"Captain, without these folks' help, Moire's gang would have over-run the Docks and I'm sure we would all have been killed in that mass riot. The least you can do for them is to approve their pass to Blacklake. They've certainly earned it."
Captain Brelaina listened to Marshal Cormick's description of events cooly. She was a woman in authority and was clearly accustomed to being listened to. "No doubt they were as instrumental in the defense of the Docks as you have described, Marshal, and they have my, and the City of Neverwinter's thanks." Her voice was crisp. "However, I am the one who decides what rewards they will receive, not you. And in the matter of Blacklake, while a pass with my signature would allow a messenger through, I am under strict orders from the Nine only to send someone through if it is absolutely necessary.
"I grant you that the performance of these individuals went above and beyond the call of duty, and for that I will authorize a reward in gold for each of them. As for Watchman Farlong, a promotion is in order. Congratulations, Lieutenant." Brelaina saw the chilly response her rewards were met with. Cormick was starting to speak up in protest. "As for you, Marshal, you should consider yourself fortunate I do not put in a reprimand for allowing the situation there to become so volatile."
She saw her threat had the desired effect. Cormick went from being critical to being defensive. "Nevertheless, I understand what a difficult job you have. I will NOT be putting in a reprimand. But now is not the time to be divided. It is a time to rebuild and strike back." Captain Brelaina looked over the assembled adventurers appraisingly. "You have proven yourselves loyal to Neverwinter and quite capable. There is a place for each of you in the City Watch."
Colonel O'Neill gave the City Watch captain a half smile. "Well, as nice as it sounds to sign up with your little merry band, I'm afraid we're going to have to decline." Seeing that the Captain wanted to ask why, he continued. "You see, we're already employed by our own government and it would be against our oaths to swear allegiance to another military. We wouldn't want to lose our benefits."
Daniel quickly interjected. "Yes, Colonel O'Neill is right. We can't swear allegiance to your city. However, we are here on a mission of exploration and diplomacy. It was our intention to approach your government through official channels once certain issues on our end were worked out."
"Certain issues?" Brelaina inquired.
"Ahem... we, uh," Daniel looked to the side a bit uncomfortably, "are sort of having a problem getting home. We're from far away and our normal means of transport is… not available."
Tamil explained in more detail in a way the captain would understand. "Captain, they're from another plane of existence. I witnessed their arrival on this plane and have been traveling with them since then. Not only have they proven trustworthy and honest, from what I've seen they have a lot to offer Neverwinter."
Captain Brelaina considered for a moment. "Planar travel is not a common thing, but it does explain their odd clothing and their strange weapons. And their actions in Neverwinter thus far, from all reports, have been honorable. Very well then, I will send word to Lord Nasher of their unique situation. He may decide to invite them to Castle Never for an audience, and if that is so I will send you, Lt. Tamil along with them."
"And what of the rest of you?" Captain Brelaina asked the remaining companions.
Khelgar spoke up first, "Well, it was all good fun fighting those thugs, and I reckon fighting more of them would be good practice, but like my human friends, I can't rightly go swearing my axe to Neverwinter. I'm an Ironfist. Even though I left my clanhold I've still sworn my loyalty to my clan first." Then Khelgar looked over to Tamil. "But as long as that lass there needs my help I'll be helpin' her. So, you can keep your pretty cloak and all, but just the same I aim to help."
Elanee declined as well. "It is a kind offer, but I'm afraid I cannot accept, as well. My journey is tied up with this young lady who is in your City Watch, but I am not a part of the city. My life and loyalties belong to the land." Then Elanee turned to Tamil. "But if ever I can be of help to you, do not hesitate to call upon me. I will always be there for you."
"Yeah, well…" Neeshka began.
"No need for explanations from you, young tiefling," Captain Brelaina smiled. "You earned yourself quite a little reputation before you left. However, we can overlook that in light of your recent contributions. And it seems you will not want for powerful friends within the Watch."
