"Wait a minute. You're telling me that the whole area is locked down so tight that nobody can get in or out? That's kind of hard to believe." Jack looked at the pointy-eared snob incredulously. "This is a fairly big place. It would take a lot of manpower to do."
Tamil thought about that for a minute. "He's right, and I don't think he's even considering magical means such as invisibility, teleporting, phasing through walls, plane shifting, or polymorphing into something tiny. How do they expect to enforce such a lockdown?"
"What, what, what, what, and what?" Jack asked looking at Tamil. Then after a moment, he turned back towards the one named Sand. "What he said."
Sand looked at Tamil appreciatively. "Well, well, Duncan, it seems that at least someone in your family has a fully developed brain. You are, of course, right. It would be foolish for Nasher or the Many-Starred Cloaks to think they could prevent entry into Blacklake District entirely, nothing short of a mythal could accomplish that. Their strategy, as well as I could glean from my contacts in court, is to use the lockdown to force the killer to use magic to circumvent it and then detect whomever it is as they attempt to flee or strike again.
"Which means, that while I am certain that you could actually break into the area, I suspect you could not do so without being spotted or detected magically and then thrown into Neverwinter's prisons." Sand directed a purposeful look at O'Neill. "I'm assuming that this is an outcome you would rather avoid." Looking back to the group, he continued, "The only way for you to gain access to the information you want would be for someone with authority to permit you to do so. The only ones capable of doing that who aren't already in Blacklake district would be one of the City Watch captains."
"Or possibly you could arrange it through bribery. But that would take more than just coin to do. It would need the backing of someone with real muscle and influence," Duncan volunteered.
"Well, now there's an idea," Sand responded sarcastically. "You can just walk up to a criminal organization and ask them to please help you get into Blacklake."
"Well, there you have it. You can try and persuade someone high up in the law to give you a pass, or descend into the criminal underworld. If you want someone to try and help you from the Watch side you can always try Marshal Cormick. He's a Harborman from West Harbor like yerself and Daeghun. That might help you. Or if you want to go the other way, Moire's gang is the one you'd want to try and contact. One of her enforcers, Caleb, likes to hang around this area sort of in open defiance of the Watch." Duncan's summary was met with approval from Sand.
Sand bade the group farewell and turned to leave, his gray and black wizard's robes flowing around him as he walked to the door. Before exiting, however, he let everyone know he was available for consultation in his shop, for a fee.
Despite Neeshka's preference not to work with the law, it was quickly decided that the group would approach Marshal Cormick and ask for permission to go to Blacklake. Jack decided he would go with Tamil to represent SG-1's interest and Khelgar decided he'd join them. Neeshka preferred staying as far away from the Watch as possible while Elanee was still getting acclimated to staying indoors for extended periods of time. Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c stayed at the inn to unpack their equipment and rest up.
Jack, Tamil, and Khelgar didn't even get halfway to the Watch building before they were suddenly set upon. The group jumped out from the alleyway screaming the words, "Kalach'cha! Kill her!" and brandishing swords. All of them were bladelings.
"What the hell? How'd they get into the city?" Jack asked.
There was no time to ponder that. Khelgar charged to meet them and Tamil drew her Astral Blade, as she had called it. The two of them intercepted four out of five of the creatures. The last of them saw an apparently unarmed human and decided to head for Jack.
With practiced efficiency Jack pulled his 9mm Berretta from its holster at his side, took aim, and squeezed the trigger. The report exploded like thunder and the creature was knocked back with a massive hole in its head. The sound startled the other combatants who took a look back to see what had just happened.
Then Khelgar recovered from the slight shock and disemboweled one of his opponents. Tamil was still engaged with two, but a second shot from Jack's handgun and Tamil was dealing with a very demoralized enemy. The bard and dwarf finished off the last of them quickly. They sheathed their weapons and Jack holstered his gun.
They looked at him for an explanation. "What?" he responded. "It's a handgun. It fires a bullet, kills bad guys."
The noise attracted a group of uniformed men. These turned out to be a group of the Watch posted to the area. On seeing the bodies of the bladelings, they immediately sent a man to escort the group to the district Watch building. A patrol was immediately sent to search the rest of the district for any more of the creatures.
The group walked in on a discussion between two officers about lacking manpower for a "sweep" they wanted to do. The more senior officer grumbled about apparently corrupt men under his command. Apparently there was some conflict with the wishes of higher authority. When Tamil walked in, though, the senior officer's mood brightened.
"Good to see you, Tamil, glad to see you made it to Neverwinter safely." Marshal Cormick shook Tamil's hand and offered the reward he had promised her for helping out with Commander Tann. "And I recognize your friend by his clothing. I understand from the commander's description that he was instrumental in helping to rescue the lost soldiers and put a stop to the banditry in the area. What can I do for you?"
