If Pigs Could Fly… 4
2. “Red’s worth twice that. 15 and you have a deal.” [Persuasion check. Very difficult.]
Porker held the guard captain’s stare and said, “Red’s worth twice that. 15 and you have a deal.” It was difficult to keep a straight face in the expectation of Sally’s barking laughter, but to the pilot’s surprise, the woman seemed to give the matter serious consideration.
“15 is out of the question, of course,” she countered with a wave of her hand, “but you aren’t that far off. 13.5.”
The Boar blinked. And then again for good measure. “14.2,” the mercenary part of his mind fired back as the rest of his brain tried to process that this was actually happening.
Sally was, as always, quicker in the return. “13. Care to keep up this flat-spin you’ve found yourself in? I can run you all the way down to 10 if you really want to play hardball with me?”
“After all these years-”
“12.”
“I took out the pirate fla-”
“11 and falling.”
Captain Dahl ground his teeth in frustration, nostrils flaring. “Fine, fine! By the stars and stones, you’re a hard bitch.” He reached up to scratch at a tusk before adding, “ma’am.”
“Since you’re such a sweet talker, I’ll let you keep the 13. Red’s worth it,” Sally said through a grin that could turn blood to ice water. She reached into her desk and withdrew a half-full bottle of amber liquid along with two glasses. “I’ll have the paperwork drafted up.” The glasses thunked against the desk’s wood as her second set of arms set to work in pouring and it wasn’t long before a full snifter was offered to the pilot. “Sandy Egg will miss you, bacon. Where shall we toast to?”
Porker took the offered glass and raised it in salute. “Same as always; absent friends, slow enemies, and deep pockets.” The woman toasted without a word, and both took long pulls of the smokey liquor. “I’ll miss this dump of a town too, Miss Sally, but I need to leave. Getting old.”
“Getting old? Bacon, you’ve outlived everyone from your old outfit, not to mention more than a few of the new units.” Sally snorted and downed the remainder of the glass. “Some of the new kids that I send up there... Might as well skip the parachute and give them coffins instead. Bloody waste. .”
“Eh, don’t be so hard of them,” the male replied as he took up the bottle and poured another round. “Most of them came back this time around. Wasn’t a small tussle either. Give your boys and girls some credit.”
“Pah. Most won’t make it to see their third pay-out.”
“The lucky ones will. Same as always.”
The two fell into companionable silence as they drank, but it wasn’t long before Porker gently placed his empty snifter back onto the woman’s desk. “Have a long flight ahead,” he said. “Have a nice airship waiting for me in King’s Wind City. Take care of Red, will ya?”
The commandant stood and snapped a crisp salute. “Of course. You’ll always have a home here, bacon. Now get out of my office. Your money’ll be ready in one hour.” The Boar grinned and threw a salute back before turning to go.
Question was, what now?
1. Duh. Go find your wingman and discuss delicious dosh. 2. You could go talk with your wingman, but you have to wait an hour before getting money... Go party with the guys. 3. Go bid Red a fond farewell.
What should the daring Porker do?
