* * *
"Sal, what's the plan?"
"Do what they say Sonic. I don't want a confrontation if I can avoid it."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I'm kidding, not!"
"Quiet!" Barked one Overlander angrily. Turning to his companion he said, "Get the Colonel."
"Yes, sir!" A few minutes later, another Overlander came back. This one was tall, dark, and undoubtedly the one in charge.
"Sergeant, who are they?" He asked, his voice a smooth baritone that seemed to rumble like approaching thunder.
"Unknown, sir. They came out of the jungle."
"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow. He looked at the freedom fighters one by one, his gaze finally stopping on Sally.
"I am Lieutenant Colonel Franklin, Commandant of this facility. And you are?" He said courteously.
"My name is Sally." She replied. Sally felt it better to omit the fact that she was a scion of the House of Acorn, given the history between the Overlanders and the Royal Family. Sally expected nothing less than the third degree. She was not disappointed, though it did not go quite the way Sally thought it would.
"Well Sally, may I inquire as to what you are doing here?" He sounded genuinely curious, as if she was simply stopping over for tea.
"We were on our way to meet with some friends." She said, sticking as close to the truth as she could. "We got somewhat lost and now we'll just be on our way-"
"I'm afraid not. Those beasts in the jungle are ferocious, you wouldn't last five minutes outside. Believe me, I know."
Sally pursed her lips in thought. "Now what?" She wondered. Apparently Lt. Colonel Franklin was thinking the same thing.
"Who precisely are you?" He asked. "You're not lost travelers, not this far east your not. Furthermore you aren't carrying any amount of supplies that suggests you've been traveling long. And with that trouble in Mobotropolis-" Sally felt a pang of home-sickness at hearing the name of her former home. "-I find it hard to believe that any Mobian would risk traveling over here for a lunch date."
"Our friends don't live that far from us and we haven't seen them in sometime. There's nothing unusual about that." Sally insisted. "We're nobody special."
Laughter broke out from behind her, she turned to find the red fox she was talking to a few minutes ago chuckling lightly. The colonel turned to him as well.
"Do you have something to say, Misha?" He asked softly.
"Da." The fox--Misha--said. He cleared his throat and then in perfectly understandable, if accented, English he said:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost,
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by frost,
From ashes a fire shall be woken,
Alight from the shadows shall spring,
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken,
The crownless shall again be queen.
Everyone turned to look at him. "Always with the poetry." Franklin said, shaking his head in bemusement. To Sally he said, "Am I to take it that you are King Maximillian's daughter?"
Sally thought about lying and saying she wasn't, but decided that if she was going to have any chance at opening a dialogue, then it would have to be based upon honesty.
"I am Princess Sally Alicia." She admitted.
"Indeed." He nodded once to his soldiers and to Sally's surprise, they lowered their weapons.
"Once more I am to be saying, PHEW!" Antoine said in relief.
"Would you care in introduce us to the rest of your party?"
"Of course, Colonel." Sally said cordially. Two could play that game. "This is Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Better known as the Blue Dude with the attitude!" Sonic said by way of an introduction.
"A pleasure." Franklin said cordially.
"This is Antoine," Sally said next, wondering how Franklin would like seeing a Royal Uniform after so many years. Antoine came to attention and tried looking regal and military, and being Antoine, failed miserably. Sally didn't see the Colonel's face but could have sworn she felt a smile.
After introducing Rotor, Bunnie, and Tails, they came to Dulcy. The Colonel's interest rose sharply. He then spied her injured wings and clucked his tongue.
"I think we can have those taken care of. We have had some experience with dragons."
"How could they have experience with treating dragons?" Sally wondered to herself. She almost didn't notice that she had nearly walked into that fox again. Sally studied him for a second, his eyes still seemed cloudy and sealed. The Colonel cleared his throat.
"I ask that you forgive Misha's deception. He did so at my request. I find that people are more willing to talk around strangers when they don't think they understand them. That's what I had him feign ignorance of English."
Misha inclined his head to the Colonel, then spun on his heel and walked away.
"Do they all speak English?" She asked, using her hands to encompass the rest of the Mobians in the courtyard who were watching the exchange. He shook his head.
"No. Besides my soldiers, only Misha and one other here know or speak any English." Strangely enough, Sally believed him.
"How many Mobians are here?" She asked, wondering if they were prisoners and if so, whether she and the rest of her friends were now prisoners too.
"About twenty, all told. As well as ten of my own people."
"Are they your prisoners?" She asked, hoping to catch him off guard. He shook his head.
"No. They are not captives and we are not captors."
"Then they can leave whenever they want?" She asked.
"Well, no." The Colonel admitted.
"If they're not prisoners then they should be able to leave. One follows the other." Sally pointed out.
"Not quite. What I told you about those...things in the jungle was quite true. None of us can leave the compound. At least, not alive."
