Makers

Writ

Ostanes made his way out of Council's chambers and began his trip towards the Department of Precognition's offices in as a meandering a fashion as he could conceive. His orders said they must be complete within two hours and he meant to take every moment of that two hours that was possible. If only there was a way to alert Espeth...

Ostanes stopped his meandering progress and brought out the writ, signed and stamped by the council, and opened it up. He read it quickly and let out a whoop of glee. He smiled at the few other people who were about at this hour and were now uniformly looking at him.

"Sorry about that. Just had a bit of good news, is all." Ostanes let out another whoop as he started jogging towards Precog. He was barely winded as he arrived at Rabin's creche a mile away. Still, he took a moment to compose himself before he entered and sought out Espeth.

"Ms.Espeth" he called softly when he saw her. "I must speak with you in private regarding a most urgent manner."

Espeth looked up at Ostanes from where she sat ministering to Rabin, spooning broth into his unresponsive mouth. "I'm sorry, Ostanes. Unless you are here to arrest me and seize Rabin it will have to wait. It is very difficult keeping enough of his consciousness here to eat."

Ostanes looked down on her with a pitiable expression as he replied "Yes, that's mostly it. Can you come right now?"

Espeth did a double take before rising quickly and brushing down her skirts. "Yes, of course. We can speak quietly in the adjoining room. It has been vacated for an office expansion." The sour look on her face at the end of her statement showed what she thought about another expansion for her department.

She walked briskly out of the creche with Ostanes in tow. After a short trip around the corner she ushered him into the empty adjoining room. It was unused and therefore unlit but a cheery summer sun washed through the twin windows behind them.

"Lady Espeth, I am instructed to deliver this writ to your hand" Ostanes said as he delivered her the Council's missive. "You will find that it directs you to assist me as required in the pursuit of my duty. You will also find that I am obliged to seize the contents of the creche, including Rabin in his person, as directed under writ of the Council. Finally, it specifies that I must complete the above tasks within a time of two hours. I should note that it has been approximately 15 minutes since I received these orders."

"Ostanes..." Espeth began before being quickly cut off.

"M'lady, please. Do not say anything that I will regret under questioning. As I said, I must complete my tasks within the next two hours. I missed my supper due to a precipitously and possibly surreptitiously assembled Council session and I find myself quite peckish. I would appreciate it if you would organize your department for seizure and prepare Rabin for transportation. I will return in an hour or so to supervise the final accommodations."

Ostanes opened the door but turned back to her rather than pass through it. "Goodbye, m'lady. Goodbye and good luck." With that he passed through the door and disappeared from Espeth's view.

She took a few minutes to think of her current options and make the outline of a plan. At least a priority list. First priority Rabin. Second priority, the Prophecy. That meant Tyche, and with Tyche would come Pate. That would have to be enough. Right now she needed to secure Rabin and Tyche and be in hiding within the hour.

With a plan in place she strode from the room and made her way forcefully back to the creche. "Everybody who is non-critical, get out. Now! Move it! Crash exit, get out now!" Espeth rarely raised her voice and seldom so much as requested an action. When she yelled an order the staff felt compelled to obey out of shock as much as anything else. People began filtering out of the doors, slowly emptying the creche. Finally she was alone with Rabin, Tyche and one of the Council bureaucrats.