Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 86: Corporate Espionage

Gyda sat near the window of the temporary executive suite in the half-finished Governor’s Palace of City Titan.

Her hands rested on her swollen belly, feeling the rhythmic kicks of the "Asset" the unborn heir to the Industrial Directorate.

Though she had no way of knowing what kind of Manager the child would eventually grow into, she calculated the genetic probability: with Ragnar’s vision and her fiscal discipline, the child would surely optimize the world, would he not? Despite being in utero, the child was already demanding resources at an accelerated rate, much like a startup in its growth phase.

Gyda knew that one day her child would grow to be a ruthlessly efficient leader like his father, but the extent to which he would dominate the market remained unknown, for the accounting department did not possess the power to audit the future.

As Gyda conducted this internal performance review, she received a trio of sealed scrolls via the Raven Flight; one was addressed from Ragnar, one composed by the sleeper agent Erik the Silent, and the final intelligence report was intercepted from the Mercian lines, written by Earl Godwin.

She read over the contents of each letter with a sharp, calculating smile on her face.

Ragnar’s letter contained the SitRep (Situational Report) that he was liquidating the Mercian defenses at the bridge of Nottingham after surviving a breach of contract by King Burgred’s raiders.

This shift in the project timeline was not critical to her, as Ragnar would most likely have to restructure the Mercian leadership after seizing the castle anyway, as the King was sure to default on his payments.

The letter from Erik expressed a plan the boy had hatched to allow Ragnar to seize Nottingham Castle without damaging the real estate value.

Erik was greatly concerned about the possibility of the "Spicy Mix" burning down the granaries and the taxable infrastructure.

After all, Gyda had communicated to the intelligence network the high cost of rebuilding stone fortifications.

The plan was actually brilliant a classic "Union Strike" tactic and as such, Gyda would later write a priority dispatch to Ragnar informing him of the opportunity so that he could acquire the asset with minimal depreciation.

As for the intercepted letter from Earl Godwin, it contained information regarding the flanking force he was leading to raid City Titan and how he planned to "seize the means of production." Immediately upon reading that line, Gyda’s smile turned into a cold, predatory scowl.

She could not help but voice her concerns to the empty room.

"When that Luddite savage comes to my factory, I will make sure he is the first to be processed by the Torsion Spikes!"

She was all too aware of Godwin’s reputation; he was a greedy traditionalist particularly obsessed with hoarding gold and melting down art for bullion.

The man also had a penchant for smashing machinery he didn’t understand, claiming it was "elf-magic."

Undoubtedly, if Gyda were actually to let Godwin into the Industrial District, the man would smash the blast furnaces and potentially attempt to kidnap the skilled engineers.

As such, she wanted the Titan Garrison to target their armor-piercing bolts on his position when his army arrived.

After all, it was common practice for Saxon Earls to wear gilded helmets to show off their wealth; he would be easy to target amidst the rabble.

Thus, Gyda spent some time drafting memos to Ragnar to relay the information she had received. Once finished, the scroll was placed in a canister and attached to the leg of a fast-raven, dispatched to fly towards Ragnar’s forward operating base outside of Nottingham.

Hopefully, it would arrive before he turned the castle into a parking lot.

After finishing with her correspondence and ensuring the "Asset" was comfortable, Gyda got to work. She pulled a hidden lever behind a tapestry, opening the door to the "Loss Prevention" basement.

There, she gathered several intelligence operatives beneath her command.

These "Auditors" were the best among her saboteurs and industrial spies; they were equipped with a new invention from the R&D department: Spring-Loaded Wrist Casters.

These weapons were based on a miniaturized crossbow design, concealed beneath a sleeve.

They were best used outside of the battlefield as the range was short and the reload time required a specialized tool.

However, they were excellent for "quiet terminations" and had been specially constructed for use among the Directorate’s elite spies.

Gyda stood before the gathered Auditors. They were dressed in nondescript merchant clothes, their faces hidden by hoods or cowls.

"I have a work order for you all to fulfill," Gyda announced, her voice echoing in the stone chamber.

"I won’t lie, the hazard pay is high, but with the advancements in our stealth technology over the last six months, particularly in the field of distraction devices, you have a much higher chance of retaining your employment status!"

