 I drew three large cupboards out of the TARDIS and into the kitchen, lining them along the wall beside each other.
Then I prepared a vial of chemical and three boxes as large as that serving table there, with 20 compartments and a canister in each compartment. I wrote up three long documents full of obscure intergalactic commercial terminology and added seals and wax impressions. I put ident inks and markers on the table and put the first document out beside them.
Then just before 3:20, I placed my chair to the side of the kitchen table, so that the door that led to the rest of the house was behind me. Always set up an escape route if necessary. An old mercenary on BetaZed Seven taught me that. Excellent advice.
As a last touch, I added a bottle of Venusian Alewine and two glasses. I am rather partial to Venusian Alewine but it is an acquired taste. Rather strong and I am told, producing suppressed voluntary responses in many species. Not in me, though. I barely had time to sit down from my labours when the first man arrived. He rapped at the door and entered.
'Well,' he grumbled, 'my treasurer tells me we could buy the whole shipment... at 999 standard measures of fine kithanstone.'
'Not the price.'
'Will save you the bother of finding another buyer. I have it all right here with me. Just let me test the guerarian and it's all yours. No taxes or duties to pay.'
I waggled my head back and forth as if considering the offer. 'Well, I suppose I could accept that. But we have to sign a contract showing that price. For my principals, you understand. Here is the sample and there is the full shipment in that green box.'
He took the vial I held out, but it almost slipped from his fingers.
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Careful! Drop that and you and I and this whole neighbourhood ceases to exist. There is a sprandoscope. Put the vial in that slot and tap the blue button. The analysis will appear on the screen.'
He did as instructed and grunted his satisfaction when the screen recorded guerarian at 99.97 purity. Exactly as I had preprogrammed the machine to record. He slid the bag of fine kithanstone across to me. I peered inside and weighed the bag on a small scale. 'Now the contract.'
He read part way through the first page, tiring of the complex and incomprehensible language. 'Where?'
'Just sign the last page and add your ident.'
When he was finished and was wiping off his fingers with a cloth I had provided I picked up the bottle of Alewine. 'Will you share a glass of wine with me to seal our bargain?'
'Ah, sure, whatever.'
I poured a generous glassful for him and then one for me. He tossed it off without waiting the toast I had worked out. His face went red and he leapt up, gasping. 'Oh Gods of Aldeva, what was that?'
From where I stood by the window, 'Just a light wine I like. You should not have gulped it, though. It is meant to be sipped. Oh, dear, here comes my next client and I believe it is someone from the Western Clan!'
He ran over and stared out. 'I dare not meet him. I would have to try and kill him!'
'Oh, that would interfere in my business dealings. What if you hid until he left. In this cupboard... with your shipment. Won't be long.'
Together we dragged the big box into the cupboard and he climbed in to sit on the box. I closed the door and quietly locked it. The next man, the same method, though he almost went to open the occupied cupboard in his haste to be hidden.
The last man came in, almost before I could get the second cupboard locked. His face was angry under icy eyes. He dropped a heavy cloth bag on the table. 'Where is the sample?'
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'Here' I passed him the small vial.
'Doesn't look like much.'
'It'd take out this whole block and more if you drop it.' His fingers tightened on the vial.
'How do I know it is what you say it is?'
I pointed to the sprandoscope and he tested the sample. Seemed annoyed at the confirming reading, as if he did not want it to be what I said it was. When I pulled out the contract, he glared. 'What? To what purpose?'
'To satisfy my principals.'
'Don't they trust you either?' he snorted, derision rich in his voice. 'Give me the marker.' He practically grabbed it out of my hand, added the ident imprint and moved toward the box with his shipment.
He shrugged, took the glass I extended to him but waited for me to sip some of the wine before he sniffed suspiciously at the liquid in his glass. Then with a frown, he drank the glass down. I was beginning to think these people did not know how to sip a fine beverage in a civilized fashion.
I dragged the shipment box over to him and then wandered over to the window while he examined it, trying to figure out how I was going to get him into the closet. I could try and manhandle him but there was a chance I would lose.
