Audrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stopped just outside of the large wooden doors that led to the war room. Kasnia barely had 3 years of peace and rebuilding into prosperity, when a new threat emerged. She exhaled knowing that the moment she crossed through the entrance she was going to be in the middle of planning civil and military defenses. When she was coronated, she very foolishly held tight to the belief that she could maintain peace within her borders. She put her hand against the door frame and allowed herself to slip into wishful thinking. She wished that she and Diana had gone public. She wished that they had been able to build a family that would rule Kasnia for future generations. She wished that she had not had to sacrifice her happiness to bring her people peace. And as the last thought passed through her mind, she felt her resolve steel itself. There really was no time to grieve the past. The present was here now, and these things would never be possible. And a few moments was all she allowed herself before setting the foolish thoughts aside and swinging open the doors.

She was greeted immediately with several uniformed officers standing and saluting her. Audrey nodded and her eyes settled upon her husband's. He gave a quick bow and offered her a seat at the table the other officers were occupying.

"Tell me what we know to this point."

Her husband, General Leonid, spoke instantly. "The group that has been attacking selected targets within our borders is called the NKFR, the New Kasnian Freedom Resistance. Their exact numbers are unknown at this time. Intelligence reports suggest that a small faction of the resistance I led has broken away and begun selecting targets to destroy. Their goal is not completely understood at this point, but there are theories. What we do know is that they are making use of technology left behind from Vandal Savage, and the destruction that they are inflicting is causing high civilian casualties."

"Do we know where they are hiding?"

"No, my Queen, we do not. We believe that they originally were given assistance by Ruritania, our neighbors to the east. It seems that they were given access to factories and laboratories within their sovereign in exchange for sharing some of the technology they sought to develop."

"What exactly are they developing?"

"Other than weaponry, we cannot say exactly. Intelligence to this point has only managed to uncover weapons factories. Some of the soldiers that they have used have been equipped with special suits. We also believe that there is validity to the theory that they are or were working on a meta-human project. So far, that has not been confirmed, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that they were successful on some scale."

Another general spoke up, "If I may?"

Audrey nodded, "Please, General Urbov, proceed."

"Troopers painted black with the Kasnian rising sunburst on their chests have been attacking police stations, and border crossings. We believe that attacking outposts so close to the Ruritanian borders has angered the country. But they are not openly admitting to anything. However, if we were going to guess at a location based on limited intel, we think that the NKFR has relocated to the Eastern Kasnian mountains. Given the expanse of the range, we have not been able to pinpoint an exact location. Savage technology has been utilized well to keep them hidden. They are also attacking small airstrips, helipads, and smaller production facilities."

Audrey leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. "Tell me more about this Savage technology, and start with the weaponry and suits."

Once again her husband spoke up, "They seem to be power suits. We have managed to recover some, but unfortunately none of the men occupying them have survived. They seem to be willing to attack a facility, and destroy it. In the instances where they have been engaged, the troopers have shown discipline, and heavy fire power is at their disposal. A single trooper is equipped with machine gun capability, small rockets, and packs on their backs are being utilized to give them flight. From what we can gather in the small amount of time we have studied the suits, and from eye witness reports, top speeds of flight appear to be about 200-250 miles per hour. Best guess is that given the size of the pack, maybe they are able to fly 150 miles at most."

"These are all guesses though correct?"

"They are, but they are based on limited information, and the limited amount of time that we have had to gather it. However, there is no evidence to the contrary that we are wrong."

"And we have no idea of how many are in their ranks?"

"No."

"Why do you believe that meta-human technology is involved?"

The room became silent. Audrey looked around, and noticed that several of the officers had uncomfortable looks on their faces. Her anger started to rise to the surface. "Is there a reason that no one is answering me?"

A distinct feminine voice finally spoke up. "There was an attack in the pre-dawn hours this morning on the dam at Fastad."

"WHAT?" Audrey yelled. "It is now seven in the morning. When did this occur exactly, and why was I not informed?"

A petite, dark-haired woman stood. "Apologies my Queen. The information was relayed to General Leonid within an hour of the strike."

Audrey looked the other woman up and down. Currently standing was the head of the intelligence bureau, Illiana Stilenko. Audrey gritted her teeth. She knew the woman well. She was highly regarded amongst her peers for her intelligence gathering techniques and there was no one better suited to hold the position. But, for all her skill in her occupation, she was also known to Audrey as something more. She was General Leonid's mistress. Audrey turned and glared at her husband.

