Page 12 of Dark Gambit Reliance

"Also," Turner continued. "Even if you can break the compulsion on the pureblood without Mia's help, I'd rather you did it with her. A lot rests on that pureblood not reporting to Igor about getting captured and interrogated."

Toven nodded. "I understand."

Onegus cleared his throat. "Should we wait until we take the cat for a ride to send the team to Karelia?"

"No." Turner flipped the page on his yellow pad. "It's a long flight, and they need to do reconnaissance work in preparation. They should go as planned and wait in St. Petersburg for further instructions. I had a local contact arrange lodging for them and supply them with everything they need."

"He can't supply them with exoskeletons," Onegus said. "We can't fight the Kra-ell without them."

"We are not fighting the Kra-ell just yet." Turner tapped his pen on the yellow pad. "Their job will be to catch one of the guards at the entrance to the tunnel, but they will have to wait for Toven to arrive. Naturally, Sylvia will be instrumental in disabling the cameras on the way to the tunnel, but she doesn't need to go with the first team. She can join Toven and Mia when they go."

Kian lifted his hand. "Hold on. You said that if we catch a tail in Safe Haven, Toven might not need to go to Karelia."

"I said that he might not need Mia, but I prefer for her to join him."

9

KIAN

The more Turner's plan unfolded, the less Kian liked it. Sofia's idea to help Jade start a rebellion had appealed to him much more, but what Turner had said obliterated that idea.

"If we catch a pureblood using the cat with the tracker as bait, why do we need to bother with the guards at the entrance to the tunnel unless your plan is to invade the compound?"

"I was getting to that." Turner made a checkmark on his yellow pad. "We need the guard to deliver a message to Jade that will not trigger Igor's compulsion to report it to security. The guard will invite Jade to go with him hunting for a Veskar, at a specific time and at a specific spot, and it will be veiled as an invitation to have sex. Jade will suspect something because of the mention of Veskar, but since she won't be sure, it won't trigger her compulsion to report it. Even if Igor finds out about it, the mention of Veskar would be meaningless to him." Turner shifted his eyes to Vrog. "I hope that a Veskar is not a ferocious giant rat."

Vrog chuckled. "It's the size of a squirrel. To invite Jade to hunt for it would be taken as an insult, but it could also be taken as a joke or a pun, so it might work."

"How do you plan for us to get to their hunting grounds without them noticing us?" Onegus asked.

"With an amphibian vehicle. There are many rivers and small lakes in the area, and the rivers are not boat-friendly. The Kra-ell can't monitor all the waterways, and they have no reason to do that given that they are not easily navigable."

"They probably have guards posted at strategic points," Onegus said. "It would be remiss of them not to do that, and Igor doesn't seem like the sort of guy who would overlook anything."

"Obviously." Turner nodded. "After interrogating the guards, we will find out how he addresses that problem, and we will adapt accordingly. He doesn't have limitless resources, and he needs to prioritize. Areas that are difficult for humans to traverse will be less guarded."

"What do we do once we catch Jade?" Kian asked.

"Toven frees her from the compulsion, and we give her earpieces. Hopefully, she will be able to solve the problem for us by killing Igor, but we can't count on that."

"She can't kill him," Onegus said. "Leon and Marcel briefed me in detail about what Sofia told them. Sofia was searched every time she came for her monthly compulsion reinforcement sessions with him, once at the gate, again at the entrance to the office building, and a third time right before going into Igor's office. The guy is super careful, and he's not relying solely on his compulsion ability for safety." Onegus cast Toven a meaningful glance. "If he has a weak human searched before allowing her in his presence, I'm sure he has Jade searched much more thoroughly for weapons, and I doubt that she's strong enough to overpower him physically with her bare hands."

"Didn't Sofia say that Jade is Igor's top breeder?" Kian asked.

"She did," Onegus said. "Sofia also told Marcel and Leon that Jade doesn't hide her hatred for Igor. A paranoid guy like him would be even more careful with someone he takes to his bed. Sofia also mentioned that he's guarded at all times. In addition, we should assume that he carries weapons and sleeps with a gun under his pillow. If we want to do away with him, we should aim a missile at the office building and take out the compound's entire upper echelon."

"That's part of the last resort contingency," Turner said. "If possible, I prefer for the Kra-ell to take care of the problem for us. The less we reveal ourselves to them, the better. Jade is a clever female, and she might come up with a solution." He smiled. "If Igor sleeps with a gun under his pillow, she might be able to get ahold of it."

They should be so lucky.

"What if she can't do anything?" Yamanu asked. "Where does the shrouding and the thralling come into play?"

"The shrouding and thralling are also part of the last resort contingency plan in case all the previous steps are exhausted without producing the results we want. The next step in my plan is for Jade to start recruiting other purebloods who might join her rebellion. If she can get a couple of strong males who are willing to help her, we can free them from Igor's compulsion, supply them with earpieces, and have them kill Igor. Once he's gone, the rest will be easy. Toven can free everyone from Igor's compulsion without revealing who he is. As far as they are concerned, we are a group of paranormally talented humans."

"I'm starting to like your plan," Kian said. "If it works, we just leave Jade in charge and keep our eye on her. We can't let her treat the humans in the compound the way she'd treated those who served her tribe. Whoever wants to leave will be allowed to do so after we confuse their memories, and those who decide to stay will get paid for their services. We will have to monitor her to make sure she follows the new protocol."

"What's your contingency plan in case the assassination plan fails?" Onegus asked.

"If it fails, we have to go in. Igor will kill the males, find the earpieces, and know that someone is helping them. He will immediately connect the dots and come after Safe Haven."

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