As SJ arrived, a crowd stood outside the tower. She had walked this morning, not in a hurry and was mulling over the problems she had caused Killic. The crowd stood silently, holding placards written in various languages that SJ couldn't read. There were many different beings present. She weaved around the crowd and passed through the line of guards who were standing at the base of the tower steps. The placards she could read in common had various statements about District 3.
'Return our homes' and 'Pay up' were just two of the messages.
One of the chamber clerks stood at the doorway looking out at the crowd below.
"Morning," SJ said; although she didn't know his name, she had seen him often in the tower.
He wore a deep frown and a worried look on his face. "Morning Ambassador. This is worse than rioting. At least with riots, you have something to stop. There is nothing we can do against a silent protest."
SJ turned and looked at the crowd. "I can see your work being cut out for you today."
"It is every day," he sighed, his shoulders slumping with the weight of the situation the tower was bearing. "Anyway, I can't hide in the doorway forever." He said as he crossed the threshold and started down the steps to speak to the crowd.
SJ watched for several moments as he spoke to the nearest members. Disdainful of the situation, she shook her head and continued into the tower. After talking to the front desk, she was informed that General Crawford was in his office. SJ had never visited the General's office before, and taking out her map, she discovered it was on the sixth floor.
After knocking on the door, she opened it into an outer chamber. A smartly dressed attendant sat behind a desk covered in parchment. The gnome looked over the top of her glasses as SJ entered.
"Can I help you miss," she said. The image reminded SJ of a schoolmistress.
"I was hoping to speak to General Crawford. I have some intelligence to share."
The gnome looked SJ up and down. She had come in her original emerald-green dress, which matched perfectly with her choker and belt.
"Can I ask your name, please?" she asked.
"I am the Ambassador for Killic. SJ."
"Ah. You are her? I see. Give me a moment. I will see if the general is free." The gnome got up and walked to a large set of double doors off to the right of her desk. She knocked before entering and closing the door behind her. Several minutes passed before she returned to the outer office.
"He will see you now," she said, retaking her seat at the desk and immediately carrying on with her work.
SJ walked to the door and knocked before pushing it open and stepping into the general's office. Not sure what to expect, SJ was a little taken aback by the large paned windows that opened up toward the front of the tower. From the height of the office, she could clearly see out across the inner city.
"General," SJ addressed General Crawford, who was sitting at an oversized desk.
"Ambassador. What brings you here this morning?" he replied, smiling.
"I have some information that you may find useful in relation to District 10."
"I see. What information?"
SJ walked to the general's desk and began to remove the various parchments from her inventory. After finding the one she believed was the most useful, she showed it to him. "I acquired these from a gang member of the Sanction. It appears that many of the guards in the district are being paid off by them, which supports your previous comments about the district."
Crawford took the sheet and scanned its contents. "It does, indeed. How did you get this information? I doubt a gang member would have given it freely."
SJ cringed slightly at the question. "I was looking into a matter for the Astaria that Petunia, sorry, Her Worship, had asked me to look into and got involved in a matter I didn't expect."
A slight grin appeared on the general's face. "I hope the gang member wasn't too problematic?"
SJ could feel her cheeks go red under his gaze. Clearing her throat, she said, "Not anymore."
The general's grin broadened. "Good. So what of these other documents you have brought?"
SJ had read through them before she had left the house and had a rough idea of what each one may allude to.
"I believe these are locations of drops. This information appears to relate to inter-gang agreements, and finally, this appears to be a list of potential locations of safe houses. Some financial details but nothing telling overall."
"Very interesting," Crawford said as he perused the documents. "These do indeed seem to paint a picture. There is one small problem, though."
"Oh. What problem?"
"My hands have been tied from entering District 10 with the tower guard."
"How? And why?" SJ asked, surprised.
"After the information you had about the park problems, we sent a guard force directly to the house and caught five members of the gang responsible for the troubles at the execution. The problem is that the district Lieutenant has since stopped any further actions from being taken there."
"How can the lieutenant stop the tower?"
"Simple. Lieutenant Harmyster runs the district. Harmyster is the nephew of a senior banker from the Bank of Amathera, and with the tower relying heavily currently on the bank to provide funds for the refurbishment works, the chancellor has requested that we do not disturb the peace anymore. We can't afford to have the funding stopped. We are in too deep financially now that if we pulled out, it would bankrupt the city. If we were to now go to them with information asking us to work again within the district territory so soon after an impromptu raid, it would seem suspicious."
