The Shadow Pupils and the Intelligentsia (Private)

[AHSCA]

ooc: This is a private RP between Astares Amauricanum, Holy Marsh and I. You are welcome to read along if you wish.

January

In the many winding halls of the HQ of the Offices of the foreign affairs department Noir VinoCacao, Her Majesty's STILL sitting Foreign Officer had come off a rather tense meeting with the Duchess just a few weeks prior. Her meeting was in cooperation with the Defense Officer to discuss something that honestly hadn't been thought of in the two-decades of this nation, a properly and centralized, organized intelligence. This year was off to a bit of a rough start for the Foreign Officer mostly because leaks, leaks everywhere were starting to feed to the press. While the State owned press was a little more cordial, the small private outlets that populated these islands were eager to speak the juicy gossip. Rumors abound that among the Duchess cabinet, dissent was growing, enough to do the unthinkable, impeach and Remove the Duchess entirely from the throne. Well it was a dirty word floating around and Noir couldn't deny the thought had certainly crossed her mind but like any person, thoughts don't always equal action. The same reason you might have a dark thought of how to rob a bank but you're sane enough to not try it! It was just the internal tear, loyalty to her positions with the Government, Loyalty to her position as this nation's Foreign Minister, her pride as a citizen of this country who did see a bit of the anxiety growing of the Duchess' policy of appeasement, an eager willingness to sell off lands, ease passport and visa restrictions, gallivant with a foreign Princess, give more land away for foreign military bases.

She had such a newspaper that was reporting on this alleged internal turmoil. She crumpled it up and threw it in her waste basket. Right now, she sort of had bigger fish to fry, how to go about setting up a new agency quickly and quietly. This was all prompted from a small chain, Shinya Li, the young Viceroy of Hoshino and Deputy Defense Minister, heard some rather frightful words from some guests during the festival, how nearby land could easily be snatched up if circumstances had been different. That came up to his boss whom in turn turned to Noir both of whom turned to the Duchess who quietly signed off on it. AHSCA didn't really have many enemies anymore, even their once invader Stevid seemed to lose interest in them, which is fine, less eyes on them the better. But it's hard to balance the need of transparency with national security and honestly many loose lips can sink ships, and right now they felt keeping this as quiet as possible was the best idea.

Mulling over options, who to turn to, there was the Desert Sultanate of Kyrenaia, a nation that's shown a lot of support and encouragement for the UIS, not to mention established a military base. There was Mokastana, a long standing ally since the ending days of the war, broached by the Former Duchess Shino Nanao-Villa's marriage. Holy Marsh, a long standing friend with long deep roots thanks to the connections of Marshism and Madokamisim. Lamoni, another long standing ally, Kuronami, similar. Astares Amauricanum came to mind, but such a new nation in AHSCA's sphere and with such recent relationships might not be the best option right now. Again, Noir was interested in keeping this very tight and close to the chest. Warranted or not, AHSCA often felt like they were being looked at with a sort of sideways gaze. In terms of nations, they were still incredibly young. Recent elections for some reason or another garnered a decent amount of attention. If private communiques were being sent to the Duchess (ones that not even Noir was not privy to) no doubt it drew a lot of attention. Noir arrived at her office quickly enough, as she walked by the desk of her Deputy, Roshin Tendo, "Roshin would you come in with me, please? And close the door behind you."

"Yes, ma'am."

Roshin's first thought she might be getting fired but Noir quickly put that to rest, "Holy Marsh, I need to see their Ambassador right away."

"Yes ma'am, I can grab Ambassador Zincana for you."

"Please. And I'll need you to vet any business for a while, I'm going to need to Conference with the Ambassador for a while."

"Of course, of course."

Noir quickly ran over a few notes of interest with Roshin, just daily business that would be needed to taken care of through the day. "Yes ma'am I'll be sure to take care of anything. Now do you want me to put anything on hold or am I allowed to stamp on your behalf?"

"Go ahead with approvals and calls but if you are in doubt then feel free to set it to the side and I will look at it later."

"Yes ma'am. Oh and if Her Majesty is in need to speak with you?"

"See if she can wait but if it's urgent then knock and I will take care of her."

"Yes ma'am." Roshin left to do such things. Over the next several hours, the Ambassador to Holy Marsh talked things over with Noir. Noir was appealing directly to their nation for help with project between getting direct lines of communication to Marsh's own foreign agencies to a few bits of advice and inquiries into training. Of course this was ahead of an event Noir would be attending in Mervay with the Duchess. Wheels were in motion now, she phoned her colleague the Defense Officer "Secure line?"

"Secure line."

"Good. We're on track. I talked things over with the Marshite Ambassador to begin gathering resources and training for us."

"Marsh is your pick then?"

"Yessir."

A lot of back and forth discussing logic and reasoning behind this choice. He did come to see Noir's point of it but this was going to take time and effort beyond just today. But maybe a bit unfortunate there was a mole in the ranks.

February

Now one month later the beginnings of this were finally going. A few ops from Holy Marsh arrived to discuss this with the Foreign Officer, Defense Officer and their own Ambassadors. Again a few select people, trying to keep things close and quiet. Noir also had been strategizing her plan to finally tell all their allies and friends about this little operation. After all, intelligence requires broad sweeps and that comes with sharing but one can't get ahead of themselves with this. Sitting in one of the internal docks buried under the Embassy Isle, a place used for military storage, repairs and that. Not a secret by any means just a sheltered in a hollowed out cave just in case this wasn't pulpy enough. Both officers stood on a scaffolding occasionally talking about this and seeing the new shipment of weapons, legally purchased weapons coming in, as well as a few maybe clandestine materials. "Sir, Madam." A couple of military officers in fatigues approached them with a salute of respect, both saluting back. "Captain Meguro and Captain Miyata." The Captain introduced for the both of them. "We have a problem."

"Captains?" Kurago asked of the two women standing with seemingly bad news.

A few short minutes later in an adjunct room somewhere in the same area sat a nervous Captain. He was the problem the two captains mentioned, and now the four of them entered the room, he'd stand up but he was actually chained and cuffed to the table and chairs. "So, we have a mole." Noir said unnammused

"We caught him with this." A seemingly ordinary mobile phone, already pretty unusual for an islander. "The idiot fool didn't bother to put a pass lock on it. He's clearly leaking info to someone."

"So it's treason then." Kurago said he was nearly ready to pull his pistol out and shoot him in the head.

"WAIT! Madam Officer, General, I really want you to hear me out! You're making a spy agency aren't you? I want in but I think we need more. I've not been sending this out to just anyone, just our new neighbors..."

"Why should we believe you?" Noir asked.

"Look at the phone, look at the phone, you'll see the contacts are only with the Imperium, only! Madam Officer, General, I didn't mean this as a seditious act, only I think we need a little more. We have yet to assemble anything meaningful..."

"All right." Kurago "Name and Rank and you got five minutes before we court martial you."

"Captain Akira Tomae, Aurora Division Ground Forces, Sir! Sir! Madam. I don't doubt the capable Marshites but I think we could do with a little more training and more expertise. Right now we're mostly getting resources but now we really need in the field recruitment and training. Ma'am for this we're going to need to think outside the DFs a little and think about civilian recruitment. Of course we can use our own but we need a broad concept."

