12-03-2014, 11:40 PM
Many of the camp's refugees gathered to listen to the pending interview, but they were kept out of the way of the reporters by a few of the Legionnaires, those still nursing bruises from the angry mob they had plucked the Red Cross workers from when the school had been attacked. The remainder, even those who were off shift at the moment, had dragged themselves from their scarce naps to stand guard. It gave the facility a false air of security; almost two dozen armed and uniformed men made up the Legion's presence, but more then half those had been part of Jacques' escort.
The locally employed auxiliaries, another twenty Sierra Leonean men, were enjoying the break they were given to check on their families that were in the camp or to listen to the interview. They weren't Legionnaires, but some took to the lifestyle more then they did to the paycheck. Enough so to at least be interested in seeing the man that signed those checks in person.
For most in the camp, Jacques presence, and that of the reporters, rose no warning signs. It was a sign of hope that the world would take notice, and help and security would be quick in coming.
Jacques waited patiently for the few reporters to gather, seemingly at ease, calmly surveying the gathering through the tinted lense of his Landwarriors. None could see the various displays and reports feeding across the screens. A map of western Africa, showing the progress of the over-land supply convoy. Expense and acquisition reports from the home office in Casablanca. There was even a fresh surge of applications to join the company within an hour of the Legion's press release about the Battle of Jeddah.
Markers indicated the positions of his men in the country. A half dozen tiny dots, the largest of which was in Freetown. Other markers tracked reports of attacks by Guinean gangs, some flagged with intel briefs on which warlords were suspected to be behind the attacks. Other flags marked worrying reports. With the collapse of civil infrastructure, issues were already starting to pop up. Disease, power outages, water shortages.
Sierra Leone had never been a terribly modernized country to begin with, but in light of the recent conflict what infrastructure that had existed was already falling apart. The economy would be quick to follow; with all the foreign investors pulling out of the country, they took their foreign money with them. Jobs were lost. As the fighting continued, people would not be working in many regions. That would continue the downward spiral. Borders would be closed, meaning fewer imports, which meant less food to go around.
The farther Sierra Leone fell, the more the spread of power of the Guinean warlords. And the bolder Liberia would grow. He had no doubts over the build-up of troops on the border there. And his men at the home-office had caught wind of Liberian money fed into the coffers of some companies that fancied themselves Legion Premiere's competition. Reports were already coming in of men in Sierra Leonean uniforms attacking villages in the south-east, near the Liberian border. And he had no doubt that those men were not, nor ever had been, Sierra Leonean military.
And most importantly, the recent news of another half dozen or so Sierra Leonean elected politicians that had died during the night. Of the 112 elected members of the House of Representatives, over half were dead, missing, or fled to foreign countries. Which meant, by law, the elected government was no longer capable of functioning. Which was exactly what General Wallace-Johnson wanted.
Lt Kamenashi's scouts, hidden in the dense jungle along the road that led to the Chinese-built refinery, flagged a live feed to the Legion's command net. Legion officers had limited access to the information there, and of course Jacques could peruse it as he needed. Two large military trucks loaded to the brim with Sierra Leonean soldiers, a full platoon at least, all sporting the unit patches of General Wallace-Johnson's division. They were barely twenty minutes out.
And while sifting through all that information, Jacques' plan began was forming. Notes were made, contingencies plotted. Orders sent to the home-office to begin the prep work on their end.
When the reporters were finally ready, Jacques calmly plucked the Landwarriors from his face and tucked them into a loop on his vest, and flashed his usual charming smile. "Bonjour, Monsieur Jackson, Wilson. Mademoiselle Monday. For once, I believe I have little to say. Shocking, I am sure."
He smiled warmly, and looked between the three gathered reporters.
"Our official press release in regards to the Battle of Jeddah, and my company's current stance to assist in humanitarian goals in Sierra Leone, still stand. So long as the legally elected government of Sierra Leone continues to stand, my men and I shall do what we can to assist when and where we can. However, it should be remembered that we are not contracted by, nor have we been formally approached by, the elected government to aid in Sierra Leone's internal politics. Of course, should they ask, Legion Premiere shall give them our full cooperation. The Legion shall not rest until this country knows peace once more."
He glanced briefly to some of his men as they began moving the convoy's vehicles around the refinery to line them up with the gate once more. His duties in Freetown could only be held off so long, after all. "Now, I have a few minutes to spare for your questions."
Adisa Jackson claimed the home-turf advantage, and the first few questions. They were straight forward enough; the Legion's financial interests in Sierra Leone, and confirmation of reports of armed conflict between Legionnaires and General Katlego's rebels. Next was Jared Wilson, mostly because he was the next to speak. The man was full of pointedly barbed questions about the CCD, but even the man's blatant anti-Custody agenda wasn't enough to prick Jacques' irritation.
