Around the House

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

02/28/99:

I tied off the end of my pigtail as I stepped out of the
bedroom door. Unsurprisingly Ravindar was waiting for me,
standing against the far wall of the hallway.

"Do you ever sleep?" I asked him, dropping my hands to my
side.

He grunted, standing even straighter, if such a thing was
possible. Arms folded behind his back, his eyes scanned back
and forth along the hallway, the soft light making his black
stripes stand out on his fur.

"How about speak?" I teased, walking over to stand in front
of him, going to my tip-toes to look him in the eyes. "I've
heard you say about two dozen words since we first met. I'm
almost starting to wonder if it wasn't a ventriloquist act."

He locked his eyes with mine, their light brown color almost
seemed to glow on his face. "I speak when it's necessary,
and I sleep when I must. As long as you're unguarded, you
are the focus of my attention."

"I'm flattered," I said with a slight laugh, starting down
the hallway. "Care to join us for breakfast?" I asked over
my shoulder. He usually would stand in the corner, watching
quietly, some times taking in a small bite, but only after
everyone else was finished.

He shook his head, his ears twitching as he walked behind
me. It was strange to be around someone as quiet as him. He
insisted on following me wherever I went. Except for the
office, but that was another matter entirely.

"Suit yourself, then," I told him as I entered the kitchen.
He walked right behind me, taking up his usual spot in the
corner, out of everyone's way.

Oria was already there, cleaning up food from Beca's fur.
She must have finished eating already, and hadn't made too
much of a mess today. Kalie was sitting at one of the
counters, reading a PADD and drinking coffee.

Starting some water for tea, I began making a bowl of cereal
for my own breakfast. I was a bit surprised when Sora
stumbled in, her fur a mess, her eyes bloodshot (and
considering her eyes were red already, that was a feat), and
a smile on her face.

"Long night?" Oria asked.

She winced, fanning her wings out. Slowly, she rubbed the
side of her head with one paw, twitching her ears as she did
so. "I have a nasty hang over," she answered, more moaning
than speaking as she kept her voice soft.

"You seem happy about it," Kalie commented with a bit of an
edge to her voice, almost a touch of scolding involved. That
seemed strange coming from her. She had always been an avid
drinker.

Sora nodded, wincing again, resting her head on her paw, "I
got some good news."

I smiled, pulling the kettle from the stove, shutting the
heat of as I did so. "Must have been spectacular," I
commented, as I started to pour the water into my cup,
realizing just in time that I hadn't prepared the leaves
yet.

Walking over to the coffee pot, she poured herself a large
mug, drinking almost half in a single gulp. "Yes it was,
Fox, it was very spectacular. I got a message from the
Citizenship Board. You were right-- since I left my world a
slave, they made me a citizen."

"Congratulations!" Oria said, Kalie responding in the same
fashion.

"Thanks, but not so loud, please," she said with another
wince as she started to go through the cupboards.

I smiled as I finished preparing my tea, having added the
leaves to my cup as Sora spoke. As I put them away, she let
out an 'ah ha' as she pulled out a bottle of some kind of
liquid spice. It was too strong for me (but most spices are)
so it wasn't used around the house. Pouring some into her
coffee, she mixed it with her finger, then gulped the rest
down.

The reaction was immediate; she gasped like she had been
hit, the coughed slightly. Regaining her balance, she set
the glass on the counter, "May not cure my headache, but I
don't feel as bad as before," she commented, wiping a few
loose drops of the mix from her face.

I laughed, and took both my tea, and my cereal over to the
table, and started to eat quickly. Oria watched me out of
the corner of her eye, smiling a bit as she finished
cleaning Beca's fur.

"Something wrong?" I asked her between bites.

"I was just thinking that you could use a healthier morning
meal," she answered, leaning forward slightly to tickle Beca
on the nose.

I glanced down at my bowl, "this is usually fine, has all
the proper vitamins and such."

"For a human," she responded, turning to look at me, "You're
also a bit Lidr'ra as well. Did you ever think that might
affect your nutrition as well as your form?"

"Oh," was about the entirety of my answer. I had never even
thought of that, nor had Ken, or the doctors, or anyone
else. But, all things considered, it made perfect sense.

