Cornelia crossed her arms. Gunfire rattled through the monitors. Five men fought in a grueling virtual environment. Each in an identical scenario. The examinees holed up in a hedge row-like structure, dirt-packed four feet high with artificial trees and shrubbery over most parts. Their enemy lay opposite in a more advantageous position. Multiple viewpoints captured the battlefield, from first-person to the entire map.

The machine gunners were facing S, their environment was as follows: SE of them lay a tree line, along with a bog directly west of it. To the SW was dense shrubbery. Just south of it, flanking the enemy, was another smaller bog. A stream bisected the shrubbery and bog and flowed north perpendicular to the battlefield. The enemies had set up positions in the tree line. They pushed through the SE bog and SW shrubbery. The examinees’ objective was to lay down suppressive fire while their friendly squad moved around the stream and outflanked the enemy's main line of resistance.

Cornelia knew it wasn’t the most realistic scenario, the enemy being nothing more than predictable AI. Yet, they didn’t have the vices of humans- such as morale. But it was the best simulation outside of doing mass exercises with larger troop formations. The Dame had put off choosing a replacement for her squad to the point she had to either choose one from the three platoons (hence the evaluation) or be down a man. She would probably go with the latter given the nature of their operation. She had some choice words for whoever assigned her three platoons to cover 140 miles. Only just enough to the major road junctions.

Cornelia couldn’t focus... Her mind drifted to the conversation she had with Knox before she departed.

***

Cornelia was alone in her troop barracks cleaning off her new carbine. One is about twice as hard to maintain due to the new fire-control system for long-range engagements. Her platoon was already bound for Norfolk, the main jumping-off point of the operation.

Quiet footsteps marked the entrance of Knox. “Good morning, Dame.”

She set aside her weapon. “What can I do for you?” There was a certain tension in his face.

“Are you alone?”

That question set off alarm bells in her head. Especially coming from him. “Yes, why?”

Locks audibly clicked. “I heard you had an unscheduled landing at the Senate’s Chamber.” He told her like a parent exposing a child’s lie. She mentally cursed Havoc.

“Yes, there were some things that were brought to my attention.” She said vaguely.

“What did Orion tell you?” Knox cut straight to the heart of the matter.

She frowned, he had more sense than to probe into Inquisitorial dealings. “I am sorry, Knox. But that is classified.” She hurried to wrap up her weapon maintenance. She took no satisfaction in keeping things from him.

Knox blocked her way, “Cornelia. I need to know.” She held back a response, If Knox knew there was a traitor amongst the ranks of the Carolinian nobility… it would make reconciliation for her mistakes much more difficult. Knox didn’t take lightly threats to Carolina. Much less those directly aimed at the people. She shouldered her equipment and pushed past him to leave.

“My office was swept through.” Cornelia stopped. “They didn’t even try to hide it.”

She turned around, her teeth barred and fist clenched. As much as she wanted to shake her fist at Orion, the Dame couldn’t. A Knight of the States powerless in her State. Pathetic.

“I know Orion is here.” Knox furthered.

Her hands relaxed, and a stream of air left her mouth. “That isn’t a secret. Federal troops herald his arrival putting down that insurrection.” She countered. It would be strange if he thought there wasn’t an Inquisitor. There had to be something else.

Knox sighed. Cornelia narrowed her eyes, by the look on his face he wasn’t giving it up, but switching tactics. “Do you remember what happened the last time the Knights were called away?” He asked.

“Heresy was found during the Greenland campaign. It was eradicated before it was finished.” She was wary of the line of questioning.

“Yes, that is what they told you, and everyone. But you were so green then.” He lamented.

Her patience was wearing thin, “What are you getting at?”

“Many were swept away; not because of any sort of treason. But because they voiced opinions that ran contrary to the Council’s.” Knox stared distantly, “Many were my comrades.”

“Why tell me this now?” Why her? Why not bring it up to Talin. If she couldn’t deal with a small rebel cell then she was of no help to Knox.

“Because it's going to happen again.” Knox rose in volume. “Can’t you see it? I am locked out of this investigation and you as well. These terrorists are unusually elusive, almost as if they know every move we make.”

She knew where this was leading. “Are you implying that the Feds are behind the attacks?”

“Not directly. But it is a convenient way to destabilize Carolina. I have heard rumors that there has been a rise in discontent in other states as well.” She refused to believe him, making no effort to hide her dismay. His demeanor changed.

“You have seen the relative power change. There are no checks to Federal power. Ever since Florence Washington has bypassed all protocols of sending troops into State territory. Our State guard is nothing more than an extension of the Imperial Army.” He begged her to understand. “Once Iceland calms down then Washington will turn its full attention to the States. If you could disrupt-”

“That's treason!” She couldn’t believe he’d suggest such a thing. “I would lose everything, and if I am lucky, spend the rest of my days rotting in prison.”

