The briefing
The atmosphere in the room was one of cold calculation, not deliberation. The mission was already decided. This was merely the articulation of the inevitable.
Iratze stood at the center, her presence commanding, yet composed. The Dominion’s intervention was not a question—it was a necessity.
“Our West Atlantic colonies have asked for our help,”she began, her voice even.“We must not give them any reason to think we don’t care about them. This is a gesture of goodwill, and by assisting them, we mitigate any potential animosity against us—at little cost to ourselves. In this meta-game, we should participate.”
She tapped the screen behind her, and a grainy image of the criminalappeared. A petty insurgent, dangerous only insofar as his continued existence allowed local instability to fester. He was not important as an individual in the grand game outside of his death—only a minor problem to be solved and an opportunity.
Patxi, arms crossed, barely glanced at the image. Another nuisance that would be forgotten within hours.
“We will make it look as though we are doing them a favor,”Iratze continued.“This should be trivial for us. How will their anti-citizens possibly disprove our claims? That’s why I’m not sending you, Julian Urumea.”
Julian scoffed.Too predictable.
Benito, silent in his chair, studied the image a little longer than necessary. A habit, perhaps. A relic of a man who still viewed this work as something withweight.
Patxi exhaled through his nose. He already knew what came next.
“Let me guess, I’ll have to do all the work again,”he thought but did not say.
Iratze’s voice remained measured.“This criminal, despite operating on our grounds, serves our interests in the grand scheme of things.”
Patxi shifted his stance. Of course he does. Every act of chaos, every failure of local governance, only made the Dominion’s presence more necessary.These people couldn’t even control their own dissidents—so they would turn to their overseers.
“They beg us for bread,”Patxi muttered, his tone indifferent,“and we will give it to them—not the other way around. This scenario is anything but symmetric.”
Silence followed.
Then, Iratze nodded.
“Exactly.”
Patxi tilted his head slightly, his words now directed at Julian.“Julian, you’d go in, shoot everyone, and then send someone else to sift through the ashes, trying to piece together what happened. Have you ever considered the implications? Or, dare I ask, entertained a more subtle approach?”
Julian’s expression hardened, but he said nothing.
The mission was Patxi’s now.
A lion, sent to cull a lamb.
