FIRE ON HIGH
“Fire On High” is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and settings © Tigermark 2003-2013 unless otherwise noted. Request permission before using them, please.
The characters of Anatol Altaisokova and Melinda Altaisokova are my names for characters © Max Blackrabbit. They appear in this story with his permission. The characters of Brandy, Maxwell, Tonya and Zig Zag are also © Max Blackrabbit and appear here with his permission. Events and information relating to Tonya, Anatol, and their family are presented here, but are not to be considered canon to those characters or any other story but this one. ZZ Studios, and all characters associated with ZZ Studios, James Sheppard, and Marvin Badger © James Bruner and appear here with his permission. Although characters from and events referring to Zig Zag the Story appear here, this story is not canon to that one, and the author will disavow any knowledge of this story. Wanda Vixen © Chris Yost and appears here with his permission. Sabrina Mustidalae © Eric W. Schwartz and appears here with his permission. This story is not canon to Sabrina Online the comic, or Sabrina Online the Story, either. Matt Barstock, Angie Rockwell, Intermountain Charter, The Bitch, and her crew, and Jerry Kitt © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE. Gail Rutherford © me and is not canon to any other story involving ZZ Studios. Gabrielle Ryder and Jean LeBrun © Aslaug, from her Transitions stories. See them at her site, The Axe Shed, available from the links page.
Author’s Note: Lewiston, Maine’s airport, identifier KLEW, is actually uncontrolled. That is, it has no control tower. Poetic license was used for this story, so Alex and company talk with a control tower whilst aviating there.
Chapter 68
Plans in Motion
Monday morning Corrie and Alex walked paw-in-paw into Kentiger. After Saturday’s bombshells, Sunday had been quiet. They’d gone to Winchester Community Church in the morning. Everyone had been glad to see Corrie, but most of the excitement had been Jack and Jenna and everyone wanting to hear about their honeymoon.
Sunday afternoon had found them at Alex’s. He had worked up the final reviews for the batch of new pilots Kentiger was hiring, while Corrie had gone over the list of attorneys Loni had given her. She’d decided on two, and today after Billy gave his recommendation, she’d make an appointment to go see the one she selected.
They stopped by Loni’s desk and Alex gave the lioness a quick kiss before heading for his office.
“Morning Loni, see you soon, Love,” he tossed as he walked past the admin desk and back toward the offices.
“Good morning Alex, Corrie,” Loni chimed in as she worked at her computer.
“Good morning Loni. Latah Luv,” Corrie responded. She took a seat near Loni’s desk and waited. After a moment, Loni finished typing on the keyboard and turned around to speak to the lioness.
“Did you get to go through the list of lawyers?”
Corrie nodded. “Yes. I’ve narrowed it down to two. My online research said these two had been at it here several years, and had good reps among the businesses they’d worked with.”
Now Loni nodded. “Good. Which two did you choose?”
“Peter Benchly and Bruce Sharpe.”
Loni blinked. “Well, you may be in luck. They haven’t advertised it much yet, but those two just formed their own firm. Billy doesn’t know it, but Benchly and Sharpe moved into their new location last month.”
Corrie grinned. “Young and hungry. Sounds like a good pair to go with. What will Billy say about them?”
Loni grinned in return. “Whatever I recommend. He already said that if your choice was good, to help you with getting an appointment. If you’re sure, c’mon I’ll drive you by there. If they accept you as a client, Billy wants to start on the contract with you right away.”
Corrie squinted one eye and waved her tail. “Is there anything that happens around here that you don’t orchestrate or at least know about?”
“Not if I’m doing my job right,” the lynx replied as she called Billy on the intercom.
“Billy, I’m taking Corrie to see the lawyer she selected. Be back as soon as I can.”
Billy, his voice tinny on the speaker, answered, “Gotcha Loni. Did she, ah, choose a good one?”
“Yes she did. Be back in a bit.” Loni said as she clicked off the intercom.
As the two femmes left the office, Billy heard a knock on his door. “Come,” he answered. As he’d expected, it was Alex.
“Hey Alex, c’mon in and have a seat. How was
Alex shut the door after himself and sat down in the chair beside Billy’s desk.
“Ah, the usual. Sunny beaches, porn stars, hurricanes, cougars, you know how those boring charters are.”
Alex grinned as Billy gave him an unsympathetic look. “You’re making me bleed with sympathy. Zig Zag already emailed a really nice commendation for you all. Also, Loni got a call first thing this morning from a travel agent named Beryl Callahan about booking flights to the Caribbean for her clients. You all must’ve been really impressive.”
