Fic: I Fought the Claw, and the Claw Won, concluded.
Finally finished with this! Now I just need beta readers again...
* * *
“Well, it's not like she had a very high opinion of me before.”
“And you have, as my last count, cost me a ship's plunder, caused me to captured and treated none too gently by Compton and his crew, and made Ali very stressed.”
“Ah.” All right, you try being articulate with a headache and no feeling left in your paws. “So, I assume you're going to up my ransom payment?”
Her voice went a trifle cooler. “I think you've become too much of a liability for me to bother with ransoms.”
“You're letting me go?”
The Red Vixen's tone went dead flat, as she answered, “No.”
Well, I honestly couldn't say I was surprised at that point. I had done her a major wrong. So I made decision. Death with dignity and all that. “Grant the last request of the condemned then?” I asked.
“Maybe. What do you want?”
“I had a personal com in my flight suit when you confiscated my gear. Scan my DNA marker onto the lock and call the second number in the directory. Tell the fellow who answers at the other end that he was right, I was wrong, and everything turned out pretty much as he predicted. I came to a bad end, and the last thing I said was that I was sorry, and I hoped he would forgive me.”
“And are you sorry?” she asked, her voice growing quiet.
“About what we argued over? No. And I don't give a damn about forgiveness either.”
“So your last act will be to lie, and ask me to support the lie.”
I sighed. “It'll ease an old man's heart. Anyway I'll be dead, so I won't be around to give a damn about anyone's honor or integrity, yours or mine.”
There was a pause of nearly half a minute, then the airlock hatch slid open.
The one leading back into the station, thank you. Narrating, remember?
A pair of feet with neatly manicured and enameled toe claws stepped in front of me. I looked up to see the Red Vixen looking down at me, one eyebrow quirked upwards.
“I'm touched by your oddly sincere lack of sincerity, Captain Greycoat.” She paused, then added, “Or should I rather say Lord Greycoat?”
“I'd much rather you didn't,” I replied, with as much dignity as I could in my current position. “How did you find out?”
“I got curious about why you didn't want to go to your count to beg a ransom, so I had my medtech access the Foxen Prime universal medical database to get your ID from the DNA sample we took. Now I know why you were so hot to get away from me. You didn't want to be found out and have your ransom multiplied by a suitable amount.”
“That's not it,” I replied. I've never been much interested in a vixen's feet as an object of desire. However, staring up at the Red Vixen would have both given me an awful crick in my neck, and would have also been rather rude given what she was wearing, so I decided to keep my male gaze directed onto her lovely toes.
“You really think the count your father wouldn't have paid up?”
“Oh, he'd have payed,” I said bitterly. “And then would have never let me forget that he had, and how much. That sort of interest on a loan I'd rather avoid.”
“Death is really preferable to that?”
“Yes,” I said.
She reached down, unlocking my police manacles and tossing them aside, then clipping my leash back on as I came up to a sitting position. In the antechamber beyond the open hatch, I could see Snarli Ali standing over the very dead body of Brutal Compton, laying face down on the floor with a still smoking hole in his back.
“Give us a moment, Pet,” the Red Vixen said to her.
Snarli nodded silently, holstering her pistol. Then she gave me glare that could have seared ferrocrete, and stepped out of the antechamber as we entered, dragging the late Mr. Compton out by his feet, his face bouncing against the depression of the hatch frame's seal as she pulled him away to dump in parts unknown. Maybe it would improve his looks. Then both hatches shut, leaving me alone with the Red Vixen again.
“Dedicated young vixen,” I said carefully.
“Ali is very loyal.”
“Bit more than just loyal. You do realize she's hopelessly in love with you, right?”
Apparently not, for I was gifted with the very rare sight of the Red Vixen looking absolutely gobsmacked. “You think she's...? Whatever gave you that idea?” she sputtered.
“You didn't see her when she was getting your rescue together. She wasn't just looking like a loyal subordinate off to help their missing commander. She was absolutely desperate with worry, and quite willing to commit murder and mayhem to get you back, or die trying.”
“But she's never said...”
“Bit awkward to bring up in conversation, I should think. 'Hullo, boss. Would you mind terribly hopping into bed with me for some really great vixen on vixen sex?' What is she to you, anyway?”
