[color=gray] [center] [h1][color=peru][b][u]Chapter 1[/u][/b][/color][/h1] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBY5bVTxOAw&ab_channel=LucasKing](Mood Music)[/url] [/center] Ephraim Quaid sat in his office, his body slouched back and his feet crossed far in front of him as he stared out over Asgard's newest conquest. What a prize it was. His sharp eyes traced over the brass and copper skyline as it wrapped over the horizon. Thousands of kilometers of urban sprawl was now Ephraim's finest achievement. Despite the sheer size of the city, Ephraim had managed to take it in only a matter of days, with minimal loss of life. It was a strategic masterpiece that would go down in the history books as the perfect example of military invasion. Ephraim knew this brought him one step closer to reaching the top of the Asgardian military, not just this mighty legion. But there was one thing holding him back, a stain on the Quaid name. And that stain was somewhere in the seemingly infinite streets of Tyberia. Ephraim furrowed his brows as he mulled over something, [color=lightblue][b]"Where are you..."[/b][/color] Ephraim said to himself, tapping his index finger upon his high cheek bones as he thought. He could see everything from his personal aerial warship. But despite everything being in his view, the details were easy to miss. He cruised at a comfortable altitude of five thousand feet above the highest towers of Tyberia's city center. He was always bothered when a cloud passed over his ship, how dare they. Asgard had mastered nature, yet for all its power, a simple cloud obscure Ephraim's searching gaze and push him back into his office space. Ephraim let out a sigh and span his chair to face his desk again. Papers and classified documents were strewn about his desk. Yet, despite the chaos, there was a very clear method to the madness. He knew exactly what to grab and where to find it whenever he needed it. Ephraim eyed the most prominent folder front and center on his desk. Stamped in large, red, superimposed letters across the front were the words 'Top Secret' and 'Privileged Eyes Only'. The folder had a wax sealed that was stamped with the emblem with the emblem of a Zephyr's eye. The Vigil. The seal had long since been broken by the General. But it couldn't wait any longer. Ephraim opened the folder flipped through the sizeable document inside. He sat back in his chair again, reaching into his desk to pack tobacco into his ornate pipe carved out of wood from Yggdrasil itself. Ephraim took a puff and pressed down on a buzzer. In seconds, an elven secretary walked through the large doors of his office. [color=white][i]"Yes, General? Is there anything you need?"[/i][/color] Ephraim looked at the secretary as she stood straight and proper at the door. [color=lightblue][b]"Let us begin."[/b][/color] The secretary watched as he signed off on the top secret document. She quickly stepped forward and resealed the file, then left the room with it at an expediated pace. When the doors closed, Ephraim was bathed in sunlight as his ship cruised out of the clouds. He span in his chair and looked out over the city again. Smoke drifted from his nostrils as he stared out the window, once again lost in thought. While he stared in the distance, a voice spoke up from one of the many sofas in his office. [color=white][b]"Are you sure this is the right decision to make, Ephraim? While he's down there somewhere?"[/b][/color] Ephraim didn't turn his gaze from the window. He simply puffed again from his pipe. [color=lightblue][b]"He made his choice."[/b][/color] Ephraim heard the figure in his room pull himself up from the sofa. His heavy, plated boots clanked on the marble floor. It approached him from beyond his desk and leaned forward. A stack of papers falling to the floor. Ephraim looked over at the fallen paperwork. He'll have his secretary pick those up when she returns. Now that Ephraim had invested energy in turning his head to the paperwork, he committed and span once again to face to the Aesir. [color=lightblue][b]"Find him before it happens, James."