[OL - FB] The Secret War

[Yperio_Bricks]

I am really a fan of your wonderful vignettes and fascinating stories!

[Khorne]

Chapter V. - Predator

Present day.

Manaaki slowly crept forward through the dense foliage, towards the campsite set up by the retreating stragglers of the Brigade Rouge. Like a panther he snuck on his unknowing prey. Aided by his tribal upbringing and years of experience in hunting, Manaaki was impossible to spot for the untrained eye and ear. Without as much of a sound he tread lightly through the undergrowth, covering by the shadows and plants of the thick jungle.

He surveyed the camp and memorized its lay-out so he could pass the information to his companions later on. While there were no apparent signs of a violent struggle, the camp looked rundown with many broken and empty tents. It was clear the unit was under strength and that several soldiers had left. What remained of the men looked tired and downtrodden with little fight left in them.

Tonight would be the night. Perfect.

-----

4 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

I am really a fan of your wonderful vignettes and fascinating stories!

Thanks! Like I said, most vignettes have been shot now, including the new ones, so I can keep posting at a steady pace now and continue the story until it's wrapped up.

[Khorne]

Chapter VI. - Prey

Thanks to the carefully relayed information of Manaaki on the layout of the camp, the schedules of the guards and the activities of its inhabitants, the raid was swift; performed with surgical precision, it was over before most of the sleeping rebels knew what was transpiring.

Under the cover of the night, captain Lysandre and his men left their positions in the jungle. Like a deadly disease they crept up on the camp, silently killing those who stood in the way of their objective. Guards were taken down without as much as a sound. There was palpable tension in the air as Lysandre's troops did their utmost best not to get discovered, but the rebels were so tired they never noticed what hit them.

Lysandre and a handful of men made their way to the main tent, while several others snuck around the camp to retrieve anything of value. A small scuffle ensued as the gendarmes dragged Nicolas out of his bed, put him in irons and shoved a bag over his head. It was over quick, but it was enough to alert some other members of the Brigade Rouge. Here and there shouts were heard that started to wake up the camp and people started discovering the murdered guards and ransacked tents, but the gendarmes were already double-pacing it back into the darkness of the jungle, in possession of their prey.

Extra picture in daylight:

Spoiler

 

[Yperio_Bricks]

I can only repeat myself  Love it the story and builds!

[Keymonus]

Wow, so many great additions! I really love your storylines, and this is definitely no exception! In these small vignettes, you are introducing so many great characters and really fleshing out our world! I also like how your story continuously jumps between New Oleon and El Oleonda, but still maintains a realistic "fog of war" on what your different characters know.

[Khorne]

Chapter VII. - Haji

The party retraced their steps through the jungle as quickly - and safely - as they could, stopping every now and then to re-orient themselves and make sure nobody was following them. It was a hard march after a short night and the pace was slowed somewhat by the prisoners they dragged along with them. It took Lysandre and his gendarmes a while to make it back to where they had left the horses and some extra men, who were relieved to see their comrades again.

"Let's get out of here as fast as we can," Lysandre ordered the troopers, as he mounted his horse. Patting the neck of the animal, he looked at Manaaki. "Do you know a place where we can make a quick stop to water the horses?"

In his mind, the Tyree'dee warrior was struggling to find the correct Oléonese phrases and words to express himself, so he merely nodded and motioned vaguely in a direction. It was good enough for Lysandre, who smirked. He had learned to trust Manaaki's knowledge and motivation by now and knew the scout would deliver.

The fully mounted party got on their way, trudging through the jungle paths single-file, following Manaaki's lead. It didn't take them long to reach a small pool of clear water. Before they could bring their horses to the water however, a stranger stepped out of the shadows. Armed with a pair of sheathed katanas and brandishing a naginata spear, the individual was clearly a wandering Monomontachi samurai.

The gendarmes were quick to aim their firearms at them, but Lysandre motioned them to lower their weapons. He was intrigued by the spectacle.

"Who are you?", the captain implored. Yet the warrior remained silent. "Are you alone?" The conversation, or lack thereof, went nowhere.

