(Archive) Azrubel Chronicles Part 5: Secret Police

[Faengor(#18480)] The sun is rising over the sea and little light shines in the city. The streets are deserted and engulfed in fog making it seem even more eerier than the night. A lone messenger walks trough the gate passing numberous guards before reaching commander Galdorim\'s office wich has nearly been turned into a fortress. With fastpaced shreds the messenger aproaches the guards, bidding them a good day and requesting entrance. A guard turns around and knocks three times,

\"Faengor is here sir, he wants to speak you ... should I let him in?\"

[Galdorim(#22020)] As the rain pelts down on the residents of Minas Tirith, The hoarse call of Commander Galdorim calls out. \"You should know by now, that my messenger is welcome in while I am up and working! Let him in!\"

[Faengor(#18480)] The startled guard mutters a soft apology trough the door which is of course unhearable and takes a few steps back to let Faengor pass. \"The Commander is awaiting you.\" he mutters embarassedly.

Faengor smiles grimly at the guard and opens the door with a soft touch, stepping trough it quickly and immediatly closing it behind him. For a second he scans the room around him turning his head around. Then he moves to the desk of galdorim, making a deep bow. \"Good morning commander\" he salutes.

[Galdorim(#22020)] The air in the office is more stiffiling than before. The window that the messenger leaped through is now boarded up, so there is less circulation of air in this office. Galdorim sits back in his chair as he waits for his personal messenger to report. \"Have you gathered the morning report from the other officers yet, Faengor?\"

Faengor nods slowly as he raises his right hand to show the reports then he puts them on the desk shoving them under the commander\'s nose. \"Here they are sir, \" he speaks in a neutral tone. \"And with your permission sir, I have another request.\" Faengor speaks as he lowers his head as to stare at the ground.

Galdorim picks up the reports and starts to file though them as he listens to you. He occasionally frowns as he comes across certain reports. He says softly as he reads t hrough a certain report. \"What do you wish, Faengor?\"

Faengor raises himself full length and puts his hand on his back as he cocks his head, chin high. \"I would like normal guardduty sir.\" Faengor then speaks, biting on his underlip.

[Galdorim(#22020)] Setting the reports down, Galdorim looks at you with surprise on his face. \"Noraml guard duty? You no longer wish to be a messenger to me and the Citadel?\" His dark ringed eyes study you carefully. \"You know your uncle pull some strings to get you this position and it is an honor to be working as a messenger?\"

Faengor sighs softly and nods slowly. \"I thank my uncle but it is a position that I do not deserve and cannot fulfill like a true messenger should be able to.\" Faengor speaks softly, \"Instead of calling for help yesterday and warning the citadel like I should have I let the messenger escape.\" Faengor bows his head and shame as he speaks.

Loud voices can be heard from outside the Commander\'s office and Krisorn\'s well known voice booms over the rest, \"I bloody well know he\'s busy I\'m just asking you to tell him I\'d like to speak with him when he has a moment. And I don\'t have time to come back later.\" Softer murmurs from the guards outside can be heard answering Krisorn\'s remark, though their words aren\'t clear to those within Krisorn\'s reply is crystal clear, \"When we find messengers attacking guards within the very sanctity of the barracks and offices, and escaping despite everything two squads of guards can do then it is not the time to wait around forever standing on ceremony and pomp. I\'ll wait but you better realize I\'m not going away.\"

[Galdorim(#22020)] The look of disappointment comes across the pale drawn face of the Commander. \"It was not your fault that the messenger escaped. He was an excellent swordsman and was just playing with us. I beleive, if he wanted to, he could of run you...or me, through easily.\" He looks to the door and calls out. \"Let that woodsman in, private!\"

[Faengor(#18480)] \"I have come to doubt my abilities and would prefere normal duty commander.\"

Faengor turns around to notice Krisorn enter. Suddenly he keeps his silence and takes a step away from the desk to give room for him.

