back to us. ‘I’ll put Aburia’s number two, Sepunia, in charge for the moment. Liaise with her.’ He handed me a signed operations order, gave me a quick nod and went back to his desk.
As Daniel and I walked back to the strategy room, he said, ‘Do you want me to sit in the team briefing session?’
‘If you like,’ I answered automatically, momentarily distracted by Conrad’s sombre mood. I could see how stricken he was by Aburia’s betrayal, particularly as he was trying to rebuild morale in the unit. Dishonour of core Roma Novan values was offensive, particularly in a military officer sworn to state service. Despite the lack of them around them in Rome in the late fourth century, Apulius and the founders knew upholding values was critical to survival in their new colony and had hammered them into every part of life in Roma Nova.
‘Sorry, Daniel, that wasn’t very gracious of me. Yes, of course.’
‘Tough times,’ he said.
‘Really?’ Livius said. ‘This is a simple extraction, surely?’
A fast-tracker because of his military skills and ability to think, Livius was already an optio waiting for his promotion to centurion. But sometimes he was a little too confident.
I looked at him and tipped my chin up. ‘If it was, do you think I’d be wasting my time trying to herd you bunch of prima donnas into line? No, it isn’t that simple,’ I continued. ‘We not only need to rescue the hostage, but take all the hostage-takers alive and uninjured, and immobilise booby traps without triggering any remote systems. Anybody with these resources has to have a remote warning or surveillance system.’ I jabbed my index finger at the probable enemy capabilities and threat list on the flipchart.
‘The extraction must not be seen as such, or as an arrest from the street, either before, during or after. The opposition will be watching. We also have to assess both work and home locations, and plan for both.’
Something in my expression kept them quiet for a few moments, even Trebatia, who could have won prizes for wholesale chattering. Of all the team, Flavius looked the most serious, eyes creased but unfocused. I remembered that expression from my first undercover mission seven years ago when I met him. Novius chewed his lip, already sketching some overlapping line diagram for the technical framework.
‘Is there a particular reason for this level of stealth?’ asked Paula Servla.
‘There’s always a good reason – just take it as read,’ I said, drawing breath to move on to the next subject.
‘Yes, obviously,’ retorted Paula. I could see from her sceptical expression that she didn’t buy it. She saw too much. When I’d transferred into the PGSF, she’d been the first to work me out.
‘What I meant was,’ she continued, ‘is there a wider security or even political aspect here?’
The others gaped at her except Flavius who smiled to himself. He knew me too well. As always, Paula detected the underlying dimension. Was it simply experience, intuition, or was she borderline telepathic?
I glanced sideways to Daniel, who nodded. I pulled out the pyramid jammer and placed it on the table. Seven other pairs of eyes looked down at it, some diverting glances to me.
‘This might sound a tad melodramatic or even paranoid…’ I began.
‘Oh, surely not?’ came a sarcastic female voice. Atria.
‘…but I cannot stress enough, the secrecy of this operation. We don’t know who our opponents are, whether they’re friendly or hostile.’
‘Surely, hostile?’ Flavius looked up. He sounded surprised at having to ask.
‘Well, not necessarily. The thing that bugs me is that Aidan isn’t dead.’
‘True,’ Flavius said. ‘That’s quite strange, even benevolent.’
‘Precisely. Given the level of threatened violence and the opponents’ professionalism, it’s illogical.’
‘We’re not crossing somebody else’s operation, are we?’ Flavius asked.
‘Not that we can see,’
As Daniel and I walked back to the strategy room, he said, ‘Do you want me to sit in the team briefing session?’
‘If you like,’ I answered automatically, momentarily distracted by Conrad’s sombre mood. I could see how stricken he was by Aburia’s betrayal, particularly as he was trying to rebuild morale in the unit. Dishonour of core Roma Novan values was offensive, particularly in a military officer sworn to state service. Despite the lack of them around them in Rome in the late fourth century, Apulius and the founders knew upholding values was critical to survival in their new colony and had hammered them into every part of life in Roma Nova.
‘Sorry, Daniel, that wasn’t very gracious of me. Yes, of course.’
‘Tough times,’ he said.
‘Really?’ Livius said. ‘This is a simple extraction, surely?’
A fast-tracker because of his military skills and ability to think, Livius was already an optio waiting for his promotion to centurion. But sometimes he was a little too confident.
I looked at him and tipped my chin up. ‘If it was, do you think I’d be wasting my time trying to herd you bunch of prima donnas into line? No, it isn’t that simple,’ I continued. ‘We not only need to rescue the hostage, but take all the hostage-takers alive and uninjured, and immobilise booby traps without triggering any remote systems. Anybody with these resources has to have a remote warning or surveillance system.’ I jabbed my index finger at the probable enemy capabilities and threat list on the flipchart.
‘The extraction must not be seen as such, or as an arrest from the street, either before, during or after. The opposition will be watching. We also have to assess both work and home locations, and plan for both.’
Something in my expression kept them quiet for a few moments, even Trebatia, who could have won prizes for wholesale chattering. Of all the team, Flavius looked the most serious, eyes creased but unfocused. I remembered that expression from my first undercover mission seven years ago when I met him. Novius chewed his lip, already sketching some overlapping line diagram for the technical framework.
‘Is there a particular reason for this level of stealth?’ asked Paula Servla.
‘There’s always a good reason – just take it as read,’ I said, drawing breath to move on to the next subject.
‘Yes, obviously,’ retorted Paula. I could see from her sceptical expression that she didn’t buy it. She saw too much. When I’d transferred into the PGSF, she’d been the first to work me out.
‘What I meant was,’ she continued, ‘is there a wider security or even political aspect here?’
The others gaped at her except Flavius who smiled to himself. He knew me too well. As always, Paula detected the underlying dimension. Was it simply experience, intuition, or was she borderline telepathic?
I glanced sideways to Daniel, who nodded. I pulled out the pyramid jammer and placed it on the table. Seven other pairs of eyes looked down at it, some diverting glances to me.
‘This might sound a tad melodramatic or even paranoid…’ I began.
‘Oh, surely not?’ came a sarcastic female voice. Atria.
‘…but I cannot stress enough, the secrecy of this operation. We don’t know who our opponents are, whether they’re friendly or hostile.’
‘Surely, hostile?’ Flavius looked up. He sounded surprised at having to ask.
‘Well, not necessarily. The thing that bugs me is that Aidan isn’t dead.’
‘True,’ Flavius said. ‘That’s quite strange, even benevolent.’
‘Precisely. Given the level of threatened violence and the opponents’ professionalism, it’s illogical.’
‘We’re not crossing somebody else’s operation, are we?’ Flavius asked.
‘Not that we can see,’
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