Fic: Captive of the Red Vixen, Part Three
Jun. 18th, 2008 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalIn which Our Hero makes a speech.
His first stop, to Rolas' surprise, was not to a prison cell as he was expecting, but to the ship's infirmary. There, under the watchful eye of his guards, he was stripped of his clothes and dressed in a paper hospital gown. Then a galen medtech ran him through a body scanner to check for injuries and pricked his finger for a sample of his blood.
"What's that for?" he asked.
"Genetic scan," the medtech explained. "We send a couple of drops of blood and a copy of your DNA code to your family, so they know we've really got you."
"How practical."
"It does spare people confusion."
"So how does a medtech become a pirate? Running away from a malpractice suit?"
The galen smiled at him. "No. Just a very practical way of avoiding payment on my student loan."
Rolas grunted at the joke. "May I have my clothes back now?"
"Sorry, no. New kit for you, the very latest in hostage wear." The medtech opened a drawer and pulled out an orange prison jumpsuit. Rolas grimaced and put it on. Some fiddling with the ties and it proved to be a reasonable, if very bright, fit.
A voice called out from the intercom. All hands, attention all hands. Cargo transfer from target vessel complete. We will be accelerating to superluminal in five minutes.
"Where are we going?" Rolas asked. He tried not to think about his crew, and all of their hopes, retreating at X kilometers per second behind them now. All lost now, as he was.
"Oh, I imagine we'll be heading..."
"To someplace very pleasant," the Red Vixen interrupted, entering the infirmary. She waggled a finger at the medtech, then pointed at a hovering camera unit that stood sentinel above her shoulder. "No babbling in front of the prisoner, at least not until after he's said his piece."
"Sorry, Captain," the medtech said, ducking his head and then withdrawing to his office.
"What now?" Rolas asked her.
"Now, we record a little message for your family." She touched the remote in her hand and the camera backed up, parking itself against the far wall and focusing on Rolas. She handed him a card and stepped out of the shot. "When you're ready, just read what's on the card. If you can be reasonably polite about the whole thing, I'll let you record a personal message to be appended at the end."
He grimaced again, nodded, looked in the camera, then started reading. "My family, I have been instructed by the Red Vixen, the, ah, Scourge of the Spaceways, to inform you that I am her prisoner. This is in exchange for the freedom of my crew, who with one unfortunate exception were not harmed. For my own freedom, you must provide a sum of..." He paused, swallowed, and continued reading, "...a sum of five million GSA credits, to be transmitted to the account number appended at the end of the message. Rest assured that the account is untraceable, and will disappear the moment the money enters it. If the money is not deposited within thirty days of receipt of this message, or any attempt is made to rescue me, then you will not see me again."
He glanced over at the Red Vixen, who smiled, nodded and made a Pray continue gesture with her hand.
"Mother, Father, dear sister, I am sorry it has come to this. I have not forgotten what hopes we had for this mission. Place no blame on my crew, for they fought bravely against overwhelming odds. I hope... I hope you might find some solution to the terrible dilemma that now faces you and all of those sworn to our sacred goal. Do whatever you feel you must to achieve it. In the Holy Den Mother's name do not falter, and do not fear for me. I know where my duty lies. I love you." He lowered his head. "All right, I'm done."
The Red Vixen looked at him thoughtfully. "A very passionate speech, if a trifle elliptical. Care to explain what that was all about?"
"Not to you," he said, his voice unexpectedly rough in his throat. "Take me to my cell, if you would."
She shrugged. "As you wish."
TBC
His first stop, to Rolas' surprise, was not to a prison cell as he was expecting, but to the ship's infirmary. There, under the watchful eye of his guards, he was stripped of his clothes and dressed in a paper hospital gown. Then a galen medtech ran him through a body scanner to check for injuries and pricked his finger for a sample of his blood.
"What's that for?" he asked.
