Fic: The Summer Intern (cont.)

[jeriendhal]

They spent the rest of the flight wrapped in their individual thoughts. Eventually Skyler dipped the nose of the flyer down and they plunged down below the cloud deck, transitioning from bright sunlight to a gloomy rainstorm in an instant. He brought the flyer down on the edge of a cluster of a Civil Protection vehicles, their lights flashing and glowing through the driving rain, headlights trained on the smoldering remains of the stone farmhouse, its roof caved in, windows burst out and blackened.

Nan drew her red slicker over her head as they stepped out of the flyer. Freya drew her dark green uniform cloak over her head and Skyler just covered his head with his tail spade in true ferin fashion. There were met by Officer Greycoat and another CP with uniform patches indicating he was the local fire marshal.

"Ranger Walklong, Miss Clawstroke, what are you two doing here?" Greycoat asked, ignoring Skyler.

"We heard the call about the explosion," Freya told him. "I thought I should bring it to the First One's attention, since he had mediated between the Furrows and that troupe of ferin last week."

"So where is Terinu? Too occupied with matters of state to bother with a pair of commoner vulpine?"

"The First One is unfortunately restricted to the administration village due to an internal matter," Freya told him.

Greycoat snorted. "So he sent you and Miss Clawstroke to stand in for him. Typical dodge."

"What happened here?" Nan asked, trying to divert things as she saw the normally easygoing ranger's ears flick back under her cowl.

"The Furrows were murdered and their house destroyed to cover up the evidence," Greycoat said. "When we pulled their bodies from the house it was obvious that they had been both killed with directed energy beams, either from blasters or..." he stared at Skyler pointedly. "...a natural source."

"You think the explosion was to cover up the evidence?" Freya asked.

The fire marshall answered that one, after a glance at Officer Greycoat. "Unless you've got another reason for them to have dragged a fuel cell from their generator and placing it into the middle of their house. It was set off by more directed energy fire from somewhere outside."

"I see, thank you," Freya said. "Excuse us for a moment." She motioned Nan and Skyler to follow her until they were out of hearing distance of Officer Greycoat and the fire marshall.

"Please tell me this doesn't look as bad to you as it looks to me," Nan said to her, almost begging.

Freya let out a short, sharp curse. "It's bad. It's as bad a situation as I've ever seen in the Region."

"I don't understand though," Nan said. "The First One gave that buck a direct order to leave the Furrows alone. He couldn't have disobeyed that, could he?"

"It was ferin to ferin," Skyler piped in. "The buck backed off because the First One was right in front of him. We give in to a superior because it's our nature, but a ferin can't be the Master of another ferin. Maybe with a week to think about it, the buck decided to get his mad on and hit back at the Furrows and then disappear into the forests."

"Speaking of which, Skyler, can you pick up any kind of bion trail? Anything that might feel like that buck and his troupe?" Freya asked him.

The ferin pilot took in a deep breath and closed his outer eyes, his spurs rising up as his own bion field expanded outward to sense for the trails of the others. He bit his lip and shook his head, eyes still closed. "Nothing," he reported. "I can feel faint trails from the direction of the forest, weak and old, probably from the last time we were here. Nothing more recent though."

"So they weren't here," Nan said, relaxing for a moment, until she realized that neither Freya or Skyler looked relieved.

"Some ferin can mask their trails, pulling in their bion until it's undetectable," the ranger told her. "Others, ones that are really skilled, can actually erase the bion trails of other ferin."

"Does the buck's troupe have anyone like that?" Nan asked.

"I don't know," Freya said, paws balling into fists. "They might, or they might not. Negative evidence isn't evidence. Shit."

"Problem, Ranger Walklong?" Officer Greycoat asked, walking up to them with studied casualness.

"We were discussing the situation," Freya told him sharply.

"Judging from the evidence, there isn't much to discuss. I'm going to tell my precinct captain the same thing he's going to say to Baron Brokentoe, who's going to say it to the First One. This is murder investigation and the prime suspect is that buck and his troupe that were here a week ago," he said smugly. "I expect I'll be getting the full cooperation from the Region in this matter, of course."

"You'll get it," Freya growled. "But don't you forget, if any CP officer from the Baron's domain crosses into the Region without permission, the First One will come down on them like an orbital strike."

"Of course," Officer Greycoat said, his expression cooling. "I hope you remember that if you catch the little bastard, he's still a citizen of the Vulpine Farmer Lords under the law, and will be prosecuted as such."

"If he's guilty," Nan piped in.

Greycoat looked back at the blackened and destroyed farmhouse. "Is there any doubt?"

TBC

Comments

[mjkj.livejournal.com]

Indeed they do look unfortunate

I just hope they had some type of surveillance set up - or even a satellite? to get the proof who was the culprit...

mjkj