"Go on." Kurago prompted him to continue

"Milady, General you are both capable and on the right track. But we need a little more. Holy Marsh is no doubt loyal and a close ally but they're also in transition of leaders at this moment. If it's covert you want, it would be best to go with The imperium"

"Why?" Noir asked.

"They are so new to us. In terms of relations, it would be the least obvious. Not saying let's drop what support we got, just saying maybe a good idea to think a little bigger."

A moment of silence. The two Captains stood at attention awaiting orders one way or the other. "Captains," Kurago addressed the two women "Continue at attention. and you Captain, Tomae, you're going to escape the court martial today but if you're wrong, and this backfires on us, I'm going to personally sail you to Black Isle myself."

"Yes sir."

He turned to his two military officers. "Captains, your good pilots but everything you heard today now makes you accessories. So I give you a choice, you can join this and not lose anything, or carry on as you are but if you carry on, nothing about today leaves the two of you. If it does, you know what'll happen. Let me know."

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed." The two ladies left.

"All right Captain, now let's talk further. "

[Astares Amauricanum]

Embassy Isle, February 5th 2021
Astarian Embassy
If one had to describe how Daniel Vincao's job as Ambassador of the Federalis Imperium of Astares Amauricanum to the United Island States of AHSCA had been for the past year and a half since he arrived, the first word that would come to mind would be; peaceful. Compared to other nations, diplomatic activity in the UIS was calm most of the time, and interactions with the local authorities were very cordial and friendly.
However, that was only on the outside. Aside from his job as Ambassador, Daniel Vincao was, and had been before, a Clandestine Operations Officer of the Astares Centralis Intelligentsia, the foreign intelligence service of the Imperium. Or in other words, a black ops operator of their Special Activities Center, Special Operations Group. Through the years, he had been involved in some dirty business around the world to carry the Astarian agenda behind the scenes, and a few months prior to his nomination as Ambassador, was training to become a case officer, aka an intelligence officer tasked with recruiting and handling spies and sources of informations.

However, for the UNIFRO, he had to build a "legend" about his past job, because honestly, who would accept a clandestine operator as an ambassador anywhere?
And so, Daniel Vincao, a discreet but efficient analyst at the Department of State, had been selected for the job as Ambassador in the UIS.

And so, behind the scenes, that's exactly what Daniel had been doing here in the UIS since he arrived, and dare I say, he was more than successfull in that regard. In just a year and a half, he had managed to recruit about 120 local agents, in all layers of society, ranging from simple fishermen to clergy priests, to police and military, etc.

His network was organized in a cellular fashion, meaning that theinformation between and about the different agents was heavily compartimentalized. On each of the five UIS islands, each agent was only aware of two or three other agents working in their vicinity, not the others in the rest of the island, and certainly not the other ones on the other islands.

Also, due to the lack of modern technology on Aurora, Stillsando, Corona, Hoshino and Animalpolis, it was decided at first that the network would be working using a dead drop system.
In other words, each of the agents would note his observations and reports on papers, which he would then leave in a hidden spot somewhere.
Other agents would then come later, grab the message inside the dead drop, and carry it to a local port, where it would then be given to someone bound for the Embassy Isle, and would then be sent to the Astarian Embassy.
In return, Vincao and his wife Patricia, who was also a case officer for the ACI, would then send back new mission orders, money, or special items.
And so, ever since its creation, the network had allowed Daniel, Patricia, and by extension the ACI and the political decision makers in the Imperium, to keep precise tabs on what was happening in the UIS.

However, for a small numbers of agents, the dead drop system had to be changed for something else, for them to send their reports to Vincao.
One of those agents was a Captain in the UISDF Ground Forces, by the name of Akira Tomae.
Having been transferred to work in the staff attached to the Defense Officer, Kurago, shortly after Vincao arrived in AHSCA, he was quickly deemed a valuable source to recruit.
And so, after some time, some glasses spent together, a bit of money and some flattering on his ego, Vincao had managed to make Tomae one of his most important assets in the UIS, with access to sensible and classified topics and dossiers.
In order to communicate faster, Daniel gave him a few months ago a mobile phone.

As December was unfolding, It was through this mobile phone that he learned the biggest info since he had arrived on the UIS archipelago: a new spy/intelligence agency was to be created, with the help of Holy Marsh. Needless to say that when they received the info, Daniel and his wife Patricia were restless, and so too were their superiors back at Langley, as well as Their Imperial Majesties, Adrean and Anna Blachkor. The order sent back to Tomae was to keep tabs on it, and follow the process through.

And this brings us to today, one month after Captain Tomae gave the info.
As he works in his office over some official, diplomatic business, Daniel's phone rings, the special ringtone identifying the message's sender as Tomae.
As he opens it, he is met with the following message:

"Hello,
I'll be short, I've been compromised. They know I've been leaking intel to the Imperium, especially on the creation of the Shadow Knights. I didn't put a pass lock on my phone. I'm really sorry. In order to save my hide, I offered them to ask you guys about help in training, since you're new to us, so it would be not obvious; and the fact we need to think a little bigger about this whole project.
Officer Kurago and VinoCacao are both open about the idea."

At first, Daniel's reaction, just like his wife, and the guys back at Langley, had been fuming and angry. But quickly, something dawned on them: it was a golden opportunity to reinforce their relation with the UIS, and score a lot of points in terms of influence, especially in a domain that had been overlooked by AHSCA's other allies, such as Kuronami and Kyrenaia.
It was clear to everyone, this was a rare opportunity they could not miss. Sure, it might anger some other allies, but hey, first arrived first served as the motto says.

And so, after having defined the outlines of what the mission would be, Daniel had sent back the following message to Tomae.

"Hello,
Congrats for being spotted Captain. I'll have a lot to tell you when we meet.
Anyway, all is clear on my side. In order to talk about it, come to the Ambassador's residence tonight at 9.00pm sharp, we'll be discreet there with no interference from the outside. I'll send a message to both Officers as well using a dinner as a cover. Don't be late, and relay the info to them as well. Don't bring anyone else.

He had also sent the following message to VinoCacao's and Kurago's offices.

Dear Officer VinoCacao and Kurago,
I have been made aware of the project of Captain Akira Tomae to establish a cultural and military museum and cooperation in the Malditas.
In order to discuss this, I would like to invite you both to a dinner at my residence tonight at 9 PM, so that we can have a calm conversation to talk about those things.
I eagerly await your reply. Please also note that I've invited the dear Captain too, but unfortunately, I can't invite anyone else, as my residence is too small for a bigger gathering.

Regards
Daniel Vincao
Ambassador of the Federalis Imperium of Astares Amauricanum to the United Island States of AHSCA.

And with that final message, the machine was started, and would never be able to be stopped, for better or for worse.
"Man, what a mess." groans Daniel as he turns off his computer, and then leaves his office along with his wife, in order to go to his residence and prepare the meeting for tonight...

[Holy Marsh]

M-SAD was the department in charge of Marshite intelligence services. While in theory it was supposed to give all of its various subdepartments equal care, for decades and centuries it had focused on only two branches. The MID (Military Intelligence Division) and ACIS (Anti-Cult Intelligence Service) were given the lion's share of attention. Other services that M-SAD coordinated were left to wither in comparison. ISEG (International Security and Espionage Group), CIS (Counter-Intelligence Service), and FIID (Foreign Internal Intelligence Department) were left to contend with the scraps of resources they were given. The CIS could count on non-M-SAD services such as the Inquisition and Shrine Intelligence but ISEG and FIID had to make due with what they had. Yet what they had was more considerable than any direct support from the Theocracy.

