Ali-ween, Prompt #5, Grief
Last of the Ali-ween prompts. This one courtesy of Vikki Rubbervixen, "Ali being confronted/held captive by the parent(s) of a child they believe she killed during her tenure as Ali-Kat "
"Murderer!" the woman shouted. "Let me see that murderer!"
Ali leaned over the desk in Greenhome Colony's main Civil Protection office, looking at the image of the ranting, middle-aged human female on the display screen, locked in the building's holding tank. "Where did she come from?" she asked the CP commander beside her.
"She arrived three days ago on a tourist ship that landed at Shore Town," the commander, a foxen like herself, told her. "The next day she took a commuter flight to Greenholme Capitol. She was arrested this morning, after attempting to bribe a clerk at the General Products store into allowing her to purchase an unlicensed plasma pistol. When questioned by the arresting officer, her reason was, I quote, 'So I can kill that little black and white monster of a pirate,' end quote." The commander gave Ali an apologetic shrug. "When she said that, I figured she could only be talking about you. Sorry."
"Well, the description is fair," Ali admitted, sitting back in a chair, as the woman continued to rant on the screen. Her past as a child soldier/slave/pirate in the service of the infamous Bloody Margo was not a secret to anyone on the colony of Greenholme. The fact that most of her atrocities had been committed when she was young cub under the threat of death herself most people took as a mitigating factor. But, obviously, not everyone. "Did she have any kind of legit ID?"
The commander opened another window on his screen, displaying a standard Allied Worlds passport, with a picture of the woman and her pertinent information. "Allison Henriquez, age fifty-three Standard. Native of Human Prime, resident of the city Buenos Aires, South American Economic Union." He looked over to Ali, ears cocked in curiosity. "Anyone you know?"
She shook her head. "Nope. Only Henriquez I knew was…" Ali stopped, brow furrowing. "Oh, Mother Goddess bless me…" she sighed.
"Problem?"
"Yes, and no." She straightened up, her expression turning grim. "Let me see her. And you might want to make sure she's restrained."
* * *
Ali opened the door to the interrogation room and stepped inside, closing it behind her. Henriquez's wrists were cuffed to the top of a table, which was bolted to the floor. She looked up as Ali entered, a snarl forming on her face. "So you're facing me yourself," she said, yanking at her cuffs futility. "So scared of an old woman that you had to make sure I'm cuffed before you came in?"
"I didn't want you hurting yourself," Ali replied, She pulled a chair out and turned it around, straddling the seat and resting her arms on the back. "So, you want to kill me?" she asked conversationally.
"Yes," Henriquez hissed. She yanked at her cuffs again, making them dig into her skin. "Let me out of these so I can grab you by the throat. So I can make you feel as much pain as I do when I remember my sweet boy. Do you even know who he was? Did you ever know his name before you killed him?"
"Juanito Henriquez," Ali replied. "I think he was about fourteen or fifteen. Crewmember on a family ship, the Jubiloso."
"So he lived long enough to tell you his name?" she asked. "It was his dream to fly with the rest of his father's family, to see the stars. And you murdered him, murdered his dream!"
"I didn't kill your boy," Ali said softly.
"Don't lie to me!" Henriquez shouted. "I know who you are! Bloody Margo's child hunter! Murdering the ones that resisted! Selling the rest to be slaves, or worse! When she took the Jubiloso, you killed my boy!"
"I've killed a lot of people," Ali replied. "But your Juanito wasn't one of them."
"Why should I believe that?"
"Listen to me," she said, her voice quiet and intense. "I've killed twenty-three children, and about twice that many adults in my lifetime. Whatever forgiveness I might get in this world, and I know I don't deserve any, I am still damned. When I die, my chain of sin is going to be so heavy I'm not going to be able to even move, whether I see the Mother Goddess' guiding light or not. So understand, I've got no reason to lie to you. I did not kill your son."
Henriquez blinked, tears streaming down her face. "Then tell me what happened to him."
