Swamped

"So how long have you worked on boat squad?"

"Well, I've been a Bogknight for fifteen years," Lou says. "Got assigned to boat squad formally ten years ago, after two years of training, and I was given command three years ago when my predecessor retired. As for the rest of us, Mel's been on the squad seven years, and everyone else has been on less than five."

You're not sure just how long that is. It all feels like a lot of time to be in the swamp, now that you think about it.

It strikes you that you don't even know when the barge went into service.

"So when did we get the barge?" you ask.

"It's been in service fifty years. 'Course, in that time it's had so many parts replaced that it might well be a whole new barge by now. But that's why we're here - to keep the thing working, whatever it takes. And it's served us well! I'd say it's a good step up from whatever we used before, but I don't know what that was like." He laughs. "Who does, though? Recordkeeper's the only knight I can think of who might have been around back then."

You consider asking John Recordkeeper about that at some point. But for now, you have some other questions on your mind.

"So, how's the boat work? I mean, I know you put it on the water, and it floats, of course. But why's this barge so good in the swamp, compared to other boats?"

Lou beams.

"Now that's a question I always like to hear asked. You know how many of the knights here don't even think about how the barge works, they just know it does? Warms my heart, it does. So let me tell you about it."

He leans back against the wall.

"So, you've probably noticed that the swamp water has some nasty stuff in it. It's a mess. Your average boat's hull can't take that for more than a few days, even less if some of the water beasts decide to attack it. And that's not even accounting for stuff like the muckweed that just outright gets tangled in the rudder."

You recall coming across the muckweed earlier, when you helped Walter out.

"But, making a stronger hull makes it harder for the boat to stay on the water. See, tougher materials are usually denser - that's why it takes more work to break them, right?"

"Makes sense."

"And if you're too dense, you just sink."

"So how does this boat get around that?"

"Well, the usual trick is filling the boat with enough air that it makes up for the density of the hull. But, usually you need a really big boat for that. Bigger than this one, which would be real impractical in the swamp. It'd keep getting caught on walkways and trees."

"What's this one do, then?"

Lou points to the wall behind him.

"Good question, ain't it? You'll notice that all the walls here are made of wood. But if you were looking at the outside, it's not so wooden. That's the outer shell. It's a half-inch thick and made of a metal discovered about sixty years ago that's both durable and water-resistant. Of course, it's also really expensive, so that half-inch cost us a fortune. But, turns out you don't need that much to reliably hold off everyday damage, long as you've got something reasonably sturdy behind it. Damage to the outer hull is pretty rare. Interior gets dents once in a while, but they're not too hard to repair." He laughs a little nervously. "The hard part's checking the barge several times a day to make sure you didn't miss any of them."

"So how many people can fit on the barge?"

"Deck's big enough for twenty to roam, fifty if you stuff someone everywhere you can. Hold's got standing room for, oh, two hundred. In a pinch, we could probably fit the whole force on the barge, but it wouldn't be comfortable for anyone. Our regular boats, the lifeboats and such, those can fit three, four if you're willing to push your luck. If we ever had to evacuate, we'd put people in those first to relieve some pressure on the barge."

"What's the most unusual thing you've had to fix?"

Lou looks serious.

"I'd rather not talk about it," he says. "I'll just say this - never leave the barge out in the rain."

You're suddenly aware that you're glancing at your missing arm. You're curious, but you also know exactly how sensitive a subject the rain is with people here. It's probably best to move the conversation to another question, so you ask the first one that pops into your head.

"So, do you have a good map?" You take another moment to reflect and clarify. "Of the waterways, I mean. Got to know where it's too narrow for the barge, right?"

"Yeah, we have a map hanging up in a corner of the cargo hold, in case someone goes rushing out on the ship and winds up in unfamiliar territory. Also got a few spares in our office, so we can replace it quickly if it gets chewed up by greatrats or something."

He smirks a little.

"Yeah, it did. Seems they'd left the hold by the time we got here, though. Or, who knows, maybe the stowaways scared them off."

You thank Lou for his time. You've learned a lot, and it's about time for dinner.

You head to the mess hall, and on the way you run into Mary Baker carrying a box. She looks exhausted, even more so than Eve the night medic did.

"Is everything all right?" you ask.

