When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. -John Muir
Unglique's was always busy at lunch time, and today was no exception. Katt glared at the long line for the old-fashioned coffee and sandwich bar, hoping in vain to make it disappear. When a few of the patient patrons noticed her glower, she looked for a table along the wall. Luckily, most of Unglique's customers were take-outs and there always seemed to be a table available.
Katt watched from the table as Wolf sauntered in and took his place in line. The two had split up earlier just after they landed the unimposing freighter that had served to ease past infiltrations by Star Wolf. She knew Wolf had already scanned the entire room with a paw-held device before he even entered and knew where each energy powered weapon was located. However, what he did with his mechanical eye was unknown to her.
An amused thought surfaced in her mind about childhood games where they pretended to have 'x-ray vision' that could see through clothes. Of course she knew that wasn't possible, but she was glad that Wolf had only teased her that once.
She couldn't help it: she glanced at the grey-furred lupine. His paws were hanging casually in his long black leather coat, his stance was unassuming, even bored, and his tail was drifting back and forth slowly as if a flag in a gentle breeze. He rubbed absentmindedly at his left forearm. Katt smiled slightly. He'd catch her looking at him any moment now...
"Hey, pretty kitty," said a male voice as two cups of steaming liquid were placed on the table.
"Bill!" Katt said as she looked in the cup, "You always remember my favorite."
Bill Grey smirked as he took his seat, "Latte lite with skim milk, two lite sugars. Have you even tried anything else?"
"Why bother? I know I'll won't like anything else," she answered.
Bill chuckled, but a serious look soon came over his face, "I've heard some 'things' about you. How have you been?"
Katt took a sip of her latte first, "I was... detained for a while, but I managed to escape."
"From the Boss?" he whispered.
"It's a story for another coffee," she said, keying a phrase that meant 'away from other ears'.
He leaned back in his chair, "You must have had help."
"Of course. This is the Boss we're speaking of."
Bill drummed his fingers on the table, "Who was the guy you were looking at? That wolf?"
Katt wasn't used to being interrogated by friends, and ordinarily she would have told Bill to shove it. But her life was on the line and so were the lives of those who were pledging to fight back against the Boss. She had to bite her tongue. (she'd been doing that a lot lately...)
"You know who he is," she said, looking Bill in the eyes, "He helped me escape."
It was a partial truth and should be enough to keep Bill away from Wolf for the moment.
"He's also helping us," she finished.
Bill nodded, "That... I can believe, from other rumors."
"We're all desperate. I know we can't outrun the Boss, we have to get him before he gets us."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I assume you have some idea?"
"Not just an idea, but a plan."
Bill looked surprised but only smirked when she mock-glared at him. She briefly went over the plan to gather smugglers and battle the Boss and added that any help from LyCTA would be just peachy.
"Peachy, huh?" Bill said, "That has been the ultimate goal of my entire department, we just don't know who to trust, especially that many smugglers."
"You never really can trust a smuggler, Bill," she said dryly, "And certainly don't expect blind, devoted loyalty to any LyCTA entity. But if they knew they'd have backup and immunity, they'd probably seriously consider it. The Boss keeps such a tight grip on all things smuggling and the best thing about smuggling is supposed to be the freedom of it. I know there are more than a few furs who wouldn't mind seeing him gone."
"I don't know Katt," he murmured, "I'd hate to get my hopes so set up and only have this fail."
Katt sighed, she hadn't wanted it to come to this but she was willing to try. She sat forward, tears in her eyes.
"Bill, you can go home safe and try again some other time. But I don't have other times. My time is running out. Sooner, probably rather than later, the Boss is going to find me, and when he does... it'll be out the space lock, or torture, or... or..."
She brushed the tears from her eyes while Bill rubbed his head.
"Katt..." he was quiet for a few moments, "Okay, I'll talk to my boss. If you give me proof that you have a significant force, let's say about thirty ships and fifty crew members, better if they're insiders, we'll go for it."
She smiled thankfully, "Thank you, Bill. I should have an idea of the support within a few days. I'll contact you then."
In the following quiet moment they both took a drink rather than sit in uncomfortable silence. Katt didn't like guilt-tripping someone into helping her, but if successful, they both had a tremendous gain; if unsuccessful, in the very least, Katt would be on the run again or worse.
She, of the two, had absolutely nothing to lose.
Wolf tugged at his lapel, adjusted it, and walked into the 'Baron of coffee' shop. Unglique's, he snorted, weird name. Katt was to have her meeting soon and they had agreed for him to arrive shortly after her but before the meeting time. Briefly he scanned the room and compared it to his memory of the floor plan. It matched fairly well, though it seemed they had added some wall booths since his last update. He took his place in the sandwich bar line.