The samurai gestured towards himself with his free hand. "Haji [shame]." He then pointed his spear at Lysandre and grunted in completely broken, heavily accented and nigh-understandable Oléonese "Mori honoraburu [mort honorable; honorable death]". He stuck the naginata spear in the ground, unsheathed one of the katanas and invited Lysandre to strike and engage in a duel.

-----

On 10/28/2023 at 12:39 PM, Yperio_Bricks said:

I can only repeat myself  Love it the story and builds!

Haha, thanks! I know there's only so much you can say . In the end, it's just a series of 8x8 small MOCs, so there's little new to add. Glad you are following along and like the story and builds!

On 10/28/2023 at 9:30 PM, Keymonus said:

Wow, so many great additions! I really love your storylines, and this is definitely no exception! In these small vignettes, you are introducing so many great characters and really fleshing out our world! I also like how your story continuously jumps between New Oleon and El Oleonda, but still maintains a realistic "fog of war" on what your different characters know.

Thanks for the compliments! I appreciate them. I'm always glad to see people are reading and enjoying the stories!

[Fraunces]

I read them also, and I love them. Keep it going! 

[Khorne]

Chapter VIII. - Standoff

Lysandre threw his hat towards one of his soldiers and drew his sword. He exhaled and rolled his shoulders, preparing himself mentally for what was to come. The captain knew the party didn't really have time to stop for this nonsense, but the samurai had to go - one way or the other, in order to get some water. And admittedly, he was also kind of excited for the challenge, even though he knew he was hardly the best swordsman or duellist out there. As a child of a noble family of lower status, he never really received proper training in the skillset and would apply what he had learned in the army. Oléon's old blood lines - the proper landed nobility, they were the real duellists and often participated in duels as a pasttime. A sport derived from ancient tradition.

The captain braced himself. His opponent squinted his eyes and charged. A flurry of sword slashes came towards Lysandre, which only some of them he was able to parry. Several minor cuts appeared on the gendarme's uniform and a drop of blood fell on the ground. Haji stood tall and boastful in his tactical victory. But it was not over yet. This time Lysandre propelled himself forward and cut away at his opponent, who block most of his attacks with relative ease and determination. Haji was a proper samurai, trained from a young age in the art of proper swordsmanship - unlike the captain.

Sensing an opportune moment, the samurai retaliated and pushed Lysandre back, disarming him as he tripped. Haji put his katana at Lysandre's throat. Confident in his win, yet disappointed he was not granted a noble death, the samurai prepared to end the fight.

Lysandre cocked the pistol which he had whipped out in the last moment and had aimed at his opponent. He grinned at the samurai, who was angered at this display.

"No honour," Haji spat.

"Honour gets you killed. I prefer being alive", Lysandre replied as he pushed the katana away and got up. "You're part of the past. We are the future."

The captain sheathed his sword and put away his pistol. His action was followed by the samurai.

"You're looking for a noble death? Come with us and I can pit you against some of Oléon's finest swordsmen. Or come with us and renew your purpose. Serve a new master, King Philip and lend him your sword. An exquisite skillset such as yours would be a shame to let go off. It's up to you, really."

Haji probably only understood half of what Lysandre was talking about, but it seemed enough. Grunting, he stepped aside and let the soldiers pass to water the horses.

-----

13 hours ago, Fraunces said:

I read them also, and I love them. Keep it going! 

Thanks! Almost there now!

This chapter was a bit too long for the concept I had in mind. I wanted to strive for 3-4 paragraphs per MOC. Next one will be shorter again.

[Yperio_Bricks]

Nice to see a Naginata and i love that stud on the back thingy so you can apply the hat! Also Haji wears a very nice torso. I have to keep my eyes more open for stuff like that (Chinese New Year sets and company).

[NOD]

The samurai a is exciting and continuation of the story! It's really great how the minifigures are positioned in their movements. It is very difficult to defeat the samurai in a sword fight. Good thing it didn't come to that. The samurai is an asset to the group.