"The storage room is a mess," she grumbles. "Took me forever to find the box with Flame's stuff. I'm tired and hungry and I'm going to see if I can get someone else to take it to the archives so I can just get some food."

For a moment, you can't help but consider volunteering despite the fact that you know that box is probably too heavy for your one arm. And, well, the whole reason she was looking for it was to help you out.

But it turns out you don't have to think about that, because Walter happens to stop by.

"You need that to go to archives, Baker?" he says. "No problem. Get yourself some dinner. Oh, and nice work helping out boat squad, Marshall. And me, of course." He smiles at you, and you can't help but think of how cute that smile is as he walks off with the box.

The next thing you notice is the knowing smirk on Mary's face.

"Well. Sounds like somebody's had an interesting day," she says. "Why don't you tell me about it while we eat."

That works for you. You walk with her to the mess hall, get your meals, and sit down.

What do you want to talk to Mary about?

Tell her about the new prisoners.

Ask if she knows of any bogknights that are under marshguard "care" right now. Will we transfer anyone back?

You decide to start by talking about what happened on the boat, and that there are three new Marshguard prisoners.

"Good thing you were there," Mary says. "We're low on supplies as it is, I don't even want to think about how much work it would be to bring back the next shipment without the barge."

You hadn't really thought about that until now, but it's a good point.

"You helped Walter out, too?" she asks. You feel a little nervous being asked about him, but you can just say the facts for now.

"He was in the water. I pulled him out. Said he was trying to strangle a greatrat, but it dragged him deeper than expected."

Mary gives you a look that suggests she knows there's more on your mind about Walter. But you'd rather not think too hard about that at the moment.

"So, ah. Did you hear if any of us got taken prisoner? There might be another exchange."

"No one that I've heard of," Mary says. "Usually we play it safe for a while after we're hit by something nasty, since we need as much help as we can get. We don't send anyone further out than the innermost ring of towers. Of course, that means we don't have as much warning if there's a big Marshguard raid, but they don't do that often. Raids take time to plan, after all, and it rarely takes more than a day or two to get back to more or less normal operations."

She's trying to be reassuring, but you saw the Rider today. And three other Marshguards up close.

And the Marshguards seemed to be interested in capturing you.

Now you can't help but feel that they might just try something. At the same time, if that's even likely, it feels way over your head as a new recruit. You could tell the officers, but what would you even say? That you have an unpleasant feeling the Marshguards might attack soon?

You're now one of the officers. You've just woken up from last night's emergency meeting, and you have an unpleasant feeling that the Marshguards might attack soon.

Which officer are you, and what preparations are you going to make, just in case you're right?

You're captain long, and you'll start by catching up on the news of what happened while you slept.

You're Captain Long, and you have a great deal on your mind right now.

First, there was the rain returning so soon after the annual storm. Then, the greatrat infestation. The discovery of a burrower nest, which you still don't have a plan to deal with. And now you have to face the possibility that the Marshguards suspect you of stockpiling poison.

That's in addition to whatever happened today. You have the small comfort that it wasn't anything urgent enough to warrant waking you up, at least.

You dress quickly and head to your office. You find notes regarding a few matters.

Marked most urgent: three Marshguards snuck aboard the barge, but were subdued and captured. They have not yet been questioned. New recruit Marshall is credited with a timely intervention.

The Rider was spotted at the meeting grounds. Unclear if he was doing anything more than feeding his mount.

A Bogknight nearly drowned trying to strangle a greatrat to death in the water. New recruit Marshall rescued him. However, this incident suggests there may still be greatrats near the base.

A water barrel has gone missing, reportedly destroyed during the greatrat infestation. John Recordkeeper has asked for permission to request an expedited shipment in order to replace it and avoid the need for rationing.

These are the first few items to catch your attention. What else has been reported?

Marshall's not the only one who's been busy!

There was a small fire up in messenger crow's tower! Penelope helped extinguish it.

One of the Bogknights, Fler, was accused by Jackson for stealing something from his room during the commotion of the greatrats last night.

You know one of the captured marsh guards, and she's been asking for you. You've had her transferred to an interrogation cell...this is not a meeting you're looking forward to.