"He died," Ali said flatly.
"I know that! How did he die? Why did he die?"
She was silent for a long moment, considering what to say. "The truth isn't going to make you very happy," Ali finally said.
"My boy is dead, and I've carried that pain for fifteen years," Henriquez cried out. "Nothing you could say would make it worse."
"Alright then,," Ali said. "Juanito was shot in the head with a plasma pistol, by Bloody Margo, after…" She caught herself, but it was too late.
"After what?" the human woman asked, her voice hollow.
She rubbed her eyes briefly, then continued. "After he sold out his own crew," Ali finally told her. "He ran into a couple of crewfolk from the Relentless, and told them the route the Jubiloso was taking to its next port of call, all for the promise of a cut of the profits. We intercepted his ship and took it. Juanito thought he was going to start a grand career as a space pirate. He should have known Margo was never going to trust anyone who started out betraying his own crew. Which she told him, right before she pulled the trigger."
"You're lying!" Henriquez screamed. "You have to be lying!"
"I'm not," Ali answered calmly. "But if it helps your grief, go ahead and think that." She pulled an electronic key from her pocket, and touched it against Henriquez's cuffs, freeing her. "You can go home now. I'll ask Lady Darktail not to press charges against you."
"Go… go home?" Henriquez asked in disbelief.
Ali nodded, and turned away, reaching towards the door.
It was no surprise at all when she heard Henriquez's anguished cry, as the woman leaped forward to attack her.
The poor human woman was no fighter. Ali turned and dodged to one side, blocking the unscientific, desperate blows with her forearms. She stepped backwards as Henriquez continued to try and connect, until the woman ran out of breath, collapsing to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Killing me, or Margo, or anyone else isn't going to help your grief," she told the woman. "Nothing will. The universe doesn't care about your pain, or mine, or my wife's, or anyone's. You just have to keep going on."
"I don't know how anymore!" Henriquez cried.
Ali reached down, taking the now unresisting woman by the hand, helping her to her feet. "Let me introduce you to my wife, Lady Salli. If you're willing to listen to her, she'll have a lot of good advice to give you."
"Murderer!" the woman shouted. "Let me see that murderer!"
Ali leaned over the desk in Greenhome Colony's main Civil Protection office, looking at the image of the ranting, middle-aged human female on the display screen, locked in the building's holding tank. "Where did she come from?" she asked the CP commander beside her.
"She arrived three days ago on a tourist ship that landed at Shore Town," the commander, a foxen like herself, told her. "The next day she took a commuter flight to Greenholme Capitol. She was arrested this morning, after attempting to bribe a clerk at the General Products store into allowing her to purchase an unlicensed plasma pistol. When questioned by the arresting officer, her reason was, I quote, 'So I can kill that little black and white monster of a pirate,' end quote." The commander gave Ali an apologetic shrug. "When she said that, I figured she could only be talking about you. Sorry."
"Well, the description is fair," Ali admitted, sitting back in a chair, as the woman continued to rant on the screen. Her past as a child soldier/slave/pirate in the service of the infamous Bloody Margo was not a secret to anyone on the colony of Greenholme. The fact that most of her atrocities had been committed when she was young cub under the threat of death herself most people took as a mitigating factor. But, obviously, not everyone. "Did she have any kind of legit ID?"
The commander opened another window on his screen, displaying a standard Allied Worlds passport, with a picture of the woman and her pertinent information. "Allison Henriquez, age fifty-three Standard. Native of Human Prime, resident of the city Buenos Aires, South American Economic Union." He looked over to Ali, ears cocked in curiosity. "Anyone you know?"
She shook her head. "Nope. Only Henriquez I knew was…" Ali stopped, brow furrowing. "Oh, Mother Goddess bless me…" she sighed.
"Problem?"
"Yes, and no." She straightened up, her expression turning grim. "Let me see her. And you might want to make sure she's restrained."