They had the Shrines, and they had the loyalty of Marshites everywhere. Due to the Long War's imprint on Marshites, even those who lived in safe nations were inclined to listen to the Church's earnest warnings to be wary of activity that could harm Marshites or Marshism. Far more was done with the honest concerns of Marshites than any field agent. Marshites always seemed to filter into a society easily and as they enmeshed themselves, so did ISEG and FIID learn more. A Marshite who had a lover from the local state's air force? Someone who worked their way into a high position in the administration? These men and women and otherwise did not seek to become spies, nor consider them such, but they would in their earnest discussions with their local Shrines detail the ways in which they felt unsafe and would speak power to what they knew. Most of it was perfectly innocent. But enough Marshites saying enough things painted a picture, and the cultural knowledge accrued meant that the few ISEG and FIID agents who would be deployed had an astonishingly high success rate in a wide range of espionage activities.

Still, they were limited. It wasn't until the Long War ended that the resources could be re-allocated, and under Lainika they were. The groundwork laid down by Marshite followers and the few agents of ISEG and FIID proved invaluable as they re-oriented themselves into a more active international presence. They were able to use the already substantial HUMINT gathered already to project themselves easier. The real influence on Marshite intelligence was their vastly better relations with nations. The RMU allowed them to become greatly intertwined with member states and their intelligence services, increasing their knowledge and capability at every turn. But that was all very local, and while each one had international agencies, increasing the intelligence reach and depth required their foreign allies.

Each close and earnest ally they created made them stronger. The People's Federation. Lamoni. Lyras. Covenant nations and those who held them wary alike, from powers such as Stevid to the Golden Throne. Some held Marshites close, others viewed with more concern. Yet for every contact made, regardless of the level of cooperation or desire, the umbrella grew. A few years after The Shift the once weakened ISEG and FIID stood strong. Even then, there could always be stronger. A major platform of their security plan was not only to themselves grow in power and ability, not only create vast intelligence coalitions but to help enable the growth of allied intelligence agencies. The more nets there were, the more that would be caught.

One of the Theocracy's more underdeveloped allies was looking to finally develop a full intelligence apparatus. AHSCA, a close friend where three percent of the population subscribed to Marshism, was not a nation that one would expect to have the desire to develop such a foreign service. That would make it all the more effective. The Theocracy was more than willing to step in with funding and a variety of experts and active personnel. ISEG, FIID, CIS, and various Shrine Intelligence organizations were more than willing to work with AHSCA to fully develop their capabilities. Indeed, a stronger AHSCA was always on the agenda of the Arch-Bishop. As Lainika passed and Sasha took her position, the intelligence briefs and plans remained the same.

And it was with this that the Deputy Heads of FIID and ISEG alike in AHSCA were sent to meet with Kurago and those that the good Captain decided to invite. They weren't local- they didn't need to blend in, and it worked for their agenda in a friendly nation to be identifiable. ISEG AHSCA Deputy Head Charanjot 'Charanpal' Sampsika strode along FIID AHSCA Deputy Head Supreet 'Sukhleen' Shawrana, the two having long since lost any pretense of their old identities in AHSCA, barren of physical information as they approached the meeting. They had authorized the start of support for AHSCA and were pleased to do more.

They approached Kurago's office at the appointed time, took their seats, and waited to be let in.

[AHSCA]

They approached Kurago's office at the appointed time, took their seats, and waited to be let in.

From the balcony of her office, Meteorological Officer, Youkika Elma looked at her instruments. The winds had shifted that meant the rainy season was ending. It did mean the start of hurricane season but right now, no major weather fronts were on the horizon so that meant all was well today, as she jotted down her notes a chopper flew over ruffling her papers. Well it's to be expected, the Embassy Isle was sort of default the base of all operations for AHSCA, Offices of Government that couldn't simply be ran out of the Chambers of Congress, Military bases, etc. Choppers were coming and going as were other military and diplomatic flights, though usually that was a bit off to the western side of the island, on the east that was a bit unusual. Well whatever was going on, this was an usual day.

The chopper arriving was from Holy Marsh, a couple of strange characters getting off. This must be something pretty big if they're landing at one of the designated military pads instead of the usual runways for diplomatic arrivals. Well best she mind her own for a while. It was getting onto 10 AM, now.

Quickly and quietly the two ladies from Holy Marsh (well presumably, The Shift complicated things sometimes) were escorted by a couple of military guards inside. "He should be with you in a few moments." They flatly said and left the two to sit a few minutes. The door to his office opened, and Kurago stood in the doorway. "Ladies, won't you come in please. I'm Krago, Her Majesty's Defense Officer. Well ladies, or is it gentlemen? You'll have to excuse me, I don't think I've quite figured out every fine detail of the The Shift that occurred in your nation. If there's anything you'd like, tea, coffee, water, I'll have it sent for you. I don't know if you were informed but I might as well tell you, there's another matter complicating things, it turns out just a month ago we discovered a mole in our ranks, feeding information to The Imperium of Astares Amauricanum. Now The imperium is a new ally to the UIS so we don't have a lot of grave concern but as such we wouldn't hold it against you if you feel now this is too hot for your liking and want to break off the whole thing. In which case I am terribly sorry for wasting any time you've spent coming out here but given the situation and how much we had to go through to get an audience it wasn't as simple as picking up the phone to tell you otherwise. We'd still value your help, after all, Holy Marsh is still a long valued friend but backing out would be understandable and we'll compensate you anyway." He kind of had to give the whole spiel now, given he was a bit pressed for time, he was asked to attend a dinner with the Imperium Ambassador to the UIS with Noir so he'd have to get out in a hurry if this went long and leave the rest to his Deputy, Shinya. "We're also happy to put you two up in any place of your choosing here or on the main islands, or with your Ambassador from Holy Marsh on the annex." The Annex being where ambassadors were housed.

Dear Officer VinoCacao and Kurago,
I have been made aware of the project of Captain Akira Tomae to establish a cultural and military museum and cooperation in the Malditas.
In order to discuss this, I would like to invite you both to a dinner at my residence tonight at 9 PM, so that we can have a calm conversation to talk about those things.
I eagerly await your reply. Please also note that I've invited the dear Captain too, but unfortunately, I can't invite anyone else, as my residence is too small for a bigger gathering.

Regards
Daniel Vincao
Ambassador of the Federalis Imperium of Astares Amauricanum to the United Island States of AHSCA.

Things were coming together, if not slowly but surely but things like this take time. Late into the evening the two Officers were invited to discuss " cultural and military museum" Noir was puzzled by this, such a request didn't require them, that's something her Deputy could do in her place easily or something the Ambassador could discuss directly in her office any time of the day. But then she put two and two together, this wasn't about about a musuem was it? Considering the Captain whom they discovered was leaking info was invited, this must have been his receiver. Well Captain Tomae had scarcely been let out of their sight since his cover was blown.

Now Noir, Kurago and Akira were set to arrive right on schedule, a nice night a bright full moon outside. Ringing up the bell to be let into the Ambassador's residence.

[Astares Amauricanum]

They approached Kurago's office at the appointed time, took their seats, and waited to be let in.

