The Knight's Crucible

A NEW PURPOSE

1

August 4, 2:45 AM – Outside Il Nona’s Headquarters

Near Marseille, France

Team 1 in position.

Team 2 in position.

Team 3 in position.

Roger that, Colonel Francois Dubois of the Security and Intervention Group of the Gendarmerie Nationale said into the microphone. Hold positions and wait for the order to proceed.

The command post was dark except for the illumination from the video monitors. There was a light wind blowing through the trees surrounding the clearing where the Gendarmerie Nationale had set up. The command post was simply a hastily erected tent on a hillside about a mile away from the chateau that was the target of tonight’s operation. Six men were inside the tent, but the clearing was filled with support troops and auxiliary personnel who were waiting for the strike teams to begin their attack.

Colonel Dubois turned to the man standing next to him. Are you certain they’re in the chateau?

We’ve been watching the chateau for almost a month, the Grand Prior for the Order of the Saltire in France replied. We saw the man that we believe to be their leader enter the chateau two days ago. People have been coming and going since then, but we haven’t seen him leave. Our best estimate is that there are about twenty-five people currently inside.

And you’re certain they’re part of ‘Il Nona’?

Absolutely, the Grand Prior said. We think that this is more than just a safe house. We believe that it’s their new headquarters.

Where are your people now?

They’ve pulled back outside of your perimeter. They should all be clear of the teams by now.

Colonel Dubois nodded. As the commander of the anti-terrorism response team within the Gendarmerie, he had been tasked with coordinating all efforts against Il Nona across France in the months since the existence of the group and its plans for ethnic conflict across Europe had been made known.

Colonel Dubois had seen first-hand the violence caused by Il Nona. He had been in command of the troops surrounding Orleans a year earlier when the local population and Muslim immigrants started fighting. The violence threatened to spread across the region, and his troops were ordered to keep the violence contained. For days, he watched as both sides of the conflict slaughtered each other until there was no one left to fight. When his troops were finally able to move in, the death toll was in the thousands. Not even women and children were spared from the hatred and blood-lust of the fighters.

The memory sickened Colonel Dubois, and he vowed that he’d do everything he could, within the law, to bring Il Nona to justice. If their headquarters were in France, he was determined to seize it and capture its occupants.

Colonel Dubois reached for the microphone. All teams, report your sightings.

Team 1 reporting minimal activity.

Team 2 reporting a single armed patrol squad of three along the eastern edge of the creek. No other activity visible.

Team 3 reporting approximately thirty individuals inside the building. Only a few are moving. No exterior activity visible.

Very well, Colonel Dubois acknowledged. All teams proceed.

Good luck, Colonel, the Grand Prior whispered.

To us all, Colonel Dubois replied.

The Legate of Il Nona sat at his desk feeling frustrated. His office, on the third level of the Legion’s headquarters, was illuminated only by a small lamp on the edge of his desk. Even though the headquarters had moved to this location a year earlier, when Il Nona’s primary headquarters in Scotland had been seized by forces of the British government, the Legate’s office still looked like he had just moved in. Boxes were stacked all over the floor, and papers were everywhere. This office wasn’t the headquarters of an organization that was functioning well; it was the office of an organization in crisis.

He had assumed command after the forced retirement of his predecessor, Gaius Constantine. As a result of the public exposure of Constantine’s initiative to incite racial violence between local populations and Muslim immigrants, over 1,500 Legionnaires and officers had been captured or killed by the time Constantine was executed. In the months that followed, the total strength of the Legion had dropped another seven hundred, leaving him an effective fighting force of around 3,800 Legionnaires and officers.

Things were still not going well for the Legion. Il Nona was being hounded by local law enforcement, national militaries, and Interpol. It was being systematically and relentlessly hunted and chased out of Europe. For almost two thousand years, the Legion had operated in secret across Europe, selling arms, training fighters, and providing seasoned troops for most of the conflicts across the continent. Now Il Nona was no longer a secret, and their only business was trying to survive.

The Legate knew that he had been right when he decided to expand beyond the borders of Europe, but it had proved harder than expected, thanks to his predecessor.

Il Nona’s primary competition in the training of fighters was North Africa. The paramilitary training camps there were well known and respected around the world. Even though they were also the most watched training camps in the world, thanks to their reputation for training terrorist groups, Il Nona had been unsuccessful in stealing any business from them. Middle-Eastern groups wanting training refused to have anything to do with Il Nona after Constantine’s ethnic violence initiative had been made public, and European groups wanting training couldn’t risk working with Il Nona in light of the unified efforts across Europe to hunt down and destroy the Legion.

With the loss of the arms factory in Scotland, Il Nona hadn’t been able to recover its arms sales business. Il Nona had also made no progress expanding its mercenary business. The Middle-East and North Africa were closed to them, since those regions were largely Muslim, and Il Nona now had the reputation of supporting and sponsoring violence against Muslims. Central Africa was closed to Il Nona for the same reasons. The Far-East didn’t want fighters who looked European, preferring fighters who could blend in with the local populations.

