Orders from Lost Hills

It was sunrise and already a band of initiates were outside exercising, their usual routine. A kinght stood over them and watched. Inside a paladin, Curan, stretched his limbs, then wiped the sleep from his eyes. He looked around and noticed the rest of the beds in the room to be empty. He was sure he hadn't missed anything. Curan walked out to a scribe, his name was Scribe Cain, one of the so called 'Kinton old boys'. He looked frail, with thin aged fingers peering from the sleeves of his robe. "Curan, nice to see you finally awake."

"My apologies Scribe Cain, it won't happen again." You could hear the sleepiness in Curan's voice. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is ordinary, if that's what you mean." Cain paused. "Elder Gratian wants to see you urgently." The scribe walked away, he didn't utter another word. Curan walked towards the Elder's command center. The sound of his boots against the metal flooring echoed throughout the hallway.

"Curan you're here, please enter." Gratian said as he spotted the paladin at the door. "I've been hoping to discuss something of great importance with you Curan."

Curan nodded and asked: "What's on your mind Elder Gratian?"

The Elder placed a map on the table, it was a map of a facility of some sort. "Command at Lost Hills have requested we investigate this facility, it is said to be somewhere near Chehalem. I believed that we had examined everything in that area. But they are insisting that this place must exist, I don't know what has brought them to this conclusion."

"This map," Curan tapped his finger against the sheet of graph paper. "Where did they get it from?"

"They wouldn't say. It's all very secretive, even for them. I feel like they are holding back some information. It wouldn't be the first time they had done something like that with us here," Elder Gratian sighed. "I want you to head to the Chehalem area and try and find this place."

"Alone?"

"Not alone, no. I want you to lead a squad there, if this place does exist I know you'll be capable of finding it. If you get inside there get anything important out: data, technology, materials."

"And if we don't find it?"

"Then I'll have you report back to those who made the order. But I warn you Curan, they won't be impressed," Gratian frowned. The paladin felt like he had done something wrong before he had even got started. "Dismissed Curan - I'll order you back here when I have made the decision who will go with you." Curan stood and nodded towards the Elder.