Agent Running in the Field

Arkady’s information proves invaluable, confirming that Moscow considers Sergei to be a legitimate asset and is not about to kill him. The Service invests more resources into the operation for Sergei. He is sent by Anette to more locations to photograph and report on the entrances and exits and the presence of employees and guards. This exploitation of intelligence passed from Sergei to Moscow is codenamed Stardust by the Service, which has also discreetly removed command from Dom for the operation.

After a few days, Nat contacts Florence at the number she gave him. They meet over dinner in the West End. Florence asks Nat whether he knows Dom’s wife, which he denies. She’s a baroness named Rachel who runs a multi-million-dollar investment firm. Through a series of subsidiaries, this firm happens to own the apartment owned by Orson, the same apartment that was the subject of the presentation that Nat and Florence gave to the Service to ask to bug. Baroness Rachel was in the room during the presentation as a member of the Treasury sub-committee, which denied the bugging operation.

Florence confronted Dom over this conflict of interest during their meeting, to which Dom claimed that the Baroness Rachel’s connections to Orson had been approved by the higher-ups and, additionally, that there wasn’t a conflict of interest in the first place. Nat warns Florence not to tell anyone about this information since it consists of hearsay and rumors that could have been planted by malicious actors. Leaving the restaurant, Nat receives a text from the office telling him to assemble in the morning, as Sergei has received decisive communications from Moscow.

The next 11 days in London are chaos, as President Trump plans to visit the prime minister of the United Kingdom. At the meeting, the head of the Russia department reads out the latest communique to Sergei: Moscow wants him “to provide field support for a covert encounter between an important Moscow emissary, gender not provided, and a high-value British collaborator, no other details supplied” (160). The Service provides Nat and another agent named Percy Price with a surveillance van to monitor the North London districts that Sergei was instructed to reconnoiter.

Sergei is instructed by Moscow to present himself at a brasserie off of Leicester Square and to order a specific dish, after which he’ll be approached by a Russian agent with microfilm and further instructions. Surveilling the restaurant, Nat spots Sergei’s contact, another Russian student from the same class named Felix Ivanov. Ivanov has been sent to England with his cover as a Polish student named Strelsky who is studying technology at the London School of Economics.

Back at the Haven’s safe house, Nat fishes out the microfilm from the phone given to Sergei by Ivanov. Sergei translates the instructions into English, as Nat is still pretending to Sergei that he doesn’t speak Russian. Sergei is instructed to affix a “No Nukes” flyer to the top-left corner of a window in his basement apartment, as well as to purchase an ornamental Victorian pottery dog of a certain height in inches.

One night, Prue receives a call from Juno’s parents, who are visiting London on a whim and want to meet the parents of their future daughter-in-law. A few nights later, they meet Juno’s parents, endeavoring to avoid the subjects of Brexit and the current relationship between the British Crown and India.

The Haven team assembles for the most important day of Operation Stardust. Nat joins Percy and Dom at headquarters to watch the unfolding operation as they covertly surveil the park in which Ivanov is to meet Anette, who is actually Valentina. When Valentina arrives, Ivanov unexpectedly exits. To Nat’s shock, Ed, his badminton partner, takes Ivanov’s place at the table, indicating that he is the British operative who has become a spy for the Russians. Nat is so surprised that he doesn’t even hear the pleasantries spoken between Ed and Valentina.

Nat has a pit in his stomach while recognizing Ed as a spy and fearing that his connection to Ed might be discovered by the Service. Nat listens in as Ed and Valentina start to converse in hushed tones. After a few minutes of discussion, Valentina tells Ed that she’s going to leave and that he is to discreetly follow her in a few minutes so that they can talk more privately.

They retire to the safehouse that Sergei lives in, which is also being surveilled by the British authorities. Sergei is no longer present at the safehouse, having been instructed to counter-surveil the park while the discussion happens. At the safehouse, Ed tells Valentina that he’s the only person at his office who knows about what he’s doing with Russia. Valentina asks Ed about a paper he might have copied at work named Jericho, which was also labeled top secret. Ed tells Valentina that the paper referenced something called “KIM stroke one,” which indicates a joint intelligence operation between London and Washington.

Valentina also asks Ed whether he brought any secret documents with him. With some reluctance, Ed opens his briefcase and passes Valentina a manila folder of documents. Valentina gives Ed further instructions as to her cover story, their relationship, and how he might pass further classified documents to the Russians. The pottery dog is a safety symbol; if Ed does not see the dog in the window of the safehouse when dropping off the documents, it means that he should abort the mission.

An officer named Marion announces that Ed is a member of her office as a category A clerical officer with top-secret clearance. Marion’s office is now going to be looking into all the contacts that Ed has had, past and present, a list that is sure to include Nat. Without even knowing what he’s doing, Nat stands up and announces that he knows Ed because they play a biweekly game of badminton together in Battersea. After a short pause, Guy Brammel suggests that they all take a short break.