26 Crime

Elya broke out of her trance at the Commander's cough, rubbing her scar while deep in thought.

Alexis hopped out of her chair to pick up the discarded skewer and get some reports. Lost in their own thoughts, the meeting room was oddly quiet. Normally there would be Knights and soldiers running in with missives or taking orders for their patrols and missions. The silence let Elya hear the muffled grunts and sounds of weapons clacking as soldiers trained. Since the practice grounds here were larger than in the manor, the Knights had taken to using them regularly, occasionally joining in with the guards or more often, letting the guards join their practice.

There was no way Elya could allow Nikolai to call upon a host of the Dragon Lords to clear up the criminals in and around Konstanz. Even if you ignored the basic fact that amassing an army would be seen as a threat by the Vilinians and Theocracy who were always on edge, the nearby Principalities would be terrified of him submitting a Writ of Resolution to the Emperor. Armies would mass and she could imagine how quickly the west could be pulled into a civil war.

"We can't allow that." She whispered, meeting Petrov's eyes to drive the point home. The Commander had been excessively enthusiastic about the use of that much force.

"While I would love for the Count to rein in the criminals using his military might. It would be a short term solution." Petrov scratched his nose, picking at some scaling on its side. "They'd be suppressed temporarily and come back once the banners were dismissed. While criminals as individuals are impatient and erratic, these organisation have surprising resilience."

"That isn't my reasoning for not deploying an army Petrov." Elya sighed. People only saw the power. Never the consequences. "But if that's the case what should we do? If they'll just come back all our efforts are pointless."

"That's the bane of of our jobs Milady. Whether it's poverty, jealousy or who knows what reason, someone will give in to the seemingly easier path." Petrov coughed and adjusted his armour once more, beads of sweat forming on his brow at the effort.

A soldier with a pen.

Alexis was back with a few dossiers and Elya could sense the collusion now. They were working together to get something and the threat of armies on the march certainly put her in an agreeable mood if they offered alternatives.

"We studied under the same teachers Alexis. Why aren't you just asking?" Elya twirled her hand in an old gesture. The same one their tactics instructor used to signify failure. Alexis grinned as she dumped the files in front of Elya, spreading them for easy access.

"It's Petrov's idea, actually. I'm just here to give it some weight." Petrov wrestled himself out of his chair and stomped towards her, wheezing at the exertion.

"Just… remove the armour Commander."

"It wouldn't be proper to defy the Count, Milady." His eyes were a stark contrast to the words, shining with hope for release.

"I'll talk to him, so please stop looking like you'll die against this table."

With a few groans, Petrov managed to extricate himself and leaned against the table, gazing at her with sincere gratitude. Elya was tempted to bang her head on the desk at the sheer absurdity she faced in Konstanz. In a way this guard Commander who refused to fight was relatively normal. Compared to a magical fiancée who threatened to destroy his own kitchen every morning and summoned magical eyes to watch everything, a silent father-in-law and a secret Coven mistress of a mother-in-law, this was actually sort of innocent.

"So what do you suggest?" She repeated the question after another of the Commanders coughing fits. "And why didn't you ask Nikolai about it already."

"My plan is actually very simple Milady. Minor crimes are a fact of life anywhere in the world, and while I would love to crack down on pickpockets and minor thieves, there are more dangerous things to consider." He pointed and called out each of the files Alexis had laid on the table. "Extortion, Assault, Theft of Imperial Goods, Disregard for the Son of Heaven, Highway Robbery. You name it, they're all crimes that require heavy jail time at the least."

"You didn't tell me what these files are."

"Drug trafficking." She noticed the tremor and pain that passed through the Commander at the words. It was just for a moment but the look of absolute desolation reminded her of some shocked survivors she'd seen.

He'd been broken, yet had managed to put himself back together.

"Torture and Black Magic." Elya's hands twitched away from that folder. Linking that together meant someone was consorting with Demons.

Nasty stuff.

Foolishly dangerous stuff.

"Murder." Expected for any criminal syndicate, but the weight of the file was ominous.

"Slavery." Petrov whispered and Elya whipped her head up to gaze at them. Alexis was nodding with a sick expression. Slavery wasn't just outlawed in the Empire, being even indirectly connected to it was punishable by death. The Empire was built on the back of slave traders and the people had a long memory.

"That's very bad. Why hasn't Nikolai done anything about this yet?"

"It's only through the efforts of Vice-Captain Barsi and her contacts that things have come together." The Commander raised his hand to forestall her interruption and cleared his throat. "I would have approached the Count, but with the presence of the Knights of Chernigov an opportunity has presented itself and we would be remiss if we didn't take it."

Alexis handed Elya another sheet of paper detailing their proposal. The Vice-Captain's silence was rare, especially when it came to presenting plans. Her behaviour indicated two things. First, she hadn't come up with the proposal but fully endorsed it. Second, she didn't have the authority to approve it so there would be no comments from her until she was asked.

Elya's hands shook and her eyes widened as she read the plan. In a way, it was bound to be effective. None of the gangs or thugs would be able to respond effectively and in short order most of them would be dead or captured. Still the entire thing screamed of danger. Not for her personally, but the town in totality. The gangs were already on edge due to the murders a few days ago and this could push them over the edge.

"It's insane." Elya whispered.

"It will work Captain." Alexis spoke up for the first time in a while.

"You agree to this?" She was incredulous that her normally rigorous friend would agree.

"It's the most efficient way." They launched into a detailed explanation and Elya listened carefully. She was convinced in the end. No other plan offered the same outcome, putting an end to a major threat while serving as a warning.

"So what do you need me to do?" Calmed down she asked. While she had doubts and concerns the benefits were immense.

"We need you to persuade the Count."