A New Beginning

By Courtney Maxwell


	Louie glanced up from the drink he was pouring just in time to see his 
niece bound into the room. Twenty-two years old, and she's still bounding, he 
thought to himself. The pirate with the outstretched arm holding the drink took 
her in approvingly. Louie felt his sense of possession flare up in him. This 
whole thing was dangerous. Dangerous. 


            The Air Pirates had occupied the island for a little over 2 days 
now, waiting for the shipment. Nobody knew they were there, save the orangutan 
bartender, his waiters, and Baloo, who had the misfortune of visitng at the 
wrong time. The only radio had been smashed in the initial struggle. A day into 
the occupation, Louie had reluctantly informed the captain of his niece's 
scheduled arrival, praying he would grant him access to a radio. Karnage had 
stroked his chin. "Hmmm.. You like your niece, yes-no? I tink we weel be keeping 
her to ensure your...cooperation, Mr. Louie." His heart sank. He had just signed 
the girl's death warrant, he knew. And there wasn't a thing he could do about 
it.


            Captain Karnage watched the new arrival. To his surprise, she wasn't 
orangutan at all; she was some species of cat. He marveled at the sight. She was 
wearing shorts that would never pass any form of dress-code inspection, were the 
inspector brave enough to tell her. To his surprise, she kept a dagger on a belt 
slung across her waist. The entire effect was beguiling. She carried herself as 
an aristocrat; she dressed like a, well, like a pirate. 


            "Uncle Louie!" she cried, flinging her arms around his neck. "It's 
been such a long time!" Louie put an arm awkwardly about her waist. "Hey, Honey. 
How's it swinging?" He tried to act natural. It was like performing with a gun 
held at your neck. It was, come to think of it.


       "Uncle Baloo!" Baloo held his arms open for his hug. Karnage stood up 
from the back corner
and approached the trio. Louie shut his eyes and silently prayed he would be 
convincing. He recited the lines he'd been fed earlier.


      "Baby, this is Captain Blake Richards, a regular client of mine. Blake, 
this is my niece,
Claudia." Claudia smiled warmly at Karnage. He balked slightly. Girls never 
smiled at him like that. They usually cowered. Must be the alibi, he thought to 
himself. Claudia held out her hand, and Karnage allowed himself a moment of 
self-indulgent chivalry as he bent and kissed the back of it.

	"Senoirita," he whispered. 


      Her eyes sharpened at his accent. "You speak Spanish," she said quietly, 
in Spanish. Perfect Spanish. It sent a thrill down his back to hear his native 
tongue spoken, and spoken well.


      "I might make the same observation, my dear."


      "Are you a native?"


      "Si. And you?"


      "No, unfortunately. But I learned it as soon as I could."


      She smiled brightly, suddenly becoming aware of Louie's and Baloo's eyes 
upon them. 


      "Where did you learn Spanish?" Louie demanded (in English) somewhat 
alarmed at what their
conversation might have concerned.


      Claudia shrugged dismissively. "Spain," she said.


      Karnage turned over in his mind that he should probably tell her she was 
his captive and not to move, etc. etc., but he suddenly discovered a great 
unwillingness to do so. Instead, he nodded to the three, and returned to nurse 
his drink at the corner table, replaying the conversation in his head over and 
over. So little had been said about nothing. 


      After ten minute's more conversation, he saw Claudia take Louie's hand in 
a friendly squeeze, pick up her suitcase (he resisted the impulse to leap to his 
feet and carry it for her) and head upstairs. He closed her eyes and 
concentrated on thinking piratey thoughts. When he felt up to it, he walked over 
to Louie in a way that he hoped was fear-inspiring, and said, "Now, Mr. Louie, 
eef you want that pretty ting to live, you'd better beehave." He could tell from 
the angst in Louie's eyes that he believed him. "Vere did the girl go?" Karnage 
demanded. Louie sighed and rubbed his temples. He suddenly appeared to be very 
old. "To change, she said. She wanted you to know that she doesn't always dress 
like a woman of the night. She always helps with the dinner rush." Louie cringed 
inwardly. The thought of his little Claudia serving pirates was almost too much 
to bear.


      Claudia quit arranging her hair in the elaborate-silly style so favored by 
women these days. It was so much work being a woman. She could have sworn she'd 
heard a tentative knock at her door. She glanced down at her clothes. Loosely 
tied corset and a skirt. Dang. The knock came again, a bit more insistent. Ah 
well, she thought. The captain no doubt already thought her a slut. He wouldn't 
come visiting anyway, judging from the way he'd retreated after the 
conversation. Left without a word. That left Uncle Louie or Baloo, and both of 
them were twice her age. Throwing caution to the wind, the flung open the door. 