He did not flag from his mission, “Isn’t Carolina, the state you grew up in, one of your family and friends, worth protecting?”

She stared at him, hoping there were chinks in his demeanor. If there was, the Dame could not see any. “I’m sorry, but I cannot help you. I will not stop you. Just…” She paused for a moment, there wasn’t much that could stop him. To what extent would he go to protect Carolina? And how does the Governor fit into all of it? “Try not to do anything stupid.”

Knox sighed, a flash of betrayal came across his face. She regretted being the cause. But he was asking for too much. He gave her a nod. “I will do what I must,” reaffirming his position. “Good luck on your reconnaissance mission Dame.”

“Thank you.” She said quietly and left.

***

The door behind her swooshed open. “Your presence is requested on the bridge.” Havoc informed her. Cornelia followed him out. They walked in silence as sailors passed them. They increased in number as they went through sailors’ quarters. She heard the chatter and banter, almost wishing she was still a State Guardswoman. Her ears caught small snippets of a speech being played in some lounge area. The East Texas Governor reluctantly endorsed actions against Denmark.

“Have you heard anything from the Governor?” It had been a while since she had last spoken to him. The last time was right after the Imperial summit and since then it was only in meetings with aristocracy and in passing.

“He sends his best wishes and hopes that the mission goes accordingly.” Havoc stated.

Cornelia frowned, she could hardly keep a conversation up with him as of late. She wondered if it had anything to do with the Summit or the mission. Come to think of it, she had hardly had any contact from anyone barring Norfolk. She thought back to Knox, ‘I will do what I must.’ How many were a part of Knox’s cause? A few minutes of silent walking brought them to Level 05, the Bridge. Two guards flanked the entrance, they wore their bright white uniforms with colorful rank insignias. The two saluted them as they approached. The left one opened the door. Havoc gestured for her to go alone. She nodded and watched him disappear into the stairwell. As the Dame put her right foot into the room, she stepped into a heated battle.

“The radar is picking multiple objects. We must slow down to verify their identity, the Borealis is making it difficult,” the Rear Admiral argued. Fletcher’s brown eyes brimmed with anger, his white and gold naval cap carelessly left on the plotting map. His coat was slightly wrinkled around his shoulders and arms.

Across from him was Lieutenant General Jackson, who mirrored the pose. He donned the olive green army officer uniform, he was without his cap as well. “May I remind you that the French and British deadlock could break at any moment, and their Home fleet could be headed to Iceland within hours. The only way we prevent them is by getting boots on the ground.”

The Navy and Army arguing was nothing new, the tit-for-tat was frankly annoying. What interested her were the other five within the Command Center. There was an air of anxiety between them. Dame Ethel Victoria was fixated on the plotting map and its miniature squadron with its slated course. Knight Norfolk and Tampan stood near the fourth and fifth persons whose presence was made by way of a hologram.

Her arms shot up to give a salute. “High Inquisitor Orion, Rear Admiral Fletcher, Lieutenant General Jackson- reporting as ordered.” The two leading officers halted their argument, and looked up at her, almost surprised at her entrance. Victoria gave her a curt nod.

Jackson was the first to speak. “Ah Cornelia, good to see you.”

She lowered her arm, “And you as well General. Sorry for interrupting your conversation.” The Dame looked between the Rear Admiral and Lieutenant General.

“It’s no trouble at all, Jackson and I were just discussing if we wanted to put the entire operation at risk,” Fletcher said. The later part was directed at Jackson.

“I’d rather take a risk, it is most likely nothing. What is almost certain is any delay would no doubt be taken advantage of by the British,” Jackson said under his breath. Soon enough the two were back at it again. Each argued equally valid points.

Cornelia took this opportunity to slide beside Norfolk. She leaned in close to him, “How long have they been like this?”

“Eh, this argument started whenever we entered the Labrador Sea.” Norfolk chuckled lightly. “The only thing keeping them from strangling each other is Orion.” Yet as he uttered the name, the man in question looked at them. Cornelia turned the other way and Norfolk coughed. The Inquisitor gave them an unnerving smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she took note of the person accompanying Orion. He was familiar, donning a similar uniform to Orion but less ornate.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen.” The High Inquisitor started. The two officers froze and turned to the man. Orion stepped forward, the fluorescent lights dimmed to not interfere with the hologram. He raised a finger and walked slowly around the plotting map. The small projection machine followed to keep pace. His eyes never left the group. “-in itself is flawed.” Fletcher and Jackson dared not interject, but their facial expressions spoke to the contrary. He came to a stop and eyed the miniature ships upon the table. The Inquisitor reached out and pointed at the Battleship. Small rays of light scanned the model. After a few moments, he picked up an exact copy of it in holographic form. He held it out for all to see. “For you should be asking what is best for the Imperial States of America.” Orion focused on the two officers, “Or more specifically, what does the Imperial Council think the best course of action is?”

