Vikingland:

Chapter four:

Saga Wennquist sat down with anticipation before her first job in her new position. The VIP from Aztlan was waiting for her new guide. She was just beginning to wonder if she had been waiting in the wrong booth, but then the beautiful Aztlan woman came through the door.

"What are you waiting for, I am waiting for a guide to show me the Royal Palace. You know the Royal Palace, don't you?"
Saga stood up, smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle in her new skirt.
"Yes, Ma'am, I am knowledgeable in all the major and many of the minor sites around Stockholm. I am the right guide for you."

A smirk was noticeable on the proud Aztlaner woman.
"Let's go then. I have a meeting with the Government in six hours."

They walked out the door, and out on the street, where their taxi was waiting. The taxi driver had been briefed beforehand, and set out for the Royal Castle. As they passed the Parliament building, Saga thought it was time to start to earn the pay.
"This is the House of Parliament. They consists of 365 members, democratic elected in terms of four years. They are merely an advisory body for the government since the military high council took over the reins. The current majority leader is the Labour party, as the largest party."

The Aztlan woman only nodded. Then the Royal Castle came into view. Saga started her spiel again.
"This is the Royal Castle, it is no longer the residence of the Royal Family, as they live in the Castle of Drottningholm, further to the west in the lake of Mälaren. It now functions as the office of the government and the Royal family. It consists of the outer court, with the Highguard wing and the Commandant wing. The inner court is a square space with the four main wings of the Castle. The southern wing is dedicated to the Royal Couple and their offices, and the offices of the court. The west wing is dedicated to the lesser ministries, and their offices. The North wing is the office and the command and control centre of the Supreme Commander of the Military High Castle. The East wing is dedicated to the major ministries."

They swung past the Lynx garden outside the castle and up to the right and parked outside the Commandant wing, close to the outer court. A heavily armed, but old-fashioned dressed soldier pointed his assault rifle at the two passengers.
"Halt, who goes there?"
A number of camera toting tourists turned their way, eager to see what would happen. Saga retrieved her handbag from the car, and turned back to the guard.
"I am First Class Guide Saga Wennquist, VIP section on official business. Here are my credentials and the permits for my client."
She showed her the IDC and visitors visa, which the guard scanned with a small hand scanner.
"That is a valid visa, Ma'am. I have called for the inner patrol chief, and he will bring your visit card. have a nice visit."
The other tourists and their guides looked on with envy, as the two ladies walked inside the security perimeter, and in through the gate to the inner courtyard. Saga and her client was greeted by a Lieutenant, dressed in the same old-fashioned uniform as the rest of the guards.
"Welcome to the Royal Castle of Stockholm. put these visitors pass on your clothes, and keep them on at all times while you are here. They serve two purposes, both of them beneficial to our visitors. First of all, it will allow us easy identification at the various manned guard posts all over the castle. Secondly, they will warn you if you are nearing the limit of your security clearance. The sophisticated Security System will keep track of all that happens in the castle, and will respond automatically on any breach of security, then it will call for human backup for cleanup and confirmation. upon leaving the Castle, just turn to the nearest guard post, and turn in the badges, you will then be logged out. Have a nice visit."

Saga put on her first Visitors pass to the Royal Castle, and felt proud to be here. Miguela de Corazon did also put her visitors pass on her expensive dress. Then they walked into the Royal Castle on the special tour. Only at a few locations did the pass they both carried, warn them of a possible violation of security. Saga, trained in the security measures of a police, soon found the unobtrusive signs that indicated the various security zones, and she stayed within her clearance since then. At the end of the magnificent tour of the Castle, they encountered a group of armed bodyguards, and a uniformed guard with a security scanner ready. He turned his scanner on the two visitors, and got confirmation. A bodyguard walked briskly over to them.

"Just stay in the background, and be silent. It is only her Majesty the Queen that is passing through on her way to her waiting car. If approached, stay calm, reverent and answer truthfully and short on any questions."
Saga nodded, almost stunned by the chance of catching a glance of the first lady of the Scandinavian Federation. Miguela de Corazon seemed even happier, for the unexpected honour. Then there was a motion down the hall, and a knot of people came walking their way. Soon Saga could recognise some brilliantly clad women among the bodyguards. The body guard that confronted the two visitors straightened himself, and looked carefully at his two subjects. As the three ladies reached the guide and her client, they stopped, and one of them looked at the two. Saga curtsied deeply, and with a little reluctance, Miguela followed suit.

With a nod, the high lady, who Saga recognised as the Queen, started to talk with a little accent.
"Ah, so we have visitors here at the Castle today. And from the Secret Police no less. Who are you, my little visitor?"
Saga blushed deep red, but spoke up without faltering.
"First Class Guide Saga Wennquist, VIP section, Your Majesty."
That brought a smile.
"A beautiful name my dear. And you are showing a very important foreign visitor the castle? How nice. Give my regards to General Tordön, and thank him for the excellent escort he is providing me."

Saga bowed her head.
"I will do so most expediently, Your Majesty."
Then the group left, with the Queen giving instructions to her similarly dressed lady-in-waiting. The other gaudily dressed woman scanned the surroundings, and Saga pegged her for an Executive Escort agent. Saga wondered why the Queen and her lady-in-waiting would dress the same, but then it hit her. If an assassin would want to take a pot-shot at the Queen, precious fractions of a second could be won while he tries to locate the real target. Miguela turned to her guide with new respect.

