The Royal Resistance

Chapter 14 - Operation Britannica

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Whispered the General as he looked into the other room.

"It's the only chance we have of finishing the mission and maybe figuring out who the traitor is."

"Oh right, yes. Because a probability of finding a traitor will not ruin a whole operation at all," the sarcasm poured over the General's words.

Maria glared at him. She looked back into the other room where the resistance leader and Agent 004 where talking hurriedly. "I don't trust her anymore than you do, but Garbo told the Germans that the operation would happen in two days, so we have to do it before then. Tomorrow - well I suppose it's today already - working with the resistance is our best chance and she knows them better than anyone in MI5. They respect her and they have a plan already, while we barely have an idea of what we are going to do. So we have to work together to get the codes, the agents and the mole... and you'll get your promotion. Win-win for everybody."

"Well I don't trust him." Maria followed the General's gaze to James, who was looking at maps of the roads of Toulouse with other resistance members. They had called the camp as soon as Maria had told the General what they were doing and had advised Garbo of the plan. He had sent Agent 004 and James to the Benoît Tabard safe house, but he did not come as he could not participate in the attack lest his cover be blown. He would instead play the diversion and distraction roles.

A route would be set and all members of the MI5 and the resistance would be aware of it. Garbo would then tell the resistance leader that the real route for the MI5 agents was a different one and that she should only discuss it with Agent 004 so as to minimize the possibilities of the Gestapo knowing, and as there was no need to tell anyone else given that they would all know. (In reality, only the General and Maria would.) After this, Garbo would confirm with the Gestapo that the infiltration was still planned to happen two days from then. If when Garbo spoke right before the attack with the Gestapo, they knew about this allegedly "real" route, then they would know that the resistance leader had spoken to Agent 004 and she had informed the Gestapo, therefore she would be the MI5 traitor. Given that this alternate route was fake, it did not matter if the Gestapo went to it as the agents would be safe and the operation would continue.

Maria sighed, "I know, but right now we need to finalize the plan and finish this mission." She walked into the other room and took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Tout le monde listen up!" The leader said as she turned to face the resistance, clumped in groups around the room. "Ze MI5 members are infiltrating the Gestapo with us tonight. In case you do not know ze plan," the woman turned around a chalkboard behind her filled with white lines and words that meant nothing to Maria, "ze Germans have sentenced Jaques, the husband of one of the resistance members, to death. Lucie, his wife has visited the Gestapo trois fois, three times, in order to get Klaus Barbie, their leader to release Jacques however it was denied and therefore a plan was set up to rescue him in another way. Lucie managed to convince one of the German soldiers that even under ze death panel - I mean penalty - according to French law, citizens may still marry. It was then agreed that this wedding may take ze place tonight.

"After the wedding, the Gestapo soldiers will have to transport Jaques back to the prison. This is their usual transportation route, the resistance team will be ready to ambush the vehicle as it passes here," the woman pointed at the cloudy chalk that was now starting to clear, forming roads, lines and x's in Maria's mind as the woman explained where and when they would attack, the number of soldiers and the various routes. "We will draw the Gestapo and their reinforcements out and the MI5 will infiltrate the headquarters, releasing their agents and any other resistance or not prisoners." She looked at Maria and the general, "D'accord?"