July 7th, 2022
With the Emperor off in Lenspheria for a diplomatic meeting, the protests didn't stop, and Minister Of Justice Sara Mauer was one of the people still in Makko Oko responsible for halting it as soon as possible, along with the Minister Of Internal Security Miguel Kellison. The two had been buddies since they first met, getting along quite swimmingly, not that anybody within the executive cabinet would've noticed or known, but there is a varying assumption that people in the cabinet are supposed to get along.
Without the Minister Of Defense or the Emperor there to command the military, the order had been sent out, however, the deployment to the main areas of unrest, those being Opposh, Bora and Xihgan, ended out with the military merely having the order of "Preventing unrest" with no direction except from the local military leaders of each squadron deployed. Around 14,000 soldiers had been deployed in total across the 3 cities, with a lot of them heading towards Opposh for capital protection. Minister Mauer had been at the Ministry Of Justice HQ working on identifying every protestor and checking their criminal records, backend work mostly, with a team of thousands.
As she was working, she thought she had identified the leader of the movement, known as Opal Tapscott, via NCIS records and immediately called Minister Kellison to inform them of the development, and Minister Mauer had been requested to bring copies of the records down to the top secret Ministry Of Internal Security HQ in Phearburgh, a relatively small city in the nation, being there in an unmarked and mysterious building, for confidentiality and security. The travel from Opposh to Phearburgh was around 1 hour, as due to the circumstances Minister Mauer took a government aircraft.
When she arrived in Phearburgh, with her assigned security detail, people in the small town took notice, and spotted that it was a government official, but they didn't recognize that she was the Minister Of Justice. Glaring looks were received by most of the townsfolk, and the security detail took notice and went into a circle formation around her. As they got closer to the building, a store owner, right as Minister Mauer was walking by the store's front entrance, ran out with a knife and attempted to stab her, screaming "FOR OUR RIGHTS!" and the detail noticed and one of the agents, working for the National Security Service, ended up getting sliced in the wrist and got cuts on their arms, the other guards then helped push the store owner up to the wall of the store, punched him and then turned him around and took him into custody.
One of the agents stayed to await for backup to arrive to take them into the detention center, with the rest speeding off with Minister Mauer, with her saying to herself, "I could've died that day. That was the scariest time I've ever had as a minister." and she finally arrives at her destination, the abandoned-looking building. She has hesitation about the building being a trap, possibly having a mole within the government, and the NSS agents on her security detail draw their weapons and check the area, not seeing much, but then Minister Kellison shows up and says "In here, quick" and takes them to the secret entrance, with which the actual MOIS operations are conducted underground.
Once they arrive, they head into Minister Kellison's office and Minister Mauer hands him the copy of the NCIS records that she had found. He takes a moment to read it thoroughly and then says, "So, a criminal record, yet protesting...how stupid" he says sighing, "I'll get his arrest ordered immediately, thank you Minister Mauer. Do you have a current location?" "Negative, contact Director Cain at the CIB, he'll probably know or at the least, can find out for you" Minister Mauer responds, "Will do, have a good-" he says as he's interrupted, "Minister Kellison, somebody in this city just tried to assassinate Minister Mauer" one of the NSS agents says, and Minister Kellison's eyes widen with fury, "Get me all the evidence, let me prosecute this son of a bitch" "An NSS agent has him in custody until backup arrives, at a store named 'Nakia Exotics Shoppe' in the heart of the city" the NSS agent responds.
"I'll head over there myself, with a full sniper squad. You don't assassinate the government, we assassinate you. Are you doing alright Minister Mauer?" Minister Kellison says with anger and rage. "Yeah I'll be fine, but I almost died. I thought this nation was safe, what with the low crime rates and all." Minister Mauer responds intently. "It is, and they are, very simply, these protests are causing quite a stir, enough to attack government officials with knives, which against guns, never goes well. Time for stricter measures I say, I'll inform the Emperor over satellite phone immediately." Minister Kellison says and then dismisses them with additional security being provided by the CIB, and Minister Kellison leaves with them to go to the site themselves, splitting off. Minister Mauer then returns to the capital to continue their backend investigations.
