizhou. More than even that, though, he wanted to Know the Greatest Secrets of the Age. He wanted, one day, to have the Oikawan Emperor come to him, and pay him and his successors not to make public the most closely guarded secrets of the most powerful.
He would, perhaps, one day, go down in history as the man who Blackmailed an Empire. But before Summer, came Spring, and before Spring, came Winter. He would have to endure the hard Winter before the Spring came.
"Just give me another eight million dollars. If your strapped for cash, I have been reliably informed that Swift Zephyr will win this year." he sighed, leaving the Yiyuan flabbergasted and stuttering objections. But Taino knew that the pig would do as told, and would bet much money on the named Yacht. He hoped it would win, in part. Not for the Jizhou's sake, but to further elevate his reputation as a fixer. His tip had been just an informed guess.
The Belle Cup was one of the premier World Yachting Races, and hundreds of yachts from dozens of nations were gathered at the starting line, a nautical mile out from Port Saint Joy. Makai Coast Guard patrol boats were everywhere, as well as a Eurocopter keeping a close eye on proceedings. On shore, those invested in Yacht Racing and sponsoring Yachts could watch proceedings on plasma-screen tvs or through high-powered telescopes(for a small fee, of course) at the extremely exclusive Club Drake Martins, named after a Famous Anglyic explorer who had chartered these waters.
Amongst those watching was William Taino, Minister of the Interior and unnamed Minister of Intelligence. Officially, they had hired some high-roller oaf named John Boro-Boro to be the Minister of Intelligence, but in reality he was just a cover, to discredit the true nature of the Ministry of Intelligence and cover Taino's longterm involvement. Boro-Boro was in the crowd elsewhere somewhere too, betting on the Guianan Yachts, who word had it were the favourites to win this year. Taino wasn't holding his breath.
Circulating amongst the rich, powerful, and multicultural crowd, Taino cut an impressive figure in his immaculate white suit and black tie, his eyes permanently shaded by expensive ray-bans. In his left hand he held a half-full daiquiri that he hadn't really drunk any of. It was just a prop, like the gold Belmontien watch on his right wrist. His real purpose here was having a discreet conversation with someone else who was fittering their money away on the Yachts.
In the corner, attended to by many beautiful Makai and Angylish women, was the fat pig Yiyuan that Taino had reluctantly come to consider his main customer and partner in ongoing Operations in the West.
The women were laughing at some crude joke that the yellow-skinned rat had told, and he was sloshing his cocktail around, evidently having had a bit to drink. He was very much enjoying the good life, and it was becoming a concern that the Yiyuan expense account might be depleted before ongoing Intelligence operations had been concluded. Taino did not want that to occur, because, as a professional spy, it hurt his sense of pride and ability to have to terminate masterful espoinage because of a want of funds.
Luckily, Taino thought, he had the President bitterly indebted to him. With an election slowly approaching, Ithorangi would need all the friends he could get to overcome the inertia and stagnation of his current administration and defeat the vibrant, progressive Opposition Party and its charismatic ex-barrister leader, Kaluhia.
"Ah there you are. I would have a word with you. In private." The former nephew to the Jizhou Premier scowled, but reluctantly dismissed the women attendants. "Taino. It has been some time since we spoke. You have news?"
"Perhaps some that might be of particular interest. But follow me, we need somewhere private to talk. I dont want anyone to know of our...connection."
The Jizhou playboy nodded. They moved swiftly to a backroom, a septic white storeroom that had a spartan chair and table. It felt more like an interrogation room than anything else. The noise of the party was muted here, and Taino quickly got out a strangelooking PDA, waved it around the room, and then, after it bleeped, he sat down, satisfied. "Good. We're alone. Its worth being careful these days. Oikawa and Sarmatia are allies, and our idiot President has allowed the Free Press to run its mouth off against Sarmatia. They haven't dispatched any professionals yet, but its a concern that they will."
Yiyuan nodded, feeling like a co-conspirator in the game of spies, an equal. In truth, Taino was repulsed by the man, and could barely be bothered to remember his full name. He was only this candid with Yiyuan because he had nobody else he could fully trust not to reveal this arrangement. Not after the debacle in Jizhou, where he lost half a wetworks team and a secretary, all of whom he now reluctantly assumed had died in the ferocious fighting. It seemed her efforts to sell him out to her government had come full circle, and now the "Yiyuan Clique" as it was scornfully named by the press, was taking refuge in the Makai Islands. But there were a number missing, unaccounted for.
"But, to business." he said, and fished some papers out of his jacket, and handed them to Yiyuan. "You'll like who we have managed to net in Wing Sing. We're concerntrating all future Operations into...Oikawan-occupied territory from there. We have an...arrangement." he talked smoothly and to the point, omitting irrelevant details.
The young Jizhou billionaire grunted, and thumbed lazily through the files. "Tan? The Rock-star? You have got to be joking with me, Mr.Taino. What good is she? Where are the rest of my family? Where are my generals?"
"Patience. Those that survived the purge will be found more easily now we have this arrangement. With this woman we can begin making this a serious Government-in-Exile. Have you put any thought towards this? No. You have been busy...recuperating yourself at great expense here. If you want your power back, if you want the Oikawans to ever stop hunting you, we do things our way. There will be no armies, no counter-strikes. This is a War of Information, of words, of currency. This woman will be crucial in rallying Jizhou support, here and across the Implarian. She will be safe in the Makai Islands." Taino sighed, biting back a desire to be more critical of this man. It was enormous work, using the resources of a tiny Implarian island-chain to set up a far-reaching Intelligence network into the world's most powerful Empire. A part of him actually did dare to dream of defeating the Oikawans, of seeing them humbled in Jizhou. More than even that, though, he wanted to Know the Greatest Secrets of the Age. He wanted, one day, to have the Oikawan Emperor come to him, and pay him and his successors not to make public the most closely guarded secrets of the most powerful.
He would, perhaps, one day, go down in history as the man who Blackmailed an Empire. But before Summer, came Spring, and before Spring, came Winter. He would have to endure the hard Winter before the Spring came.
"Just give me another eight million dollars. If your strapped for cash, I have been reliably informed that Swift Zephyr will win this year." he sighed, leaving the Yiyuan flabbergasted and stuttering objections. But Taino knew that the pig would do as told, and would bet much money on the named Yacht. He hoped it would win, in part. Not for the Jizhou's sake, but to further elevate his reputation as a fixer. His tip had been just an informed guess.