Swamped

Fall of Alexandria

"The Fall of Alexandria," you say.

Jackson looks surprised.

"That's in Recordkeeper's collection, all right. But it's the book he's most protective of. He's got other books that he'll lend out to people he trusts to take care of them, but that one... he's not willing to give it to anybody. I heard Captain Long asked to take a look once and got turned down."

Well. That's going to complicate things.

"Why's he so protective of it?"

"Dunno. When I first heard about this, I thought it was a rare book. And it is, but he's got rarer books he's more willing to show people. Maybe he got it from a dear friend or something. That's all I've got."

Now you wonder why Feldspar's so keen on it. Of course, you know it would be fruitless to ask.

"Well, it was just a thought," you shrug. "So here's my new offer. You just get as many books as you can, and bring them to the meeting grounds a fortnight after you go back to base. Or if it rains that night, as soon you can after it clears up. I'll even give you some of our stuff to bring back."

"A book exchange?" He looks at you skeptically.

"There's not a lot of trust between us lately. It might not be much, but it would be a step towards reconciling. Though, you might have to hide it if Ash takes command."

"Like I give a shit what Ash thinks. I'll talk to Dean about it when we get back. If you keep up your end of the bargain."

"Of course. Now let's get you back to your cell. And you'd better not try anything again, or the deal's off and I'll see to it you're shackled next time you get questioned."

You hand him off to a guard. Now you've got to think about your next move.

The main issue at hand now is Starling. Your little session here has given you a thought for how to approach Doc; it'll be unpleasant, but at least you know your path through that conversation now.

But Starling is another matter. You promised Jackson a meeting, but you didn't let on how hard that's going to be.

It's not that you expect her to be uncooperative. It's not even that you expect that much trouble persuading Locks to let one of your subordinates meet with a prisoner alone.

No, the problem is Rivers.

Ever since the squad was formed, Rivers and Starling have been inseparable. The problem is, while Starling looks up to you, Rivers still sees you as the worthless drunken lout you were when you first met.

And if Rivers tells Starling not to go with you, she won't.

Pulling rank isn't an option here. If you try it, it won't end well. You know that much.

You can't have them go together, either. This is Starling's business. Besides, you really do need to earn your own squad's trust if you're to have any chance at looking like a plausible Council member.

So how are you going to handle this?

it's a family affair and can be safely pitched as such

You can't help but think about how much easier this sort of problem would be for the Bogknights. All you'd have to do is explain that it's a matter between family, and that would more than likely be that.

But that's not how it works in the Marshguards.

Everyone here has left the outside world behind. The Marsh Fortress is their home, and the Marshguards are their family.

A few keep in touch with their families on the outside through letters. Most don't, and not just because they can't read or write. It's because the swamp is all they have now.

And of course, there are plenty of Marshguards who found that their families were the problem in the first place.

You can't say for sure what happened to Rivers before she came here. But you've seen the look in her eyes whenever someone mentions any sort of relative around her. Even when people call her and Starling sisters.

You can't help but wonder what drives that resentment in her. But, Marshguards don't pry into each others' pasts. Not even Sieve would cross that line. It's her business; yours is just to see to it that she doesn't let it get in the way of her orders.

Bah. You're no closer to having any idea how to handle this. Maybe you should take a step back, and think about just what you know about Rivers. It might give you a better idea of the approach to take.

she's generally nasty and you're pretty sure it's not just about and around you. loves playing headgames, saying deliberately contradictory things, flirting and then acting like she never did. everyone talks shit about her.

usually someone who pushes everyone away like that is hurting

When you first got assigned this squad, Rider told you that Rivers never got on well with anyone. She was kicked out of her old squad because she kept giving reports to her squad leader and then giving a second report that completely contradicted the first.

She wasn't much better in personal interactions. Never seemed to respect anyone enough to say what she really thought. By the time she was put on your squad, nobody else trusted her.

But somehow, she bonded with Starling.