Alex nearly choked. After a second he managed to stammer a response.
“B-Billy, take the business, sure, but I can’t and won’t fly her anywhere.”
Billy couldn’t have been more shocked if his friend had started singing operatic soprano. He gaped at the tiger a moment, and then recovered enough to speak.
“Alex, care to explain that reaction?”
Alex, his voice growing steadier, told Billy the whole story. In the end, the older tiger began to laugh. Alex waited him out, even snickering a bit too, until he spoke again.
“So the lady is a real cougar, eh? Alex, you are the only one I know who’d end up with half-naked femmes throwing themselves at you, and turn them down. Heh, I guess the business will be fine. She will only be booking the flights, not flying on most of them. I’m glad it didn’t cause you problems with Corrie.”
“Yeah, me too. Okay, what’s this I hear about you propositioning my girlfriend?” Alex’s expression made Billy start laughing again.
“I guess she told you, eh? It’s a fair and legitimate business venture. Now as I told her, I don’t want any of your money in this unless and until you two get married.”
Alex blinked in surprise. Another mention of he and Corrie and marriage? But then he thought about it, and realized Billy was only saying that if and when he and the lioness ever got married, that request wouldn’t be in effect. After several seconds, he gave a nod.
“Okay, I can see the sense in that. As long as you aren’t doing this just to play matchmaker. It’d break her heart to leave everyone in Maine and come down here just to lose her life savings and have to start over.”
Billy shook his head emphatically. “No way! I’m too close to retirement to do silly crap. The numbers are there, the market is prime, and I’ve had a little experience running a business, you know.”
Now Alex laughed. “Yes, I guess you do. Okay, fair enough. I think I have a report to write. See you later Billy.”
# # #
Loni pulled into the parking garage of an office building just off of West Main Street in downtown Lexington. She found a spot and parked, and she and Corrie walked over to the entrance and into the lobby. Finding the name they were looking for on the directory, they then boarded the elevator and Loni pushed the button for the fourth floor.
“There we go. Nervous, Corrie?”
Loni had noticed Corrie’s tail twitching in an irregular pattern. Corrie nodded.
“Yes. I . . . don’t care much for lawyers. The one that handled my parent’s affairs was a grumpy old beaver who by the time my mother passed and it came to light, had embezzled almost half the estate. Theirs wasn’t the only one, and when it became known he shipped out of the country. There was enough left to settle their expenses and for me to finish college, but that was it.”
The lynx looked uncomfortable for a moment. “I...guess I can see why you don’t care for lawyers, but this is a much happier occasion. Plus, these are not grumpy old beavers.”
Corrie giggled, and then the doors opened and they walked down the hallway.
“Here it is, 408. Benchly and Sharpe, Attorneys at Law,” Loni stated as she opened the door. Inside, there were several chairs lined up along one wall, with a desk, chair, and shelves on the opposite side. The desk held a computer, phone, and several trays of files and papers. At the back of the room, an ornate solid wood door led most likely back to the attorney’s offices. At the desk sat a white-furred blonde lapine femme who appeared to be in her late twenties. Her expression when they entered was one of welcome, but not overly friendly. Overall, she radiated cool, calm competence. With a slight nod she greeted them.
“Good morning, welcome to Benchly and Sharpe, may I help you?”
Corrie stepped forward and extended her paw to shake. “Yes, my name is Corinne Patterson, and I’m in need of a lawyer to handle negotiating a partnership contract.”
The lapine femme gave another slight nod as she shook paws. One of the things she watched for was whether a prospective client treated her with respect, contempt, or indifference. Those that respected her got the A+ treatment.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Corinne. I’m Lily Konijn, administrator and legal clerk. Let me see if Mr. Benchly can see you right now.”
Corrie smiled and she and Loni sat down as the rabbit picked up the phone and pressed a button.
“Peter, prospective client in the lobby, contract negotiation. Are you busy?”
After a couple of “Mmm-Hmm’s” she smiled. “Okay great, bye.”
Lily put the phone in its cradle and looked over at Corrie and Loni.
“He’ll see you now, Corinne. Hold on just a moment and he’ll be...”
Before Lily could finish, the wooden door at the back of the room opened, revealing a rather tall, stout-looking badger in his late thirties. His expression was benignly confident, but his eyes held a keen edge. He stepped forward to greet his prospective client.
“Hello, I’m Peter Benchly, pleased to meet you, Miss?”
