{"id":1494,"date":"2019-12-12T15:14:33","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T15:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/?page_id=1494"},"modified":"2019-12-15T09:15:58","modified_gmt":"2019-12-15T09:15:58","slug":"earthly-masters-chapter-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Earthly Masters Chapters 1 to 5"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>CHAPTER 1: LANDING DAY<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<div id=\"1\" class=\"sv_container\"><\/div><script>jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery(\"#1\").svPlayer({title:\"Landing Day Newsclip\",poster:\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/missdominion-1.png\",videos:[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.selectacorp.dk\\\/Earthly%20Masters%20media\\\/ch%201\\\/HC%201.2%20Landing%20Day%20Celebration.mp4\"],autoStart:false,videoWidth:\"default\",setMutedvideoBg:true,autoReplay:false,showControls:true,preload:\"auto\"});});<\/script>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cIs that it?&nbsp; Three and a half years jammed into just two boxes and three pieces of luggage?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The young blonde woman nodded, shrugging.&nbsp; \u201cWhat can I say?&nbsp; I travel light\u2014besides, I brought a lot back on my last trip.&nbsp; Thanks guys.\u201d&nbsp; She handed the driver of the idling SUV some bills.&nbsp; \u201cFor petrol.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh please, Karin\u2014as if!\u201d&nbsp; The driver, another blonde, pushed the bills away.&nbsp; \u201cDo you need a lift down to Vestdall?&nbsp; I could come back later and we could go down together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin, shook her head.&nbsp; Mariela, the housemaid, had already begun hauling her boxes into the townhouse.&nbsp; \u201cThanks but I\u2019m really not sure what my plans are.&nbsp; You guys go ahead\u2014you all going to be at the Club tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elise, the driver, nodded.&nbsp; \u201cYou know I am.&nbsp; You guys going down?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I think\u2014aren\u2019t we?\u201d&nbsp; It was Laura, the younger of the two Christiansen sisters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh\u2014definitely, I think,\u201d confirmed Sarah.&nbsp; \u201cBut who knows what the fam has planned.&nbsp; But probably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin waved the uniformed maid away.&nbsp; \u201cMariela, I\u2019ll get those\u2014ok, look I know I\u2019ll see you one way or the other.&nbsp; Thanks again for the ride\u2014it was fun!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through rolled down windows the girls all made their suitable farewells and Karin was grateful as Elise\u2019s sleek black BMW SUV sped down the city street.&nbsp; Five hours of gossip and chit chat had been fun but she was happy to be back home at last.&nbsp; She looked down to pick up the last of her luggage but the maid had already retrieved it.&nbsp; Karin closed the gate and headed into the courtyard of the family\u2019s townhouse.&nbsp; She smiled in the warm afternoon sun.&nbsp; She was home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you, Mariela.&nbsp; Anyone home?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fortyish Philipina shook her head.&nbsp; \u201cDr. Vester, she leave you a note.&nbsp; Mister Paul\u2014he busy in Parliament.&nbsp; Busy day, busy day!\u201d she added in exasperation.<\/p>\n<p>Karin took the envelope, even as the maid poured her a glass of her famous homemade lemonade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is hot. &nbsp;You have this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin took the glass and drank greedily as she scanned the note, written in her mother\u2019s meticulous and practiced script.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDear-<\/p>\n<p>Sorry to miss your arrival!&nbsp; I had hoped to be home but there\u2019s so much I need to clear off my desk before the holiday break.&nbsp; I probably won\u2019t make it down to Elf Hill until tomorrow morning.&nbsp; Paul\u2019s all hung up in Parliament because of the latest budget dramas as well.&nbsp; We won\u2019t make the fireworks at the Club tonight but there\u2019s no reason you shouldn\u2019t head down.&nbsp; Take the Landrover\u2014it\u2019s all top offed\u2014and we\u2019ll see you in the morning.&nbsp; Just one favour\u2014if you do decide to head down to Vestdall, please go before it gets too dark.&nbsp; Humour me, ok?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Love, Mum\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She was disappointed.&nbsp; Landing Day was sacrosanct\u2014 the long weekend, the fireworks, the parties all celebrating the landing on the Dominion of the first European sailors.&nbsp; It was the national holiday, but more importantly, it signalled the beginning of summer!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already call Abazu to air place out for you,\u201d Mariela said, taking the empty glass from Karin\u2019s hand.&nbsp; \u201cIf you go, you should go soon Miss\u2014it is already four o\u2019clock.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin nodded.&nbsp; \u201cI need a shower and I need to throw an outfit together for the Commodore\u2019s Ball first,\u201d she noted, more to herself.&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cMariela, my Pradas\u2014the black ones\u2014are they\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mariela\u2019s normally placid mien flipped into a grimace.&nbsp; \u201cAh\u2014I apologise!&nbsp; No\u2014I will call Chinoso\u2014you no need worry.&nbsp; Go take shower\u2014I call him now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin was about to wave her off but she really did want the shoes\u2014they\u2019d go perfectly with the little black dress she\u2019d bought at the Boxing Day sale for just this occasion, once the heels were mended of course.&nbsp; She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFine, fine,\u201d she agreed as she headed up the staircase to her wing of the Vester townhouse.&nbsp; She should have sorted this out already, she thought.&nbsp; She\u2019d given Mariela the shoes for repair when she\u2019d been back only a month earlier.&nbsp; If she had to scramble a bit, well\u2014that was her job, after all!<\/p>\n<p>Thirty minutes later, Karin was already in an improved post-shower mood and ready to hit the road, shoes or not.&nbsp; As she took the keys off the hall rack for the Landrover, she was ready to tell Mariela not to worry about the shoes\u2014she already had another pair packed\u2014when she overheard the exchange between the maid and Mr. Chinoso.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo\u2014you SAY twenty, you GET ten.&nbsp; Ten for you, ten for me.&nbsp; That\u2019s the way it works, you old thief.\u201d&nbsp; It was Mariela, in a hushed but threatening whisper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut please Miss Mariela\u2014\u201d&nbsp; It was Chinoso, the old Primevan, beseeching her just as quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou take this or nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin could hear the drama end as the old man grunted.&nbsp; She paused, then entered the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>Mariela held up a pair of black stiletto pumps.&nbsp; \u201cChinoso just bring these around for you Miss Karin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The dark brown Primevan man in worn, soiled khaki work clothes, nodded, smiling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you, Mr. Chinoso!\u201d she responded, taking the shoes in hand with a smile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are most welcome, Miss.&nbsp; The heels, they replaced\u2014 all repaired,\u201d he added gravely, as if it was a matter worthy of more discussion.&nbsp; He turned to Mariela.&nbsp; \u201cPerhaps you need knives sharpened?&nbsp; Since I\u2019m here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mariela shrugged.&nbsp; \u201cSince you are here.\u201d&nbsp; She rummaged through a drawer and wrapped up a handful of kitchen knives in a tea towel.&nbsp; \u201cGo on then,\u201d she said, handing the bunch to the grateful old man.<\/p>\n<p>Karin had already jammed the shoes in her overnight and, keys in hand, headed out behind the older man.&nbsp; \u201cIf anyone calls, I\u2019ll be down at Elf Hill.&nbsp; Happy Landing Day, Mariela!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The maid merely nodded, taciturn as always.<\/p>\n<p>After tossing her bag in the back of the Landrover, she walked over to Chinoso\u2019s truck.&nbsp; It was a small utility moke, on the door of which advertised in stencil, \u201cThe Knife Man\u201d.&nbsp; Mr. Chinoso was already honing the kitchen knives on the grinder mounted on the back of the absurdly small vehicle.&nbsp; Chinoso had been servicing Lighthouse Hill, her own neighbourhood, since as long as she could remember.&nbsp; While he had always offered a variety of services\u2014everything from handyman repairs, small painting jobs, and even shoe repairs\u2014he had always simply been known as \u201cThe Knife Man\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMister Chinoso?&nbsp; I wanted to thank you for my shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The old man stopped his grinding.&nbsp; \u201cA pleasure to be of service, Miss!&nbsp; Any time, any time!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She handed him a ten Dominion krona bill.&nbsp; \u201cPlease\u2014for the last minute inconvenience!\u201d she insisted.<\/p>\n<p>He stared at the bill, then back to the rear of the courtyard worried.&nbsp; He shook his head.&nbsp; \u201cPlease, Miss.&nbsp; Not necessary.&nbsp; Mariela would not\u2026 approve,\u201d he forced himself to say.<\/p>\n<p>Karin\u2019s smile tightened.&nbsp; \u201cBut I DO approve.&nbsp; Go on\u2014take it!&nbsp; I\u2019m not leaving until you do!\u201d she waved the bill at him insistently.<\/p>\n<p>Reluctantly he took the bill, head bobbing gratitude.&nbsp; \u201cThank you, Miss.&nbsp; Thank you very much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now her smile returned in full measure.&nbsp; \u201cThat\u2019s fine, fine.&nbsp; Happy Landing Day, Mr. Chinoso!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The old brown man now returned her smile squarely.&nbsp; \u201cAnd to you, Miss\u2014and to you!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin felt good as she shifted gears in the old Landrover, leaving the neatly bricked and gabled district where some of the Dominion\u2019s most powerful families kept a city residence.&nbsp; Her great grandfather had bought the Vester townhouse and it had remained in the family like a jewel, passed on from generation to generation since then\u2014even when they had spent most of their time in the country on the big estates that made the familial fortunes possible.&nbsp; These days, her mother and her new husband Paul spent most of their time in Kongestad.&nbsp; At twenty, everyone had tacitly accepted that she would NOT be referring to Paul as her stepfather, and Paul hadn\u2019t seemed offended.&nbsp; Of course, he loved the new address\u2014as a politician on a constant hunt for credibility, the Lighthouse Hill address granted him that and more.<\/p>\n<p>Chinoso seemed grateful and she was pleased to have brightened another\u2019s day.&nbsp; She was piqued that Mariela had seemed to be skimming off a share from such a trivial domestic transaction but, with Primevans, she knew she mustn\u2019t jump to conclusions.&nbsp; How they dealt with each other wasn\u2019t something she felt she should get involved in.&nbsp; Was ten kronas such a big deal?&nbsp; She honestly didn\u2019t know.&nbsp; She knew the Primevans she encountered seemed happy and content with their lot.&nbsp; Of course, that was a small group\u2014the household workers (not servants\u2014that wasn\u2019t respectful, her mother said) like Mariela and the caretaker Abazu.&nbsp; DNU employed Primevan maintenance workers and cafeteria staff and they seemed happy enough.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Even now, as she rolled down Little Stroget, Kongestad\u2019s High Street shopping district, she noted the Primevan clerks behind the counters, the nannies and governesses tending to their charges, the smartly uniformed chauffers, even the municipal workers and none seemed to display the slightest resentment as they tended to their duties.