ยฉNovelBuddy
Ravens of Eternity-Chapter 303
303 Minister Mathilde
A quartet of the Matriarchโs Royal Guards escorted the Ravens, Max, and his personal guard out not too long after they went in. It was certainly short enough to allay any suspicions, and curbed any deep speculations. f๐e๐๐๐๐๐oัต๐๐น.cเซฆ๐
The whole group went back down the grav lifts, but only by a half dozen floors. From there, they traveled down the busy hallways filled with groups of councilors, and out to a long walkway that extended out of the Palace itself.
They traveled across to a building adjacent to the Palace. The Ravens were treated to yet another security station close to the end of the walkway, perhaps 20 meters away from the entrance to the building.
And the Royal Guards stationed here were a little bit different from the regular ones. Their uniforms were a deep, dark burgundy. It was so dark that it was almost purplish-black. And there were no other highlights on their uniforms, silver or not.
At the station, the Ravens went through yet another round of careful vetting, And they also witnessed another changing of their guard. The Matriarchโs Royal Guard handed over the Ravens to these shadowy Royal Guards, then went back the way they came.
Just like at the Matriarchโs Throne Room, Maxโs personal guards were also made to wait at the security station. They most certainly didnโt have the clearance to enter this building. Even Max barely had the ability, if not for the Matriarchโs influence.
After the checks, they were all ushered inside.
Unlike the large hallways in the Palace, this buildingโs hallways were much narrower and darker. Almost no-one lingered around in them, and anyone they passed moved hurriedly off to parts unknown. The walls themselves were a drab gray and highly utilitarian in nature, a further contrast to the Palaceโs decorated ones.
As they walked down a particularly long hallway, they came across a section of windows that peered into a large room. It almost seemed like a mission control room to Eva and Xylo.
.....
One of the officers inside of the control room suddenly became aware of the Ravens out in the hallway, though he didnโt particularly look alarmed. Instead he raised his datapad and tapped a few controls on it.
After a moment, the windows turned completely opaque, and all the Ravens saw was more of the same drab walls. ๐๐ซ๐e๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฐ๐ท๐๐.co๐
A few moments later, the Ravens were taken to a small meeting room at the end of the hallway. Inside were four spacious couches facing each other, with a rather low table in the middle of them. They quickly settled themselves in, and waited patiently for Maxโs aunt.
Unfortunately for them, it was hours until she arrived. They were on the verge of dying from boredom when she finally came into the small meeting room in a small flurry of activity.
Maxโs aunt was followed by one of her personal assistants, who seemed equally harried. The two of them planted themselves onto the last open couch and collectively sighed in temporary relief.
โThanks for waiting,โ said the aunt, โitโs always busy, busy around here, and the fun never ends.โ
Eva observed the woman and noted she seemed younger than the Matriarch by a considerable amount. Now that she was getting more used to peopleโs ages in this new universe, she guessed that Maxโs auntโs age was probably in her 60s or 70s, despite looking like she was in her 40s.
She also noted that the woman had that de Jardin look about her โ angular in many ways. But softer in others. The woman also had chestnut hair, which fell in wavy locks behind her.
โYou must be the Ravens,โ she continued. โPleased to meet you. Iโm Mathilde de Jardin, Minister of Clandestine Operations. I got the Matriarchโs message, not that I appreciated it much. Itโs not like we donโt have a hell of a lot to do already.
โAnway, she didnโt get into much detail, only said that I had an opportunity, and to hear you out. So, whatโs going on, then?โ
โLong story short,โ said Eva, โwe ran from the Federation, and wanna get a recommendation from you for nation-statehood in the Hegemony.โ
โI granted them asylum as per the de Jardin Treatise on Federation Defectors,โ added Max. โI honestly believe that if House de Jardin sponsors them, theyโll help us fix whatโs ailing the House. In the future, anyway.โ
โThoseโre pretty bold words, nephew. Are you so sure the House needs what youโre suggesting it does?โ
โAll Houses need constant fixing, otherwise they fall apart from the inside...โ
The Minister pursed her lips slightly, but ultimately turned into a grim frown.
โThatโs true,โ she said. โAnd since this wasnโt an official request made through standard channels, Iโm going to take this as a favor-type of scenario.โ
Max nodded, though he wasnโt exactly sure as to what his aunt was alluding to. She in turn faced her assistant for a few moments.
โMake sure to do a level 3 redaction on this one once youโre done,โ she told her. โAnd increase the roomโs seclevel to 5.โ
Mathilde turned back to Max, this time with a slightly sterner attitude. There was a shift in her eyes, and she was suddenly back to being all business.
โWhat youโre asking is ultimately going to be dangerous for you, you know that, right?โ she said flatly. โAnd I donโt mean normal family politics. Youโre going to be dipping your toes in real politics.โ
โThe Ravens are pretty sure,โ said Xylo. โSounds like youโre the wet works branch of the de Jardins, and thatโs something we can definitely do. Itโs right up our alley.โ
โWe do dirty jobs,โ replied Mathilde. โBut it isnโt all we focus on. Weโre a multidisciplinary division meant to answer the de Jardinโs most problematic difficulties. The kind that diplomats and soldiers canโt solve.