From the balcony of her office, Meteorological Officer, Youkika Elma looked at her instruments. The winds had shifted that meant the rainy season was ending. It did mean the start of hurricane season but right now, no major weather fronts were on the horizon so that meant all was well today, as she jotted down her notes a chopper flew over ruffling her papers. Well it's to be expected, the Embassy Isle was sort of default the base of all operations for AHSCA, Offices of Government that couldn't simply be ran out of the Chambers of Congress, Military bases, etc. Choppers were coming and going as were other military and diplomatic flights, though usually that was a bit off to the western side of the island, on the east that was a bit unusual. Well whatever was going on, this was an usual day.

The chopper arriving was from Holy Marsh, a couple of strange characters getting off. This must be something pretty big if they're landing at one of the designated military pads instead of the usual runways for diplomatic arrivals. Well best she mind her own for a while. It was getting onto 10 AM, now.

Quickly and quietly the two ladies from Holy Marsh (well presumably, The Shift complicated things sometimes) were escorted by a couple of military guards inside. "He should be with you in a few moments." They flatly said and left the two to sit a few minutes. The door to his office opened, and Kurago stood in the doorway. "Ladies, won't you come in please. I'm Krago, Her Majesty's Defense Officer. Well ladies, or is it gentlemen? You'll have to excuse me, I don't think I've quite figured out every fine detail of the The Shift that occurred in your nation. If there's anything you'd like, tea, coffee, water, I'll have it sent for you. I don't know if you were informed but I might as well tell you, there's another matter complicating things, it turns out just a month ago we discovered a mole in our ranks, feeding information to The Imperium of Astares Amauricanum. Now The imperium is a new ally to the UIS so we don't have a lot of grave concern but as such we wouldn't hold it against you if you feel now this is too hot for your liking and want to break off the whole thing. In which case I am terribly sorry for wasting any time you've spent coming out here but given the situation and how much we had to go through to get an audience it wasn't as simple as picking up the phone to tell you otherwise. We'd still value your help, after all, Holy Marsh is still a long valued friend but backing out would be understandable and we'll compensate you anyway." He kind of had to give the whole spiel now, given he was a bit pressed for time, he was asked to attend a dinner with the Imperium Ambassador to the UIS with Noir so he'd have to get out in a hurry if this went long and leave the rest to his Deputy, Shinya. "We're also happy to put you two up in any place of your choosing here or on the main islands, or with your Ambassador from Holy Marsh on the annex." The Annex being where ambassadors were housed.

Dear Officer VinoCacao and Kurago,
I have been made aware of the project of Captain Akira Tomae to establish a cultural and military museum and cooperation in the Malditas.
In order to discuss this, I would like to invite you both to a dinner at my residence tonight at 9 PM, so that we can have a calm conversation to talk about those things.
I eagerly await your reply. Please also note that I've invited the dear Captain too, but unfortunately, I can't invite anyone else, as my residence is too small for a bigger gathering.

Regards
Daniel Vincao
Ambassador of the Federalis Imperium of Astares Amauricanum to the United Island States of AHSCA.

Things were coming together, if not slowly but surely but things like this take time. Late into the evening the two Officers were invited to discuss " cultural and military museum" Noir was puzzled by this, such a request didn't require them, that's something her Deputy could do in her place easily or something the Ambassador could discuss directly in her office any time of the day. But then she put two and two together, this wasn't about about a musuem was it? Considering the Captain whom they discovered was leaking info was invited, this must have been his receiver. Well Captain Tomae had scarcely been let out of their sight since his cover was blown.

Now Noir, Kurago and Akira were set to arrive right on schedule, a nice night a bright full moon outside. Ringing up the bell to be let into the Ambassador's residence.

After a few seconds, the soynd of the door unlocking can be heard, and opens, revealing Daniel Vincao, Ambassador of Astares Amauricanum to the UIS. Tonight, Daniel is dressed casually, wearing a green polo shirt and a pair of cargo pants.
"Good evening Officers, Captain, I'm glad you could make it. Please, enter. And please take off yous shoes." he says with a smile, as he points to a designated spot in his entry hall where a shoe cupboard is.

When the three AHSCAians have tzken off their shoes and are ready, the Ambassador leads them from the entry hall to a small living room, simply but well furnished with a TV set, a couch and two chairs, and in a small dining room.
There, they join his wife Patricia, who is waiting standing next to the table.
"Good evening everyone, welcome to our humble home." she says with a smile.

[Holy Marsh]

As they stepped in, each Marshite tapped their lapel pins. Electromagnetic interference and subsonic aural disruption would allow their conversation to go without any unnecessary attention. Charanpal's optics were hardened and as the ISEG Deputy sat down, the cybernetic software went to work keeping the pair of them secure.

"Ladies will be fine, Ma'am," Charanpal said with a smile. After all, in AHSCA all Marshites were classified as female regardless, hence their names while in AHSCA. Supreet had gone by Sukhleen so long now that the original was almost a distant memory. Not that Charanpal had ever minded it. Rather liked it.
"A mole is quite disconcerting. How was the mole passing on information?" Sukhleen said, feigning surprise. For now.
"In any case," Charanpal said, allowing the mole's method to be answered before doing so, "that would not dissuade us. It only makes the matter of developing your capabilities more pressing. We are here to understand the scope of the abilities you wish to have as well as what you require to get started and enable your desires to become reality."
Sukhleen nodded. "We are authorized to discuss with you the resources the Theocracy is willing to give you. As well as that, we are authorized to give you certain classifications of intelligence that ISEG and FIID have developed in AHSCA."

[AHSCA]

After a few seconds, the soynd of the door unlocking can be heard, and opens, revealing Daniel Vincao, Ambassador of Astares Amauricanum to the UIS. Tonight, Daniel is dressed casually, wearing a green polo shirt and a pair of cargo pants.
"Good evening Officers, Captain, I'm glad you could make it. Please, enter. And please take off yous shoes." he says with a smile, as he points to a designated spot in his entry hall where a shoe cupboard is.

When the three AHSCAians have tzken off their shoes and are ready, the Ambassador leads them from the entry hall to a small living room, simply but well furnished with a TV set, a couch and two chairs, and in a small dining room.
There, they join his wife Patricia, who is waiting standing next to the table.
"Good evening everyone, welcome to our humble home." she says with a smile.

"Good evening, thank you for having us." Noir thanked the two removed their shoes as requested and entered inside further.

"Good evening." Kurago greeted "Yes, again thanks for having us."

As they stepped in, each Marshite tapped their lapel pins. Electromagnetic interference and subsonic aural disruption would allow their conversation to go without any unnecessary attention. Charanpal's optics were hardened and as the ISEG Deputy sat down, the cybernetic software went to work keeping the pair of them secure.

"Ladies will be fine, Ma'am," Charanpal said with a smile. After all, in AHSCA all Marshites were classified as female regardless, hence their names while in AHSCA. Supreet had gone by Sukhleen so long now that the original was almost a distant memory. Not that Charanpal had ever minded it. Rather liked it.
"A mole is quite disconcerting. How was the mole passing on information?" Sukhleen said, feigning surprise. For now.
"In any case," Charanpal said, allowing the mole's method to be answered before doing so, "that would not dissuade us. It only makes the matter of developing your capabilities more pressing. We are here to understand the scope of the abilities you wish to have as well as what you require to get started and enable your desires to become reality."
Sukhleen nodded. "We are authorized to discuss with you the resources the Theocracy is willing to give you. As well as that, we are authorized to give you certain classifications of intelligence that ISEG and FIID have developed in AHSCA.