Fletcher frowned, he grabbed the metal pushing stick. The officer pointed at the Joint Battleship Carrier Strike Group, which consisted of the USS Ohio Battleship and the USS New Orleans Fleet Carrier, escorted by four guided-missile heavy cruisers, three anti-submarine destroyers, and two icebreakers. Four troop transports rounded out the task force. “From our current position and speed, we are expected to reach our target in five days.” He then circled over the north of Greenland, “A slow down north of Greenland, where we will launch reconnaissance planes would delay us-”

Orion claps his hands together. “Well, that answers your question.” Jackson threw the naval officer a smug smile. The Inquisitor placed the Battleship back down as Fletcher sputtered a response. “I do wonder why you would question the Imperial Council,” He feigned shock as if it was the most outlandish thing he heard. Cornelia and the rest of the Knights stood as still as possible.

The Rear Admiral leaned on the table, his head held low. He spoke through gritted teeth, “The storm our fleet is supposed to get lost in is worse than we projected.” The man trembled. “It will make detecting incoming threats far more difficult, and the fact radar has picked up a few signatures is worrisome.” Fletcher bowed to the High Inquisitor, “I apologize for interfering with the will of the Council.”

The High Inquisitor paused and looked down at the squadron. His expression turned serious, “Is there any way to fix this predicament?”

Fletcher looked up, surprised “I say we fall to 20 knots and launch reconnaissance drones to see what exactly is up ahead. When we arrive until we get to the Arctic Passage we lower to 15 knots and launch more low-altitude sorties. Once we get to open water we hasten to 35 knots.“ Orion tapped his chin in contemplation.

Dame Victoria was the next to speak up, “We would only be losing a few hours, but we would ensure that we have maintained surprise.” Fletcher gave her a nod of approval.

Jackson’s smug confidence started to wither away, “That may be true but every hour is critical in such a… sensitive operation.”

“We can make up the time by cutting the twelve-hour naval bombardment to nine hours,” Norfolk suggested. The Virginian eyes steadied on the Inquisitor.

The army officer gave the Knight a dirty look. “Your opinion is noted Knight, but you serve under me, and I do not remember asking you for your advice.”

“I serve the Imperial States, therefore I serve the Imperial Council.” He declared.

“Quite right, Knight Norfolk.” The Inquisitor agreed. The Lieutenant-General looked taken aback. He was playing a dangerous game, one Cornelia dared not play. Technically Jackson was over him and could administer punishment while he was serving. But the Inquisitor triumphed over all.

The Floridian Knight took this time to back up Jackson, no doubt to gain more favors with the Army. “But a shorter bombardment would put our landing forces at risk, they would have to endure unnecessary casualties.”

“Exactly what I was thinking, thank you Knight Tampan.” Jackson approved.

Cornelia rolled her eyes at how easy it was to predict him. Orion noticed her passive-aggressive gesture. “What are your thoughts on this matter, Dame Cornelia?”

“I don’t believe I’m suited to answer that question, I was not selected to be part of the overall strategy.” The Dame wasn’t eager to join this conversation, what she wanted to know was why she was called to the bridge in the first place.

The Inquisitor waved her off, “Nonsense Dame, humor the group.”

Cornelia took it as an order. She was conflicted. On one hand, she was inclined to agree with Norfolk, supporting Virginia and denying Christopher any control. On the other hand, Carolina hosted the largest military base in the world of which a large portion of the Special Operations and Airborne troops are tenants. All of them are under the Army’s command. Talin would be far more suited for this, that thought led her to think about how he would handle the dilemma. He would try to broker a peace, a compromise.

“What are the ground strike capabilities of the air wing?

“Four squadrons of F-42s, one squadron of EA-42G Growlers, one squadron of E-4 Razorbill AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System), and two squadrons of HSM and HSC MH-70 Seahawks.” Ethel listed off. “Unfortunately three out four of the F-42 squadrons are in Air superiority configurations and the fourth has a mixed loadout of anti-ship and air-to-ground.”

“Long-range bombers are also off the table since they would negate our surprise,” Tampan added.

She took a closer look at the battle plan. Their main landing zones were the Southern Peninsula and a small port city called Akarnes just north of Reykjavik. Both landings were deemed to require naval bombardment and cruise missiles, not to mention the Capital itself. What part of the air wing enabled for ground attack was already occupied with strategic targets. The defenses were spread out. Enough to minimize the firepower brought. If only…“Is it possible to deploy the 2nd Airborne Company and the 68th airborne armor regiment to the Keflavik Airport and highway 41 ahead of the landings? It would neutralize their defenses in the area and cut off the peninsula from their main combat formations.”

