The Fall of Konokov

Chapter 3

i.

The nurses had tended to their wounds, Alexie lay in bed surprised. Yuri had spotted his leg injury in the plane, his shoulder injury wasn't apparent until he undressed on the plane. Eleine however remained sedated. Her legs and arms bandaged; her internal health was good, physically she was battered, they were however unsure of her mental health.

Alexi remained in bed for several days, adrenaline had left him unaware of the fleshy bullet wounds in his arm and leg. Paranoia was high since the day after the Empire had announced that three covert operatives had arrived in Konokov with the task of "retrieving" the princess. In the words of the Emperor himself "As the ruler of the Empire and the legitimate leader of the rouge Konokovan state, I may chose my bride. And my bride is currently a hostage to a hostile regime".

Doctor Manteg walked through the security checkpoint, his papers were cleared and he proceeded, he entered the darkened room and approached the Princess's bed. He pulled the suppressor from his pocket and quickly attached it to his pistol.

"The Emperor wanted you as his wife, but since we'll never get you back, I've got orders to eliminate you" he whispered.

"I think you find you have failed" the voice behind his spoke. Someone grabbed him and twisted his wrist till it snapped, flaring with pain he dropped the suppressed pistol to the ground with a clank. The man then grabbed an object from his pocket and placed the object to his throat. Manteg felt himself lift from the ground and the man ran the blade against his throat releasing blood which flowed down his chest.

Alexie dropped the assassin's bloody corpse to the ground, behind him, Special ops IKA entered the room. He handed the scalpel to a detective who arrived in the room behind him. In the far corner the curtain slid open revealing a nurse and the princess who had been moved only ten minutes prior. Eleine looked over as him, Alexie's right hand was partially smothered in blood and the hospitals scalpel sat in his slowly unclenching hand. She watched as a man she presumed to be a member of the Konokovan Intelligence Service took the scalpel from Alexie and asked him to move away from the body. The scalpel was place in a bag before another man with a camera arrived, he took a picture of the body and of Alexie and the KIS man. Eleine slowly left her bed and somewhat painfully walked toward Alexie.

Eleine's departure from the hospital occurred on the year anniversary of the Empires insurgency attack on Penin. The Palace stood firm with every available Guard at their post; Eleine would spend the next few months under psychological observation in the comfort of her home. Alexie to her dismay was transferred back to the north, although rumour amongst the guards spoke that this was a very temporary arrangement.

Alexie exited the car, he placed his commissar's cap on his head and walked up the stairs to the buildings entrance. He looked at the sign above the door; Northern Border Guard Force Headquarters, he had almost forgotten that only in the south was the NBGF called the Red Guard officially; it was used in the north, but purely as a nickname. Alexie stood in an office with his NBGF liaison, a young man whose stomach protruding out from his body with his uniform seemingly just about staying in place. The door opened and Alexie stood at attention.

Into the room walked three men, one a High-Commissar, the other two were Marshalls of the NBGF. They waved him off and they sat around a table, waiters served them drinks and snacks as they waited in silence. The room was like most of the North, designed to minimalist yet elegant. A large lit fireplace on the far side of the room most mostly obscured by the officers around the table.

Once the waiters and guards had left the room a Marshall by the name of Goert opened his mouth.

"We have the Princess back. Fantastic news, the NBGF and Royal Guard working together has further united our nation" he took a spoon full of soup into his mouth. The High-Commissar looked at Alexie.