Dalliances with Danger - The Opening Innings

'Les Enfant Perdus'

 

The general term given to Deveraux’s own military elite, made up of a mix of military shades, all intensely loyal to Deveraux and his lieutenants.

In amongst this ‘Brigade of Brigands’ are the Colonel’s own Siamese henchmen, along with a motley collection of American outlaws, gun-runners and profiteers, D’Allange’s renegade Foreign Legion deserters, and a cosmopolitan mixed-bag of Central and East Europeans with severed ties to their own homelands, many of whom are wanted criminals, anarchists, deserters and escaped convicts.

Led and ruled with an iron hand by Deveraux’s devoted lieutenants, Hiram Beck, Gunther von Ludecke and Francois D’Allange, they are fearsome in their execution of Deveraux’s military schemes, ruthless and well-equipped and battle-hardened with many experiences of clashing with the European Powers forces.

His Other Elements

 

Deveraux recruits additional forces wherever he lays down roots – often manipulating the local populace to do his bidding by guile, blackmail, extortion or false rewards and promises. Of questionable loyalty and motivation, but always a concern nevertheless. Integrating himself in such a fashion into a region provides him some degree of perimeter protection and forewarning, when the locals warn him of newcomers and outsiders. The Powers have found that stealthy infiltration into his various lairs and domains is always so difficult and challenging.

But Deveraux has a consistent weakness, an appetite for learning and technology, and the men and women who delve in its creation. Warranted he only desires such advances to further his evil ambitions, but it is an aspect that can be used against him, by those clever enough to construct stratagems worthy to pit against him.

Opening Batsmen for the Home Team

As the British have agreed with all present at the Craigievar Conference to take the lead in the counter-operation, the Ministers looked to the Royal Navy and the Army to see if they had any acceptable contingency plans available.

Sadly, the staff at the Admiralty and Horseguards had to reply in the hesitant negative, but thankfully up stepped a relative unknown, Sir Tristram Monk, Under-Secretary for Procurement at the Foreign Office. In a detailed presentation, Monk outlined the new Detachment he’d been commissioned to raise, the Special Investigative Aeronautical Service, recruited with personnel from both Arms of the British military and indeed, several destinations within the Empire itself, all recently featured in the Naval & Military Gazette. Based in a mountain fortress in the Hindu Kush, the Detachment as it’s more commonly known would be an excellent first choice to make the first moves against Deveraux.

All present agreed with his excellent analysis, and promised assistance where they could, towards the campaign. Monk was tasked with completing the preparations and promptly relocated himself to India after the conference ended. The Foreign Office agreed to keep all those present informed of proceedings.

The Powers allowed themselves a momentary breath of relief.