For the past year, no revenue had been coming in, with no immediate prospects for obtaining new sources of income. The losses for the Legion were mounting, not just in the loss of facilities and other assets, but in the loss of highly-trained and loyal personnel who were being killed or captured daily. For the first time in its existence, a Legate of Il Nona was contemplating having to disband the Legion.

The Legate shook his head. It’s an option to consider, but not until all other options have been exhausted. The Legion still has vast financial resources that haven’t been discovered or seized by European militaries or police agencies. The Legion can survive several years with no income and still have plenty of reserves left that we can use to rebuild, assuming there are any Legionnaires left to rebuild with.

The Legate looked down at the papers and folders on his desk and half-heartedly started straightening them into orderly piles. He hated a messy desk, but lately he had allowed his entire office to look like an avalanche had hit it. Each day brought a new crisis to be dealt with, and maintaining the appearance of his office hadn’t been a priority. This isn’t how the home office of one of the oldest institutions in Europe should look.

He started with the stack of folders in his inbox. There were status reports from the surviving Centurias around Europe, as well as reports of the personnel and equipment losses from the more recent military raids against their safe houses and other facilities. He opened the first folder and scanned the report of the loss of two Centurions and over fifty Legionnaires in Spain two days earlier. Frustrated, he closed the folder, placed it in a new pile, and opened the next folder.

Sandwiched between the first two folders was an envelope that the Legate didn’t recognize. He looked at the return address. It was from one of his overseas bankers. Curious, he opened the envelope.

Il Nona did business with banks all over the world. This allowed wealth to be spread out and made local investing easier. Il Nona kept bullion on deposit in several banks that also did business with groups whose operations were considered to be outside of the law. From time to time, these banks offered to make introductions between some of their customers for mutually beneficial business transactions needing to be brokered discreetly. This created opportunities for the bank’s customers, and earned the bank some fairly large finder’s fees for making the introductions. Many of Il Nona’s arms deals and training contracts in the past had been brokered in this manner.

The Legate removed the letter from the envelope and read it. This banker, from one of Il Nona’s banks in the Cayman Islands, wanted to make an introduction between Il Nona and another customer from the Republic of Suriname who needed services that Il Nona might be able to provide. The Legate had to admit that he had never heard of the Republic of Suriname, but he finished reading the short letter anyway. The banker had provided a phone number that the Legate could call to either accept or refuse the introduction.

This was the typical way for bankers to determine whether Il Nona was interested in meeting the bank’s other customers. The letter would always contain minimal information in case it was intercepted. The details would be provided via a secure phone conversation or in person. The banks valued the privacy of their customers as much as they valued keeping their own involvement in illegal activities a secret.

The Legate turned to his computer, did a search on Suriname, and discovered that it was the smallest sovereign nation in South America. Il Nona had never done business in the Western Hemisphere before, and it was a completely unexplored market. However, since there were no business prospects anywhere else in the world at the moment, the Legate decided that he’d call the banker to get more information. He was curious about what business opportunities there might be on the other side of the Atlantic – away from the current hostility in Europe.

The members of Team 2 silently approached the patrol squad. There was no moon out that night, and the sky was cloudy. The team members were all wearing night-vision goggles, and they noted that the patrol squad members were similarly equipped. The team leader made a gesture with his hand, and the members of Team 2 stopped and crouched down. The team leader made another gesture, and the team members took aim. The team leader counted down from three with his fingers, and when he reached one, the team fired. There was only a whisper from the rifles as the sound suppressors absorbed the sound. The patrol squad fell to the ground, dead. Team 2 moved forward.

A tired Principal was sitting in the security room down the hall from the Legate’s office, watching the security monitors and trying to stay awake. There were no infrared cameras on the estate, and the exterior lights were currently turned off. Without moonlight, all of the monitors were blank. The Principal yawned and decided to get some coffee. As he stood, a red light on the security panel started blinking.

In the grounds around the chateau, Il Nona had installed sensor pads that could detect anything larger than a dog walking across the manicured lawns and gardens. The security patrols knew where the sensor pads were located and always avoided them.

The Principal, now awake, sat down and typed a command on the computer console to see which sensor pads were reporting an intrusion. It’s probably just deer looking for food. He looked at the computer, shook his head, and checked again. Sensor pads all over the estate had been triggered. He looked at the monitors and saw no movement. He made a quick decision and entered a command into the computer. A moment later, all of the chateau’s exterior lights turned on.

When the lights came on, the members of the Gendarmerie Nationale teams were immediately blinded. They tore off their goggles, but it took several moments for their vision to clear.

From the command post, Colonel Dubois saw the lights come on and realized that his men would be discovered soon. Damn! he shouted as he grabbed the microphone.

