"Sir, we have bogies inbound approaching Airforce 0.05!" the first officer's voice in the bathroom intercom interrupted the Mosestarian chieftain (may his name long be remembered, and his enemies' dynasties end childlessly) as he was drying his beard, but before he'd had chance to interrogate the captured terrorist Countess Karen.
Of course, it was called Airforce 0.05 as it was the detachable, unneeded portion of the rest of Mosestaria's technological wonder for transporting its leader in times of crisis - Airforce 0.95. Leaders of other nations, particularly the Jennymaesian Empress and the terrorist leader residing in the badlands formerly known as Rubyland, often joked about Airforce 0.05 as being small, useless and totally inadequate for the safe-keeping of any leader - especially such an illustrious and charismatic leader as the Mosestarian chieftain - which it was, but unbeknownest to these, this was not Airforce 0.05's purpose. The purpose of this remotely controlled component was actually to be a separable and expendable decoy for Airforce 0.95 - and this job it did admirably.
"Six bogies identified as Stilletto fighters on an intercept vector with Airforce 0.05", updated the first officer over the bathroom intercom.
A brief smirk passed over the Mosestarian's chiefdom's face, but it might have been interpreted by onlookers less astute to the Chieftain's body-language as a short but angry seethe. He secretly enjoyed the thought that the alliance of Jennymaesia and Rubyland believed that it could outwit him, although he also knew that their endeavour was as likely to succeed as Jane Goodall's admittance into the Gombe Stream chimpanzee troupe had of producing the first chimp chess Grandmaster.
"Keep those Stilleto fighters busy, first officer", replied the Chieftain over the intercom. "Detour them all the way to Lanolinland over the sea if you need to. They'll be an outrage there, if they cause any environmental damage with their warmongering. Meanwhile, hold our course steady."
Mordecai, his faithful cousin, was waiting in the interrogation room when the Chieftain entered. Countess Karen was bound hand and foot, precariously dangling from a rope over a cauldron of molten green lipstick, with some pieces of melted car-tyre added in to spike the mixture. The rope the Countess was dangling from was in turn affixed to an automated pulley.
As Countess Karen slowly rotated on her rope to face the Mosestarian Chieftain, even his poker-face could not totally hide his disgust. To say that she was less beautiful than the ugly Shittimistanian duckling would have been an understatement. In previous, less kind ages, she might even have featured as a circus-star based on her gender and the quantity of facial hair she had growing.
"So we meet at last, Countess Karen", the Mosestarian chieftain began.
"Moses the Young(er)" the countess spat back, in a hoarse and husky voice. "It's too late! I have already started the war. You can do nothing to stop what is coming!"
Moses the Youngest rolled his eyes, or at least, he would have, were he not trying to keep a poker-face. Of course nothing can stop what is coming, because even if it does, the other will claim that what was not coming was in fact what was actually coming, and that it came because nothing could have stopped it, just as foretold.
"You really should cut down on the smoking, Karen", answered the Chieftain. "You know they say it can age you beyond your years?"
"Is that why you kidnapped me?" snapped the countess. "To conduct some sort of intervention on my health and personal habits? And to help preserve my good looks, of all things?" the countess mocked.
Moses marvelled at Karen's deep Mosestarian accent. Perhaps the stories about this hideous crone and Mordechai the Treachurous being an item back in the day really were true...
"Look Karen, you were causing some problems for my master plan. See, to prevent the Jennymaesian Empress continuing her dynasty through my Chief Spy, you were making it look as if I wanted to stop her. So naturally, I had to make it look as if I wanted her marriage to succeed and for her to produce Jennymaesian children (even 'though I didn't), which I accomplished by rescuing her. So she in turn presumed that I did indeed want her to produce an heir, (even though I didn't), so naturally, she didn't. Do you see now how this game works?"
The countess gave an evil laugh.
"Oh, and don't worry about Jomés Band. They think he was eaten by crocodiles and that only his shoes remain, but ol' Mr Band is a regular Mick Dundee when it comes to surviving crocodiles and the size of a knife..."
The countess' evil laughter continued, and it was as wicked as laughter gets. Moses the Youngest, having quite a busy schedule and getting somewhat tired of the annoying laughter and ugliness of the crone, pressed the red "lower" button for the automated pulley.
"Wait!" screamed the crone, as her feet dipped into the cauldron of banana-flavoured green lipstick. "Don't you want to know who hired me before I die? Who wanted to create these diplomatic tensions between Mosestaria and Jennymaesia, to result in international conflict?"
Moses the Youngest stared thoughtfully, as the wicked hag was lowered deeper and deeper into the cauldron. "Is it really that important?" he wondered aloud.
"Aaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!" screamed Countess Karen angrily, as she dissolved into the toxic melt. "I will tell you anyway. It was the seemingly innocuous Lan... blub... blub... blub".
Countess Karen's final words were garbled under a cauldron-full of molten, tyre-spiked, banana-flavoured, green lipstick. The Mosestarian chieftain clasped his hands together in several brushing motions. "All's well that ends well, eh, Mordecai? Now what's next on today's to-do list?"