“What is going on here?!” a voice boomed from the door. The Captain of Lady Aresenault’s guard strode into the room flanked by three of his flunkies. All three had fancy looking but probably functional las guns and the Captain had his hand on an elegantly tooled white leather holster. Joachim and his men glared daggers at the guardsmen and seemed on the verge of violent action until Sergeant Crispin and the balance of first squad came boiling through the doors after Kayden. Their las guns were more than probably functional and trooper Elwys had a flamer strapped to her back, the pilot light burning bright blue in the chill air and a disconcerting look of manic excitement on her face. Sel reflected that during her entire time with the sentinel squadron she had never once been hit over the head, accused of murder, or tied to a chair, and reflected on the general unfairness of the universe in general and the Imperial Guard in particular.


“Sir!” Joachim snapped, performing a parade ground salute and stepping around the moaning sergeant to level his saber at Sel.

“We have apprehended Savant Bosk’s murderer and were interrogating her when she attempted to escape, assaulting me in the process,” he reported, rubbing his split lip to enhance his point.


“These serfs are interfering in our efforts to do justice!”

“The hell we are,” Crispin snapped, his hand on the hilt of his chainblade. Crispin did not particularly like Sel but he had a guardsman’s instinct to side with a comrade against a civilian.


“You arrested and interrogated one of my troopers without consulting me?” Kayden demanded dangerously. Sel flexed her hands, they had taken her las carbine and her pistol and it made her more than uncomfortable to be unarmed in such a tense situation.


“Your ‘trooper’ murdered Savant Bosk!” Joacim insisted, his lips white with rage.

“Like criffin’ hell I did,” Sel snapped back.

“Watch your mouth serf or…”

“Call me serf one more time and I’ll shove that saber up your..”

“What is going on here?” Lady Arsenault demanded as she swept in from a side door. Her ladyship was dressed in regal finery of white silk with a spectacular white fur cloak. Several guardsmen twitched but a look from Kayden was enough to stop them for actually pointing any guns at the Lady.


“These gentlemen were accusing one of my troops of murder my Lady Aresenault,” Kayden said in a calm courtly voice. 


“Someone has been murdered? How beastly!” the noblewoman gasped.

“Well Seldon?” Kayden asked, “did you murder Savant Bosk?” Sel glanced around noting that all eyes were upon her.


“What the frak,” she asked, “is a Savant Bosk?” The room devolved into frantic shouting and gesturing with weapons. Joachim tried to rush across the room but was restrained by his own troops. Lady Arsenault went as white as her dress and backed away from the impending violence, Sel backed up behind Kayden and Sergeant Crispin.

“Lieutenant!!” Spades shouted as he came rushing down the hallway.

“LIEUTENANT!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, a sound so improbably loud it momentarily quieted the altercation and he found himself being glared at by the whole gathering. Spades promptly went red, his mouth hanging open in shock.

“You had something to contribute Specialist?” Kayden asked with commendable sangfroid.

“Uh.. sir… the pickets… we have moment coming down the valley!” Spades reported.