Corrie stood up and extended her paw. “Corinne Patterson, and this is...”
“No one important and not involved. I’ll wait here for you, Corrie,” Loni stated, remaining seated. She and Lily would talk, as fellow administrative types usually did. She could find out more about the legal firm that way than with a dozen searches and inquiries. Corrie nodded and allowed herself to be ushered into the badger’s office.
“Have a seat, Miss Patterson, and tell me what I can do for you.”
Corrie laid out the proposal as Billy had explained it. The badger sat back and steepled his fingers for several moments. He then looked over at Corrie.
“Miss Patterson, you did say Billy Panelli is your prospective partner, correct?”
“Yes,” Corrie replied, feeling a bit concerned about the attorney’s apparently cool attitude.
“Was it your idea to seek counsel on this?”
Corrie raised an eyebrow. “No. I would have eventually, but Billy insisted I retain my own counsel right from the start.”
Peter gave a nod, and then a big grin. “That’s Billy alright. He always goes out of his way to make sure things are done one hundred percent above board. I’ll be glad to represent you in this, Miss Patterson.”
Corrie let out her breath and smiled. “Whew! I thought there was something crook in Tillarook by the way you were acting. I’m glad Billy has a good rep. From what I’ve seen, he always gives a fair go. Please, call me Corrie.”
The badger smiled. Not always a pretty sight, but it held warmth.
“Fine, Corrie then. You said Billy is using Beagle, Beagle, Barker and Wags? Good, I’ll give Jackson a call and we’ll get this started. Anything I should know about or watch out for?”
Corrie though a moment, and then she frowned. “The FAA rep on the airline side of Bluegrass. His name is.”
“Jefferson Mastifson the Third, yes, I know of him. Most every aviation attorney in Lexington and beyond probably does, too. What does he have to do with this?”
Corrie blushed slightly. She still wasn’t that used to calling Alex her boyfriend.
“I’m dating Billy’s partner at Kentiger, Alex. Mastifson has some kind of grudge against him. If he finds out about this, he might try to cause a wowser in it.”
Peter smiled again, but this time there was no warmth in it. “Then we’ll keep a lid on it until we file the incorporation papers. I’ll also make sure he isn’t the FAA rep or examiner when you go for certification. Alright, I think that’s all I need for now. Please leave your personal information with Lily so we can start the paperwork. Oh, I almost forgot. Your accent is charming, are you a
Corrie smiled again. This came up from time to time. “Yes, naturalized fourteen years ago. Actually I still hold dual citizenship.”
“No problems there, then. Lily will also explain how we bill for our services. Anything else I can do for you?”
Corrie shook her head as she stood up. “Nothing I can think of right now, but I’ll let you know if anything comes up. Nice meeting you, Mr. Benchly.”
“Ah, ah! If I call you Corrie, you call me Peter. Nice to meet you, too.”
Corrie gave him a friendly smile and a nod as she turned and left the office. Peter watched her go before starting back in on the papers he’d been working on when the lioness had arrived.
“I have a feeling this is going to be quite an adventure,” he mused as he worked.
# # #
Jefferson Mastifson had spent the morning doing his job. He’d managed to make a bad week into a good weekend, flying to Nashville and partaking in a nice little “dessert.” The femme had been a young grey squirrel, but had known the score, even insisting no names or such be exchanged. She’d simply called him “Sugar” in a quaint southern accent. He’d sent her home the next morning, with some extra cash for her efforts, and she hadn’t looked back.
Now though, his frustration was returning. He’d watched O’Whitt arrive for work, his stunning lioness girlfriend in tow. It irked the rotweiller to no end that he was managing on one night stand pick-ups, while his nemesis was enjoying the company of such a lovely femme.
It was time to do something proactive, he decided. He pulled out his black book of contacts and began on the first page. If O’Whitt wanted to go play in the Caribbean, so be it. Mastifson might not have any contacts in
The next location was Kingston,
“Hausfuss.”
“Yas Freddie, Jefferson Mastifson, how are you doing?”
Mastifson had slipped easily into his old fake Boston accent, oozing false paternalistic concern.
“Major Mastifson! H-hello sir, I’m fine, thanks. How are you?”
The canid sounded a bit uncertain, as he hadn’t heard from the rotweiller in several years.
“Oh, you wouldn’t believe it,” Mastifson replied. “I am, er, was, Lieutenant Colonel. Then one of my pilots got himself killed, and they blamed me. I retired right after that. It’s so tragic, which leads me to this call. The pilot who died, his brother has been screwing me over at every turn. I’ve managed to find valuable work with the FAA, and he’s even gotten me in dutch with my supervisor. I really need you to do something for me.”
