Tally Road Original Story- Chapter 5

Dene wasn't a graceful walker down crowded Runge streets. She had something of a bumbling nerdy quality- where Rairate effortlessly flowed through foot traffic, she tended to scramble and bump into passing Runge as she tried to talk to the little feline. With Boodins on the other side trying to listen in, it amazed Rairate that the three of them weren't bouncing passersby off of storefronts and passing vehicles. But that was nothing, compared to the obligation Dene was revealing to him.

"You have lost your HOME?"

"I didn't mean to! It was an interaction with the way I lost my job!"

"Dene, could you begin from the beginning again, please?" said Rairate, ducking around a vast Runge office worker with a deft twist of the hips. Dene opened her mouth to speak, bounced off the fellow with a stammered apology, and trotted to keep up with the smaller Nerre.

"Well, uh, when the Tompar assassin..."

Rai stopped in the middle of the street. "The what?"

Dene looked down at him helplessly.

Rairate sighed. "We are expected at the police station- but right now, I think we should go sit on that bench and listen to Dene. Come along, 'aons."

The bench had only one Runge derelict on it, who growled blearily at them but skulked off once Rairate flashed a glimpse of steel-implanted claws. Passersby pointedly did not notice, except to keep slightly more distance for the moment.

Rairate listened to Dene's story with polite, unwavering attentiveness. There wasn't that much to it, but the parts about Siertes had his ears twitching. "You say she doctored the video monitor, but it broke the time stamp and got you in trouble?"

Boodins said, "Got herself in trouble! This Siertes just uncovered it!" He didn't sound sympathetic, and Dene immediately got defensive.

"I was doing it for you! You seemed nice, and you needed the information!"

Boodins yelped, "Not that way! There's no call to break the law about it! Yeesh!" He was as upset as Rairate had ever heard him.

"Quiet, both of you, 'aons! Boodins, what on earth is bothering you so?"

"She just- she went and broke the law, just like that! I mean, yes this is a Runge homeworld and things are different here, but why do you have to help her when she did wrong?"

Dene bristled, looking unexpectedly mean. "Bad Dene, is that it? You whelp of a young Resten... we're not on YOUR world..."

Rairate reached out and silenced the both of them with a gentle paw on each of their noses, which worked, partly because it was unexpected and partly because neither lady wolf or young whelp wished to feel the further hint of pointy claws there. He spoke.

"I take responsibility for this situation, as Dene was seeking information on our behalf. Boodins, you cannot absolve me of responsibility by blaming Dene's enthusiasm. Dene, it may be that we will need your help again, but for now we must resolve your plight. This Tompar assassin is probably the same one that searched our room. It may be well for us to find new lodgings. What exactly happened to your residence?"

Dene sighed. "My contract with them included the usual clauses. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered, but they might have been looking for an excuse to get me out... I know for a fact that there is a waiting list of twenty people to get into one of those apartments. And that type of music is supposed to be played at that volume! But anyway, they were looking for an excuse."

"But you say it was an interaction? How's that?"

"Yeah- I bet the waiting list is why they didn't do anything to help, that's all. When my boss at the agency fired me, he gave unauthorized intrusion as a cause. That's a civil offense, but it cross-linked with the police record and tipped them off. A police summons went out to my residence demanding I present myself at the station to pay the fine on a criminal charge. Because it was a criminal charge and a summons, my residence contract was invalidated. My place is locked up now, I can't get in. If they want to be really mean about it they can stall me for three days and then destroy my belongings as unclaimed. I think I can get them out, though- even if I have to blow the guy to do it."

Rairate earflattened. "That should not be necessary. We'll find a way for you to reclaim your belongings."

"Yeah, but I'm screwed- with a summons out for me I can't hit any of the shelters. I couldn't go there with belongings anyhow. I have some money because I'm not a complete fool- my banking isn't with the same agency that rents me the apartment, so they weren't able to freeze that too. They really would stall me if it was that way, then they'd be able to seize my assets. But I only have money for temporary storage of my belongings for two, maybe three days..."

Rairate stood. "We will go to the police station now- if it is only a fine you face, that can be addressed there, and we must allow their summons to be answered. Come along, 'aons."

"But my stuff?"

"You will stay with us, Dene Tieschet." said Rairate. At a look from Boodins, he added, "...at least until you find somewhere to live. Now, come along, vraonse!"

The police station was not quiet. It was a large room, crowded with Runge both uniformed and derelict, and there was a tremendous shouting and banging towards the other end of the room. Through the jungle of desks, walls could be seen, but there was something inconsistent about them- as the three approached the area, it became clear that the walls were pounding down out of the ceiling, around a central figure that shouted at a smaller, irate Estrai.

Rairate stared. "Is it...?" and they approached closer.

