Somewhere in eastern Norway…
June 11, 2049

Charles Olavson was an elderly gentleman. Yet still very much in shape for his age. His face looked weathered but what really grasped someone’s attention were his eyes. How they screamed authority. Mr. Olavson made men think about an old war saying: beware of old men in a profession where men usually die young. Charles has always been within one army or another. Right now he was the very founder and ruler of Einherjar. A security force that was quickly rising up within the world. Setting standards left and right.

Right now he was sitting in a helicopter with 4 bodyguards not half his age. But each and every one of them were massive. Silence dominated the inside, until the chopper finally touched down into the snow below and the side door was moved open. They were greeted by a man, about 45, standing 50 meters away from them and aiming an old M40 rifle at them.

“Put that away, Mr. Crow.” Yelled Charles out as he advanced through the snow. “You’re liable to hurt yourself, or worse: me, with it. Let us go inside.” When Crow’s eye fell on Charles, he lowered the gun. For a moment the two stood still with a few meter between. Crow gave a curd nod and allowed Charles to pass. But he then pointed at the bodyguards and said: “You stay out.”
10 minutes later
Both Charles and Crow were sitting comfortably in front of a hearth. Each with a glass of freshly poured whiskey. The ice inside the glass was jagged and crude. As it was literally just taken from outside. “Let me cut to the chase, Mr. Crow. Einherjar is not here to detain you.”

There was a stark difference between how Crow and Charles dressed. Mr. Olavson, since raising up Einherjar, began to see the appeal of business casual. Right now he was dressed in a formal suit. His black mantle gave him the look of an old officer. To top it off, the red scarf over his shoulders bound it all together. Mr. Crow on the other side looked like a farmer. One who was now grinning. “Good for you. If you were, you didn’t bring enough boys. Though I’m guessing this isn’t some check-up on me, I’d guess.”

“Very much not. As much as I despise to say it, Mr. Crow, Einherjar requires your particular skillset and connections.” At this, Crow sat up a bit more upright. “The giants in the east are stirring. Jötunn are making moves as everyone is watching the Vatican.” For a short moment you could only hear the crackling of the flames and the increasing howling of the wind outside. After Charles finished his sip he continued: “Your mission would be simple. Disrupt Jötunn’s operation in Iceland, Greenland and Svalbard.”

“That’s a hefty request. What if I refuse?”

“The law of Norway is very clear on extradition of mass murderers. Though I think recently it was amended. Close family are considered conspirators and will be extradited as well.” You could practically hear Crow grind his teeth at that one. He knew he was put in a weak position. But he also knew that the fight wasn’t over yet: “Svetlana and Katharina must both receive Future Investments support. The both of them, they are bright enough. It won’t stand out.”

Charles was briefed on his two daughters. The request was not outrageous. He’d get it through without much trouble. He merely nodded and then continued the briefing: “Next week you will receive a full briefing and all required documents. But I’ll give you the rundown so you can get started. Utilize your resistance contacts in Iceland to sabotage any and all industrial targets of Jötunn. We don’t care about civilian casualties. You will receive coordinates of a large shipment of military equipment bought by Einherjar from Bastion. Pirate the ship. Make it vanish.”

Both men acknowledge that by now, the necessities had been discussed. And neither desired to be in the other’s presence for much longer. As a civilized man Charles walked out towards the door that was held open by Mr. Crow. But right before Charles went on his way, he turned to the Icelandic not-so-former terrorist: “And remember, Mr. Crow. This conversation never happened.”
[hr]
Asgard, Sweden
June 11, 2049
 “Yes. Thank you, Charles. Safe travels.” Haldjor put the phone down again. The entire confrence room had remained silent for the few seconds he spoke. Charles had done it. Simultaneously his PR manager was giving a rather moving speech about the ‘Destroyers of Europe’. Though Haldjor did notice the man was hammering a little too hard on tough action. “Remember me to soften future speeches. I don’t want to get compared with Jötunn.” The army of aids there all wrote it down. “Let us move onwards.”
 
One aid moved up in front of the others. Ready to give her briefing. “Jötunn made a quick move. It arrested alleged conspirator in the city of Stuttgart. The images are… escalating.” She pressed a button on her phone and one of the TV screens switched to phone videos of tanks rolling into the street. Armed, military troops and rows of prisoners dragged through the street. The over-arching theme was grey, crude and unnecessarily violent. After the series of images, the aid continued: “It would seem that Jötunn is once again using violence to reach it goals. Worse, it appears that for the time being, the EDA is desperate enough to help them so they can both curb terrorism in central Europe.” She took a step back again. Letting another aid take the ‘stage’.

“Home markets have remained somewhat stable. Nothing beyond SEER’s predictions. But the whole of Europe isn’t doing as well as we are.” He pushed a few buttons on his phone and several screen switched over to stock market shares. “Where there is a free market, stock has dropped in tourism, social services and most international trade. Security, as predicted, is going up. As well as most insurance company stock. But overall the euro will once again fall into decline.” He took his step back as the screens switched back over to several muted news outlets.

Another, a bit older, secretary demanded the attention: “Titan continues to escalate its assault on ISIL strongholds. Response seems… limited from them. Which might not be entirely be a surprise concidering they have been dealing with terrorist activity for much longer.”

Then another aid took the stage as the first one retreated back into the band. “GenCultura is setting up a humanitarian mission. Considering their history this may deliver those in Italy some genuine relief.”

All eyes now turned towards Haldjor. Who sat in silence for a few moments. Thinking about what to do next. Eventually the orders went out for a second time that day.

“I want two separate orders go to Bastion. The first order will have a budget of 500 million euros. Only equipment, materials and the likes. No vehicles or anything like that. Send over one of our own ships to pick it up. With haste.” Though Haldjor knew very well that he’d never see that ship or those 500 million euros again. “The second is an order of 2 billion. Tell them down at Einherjar that they have to decide what to spend the money on exactly but every cent must go towards Bastion for their products.” Two aids left the room.

“Setup secret roads between South- and North-Denmark. I want the brightest minds that haven’t been brainwashed by Jötunn to get a chance to pick up a new living here in Carolus Holdings areas. As long as they don’t have any strong political stances that is. But keep it subtle. Make it appear as if those people are moving on their own. The last thing I want is Jötunn accusing me of stealing their best.” Five aids left.

“Send whatever support Munich and Nuremberg ask for. Food, water, money, troops. I don’t care. I want those two free cities to remain free. I want invisible pressure on those city councils to redirect their cultural focus towards World War II. We cannot allow them to fall in the hands of Jötunn. Those greedy bastards will gobble up the whole of Europe if they aren’t kept in check.” There was clear sign of frustration in his voice. Another four aids left the room.

“We must re-evaluate our stance with the EDA. God help us, Roxane is making a deal with the devil. The god damn woman doesn’t have a clue what she’s dealing with. Offer her an alternative. Show the images of our silent arrests. Make sure Einherjar is allowed to aid in the arrests of those who blew up the damned Vatican. We cannot let desperation dictate our policies again.”