She gave me one of her knowing smiles, and went back to
playing with Beca.

I made a mental note to bring that up to both Ken and my
doctor next time I saw them. For now, though, I was just
just going to keep doing as I normally did, so I finished
the rest of my cereal.

A few minutes later, I was sipping at my second cup of tea.
Kalie had come over, and both she and Oria were playing
Peek-a-boo with Beca. She seemed to think it was the
greatest game ever made judging from the way she was
laughing.

I was surprised to find that Rachel was standing inside the
doorway, watching all of this. She was dressed
conservatively, with her arms crossed, and a PADD held in
one paw. She was smiling widely, the grin stretched almost
from ear to ear.

"Hello, there," I said as I took another sip. "This is a
rare event. Usually you leave so early I have to wonder if
you even actually live here anymore."

She laughed, her ears twitching as she walked over to me. "I
don't have to be at the office early every day. Besides, I
wanted to talk to you, and this was easier than trying to
schedule an appointment around our duties.

I nodded, finishing my tea, and rising to my feet. "I have
plenty of time right now. What's on your mind?"

She handed me the PADD. "I'll be in the living room, come in
when you're finished with that."

I nodded my head as she walked away, her tail swishing
behind her as she moved. Smiling, I glanced down at the
PADD. It was a just a copy of the morning news. It wasn't
much, a few stories on the local economy in reaction to the
plans to move the Consortium capital off world, and a small
story in the corner of the front page.

I read it three times before I was sure that I was reading
it right, then four more just to see if I understood it.
Dwight was dead, _very_ dead. He had been stabbed in the
night, inside his cell, with a black crystal dagger. Stabbed
was an understatement though; there were over a hundred
wounds and blood all over the cell.

"What is it?" Oria asked.

I set the PADD down on the table, and walking into the
living room. Rachel was sitting on the couch, looking very
relaxed, her ears falling to the side that she was leaning
her head. She had her tail in her lap, and was combing it
slowly, her eyes closed.

"Never thought a 'taur could move that quietly," I
commented, sitting down next to her.

She jumped slightly, opening her eyes, "What?" she asked.

I shook my head, she didn't know much about Elena, not even
that she was providing me intelligence for IMF. I felt it
best not to bring it up. "So he's dead," I commented,
keeping my voice a monotone. "I suspect the dagger was
spelled in such a way that his soul was destroyed."

"A bit of an overkill, don't you think?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Who's to say?" I asked, almost
whimsically.

She nodded, "This isn't the worst time for this to have
happened, but it's getting close. With the announcement
about the move, things are getting a bit out of hand. This
is only adding to it."

I had to prevent myself from saying 'Things couldn't get
worse,' because as Murphy has proven to me many times over,
they can get worse. Usually before you know that they have.
So for now, it was best not to tempt fate. Or at least not
go about smacking it in the face.

"Can I ask a question of you?" I asked, as I settled down
into the couch.

She nodded, "Of course, Fox."

"Why haven't you moved back into the residence you had when
you were the Council Head? I would assume that since you are
in what is the same position, you would have the same
perks."

"Oh, Fox," she said with a soft sigh, "I don't want to go
back there again, I tried once, but it feels strange now.
It's not my home, this place is, with you, Oriana, and the
rest of your extended family that you've gathered around
yourself."

I started to say something, but she quickly raised her paw,
cutting me off. "Don't think that because I won't be married
to you and Oriana doesn't mean I don't want to be a part of
this family. You are very special to me, Fox, in more ways
than I can easily express. I've been closer to you than I
have with anyone in years."

I blushed softly, placing one of my hands on her knee. "I
don't know what to say."

"Don't think that because you turned us down," Oria said,
standing just inside the entryway to the room, Beca cradled
in her arms, "that you're not part of this family. You may
not be married to us, but you are as much a part of us as
Rhea is."

Rachel bowed her head slightly, her ears twitching. "Thank
you, Oriana, you don't know how much that means to me."

She smiled in return, "But I can guess. There's something
special about having a family, and close ties to depend on.
You're like a close sister to me, and more than that to
Fox." (I blushed as she said that.) "I can not allow you to
not be part of this family."