Krisorn opens the door to the commanders office, his head turned over his shoulder as he speaks, \"Yes yes.. I\'m sure your just doing your duty.\" He shuts the door behind him as he turns back towards the commander, his eyes tired but bright, \"When the young\'ns learn to think not merely follow the rule books they\'ll do great..\" Krisorn sighs a little and then realizes that another is in the room as well as the commander. His eyes focus on the messenger and then nods, \"Ahh yes. The lad that was here when the messenger accosted us all. Good to see you up and about.\" He turns back to the Commander and says, \"I hope I\'m not interupting anything. I wanted to talk to you about what was being planned to deal with this messenger\'s threats, as well as uncovering the fullness of this plot.\"

Galdorim looks to Faengor and back to Krisorn. \"No, I would not of invited you in if you would be interupting. I want you to tell Faengor here, that he could not of done anything more to prevent the escape of that foul messenger. He wishes to be demoted to a n ormal duty guard.\"

Krisorn blinks slightly and then turns to Faengor, regarding the young man with new respect and consideration. \"Indeed Commander. None could have stopped him I think if he had not wished to be stopped. He taunted us specifically because he could. Indeed he managed to escape from the entirity of two squads of our guards, who while many are very young are still quite good when you come down to it. Not even you or I managed to lay as much as a finger upon his body.\" Krisorn looks at Faengor and smiles slightly, \"Buck up for it is no dishonor to you that you acted as you did. You did not run from him, nor crouch in fear. You reacted a good deal better than men twice your age have when faced with a foe they could not handle.\" Krisorn turns back to Galdorim and he seems thoughtful for a moment, \"Commander. Might it be possible to form a squad, in secret, that reports directly to you through your messenger here, specifically made up of people you can trust to ferret out this plot?\"

Faengor bites his underlip as he turns back to Galdorim. \"Sir, I ...\" he commences but he does not finish his speech having ran out of words. Speechless he hangs his shoulders as if bested in combat. \"As you wish sir..\" he sighs.

[Galdorim(#22020)] A sly grin comes across Galdorim\'s pale drawn face. \"Yes, If Faengor wishes to keep his post. That would be a good idea. I will put Corporal Icarus in charge of the squad. I wil recommend that you be the squad leader.\" He nods to Krisorn and then to Faengor. \"Do you still wish regular duty or will you stay and serve Your Commander this way?\"

Faengor sighs and nods solemnly, \"yes sir, I shall continue to serve you this way.\"

Galdorim quirks an eyebrow at Faengor\'s sigh. \"If you do not want this. I can buck you down to gate duty and I can find someone who wishes to be my messenger. I trust you Faengor, and that right now is hard to find.\"

Krisorn nods and says, \"Excellent. I will put togethor a list of names that I believe we can trust Commander. The new addition, Doloran seems a likely candidate and hasn\'t been here long enough to have been recruited by our foes yet. The are a few others but we need to be cautious in doing this.\" Krisorn turns to Faengor and grins slightly, \"Maybe we can make you as dangerous as that fellow who delivered the message to the commander here. And you\'ll be able to spot things that are a little different or odd. And you should be able to lead us more clearly from this post than anybody else could.\"

Faengor chuckles and straightens himself. \"sir, right now Minas Tirith is in peril. If a man can evade two squads then something is wrong. If you consider me suitable to be a messenger and trust me then I will continue.\" he speaks and with a nod to Kirsorn he adds, \"To be as skilled in the art of fighting as that man I would indeed desire, but his sanity is what I doubt.\"

Krisorn laughs and says softly, \"There are days when I doubt the sanity of even our fearsome commander here. After all he has allowed me within the guard and even requested I stay on after my first stint was up.\"

Galdorim nods with approval towards his meesenger and the peers to Krisorn oddly. \"Allowed you to stay?\" His deep voice rasps out. \"I hope that you will be commisioned as an officer one day. You are a natural leader, Krisorn. I have my eye on you.\" He chuckles deeply which causes his to start to cough.

Krisorn looks at Galdorim with a bit of concern but his voice is light as he speaks, \"Hrmph Shows that your not sane then Galdorim old friend. Natural leader to the bars mayhap but beyond that. I have no love of paperwork or those who can not do what they must. Only so long as those who work for me are capable am I a good leader my friend.\"

Faengor chuckles stifly. \"As insane as our commander may be Krisorn, mayhaps this is the sanest he has ever said.\" he speaks jokingly. Faengor takes a step back and bows, \"Though commander, Belegond has requested that I reported to him soon, he needs my help. Could I be excused?\"

Galdorim nods towards Faengor. \"You are excused, Faengor. Come back here when he is finished with you, so we can plan some more...\" He then looks to Krisorn. \"You think I have a love of paperwork?!\" He shakes his head. \"I hate the stuff, but it is nessesary.\"

Krisorn chuckles and turns, \"I must go Commander and leave you to said paperwork. And I will be glad it is your job and not mine. Until later Commander and remember the squad we talked about.\"