Eikangaard Crisis: The Deal (Sunalaya Only)

[Kiez]

Eikangaard United Socialist Republic
Skaarden Group Building
Xavion Solomon

As the sun began to set over the horizon behind the glass of the now abandoned Skaarden Group Building there stood a man, glass of wine in hand as he patiently awaited the former Premier Janet Maass of the EUSR. Contacting the Premier had been easier than previously expected as well as securing a mutually beneficial location for both parties to meet. Xavion didn't necessarily care which side asked of his services nor the purpose of his services, but this had been a personal request from one of their beneficiaries within Premier Richtofen's inner circle: one that a man of Xavion's status could not ignore without risking the ire of the Tri-Tech Corporation's Board of Directors and by extension gamble with his own life. The interior of the conference room was blank, save for a long table that ran through the center of the room along with a chair on either side. Where Xavion had sat was complete with a laptop that the Tri-Tech Agent always carried around with him as well as a glass of wine that he had taken the time to fill as to indulge himself before the arrival of the Premier. The Blacklight Initiative had taken the time to set up shop in the building, for the time being, using the unstable situation in Eikangraad to their advantage. In addition to the few items set onto the table, there was also a light dinner comprised primarily of mashed potatoes and a rather small steak on the side one would think that this was merely a private supper between friends or allies.

"Sir, we have sight of the target making their way towards the building, we're seeing no armed guards or other people following the Premier." Stated a voice through the headphone speaker, Xavion's face curling up slightly in a satisfied smile. It appeared as if his message got through and that the Premier was quite interested hearing out what Xavion would have to say.

"Stay on guard but do nothing to make the Premier suspicious," Xavion replied as he turned back to take a seat, tonight was going to change the outcome of perhaps an entire region. Kiez was on the verge of upholding their defensive pact with the EUSR and by extension possibly ignite tension throughout Ventismar. While this was something that the Tri-Tech Corporation and the Blacklight Initiative could both profit from, the rising condemnations from the USA had made the board anxious, knowing that heavy sanctions against Kiez could also interrupt their capabilities: and that was something the Board wanted to avoid at all costs.

[Eikangaard]

Eikangaard United Socialist Republic
Outside Skaarden Group Building
Janet Maass

It was another cold night in Walster. Summer, winter, it didn't matter much so far north. It would be cold and that was that. The situation didn't help against the cold either. Janet had no real option other than walking at near midnight when only the drunks or the graveyard-shifters were out and everyone else was in bed. Bringing a car would raise questions, and they would raise questions with the wrong kind of people. At least by walking to the rendezvous, she could keep the knowledge of what she was doing to only her most trusted advisors.

Which made her nervous for a couple of reasons. One, she really had no idea who it was she was meeting with. The only thing she knew of was that he...or possibly she...went by the name "Mr.Solomon. No idea if it was his actual name or his alias. Also, she had no extraction plan if things went south. Not that it would matter, the nature of the mean would mean that she'd likely be dead before anyone would arrive to get her out of harm's way. Even the handgun in her coat pocket was more just to keep herself grounded than part of any plan to fight her way out.

Though at this point, it was "Stay the course, get arrested, possibly executed by Mikkelsen or extradited to Rezua or the VU and get locked up for the rest of her life" or "take a chance, maybe get shot, or possibly disappear once again and try to keep the EUSR together from the shadows."

She'd risk the latter.

She came upon the entrance to the Skaarden Group building and looked up at the once proud tower. Now it was basically an empty husk. Less shine to its window panes, the logos and names removed from its exterior.

The ground floor smashed up by looters.

A fitting end for the building that only reminded the people here of oppression by the major mining companies.

Now though it meant a different thing to her. The end of her old life. Or possibly just the end of her life in general. Sure Mr.Solomon had promised her an out, but that could've been a ploy. And there was no way to get intel beforehand.

She sighed, before moving inside towards the elevator that still somehow worked. No sense waiting around. They likely already knew she was here.

She keyed in the 25th floor and waited until it came to a stop and the doors parted. There were two men waiting on the other side, both seemingly dressed for the occasion.

"Ms. Maass?" One greeted. "Mr.Solomon is waiting for you."

She said nothing as the two led her towards the conference room, and she spotted a man on the other side of the table smiling at her with a glass of wine in his hand. She only idly noted the food, more concerned with who she would be dealing with.