โIf we take a leap further from that: If youโre trying to be a nation-state, then that means you would naturally become a nation-state dedicated to clandestine operations. Or am I perhaps off in that assessment?โ
โIt was not our intention to head in that direction, specifically,โ said Miko. โBut now that you mention it, it is our greatest skillset thus far. We would be wise to shape ourselves into an operations-style nation.โ
โI agree,โ added Lucifer. โI wish I had thought of it first, honestly. Thatโs how much I like it.โ
โSame,โ said Xylo.
โThe Matriarch asking me to back you makes sense now,โ said the Minister. โAll you would have to do is a few favors for us. Then I could extend certain courtesies... It would still be a simple recommendation, but with a few asterisks. These would practically guarantee your nationhood when it comes time, in the future.โ
โWait,โ said Claire. โAre you saying that we could bypass the Dukeโs votes altogether?โ
โNo, not really. But they would be incredibly obliged to vote the affirmative. We have specific clauses for people like you, who help us in very unique ways.โ
โWhat do you need us to do?โ asked Miko. โI do not imagine your tasks are easy.โ
โNo, they arenโt,โ the Minister replied. โBefore we get to that, I need you all to acknowledge that your part in this is completely covert. You will have no official statements from me or the Palace. You do get some resources from the MCO, but otherwise you would all be operating on your own.โ
โDo those resources include expenses?โ asked Claire. โAnd other remuneration?โ
โAbsolutely. What we provide is completely liquid โ you would have to source your own equipment and such.โ
โYouโre drawing a fine line between us,โ said Lucifer. โWhich means these favors carry a big weight on the House.โ
โMore or less. Youโll be treading on the toes of many powerful Houses in the Hegemony. If youโre caught, we most certainly will deny you. If youโre killed, no-one here will even remember you. We may even have to neutralize Max to protect ourselves.โ
Max laughed nervously, unsure if his aunt was joking or not.
โYou donโt have anything to worry about,โ said Eva. โWeโll get what you need done, no matter what. And in exchange, weโll receive a recommendation. Sounds fair to me.โ
โGood to hear,โ Mathilde mused. โThat kind of attitude is going to take you very far. Now, letโs get to business. Tell me, have any of you heard of the Major House called โThe Illuminatedโ?โ
The Ravens shook their heads at her. They barely knew much about the Hegemony, or its houses. They did know that Major Houses werenโt as influential as Great Houses. But they were incredibly powerful in their own right.
โI heard a few things,โ said Max. โNothing tangible, mostly hearsay, I think. People say theyโre crazy zealots who follow their Supreme Pontiff with crazy reverence. Heard one story that said he had been around for two thousand years...
โAnd also that he feeds each of his followers a fraction of his lifeforce through some kind of cybernetic thoughtwave device. It all sounds so damned ridiculous.โ
โIโve heard similar things,โ his aunt replied. โThey are an offshoot of theocracy, and are incredibly hierarchical in nature. Thereโs multiple ranks leading all the way to the top, where that supposed Supreme Pontiff is. Though Iโm not certain heโs real.โ
โAlright, so theyโre a bunch of crazies who worship some god, so what?โ asked Lucifer.
โOh, weโve all moved past such ridiculous superstitions. No, what the Illuminated do is religiously venerate their superiors. Not as some kind of deity, but as some kind of luminary.
โThey draw people to join them based on universal truths, the freedom to discuss them, and minimal government interference. This certainly brings in many people from all over the galaxy โ usually other Houses.
โBut they donโt just join โ they give them everything they own. Properties and ships and businesses. And hereโs the most alarming thing โ those who give more are given higher ranking on the hierarchy. Theyโre immediately placed in positions of power, over each other, and over the normal citizens.โ
โSo the people of the Illuminated literally worship their leaders?โ said Eva, โI donโt like that at all.โ
The Minister nodded ruefully.
โYou make it sound like theyโre hypnotizing people and stealing their wealth,โ said Kali. โWhich... I totally believe. Not like theyโre the first to do something like that.โ
โPotentially, yes. But that isnโt the only thing thatโs worrying me. Itโs the knowledge the people who join have. Some could bring secrets from their Houses into the Illuminated โ they give it to them for positions in their ranks. Imagine what they could do with national secrets...
โI had people looking into one of their induction planets to see not just what was happening, but if theyโre also performing clandestine operations like us. If theyโre stealing knowledge from their members.โ
โI imagine they were discovered,โ said Lucifer.
The Minister nodded.
โOr worse,โ the Minister replied. โI want you to find them. Extract them if you can. Neutralize them if you canโt. And for heavenโs sake, donโt get caught.โ