Expeditionary

by totallynotabrony

Chapter 4

The next morning, Shining got up just as the sun was beginning to rise and went up to the deck to do some calisthenics. He may have relaxed grooming standards, but had no intention of losing any physical fitness.

By the time he was done, he’d decided how to proceed with the plan of the day. After a shower, he met the assembled team and discussed a few of the tasks that needed to be accomplished.

“Today is going to start off with public records. We need to know about who we’re dealing with. We’ll also need to get those radio repeaters set up and I need to speak with the Chief of Police.”

Stormfeather and Báistí arrived just then. Shining nodded to them and started passing out orders to his team. “Mag, Ace, and Skydancer, you’ll set up the repeater. Soft, Dim, Puppy, Pikop, and Flash, I want you to comb through the courthouse archive. Mag will get you a list of topics to research. Báistí, could you please go with them?”

The female griffon nodded. “The archives are pretty large. Wouldn’t want to get lost in there.”

Shining nodded, knowing she couldn’t supervise all of the team members individually. While she was distracted, he intended to have her records checked out, too.

Turning to Stormfeather, Shining asked, “Could you please accompany Rough and me to talk to the Chief of Police?”

Stormfeather agreed. “Is this about the request for more officers?”

“It is.”

“I’ll give you what help I can,” Stormfeather said, although he sounded like that was probably not much. Shining hoped he was wrong.

Cyrus asked, “Sir, what about me?”

“I’d like you to hold things down here,” Shining said.

“Yes sir.” Cyrus nodded. “I wonder if I’ll get a chance to go out and do something soon.”

It didn’t sound like a rhetorical question. Shining replied, “I’m sure you will.”

The rest of the team collected their radio gear and notebooks and moved towards the courthouse. The radio team mounted the stairs towards the upper floors. The archive team descended to the basement. Shining, Rough, and Stormfeather went over to the police side of the building.

“We’re here to see the Chief,” Stormfeather said to the clerk on duty. He led his two escorts down the hallway to an office.

The Chief was younger than Stormfeather. Shining hadn’t been expecting that, even with this being Stormfeather’s “retirement job.”

The Chief introduced himself as Glen. He shook with Shining. “So we finally meet, Captain. I’ve been interested to learn more about your operation ever since I was told you were coming.”

The tone was not completely resentful, but Shining was careful to choose his response carefully. After introducing Rough, he said, “Thank you for having us. We’re only here after one criminal, so you shouldn’t notice us affecting your work.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Could you walk me through your operation?”

Shining was not entirely comfortable giving away the details of the plan, but if he couldn’t trust the local police Chief, then there were more serious crime problems going on here than just catching one pirate. He walked Glen through the Guard strategy and discussed what evidence they had collected so far.

“Gilgamesh is not a name I recognize,” Glen said about Shining’s strongest lead. “He probably doesn’t have a record.”

“I’ve already checked,” Stormfeather provided.

“Thank you,” said Shining. To Glen he said, “Stormfeather has really been a great help to us. He can’t be in two places at once, though. If we could get a little more support from your department, we might be able to get this over and done with more quickly.”

“I can’t spare anyone,” Glen said.

Shining resisted the urge to respond in kind to the curt answer. “I’m just asking for anything you could provide. If it’s possible to temporarily grant my team deputy status, or even ask if any of your officers are willing do work with us on a volunteer basis.”

Glen opened his beak again, but Stormfeather cut him off. “If you want them to get the job done, you’ve got to pitch in.”

The Chief looked from his subordinate back to Shining. “If you can bring me a compelling need for more support, I might be able to make it happen. What you’ve got so far doesn’t show much.”

Shining nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He, Rough, and Stormfeather said their goodbyes and left the office. While it wasn’t the outcome Shining had hoped for, it was better than nothing. He also made a mental note of the effect that Stormfeather had had on his Chief. Something to remember if he ever needed to talk to Glen in the future.

They headed to the archive where the rest of the Guard was still very busy looking up public records. Sure enough, Gilgamesh did not have an arrest record. He didn’t have much of a job history, either.

Since Gilgamesh had been a priority, his records had been pulled first. Now that they had a better idea of his life, Soft made ready to go talk to him. Shining sent Rough, Ace, and Stormfeather with her.

They couldn’t simply arrest Gilgamesh, because the only piece of evidence they had on him was word of mouth from Mr. Thrift. That in turn was based on a scrap of paper found aboard the boat. The possibility existed that the shipping manifest had been planted by the pirates to throw suspicion off.

Still, it seemed like a good idea to send along Stormfeather just in case. While the presence of a cop would probably deter any aggression, it would also raise a lot of suspicion. Stormfeather would probably set up nearby while Rough and Ace went with Soft to speak with Gilgamesh.

After they left, Shining helped his team investigate records. He looked up Chief Glen, just to see if anything popped out. There didn’t seem to be much of interest. He also checked on Stormfeather, finding an impressive military career.

