(IC she'd gotten started on this some time back-she secured permission from her Factor, and has one or two IC namers helping out,but because I've been really busy I never put up an official post,so here it is.)
The list of names had been approved. The transfer paperwork had been filed and signed off on.
In the late hours of the night Justice Roza inspected the thirty cells she'd specially prepared- each small spartan room contained a simple cot, a small desk and a book containing the laws of Sigil. Above each bed,painted in such a fashion that the cold,glowering eyes seemed to follow the occupant around their room hung a simple portrait of Roza herself.
She couldn't suppress a smile at that last detail;it had appealed to a perversely whimsical side of herself that she rarely exercised.
Striding from the empty cellblock she called her Namers to action; the time had come.
Thirty men found themselves rudely awakened in the small hours with a burlap bag pulled over the head and their hands tied rudely behind their backs. Thirty men were dragged cursing or sobbing, angry and terrified to a man.
A thirty first man, half again as tall as the others,seemingly constructed from muscle and scaled by someone who thought big was driven snarling from his room in maximum security by five masked Namers wielding mancatchers. This last man, known simply as "Grinder" was a Khaasta who'd been convicted of murdering thirteen individuals; his actual tally was believed to be a lot higher but since he was known for eating those he'd killed they'd had to stick with the thirteen that had remains enough to be identifiable.
The Courtyard was dark, with Sigils perpetual damp chill. Magical lights had been placed at regular intervals, leaving it an odd mix of deep shadows and painful brightness. Three rows of shivering hooded men stood in the glare, with the Grinder standing slightly apart from the others surrounded by his polearm wielding escort. Roza, standing in a severe black uniform trimmed with red gave a nod to her Namers. One by one they went from man to man,yanking hoods from heads.
Clutching a three foot baton made of black lacquered hardwood and studded with alternating silver and cold iron rivets, she stood before the assembled,smiling humorlessly.
"Good morning,gentleman. I am Justice Rozalina. I have brought you all here...because you are broken. I will fix you."
Striding along the line she made eye contact with those who would met her gaze,baton tucked under her arm.
" You are all pioneers...you are the first to take part in my rehabilitation program. Each of you has been chosen because you fit my criteria...each of you I feel has something to give back to society,if only given the opportunity.
As you are,you are all..scum. Burglars, Robbers, Gang Members...You have all been thrown to the Prison because Society has wiped it's hands of you. This is your chance to redeem yourselves. This is your chance to escape the cycle of poverty,crime and desperation you've been trapped in,like caged rats on wheels."
As she paused there came a clearing of a throat. A giant clawed,scaled hand rose in the air. As Roza regarded the Khaasta,she imagined she could see a mocking smirk,though it was admittedly hard to tell on a Lizards face what constituted contempt.
Roza fixed him with a look of mild interest.
'Yes?"
The behemoth looked about,first at the men in rows,then the Namers surrounding him.
"Oi jus foind myself wonderin' why Oi'm ere'? Cause...and Oi ate' te steal yer thunder,this bein' a truly inspoirin' and movin' speech and all,but da Guv'ner said Oi ain't gettin' out in me natural loifespan...so wit' all due respect.."
He paused to hawk phlegm and spit on the ground at that.
"Oi was wonderin' when yer gonna sod off and let me get back ta bed."
Roza smiled,nodding slightly.
"A fair question. You're the Object Lesson."
A scaly brow raised. Roza reached into a pocket and pulled out a keyring,jangling the keys on it before dropping it on the ground behind her. She then pulled out a jingling bag,shook it a few times and dropped it next to the keys. With a nod from her a Namer stepped up and took her truncheon; and handed her a foot long fighting knife,which she held up for the Khaasta to see.
" For you it's simple. My Namers will not interfere...get past me, and those are the keys to the gates,as well as enough traveling money to see you long gone before first light."
The Grinder's other brow raised.
"So all Oi got ta do is get past ya' and yer little shiv there? "
Roza laughed merrily.
"Of course not! Don't be absurd. The knife is for you..to make things more even."
She then nodded to the men surrounding the Khaasta; as one they all stepped away as she tossed the sheathed knife to him..catching it in one ham sized fist he looked it,and her over incredulously.
" So this is where yer monkeys pop o'er the walls wif bows and try ta kill me fer havin' a shiv roight?"
She shook her head.
" Not at all. You incapacitate me, the keys and the gold are yours. The knife as well. No tricks. One knife fight and you get to taste air again as a free...man."
The huge Khaasta took a moment,looked at the Namers, the rows of men, then at Roza and shrugged.
"Sod it. Don't worry,this'll be quick..Oi got places ta be."
The Khaasta's charge was impressive..four hundred pounds of muscle,scale and claws with a blade that straddled the line between knife and shortsword is a sight mercifully few have ever witnessed, and then usually not for very long. Far faster than his bulk would suggest he closed the distance,knife darting in with brutal,practiced skill.
The men flinched, some closed their eyes at the gruesome spectacle and one man was noisily sick. A series of cracks and organic pops mingled with a high warbling screech filled the air; the scream cut off abruptly into a gurgling wheeze,but the sounds of meat being mangled persisted for some time.
Roza motioned to a Namer who handed her a towel as with her other hand she picked up four hundred pounds of mangled psychopath like a trashbag and hurled him into the gloom. She took a moment to clean her hands. She then knelt to retrieve the keys and the coin; another Namer retrieved the dagger. She then turned back to the remaining thirty men, her eyes seeming to gleam in the uneven lighting.
"Make no mistake, gentlemen. I am not flesh and blood. I am a walking nightmare. I am YOUR nightmare. I will transform you into citizens, even if you force me to break you to do so."
Again she paced the rows,accepting baton back in hand.
"You will learn discipline. You will be taught trades. You will,upon graduating each have jobs to go to. This I will ensure."
Her voice dropped several measures to a sepulchural rasp.
" And you will all remain my good law abiding gentlemen...this I will ALSO ensure."
Her tone returned back to normal as she continued pacing.
"Your days will be filled with calisthenics, drills and occupational training. Your evenings will be spent studying. Those of you who cannot read will be taught literacy. Then you will all be taught the law. By your graduation you will be fit in body and mind and ,hopefully spirit. You will learn a trade and you will practice that trade. If any of you think that you'll just..ride this out..tell my people what they want to hear and use this as a chance to do some easy time...."
Her gaze grew baleful as she continued.
" Then you would do well to know you each belong to me,and you will follow my rules. You will hopefully come to learn to respect the Law in time...but by all you hold holy I will SEE that you fear ME."
At a nod from the Justice several Namers produced light crossbows, the bolts blunted and slightly padded. When she spoke her tone had the ringing cadence of one used to leading drills.
" Recruits,form up! twenty laps around the courtyard,counter-clockwise, BEGIN! I SAID RUN YOU AWFUL LITTLE MAGGOTS! RUN RUN RUN!"
She then turned to the men with the crossbows.
"Namers, shoot the slow ones...aim for the arse. That should provide motivation."
She clasped the baton behind her back as she stood,watching the group lurch into panicked motion. She'd invested a lot of time and money,and gone out on quite a limb here,but she found herself smiling slightly as she realized she was once again in her element.
Roza's Program