Tamil Farlong explained her need to seek out a sage in the Blacklake district. Jack added that his team needed to look for information in the Neverwinter archives. Cormick listened, but his expression wasn't optimistic.
"I wish I could help. If it were up to me I'd write you a pass without hesitation. Unfortunately, it would take an order from Captain Brelaina to let you through, and I'm afraid she won't just take my word for it. There's no way she'd let anyone who wasn't actually a member of the City Watch through, and even then…"
Tamil asked about a temporary job with the Watch. Cormick looked over at his lieutenant and smiled. "I thought you'd never ask. We could certainly use someone like you. Unfortunately, we only have enough money in the budget to hire one additional recruit and we've only got one extra cloak and no equipment. But if your friends wanted to chip in on the effort, they would enjoy special status in the event of any confrontations…"
Tamil accepted the offer and Cormick promised to put in the request to the captain immediately. "In the meantime while we're waiting for her response, there's a matter I think you are better equipped to handle than any other Watchman on the streets. One of the local merchants has refused to pay protection money to the local gangs and has asked the Watch to protect him from reprisals. If you could see to that it would help greatly."
Neeshka sat in the room with Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson, eyeing their equipment surreptitiously. She had no idea what any of it did, but she was sure it was worth a fortune.
"We've got to figure out a way to recharge the batteries in these laptops. If we're going to be here for as long as it looks like we will, it would be a tragedy if we only have five hours to use our computers," Samantha lamented. She had her computer open pouring over the Stargate Address database and was cross-referencing everything she could think of related to wormhole anomalies.
Daniel was equally busy. He had the journal of the necromantic priest they had encountered in the castle ruins near High Cliff open and was busy transcribing the words and their meanings phonetically and morphemically into a specialized database. "So far we've gotten pretty much zero cognate matches between Common and any Earth language. Of course a few matches, but with so many words and so many languages a few coincidences are probable." Daniel had his headband off so that he could transcribe the language instantly translated for him. Then he put it back on and went back through marking pronunciation in IPA and meaning using English.
"I just wish we had even some local maps. At least then I could check the topography for likely sites for the Stargate. It would be even better if we had star chart. It's just too bad all the maps are in that locked down area." Samantha sighed in frustration.
"Hey, I could show you to some shops that might have some maps and some more books," Neeshka volunteered. Daniel turned to look at the girl with the horns. "That snooty elf was right that the best maps and information are locked in that archive, but there's a market in this district not far from here that may have something, and even more shops in the Merchant Quarter that you might find interesting," she added.
Daniel saved his work and shut down his computer. "Sam, you can keep working on what you're doing. I'll go with Neeshka to look for books and maps that might help us out. Maybe there'll be some books that will give us some information on how the 'magic' they use works and if there's a connection to higher technological races." Then he added, "Or maybe I'll just find a book of spells I can cast," just to needle her.
As Daniel and Neeshka began heading out, Teal'c joined them. "I will accompany you and the alien woman, Daniel Jackson."
"I don't think we need a chaperone, Teal'c," Daniel joked.
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure of that!" Neeshka said with a grin and playfully slapped at Daniel's rear end with her tail. Daniel was taken a little aback, not knowing how to react.
"I do not worry about your honor, Daniel Jackson. It is your safety that concerns me. I would feel more at ease if I am with you. I believe Dr. Carter and the one called Elanee will be safe in this establishment. But the frequency with which we have encountered strange beings, the walking dead, and beings who can cause harm by merely speaking makes me feel the world outside is dangerous."
Daniel smiled and welcomed Teal'c along. Neeshka put her hand on Daniel's shoulder as they were heading out the door. Teal'c smiled, thinking silently to himself that perhaps he was needed as a chaperone, for Daniel's sake.
Neeshka led her friends through the streets of the Docks district, giving the two the grand tour. She made no bones about the fact that she had made her living as a thief, but at the same time expressed a great fondness for the city and its people. Just as they were getting to the market in the docks, which was by the bridge leading across to the Merchant Quarter, she came across some of the people of the city she had far less fondness for.
"Coming back to the city was a mistake, Neeshka. You didn't think you'd slip in unnoticed, did you?" The speaker was a bald man wearing patchwork leather armor, which Daniel could only describe as a medieval urban gang get-up, identical to what the two men with him wore.
"No, I'm just surprised it took you this long to notice. So who's wasting their money on you this time, Bennon?" Neeshka gave the thug a defiant toss of her head.
