In an hidden room, miles away, Starlight Chameleon, Silk Firewind, Shadow Sage and Crimson Edge traced Tsuberov and Oz's frantic searches on their computers. Starlight was the first to speak. "I'd say that the first act of Tranquility's Shadow was very successful, wouldn't you?" Nodding, the group agreed. Starlight looked at Silk. "And we're 100% certain that no traces were successful?"
Silk nodded again, calling up screens to verify that fact. "We routed the doll modification instructions through 4 proxy servers, masked even our masked identification, and finally, used Tsuberov's home computer to send the final orders. The message was first sent two days ago, and was sent through the colonies first, and then through Barge. If they get that far in tracing, they'll find all of the chaos originated on their own computers. Or so it will seem." Silk smiled.
"Good job. Crimson, will you have the equipment that we need for our next mission by Thursday?"
Crimson nodded, and finished rewiring a surveillance tracing device. The device was the size of a small button, and designed to not only trace surveillance equipment, and notify their main computer, but to also send out a blocking signal to interfere with the trace. All of Tranquility's Shadow would be wearing them from now on.
The meeting over, Shadow Sage left first, disappearing through underground tunnels last used over 20 years ago. Crimson left next, reappearing in the city heart through the restroom of a crowded bar. Silk, pausing to exchange brief eye contact with Starlight before the leader left, began to secure the room. Computer equipment was locked up in wall panels made of a special alloy designed to be unscannable, bulletproof, waterproof, and impermeable. Phone lines were rerouted back to their original lines, and the electricity was disconnected.
In the Sanq Kingdom, Relena Peacecraft was preparing for a meeting with Oz and Romafeller officials when she heard of the 'demonstration'. In the reports she read, she noticed that she was not alone in thinking that something was wrong. She called Noin into her office. "What do you make of this, Miss Noin?" she asked, gesturing to the reports on her desk.
Noin looked thoughtful. "Oz is being very closemouthed with information, but what sources I do have say that this might not have been staged."
"In other words, someone really did break into their computers and interfere with their demonstration?"
"That is highly likely."
"Who?"
"They're not saying. You really should be getting to the meeting, Relena."
Relena nodded, pushing back her chair and walking out to her waiting car.
Entering the meeting, she noticed that all heads turned to her as conversation came to a halt. She looked around at the various officials. "Is there something I need to know?" she asked.
"No, Princess Relena, there is something we need to know. Or rather ask you," replied Duke Dermail.
Relena gritted her teeth, and forced the smile to remain on her face. She despised the Duke, with all of his posturing and deception. Did he really think that she was that naive? "What would you like to know?"
"Do you know of any of your supporters who would try to destroy the mobile dolls?"
Relena looked affronted. "Duke Dermail, any supporter of pacifism would not go near a mobile doll. I despise them myself, and that is why I am here today -- to talk to you about disposing of them." She paused as a murmur of disbelief passed through the group, "However, as a pacifist, I would never condone anyone breaking into your bases and risking their lives to do so. Does this have anything to do with what happened yesterday? Your 'drill' that went awry?"
The Duke's face became crimson. "It was a drill! I don't know what lies you've been fed, and I'm sure that you're quite happy to believe them, but we planned this entire exercise from beginning to end."
He was about to continue when all of the computers on the table beeped simultaneously. Relena watched his face change to a sickly paleness before looking down at her computer.
~~~~
No more lives must be lost. We are the harbingers of peace.
We are Tranquility's Shadow.
Military might will not defeat us.
Peace must come without spilling any more blood.
- Starlight Chameleon
~~~~
The message blinked at them for a full minute before disappearing from their screens. Fingers frantically tapped at keys with no results. Relena sat down, staring at the blank screen before looking up at the others. "What's the meaning of this? Who sent this message?" she asked, echoing the question asked by most.
Sintas Raphael, leader of the Atal Nation, stood and faced Duke Dermail. His eyes narrowed. "What's going on here, Dermail? You promised us security -- at this meeting as well as for our countries. And now some strange message is sent to us? What the hell is a Tranquility's Shadow? And what the hell is a Starlight Chameleon?" His voice rose in volume. "And what the hell are you going to do about it?"
"Please, calm down," Relena urged. "I'm sure Duke Dermail has answers for us. Perhaps it is another drill."
Dermail managed to pull himself together. "Yes, I'm sure that's it. Yes, that is it. It's another drill."
"Bullshit!" spat Raphael. "I saw your face when you read that message. You were just as shocked as the rest of us were. This was no drill. There's some kind of person or group or something that's threatening us."
