Fic: Shadow of Her Sins, Chapter Two
Aug. 18th, 2013 06:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalChapter One
“Sorry, what?” Ali did push him away then, taking a step back herself and resting her paw on the butt of her holstered stunner. Blacksailor looked at her, his face filled with hurt and confusion, while behind him Lady Salli rose up from her hassock, eyes wide with surprise.
“Please, Ali. Don't be frightened. I know this is surprising, but I'm really your brother,” he said.
“You're cracked,” Ali declared, her finger tugging loose the holster strap for her stunner. “Look, my family was murdered by pirates, by Bloody Margo herself.”
Blacksailor took a deep breath, then said softly, “So was mine.”
“Alinadar, get your paw off your weapon,” Lady Salli said firmly, breaking through Ali's shock. She gestured to the hassock. “I think you both need to sit down while Commander Blacksailor explains himself.”
Ali sat down with a thump, feeling unbalanced, shaky, unsure whether to fight or flee. Blacksailor looked equally shocked, as if nothing was going as he'd scripted it.
“I think you should start at the beginning, Commander Blacksillor,” Lady Salli advised.
“Yes, milady.” Blacksailor curled his tail across his lap, kneading it with his paws. “My family were independent merchants, a ship clan, traveling between worlds to trade.”
Pirate fodder basically, Ali prudently didn't point out. Lacking the backing of a foxen noble House, depending on cargo speculation to make ends meet, such ships typically had to travel less heavily trafficked and therefore less heavily patrolled routes. Bloody Margo had taken dozens of similar ships in her career.
“I grew up in our family's ship, born and raised there. When I reached ten years old though, my parents sent to live with a groundsider aunt on Foxen Prime, to get proper schooling, not just from a VR comp.
“I hadnt been in school for a month before a Patrol office came to my aunt's door with the news. My family's ship had been attacked. The Patrol found what was left of and the bodies of my mother, father, grandmother, older sister and brother, all dead.” He paused. “My little sister though... They didn't find her body. The pirates had fried the flight recorder, so the Patrol couldn't say what had happened to her, but...”
He was twisting his tail so hard now it had to hurt, but Blacksailor just went on. “With no body, I couldn't help but think that maybe she had survived. I could think of a dozen or more scenarios where it would have been possible. She'd hidden herself and been rescued by a passing ship after the pirates had left. She'd been captured and enslaved. She'd been captured and sold. Captured and...” His voice caught in his throat.
“Is that why you joined the Patrol?” Lady Salli asked, filling the awkward silence as Blacksailor composed himself.
“Yes,” he said, clearing is throat. “I wanted to find her. I wanted to kill every pirate I could find. Eventually I was taught how much more satisfying justice could be, but it took a while.”
“And now it appears you did find her,” Lady Salli said, then added mildly, “An extraordinary coincidence.”
“Not quite a coincidence,” he said. “I know the defeat of Bloody Margo was a news for maybe a few days on the infonet, but in the Patrol it was celebrated. We'd been hunting her for decades. Everyone one was looking at the deposition you'd made when the Foxen Navy showed up, Lady Sallivera. But when I saw the evidence photos of Ali... Miss, er, Waterfarmer...” He turned back towards Ali. “Even shaved I could see your eyes and what was left of your colors and fur pattern matched my Alinadar. Plus, your age was right, your name was right. When the assignment came to set up an office here, I begged my CO to give it to me. And now...” He let go of his tail. “I remembered our mother letting me get your scent the day after your were born. You don't forget memories like that. That's how I knew it was you, Alinadar. My sister, lost for twenty years. But now I've found you. Now we're a family again.”
“No!” Ali shot back. “Listen, I'm sorry you lost your family, but that has nothing to do with me. All of my family are dead.” She stood up suddenly from her seat. “All of them!”
“Ali,” Lady Salli began carefully, “the evidence seems very compelling.”
“It's all smoke and air!” Ali shouted. 'I don't have a brother! I don't have anyone.”
She turned and ran out of the pavilion, ignoring a double shout of, “Ali, wait!”
TBC
“Sorry, what?” Ali did push him away then, taking a step back herself and resting her paw on the butt of her holstered stunner. Blacksailor looked at her, his face filled with hurt and confusion, while behind him Lady Salli rose up from her hassock, eyes wide with surprise.