General Leonid motioned for Illiana to sit again, before turning his attention to his wife. "I was made aware of the strike at Fastad. 679 people were killed. We believe that a meta-human was involved. There are reports flowing in that at approximately 0300 a figure of some sort was seen in the sky. Vivid beams of great heat were seen raining down on the dam slicing through it as if it were paper. The dam walls did not hold, and casualties were immediately reported. Fastad's dam is near an area where the troopers attacked a few weeks ago. Civilian resistance held their own until a small brigade of our ground forces reinforced them. Together, they pushed the troopers into retreat. We believe that this attack was done in direct retaliation for the defeat."

Audrey was enraged. "One man did this damage?"

"Yes, that is what we know so far."

"In the future, I will be made aware of such things immediately. For now I need to know how we plan to proceed."

Leonid spoke once more. "These attacks, other than the one at Fastad, have been targeting smaller factories, and infrastructures. No major factories or cities have been attacked. I believe the strategy in play is to only make small crippling blows. If the goal of the group is to eventually overthrow the government, then it does not make sense that they would destroy major facilities. Given that they would need to these places to manufacture weaponry and technology, it is not likely that they will destroy plants that would be costlier to rebuild. The targeting of airstrips and helipads suggests that they only wish to keep any potential allies from being able to come in or out of the country. Using the mountains to strike from is smart. They provide cover, and we would be hard pressed to outright order the destruction of the range."

"So basically with these packs they can fly around and bring hell from the skies, while we can only utilize ground forces against them?"

"Yes. That is how it appears."

"How successful are our ground forces likely to be given the weapons technology the enemy possesses?"

"They have demonstrated success, but with high civilian casualties. Not knowing what their goals truly are, we are dispatching more forces to the east, but without definitive targets being known, we have to spread them thinner than what I would like to be doing."

Audrey stood. "Then I suggest we begin identifying the cities within the flight range of these packs. Take a close look at what manufacturing capabilities each has, and section the army in relation to what you find. With the possibility of meta-human technology being involved, I am going to make a direct plea to the United Nations to bring in the Justice League. We are going to need assistance, and we must demonstrate to the people that we are making every effort to keep them safe. I am not foolish enough to believe that based on this limited evidence we can convince the League to get involved, but we must exhaust every option. Get moving gentleman, and be prepared to give me an update again this evening."

Immediately the officers stood and began filing out of the room. Once the last uniformed officer had left, Audrey directed her attention to her husband.

"I am not going to pretend that I am happy about hearing about the attack on Fastad from your mistress Dmitri. Never let that happen again. I am sovereign of this country lest you have forgotten that small fact."

"Do not chastise me. I know you do not care about her anyways, given our little arrangement."

"You are right. I could care less who you sleep with as long as it is done discreetly. But there is no excuse for not having informed me immediately. You may be my husband, and I do rely heavily on you to make military decisions, but do not think for a second that you are the authority here. Are we clear?"

"There was limited information to give you. As it is we have more questions than answers right now. I am clear however, and will make sure in the future you are given information in a timelier manner." Leonid was polite, but there was a slight sarcastic undertone in his conveyance.

"Very well. I will begin forming our appeal."

"You do not believe we will be successful."

"I don't. The League is not likely to lend assistance without more substantial proof than what we have right now of meta-human involvement."

"Why not subvert the process and go straight to the source you wish to speak to anyways? You and I both know that it is Diana's help you want."

Audrey glared at her husband. "Tread lightly Dmitri. Successes and failures are falling on your shoulders right now. It is clear we need assistance of a higher nature than simple ground troops."

"If you are so sure the League will not sanction action, then why bother?"

"Proper procedure dictates that is what I do. But that is not all I have in mind."

"What are you going to do?"

"Appeal to the Union as well. In particular, I believe we have an ally that can help us right now."

Leonid stood tall for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes. "You would go that far to get Diana here?"

Audrey railed, "This is not about getting Diana here to rekindle anything. Our people are priority. What do you care how I garner the assistance as long as it comes? At the end of the day, we both only care that the people do not suffer. It is why our arrangement has been successful thus far. Do not let pride stand in the way of making sure we are victorious. The people deserve better."

Leonid did nothing to hide the disgust on his face. "Very well. Do what you believe you need to. I will continue to plan how our forces will be dispersed." With a curt nod, he turned and stormed out of the room.

A/N: Thank you for patiently waiting...hope this chapter was worth it. Thank you once again for the reviews. Ltlconf has worked hard on providing details and I have been trying to bring them altogether. An appeal to the League...how do you see Shayera and Diana reacting? And what do you think of the fact that Audrey seems to have an arrangement with her husband? For anonymous...glad you liked the last chapter. Diana and Shayera are in love. But the question is, how will Diana react, and how does that affect her feelings for Shayera...please leave a review and share your thoughts. They are most appreciated.