      And was looking into the eyes of the captain after all. In her underwear. 
So, she thought, yet again, I've grossly misjudged someone of the male 
persuasion. He was staring at her, wide-eyed. Desperately, Claudia struggled to 
think of something at once beguiling and excusing to say about her garb. "Tie me 
up?" she asked, turning around to let him do the drawstrings on her back. 
"Errrmmm." The captain made some monosyllabic sound in response, and just as she 
was about to give up on him, he lunged for the strings and very quickly and 
roughly knotted them. Best corset-tying job she'd ever experienced, actually. 
Most men missed the point of wearing one entirely, and tried to be as gentle as 
possible. Either Captain Richards had had a lot of experience corset tying, or 
he was not a person to
be trifled with, whether you were a man or a woman. 


      "Thanks," she said. He waved a hand in dismissal. He was back to his suave 
self again. "Tink not'g of et, my dear." Her heart jumped. He'd called her "my 
dear" again, only in English this time. Mmmmmm.... She pulled herself out of her 
reverie. No sense fantasizing about a man while he was in the room. She casually 
motioned to the armchair in the corner, and he sat down, not once taking his 
eyes off of her. Claudia returned to the mirror to finish her hair, fully aware 
of his watching her every move. No problem. What this captain didn't know, what 
Uncle Louie and Uncle Baloo, and nobody else really knew was that she was used 
to attention. These last few years, she'd gotten more of it than she ever 
intended to tell any of them.


      After a lengthy pause, the captain asked her, "Were you really in Spain?"


      "Mm-hmm. I was after my graduate degree there for about two years."


      "You learned that level of Spanish in two years?"


      She laughed. "No, two years of focus and many, many more of real-life 
practice." 


            Karnage never took his eyes off her. She loved that. In one deft 
movement, she slipped into her dress for the night. 


            The captain opened his mouth again. "Why--" he was abruptly 
interrupted by the shrill call of her Uncle from downstairs.


            "Claudia! Hurry!"


            She granted him an apologetic look, then left the room.


            Karnage sat after a most unsatisfying conversation in the small 
dressing room. The scent of some floral odor wafted through the air, but its 
source had gone out the door. He shut his eyes. Not now, he prayed to whatever 
god would listen. Not again, please don't let this happen to me. Who was he to 
fall for some innocent, well-bred thing that so clearly knew nothing of his way 
of life? A girl like that would never murder, steal, lie, or cheat, which he had 
chosen to make his career. A girl like that would never understand the calling 
of a pirate, the moral compromise, the hesitant indecision that arose in your 
breast and haunted you after what should have been a most satisfying days work. 
He would destroy her with his affections. He must be strong. He had made his 
decision long ago; now was certainly not a time for him to change his mind. He 
massaged his temples, feeling somewhat ill at ease. It was time to be a pirate. 
He would tell the girl she was under his authority. He would put the fear of God 
into her heart and make her sorry she was the pretty little thing she was. He 
would make her pay for the weakness she caused in him. 


            "Claudia!" She spun round to see who was calling her name, and found 
herself facing a
humongous, dirty creature with a tattered hat.


            "Top Hat!" The two old friends warmly shook hands. A sleazy yellow 
weasel stood by Top Hat, twitching anxiously, waiting for his shot at being 
introduced. Men, she thought. Top Hat gestured grandly to his companion, as 
though presenting a prince at a reception. "Er, this is Mad Dog." Claudia held 
out a hand, and he seized it and pumped enthusiastically. He obviously had no 
clue who she was, only that she was a pretty girl. She resisted the temptation 
to roll her eyes. 


            "Durr, what brings you to the island, Clod?" Top Hat propped open 
the door for her into the dining area. 


            She smiled broadly. What indeed? "Certainly not business, Top Hat." 
Flanked by the two pirates, she began setting the tables for the dinner. 


            "Pleasure?" Mad Dog volunteered the word for her eagerly. 


            "No, not that either, I'm afraid."


            "What then?" The two pirates stopped mid-stride, waiting expectantly 
for her response. 


            "Curiosity, I suppose. The last time I saw Uncle Louie--"


            "Uncle Louie?" the two echoed in unison. She sighed.


