Swamped

You're at a loss.

Feldspar's heard the tale before though, Shorty told it to him once in exchange for mending a few buckles.

It only takes one word, but Shorty is reminded of the wedgie he got when Silver's grapple reeled him back in.

You can't remember this part at all. But Feldspar passes by and mutters "pinch", before looking at another cell's lock.

Maybe you should ask if he's fixed the first one, but Shorty's already launched back into the story.

"I sucked it up, Silver was right.
This decision, I wouldn't fight.
So I got down on my hands and knees
And started crawling through the trees.

The rain poured down and I was soaked.
Thorny brambles pricked and poked.
The ground below was thick with mud,
I feared the wolves would smell my blood."

"There's no wolves in that forest," Feldspar mutters. "And they don't smell blood, anyhow."

"Well I didn't know that!" Shorty protests. "Anyhow, I needed it to rhyme. Now, hang on, where was I... right, pinch."

Shorty clears his throat and continues.

"Tired and bruised and cold and sick,
I tried my best to make it quick.
At last I reached where the girl lay,
And hoped for an end to my troubled day.

But no, I still had woes in store,
I was stuck down on the forest floor.
It was so cramped I could not leave,
Even without the child on my sleeve.

I was stuck and couldn't move an inch,
That's when I felt a sudden pinch.
I nearly screamed, but held my tongue,
So as not to curse in sight of the young.

But soon after, I started moving back,
Just as my sight started fading to black.
Silver had observed my plight,
And he refused to give up the fight.

Flame's new device that Silver took,
A length of line tied to a hook,
Had saved my life, and the child's too,
And of the rest, I know no more than you.

For by now I felt quite faint,
But Silver, that dastardly saint,
Saw to it that I woke up in town,
With a list of lost goods written down."

Shorty looks very delighted to have finished the story.

"So, you don't know who the baby was?"

"Not a clue. I asked Silver about it when I came here, but he'd only say that he'd taken her to a good home." Shorty shrugs. "I don't know if he snatched the jewel or not, either, and didn't bother asking. Hardly seemed to matter once we were in the swamp."

Well. That wasn't really that informative. You've got a few points to speculate on, but nothing really useful.

So. Will you talk to someone else, or do you have any more questions for Shorty?

Is that Starling talking to Dean?

You thank Shorty for the story, and move on to see who else you want a report on.

Hang on. Starling's talking to Dean? You feel like you should take a closer look there.

"You mean Rider's caught a blue muckdiver? I'm surprised, they're much more vicious than the more common brown variety."

"Out in the wild, sure. But that's because they're pickier eaters. They can't digest most plants as well as their cousins, and when they're hungry they get fiercer. We've got a supply of plants that go down easier for ours, so it's really quite calm. Most of the time, anyhow. They've all been agitated since last night."

"That's enough, Starling," you say. The prisoners have probably heard of Rider's disappearance already, but if they haven't you're not going to be the one to let it slip. "I need a report on what happened while I was gone."

Hang on. Rivers suddenly looks annoyed. Was she listening in on that conversation?

"Oh! Yes, sir, right away. Ah, what do you want to know?"

Hmm. You recall that you asked Rivers and Starling to look for escape routes.

Of course, that was before you found out what happened and got orders to keep the escaped prisoner safe. Still, might as well go through the motions.

"I asked you to find potential escape routes for our missing prisoner," you say. "What'd that turn up?"

"Well, um," she says. "All I found was the broken lock. I asked Rivers if she found anything, but all she said was 'maybe'. Then she asked Ringer to look at something with her, and I don't know what happened with that. Is there anything else?"

Hmm. Well, you did promise Jackson a meeting with her. Maybe now you can start working towards that.

But then again, this may not be the best time. Perhaps you should ask her about something else, or move on and question another of your squad.

What are you going to do?

With the prisoners in unlocked cells, nows a good chance to take a few into the interrogation room, and the search for Marshall is the perfect pretense. Feldspar hasn't gotten to Jackson's cell yet. Looks like Jackson got those shackles on. Let's bring Dean and Jackson into two different interrogation rooms, have Rivers and Ringer take Dean into one. (Use telling them about it as a chance to ask what they had found) Dean's a martial artist so you want Starling in there, but Ringer could take him easily. Rivers might be interested in asking Dean about swamp creatures, so she may go along with it.

