![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Case of the Mysterious Island: Part 3
Jan. 30th, 2016 09:16 pmSo the plan had been very simple.
To save Klatchan families, like Alik's, from being rounded up and put in the cells, Auxin devised a list, signed supposedly from Lord Rust's office, of what order to visit the streets. Then, using his father's shop's delivery system, he delivered one potato to families on each of the affected streets the night before.
He knew full well that the Watch was understaffed, and that everyone competent had left, and that if people simply waited around the corner for ten minutes, the Watch would find the property unoccupied and move on, with no time to come back and search again.
It had worked; apart from a few people who were too stubborn to believe a Morporkian, the Klatchans caught on quickly. Naturally a few other people got in on the action, and soon there were a host of easily-removable 'nailed on' planks and 'Abandonned under the Care of the Watch' signs.
It was a rather sudden shock when Lord Rust himself suddenly appeared in the Watch house, took a look at the cells, and then demanded to know why there were only three people in there, one of whom was cooking. Not least because everyone had thought he was in Klatch, though rumours were going around that Vetinari was due back shortly to surrender.
Apparently Rust's ship got back faster.
"We went round in the order you asked sir." Acting Captain Stronginthearm says, holding up the list.
"What?" Lord Rust snaps, taking the list. "This isn't from me." he turns to his accompanying aide. "Was this yours?"
"No sir, nothing to do with me." the aide says. "We simply told the Captain to round up the Klatchans."
Lord Rust looks at the list, then back at the captain.
"Well clearly, wherever this list came from, it's been leaked, you stupid man."
"It hasn't been leaked from here." Stronginthearm protests.
Rust gets them all lined up, and proceeds to shout at them for half an hour, demanding to know who the mole is.
When nobody confesses, he looks for the smallest, rawest recruit, and pulls forward a lance-constable even lankier than Auxin.
"You look guilty as sin. Guards, take him to the patrician's cells, he can be charged with treason with Vetinari when he's back."
"You can't do that." Stronginthearm protests.
"I am the patrician, I can do as I like!" Lord Rust bellows, as two guards roughly handle the recruit.
Auxin watches them take the raw recruit outside in chains, his heart pounding.
"He won't really do that will he?" he asks Stronginthearm. "Not without proof."
"Vetinari wouldn't, but Rust will." Stronginthearm says. "He's mad, and angry. He'd have all of us before he'd lose face."
Shit.
Auxin bolts outside after them.
"I did it, not him. It was me." he says. "I made and leaked the list and nobody else had anything to do with it."
Lord Rust smiles nastily.
"Well that's more like it. Guards, arrest him instead."
To save Klatchan families, like Alik's, from being rounded up and put in the cells, Auxin devised a list, signed supposedly from Lord Rust's office, of what order to visit the streets. Then, using his father's shop's delivery system, he delivered one potato to families on each of the affected streets the night before.
He knew full well that the Watch was understaffed, and that everyone competent had left, and that if people simply waited around the corner for ten minutes, the Watch would find the property unoccupied and move on, with no time to come back and search again.
It had worked; apart from a few people who were too stubborn to believe a Morporkian, the Klatchans caught on quickly. Naturally a few other people got in on the action, and soon there were a host of easily-removable 'nailed on' planks and 'Abandonned under the Care of the Watch' signs.
It was a rather sudden shock when Lord Rust himself suddenly appeared in the Watch house, took a look at the cells, and then demanded to know why there were only three people in there, one of whom was cooking. Not least because everyone had thought he was in Klatch, though rumours were going around that Vetinari was due back shortly to surrender.
Apparently Rust's ship got back faster.
"We went round in the order you asked sir." Acting Captain Stronginthearm says, holding up the list.
"What?" Lord Rust snaps, taking the list. "This isn't from me." he turns to his accompanying aide. "Was this yours?"
"No sir, nothing to do with me." the aide says. "We simply told the Captain to round up the Klatchans."
Lord Rust looks at the list, then back at the captain.
"Well clearly, wherever this list came from, it's been leaked, you stupid man."
"It hasn't been leaked from here." Stronginthearm protests.
Rust gets them all lined up, and proceeds to shout at them for half an hour, demanding to know who the mole is.
When nobody confesses, he looks for the smallest, rawest recruit, and pulls forward a lance-constable even lankier than Auxin.
"You look guilty as sin. Guards, take him to the patrician's cells, he can be charged with treason with Vetinari when he's back."
"You can't do that." Stronginthearm protests.
"I am the patrician, I can do as I like!" Lord Rust bellows, as two guards roughly handle the recruit.
Auxin watches them take the raw recruit outside in chains, his heart pounding.
"He won't really do that will he?" he asks Stronginthearm. "Not without proof."
"Vetinari wouldn't, but Rust will." Stronginthearm says. "He's mad, and angry. He'd have all of us before he'd lose face."
Shit.
Auxin bolts outside after them.
"I did it, not him. It was me." he says. "I made and leaked the list and nobody else had anything to do with it."
Lord Rust smiles nastily.
"Well that's more like it. Guards, arrest him instead."