"Mr.Solomon, I presume?" She greeted as the doors closed behind her. The two men, whom she assumed were guards, had elected to wait outside. It was just the two of them now.

[Kiez]

Skaarden Group Building
Xavion Solomon

The smile on the Sunafrican Butcher's face was that of immense satisfaction, to see that the former Premier was willing to even speak with him in the first place was a good indication as to the events to come in their conversation. What was better is the fact that she didn't seem to recognize the indication of the name Solomon, noting mentally that the facial surgery done on him had just about ensured that his true identity would not be that easily discovered. "Indeed I am Ms. Maas and might I add that it is quite good to meet you face to face." Xavion replied in kind as he gestured to the seat at the opposite end of the table "Please sit down, this will only take a few minutes." He finished, taking a sip of the wine in his glass as the Premier moved to sit down. "Allow me to introduce myself as Xavion Solomon, formerly known as the Butcher of Sunafrica. Contrary to what my alias is please be assured that no one has placed a hit on you nor am I here to kill you." Xavion slid a vanilla folder containing the details of the most recent events of the Eikangaard Crisis "But rather I am here to represent some very powerful people who empathize with your plight and want to ensure your freedom."

Xavion casually used his knife to cut into a small portion of his steak, chewing it and downing another sip of his wine before swallowing the contents "I am a member of the Blacklight Initiative and we have been contracted by anonymous benefactors in order to help ensure that you escape prosecution and have your freedom maintained." The butcher chuckled somewhat as he continued "Now you may be wondering why we have been sent here, other than the fact that we were contracted to do so: let's just say that those who contracted us have a desire to maintain their influence over this particular region of Ventismar: you have someone who shares a common enemy in that of the Republic of Eikangraad."

[Eikangaard]

Skaarden Group Building
Janet Maass

When he said the name, "Xavion Solomon", he may as well have just left it at that. He didn't need to double-down with the title "Butcher of Sunafrica", she was already beginning to reassess her decision to even bother coming here. His declaration that he wasn't here to kill her didn't really make her feel any less like she had a sniper taking aim at her head.

So taking that into consideration, and knowing that she had a fifty-fifty shot of getting shot if she just walked right out, she sat down, making sure to keep her expression level, and took the offered folder and read the contents. Precisely nothing she didn't already know, having been at the center of it for the past two years. She put the folder down, took one look at Xavion and the food arrayed between them and promptly decided that she wasn't hungry in the slightest. Not that she had been beforehand, to be honest, the stress had killed her appetite for the past couple days.

"So what does that mean exactly?" She asked. "I assume make me disappear but allow me to continue working?"

[Kiez]

Skaarden Group Building
Xavion Solomon

Xavion chuckled lightly as he placed his wine glass gently onto the table "You are quite astute Premier Maass which Is something my benefactors especially appreciate in a time where most world leaders act on sheer ambition and impulse." He leaned forward slightly, his fingers intertwined with each other as he spoke "Our goal is to ensure that you avoid prosecution by any means necessary with the leadership of this country is next to irrelevant to us and our future goals." Solomon rose up and walked towards the rectangular window that peered out to the night sky, placing his hands upon the banister "However, should you have someone in mind who can act as your public voice while you lead the nation from the shadows, we are open to any suggestion you may have: a list if you will of potential candidates who are willing and able to follow your word to the very letter."

[Eikangaard]

Skaarden Group Building
Janet Maass

"So what, you want me to be a secret shadow leader?" Janet asked, watching Solomon move to stand over near the window. She sighed, realizing that what he was asking her to do would run counter to her own personal beliefs. Rigging an administration? Ensuring that only the "right" leader came to power? Regardless of the people's will?

No. That would make them no better than the Republic, which was ruled by an increasingly tyrannical president who used the growing conflict with the EUSR to centralize more power away from his people.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Solomon." She finally admitted. "I can't be some secret shadow leader."

But she thought of a compromise. "But I can give you people who I trust. People I know can lead and who share my beliefs. Your benefactors can back them, give them political and monetary support to win a fair and just election. But I refuse to be party to a system that undermines everything I fought for."

