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[b]Somewhere in the Kingdom of Verendes......[/b]

A gloomy light filled the small, quiet bar of a small industrial town, complimenting the atmosphere of the place. Various commoners sat at tables or at the bar itself, trying to drink away the hardships of factory life. An old piano played softly in the background as the waitress manuvered her way through the room to deliver a drink. She came to a man in the back, sitting at a small table alone. He nearly blended into the background, yet carried an air of mystery about him. He wore his Fedora low, and kept his tinted glasses on. One might wonder why a middle aged man would have such grey hair, but nobody thought anything of it. The waitress placed the mug of beer on the table and gave a small nod. "Is there anything else I can get you, Mr......"

[u]-----Four Weeks Ago-----[/u]

"Mr. Harken?" 

Harken looked up from the table. He sat in a dull, small room at a small table in the center. Across from him was a man holding an open file. He was definitely a member of the military, but Harken didn't reconize the insignia on his uniform. The man was slightly older than Harken, most likely in his late fifties, his dull bluish-grey eyes glanced up at Harken briefly before looking back down at the file. 

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Sorry sir, no."

"Lieutenant, please pay attention, as this is of the utmost importance. I said that your father is a human, an immigrant from our nouthern neighbors, Verendes, as this would explain your obvious lack of the signature feathers of any Valkyeria, correct?"

"Err... Yes sir, my father had fled the country for suspected treason." Harken replied, wondering why this officer was questioning his ethnicity. It was true, thought, that he was a "mixed breed" of sorts. He hated that term, but had come to accept that many mean no ill will by it. "Sadly sir, he passed away this past spring..."

"That's a shame, my condolences. Tell me, how much do you know of the kingdom to our north?" The man asked

"Well sir, my father told me of how things were starting to become unstable. He told of how the government was becoming more and more overbearing as the nation becomes more industrialized. It was one of the major reasons why he escaped to Avalia. He-" The man across the table cut him off.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Harken, we know of the opressive government, but that does not concern me. Allow me to refraise my previous question. How much do you know of its culture, social norms, ect.?" Harken thought for a moment. His father taught him to speak the language of the nation fluently as his father himself had always had a hard time talking in Avalia, but culture? Social norms? What kind of questions where those?

"I'm sorry sir, I really only know how to speak the language fluently, but as for any social norms, I'm rusty at best..." The man across the tale began to write some things down before closing the file. For the first time since Harken met this man, he showed some emotion. A small smile appeared on the man's face as he closed the file. 

"Well, despite your 'rusty knowledge', I think your the man for the job, Lieutenant Harken. It seems you have been selected to make history in the coming months." The man extended his hand across the table as he stood. "My name is Major Aikol, welcome to the AIA" Harken stood and hesitantly shook the hand.

"Uh, AIA sir?"

"The Avalian Intelligence Agency."

[u]-----Present Day-----[/u]

"I'm, thank you." Harken replied to the waitress. He had made into the Kingdom only two weeks before to meet with a contact at this quiet bar. According to his briefing, the Kingdom of Verendes became relevant to Avalia when a message was dropped into a border station by a small, unidentified aircraft not too long ago. It told that there was a liberal, moderate faction within Verendes that wanted support from Avalia in turning this country around, hopefully into a fellow democracy. Harken was sent into the kingdom to the meeting location described in the letter to make first contact with this liberal faction. It was an incredibly risky, trap filled move, but it could Avalia's one shot to have a new democratic ally to give them a major advantage over the fascist state near by. 

Thus, Harken sat in the bar, staying inconspicuous. Waiting for either his contact, or his death. 
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