[Jeff of Clubs]

Glad you're back! Been up to my earballs in steel for a while now but looking forward to some BoBS reading this weekend!

[Khorne]

3 hours ago, Jeff of Clubs said:

Glad you're back! Been up to my earballs in steel for a while now but looking forward to some BoBS reading this weekend!

Thanks! I've been wanting to wrap this up for some time, as there aren't a lot of chapters left, but I changed jobs at the start of November and it has left me with less free time than before - which I hadn't anticipated to be this "bad'. However, holidays are coming up, so I think I'll find some time then to post the final pieces.

[Khorne]

Chapter IX. - Civilization

After the small incident with Haji, who then joined the party of hunters, the trip back to Fort Arltrees went smoothly. Or at least as smooth as a trip through a war-torn island could go. Danger and even the cold grasp death and the embrace of Hades were still lurking around every corner, but at least the worst was behind for Lysandre and his Gendarmes.

The weary soldiers returned to the settlement in the dead of night, stirring as little commotion as possible. The men returned to their barracks to tend the horses and get some well-earned rest, while Lysandre changed into civilian clothing and slipped away.

He met up with lieutenant-colonel Andromeda in one of Fort Arltees more "public" public houses. The lieutenant-colonel raised an eyebrow at the sight of the flamboyant captain. "That's your idea of civilian dress, Lysandre?", Andromeda remarked, making sure she did not mention his rank.

Lysandre merely chuckled and waved away the sneer. "I might not be of the highest or most ancient nobility, I still am part of it. If it is not us who bring culture to these plebeians, then who will? This land will be civilized."

Andromeda ignored Lysandre's reply and went straight to business. "Is it done? Were you able to deliver the package? I hope there weren't too many bumps in the road?"

"Everything is done as stated in the briefing," the captain answered. Leaning in closer, he spoke in a more hushed voice: "The package was delivered to one of your black ships off the coast, ready for transport to Guelph. They are bound to leave soon, if they haven't already."

He leaned back again. "My work here is done, I believe."

Andromeda nodded. "Excellent. I will return to Guelph as well then, to follow up on this case. You did well. I shall write highly of you in my report. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

The captain rubbed his chin and scratched his head. "Our party picked up a straggler along the way, a Monomontachi defector. Masterfully skilled with the blade. He could be an asset to our cause. I'd like to recruit him into my troop. However, like I said: officially he is a Monomontachi. I'd need the proper paperwork in order for the bureaucracy to be satisfied, if I were to take him as one of my own."

"Consider it done," Andromeda replied as she took out a small notebook, "name and surname of this man?"

"Not sure."

"Not sure? He has a name, right?"

"Just write him down as 'Haji', first name," Lysandre paused to think, " 'Australis' last name. And if it is not too much of a hassle, you can transfer Manaaki as the dedicated scout to our unit."

Andromeda gave a stern look, but obliged. "Don't push it." She got up in a quick fashion and made ready to leave. Turning her head, she gave the captain one last order: "Forget this ever happened, understand? You were never in the jungle and you found nothing."

"I will forget, like I forgot about our previous encounter, Andromeda," Lysandre playfully answered, but the sly smile on his face quickly vanished as his eyes met Andromeda's ever sterner growing complexion.

She grunted in anger. "Can't say I remember. It mustn't have been really memorable. You'd do well to mind your place and manners. You're playing with fire."

As she barged out, Lysandre could only wonder what would happen to Nicolas Pierrot next. He could've asked, but he knew better than ask about Section XIII's murky affairs. While the Gendarmes were often derisively called the "King's Gardeners", he knew his work was only superficial in weeding out crime in the realm and paled in comparison to XIII's dark business.

[Khorne]

Chapter X. - Sunny side up

Somewhat concurrently with Lysandre and Andromeda's meetup, an Oléonese prison barge left the coast of El Oleonda and took to the high waters, en route to Tarzout in Guelph. The ship was an older decommissioned warship, stripped of most of its valuables and weapons, which had been repurposed on newer models. The wood creaked as it crawled its way home amongst the waves and the interior was damp, rather unkempt for a ship and smelled foul. Most of the interior had been modified for the transportation of prisoners. There were hardly any markings on the ship, it had no name or a logbook to speak of. The records were scarce and not open to prying eyes. To most, the ship didn't exist. A black ship to run the Kingdom's most unwanted criminals and traitors. 

