Powder And Flesh

Chapter 1

Captain Sam Coetzee and Jack Pankracy darted through the streets of Akrome as discretely as possible. The city was a mess and the faster they got to a governmental building, the better. Even the main road on which they hurried was split and had greenery growing up through gaps. The maimed homes and infrastructure leered over the two men. The buildings alone, of course were not what intimidated the hardened sailors, what intimidated the men were the occupants of the structures. The people of The Republic of Dexipor hated their government. They claimed their democracy had become a dictatorship and any man of law, military or political status that was caught in the streets without and escort often found themselves hanging by the neck in public, as if these dead men were some sort of artistic display. 

This is why Sam and Jack darted through the streets wearing nothing more than torn rags. Sam breathed a sigh of relief as they passed through the first great stone gate. Akrome was more of a layered fortress than an actual city. Enormous  stone walls separated the classes that the Akrome government had separated its citizens into. The population of the two divisions outside the first wall, being the Caillte sector, the Pronnadh sector was split into three categories. Half of the people there were criminals and scoundrels, a quarter were people just trying to get by, and the final quarter were secret police. The Caillte sector in particular held a group that referred to themselves as the Docksies. 

The Docksies were pirate cads that pursued shelter from the Dexiporan sea cleanse and they wreaked havoc on the outskirts of Akrome. You could take a man out of a crowd and find sufficient evidence to charge him with theft, murder and crimes far worse. This is why Sam felt sick when he saw two men yank a woman into a nearby ally. They had made it past the wall, the fact a crime was being committed in broad daylight in Akrome's interior brought back the feeling of unease within Sam instantly. He didn't even have to look at Jack to know what he was thinking. They both raced over to the alleyway and drew their dirks. They hugged the walls on either side of the opening and waited. Sam needed a extreme crime to be committed, for the two officers did not have time to make a detour to the constable's station.

" Ullo there little lady." The taller of the two men spoke up. The man wore many torn garments and a burlap bag over his head. At least he feared the law enough to conceal his identity. The man had a gruff toned body from working on the docks and a gravelly voice. 

"Me 'n my friend here just wanted to offer you an evening of entertainment. Hows that sound?"

The woman began pacing backward but the two men quickly closed the distance with ease startling her. She fell backward to the ground and began to sob.

"Please." Was all she managed to mutter. When she denied their 'request' the man that hadn't said a word squatted down and held a fillet knife to her throat.

"Now miss, my friend here made a mighty kind offer. But don't let his handsome face fool you. He'll gut you like a tuna if he so pleases." This was enough. Sam nodded to Jack and the crept up behind the two men before the situation could escalate further. When they were within an arms distance Jack let out a high pitched whistle and the two brutes spun around. The one Sam stood behind tried to take a swing as he turned but Sam merely grab his arm and stabbed him in the armpit then the neck in quick succession. He then turned to see how Jack had faired but the man was already cleaning his dirk.

"Took you long enough." Jack remarked. Sam turned to the lady. They were already behind  schedule and would have to fabricate a lie quickly. 

"Now miss, I need you to listen very carefully." Sam looked her up and down in focussed thought. He noticed she had a black eye.

"Where did you get that?" Sam asked pointing to her injury.

"My husband, h-he." She stuttered. That wouldn't do.

"No. Not your husband." Sam corrected.

"W-what do you mean." She asked a look of utter confusion blended with the shock already upon her face.

"These here men hit you and threatened to kill you. Do you remember now?" Sam needed her to co-operate or he would have further issues. It seemed she finally recognized what Sam was proposing as a look of understanding settled in.

"Right." She said. "These men hit me and told me I owed the Docksies money. When I said I had none the threatened my with a knife. You two rescued me just in time."

"Very good." Sam agreed. "Now go report what happened to a policeman. Be quick about it so you don't cause any more trouble." The woman nodded and began running towards the nearest constable house.

Jack and Sam began their hurried dash to the city capital once again. After 15 minutes or so of jogging Jack piped up.

"Why did  we have to lie. Those men were committing an atrocious crime even without altering the story."

"Because Jack. Assault in a court is a joke. Half of the men there are guilty of the crime themselves. We just killed two men on shore and I would rather not get demoted for the sake of truth. If you would like to, go tell the real story to a constable but I have a meeting to attend."

The men crossed through to more gates without a decrease in their pace. The Bruach section had proved to be dangerous territory and the Docksies would be informed about the two deaths shortly. The only safe place left in the city was the capital building. 

They reached the final wall that surrounded the capital. Sam dug out his papers and presented them to the tired looking officer that sat at the front of the gate. The officer briefly scanned over the papers and sluggishly handed them back to Sam. Were this man aboard Captain Sam Coetzee's ship it would have been ten lashes for insubordination. Sam breathed a sigh of relief as they made it to the other side of the wall. The capital building and surrounding gardens presented a far less tense atmosphere. Grape vines climbed the inside of the walls and great pines saturated the parts of the lawn that weren't covered in a professionally trimmed hedge. It was fall time so the manufactured orange spring roses had since disappeared. Entering the capital gardens again brought Sam back to a time before the walls, a time before the Docksies.

The building itself was constructed from the same dull grey stone the walls were made of, yet intricate Falaich Islander patterns had been carved into the stone. They told tales of minor battles between tribes at the base, and the further up the capital one ventured, the more modern the scuffles became. Even a couple of Coetzee's victories resided at the top. 

The interior of the capital was far less remarkable. The walls were covered in an orange and green wallpaper and the floor was a grey and black checkers pattern. Most of the light came from numerous barred windows but a couple out of place chandeliers hung from the ceiling each a different precious metal with varying jewels embedded into the fixtures. Sam walked down the hallway to desk with a stout woman with grey hair chaotically throwing papers around her large wooden desk. Sam handed her his letter from the governor being sure to keep his eye on it to prevent it from getting lost in the sea of business documents and orders from the president. She sent them up a winding staircase down a hall to the left and instructed them to enter the first door on the right.