The next report you find is a theft complaint. Recruit Jackson has accused recruit Flarp of using the greatrat infestation as cover for taking some of his personal items. Theft by a recruit is troubling, but at least this is a matter you can delegate easily, unlike the others.

The next report is... a fire. In the roost, no less. Thankfully, it seems recruit Penelope extinguished it quickly, before any swamp gas could ignite. Nevertheless, the cause must still be investigated; whether it was sabotage, carelessness, or insufficient precautions, this is a serious matter.

You also have another note about the captured Marshguards, with preliminary information - most notably, their nicknames.

And your heart nearly stops as you read the name "Mudviper".

So. She's here. What's more, it seems she's been demanding to talk to you.

You dread meeting her, but your conscience will not allow you to refuse. You know full well what happened was your fault.

And yet, what can you even say?

You shake your head to calm your nerves. You can see, clearly, that you are in no shape to handle your other duties while this is hanging over your head.

But you also must speak to her as soon as you can.

The best option you can see is to temporarily pass the burden of command to one of your officers while you deal with this. But who can you trust enough to handle these important matters?

Officer Ash, a scrawny kid who rose to the rank of officer faster than anyone else at the base. His insights have proved valuable in a host of situations. He might be young and a little unorthodox... well a lot unorthodox, really, but you've seen him deal with leadership roles before and he almost always excels thrust into new scenarios. Plus he thinks you're mad at him after the other day, so it might help to assuage those feelings.

yeah officer ash!

once that's settled with, go to talk to mudviper

Burgundy would be a good choice, if it weren't that the temporary promotion would undermine her punishment.

Officer Ash is talented but...he's also ambitious...and inexperienced. For a scrawny guy, he's certainly charismatic but it's worrying that he seems to value efficiency over human life. When the discussion of the Marshguards suspecting the Bogknights of stockpiling poison came up, his responce was "Why aren't we?" Leaving him in charge for too long might be risky...

Your first choice would have been Burgundy, but with her demotion, that simply isn't possible. So who else is there?

You consider Ash, recently promoted to Sergeant. He's moved through the ranks rather quickly, and his assessments from the other officers are always quite strong. You've generally been impressed with him, as well.

However. He is still young, and has much to learn. You recall the emergency meeting, how he brought up the suggestion of actually stockpiling poison for use against the Marshguards.

Initially, you were shocked. You would have demoted him on the spot if he hadn't clarified he only meant it as a deterrent.

Of course, he also left the meeting thinking you were angry with him. Giving him temporary command could be helpful in soothing those wounds, and that might make it easier to help him learn what he needs to learn.

It's not as if he would have discretion to alter your overall strategy. Still, you would be concerned about leaving him in charge for too long.

Then a thought strikes you. You call for Sergeant Ash and Private Burgundy.

"Sergeant Ash," you say, handing him your staff. "I am not yet prepared to fully resume my duties as commander. I am temporarily placing you in command of the base while I take care of some personal matters."

You turn to Burgundy.

"And while you were at it, I would like you to supervise Private Burgundy and report on her behavior. She has made a grave mistake, and I wish to know how she is progressing since her demotion."

"Yes, sir," Ash says. Burgundy simply salutes; she clearly understands that your request for supervision will be working both ways.

With that dealt with, you head to the interrogation room. This will be difficult.

You step inside, and dismiss the two guards. This is for the two of you alone to deal with.

Before Mudviper can say anything, you begin with what you know you need to say, inadequate as it is.

"I'm sorry."

"You know full well that changes nothing," she hisses back. "I can't go back. It's not even really your damned fault. Oh, you played a role in it, to be sure. But in the end, it wasn't you who handed down the verdict."

"I know."

"What does it even matter if you're sorry? Are you looking for my forgiveness? My pity? Those things wouldn't do you any good, even if I were willing to grant them."

What can you even say in response?

"Well at least you know I sympathize."

You did what needed to be done.

You testified against her. You knew it wasn't true. You lied and sent her to prison. Climbing the political ranks had been your focus - but Vic...Viper couldn't stand the corruption. You wanted to fix things from the inside, she wanted to boot out those in power and tear the whole thing down.

It was easy for her to find dirt on someone...too bad they made it stick on her instead. And you helped.