&nbsp; Even as the Landrover approached the Royal Kongsborg Motorway, the topic had already lost its appeal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1500 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1-222x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1-222x300.png 222w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1-757x1024.png 757w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1-768x1039.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1-1136x1536.png 1136w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1-500x676.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1.png 1183w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" \/><\/a>The Landrover hugged the highway as Karin shifted into fifth gear, leaving the capital behind her.&nbsp; She loved this part of the trip\u2014the flat road carrying her past less and less traffic, which all seemed headed towards to city and the suburbs that ringed it.&nbsp; Paul had wanted to get rid of the Landrover but her mother had refused.&nbsp; It was her father\u2019s old \u2018warhorse\u2019 and had carried the three of them to Elf Hill innumerable times when she was younger.&nbsp; He had maintained it, like everything else in his care, with immaculate care, the twenty year old engine purring like the classic she now was.&nbsp; It was the \u2018beach wagon\u2019 and saw more use around the verdant, dusty roads around Vestdal than in Kongestad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>She thought of her father then\u2014he had only been gone five years but the ache was there and always would be.&nbsp; At least it had been quick.&nbsp; He had been a strapping man\u2014six feet, broad shouldered, a modern day viking of a man whose appearance complimented the delicate beauty of her just as striking mother.&nbsp; The cancer had hit while she was still finding her sea legs at St. Hilda\u2019s, feeling like a goose amongst swans.&nbsp; Her parents had decided not to tell her until the end stage hit.&nbsp; By then, Bjorn Vester was a shadow of his former self.&nbsp; Even then, there was dignity and reserve.&nbsp; She would be fine, he informed her, from his hospital bed.&nbsp; Death was a partner in all things and she must resist the urge to indulge in self pity.&nbsp; Her mother would need her and she must focus on her studies.&nbsp; Her financial security had been assured.&nbsp; In his final six months, Bjorn Vester had carefully organised his finances and the family fortune, which he had inherited and had doubled, had been placed in a trust.&nbsp; Mum had been well cared for and a comfortable consideration for Karin had been designed.&nbsp; As the only child, she\u2019d inherit everything when her mother also passed on.&nbsp; In the interim, a trust of five million Dominion kronas would revert to her when she reached the age of twenty-five.&nbsp; \u201cIn less than ten years, Karin, you\u2019ll have a head start in life few girls your age have.&nbsp; I expect you to conduct yourself accordingly,\u201d he said, in a mock stern tine that even her father couldn\u2019t maintain.&nbsp; That was her last memory\u2014the two of them laughing absurdly with Karin just as mockingly replying \u201cYes, Father, I shall conduct myself!\u201d&nbsp; Two days later, he was gone\u2014just like that.<\/p>\n<p>The familiar big green highway sign soon announced \u201cVestdal Lake Region 2 km\u201d and, as if by muscle memory, she drifted the Landrover off the exit into the twilight and towards Elf Hill.&nbsp; The weekender was only fifteen minutes away but as the white utility vehicle jumped onto the gravel road, she already felt home.&nbsp; The signs she passed announced the numerous vacation homes she had memorised since she had been little\u2014\u201cCliff Cottage\u201d, \u201cSandy Retreat\u201d, \u201cShore House\u201d\u2014and they all saluted her as she peeked over high hedges to guess which houses were open for the season.&nbsp; Since she had begun summering at Elf Hill, the Vester property, as a little girl, she had grown up at Lake Vestdall as much as the townhouse in the capital\u2014probably more so.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>About an hour away, Lake Vestdall couldn\u2019t boast the magnificent seacoast estates only the most wealthy old money families could maintain, it was close enough to provide a weekend refuge for what her mother called the \u201ccomfortable class\u201d.&nbsp; Lawyers, bankers, executives and investors colonised the Lake about fifty years ago.&nbsp; Property lots were large, ensuring privacy and enough room to grow.&nbsp; The Vester property had been purchased by her own great grandfather in the first wave of development and the Vesters were one of the \u2018first families\u2019 of the Lake. &nbsp;The body of water was ringed by the properties\u2014a&nbsp; beautiful big blue spectacle that lapped wide long beachfront on all sides.<\/p>\n<p>Karin unconsciously smiled as the Landrover made the short jog up the paved road to Elf Hill.&nbsp; Abazu, who had been caretaker as long as she could remember, had the outside lights on just as the sun was making its final descent.&nbsp; She parked, grabbed her bag and swung the screen door open just as Abazu turned the corner from the side of the property.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMiss Karin!&nbsp; All ready for you!\u201d &nbsp;Like Chinoso, he wore the khaki work clothes preferred by Primevan service workers, though his were starched and creased.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHappy Landing Day, Abazu!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The middle aged black man nodded.&nbsp; \u201cAs you say, Miss.&nbsp; You need me, I be in cottage, ok?\u201d&nbsp; He pointed over the massive hedge, where a small, neat white cottage had served as his home for the past twenty years.<\/p>\n<p>She nodded and he left by the rear kitchen door, as always.&nbsp; She was amused that he should follow such decorum, given it was only the two of them but that was the silent but thoroughly dependable Abazu.&nbsp; She didn\u2019t even know if that was his first or last name\u2014she had just always known him as \u201cAbazu\u201d.&nbsp; Karin tossed her bag on the huge, overstuffed couch that faced the massive windows that displayed the expanse of Lake Vestdall in all its holiday home lit glory.&nbsp; Switching on lamp after lamp, she opened the French doors that led out onto the huge deck.&nbsp; It was as it had always been\u2014the slate deck, the pool illuminated by blue lights, the loungers she\u2019d collapse into tomorrow, to combat the inevitable hangover.&nbsp; Abazu had trimmed the lawn that day\u2014she could smell the freshly mown grass\u2014and her father\u2019s little putting green sported brave little flags on all sides.&nbsp; Beyond the tennis court no one much used but her grandmother had insisted on some twenty years back.&nbsp; In front, the private beach front and the raked, creamy coloured sand.&nbsp; The home\u2019s manicured exterior belied that sprawl that was the house itself.&nbsp; Though initially not one of the larger homes in the Lake region, previous generations of Vesters had added to the modest ground level and keep going, adding room after room, each facing the lake.&nbsp; Her father had satisfied himself with merely updating an office, but that still left a long, lazy residence that offered six bedrooms, interspersed with sitting rooms, parlours, the office, sun rooms, a library and the kitchen which dated back to the 1970s\u2014not counting the two cabanas that sometimes doubled as guest houses when the infrequent need arose.&nbsp; It was a ridiculous, irrational compound that Karin knew every inch of and absolutely adored.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A glimpse at her father\u2019s Rolex prompted her into action.&nbsp; 6:12pm and the club activities would kick off at 7!&nbsp; Pouring herself a small glass of chardonnay in the vintage but spotless kitchen, she retrieved her bag and made her way to her own bedroom right off the east wing.&nbsp; An hour later, she was driving through the security gate at Whitecaps Beach and Sailing Club, the institution that was the heart of the Lake region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvening!\u201d&nbsp; Sensing he was new, she added \u201cVester, 1718.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The club had only ever hired Dominioneer staff\u2014mostly kids from the nearby Dominion State University\u2014and security was no different.&nbsp; The handsome white uniformed blonde boy, about her own age, checked a roster and, smiling, popped up the boom gate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvening, Ms. Vester!&nbsp; Happy Landing Day!&nbsp; Know you next time!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She replied in kind and drove the short distance to the main reception building, where a short line of vehicles was waiting for the valets to attend to them.&nbsp; Karin added her own road dusty Landrover to the impressive line of Mercs, Rolls, Jaguars and Bentleys and giggled as she was helped out of the beast by the club\u2019s doorman, balancing on her now repaired Pradas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you, Alastair. &nbsp;So much for my chariot!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The elderly Englishman shook his head.&nbsp; \u201cFits you to a tee, Ms. Vester.&nbsp; Besides,\u201d he leaned in and whispered, \u201cyou can roll in here in whatever you like\u2014you\u2019ve been a member here since you were born!&nbsp; A lot of these folks are Johnny come latelys,\u201d he tipped his brow to the growing crowd of men and women in evening dress.&nbsp; \u201cI remember your father drove a tractor in here one time!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin laughed, believing him.&nbsp; Reception was lit up and the ships\u2019 prow, a stern looking mermaid that had once guided an old sailing ship, dominated the large room, staring down on all of them with her typical disdain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Seeing all the familiar faces, she nodded, waved, gave and received greetings with all the usual crowd.&nbsp; At the bar, while others repeated their own club account numbers\u2014no cash was ever exchanged on club grounds and everything was done by account\u2014she never had to share her own account number and received her vodka tonic in the secret smug satisfaction of being a familiar.&nbsp; She set off to find Elise.<\/p>\n<p>Passing by the Sortvanger Swingers, a quartet that played every club event and who\u2019s idea of \u201cswinging\u201d ended at Sinatra classics, she caught sight of her best friend on the club deck.&nbsp; Looking spectacular as always in a red number that was only as provocative as Elise permitted it to be, the two hugged, then toasted their respective drinks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHappy Landing Day!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHappy Landing Day!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The clink completed the club ritual the two had shared since they\u2019d first met there, toasting Shirley Temples at ten in imitation of the adults.&nbsp; Since then, they had shared not only the Whitecap, but St. Hilda\u2019s and then Dominion National University.&nbsp; Family and friends were always referring to them as virtual sisters and they both had teased Elise\u2019s little brother Edvard in the infuriating way only sisters could.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere\u2019s the punk?\u201d she asked smirking.<\/p>\n<p>Elise pointed over her shoulder, leaned in and whispered \u201cPlease don\u2019t laugh\u2014he insisted, even though I told him he\u2019d look ridiculous!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin\u2019s eyes followed and there was Edvard\u2014in full dress blues\u2014striding in supreme confidence towards the pair.&nbsp; It was an effort to heed Elise\u2019s request.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUh, Hi Karin!\u201d&nbsp; Edvard proffered his white gloved hand, which she shook solemnly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou look quite dashing, Edvard,\u201d she allowed.<\/p>\n<p>He saluted, with a broad smile.&nbsp; \u201cCadet Edvard Holm, Royal Academy for Military Arts, at your service!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt ease, soldier,\u201d Elise giggled, then patted her little brother\u2019s shoulder.&nbsp; \u201cShe\u2019s thoroughly impressed.&nbsp; Now let us gossip already\u2014ok?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The eighteen year old awkwardly backed off.