"Leldon's still got a bounty out on you, goat-girl. He's even upped the price for those horns." Bennon pounded his fist with his hand as he talked. It was clear he intended to collect the bounty himself.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Daniel held up his hand. "Nobody is hurting Neeshka, and especially not because she looks different." Daniel's hand went to his holster of his 9mm gun. He hadn't taken the zat'nik'tel with him, not anticipating this sort of trouble. He'd rather have paralyzed them, but if they were planning on killing one of his friends he wouldn't hesitate—much.
"Find another bounty," Teal'c spoke in his deep, calm tone. "This one will not be easy to collect." If his friends were threatened by evil men, the Jaffa would not hesitate at all.
"So what'll it be then, Bennon? Run now, or let me remove that empty head from your neck?" Neeshka wanted to turn to her friends and hug them, but for the moment she settled for antagonizing Bennon.
"Brave talk, girl, but your luck's run out. I'm going to send you back to the Nine Hells where your kind belongs," the thug said as he was about to attack.
"Hey, home is where the heart is... and I'm staying right here in Neverwinter," Neeshka shrugged and then pulled out her daggers.
She never got a chance to use them. The thugs charged, all three of them focusing on Neeshka, thinking to take her out first and then move on to Daniel and Teal'c. Before they reached her, though, Daniel pulled out his handgun and fired. Tealc's staff weapon blasted a second one. Neeshka danced around the third, but then Teal'c fired again.
"Hey, thanks for backing me up, there! We'd better get out of here before the Watch shows up. They're not big on believing people are innocent just because they say so!" Neeshka turned to head into the shadows, but it was already too late. A trio of watchmen were sprinting their way towards them with swords drawn. "Come on, we've got to run!"
But Daniel and Teal'c didn't budge. "We're going to stay and play it straight, Neeshka. You go on ahead and go if you'd like, I understand you don't want to be caught at a murder scene when you have horns growing out of your head." Daniel gave Neeshka a smile. "Don't worry, we'll cover for you."
After a moment of hesitation, Neeshka stayed.
"Hey, what's going on here?" one of the guardsman demanded. They took a look at the dead men and the weapons on their bodies. They especially noted the gaping burn wound on two of them and the bloody hole in the chest of the third.
"We were attacked," Teal'c said in his level, matter-of-fact manner.
One of the men noticed Daniel and Teal'c's military fatigues. He said spoke to the leader of the group in a low whisper. The man visibly relaxed. "I see," he said. "The two of you are part of the group with Tamil Farlong?" he asked for confirmation.
"Yes, we came with her into the city and you can say we're part of her group," Daniel replied.
One of the soldiers took a look at the dead bodies. "Sir, these men are known as enforcers for one of the smaller gangs in the Merchant Quarter. They're wanted criminals."
"And this one is with you?" the lead soldier asked, pointing to Neeshka. Daniel and Teal'c both agreed. "Okay, then. We'll report this back to headquarters and let them know that Farlong's friends helped us deal with a group of thugs." He gestured towards the tiefling who had moved meekly behind her friends, "As for her, keep her out of trouble. She looks a lot like a rogue we suspected of thievery a few months back." With that, the watchmen went back to report and send a team to deal with the bodies.
"Wow, thanks, guys, sorry I was all ready to bolt earlier. I'm just not used to people believing me when I say I'm innocent. Even the times when I really am."
"It took real courage to stay with us when your instinct said for you to go, Miss Neeshka," Teal'c said to her with his typical gravity. "It was my honor to stand beside you and acknowledge you as a companion and friend."
Daniel smiled, "And it was my pleasure." Then Daniel's smile faded a bit. "But I'm concerned about this Leldon guy who put a price on your head. I hope there won't be more trouble with him or other bounty hunters, but if so don't worry. You have us to protect you." Neeshka was speechless for a moment. Then she gave Daniel a hug.
Neeshka led them to some suitable vendors and they managed to find maps of the areas surrounding Neverwinter. There were no maps of the city itself, though, and Daniel was surprised to learn that it was illegal to make one. Daniel found a few books discussing the nature of magic, local beliefs about cosmology, and a story about the Hero of Neverwinter.
Daniel, Neeshka, and Teal'c returned to the Sunken Flagon Inn with their purchases. Dr. Carter and Elanee joined them in the inn's common room once they had put the books and maps away.
"It seems that our friend Tamil has become a member of the City Watch. I'm guessing she joined in order to get access to Blacklake and the sage located there," Daniel said. He filled the group in on the details. "Unfortunately, it seems we have a problem. There's somebody in this city who seems to want to kill Neeshka."
The door to the inn suddenly burst open. Jack was there with gash on his chest, panting and out of breath.
"Everybody grab your weapons. There's a war going on out there and we're right in the middle of it!"