“Ohio could focus on the other landings. With more concentrated shelling the bombardment would not have to be as long.” Ethel caught on to her line of thinking.

“Sounds like a good way of losing perfectly fine units.” Tampan made a snide remark.

“If we have maintained surprise then there shouldn’t be an issue. Especially when their communication and radar are down.” She fired back. And besides, she was sure that the troops at Bragg would appreciate being used in their intended role for once. Another thing that went wrong during Greenland was the misuse of paratroopers, far too close to the landing zones and some even on the beach.

“The quicker we have a presence on the island the less inclined the Union will be to intervene,” Norfolk noted.

Jackson looked thoughtfully at the board. The plan was risky, but it did put the Army as a critical asset of the invasion. Something Cornelia hoped would sway his opinion. “And who would be leading such a bold assault, I presume it would be you, Dame.” The General questioned.

Before she could answer Orion cut in, “The Dame already has pressing duties assigned to her.”

“I will then, “ Tampan cut in. “I shall paradrop with the 2nd Airborne Company. Once the Airport and Highway are secure, I will coordinate with the 4th Marine Division, 90th Mechanized Infantry Division, and 2nd Armored to make a push towards the capital.”

Of course, he would take the more prestigious position.

The Inquisitor remained quiet throughout the discussion. Maybe he found some sort of amusement in the arguments. “Your thoughts, Rear Admiral.” Orion inquired.

“If it ensures the preservation of the fleet and allows us to slow down, then I see no issue.” Fletcher threw his weight behind the plan.

“Very good.” Orion laid his eyes on her, “Your silver-tongued Governor would be proud of you.”

“Thank you, High Inquisitor.” She released a sigh of relief she didn’t know she was holding in.

Orion clasped his hands together, “If that is all settled then I must get going.”

“Wait.” A young voice blurted out. “Lieutenant General wanted to ask Cornelia a question.” The Inquisitor was taken aback by his Apprentice’s outburst. She recognized the voice, Leopold from the Summit. She felt somewhat uneasy that an unassuming boy was an Apprentice. It made her wonder how many flew under the radar.

The General nodded, “It’s in regards to your ‘pressing duties’. I understand its reconnaissance of Northern Iceland. I wanted to know the specifics. That’s a large area for a mere three platoons.”

Yes, it was, she said to herself. “My force will reconnoiter the area from the hills to the north highway near the village of Möðruvellir.”She explained, butchering the name. “Our primary concern is the military installation outside of Akureyri. And worst-case scenario Union volunteers.” Her voice faulted just a bit.

The Inquisitor eyed her knowingly, he must’ve known about her true mission. Norfolk stared at her, he suspected that there was something more. Jackson opened his mouth to further the inquiry. Orion cut him off, “That is enough, Lieutenant General. Her mission should not cause you any concern.” The Inquisitor’s eyes swept across the group, “Meeting adjourned.” Cornelia’s arm shot up to salute along with everyone else. Orion’s gaze fell on her before the hologram disappeared.

Fletcher dismissed the Knights. As we guessed Norfolk followed her out. What are the chances he was also planning something against the Inquisition? Talin would have no doubt consulted the Virginia Governor. Cornelia refused to believe that the Governor would just throw away almost two centuries of loyalty. Knox must have been exaggerating. But it didn’t explain Havoc’s odd behavior. He escorted her out to her quarters.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind,” Norfolk remarked rather neutrally.

Perhaps she was the one overthinking it all. She hesitated for a second. As much as she wanted to tell him everything, it wasn’t the time. “Everyone is a bit on edge ever since Orion took over the investigation into the ‘Patriots’.” Cornelia put it vaguely.

He nodded, “It is quite natural. But, Carolina has been as faithful to Washington. I, personally, wouldn’t be too concerned.”

Cornelia nodded. He definitely isn’t involved. It somewhat comforted her. “The ‘Patriots’ have been fairly quiet.”

Edgar flashed his signature smile, “See? Things are already on the up and up.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle, “Thank you.”

The pair ended up outside her cabin. She was in the middle of expressing her thanks when Edgar grabbed her hand. He spun her around and leaned in. “Whatever your recon mission is, just remember to take care of yourself.” He retreated to his original position. Edger’s eyes bore into hers. Cornelia’s mind raced to figure out what he meant. But, there was nothing solid she could come up with. She nodded slowly. “You are a very bad liar.” The Knight remarked as he left.

“I don’t know why I put up with you!” She said jokingly.

“I don’t know why either!” He agreed, walking away.

Cornelia watched him leave. The brevity from Edgar didn’t last as long as she would’ve hoped for. “Take care, Edgar.” She whispered.