Shadow of Her Sins, Chapter Five
Nov. 29th, 2013 04:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalActually got inspired to work on this a bit today, after a long dry spell. It helped that I finally firmed up a bit of the plot in my head, so I can get moving forward on firmer footing.
Edit: Now with gratuitous new Ali icon.
* * *
But eventually they had to separate. Reluctantly, Ali loosened her grip, raising her face to Salli’s. The words that she wanted to say remained locked in her throat, and she dared not utter them for fear of breaking the fragile peace her lady’s embrace had given her. If she didn’t say the words, the rejection Salli would be forced to eventually make would be, not quite as painful. Say the difference between being lanced through the stomach by a knife rather than a broadsword.
“I need to take care of the drone, milady,” she said.
“Right away? You’re certain?” Lady Salli replied.
Ali nodded. “The sooner we take care of the pirates, the sooner we can take care of… of the rest of things that must be taken care of.”
“Yes, yes of course.” Salli released her grip on Ali’s waist and took a step back, her expression carefully neutral, hiding whatever hurt Ali had just inflicted. “Return to me as soon as you can.”
For a brief moment Ali considered throwing herself at Lady Salli’s feet and bawling like a lost child, wanting to throw all of her burdens on the soul wounded Noblevixen and beg her to shield Ali from the nightmares that were haunting her. But that wouldn’t be fair to Salli. She didn’t deserve more weight to be placed across her shoulders, especially from one as unworthy as her bodyguard.
* * *
A quick call to the colony's survey office got one of the aerial drones diverted to its new assignment. The survey team leader was predictably irritated at first, but was mollified by Ali's reassurance that it was for the safety of the colony.
Her next call was to to at the security office to talk to Sergeant Longwalk, the day-to-day head of the small group of civil protection officers hired by Lady Salli to keep order in the growing colony.
“You think whoever grabbed the truck is more of a threat than the poor wretches we've picked up from Bloody Margo's old crew?” he asked, looking worried.
“They must have had a reason to steal it, knowing the kind of attention it would draw,” she told him. “I'm guessing there's more than one of them involved, and they want something heavy enough that they need the truck. I want an extra guard each shift on the skimmer pool, and the warehouses.”
“We're stretched thin as it is, ma'am,” Longwalk objected. “We need to hire more trained officers before the colony gets much bigger.”
“I'll post a notice on the colony intranet. Maybe we can find a few ex-Service folk who'd be willing to put in some time with your CP's until the crisis is resolved.”
Longwalk nodded, “That might work. I'll tell my boys and girls about their new assignment.” He scratched between his ears, looking at her. “Speaking of pirates, there've been some rumors buzzing around about you, Lady Sallivera, and that patroller that landed yesterday.” He glanced at the tracking band locked to her leg. “Looks like some of them are true.”
Ali sighed. She should have known Longwalk would have had questions. “Am I under arrest? Yes. Was I a pirate? Yes. Am I a pirate now? No. I'm certainly not in league with Bloody Margo or any of her crew. If you have any concerns beyond that, go right to Lady Salli and she'll tell you what you want to know.”
“What about the other rumor? Is that patroller really your brother?”
“I don't know whether he is or not. It doesn't matter,” Ali said.
“Should think it would matter. Quite a bit, actually.”
“It doesn't,” she repeated, trying to bite back the urge to snap at him. “I'm under arrest all the same, and it won't change the sentence if I'm found guilty.”
“As you will, ma'am.”
Ali looked him over. The male was standing very careful at, not quite, attention, ears and tail held very still. “Is it going to be a problem, working with me now?”
Longwalk seemed to consider this for a moment. “I'm an officer of the law m'self, ma'am. Puts me in an odd position you might say, taking orders from an ex-pirate.”
“If it helps, you're taking orders from Laddy Salli. I'm just the messenger.”
He nodded. “Lady Salli trusts you then?”
“With her life, as little as I might deserve it.”
The sergeant, a veteran at least fifteen years older than herself, snapped off a salute. “Then milady's will be done then.”