"I'm flattered," she said, now seeming slightly surprised.
"I was worried that you might be jealous of the times Fox
and I were together."

Oria cracked an even wider smile, her tail flicking back and
forth. "I don't mind at all. You trained him well in the
arts of pleasing a woman. I thank you for that, and perhaps,
if we can work it out, you might still be able to have him
at times." She paused, looking down at Beca, who was
starting to fuss in her arms.

Rachel giggled, and I blushed deeply, trying to hide my face
as I did so.

"Now that I've made this situation as awkward as possible, I
need to go change my granddaughter's britches. Please
continue whatever conversation you can." She flicked her
tail once more, giggling to herself as she left the room.

I sighed, resting my head in my hands. "I think she
understated that."

Rachel laughed, patting my on the shoulder. "It's OK, Fox,
being open like that is normal for her. Sure it's
embarrassing to you, but I don't think she meant any harm."

Oria had enjoyed that far to much for it to have been
totally innocent. "I know," I answered, raising my head
again, "but it's still embarrassing to me. I'm still trying
to work through the fact that I'm not just for her. Everyone
can be with anyone else in the Marriage, which I guess
includes you, even if you're not married into the family."

"One of the problems of cross-culture marriages. It's more
of a problem for you since you seem to have decided to take
on her world as your own."

I gave her a bit of a sharper look than I intended. "If you
mean about the language, the twins will be Oria's species,
not human. It's proper that they learn her language and Prid
standard. English would just be a hindrance to them, and in
most ways, purely academic." I said in my defense.

"And you're rationalizing your actions Fox. This is a choice
you made, though you may not have been aware of it at the
time. But to be frank, you're going native, and aren't sure
how to deal with it yet."

"'Yet' being the operative word," I muttered, rubbing my
forehead. She had a good point. I was going to have to think
about that. Was I really allowing myself to 'go native' as
she put it, and if so, was it a bad thing?

She smiled, patting my leg, "Well then, I have something to
take your mind of that, at least for now. I was going to
show you this once the plans were finished, but right now I
suspect you need something else to worry about."

"I don't need anything else to worry about," I countered,
but with a smile.

She just ignored me, picking up a PADD off the table, and
handing it to me. Turning it on, I was surprised to find
myself looking at a schematic for a ship. A big ship, a very
big ship.

Running my fingers over the controls for the display, I
zoomed in and out of the parts of the ship, trying to make
sense of what I was seeing. It was long, over two-thousand
feet from stem to stern. Almost brick shaped, considering
how squat it looked. It would still be impressive none the
less.

It had six large turret guns, three on each end of the ship.
A pair on the top, and a pair at port and starboard. Each
turret held four separate barrels, each barrel three hundred
feet long and thirty feet wide. The bottom was covered with
a dozen smaller single-barrel turrets guns; they looked like
each one would have a gunner inside.

Two fighter bays took up a large part of the middle of the
ship, each passing all the way through from one side to the
other. A small bay on the upper half of the hull was made to
hold fifty 'C-Attack' class ships, whatever those were. The
second, and much larger bay, was set just below the center
line of the ship. It could hold nine-hundred fighters
easily, and twice that in an emergency situation. At least
that was the estimate on the specs.

It took me a bit longer to notice the two big guns (somehow
'big' seeming to be an misstatement here). One on each side
of the ship, running the whole length, they had a limited
range in front of the ship, but would clear anything out of
the way. Following that was a triple set of massive engines
and three different hyper-drive systems.

"Military Flagship?" I guessed. Actually, it looked like a
cross between an aircraft carrier, and a dozen battle ships.
I would hate to see this thing orbiting around my world.

"Right first try," she said with a smile. "Since we don't
have the right to pull ships from the Member Worlds like the
Council could, we're left with no choice but to create a
military of our own. What we have right now isn't much, and
isn't enough. That," she tapped the PADD with one finger,
"is meant to be a blockade breaker, something we can put
anywhere in a short period of time. Mostly as a presence,
but with teeth as well."

"Ruddy great teeth," I commented. "Let's just hope we don't
need to use it," I said as I handed the PADD back.

