Victory Under Heaven (Victoria-RoC)

[Sabriel]

Queen Catharine Akinyi al Victoria, the Inferno Queen of Africa, arrived in China by plane. Her retinue of guards, aides, Victorian nobility, and reporters was enough to fill even the largest of Victoria's aircraft. The Victorians dressed colourfully, all save the Queen who wore a uniform of white and gold. Catharine waited until accommodations were confirmed for her followers before she split off with a much smaller retinue of guards and aides for her meeting.

Once she arrived at whatever location the Chinese had chosen for the meeting, she offered polite greetings and a gift of an ebony mask. After she was offered similar greetings, and she was settled with the Premier, she crossed her legs in her seat and flashed a lazy smile at the man.

"Tell me about Vietnam."

[Cataphrak]

Marshal Du Yuming and his aides had met Queen Catharine at the airport with a brass band, an honour guard, and all trappings of a reception fit for the reigning monarch of a friendly power. Looking downright utilitarian in his army service greys, the Premier of the Republic ushered the visiting monarch and her entourage to the convoy of staff cars waiting to take them to the Qing Dynasty-era palace which had been made available as their accommodations.

The meeting itself took place in the palace's inner courtyard, away from the probing cameras of the Chinese press. When presented with the Victorian Queen's gifts, the Marshal was ready with a few of his own: a Ming Dynasty tea set, a three thousand year old bronze sword - its blade still burnished and sharp - and a replica of an early Song Dynasty era gunpowder weapon: a "Fire Lance".

Despite what the Head of the Military Affairs Commission might think, the Premier did, in fact, have a sense of humour.

Yet when it came to business, the Marshal was caught - or pretended to be caught - rather at a loss.

"Vietnam? I'm afraid I'm not an expert. From what I can recall, the Japanese left it in pretty bad shape, not that the French had done much to keep the place well-managed beforehand any ways," the Marshal mused. "I hear they've built quite the tidy industrial base. They claim to be governed along Marxist lines, but strangely enough, all their state revenue seems to be going towards their Politburo's country homes rather than the Vietnamese proletariat." He shrugged. "But then again, what do I know of such things? I'm a simple soldier, your Majesty. I can only understand the countries I've fought wars in, and my troops were still halfway through Burma when the German Plague hit."

[Sabriel]

Cathy barked out a short and sharp laugh. "Very nice," she said to Yuming, "but we both know what I'm talking about. Unless your own intelligence agencies are incompetent, you've already gotten the reports that we've found out what you're doing. You should already have gotten reports that it's ended, as well."

[Cataphrak]

That actually did bring the Marshal up short.

"Unless my wily old bastard of a predecessor was hiding something from me, the Government of the Republic of China has no clandestine operations in Vietnam."

Why would the Victorians think they were hiding something? Could it be that somewhere, within the labyrinthine operational maze of the Juntong, they actually were hiding something? That, more than anything else worried the Marshal. If old Dai Li's infamous intelligence network was operating unmoored of the actual government, that means they were acting unmoored of him, and nothing good could come out of a service known for assassinating people in hilariously anachronistic ways being at odds with the government that nominally commanded it.

Du Yuming leaned in, a look of genuine worry on his expression. "Majesty, if you've found evidence of some sort of intelligence operation in Vietnam, then either my spooks are operating behind my back, or someone's trying to turn our countries - and the Vietnamese - against each other. Either way, this is my problem now."

[Sabriel]

The Inferno Queen narrowed her eyes at her counterpart. After a long pause she gave a short nod and gestured to one of her aides, who handed her a folder. This she in turn handed to the Premier. "This is our evidence found in Vietnam. Someone pretending to be Victoria, and operating out of Chinese territory. We have only a few options now.

"First is that it is you, and your ignorance here is feigned. To be honest, I do not care what operations you engage in so long as you leave Victoria and our interests out of it. Second, of course, is that your agents have taken their own lead. And third is that an outside party is using us both for cover. Given Vietnam's political situation, I cannot imagine who would have an interest in their doings, and enough knowledge of Victorian protocols to engage in such an operation."

[Cataphrak]

Du Yuming had not spent thirty years as a soldier without learning how to prioritise.

If what the Victorian Queen said was true, then some third power (a third power, the Marshal suspected, whose name began with an "S" and ended with "-ocialist Republics of America") was looking to turn China and Victoria against each other for their own profit.

But that could wait. The most important thing right now was the fact that whoever was doing this was doing it on Chinese soil, and not only operating unauthorised, but doing it in a way which meant to entangle a country which the government and people of the Republic were beginning to see as a likely potential ally.

The Marshal waved to one of his aides, and entered into a short, whispered exchange. When he turned back to Catharine, his expression was one of grim resolution.

"Majesty, whoever is doing this is operating against the interests of both your government and mine. I propose we work together to track down these agents and find out who is responsible for them."

[Sabriel]

"Yes. I agree. I think we can continue to investigate this matter by establishing a joint office for intelligence work here. My officers can work with your own to track down more evidence regarding this situation. It will be a sign to the world that we are not so easily dissuaded from establishing a friendship."

[Cataphrak]

The Marshal nodded firmly. "Agreed! We can set up arrangements for a protected facility with the necessary security measures immediately. So long as my own intelligence services are under suspicion, I will ensure that any information we find regarding this issue will be brought to your attention through my own staff."

[Sabriel]

Victorian Royal Intelligence Program officers took up residence in their new location in China. They called their Chinese counterparts to a meeting once they had settled in, and provided a packet of intelligence that had been gathered by RIP agents across the world. The packet included Victoria's efforts regarding the RIP's suspicions.

[Cataphrak]

A Chinese delegation soon arrived, made up not of intelligence officers, but of civilian experts hailing from institutions as varied as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Hong Kong Police. They too, brought all of the evidence gathered thus far regarding the case, and shared it freely with their Victorian counterparts.