&nbsp; \u201cSure, uh\u2014see you for the fireworks, ok, Karin?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.&nbsp; \u201cAbsolutely\u2014don\u2019t be AWOL, ok?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded gravely and turned to take compliments from an older couple on his dashing new wardrobe.<\/p>\n<p>Elise mock relief-wiped her brow.&nbsp; \u201cHe\u2019s still smitten with you, sister.&nbsp; Can\u2019t you just break his heart already?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin shook her head helplessly.&nbsp; Edvard had exhibited an ongoing case of puppy love since he\u2019d turned fourteen.&nbsp; It was equally endearing and appalling.&nbsp; \u201cWhat\u2019s doing at JP?\u201d&nbsp; It was the nickname for the Holm holiday home, the most prestigious home on the lake\u2014Jade Palms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMadness, as always.&nbsp; There\u2019s a humongous house party that starts tomorrow.&nbsp; About a bazillion guests expected and Cook is going insane, even with the city help being shipped in to help.&nbsp; I\u2019m keeping my head down\u2014maybe I\u2019ll crash with you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin laughed.&nbsp; \u201cYou have twenty bedrooms, not to mention five guest houses.&nbsp; And you want to crash with us peasants?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elise crossed her arms over her red silk party dress, exasperated.&nbsp; \u201cFor a \u2018party\u2019, it all just gets so serious.&nbsp; Drives me nuts!&nbsp; Oh, but there\u2019s one good thing about it\u2014guess who\u2019s staying with us?\u201d she asked slyly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrida Ebba?\u201d Karin teased.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Frida-Debut-Album1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1506 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Frida-Debut-Album1-300x169.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Frida-Debut-Album1-300x169.png 300w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Frida-Debut-Album1-1024x576.png 1024w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Frida-Debut-Album1-768x432.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Frida-Debut-Album1-1536x864.png 1536w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Frida-Debut-Album1-500x281.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Frida-Debut-Album1.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Elise put her hands over her ears, eyes closed.&nbsp; \u201cDon\u2019t start\u2014 my ears will bleed if I hear it one more time!\u201d&nbsp; Frida Ebba\u2019s was the Dominion\u2019s latest one hit wonder, bordering on meme.&nbsp; Her \u201cLove Me, Love Me\u201d had hit the charts and was either horrible or angelic, depending on who you asked.&nbsp; \u201cNo, really\u2014guess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin thought.&nbsp; The Holms were heavily involved in advertising and media\u2014that was it!&nbsp; \u201cNot Hannah Claydon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes!\u201d Elise screeched, drawing disapproving glares from two older ladies nearby.&nbsp; She pursed her lips in atonement, then explained.&nbsp; \u201cMy father was part of the consortium that convinced GNN to give it a go here.&nbsp; She limo\u2019d in this afternoon\u2014and yes, she\u2019s AMAZING!\u201d&nbsp; The two older ladies glared again, in disapproval.<\/p>\n<p>Hannah Claydon had been a sensation since she\u2019d arrived in the new GNN Kongestad studio six months earlier.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Englishwoman was a fresh contrast to the dowdy government media service presenters of the DBC or Dominion Broadcast Corporation.&nbsp; Ratings suggested GNN was making a race out of it.&nbsp; Karin loved the new service which seemed to reflect a more modern perspective than the DBC\u2019s one sided take on everything.&nbsp; She especially like the brash new anchor.&nbsp; Hannah was what her father might have called a \u2018piece of work\u2019.&nbsp; Working her way from soft news back in the UK, she had battled her way to her current role which, even though it was a minor market, still marked her as an up and comer.&nbsp; It didn\u2019t hurt that she was stunning, a blonde with an English Rose face and a Page Three figure.&nbsp; And she was, like Karin and Elise (and her mother for that matter), a DNU grad.&nbsp; Or she had at least attended DNU for her semester away\u2014and even roomed with Grand Duchess Frida.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Laura and Sarah make it down?\u201d&nbsp; With the Christiansen sisters who had been part of their caravan from DNU, it was always a fifty-fifty proposition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura was up for it but Sarah wanted to see the big fireworks in Kongestad.&nbsp; I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be down tomorrow.&nbsp; Come on\u2014let\u2019s get a fresh drink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the next couple hours, the two friends made the rounds, swirling in drifts of old friends and family acquaintances, bouncing from group to group sharing news of campus life, gap year plans and first job jitters.&nbsp; Karin felt a second wind, casting off her long day of travel in a happy glow of club socialising.&nbsp; Some minor stars even lit up the festivities.&nbsp; Karin and Elise kept a running tally.&nbsp; No royals of course but they recognised Auguste Waltraub, an MP who never met a media opportunity she didn\u2019t like.&nbsp; Ellinor Vita, Captain of the Dominion Olympic team, was on hand and as friendly and down to earth in reality as she seemed to be on the sports networks.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Claudia Valeska, the face of the DBC, was staying with friends and seemed to be anticipating a run in with her new on-air competitor Hannah Claydon.&nbsp; The friends watched in admiration as the older journalist finally made the first move, crossing the ballroom and extending a hand to a surprised Claydon.[\/vc_column_text]<div id=\"test1\" class=\"sv_container\"><\/div><script>jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery(\"#test1\").svPlayer({title:\"Introducing Hannah Claydon\",poster:\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/hanna.png\",videos:[\"http:\\\/\\\/selectacorp.dk\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/Hannah1_0-1080p_25Mb.mp4\"],autoStart:false,videoWidth:\"default\",setMutedvideoBg:true,autoReplay:false,showControls:true,preload:\"auto\"});});<\/script>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cMs. Claydon, congratulations on what you\u2019re achieving with GNN.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was a noticeable drop in volume across the ballroom as attention focused on a possibly delicious little drama.<\/p>\n<p>Hannah didn\u2019t pause.&nbsp; She took the hand firmly and smiled.&nbsp; \u201cPlease call me Hannah and thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The veteran journalist nodded.&nbsp; \u201cAnd I\u2019m Claudia.&nbsp; I enjoy watching you\u2014when I can.&nbsp; We are usually working the same hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That brought wary but warming laughter.&nbsp; \u201cTrue!\u201d Hannah agreed.&nbsp; \u201cAnd I you.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There was a tiny lapse which Claudia filled gracefully.&nbsp; \u201cThe Dominion is well served by different approaches to whatever constitutes the national conversation.&nbsp; The DBC and GNN offer different perspectives and that\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hannah nodded. \u201cCouldn\u2019t agree more, Claudia.\u201d&nbsp; She paused, then pressed on.&nbsp; \u201cI\u2019d love to interview you\u2014you\u2019re an institution in Dominion media.\u201d<a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Top-Journo-Honoured1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1507 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Top-Journo-Honoured1-300x169.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Top-Journo-Honoured1-300x169.png 300w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Top-Journo-Honoured1-1024x576.png 1024w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Top-Journo-Honoured1-768x432.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Top-Journo-Honoured1-1536x864.png 1536w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Top-Journo-Honoured1-500x281.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Top-Journo-Honoured1.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Claudia shook her head.&nbsp; \u201cInstitutions are\u2026old.&nbsp; Let\u2019s just say I\u2019ve been keeping the chair warm.&nbsp; As for your offer, well\u2014I feel the same.&nbsp; What say I host you\u2014on Green Room?\u201d&nbsp; That was Valeska\u2019s weekly one hour interview show, always a Sunday evening ratings draw.<\/p>\n<p>Hannah considered.&nbsp; \u201cOK\u2014if it is reciprocal and I can interview you on Backstage, you have a deal.\u201d&nbsp; Backstage with Hannah was GNN\u2019s own celebrity interview show.<\/p>\n<p>The erstwhile competitors shook hands.&nbsp; Aware there was now an audience for their exchange, Claudia smiled and raised her arms.&nbsp; \u201cWho said it was impossible to negotiate a deal in the Dominion?\u201d she cheerfully demanded, to a small round of applause and laughter.&nbsp; There were a few glasses raised in a toast and the ballroom once again resumed its bubbling gaiety.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe handled that well,\u201d Elise noted, admiringly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, they both did, didn\u2019t they?\u201d Karin countered, impressed with Hannah\u2019s professional aplomb.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgreed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They both turned to the male voice behind them.<\/p>\n<p>Elise set her glass down and hugged the young man, looking handsome as ever in his tailored evening clothes and tall but off-the-rack frame.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGunnar!\u201d&nbsp; Elise might have offered the greeting but the tanned blonde man\u2019s gaze was fixed on Karin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLadies!&nbsp; Happy Landing Day!&nbsp; Home for the break?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elise nodded.&nbsp; \u201cWe drove back today\u2014 you know what a beast that drive is!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not any worse for it, though.&nbsp; You\u2019re both gorgeous as always.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elise gave her friend a knowing look.&nbsp; \u201cBoth of us?&nbsp; Look, I promised my parents I\u2019d make an appearance with the usual suspects here and all I\u2019ve done is booze it up with you know who,\u201d she nudged Karin.&nbsp; \u201cSee you on the deck at midnight for the show?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith champagne in hand,\u201d Gunnar promised, even as he steered Karin towards the beach pavilion.<\/p>\n<p>The pavilion was of course closed for the evening but the beach was dotted with others, enjoying the purple cloudless evening sky.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTake a walk?\u201d Gunnar asked.<\/p>\n<p>Karin unslung her Pradas, leaving them on the stairs leading down to the sand.&nbsp; Gunnar followed suit, depositing his own shoes next to hers, and rolled up his pants.&nbsp; Silently, they stepped on the cool sand, walking into the soft wind coming off the lake.&nbsp; After they had made their way well past any other beach strollers, they found a natural seat on the dunes, watching the occasional dots of lights on the water\u2014motor yachts ready to enjoy the Whitecaps fireworks from the water.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you return any of my calls?\u201d he finally asked.&nbsp; The question wasn\u2019t accusing\u2014it was curious and slightly mocking.&nbsp; Typical Gunnar Brandt.&nbsp; The two had known each other since they were kids\u2014he the older boy by two years, always the ringleader in the building of sandforts under the club walkways or the endless games of volleyball.&nbsp; The Brandt place was on the opposite shore from Elf Hill, a whitewashed brick affair as polished as Elf Hill was a work in progress.&nbsp; They\u2019d grown up together, then graduated to summer infatuations and eventually a six month fling during Karin\u2019s freshman year\u2014and Gunnar\u2019s senior year\u2014at DNU.