It had been awhile since he'd had a fresh made sandwich, with real mustard and tomatoes...
He noticed Katt then, her glaring pink fur covered by the white dye, which was an improvement... but she was staring at him. 'Why the hell is she staring at me like that? I can't believe she made it into the Smuggler's Guild.' She wistfully smiled. 'I have no idea why I put up with her,' he thought, and looked ahead as the line moved.
A canine at the front of the line picked up two cups and headed towards Katt's table. He followed her gaze and looked strait at Wolf, rather pointedly.
'Must know me,' Wolf thought, and pocketed his paws, putting his right paw in the pocket slot near his concealed side arm.
However, the canine kept walking and set the two cups on Katt's table, where she greeted him with a genuine smile of happiness.
'She's the only fur I know who can smile like that...'
The thought was formed and done before he could even stop it. How dare she replace Myrie?!
Wolf fumed and stepped up to the bar where a young-looking male dove waited.
"May I take your order?" He said politely with a smile.
"Yeah, gimme a tomato sandwich, extra mustard, pickles, and NO lettuce. If there is lettuce on it I'll take you out back and show you the meaning of pain," he snarled the threat.
The teen stuttered and shakily, rather hurriedly too, made the sandwich while keeping each ingredient as far away from the lettuce as possible. Wolf started to calm down and suddenly noticed how quiet it was.
It'd been awhile since he'd lost his temper like that to some poor innocent. Wolf glanced around then leaned towards the dove, who involuntarily backed away.
"Sorry kid, I have a lot on my mind," he said.
When Wolf scanned his credit slip, he added a tip that was higher than the sandwich had cost. Anyone who could deal with assholes like him deserved to make good money.
Luckily, the most strategic seat was still available and Wolf took it. He could see Katt but not the canine. They were discussing something serious by the look on her face, but when she got teary-eyed and dabbed a tissue to the corner of her eyes, Wolf felt impressed. It was a ploy, obviously, but he had to admit she was clever and resourceful, unafraid to use the last resort.
It was probably how she'd survived as a smuggler. That and sheer dumb luck. The screech of a knife on metal echoed in his memory. Maybe some recklessness too. A good smuggler was ever the reckless sort.
Wolf rubbed his forehead. He'd had enough of smugglers for a while.
Katt and the canine stood and hugged and they both departed. It seemed to have gone well, Wolf mused. Neither looked upset.
Wolf looked at his watch and saw he had awhile before he would meet with Katt again. He did have a contact in Regent City and maybe it was time for a new focusing lens on his mechanical eye.
Wolf was finishing up the landing procedures and shutting down while Katt was in the short back hall concealing her blaster. No matter what she did, there was always a small conspicuous bump over her belly. Wolf looked back once he was finished.
"Try hiding it under your breasts. That shirt should be loose enough," he said.
She made the adjustments to the belt and twisted the holster up so the excess shirt was loose enough to cover the blaster and holster. When finished, she looked to Wolf.
His gaze was civil enough considering that he was staring at her chest… Katt, flippantly, wagged her hips and whipped her tail around her leg just to see his reaction. He was fun to tease because of his reactions.
Wolf scowled as he averted his gaze almost immediately and stood while Katt smirked as she watched him conceal his own weapons.
He didn't look at her as he walked past and down the lowering ramp, "Let's go," he grumbled.
The two entered the landing circle and consulted the booth's computer. They paid for a five hour slot and scanned the area where Katt's ship had been nearly three months ago.
"It's not there," Wolf said as the search came up clear.
"In the impound bays?" Katt asked.
After another search, Wolf nodded, "There it is. It's probably being watched by the Boss. Even if we can get to it, it'll be a bitch to get out of the space corridor and into hyperspace without being tagged."
Katt began to have very quiet second thoughts, but they were there so why not try?
"I have enough money to pay the impound fee, so that's what I will do. No sense in having it marked for LyCTA."
Wolf's look was one of disbelief, "You didn't mention anything to your friend from LyCTA?"
Katt looked dumbstruck, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Wolf banged his head on the wall a few times.
"Oh, well, there's no sense hurting yourself over it," Katt said.
"No, you're right. Don't expect much help from me if blasters start heating up," he said, "It's your ship here."
She raised her head ever so slightly, narrowed her eyes... he'd seen that look before on another feline... Her fur was white too.
"I believe one of the reasons my ship is here now is tucked neatly under my shirt," she was getting progressively louder, "The other reason is standing before me."