"Thank you for the clarity." He gave a smile as he sat back in his chair and even more good news was the news of a mole didn't dissuade them from wanting to work further.

"That's terrific news. I agree, we need to do better and that's why I'm glad to have your help. I suppose we have all day so let's begin with the bascis. We do have some standards of basic military intel and human intelligence gathering. But that's a basic start, we're wanting to begin organizing a proper group of men and women from around the islands and have them trained properly. Equipment, money, experience, where to begin first?"

[Astares Amauricanum]

After a few seconds, the soynd of the door unlocking can be heard, and opens, revealing Daniel Vincao, Ambassador of Astares Amauricanum to the UIS. Tonight, Daniel is dressed casually, wearing a green polo shirt and a pair of cargo pants.
"Good evening Officers, Captain, I'm glad you could make it. Please, enter. And please take off yous shoes." he says with a smile, as he points to a designated spot in his entry hall where a shoe cupboard is.

When the three AHSCAians have tzken off their shoes and are ready, the Ambassador leads them from the entry hall to a small living room, simply but well furnished with a TV set, a couch and two chairs, and in a small dining room.
There, they join his wife Patricia, who is waiting standing next to the table.
"Good evening everyone, welcome to our humble home." she says with a smile.

"Good evening, thank you for having us." Noir thanked the two removed their shoes as requested and entered inside further.

"Good evening." Kurago greeted "Yes, again thanks for having us."

As they stepped in, each Marshite tapped their lapel pins. Electromagnetic interference and subsonic aural disruption would allow their conversation to go without any unnecessary attention. Charanpal's optics were hardened and as the ISEG Deputy sat down, the cybernetic software went to work keeping the pair of them secure.

"Ladies will be fine, Ma'am," Charanpal said with a smile. After all, in AHSCA all Marshites were classified as female regardless, hence their names while in AHSCA. Supreet had gone by Sukhleen so long now that the original was almost a distant memory. Not that Charanpal had ever minded it. Rather liked it.
"A mole is quite disconcerting. How was the mole passing on information?" Sukhleen said, feigning surprise. For now.
"In any case," Charanpal said, allowing the mole's method to be answered before doing so, "that would not dissuade us. It only makes the matter of developing your capabilities more pressing. We are here to understand the scope of the abilities you wish to have as well as what you require to get started and enable your desires to become reality."
Sukhleen nodded. "We are authorized to discuss with you the resources the Theocracy is willing to give you. As well as that, we are authorized to give you certain classifications of intelligence that ISEG and FIID have developed in AHSCA.

"Thank you for the clarity." He gave a smile as he sat back in his chair and even more good news was the news of a mole didn't dissuade them from wanting to work further.

"That's terrific news. I agree, we need to do better and that's why I'm glad to have your help. I suppose we have all day so let's begin with the bascis. We do have some standards of basic military intel and human intelligence gathering. But that's a basic start, we're wanting to begin organizing a proper group of men and women from around the islands and have them trained properly. Equipment, money, experience, where to begin first?"

As soon as everyone has entered rhe dining room, Daniel closes the door, before pr3ssing a few switches next to the door.
"There, now, no one will be able to hear our conversation." explains the Ambassador to the two Officers and the Captain. "I've activated a few jammers that cut down all forms of electronic and acoustic signals."

With that done, he approaches Captain Tomae with slow and calm steps, and stops 50 centimeters of him, his arms crossed across his chest.
"So Captain, what happened to you, mmh?" asks Daniel to Akira with a calm, but firm tone. "A UISDF Officer, attached to the Defense Officer's staff, who ends up doing a beginner's mistake of simply not putting a password on his phone. It's a good thing our network of agents in the UIS works in a cellular fashion, otherwise the ebtire structure would have been undone by your fault."

As he lets a beat pass, the Ambassador invites everyone to seat down.
"But thankfully, you managed to save your hide by an bold move dare I say. Even though Patricia, me and our ACI superiors back at Langley were angry at first, we quickly understood that what you offered us was a golden opportunity we would be mad to leave aside, regarding the relations between the UIS and the FIAA. So, for that, here's a little gift." Continues the Ambassador, as he takes out a kraft paper envelope from beneath the table, and hands it to Akira.

"Ten thousand Island Credits in cash, and a new phone." explains Daniel as he opens the envelope and shows the stack of paper notes, and another mobile phone. "Even though this one looks a bit old, it has the same functionalities as a smartphone, and is opened only by facial and fingerprint recognition. Your biometric data has already been encrypted in it. Transfer the data from your old phone to this one now, then we'll destroy the old one. In the meantime, it's time we explain some things to your bosses." finishes the Ambassador, as his head now turns towards Noir and Kurago, just like his wife.

"Sorry about that Officers Now, we believe some explanations are in order before anything else." says Patricia to the two Officers, before her husband and her take out something from a back pocket of their pants, and show it to the two AHSCAians.

The things in question, are two ID badges of the Astares Centralis Intelligentsia, the Astarian foreign and external intelligence service. Each one shows a photo os its holder, its identity (First and Last Name), and the Directorate under which falls the agent. For Daniel and Patricia, their badges show that they both fall under the Directorate of Operations.

"Patricia Vincao, Case Officer for the ACI for the past five years, assigned to Southeast Asia." starts Patricia as she reveals her true self to Noir and Kurago, in contrast to the Ambassador housewife's image she gave when first arriving in the UIS.
"Before coming to the UIS, my task was to monitor Islamic radicals and terrorists in Indonesia, by handling human agents that worked inside those groups."

"Daniel Vincao, operator in the Special Activities Division, Special Operations Group, or SAD/SOG, of the ACI." continues the Ambassador. "In other words, a paramilitary soldier specializes in black operations. Infiltration, sabotage, etc, that was my line of work before being assigned here as an ambassador. And before that, I was in the Imperial Marines Raiders. Quite a difference from the story I gave you Officer VinoCacao, where I told you I was a discreet bur efficient analyst in the Department of State, eh?" he asks to Noir with a small chuckle, before becominf serious again.

"Before anything else, please believe us when we say that our spying activities in the UIS never were meant to cause any harm to your nation." Follows Patricia with an semi-apologizing tone.

"So, Officers, before we continue, your impressions?" asks Daniel as he stands up and grabs a pitcher of water, before pouring glasses to everyone.

[AHSCA]

"Before anything else, please believe us when we say that our spying activities in the UIS never were meant to cause any harm to your nation." Follows Patricia with an semi-apologizing tone.

"So, Officers, before we continue, your impressions?" asks Daniel as he stands up and grabs a pitcher of water, before pouring glasses to everyone.

"We believe you meant no harm but can I ask, what made you suddenly decide to spy on us?" Noir asked "Well, maybe it wasn't sudden, after all you probably want to know what all your friends are up to. The saying goes, friends close, enemies closer? Though I guess we're not an enemy. At least I hope. It's fine, but I want to know."

[Astares Amauricanum]

"We believe you meant no harm but can I ask, what made you suddenly decide to spy on us?" Noir asked "Well, maybe it wasn't sudden, after all you probably want to know what all your friends are up to. The saying goes, friends close, enemies closer? Though I guess we're not an enemy. At least I hope. It's fine, but I want to know."