Brelaina turned to the group. "Unfortunately, you will all need to be careful while the Watch sorts this out." When Jack asked what she meant, she gave them all a meaningful look. "I'm afraid that you are all now marked for death. Moire has set a price on each of your heads."
"Well, that's just wonderful," Jack remarked to the rest of SG-1.
Captain Belaina either didn't hear the remark or ignored it. "It is time for us to strike back at the thugs for the damage they caused. Our informant has revealed that a shipment of weapons is coming in. Lieutenant, I want you to intercept the shipment and make sure it does not make it into Moire's hands."
Samantha Carter spoke up. "Excuse me, Captain. I think I have an idea of how we can be of help. It will be a good way for us to show our goodwill, help Tamil, and take care of this little problem of us being marked for death."
The evening of the delivery Tamil and Neeshka slipped through the Back Alley quietly and nearly invisibly, hidden in the shadows. The way was blocked by several roving bands of thugs, but between the stealth skills of the two and a charming tune from Tamil's lute that rendered many potential enemies incapable of attacking them, they slipped through them all until they found a wagon full of weapons. In addition to a number of thugs, an entire squad of corrupt city watchman helped to guard it on its way to the thieves.
The human and the tiefling each pulled a vial of purple liquid from their belts, un-stoppered it, and drank it down. As soon as they did so their forms faded from the shadows until they were completely invisible. Silently, they went to work.
Tamil quickly moved up to the cart and pulled a small, black object from out of her belt bag. As instructed by Jack O'Neill, she peeled a thin sheet of slick paper off of one side, found the tiny switch on the device, and then stuck it to the underside of the wagon. Then she carefully made her way back to the rendezvous spot and drew a line in the dirt to let her partner know she was done.
While Tamil did this, Neeshka silently walked up in front of the watch members and pulled out the strange metal box that Daniel had given her. When she clicked the knob at the top, a small circular opening on the front extended and the back side of the box displayed a moving image of everything in front of her. She held the box which Daniel had said was called a "digital camera" in front of the face of each of the corrupt watch and pressed the button on the top. An image of their face froze on the screen for a second and was stored for later use.
Neeshka made her way to the spot she was to meet Tamil at. She noticed the mark in the dirt and made a cross through it. She watched as the mark was erased. The rogue grinned to herself and headed back out the way she and the bard had come. This was her sort of mission.
Back at the Sunken Flagon inn, Samantha Carter checked the receiver. The signal suddenly came to life and Major Carter smiled. "The signal is live. We'll be able to track that shipment to anywhere in the city."
"Great," Jack said, "but how long will these batteries last?"
"The tracker can send a signal for two weeks without the batteries needing to be replaced. We'll recover the device long before that happens. The real problem is with the receiver and the computers. The computer batteries are only good for about 10 hours, after that they'll need to be recharged."
Jack looked around the room. "Uh, Carter, I'm not seeing any place to plug these things in, and we didn't bring a generator with us on this mission."
"I've thought of that, Jack, and I think I have a solution. Finding a place to plug it in isn't a problem. It's easy enough to make a receptacle. The real problem is making sure the voltage and amperage are just right so that we don't fry the boards. For someone with no experience with electronics it would be a bad idea. Fortunately for us, I've got experience rigging power supplies for Stargates and alien spacecraft with much more specific energy needs. Rigging a capacitor with the right output will be a piece of cake for me."
Jack gave Sam a wry smile. "Oh, Carter, you look beautiful when you're bragging."
Without missing a beat, Major Carter continued, "Thank you, sir. The only real issue is with the source of power. There is no ready source of fuel that I've seen here, finding material to create solar panels may be a challenge, and thus far nobody has shown up in a Delorian with a poster from the future telling us where and when a bolt of lightning will strike. But I think we can use the power from a zat to make it all work."
