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"This is going to be an interesting conversation," Rolas noted dryly, as their personal skimmer hummed along the road to Greenholme Colony's Governor's Mansion. Not wishing to waste time, they'd driven it straight out of the cargo of the borrowed House Lovejoy family yacht when they'd landed on planet. Given the situation, Melanie had no intention of letting her sister-in-law Sallivera have time to prepare counterarguments for the request Melanie was going to beg of her.

They stopped under the front portico of the mansion, a handsome three-story brick structure, and they stepped out in front of an astonished guard at the door.

"Lord Rolas and Lady Melanie Darktail request to see Governor Darktail at her earliest convenience," Rolas announced blandly, handing his personal card to the fellow. The guard disappeared inside, then came back a minute later to breathlessly escort them to the memorial garden behind the building, where Salli usually held court if the weather permitted

Salli was sitting in a comfortable chair, her personal laptop open on a small table beside her. At her right paw was her wife Alinadar who, wonder to tell, was actually sitting down instead of taking up her usual guard position leaning against a nearby pillar. It was amazing how married life, not to mention not constantly questioning one's self-worth, could change a person, Melanie thought.

"Rolas, Melanie," Salli greeted. Her ears twitched back briefly in surprise. "What an... unexpected visit." Well, it was more polite than What by the Mother Goddess are you doing here?

"Yes," Melanie said. "First things first; It was absolutely not my intention to come here at all. I'm being coerced."

"I can confirm that," Rolas added.

Salli frowned and gestured to a nearby couch. "Perhaps you should explain."

Melanie sat beside Rolas and pulled out her palm comp. "I was recently contacted by the Ministry of Intelligence, who had a... Let us say firm request, for me to reactivate my Red Vixen persona. They wish a very deniable mission to be performed, and I'm the expendable asset they wanted to use."

"I'm sorry that your past has entangled our family yet again," Salli said, and by the Mother Goddess if that wasn't the same wording and emphasis Rolas had used... Blasted twins. "but what has this to do with me, Ali, or Greenholme?"

Melanie tapped her comp, bring up the image of a middle-aged vixen dressed for a High Council function. "This is Countess Skylark. As you know, House Skylark was once allied with your late and unlamented mother-in-law's House Highglider. Since Highglider's spectacular fall from grace, Skylark's own fortunes have been in eclipse. Leading to her making some very poor, and illegal, business decisions. You recall the tobacco smuggling ring that Ali helped break up on Darktail Station just before you bought it?"

"She's involved with that?" Ali said in surprise. "A foxen?"

"Indeed," Melanie confirmed. "The Ministry of intelligence would prefer she be...dissuaded from her activities, rather than causing a very public scandal and possible demands for her arrest and deportation by the Human Federation. Hence their request that the Red Vixen blow up a ship or two belonging to House Skylark that were used to smuggle the tobacco, and possibly some light kidnapping with a very costly ransom for her own person."

"I won't argue that Skylark deserves what she gets, but again, what does this have to do with me?" Salli repeated.

"One, I'm going to need your orbital monitoring stations, especially any of their connections to the Stellar Patrol station in orbit, to go blind for a certain period of time while I launch the Scarlet Claw and get it out of the system," Melanie said.

Salli went stock still for a moment, then said slowly, "You stored... your old pirate ship... on my planet?" Beside her, Ali winced.

"I needed to put it somewhere secure," Melanie explained, while Salli's expression continued to darken. "It's been sitting in the hanger at Bloody Margo's old base. Nobody goes there because of the contamination when the Relentless' main reactor was blown to pieces on the ground, so it was perfect." Before Salli could ask, Melanie added, "I didn't tell Ali, because I didn't want her to have to make a choice between her old loyalties to me and her love for you."

"Thank you," Salli said, the coolness of her words almost forming condensation in the air. Melanie's sister-in-law took in a deep breath and then asked, "What else did you need?"

"Only one other thing," Melanie said. "Ali."

It was fascinating to watch, as Salli immediately redirected her initial impulse to state a flat No, thereby denying Ali any agency, to a more measured, "Why?"

"I'm desperately short handed," Melanie explained. "Most of my old crew either sensibly retired or moved on to other ships after I paid them off and mothballed the Claw. I can fill the holes with personnel donated from Intelligence and the navy, but I need crew who can walk the walk and talk the talk. And easiest way to act like a pirate is if you used to be one."

Salli chewed on her lip for a moment, her gaze turning to her wife. "Ali?" she asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"The tobacco trade is a nasty business," Ali said. "I... don't care to become a pirate again, but I think I could manage it, if it meant taking this countess down. But only if you agree, Salli."

Salli rubbed her nose, closing her eyes briefly. "All right, Mel. You may have Ali, if you really need her. But on one condition."

"What's that?" Melanie.

Salli raised her head up, revealing the black lens of her artificial eye, the camouflage turned off. "I'm coming along. Maybe if the Ministry of Intelligence discovers that they were putting a Countess' Heir at risk as well, they'll think better of it the next time they call you for help."