            "Yes, the last time I saw Uncle Louie, I was about yea high." 
Claudia held up her hand to her waist to demonstrate. "I needed to see if it was 
as wonderful as I remembered it."


            "What "it"?" asked a suave voice from behind her.


            She turned to see the captain behind her. What was he doing 
consorting with a bunch of pirates, she wondered.


            For lack of a good response (Mad Dog almost never demanded 
clarification in conversations; she had grown used to telling him anything), she 
held out her hands expansively and said vaguely, "the island."  


            She paused. What DID she mean by "it" anyway? "My own personal 
Eden," she found the
words. She moved to collect the menus, but Mad Dog beat her to them. He was 
about to put them on
the tables, but faltered suddenly, losing confidence. Instead, he merely handed 
them to Claudia.
Claudia accepted them and began laying out a menu by each of the 20 place 
settings. 


            Karnage balked slightly. His fierce crew was not helping. Why where 
they on her side? Was it their own usual bungling stupidity that made them like 
any little thing that came their way, or was it something more? He opened his 
mouth to say something threatening. 


            Top Hat piped up before he got around to it. "When did you leave 
Cape Suzette?" 


            "Two days ago."


            Karnage paused, waiting for the correct moment. He couldn't very 
well burst out with an intimidating barrage while they were making small talk. 


            "Did you kill Khan?" Top Hat asked.


            The girl glanced up from her task. 


            Karnage's mouth dropped open. 


            The girl sighed. "No. I thought about it. I even had the 
opportunity, but it just didn't seem worth my effort. I intend to rob him blind 
in the next year." She crossed over to the cabinet and poured herself a drink. 
She coyly stole a look at the captain. She suddenly knew exactly who he was and 
why he was consorting with pirates. All of the wanted posters she had seen with 
his face on them could never be counterbalanced by any disguise. Now, she 
thought, let's see how quickly he can figure out who I am, and how much it will 
cost him. She knew Uncle Louie would never voluntarily allow pirates in his bar. 
Karnage's presence was undoubtedly against her uncle's will. Karnage had a 
blank, disbelieving look on his face, obviously trying to make all of the pieces 
fit. 


            Apparently, he wasn't as bright as the coastguard made him out to 
be, Claudia thought
regretfully.


            Karnage's mind was whirring so fast he couldn't keep up. Who was 
this girl? How did she know Mad Dog? Was she a pirate? What was her relationship 
with Khan? Is she a pilot as well? It was all too much for him. He did the only 
thing he knew what to do in a situation like that; he drew his sword. The girl 
smiled inwardly. 


            "Do you challenge me, sir?" she asked politely, as calmly as he'd 
ever heard anyone question him with his sword in their face. 


            "Yes, little smug-like pirate-type girl," Karnage sneered. 


            She nodded to herself. "Back in five," she promised. On her way out 
the door, she kissed Karnage sweetly on the cheek. 


	Dress and frightening corset off, more reasonable pants and sword on, she 
was back in exactly 3 ½ minutes. The captain was evidently startled that she 
owned her own sword. 


            "En garde."


            It was by far the shortest sword fight that ever took place in 
history. At the first swipe of the sword, Karnage found his hand empty and the 
girl's blade pointed straight at his throat. He colored slightly. Reluctantly, 
he held his hands out in a gesture of peace. 


            "So, senorita," he remarked as casually as if he were ordering 
breakfast. "You did not tell me everything about yourself, I see." Claudia 
laughed freely and pushed the hair back off her face. Karnage had never noticed 
how lovely her hands were before. They locked eyes momentarily, and in that 
moment, a thousand words passed between them unspoken. She was the one that 
looked away first and with a carefree gesture, threw her sword into the corner. 


            Claudia laughed. What was it about the attentions of a man, she 
reflected, that made one feel so beautiful. It was the admiration in the 
Captain's eyes that drew her most to him; there was nothing she loved more than 
being adored, and she knew it. 


            The other pirates huddled together in the corner, watching the 
silent dialogue between the two players, completely unaware of the abrupt change 
that had taken place in their positions. Top Hat, feeling a sudden urge to be 
comforting, remarked, "Don't feel bad 'bout bein' beaten by a girl, Cap'n. 
Claudia never lost back at the bar, eider." 


            Karnage pulled himself out of his reverie. "What bar? Who are you? 
Will somebody pleased to be telling my magnificent self what is going on here?" 


            Top Hat, suddenly sheepish, muttered under his breath, "I'd ruther 
not." 