* * *
Ali opened the door to the interrogation room and stepped inside, closing it behind her. Henriquez's wrists were cuffed to the top of a table, which was bolted to the floor. She looked up as Ali entered, a snarl forming on her face. "So you're facing me yourself," she said, yanking at her cuffs futility. "So scared of an old woman that you had to make sure I'm cuffed before you came in?"
"I didn't want you hurting yourself," Ali replied, She pulled a chair out and turned it around, straddling the seat and resting her arms on the back. "So, you want to kill me?" she asked conversationally.
"Yes," Henriquez hissed. She yanked at her cuffs again, making them dig into her skin. "Let me out of these so I can grab you by the throat. So I can make you feel as much pain as I do when I remember my sweet boy. Do you even know who he was? Did you ever know his name before you killed him?"
"Juanito Henriquez," Ali replied. "I think he was about fourteen or fifteen. Crewmember on a family ship, the Jubiloso."
"So he lived long enough to tell you his name?" she asked. "It was his dream to fly with the rest of his father's family, to see the stars. And you murdered him, murdered his dream!"
"I didn't kill your boy," Ali said softly.
"Don't lie to me!" Henriquez shouted. "I know who you are! Bloody Margo's child hunter! Murdering the ones that resisted! Selling the rest to be slaves, or worse! When she took the Jubiloso, you killed my boy!"
"I've killed a lot of people," Ali replied. "But your Juanito wasn't one of them."
"Why should I believe that?"
"Listen to me," she said, her voice quiet and intense. "I've killed twenty-three children, and about twice that many adults in my lifetime. Whatever forgiveness I might get in this world, and I know I don't deserve any, I am still damned. When I die, my chain of sin is going to be so heavy I'm not going to be able to even move, whether I see the Mother Goddess' guiding light or not. So understand, I've got no reason to lie to you. I did not kill your son."
Henriquez blinked, tears streaming down her face. "Then tell me what happened to him."
"He died," Ali said flatly.
"I know that! How did he die? Why did he die?"
She was silent for a long moment, considering what to say. "The truth isn't going to make you very happy," Ali finally said.
"My boy is dead, and I've carried that pain for fifteen years," Henriquez cried out. "Nothing you could say would make it worse."
"Alright then,," Ali said. "Juanito was shot in the head with a plasma pistol, by Bloody Margo, after…" She caught herself, but it was too late.
"After what?" the human woman asked, her voice hollow.
She rubbed her eyes briefly, then continued. "After he sold out his own crew," Ali finally told her. "He ran into a couple of crewfolk from the Relentless, and told them the route the Jubiloso was taking to its next port of call, all for the promise of a cut of the profits. We intercepted his ship and took it. Juanito thought he was going to start a grand career as a space pirate. He should have known Margo was never going to trust anyone who started out betraying his own crew. Which she told him, right before she pulled the trigger."
"You're lying!" Henriquez screamed. "You have to be lying!"
"I'm not," Ali answered calmly. "But if it helps your grief, go ahead and think that." She pulled an electronic key from her pocket, and touched it against Henriquez's cuffs, freeing her. "You can go home now. I'll ask Lady Darktail not to press charges against you."
"Go… go home?" Henriquez asked in disbelief.
Ali nodded, and turned away, reaching towards the door.
It was no surprise at all when she heard Henriquez's anguished cry, as the woman leaped forward to attack her.
The poor human woman was no fighter. Ali turned and dodged to one side, blocking the unscientific, desperate blows with her forearms. She stepped backwards as Henriquez continued to try and connect, until the woman ran out of breath, collapsing to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Killing me, or Margo, or anyone else isn't going to help your grief," she told the woman. "Nothing will. The universe doesn't care about your pain, or mine, or my wife's, or anyone's. You just have to keep going on."
"I don't know how anymore!" Henriquez cried.
Ali reached down, taking the now unresisting woman by the hand, helping her to her feet. "Let me introduce you to my wife, Lady Salli. If you're willing to listen to her, she'll have a lot of good advice to give you."