SJ was astonished to hear that the tower was in so heavily with the bank that it would mean bankruptcy if they withdrew their funding.
"I knew the situation was bad, but not to this degree," SJ said.
"Yes. It is a challenging time. I have worked at the tower for forty years and have seen various chancellors over my time here, and although our chancellor now has the best interests at heart for the city, corruption always seems to stop progress. It reminds me of the Narfillo affair twenty-five years ago," the general seemed to drift off as he recollected it.
"Can you do nothing? The evidence is clear that the district guard force is corrupt."
"Unfortunately, no. That doesn't mean that another party couldn't do something."
SJ turned her head, looking at him from the side. "And by that, you mean?"
The general just smiled, leaning on his elbows and opening his palms. "If certain things were to happen, with the current restrictions against the tower guard, " he said, sitting back and now bridging his fingers, "we couldn't possibly get involved and investigate any issues that may arise."
Was the general asking her to assassinate members of the guard in District 10? The conversation had taken a direction she had never expected. SJ had only wanted to pass the information on and leave it to them to sort through what was what.
"This sounds like it could be fun," Dave said. "Freedom to assassinate beings in District 10."
'That's not possibly what he means,' SJ thought in response, believing she must have misunderstood his inclination.
SJ turned to look at the general dead in his eyes. "Are you authorising me to do what I think you are authorising me to do?"
The general's face turned to one of innocence. "During times of hardship, unusual methods can sometimes be necessary. In times of war, the death of a side's leaders can prevent the death of thousands."
SJ wasn't just going to accept the general's words lightly. "This is not a war."
"Is it not? I suppose it depends on your definition of war. Is a war not just hostility between two parties? It may not be fought on a battlefield, but it is still war."
There was no argument with the general's interpretation. He was right. A war was just that. Wars on earth were declared all the time. Not between countries, but governments would state there was a war on drugs or similar. It was just a term that many immediately considered to lead to soldiers fighting.
"If I even considered what you allude to. What protection do I have? I am only an ambassador. I am not even directly linked to the city, apart from the home I own."
The general looked at her as if reading her thoughts. "I can only offer one guarantee: If anything were to happen, the tower would not get involved."
"That doesn't fill me with confidence. I would be acting alone with no support."
"That isn't entirely true now, is it?" the general said, smiling again.
'What does he mean by that? He can't mean Carlito, can he?' SJ thought.
"Who knows," Dave replied, being of absolutely no help whatsoever.
There was no way the general could have known about her interactions with Carlito. No one knew who Carlito was, and she was pretty sure that if they did, they would have tried to deal with him before now. He was the most renowned assassin in the city, after all. SJ wasn't sure she could keep up with all the twists and turns her time in Amathera had already taken. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. The chancellor had already contacted her about potential 'problem-solving'. It was the whole reason why she had come to Asterfal again. Now, the general, the highest military and law enforcement officer in the city, was basically giving her a free ticket to do what she needed or even wanted to do. It made no sense. How could her life have become so complex and intertwined with a city's politics so quickly? She knew why. She had allowed herself to be. The comments from Jay and Alice rang in her mind. 'Getting involved in everything'. She cursed internally.
"I wish you a good day, General," SJ said as she turned to leave.
"Do not forget your documents. They may come in handy," Crawford replied.
SJ turned back and collected the documents, returning them to her inventory before stalking from his office. SJ stomped down the tower halls, her face one of fury. She had allowed herself to be used so easily and openly, and now even more so. She knew she didn't have to do anything, but she also knew that she would. How could she not? Her internal compass was screaming at her. 'Good vs Evil'.
As she reached the stairs, she nearly knocked a clerk flying back down them who was heavily laden with manuscripts, apologising as she stepped out of their way.
'Have I really allowed myself to be used so easily?' SJ thought.
"Erm. Yes and no. You haven't exactly been used; you have supported someone you trust, and they issued you with a quest; this latest incident is really just a bolt-on. There is a difference," Dave said.
'It doesn't feel like that at the moment.'