Ali returned it, feeling awkward and wanting to be as far from this bastion of the law as possible. “Thank you, Sergeant. Let me know immediately if your CP's find anything.”
“Will do, ma'am.”
Edit: Now with gratuitous new Ali icon.
* * *
But eventually they had to separate. Reluctantly, Ali loosened her grip, raising her face to Salli’s. The words that she wanted to say remained locked in her throat, and she dared not utter them for fear of breaking the fragile peace her lady’s embrace had given her. If she didn’t say the words, the rejection Salli would be forced to eventually make would be, not quite as painful. Say the difference between being lanced through the stomach by a knife rather than a broadsword.
“I need to take care of the drone, milady,” she said.
“Right away? You’re certain?” Lady Salli replied.
Ali nodded. “The sooner we take care of the pirates, the sooner we can take care of… of the rest of things that must be taken care of.”
“Yes, yes of course.” Salli released her grip on Ali’s waist and took a step back, her expression carefully neutral, hiding whatever hurt Ali had just inflicted. “Return to me as soon as you can.”
For a brief moment Ali considered throwing herself at Lady Salli’s feet and bawling like a lost child, wanting to throw all of her burdens on the soul wounded Noblevixen and beg her to shield Ali from the nightmares that were haunting her. But that wouldn’t be fair to Salli. She didn’t deserve more weight to be placed across her shoulders, especially from one as unworthy as her bodyguard.
* * *
A quick call to the colony's survey office got one of the aerial drones diverted to its new assignment. The survey team leader was predictably irritated at first, but was mollified by Ali's reassurance that it was for the safety of the colony.
Her next call was to to at the security office to talk to Sergeant Longwalk, the day-to-day head of the small group of civil protection officers hired by Lady Salli to keep order in the growing colony.
“You think whoever grabbed the truck is more of a threat than the poor wretches we've picked up from Bloody Margo's old crew?” he asked, looking worried.
“They must have had a reason to steal it, knowing the kind of attention it would draw,” she told him. “I'm guessing there's more than one of them involved, and they want something heavy enough that they need the truck. I want an extra guard each shift on the skimmer pool, and the warehouses.”
“We're stretched thin as it is, ma'am,” Longwalk objected. “We need to hire more trained officers before the colony gets much bigger.”
“I'll post a notice on the colony intranet. Maybe we can find a few ex-Service folk who'd be willing to put in some time with your CP's until the crisis is resolved.”
Longwalk nodded, “That might work. I'll tell my boys and girls about their new assignment.” He scratched between his ears, looking at her. “Speaking of pirates, there've been some rumors buzzing around about you, Lady Sallivera, and that patroller that landed yesterday.” He glanced at the tracking band locked to her leg. “Looks like some of them are true.”
Ali sighed. She should have known Longwalk would have had questions. “Am I under arrest? Yes. Was I a pirate? Yes. Am I a pirate now? No. I'm certainly not in league with Bloody Margo or any of her crew. If you have any concerns beyond that, go right to Lady Salli and she'll tell you what you want to know.”
“What about the other rumor? Is that patroller really your brother?”
“I don't know whether he is or not. It doesn't matter,” Ali said.
“Should think it would matter. Quite a bit, actually.”
“It doesn't,” she repeated, trying to bite back the urge to snap at him. “I'm under arrest all the same, and it won't change the sentence if I'm found guilty.”
“As you will, ma'am.”
Ali looked him over. The male was standing very careful at, not quite, attention, ears and tail held very still. “Is it going to be a problem, working with me now?”
Longwalk seemed to consider this for a moment. “I'm an officer of the law m'self, ma'am. Puts me in an odd position you might say, taking orders from an ex-pirate.”
“If it helps, you're taking orders from Laddy Salli. I'm just the messenger.”
He nodded. “Lady Salli trusts you then?”
“With her life, as little as I might deserve it.”
The sergeant, a veteran at least fifteen years older than herself, snapped off a salute. “Then milady's will be done then.”
Ali returned it, feeling awkward and wanting to be as far from this bastion of the law as possible. “Thank you, Sergeant. Let me know immediately if your CP's find anything.”
“Will do, ma'am.”