"Do not worry Mrs Noir," replies Daniel with a reassuring tone, "no one in the Imperium considers you an enemy, both from a geopolitical and personal viewpoint.
Now, there are two main reasons why we anted to establish a spy network on your soil." continues the Ambassador as he lets a beat pass, takes a deep breath, and continues.

"One thing you can't deny Officers, is that the UIS has found itself since the War of Independence at the crossroads of many nation's spheres of influence. First it was Lamoni, Mokastana, Holy Marsh and Kuronami, then came the Sultanate of Kyrenaia, and lastly us, although for reminder, our original plan was to stick to the Malditas to the south and not involve ourselves in your zone.
Now, with all those pheres of influence crossing each other, and each nation having a more or less direct foothold in the United Island States, we have arrived in a situation where each side observes the other, and will try to know if they don't try something to increase their influence over here to the detriment of others.

Unfortunately, whether we Astarians want it or not, we are a part of it too. Our sudden appearance and seizure of the Malditas have ruffled the feathers of some of your neighbors, Kyrenaia chiefly among them. So, as it seems logical, they will want to keep tabs on us. And so, since they have a direct presence in the UIS, there is a possibility some info may leak and find its way among the Islanders.

So, in essence, the first main reason we implemented a spy network was to get a feeling of what the majority of the UIS was thinking, aside from just the official government briefing we can all get as Ambassadors." finishes Daniel, before loking at his watch and rising from his seat, excusing himself.

"The other main reason," continues his wife Patricia, " was a more personal one. You see, as a case officer in the ACI, I've had to handle agents who gave me information, but I never had to recruit an agent in the first place, to infiltrate a structure and give me back some information.
So, with my superiors blessing, I was allowed to try my hand here, using some techniques we'll detail to you later. If I was to mess up though, I would have faced the consequences alone, the Agency would not have backed me up.

And in the end, with my husband's help, I've been pretty successfull." says the blonde woman with a smile as she casts a sideways glance to Captain Akira Tomae, just as her husbands comes back with a set of rectangular tin cans, that he puts on the table.

"So, we had not time to cook a grand meal for this dinner," says Daniel as he looks to the three AHSCAians, "so we will treat you instead to the delicacy of the Astarians combat rations. So, for tonight, I have two cans of sausage with lentils and carrots, two cans of pork risotto with mushrooms, and two cans of buffalo sirloin with peas and potatoes. So, what will it be for you?" he asks Kurago, Noir, and Akira.

Meanwhile, as her husband waits for the Islanders's answer, she grabs a small bag containing some small, rectangular stoves, as well as white pellets. Those two things would be used to support the cans and heat them before eating.

[Holy Marsh]

"Money will not be an issue. Your equipment and manpower- these will depend on your mission," Suhkleen said. Indeed, the Theocracy had a vast array of technology that could be given to the agency and a check that was truly without limit. Neither mattered. It was about the needs of the agency being born, and that often demanded anything and everything else other than a pocketbook and a crate of gear.

"Your mission is paramount. The islands do not face the current prospect of either an internal schism nor do we perceive a threat of foreign invasion," Charanpal added. Truth was that AHSCA now had too many powerful friends and too few resources to justify action against her, let alone the cost of a full blown invasion. And while the nation's politics could ably be described as colorful, they were far from a source of violent upheaval.

"Of course, that does not preclude future actors from being less kind. I understand you wish to create an intelligence agency to be proactive sentinels of AHSCA?"

"If this is the case, you will need to develop the right mindset for your agents. They will need to be able to blend in to their host society. They must be perceptive and patient, cautious and reliable."

"Most of all, you need to be rock-hard enough in your belief in them to send them out there, but not blind to the possibility of them being turned. Your mind and the mind of their handlers must be hardened against falsehoods and the insidious nature of character in this profession without being hardened to the needs of their agents."

"Equipment is a null concern at the moment. Suffice it is to say, we can train you how to use it. May I see whatever it was that the mole used to communicate?"

"The mole. How did the Mole communicate, and may I see what the mole had? A dead drop? A phone?"

[AHSCA]

"Do not worry Mrs Noir," replies Daniel with a reassuring tone, "no one in the Imperium considers you an enemy, both from a geopolitical and personal viewpoint.
Now, there are two main reasons why we anted to establish a spy network on your soil." continues the Ambassador as he lets a beat pass, takes a deep breath, and continues.

All reasons were sound and logical for sure. Marcella without maybe realizing it, had really gotten AHSCA a number of friends, as did her mother in her time as Duchess. Well that was that, no sense dwelling on it, not when food was calling. It was simple military rations but both these folks were cut from military cloth so they wouldn't complain, especially for a free meal offered by their hosts.

"I'm sure it's going to be fine." Noir nodded "And we're military ourselves so we're no stranger to combat rations. sausage with lentils and carrots." Noir requested

"The pork risotto for myself." Kurago requested.

"Uh yes, the pork for me." Akira said.

---

snip

"Agreed. It's important to be prepared for the future and we don't know what obstacles that will face us. We've had incidents that have involved us indirectly one way or another in the last few years which is a big push to finally get this going and get serious about it. The mole, whom was one of our own UISSDF solider, " he reached into the drawer of his desk to pull out the phone they seized from the young solider. "Was using a phone to communicate. Thankfully for us, he's a native which means he's a bit technologically impaired. And he was communicating with the Imperium of Astares Amauricanum, not an enemy, a recent friend of the UIS. Dead drops were also involved from what we gathered further from him. "

[Astares Amauricanum]

All reasons were sound and logical for sure. Marcella without maybe realizing it, had really gotten AHSCA a number of friends, as did her mother in her time as Duchess. Well that was that, no sense dwelling on it, not when food was calling. It was simple military rations but both these folks were cut from military cloth so they wouldn't complain, especially for a free meal offered by their hosts.

"I'm sure it's going to be fine." Noir nodded "And we're military ourselves so we're no stranger to combat rations. sausage with lentils and carrots." Noir requested

"The pork risotto for myself." Kurago requested.

"Uh yes, the pork for me." Akira said.

"Okay then, two risottos and one sausage." says Daniel as he separates the desired cans from the rest, before grabbing one of the rectangular heaters, putting a pellet at the center, and ligithing it on fire. Then, using a small metallic handle, he grabs the can and puts it over the heater, opening it so that the can does not explodes in his facewhile heating.
He repeats the operation for the two other cans for the guests, then the two cans of buffalo sirloin for him and his wife.

"Just so you know gentlemen," he says to Kurago and Akira, "among all of the combat rations cans made for the Astarian Armed Forces, the pork risotto, despite continuous improvements over the years, usually is not liked by a majority of our troops. Nobody knows why it is like that. Personally, I don't find anything wrong with it, so I'm curious to hear what you have to say about it."

"Now," continues Patricia, "while the cans heat, let's talk a bit. Regarding the future Shadow Knights Agents, what do you exactly want for them to be like? You answers will help us determine the ressourcezms we will use for their training."

[AHSCA]

"Okay then, two risottos and one sausage." says Daniel as he separates the desired cans from the rest, before grabbing one of the rectangular heaters, putting a pellet at the center, and ligithing it on fire. Then, using a small metallic handle, he grabs the can and puts it over the heater, opening it so that the can explodes in his facewhile heating.
He repeats the operation for the two other cans for the guests, then the two cans of buffalo sirloin for him and his wife.

