Horace Bragg

Horace Bragg
Fictional Character
The Two Georges POD: c. 1763
Type of Appearance:	Direct
Nationality:	North American Union
Date of Birth:	c.a. 1945
Occupation:	Soldier, Police Officer
Spouse:	Cecilia Bragg
Children:	At least two unnamed sons
Professional Affiliation:	Royal American Mounted Police

Lieutenant General Sir Horace Bragg was the head of the Royal American Mounted Police and thus the immediate superior of Colonel Thomas Bushell. The two were also long-time friends.

Sir Horace was born in the Province of North Carolina from a long line of Carolinians and was known to speak in a back-woods accent when under great stress. He and Bushell were friends and had known each other from their early twenties when both were subalterns in the Royal North American Army. He was lean to the point of gauntness with hollows under his cheekbones. He had greying hair and beard.

The night the Sons of Liberty stole The Two Georges, Bushell's first official act was to telephone Bragg. Bragg ordered Bushell to concentrate on recovering the painting and to leave the investigation of the murder of "Honest" Dick to the local constabulary.

Days later, Sir Horace accompanied Sir Martin Luther King on a train trip from Victoria to New Liverpool as a show of support and assistance in the recovery of The Two Georges. Although it was not his intention, Sir Horace's presence undermined Colonel Bushell's authority in the investigation much to the latter's irritation.

The day after Sir Horace's arrival in New Liverpool, Colonel Bushell received a ransom demand in the post. In addition to the typewritten note was a photograph of the painting with a hand and arm thrusting a newspaper in front of it. The newspaper had a headline announcing the theft.

Since the letter had a local postmark, Sir Horace indicated that the clerks at the particular post office should be interviewed to see if anyone recalled anything useful. Colonel Bushell indicated that he had bought all the local newspapers the morning after the theft and that the headline in the photograph didn't match his recollection of them. Sir Horace felt that identifying the newspaper was another avenue of investigation.

Finally Sir Horace was disturbed by the 15 August deadline for the ransom. This was the day before the King-Emperor, Charles III was scheduled to arrive at Victoria for a state visit, a fact not yet widely announced. Only Sir Martin, some of his top officials, and Sir Horace himself had known of it when the painting had been stolen and Colonel Bushell had been informed of it only the day before.

Sir Horace and Colonel Bushell met with Sir Martin and his chief of staff Sir David Clarke to report on developments. Sir Martin decided that the ransom would be paid if the painting was not recovered by the deadline but that the investigation would continue. He also decided that Sir Horace would investigate the possible sources of the apparent leak.

The next day Colonel Bushell met with Sir Horace and convinced him to give permission for Bushell to take to the field to continue the investigation. Sir Horace continued to coordinate the investigation in New Liverpool (with assistance from Major Gordon Rhodes) until Sir Martin decided to return to Victoria. Sir Horace elected to continue to accompany Sir Martin and so he and his staff returned too leaving Rhodes in charge of the investigation locally.

A few days later Sir Horace received a telephone call from Bushell who reported on his investigation and the leads to Doshoweh. Bushell also expressed his frustration at the lack of progress but Sir Horace commended him for his efforts and encouraged him to continue. Sir Horace also confided that he had seen Sir David at a French embassy reception in animated conversation with Duke Alexei Orlov, the Russian ambassador to the NAU. However, Bragg couldn't overhear what they were saying and so didn't have anything to bring to Sir Martin.

Political offices (The Two Georges)
Preceded by Unknown	Commandant of the Royal American Mounted Police 19??-1995	Succeeded by Benjamin Arthurs (acting)