You also bribed her guard, and slipped her the key to her cell during your last visit. It seemed like the best solution. She'd have to go to the swamp, but you'd stay here and change things. She was tough. She'd survive...

Except in that moment, when passing the key to her as she glared back at you with bitter but shocked eyes, you heard it. The swamp called out to you as well.

It took some favors and pulling some strings but with the recent political clout you gained you swiftly transferred to the knights with a few high ranking recommendations.

Despite all of the fear and self-loathing and anxiety and years you've spent to right your wrong, surprisingly one thing is still true.

"It's good you see you, Vic."

---

But Mudviper didn't call you down here to chit chat. She works for someone else now. Someone who doesn't reek of corruption.

That someone wants to see your recent recruit, and Mudviper knows its not just for some "family bonding". That meeting is important. And after hearing her out...you might just be inclined to agree.

Oooh i really like the idea of her being family!

"Even after everything that went down, we're still [sisters/cousins]. I love you and care about you"

Well, at least you know I sympathize.

You contemplate saying that just long enough to realize how patronizing it sounds. Almost sarcastic, though that's not your style and she knows it.

It's good to see you.

And that sounds even more patronizing. Oh, it may well be true; certainly it's a relief that your last memory of her won't be that spiteful look in her eyes as you slipped a key between the bars of her cell.

You both knew that wasn't enough.

Even after everything, we're still family.

And what comfort is that to her? You already know what she'd say - the Marshguards are her family now, just as the Bogknights are yours.

The fact is, nothing you can say is good enough. The only thing you can say is what still has to be said.

"I still love you," you say, quietly.

"I still love you too, you bastard," she snarls back. "But that doesn't change anything. Fact of the matter is, if you hadn't testified against me, they would have found somebody else to. Somebody who wouldn't have even felt a shred of guilt. You feel terrible because you're a good man - but you're a good man who can't do a damned thing."

She's right, and you know it.

"But I'm not here to talk about those old wounds. I was told to give you a message if I got caught."

You feel a little tense.

"A message from Rider," you say.

"Got it in one. You know the real reason we snuck aboard that barge? It wasn't to steal it. We were after your new recruit. Funny that our own target ambushed us, isn't it."

"Marshall. You're after Marshall." You fold your arms in thought. "Why?"

"Rider told me why." She's frowning. "But if you're asking, I can only assume the newmuck hasn't been fully honest with you. Because I'm sure you'd take notice if you saw the name Marshall Laikenne on your roster."

You almost can't believe it.

"Sir. The main reason I came here was my father. A scholar."

You didn't say anything at the time. You couldn't be sure, after all, and with everything else going on, you'd nearly pushed the words out of your mind.

But now it's certain. Laikenne's child is your newest recruit.

You can't decide yet what to do about that, though. You have a more immediate problem.

Mudviper is still wanted back home. And you have her in custody. You're obligated by treaty to report her presence, and once you do, you're not to release her until there's an official decision on whether to send her back, or leave her here in the swamp.

You know they'll want her back. Other kingdoms are generally content to leave their dissidents and malcontents out here, but not yours.

You can't just pretend otherwise, either. They'd find out, sooner or later. They have their ways.

So, once again, despite the risks, you're going to have to help her escape. But before you can think of that, you have an important question to ask her.

"Are you planning an attack?"

She shrugs.

"Razor and Bigfoot were in favor, as usual. Rider's opposed, of course, but you know he'll lead the charge if it's approved. Claws always goes with Rider. So it comes down to Mantis. Unfortunately, I can't tell you which way they're swaying. The reports of last night's egg harvest had them worried, you see."

"We gathered the eggs because we had a greatrat infestation. We used all the eggs to destroy them. Nothing remains, save the stains in their lair, and those have likely broken down by now."

"Straight from your lips. I believe you, but I can't promise Mantis will. Assuming I even make it in time to affect their vote."

You don't say anything in response. You're already thinking of how to get her out of here, and there's no sense in giving away your intentions in case someone's listening in.

You can only hope Marshall will forgive you for what you're going to do.

You're now Marshall again. You've gone back to your room, thinking you might try to sleep early to catch up after last night's disaster.

But that was before you found this strange note on your pillow.

Mudviper can lead you to your father, is all it says.