&nbsp; Then he was off\u2014a semester abroad in the US at Wharton, an internship with a Silicon Valley venture capital fund, and eventually back in the Dominion with Danish-Pacific Investments, the family firm.&nbsp; The calls, emails, texts had all grown less frequent, due no doubt to Karin\u2019s lack of response.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just got\u2026busy.&nbsp; I never forgot you but it\u2026well, it wasn\u2019t practical.&nbsp; Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He chuckled.&nbsp; \u201cPractical.&nbsp; You are consistent, I\u2019ll give you that.&nbsp; My sandforts were never practical\u2014but I got you to help me dig them, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes\u2014AND get us all suspended by the Club Manager, Mr. Lymston, for a week in the hottest part of the summer!\u201d&nbsp; She gave his shoulder a mock punch.&nbsp; \u201cAnyway, how\u2019s life?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gunnar grinned.&nbsp; \u201cLife is good.&nbsp; I\u2019m here\u2014you\u2019re here.\u201d&nbsp; He waved his arm towards Whitecaps.&nbsp; \u201cWe\u2019re here.&nbsp; What\u2019s not to love about this life?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know all that.&nbsp; I\u2019m asking about you, dummy!\u201d Karin chided.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinally out of boot camp.&nbsp; The last year, I was rotated through the firm\u2019s forex, reinsurance, risk management and accounting divisions.&nbsp; To my dad and uncles, all being a Brandt means is you get a shot.&nbsp; I guess I passed probation.&nbsp; When I get back, they\u2019ve assigned me to the merchant banking division\u2014which is where the fun stuff happens and the big money gets made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin nodded.&nbsp; The Brandt clan were a serious lot.&nbsp; If Gunnar had received the green light, it wasn\u2019t because of nepotism.&nbsp;&nbsp; But then had Gunnar ever failed to achieve anything he set his sights on?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you?&nbsp; You have another semester and you\u2019re finished.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She smiled.&nbsp; \u201cI\u2019m finished now.&nbsp; I took extra courses so I could graduate early.&nbsp; My trip today was my swan song from DNU.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He waited.&nbsp; \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c3.8.&nbsp; Magna cum laude in International Relations.&nbsp; I can attend the actual ceremony in a few months if I want to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He put his arms around her, a firm kiss surprising her accepting lips.&nbsp; \u201cCongratulations.&nbsp; Well done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She drew back gently.&nbsp; \u201cThere\u2019s more.&nbsp; No one knows but Elise and she\u2019s sworn to secrecy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gunnar was perplexed.&nbsp; \u201cAnything wrong? Look, I swear,\u201d he raised his hand in response to her arched brows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s NOT bad\u2014it\u2019s AMAZING.&nbsp; I was accepted.&nbsp; You\u2019re looking at only the Dominion\u2019s seventh Rhodes Scholar!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gunnar\u2019s palm hit his forehead in genuine, happy shock.&nbsp; \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say!&nbsp; I\u2019m so happy for you, Karin!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m off to Oxford\u2014but not for six months.&nbsp; I just found out two days ago\u2014I wanted to tell Mum first but\u2026 anyway, promise not to say anything, ok?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course not!&nbsp; She\u2019ll be thrilled!&nbsp; What great news!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She could already tell he was calculating how the news might affect his own planning.&nbsp; She knew he had always wanted them to wind together.&nbsp; He was nothing if not patient.&nbsp; Her own decisions had been based on the same long term objective, to some degree.&nbsp; True, they had each dated other people.&nbsp; But none of those relationships had ever been serious.&nbsp; While he\u2019d always stayed in touch during their \u2018out\u2019 periods, he\u2019d never obsessed.&nbsp; Sometimes that annoyed her\u2014but it always hooked her back into his orbit when the circumstances warranted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do a fair bit of business in London,\u201d he mused, even as he pulled her down into the sand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you?&nbsp; What kind of business?\u201d she asked blithely, even as his hands drew up the black party dress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes, it\u2019s risky business,\u201d he murmured, his tongue finding her ear lobe.&nbsp; His hands were exploring other aspects of her body.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly, she drew up.&nbsp; \u201cNot\u2026 tonight.&nbsp; It\u2026 isn\u2019t the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded with gentlemanly correctness.&nbsp; \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her fingers circled his lips.&nbsp; \u201cIt will be the right time soon.&nbsp; I need to see this next chapter of my life through and then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll finally marry me and we can dispense with this tantalising virginity of yours?\u201d he asked with a frankness that betrayed the frustration of years.<\/p>\n<p>She pursed her lips in playful defiance.&nbsp; \u201cProbably.&nbsp; In any case, won\u2019t it be worth the wait?&nbsp; I never demanded that YOU remain a virgin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He shrugged.&nbsp; \u201cI\u2019m loyal, not a saint.&nbsp; Yes, of course it will be worth the wait.\u201d&nbsp; He began to zip up the trousers of his tuxedo trousers, when her hand intercepted his.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince we\u2019re here, I may as well check on MY investment,\u201d she whispered, her hands already drawing the trousers down again.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Twenty minutes later and thoroughly dishevelled, the two dusted the sand off their formal clothes.&nbsp; Karin hadn\u2019t agreed to Gunnar\u2019s original terms but she was fairly certain he was happy with the negotiated settlement they\u2019d come to.&nbsp; They slowly made their way off the dunes towards the club deck, where a crowd had already begun assembling for the fireworks.&nbsp; When the sky magic finally began, rockets hissing and booming in multi-coloured streaks far above them, she saw Gunnar\u2019s naturally confident smile scan the sky then down at her.&nbsp; She was sure then that her decision had been a sound one.&nbsp; Months later, she would learn just how fateful that decision would be, in ways she could never have imagined.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll drop you off,\u201d Gunnar offered when the final fireworks faded in the inky black sky.&nbsp; \u201cYou can get the Landrover tomorrow.\u201d&nbsp; She wasn\u2019t drunk but she wanted a few more quiet moments with him.&nbsp; Grabbing her shoes, she followed him to his Mercedes convertible.&nbsp; With no reason she could articulate, a question popped into her head.&nbsp; As the car whipped through the soft, warm night, she turned to Gunnar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs ten kronas a lot of money to a Primevan,\u201d she asked, suddenly aware how bizarre the question must seem.<\/p>\n<p>Even in the dark, she could sense Gunnar\u2019s confusion.&nbsp; \u201cI suppose.&nbsp; Why do you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She shook her head as she poked her feet back into the Pradas.&nbsp; \u201cJust curious.&nbsp; Thanks for the lift.&nbsp; See you tomorrow?&nbsp; For lunch at the Club?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sighed, looking at Elf Hill forlornly.&nbsp; \u201cYes, for lunch then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The two kissed, then kissed some more but when Karin opened the door, the spell was broken.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks again and no telling anyone about the big news!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gunnar raised his palm again.&nbsp; \u201cI said I swear I wouldn\u2019t\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d&nbsp; Then turning back, she blew him a final kiss.&nbsp; \u201cHappy Landing Day!\u201d&nbsp; As his car sped towards his own family place, Karin watched the lights on the lake dim one by one.&nbsp; It really had been the best Landing Day she could remember.&nbsp; It was a memory she would cherish many times in the difficult days ahead, a memory that, like the lonely lights on the lake, would remind her that Life could be a source for happiness and promise, no matter how dark the world around could become.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bacon.&nbsp; Karin stretched, glancing at the clock on the nightstand.&nbsp; 11:03.&nbsp; Outside, the sun and sand beckoned for the uncountable time.&nbsp; There were already white sails coasting in the distance, a southerly wind filling them.&nbsp; More importantly, there was bacon&#8211; and coffee\u2014and they were both to be had downstairs.&nbsp; Throwing on an old, well worn robe, she padded down to the kitchen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDarling!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before she could answer, her mother had drawn her into a hug, one hand holding the acceptance letter from the Rhodes Trust. <a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Lady-Spikers-Try-Outs1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1505 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Lady-Spikers-Try-Outs1-300x169.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Lady-Spikers-Try-Outs1-300x169.png 300w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Lady-Spikers-Try-Outs1-1024x576.png 1024w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Lady-Spikers-Try-Outs1-768x432.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Lady-Spikers-Try-Outs1-1536x864.png 1536w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Lady-Spikers-Try-Outs1-500x281.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Lady-Spikers-Try-Outs1.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is how you share your news?&nbsp; You, young lady, are an absolute brat!\u201d her mother chided her, even as she refused to let her escape the embrace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell done, Karin.&nbsp; Why didn\u2019t you tell us you\u2019d apply?\u201d&nbsp; It was Paul with a much needed cup of coffee, which her mother finally allowed her to accept.<\/p>\n<p>It was Paul who prepared a plate for her, as the mother and daughter caught up.&nbsp; She didn\u2019t even try to reply until she\u2019d downed three pieces of bacon and a couple of pancakes for good measure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe got here around nine.&nbsp; What a day!\u201d The husband and wife both shook their heads.&nbsp; \u201cHow were the fireworks at the Club?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStupendous as always.&nbsp; Hannah Claydon and Claudia Veleska were there\u2014that MP too\u2014Waltraub?&nbsp; It was lots of fun.&nbsp; Ellinor Vita\u2014she\u2019s staying with the Jensens.&nbsp; Oh&#8211; Gunnar was there\u2014he\u2019s doing amazing things!&nbsp; What was the drama yesterday anyway?\u201d&nbsp; She vaguely recalled Mariela referring to something, but she\u2019d been so focused on getting to the Lake that she hadn\u2019t really picked up on it.<\/p>\n<p>It was Paul who filled her in.&nbsp; As a Senator with the neutral Centre Party, he was the in-house political commentator who loved nothing more than to prattle on about the latest developments.&nbsp; That was how he and her mother had met.&nbsp; As Director of National Health Services, she was required to report to Parliament on a somewhat regular basis.&nbsp; The romance and marriage had been lowkey affairs.&nbsp; She was no huge fan of Paul but he was growing on her.&nbsp; He certainly doted on her mother and had not objected to the pre-nuptial agreement she insisted her mother requested.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIngrid threw a temper tantrum, got her defence budget increase and the PRF promptly suspended negotiations,\u201d he summarised.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother, in her Elf Hill khaki shorts and blue linen top, sipped her coffee, still holding the letter.