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Section V, Whitehall, London, 15th of January 1936.
John Smith sat behind his desk before standing up and walking around it, having rolled his cigarette whilst the others came in he now leant back against the pine of the desk and lit it. "Christ, look at the mob of you" He remarked before taking a slow pull on the cigarette and exhaling the thick blue smoke slowly. "It's my task to shape you up into something resembling an intelligence unit. A couple of you I know have worked for the French before, but we've got you on loan for the time being." He pauses to flick some ash off the handrolled into the ash-tray on his desk. "So, I don't know what exactly you've been told, but I'm John Smith, Head of Section Five... And I've got a little job for you to be getting on with. Essentially we need to insert you into Spain, we've recieved news from out contants in the CNT-FAI that there is something funny going on. We suspect a Carlist plot. Normally this wouldn't concern Britain, but three days ago we arrested a Carlist agent operating in Britain. We believe he was intending to plant an explosive device on the London Underground. So, it's personal." Smith smiles revealing a set of sparkling white teeth. "Think you can handle it?" He takes another pull on his cigarette and looks to the group infront of him.
John Smith sat behind his desk before standing up and walking around it, having rolled his cigarette whilst the others came in he now leant back against the pine of the desk and lit it. "Christ, look at the mob of you" He remarked before taking a slow pull on the cigarette and exhaling the thick blue smoke slowly. "It's my task to shape you up into something resembling an intelligence unit. A couple of you I know have worked for the French before, but we've got you on loan for the time being." He pauses to flick some ash off the handrolled into the ash-tray on his desk. "So, I don't know what exactly you've been told, but I'm John Smith, Head of Section Five... And I've got a little job for you to be getting on with. Essentially we need to insert you into Spain, we've recieved news from out contants in the CNT-FAI that there is something funny going on. We suspect a Carlist plot. Normally this wouldn't concern Britain, but three days ago we arrested a Carlist agent operating in Britain. We believe he was intending to plant an explosive device on the London Underground. So, it's personal." Smith smiles revealing a set of sparkling white teeth. "Think you can handle it?" He takes another pull on his cigarette and looks to the group infront of him.
Agent Yellow, a man looking to be in his mid to late twenties, developed a hardened expression on his face when he Smith mentioned the attempt to bomb the underground. He didn't approve that kind of thing. With the unpleasant cigarette smoke hanging in the air, Agent Yellow cleared his throat and stepped forwards.
"I'm up for it sir" he said in what was an unmistakeably Received Pronunciation accent. "But I'm afraid I don't speak Spanish - will this interfere with the operation?"
"I'm up for it sir" he said in what was an unmistakeably Received Pronunciation accent. "But I'm afraid I don't speak Spanish - will this interfere with the operation?"
Arms folded, staring downward, Armando leveled his gaze towards Agent Yellow, then towards Comrade Smith. "I might be of assistance in that area, Comrade. As well, French intelligence had me routinely meet with CNT operatives while I was working under their authority." Slowly reaching towards his the pocket of his fatigue jacket, and withdrawing a single cigarette, before lighting it, he continued. "I have some general knowledge of the area, as well as the inner workings of Madrid."
Father Thorn cleaned his cross necklace, smiling at both of his comrades. "And for my part, maybe God could help me. I'm a Catholic priest, so I doubt they'll suspect anything of me. That is, if you don't mind me getting my hands dirty." He then rubs the same necklace, sighing. "I promise to be careful if you agree to let me work undercover. I just feel as if tricking them from the inside would behoove us."
Emile Papineau tried to hide his dislike of the english while answering the british playing to be a chief: "Camarade, while I'm fluent spanish speaker, I'm a guerrilla fighter, not a secret agent. What do you want from us exactly? Help the CNT or avenge the british intelligence for havint let this agent enter the country?"
Levefre looked at the team, they certainly looked like a competent bunch even if unusual, the one who just spoke didn't look like someone fit for an intelligence mission at all and there was too a catholic priest, quite an oddity in these days in the syndicalist countries.
He sighted thinking his superiors must have had an very good reason for putting together such an weird group. " I can help with the issue of smuggling ourselves into Spain, mes amis," he added" I have worked extensively with the CNT-FAI, helping smuggling all kind of equipment there, if we go there through France I can easily arrange a way to get us to Catalonia safely and undetected".
He sighted thinking his superiors must have had an very good reason for putting together such an weird group. " I can help with the issue of smuggling ourselves into Spain, mes amis," he added" I have worked extensively with the CNT-FAI, helping smuggling all kind of equipment there, if we go there through France I can easily arrange a way to get us to Catalonia safely and undetected".