Once the ship would arrive to Tarzout, most of the prisoners would be put on a further transports to prison sites across the peninsula, while others with minor punishments or who had little information on them would be put to work on public projects and infrastructure. Some of them would be offered the choice to serve in one of the penal units to repent for their anti-royal behavior. It was hoped they'd learn some proper values there. Hope that is in vain, most likely.

None of such were options for Nicolas Pierrot. As the right hand man of Dorée and chief head of the Brigade Rouge, he was bound to be a source of intelligence on the movement. Agents of Section XIII would make sure they'd extract every bit of information out of him in their fight against the plebeian anti-socials of the Society of Héracles.

The belly of the ship was hardly lit, safe for some moonlight seeping through the grates at night, or some sunlight during the day. An officer of the Force Publique walked amongst the prisoners, who had all received prison garbs. He bellowed a speech that he most likely had uttered a hundred times before, word for word: "Listen up, scum! You are here because you all have wronged the State and thus our King. Now, you belong to the State in order to repent and pay off your crimes to society. In his unending kindness, King Phillip saw it fit to grant you all a one-way ticket to the beautiful sunny lands of New Oléon. Now, I'd say that is most magnanimous of our Lord and I like to believe you all concur. As such, I propose you all sing his praise by chanting the national anthem!"

The guard raised his lantern to take a look at the downtrodden, glaring faces of the prisoners. He smirked evilly. "Please do put your souls into it, lads! Lack of enthusiasm or participation is rewarded with added time to your sentence. An excellent opportunity to show your loyalty to great Oléon even more so!"

"Well then, allons-y (FR: let's go)! Let's put some culture in you, dogs!"

-----

Two posts for today, to make up for not having posted for a long time and because I liked the contrast of "culture" and "location" of chapter IX and X.

So, Nicolas has been captured and Lysandre will be rewarded, which largely marks the end of the story. I still have some interludes and an epilogue left to tie into the main story, but thanks already to everyone who kept on following, despite the long breaks in between builds!

My first iteration was very straightforward and was only about four vignettes, I think. It was only: arrival, the way there, capture and the prison ship. The story evolved along the way, but I'm glad with the result.

[Fraunces]

3 hours ago, Khorne said:

but I'm glad with the result

Glad? You can be most proud of your work. This genre of vignettes and storytelling is always a very nice read and I don't think the interperiods were too long. The builds are very good and charming alongside the stories you made. I have the feeling you could expand much more with your now established characters. But that's ofcourse up to you. I would love to see more 

[NOD]

Your topic is excellently told in every episode and presented with an appropriate 8x8 build!

Chapter IX well told and appropriately constructed. The 2 swords on the wall, the candlelight and the depiction of the 2 people are memorable.

I really like Chapter X. What happens to the prisoners on the ship? Are they going to a prison island? Will the ship be boarded by pirates? Is Captain Lysandre Duchamps or Nicolas Pierrot the good one? Who is good or bad is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps both are acting with noble motives and the story ends differently than expected.

[Kai NRG]

Two really clean and very different vignettes!  Both of them do a great job capturing an atmosphere in a really small space, something you consistently excel at!

[Khorne]

13 hours ago, Fraunces said:

Glad? You can be most proud of your work. This genre of vignettes and storytelling is always a very nice read and I don't think the interperiods were too long. The builds are very good and charming alongside the stories you made. I have the feeling you could expand much more with your now established characters. But that's ofcourse up to you. I would love to see more 

Thanks, that is a really nice comment! I also meant I was "glad" to have done it the "long way" instead of staying with the original idea of doing it the short way with only 4 MOCs. That way, the stories had more time to breathe.