Whatever brings out all that nastiness in her, she's treated Starling with nothing but respect, as far as you've seen. And you've made some progress; she at least manages to keep her mission reports accurate now. They're hardly polite, but the Marshguards aren't really about politeness in the first place.

But how does that help you with your problem? Rivers doesn't really trust anyone except Starling...

Ah, there's a thought. If Starling came up with the idea of meeting her cousin, rather than you putting it forward, you might be able to get somewhere.

But how would you lead her into that idea without being too obvious...

Well, you don't have to mention the family details right away. You could just get her interested in questioning a prisoner in general. You can use regulations as an excuse for why Rivers can't accompany her; and you can explain to Locks that you think it's safest if Starling trains on the prisoner you've already had a look at, and know how to handle.

Your only concern with this plan is that it's not really addressing the issues with Rivers, just working around them. But perhaps that's all you can do for now.

Well, you suppose you're as prepared for this as you can be. You know where the two of them usually are around this time. Is there anything else you should do before you talk to them?

Better put on your thick-boots if you're gonna be meeting them while they're cleaning Rider's zoo.

You can't think of anything else in particular, other than putting on an extra pair of boots. Your normal ones might be good enough for swimming around in swamp muck, but Rider's menagerie is more than a little messy.

And that's likely to have gotten worse with his disappearance. Even before you heard about it, you knew something was off when you saw the beast flailing around on your way back to base; the rest of Rider's pets are likely to be agitated as well.

Too bad you've only got spare boots. You wouldn't mind having some additional protection for the rest of your body as well, just in case.

You head over to the zoo, where Rivers and Starling are already at work cleaning the pens.

It's odd. Most Marshguards would probably be more irritable while doing this kind of work, but it always seems to put Rivers in a better mood than usual.

Not that you expect that to be enough. Still, here's your best chance.

"Afternoon," you say, walking over to them. Rivers shoots you a glare. "How goes the cleaning?"

"Just fine until you showed up," Rivers grumbles.

"We've had to use the grooming brush a lot more than usual to calm them down," Starling says with a smile. "They seem upset today."

Oh hell. Does she not know Rider's gone missing? You should probably explain that before moving on to the rougher topics.

"That's probably because Rider disappeared in last night's operation," you say.

"Oh! What happened?"

"Who cares," Rivers mutters. "Look, Boss, is there a reason you're here? You're not dragging us to another debriefing, are you?"

"Of course not. I've just been busy for a while. Thought it would be good to check in with the squad members."

"Well, we're fine. So get lost. Or at least make yourself useful and grab a net."

You need to think about this. From her tone of voice, you can tell she doesn't really want you sticking around. But maybe it would be good to help her out anyhow; it's not as if you have any other idea how to improve your standing in her eyes.

And you still have to figure out how you want to steer this conversation towards the prisoners.

What should you do?

okay, rank is pretty flexible in the marshguard, but it still feels kinda rank for them to be pulling rank on you, especially when you're trying to weasel your way ahead!

or that's what you would think, if you weren't the most humble, results-oriented motherfucker on earth. nope, you're just getting to work, and asserting yourself only by doing a really good job

Yep lets help out. Starling's still in disbelief about Rider's dissaperance. "But if Rider is gone then who put that huge Fenguin over there?"

You figure you'll call Rivers' bluff. She's probably not expecting you to actually help out.

You grab a net and start scooping out the droppings from the water. It'd probably be better to change the water entirely, but you know full well that's not an option around here.

"What I heard is, Long challenged Rider to a duel in hopes of stopping the raid. But they both vanished without a trace."

Rivers pauses for a moment, but doesn't say anything.

"What? How?"

"Supposedly Long did some magic. I don't buy that myself, but it's what the rumors say."

"But if Rider's gone, where'd that enormous Fenguin come from?"

Starling points to a large creature off in a new pool, one with a thicker gate. It wasn't here the last time you checked, but that was a while ago. On the other hand, the two of them would have noticed a new creature right away.

