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jeriendhalNote: Salli is not happy about this situation...
* * *
“This is impertinent, outrageous, intolerable!” Lady Salli shouted, split skirts swirling as she paced back and forth across the pavilion. “You dare to arrest my liege-sworn servant in my domain! After being invited to be my guest no less!”
“I am obligated to follow the law,” Commander Blacksailor said stiffly. “I'm not permitted to pick and choose which bits to pay attention to.”
Ali sat between them on one of the hassocks, shoulders hunched down, listening as they continued to argue.
“Don't wave The Law about, as if it were the same thing as Justice. Where was The Law when Ali's family, your family, was murdered? Where was The Law when she was enslaved and forced to kill or be killed?”
Goaded, Blacksailor snapped, “Cold and Dark, I'm not happy about this either! But I have an obligation to follow the oath I took when I became a Patroller. Would you see me forsworn?”
“She's your sister!”
“I know that!”
“Lady Salli,” Ali said, breaking into a brief pause in the argument, “you knew I was a pirate when you swore me to your service. You knew I had blood on my paws.”
“She admitted to engaging in acts of piracy in front of an Allied Worlds Patrol officer,” Blacksailor added. “In the eyes of Stellar Law and Patrol procedure that's more than enough evidence to arrest and try her on.”
“Damn procedure... No, here's a procedure for you,” Lady Salli said triumphantly. “As Governor General of Greenholme, I hereby refuse any request to extradite Alinadar for trial. You want to take her off world, you'll have to get the Council of Countesses to either overrule me or strip me of my office first.”
“That's your privilege, Governor Sallivera,” Blacksailor replied coolly. “But as the ranking Patrol Officer on this world, it is my duty to conduct the trial here then.”
“She's your sister, isn't that a clear conflict of interest?”
“I'm sworn to provide impartial justice, irregardless of other factors. Though given the extreme circumstances, I'll have to confirm this with my superiors.”
“And I will consult with my solicitor,” Lady Salli replied. “I think that will be all for now.”
Blacksailor straightened his shoulders, looking like he was regretting his next words. “Not quite. I'm afraid I'll have to require that Miss Blacksailor be secured until her trial, on the grounds of being a flight risk.”
“We don't even have a jail here to put her in,” Lady Salli pointed out. “There are less than two thousand foxen here, mostly on the construction teams prepping the facilities before full scale colonization begins. Furthermore, Ali is my bodyguard. I can't do without her.”
“Duly noted.” Blacksailor paused, rubbed his head between ears, as if he was getting a headache. “Damnation. Fine. She may have access to one and only one weapon, a stunner. The rest of her arsenal will have to be secured.”
“I have a lockable weapons cabinet,” Ali said softly. “I can set it so only Commander Blacksailor can unlock it.”
“That would be acceptable,” he said to her. “Though if you're going to be walking around, I'm required to take steps to make sure you don't flee.”
“No chains,” Lady Salli said fiercely. “No chains, no collar, no cuffs. Not on Ali, not ever again.”
Blacksailor looked taken aback. “An indenture cuff is standard procedure for prisoners...”
“NO CHAINS!” Lady Salli shouted. “Not on her! Not ever again!”
Ali finally stood up, keeping herself between Blacksailor and Lady Salli, especially since the latter looked about ready to go for the Patroller's throat. “Milady, it'll be all right. I don't mind.”
“I do,” Lady Salli growled, but didn't intervene as Blacksailor took a flexible orange composite cuff about a centimeter in width from his pocket.
“I'm sorry,” he muttered, as he knelt in front of Ali. He snapped the cuff snugly around her left leg. “There,” he said, standing up again. “Only myself or another Patrol officer may remove that cuff without triggering an alarm. Should you travel more than a kilometer from me, it will start beeping loudly. Move two or more, and it'll emit a stunner charge that will paralyze your legs.”
“When may it be removed?” Lady Salli demanded.
“At the conclusion of her trial,” Blacksailor said gravely. “That may not be for several weeks. I strongly advise you to arrange for a defense attorney to consult with you both before then.”
“We intend to,” Lady Salli said coolly, having finally regained her composure, though her anger still smouldered under her polite words. “For now, leave us.”