"Just so you know gentlemen," he says to Kurago and Akira, "among all of the combat rations cans made for the Astarian Armed Forces, the pork risotto, despite continuous improvements over the years, usually is not liked by a majority of our troops. Nobody knows why it is like that. Personally, I don't find anything wrong with it, so I'm curious to hear what you have to say about it."

"Now," continues Patricia, "while the cans heat, let's talk a bit. Regarding the future Shadow Knights Agents, what do you exactly want for them to be like? You answers will help us determine the ressourcezms we will use for their training."

Noir took that one, "Really, we're looking for robust person intel. Eyes and ears around to just gather basic intelligence and allow us to understand what nations and individuals are really doing. It's very basic I know, perhaps too basic for you to really take that much interest in but we're not so much afraid of foreign invasions or all out warfare or even sabotage. But we are afraid of what we don't know and what we don't know is what others might think about us. In the grand scheme of global politics, we're brine shrimp, but this part of the world has a lot of eyes looking at it, including your own nation's. We want to protect our lands, our people, our ways of life here. Am I clear in this?"

[Astares Amauricanum]

Noir took that one, "Really, we're looking for robust person intel. Eyes and ears around to just gather basic intelligence and allow us to understand what nations and individuals are really doing. It's very basic I know, perhaps too basic for you to really take that much interest in but we're not so much afraid of foreign invasions or all out warfare or even sabotage. But we are afraid of what we don't know and what we don't know is what others might think about us. In the grand scheme of global politics, we're brine shrimp, but this part of the world has a lot of eyes looking at it, including your own nation's. We want to protect our lands, our people, our ways of life here. Am I clear in this?"

"You could not be any clearer Officer VinoCacao." replies Patricia with a smile, as her husband takes the now-hot rations off from their heaters and hands them to the guests, his wife and himself, and passes them spoons and forks.
"You're right, in the grand world of politics, the position of the UIS is not an easy one. And what you want to do is perfectly understandable and warrantable. And do not worry about it being basic, even the most basic things have something to learn and be learned about." continues the Ambassador's wife with the same smile.

"To that end, the Imperium is willing to help you." continues Daniel. "Even though we know that Holy Marsh is also in it, we hope that training from two nations with different appraoches will ensure that your future spies and case officers will be able to handle a lot of situations.
We have been sent some contracts to sign, that we will take a look after dinner if you agree. But to tell you, know that we will provide the following: First, training of case officers. Those are the people who recruit human sources, so that these sources provide them informations about the organization they're a part of. You have a prime example with Captain Akira over here." says the Ambassador as he looks to the Captain.

"Also, we will provide the training of spies, aka people you can send to infiltrate organizations. In contrast to case officers, those will be people that will directly provide you with informations.
Thirdly, we will provide the training of an internal affairs branch for the Shadow Knights. In the world of spying, falsehood and insidiousness are omnipresent, and in order to ensure the internal security of the agency, you need to have people among your own whose task is to be on the lookout for potential double agents and traitors.

And finally, on a side note, know that the Astares Ccentralis Intelligentsia is offering its services regarding SIGINT, or Signal Intelligence. In other words, if you agree, we would handle the part regarding computers, satellites, etc, which are an important part of spying as well.
So, what do you say Officers? Does that offer suits you and your needs?" asks the Ambassador with a serious tone, hoping Noir and Kurago would accept their offer...

[AHSCA]

Kurago and Noir glanced at each other a moment and nodded "Yes, that sounds great." Noir agreed, "I think you and Marsh together can provide us with the tools we need and if you can help us with the training and resources we can make our own intelligence something solid. And don't worry, we're committed, we islanders are always dedicated to a goal."

[Astares Amauricanum]

Kurago and Noir glanced at each other a moment and nodded "Yes, that sounds great." Noir agreed, "I think you and Marsh together can provide us with the tools we need and if you can help us with the training and resources we can make our own intelligence something solid. And don't worry, we're committed, we islanders are always dedicated to a goal."

"We never doubted your dedication." replies Daniel with a smile, before taking a bite out of his ration.
"Anyway, we just have two side conditions regarding the offer: Captain Akira Tomae will keep his job and position, but instead of being a spy for us, we request that he becomes a liaison officer between the Shadow Knights and the Astares Centralis Intelligentsia." continues the Ambassador with a serious tone.

"And also, that our network of spies stays the way it is. For your information, know that we have about 120 people on our payroll, on all five Islands of the UIS, in nearly all layers of society." finishes his wife with the same serious tone, awaiting the two Officers's reaction about the number of people the two Vincaos have managed to recruit in their short time in the UIS.

[AHSCA]

That was another bit of sobering information, the fact they'd pretty much been breached without realizing it. Well again, this could be considered a soft breach in a sense, because it was a friend, but it was a strong reminder they were very much behind in the intel game. It was something the good Duchess Shino didn't place much emphasis in, even Marcella hadn't thought about it much but today was the day.

"Very well, you have a deal." Noir agreed. Well this would either be good or truly the end of her political career, only time would tell but for now this would be a good start. The real issue would be, how would eventually they have to break this news to Kyrenaia, Lamoni, Mokastana and Kuronami. Picking between your friends is never an easy task.

[Astares Amauricanum]

That was another bit of sobering information, the fact they'd pretty much been breached without realizing it. Well again, this could be considered a soft breach in a sense, because it was a friend, but it was a strong reminder they were very much behind in the intel game. It was something the good Duchess Shino didn't place much emphasis in, even Marcella hadn't thought about it much but today was the day.

"Very well, you have a deal." Noir agreed. Well this would either be good or truly the end of her political career, only time would tell but for now this would be a good start. The real issue would be, how would eventually they have to break this news to Kyrenaia, Lamoni, Mokastana and Kuronami. Picking between your friends is never an easy task.

"Thank you very much." replies Patricia with a large smile. "However, we hope it goes without saying that although we agree you reveal the deal to your other partners, you will keep quiet about our own network we established here." she continues with a very serious tone.

[AHSCA]

"We understand. And we keep all the secrets we're given to in confidence. That much you have our promise on." Noir finished.

"You can indeed trust us." Kurago agreed. "Nothing will leave this room tonight."

[Astares Amauricanum]

"We understand. And we keep all the secrets we're given to in confidence. That much you have our promise on." Noir finished.

"You can indeed trust us." Kurago agreed. "Nothing will leave this room tonight."

"Very well then." replies Daniel with a smile. "Know that if you were to break that deal, we would have to act..." he says as he lets the suspense hang for a few seconds. "... and have pizzas you didn't order delivered to your offices." continues the Ambassador as he starts to laugh a bit at his joke, along with his wife.

"Joke aside, with that now settled, let's give you two a small lesson on human intelligence gathering. First of all, if I tell mice to you, what do you think about?" asks Patricia to Noir and Kurago.

[AHSCA]

A small joke did break a little of the tension now there was a question, what to think of mice.

"Well I suppose two things" Noir answered, "Vermin that populate our ships or bugs. Surveillance bugs."

[Astares Amauricanum]

A small joke did break a little of the tension now there was a question, what to think of mice.

"Well I suppose two things" Noir answered, "Vermin that populate our ships or bugs. Surveillance bugs."