I don't have any concrete stories as of yet with the characters, but I was planning on using them again in the future. I just don't know the setting yet.

12 hours ago, NOD said:

Your topic is excellently told in every episode and presented with an appropriate 8x8 build!

Chapter IX well told and appropriately constructed. The 2 swords on the wall, the candlelight and the depiction of the 2 people are memorable.

I really like Chapter X. What happens to the prisoners on the ship? Are they going to a prison island? Will the ship be boarded by pirates? Is Captain Lysandre Duchamps or Nicolas Pierrot the good one? Who is good or bad is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps both are acting with noble motives and the story ends differently than expected.

Thanks, NOD! I'm happy you liked the builds and stories!

I like your conclusion, it is mostly that sentiment I was going for! Good or bad is indeed in the eye of the beholder and all characters act on their own motives that they view as "good or noble".

Regarding the end, don't expect any sudden plot twists . Nicolas is really going to a prison. That was the original setup of the storyline all along, so I won't change anything there .

8 hours ago, Kai NRG said:

Two really clean and very different vignettes!  Both of them do a great job capturing an atmosphere in a really small space, something you consistently excel at!

Thanks, Kai! I appreciate the comment.

[Yperio_Bricks]

I really enjoyed reading your stories and viewing your fine vignettes You truely mastered this format of storytelling and building!

[Jeff of Clubs]

Great little story that ties elements of current events together while broadening our understanding of Gran Oleon's internal workings. I like this style of vignettes as a supplement to your writing. I will probably emulate it later when I can build again. DuQuesne has a particular hatred for traitors and will likely find a project for the Legion Penal that is as 'fiery' as his own disposition. Nice work!

Edited December 28, 2023 by Jeff of Clubs

[Khorne]

3 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

I really enjoyed reading your stories and viewing your fine vignettes You truely mastered this format of storytelling and building!

Thanks! I like reading and seeing how many people follow along with the storyline .

1 hour ago, Jeff of Clubs said:

Great little story that ties elements of current events together while broadening our understanding of Gran Oleon's internal workings. I like this style of vignettes as a supplement to your writing. I will probably emulate it later when I can build again. DuQuesne has a particular hatred for traitors and will likely find a project for the Legion Penal that is as 'fiery' as his own disposition. Nice work!

Looking forward to those tales and builds of yours !

Like I said somewhere before, we currently have Christmas vacation in Belgium so I have a bit more free time, so I will upload the final pieces in rapid order. Mostly because I also want to have this finished before the start of 2024. As said, the story is finished, the goal has been reached. The following Interlude and then an Epilogue I will post on Saturday are merely to tie up some loose ends. The length of these will be kept to a minimum.

---

Interlude III. - Bitter Morning

Emilien ruffled through today's papers as he sipped his coffee. Like so many of his countrymen, his morning ritual existed was to visit one of Granoléon's many coffeehouses and have a coffee and pastry to start the day, while reading the newspapers or socializing with other intellectuals, philosophers or artists. Unlike the bourgeoisie living in the better-of parts of the city, Emilien frequented coffeehouses in the poorer districts, where the Force Publique wouldn't dare show its face and he was thus relatively safe from harm.

"Excusez-moi, mon camarade," a Heraclean loyalist interrupted Dorée's morning, seemingly out of breath with a face that ran red. "I have urgent news."
"Speak freely camarade, we are all equals here," Emilien replied and awaited the man's tidings.
"News from El Oleonda, Emilien. Nicolas ...," he paused, "Nicolas has vanished. Taken. We don't know. There are only rumors. It's probably been a while now. You know how slow news reaches us from the front."

Usually quite the rhetorician, Emilien was left for words. Nicolas was one of his staunchest supporters. Part of the movement from the early days. "That is ... certainly ill news," he solemnly stated - his mind racing. "Is there any notion whatsoever on possible whereabouts or how it happened?"

"Like I said, camarade: only rumors. It seems he was taken away at night, but we don't know for sure by whom. El Oleonda is a hornet's nest... Perhaps the Lotii turned on him, maybe it was the Carnites. The imperialists? There are tales of a splinter cell having emerged as well. Maybe a falling out that has turned violent? The fog of war makes it unclear. I'm sorry, Emilien."