Báistí turned out to be exactly who she said she was, an upstanding city council member. Shining was well aware that pubic records wouldn’t tell him everything, and remembered that he could never let one piece of evidence paint a whole picture.

While a bit of healthy suspicion didn’t hurt, he couldn’t immediately assume everyone in the city was corrupt and untrustworthy just because they were not his fellow citizens. Bias like that was harmful. Additionally, the bias of thinking that griffon society operated the same as pony society could throw the investigation off.

Thoughts like that brought Shining back to the overall problem of this investigation. As Equestrians, they simply didn’t understand some of the cultural underpinnings that every griffon took for granted. While that didn’t affect the raw evidence that they gathered, they might not know the best way to pursue it.

Shining was absentmindedly pursuing this train of thought while poring over the mayor Gudgeon’s paperwork when a shadow fell over him. He jerked his head up to find Báistí peeping over his shoulder. Shining moved a hoof to cover what he was reading.

“Anything I can do to help?” Báistí asked.

“I was just in the middle of a long string of reading,” Shining told her, putting on a smile. “That’s kind of a job for only one pair of eyes.”

Báistí nodded and turned to go. She paused for a long moment. “You know, if you wanted to know about the mayor, you could have just asked him.”

Shining forced himself to keep smiling. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”

Báistí hesitated a little longer and then turned to face Shining. “Actually, I think I’d like to read his records, too. Maybe it would help me do my job better.”

Shining made room for her to sit beside him. They went over the paperwork in silence. It was mostly just business dealings. Gudgeon had once owned a sail loft, among other textile-related companies.

While he was interested in the records, Shining was also careful to note Báistí’s reaction to them, which, as it turned out, was nothing significant. He wondered about her earlier attitude.

The radio crew came down from installing the repeater. Mag pulled Shining aside and informed him that they had been in contact with the group that had gone north to Gilgamesh’s house. The radio reception hadn’t reached to the ground, unfortunately, but it now seemed to cover all but the northernmost part of the city from the air. It seemed that they needed either another repeater, but Shining had no idea where they would be authorized to put it.

By the early afternoon, the archives had been scoured for any clues. This early in the investigation, they still didn’t have very much evidence to use for reference. Shining knew to be patient. As the case grew, more would eventually come in. He hoped it wouldn’t get to the point where there was too much. Deciding what was real and what was a false lead was often the hardest part.

Báistí guided the team to a small restaurant not far away. It was on Queen Gertrude Street, between 7th and 8th. There were a lot of eateries and pubs in the area and Shining noted how many griffons came and went through the area.

The food was great, especially because that particular restaurant had a pony-friendly menu. Báistí nodded modestly, as she had been the one to suggest it. Having an expert on the city was helpful. That kind of experience couldn’t be easily or quickly taught.

A message came over the radio in the middle of the meal and Shining excused himself from the table to speak.

It was Rough. “Sir, we arrested Gilgamesh.”

That made it more likely he was a suspect in their case. Unfortunately, it had also blown the covert aspect of interrogating him. Shining asked, “On what grounds was he arrested?”

“He tried to get violent. We’re taking him in now. I’ll see what the police will let Soft do in terms of continuing the interrogation.”

Shining went back to the table and finished lunch. He saw a few curious glances come his way, but didn’t explain the radio call.

Báistí bid them goodbye after lunch. Shining made sure to get a meal to go before leaving the restaurant. It seemed only fair to compensate Cyrus for staying back at the boat.

Once the team was back in their operations center and assembled, Shining broke the news about Gilgamesh. It was significant, the case’s first arrest. A murmur went through the team. Skydancer asked, “Why did you wait to tell us, sir?”

“I felt that it was a piece of information that I didn’t need to blurt out at the restaurant. If Gilgamesh is charged a record of the arrest will probably appear in the newspaper soon, but for the moment keeping it quiet might be to our advantage. ”

“Stormfeather knows about the arrest because he was there,” said Puppy. “Shouldn’t Báistí, sir?”

“We’ll tell her,” Shining said. He didn’t say when.

For another few hours, the team busied themselves. Some of them worked out, a few examined the evidence again, a couple slept.

Finally, Soft, Ace, and Rough returned. Shining collected the team again for a rundown of the interrogation.

Soft collected her notes and began to speak. “We arrived at Gilgamesh’s house and told him we were interested in corn. I’m not ashamed to admit that I played the species card and said ponies placed higher demand on it than griffons. He let us in to talk business, however he was very evasive. I kept running into dead ends in the conversation. He seemed like a hothead with poor impulse control, so with no options left, I took a calculated risk and asked him straight out if he was a criminal.

“It had the desired effect. He lunged at me. Rough and Ace wiped the floor with him.”

While the Royal Guard did not condone violence, this brought a chuckle from around the room. Shining wondered how Gilgamesh didn’t have a police record with a temper like that.

