Versions of Diplomacy

By Sino's information, escaped slaves bypassed the legal system entirely and went straight to whatever slaver organization was the first to either capture or drop the appropriate bribes off.  Sino had also informed Langley that she was lucky in two ways.  One was that the organization that had tracked down Ajiin was fairly lax on protecting its property.  This would make it easier for her to rescue him.  The other luck she had was that the organization was lazy because it was large and powerful. Normally, this would not be considered luck.  This would be considered bad.  However, Langley knew that the larger the organization, the more lax their physical security was – the more collateral damage she could inflict before she left.

And unlike Sabreur, who made his damage with fire and lots of it, Langley was more creative in her methods.  She brought her typical armament of weaponry and ‘mancy components.  These would aid in her plan once Sabreur's commotion broke loose.  Now, the crumpled piece of paper in her back pocket (she had memorized the contents but years of being in the Academy taught her that sometimes, cheating was necessary) ,that was her true weapon.  That, a grease pen, and Sword.

She also carried Ajiin's rifle.  People stared as she passed, as Langley had made no attempt to conceal her appearance in any way.  It didn't matter how many people took note of her foreign appearance and how heavily armed she was for someone just walking along the street.  Nothing would matter once Sabreur implemented part one of "make those Swerthian bastards sorry."

The slaver market was fairly close to the open market as the two existed in much the same structure.  The wealthy would bring their bodyguards to slum down to this area and pick out a few prospective candidates for a cushy life of tending to a mansion.  Factory and dock owners would come and browse and see who looked the strongest.  And Langley just slipped into the crowd to see if she could find a certain sniper.  He'd probably be dejected.  Langley had thought about this, remembered their brief imprisonment in the Skiridian temple.  The time she had bailed him out of jail after being involved in a brawl.  A couple times, actually.  Along with the rest of her crew.  And each of those times he'd slunk to some corner and sat there – brooding – until he was finally released.  At which point he'd be grumpy for several days after.  So all she had to find was a dejected man of Swerthian descent with a thick Alannian accent.  After she entered the market, she realized this was going to be far harder than she imagined.

There was one pocket devoted to the organization that had captured Ajiin.  She made to it, careful to stay on the fringe of the area but in the middle of the crowd where her height would keep her hidden behind other people.  A few cursory guards were posted about the caged in area where the slaves were kept but they were bored and distracted.  Langley followed the crowd for a moment and then slipped to the side, against the wall and right up against the bars of the cage.  One of the slaves glanced up at her in interest and Langley motioned for him to stay silent.  She looked across the area, counting about fifteen people, all collared.  The men were shirtless and the slave mark visible on their chests.  After a moment one of the slaves moved over through the group, watching the guards, and Langley recognized him as Ajiin.  He'd seen her then.

"I've got a plan," she whispered as he leaned up against the wall near her.

"I was afraid of that.  The Cadre is involved, aren't they?"

"Yes.  Here.  Take this and draw a circle on your hand.  Have everyone else do the same.  Tell them it'll make them free again."  She passed him the grease pen and he stared at her for a moment.

"I'll explain later.  Just trust me."

He shrugged and did as she said.  Then turned to the slave next to him, exchanged a few words, and covertly slipped the pen on to her.  She drew a circle, gave Langley a fearful look, and passed it on to the next person.  Langley bounced impatiently as she watched the pen circulate through the group.  Some refused to touch it.  Others could barely draw the circle on fast enough.  And everyone kept a wary eye on the guards.  Finally, one did notice something unusual and caught sight of the Alannian first.  Langley tried to look nonchalant as he came over and dropped back into the relay with her brother.  She'd need to know how much time she had left.

"You want buy, talk to merchant," he said, jabbing a thumb towards a pudgy man near the front of area, "Else leave."

He rattled his sword threateningly.  Langley just furrowed her brow, as if she didn't understand his accent.

"Step one – mass panic complete," Sabreur's voice said from somewhere around her shoulder over the relay.  Langley grinned broadly.

"Sorry, but I ain't leaving without my first mate," she replied and punched him in the face, breaking his nose.  He reeled backwards and Langley side-kicked him in the stomach, throwing him backwards and to the ground.

The other guards drew their swords and started running over.  Langley dropped to the ground and started tracing a circle in the ground, muttering words under her breath as fast as she could.  And from the far side of the market she heard the start of a tidal wave of panicked screams, the bleat of panicked sheep, and the crackle of fire.  The guards stopped and turned to stare in awe and terror as the herd stampeded into the marketplace.  A single violent girl was no longer their priority.  This gave Langley the time she needed.