[/b][/color] [center][h1][color=peru][b]__________[/b][/color][/h1] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE5ZYK2RvaU&ab_channel=GiorgioNikolaRigasNenadov](Mood Music)[/url][/center] [color=peru][i]"Goooood morning, Tyberia! It's your favorite broadcasting orc, Rok Grom-do reporting live from the Printing Press! Now... I know what you're all thinking. It's the same thing that I've been thinking all day! What on Yggdrasil was with those earthquakes last night?! It's the talk of the town today, I was almost late for the show because every co-worker and their dogs wanted to talk to me about the quakes. While I don't have any answers to give, I can however tell you that a dwarf-gnome team of experts are launching an expedition beyond Tyberia's undercity to investigate the strange quakes. The leading theory now is that those pesky ratoskr folk blew something up again, but I'm sure we'll know for good in the coming day-"[/i][/color] The radio was switched to a different channel. Kaidan Malcador rolled his eyes, [color=yellowgreen][b]"I'm surprised Ada herself didn't choose to be the host of her company's radio show. Everyone knows her voice is as sweet as honey. Instead we get to listen to this brute's voice every morning. Can't stand it."[/b][/color] Kaidan opted to read off of the news paper to get his information, picking up the crumpled cluster of folded paper. [color=white][i]"Come on, Malcador, what do you have against orcs?"[/i][/color] his mechanic said as he pulled himself up from the magicar's motivator. He was a human, thirty in appearance. Kaidan bent the newspaper backward to stare at the mechanic, [color=yellowgreen][b]"Nothing. But you have to agree with me that they don't have the prettiest voices. Why not a pointer? Or even just a regular joe?"[/b][/color] The mechanic shrugged, [color=white][i]"Who knows. Ada works in mysterious ways after all."[/i][/color] [color=yellowgreen][b]"Hardly mysterious, Ada's using that orc because he's simple minded and easy to lie to."[/b][/color] Kaidan said, flipping the paper back up to keep reading. The mechanic closed the hood of the magicar and leaned against it while wiping his hands with a rag, [color=white][i]"Sheesh, almost sounds like you know her. Say... You're a man of high stature... Do you actually know her?!"[/i][/color] Kaidan nodded slowly, glad that the paper hid his head from the mechanic's view. The mechanic blinked when he didn't get a response from Kaidan. [color=white][i]"Right, well... Your magicar should be good to go. But I want to test drive before I sign it off back to you. Could take a while, need me to give you a lift somewhere? I know how busy you've been as of late."[/i][/color] Kaidan's eyes traced over the articles in the paper for a while longer before crumpling it back up and tossing it aside. He got up from his seat and climbed into the back of the car. [color=yellowgreen][b]"I have a meeting at Baron Hesser's manor today. Take me there."[/b][/color] The mechanic climbed into the driver seat, [color=white][i]"You got it boss! Hey, that actually sounds kinda nice. When are you gonna put me on your payroll, Malcador? You got way more money than that crusty old stubber. A man's gotta eat, y'know!"[/i][/color] Kaidan watched out the window as the magicar backed out of the garage and into the streets of Tyberia. [color=yellowgreen][b]"I'll consider it when you stop asking so many questions."[/b][/color] The mechanic stared back at him through the rear view mirror, [color=white][i]"Come on, Malcador! You know I'm just naturally curious."[/i][/color] Kaidan looked back at him through the mirror, [color=yellowgreen][b]"You're also a loud mouth who can hardly keep anything quiet. And I for one value confidence."[/b][/color] There was a long and awkward silence that followed. Kaidan preferred that though. As they drove through the streets, he saw many Asgardian patrols on the sidewalks pestering and practically interrogating people. He look at his stopwatch to check the time, seeing that he might be late for the meeting. Great... Worse yet, there was an Asgardian checkpoint coming up. [color=yellowgreen][b]"Go the long way. There's some extra sap in it you."[/b][/color] [color=white][i]"Damned Asgardians... They sure are making life for the average citizen difficult... Why don't they just move onto the next city and let us go on with our lives?"[/i][/color] Kaidan shrugged as he continued to stare out the window. He looked up, seeing the large imperial warship looming in the sky above the city center. [color=yellowgreen][b]"Who knows..."[/b][/color] [/color] [hider=After Action Report] - High General Ephraim Quaid signed off on a Top Secret file from the Vigil - He sent an Aesir to find somebody in the city before something happens - Resistance leader Kaidan Malcador had his magicar fixed while listening to a news broadcast about strange earthquakes - Asgardian patrols and checkpoints are high in activity - Kaidan will be late to the meeting at Baron Hesser's manor [/hider]