Freddie growled. “Maj, ah, Colonel, you just name it! Anything at all.”
“Now, now, Freddie, nothing violent. Just, if he shows up there, can you make sure he has delays and hassles. Him especially but also his company. They fly executive jet charters. The company name is Kentiger Executive Air.”
“Okay sir, I’ll, huh!”
“What, Freddie?” Mastifson inquired after the exclamation from the canid.
“What’s the name and species of the guy hassling you, sir?”
“Alex O’Whitt, he’s a white tiger.”
“Oh, sir,” the canid exclaimed. “I wish you’d called last week. He was here Friday. Flew in from
Now Mastifson growled. “Freddie, if he or any Kentiger aircraft come in there again, call me. I don’t want to hurt anyone but O’Whitt, but if you can help me out, I would appreciate it.”
“You got it, sir, but most tourist flights go up to Montego Bay. Still, I’ll do what I can. Oops, havta go, plane pulling in. G’bye, Colonel.”
“Yas, goodbye, Freddie,” the rotweiller replied evenly.
Mastifson then slammed the phone down. He’d just missed a good opportunity to mess up O’Whitt in front of what sounded like a very lucrative client. He took a breath to calm himself. Patience, he told himself. Patience makes the best hunter.
# # #
Billy pulled into the driveway and shut down the car. He was still grinning from the day’s events. Corrie and Loni had returned from their trip to Corrie’s choice of lawyer, and Jackson Wags had called shortly thereafter. The process had been started, and now it was time to begin putting things in place. It would be two, or more likely three months before Corrie could complete her arrangements to move down to Kentucky. That would signal the final push to opening, but before then, a location needed to be acquired, and feelers put out for helicopters and local talent for both pilots and an admin fur. Most of all, they’d be doing this right under Mastifson’s nose. Billy thought that with no glee or spite, but with a bit of caution. If the rotten rotweiller chose to be a problem, he might swing a way for himself to be one of the FAA officials they’d need to deal with in the course of getting the business going.
Billy was wanting more and more to get a name for the business, as a focus for the work, but he couldn’t for the life of him come up with anything catchy. He’d have to consult with Corrie and see if she had any ideas in that area.
He opened the front door, and Penny called to him from the kitchen.
“I hope that’s you, Billy. If not, the good silver is in the dining room cabinet and I’m armed, so don’t push your luck!”
Billy grinned and called back, “Aha! The treasure is in the kitchen under armed guard, then. Hi Honey. I’m home!”
Penny met him in the dining room with a warm embrace and a kiss.
“How did everything go today?” she inquired. “For Corrie, I mean.”
“Very well,” Billy replied, holding his wife for another moment. “She made a good choice for legal counsel, and the lawyers are already at it setting up the partnership contract. I may even go with her choice for the one who gets to represent the business. Jackson Wags does great for Kentiger and me, but he’s also pretty busy.”
Penny smiled broadly. “So, it’s actually going to happen? Corrie will be moving down here?”
Billy answered a bit slowly, wondering what his tiger-fox femme had on her mind. “Yeees, that’s the general idea, why?”
“That makes planning the wedding and the bachelorette party so much easier,” she enthused. “How soon?”
Billy shook his head. “Whoa, lady! It’ll be two or three months at least, but doncha think maybe they ought to go through that formality known as an engagement first? Alex hasn’t asked and she hasn’t accepted, as far as I know.”
“They will.” Penny’s answer had a certainty to it that allowed no dispute.
“If you say so. Anyway, anything interesting happen today?” Billy replied, changing the subject.
“Oh, yes, thank you for reminding me. We need to get the house set up. Rusty called and he and family are coming in this weekend. We have to insure Carrie is safe while she visits.”
Billy grinned. It would be great to see his son and daughter-in-law, and especially his grandcubs.
“Great! I bet the little ‘ens have gotten so big!”
Penny nodded. “Mmm-Hmm, and Callie said little Carrie is doing great at the day-care for hearing-impaired children they have her at. She’s talking fairly plainly now. Felicity still dotes on her so much, too.”
“I bet,” Billy responded, his grin widening. “It’ll be so great to have them home.”
“It’ll be great to have them in OUR home,” Penny corrected.
“Either way,” Billy concluded as he and Penny began the task of cub-proofing the house.
End of Chapter 68