Marsha Oglethorpe had a reputation for being competent, effective, and rather miserable. Damon found her to be all those things and more. He saluted and stood at attention. She gave him a halfhearted salute and told him to be at ease, to take a seat.

"How do you like the resistance?"

Damon decided to be neutral, "It could be worse."

Marsha nodded her head, "it could be, but I don't know how. Let me give you some advice; do not be too good at your job. If you advance in the EIS, you eventually end up behind a desk, stuck forever in one place. You don't know how good you have it, to change covers in each place you go. Think of being stuck here. You met Basha? He's a sweet man, but can you imagine him asking you every single day when he is going to see the Master? The worst thing is that some days I actually wonder about that myself. Sometimes I catch myself longing for the revolution."

Damon took a deep breath, "They say you are what you pretend to be."

"I'm sorry, I'm like this with everyone. It's not professional. I need to get out from behind this desk the only people I can confide in are trained killers. Anyway, forget all that. What do you know of the situation here?"

"Well, I've had a few drinks, from what these tavern keepers say, this Ragnar had a pretty saucy sister."

"Well, I had no idea. I'll put that in her file." She gave him a long look. "The problem is Riccard had a certain fondness for her, which is strange considering it was a strategic marriage. Either way he will not back down from his declaration of war, even if Galleria offers tribute. Our little Galleria versus the great Thermica, this enmity goes back a long time. This marriage was an attempt to create stability but as you know that turned to shit. Fortunately, Riccard has a younger brother."

"Is that why I'm here?"

"To make Galadriel's death look like an accident? No that's going to be handled by another team. It says here your last assignment was breaking up a clan of Graven in Allendale. I always understood these Graven were solitary creatures. What made this one different?"

"It was a syndicate boss; he traded loyalty for the gift. He thought it would bind his lieutenants to him. It didn't. It tore the underworld apart. We had to put them all down, install a smuggler from Hillvale. The situation is still tentative."

"These Graven are getting out of hand, it's starting in the underworld, but one of these days it will become acceptable to the bourgeoisie. Can you imagine what we're up against if these Royals start taking the gift? Immortal privileged monsters that can't breed; I'm told the Empress herself has contemplated the change."

Damon shook his head. "It's no gift, I've seen that firsthand. You get to keep some human emotions some of your mental faculties, but your prick falls off. You have to live in a web of your own shit and drink nothing but creeper juice. "

"You survive on raw creeper liver."

Damon shrugged. "Yeah, but my prick still works."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"In Allendale did the Scion interfere with your investigation?"

"Of course, but I found that despite reports to the contrary this Scion was sexually active."

"Yes, the one here has twins. Still, there must be some connection between the graven and these Scion."

"The creeper wars ended when they arrived."

"150 years of peace."

"Peacefully living as prisoners."

"If only the Master would come and deliver us all."

"You should visit Allendale; they have a new Master every other year." he said.

"I'd love that. To be on the consulate side for a while, to string up some of those bastards in the name of the empress. It would do my heart good."

"Why am I here?"

"This creeper Queen, the analysts in the capital are all going nuts with contingency plans. Why now? Where did she come from? What power does she really have? What connection does she have with the graven, with the Scion?"

"That sounds like a job for imperial rangers. I don't often get outside the walls."

"You did six reconnaissance missions before you became EIS."

"That was some time ago."

"It will come back to you. This Terra is going to be abducted, taken to this creeper queen. You will track her to the queens lair, find out what this queens deal is, then kill her, easy peasy."

"What about this Terra? Am I supposed to bring her back?"

"That's not part of the mission."

"Ok but If I save her what am I supposed to do with her?

"Saving her, is not part of your mission."

"Understood, how much time do I have?"

"Landrey, the graven infiltrator and prospective abductor, will act when the princess is being transported to her new home. That's in three days. You will have three strike teams with five men in each. You will lead strike team one and be in charge of the overall mission. Your two lieutenants will also be EIS, the rest of the men are all experienced rangers from the Royal guard."

"What's my cover?"

"No cover, these men, are Imperial Guards, and Rangers, some have been impressed from the Royal Guard, they all know of the EIS, they just don't know the extent of our work. So if one them starts spouting off about how he thinks the Master might come, don't tell him it's all an EIS ploy. Or if some overzealous man starts talking about how the Empire will last a thousand years and the empress only shits gold, don't disillusion him. And be damn sure you don't mention any princely gossip around those Royal Guard they all do back flips to have the privilege of kissing inbred ass and go ape shit if you speak against their precious royals."

"Three day's that's not much time to get everyone oriented and up to speed."

"The men have a camp in the jungle two miles from the north wall. You're the last to arrive; the others have a few days head start. Your lieutenant, a Thomas Blain, has been in charge of preparing the camp and bringing in supplies. He has the mission specifics, if it's not in that file, then improvise. Your other lieutenant, Walter Samuelson is an angel wing specialist, he just arrived today. He's still in the city. He's a little eccentric. You may have spotted him in the street."

"Not the Greycoat?"

"Yes."

"Is it part of his cover?"

"Agents are allowed to have their diversions. The EIS tolerates your pharmacology."

"The bastard pits dogs against creepers, that's not a hobby that's a perversion."

"He's the best angel wing operator in the EIS."

"What If I don't accept the mission?"

"No, problem, you'll be reassigned, no questions asked. The empress is nothing if not tolerant."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"If you are not at the north gate in the morning when the gate guard changes shift, we'll assume you're out. If you're in, then tell the dawn guard you're there to find a lost hog, he'll let you pass."

Damon saluted. She told him he was dismissed. At the door, Marsha asked him to wait.

"Yes?"

"If you decide to accept, just remember Samuelson was never in Crockett."

"Ma'am?"

"His creepers didn't kill Caroline, or Richard. I won't have this mission going sideways because of your baggage."

He could see the glint in her eye, she didn't do this for the money or the prestige, she just liked toying with people. So, he nodded and left without saying another word.