Palazzo Malzo
June 25, 8:47PM
Director Bove was walked at a rather fast pace, certainly faster than that of the military aide who was supposed to escort her to her destination. She was going to an underground facility, a few stories below the Palazzo Malzo. Its existence was not classified, though it was rarely discussed with the public, since the topic would only come up when discussing issues that were themselves classified. She finally reached a discreet door, to the right side of the end of a hallway, and waited for the military aide to catch up. When he did, he put his thumb on the scanner and introduced the clearance code, both necessary in order to open the door. They found themselves at the beginning of a short hallway, at the end of which were two lifts and a cement staircase. They went down through the staricase, lit by potent lights on the ceiling, until they reached a rather large door, its considerable thickness evident just by looking at it.
This time the aide stood by her side, his back against the wall, as she placed her own thumb and introduced the clearance code. As the door opened, she nodded at the aide and entered the room, hearing as the heavy door closed and locked behind her. She was now deep below even the basements of the Palazzo, inside a facility whose actual classified name was irrelevant, since it was mostly known was The Cell. It was a secure command and communications centre, its access limited only to essential staff and high officials, built to withstand all kinds of attacks. It was said that this was the place to which the First Councillor would be evacuated, in case of a direct attack on the Palazzo, which was of little surprise, since The Cell had been built shortly after the Third Sacuri War, in response to a large scale attack in Messelia.
She was greeted by another military aide, a higher ranking officer, who led her to the main conference room, where most members of the Internal Security Committee were already present. After excusing her lateness, she took her seat, then nodded at First Councillor Valerio, who nodded at her to begin.
"Sir, at approximately 20:15 tonight, our forces in the Hotel Molliero detected activity on the floor that is under the control of the Consortium. In particular, we recorded sounds of an altercation and gunshots that suggest at a confrontation in the Claudio II Room between a certain number of hostages, possibly as many as 15, and the Sacuri who are holding them. Based on what cameras and imaging technology allowed us to see, we believe that these hostages rebelled against the Sacuri, killing some and taking their weapons. They seem to be barricaded inside the Claudio II Room, resisting attempts by the Sacuri to gain access."
Valerio listened attentively, then asked the obvious question. "What are our options?"
"First Councillor, it is the belief of Carabinieri Command that the time has come to forcibly liberate the hostages, and bring the Sacuri to justice. Our efforts to contact the Sacuri or surreptitiously rescue the hostages have failed, and it has become obvious to us that there will way to mitigate risks, save acting while we still have the element of surprise."
"Right..." Valerio nodded, leaning back on his chair, weighing his options. "Elena, what do you think?"
"First Councillor, I must concur with Director Bove." said Elena Tosi. "At this point, we know that they have no intention of negotiating -not that negotiation was truly on our table anyway-, and a surreptitious rescue has been ruled out; that leaves a forcible entry, which the Carabinieri are equipped to handle, with support from the Army. I believe acting now, rather than delaying the inevitable, would be in our best interest."
"We are talking about Operation Silver Horse, are we not?"
"We are."
"Alright. I remember the briefing we have on this." he paused, choosing his words carefully. "I want us to have a full review of this in half an hour. We will go over the plan and ensure that all details are good, that we won't unnecessarily endanger our people. In the meantime, give the order for the joint team to begin preparing for the operation, in case I approve it."