It would've been too much to ask for the Marquis and his followers to just sit in silence while the whole of Dardania is hunting to destroy and eliminate any and all who are affiliated with the insurgent group. It was early in the morning when two Dardanian Peace-Officers (police) went to check on a home that had repeated calls claiming there was loud industrial sounds coming from within.

The two officers slowly walk up to the house, the wind is cold and biting as they struggle through the wet mud path. The house was old and rickety, the wood seemingly rotten and ill cared for. Unfortunately, this was a common site in the less metropolitan areas of Dardania.

The older officer, Nënkomisar Bajram stops his partner, Inspektor Rrumbullaku.

"Inspektor, I give you three guesses of what we will find in here. Ready? Go."

"Uh, illegal manufactory."

"One."

"Drug lab?"

"Pushing it, but two."

"Weapon smith?"

"Pfft, no. Another guess."

"Uh.... non-weapon smith?"

"How did you graduate from the academy? No, one more guess."

"Bomb makers."

"No Inspektor, the last answer is: just some idiot dropping his pots and pans every day."

"Oh."

"Now Inspektor, since you got only two out of three you have the honours of finding out what the noise is."

"Me? Ugh."

"Liven up Inspektor, who knows, there might be a widowed lady inside with a beautiful daughter."

"In Kukës?"

"Fair point. Now go knock on that door. Put on your best smile."

"Yes sir."

"Bigger smile."

"Yessss ssssir."

"Much better, now go."

The Inspektor walked up to the door with the Nënkomisar in tow. He went to unclip his service revolvers holster but his older partner shook his head and sighed.

"Really? You think you will need that? Here?"

"Better to be safe."

"Better to be fucking horrifying you mean? What would you do if some gjyshja (grandmother) opened the door, had a heart attack, then broke her hip?"

"I would apologise."

"Yeah good work that does, she can't bloody walk anymore!"

"Fine, fine, I won't."

"You young bucks are always so god-damn fiery. Relax."

Inspektor Rrumbullaku shrugs then walks the final few steps to the door. He took a big breath, exhaled, then knocked on the door. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

"Dardanian Peace-Officers, may we have a word?"

Nënkomisar Bajram repeated the young Inspektor's words under his breath, causing the officer to scowl as he turned back around. After what felt like hours, in reality maybe only ten seconds, the door opens and an old lady stands there, well, slouches there.

"What do you want?" she says suspiciously.

The Inspektor puts his biggest smile on while the Nënkomisar chuckles to himself.

"Hello gjyshja, I am Inspektor Rrumbullaku. This is my partner, Nënkomisar Bajram. We have been called here today due to a lot of loud noise coming from this home. Do you know what we are referring to?"

The old lady goes to shut the door without responding, but the Inspektor places his foot in the door.

"Gyshja, I must really insist. Do you know about the loud noises coming from this home?"

As the Inspektor looks around the house he can barely see in the dark the shape of a man holding a rifle, unfortunately he was a second too late as a flash then a loud BOOM. The Inspektor's body flew back from the door as the Nënkomisar stood there shocked. His shock only lasted a minute before his training kicked in and he went to grab his revolver. Unfortunately, the panic caused his fingers to slip and miss the clip of the holster. Crucial seconds flew past and as Nënkomisar Bajram finally had the revolver in his hands, he looked up to see the barrel of a rifle, then the flash, then nothing.

BREAKING NEWS

Radio Televizioni Shqiptar

The radio show begins with an introduction, 'this is your host, Martin Leka'. A crowd of cheers and claps could be heard. 'Recorded in front of a live studio audience'. After a short jingle, the show begins.

"Early this morning in Kukës two Peace-Officers were found brutally murdered and mutilated in the grasslands around Lake Fierzës. After the Inspektor and Nënkomisar did not report in for lunch, a call was sent out to help the two men. The Kukës Peace-Office sent out an emergency reaction team to their last known location. After finding shell casings on the floor and blood splatters outside of an abandoned home they were able to track them to the area where their bodies were unfortunately found. No information has come out yet about who did this or why they did, but I will put my credentials on the line here and say it is my own view that there is only one sort of person who could do something so heinous..."

The crowd lets out 'ooos' and 'ahhhs'.

"You know who I am thinking, those barbaric Marquists! Who else could do something so evil? I am not sure, but please, if you or anyone you know has information about this crime or the Marquists, go to your local Peace-Office now."

The crowd claps and cheers as the outro jingle plays.