The day before the siege, Lord Cassian focused on the final, crucial stage of mobilization: arming the troops and preparing the killing fields.
Deacon met Specialist Ruiz (Brandt) and Staff Sergeant Blake (Master Elian) at the abandoned brewery, where the crude Thunder Claps had been transported.
The brewery was now a fully functional, makeshift armory. Blake, wearing his dirty apron, was carefully sealing the pitch fuses on the hundred clay casings. Ruiz was standing guard, surrounded by piles of sandbags and bundled rope.
"Report, S-4," Deacon commanded.
"All materials acquired, Sir. The Widow Elms signed the tax exemption. The 'strong water' (acid source) has been delivered to Elian. The militia are still none the wiser. The final asset count is one hundred Thunder Claps, four hundred fire-bottles (incendiary jars), and three hundred reinforced sandbags for the inner perimeter."
"Excellent work, Specialist. You built a supply line out of thin air and debt."
Deacon turned to Blake. "S-6, final check on the Thunder Claps. Can they survive a rough drop, and will they ignite with the fuse I designed?"
Blake confirmed, his voice vibrating with suppressed excitement. "They are rough, Sir, but the pitch seal is good. The flash will be massive. We need to tell the user to throw and hide. It's a shock wave, not a grenade."
The Final Deployment: Holy Water
Deacon's final strategic choice was the deployment of the fire-bottles and the Thunder Claps. He needed them on the rooftops for maximum effectiveness, but the civilian militia would never touch them.
"Ruiz, your team will deliver the fire-bottles to the rooftops along the North Road. They will be carried in water barrels and disguised as 'Holy Water Reserves' commissioned by the Castellan. Instruct the fireteams only to throw the bottles when the Goblins are tightly packed in the kill zone below."
"And the Thunder Claps, Sir?" Ruiz asked, gesturing to the highly volatile clay charges.
"The Thunder Claps are different. They are too unstable and too precious for the militia," Deacon stated. "They go to the experts: The Pepper Twins."
Deacon explained the plan: Pyper and Elan (The Pepper Twins) were positioned on the high vantage points of the North Gate, the last line of defense. They were light, agile, and accustomed to high-risk work.
"Their payment will be the first delivery," Deacon instructed. "The silver coins they demanded will be sealed in a pouch tied to the Thunder Claps. Their deployment orders will be tied to that pouch: Wait for the first breach. Use the Thunder Claps to collapse the tunnel before the infantry can pour through."
Deacon knew he was giving two mercenary assets the city's ultimate explosive power, tying their payment directly to their loyalty to the mission. It was a risky, almost theatrical act of faith.
The Cost of the Exemption
As the final arsenals were packed, Deacon received a tense, coded message from Major Kiley via a civilian messenger. The message was a detailed report on the town's medical facilities (S-5 concerns), but contained a final, encrypted line.
HAYES. THE WIDOW ELMS IS NOT AN IDIOT. HER TAX EXEMPTION DEMAND WAS FOR A WAGNERIAN PIECE OF SCROLLWORK IN HER FAMILY'S TOMB. SHE IS A SPY. BE CAREFUL. —K.
Deacon froze. The Widow Elms, the one who supplied the corrosive acid source in exchange for a tax exemption, was a spy. And the object of value she demanded—the scrollwork—was an obscure reference that Major Kiley (the former Commanding Officer) had recognized.
He had traded a tax break for a critical resource, and in doing so, had exposed a flank to a local intelligence network. The Major had been subtle in his warning, hinting that the Widow might be running her own network, one that could reveal the Shadow Command's identity if she were interrogated.
Deacon's immediate reaction was to neutralize the Widow, but he couldn't. Not now. He was 12 hours from the siege.
He sent a final coded instruction to Major Kiley: DOCTOR KELLY. THE WIDOW IS HIGH-RISK. DO NOT INTERROGATE. WE NEED HER ALIVE FOR NOW. I will handle the problem after the siege.
The Goblins were coming, but the rot of internal political intrigue was already setting in. Deacon had to survive the siege first, then deal with the inevitable political fallout of his ruthless, necessary actions.