The Red Vixen's mouth clamped shut tight for a moment, then she said, “That's a very complicated subject, but there was never anything sexual involved, at least on my part. But if she really...” She shook her head violently. “Agh, that's a problem for another day. Right now my main worry is getting you out of my tail fur and getting as far from this station as I can before Bloody Margo herself shows up.”
“All right, so what are you going to with me now?” I asked.
“Well, I suppose your aid to Ali, especially chewing up Brutal Compton's hand like that to distract him during my rescue, evens out the fact that you managed to help get me caught by him in the first place,” the Red Vixen said evenly. “That and the fact that you were initially screwed over by a House Highglider ship in the first place, makes me inclined to give you a discount on your ransom. Say, make it about even with the insurance compensation you'll be receiving for the replacement of your ship?”
“Then I won't have a ship!” I objected.
“Not my worry,” she said, without a hint of apology.
“My freedom doesn't do me much good if I have to go back my father, cap in hand, begging to given another chance.”
The Red Vixen cocked her head, paws resting on her hips. “You are utterly serious about not indebting yourself to the count your father, aren't you?”
“Damned straight,” I told her.
“Well,” she said, stroking her ring. My wrist cuffs snapped together in front of me, and she gave my leash a proprietary tug. “I guess we'll have to find you a new job, won't we?”
* * *
Which is how I gained my current position at Mistress Habebti's place. No, I wasn't sold. All right, not exactly. It's more of a long term work contract with some, er, restrictive clauses. Anyway, I've got room and board at Habebti's Sophistications for the duration, which shouldn't be more than five years or so until I pay my contract release fee. In the meantime I've invested the insurance money I received for the Sweet Blade into some stocks suggested by the Red Vixen and I'm letting them sit and gather interest. By the time I'm able to fly again I should be to afford a very nice ride indeed.
In the meantime though, Mistress Habebti found herself in need a dedicated maintenance tech to keep up her business running smoothly, given the decrepit state of the rest of the station. Fortunately with my experience at maintaining the old Sweet Blade I fit the bill, and while I don't get out all that much, I have to admit the local décor is quite easy on the eyes, if out of my price range.
Now if I could just convince Hebebti to give me a pair of pants...
# # #
* * *
“Well, it's not like she had a very high opinion of me before.”
“And you have, as my last count, cost me a ship's plunder, caused me to captured and treated none too gently by Compton and his crew, and made Ali very stressed.”
“Ah.” All right, you try being articulate with a headache and no feeling left in your paws. “So, I assume you're going to up my ransom payment?”
Her voice went a trifle cooler. “I think you've become too much of a liability for me to bother with ransoms.”
“You're letting me go?”
The Red Vixen's tone went dead flat, as she answered, “No.”
Well, I honestly couldn't say I was surprised at that point. I had done her a major wrong. So I made decision. Death with dignity and all that. “Grant the last request of the condemned then?” I asked.
“Maybe. What do you want?”
“I had a personal com in my flight suit when you confiscated my gear. Scan my DNA marker onto the lock and call the second number in the directory. Tell the fellow who answers at the other end that he was right, I was wrong, and everything turned out pretty much as he predicted. I came to a bad end, and the last thing I said was that I was sorry, and I hoped he would forgive me.”
“And are you sorry?” she asked, her voice growing quiet.
“About what we argued over? No. And I don't give a damn about forgiveness either.”
“So your last act will be to lie, and ask me to support the lie.”
I sighed. “It'll ease an old man's heart. Anyway I'll be dead, so I won't be around to give a damn about anyone's honor or integrity, yours or mine.”
There was a pause of nearly half a minute, then the airlock hatch slid open.
The one leading back into the station, thank you. Narrating, remember?
A pair of feet with neatly manicured and enameled toe claws stepped in front of me. I looked up to see the Red Vixen looking down at me, one eyebrow quirked upwards.
“I'm touched by your oddly sincere lack of sincerity, Captain Greycoat.” She paused, then added, “Or should I rather say Lord Greycoat?”
“I'd much rather you didn't,” I replied, with as much dignity as I could in my current position. “How did you find out?”
“I got curious about why you didn't want to go to your count to beg a ransom, so I had my medtech access the Foxen Prime universal medical database to get your ID from the DNA sample we took. Now I know why you were so hot to get away from me. You didn't want to be found out and have your ransom multiplied by a suitable amount.”