"Interesting." replies Daniel once Noir has answered. "Thank you for your answer Officer. Although what we have in mind is not close to what you think, maybe a bit on the second option.
Anyway, mice, in the world of espionage, is an acronym. It serves to designates the four ways, or levers as we like to call them, that case officers will use to recruit a human source of information. Those four ways are Money, Ideology, Compromise and Ego." explains the Ambassador before taking a bite of his ration.

"First, Money." continues Patricia. "Some spies take high risks in delivering the intel they acquire to their case officers, so in many cases, paying them is only the right thing to do. Payment can either be done regularly, or occasionally, depending on the intelligence agency's needs, and various other parameters. Although mind you, money is not always the first thing to offer to someone you want to recruit as a spy. Many times they will first say "Who do you take me for? I don't do that sort of thing!" So it's up to the case officer to use this lever as he sees fit."

"Second, Ideology." she continues with the same serious tone. "Sometimes, paying a spy to give you information won't be necesary, because said spy will be offering you the informations they have in their possession. They can do that for many reasons: they believe sincerily in working with you, etc. We've seen that especially the last few years, regarding our War on Terror and the fight against ISIS and djihadism. Many muslims living in some parts of Syria and Iraq, when they came under Daesch rule offered to work for us, while not always asking for something in return. Deep down inside, they believed ISIS was the Devil, and they wanted to eradicate it with all their hearts, not always asking for something in return."
"Ideology has also been the basis of spying during the Cold War, between us in the West and the USSR in the East."adds Daniel. "Many of the spies in that time did what they did because they believed in the ideology of the other side."

"Now, third. Compromise." follows the Ambassador after his wife. "Basically, you force the person to work for you by using pressure means against them. You can take photos of them having an extramarital relationship, or being involved in shady deals, and then threaten to expose it to their spouse or their boss. It is not a lever I would recommend though. Because no matter what, the spy will always try to get out of the trouble, by any means necesary. So it's a tricky matter if you choose to go this way. I'm not saying it does not work but you have to be careful." explains Daniel with the same serious tone as before.

"And finally, Ego." says Patricia as she speaks again. "Without a doubt one of the most powerful ways to use. We all have an ego, large or small. For a case officer like me, keeping your ego small is a mandatory. Having an ego too big is a big weakness, and can cloud my judgment and would cause me to make mistakes.
But if I can use the ego of the person I try to recruit to my advantage, then I will have a powerful ace up my sleeve. Being flattered is always nice, so hearing words of praise for someone is nearly always good."

"That being said," continues Daniel, "remember that those four levers are not exclusive to each other, you can use two, three, or all of them depending on the situation.
Fortunately, in our recruiting of spies in the UIS, we never had to use the Compromise way.

If we take Captain Akira Tomae as a practical example, his recruiting was done like this." explains the Ambassador as he turns his head to Akira. "First, it started as polite exchanges over a drink or two, and me asking innocent questions about his job. Then, I started telling him about who I was, and that I, as well as some other people, were interested in some of the informations he worked with all day. We explained to him and assured him that we wanted the best for the UIS, and that collaborating with us would bring great things in the end. Add to that some consideration here and there for his work, and you got a nice cocktail of Ideology, Ego, and a bit of Money as payment." finishes the Ambassador with a smile.

"Before you go thinking that we only manipulated you Akira, remember that we have been sincere with you nearly from the start, and we never let you down." adds Patricia.
"That's also a point we will see later Officers: the importance of trust." she adds as she turns her head to Kurago and Noir. "But so far, do the two of you have any questions regarding what we just said?"

[AHSCA]

"MICE being an acronym is clever and makes it easy to remember." Noir nodded "No questions as of yet, please continue."

Kurago meanwhile shot Akira a look, a look like Count your blessings, son, if things had been different you'd have a bullet in you right now. Obviously out of the question now but he quietly listened.

[Astares Amauricanum]

"MICE being an acronym is clever and makes it easy to remember." Noir nodded "No questions as of yet, please continue."

Kurago meanwhile shot Akira a look, a look like Count your blessings, son, if things had been different you'd have a bullet in you right now. Obviously out of the question now but he quietly listened.

Daniel and Patricia catch the dirty look Kurago sends to the Captain, but keep quiet about it.

"All right then, on to the importance of trust." continues the Ambassador.
"In the world of human intelligence, there are three main actors to consider. First, the Human Source or Spy, which will get the secret information that no one has. Then, you have the Case Officer, which will receive the information from the spy. and finally the Headquarters, which as their name says are the headquarters of the intelligence service the case officer belongs to.
To give you a practical example, Captain Tomae is the human source, I am the case officer, and the headquarters is the ACI back in the Imperium."

"Now that we've layed the bases," continues Patricia, "we now have the trust. There are two main domains of trust to consider. The trust between the Spy and their Case Officer, and the trust between the Case Officer and their Headquarters.
First, the trust between the Spy and their Case Officer. As you may guess, the spies are the ones who take all the risks to acquire the secret informations they will transmit later. Therefore, they must trust 100% their case officers to ensure that the security measures they take to encounter each other, and exchange without being spotted, will be enough.
The other way around, a case officer will need to trust his source 100% as well, because if their source starts inventing things to make themselves be seen in a better way, or for any other reasons, this could be catastrophic if the information the source gives and who goes up the chain of intelligence to the political deciders is false.
If that happens, the contract between the spy and the service would be terminated."

Patricia then makes a pause in her explanation, and takes a sip of water before continuing.

"Trust between the spy and the case officer is built slowly. When Captain Tomae here brought us hs first informations regarding UISDF exercises that were supposed to take place at a certain date, we double-checked this information by monitoring radio traffic and using satellite images in the designated zone, and what we found matched the information he gave us. That was the first brick of trust between him and us. Over time, other bricks would be added, and now form a solid wall." explains the Ambassador's wife with a smile.


"Now that we've talked about trust between a spy and its case officer, let's talk about the other side, which is the trust between the case officer and their headquarters." continues Daniel.
"When a case officer sends an information back to their headquarters so that it can be analyzed and then delivered to the political deciders up top, he has to feel that his superiors have faith in him and his job. This element is always a great part of the case officer's determination to do his work correctly.
Likewise, the headquarters need to have faith in their case officer's abilities and judgment. If they start to believe that the case officer is manipulated by his source or any other problem, this nearly always calls for what we call a blue flight, or the case officer being called back to his country for debrief and reassignment somewhere else.
Nowadays, one key factor to consider in this relation is the distance between the case officer and their headquarters. Here in AHSCA, we're more than ten thousand kilometers away from our HQ back at Langley. In that case, some misunderstandings may appear, either for our superiors who receive our reports or for us who receive our new orders. If we are not very careful, these misunderstandings may worsen, and cause some friction and defiance between the case officer and the headquarters."

"If you're wondering, but what of the headquarters?" asks Patricia as a rhetoric question, "well, there is a golden rule in the world of human intelligence gathering: the headquarters are always right, even if they are wrong. They are the arbitrators in this game, and just like any player, we can't contest what the arbitrator says. Or else, blue flight." adds the woman with a small chuckle.

"Anyway, all we've said is to make you understand that when the Shadow Knights will be operational, trust will be a key element in all layers and all aspects of the agency and its personnel. If that's not the case, problems will appear." finishes the Ambassador with a serious tone.
"So, with that second part over, do you have any questions? Were we clear enough?"