Ali unholstered her plasma pistol and knives, keeping her stunner, multi-tool and weighted gloves. Blacksailor cradled the arsenal awkwardly in his arms, along with the key to Ali's weapons cabinet.
“Ali, I'm sorry... This isn't how I ever imagined this day would go,” he said miserably.
“I know,” she said. He nodded, then turned and left, head lowered, not daring to look back.
“Impertinent, stiff-necked, Military caste bastard,” Lady Salli swore, as angry as Ali had ever seen her. She tried not to shudder. Even at her most upset, Lady Salli could never match one of Bloody Margo's murderous rages.
“Milady, he's just doing his job,” Ali said, sitting down again on the hassock. “I don't think he's really happy about it.” She kicked her leg, feeling the weight of the indenture band.
“How can you be so calm?” Lady Salli asked. “You should be crying, or screaming. You found your brother and the same day he threatens to imprison you for the rest of your life.”
“I don't... feel... much of anything right now,” Ali said slowly. “Maybe later. I just feel numb right now.”
Lady Salli took a deep breath. “Yes, well I can imagine this day has been a bit of a shock.” She knelt down beside Ali, gathering her up in a hug, paw stroking the back of the younger vixen's head. “I promise, I will make this right, Ali. I won't let them take you from me.”
Ali snuggled into the embrace, feeling her ears heat up in embarrassment despite her distress. Being held in Salli's arms like this was something she'd been dreaming about for almost a year now. “I'm a pirate, milady,” she murmured into Salli's shoulder. “Always have been. This had to happen someday.”
“It isn't fair.”
“Wasn't fair to all the people I hurt either.”
Salli's fingers tightened in the ruff of Ali's neck fur. “Alinadar, you are not going to simply roll over and let yourself be imprisoned. We are going to fight this. I'm going to contact my House's solicitor and get her started building your defense right away.”
“Thank you, milady,” Ali said.
“Promise you won't do anything suicidally stupid either, like when you tried to take on Bloody Margo's crew all by yourself.”
“I promise, milady.”
Lady Salli's nose rubbed her cheek briefly. “Just Salli, please.”
Ali nodded, then suddenly burst into tears, sobbing into Salli's shoulder.
* * *
“This is impertinent, outrageous, intolerable!” Lady Salli shouted, split skirts swirling as she paced back and forth across the pavilion. “You dare to arrest my liege-sworn servant in my domain! After being invited to be my guest no less!”
“I am obligated to follow the law,” Commander Blacksailor said stiffly. “I'm not permitted to pick and choose which bits to pay attention to.”
Ali sat between them on one of the hassocks, shoulders hunched down, listening as they continued to argue.
“Don't wave The Law about, as if it were the same thing as Justice. Where was The Law when Ali's family, your family, was murdered? Where was The Law when she was enslaved and forced to kill or be killed?”
Goaded, Blacksailor snapped, “Cold and Dark, I'm not happy about this either! But I have an obligation to follow the oath I took when I became a Patroller. Would you see me forsworn?”
“She's your sister!”
“I know that!”
“Lady Salli,” Ali said, breaking into a brief pause in the argument, “you knew I was a pirate when you swore me to your service. You knew I had blood on my paws.”
“She admitted to engaging in acts of piracy in front of an Allied Worlds Patrol officer,” Blacksailor added. “In the eyes of Stellar Law and Patrol procedure that's more than enough evidence to arrest and try her on.”
“Damn procedure... No, here's a procedure for you,” Lady Salli said triumphantly. “As Governor General of Greenholme, I hereby refuse any request to extradite Alinadar for trial. You want to take her off world, you'll have to get the Council of Countesses to either overrule me or strip me of my office first.”
“That's your privilege, Governor Sallivera,” Blacksailor replied coolly. “But as the ranking Patrol Officer on this world, it is my duty to conduct the trial here then.”
“She's your sister, isn't that a clear conflict of interest?”
“I'm sworn to provide impartial justice, irregardless of other factors. Though given the extreme circumstances, I'll have to confirm this with my superiors.”
“And I will consult with my solicitor,” Lady Salli replied. “I think that will be all for now.”
Blacksailor straightened his shoulders, looking like he was regretting his next words. “Not quite. I'm afraid I'll have to require that Miss Blacksailor be secured until her trial, on the grounds of being a flight risk.”