"Peractio!" she cried as the last line in the ‘mancy circle was complete.  It lit up green for a half-second and then vanished, taking the traced lines with it.  A simultaneous cry of surprise came from every slave that had drawn the circle on his or her hand as the circle lit up as well and then vanished.  There was a burning sensation where the slave-mark was and then it was gone.

Langley reeled.  She licked her lips, feeling the light-headed dizziness that came from exerting too much ‘mancy at once and trying to fight it off.  Her mouth was dry.  A massive nullification like that – even of such a simple thing like a slave-mark – was not easy.  But she'd done it.  And then she slipped Ajiin his rifle through the bars of the cage.  He wasted no time in loading it.  The commotion was spreading and it was hard to hear over the screams of the people as they tried to flee the marketplace.  The guards seemed torn between fleeing themselves and standing their ground against the horde of undead flaming sheep.  Langley drew in a deep breath and made a mental effort to pull herself together.  No more ‘mancy.  But she still had Sword.

He was in her hand at about the same time Ajiin shot the lock off of the cage door.  Then the slaves were pouring out and running for freedom, a couple stopping to beat their captors into a pulp.  Somewhere in this chaos was Langley, both hands around the hilt of a sword whose eye was wide open and darting from side to side - searching.

Specific targets.  He understood this much at least.  But other then that there was no logic, no reason, just killing.  And Langley was his tool.  The two moved in concert, slicing through the neck of the first guard, disemboweling the second, and nearly cutting the third in two.  Ajiin took one look at her, shuddered, and hurried for the opposite side of the market, pausing to shoot either a guard or a lock to a slave cage as he did.  And Langley swept up the other side, a stretch of dead and dying in her wake as she ran in a graceful ballet of violence.  Every now and then she'd hesitate, Sword's pupil would dilate, and she'd wrench the blade aside to knock off the lock of a cage.  Then her arms would regain their fluid motion again and she'd continue on.

There were men armed with crossbows but in the teeming mass of people and the few sheep that had managed to fall behind the herd the weapons were useless.  They didn't have time to get off even a point-blank shot before Sword smashed into their weapon, shattering the wood construction, and continued on into their bodies.

Langley barely felt any of this.  Her mind was awash with red and had lost all sense of time.

"Hell," Ajiin swore, kneeling and reloading his rifle, "She drew the damn thing.  Some plan."

She stood alone now, the panicked crowd aware enough to stay out of her reach and there was a body nearby, his arm torn off by the force behind the weapon.  And Sword's eye was desperately searching for more.

"Langley!" Ajiin cried, standing and readying his rifle, "We can't do any more here!  Let's go!"

Her shoulders twitched but Sword still looked for more targets.  The marketplace was starting to finally empty, the dying and wounded being left behind.  Not all were the doing of the escaped slaves, Ajiin, or Langley.  Some were trampled by others in their rush to escape from the undead sheep and milling crowd.

"Sorry Captain," Ajiin said under his breath, "But I never did like that weapon."

He raised the gun, looked down the scope, and fired.  There was a pang of bullet against metal and Langley cried out in pain and shock, Sword bouncing out of her hands and onto the dirt.  Its eye blinked and then closed.  Langley was panting, dazed, and holding her bleeding hand.  The bullet had struck the crossguard of the sword but the impact was enough to give her a cut in the palm nonetheless.

Ajiin shouldered his rifle and ran over.

"Let's go!" he cried, grabbing her shoulder, "Leave the weapon!"

"….can't," she finally said and swept her jacket off, bundling Sword up in that and carrying it through a layer of cloth to avoid touching any part of the weapon.  Her words seemed to come slowly.

"What now?" Ajiin asked, forcing himself the chaos they'd just created around them.

She hesitated.  Shoved the bundled up Sword into his arms and shook her head, dragging a hand across her forehead to wipe off sweat.

"You head to the Ark.  I have to… something.  Trust me?"

"Eh.  Of course."

The two hesitated before turning and parting ways.  Langley, sprinting in the direction the flaming sheep had gone – inwards towards the city.  Ajiin, towards the docks with a rifle and necromantic sword in hand.  He could feel its malice even through the cloth.  The sooner he got this away from Langley and onto the Ark the better.

Step two – freeing Ajiin and creating substantial damage in the slaver market: complete.

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