July B.W. 0001, Seventh Space War
Five weeks prior to the final operation
Cloud 9, Bureau of Military Intelligence
Cloud Nine, the group of colonies furthest away from the Earth, escaped most of effects of the war unscathed. It consisted of more than a dozen colonies from which the rebellion had raged across the solar system for the seventh time. This war started as a violent response to the utter humiliation they had endured after the imposions set upon them by the Nijmegen Treaty that ended the Sixth Space War.
Rather than trying to align Cloud Nine back with the rest of the Earth Sphere, the UNE Council alienated the people more and more by forcing economic sanctions, military restrictions and reparation costs unto the spacenoid population. Hardships followed the imposions and only fueled the anti-Earth government feelings as the Cloud ripped itself apart in economic and social crises.
Out of the turmoil rose a new order under the leadership of Seidel Rasso which pulled the Cloud back together. He reformed the economic, social, political systems to all serve People and State; claiming that capitalism, individualism and democracy are the tell-tale signs of Earth decadency and elitism.
The new regime glorified both the State and People, that without Cloud Nine and the spacenoid population a better future could not occur. And Newtypes were the perfect example that Rasso was right. That Cloud Nine should be the dominant power in the Earth Sphere for the better good of mankind.
Seidel Rasso made Cloud Nine's Colony One his capital, both civilian as military. Not far from the House of Assembly, which was nothing more than a puppet government to give off the air of equity, lay the military district where the Bureau of Military Intelligence was located.
The building looked more like a palace built in the neoclassical architecture of times long past and dominated the surroundings. Large marble steps, dark granite pillars and large alabaster tablets, with various historical events of the Cloud carved into them, made up the exterior of the otherwise light grey building. Two obsidian statues in bays inlaid with patterned azurite and malachite adorned the facade just above the entrance. The meaning or persons honored forgotten long ago. The massive wooden door, carved with great detail and fitted with bronze ornaments, had bleached in color by age, sun as well the many hands that had touched it.
In one of the small offices, which looked larger due to a high ceiling, sat a man behind his dark and heavy oak desk. Only the desk light shone in the otherwise dark room and an ashtray on the edge of shadow and light revealed a still smoldering cigarette butt. While he unfastened the white collar of his marine blue uniform with gold embroiderments, Colonel Rob Duvell studied recently acquired information from agents stationed on Earth.
Rob Duvell, bald with a crooked nose and sharp chin, was a seasoned veteran of the Sixth Space War where he lost his right eye and finally settled on a desk job with Military Intelligence. The years haven't worn the edge off of him, he's still keen and resourceful as then. But his taciturnity is sometimes mistaken for disdain and has offended more than a few simpleminded superior officers who took it personally. His only visible vice is that he's a chain smoker, a habit picked up in the Serengeti during the last war.
Time for a short break, he thought as boredom finally gained the upper hand. Duvell reached for his aluminum cigarette case, pulled one out and lighted it as he sank away in his armchair. As he rubbed his left eye Duvell checked if the eyepatch was still comfortably over his right one. A nap looked pretty attractive right now.
Just as he started to nod off a person briskly opened the door, the sudden entrance made him jump out of his chair. Hoping it wasn't a superior, Duvell stood at attention and tried to make out the black figure in the doorway. The visitor flicked the lights on and Rob Duvell saluted directly, with his gut tucked in and his chin thrust out, as he recognized his commander.
Admiral Canris Quale, head of military intelligence, a few years older than Duvell with ginger hair and square cut beard, was the only Oldtype still in the General Staff. Which was only possible due to the fact that he did his job too damn good to be replaced, although he wasn't really popular with Seidel Rasso, Cloud-Marshall Plasence or the rest of the Staff.
He walked in and dropped himself onto the leather couch against the wall opposing Rob Duvell's desk. He was offered one of Duvell's cigarettes but briskly rejected it with the notion "No thanks, Duvell. I know what you smoke."
"It's an acquired taste, this African tobacco." And Duvell took the opportunity to light one for himself as he chuckled on the comment, forgetting his other cigarette still in the ashtray. "Some tea perhaps, Sir? You seem rather tense."
Quale nodded and Duvell spoke a few words through the comm-panel on his desk. And a few minutes later his adjudant, Lieutenant j.g. Biden Spenker, opened the door to let a servant in who carried a silver tray with the tea and a dish of nut cakes. He placed the tray on the granite top of the coffee table, gave a polite bow towards the two officers and then made his way to the door. After the servant and Spenker both left the office Duvell seated himself onto the armchair next to the couch and poured the Admiral and himself a cup of tea. After a sip or two, he asked "Your meeting went well? Did Seidel Rasso have something specific in mind?"
"A simple exercise in logistics, nothing very complicated; he merely wants the UNE Council brought from Earth to Cloud 9." The Admiral paused for a second to take a sip from his tea and to observe Duvell's reaction to the news. Duvell merely shrugged and Canris Quale continued, somewhat cooled off by refreshments "We are ordered to make a feasibility study. Today's Wednesday. By Friday he will have forgotten about it, but Cloud-Marshal Plasence won't."
"So we have our work cut out for us…"
Rob Duvell remarked, looking more interested at his smoldering cigarette, than the feasibility study.
"This study is a complete waste of time and resources. Fabricate something immediately so we're done with it!"