You head over and glance at a note on the wall.

"do not feed yet. being preserved for examination. unsure of how diet compares to lesser fenguin. animal expert among prisoners, plan to consult."

"This looks like Mantis' writing," you say. "Guess he caught it. Seems he was going to ask one of the prisoners about it. But I don't think he has yet, I was just questioning a prisoner and I didn't see Mantis on the schedule..."

Well, you've raised the subject, and it doesn't even seem like a stretch. Starling's looking curious, while Rivers is looking like her usual unpleasant self.

Where should you try to take the conversation from here?

"Actually, it says the prisoner is an expert on animals..."

Oh wait...doesn't...Shrike have a pen pal he talks about at times?

Wait...is Dean the animal expert? Jackson mentioned he was on pest control and now that you think about it, it does sound familiar.

Starling has a way with animals, almost as good as that of Rider. She's fascinated by swamp creatures which is part of the reason why she enjoys the cleaning duty. You know Rivers has had to put up with overhearing more than a few conversations between an excited Starling as she asks questions to Shrike about swamp creatures. More often than not though he doesn't have the answer and says "I'll have to ask my friend."

"Maybe Mantis is talking about Dean?" See how she reacts when hearing the prisoner's name. If it really is Shrike's friend Starling will definitely want to talk to him.

"You know i just came from interrogating one of them...I bet I could get us a meeting with him."

Rivers knows they can't just walk up and talk to a key prisoner without good reason, and you would need permission from an officer, so they wouldn't be permitted to visit...but if you can convince her that you could get Starling a few moments with Dean, she might acquiesce. Under some strict conditions: Dean is chained up good (no martial arts over here), Rivers waits outside the cell, and you finish helping shovel swamp animal poo.

As for actually letting Starling speak to Dean...that might be trickier...you'd need officer permission - Mudviper might help - but she's under suspicion...Doc, however was apparently speaking to Dean earlier...ugh...this conversation might be coming sooner than you thought.

wait but we don't even want starling to talk to dean, we want them to talk to johnson, right?

well yeah, but the ruse gets them in the interrogation room and well...we could probably have them swap out with Jackson midway through the interrogation.

It occurs to you that Starling's had an interest in animals for as long as you've known her. She's been eager to talk to Shrike whenever she gets a chance. And she does seem to enjoy being around Rider's menagerie, even if that means cleaning up after them.

But that's not the meeting you really want to bring about. Jackson's not the animal expert, and you'd have a tough time sneaking him into the interrogation room in Dean's place without someone catching on.

Hang on. Rivers is always around when Starling talks to Shrike, isn't she. And she does seem to be in a slightly better mood when cleaning.

Could Rivers have an interest in animals, too? She'd never admit it to you, of course, but it does make a good deal of sense now that you think of it.

Maybe you can get Rivers a questioning session first, then Starling's sure to ask for a chance to do the same. Then you can arrange for her to see Jackson, and explain things once they're both in the room.

It'll be a good deal harder for Rivers to object if she's already had a turn, after all.

But Dean's already been questioned. You'll have some work to do before you can set this up. You'll need permission from an officer, and right now Mudviper wouldn't be too eager to test the limits of her authority.

Crosswinds might agree, but good luck finding them. Besides, they don't usually take an interest in prisoners, so it would be hard to explain why they gave you the order.

You can't think of anyone else who might agree and have a plausible reason to ask... maybe Claws or Mantis if you made the right appeal, but the council's probably got enough on its plate right now.

Wait. You can think of someone. Goddammit.

Doc already questioned Dean. Maybe you can find out what she wants as a follow-up and use that as an excuse.

Of course, that means talking to Doc.

Well, you'll worry about that in a bit. Right now, your main concern is getting the girls interested.

"You know, with Rider gone, just who's in charge of this place now? Who's feeding the animals?"

