From alt.pub.dragons-inn Mon Jan 23 19:03:33 1995 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:8088 Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Path: netcom.com!ix.netcom.com!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!uwvax!uchinews!woodlawn!djb6 From: djb6@woodlawn.uchicago.edu (Dennis Brennan) Subject: Re: [Dougl] Article 39 (part 2) Message-ID: <1995Jan21.002156.28217@midway.uchicago.edu> Sender: news@uchinews.uchicago.edu (News System) Reply-To: djb6@midway.uchicago.edu Organization: University of Chicago References: <1995Jan20.222312.23885@midway.uchicago.edu> Date: Sat, 21 Jan 1995 00:21:56 GMT Lines: 128 "I'm willing to take the Oath." "What oath?" answered Aloysius, surprised by Dougl's insistence. "I will swear an Oath to you to fight the evil in this city. That's what paladins do. When you take a commission, you swear a binding oath of loyalty and fidelity. I will..." "I think it would be better if you would swear your oath to the city itself. That's where your loyalty should lie- the greater welfare of the city." Dougl agreed and quietly composed a proper oath to the city in his mind. After contemplating it for a few moments, he knelt and kissed the ground in the blacksmith's shed. "I have made an oath, and I am prepared to serve it." Aloysius smiled. "I'm pleased that I can count on you. But I can't expect you to take on the entire Generican underworld singlehandedly. I've made some other contacts around the city and have found others who, like you, will serve as an informal auxilary to the guard. Take this cup." Aloysius produced a ceramic cup the same size and shape as an apothecary's mortar. "I've seen something like that before. My uncle Karl had one in his office," said Dougl. "Yes, he was a Gentleman Apothecary as well." "He wasn't an apothecary, he was the quartermaster." "The Society of Gentleman Apothecaries accepts men from all walks of life. Its members are dedicated to the art of healing in all of its forms. Karl served for a time as Generica's envoy, during which he was entrusted to heal Generica's relations with Rameshan and the southern realms. I am committed to healing this city of its crime plague." Aloysius handed Dougl the Apothecary's Mortar, then continued. "Take this cup to the Dragons' Inn. Wait there for the other members of the group. They will recognize you when they see it. I will send them to you." "Who are these other people?" asked Dougl. "You will know them when you see them. I have something else to show you." Aloysius held out a thick book. "Do you recognize this?" "It's a copy of the Generican Civil Code. I wrote a paper on it once for my Political Science class at the Academy." "Open it up to Article 39. Read to me what it says." "All right, here it is. ARTICLE XIX. Regarding the Apprehension of Criminals and Criminal Suspects, the Civic Guard Officer shall in all Manners of Procedure be Subject to the Provisions Included in the Standard Manual of Conduct (Section 404-526) as amended per council meeting on the Fourth Day of September in the year... What is it that you want me to read?" "Skip to subsection Four paragraph C." instructed Aloysius. "All right. 4. (C). The Senior Guard Commander of the Garrison shall have the authority to appoint Special Officers of the Guard. All Special Officers are exempt from the Regulations of Chapter 8-12 regarding Uniforms, Report Procedure and Investigation Procedure. The Special Officer shall be granted the Discretion to use such Measures as are Necessary and Appropriate in order to enforce Law. All Appointments of Special Officers must be Filed with the Registrar of Justice within Forty Days of the Appointment." "Do you understand?" asked Aloysius. "Not really. You're a Lieutenant Commander. You can't appoint me a Special Officer." "Normally I can't. As it happens, for the next week Commander Hume is going to be away in Specifica of the Spices visiting his mistress. For that duration I'm Acting Commander." "But the appointment has to be filed with the Registrar. If he's on the take like Commander Hume is, won't I be compromised as a Special Officer? If the government knows who I am, won't the underworld know too?" "As it happens, Commander Hume is as lazy about paperwork as he is about catching criminals. There's a backlog of paper about three feet high on his desk. I'll bury the appointment in that pile and turn it all in to the Registrar at once. They'll never find it." "You seem to have thought of everything." "I've been planning this moment for years. I even took the liberty of arranging for Commander Hume's boat from Specifica to be delayed for a few days to give us enough time to bring in the other Special Officers. If everything goes as planned, we'll have a team of Special Officers ready to take the underworld by surprise." Dougl nodded, appreciating Aloysius's skill in pulling off a bureaucratic coup of this magnitude. "So what exactly does a Special Officer do all day?" "Article 39, Dougl. 'Such Measures as are Necessary and Appropriate in order to enforce Law. That means whatever you need it to mean, Dougl. No paperwork, no crooked judges to spring criminals on a technicality. It's going to be a matter between you and your Oath to the city. That's good enough for me." * * * Dougl sat in one of the nineteen corners of the Dragons' Inn, absently fingering Aloysius's mortar. Aloysius had told him that the other Special Officers would be coming, and that they'd recognize him by the mortar. Patiently he waited for the assembly. * * * [ADMIN: Okay, folks, there's your cue. If you want in, just show up. The password for the day is 'Aloysius sent me.'] -- Dennis Brennan "Understanding is a three-edged sword." djb6@midway.uchicago.edu University of Chicago