The Red Vixen
Jun. 13th, 2008 07:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalThis is the last I'm saying on this particular subject.
Really.
It was all her nitwit brother Marcus' fault, really. It was bad enough when Melika discovered that he started borrowing from the farm's accounts to pay for his gambling habit. It was worse when she confronted him over this and discovered he's also given the nav and security details of a Softpaw produce freighter to a known pirate, in return for forgiveness on one of his debts.
Outraged, she was on the verge of notifying the GSA navy of where they could expect to find a nice juicy pirate to catch, when she decided to start running some numbers. It seemed inconceivable to her that any pirate could turn a profit doing what they did, given the cost in weapons and the potential hazards. So she did a cost benefit analysis, to show Marcus how much more sensible it was to just stick with farming.
The results were... interesting.
As it turned out, Melika found that piracy could be very profitable. Assuming of course, that you did it right. And the more she thought about it, the more appealing the idea was. Why should her nere-do-well brother be the one who got to enjoy life, while she did all the work?
A few discrete inquiries gave her an audience with the pirate her brother had sold out their freighter to. After some friendly negotiations and a generous payout, the pirate turned his ship and crew over to Melika. Some dye to hide her fur pattern, contacts to change her eye color, perfume to mask her scent and a couple of really outrageous outfits that proper Lady Softpaw wouldn't be caught dead in, and The Red Vixen, Scourge of the Spaceways (tm) * was born.
Which isn't to say there haven't been a few bumps along the way. There was of course an unfortunate shaking out period where shespaced removed some stubborn crewfolk who couldn't wrap their heads around the idea that they had to use stunners when boarding now and ravaging their victims was right out. Finding replacements was easy though, especially when word of her generous profit sharing agreement and health benefits plan got around.
It's been a fun ride so far. Most of the merchants she hits are unarmed and she has a reputation for mercy, so they're happy more often than not to heave to and let themselves be stripped of cargo, picking up a fat insurance cheque later. Melika has also been careful to avoid the more unsavory aspects of the business, staying clear of drug smuggling, slave trading or the nastier sorts of pornography. She's also kept the League of Pirate Warlords at arms length, staying well clear of their territory and careful not to encroach on their businesses.
She does tend to indulge in a bit of kidnapping now and again, taking high value targets for ransom.* * That's how she met her husband Rolas actually. After finding out that the original price she'd put on his head was out of his family's reach, the Lady Softpaw generously intervened, providing the money needed to pay off that horrible pirate and earning Rolas' eternal gratitude. When she revealed her secret identity to him, the poor fellow was already hopelessly in love and perfectly willing to turn a blind eye to her activities. He's also turned out to be a good husband for their children, watching them during the times when Mummy is away on one of her "business trips."
Also working in her favor has been that the GSA has had bigger fish to fry than chase her. But with Mavra Chan now confirmed dead and her once formidable pirate fleet in disarray, their attentions may be turning to the Red Vixen soon. On the other hand it's also a chance for her to expand her own territory. And the idea of taking down some of the nastier pirate remaining, the ones that make even the mighty Red Vixen's hairs stand on end, has a lot of appeal.
Oh, as for her brother Marcus, he's been cut completely out of operations at their family farm and given a stipend generous enough to keep him in all the beer and toys he could want. With the warning that if he ever even thinks about stepping out of line, his big sister will stomp him flat. His wife, meanwhile, after Melika presented her with enough evidence to convince her that she'd married a moron, has been content to keep a separate household for her and their children. Otherwise she divides her time between the farm and the new investment opportunity her sister-in-law has offered her.
What? You didn't think the Red Vixen (tm) could run an operation this big by herself, did you?
* redvix@pyratesroyale.com, merchandising inquires welcome.
** Mind you, she's a very nice kidnapper. She never takes young children and the cells she keeps her victims in are roomy and comfortably furnished. There's even tea available.
Really.