* * *
"Sal, what's the plan?"
"Do what they say Sonic. I don't want a confrontation if I can avoid it."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I'm kidding, not!"
"Quiet!" Barked one Overlander angrily. Turning to his companion he said, "Get the Colonel."
"Yes, sir!" A few minutes later, another Overlander came back. This one was tall, dark, and undoubtedly the one in charge.
"Sergeant, who are they?" He asked, his voice a smooth baritone that seemed to rumble like approaching thunder.
"Unknown, sir. They came out of the jungle."
"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow. He looked at the freedom fighters one by one, his gaze finally stopping on Sally.
"I am Lieutenant Colonel Franklin, Commandant of this facility. And you are?" He said courteously.
"My name is Sally." She replied. Sally felt it better to omit the fact that she was a scion of the House of Acorn, given the history between the Overlanders and the Royal Family. Sally expected nothing less than the third degree. She was not disappointed, though it did not go quite the way Sally thought it would.
"Well Sally, may I inquire as to what you are doing here?" He sounded genuinely curious, as if she was simply stopping over for tea.
"We were on our way to meet with some friends." She said, sticking as close to the truth as she could. "We got somewhat lost and now we'll just be on our way-"
"I'm afraid not. Those beasts in the jungle are ferocious, you wouldn't last five minutes outside. Believe me, I know."
Sally pursed her lips in thought. "Now what?" She wondered. Apparently Lt. Colonel Franklin was thinking the same thing.
"Who precisely are you?" He asked. "You're not lost travelers, not this far east your not. Furthermore you aren't carrying any amount of supplies that suggests you've been traveling long. And with that trouble in Mobotropolis-" Sally felt a pang of home-sickness at hearing the name of her former home. "-I find it hard to believe that any Mobian would risk traveling over here for a lunch date."
"Our friends don't live that far from us and we haven't seen them in sometime. There's nothing unusual about that." Sally insisted. "We're nobody special."
Laughter broke out from behind her, she turned to find the red fox she was talking to a few minutes ago chuckling lightly. The colonel turned to him as well.
"Do you have something to say, Misha?" He asked softly.
"Da." The fox--Misha--said. He cleared his throat and then in perfectly understandable, if accented, English he said:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost,
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by frost,
From ashes a fire shall be woken,
Alight from the shadows shall spring,
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken,
The crownless shall again be queen.
Everyone turned to look at him. "Always with the poetry." Franklin said, shaking his head in bemusement. To Sally he said, "Am I to take it that you are King Maximillian's daughter?"
Sally thought about lying and saying she wasn't, but decided that if she was going to have any chance at opening a dialogue, then it would have to be based upon honesty.
"I am Princess Sally Alicia." She admitted.
"Indeed." He nodded once to his soldiers and to Sally's surprise, they lowered their weapons.
"Once more I am to be saying, PHEW!" Antoine said in relief.
"Would you care in introduce us to the rest of your party?"
"Of course, Colonel." Sally said cordially. Two could play that game. "This is Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Better known as the Blue Dude with the attitude!" Sonic said by way of an introduction.
"A pleasure." Franklin said cordially.
"This is Antoine," Sally said next, wondering how Franklin would like seeing a Royal Uniform after so many years. Antoine came to attention and tried looking regal and military, and being Antoine, failed miserably. Sally didn't see the Colonel's face but could have sworn she felt a smile.
After introducing Rotor, Bunnie, and Tails, they came to Dulcy. The Colonel's interest rose sharply. He then spied her injured wings and clucked his tongue.
"I think we can have those taken care of. We have had some experience with dragons."
"How could they have experience with treating dragons?" Sally wondered to herself. She almost didn't notice that she had nearly walked into that fox again. Sally studied him for a second, his eyes still seemed cloudy and sealed. The Colonel cleared his throat.
"I ask that you forgive Misha's deception. He did so at my request. I find that people are more willing to talk around strangers when they don't think they understand them. That's what I had him feign ignorance of English."
Misha inclined his head to the Colonel, then spun on his heel and walked away.
"Do they all speak English?" She asked, using her hands to encompass the rest of the Mobians in the courtyard who were watching the exchange. He shook his head.
"No. Besides my soldiers, only Misha and one other here know or speak any English." Strangely enough, Sally believed him.
"How many Mobians are here?" She asked, wondering if they were prisoners and if so, whether she and the rest of her friends were now prisoners too.
"About twenty, all told. As well as ten of my own people."
"Are they your prisoners?" She asked, hoping to catch him off guard. He shook his head.
"No. They are not captives and we are not captors."
"Then they can leave whenever they want?" She asked.
"Well, no." The Colonel admitted.
"If they're not prisoners then they should be able to leave. One follows the other." Sally pointed out.
"Not quite. What I told you about those...things in the jungle was quite true. None of us can leave the compound. At least, not alive."
* * *