One of the Senior Auditors, a woman named Sighvat, spoke up from among the ranks. She was cleaning her fingernails with a poisoned needle.

"What is the directive, Prime Minister?"

Gyda smirked as she heard her official title before giving her decrees to the well-trained agents of the Iron Gear.

"I need you to infiltrate the various villages and trade hubs throughout Northern Mercia. Your objective is Market Destabilization. Take out the supply line managers, sabotage the wagon wheels of the grain shipments, and poison the water wells non-lethally, of course. Use the ’Blueberry Mix.’ I want every soldier in Mercia shitting themselves with dysentery before they can lift a sword."

She paced back and forth, her velvet dress rustling softly.

"Furthermore, spread rumors of a bank run. Tell the peasants that King Burgred is melting down their silver to flee to Frankia. With the use of Flash Powder, you will simulate ’divine omens’ near their churches. The purpose of these actions is to provoke the enemy Thanes into panic. I want them so terrified of the ’Viking Curse’ that they will feel they have no choice but to surrender to Ragnar’s mercy! Thus allowing the Director to acquire the territory without wasting expensive ammunition."

Sighvat nodded her head, slipping the needle back into a hidden sheath.

"The market will crash, Prime Minister. We will ensure it."

"Excellent," Gyda nodded. "Also, Earl Godwin is marching on Titan. One of you needs to slip into his camp tonight. Not to kill him.. that’s too easy. I want you to cut the saddle girths on every officer’s horse. When they try to charge the factory, I want them falling into the mud."

"It will be done!" the Auditors chorused.

With that, the qualified agents of the Directorate’s spy network were set to the task.

As for the remainder of the operatives, they would be assigned to counter-espionage operations within the factory floor, ensuring no Saxon spies stole the formula for concrete.

As such, the war of intrigue that was waged behind the scenes of the hostile takeover of Mercia had begun.

The Thanes and Earls of the south were no longer safe in their own manors against the shadowy employees of the Directorate, as they would soon come to find out.

Gyda felt it was necessary to take action on her partner’s behalf; while Ragnar was off at the front lines acting as the Hammer of Industry, Gyda would handle the "Corporate Restructuring" within the shadows. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Thus the couple expertly complemented one another when it came to matters of war and logistics.

Ragnar built the machine; Gyda greased the gears with the secrets of their enemies.

Soon enough, all of England would be caught in their collective monopoly.

Meanwhile, on the Road to Nottingham

Ragnar sat atop his horse, Calculus, watching the rain drizzle over his grey armor. Beside him rode General Bjorn, who was currently eating a pickled egg.

"Director," Bjorn chewed thoughtfully. "The scouts say the bridge is blocked by a shield wall. Levies. Maybe five hundred."

"Inefficient," Ragnar sighed. "They are blocking traffic."

He looked at the formation of his troops. They were marching to the beat of the new industrial shanty, their morale high despite the weather.

"Bjorn," Ragnar asked. "Do you recall the lesson on ’Force Multiplication’?"

"You mean the exploding pots?"

"I mean the whistles," Ragnar corrected. "Psychological warfare is cheaper than grenades. We save the grenades for the castle."

He pointed to the terrified Saxon levies shivering on the bridge. They held their spears with shaking hands, staring at the grey, faceless wall of the Industrial Corps.

"Sound the shift whistle," Ragnar ordered. "Let them know their shift is over."

A sergeant cranked the pressure valve on the portable steam boiler cart.

A high-pitched, bone-rattling scream tore through the air, louder than a dragon, louder than a thunderclap.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

The Saxon levies dropped their spears. They covered their ears. They had never heard a steam whistle before. To them, it was the scream of a mechanical demon.

"Advance!" Ragnar commanded, his voice amplified by a brass speaking-trumpet. "EVICTION NOTICE!"

The Industrial Corps stepped forward in lockstep, the ground shaking.

The Saxon line broke before the first pike even touched them. They scrambled over each other to get off the bridge, terrified of the industrial monsters coming to consume them.

Ragnar smiled beneath his visor.

"See, Bjorn?" Ragnar noted. "We cleared the obstruction without spending a single copper penny on ammunition. That is efficiency."

"You are a terrifying man, Director," Bjorn chuckled.