Ficlet meme response # 7 - His Noble Nature

[vilakins]

Here's my response to mistraltoes's third challenge in the ficlet meme:

Chenie, Travis (and optionally Jarriere)
Title: His Noble Nature
Dialogue: "I'd bet on the turtle, if I were you."

Set just after 'Gambit'; 500 words.


His Noble Nature

Travis slammed his arm down on the bar. "I need a drink. The strongest you've got."

Chenie raised her eyebrows. "I've known people to get legless in here, but--"

"Just get me a drink. And I don't mean vitazade."

"Och, set the man up with a whisky, and a wee dram for me too."

Travis recognised the Scotian accent. "Servalan's powder poof," he sneered.

"Jarriere's the name. Hamish Jarriere." Jarriere lifted his glass and nodded at Chenie. "Thank you, lass. Have one yeself."

"Yeah, well." Travis downed his drink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thought you'd have a fancy name like that."

Jarriere was unoffended. "My father was from Outer Gaul." He parted his whisky with his nose. "Not a bad drop, this. Right." He put his glass down. "I've got a proposition for you, Travis."

"Oh, I'll bet you have." Travis rose menacingly.

"A business one."

"With you and Servalan? After what you did to me, that's almost as bad an insult."

"Ah, don't be too hasty." Jarriere said. "I can fix your arm in return."

"In return for what?"

"Finding Star One."

Travis paused, his face still and intent. "Star One? I might just be interested. As long as you're not going after Docholli."

"Och, why would we do that? Not now we know everything he did." Jarriere glanced at Travis's arm on the bar. "We'll see you later then."

So. It was bugged. Travis left it lying there and went to make a call on the private direct number he'd been given "Bercol, or whatever your name really is? You're on."

He'd found out about Bercol and Rontane when they survived the attack on Command Headquarters. The section they'd been in had been exposed to space, but there they were, alive and well and refusing to see a Space Fleet medic. It hadn't taken long to find out who--or what--they really were. After that trial verdict, and especially after the way Servalan had used him here, it would serve the lot of them bloody well right to be overrun with jelly-mould replicas.

Chenie smiled at him when he came back and gave him a full glass. "On the house. Perhaps you've got a bit of nobility after all."

"Yeah, well. Doc's all right." And perhaps he would be, well away from Federated space. "You should follow him, Chenie, start a new life."

Chenie laughed. "He knows where to find me."

"Set me up again." Drink to the deaths of all those hypocritical bastards who had fired him like a weapon and complained when he'd hit his target. And the ones who taken Maryatt's family. Let them all be slaves.

"Shouldn't you be on your way?"

"Nah. Blake might have the fastest ship in the galaxy, but there are several revolting planets between here and Goth. Ever hear of the rabbit and the turtle? Something like that anyway." Travis belched. " I'd bet on the turtle, if I were you."

Comments

[matildabj.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful. And a fantastic response to the challenge.

it would serve the lot of them bloody well right to be overrun with jelly-mould replicas

Brilliant!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It took me a while to think this one up.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! Love the Bercol-Rontane theory

And this:

there are several revolting planets between here and Goth.

I can see Vila muttering "and the more revolting they are, the likelier Blake is to take us there".

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes, and he would too!

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Some great Travis narrative lines there. Like

After that trial verdict, and especially after the way Servalan had used him here, it would serve the lot of them bloody well right to be overrun with jelly-mould replicas.

And

Drink to the deaths of all those hypocritical bastards who had fired him like a weapon and complained when he'd hit his target. And the ones who taken Maryatt's family. Let them all be slaves.
I like your Chenie too.

Gina

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Chenie's a great character; she and Docholli would have made a good pair.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

I agree totally,as you know.

Gina

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Oh, very well answered! And surprising. Thank you so much for including Jarriere. :) I can so hear Travis telling Chenie to follow Docholli. (And the slamming arm/legless joke went right over my head the first time or two; how much fun when I figured it out!) Good stuff, as usual.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I wasn't sure if 'legless' was a synonym for 'drunk' anywhere but here, but I thought people would realise what Chenie meant.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Ooh, very cool! I, too, love the Bercol and Rontane theory. And this was a really impressive job of incorporating all the challenge elements in ways I certainly would never have expected.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

well, it took me a while to work it out, I have to admit. I've got three left to do and they look just as difficult. (Must get on with that ficathon story too ... )

[kerravonsen]

Oh, nice way of tying things together!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I always wondered how Travis and the Andromedans were connected. We INTPs like finding patterns in chaos, don't we? :-)