Royce's Random Thoughts

Just a reminder: To celebrate the release of Shadow of Her Sins, part four of the Red Vixen Adventures, the previous titles Captive of the Red Vixen and Shadow of the Red Vixen are available at Amazon.com the week of 2/14 through 2/20 for the reduced price $1.99, a 34% savings off their regular price!

In the process of doing a final run through on the edits, and I'm wondering if I should add chapter titles. Previously in CotRV and SoftRV I put in one word titles, usually along a theme (CotRV went through the Stage of Grief for example). This time i didn't for whatever reason, and I'm debating whether I want to or not jsut stay consistent within the series.

Suggestions would be welcome. Summary of the salient plot details per chapter....

Chapter One: Ali wakes up from bad dreams, and very unexpectantly is reunited with her brother.

Chapter Two: Ali is very upset and confused about finding a brother. Who then arrests her

Chapter Three: Salli is very upset on Ali's behalf. Ali has a tracking beacon locked on her ankle.

Chapter Four: Lady Melanie is a bit of weasel when confronted about her responsibility for getting Ali into this mess. Ali investigates the theft of a truck and figures out it was pirates. Ali and Salli hug

Chapter Five: Ali reports things to the local law office. Then her brother finally convinces her that they're actually related thanks to one of her dollies that he'd kept all these years. Salli comforts her, and they finally make love.

Chapter Six: Ali wakes up the next morning very happy. They plan the raid on the pirate encampment, for whom Ali has remarkably little sympathy for.

Chapter Seven: The raid. Things go to pieces quickly as the colony is attacked while they're away. Ali returns to find Salli has been kidnapped by Bloody Margo.

Chapter Eight: Salli's POV. She meets Bloody Margo face to face for the first time. Ali arrives and revealsher Dread Past. Margo is finally captured.

Chapter Nine: THe rest of Ali's family arrives. She goes public with her relationship with Salli.

Chapter Ten: Ali's trial.

“Like I told you before, everything will be fine,” Lady Melanie told Ali and Salli, as their luggage was carried aboard the freighter. “Rolas and I will keep an eye on things here for you, while you travel back to Foxen Prime to get your eye replaced. After everything you've both been through I'd hope you would want to take time to relax.”

Ali shouldered her carryall, watching with a smile on her face as Lady Melanie talked to them A week after her trial had concluded, they were finally ready to head back to the homeworld, Salli to get her cybernetic eye replaced, and Ali to meet the rest of her family, which to her surprise she found herself looking forward to. Aunt Razi and the rest of the family horde hadn't seemed to care about her crimes when they had been revealed, being more concerned with her avoiding prison, when they weren't berating poor Lu for getting her arrested in the first place.

Salli, now wearing a sporty eye patch over her empty socket, shook her head. “I fully intend to relax, once I've got binocular vision again. I just don't want you changing anything. The colony's development plan was very carefully thought out, thank you, by the best consultants I could hire.”

“You know perfectly well that if I tried, Rolas would start glowering at me. I'll respect your planning,” Lady Melanie said with a laugh. “Where do you think you'll go once you get your eye fixed?” a few days at my parent's home. As our domain's countess, I'm going ask her to marry Ali and I.”

Lady Melanie beamed, and she hugged them both. “Oh, that's wonderful! I'll get started planning the wedding for you when you return with the Countess.”

“That won't be necessary. We're going to do it right at home, in a little civil ceremony.”

Lady Melanie's jaw dropped open. “You can't do that!”

Salli's eyebrow arched. “Oh, why not?”

“It's a wedding. You should do it properly! With a dress, and a party, and a ceremony... and... and... you can't do while I'm, I mean Rolas, is stuck here!”

“I already had one fancy wedding, that was enough,” Salli said firmly. “I'll send you a vid.”

“What about you, Ali?” she demanded.

“I'm fine with it,” Ali said, her smile widening into a grin. “I'm not big on frills.”

“But!”

“Goodbye, Melanie,” Salli said. They both gave Lady Melanie a wave as the freighter's cargo doors shut, cutting off further protests.

Ali shook her head, as they turned and headed up the gangway to the passenger quarters. “That was cruel, Salli.”

“She'll get over it. Besides, I actually do want to have a bit of ceremony when we return, it'll help to mark the opening of Greenholme to permanent colonists.”

“Oh, good idea!” Ali paused, thinking. “Um, when were you planning to tell her that?”

“After we arrive at Foxen Prime. Until then, she can just stew.”