            "Oh, come on, Top Hat. You can't start a story like that without 
finishing it," Claudia chided. "That was a long time ago."


            "I lost a plane," Top Hat said thickly, like a child caught with its 
hand in the cookie jar, "in a poker match. I lost a plane to her in a poker 
match." 


            She laughed, "A lot of people lost a lot more than that to me that 
night. You were one of the lucky ones."


            Top Hat nodded. 


            "Dat eez how you know each other? From pooker?" Karnage demanded, 
somewhat
disappointed. Somehow he had expected more than a beautiful bar maid. 


            "Yes," she replied. "Dat eez ow we know each other." 


      Karnage was infuriated, partly with a wave of maniacal disappointment, 
partly from being
mocked. He lunged for his sword in the corner. He grabbed it and ran at his 
antagonist, only to find her laughing at him, still. Still laughing, he thought. 
"I weel wipe dat grin off your face!" She picked up the nearest bar stool and 
easily parried his thrusts. After about five minutes, Karnage began to realize 
just how good she was. There was no way he could ever take her in a fight, 
regardless of the fact that he was the only one carrying a weapon. 


      Louie opened the door, telephone in hand, and stood gawking at the sight. 
The whole thing
looked a bit like a three ring circus, with Claudia as the lion tamer and the 
pirates as spectators. Karnage paused in assaulting his niece when he saw him. 
"Yes?" he snapped at the baffled monkey. "What eez it?" Louie brandished the 
phone in the air like a sword. "It's for Claudia. Says he's Shere." 


      A frown suddenly creased Claudia's face. "I don't want to talk to him," 
she said firmly. 


      Louie stared at Karnage for direction. 


      "Well? What eez the problem? If the ladee doesn't want to talk to dees 
Shere, she doesn't
want to talk to heem." 


      Louie shrugged, and started back into the kitchen with the phone. Claudia 
turned to Karnage. "Are you aware that you just let my uncle leave the room with 
a telephone?" she asked him. Karnage blinked, as what she said sunk in. 


      "Yes, that was very bad strategy on my part, yes-no?" 


      Claudia nodded. "Especially since I seem to dimly recall reading at the 
beginning of this story that the only radio on the island had been "smashed in 
the initial struggle." All of the leading characters stared at each other for a 
moment in desperation. How had such an obvious loophole entered the story?


       Finally, Mad Dog broke the silence. "Well," he whined, "maybe no one will 
notice if we don't say anything." 


      Karnage nodded sagely. "Dat would seem to be the best idea." 


      Luckily, Louie chose that moment to reenter the room, holding the receiver 
of the phone a few inches away from his ear. Covering the mouthpiece, he 
whispered to the discouraged actors, "He won't get off the line." 


      Everybody, thankful for the distraction, breathed a sigh of relief. 
Karnage gallantly held out his hand. "'Ere, let meee talk to him." He listened 
for a moment to the voice at the other end. 


      "Yes... yes.... yes.... no....yes... Well, she certainly doesn't want to 
talk to YOU!" He angrily tossed the phone into the corner of the room. He 
whirled around to face Claudia. "Firstly of all, you should have told me you 
dated Shere KHAN," he said. 


      "USED to date," Claudia corrected. 


      "Well, he wants you back." 


      She smiled charmingly at Karnage. "I'm not going back." The air pirate 
secretly breathed the second sigh of relief in the story. "Then where ARE you 
going?" he asked in what he hoped was his most seductive voice.


       She stared at him for a moment. Had she just received an invitation? No, 
surely not from the great Don Karnage. Claudia decided to answer the question 
with a nonchalant shrug. "There are things I want to do."


      "Ah. Weel, eef you ever change your mind, you will call me, yes-no."


      "Yes-no," she replied cryptically. Men are such fun, she thought. 


      Karnage adopted a look of frustration. What on earth is wrong with women, 
he wondered. 


      He turned to address his crew, "Secondly of all, Shere Khan is sending 
fighters to the island, so I suggest we vamoose. Perhaps we will meet again, 
Seniority?" 


"Undoubtedly." The two smiled at each other, comfortable with everything that 
had been said and left unsaid. Then Karnage turned around and stalked out of 
Louie's bar, a dignified retreat. Half an hour later, the Khan pilots arrived to 
liberate the island, only to find a barkeep, a bear, a handful of waiters, and a 
grinning young girl. No sign of the pirate occupation was evident, save for the 
scuffmarks on the floor where the "battle" had taken place and a broken 
telephone in the corner. 

The End