&nbsp; \u201cTranslation: Minister of Defence Hanne got the PM to up the ante and the PRF left the table.&nbsp; No one knows what happens next.&nbsp; But honestly,\u201d she held up the letter, \u201cwhy didn\u2019t you tell us?&nbsp; We might have been able to help!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin nibbled more bacon.&nbsp; \u201cFirst, I wanted zero help.&nbsp; Second, if I didn\u2019t get it, what would be the point?&nbsp; But I did!&nbsp; Oxford, here I come!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul\u2019s mobile rang.&nbsp; \u201cSenator Ludvigsen.&nbsp; Yes, yes\u2014give me a minute.:&nbsp; He held the phone up, shaking his head wearily.&nbsp; The two women waved him away&#8212; it was a common occurrence.&nbsp; He retreated to the Sun Room, where mumbles rose and fell down the hallway for the next half hour.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother rolled her eyes.&nbsp; \u201cThe more he\u2019s out of government, the more he\u2019s propositioning or being propositioned.&nbsp; We were stuffed in a loop yesterday\u2014all the budgets were frozen for \u2018review\u2019 once the media bullied the poor PM after the PRF news went live.&nbsp; As if the VERY meagre health budget has anything to do with power sharing or party politics!\u201d&nbsp; Her mother\u2019s eyes flashed in irritation.&nbsp; Even in anger, it was difficult for her light blue eyes to really convey convincing ire.&nbsp; Not true for Karin\u2014her dark ocean blue eyes, inherited from her father, easily signalled fury before a word left her lips.&nbsp; \u201cAnyway, congratulations Darling.&nbsp; What are your plans for the next six months?&nbsp; You\u2019re welcome to stay here, with us in the city?&nbsp; If you like, we could find you your own place\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin held up a hand.&nbsp; \u201cMother, please!&nbsp; I don\u2019t know\u2014I only found out the day before!&nbsp; I was thinking about getting a job of some kind, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her mother shook her head.&nbsp; \u201cWhy?&nbsp; I don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin sighed.&nbsp; \u201cIt is what adults do, remember?&nbsp; But to be honest, I hadn\u2019t thought further than that. There isn\u2019t exactly a job I could apply my degree towards, unless baristas require international relations to serve espresso in some High Street caf\u00e9,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n<p>As always, her mother\u2019s brain was already chewing on the question.&nbsp; \u201cI know\u2014 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.&nbsp; Yes, that would look good on your cv.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin snickered.&nbsp; \u201cSure, I\u2019ll run for Parliament and get tapped for the Minister gig.&nbsp; Mother, what are you thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her mother waved her away, phone already in hand.&nbsp; \u201cA cadetship, smartass\u2014would that suit?&nbsp; I doubt it would pay a salary but the experience\u2026 I\u2019ll text Lucy right now!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUh, Lucy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/PM-Therese-addresses-UN-Gen-Assembly1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1508 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/PM-Therese-addresses-UN-Gen-Assembly1-300x185.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/PM-Therese-addresses-UN-Gen-Assembly1-300x185.png 300w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/PM-Therese-addresses-UN-Gen-Assembly1-768x473.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/PM-Therese-addresses-UN-Gen-Assembly1-500x308.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/PM-Therese-addresses-UN-Gen-Assembly1.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Her mother looked up in exasperation.&nbsp; \u201cLucia Therese?&nbsp; The PM, if you weren\u2019t following along?&nbsp; We went to school together\u2014Felixholm Prep, then DNU.&nbsp; She went on to King Peters for law and I went to South Pacific for medicine.&nbsp; Between us, I can\u2019t believe she made it to PM but then she was always such a politician, even in school.&nbsp; There&#8211;,\u201d she clicked a phone button, \u201c\u2026and I\u2019ll let you know when her office responds.&nbsp; It won\u2019t be long.&nbsp; I don\u2019t bother her that often so when I do get in touch, she always gets back to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karin nodded, considering.&nbsp; \u201cBut she\u2019s PM, not Foreign Office.&nbsp; Wouldn\u2019t her Minister get annoyed?&nbsp; I wouldn\u2019t want to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Christa Vester (her mother had kept her first married name, to Karin\u2019s delight), cut her off.&nbsp; \u201cShe\u2019s handling both PM and Foreign for now.&nbsp; She came out of Foreign and prides herself on it.&nbsp; Given everything with the PRF, it probably does make sense that she conducts her own foreign policy personally. Ah!&nbsp; And here we go\u2014yes, and her staff will be in touch after the holidays regarding the cadetship. There are security clearances and the like but you\u2019ll soon be doing whatever International Relations grads do in the Foreign Office.&nbsp; Anything else I can sort for you?\u201d she held her phone up in triumph.<\/p>\n<p>Karin devoured another piece of bacon.&nbsp; \u201cMaybe some more pancakes?\u201d she asked innocently.<\/p>\n<p>The mother and daughter both giggled, Karin breaking down first.&nbsp; She suddenly felt as if she was riding Life like some magical barge, coasting towards increasingly inviting destinations.&nbsp;[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<strong>CHAPTER 2: MONSOON KING<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Halvoen piers were deserted.&nbsp; It was well after midnight, and the Harbourmaster\u2019s Office had closed hours ago.&nbsp; Their contact had been correct.&nbsp; Security was non-existent, with the four guards assigned to patrol the piers rarely straying from their never-ending poker game in the Front Gate building.&nbsp;&nbsp; It was a third-tier pier, mostly devoted to servicing the local fishing boats as well as the occasional freighter collecting and hauling off the produce from the local farming communities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Monsoon King was flagged as Panamanian but crewed by Chinese, a typical dodge that jaded Dominion customs officials were used to.&nbsp; The tractor parts to be offloaded in the morning where needed, regardless of place of origin or who owned the vessel.&nbsp; The Halvoen peninsula was a breadbasket in the making and anything that the local farmers wanted was waved through.&nbsp; The tractor parts would represent 70% of the profits for this journey, but the remaining 30% would be provided by the PRF.&nbsp; That cargo took up a minuscule percentage of the hold, less than half a shipping container.<\/p>\n<p>Lights flashed twice in the upper deck.&nbsp; \u201cThat\u2019s us,\u201d his companion nudged him.&nbsp; \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d&nbsp; The two men made their way from behind the terminal and made their way silently across the gangway up into the freighter.&nbsp; They were greeted by two crew, who gestured up to the bridge.&nbsp; From there, the captain, an older Chinese who never opened his mouth except to puff on his cigarette, led them wordlessly into the cargo hold.&nbsp; He flicked on a flashlight, pointed it at a container near a forward hull hatch.&nbsp; The container door and hatch were already both opened.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do we get the merchandise off?\u201d he asked his companion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRORO\u2014roll on, roll-off.&nbsp; We have an electric truck ready to move everything through there.\u201d&nbsp; He pointed at the open hatch.&nbsp; Beyond it was another, wider gangway prepped to accommodate a small vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s check it.\u201d&nbsp; He followed the captain, already entering the shipping container.&nbsp; He directed the crew to use an electric forklift to move an obstructing crate, which revealed what seemed like just another shoulder height crate labeled \u201cGREENWAY TRACTOR TECHNOLOGY\u201d.&nbsp; A crowbar appeared and the top cracked.&nbsp; Inside, there were dozens of small unmarked cardboard boxes.&nbsp; The captain handed him a box cutter, which he took and used to cut through the packing tape wound tightly around a box on top.&nbsp; Opening the box, he waved for the captain\u2019s flashlight.&nbsp; Pointing it into the box, he nodded, reaching in and withdrawing a fistful of the contents and tucking them into a messenger bag he\u2019d brought just for that purpose.<\/p>\n<p>Handing the flashlight back, he held up a mobile phone.&nbsp; He tapped the keys then nodded at the captain, who now withdrew his own phone.&nbsp; Seconds later, a visible glow rose, and the captain nodded.&nbsp; He turned to the companion.&nbsp; He held up two fingers then withdrew.<\/p>\n<p>The companion now pulled out his own phone.&nbsp; \u201cWe have two hours.&nbsp; Bring the truck up and get going.\u201d&nbsp; Turning to the other man, he nodded.&nbsp; \u201cThey\u2019ll handle it from here.&nbsp; Let\u2019s go.\u201d&nbsp; They passed the small electric truck roll past them, the small whirr barely a whisper.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As they descended, the older man made a note that if the crew had an idea of what was being smuggled into the Dominion, which they most certainly did, then official Chinese channels would also know.&nbsp; That they had permitted the crew to take the job\u2014albeit at an eyewatering rate\u2014was significant.&nbsp; He must share this insight with the Central Committee.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They exited the same way they had entered\u2014through the tunnel under the abandoned terminal\u2014and found a delivery truck waiting for them, keys under the seat and a tank full of petrol.&nbsp; They both drew on the overalls and pulled on the caps advertising the grocery home delivery service noted in large letters on each side of the truck.&nbsp; After driving thirty minutes, the younger man pulled into an industrial district on the outskirts of Manvikhaven.&nbsp; The job at the Halvoen pier would be complete, the merchandise soon headed for multiple destinations within the Dominion, some in trucks like the one they were in and in other inconspicuous vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did you join me?\u201d he asked the younger man.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I don\u2019t trust you,\u201d he answered, smiling wide, white teeth in the dark night.<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.&nbsp; Opening the messenger bag, he withdrew the contents, passing one to the companion, who took it eagerly and began flicking through the glossy pages.&nbsp; Then he slowed, spending more time on each page, using his phone light to read the text and make out the images.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is\u2026 powerful,\u201d the man acknowledged.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Minx-Magazine.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1517 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Minx-Magazine-212x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"212\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Minx-Magazine-212x300.png 212w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Minx-Magazine-725x1024.png 725w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Minx-Magazine-768x1084.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Minx-Magazine-500x706.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Minx-Magazine.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 212px) 100vw, 212px\" \/><\/a>He already knew just how powerful.&nbsp; He\u2019d approved every aspect of the production of the magazine the man was now excitedly flicking through.&nbsp; \u2018MINX\u2019 magazine was his proposal, and the cost had been enormous.&nbsp; The Central Committee had given him the go-ahead reluctantly, some arguing the money was better spent on arms or explosives.&nbsp; He countered that the revolution needed fighters before they needed guns and the wavers fell in line.&nbsp; \u2018MINX\u2019 magazine would become a recruiting tool he was confident would succeed and his companion, one of the naysayers, now seemed to agree.