She looked up from her contemplation of the empty box to observe this new arrival. He was a tall brown weasel, looking mid-twenties, a black jacket hanging loosely from his shoulders. He wore long, leather pants, covered in strange patches and symbols which ShaH-li had no way of recognizing. Despite his youthful face, the weasel could not have lived an inactive life, as his face bore both a scar and an eye-patch, indicating recent physical combat. Something inside ShaH-li growled silently as his one blue eye met her own two, golden and curious.
"Who are you?" she asked, glancing meaningfully down at the box in front of her. It was a hint he ignored, making no move to produce money of any kind.
"Not now," he responded, sending a quick, furtive look behind his shoulder. "Look, I read the ship's records. You're a fighter, right? Some sort of pre-civilized wildcat?"
"I guess so," said ShaH-li, mulling the word over in her mind. Wildcat. That sounded nice enough.
"Meet me at the Hog's Belly saloon in an hour and a half. I've got a proposition for you."
"What's in it for me?" she asked, one more glancing meaningfully at the box. This time he noticed, as he produced a large golden coin from a pocket and dropped it into the old container of fresh fish. "There's more where that came from," he said, turning to leave. "Hog's Belly. Hour and a half."
Now it was an hour and a half later, and she was in the Hog's Belly saloon, staring almost mournfully after the mouse, which had disappeared down into its hole. Jerking awake once more, she looked across the tables of the saloon in search of the tall brown weasel which had brought her to this place. Nocturnal vision sprang into use almost automatically, and ShaH-li quickly spotted him at a table far off, in a dark corner of the room. The Kittie-Katt gracefully moved forwards, flowing in and out between tables until she reached the one occupied by the weasel, sitting down in the chair opposite. He did not seem surprised to see her there.
"You look different," he said, and she smiled. Her first step had been to get food, of course, but after learning how much the single coin was worth, and seeing herself in a mirror, ShaH-li decided she needed a makeover. Her claws were polished, her fur expertly smoothed down, her whiskers sharpened, and she had traded in her old threadbare shirt and pants for an un-constricting leotard, with small pockets fastened to each arm. ShaH-li had been surprised by how much her inner thoughts had rebelled at putting on even the leotard, arguing strongly that cats should not wear clothes, but civilized thinking won out in the end, and she became acceptably dressed. Now, of course, she was broke again, and was determined to remain on the good side of the weasel, as he was the one with the money.
"Thank you."
"Forget it; it was a statement. Do you need a drink, or can we get down to business?"
"I'm good."
"All right. My name," he said, leaning in closer after quickly checking for listeners, "is Andrew Ricarden. Does that mean anything to you?"
ShaH-li shook her head, and Andrew continued. "The Ricardens are an old, rich family, originating even before the Earlongs. My ancestors were some of the most powerful creatures on the planet, Ms... do you have a name?"
"ShaH-li. ShaH-li Felenzo Orbonzen."
"Great. My ancestors were some of the most powerful creatures on the planet, Ms. Orbonzen. My grandfather founded the Five Mile Diamondus Mine, if you've heard of that. My father, on a visit, allegedly started the Diamondus Revolution. Now here I am, on the top of the greatest discovery of the century."
Despite herself, ShaH-li was interested. "The greatest...?"
"Drink this," said Andrew, handing her a glass half full of purple liquid. Surprised, ShaH-li accepted the glass and sipped, not knowing what to expect.
From the few small drops which had passed into her mouth, ShaH-li instantly felt a delightful, warming sensation begin to spread itself through her body, the feelings of pleasure created only matched by the strength it made her feel. ShaH-li arched her back and purred, managing to set the glass back on the table instead of dropping it. The experience wore off quickly, and ShaH-li's golden eyes went side as she reached for the glass once more, only to have it be pulled firmly away by Andrew.
"Greatest enough for you?" he asked, once she had calmed down enough to listen to him.
"Incredible..." she breathed, licking her lips in search of any remaining droplet of the purple liquid. "What was that?"
"Fuel," responded Andrew, again looking around nervously. "Pure, unadulterated, 100% Dreempipes fuel. In addition to tasting wonderful, it runs machines, and increases the size and strength of exposed animals to incredible levels. Have you ever heard of the planet Jungrock?"
She shook her head, but the weasel continued anyway. "A while ago, a quantity of Dreempipes fuel was pumped into the planet surface. In the space of a few years, the inhabitants of the planet grew to at least three times their original size, strength and speed. Nobody has ever capitalized on this miracle drink, and while looking through old records, I have recently discovered that the Ricarden family - including me - owns the entire planet of Dreempipes, including the almost limitless fuel reserves."
ShaH-li's ears perked up instantly. "Where do I come into this?"
"Ms. Orbonzen, in the dangerous galaxy we live in today, a man such as myself ends up having many enemies. Until such time as I can be positive of my safety, and the Dreempipes fuel is established on the open market, I will need a bodyguard. Do you understand?"
A strange motherly instinct rose up inside of the intent Kittie-Katt, and she resisted the urge to wash Andrew protectively behind the ears. Instead, she grasped his outstretched paw in her own, making sure not to extend her claws, saying, "Of course. And... call me ShaH-li."