[Kiez]

Skaarden Group Building
Xavion Solomon

Solomon paused for a moment, his expression unreadable and his mind lost in thought reasoning that Premier Maass was one who followed the rule of law established in the EUSR. There were very few people in the world who held that sort of integrity, especially for those who were World Leaders. Xavion shrugged his thoughts off nonchalantly as he pushed his hands off the banister and rubbing them for a few seconds "I must admit Ms. Maass that you have a type of integrity that I have not seen all too often in my line of work, but nonetheless..." He moved back to his seat, pulling it away from the table slightly so that he may sit down "I have no issue in the slightest about you not being willing to become a shadow leader. I would like to stress that should you accept our proposal to be extracted you will need to accept a few conditions set out by my superiors..." Xavion dug into the bag that lied down on the floor, pulling out a singular sheet of paper with an assortment of writing on them.

"The first and most prevalent of these conditions is that we will need to fake your death as to avoid an international manhunt, this will avoid any unnecessary exhaustion of our resources and will make it easier for you to move about in public without having to look over your shoulder." Xavion explained, still glancing down at the paper before continuing. "The second condition of our agreement is that you agree to undertake minor reconstructive surgery to alter your facial features, you will be given a new identity along with the nationality coinciding with that of the country you will be sent to." Solomon looked up this time, his cold eyes conveying his lack of emotion "Our third condition is that we cannot move you to a new continent entirely as Ventismar is our primary region of operation, staying within close proximity to this region of Sunalaya will allow us to protect you with our full resources." Xavion put the paper down and folded his hands atop it.

"Are these terms acceptable to you?"

[Eikangaard]

Skaarden Group Building
Janet Maass

"Wouldn't be the first time I've had to disappear." She admitted, before choosing to think long and hard over her choice of new residence. Before, she'd disappeared in the north of Eikangaard, where word traveled slow and she could hide up in the mountains. Now that wouldn't be an option anymore. All eyes were on those mountains, and very soon they may no longer be safe. Her visage was also far too obvious from her appearances on state and international television.

NOw though she really had only one option. "I suppose Kiez is the only place where I'll be safe." She admitted. "They're really the only option that isn't a continent away. I can't trust Rezua, their morals and government are more fickle and indecisive than a spoiled kitten if they don't have someone to bring the stick down on. Plus they think I'm a terrorist. The VU is similarly out."

She looked up at the ceiling, still weighing her options. "I suppose Ashukal could be an option if I wanted distance. And maybe to work on my tan."

[Kiez]

- Snip -

Skaarden Group Building
Xavion Solomon

From the back of his mind Xavion smiled, already know it to be a fact that Premier Maass' options were limited. Their objective was to ensue that the former Premier was moved to Kiez for her own protection, it was simply the fact that she needed to say it without Xavion conveying that Kiez was her option. Solomon smiled as he stood up from his seat, a small grin on his face as he spoke "Excellent choice Ms. Maass, I assure you that we will fulfill our part of the bargain when we have everything all set up for the operation." The Butcher of Sunafrica knocked his fist against the table twice, the door leading into the hallway and one of the guards stationed outside began walking into the office "Let the others know that we're done here and that we're wrapping up here." The guard simply nodded before moving back outside.

Xavion turned back to Janet Maass, the small grin still on his face "Now before you are free to leave I must let you know of the method that we are going with to ensue that your death is faked." Xavion slipped her a small sheaf of documents before speaking "Your death is going to be the cause of a car bomb which will be planted in the underside of your vehicle in the next few days. On the day that we have everything set up for your departure from this nation you will recieve a text message from an anonymous number giving you the time and the location where you will drive your vehicle to, we have a body double that will serve as the replacement for you within the vehicle and as for Ashukal..." Xavion grabbed his nearly empty wine glass and drank the remaining contents of the wine. "We can arrange for you to have a summer house there if you wish." He smiled as he shook Premier Maass's hand.

"You are an interesting person Ms. Maass, a politician who has a type of integrity that is so very rare among world leaders, I dare say you have earned my respect." He gestured to the closed door with a smile "You are free to leave."

[Eikangaard]

Skaarden Group Building
Janet Maass

Janet couldn't help but grin. "I suppose I wouldn't mind a summer home there. I heard the beaches along their northern coast are wonderful." She said with a mirthless chuckle before shaking Solomon's hand. "I'll be waiting for the message. Hopefully, things work out as planned."

She turned and headed for the door before stopping. "All the same, I wish things had gone differently."