Breaking Ranks

Braun: Sandstone Under Siege

The orders had been simple enough. Just not what I had expected. It even made a certain amount of sense, when looked at from a certain perspective. Not my perspective, but a certain one.

Logically, the Bridge Observer would be present at the surrender, when it happened. Also logically, his personal guard would be with him. And so his house would be unguarded and his personal records vulnerable to subterfuge. It really all made a lot of sense. Except that I would be the one doing it.

The stable door opened and the bouncer stuck his head in.

"Come again?" I had asked the horse trader, whose name I had not asked. The bouncer raised his eyebrows and looked away, shutting the stable door once again.

By the Twelve, the man had simply repeated himself.

"The Bridge Observer's house will be unguarded during the surrender which is sure to happen. There will be valuable information there if you were to sneak—"

"No, no, I understand. But... but... I mean, why couldn't you just do it?"

He gave me a surprised look. "Why, I am known to them. To everyone. I am a valuable asset."

There was a long pause.

"I see."

"Ask Command if you have any concerns. I wash my hands of it. You should, mm, perhaps wash your hands as well."

The horse trader returned to the bar, leaving me to stew alone. I downed the last of my drink and set it on a stool in one of the stables. A mule huffed at me and I glared back.

"What a fucking job this has turned out to be," I muttered in the gloom and silence.

After a few moments I made my way out of the stables, for there was little point in hanging around. There had been heavy fighting all day and the enemy had even penetrated the walls in several places, or so the rumormongers had said. The end of this city might come tomorrow.

The alley was dark and a chill had fallen. It never got too cold here, even in the simulated winter months, but it was enough to make my trip back to the inn an unpleasant one. On the other hand, I could try and scope out the Observer's house... if I felt like sneaking around the city streets at night. The scraping of sandals on the ground caught my attention and I turned to look at the patrolling bouncer peering over at me.

"Done in there, are you?"

"Yes. You're a big, strapping fellow. You want to earn some coin?"

The bouncer looked at me for a long moment. "Doing what, exactly?"

"Being my escort for the night."

He let out a big sigh. "Look, I don't really swing that way. But if the price is right... how much are we talking about, exactly?"

"What?" I squinted at him. "No, I mean escorting me outside. Being my bodyguard while I do some snooping about."

"Oh!" Derrick grinned. "Yeah, sure, no problem. We're just closing up now, anyway. Give me a minute and we'll be on our way."

I stood outside in the cool recycled air, ruminating on the differences between life here and the Engineering Section. For one thing, lights out really meant lights out. There was some patchwork lighting in buildings and wealthy manors, of course, grandfathered in and arguably meeting Regulations. But the vast majority of people here lived in darkness...

The door squeaked open and the bouncer emerged, closing it with a hefty ram of the shoulder. He turned to face me.

"Three silvers per hour and killing is extra," he said, gripping his mace tight. "Can you afford that?"

"That's expensive, isn't it?" I asked, still hazy about how things functioned down here. At least they'd supplied me with the coins

"Depends on how much your life's worth," the bouncer said. "Those are siege prices." He eyed me a second. "Name's Derrick, by the way."

"Fine," I replied. "I can work with that. Now, do you know the way to the Formian Plaza?"

"Do I ever!" Derrick chortled, walking ahead. "Follow me, and you'd best keep close."

—-

We peeked over a pile of fallen rubble, squinting in the darkness. Some of the fancier buildings gave off the barest illumination, and the Observer's mansion was one of them. Still, even in the dark we could see a couple patrolling guards in the deserted plaza.

"You sure you want to get closer?" Derrick asked dubiously in response to my pointing.

"I want to get a better view of that building."

"Huh," he said, then stalked forward along with me. We were now close enough to hear the two guards talking to each other. Close enough to see the dark metal armor that showed them to be Bridge Security—or seraphim, as they styled themselves down here. I crept near, despite Derrick's warning look, craning my head to look inside. The interior of the first floor seemed strangely empty.

I eyed Derrick for a moment, far enough away that he wouldn't notice, and slid my hand into my bag to reach for my unwrapped data slate. Perhaps I could tap into... I fell still and silent as a seraph turned toward where I'd been sheltering.

"It smells like shit out here," a seraph muttered.

"It's Sandstone. It always smells like that."

"No, I mean it's worse. I'm going to switch on my night vis..." the seraph seemed to freeze as I tensed up behind the cover.

"Hey you!" The shout echoed throughout the Formian Plaza, amplified by the seraph's suit. "Get the fuck out of here!"

I lost no time in running away, Derrick falling in with me, as we scampered through the detritus of the plaza and into a back alley. I half-stumbled on what I took for dumped trash, or rotting waste. A second glance showed that it was a body. Derrick strolled up and gave me a reassuring pat on my shoulder as I looked away.

"You might want to stick close to me while you're here," Derrick said, as we heard a distant scream in the darkness. I nodded in mute agreement. Scouting out the Observer's mansion could wait for now.