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'Wait,' I cried, pouring two glasses of Alewine. 'We have to drink this to make it fully legal.' After a few moments, my salvation came strolling down the street. I cried out, 'By the Gods of Jupiter and Mars, here comes someone from the Grand Clan with three other fellows!'
'What !?' he bellowed and hauled out a laser pistol. 'You're dead!'
'No, no, I didn't realize they would be coming. And if you fire that thing you could activate the entire shipment. Destroy the whole city! For pity's sake, put it away.'
'If I see them, I'll have to kill them.'
'Then, then, quick, get into the right-hand cupboard. It has nothing in it. I'll get them to go away.'
'No you just want to keep the shipment and the payment.'
'Look, we can put the box in with you. Quick before they reach the house.'
It took a bit to shove the box in with him not working in sync with me. When he crawled in, it became clear he was not going to be comfortable. He refused to sit on the box. As tall as he was his head bent awkwardly. That neck was going to get cramped.
I locked the door. The sedative effects of the Alewine must have started to work since there was no sound from any of the cupboards. I did wonder how long it would take the three of them to start banging on the doors to get out and whether the neighbours would hear and do anything if they did hear.
I had more urgent business to conduct. Grabbing the three contracts, I gathered up all the documents and hurried across the street to the old man, who still sat on his bench.
'Had quite a passle of visitors, lad. Haven't heard weapons discharging.'
I grinned at him. 'They are feeling quite relaxed right now. Tell me, where do I go to get my friend back from the Constrictors.'
'I told you, can't do that without a release from the Clan that got him in there.'
I waved the contracts at him. 'I have that.'
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He smiled. "Well now, lad. Don't know how you did that. Persuasive talker, are you? But I think I should go with you. Might be better if I got him out, you being so obviously an alien. No slight intended. They might check too close in your case.'
'The signature and ident on these is real. I assure you.'
'Yes but... I could do with an outing. And how are you going to find your way?'
'All right. Where do we go?'
'Right back here to my aircar. Haven't had her up for some time. You don't get airsick do you?'
That comment should have warned me but I went anyway. We did make it to the Darkened Fortress very fast. Very, very fast. And I only felt like throwing up once. At his insistence I stayed with the aircar while he went inside. It took a long 30 minutes before he came back, leading my friend by the arm. My friend looked nervous and tired but he perked up quite a bit when he saw me pacing back and forth by the aircar. With a whoop, he ran and gave me a big hug.
'Doctor! Thank the Moons of Assion. How did you get me out?'
'Not here.' The old man hissed. 'You are attracting attention. Let's be away.'
We squeezed into the aircar and were airborne. Another wild ride and we thumped down onto the landing pad at the old man's house. My friend was a bit green and when he got out he staggered a little. But his good humour at being freed began to overcome everything else. The old man wanted us to sit and have a drink but I refused.
'I am sorry. We need to be gone. Don't want those Clan types getting out and seeing us with you. Another time, dear fellow. Unless you want to come with us?'
'Tempting, lad but I do have other grandchildren.' He shook his head. 'You won't be able to come back. Those Clans have long and nasty memories.' Then he grinned. 'Just leave me the contracts. Insurance should I ever have any trouble with the Clans.'
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'They are yours.' And I passed them over to him. With some hardy handshakes we left him. I rushed my friend in gathering what he wanted to take with him. There was still a huge pile in the corner of the console room when we had it all aboard.
Just before leaving, I set the bags of kithanstone in front of each cupboard door and with a wicked grin, set the locks to open in five-minute intervals. In a loud voice, I called out to them.
'Gentlemen, the doors will open soon, one at a time. I suggest you avoid confrontations by taking up your payments, which you will find on the floor and leaving quickly. The guerarian is of course not really guerarian. It has been a pleasure doing business. Perhaps you should find a more positive way of spending your time.'