“Please, Ali. Don't be frightened. I know this is surprising, but I'm really your brother,” he said.
“You're cracked,” Ali declared, her finger tugging loose the holster strap for her stunner. “Look, my family was murdered by pirates, by Bloody Margo herself.”
Blacksailor took a deep breath, then said softly, “So was mine.”
“Alinadar, get your paw off your weapon,” Lady Salli said firmly, breaking through Ali's shock. She gestured to the hassock. “I think you both need to sit down while Commander Blacksailor explains himself.”
Ali sat down with a thump, feeling unbalanced, shaky, unsure whether to fight or flee. Blacksailor looked equally shocked, as if nothing was going as he'd scripted it.
“I think you should start at the beginning, Commander Blacksillor,” Lady Salli advised.
“Yes, milady.” Blacksailor curled his tail across his lap, kneading it with his paws. “My family were independent merchants, a ship clan, traveling between worlds to trade.”
Pirate fodder basically, Ali prudently didn't point out. Lacking the backing of a foxen noble House, depending on cargo speculation to make ends meet, such ships typically had to travel less heavily trafficked and therefore less heavily patrolled routes. Bloody Margo had taken dozens of similar ships in her career.
“I grew up in our family's ship, born and raised there. When I reached ten years old though, my parents sent to live with a groundsider aunt on Foxen Prime, to get proper schooling, not just from a VR comp.
“I hadnt been in school for a month before a Patrol office came to my aunt's door with the news. My family's ship had been attacked. The Patrol found what was left of and the bodies of my mother, father, grandmother, older sister and brother, all dead.” He paused. “My little sister though... They didn't find her body. The pirates had fried the flight recorder, so the Patrol couldn't say what had happened to her, but...”
He was twisting his tail so hard now it had to hurt, but Blacksailor just went on. “With no body, I couldn't help but think that maybe she had survived. I could think of a dozen or more scenarios where it would have been possible. She'd hidden herself and been rescued by a passing ship after the pirates had left. She'd been captured and enslaved. She'd been captured and sold. Captured and...” His voice caught in his throat.
“Is that why you joined the Patrol?” Lady Salli asked, filling the awkward silence as Blacksailor composed himself.
“Yes,” he said, clearing is throat. “I wanted to find her. I wanted to kill every pirate I could find. Eventually I was taught how much more satisfying justice could be, but it took a while.”
“And now it appears you did find her,” Lady Salli said, then added mildly, “An extraordinary coincidence.”
“Not quite a coincidence,” he said. “I know the defeat of Bloody Margo was a news for maybe a few days on the infonet, but in the Patrol it was celebrated. We'd been hunting her for decades. Everyone one was looking at the deposition you'd made when the Foxen Navy showed up, Lady Sallivera. But when I saw the evidence photos of Ali... Miss, er, Waterfarmer...” He turned back towards Ali. “Even shaved I could see your eyes and what was left of your colors and fur pattern matched my Alinadar. Plus, your age was right, your name was right. When the assignment came to set up an office here, I begged my CO to give it to me. And now...” He let go of his tail. “I remembered our mother letting me get your scent the day after your were born. You don't forget memories like that. That's how I knew it was you, Alinadar. My sister, lost for twenty years. But now I've found you. Now we're a family again.”
“No!” Ali shot back. “Listen, I'm sorry you lost your family, but that has nothing to do with me. All of my family are dead.” She stood up suddenly from her seat. “All of them!”
“Ali,” Lady Salli began carefully, “the evidence seems very compelling.”
“It's all smoke and air!” Ali shouted. 'I don't have a brother! I don't have anyone.”
She turned and ran out of the pavilion, ignoring a double shout of, “Ali, wait!”
TBC
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-08-19 07:54 am (UTC)Probably should be "... my parents sent me to live..."
Aside from that... I can understand Blacksailor's eagerness to reconnect with the sister he thought lost, but you'd think the Patrol teaches its officers to be at least a /little/ more tactful than this...
no subject
Date: 2013-08-19 08:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-19 08:44 am (UTC)Also, a small collection of typos that have sneaked into the chapter behind your back:
"at the beginning, Commander Blacksillor,” Lady Salli advised"
" “I hadnt been in school for a month before a Patrol office came"
"get your scent the day after your were born."
no subject
Date: 2013-08-19 09:33 am (UTC)Ali's life sucked, basically.