You'd take Starling with Jackson, he's tied up but if Rivers objects have Shorty come with you. When you're in the room with him, You can send Shorty out. He'll be confused but he'll go along with it.

Then you can let Jackson say what he wants to Starling.

You think a bit. Feldspar's working on the locks, which means this is a good excuse to take the prisoners to interrogation under the pretense of asking about their missing friend.

You can also pass it off as training your most junior squad members in interrogations, as you were thinking before. Rivers might even appreciate a chance to question Dean, if only to get questions in about animals.

Then you can take Starling to question Jackson.

And on top of that, you have some questions for Rivers first. You suppose you should start with that.

"Rivers," you say. "Starling tells me you might have found something?"

Ringer's bell suddenly rings. He shuffles in from behind you.

"Yeah, I asked Ringer about it because I wanted a guard's perspective."

Hmm. You wonder if there's a reason she didn't ask Butterfly. But now doesn't seem the time to press on that.

"So what was it you saw?"

She shrugs.

"Ringer thought it probably wasn't anything."

"That's not what I asked. I'd like to hear your report."

She just mutters something under her breath.

Well, this isn't really getting anywhere. Unsurprising, you suppose; if she was reluctant to tell even Starling something, why would she talk to you?

You could ask Ringer, but you need to craft your questions carefully with him. It can't be harder than getting Rivers to open up, though.

On the other hand, maybe you should just go ahead with the interrogation plan for now and try to question them later.

How will you handle this?

Confirm with Ringer that they thought it wasn't important.

What would Rivers not want to tell you or Starling? Probably something embarrassing, which is why she asked Ringer - they wouldn't spread any rumors.

Go though a few questions with Ringer: did they find an object? If so does Rivers have it?

Ask a couple of generic questions, see if Rivers is looking uncomfortable, if she is looks that way, then quickly switch to suggest she go with Ringer to interrogate Dean about the escape, or anything about what creatures they encountered on their way over here. Maybe she'll be more likely to agree.

"Ringer," you say. "Could you confirm that for me? You didn't think whatever she found was important?"

One ring.

"Was it some sort of object?" One ring. "And does Rivers have it still?" One ring.

Rivers doesn't look happy, even more so than usual.

"Hmm. Well, I'll talk to her about it later," you say. "For now, I think it would be a good time to give you some interrogation practice. This Dean seems to be the one leading these guys around, so maybe he knows something about the escape. While you're at it, you can ask him about how to feed that big Fenguin, seeing as Mantis doesn't seem to have gotten around to that yet."

"Interrogation practice? Are you serious?" Rivers asks. She doesn't sound too keen on the idea.

"I think you're ready for it. If you're worried about the prisoner trying anything, Ringer can go along with you. Can't really coach you on what to say, of course, but they're very good at keeping you on-topic without taking over the conversation. And they can definitely handle the prisoner if there's trouble."

Rivers rolls her eyes, but she heads over to the cell.

"Well, come on then. Let's get this over with."

"It'd be good for Starling to get some training, too," you say.

"Seriously?" Rivers gives you a bemused look. "Starling as an interrogator? You've lost it."

"Well, yeah, in her case it'd probably be more observation. I was thinking of doing a follow-up with the prisoner I questioned earlier, let her watch, maybe she tosses in a few questions."

Rivers is tensing up. You thought this might happen.

"Why you? Why not send her along with Shorty or Legs?"

She doesn't want to talk about it directly, though. Maybe now's the time to force the issue, tell her to air out what she's got against you.

Then again, that might make things even worse.

How should you handle this?

Keep you cool. "Because I've already interrogated and subdued this prisoner once before. Shorty and Legs are capable but they're needed here. The prisoners have been amiable recently but we need to stay cautious."

Give her a chance to air out any grievances if it's worth it to her. Something like: "I'm open to your opinion. Is there a reason I shouldn't take Starling?"

Ringer what do you mean One Bell?? Nobody asked you!

"Because I've already talked with this prisoner before," you say calmly. "It'll be easiest if I go along."

"We've all been here with them, you know. While you were off doing god-knows-what. What do you think you saw that we didn't?"

