“That’s right, Rundstadt. They were desperately hiding this information, but during the last few days their guard has dropped.”
Because there was no longer any need to hide it.
“We must stop the Security Department from stirring up trouble. We must rescue General Douglas, stop Verne 1 from launching, and make it appear as if nothing happened.”
Sophia nodded quietly at the marshal’s words. They could not allow this threat to go unchecked.
“Their facility is twenty kilometers from Berun in a rural town called Penmunde. I will send a unit of rangers to suppress them immediately.”
Next, Toolman handed her orders.
“Major Rundstadt, I want you on the team. Is that all right?”
“You don’t need to ask.”
Sophia was a military officer. She was a career soldier, so fighting was a way of life. However, precisely because she was a professional, she hated unnecessary battles and knew the value of life. She despised anyone who caused war and involved innocent civilians because they liked it.
“Oh...” Sophia remembered something. “Captain Toolman, I have a request.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Toolman’s rank was lower than Sophia’s. However, Marshal Elvin was responsible for this operation and he had entrusted the captain with full authority.
“There is someone I would like to add to the team.”
Sophia was making a request instead of giving an order.
“You probably know him. I would like to take Lud Langart.”
Meanwhile, Meitzer...
“Now let’s see...”
He was alone, confined to a stone cell without a window.
“This construction is classic. I’m surprised buildings like this still exist.”
His hands and feet were bound, so while his treatment didn’t qualify as torture, it was far from humane. He had come to the edge of Berun to visit the Association for Space Travel. With their cover as a social club researching how humankind might advance into space, they had concealed research and development into space rocket technology that could be used for military purposes.
“Is anyone there? I want to talk.”
Meitzer had guessed that the person behind it all hoped for a new war. He had plunged in alone to convince them to give up their plans.
“There’s still time, but once your activities are known, your lives will be forfeited,” he had warned them.
But that had failed. Their reach was greater than he thought. They had taken him prisoner and drugged him. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in this cell.
“Are you awake?”
Several men and women appeared. There were no guards outside his cell, but they had come so quickly, although the cell looked like a regular room in an old castle, there must be hidden surveillance cameras and microphones.
“General Douglas, it is an honor to meet you.” A man who was perhaps the group’s leader spoke to Meitzer in an oily tone of voice.
“You know my name?”
His name was Douglas Meitzer. This man knew the identity of a general in Noa’s army, and he had captured and imprisoned him. That meant these people had full knowledge that their actions could cause a diplomatic and military conflict.
“Then what should I call you? I don’t care if you use a false name.”
“Oh, how rude of me. I am Hitzinger, chief of Security Department headquarters.”
Surprisingly, the man offered his name and organization. He said it so casually that Meitzer almost suspected it was false.
“I wish you were lying.”
But it was true. It was dark with no moonlight, but the man held an antique lantern in his hand. The lantern lit his face and it was Hitzinger, the chief of the Security Department, whose face Meitzer had once seen in secret documents.
“I’m surprised that I’m meeting Genitz’s successor like this.”
Six months ago, Genitz instigated a large-scale rebellion that threw the royal capital into turmoil. Genitz was no longer alive, but his subordinates were stationed all around Wiltia, including inside the military. Their effective leader was this man with a creepy reptilian face—Hitzinger, chief of Security Department headquarters.
“Do not misunderstand. I don’t pretend to fill our deceased leader’s shoes. I merely want to complete the work he was unable to finish.”
“You mean by pulling the trigger on the Second Great European War?”
Genitz’s goal had been to rule Wiltia himself and start a new war. He wanted to conquer not just the continent of Europea, but Noa and Aesia, among other places, and create a single nation comprised of all humanity—the first since the ancient European Empire.
It was a delusion. A giant delusion. Even if he wasn’t able to achieve that goal, Genitz had possessed the talent and know-how capable of throwing the world into chaos.
“I see... You cannot be his successor.”
Looking directly into Hitzinger’s eyes, Meitzer was certain. Unlike Genitz, this man had no vision. Why did he want to start a war and what did he hope to achieve by doing so? Genitz had at least understood his own goals. Meitzer knew what Genitz was after and how he had transformed his ambitions, bordering on megalomania, into action.
“Hitzinger, you lost your leader, so you’re chasing a ghost to fill that void. Trust me. You should stop.”
Meitzer knew it was a waste of breath, but he warned Hitzinger anyway.
“..................”
Hitzinger didn’t reply. However, the air around him grew tense. While he didn’t lose his scornful smile, it was obvious he was uncomfortable and angry.
He’s a third-rate actor, too...
Meitzer had never met Genitz face-to-face, but from what he had heard, Genitz would never have revealed his emotions. In a way, this man Hitzinger was pure. And that was why he would not stop. He believed, and would accept nothing to the contrary.
“I doubt I can get through to you, but you’re being manipulated. Verne 1? If word gets out that you launched that missile, even as a test, animosity toward Wiltia will quickly spread!”
The Security Department was conducting a rocket launch experiment. That was their story. In truth, they were testing the ballistic missile’s automatic attitude control and inertial guidance to drop it via sub-orbital flight.
“Wiltia must be strong. The strong have the right to dominate the weak. No, they have the obligation to lead the human race!”