Fic: Captive of the Red Vixen, Part Four
Jun. 21st, 2008 08:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalIn which our hero is incarcerated
"What kind of joke is this?" Rolas demanded, as they entered the pirate ship's brig.
"No joke, Lord Rolas, this is your cell, so to speak." The Red Vixen made a sweeping gesture around the room. It looked for all world like perfectly ordinary family quarters, of the sort common on vulpine passenger liners. There was a large room with a kitchen alcove to one side, a comfortable, leather upholstered conversation pit, a large rack filled with book discs, vids and games, and a sophisticated entertainment center/comsole. Two doors on either side of the room presumably led to the bedrooms and individual bathrooms.
"My quarters back on the freighter weren't this well appointed!"
"Your quarters back there weren't sponsored by the generous contributions of my previous guests. Just because I'm holding you for a short length of time doesn't mean it needs to be unpleasant." She smiled. "There are a few caveats of course. The comsole is completely isolated from the Scarlet Claw's network. There are no direct data connections and the wireless operating system is completely incompatible with the ship's main system, so no clever hacking attempts are going to work. Which didn't stop one poor galen woman I had once from spending her whole time here trying to email for help, but there you go.
"What else?"
She gestured back towards the main door. "That door stays locked, except when supplies for your galley are being delivered (it's a got a pretty sophisticated autokitchen too, so don't worry about cooking). Oh, and believe me, every centimeter of this place except for the bathrooms is monitored constantly, voice and image, so you simply aren't going to get away with any escape attempts. And even if you did manage to get through the door there, it won't do you much good."
From a drawer on a side table she drew out a thin metal and plastic loop the width of a large pen and perhaps a handspan in diameter. She pulled the ends apart, opening it. "Put this around your neck please."
Rolas folded his arms over his chest. "And if I don't?"
She sighed dramatically. "Then I stun you and put it on you anyway. And on the offside chance you manage to grab my weapon and stun me first, the next person through that door will be wearing combat armor, so good luck stunning him. And did I mention this area is monitored constantly?"
She held the loop out to him and Rolas took it, glowering at her. He slipped it around his neck and pressed the ends together. There was a definitive click and the collar locked in place, fitting snugly, but not close as to make him choke when he swallowed.
"Thank you, Lord Rolas," she said. "Now, that little piece of jewelry you're wearing is strong enough to resist any tool you might find in the kitchen. It has a monitor chip in it that's constantly scanned by the room's sensors. Any attempt to walk out the door and the stunner now sitting at the base of your neck will go off and drop you to the floor. Try to avoid doing that, you'll just fall face first and maybe break your..." she frowned and finished with, "Well, just don't."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why go to all this trouble?" he asked. "You could keep me just as secure in an ordinary cell in the brig, like any other prisoner."
"That's true, but prisoners are people who did something wrong. You've done nothing wrong, Lord Rolas. In fact, you fought very bravely and honorably. I can admire that, even if I'm in a perfectly dishonorable profession myself. Don't think of yourself as my prisoner, think of yourself as my guest." She smiled brightly, her face lighting up in a way that was quietly dazzling. "You'll stay here for a time, enjoy a comfortable rest, and then go home. All very civilized. The kitchen even has tea from back home."
"How nice."
Her face turned more serious. "Now, mind you, these are all privileges. I'm giving you every benefit of the doubt right now. If you choose to abuse my hospitality, harm any of my crew, or try to escape, then some of these comforts will be taken away. If you choose to be persistent, then you may very well end up in an ordinary cell in the brig. But I do hope you be more appreciative of my efforts."
"So what do you do with the guests whose families end up skipping out on the hotel bill?"
"I have no idea," she said. "It hasn't happened yet, and I can't imagine the family of a vulpine farm noble will let their child languish here for long."
There's a first time for everything, he thought grimly.
TBC
"What kind of joke is this?" Rolas demanded, as they entered the pirate ship's brig.