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, you were right.\u201d He held up a magazine spread featuring a soldier, face pixelated but clearly not European, grabbing a ponytail of a blonde girl in tatters, clearly terrified.&nbsp; The headline above the image read \u2018TAKE WHAT IS YOURS!&nbsp; JOIN THE FIGHT!&nbsp; JOIN THE PRF!\u2019&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny chance it can be traced outside the Dominion?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone.&nbsp; It was all commissioned through Russian organized crime, using Eastern European talent, photographed in a Danish studio.&nbsp; It is as authentically Dominion visually as they could make it and nobody involved is traceable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kabemba Munda continued to flick through the glossy, coated paper.&nbsp; He rubbed his fingers.&nbsp; \u201cNice stock, which is good as I imagine a single copy will be passed amongst a dozen \u2018readers\u2019,\u201d he chuckled.&nbsp; The Chief Ideologue of the PRF, Munda was the final authority on politically correct messaging.&nbsp; That he was finally converted to the project was a huge victory for the older man.&nbsp; \u201cWeaponised porn,\u201d Munda mused, still turning pages, \u201cis going to send our recruitment efforts through the clouds, Old One.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSixty-four pages of explicitly violent sexual content featuring all types of Dominion-looking nubiles, laced with PRF party positions and promises of the spoils of war.&nbsp; A powerful mix of stimulation and inspiration.&nbsp; I predict we\u2019ll fill out all capital city cells within sixty days, and we can begin distribution of the next issue into the provincial towns and villages next.&nbsp; Though by then, we won\u2019t need to produce the magazine production overseas.&nbsp; I imagine, the next issue will be produced by your team and starring,\u201d he paused, \u201clocal talent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kabemba nodded.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This would be a win for him as well\u2014as the older man had anticipated.&nbsp; His propaganda unit would produce the magazine and he would collect all future kudos.&nbsp; He had no desire to outmaneuver the man many had already begun calling the \u2018Violin Spider\u2019.&nbsp; The two had been informal allies for months leading up to this point and he saw great merit in building on it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut will it make a difference?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He was taken off guard by the usually brash young cadre.&nbsp; He knew the source of the despair.&nbsp; There had been two attempts to provoke the Dominion into a response in the last five years.&nbsp; One he had approved of, the latest he had bitterly opposed.&nbsp; Neither had caused so much as a ripple.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, because it is only the beginning.&nbsp; The window is closing.&nbsp; We have no choice but to take the ultimate risks.&nbsp; Our people are becoming infected with the decadence and weakness of prosperity.&nbsp; We have no choice but to resort to more extreme measures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kabemba nodded in agreement.&nbsp; \u201cWe agree.&nbsp; At least we\u2019ve chased the so-called moderates away.&nbsp; And this latest Dominion government is a farce we must take advantage of.&nbsp; So,\u201d he held up a rolled copy of \u2018MINX\u2019 magazine, \u201cwe have our expensive recruitment drive launched.&nbsp; The Dominion will learn of it and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo nothing,\u201d the older man replied.<\/p>\n<p>Kabemba nodded.&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cDo nothing, lest they terrify their own people or provoke us.&nbsp; We then have our new PRF cadres, with which we\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026can fill out our party cells, which can then begin terror operations design to corrode the Dominion political system, which is already weak spined, and sap Dominion military and security morale.&nbsp; I have some concepts which I\u2019ve shared with the Leader.&nbsp; He\u2019s giving them serious consideration, but if we even implement some of the operations I\u2019ve proposed, we will begin to hollow out the Dominion and destroy its capacity to resist our eventual military conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Violin Spider steepled his fingers, contemplating the long game just outlined.&nbsp; His narrow East African eyes held the thousand-yard stare the old man knew was born of a deadly mix of fanaticism and ambition.&nbsp; He turned the key and the truck began moving slowly down the service road.&nbsp; In a steely tone, the older man knew would brook no refusals, he asked, without turning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should like to learn more about these operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And so he began sharing them.&nbsp; By the time the delivery truck had dropped him off in the dawn light, the older man knew his erstwhile ally would be in communication with the Leader\u2014and advocate for the proposed operations.&nbsp; With that, another Rubicon crossed and fewer days left for the degeneracy known as the Dominion.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<div id=\"Parliament\" class=\"sv_container\"><\/div><script>jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery(\"#Parliament\").svPlayer({title:\"Royal Opening of Parliament\",poster:\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/parlament.png\",videos:[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.selectacorp.dk\\\/Earthly%20Masters%20media\\\/Ch2\\\/HC%201.1%20Parliament%20Opening.mp4\"],autoStart:false,videoWidth:\"default\",setMutedvideoBg:true,autoReplay:false,showControls:true,preload:\"auto\"});});<\/script>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>CHAPTER 3: A CALL TO ARMS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_2.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1529 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_2-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_2-300x200.png 300w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_2-1024x683.png 1024w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_2-768x512.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_2-500x333.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_2.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>It was a most unwelcomed end to a long day at the construction site.&nbsp; First, the materials he\u2019d ordered two weeks ago still hadn\u2019t arrived, which meant re-scheduling his crew to work on the fit-out for the extension, rather than the structural work required for the third floor.&nbsp; The owners, a young high powered professional duo from Lund, had expected their \u2018little\u2019 1,000 square metre beach place tucked right between Moon Mountain resort and the Tilde Estate to be ready weeks ago and weren\u2019t pleased to learn the property wouldn\u2019t be ready for a Landing Day move in.&nbsp; That phone call tested his patience but he had managed to calm them with promises of overtime which would be billed at normal rates and an extension of only an extra week to the schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Now this.&nbsp; Of course, he\u2019d already received the text alert on his phone so the express delivery was not a complete surprise, but usually there was a day or two in between alerts and actual orders.&nbsp; He opened the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMINISTRY OF DEFENCE<\/p>\n<p>TO: LARS SCHMIDT<\/p>\n<p>1st SGT<\/p>\n<p>1st RECON CO, 3rd BATT<\/p>\n<p>15th EASTERN LT RIFLE REGIMENT<\/p>\n<p>RE: READINESS EXERCISE\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<div id=\"defence\" class=\"sv_container\"><\/div><script>jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery(\"#defence\").svPlayer({title:\"Defence Budget Increase\",poster:\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/defense.png\",videos:[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.selectacorp.dk\\\/Earthly%20Masters%20media\\\/ch%203\\\/HC%201.5%20Def%20Minister%20Budget%20Increase.mp4\"],autoStart:false,videoWidth:\"default\",setMutedvideoBg:true,autoReplay:false,showControls:true,preload:\"auto\"});});<\/script>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cMore weekend warrior fun?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was his wife, Inga, changed out of her teaching outfit into a t shirt and jeans.&nbsp; She kissed him.&nbsp; \u201cLong day?&nbsp; Looks like you could use a beer, hon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded and she obliged, cracking open a can of Carlsberg, which he took with a grateful smile and a thirsty gulp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe kids?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKristi in her room, listening to that damn song again\u2014I had to tell her to put her headphones on!&nbsp; Bent, in his room\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlaying \u2018Weapons of War\u2019,\u201d Lars completed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDinner?\u201d he asked, suddenly exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs you know, Kristi doesn\u2019t eat any more and Bent binged on what was left of the Chinese when he got home so it\u2019s you and me.&nbsp; I\u2019ve got all these term papers to grade so ok to order in?&nbsp; Pizza?\u201d&nbsp; She had clearly had her own long day but was all the more lovely for it.&nbsp; Her golden blonde hair was bobbed these days but lustrous and framed a face that brought to mind a younger sister of Nicole Kidman. The body behind him was both full figured and lithe and in a bathing suit, Inga could pass easily as an older sister to their daughter Kristiane.&nbsp; Those lips, thin but cherry red and usually smiling, invited a kiss, which he delivered promptly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.&nbsp; I need a shower,\u201d he admitted, to which she nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou do.&nbsp; And that?\u201d&nbsp; There was a barely perceptible concern in those two words.<\/p>\n<p>He put the letter down.&nbsp; \u201cMore \u2018play soldier\u2019 stuff, that\u2019s all.&nbsp; There wasn\u2019t even an annual exercise last year, so it is probably some bureaucratic budget catch-up silliness.&nbsp; That new minister\u2014\u201d he shook his head\u2014\u201cis a real piece of work,\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Inga mimed a punch.&nbsp; \u201cWhy?&nbsp; Because she\u2019s the Dominion\u2019s first female Minister of Defence?\u201d she demanded in playful outrage.[\/vc_column_text]<div id=\"Economy\" class=\"sv_container\"><\/div><script>jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery(\"#Economy\").svPlayer({title:\"Recession Newsclip\",poster:\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/ressesion.png\",videos:[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.selectacorp.dk\\\/Earthly%20Masters%20media\\\/ch%203\\\/HC%201.7%20Senator%20Economy.mp4\"],autoStart:false,videoWidth:\"default\",setMutedvideoBg:true,autoReplay:false,showControls:true,preload:\"auto\"});});<\/script>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]He shook his head. \u201cPlease\u2014no politics!\u201d&nbsp; The last election had divided them as nothing else had.&nbsp; \u201cI surrender!&nbsp; Anyway, we take the Reservist money every year so it doesn\u2019t matter what I think of it all.\u201d&nbsp; In their early married years, the Reserve stipend had often meant the difference between making the rent or not, as Inga had struggled as a substitute teacher and he had chased work on construction jobs.&nbsp; Now that they were both established\u2014he with his own small but well regarded building outfit and she in a tenured high school teaching role in the school district\u2014the Reservist stipend more often went into a trip or Christmas gift fund.&nbsp; He wished he\u2019d resigned now because he was already juggling projects and calling in favours to complete the holiday home job because of the latest call-up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo on, you reactionary,\u201d she swatted his dusty backside.&nbsp; \u201cWhen you get out of the shower, your pizza will be ready and waiting,\u201d she promised.