"Look, if anything, take it for what it is. It is the freedom to act as you see fit. No overwatch, no one coming to arrest you. No charges being brought against you."
'Yes, but still. It's a rather sinister method they have used.'
"They? This is the general's response to your information. No others."
'You don't think he and the chancellor don't talk about my 'skills'.'
Dave chuckled at her reference to herself. "You are still a new assassin. You have a long way to go yet, and I am pretty sure they talk."
'And what did he mean about me having support? He can't know of Carlito, can he? He would have to have done something about it if he did.'
"Why? If Carlito is dealing with issues that the tower can't directly deal with, would it not make sense? As per the offer you have just been given. Remember when you had your first run-in with Carlito? The tower knew of him, and they only reacted the way they did because he had attacked someone in the tower. If it had happened on the streets of Asterfal, do you think they would have reacted the same way or put the same effort into trying to find your would-be assassin?"
'I would have hoped so.'
"Perhaps, perhaps not. You have seen what this city is like. The chancellor is trying to make significant changes, and each step towards a fairer city will cause upset from those who use its corruption. You already helped take down one corrupt lieutenant. Why not another?"
'We have no idea if Harmyster has anything to do with the problems. He could easily have just been upset by the actions of the tower.'
"Do you really think so?"
'No. Of course, I don't,' SJ huffed. 'I only wish that more beings were honest.'
"I think it may be time to have another conversation with your guardian."
SJ had reached the foyer and left the tower, ignoring the crowd that was gathered as she barged through them. Several beings complained to her, but she didn't care. Her anger boiled in her mind. Why was the world like this? She had felt this before, in her previous job on Earth, when she discovered the fraud that people had committed and the damage it had done to others' lives. Anger and frustration were building inside her.
SJ shrunk, not caring that she was on the street, and took off. She needed to clear her head. As she flew, she thought through everything she had done since arriving in Amathera, questioning her role in the lives of others. Were her friends really her friends, or did they use her as well?
'Stop it,' she thought. She had been paying no attention to where she was going, and it wasn't until she looked down she realised that she had been flying for longer than she thought. Below her, there were no streets; instead, there were the open, rough lands that surrounded Asterfal. The hilly and rocky surface was broken by clumps of woodland and a vast forest stretching off to the side of the valley where the city sat. SJ knew that must be the forest Cristy had told her about. She stopped hovering over the land a couple of hundred feet below.
As she watched, she noticed various beasts: a herd of deer, a large bear, and several beasts she didn't recognise.
"Have you calmed down now?" Dave said.
SJ sighed. 'Yes.'
"What would you like to do now, then?"
'I suppose I need to go and talk to Carlito and get to the bottom of the problems in District 10.' As SJ turned to head back to the city, she noticed a line of beings making their way down a track. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she followed them to see where they were heading. The group was dishevelled, and she thought she could see manacles on their wrists, but she wasn't entirely sure from the distance she was above them.
The line of beings continued for some distance before turning off the track and heading towards a hill. It was as they approached the hillside that SJ realised that it had to be one of the mines that fed Asterfal. There were a couple of shacks but nothing else. Guards had indeed been escorting the line of beings, and as they arrived, they were lined up before a large bear of a man walked from the mine entrance. SJ flew lower and towards some trees nearer to the entrance so she could see what was going on more clearly.
"Recruits, I see," the man bellowed to be heard over the gathered group and the clinking of their manacles and chains. "The rules are simple. Until your time is served, you are now my property." He unrolled a parchment and began calling out names. The lined-up beings answered, some after being prodded by a guard to reply.
"I see we have a couple of long-term members," the man said with an evil grin. "Let's see if you can make it to your full-time service," the man laughed at the two guards joining in.
'This looks horrendous,' SJ said.
"Prison labour. That's all," Dave said.
'But look at their state already, and they haven't even started working yet.'
"They have probably been in the Asterfal dungeon awaiting to be sentenced."
The harsh reality of the world of Amathera was ever-present outside of Killic's idyllic life, never mind the peace and serenity she had found at Farleck cottage.
As SJ watched, the group was led into the mine, swallowed by the dark, foreboding hole dug into the side of the hill. She dreaded thinking about what life they would lead as they fulfilled their punishment. Wondering what crimes they may have committed, she took off from where she had been resting on a branch and flew back towards the city.