"Genetic scan," the medtech explained. "We send a couple of drops of blood and a copy of your DNA code to your family, so they know we've really got you."
"How practical."
"It does spare people confusion."
"So how does a medtech become a pirate? Running away from a malpractice suit?"
The galen smiled at him. "No. Just a very practical way of avoiding payment on my student loan."
Rolas grunted at the joke. "May I have my clothes back now?"
"Sorry, no. New kit for you, the very latest in hostage wear." The medtech opened a drawer and pulled out an orange prison jumpsuit. Rolas grimaced and put it on. Some fiddling with the ties and it proved to be a reasonable, if very bright, fit.
A voice called out from the intercom. All hands, attention all hands. Cargo transfer from target vessel complete. We will be accelerating to superluminal in five minutes.
"Where are we going?" Rolas asked. He tried not to think about his crew, and all of their hopes, retreating at X kilometers per second behind them now. All lost now, as he was.
"Oh, I imagine we'll be heading..."
"To someplace very pleasant," the Red Vixen interrupted, entering the infirmary. She waggled a finger at the medtech, then pointed at a hovering camera unit that stood sentinel above her shoulder. "No babbling in front of the prisoner, at least not until after he's said his piece."
"Sorry, Captain," the medtech said, ducking his head and then withdrawing to his office.
"What now?" Rolas asked her.
"Now, we record a little message for your family." She touched the remote in her hand and the camera backed up, parking itself against the far wall and focusing on Rolas. She handed him a card and stepped out of the shot. "When you're ready, just read what's on the card. If you can be reasonably polite about the whole thing, I'll let you record a personal message to be appended at the end."
He grimaced again, nodded, looked in the camera, then started reading. "My family, I have been instructed by the Red Vixen, the, ah, Scourge of the Spaceways, to inform you that I am her prisoner. This is in exchange for the freedom of my crew, who with one unfortunate exception were not harmed. For my own freedom, you must provide a sum of..." He paused, swallowed, and continued reading, "...a sum of five million GSA credits, to be transmitted to the account number appended at the end of the message. Rest assured that the account is untraceable, and will disappear the moment the money enters it. If the money is not deposited within thirty days of receipt of this message, or any attempt is made to rescue me, then you will not see me again."
He glanced over at the Red Vixen, who smiled, nodded and made a Pray continue gesture with her hand.
"Mother, Father, dear sister, I am sorry it has come to this. I have not forgotten what hopes we had for this mission. Place no blame on my crew, for they fought bravely against overwhelming odds. I hope... I hope you might find some solution to the terrible dilemma that now faces you and all of those sworn to our sacred goal. Do whatever you feel you must to achieve it. In the Holy Den Mother's name do not falter, and do not fear for me. I know where my duty lies. I love you." He lowered his head. "All right, I'm done."
The Red Vixen looked at him thoughtfully. "A very passionate speech, if a trifle elliptical. Care to explain what that was all about?"
"Not to you," he said, his voice unexpectedly rough in his throat. "Take me to my cell, if you would."
She shrugged. "As you wish."
TBC
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no subject
Ah, the next one is available...
Nice one - and he is on a secrete mission??? Woah...
Looking forward to the next one. =)
mjkj
PS: is there a word missing here?
[quote]... I hope you might some solution to the terrible dilemma ...[/quote]
I would put a "find" in there =)
[quote]... I hope you might find some solution to the terrible dilemma ...[/quote]
no subject
Date: 2008-06-19 02:33 pm (UTC)BTW I corrected the word dropout as well. Thanks for the catch.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-19 02:38 pm (UTC)You are welcome... =)
It is sad to hear that she screwed them...
(and I am still wondering on what kind of errant he might have been...)
And yes, I am enjoying it =)
Looking forward for more...
mjkj
no subject
Date: 2008-06-19 04:25 pm (UTC)All will be revealed. Suffice it to say that Vulpine's feudal system of government can result in plain, old fashioned feuds.