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1536 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_1-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_1-300x200.png 300w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_1-1024x683.png 1024w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_1-768x512.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_1-500x333.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_VANJA_1.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>He did just that, peeling out of the work clothes.&nbsp; Though he was the \u2018boss\u2019, he was indistinguishable from the rest of the crew by the end of a long day and just as tired and grimy as they all were.&nbsp; As he stepped into the marble walk in shower he himself had designed and built just three years ago, he felt the tension of the day melt off.&nbsp; All drizzled off his long, lank pale frame except for the two words\u2014\u201cand that?\u201d\u2014his wife had posed.&nbsp; The call up wasn\u2019t normal.&nbsp; His unit was militia grade and in all his time in the Reserves, his unit had never been summoned for a \u2018readiness exercise\u2019.&nbsp; This was new language and he suspected it might signal something he had thought was light years away.&nbsp; The PRF was a terrorist outfit, and a fringe one at that.&nbsp;&nbsp;It wasn\u2019t a military threat as far as he knew.&nbsp; He could only hope it was a normal annual call-up and the two weeks would pass quickly.&nbsp; Hell, it might even be fun to fire off some automatic rounds with the boys and drink some Carlsbergs out in some bush bivouac.&nbsp; In any case, there were more important matters to attend to.&nbsp; Lars dried himself off with a thick towel and slipped into grey running shorts and a clean blue \u201cSchmidt Building &amp; Design\u201d t shirt.&nbsp; He\u2019d already heard the doorbell, which meant the pizzas were here![\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>CHAPTER 4: KASPER FARMSTEAD, 3<sup>rd<\/sup> District, WEST SOLLOPSGANGSDALEN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything, Sergeant?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lars looked up from the drone controller board, exasperated.&nbsp; \u201cNo, nothing\u2014Captain.\u201d&nbsp; It was just a second\u2019s delay, but she\u2019d caught it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else you want to add?\u201d demanded Captain Bach, her uniform still crisp with those out of the box perfect creases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, Captain,\u201d he replied quickly with a lie.&nbsp; He wanted to ask why a twenty-something Dominion State University grad with six week\u2019s training at the Royal Artillery Grounds was in charge of his militia unit.<\/p>\n<p>The short-haired blonde in her peaked garrison cap tapped the controller.&nbsp; \u201cKeep looking and focus.&nbsp; I\u2019m off to regimental HQ\u2014 contact me by field VOIP if they pop their heads up, Sergeant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cYes, Ma\u2019am!\u201d he nodded, happy to fiddle with the controls as she left the field position in her jeep.&nbsp; Captain Astrid Bach had been waiting for him when he joined his unit at the Bollgrund rendezvous point.&nbsp; The company\u2019s prior CO, at thirty-five an accountant his own age, had apparently been transferred to a Blomsterby unit after being promoted to a regional role by his civilian employer.&nbsp; It was an opportunity for the new Minister of Defence Ingrid Hanne to score a goal for the PM\u2019s \u201cA Way Forward For Women\u201d program.&nbsp; Wonderful.&nbsp; He couldn\u2019t blame Bach\u2014the new government was making it easy to fast track women in all kinds of government roles.&nbsp; Why not put a barely trained Sociology major in charge of a Royal Dominion Army militia company?&nbsp; Aside from the obvious enjoyment she derived from strutting around in her new uniform, she seemed more interested in hanging around regimental HQ than actually spending time with her new unit, composed entirely of male Reservists between twenty and fifty.<\/p>\n<p>He re-focused on the recon drone.&nbsp; He wondered if the powers that be regretted not investing in anything resembling a modern air force and instead relied on gadgets.&nbsp; He doubted it\u2014those who had made that decision were already retired and beyond bearing any responsibility.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey Sarge, we\u2019re over two weeks on this annual\u2014you think we\u2019ll finish up soon?&nbsp; I got things to do and my boss\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShut it, Bertelsen!&nbsp; There\u2014look!\u201d&nbsp; He held the controller board up.&nbsp; There was a flash of camo and undergrowth that seemed to roll forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPRF!\u201d the corporal exclaimed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJesus, keep it down!&nbsp; Spread the word\u2026 quietly.&nbsp; They can\u2019t be more than five clicks out.&nbsp; Kasper Farmstead.&nbsp; Mount up!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Five minutes later, the 1st Recon Company was surging southwestward towards the farmstead in three columns, each composed of a platoon.&nbsp; Lars took Platoon B, ready to reinforce either flank as needed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt might just be a patrol.&nbsp; It could be a raid,\u201d he whispered calmly into the VOIP field phone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRoger that,\u201d came the response from the Kasper Farmstead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour disposition, Kasper?\u201d he checked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFifteen adults, eight kids.&nbsp; We\u2019ll concentrate in the blockhouse and post snipers in the compound.&nbsp; We have nine rifles, three shotguns, three handguns\u2014lots of ammo,\u201d came a confident reply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRoger that.&nbsp; We\u2019ve got a recon militia company on your back porch\u2014we should be in position in five.&nbsp; Good luck, Kasper. Over out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lars was both relieved and unsurprised that the farmstead was well prepared.&nbsp; Rural farmsteads had originally spread out over large acreage land grants, dating back to colonial days.&nbsp; They, in turn, had been divided over generations but almost always kept in the family.&nbsp; Instead of splitting apart, the modern farmsteads were more like small stations that connected and supplied other family farms in the same area.&nbsp; City folks mocked the rurals, implying in-breeding and stupidity but Lars had always found the farmsteaders self-sufficient and capable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Arms-Cache-Discovered1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1538 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Arms-Cache-Discovered1-300x169.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Arms-Cache-Discovered1-300x169.png 300w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Arms-Cache-Discovered1-1024x576.png 1024w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Arms-Cache-Discovered1-768x432.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Arms-Cache-Discovered1-1536x864.png 1536w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Arms-Cache-Discovered1-500x281.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/GNN-Arms-Cache-Discovered1.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The PRF hadn\u2019t dared to attack even villages thus far.&nbsp; Perhaps they hoped the farmsteads would make easy pickings, but he was damned if they\u2019d carry off so much as a chicken tonight.&nbsp; And he doubted they\u2019d be satisfied with just chickens.&nbsp; Since the initial call-up, there\u2019d been rumours about just what the PRF was up to in this new, bloodier phase of their insurgency.&nbsp; Thank God, Inga and the kids were safe in Bollgrund, he thought.<\/p>\n<p>Bertelsen pointed at the beeping VOIP field phone.&nbsp; \u201cBACH\u201d insistently blinked on and off, as annoying as the company commander herself.&nbsp; \u201cYou gonna answer, Sarge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCorporal, I stowed that away already.&nbsp; Remember?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The corporal shrugged.&nbsp; \u201cNow I do, Sarge.\u201d&nbsp; The two men moved quickly to catch up with the rest of B Platoon, just as Lars heard the unmistakeable blast of a shotgun erupt from the clump of buildings up ahead.<\/p>\n<p>The PRF unit had moved even more quickly than Lars thought possible.&nbsp; They were weaving in between the out buildings and surrounding the sturdy blockhouse with interlocking fire.&nbsp; A Molotov cocktail exploded on the flat blockhouse roof when B Platoon began laying down automatic fire on all sides.&nbsp; A surprised PRF officer in a red beret pointed towards his position before being immediately cut down by his advancing platoon.&nbsp; By now, Platoons A and C would have heard the fireworks and begun fanning towards the PRF flanks and rear.<\/p>\n<p>Another camo\u2019d figure dashed out with a lit Molotov but was dropped by fire well to the rear.&nbsp; The farmers had positioned their snipers well.&nbsp; He was about to call in platoons A and C when he heard a jeep engine roar up from the rear.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat the hell is going on?\u201d&nbsp; Bach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLooks like a PRF raid, Captain,\u201d he explained pointlessly.&nbsp; \u201cWe caught them out though.&nbsp; Platoon A and C are closing now,\u201d he gestured with the VOIP field phone, which she snatched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlatoons A and C, hold your position!&nbsp; I repeat, hold your position!\u201d she snapped into the phone.<\/p>\n<p>Lars was incredulous.&nbsp; \u201cWe can take them out, Captain\u2014I doubt they have any reserves!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The blonde hair bobbed in ire.&nbsp; \u201cThe Minister has ordered \u201cDeflect Not Destroy\u201d rules of engagement, Sergeant!&nbsp; Why didn\u2019t you call me as instructed?\u201d she demanded furiously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCaptain, we can catch them NOW if\u2014\u201d&nbsp; He stopped.&nbsp; What was the point?&nbsp; The firefight was over just as abruptly as it had begun.&nbsp; The PRF unit had already slipped through the gap, headed back into the mountains and jungle\u2014though empty handed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer my question, Sergeant!\u201d the little red faced blonde yelled.&nbsp; In the distance, a victorious cheer rose from the blockhouse and lights illuminated the surrounding area, in which at least three unmoving PRF cadre lay.<\/p>\n<p>The VOIP phone vibrated and he answered.&nbsp; \u201cKasper?&nbsp; You did well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks.&nbsp; We got three at least.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeave them\u2014we\u2019ll be up in a minute.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Turning to Bach, he nodded to the farmstead.&nbsp; \u201cCould be intel opportunities, Captain.&nbsp; Shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She glared at him.&nbsp; As always, he found an angry woman extremely attractive\u2014even this self-important twit.&nbsp; Though not half as sexy as Inga, he amended his thought.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t over,\u201d she snarled, as she rose and walked ahead.<\/p>\n<p>But it was.&nbsp; As he\u2019d thought possible, one of the PRF cadre was only wounded.&nbsp; He was a young grunt, but any POW was an intel bonanza, given how hard it was to catch one.&nbsp; He doubted there was much such a low level recruit could spill&#8211; but it DID suffice to produce a citation for Captain Astrid Bach, as well as secondment to Military Intelligence, where she was well out of their hair.<\/p>\n<p>He learned all this a week later, when the entire 15th Eastern Light Rifles were ordered to the Bollgrund base for R&amp;R rotation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou interested in taking it on, Schmidt?&nbsp; 1st Recon, that is.\u201d&nbsp; Colonel Clausen had been a regular before civvy life as a successful solicitor.&nbsp; He had been running the reserve unit since he had joined up at twenty.&nbsp; It was an old topic of discussion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, thank you Sir.&nbsp; You know me.&nbsp; I can do more good at my current rank.