A Message Arrives [T1.1]

Armal Fios emerged from the door that exited to the deck of the Iron Knight flagship. Armal’s limp often proved more distinctive than the scarlet cape he wore, the cape signifying him as a Black Eye Knight. The shieldbrother took a step away from Armal, whether in respect or dread, it was unclear.

The Black Eye Knights did all interrogations and ran all clandestine operations for the Black Iron Knights.

His eyes fixate on Fume. He draws ritualistic and honorific geometric symbols with his finger in the air that represents patience and caution. Armal begins to talk but never makes eye contact with Torc.

"My dear prophet-destined, I am glad I caught you. A messenger bird from my Llorinth connection brings news, saying we have a spy on board. What do you plan to do?"

A thin mist passes over the crystal ship below, though it continues to move at a fast pace.

What does Torc do?

Fume stood as Armal approached, stepping forward on the left foot he pivots on his right forming the angle of his square, saluting by way of raising his left arm perpendicular to his body, his fingers extended pointed up, elbow crooked also in the angle of a square. A peculiar salute reserved solely from senior officers in the order to their contemporaries.

His right hand was held outward at waist level, and he retracted his left hand to the center of his chest. He drew his right hand violently across his stomach. And pantomimed tearing his chest open with the left. The gesture representing obligation and the price of betrayal.

"'... my heart and bowels taken thence, burned to ashes, and scattered to the four winds that there be no more rememrance of me among men should I ever fail in this my solemn obligation.'"

Torc quoted the code, it was meant to address these situations. He knew what punishment was required, it was only a matter of rooting out the spy.

Torc was ever stoic, even in the face of betrayal. "Assemble the ranks. I will meet each man personally. And Armal this I tell you with the strictest confidence. The New Password is Ham-Bon-Ma. Go now."

The hunt was on. Quick thinking Torc wrote a new password for each member of the crew. Met with them. Confided in each of them the existence of a spy in the midst. Then gave them his assurance he trusted them implicitly. Along with an individual password. These passwords he tucked into his inner jacket pocket. The thrill of the hunt had roused him from his boredom. He would scrutinize every member of the MCC Elliptic. Changing the password with every conversation he had with them, never repeating the same password. Eventually someone would slip up.

"I will make the arrangements."

As he steps back the crystal ship below catches his eye. The ship weaves in and out of the high clouds like a snake dancing across water. He looks at the massive mast and sails of the MCC Elliptic as the wind catches and makes them snap.

"What is the plan for this mysterious ship? It looks like it is gaining speed."

The ship continues to hurl forward in the general direction of Giacinto City.

What does Torc do?

"We will follow as best we are able. But just follow until we uncover the spy."

Torc was poring over a map with compass and protractor, a thin nearly translucent piece of paper. Taking a yard stick he attempted to extrapolate the course of the ship. It seemed in a mostly direct course to Giacinto.

Torc consulted a wind chart looking for a projected tack that would save them time on the trip to Giacinto without diverting too far away from their quarry.

The distances between the more defined regions of the world, such as between The Quailing Heights and Khist-Nolmiriah are not fixed things. Between the regions of civilizations and humanity, are places of flux and indeterminacy.

Such flux also, in a rare case, surround locations. As it does The City of Giacinto.

Crossing the flux makes predicting travel times uncertain. Normally not an issue, but each skyship will generally double or even triple their storage, for the infrequent cases of being caught "traveling the flux."

But Torc’s expert use of the winds and the skymaps proved successful, and the MCC Elliptic emerged from the cloudbanks to see the lights of Giacinto just as the sun passed below the horizon. A scene of striking beauty. Almost everyone knows that Giacinto, an ancient city, derives most of its economy from the mines below it, and the processing in the city that turns the minerals into various useful gasses, often used in running and fueling skyships. Serveral corporations involved in that industry make their headquarters there.
There is also a pilgrimage location that those seeking forgiveness will visit.

No sign of the Crystal ship, yet. Torc got there first!

What does Torc do?

It had worked as Torc had planned. With such a difficult to remember list of pass phrases, it was eventual some would be forgotten. While the imprecise behavior of a man who would forget a code given in confidence from his superior was unfortunate, it was not a breach of trust.

Torc had memorized each pass code. So when six of his crewmembers gave another man's pass code, he knew that he had narrowed down the field considerably. The violation of his strict confidentiality was telling.

Four falsified codes were given. Two from Jubal, a mechanic. Two from Laban, a scullion. One from Darwin, one of his own Shieldbrothers. And one from Memnoch, the ship's carpenter.

He had to be careful proceeding. But found he was learning a great deal about intrigue, quite quickly. Four drafts of false orders were made. Each kept in strict confidence, each secreted to each man regarding the next course of action. Each was to report the orders directly to Black Eye Armal.

The Flux was an excellent way to monitor the behavior's of the men who had become suspect. Torc was watching them hawkishly. Making a list of their routes, duties, and interaction with others. There was no reason to suspect there was only one spy.

The magnificent skyline of Giacinto was a welcome break from the monotony of traveling the Flux. Torc appreciated the spires of glass and metal, marveling at the magnificent human creation. He had never seen the city apart from lithographs which did not do it justice. And so inspiring was the sight he ordered a shipwide recreation for two hours. Using the time to observe his suspects as they broke from their regular duties.