“We don't even have a jail here to put her in,” Lady Salli pointed out. “There are less than two thousand foxen here, mostly on the construction teams prepping the facilities before full scale colonization begins. Furthermore, Ali is my bodyguard. I can't do without her.”
“Duly noted.” Blacksailor paused, rubbed his head between ears, as if he was getting a headache. “Damnation. Fine. She may have access to one and only one weapon, a stunner. The rest of her arsenal will have to be secured.”
“I have a lockable weapons cabinet,” Ali said softly. “I can set it so only Commander Blacksailor can unlock it.”
“That would be acceptable,” he said to her. “Though if you're going to be walking around, I'm required to take steps to make sure you don't flee.”
“No chains,” Lady Salli said fiercely. “No chains, no collar, no cuffs. Not on Ali, not ever again.”
Blacksailor looked taken aback. “An indenture cuff is standard procedure for prisoners...”
“NO CHAINS!” Lady Salli shouted. “Not on her! Not ever again!”
Ali finally stood up, keeping herself between Blacksailor and Lady Salli, especially since the latter looked about ready to go for the Patroller's throat. “Milady, it'll be all right. I don't mind.”
“I do,” Lady Salli growled, but didn't intervene as Blacksailor took a flexible orange composite cuff about a centimeter in width from his pocket.
“I'm sorry,” he muttered, as he knelt in front of Ali. He snapped the cuff snugly around her left leg. “There,” he said, standing up again. “Only myself or another Patrol officer may remove that cuff without triggering an alarm. Should you travel more than a kilometer from me, it will start beeping loudly. Move two or more, and it'll emit a stunner charge that will paralyze your legs.”
“When may it be removed?” Lady Salli demanded.
“At the conclusion of her trial,” Blacksailor said gravely. “That may not be for several weeks. I strongly advise you to arrange for a defense attorney to consult with you both before then.”
“We intend to,” Lady Salli said coolly, having finally regained her composure, though her anger still smouldered under her polite words. “For now, leave us.”
Ali unholstered her plasma pistol and knives, keeping her stunner, multi-tool and weighted gloves. Blacksailor cradled the arsenal awkwardly in his arms, along with the key to Ali's weapons cabinet.
“Ali, I'm sorry... This isn't how I ever imagined this day would go,” he said miserably.
“I know,” she said. He nodded, then turned and left, head lowered, not daring to look back.
“Impertinent, stiff-necked, Military caste bastard,” Lady Salli swore, as angry as Ali had ever seen her. She tried not to shudder. Even at her most upset, Lady Salli could never match one of Bloody Margo's murderous rages.
“Milady, he's just doing his job,” Ali said, sitting down again on the hassock. “I don't think he's really happy about it.” She kicked her leg, feeling the weight of the indenture band.
“How can you be so calm?” Lady Salli asked. “You should be crying, or screaming. You found your brother and the same day he threatens to imprison you for the rest of your life.”
“I don't... feel... much of anything right now,” Ali said slowly. “Maybe later. I just feel numb right now.”
Lady Salli took a deep breath. “Yes, well I can imagine this day has been a bit of a shock.” She knelt down beside Ali, gathering her up in a hug, paw stroking the back of the younger vixen's head. “I promise, I will make this right, Ali. I won't let them take you from me.”
Ali snuggled into the embrace, feeling her ears heat up in embarrassment despite her distress. Being held in Salli's arms like this was something she'd been dreaming about for almost a year now. “I'm a pirate, milady,” she murmured into Salli's shoulder. “Always have been. This had to happen someday.”
“It isn't fair.”
“Wasn't fair to all the people I hurt either.”
Salli's fingers tightened in the ruff of Ali's neck fur. “Alinadar, you are not going to simply roll over and let yourself be imprisoned. We are going to fight this. I'm going to contact my House's solicitor and get her started building your defense right away.”
“Thank you, milady,” Ali said.
“Promise you won't do anything suicidally stupid either, like when you tried to take on Bloody Margo's crew all by yourself.”
“I promise, milady.”
Lady Salli's nose rubbed her cheek briefly. “Just Salli, please.”
Ali nodded, then suddenly burst into tears, sobbing into Salli's shoulder.