Well. That's a strikingly direct question, considering your real reason for this meeting. And you still haven't explained your absence, at that. Your team deserves that much explanation, at least.

"I got ambushed and knocked out by the escaped prisoner. When I came to, it was time for my meeting with Razor, and I couldn't exactly blow him off. I came here right afterwards."

Was she actually worried about you? It's really hard to tell with her.

"You got knocked out by a one-armed prisoner?"

"I got hit by a slicer. Doesn't really make much difference how many arms you use to throw one of those."

"And have you been to Doc since? I'll bet you haven't."

She's got you there, but you definitely feel like she's dancing around what she really wants to say to you.

"Let's get right to the point. Rivers, do you have a problem with me?"

You hear a bell and give Ringer a glare. Rivers does the same.

"I was asking Rivers. You know not to get up in other people's business, Ringer."

The bell rings three times. That means "important," you recall. It's rare for it to come up outside of an actual alarm.

Well, now you're deep in the muck. You can't just ignore Ringer, but asking yes or no questions to try and find out what's got Rivers in such a bad mood strikes you as a terrible idea for a number of reasons.

So how do you handle this mess?

Starling Ex machina

You're still trying to figure out what to say when Starling taps you on the shoulder.

"Corvus, sir? I thought I saw something in the laundry basket, but then Crook took off in a hurry with it. Now, it might just have been my imagination, but it looked like Bogknight colors."

"And prisoner armor doesn't go in the laundry," you say. "Right, best to follow him."

"Not alone, I should hope," Rivers says. "Considering what happened last time you went off on your own."

That stings your pride a bit, even more because it's true.

"Well, I'm not dragging everyone off while Feldspar's working on the locks. Shouldn't need more than two or three. Now, who should I bring along..."

Of course, you have to account for the fact that you don't actually want to catch Crook. Not until he's had a chance to get Marshall hidden, anyhow.

So, who will you be taking?

Just Rivers. Let's sort this out along the way.

"Right. Rivers, you're coming with me. Everyone else, stay here."

Rivers glares at you.

"You trying to prove something to me, Boss?"

"Not at all. I just think it's become abundantly clear we need to have a talk, and we can't hold off on it any longer."

"What if the Bogknight gets away again while we're talking?"

"Seems to me that's more likely if you stand around here arguing," Feldspar says as he moves on to a new door. "Your boss has a plan, go with it. You can yell at him after he screws up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," you mutter, running off. Rivers follows you, no doubt still angry.

"I don't see what we have to talk about," Rivers grumbles.

"We have to talk about whether you can work with me as squad leader. You don't like me, fine, nobody has to like their squad leader. But if it's going to interfere with how we work together, it's a problem. So we'd better bring it out now and find out if you're going to need to be assigned to another new squad."

That has her attention. If she gets reassigned, there's little chance Starling will switch squads with her. And she's already been on five other squads.

"It's not a problem," she says, more than a little defensively.

"Hold that thought. Hey! Anyone seen Crook?"

One of the Marshguards lingering in the hall points in a direction, and you follow.

"Well, I hope it's not a problem. But things like that have a tendency to become problems very suddenly. It'll be a lot easier to be sure if you actually tell me what's wrong."

She doesn't say anything. Ugh. Maybe this was a bad idea.

You don't even see Crook, which is probably good considering you don't actually want to catch him. But you've got to make a good show of it, and...

...hang on one moment. You're pretty sure Mudviper's room is down this hallway.

Now, if you were actually trying to catch him, you'd head straight there to intercept. But you're not. So how should you handle this?

And while you're at it, how can you encourage Rivers to open up?

punch rivers in the shoulder and tell them to open up

Talk about something light-hearted and-or casual. Movies, hobbies, childhood memories...

Well, as far as Crook goes, it's probably easiest if you seem to get caught up in talking to Rivers. You'll get a chewing-out for that, but hopefully it will give Marshall time to hide.

Although, Mudviper might get in trouble if they have that conversation. That's a headache you won't enjoy dealing with.

That leaves actually talking to Rivers. Maybe you're being too direct about it, maybe it would be easier to hold a lighter conversation.

