“Next!”

The woman entered. She wore a small professional black mask and uniform, well maintained. It was always hard to tell, but she seemed… confident, despite the gunshot directly proceeding her entry.

“Take a seat.”

Anrada watched as the woman carefully sat down in the free chair of the office, and nodded politely to the two bodyguards - a pair of soldiers still wearing Goshan uniforms.

“Oh! These are Chāo and Steven, they are new. Please pay them no mind, nor the medical crew in the corner.”

She gestured to them, but the woman as instructed paid them no mind. Good start.

“So! Naoto, is it? You enlisted a year ago.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Heard the radio message ma’am.”

“Mhmm?”

“Wanted to help save the country, ma’am.”

“But instead, looks like they stuck you in paperwork. At least until you got your job in the cipher room. Where yesterday at 5pm, someone told you to send a message to the 1st Goshan telling them I was dead and your boss was the acting First Citizen. Which you did not do.”

“No, ma’am.”

“And why was that?”

“He couldn’t have known, ma’am. That you were dead. It didn’t seem honest.”

“Not a very strong reason, is it? They threatened to have your loved ones shot.”

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“I… I joined for you, ma’am. I thought their orders were suspicious, so I did not obey. I’m sorry for not obeying the chain of command.”

“Nonsense, you made the right call.”

Anrada made a show of thumbing through the binder.

“Oh, but I see here you do have a reprimand on your file. Hmm… whats this, ‘Fraternisation On Duty? With the Courier, no less. I see my staff have far more exciting lives than I do.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“No. Your superiors had compromised judgement, as you said. And well, it’s not as if they can carry out the orders anymore, is it.”

The eyes were of course covered, but Anrada imagined her glancing towards the bloodstained carpet.

“So!”

She closed the binder with a neat snap and pushed it across the table.

“The white pages in the back, do you recognize those names? Some co-workers of yours.”

Naoto flicked through carefully and finally nodded.

“Good. Your first task is to have them dead by tomorrow morning.”

She watched for a flinch, but the womans mask didn’t move, as she considered the pages.

“Mr Michael left on vacation yesterday, it may take longer to find him.”

“Just as long as it’s done. If you wish to reprimand yourself for fraternisation then the paperwork is all there. I’ll expect a report on my desk tomorrow, Director.”

Anrada watched as the woman stood up, now visibly anxious, and gave a polite bow.

“Of course, First Citizen ma'am. It- I’ll do you proud.”

“Please do, Director, I’m getting tired of coups.”

Anrada waited patiently until the door shut, and turned to one of the guards.

“Was the Mr Michael thing bullshit?”

The soldier shrugged.

“Nah. Half the officers in the garrison went on vacation yesterday.”

“What a fucking mess. I try to keep the executions to a minimum and this is how I’m repaid. Couped by a dead man.”

She tapped the table idly, and summoned one of the aides hovering at the edges of the room.

“Whats the 1st Goshan’s progress?”

“A scrambled message got through from the airforce base, they decided to hold until they got official word.”

“Well give them the go ahead. I’m not letting this get in the way. Tell him all objectives done by the end of the year, I want the whole damned peninsula under his boot.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She sighed and leaned back into her chair.

A fucking mess. She’d tried to be nice but… well. Purge the Police, purge the army, purge the air-force apparently? What a nightmare.

[Meta: Map. [RE056] [RE058] [RE068] [RE069] Beep Boop. BTFL Abstract, bop bop, please tell me if you notice it is fucked up.]