“That's not it,” I replied. I've never been much interested in a vixen's feet as an object of desire. However, staring up at the Red Vixen would have both given me an awful crick in my neck, and would have also been rather rude given what she was wearing, so I decided to keep my male gaze directed onto her lovely toes.
“You really think the count your father wouldn't have paid up?”
“Oh, he'd have payed,” I said bitterly. “And then would have never let me forget that he had, and how much. That sort of interest on a loan I'd rather avoid.”
“Death is really preferable to that?”
“Yes,” I said.
She reached down, unlocking my police manacles and tossing them aside, then clipping my leash back on as I came up to a sitting position. In the antechamber beyond the open hatch, I could see Snarli Ali standing over the very dead body of Brutal Compton, laying face down on the floor with a still smoking hole in his back.
“Give us a moment, Pet,” the Red Vixen said to her.
Snarli nodded silently, holstering her pistol. Then she gave me glare that could have seared ferrocrete, and stepped out of the antechamber as we entered, dragging the late Mr. Compton out by his feet, his face bouncing against the depression of the hatch frame's seal as she pulled him away to dump in parts unknown. Maybe it would improve his looks. Then both hatches shut, leaving me alone with the Red Vixen again.
“Dedicated young vixen,” I said carefully.
“Ali is very loyal.”
“Bit more than just loyal. You do realize she's hopelessly in love with you, right?”
Apparently not, for I was gifted with the very rare sight of the Red Vixen looking absolutely gobsmacked. “You think she's...? Whatever gave you that idea?” she sputtered.
“You didn't see her when she was getting your rescue together. She wasn't just looking like a loyal subordinate off to help their missing commander. She was absolutely desperate with worry, and quite willing to commit murder and mayhem to get you back, or die trying.”
“But she's never said...”
“Bit awkward to bring up in conversation, I should think. 'Hullo, boss. Would you mind terribly hopping into bed with me for some really great vixen on vixen sex?' What is she to you, anyway?”
The Red Vixen's mouth clamped shut tight for a moment, then she said, “That's a very complicated subject, but there was never anything sexual involved, at least on my part. But if she really...” She shook her head violently. “Agh, that's a problem for another day. Right now my main worry is getting you out of my tail fur and getting as far from this station as I can before Bloody Margo herself shows up.”
“All right, so what are you going to with me now?” I asked.
“Well, I suppose your aid to Ali, especially chewing up Brutal Compton's hand like that to distract him during my rescue, evens out the fact that you managed to help get me caught by him in the first place,” the Red Vixen said evenly. “That and the fact that you were initially screwed over by a House Highglider ship in the first place, makes me inclined to give you a discount on your ransom. Say, make it about even with the insurance compensation you'll be receiving for the replacement of your ship?”
“Then I won't have a ship!” I objected.
“Not my worry,” she said, without a hint of apology.
“My freedom doesn't do me much good if I have to go back my father, cap in hand, begging to given another chance.”
The Red Vixen cocked her head, paws resting on her hips. “You are utterly serious about not indebting yourself to the count your father, aren't you?”
“Damned straight,” I told her.
“Well,” she said, stroking her ring. My wrist cuffs snapped together in front of me, and she gave my leash a proprietary tug. “I guess we'll have to find you a new job, won't we?”
* * *
Which is how I gained my current position at Mistress Habebti's place. No, I wasn't sold. All right, not exactly. It's more of a long term work contract with some, er, restrictive clauses. Anyway, I've got room and board at Habebti's Sophistications for the duration, which shouldn't be more than five years or so until I pay my contract release fee. In the meantime I've invested the insurance money I received for the Sweet Blade into some stocks suggested by the Red Vixen and I'm letting them sit and gather interest. By the time I'm able to fly again I should be to afford a very nice ride indeed.
In the meantime though, Mistress Habebti found herself in need a dedicated maintenance tech to keep up her business running smoothly, given the decrepit state of the rest of the station. Fortunately with my experience at maintaining the old Sweet Blade I fit the bill, and while I don't get out all that much, I have to admit the local décor is quite easy on the eyes, if out of my price range.
Now if I could just convince Hebebti to give me a pair of pants...
# # #