Your heart pounds. You remember that was the nickname of one of the prisoners, and from what you heard, it sounds as if she's one of the higher-ranking Marshguards.

This note is clearly an offer. Will you accept it?

Uh...yeah! You had already been thinking: "we have extra prisoners now...if I was caught it wouldn't be too much trouble for them to ransom me. And who would blame the one-armed recruit for getting caught?"

Well...Burgundy would. You saw her earlier today with the interim commander. He seemed nice, but he kept asking questions about your feelings on Commander Long. Your answers were respectful, but both you and the interim commander could tell it was making Burgundy very uncomfortable. In a strange way it was almost...cruel...making her stand there and listen to you recount your injury. It was over quickly enough, but it made you glad that Long is the one in charge and not that other guy.

Finally, a lead! It sounds like you are going to marshguard territory though, so it might be a good idea to see if recordkeeper found that prosthetic arm for you.

You take a deep breath. You're going to take the chance. It might be some kind of trick... but, well, they've got three prisoners here, so it's likely you'll be returned quickly. You just have to make sure you don't get yourself killed.

But there's one matter you still haven't dealt with. You head back to John Recordkeeper's office to ask about the storage box. You were going to do that after dinner, but then the interim commander insisted on a meeting with you.

And it was more than a little unpleasant. Oh, it was polite, at least on the surface; he thought it would be best to get your thoughts on Captain Long, who was apparently taking a day off from command. And you did; not that you've seen much of him, but you gave your thoughts.

But naturally, as your only meeting with him was after you lost your arm, the commander pressed you on that a fair amount. While Burgundy was there. You got the distinct sense he believed she was getting off easy; she certainly didn't seem to enjoy the reminder.

So after that meeting finally wrapped up, you just wanted to get to bed. But after seeing this note... You should take care of this business now.

When you get to the archives, though, you find John Recordkeeper asleep at his desk. Just how long has he been awake?

You could try to wake him up... but you can also see the box right next to him. Maybe you could just look through it without bothering him.

What are you going to do?

Let's not wake the guy up before we sneak out of the base.

this doesn't...look like an arm...there's not fingers on it and it's locked up but...maybe there's something else to it?

No time to figure it out though. Might as well grab it and stuff it in your bag. You're sure the Marshguards won't steal it from you right?

With what you're planning, it's probably safest if you're not spotted. You take a quick look in the box.

Unfortunately, it's hard to look through with one arm, especially not without making too much noise. You find something reasonably long... but it doesn't seem to be an arm. It seems to be made up of two cylinders with some sort of joint between them, but there's no hand and the two halves seem to be locked together.

You decide to take it with you anyhow, in case you can figure out how it works. You stuff it in your pack and head out.

Now you need to think about what you're doing.

The note said Mudviper knows where to go. So, first you'll have to find her, and talk to her without drawing attention.

And, of course, it's more than likely that she won't tell you anything unless you get her out. You'll need some sort of plan for that.

You also recall that curfew's been extended for two hours due to last night's attack throwing off everyone's sleep schedules. On the one hand, this means you won't be in trouble if you're seen wandering the halls - but it also means there's more knights about who could see you.

So. What are you going to do now?

let's see if we can get the skyslicer without anyone noticing it's missing

It occurs to you that you haven't had your skyslicer with you since waking up, and you've had some close calls today where it would have come in handy.

So you may as well grab it before leaving. You don't know where the armory is, but you soon overhear two knights talking about handing in their weapons before heading to sleep, so you just follow them to find it.

Of course, now you have to figure out how to get your skyslicer out without drawing suspicion. There's several knights managing the place, and a whole line of knights waiting to drop off their weapons.

Since you're too new to get night missions (outside of an emergency like last night's infestation), just asking for your slicer would raise a lot of questions. But with this many people around, you're likely to get spotted, whatever you do.

So how are you going to get it?

Everyone feels guilty because of the superstition that made you lose your arm. So play up the handicapped card.
Lie about a practice session Recordkeeper scheduled for you in the training room, utilizing your new arm prosthetic. You just want to be useful to the base, no ulterior motives here, no sir.

Aw man, better give up on it. The fewer people that suspect you left on purpose the better.

...Wait is that...Clancy from Squib Squad?

Maybe you can still get your slicer.