"It will be years before we can build it. Most of the
Consortium's money will be going to the move. This is a
secondary project. Though if this mess with the Salie gets
too bad, I suspect we could see the funding for it a lot
sooner than that."

Mess with the Salie? That almost sounded familiar to me, but
nothing past the 'just out of the corner of my mind' type of
recognition. The way she said it though, it sounded like a
bad thing.

"Salie?" I prompted, hoping for a reasonable answer.

She gave me a dark look from the corner of her eye, her ears
twitching in annoyance. "Damn it, Fox," she said with sudden
anger, "with your position you should be keeping abreast of
everything in the news. Being in the dark will cause you no
end of trouble, you must be aware of these things."

I nodded sharply to what was clearly an order from my
superior in the government, and not a casual annoyance. "Yes
ma'am, I'll put together a staff to monitor all the news on
and off Prid, the Member Worlds, and anyplace else we can
find it. I'll get a daily report on it, and any analysis
that can be done, starting in a few weeks. Will that
suffice?"

"Perfectly," she answered, smirking ever so slightly. "Sorry
to snap at you, but it's been a sore spot for the last few
weeks. The Salie control a number of worlds in universe
twenty-seven. They are threatening to blockade the
trade-routs between one of our Member Words, and one of
their outlying colonies that has no access to folds. With
the way their hyperspace works, there's no way to go around
without adding months to the trip. The Salie are trying to
force the Consortium to bow down to some of their demands
for trading rights in our space."

"Shit," I muttered, "how likely does this look to happen."

She shook her head, her ears flattening into her hair. "I
don't know, sometimes it seems close, other times, like they
are just threatening us, hoping we will cave in to prevent
them from even starting this blockade. I'm hoping that when
news of the new flag ship is made public, it will make them
think twice about doing this. It's a slim hope though."

"I'm a few weeks from having a team ready... I could send
them out to try and prevent this, maybe discrediting whoever
is pushing for this course of action. If the powers that be
think he's not stable, they will look at this plan again."

She smiled. "Thanks, Fox, I'll keep that in mind. It's hard
to find any kind of missions for your group yet. Though I
suspect most of them will be coming from Jadith, as The
Organization runs our covert operations."

I nodded.

"Speaking of which," she said in a tone of voice that set
off warning bells in the back and front of my head.

"No," I answered, "I have my hands to full as it is,
anything more I don't think I can handle."

"Fox, hear me out first," she said, her voice sounding
slight exasperated by my quick response. "We've been making
new groups, trying to split up what the HammerHeads used to
do. One job is policing the Consortium laws on and between
Member worlds. It falls into our jurisdiction, and we need a
group to handle this type of thing."

"Ok, go on," I said, suspecting where this was starting to
go. I had once suggested a FBI-like body for the Consortium,
something to handle this type of thing, but that seemed like
months ago now.

"There are's plans to present and vote on a bill tomorrow
that will create the Consortium Security Council. We want
you--"

I cut her off, "Sorry, I'm not interested in running another
operation. I have the IMF and my Shipyards, and I can barely
keep up with both. A third would just swamp me."

She sighed, "Would you hear me out first, before you turn me
down. I don't want you to run it, no one wants you to run
it, because we all think you're more valuable to us when we
can send you into the field. We want to appoint you as a
Special Agent. It will allow us to send you on any specific
case, and you can officially handle anything dealing with
your Earth as well."

"Oh," I said with a smile, "I see. So you want to have me do
the same things you used to have me do, but in some official
capacity. Unless I fail, then it was for IMF, and you never
knew about it. Right?"

"All but the last part," she answered, shaking her head
slightly.

"I'll have to think about it, I'm not exactly sure I can fit
anymore in, but I'll seriously think about it."

She smiled, pulling herself to her feet, and brushing the
wrinkles out of her skirt. "That's all I ask, you don't have
to rush the answer either, we have plenty of time to wait
for you."

I nodded, standing up as well. "Good, that should work fine
then."

"Then I'll see you later, hopefully back here tonight," she
said the last part with a smile. I hopped that she would be
here as well. I also suspected we would be seeing her around
the house a lot more than we used to.

She was, after all, part of the family.

-----

This story is (c) 1999 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one per person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.