"Rivers," you say. "Do you actually like anything?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Every time I see you, you seem upset. And it's not just me, I hear the same from a lot of people. Then again, maybe it's just that you're missing something from outside the swamp; hard to take up, say, painting as a hobby in here. It's pretty low-priority on the supply list. And it's not as if you can just go out to the theater..."

"Enough!"

That's the same tone she uses when someone mentions family to her. Something you said must have set her off. You've really messed this one up.

"All right, all right! I won't make guesses. I'm just wondering if there's anything you enjoy. Even if you can't get it out here in the swamp."

"That's none of your damn business."

"Actually, in a way it is. Keeping morale up is one of the responsibilities of a squad leader." A thought strikes you. "Tell me, Rivers, do you have any interest in leading a squad someday?"

She just blinks.

"What the hell kind of a question is that? What does it even matter, I'm years away from having a chance at leading."

"But if it's what you want to do, it's best to learn what you can now. You'll do a lot better than if you have to wing it like I did."

She just growls.

"Aren't we supposed to be looking for Crook?"

"I haven't forgotten," you say, a little defensively.

"Then why are you wasting time on all this? Shouldn't we focus on the job?"

You smirk a little.

"Don't give me that look!"

"I was just thinking that you sound a lot like a squad leader right now. So how about it? How would you suggest we track down Crook?"

"For a start, let's not play games by pretending to put me in charge! Are you even taking this seriously?"

"My only idea is running around asking people which way he went. If you've got something better, I'd love to hear it."

She lets out a defeated sigh.

"Well, I do have one thought," she says.

"And what is that?"

What's the deal with Crook?

"Well, I just don't get why Crook would do something like this," she says. "Mainly because it's a lot of effort to go to for someone who's always slacking off. I'm surprised they let him on guard duty, honestly."

"Funny thing about that. He's good at catching escapees. Probably because he knows all the good hiding spots already. Once, he even caught that one girl who's slipped away however many times. Of course, she got away on the next shift, but the other guards sure remember him for it."

"That doesn't explain why he'd be helping an escapee now."

"I don't know," you say with a shrug. "Maybe he isn't. Starling wasn't completely sure."

Rivers gets quiet for a while as you continue walking.

"Hang on," she says. "If he's been diligent about guard duty before... Maybe he's got some kind of reason for helping this particular prisoner escape."

"Yeah?" you ask, even though you have a sinking feeling you know what she's thinking. "Any idea what that might be?"

"I remember hearing something. Mudviper was ordered not to talk to one of the prisoners. And isn't her room down this way?"

"Damn! You might just be onto something there. Let's go!"

There's really no avoiding it now. You can only hope you bought Crook enough time.

You rush down the halls, and sure enough, he's leaving Mudviper's room. With a basket that looks considerably emptier than it did when you last saw it.

"Ah! Corvus, how can I help you?" he asks, smiling nervously.

"Why'd you just bolt off, Crook? I had questions for you!"

"Oh, ah... you were busy, so I thought I'd take care of my chores..." Crook laughs weakly.

"Why'd you bring him along to the prison, anyhow?" Rivers asks.

"Razor gave him a dressing-down during our meeting. He was in such a sour mood after that, I didn't want to leave him on his own."

"But, but I'm feeling a lot better now," Crook says.

"Good. Maybe now you can answer the Boss' questions," Rivers says. "So why don't you go ahead and ask?"

Well, you may as well go through the motions. What are you going to say?

was mudviper in?

"Before we get down to that, was Mudviper in there?" you ask. "I just realized I never made sure she went to her room, and I can't be sure she didn't distract herself with some other business after stopping to see me."

"Yeah, yeah, she's resting. I, ah, needed to go in, she was still real tired. Said Doc threatened to strap her in if she got out of bed again, so I left the, ah, spare clothes in there and excused myself. Wouldn't suggest going in there, she's real irritable."

"But the door's not locked?" Rivers asks.

"Well, no, but I don't think she wants anyone seeing her like this. Can't say I blame her, myself. I mean, I'm not really one to have heroes, not my thing, but there's a lot of folks here who look up to her. And a good number of them still do after last night. Some even more so, I hear. Ah, well, I'd really best be getting on with my rounds..."

He's not even halfway through when Rivers flings the door open.

"Rivers, what are you doing?"