'Right again,' he thought, 'And observant...'
"Alright. Do you have an..." her glare caused him to rephrase, "A plan?"
"They'll expect us to break into the impound lot and steal my ship back, so why not do something unexpected and just pay for it?"
After staring at her for a few moments, he snorted, "It's just crazy enough that it might work. Then again… I'm not picking up the pieces if you become terracrete paint."
"How kind," Katt replied.
Her posture was stiff and indignant as she walked away. For some reason, Wolf actually felt a little regretful. Leon was right, he was getting soft. He patted the blaster pistol on his side. A good blaster fight would do him some good.
Katt made sure the tracking signal blocker was tucked into her shoulder bag and led Wolf out into the stream of furs. The Katina City spaceport was a very busy location, which was beneficial to them. On the other hand, it would be difficult to locate any 'suspicious' bystanders or followers. Overhead, just above the port walls, were the equally-busy speeder bike lanes and occasionally a ship would roar over head.
The two made their way to the impound lot on the far end of the port and traveled by underground rail. They had a close call when Katt saw an old friend coming down the escalator, but she managed to pull Wolf to the other exit escalator before being spotted.
There were far less furs around the impound lot and Katt felt very conspicuous even with the white fur. Wolf, ever used to blending in, was walking around like he wasn't carrying three illegally-powered blaster pistols on various body parts.
Wolf glanced around before he and Katt approached the bored-looking attendant. To their left was a row of several speeder bikes down a narrow corridor that ended in a left turn. To the right was a large space with seating along the wall, and the closed doors to the impound lot were next to the attendant's desk.
"I have a ship in impound," Katt said, trying her best to keep her nerves calm, "I'd like to pay the fee."
"Sure," the otter replied, "What's the registration number?"
"Uh…" Katt muttered, "I can never remember this."
"How do you not remember your registration number?" Wolf asked, "You need it for almost everything."
"Well! There are a lot of numbers…" She felt very dense at that point.
"And some letters," the otter added, sounding even more annoyed than Wolf was.
"Hold on," she said as she pulled out a small pda and consulted it.
"I can look up the lot number and date when it was landed originally if you have it," the otter said.
"Oh, lot 3-56," she said before Wolf could reply, "About three months ago."
Wolf watched the otter very closely… any suspicious movement and he would be blasted. The attendant, however, just went about his job. Either he was really good at hiding emotion or he really had no idea who they were.
"It is a BLS-35 cargo model?" he asked.
"Yes, that's it!" Katt replied as she pulled out her credit slip.
He nodded, "It's the only one in the lot too."
It was Wolf who noticed the two furs approaching from single corridor behind them while Katt was distracted by the attendant. He leaned back with his elbow on the counter and sized-up the two canines. Both had their paws in their coat pockets, both had unreadable looks.
Katt finally looked at Wolf for approval, saw his gaze and turned. Her sudden, shocked recognition opened her mouth in a silent scream and put grins on both of their muzzles.
Wolf had a split second decision to make. Either he tried to blast the two on his own (because Katt was firmly planted in the 'terrified fight' response) or he made an Olympic-worthy dive with Katt into the rows of speeder bikes. The first blaster flash came after his arm wrapped around Katt and the two went sailing into the relative cover of the bikes.
Katt immediately groaned and rolled away from him. Wolf cursed… he'd have to do this on his own. With both paws, he exchanged shots with the two canines. In a moment's advantage, he came up a split second before the one appeared from the corner. Wolf blasted him in the chest and the canine had a new hole in his body.
The second disappeared for a few moments, waiting for Wolf to become distracted by the loudly, painfully-groaning feline next to him. He blocked it out and lined up his blaster beneath the bike's struts. The canine peaked out again, and this time Wolf got him. Even though the shot was a semi-deep graze, the terrible burn and cauterization was enough to take out the fur. Wolf kissed his blaster and turned to Katt.
"Katt!" Wolf said, "Where are you hit?"
She rolled over to reveal a deep laser burn wound to her upper right thigh.
"I don't think I can walk," she said in agony.
"Fine," he said, "You can't pilot your ship then either."
"No!"
she moaned as she struggled to sit up, "Please Wolf…"
"We
agreed. No arguing. You wait."
Her eyes watered and Wolf nearly gave in. To distract himself, he approached the now-alert attendant.
"That was pretty interesting," he said, "Thanks for livening up my day."
"Yeah, my specialty. Leave that ship in impound for a while. Instead, we want a bike."
"How about that one that's all shot up?" he said.
"How about one that works?" Wolf leaned in just a little closer.