"No joke, Lord Rolas, this is your cell, so to speak." The Red Vixen made a sweeping gesture around the room. It looked for all world like perfectly ordinary family quarters, of the sort common on vulpine passenger liners. There was a large room with a kitchen alcove to one side, a comfortable, leather upholstered conversation pit, a large rack filled with book discs, vids and games, and a sophisticated entertainment center/comsole. Two doors on either side of the room presumably led to the bedrooms and individual bathrooms.
"My quarters back on the freighter weren't this well appointed!"
"Your quarters back there weren't sponsored by the generous contributions of my previous guests. Just because I'm holding you for a short length of time doesn't mean it needs to be unpleasant." She smiled. "There are a few caveats of course. The comsole is completely isolated from the Scarlet Claw's network. There are no direct data connections and the wireless operating system is completely incompatible with the ship's main system, so no clever hacking attempts are going to work. Which didn't stop one poor galen woman I had once from spending her whole time here trying to email for help, but there you go.
"What else?"
She gestured back towards the main door. "That door stays locked, except when supplies for your galley are being delivered (it's a got a pretty sophisticated autokitchen too, so don't worry about cooking). Oh, and believe me, every centimeter of this place except for the bathrooms is monitored constantly, voice and image, so you simply aren't going to get away with any escape attempts. And even if you did manage to get through the door there, it won't do you much good."
From a drawer on a side table she drew out a thin metal and plastic loop the width of a large pen and perhaps a handspan in diameter. She pulled the ends apart, opening it. "Put this around your neck please."
Rolas folded his arms over his chest. "And if I don't?"
She sighed dramatically. "Then I stun you and put it on you anyway. And on the offside chance you manage to grab my weapon and stun me first, the next person through that door will be wearing combat armor, so good luck stunning him. And did I mention this area is monitored constantly?"
She held the loop out to him and Rolas took it, glowering at her. He slipped it around his neck and pressed the ends together. There was a definitive click and the collar locked in place, fitting snugly, but not close as to make him choke when he swallowed.
"Thank you, Lord Rolas," she said. "Now, that little piece of jewelry you're wearing is strong enough to resist any tool you might find in the kitchen. It has a monitor chip in it that's constantly scanned by the room's sensors. Any attempt to walk out the door and the stunner now sitting at the base of your neck will go off and drop you to the floor. Try to avoid doing that, you'll just fall face first and maybe break your..." she frowned and finished with, "Well, just don't."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why go to all this trouble?" he asked. "You could keep me just as secure in an ordinary cell in the brig, like any other prisoner."
"That's true, but prisoners are people who did something wrong. You've done nothing wrong, Lord Rolas. In fact, you fought very bravely and honorably. I can admire that, even if I'm in a perfectly dishonorable profession myself. Don't think of yourself as my prisoner, think of yourself as my guest." She smiled brightly, her face lighting up in a way that was quietly dazzling. "You'll stay here for a time, enjoy a comfortable rest, and then go home. All very civilized. The kitchen even has tea from back home."
"How nice."
Her face turned more serious. "Now, mind you, these are all privileges. I'm giving you every benefit of the doubt right now. If you choose to abuse my hospitality, harm any of my crew, or try to escape, then some of these comforts will be taken away. If you choose to be persistent, then you may very well end up in an ordinary cell in the brig. But I do hope you be more appreciative of my efforts."
"So what do you do with the guests whose families end up skipping out on the hotel bill?"
"I have no idea," she said. "It hasn't happened yet, and I can't imagine the family of a vulpine farm noble will let their child languish here for long."
There's a first time for everything, he thought grimly.
TBC
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-06-22 07:08 pm (UTC)Awww, poor Rolas...
So he has to be the very first.
What kind of book discs, vids and games are in the collection?
Anything of Rolas' taste?
Nice room...
I am wondering when he will start to fall for her...
mjkj
no subject
By the way: What does the tag "terni" mean?
(or should that read "teri" or "terinu"?)
mjkj