LIERIA - February 17th, 4907 YDC
SINYAR
“As follows, these Dominion governments have declared for Emperor Ecruir: Evrimalar, Anhr, Cragenland, Vaspen and Otomazu. For Emperor Olarth: Vershellen, Hrothgrad, and Avalia. The remainder of dominions have chosen to remain neutral thus far. As well, the Order of Imperial Sentinels has declared neutrality in this conflict. When a representative was contacted for comment, he replied, ‘The Order’s role is to serve the one true Emperor or Empress. If there are two Emperors, there is no true Emperor. We will not intervene until one is found.”
“News of this succession war has given way to massive protests and riots in cities across the Imperium. There are rumours of especially severe unrest --”
Click.
“I’m sorry, I just had to turn that damn thing off, it’s already hell out there enough as it is, we don’t need to listen to this.”
“Erm … cap … some of the officers were kinda listening to …”
Sinyar Est-Hen half turned to face the sergeant hovering beside her before exhaling deeply, massaging the temple of her forehead with one hand. “Spirits take em, I ain’t listening to one bit more of that. Won’t do em any good either, it’ll only hurt morale listening to the crownlands falling apart.”
“Won’t do them any good you ignoring it either.” This sergeant was far more plucky than most of her officers, she’d definitely made the right choice in promoting him. “We’ll be getting calls from head soon, want me to be on the line for that?”
That was the first bit of good news she’d heard all day and the other reason she’d picked Tel Il for promotion, he was bloody good at doing all the shit she hated. Half rising from her chair and immediately thinking better of it she slumped down into it, her shoulders bleeding tension back out into the air. “Thanks, that’d be amazing.”
Out of the corner of her eye she could see him pull off an impeccable salute and march off over towards the operators desk. For being such a cocky bastard, he was still fun to be around and she would be glad for the company in the coming days. If that announcement was anything to go by then these next few days would be anything but enjoyable. Still if she was going to stop it getting worse, she needed to prepare.
“Oi, Zeph, get the word out, I want every district officer we’ve got called in. Runners, Infils, Sifa, the lot. Get word out too to all HWCP that they’re staying at the station for the immediate future. We need them to be ready for anything. We ain’t letting whatever madness has overtaken the crownlands take root here. You understand?”
“Yes Ma'm!” The officer nodded before backing quickly out of the room, the whole place suddenly feeling a whole lot emptier with the bulky Vaspen’s absence. Still there was the general hubbub and buzz to fill his place, the noise rising and dipping as people finished assignments or reports.
The next two hours or so passed by rather uneventfully, or as uneventful as prepping for any sort of instability or riots could be. Checks were run on weapon and ammo counts and messages were relayed back and forth between the district office and Tharen police HQ.
That was until a new call arrived, one which wiped any remainder of Tel’s desperate facade of amicability and joviality. In fact to Sinyar’s views, he looked positively disturbed, his usually sparkling green eyes looking faded and dull.
“Yes, right away. … Fuck … Uhhh Cap … A body’s been found in the harbour by Patrol boat 13…”
Bodies were being found all the time out in that harbour, idiots who went fishing, unlucky bastards who got drunk and fell overboard, a family wanting a hasty burial. So the call by itself wasn’t that peculiar, what had caught her attention was the fact it was being relayed to a captain, that and his tone. She gave him a small nod, a signal to continue on.
“I … It’s a Ji. Partially eaten too.”
For a moment even Sinyar didn’t speak, that news really was almost too surreal to be believed. Not only was a family member of one of the most powerful of Lierin business owners now dead, they’d been eaten as well? “Spirits preserve me, where was the body found?”
“Almains pier, a few blocks down from Li street.
“Excellent, I’ll take a tram down.” She could tell without even needing to look that Tel was about to raise an objection. He always did whenever she was proposing a stupid plan. “No backup, just me. We can’t afford to send anyone else down and the Ji’s will have my head if I don’t go. Besides I’m sure you can manage without me for a few hours.”
It was strange really seeing the city after having heard the announcement. The whole world seemed to have changed and yet here people were, just going about their daily lives. Then again there were some who probably wouldn’t change their lives unless there was a gun to their head, there was a comfort to a daily routine. Besides for most of them, all this conflict, all this instability, well that was somewhere else, nothing had changed yet so why worry?
Of course out of the tram window she could spot the occasional person running by, their arms stocked with more goods than they should be reasonably buying. Bunch of idiots, she’d have her people put a stop to that as soon as she could.
But apart from these few people, nothing looked different. The trams were still running and alongside them busses whizzed on by, rammed full of people as they always were. Later in the day she was sure they’d return back into the city, laden with dockworkers looking for somewhere to drink their pains away.
Again she wondered just how many of them had heard the news, or how many even cared. Many of the people in this area were unlikely to be affected should any demonstrations kick in, those always went on in other parts, but for the already strained police departments it was gonna be hard. In just the few hours since the broadcast she could already feel morale drooping, they needed her back. All she wanted to do was go in, show concern then get straight out again.
She could smell the docks before the tram even began to slow for the next stop, its circular route curving away to run parallel. To the outer docking area. After all, those who could afford to pay for the tram could afford to use other transportation methods if forced to see the steel and brick monstrosities that lined the waterfront. Instead they were much happier staring at the multi-story technicolour ornate megastructures infront of her. Then again no amount of fancily painted buildings could mask that smell. It was a frankly horrifying mess of grease, oil and soot, but to so many it was the ‘good ole home smell’ Just another something to get used to.
It had been a while since she’d been down to this part of her district, so it took her a few seconds to find what she was looking for. A small shrine resting against one wall, little cards full of wishes and hopes strung around its edges. “Hey … I dunno if any of you spirits are listening, or even if I’m just talking to the natural flow of Qin, can you please keep the situation here under control. Protect our country please.”
A few moments later she was back on her route, hurrying ever closer to the body.
There were a few officers already on the scene when she arrived, mostly Sifa officers who’d been aboard the vessel that had picked up the body and one or two runners who’d come by to view the scene.
And immediately regretted it, judging by the smell of vomit.
Not that Sinyar could judge them much, for even just at the smell of the body she felt like following suit. Half rotted and decaying flesh assailed her nostrils, mixed with a pungent odour of dying fish.
The sight was even worse, a body - if it could be called that, lay sprawled out on the concrete pavement. A leg was missing, as well as large chunks of flesh which had been torn from the body, exposing muscle and bone beneath. Gore and water was still dripping from the body as in in some twisted mockery of a miniature river, only occasionally being forced to divert its path around the odd bit of intestine and brain.
“Oh man …”
For once even Sinyar had nothing to say. She’d been present at many a murder scene, stabbings, shootings, they were something regular … but this … it looked like the body had been beaten torn apart then left to rot in the river and judging by some of the marks … eaten too. There was no love lost between her and the Ji clan, but even she hoped that it had been after death.
“Do … do we ugh have a name for the deceased?”
“Yes captain. Soon Li-Ji, a member of the third Ji branch.”
She nodded her thanks, before casting another glance towards the body. The rotting intestines overflowing out onto the pavement causing her to turn away once more. Focusing on the hapless Sifa officer before her, eyes staying firmly locked in any direction that wasn’t the body. “What details do we have? Any idea for a motive?”
The officer gulped, trying to wipe down their goresmattered hands before facing the local captain. “Ain’t got a fucking clue, what motive drives someone to … do … that? Though we did find something well off about the whole thing. Apart from everything else about it!”
“Wanna tell me or do I have to see it?”
“No captain, it’s fairly simple actually. It’s well, a mark, burned into his skin on his shoulder of a crown, floating above a disk.”