"Don't know. They've been fed today," Starling says. "Except the Fenguin, but it seems to be holding up all right. Maybe it's used to going without food?"

"We'd better sort that out. Would you be interested in feeding duty? You seem to like it down here."

"I think I could manage it. Rider's shown us how before."

"Can we talk about this after we finish cleaning up?" Rivers grumbles.

Well. You suppose that's as close as she'll come to admitting interest.

It takes a good half-hour, but you finally get the pens cleaned out. After that, Crook comes by.

"Corvus?" he says, raising an eyebrow. "You're working here?"

"Just helping out my squadmates a bit," you say. "Crook, who's in charge of the zoo now? Or have they even decided that yet?"

"Well, until further notice, the council handed it off to... uh, who was it again..."

mudviper

she's not happy about it.

"Mudviper, that was it. Probably because she's Rider's top officer. Though, I bet Razor figured she wouldn't care much for the job."

"Well, where is she now? I want to talk to her."

"Briefing room seventeen. She's giving a dressing-down to some newmucks who got on Doc's bad side earlier today. You know the sort, they arrived here with a bunch of their old gang members and they think that means anything to us."

Urgh. Well, you're not looking forward to talking to her after a meeting like that, but you should probably put on a brave face for your squadmates.

"Thanks. Come on, you two, let's see about getting you on feeding duty."

You lead Rivers and Starling over to the briefing room. Stinger is standing by the door. He seems to be in an even worse mood than usual.

"No enter," he says. "Mud Viper is dissi... dessi... discipline?"

"Discipline, yeah. That's a tricky word, but you got it more or less right."

"She is discipline troublemakers." He looks a little doubtful.

"Disciplining. It's a verb. Don't sweat the details too much, though; we've got people here who've been learning the language from birth and couldn't get that close."

He chuckles a bit, but it doesn't change his overall demeanor. Maybe he's upset about Rider's disappearance, or maybe something else happened last night.

"Well, I'd like to talk to her when she's done. How long's she been at it?"

"Half hour. Usually takes full hour."

So you're going to have to wait, most likely. You notice that Rivers seems particularly annoyed at hearing that.

How should you pass the time, preferably without Rivers losing too much patience?

swamprats

But not that pansy-Bogknight-ripoff, Rivers only plays the real deal.

It suddenly strikes you.

You haven't had a decent card game in years. Too many Marshguards don't want the reminder of their gambling debts.

But Stinger's from a far-off land. Starling was an orphan. Rivers... well, you don't know the full story, but based on how she was found, and the way she acts, you've always guessed her family abandoned her.

"Anyone for cards?" you ask, pulling a long-unused deck out of your pouch.

Unsurprisingly, Starling's the first to speak up.

"Oh, I'd like that! What are we playing?"

"Bah. Not much else to do, is there," Rivers grumbles.

"What are cards?" Stinger asks. You suppose they must not have them, or at least not in the same form, back where he comes from.

"These are cards," you explain, holding one up. "They've got numbers and symbols on them. There's a lot of games where you give people some cards and follow some rules based on the numbers and symbols. You have any more questions?"

"Easier to watch, I think," he says. "Maybe then I understand."

"Fair enough. So there's this game called Swamprats. Goes back a ways; years back, some Bogknights and their Marshguard prisoner came up with the basic rules while they were stuck waiting out the rain, or so the story goes. They were just making it up, so they didn't think too hard about how well the rules worked..."

"I know basic Swamprats already," Rivers grumbles. "And it's boring."

"Right, advanced rules then," you say. "Hopefully Stinger won't have too much trouble following. Starling, do you know the advanced rules?"

"Um, I only played that one time with you and Sp... Scratch. Haven't had a chance since."

Oof, that's right. While waiting out the rain. It wasn't a good game at all; you were missing about eight cards, which made the whole thing awkward even on the basics. And she wouldn't have had a lot of chances to play.

Which makes you wonder where Rivers learned it. Not that you're likely to get an answer.