Soft went on. “Stormfeather arrested him for attempted assault. We went back to the police station and I was able to get a few more minutes with him before his lawyer showed up. He said that his brother Eddy would find us and take revenge for getting him arrested. He didn’t actually admit to the corn being stolen, but I’m pretty sure that is the case. He also mentioned the name of some griffon named Gaston who sounded pretty important.”

That was a trove of information and Shining couldn’t wait to get started. There was still daylight left, and if they hurried they might get some more information from the courthouse before it closed.

While Shining trusted his team not to do anything to put themselves in harm’s way, mistakes did sometimes happen and they had to be concerned if Gilgamesh’s threat about his brother was genuine.

Shining looked at the map on the wall and thought back over the evidence. If they were going to get anything done yet today and move the case forward, he had to make a decision soon.

Comments

[Celestias Paladin]

Hmm... they probably would want to talk to the person that found the boat and brought it in, something about that doesn't smell right. They would also want to track down this "Gaston" as well

[Ace of Kings]

The next thing we should do is head back to the records and see if we can find anything on Gaston. Also be on the lookout for any suspicious characters, just in case Eddy does try to get vengeance. A thing for the side would be to see if we can get anything else from Gilgamesh. See if we can get Cyrus on this;poor guy has been on the ship alone all the time.

[Super_Big_Mac]

Find out Gaston and Eddy's usual haunts, dig up any info you can find on them, and maybe send Cyrus in as a tourist. Heck, have him go to the market for supplies; he might get more via wood of mouth than your digging in the archives. Besides, one or two ponies together are a lot less conspicuous than four or five. Send him into town with a female counterpart, if only to better sell the tourist look.

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Find out what sort of information we can learn about Gaston, and perhaps Eddy as well. We should also make sure the guards stay in radio contact as much as possible in case this "Eddy" character pops up.

Otherwise now would be a good time to perhaps talk to some citizens and get to know them better. That way we'll learn more about Griffon culture and blend in.

Might also be nice to see if Hoofbeak has ever gone by any alias, in case one of the names of intrest could be linked to him.

[Doppler Effect]

I'm wondering about the demographics of the griffons, and if they're divided into different ethnic groups - we've got Stormfeather, which sounds like a pony-style real-thing name, we've got Báistí which is a pony-style real-thing name, but in Irish (Rain, another appropriately weather-themed name for a griffon), and we've got the criminals, who seem to have recognisable human names - Gaston, Eddy, Gilgamesh. Worryingly, the police chief's name is Glen (though that could technically be group one as well). I think, but am not positive, that Mayor Gudgeon fits into the first group.

Maybe ask Guard Pikop, Stormfeather or Báistí about griffon ethnic groups and how names relate to them? Is a particular ethnic group likely to make up most or all of the pirate group? A kind of mafia, maybe?

It's a huge conclusion to jump to, but if so, might be wise to be cagey with the police chief, and also check that their rebroadcaster on the police station doesn't get tampered with, or if it does get tampered with, use it to send false information at an appropriate time.

Might not be a bad idea to put someone watching Gilgamesh's house for any leads on who visits while he's in prison, though I've no ideas on how to do that unobtrusively.

Now that Gilgamesh has been arrested, there's reasonable cause to search the fifty bushels at Mr. Thrift's, and searching them won't alert the pirates more than they already are. Mag and Dim Sun for this, I think, since they'll best be able to pick out anything out of the ordinary. Possibly need Stormfeather with them for his authority to get the investigation started.

[Lag Incarnate]

I can't think of anything new, so instead I'll give you this:

[Chainlinc3]

I support hitting the streets. We don't want to draw a bunch of attention to ourselves, so using new faces might be best, but we NEED to integrate with the locals at least slightly, and the sooner the better. I'd recommend Soft, but honestly, I don't want her to get ambushed or something, and she has already had her identity compromised in this arrest. If Gilgamesh really did have a brother named something along the lines of Eddy, that SHOULD be a matter of public record-- there should at least be an address where taxes and other government paperwork goes to/comes from, because these pirates are supposedly law abiding citizens in Griffon country. Gaston would be a bit harder to track down, because a name is just a name-- you need something concrete to say WHICH Gaston is the one we are looking for. So I'd vote we focus on tracking down Eddy.

Also, if at all possible, try to make sure Gilgamesh can't get messages out to people-- talk to police chief maybe? That way we could theoretically send Soft to attempt a covert interrogation with less risk than if Eddy has received word that his brother got brought in by a unicorn mare, or potentially even communicate an even more solid identification. Maybe I'm being self-centered, but I think Soft is rather helpful to have around, and we should try to minimize how much information can spread about her actual job. People will say a bunch of things to a tourist that they'd never say to a cop.

[BlueNinja]

Doppler said everything I would have.

some griffon named Gaston

No one fights like Gaston? Action scene coming up?

[Veyron]

We might want to learn the customs and culture, less we wish to draw attention to ourselves.