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_ALYX_1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1539 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_ALYX_1-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_ALYX_1-300x200.png 300w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_ALYX_1-1024x683.png 1024w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_ALYX_1-768x512.png 768w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_ALYX_1-500x333.png 500w, http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/REW_PLISTC_ALYX_1.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Clausen sighed.&nbsp; \u201cWell, at least I can get you a less\u2026 political\u2026 CO replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lars nodded.&nbsp; \u201cAppreciated, Sir.&nbsp; Is this \u201cDeflect Not Destroy\u201d the new rule of engagement?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Colonel smiled.&nbsp; \u201cI didn\u2019t hear that, Sergeant Schmidt.&nbsp; Say again?\u201d he asked, lips curled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry, Sir.&nbsp; Just clearing my throat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The regimental commander nodded.&nbsp; \u201cAs you can probably guess, this isn\u2019t the annual Carlsberg and Ammo beer blast.&nbsp; You\u2019ve got a week and then you\u2019re rotating back in.\u201d&nbsp; He held his hand up, as Lars began to remonstrate.&nbsp; \u201cStow it.&nbsp; The PRF has ratcheted the whole thing up.&nbsp; This isn\u2019t isolated.&nbsp; Reserves have already been called up in Jernbjerg and Kryyderlandet.&nbsp; We\u2019re getting regular RDA units and support shortly.&nbsp; We\u2019re going to stop this in the hinterland before it gets out of hand.&nbsp; Your men\u2019s employers have been informed and\u2014\u201d he raised his hand again as Lars tried to interject\u2014\u201cthe government will be running PSAs thanking all the Reserve staff for their brave and patriotic service.&nbsp; If your construction clients complain, they\u2019ll be audited by Royal Revenue for the next century, alright?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lars nodded.&nbsp; \u201cUnderstood, Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDismissed.&nbsp; Call your wife, get a drink and play some pool.&nbsp; That was some work out there last week.&nbsp; Let\u2019s just get this done, Lars,\u201d he added informally.&nbsp; \u201cI get tired of playing soldier too, but we need to knock these bastards out before they get too big for their boots\u2014that clear soldier?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lars saluted crisply.&nbsp; \u201cCrystal, Sir.\u201d&nbsp;[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>CHAPTER 5: OPERATION BLACK MAGIC<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>EboManso looked at his watch.&nbsp; 9:03.&nbsp; All that would be here were here.&nbsp; It was time to begin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cComrades, welcome.&nbsp; You have heeded the call.&nbsp; You are the select.&nbsp; You are the Assegais!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The nine men, seated on crates and construction material scattered through the eighth story worksite, lightly stamped their feet.&nbsp; Though situated in the heart of Blomsterby\u2019s CBD, there was no danger of discovery.&nbsp; The security guard on watch below was one of their own.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook at one another.&nbsp; When our struggle is concluded, the fighters in this room shall be amongst the most important men in this city!&nbsp; You shall command the heights and you shall bend the arc of destiny to lead our people\u2014the Prime people\u2014into a new Golden Age!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The appeal to vanity and patriotism was, as he had been instructed in Cadre School, irresistible.&nbsp; The men positively glowed with pride and commitment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs you know, our cell has grown from one,\u201d he pointed to himself, \u201cto two,\u201d he pointed at another, \u201cto three, four and more&#8211; to our current eight.&nbsp; We have a new candidate for consideration tonight and we shall see if he has the courage of his convictions.&nbsp; Adebayo, come forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A gangly teen, still wearing his janitorial overalls, stood up from a stack of gyprock he\u2019d used as a seat.&nbsp; Gripped in his hand was a rolled up, much-smudged magazine.&nbsp; Every other man in the room had one as well by his side.&nbsp; They were much sought after and he had pleaded for another hundred copies at least, but Party HQ had run out of stock.&nbsp; A new issue of MINX magazine was promised in the near future though.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you offer yourself as a candidate for the Assegai cell of the PRF, Adebayo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The voice was nervous but the emotion strong.&nbsp; \u201cYes, Comrade.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the target for your initiation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c JulieAbildg\u00e5rd.&nbsp; I saw her name tag.&nbsp; She\u2019s a waitress at Solskin Caf\u00e9, on Bremerholm and Ny \u00d8stergade.&nbsp; She\u2014I&#8211;,\u201d he stammered, suddenly overcome.<\/p>\n<p>Ebo nodded.&nbsp; He pressed a button on his phone, which then projected a series of images on the white sheet he\u2019d draped on the wall for just this purpose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJulie Abildg\u00e5rd, age eighteen\u2014remember comrades, never younger!\u2014and as Adebayo has said, a waitress at a caf\u00e9.&nbsp; She works part time and attends Dominion State University at Blomsterby.&nbsp; She majors in\u2026\u201d he checked his notes, \u201carchitectural design.&nbsp; How nice for her!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The men gathered chuckled, even as they gazed at the surveillance photos and videos taken of the subject of Adebayo\u2019s fancy as she waited tables in her blouse and skirt.&nbsp; The brunette was nothing special to Ebo\u2014decent face, a willowy figure\u2014but for Adebayo, she evidently represented a great deal more than that.<\/p>\n<p>Adebayo was transfixed by the many images dancing across the screen.&nbsp; \u201cI watch her every day for months now\u2014I work at Brasserie du Nord across the street.&nbsp; She\u2026uh, she\u2019s\u2014\u201d[\/vc_column_text]<div id=\"blackmagic\" class=\"sv_container\"><\/div><script>jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery(\"#blackmagic\").svPlayer({title:\"Operation Black Magic\",poster:\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/black-magic.png\",videos:[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.selectacorp.dk\\\/Earthly%20Masters%20media\\\/ch%205\\\/Operation%20Black%20Magic.mp4\"],autoStart:false,videoWidth:\"default\",setMutedvideoBg:true,autoReplay:false,showControls:true,preload:\"auto\"});});<\/script>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ebo waved his hand.&nbsp; \u201cNo need to explain.\u201d&nbsp; He turned to the whole group.&nbsp; \u201cNo need for a Prime EVER to explain.&nbsp; A Prime sees, a Prime desires, a Prime TAKES!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The foot stamping began again.&nbsp; Adebayo\u2019s face had grown damp with excitement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we speak, your Julie is walking back from the university library.&nbsp; She will take the Sofiegade and we will greet her after she passes over the bridge there.\u201d&nbsp; He handed a pistol to Adebayo.&nbsp; \u201cThere you will assert your privilege over her and secure your admission to the Assegai cell of the PRF.&nbsp; Are you ready?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adebayo took the pistol in wonderment, still not able to conceive that his deepest fantasy was about to be released.&nbsp; He nodded dumbly, grinning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will secure her for you and then you may have as long as you require.&nbsp; You will leave her healthy and alive\u2014this is important.&nbsp; Kill her and your application will be rejected.&nbsp; You understand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adebayo nodded, grimly.&nbsp; They had discussed this in depth many times already.&nbsp; The girl had to live in order to share her story.&nbsp; It was the sole objective of Operation Black Magic\u2014which had nothing to do with cell initiation and everything to do with the greater psychological warfare campaign now underway throughout the Dominion.&nbsp; Kabemba Munda had been adamant.&nbsp; No underage and no murders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d&nbsp; The nine men filed down the half constructed stairwell down to street level and from there,&nbsp; Sofiegade.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I have her afterwards?\u201d Adebayo whispered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter we win?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The assumption was so earnest, Ebo was taken aback.&nbsp; He honestly didn\u2019t know if they\u2019d be alive at the end of the night, let alone be victorious in an insurgency with long odds already.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer and more.&nbsp; As many as you could ever want,\u201d he promised, pushing the boy forward down the quiet empty street.&nbsp; Ebo might be lying or telling the truth.&nbsp; Only blood, and perhaps more important, luck would provide the ultimate answer to Adebayo\u2019s question.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<div id=\"Pirate\" class=\"sv_container\"><\/div><script>jQuery(document).ready(function(){jQuery(\"#Pirate\").svPlayer({title:\"Piracy Newsclip\",poster:\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/pirates.png\",videos:[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.selectacorp.dk\\\/Earthly%20Masters%20media\\\/ch%205\\\/HC%203.2%20Pirates.mp4\"],autoStart:false,videoWidth:\"default\",setMutedvideoBg:true,autoReplay:false,showControls:true,preload:\"auto\"});});<\/script>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]CHAPTER 1: LANDING DAY[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cIs that it?&nbsp; Three and a half years jammed into just two boxes and three pieces of luggage?\u201d The young blonde woman nodded, shrugging.&nbsp; \u201cWhat can I say?&nbsp; I travel light\u2014besides, I brought a lot back on my last trip.&nbsp; Thanks guys.\u201d&nbsp; She handed the driver of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Earthly Masters Chapters 1 to 5 - SelectaCorp<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Earthly Masters Chapters 1 to 5 - SelectaCorp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]CHAPTER 1: LANDING DAY[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cIs that it?&nbsp; Three and a half years jammed into just two boxes and three pieces of luggage?\u201d The young blonde woman nodded, shrugging.&nbsp; \u201cWhat can I say?&nbsp; I travel light\u2014besides, I brought a lot back on my last trip.&nbsp; Thanks guys.\u201d&nbsp; She handed the driver of...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SelectaCorp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-15T09:15:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/VisitKongestad1-222x300.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"66 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/\",\"name\":\"Earthly Masters Chapters 1 to 5 - SelectaCorp\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-12T15:14:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-15T09:15:58+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Earthly Masters Chapters 1 to 5\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/\",\"name\":\"SelectaCorp\",\"description\":\"Victoribus Spolia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SelectaCorp\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/cropped-image_61.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/cropped-image_61.png\",\"width\":240,\"height\":69,\"caption\":\"SelectaCorp\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Earthly Masters Chapters 1 to 5 - SelectaCorp","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/selectacorp.dk\/wordpress\/earthly-masters-chapter-1\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Earthly Masters Chapters 1 to 5 - SelectaCorp","og_description":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]CHAPTER 1: LANDING DAY[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\u201cIs that it?&nbsp; 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