Part 16: A coward's only reward

"We scram by the rear door. Don't leave anything that might identify us. Or at least more than what they already know." you order, grabbing your coat and checking that your revolver is loaded.

"They might be waiting for us in the alley where that door opens to." remarks Telemacus, while taking documents that were left in the office. Electryos has unholstered his carbine and is leading the way toward the door.

"That's a risk we'll have to take, I'll go first, cover me if I'm getting shot at. We have to move fast if we don't want to get caught by the mob on the other side."

The rear door is located in a disused part of the building, near the boiler room. It opens up in the maze of narrow alleys that snake behind the buildings in the area. Night has fully fallen across the city, the alley is barely lit by a few lamps and you can hear the hum of air conditioning and various other machineries. Power lines criss-cross the space between the buildings, sparks flickering between them from time to time.

As you close the door behind you, you can hear the mob smashing down the front door. But they don't seem to notice your escape, though you don't linger in the area, moving away from the office instead.

While walking, you turn toward Telemacus

"Do you remember what the Magos Zhou said about Wahun, that if he's removed, the agricultural production will crash and the demands of the tithe won't be met?"

"Yes. And you want to know whether or not he was lying? I think there is some truth in that his removal would impact the deployment of agricultural machinery in the more remote areas, which would impact medium to long-term production growth. But I don't think that'd impact what's already deployed."

"The gifts of the Machine God need regular maintenance, without it most of the advanced tools and production facilities will quickly shut down, stopping or heavily reducing the food production, as the laborers will have to revert to more primitive, labor-intensive tools, laborers which are already lacking right now. In addition to that, servitors need directions from anointed personnel." interjects Electryos.

"Well, the Magos isn't the only tech-priest in Wahun, isn't he?"

"Even discounting the tech-priests who are accomplice to his crimes, like the two we saw in Kaesong, Magos Zhou is the nominal leader of the cult in the region, he can't be removed without impacting all the tech-priests here, who most likely will support him in a confrontation."

"Throne, what a mess."

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You continue to move away from the office, following the alleys until you reach a residential area. Here the background noises change, with faint conversations and the noise of kitchens showing that life continues, despite the epidemic and subsequent lockdown.

You regroup with your acolytes in an alcove off the alley, away from prying eyes. Leaning against the wall, you can feel the strain of a long day spent driving and investigating, on top of a short and uncomfortable night. Telemacus and Electryos both look similarly winded.

"We should be far enough from the office that the mob won't find us, unless they bring many more people to search this part of the city. We'll be able to catch a breath and plan our next move." you say.

"They could warn the local enforcers, but those would run into the same issue. At the very least we'll have to be careful at any checkpoints that we may approach. And if I could hazard a guess, such alleys like the one we are standing in might see regular patrols to check for gatherings forbidden under the current lockdown. So we can't stay here for too long." add Telemacus

"Even if we weren't under risk of being discovered, we've left nearly all our supplies either at the office or in the car, so we'll have to move out sooner rather than later. The train station should not be too far away, if we go there I am sure I could secure passage back to Villeneuve using my Mechanicus credentials. Might not be very confortable though." says Electryos.

"I am loath to go back without finishing our investigation. And Magos Zhou must be brought to justice."

"I agree, but just the three of us, on foot and out of contact from Interrogator Vince... The prospects aren't very good."

"The Emperor is still with us." you say, while thinking of the way to go. The car should still be here where you left it. Concerning the office, you don't think the mob will occupy it, so you might be able to use the long-range communicator there. Or maybe find another one, the area where the office of the Department of Health and More is located is primarily a business district, containing offices from various mercantile interests from the rest of the planet, some which might have a long-range communicator, though you'd have to enter by break-in, which carry its own risks.

AN: this time the players decided to try their luck with the commercial district.