There has been a slight change in the plot schematics because of the map systems I drew out. I completely forgot that New Antioch is in the tropical portion of Azeroth and that Jein-Tol is at the South Pole. I also forgot that Port Sarim was in Esther's Island off the coast of Jein-Tol, not Febelswelt at New Antioch.

So, yeah, it's not slight anymore. It's a complete revision!! AAAAARGH!! I'll have the redraw the maps AGAIN!!

[The Story So Far]...

A Campaign of Distraction (P. III)

The northern edge of the icy city of Jein-Tol held one of the most vast and advanced ports in Azeroth. They had state of the art supply systems, a docking bay capable of managing over two hundred ships in any one time, and a management speed of three hundred operations per day. Military-wise, they had the best naval forces on the planet, topping the charts with a warship number of four hundred, all manned by the best fleet admirals and commodores, and the number was still increasing.

All of this economical and military super-power systems gave rise when Mira's father, King Horrace VII, was in throne. Even after he was ruthelessly killed by one of Arshad's key lieutenants, Jenovah Altair, the country continued to progress under the Judicial government systems. Years without a proper figurehead to follow turned the country into a democratic state, and when Mira found out that she herself was the rightful heir of the throne, she was dumbfounded that she was to be queen of such an advanced country.

To Arshad though, the country was completely rigged.

During the Warring Triad events, several veteran demolitioneers paid a visit to the icy continent at the south of the planet. They laid out minefields many times the size of football fields when they found a rich vein of resources deep in the icy caverns of Mark Five - the deepest cavern in the continent. Seeing that they already had a powerful supply of resrouces streaming in from Korhal VI and Ionas, they decided to set a trap for their enemies.

They never activated the trap. Not a single mine was tripped because no one else went to the continent during the Warring Triad events. The demolitioneers' faction was obliterated anyway, and their trap plans were destroyed. Not a soul knew that the entire of Southreim was rigged more than a nuke.

Not a soul but Steven and Arshad.

The minefields in question weren't exactly right below the country, but they were located relatively close to the port power supply and warship docking areas. Steven realised that having the trigger to these minefields would be key if Jein-Tol ever staged an assault with it's over-powerful navy against the Pioneer teams scattered across Kalimdor and Reichlan. So he set out to find it, and he found it soon after in Jein-Tol's own archives.

Those morons didn't even know about a trap right under their feet when they had all the information to disable it.

Arshad eyed the console video streaming in from a satellite. A lonely supply boat was leaving dock from Port Sarim towards Jein-Tol, and there were three ships inbound to the port. Two of them were warships heading in to give reinforcements to the supply yards based in Sarim, the other was a transport vessel carrying what appeared to be gravel towards Sarim's sister port Vale.

"Pioneer team 32 calling back, Pioneer team 16 dispatching to area 15."

Arshad was prepared to think that all of this was just a distraction, that Markus was no where near New Antioch at all. There were evacuation sectors dotted all around New Antioch, mainly towards the eastern bay - which was experiencing snow because it was winter. The Alliances were housing their stage areas and war theatres at that bay, so people generally believed that the closer they were to the army protecting them, the more protected they were.

'Pfft,' thought Arshad. 'Fat chance. Those Alliances just want more people around them so that they have human shields. Can't wait till the massacre begins,'

A tiny beep alerted Arshad of an abnormal psi spike around the port, followed by team 16's report via the AI system.

"Pioneer team 16 reporting abnormal P.I. spike reading at docking area 12."

Then there was another beep.

"Pioneer team 27 reporting abnormal P.I. spike reading at docking area 12."

It continued for teams 38, 49 and 66, as Arshad, bemused, listened on with his phone in his hand.

Then something else.

"Pioneer team 2 reporting abnormal P.I. spike reading at base platform area 98."

Arshad dialed team 2. They were in area 16, not 98. Markus messed up big time.

He immediately called the operator and transmitted a search-out at area 12 and area 16. He placed more stress on area 12. Since a flase spike reading was only capable by inexperienced psi users, there was a chance that Markus was trying to generate a full call-out to area 98. In doing so, however, he apparently forgot that such psi attacks on Pioneer technology usually backfired by displaying the origin of the attack and the target.

"But don't send everyone there, I need a few back in base to search through area two as well," Arshad added. The operator was puzzled. "Why not send everyone and completely secure the area?"

Arshad snorted. "Because this is Marian's son we're talking about, not some dimwit who would really make a mistake and not know it,"

He then turned back to the console when the operator obliged, and observed the mid-sea gates and the transport ship inbound to Jein-Tol, and he wondered. Maybe this was a trap.

But there was another, more burning question in him. "What the hell is inside that bucket of bolts?"


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I need a role for Madison. Plus my bowels today refused to let me go to the sports fiesta. I had no will to, anyway.