Daniel jumped in, "Good idea. But there may be another solution." Carter and O'Neill looked at him. "Maybe there's a 'magical' way to generate electricity. You'll still need to build a way to regulate the flow, but we might not need to use a zat to power it."
Sam shrugged. There was the possibility of adapting this 'magic' technology for this purpose. "Either way, we should be able to have power to recharge all of our electronic equipment."
"There is another resource we need to discuss, Samantha Carter," Teal'c added gravely. "The ammunition for our projectile weapons is of a very limited amount. Once our supplies are depleted we will only have the zat'nik'tel and the one staff weapon for our defense."
"I've been considering that as, well, Teal'c," Major Carter replied. "Follow me." Samantha led SG-1 into a room near the back of the inn. Inside were three odd-looking benches and tables. Going over to one table, she pulled out several small instruments. "Look at these tools: precisely measured vials and bottles, smelting instruments, finely calibrated calipers… With these tools and the right chemical ingredients I will be able to make nitroglycerin, graphite, smokeless powder, and even swaging machinery for the production of cartridges.
"Hobbyists and dedicated survivalists make their own bullets all the time. They usually order the machinery for production but then produce their own bullets. Fortunately, we have the precise information for manufacturing military grade smokeless powder stored in our computers in the event we are authorized to trade technology."
Jack stared at the benches. "Doesn't this seem a little odd to you that these benches are conveniently located here when we need to start replenishing our stock of ammunition?"
"I too find it somewhat dubious that these objects are placed here for our needs. This may be a ploy designed to obtain knowledge of our weaponry," Teal'c agreed.
Daniel shook his head. "I don't think so. That bench there with the machinist instruments and the anvil is clearly a smithing bench. This one here with the calipers and measuring vials is obviously used in alchemy, the medieval precursor to modern chemistry. I'd bet the last bench over there is intended for magicians. This fits with what I've been reading in some of the guides written by an author named 'Volo' who lists various inns as having special furnishings for adventuring wizards, alchemists, and crafters."
"Ok, then, we'll see about getting the supplies we need." Colonel Jack O'Neill had good reason to be wary of overly fortuitous coincidences. He also had good reason to trust his fellow team members without reserve.
A short while later, Tamil and Neeshka returned from their mission. Neeshka somewhat reluctantly returned the camera back to SG-1 and Tamil reported that she successfully placed the device onto the cart as instructed. It was a successful mission.
The weapons were taken to a warehouse in the Merchant Quarter. Sam, Jack, and Tamil reported to Captain Brelaina. She seemed pleased with the results.
"Watchman Farlong, you will go to the location where the weapons were sent and destroy the stores they have. Try and recover any information they may have on where the final destinations of the supplies are. Bring your allies with you, or you may have a squad of watchmen to go with you."
"Actually, Captain Brelaina," Samantha Carter interrupted, "I have another suggestion." She pulled a dagger out from a bag and held it up. Then she carefully detached a plate from the hilt to reveal small wired device hidden within the hilt. "Instead of a raid, we'll send a single agent, Neeshka, into the warehouse using stealth. She'll switch out the best items in the warehouse for these which have listening devices installed on them. She'll also take photos of whatever records they have, just like she did of the watchmen we discovered.
"Instead of revealing to the thieves that we know their location by raiding it, we'll let them continue their operation. They'll lead us to the ones organizing their operation. Meanwhile, we'll take the corrupt watchman we've identified and interrogate them individually. While we quietly go about purging the ranks of the Watch of turncoats, we can use those who have yet to have been arrested to send false information back to their leaders."
Captain Brelaina arched her eyebrows. Standing face to face with Major Carter, Jack couldn't help but notice the physical similarity between the two. While Brelaina was a brunette and Carter a blond, they both had short hair and similarly shaped faces, as well as several other superficial similarities.
"You can really do this?" the watch captain asked. Jack assured her they could. "Then it seems to me this will solve a lot of our problems."