Balkan crisis Part 1 is the eighth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Eda Initial Stage. It was originally released on November 17, 2022.
Plot[]
Somewhere in the Balkan peninsula, two extremists run away as a black-veiled woman chases them. One of the men frantically asks the other why a Bosnian woman is attacking them, causing the other man to retort that he should not know, wondering who she is because she killed their comrades Aiham and Dhiyab like it was nothing. The men run down a hill, but the woman jumps from the hilltop, charging at them and dodging their gunshots. Cutting off one man's right arm, she then dodges the second man's bullet with her sword, then cutting him in the face while slashing the other man's abdomen, killing them both. Immediately, two men allied with her sternly ask her what she is doing. As the white-suited man notes that the two fighters are dead, the other man angrily asks her what she was thinking. When the woman answers that she was told not to let the men flee, the man yells that he never meant that the men should be killed since they were the only leads they had to find "that guy." Taking off her veil, the woman, revealing that she has a scar across her face, responds that the men should be clearer next time in their directions. As she leaves, the jacketed man insults her as a witch and tells his associate that they cannot bring the bodies with them in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
The next day, Eda is driven by Rashida into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, confusing the former since she thought that they were in the Republika Srpska earlier. Rashida comments that borders are a complex case in the region, adding that they can come and go as they please. Eda wonders if there are any border checkpoints, prompting Rashida to clarify that there are none because the two entities are under the same country thanks to the Dayton Agreement. Smoking a cigarette, the former still wonders if there is more to it, but Rashida tells her that a lot of blood was shed to achieve the peace accords. Finally arriving at the outskirts of the city, Rashida guides Eda to a small house, where the latter meets the CIA agent Tobias, who nonchalantly remarks that he thought the female case agent that he requested would be a little older. Next to them, several male agents relax and pass the time for the next mission. Tobias briefs Eda that they are monitoring a local Islamic charity organization, making Eda correctly guess that the charity group is a front. He elaborates that during the last Yugoslav Civil War, many Muslim volunteers from across the world came to the aid of Bosnian Muslims trapped between Croatian and Serbian, but a few of the volunteers were quite radical and still remained in the Balkans after the Dayton Agreement. Tobias finishes that they need to find out what the extremists are doing and have been lucky enough to recruit a female member from the inside.
Eda then learns that she was brought to Bosnia because a same-sex friendship between two women arouses less suspicion to Muslims. Soon, she begins donning a hijab with Rashida's help but asks if she really needs to wear one, pointing out that she saw many women throughout the city who did not wear one. Rashida explains that the hijab will draw less suspicion because she attracts a lot of attention as a foreigner, teaching Eda how to use the hair pins and twist the fabric so that the clothing will stay in place. Seeing her, Tobias jokes that she looks like a true Muslim. Before she goes, he tells her the procedure, which is that every three days, the informant goes to the market to buy food, and Eda must establish contact with a signal and passcode. Near a food stand, Eda hears someone say "a dog on a leash," prompting her to respond with the passcode "does not catch prey." Relieved, the Bosnian woman is glad and mentions the CIA, causing Eda to abruptly cut her off and warn her to be discreet. Walking with the woman, Eda asks for the information that she has, but the woman states that she needs to buy food first before divulging anything. Eda angrily whispers to her to give her the info, but the woman nonchalantly brushes off her worry and picks out some fruit. Annoyed with her behavior, the CIA agent grabs the contact's arm, reminding her that they are not trying to have fun, also threatening to leave if she will not provide any info. Smiling with relief, the woman asks her if she is a person of influence and slips her a piece of paper.
A second later, a tall Bosnian man bumps into Eda, yelling at her in Bosnian. Confused, she apologizes despite him bumping into her, but he does not stop berating her. She asks the informant for a translation but realizes that she has already left. Noticing people staring at her, Eda tries to awkwardly run away but sees that the man is still pursuing her, so she sprints away and briefly stops under a bridge, wondering what the man spoke about. Returning to headquarters, she takes off her hijab and furiously recalls to Tobias what happened to her, throwing the slip of paper into his face. When he sarcastically asks her if the Bosnian man made a scene, the irate Eda questions if she is even trained to be an agent since contact should be as brief as possible. She advises Tobias to have the informant use the dead drop technique or be an instant contact, but he tells her that she cannot talk to a superior that way and calmly says that he knows how to do things, warning her to do as she is told. She reasons that there is a limit of trouble that she can handle, rhetorically asking him if he thinks that the Islamic extremists have figured out their scheme, such as the Bosnian man from earlier. Seeing that her concern is not heeded, the frustrated Eda asks if he has anything to drink.
Subsequently, she sits in the living quarters and pours herself a glass of Balkia, quietly insulting Tobias. Sitting down next to her, a male agent politely asks if he can drink with her, remarking that he can see her discontent with the mission. Taking a drink from him, Eda replies that she thought she would receive a mission to capture a fugitive war criminal. The man slyly proclaims that war criminals are already part of the CIA's diplomatic pack of cards, making Eda guess that said war criminals will likely be used at the right time. Agreeing, the man adds that they will also be used when they are no longer useful. Assuring her that they all have a role to play, be it the bait or otherwise, he offers her another drink but passes out. Shouting that they only drank 6 bottles, Eda is disappointed that he has passed out so quickly. Standing up, Eda declares that she will play her role properly.