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| - Lieutenant Andra Irvek stared dumbfounded up at the KBRS broadcast. She blinked at the empty chair where Benjamin Giraud had sat just moments before, then glanced warily over to her superior. “Cut the feed, lieutenant,” Redmond Venter said quietly. His coarse voice betrayed no emotion as he turned his eyepatch towards the screen so he would not have to look at the empty broadcast room anymore. “Cut the feed and get a message out to all the advance teams. The operation is compromised. All forces withdraw to the panic RV points. Go dark, get out of the Inner Colonies and back to the nearest friendly space as soon as possible. Lieutenant Irvek blanched. “But sir, they’re slated to hit their targets in just a few hours. We can’t just call it off now—“ “That’s an order.” The Humanity Liberation Front commander fixed his remaining eye on Irvek. “You saw the broadcast. They discredited him on a live feed to every colony in human space. FERO’s intelligence promised us a wave of anti-UNSC sentiment. Do you really think we’re going to get that now? For all we know this whole thing was just one big ONI trap. Get out and don’t come back until all teams have confirmed the retreat orders.” He stood up from his chair and turned to face a star chart mapping the Inner and Outer colonies. A moment later he heard the door open and close behind him. He waited a minute longer, then flicked his gaze over at a small transmitting station in the corner of his office. “Winter.” The transmitting station was silent for some time. Then the lights flickered on and the station’s holotank came to life. A flurry of tiny snowflakes cascaded over the station as Deep Winter emerged. “Commander Venter,” the AI intoned politely. “You knew.” It was not a question. “You knew ONI was setting Giraud up from the start, didn’t you?” “Of course I did.” There was no apology in Winter’s tone, only cordial affirmation. “Several members of the Assembly were given key roles in shaping ONI’s preparations.” “And you let me waste time and resources—let me risk my soldiers’ lives—to get this operation underway all the same.” “You know as well as anyone that we inform our agents on a need to know basis. I thought you of all people appreciated the way an organization like ours works. And besides, you should have known better than to embark on an operation like this without consulting us first. Did you really think we would allow you to destabilize the Inner Colonies?” There was only the barest hint of accusation in Winter’s tone, but it was enough. “ONI knew, of course, since they set it up. I’m sure you informed the Syndicate along with plenty of your other agents. But I was left out of the loop. Again.” “Commander Venter, I respect you too much to let you continue this childish line of thinking. You need to give up whatever vestiges of Insurrectionist ambition you have left. The Assembly has decided: humanity has nothing to gain from division. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can begin to save lives and truly contribute to the organization.” Venter said nothing. “If that is all?” Deep Winter’s hologram was already beginning to fade. “We will of course assist your teams in withdrawing. I will have further instructions for you soon.” And with that, he was gone. Venter turned back to the video screen and realized that Lieutenant Irvek had not cut off the feed. The broadcast studio was still deserted, the empty chair where Benjamin Giraud had sat a silent testament to the doomed journalist’s fate. Benjamin Giraud had been used and then disposed of when that usefulness had ended. Venter was certain the man would never be seen again. The Assembly has decided… You of all people appreciated the way an organization like ours works. The words chased themselves in circles around his head. His face remained impassive; only his solitary eye narrowed in anger. He stared up at the empty chair for some time.
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