"If I may, Mr. Raphael," interjected Relena, "The message did not appear to be threatening. It referred to not wanting lives to be lost, and wanting peace."
"Hmmm, so it did, Princess, so it did. Perhaps then you know something about it?"
"Am I the only person here who wants peace?" she replied. "I thought that was our common objective here -- to discuss peace and our various viewpoints on it. If any of us wanted to express a view, we have only to state it. There is no need for subterfuge, is there?" She looked pointedly at Duke Dermail.
"No, you're right completely, Princess Relena," blustered the Duke, "No need for us to snipe at one another. Our experts will have this solved in no time at all, and we can get back to business as usual." Relena raised a silent eyebrow to herself at the use of the term 'business' for a supposed peace summit.
With that, the meeting broke up with vague promises on Dermail's part to solve the 'computer glitch', as he termed it, and to reschedule as soon as possible. In the car, Relena filled Noin and Pargan in on the mysterious message and the chaos it had caused.
"It sounds like the mobile doll incident was not a drill, but a real hacking. Today's incident sounds like more of the same," Noin replied.
"I can't say that I'm displeased by it. It was rather humorous to watch Duke Dermail bluster about and insist that nothing was wrong. But, what are this person's or group's intentions, I wonder?"
"Sounds to me, Miss Relena, like they want peace, just as we all do," commented Pargan.
Relena nodded, and settled back against the seat, while Noin stared out the window.
Thursday, Tranquility's Shadow met to discuss their plans. Starlight immediately checked the main system for the surveillance results. "Just as I thought. Surveillance equipment everywhere. We were listened to most of the week. Diversion was successful though."
Silk nodded agreement. "Diversion extremely successful. Counter-surveillance results show that no suspicion remains. Diversion will continue, and we will allow the surveillance equipment to remain under constant monitoring. That will be your responsibility, Crimson."
Crimson nodded, and input more information into the laptop.
Discussion turned to the next mission. Crimson Edge had assembled the needed equipment and software, and they were ready. Their plan was to divert bank account funds of major Oz and Romafeller officials. They would hit random accounts at a specified time, and all money would be diverted to war relief efforts -- shelters, orphanages, community outreach projects and more. Money funneled to these efforts would have to be 'donated' in small amounts over a period of time to help avoid detection. Tranquility's Shadow would be using several major bank systems to hide the transfers, masking it so well that the officials themselves might not even know about the loss of funds for weeks. However, the morning following the operation, they would release the information to the officials, and the press. Tranquility's Shadow was going public, in their own way. Press releases, carefully crafted by Shadow Sage, would also mention the initial mobile doll 'incident', and provide evidence of the debacle.
Sitting in the safe room, Starlight Chameleon reviewed the plan. "Standard masking?"
A crisp nod of assent from Silk assured Starlight that, as always, their activities, and identities, would be carefully hidden. "Timing is down to a second, we've rehearsed it three times, including all known possible problems, and a few unknowns that I threw in for good measure. We're ready to help Romafeller fund peace whether they want to or not."
Starlight approved, and they all got to work readying equipment, and inputting codes and data. Within minutes, they were poised to attack. Starlight made the initial foray, disabling security notifications of large transactions, and beginning the fund siphoning. All 4 members of Tranquility's Shadow tapped away at keyboards, and in less than five minutes, Romafeller had been divested of millions of dollars.
Crimson immediately began disabling the equipment, sorting it into piles to be disposed of, and piles to be stored. The wall panels were opened, and the compartments quickly filled and locked. Shadow had the phone lines rerouted while Silk disconnected the electricity, and did a final manual and electronic scan of the room. Crimson packed up the equipment to be disposed of, and disappeared silently into the night. Shadow followed soon after.
Emerging from the room into darkened corridors, Silk and Starlight looked at one another. Nodding silently, they hurried off in opposite directions. Starlight released her ponytail, and shook her hair free as she made her way back to her rooms. Listening carefully at a door, she swung it open, and slipped into an unused sitting room. She made her way back to her bedroom, climbing into bed with a satisfied grin on her face.
When Pargan came to wake her the next morning, she still had the grin plastered across her sleeping face. He smiled himself, happy that his mistress had enjoyed a good night's rest.
"Miss Relena? Breakfast will be ready shortly, and Miss Noin will be here to brief you on your schedule."
Starlight Chameleon, hidden safely from the rest of the world as Relena Peacecraft, stretched, and began to prepare for the day ahead.