"I am most pleased to have got such a well connected guide. I will let the colonel know when I meet him. Since you are such a powerful guide, can you help me to look for something I lost this morning?"
Saga did not want to appear as a master spy, but her orders told her to go along with anything that would let her know more about her clients. So she nodded.
"I will do what I can. What is the object you lost?"

Miguela put her finger on her lip.
"Not here, let me buy you dinner, and we shall talk."
They left the castle, and turned in their badges. The guard saluted them by holding the assault rifle as they left. As the car that had waited for them drew up, Miguela waved it off, and the driver nodded, and left. He was going to add this to the report when he went to the next guide station for his customary fare, maybe it was worth a few more Crowns.

Saga and Miguela walked down past the coinage museum, and onto Österlånggatan. Saga went on talking about the history of old Stockholm as they strolled down the street. Soon Miguela pointed to a small Restaurant by the name of Bellman, at the square Järntorget. They went in. The proprietor met them in the door.
"Greetings, dear customers, but the tables are all taken. I am sorry, but we have no vacancies for at least half an hour."
Miguela looked upset, but Saga flashed her new IDC.
"This is official business. I am sure you have a table reserved for subsidiaries of SePo."
The proprietor blanched, as he saw the security coded IDCard.
"Oh, of course. Forgive me Ma'am, I did not se the IDC. This way please."
They went over to a table at the corner booth with a 'reserved' sign on. Two menus were quickly given the two ladies as the closest guests quieted their conversations, and looked at them with suspicion and a small amount of fear, as the SePo agents sat down.

They found what they wanted, and their orders were being prepared, no doubt added to the increasing file of the couple that was being created at SePo. As the waiter left, Miguela took up a small object out of her shoulder bag and activated it. Saga immediately recognised it as a white noise generator.
"Well, miss Wennquist. Now for the small task I would like you to do for me. If you could do it for me, I would reward you handsomely. I have been the victim of a pickpocket, and a brazen thief got away with both my so-called foolproof security system, and a case holding some computer chips of vital importance to me and my business with your government."
Saga remembered the reason she was late for work earlier today, and now she knew the reason why.
"So, you mean the incident on the subway this morning, the 7:50 line 36 inbound on the green route, at Medborgarplatsen?"

That shut up the Aztlan lady, who for the umpteenth time wondered just how much control this paranoid government kept over what happened in this city.
"Yes, that is the same incident. I have reported the incident to the police, the military police as well as your branch, and they told me my chances were slim of ever seeing the objects again. I don't care about the security system, I got a new one, and I read the instructions this time. No it is the chip case I want. I would even go so far as to offer a reward for the safe return of the chips, and I want you to look for the underground for the information. I know there do exist one, even in such a well ordered city as yours. I will offer a reward of 40000¥, whatever that is in your currency. As a fee for your services, you will get a genuine Aztech necklace, with a measure of magic in it, or so I have been told. It is quite valuable anyway, and I have others like it. I am desperate, you see. If I don't get that package back, I will be unable to finish the deal I am sent here to sign, and I would be as good as dead, when I get home, and I think that someone in your position knows what that means in Aztlan."

Saga tried to look indifferent, but was scared to her bones over how deep she had sunk already. It was too late for her to back out now, she could only move forward, and try to make out of it alive. But one thing bothered her.
"Why don't you ask the SePo directly, why come to me?"
The Aztlan lady knew she had hooked her, and now only had to reel her in.
"I don't want the SePo to know how much I need them, or want them to look through it, if they get it back. it comes ah, trapped, you see. Now can I rely on your assistance? Of course I will file a very good report on your conduct today, should you choose to help me."

The trapped woman, that started the day as a carefree tourist guide, had been dumped into the marshlands that made up international politics and given the barbed wire of illegal activities to help her out of the bog. She had to take it, or forever be trapped in this mess.
"I see, I will do my best then. When do you need it back?"
Miguela was pleased, the guide seemed good enough for the job, and her obvious high connections could keep her out of danger until the mission was over, and she really needed the chips, but not for the reasons she told her.
"I need them in 36 hours at the latest. I have a last meeting with your general staff then. Get them before that, and there is a bonus for you."

Then waiter returned, and brought their food and drink. The conversation died down during the meal, and Saga got some time to think about how to do this seemingly impossible task. She let the exquisite food and wine cool her nerves, as she mentally tried one approach after the other. At the end of the dinner, She leaned over to whisper to her client.
"I will start as soon as possible. Where can I reach you?"
Miguela de Corazon was pleased, and she answered, similarly whispering.
"I have a room at the Sheraton Hotel, room 1345. Thank you for your effort."
They finished their meal. Saga reached for her Kred card, to pay for her meal, but the Aztlan businesswoman had already pulled out her Royal Bank credstick.
"I take both our meals on my expense account. You can note it down as a minor bribe in your report later on."

Saga smiled, and looked envious at the woman as she shut off the white noise generator, before putting it down in her purse. The waiter was pleased to notice the generous tip he was awarded, and decided not to add to his report that the couple had been using a white noise generator at the table. If the Secret Police didn't notice on their own, it did not bother him. The two ladies walked down to the lakefront and hailed a cab, and a taxi picked them up, and carried them to the hotel.

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