"Okay, well. Quick review of the basics first. We each get seven cards and we pick one, and the goal is to guess what your opponent's chosen card is. Or, when there's more than two, as we've got now, your goal is to be the last one in the game. Anyhow, each turn you draw a card, and then try to guess if it matches the suit or rank of one of your opponents. Guess wrong, you have to give a card to your opponent; guess right, they have to give you a card."

Rivers is rolling her eyes. You deal out the cards and continue.

"Now, you'll note that it doesn't really matter what cards you have in hand that way. That's where the advanced rules come in. First off, you're not allowed to have more than seven cards at once, including the one you're hiding."

You tap the middle of the floor, next to the remaining deck.

"If you've got more than seven, you toss the extras here. Face-up and spread out, so everyone can see them. That's the discard pile. It's also important for the other main new rule, so I'm pointing it out now."

"And what's the other rule?" Starling asks.

"It's a different kind of move. Instead of making a bet, or passing, you can play one of the cards in your hand. That's called a challenge. The other players have to answer your challenge by playing a card with a higher value. Whoever plays the highest card gets all the cards in the challenge. Not only that, but the losers have to throw away one other card. Not only does this mean a bigger risk of losing cards, it gives everyone more information about what cards aren't in play. Oh, and if you don't have enough cards to answer a challenge, you have to give up your hidden card and you lose. That clear enough?"

"I think so," Starling says, nodding. You glance at Stinger.

"Are you following this? Not that you need to, but, you know, I can explain anything if you're having trouble with it."

"Not needed," he says, with no further explanation. Either he got it or he's not interested, you suppose.

Time to look at your hand, then. You've got a Nine of Blades, Six of Leaves, Ten of Leaves, Two of Stones, Seven of Blades, Ace of Leaves, Ace of Stones.

What are you going to put face down?

ten of leaves

You pick the Ten of Leaves. The other two pick their cards.

Rivers is on your right, so she goes first. Of course, she doesn't actually say this, and just puts a Two of Blades down.

"Challenge," she says.

Starling looks through her cards, then seems to settle on one. Then she pauses.

"Wait, do we play our cards in order, or all at once?"

"We put them face down, and then turn them face up. So the only card we see is the one put down for the challenge."

It strikes you as a bit odd that Rivers put down a two on a challenge. That's nearly a guaranteed loss. You wonder if she's trying to let Starling win, or if she has some other plan in mind.

But at the moment, you've got to play one of your cards for the challenge. Which will it be?

Show Content

SpoilerCards available: Nine of Blades, Six of Leaves, Two of Stones, Seven of Blades, Ace of Leaves, Ace of Stones

burn an ace

You decide to get rid of one of your aces. It's not worth wasting a high card, and Rivers may be trying to help Starling out anyhow.

Stones is a better play, since your key card is Leaves; any extra Leaves in your hand are possibilities the others can't rule out. You opt for that, and watch as Starling puts down her card.

The cards are turned up, revealing your Ace of Stones and Starling's Four of Wings.

"So... Corvus wins, right?" Starling asks. "Aces are high, isn't that it?"

"Not in the swamp," you say. "Aces are always low here. It's your win. So you get to keep two of the cards - your key card, the face-down one, doesn't count as part of your hand."

Starling nods, and discards her own Four of Wings. Rivers discards an Ace of Blades for losing the challenge, leaving you to think about what you should toss.

While you're reflecting on that, Starling speaks up.

"Why are aces low?"

"Dunno," you shrug. "I just know that's how it is."

It strikes you that Mantis probably knows the reason. He was always keenly interested in the history of cards, though his opponents (yourself included) generally didn't care for his explanations. Not that you've talked to him much since he joined the council. He stopped playing then, too, as far as you know.

Regardless, you've got to drop an extra card now. Which one will it be?

Show Content

SpoilerCards available: Nine of Blades, Six of Leaves, Two of Stones, Seven of Blades, Ace of Leaves