Emilien pensively dismissed the follower. He rubbed his temples and rummaged through the papers in front of him once more. News of El Oleonda was hard to come by and most of it was biased to put Oléonese leadership and military in a good light. He'd hoped to find some trace of his friend in the articles, but it was to no avail. The closest thing to a clue he could find was a headline that read 'Red Front collapses - heathen dogs run with tails between their legs'.

The messenger might be wondering who the perpetrator was, but inside Emilien knew where to look. It did not bode well for the movement and the future. The morning left a bad taste in his mouth and stomach. Worse and more bitter than any strong coffee could.

[Kai NRG]

I really love this printed window.  Goes great with the masonry bricks on the left wall!

[Khorne]

Epilogue - The Head Of The Snake

"Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies," Noorah declared sternly to the prison warden. Standing on the balcony overlooking the main courtyard of the prison, she could see how the prisoners stood to attention awaiting to be shown their own cell. While Noorah and the prison warden were shielded from the blistering Guelphian sun beating down on the scene, the prisoners were not so lucky.

"We have reports of disbanding Brigade Rouge units on El Oleonda. They are steerless - broken without a leader, their morale gone. It won't be long now before our troops have destroyed them utterly."

She grinned at the sight of Nicolas Pierrot standing below in ball and chains. Turning heel, Noorah addressed the warden before she left. "Be sure to give our special guest a warm Guelphian welcome. Get all the information you can out of him."

"What will happen to him afterwards, Madame?", the warden asked.

The Spider shrugged. "As much as I'd love to parade him through the streets of Granoléon after this is all over, we both know our war is fought in the shadows and is not rewarded with grand parades and public displays. Our prize is knowing we are protecting the heart and soul of Oléon from the poison spread by individuals such as him."

"Let him rot," she concluded.

 

---

 

Granoléon - the rich district, some time of the capture of Nicolas Pierrot and the events on El Oleonda.

"Cut off the head of the snake and more shall take its place.

We are the disgruntled and downtrodden. Our numbers are legion. Our name is Hydra.

We serve none, but utter Freedom. Our actions are our propaganda.

We thrown down the shackles of government and the king's yoke and reject the poisoning of the mind that is the Faith.

We stand for an equal society based on free grouping of individuals.

Hail Hydra.*"

 

FIN

 

---

 

That's it! With the epilogue posted, it's now officially over and done. Again, thanks to all those who were following along and read the chapters and overall story. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Feedback is always welcome. Some rough outlines/ideas are forming for a next story in a similar format, which I would try to keep to a 10 chapter length. But I have yet to make it more concrete. It would tie in to this one and feature some of the characters.

And having posted this, I kept my own deadline to have this finished in 2024 . Happy holidays!

* I was doubting on using this phrase, because it's such an obvious reference and therefore cheapens the pamphlet somewhat but I also thought 'why not?' - a bit of cheap fun to lighten the mood; plus alliterations are nice.

[Keymonus]

Such a great conclusion for your story! I loved the format, with the small but detailed vignettes and the elaborate accompanying story. I was looking forward to seeing whether the Hydra would have ever appeared here in BoBS, Antonin seems an enemy even more dangerous than Pierrot and Dorèe. You introduced him and his anarchists (?) magistrally, but I'm glad you also left some of the Rouge rebels free and alive... fine enemies for the future mission of Section XIII!

On a side note, the last vignette (with the fire and the Molotov cocktail) is in my opinion amazing. I also like the reference to the other Hydra a lot! As I said before, a fine enemy for our Empire!

[Jeff of Clubs]

Great conclusion! Not sure if the methods utilized by agents of the Crown are actually solving the problem or just fanning the flames......Great story and I second Keymonus, that arson raid is very well built!

As to the slogan you co-opted, now I can associate that phrase with a well written story

What were those torsos for the Force Publique from?

Edited December 31, 2023 by Jeff of Clubs