They reached their quarters, and Ali pulled out her hand scanner, going over the walls, bunks and dresser to ascertain there were no bugs or bombs.

“You don't have to do that. I might have tweaked Melanie's tail a bit, but I doubt she'll sabotage our quarters,” Salli told her.

Ali snapped her scanner shut. “My job.” She rose on her tip toes to kiss Salli's nose. “I'll always watch over you.”

“I know.” Salli's expression darkened slightly. “You're all right with marrying me, aren't you?”

Ali cocked her head, wondering where this was going. “Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?”

Salli rubbed her nose nervously. “I don't want you to feel like I'm tying you down. It's bad enough that you're joined to the hip with me anyway with that damnable sentence.”

“I'm all right with it,” Ali reassured her.

“I'm not. Perhaps in a year or two when things have had a chance to calm down, we can bring the matter to court again, and see if we can have it rescinded due on good behavior.”

“Maybe.” Ali took her gently by the shoulders and sat her on the bed. “Look, I love you. I want to marry you, okay?”

“All right, I'm sorry.” Salli lay back on her bunk, looking up at the ceiling. “So what do you do on a freighter with no real passenger amenities for a week anyway?”

Ali unbuckled her gun belt and set it on the table, and then began undoing the buttons of her waistcoat, her smile returning. “Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something.”

[Poll #1954263]

Meanwhile the evaluator's goal, as they explained to Ali, was to see if it could be proven that she was not in a sensible state of mind at the time she committed her crimes. Which meant she had to answer a lot of questions, for hours on end.

“I know what I did. Why do I have to keep explaining it to him?” Ali had demanded to Salli.

“Are his questions upsetting you?” she asked.

“Yes. No. I mean, it's not the questions themselves. I know what I did, and that it was wrong. It's just...”

“What?”

“I hate the damned look on his face. Like I was a victim, not the people I hurt!”

“Ali...” The look on Salli's own face seemed to indicate she wanted to say more, but instead she merely gathered Ali up in her arms and held her tight.

( The Trial )

Courtesy of Naziha Zahed as usual. She's having a bit of trouble with Lu's posing there, but expcts to have it firmed up next go round.

Notes: I'm not entirely happy with this scene. It took several days to write and is extremely disjointed, dealing with too many plot points and not enough emotional reaction. But it is what it is, at least until I can look at it more closely and revise it into something better.

* * *

After calling up a pair of ground vans to carry Aunt Razi and company to the medical center, Ali went with Lady Melanie and Lord Rolas the housing unit. They found Salli sitting back in a padded recliner in the living room, her eye socket cleaned and covered in gauze, and arguing with Lu.

“The colony is in crisis,” she told him sharply, as Ali and the others entered. “You cannot expect me to just sit here while my people need me!”

Lu ran his paw over his head fur. “Look, you just got out of the medical center and you're half-stoned on painkillers. You need to lie back and rest. Ali is taking care of everything.”

“Ali needs me as well, especially now. She's already stressed out enough thanks to you.”

Lord Rolas coughed to announce them, then said, “She seems to be doing all right so far, all things considered.”

Salli broke off from her argument, looking up at them in surprise. “Rolas, Melanie, what are you doing here?”

( Making an offer Ali easily refuses )

Ali held on tight to Salli's paw when the medics finally arrived, easing the noblevixen onto a back board and setting a cervical collar around her neck when she described being kicked in the chest and knocked over by Lady Margo. It turned out that had left her with a hairline crack in her breastbone and a mild concussion, and medics treated her very carefully after that, mindful of post-stunner complications. Her brother and the Marine lieutenant were both for taking Salli up into orbit to be treated in the destroyer's sickbay, but the noblevixen was having none of that, especially after bullying a headcount of the colony's casualties out of them. Eighteen colonists had died, most of them caught in the crossfire in the defense of the Governor's Mansion, with two score more suffering injuries of various severity.

( Family Matters )

There was a chime at Margo's belt, and she pulled out her com, snapping, “Lady Margo!” She listened for a moment then replied, “Very well. Make sure the perimeter is secure. I don't want any surprises sneaking up on us.” She let up her foot from Salli's chest, grabbing the metal chair and hauling it back upright. “You're lucky, looks like my ride is here.”

Salli heard the whine of thrusters as what sounded like a ship landed right outside in the central courtyard. There was a long silence, and the door at the front of the hall opened, admitting a small foxen figure, Ali.

( Ali's Betrayal )