Smith takes a pull on his cigarette and looks to Papineau for a moment, before looking to the others. "Frankly we want to know what's going on. How you go about finding this information out is up to you. We've a suspicion that a non-state actor is attempting to influence events in Spain for the time being and we need men on the ground to follow it up. If you want to travel via France, then do so. I am certain that you will be able to delegate any translation required between you and you will learn each other's strengths as you go along. Ultimately all we require of you at this time is to get into Spain, infiltrate the Carlist circle in Valencia or find out what they are doing by other means. From that point on, we'll see where things go."
"How long until we need to leave the country?" asked Agent Yellow. "If it's not too much trouble, there are a few bits and bobs I'd like to pick up from stores before we leave for Spain."
Arms folded, eyeing each man in the crowd, his gaze turned towards Agent Yellow, nodding, before continuing.
"We as well need to begin arranging transport, and find our contacts."
"We as well need to begin arranging transport, and find our contacts."
"Trains to Dover leave from Charing Cross every hour or we could catch an airship from Biggin Hill to Calais." Agent Yellow shrugged. "How do you all prefer to travel?"
Smith half turns and flicks ash from the cigarette tip into the ashtray before leaning back with his hands resting against the edge of the desk as he once more faces the group. "Comrades, Section V, whilst able to give you a generous stipend, cannot give you more than it. My advice is don't blow it on airship rides. Yellow, if you want to head to the Supply & Requisitions Office at Derby Gate, I'll give you carte blanche on the condition - and I'm holding you to all of this - you don't empty the damn place!" He turns and gets to his feet before opening a draw and pulling out a scrap of paper. He leans forward and writes a brief missive in scruffy handwriting before folding it and passing it to Agent Yellow. "Anyone gives you stick, you just tell them Section V sent you, and if they have a problem with that, ask to talk to their superior. Oh and Comrades, do leave as soon as you can."
Papineau smiled at this subtle reminder of how recent were the intelligence services of the Internationale. Thoughts of the insane sums the royalist used to bribe the population and force Québec's resistance into exile were spinning in his head. But they had something no bourgeois will ever have: the help of the working people. That was worth all the gold in the world. "Sir, can I suggest we use a contact we have in the Irish merchant marine? They are fiercely catholics and would attract less suspicion from the spanish reactionaries. And Father Thorn here could elude any interrogation."
Shaking his head, Armando spoke up. "If we attempt to be seen as Irish, then Spanish loyalists will be tempted to interrogate us instead, seeing as Ireland overwhelmingly supports the Carlists...I have a more complex proposition. We shall masquerade as a Cuban fishing vessel, dropping off this weeks catch at the harbor in north western Spain. As long as you all are able to cover up your accents, I shall play the part of boat captain, with the Priest playing the part of Carlist sympathizer coming to Spain to lend his spiritual support to the struggle. That way, not only are we not noticeable, but we are friends in the eyes of the enemy. And, if commandeered by loyalist forces, we are merely fishermen."
Father Thorn nodded to Armando, clearing his throat. "Yes, his idea is safer. Since it's part of the plan, I don't object to pretending to be a Carlist collaborator. In fact, I seem like the perfect candidate here to do so. Little do they know my real colours...."
"Gent-, I mean, Comrades, why not hide in plain sight? We are, are we not, working for the intelligence service. So why not let that be our identity - at least as far as the Carlists are concerned? Except let us pretend to the Carlists that we are working for the Entente. I can easily pass as an "Exile", I detect the accent of a Quebecois from our guerilla friend here and the rest of you could all convincingly look like the kind of team that the Entente might hire to make contact with the Carlists to discuss covertly arming and equipping them.
"A Catholic Quebecer and a Catholic priest to make contact with them, a Spanish interpreter, myself in the role of a Royal Army officer to assess how much equipment and training they might need, and, of course, a smuggler who has experience of getting contraband into Spain in order to work out the details of the route to be used to send assistance to them. And that, of course, would tie in brilliantly with the ruse of arriving posing as Cuban fishermen - a boat from the Caribbean but not the Caribbean Federation is exactly the kind of method the Entente would use."
Agent Yellow looked at the group as he folded up the piece of paper Smith had given him and stowed it inside his coat pocket. "Does that meet with your approval?"
"A Catholic Quebecer and a Catholic priest to make contact with them, a Spanish interpreter, myself in the role of a Royal Army officer to assess how much equipment and training they might need, and, of course, a smuggler who has experience of getting contraband into Spain in order to work out the details of the route to be used to send assistance to them. And that, of course, would tie in brilliantly with the ruse of arriving posing as Cuban fishermen - a boat from the Caribbean but not the Caribbean Federation is exactly the kind of method the Entente would use."
Agent Yellow looked at the group as he folded up the piece of paper Smith had given him and stowed it inside his coat pocket. "Does that meet with your approval?"
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