"I don't care if that's what they're doing on Estandu, damn it, turn it off and get it out of here! I can't see through that stuff!" shouted the big Runge.

His vulpine companion didn't give an inch, and bristled until his foxlike tail, ample even for an Estrai, appeared bigger than he was. This wasn't that difficult, as he was no taller than Rairate- but astonishingly, as he faced up to the towering Runge, his ears betrayed no trace of fear or intimidation. "You'll get used to it! Honestly, Anzy, you're being quite babyish about this, you should be grateful that you can use the latest in safeguards from us- do you know how much this cost me to install?"

The Runge glowered. "I didn't ask you to install anything! I don't care how much you don't like it, you're going to stay out of my workplace..."

"But, Anzy! I can't simply trust you to the mercies of..."

The Runge made an emphatic gesture with a finger in the direction of 'out', and a wall promptly slammed down out of the ceiling inches from the finger, interrupting the protesting Estrai.

"Get it OUT of here, Voustrets. I mean it."

Voustrets Talanstre Laimontre, the very person Rairate had wanted to consult, glared back at his longtime partner Anzende Ndeschwin with positively Estrai venomousness, and then whirled on his heel and stalked off. He was briefly impeded as a wall slammed down just in front of him, responding to the vehemence of his passage, but continued his departure once it gave up and whooshed up into the ceiling again.

Rai, Boodins and Dene watched him go, as did Anzende. After a while, the latter said gruffly, "Come over here- I recognize you. Careful of the stupid wall thing."

"It's like a shield?" said Boodins.

"Estrai thing." said the cop. "I won't say they don't need it themselves, but I don't need it here. Nearest Xarnax attack craft is light years away." He punctuated this with a sweeping gesture, causing another wall to slam into the floor and then gradually recede. "I'm gonna hate this thing so bad, by the end of the day..."

"But, why?" asked Rairate politely. "What could be the point of such a crude mechanism? You could make thousands of drones out of..."

He trailed off, and Anzende grinned at him. "You got it. Xarnax are AI. They're real good at getting through sophisticated stuff. They LIKE it. The foxies took to using primitive methods the AI can't get into, and their own brains and instincts to augment it." The grin snapped off. "Like the way you kill street punks with augmented claws instead of shooting them. Mind explaining that one a bit?"

"I was protecting my companion." said Rairate placidly. "I apologize if that was wrong. We were endangered." The little Nerre was perfectly comfortable deferring to the Runge cop- the lines of authority were quite clear. He added, "If you require anything more of me, or us, you have only to let us know, viez."

Dene looked uneasy at that, something Anzende noticed immediately- but his attention wasn't given much time to rest, for a continuing expostulation was approaching. It wasn't immediately possible to see what was making the noise, though only an Estrai could carry on so colorfully- then, through a couple towering Runge cops, the figure of Voustrets Talanstre Laimontre appeared again, bearing down on Anzende's desk, stopping neatly as a shield-wall slammed down before his approach, and walking right up when it retracted into the ceiling again.

"Oh my friend, I must ask your pardon for my imposition onto your workplace! I have only to look around and see that these..." and he made a sweeping, dramatic vulpine gesture that caused no fewer than three shield walls to slam violently to the floor, "these your compatriots don't resort to such defenses! It was only my deep concern for your welfare..."

"That's fine, Vu," said the cop, "but if you don't mind, I'm talking with these people right now..."

"But you must forgive me for my effrontery! Besides, I've inconvenienced all these..." Wham!

"Will you stop doing that!?"

The Estrai blinked. "Certainly." He took a small control box out of his pocket, and pressed a single button, and looked up brightly to see his friend and associate, Anzende Ndeschwin, gritting his teeth and clearly ready to blow up, having just learned that the device could have been turned off hours ago.

Boodins jumped in, hoping to deflect mayhem. "Yeah, if there's anything you need us to do..."

Voustrets spun with a swish of enormous fluffy tail, and stared at Boodins and his friends in startlement. "Oh! As a matter of fact..."

"Vu, they meant that for me!" said Anzende. "You can't have them for that!"

"And why not? They aren't dressed as policemen. They aren't under your authority at all, are they?"

"Well, this one could do with a warning..." said Anzende, indicating the well-behaved Rairate.

"Could do much more than that, my friend, as he is plainly Hse-Nerre, on some assignment, yet obligated to you! Is it not? Just look at them. They are together, they answer to the Nerre..."

Dene opened her mouth to speak, but a look from Rairate shut her up, to the evident delight of the little Estrai, who said, "Anzy, you simply must allow me to send these people. They are the perfect team! After all, you won't let me send your own."

"It's not worth it! Another of your crazy gambles!"

Rairate interrupted politely. "What, exactly, do you mean?"

At that, both Anzende and Voustrets turned to look at him, Anzende appraisingly and Voustrets imploringly...