Quick one shot. Sort of for Halloween (i.e. I half wrote it a while ago then fortuitously rediscovered it yesterday and made a few tweaks).
I wanted to write a piece where Jenny gets to be a bit badass, as I've been depicting her quite passively in another story. I also wanted to do something in space! Because, yeah, space!
A prize for correctly guessing the scenes (one from the BOH cartoon, one from a famous sci-fi novel) that were the inspirations.
In a quiet corner of the galaxy a mass of cold asteroids tumble slowly in front of the pinpoint lights of countless pale stars. A spacecraft sweeps into view. The craft is sleek and angular with 'U.A.C.' painted gaudily across the otherwise bare fuselage. Two figures can be seen through the main view screen.
The two hijackers sit at the flight controls. They don't seem to be doing much. The first hijacker is a lean jackal with a quick, suspicious manner. He turns to the second hijacker, a bulky black panther who watches the displays in front of him with slow deliberation.
"Still no sign of pursuit?"
The panther takes a moment to respond then shakes a head set on a thick neck between wide shoulders.
The cockpit of the spacecraft looks almost unfinished. Some panels are not in place, leaving wiring exposed, and the flight chairs are simple cushions on open frames. In contrast, the controls appear state of the art. It's clearly a new ship part way through development.
The jackal flicks a few switches then leans back in the utilitarian chair.
"We can use the autopilot from here. They're not going to find us now. We've out run them and this cloaking's damn near perfect anyway. This ship was worth the trouble of stealing it." He grins widely. "We'll be able to name our price."
The other hijacker also sits back.
"She's a nice ship alright." He pauses and glances out of the ship's main view screen, his eyes brightening and his ears pricking forwards with interest. "I say we take her into that asteroid belt and see what she can do."
His companion glares at him.
"Are you crazy? We're not going to even scratch the paint on this thing if I can help it. We're going straight to the meeting point, like we planned."
The panther looks sullen.
"Just trying to have some fun."
The jackal snaps at him.
"You can have fun when it doesn't cost me money."
There's a soft groan from behind them. The first hijacker looks over his shoulder to the back of the cabin. Jenny, bound and gagged, has started to shift groggily on the floor.
"Looks like that witch pilot is coming 'round. Go watch her while I program in our course."
The panther also turns. Jenny has pushed herself up on one shoulder and looks up towards them. The panther's ears prick up with interest.
"Why's she called a witch?"
The jackal pauses. He looks unsure, frowning then speaking darkly.
"You can't trust them . . . they can do stuff."
The panther turns his chair fully around toward Jenny and leans forward thoughtfully.
"Like what stuff?"
The jackal shrugs.
"Dunno really, but we're not taking chances." He turns back to the control panel. "Just watch her."
The panther grunts in reply, getting up. He walks over to Jenny, who now sits on one hip with her legs folded beneath her. She regards him coldly. He still looks interested, keeping his eyes on Jenny as he calls back across the cabin.
"Can I take her gag off?"
The jackal is working at the ship's controls. He doesn't turn as he answers.
"Hell no. She'll probably cast a spell or something." He pauses, leaning on the control panel and looking over his shoulder again. "Stop getting distracted."
The panther is still standing over Jenny with a slight smile on his face.
"Maybe I want to be distracted. She's pretty distracting." He crouches down and speaks to Jenny. "How's it going kitten? Must be lonely, being a test pilot and stuff. I get lonely too." He gestures with his thumb over his shoulder. "Don't get much shore leave with this jerk calling the shots."
Jenny looks away disdainfully with a haughty huff. He keeps watching her with interest. The first hijacker gives a growl of annoyance and slaps a hand to his head in a frustrated gesture.
"Can't I trust you with anything?"
He gets up and starts to stride over to them. The panther glances up.
"What are we planning to do with her anyway?"
The jackal stops to stand beside the panther. He crosses his arms, glaring at Jenny.
"If she looks like she's up to something, we're shooting her." He pauses, looking thoughtful. "Those gems must be worth something, I bet they want her back too. We can probably get some ransom money for her . . . if she's not too much trouble in the interim."
The other hijacker has turned back to Jenny.
"She doesn't look like trouble. She looks like a piece of candy. She's real pretty."
Jenny huffs again. She shakes her hair, closing her eyes briefly, then shifts irritatedly against her bonds. Both hijackers stare at her. Jenny continues to writhe for their benefit for a moment then stops and looks intensely at the panther. He swallows. Jenny turns and flicks her gaze up and down the jackal. The other hijacker frowns. Jenny's gems glow slightly.
The jackal points at Jenny.
"Did you see that?! Her . . ."
He's cut off as the panther shoves him hard then follows through with punch to the gut, snarling.
"I'm sick of doing everything you say. She's mine."
The jackal staggers back. He's much smaller but seems to be faster, managing to avoid a second punch. He kicks out at his larger opponent, yelling.
"You idiot! You're a liability!" A confused look crosses his sharp features for a moment then his expression creases into anger. "I, I, I'm not sharing any profits with you!"
Jenny watches them intently as the hijackers continue to wrestle and exchange hard blows. Her gems shine. Unheeded, she shifts then shakes off her bonds, finally pulling the gag from her mouth with a grimace.
Jenny keeps watching the fight as she stands. The panther has the jackal pinned and is delivering repeated, heavy blows. Jenny turns to look at the flight controls, her gems blaze. Sparks fly from the controls and the ship lurches suddenly. Jenny turns back to the hijackers. They have rolled apart. The panther looks dazed and the jackal is gasping on his back on the floor.
The large panther is staring unfocusedly at the floor as a pair of heels clip closer. He starts to look up, but not in time, as a hard kick lands at his temple. He collapses. Jenny steps over and reaches for the blaster at his belt. There's a scraping noise behind her and she glances around. The other hijacker has struggled to his knees. He points a blaster at her, the muzzle weaves slightly. He speaks in a rasp.
"Witch . . ."
Jenny keeps her eyes locked on his. She abruptly flings herself to the side as he fires. The shot misses Jenny but glances across the still form of the panther. His unconscious body jerks. The jackal seems heedless, continuing to fire rapidly as Jenny moves agilely to avoid the shots. He suddenly gasps, dropping the blaster and reaching for his throat where a thick wire is tightly wrapped. Another wire snakes out from the panel behind him and winds around his wrist, jerking his hand downwards.
Jenny relaxes, standing from her crouched stance. Her gems continue to flicker as she strides over to the slumped panther and yanks a blaster and a knife from his belt, pulling a face as if they are dirty then throwing them away. The jackal gawks silently at her as she straightens up then begins to walk deliberately towards him. Both his hands are now pinned to his sides by coils of wire. Jenny reaches him and stops then presses a single finger against his forehead. His eyes cross to watch her. Jenny looks at him disdainfully.
"This is why they call me a witch."
There's a brief flash from Jenny's hand and the jackal slumps. She turns from him then walks to the front of the cabin.
Jenny fastidiously dusts off the seat then drops into the piloting chair. She looks irritated and spends several moments adjusting the seat's position before turning her attention to the controls. She starts to operate the ship deftly, muttering under her breath.
"Oh my stars, I hope those idiots didn't scratch the paint."