Intelligence Network

Riley was bored.

Weeks of walking the beat had proven tedious and uneventful. By his standards, his last territory was better, more dangerous. He was young and in the best shape of his life, better-suited to rooting out evil in the kingdom and bringing criminals to justice. This community was filled with peaceful tradespeople with storefronts. Educated, skilled people with stable plans for their lives. Riley found himself wondering many times over the past few weeks if he had done something wrong to be sent here. As time went on, he was convinced that he had done something to displease the leadership of the Council.

He entered the coffeehouse and walked toward what had become his regular booth in one corner of the establishment. Coffeehouses were reserved for businesspeople who wanted to meet and the size of them reflected the professional population in the community. This one was very large and always full. As Keeper, Riley was welcomed everywhere but he did his best to remain inconspicuous by setting up in a corner booth out of the way from the rest. As he got closer he noticed that his booth was occupied by a familiar face.

"Riley!" A man dressed in the command uniform of the Keepers stood and drew Riley into a warm embrace.

Commander Bertrand Russell was among the highest-ranked leaders in the Keepers of Law. As a young man, he had worked his way up the ranks as a very successful Keeper, moving from one distressed territory to the next, always leaving them in better shape than when he had arrived. After years in the field, he had been promoted to the Council itself, a rare honour for a common born foot soldier. During one of his tours in a poor territory, he had saved a young boy from travelling down a path of crime and misery, eventually offering to personally sponsor the young man so that he could become a Keeper himself. That young man had been Riley, and the two were like father and son.

"Hello, my boy." Bertrand's smile was so large that his eyes almost disappeared. "It's good to see you. Tell me things are well in your new territory."

"They are."

"You're bored."

"Absolutely."

Bertrand laughed. "Good. After the last two tours you did, a little boredom is just the thing to recharge your soul."

"If that was why I was sent here, then I'm recharged and ready to return to somewhere more important."

"Ah, my boy." The older man patted Riley on the arm, then looked around for a server. He caught the eye of one pretty brunette girl and held up two fingers, mouthing 'coffee'. She smiled and nodded. Bertrand looked back at his protégé. "You have enough experience to know that appearances can sometimes be deceiving. The most pleasant house in the neighbourhood can hold more danger than the rest of them combined."

"That is true."

"History has been made in this part of the city, in this portion of the kingdom."

"You sent me here?"

"I did."

"I wish you had told me that sooner."

"I needed you alert and wary of everything, even other Keepers, should they appear. Have any of our brethren turned up?"

"No."

"Interesting."

"There are no leads on Hector's killers."

Bertrand started to speak, but the server arrived with coffee. "Thank you, my dear." He looked back at Riley. "This failure has come at an unfortunate time for the Council of Law. There are many who oppose us. They will use this incident to gain support against us."

"I don't know much about politics."

"I'm teaching you."

Riley knew his mentor well enough to know that the tone of his voice was strained. "This will affect you negatively?"

"It will affect us, my boy."

"Then I will search harder. I will find the murderers and bring them to Keeper justice."

Bertrand smiled and chuckled. "No, you misunderstand me. You aren't here to bring who did it to justice. You are here to make sure they are never found. We have determined who the guilty party is."

"You have?"

"Yes." Bertrand paused and took a sip of his drink. "Well, almost. The Keeper bureaucracy is painfully slow and filled with meetings upon meetings. Still, we are almost at consensus and the guilty alley lord will be selected from top candidates within the week."

"What do you mean'selected'?"

"Think about it for a moment."

Riley drank and considered what he had heard. His eyes widened and Bertrand smiled. "You're going to assign the blame for this to a troublesome alley lord, use it as an excuse to remove them from their position."

"And install a lord of our choosing in his or her place. That's correct."

"Who is likely to take the fall?"

"You know him well. An alley lord named Triax."

"From my last territory. That's unfortunate. He is such a pleasant monster."

"I thought you would enjoy that."

Riley shook his head. "The world is a devious place. I much prefer the simplicity of protecting a territory."

"You are young. As you gain experience you will realize that it is better to protect many territories at the same time. That cannot be accomplished by walking the path as you do now. Your mind is sharp. I see a Council seat in your future." He saw Riley's expression and laughed. "Don't worry. You will have many years to break heads and chase cutpurses before serving on the Council is an option."

"Good."

"Yes, good." Bertrand reached for the pastry in front of him and took a bite. "Now tell me about your progress so far. How developed is your street organization?"

"It is difficult to build a group of loyal informants when there is so little crime on the streets."

Bertrand laughed. "Up until now, you have done things the easy way. This is another reason that I wanted you sent to this territory. You have met the vendors and tradesmen?"

"Yes."

"They will be your network."

"Most are too busy working to be useful."

"They are useful in a different way. Don't forget, people are meddlesome and interfering by their root nature. The vendors have more information than a cutpurse. Also know that these people require softer methods. You must learn how to extract the information that they hold in a more subtle manner than you are used to."

"I must be more like a politician."

"Like a member of the Council, yes."

Riley frowned. "Their children as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Their children are bored and gossipy. I can learn much from them."

Bertrand smiled. "See? After only a few weeks you are beginning to adjust to your new situation perfectly."