"I'm checking to make sure our friend here didn't leave a little surprise for Mudviper," she says, marching in. Oh hells, you've stepped deep in it now.

"Er, I really wouldn't do that, Viper needs her rest," Crook calls after her, but you know it's no good. Your best bet is to march in after her and take charge, so you head on in.

"Corvus."

It's Mudviper. She's lying in bed, holding an open book, and looking more than a little upset.

"Would you care to explain why your squadmate barged into my room? I need my rest."

"She seems to have gotten it in her head that you might be hiding an escaped prisoner," you sigh. "So we'll just do a quick inspection and then leave you be, since clearly you wouldn't do such a thing."

"In the closet," she sighs. "I'll explain what I can to the Council later, I suppose. For now, I just can't deal with the stress."

That wasn't what you were expecting. But the biggest surprise is yet to come, as Rivers flings open the closet door.

"The hell? Marshall?"

"Sandra? Is that really you?"

You get the distinct feeling this whole mess has gotten even messier. Now what the hell are you supposed to do?

SpoilerShow

Reminder: Sandra

this is neither the time nor the place

"Right. Enough."

You walk over to the closet.

"I don't know what your story is here, but it doesn't matter right now. So here's what we're going to do. First off, you are staying right there in that closet."

"Um, okay," Marshall says awkwardly.

"Rivers. You and I are standing watch here. Crook!"

Crook rushes in. "Er, I can explain... ah... wait, do I need to explain?"

You just shake your head.

"No. Tell Razor that Mudviper and I want to talk to him. After that, I don't care what you do."

"You do know he's going to be busy..."

"He'll want to come for this."

Crook rushes off, and you just stand and wait for a few minutes. Everyone is silent, unsure what to say.

Finally, Razor arrives. He looks in on the open closet and groans.

"I haven't said anything to the prisoner," Mudviper says, still flipping through the book. "No questioning or other conversation, beyond suggesting the closet as a hiding spot. I admit this may be a violation of the spirit of your orders, but as far as the strict letter of them goes..."

"No, that's not it," Razor says. "It's just that the whole situation's gotten more complicated. And I suppose," he says, giving you one of his glares, "that you want me to figure out how to deal with it."

"Well, if you've got an idea, that would be nice," you say. "But I was thinking you could just come up with an excuse for why we need to keep guards posted in Mudviper's room and we keep Marshall in here until you've sorted things out on your end."

"I see." He glances at Mudviper. "My, my, Viper. Your fever seems to be getting worse. I'm not sure it's safe to leave you unattended."

"I'm not letting just anyone keep watch, you know," Mudviper says.

"Of course not. Given your position, and especially the unfortunate rumors going around, you need someone you can trust on duty. Corvus, are you up to the job?"

You let out a sigh.

"Yes, sir."

"Good, good. Is that all? I'm a very busy man, you know. If there's any other matter which demands my attention, I'd prefer it to be addressed now."

Well. Do you have anything else to say to him before he leaves?

why is this one-armed kid so damned important

"Yeah. Why is this one-armed kid so damned important?"

Razor looks at you for a moment and then laughs.

"I think Mudviper can answer that better than I can. I could only offer you my best guess. If that's all, I'm done here."

With that, he marches out, closing the door behind him. Now it's just you four and an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Rivers speaks up.

"Boss, I'm a little lost here. Why can't we just drag Marshall back to the cells?"

"Because, as far as I can tell, someone else has taken an interest in our little Bogknight friend here," you say. "And Mudviper might just know why."

"Corvus," Mudviper says, putting down her book. "Are you asking me to share with you information that Rider told me in the strictest confidence?"

"Oh. Ah. I see. Do you, er, would you like us to leave while you talk to Marshall?"

"Or, you could give me a reason why it's important enough for you to know it." She picks the book up again. "After all, if I did tell it to you, I'd have to explain myself to Rider when he comes back."

"Well, it sure as hell isn't any of my business," Rivers says. "So I'll just let myself out, because I'm in way over my head."

"Wait, Sandra..." Marshall protests.

"My name is Rivers. And I don't care what you have to say."

Well, this is a mess.

Should you try stop her from leaving? Or should you head out with her, and leave Mudviper alone with Marshall?

Or are you going to convince Mudviper that you should know the full story?

What the hell are you supposed to do here?