All teams shoot out the lights and proceed as quickly as possible, he radioed to his men. Take whatever evasive precautions you deem necessary, but we must capture the occupants of that building.

The Principal saw the soldiers on the monitors as soon as the lights came on, and he knew that the headquarters was about to be raided. He hit a button to alert the guards on the first floor and raced down the hallway to the Legate’s office. Without bothering to knock, he barged in.

Legate, soldiers are outside! I need to get you out of here.

The Legate, still holding the letter from his banker, stood up immediately. Damn! They’ve found our headquarters again! He shoved the letter into his pocket and took his pistol from the top drawer of his credenza. He saw the cigarette lighter he kept next to the pistol and, looking around his office, made a quick decision. He picked up the lighter, lit it, and tossed it onto his desk, catching the stacks of papers and folders on fire.

The chateau serving as Il Nona’s newest headquarters had been many things in its long history. It started as a country residence in the sixteenth century, but during World War II, it had been a rest and recreation center for officers of the Nazi occupation army. Escape tunnels had been built in case of Allied air attacks, which is why Il Nona had purchased the chateau and estate. The tunnels ran almost a mile underground and ended on the far side of the woods at the southern end of the estate grounds. There were explosive charges along the length tunnel that could be set off to collapse the roof. This would prevent anyone escaping from being followed.

The Legate followed the Principal into the hallway and down the stairs to the ground floor. The guards were already armed and taking up positions to repel the assault. The Legate wanted to stand with them, but the Principal pushed him forward.

We have to get you to safety, sir, the Principal said to the Legate. The men know what to do. They’ll cover your escape and destroy the rest of the records.

The Legate nodded reluctantly and followed the Principal down the stairs into the cellar.

Once the exterior lights were extinguished, the teams moved toward the chateau again. The leader of Team 1 heard glass breaking and signaled for his men to drop to the ground. They heard gunfire coming from the chateau. The team leader motioned to one of his men, who lifted his weapon, took aim, and started firing tear gas canisters at the chateau.

The other two teams also started firing tear gas canisters through every window on the first and second floors of the chateau. When the sounds of gunfire ceased, all teams moved forward again.

Looking up, the leader of Team 3 saw an orange glow coming from the window on the top floor of the chateau and realized that the room was on fire.

This is Team 3. The upper floor appears to be on fire. Repeat, the upper floor appears to be on fire.

Colonel Dubois heard the report and looked at the Grand Prior. It looks like they don’t want us to capture their files this time, the Grand Prior said.

Colonel Dubois nodded. Grabbing the microphone, he radioed, All teams proceed. Neutralize anyone who resists. Recover all files possible. I’ll send in a fire suppression team as soon as you have the target secured.

Colonel Dubois turned to an aide and ordered the fire suppression equipment to move forward.

The teams moved to the three entrances on the ground level of the chateau. One team member kicked in the door while another team member fired flash grenades through the opening to neutralize any defenders inside. Then the teams moved in.

The assault was over quickly. Between the tear gas and the flash grenades, the Legionnaires were disoriented and unable to mount any resistance. By the time the first two floors were secured, the fire suppression team had arrived. The fire on the third level hadn’t spread far, and it was quickly extinguished, but the office was a total loss. Whatever files or papers had been in there were completely destroyed.

A search of the headquarters revealed little information that the Gendarmerie Nationale didn’t already know. In all, twenty-seven Legionnaires were killed or captured. If the leader of Il Nona had been there at the time of the assault, he was long gone by the time the headquarters was secured.

The Legate and the Principal reached the end of the escape tunnel about ten minutes after the Gendarmerie Nationale teams stormed the headquarters. The Principal opened the door, looked around to make sure that there were no soldiers nearby, and motioned to the Legate that it was safe. As the Legate exited the tunnel, the Principal reached for a lever on the wall of the tunnel and pulled it down. He joined the Legate outside and closed the door.

Muffled explosions could be heard from the other side of the door. The roof of the tunnel had collapsed, which would prevent anyone from following the Legate.

The Principal turned to the Legate and asked, Where do we go now, sir?

The Legate reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter from his banker. Looking at it, he replied, Somewhere I can make a secure telephone call.

2

August 6, Noon

Headquarters of the Order of the Saltire

So that’s all we know so far, your Excellency, the Grand Prior of France said. "The Gendarmerie Nationale captured Il Nona’s headquarters, but most of the records were destroyed in a fire, and the leader escaped. The chateau had an escape tunnel that was collapsed by explosives to prevent anyone from following. The Gendarmerie Nationale found where the tunnel ended, but there was no sign of where the leader went."

Thomas Campbell Anderson, Grand Master of the Order of the Saltire, looked at the man’s face on the video monitor and nodded. The Grand Magistry was sitting in its conference room listening to reports from the European Priories and Commanderies by video conference. Tom had wired one entire wall of the conference room with video monitors and video conferencing equipment as a way to maintain face-to-face communications with leaders