Wolf was quite aware of the lack of intimidation his realistic looking eye implant had, despite the old 'evil eye' he was giving. Even an eye patch was better than this. He was out of practice.
"Sure. I'll just add the repair costs to the impound fee."
"Whatever. Just get us a bike."
By the time Wolf returned with a key, Katt had bandaged her thigh with the bottom piece of her shirt.
"I can fly," Katt said.
"Shut up and get on," Wolf grumbled.
The smell of her wound was nearly overpowering. It would be a miracle if they got back to the ship in one piece or without attracting attention.
Reluctantly Katt limped over, climbed on behind him, and wrapped her left arm around his waist. Wolf twitched uncomfortably (perhaps he was uncomfortable with her touch, Katt wondered, too bad she couldn't see infrared) and started the bike. After a few moments of warming up, the bike rose into the upper lanes and followed the course Wolf had set. They would disembark at a location just down from their landing port. Because of auto-pilot, Wolf consulted his PDA while keeping a wary eye about.
Along the way, Katt pressed at her wound, trying to find the best way to relieve the awful pain, but she was nearly sick from it. It was a deep burn, as laser burns tended to be and about the size of her fist.
To pass the now-uncomfortable silence, and perhaps take her mind off the pain, Katt tried some conversation.
"I can't believe those two found me," she said.
Wolf grunted.
A few moments of silence passed, "I thought they were dead. I specifically remember shooting them down."
At this, Wolf turned his head, "You mean in your ship? Because I wouldn't believe that you mean by blaster pistol."
"Come on! What would you do if you met someone you were sure was dead more than two years ago?"
"Wait…" Wolf turned and looked at her fully, "They weren't sent by the Boss?"
"No, they're two furs I…er, cheated out of a load. They had it out for me for a while, until we finished it out by Sector X. I was quite sure I blasted their ship apart after a bit of a dogfight." Katt went back to pressing on her wound.
Wolf turned around. Perhaps they had outrun the Boss for the moment. If Katt could steer her mind around the pain, she might have tried to convince Wolf to go back. He wouldn't agree, of course, seeing as they had already caused enough of a commotion.
After a few more moments of deliberation and reasoning, he decided to land the speeder in the bike space at their port. It would be easier and faster to move with Katt.
When they were landing, a blaster bolt whizzed by his head. Katt shrieked and tightened her grip around him.
"There are two speeders behind us!" she yelled, "One has two riders and the other has one."
"Great," Wolf muttered, "Get ready to run down the stairs."
"I can't-" she was interrupted by their landing.
Wolf jumped off the speeder and inadvertently hit Katt's wound with his elbow. She fell off the bike with a loud yelp. While she was protected by the speeder (again), Wolf took the opportunity to return fire. The bikes were slaved into a port-wide air track and the two bikes continued on by, much to the obvious dismay of the riders.
Wolf laughed and fired a few more shots. Hopefully the security was still lax this end of the spaceport or they would have more problems very shortly.
Katt had sat up by then and even had her blaster in her paw.
"A little late," he said, and helped her up.
"Thanks to you," she said, her voice laced with pain. She looked dizzy.
"Here," he said, and leaned down to pick her up in his arms.
He picked her up so her right leg wasn't pressed against his chest and she wrapped her left arm around his neck. The very first thing she noticed was the blood rushing to her ears... despite the pain of her wound.
His arms were very hard too...
"Wolf?"
"What?"
"Are your arms prosthetics?"
They were moving rather quickly down the stairs by then, and were soon down in the port and moving to the opened ramp.
"Does it matter?"
She was dropped on the short hallway bench while Wolf continued to the cockpit. Obviously she'd touched a nerve with her question, but truthfully prosthetics didn't matter to her. She was simply curious. Some of the higher paid smugglers had their limbs replaced with prosthetics and filled them with a wide variety of implements, weapons, and explosives.
Katt looked around the corner of the bench and at the back of Wolf's head as he sat in the pilot's chair. She felt bad about it, but she still wondered about his story.
The ship lifted and entered the port air space, flying the 'speed limit', much to Wolf's annoyance. His heart was still racing a bit; he had been right about the blaster fight. It really had gotten his blood pumping in a way that it hadn't in a long time. (Or, perhaps, he was simply aging... he preferred not to think about that)
So it had been a real downer to hear Katt question his prosthetic arms. It was still a bit of a sore subject to him. He had always shunned mechanical implants, even as a young cocky teen in a group with whom they'd been popular. But his arms were a testament to an ultimate failure and he was reminded everyday of it. When it came to the desire to fly, he'd been left with no choice. It was the story of his life: hard times and hard choices.