It finally came to Lawrence's chance to ask her questions, and Jacques turned to her, and nodded slightly for her to ask away.
The locally employed auxiliaries, another twenty Sierra Leonean men, were enjoying the break they were given to check on their families that were in the camp or to listen to the interview. They weren't Legionnaires, but some took to the lifestyle more then they did to the paycheck. Enough so to at least be interested in seeing the man that signed those checks in person.
For most in the camp, Jacques presence, and that of the reporters, rose no warning signs. It was a sign of hope that the world would take notice, and help and security would be quick in coming.
Jacques waited patiently for the few reporters to gather, seemingly at ease, calmly surveying the gathering through the tinted lense of his Landwarriors. None could see the various displays and reports feeding across the screens. A map of western Africa, showing the progress of the over-land supply convoy. Expense and acquisition reports from the home office in Casablanca. There was even a fresh surge of applications to join the company within an hour of the Legion's press release about the Battle of Jeddah.
Markers indicated the positions of his men in the country. A half dozen tiny dots, the largest of which was in Freetown. Other markers tracked reports of attacks by Guinean gangs, some flagged with intel briefs on which warlords were suspected to be behind the attacks. Other flags marked worrying reports. With the collapse of civil infrastructure, issues were already starting to pop up. Disease, power outages, water shortages.
Sierra Leone had never been a terribly modernized country to begin with, but in light of the recent conflict what infrastructure that had existed was already falling apart. The economy would be quick to follow; with all the foreign investors pulling out of the country, they took their foreign money with them. Jobs were lost. As the fighting continued, people would not be working in many regions. That would continue the downward spiral. Borders would be closed, meaning fewer imports, which meant less food to go around.
The farther Sierra Leone fell, the more the spread of power of the Guinean warlords. And the bolder Liberia would grow. He had no doubts over the build-up of troops on the border there. And his men at the home-office had caught wind of Liberian money fed into the coffers of some companies that fancied themselves Legion Premiere's competition. Reports were already coming in of men in Sierra Leonean uniforms attacking villages in the south-east, near the Liberian border. And he had no doubt that those men were not, nor ever had been, Sierra Leonean military.
And most importantly, the recent news of another half dozen or so Sierra Leonean elected politicians that had died during the night. Of the 112 elected members of the House of Representatives, over half were dead, missing, or fled to foreign countries. Which meant, by law, the elected government was no longer capable of functioning. Which was exactly what General Wallace-Johnson wanted.
Lt Kamenashi's scouts, hidden in the dense jungle along the road that led to the Chinese-built refinery, flagged a live feed to the Legion's command net. Legion officers had limited access to the information there, and of course Jacques could peruse it as he needed. Two large military trucks loaded to the brim with Sierra Leonean soldiers, a full platoon at least, all sporting the unit patches of General Wallace-Johnson's division. They were barely twenty minutes out.
And while sifting through all that information, Jacques' plan began was forming. Notes were made, contingencies plotted. Orders sent to the home-office to begin the prep work on their end.
When the reporters were finally ready, Jacques calmly plucked the Landwarriors from his face and tucked them into a loop on his vest, and flashed his usual charming smile. "Bonjour, Monsieur Jackson, Wilson. Mademoiselle Monday. For once, I believe I have little to say. Shocking, I am sure."
He smiled warmly, and looked between the three gathered reporters.
"Our official press release in regards to the Battle of Jeddah, and my company's current stance to assist in humanitarian goals in Sierra Leone, still stand. So long as the legally elected government of Sierra Leone continues to stand, my men and I shall do what we can to assist when and where we can. However, it should be remembered that we are not contracted by, nor have we been formally approached by, the elected government to aid in Sierra Leone's internal politics. Of course, should they ask, Legion Premiere shall give them our full cooperation. The Legion shall not rest until this country knows peace once more."
He glanced briefly to some of his men as they began moving the convoy's vehicles around the refinery to line them up with the gate once more. His duties in Freetown could only be held off so long, after all. "Now, I have a few minutes to spare for your questions."
Adisa Jackson claimed the home-turf advantage, and the first few questions. They were straight forward enough; the Legion's financial interests in Sierra Leone, and confirmation of reports of armed conflict between Legionnaires and General Katlego's rebels. Next was Jared Wilson, mostly because he was the next to speak. The man was full of pointedly barbed questions about the CCD, but even the man's blatant anti-Custody agenda wasn't enough to prick Jacques' irritation.
It finally came to Lawrence's chance to ask her questions, and Jacques turned to her, and nodded slightly for her to ask away.