I heard the clicking of the first lock and darted away into the TARDIS. A quick slam on the outer door knob and an open palm down on dematerialization switch and we disappeared from Ginevera. "
"That is the end of the story." "No. There must be more." The creature had enjoyed this 'story' thing. He had forgotten his hunger in listening. "No." The creature rose to his full height and stared at the calm expression on the animal's face. As he took a step toward the animal, he felt regret. He had never felt regretful when he was about to take his food. "Are you sure you want to…" "Yes I must. It is the way I live." He pulled the animal up with a big paw around one of its upper arms. "Never thought it would end like this. Wonder if I'll regenerate if major parts of me are gone? Ah well." It closed its eyes and began a strange noise. A keening sound from deep in its throat. The sound irritated the creature's ears and he shook the animal. "Stop that. Stop that." |
"You wouldn't prohibit me from my death chant? After all the tea and treats I gave you?" "Death chant? Who is dying?" "Aren't I about to? Aren't you going to eat me?" The creature shook its great shaggy head. "No. I can feel how little meat there is on your bones and I am sure it is tough. You are not a young thing." A smile, "No, definitely not young." "You would make a poor meal," "So I can go? Wonderful!" "You have other stories?" A grin crossed the animal's face. "But of course. Why that story was one of hundreds, nay thousands of stories." The creature nodded. "It is clear you like to talk. And I am not inclined to eat talking food." "Then I should be away. I have enjoyed…" "Not go. Stay with me and tell me more stories. All the stories." The animal slumped slightly. Mumbling, "I thought that you would ... after I gave you tea and diverted you with ... worked in that book I read." The creature dragged the animal with him out of the blue thing. "Come, it is nearly dawn. I need to hunt for food. Real food." "But I could wait here for you." The creature turned a baleful eye on the animal. "I have heard how clever you are in your story. No, I will keep a hold of you." "Yes, you have found me out. I would have left you. But you can't hunt very effectively like that, dragging me along." "That is true." They stood in the centre of the clearing in the soft light of dawn. "What if you tied me to that tree there while you go hunting?" |
"Tied?" "Yes. Here," reaching again into a recess in its odd green pelt, "is a length of cord you could use." A long vine-like thing dangled from its hand. The creature took the cord and examined it. "Cord? This is just a bit of plant. How could I use this to keep you here?" "Here, let me show you. Step close to the tree. A bit closer, lean back against it. Good. Now, first I loop the cord around the tree, so. Then around you…you being me for the moment…circling your…my arms and back around the tree. Then…here you put your legs back farther…yes, like that…and I loop again and then pull tight." "This would never hold you." "Ah, let me pull it tighter." The creature grunted at the feel of the cord pinching him. "Then a couple of knots…there. Now can you move away from the tree?" The creature stared down at the cord that bound him. He tugged but it was useless. He was securely attached to the tree. "No…not able to…" When he looked up, the animal was in the opening of the blue thing, a soft smile on its face. The creature knew he had joined the list of those the animal had tricked. He roared his displeasure. When after a few moments he stopped, the animal spoke. "I am sorry. I would love to stay and chat but I have obligations elsewhere. I promise, if you will not try and keep me here, I will come back and tell you more stories." |
"No I would never do that. Not when you are only misguided. Don't worry. The cord is of a short-life material. It will fall to pieces in about…" it pulled something shiny from another recess in its pelt and stared at it. " Twenty minutes." The animal's face split in a broad grin. "I will stay until the cord starts to disintegrate to make sure no other animal attacks you. Can't say fairer than that, can I? Can I get you anything in the meantime? More tea?" The creature roared again. "Now, now. Temper, temper. It is important to learn not to overreact to life's little frustrations. Things do even out over time. " The creature pulled at the cord and it began to give. "Oops, guess I misjudged that. Well, take care of yourself. It has been ... interesting. I am just relieved that I did not end up as your midnight snack. Goodbye." With a broad smile, the little animal backed into the blue thing. In a few seconds, the wheezing sound began again and the box…disappeared! The creature stood with the pieces of the cord in his hands, thoroughly puzzled. With a soft sigh, "I do hope it comes back."  |
The creature roared again, not quite so loud but with as much annoyance. He realized that bound to the tree he would starve. If he did not die of thirst first. "You have destroyed me, little animal. I would not have thought it possible."
| Part One Part Two Part Three |
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