It was all her nitwit brother Marcus' fault, really. It was bad enough when Melika discovered that he started borrowing from the farm's accounts to pay for his gambling habit. It was worse when she confronted him over this and discovered he's also given the nav and security details of a Softpaw produce freighter to a known pirate, in return for forgiveness on one of his debts.
Outraged, she was on the verge of notifying the GSA navy of where they could expect to find a nice juicy pirate to catch, when she decided to start running some numbers. It seemed inconceivable to her that any pirate could turn a profit doing what they did, given the cost in weapons and the potential hazards. So she did a cost benefit analysis, to show Marcus how much more sensible it was to just stick with farming.
The results were... interesting.
As it turned out, Melika found that piracy could be very profitable. Assuming of course, that you did it right. And the more she thought about it, the more appealing the idea was. Why should her nere-do-well brother be the one who got to enjoy life, while she did all the work?
A few discrete inquiries gave her an audience with the pirate her brother had sold out their freighter to. After some friendly negotiations and a generous payout, the pirate turned his ship and crew over to Melika. Some dye to hide her fur pattern, contacts to change her eye color, perfume to mask her scent and a couple of really outrageous outfits that proper Lady Softpaw wouldn't be caught dead in, and The Red Vixen, Scourge of the Spaceways (tm) * was born.
Which isn't to say there haven't been a few bumps along the way. There was of course an unfortunate shaking out period where she
It's been a fun ride so far. Most of the merchants she hits are unarmed and she has a reputation for mercy, so they're happy more often than not to heave to and let themselves be stripped of cargo, picking up a fat insurance cheque later. Melika has also been careful to avoid the more unsavory aspects of the business, staying clear of drug smuggling, slave trading or the nastier sorts of pornography. She's also kept the League of Pirate Warlords at arms length, staying well clear of their territory and careful not to encroach on their businesses.
She does tend to indulge in a bit of kidnapping now and again, taking high value targets for ransom.* * That's how she met her husband Rolas actually. After finding out that the original price she'd put on his head was out of his family's reach, the Lady Softpaw generously intervened, providing the money needed to pay off that horrible pirate and earning Rolas' eternal gratitude. When she revealed her secret identity to him, the poor fellow was already hopelessly in love and perfectly willing to turn a blind eye to her activities. He's also turned out to be a good husband for their children, watching them during the times when Mummy is away on one of her "business trips."
Also working in her favor has been that the GSA has had bigger fish to fry than chase her. But with Mavra Chan now confirmed dead and her once formidable pirate fleet in disarray, their attentions may be turning to the Red Vixen soon. On the other hand it's also a chance for her to expand her own territory. And the idea of taking down some of the nastier pirate remaining, the ones that make even the mighty Red Vixen's hairs stand on end, has a lot of appeal.
Oh, as for her brother Marcus, he's been cut completely out of operations at their family farm and given a stipend generous enough to keep him in all the beer and toys he could want. With the warning that if he ever even thinks about stepping out of line, his big sister will stomp him flat. His wife, meanwhile, after Melika presented her with enough evidence to convince her that she'd married a moron, has been content to keep a separate household for her and their children. Otherwise she divides her time between the farm and the new investment opportunity her sister-in-law has offered her.
What? You didn't think the Red Vixen (tm) could run an operation this big by herself, did you?
* redvix@pyratesroyale.com, merchandising inquires welcome.
** Mind you, she's a very nice kidnapper. She never takes young children and the cells she keeps her victims in are roomy and comfortably furnished. There's even tea available.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-14 01:43 am (UTC)Okay, failing at the widgeting at Nano, they keep on bringing up my old stats.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-14 08:32 am (UTC)This is the code I use for my writing posts.
((img src="http://picometer.writertopia.com/words=6226&target=100000"))
Replace the double commas with "< >" symbols. The number after "target=" is your word count goal and the one after "words=" is your current progress. I hope that helps a bit.