Changing of the Guard

[Daemonknight]

Terra, Sol System
Prague, Bertha von Suttner Palace
October 2nd, 3040
1700 Hours Zulu(1800 Local)

Primus Waterly was quite annoyed. She had planned this move for quite some time. Focht had even supported the idea of a united Sphere against the potential Clan threat. He had said there must be some sort of backup plan in case the House Lords refused to agree to the wisdom of the action. How could he now balk at the very idea he had fathered?

Of course the details had been worked out without him, but that shouldn't have mattered. Myndo was leading the Precentor Martial down a corridor to a plush library she enjoyed spending time at while in Prague. Focht was considerably more agitated than the Primus, having only just that morning read through the various materials that had been prepared for him. He had somehow missed the operation's file earlier...that or it had not been shown to him, which bothered him further. When he and the Primus finally reached the library, she turned to face him, her face impassive.

"Precentor Martial. I must admit I am quite surprised at your displeasure with the operation. After all, it was your idea to have a contingency for something like this. The House Lords, unwilling to give up an inch of ground against each other, despite the imminent threat the Clans could pose." Focht tilted his head as she spoke.

"Primus, we assume they are hostile. We don't yet know their intentions. We could setup checkpoints along the Outbound Light's route, wait for a sign they're even coming our direction. We need to gather intelligen-"

"The time for intelligence gathering is over, Precentor Focht. If you remember, you are Precentor MARTIAL, not Precentor ROM. Your duties are military, not espionage." Focht closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes at the Primus.

"Yes, speaking of espionage, I am very interested to hear what the reasoning behind several recent assassination attempts is. That was until I saw the operation outline this morning. You do realize what you are unleashing upon us all with this course of action, do you not Primus?" The operations had the feel of Seneca's style, and he knew the Precentor ROM well enough to know that if he was fully aware of what was going on, he was unlikely to approve. But he also knew the man's loyalty was totally to Waterly, and he would do a great many things before he allowed his morality to interrupt his work.

Waterly smugly lookat at Focht a moment before responding.
"I know exactly what I am doing. I know all I need to know about the Clans, and I know they WILL come for us. Not just the Sphere, but for those the Order shelters." Focht frowned at the mention of that mysterious cabal, that claimed some sort of connection to the Clans. He didn't give them much thought, but Waterly seemed to be listening to their ideas more and more of late, and he wasn't sure that was a good thing.

"What would those fanatics know. There are several crazy groups within the Order, but they make no sense at all. What information could they possibly give you that justifies this course? You'll plunge the whole Sphere into war Primus! I won't be a part of it. If you and your pets want to unleash hell upon the Sphere, you'll do it without the ComGuards. They wont follow you simply because you bark at them, they're good solid men and women." Waterly merely shook her head sadly.

"I was afraid this might happen. But I can't let you interfere with our plans. I'll jus-" Waterly cut off as Focht drew his sidearm and aimed at her head.

"I will not allow your madness to infect the Sphere, Primus. Your quest ends-" a swift 'thwack' and Focht was knocked to the ground. The man that had quietly come up behind the Precentor Martial walked around his unmoving body, the red robes swishing quietly around his feet. He kicked the heavy pistol away, and looked at the Primus.

"We shall keep him in Cairo, at the ROM training facility. He could be useful later." The robed man nodded wordlessly, and seemingly from nowhere, two more men entered silently from a side door. The Primus noted that there was a faint whirring, mechanical sound as one of the robed acolytes bent down to pick Focht up. They carried him out, but the man who saved the Primus' life turned slightly. Wately could see a soft red glow emanating from where his right eye should have been visible. He spoke in a soft voice, barely audible for her.

"He will need to be replaced. I will give you the dossier of one we can trust. His name is Trent Arian, and he will serve us well." With that, the man left, and Waterly took a moment, not for the first time, to wonder who exactly the man was. She knew his name of course, and that he was a Precentor. But she always felt uneasy around him, as if he knew far more than her about the events taking place. It was not a comfortable feeling for the Primus. Shaking herself of the lingering shock of almost being shot, she walked to a computer in the library, and began reading through the history and dossier of this Trent Arian.

Yes, he would make an excellent Precentor Martial, and would carry out the Operation without difficulty, she surmised. She smiled. It would finally happen then...