Chapter Forty Six: Threadbare

Trigger glared out of the window in Ronin's office as Hidden Moon said, "I'm not here to point fingers. Nobody wants a war here, between the alchemists and the runaway technology there's a solid chance that the city would end up reduced to a crater."

Ronin looked up at her as she switched her crossed legs and said, "No...we don't want a war. The Cathols want war like a starving man wants food."

Hidden Moon nodded quietly and tapped the edge of her shoe and asked, "Mira, you're from the High Cathols, do you know of any plans?"

Mira shook her head and said, "No...there was always talk about 'changing the world', but I never saw anything to really back that up. Kind of seemed like general religious talk to me, honestly."

 Sitting on Ronin's desk next to his chair, Mira gently angled her head at him so he'd play with her ears and Azue's hair flickered blue as she cleared her throat and said, "There has to be a connection somewhere."

Silas looked up from her datapad and said, "Knowing that the Cathols want war doesn't get us any closer to stopping or, if necessary, winning that war."

Hidden Moon looked around the room and said, "This is a room filled with some of the smartest people I know, possibly the smartest in the city...there has to be something we can do."

 Trigger spoke, his voice a barely contained growl, "Someone out there is swinging for the hornets nest and got it dead center."

 "I hate to admit it, but he's right...the Cathols may want war, but someone has been guiding the Guildless to use force to try and stop the oppression they've been dealing with," Scalpel said, her recently smoothed brow wrinkling with thought.

"What do you mean?" Mira asked, gasping slightly as Ronin reached her ears.

"Something has changed with the Guildless, something fairly recent. Violence has been a problem since we arrived, and it spiked somewhat when we got here, but in the last month or two it's really ramped up, it's like someone is egging on the Guildless," Scalpel said darkly.

"Why would anyone want that?" Sellius asked, his sheathe rattling against the armor he wore when fighting might break out at any moment.

Sighing, clearly annoyed, Hidden Moon said, "Honestly, there are hundreds of reasons. Fighting means guilds get hired for defense, it means new vacancies as Guildless almost always come out as the dead in these kinds of skirmishes."

Trigger twitched angrily at that and said, "Let's just go get the Cathols and put them where they belong. In a big mass grave."

Ronin shook his head and said, "I don't want any action taken on this matter. We're running out of time, but we can't rush in with our heads up our asses."

 Trigger turned and punched his desk and said, "It's not you DYING out there Ronin!"

 Giving him an expression of incredulity, Ronin said, "I've almost died several times since we got here, even the trip here almost killed me."

Trigger took a step back and said, "Oh...right…"

 Ronin let out a breath and said, "Look, I'm not saying we shouldn't help at all, this is, at least partially, somewhat our fault, but I don't want to see any of you killed or hurt."

Scalpel began playing with her namesake and said, "Well with the expanded office space, and some of Silas's and Delta's help, I should be able to help anyone who shows up."

Hidden Moon nodded and said, "And we can hold any overflow...Scalpel has begun teaching our doctors incredible things and we should be able to deal with any major problems."

Ronin tapped at his V.U.I. and said, "There's still thirteen days before we have to worry about anything major, if that message is honest, but I want to make sure there's nothing that's going to bite us in the ass."

Trigger smiled darkly and said, "I've been making sure that everyone who deserves one has got a weapon of suitable power."

Silas rolled her eyes and said, "Trigger, I saw you giving a gun to a ten year old last night, how was she deserving?"

 Throwing up his arms, Trigger yelled, "Just because I'm the only one who believes these people deserve to defend themselves doesn't mean that you have to be a bitch about this!"

Silas stared at him, stunned, as Ronin said, vicious malice in his voice, "Trigger, you need to treat everyone here with respect. We're family, right?"

 Trigger glared at Ronin and shouted, "You too?! What, now that one of your little girlfriends is getting yelled at, you've got emotions!?"

 Sellius moved before Ronin could respond and struck Trigger in the face, slapping him hard enough to send him back against the wall.

"You need to shut up, Trigger. We may all be a family, but we'll be a family taking care of a mute if you're not careful," Sellius said, straining not to yell.

Hidden Moon raised an eyebrow and said, "Is everything ok here?"

 Ronin looked around and said, "A little family tension is all, we're good, right Trigger?"

Trigger looked at Sellius who made a zipping motion over his mouth and, looking back at Ronin, with a hateful glare on his face, nodded slowly.

Fiddling with his revolver, Trigger turned back to the window and sulked and Azue said, "I do think Trigger has a point though, we can not simply sit back and wait for this war to knock on our doors."

Hidden Moon nodded and said, "We've been offering shelter to anyone who'll take it, and one of the few Guildless who accepted our offer mentioned a place on the lower levels where they've been gathering to plan."

"Where is that?" Ronin asked, pulling up a map.

Hidden Moon manipulated the hologram, moving it to where a river used to flow, replaced with buildings and streets like most areas in the city now.

"They call it the Full Moon, a little nightclub in a bad area of town."

Ronin nodded and said, "Scalpel, Silas, Sellius, we're going tonight."

"What about me," Trigger asked, angrily anticipating what the answer would be.

Tapping at his datapad, Ronin said, "Until you've got your head on straight, I don't want you going anywhere Cathols might be, you've done enough damage as it is without being the sole cause of a bloodbath."

Trigger, growled and punched the wall as Ronin stood to leave and sat down in a chair he pulled over and stared out the window wordlessly.