The heavy door sealed off the noise of the throne room with surprising effectiveness. They stood in an access hallway, gaudily decorated but empty other than the six of them. Ranald and four guardsmen accompanied her. Although none of them had drawn weapons, all of them had a hand on their short stun batons incase she decided to try anything. Ranald took a pair of magnetic binders from a pouch on his uniform and invited her to hold out her wrists.

“Captain Cyckali please…” She spat in his face, her lips curled in sneering contempt. Something hit her across the kidneys and she fell to her knees. The fact that she had expected the blow allowed her to keep from crying out but the power of positive thinking didn’t protect you from the power of positive electrode. Ranald stood, his face set in a mask of disgust.

“I saved your snivelling master at least three times by my count, and this is the thanks I get?” she demanded. She felt the guards behind her raise their batons, the pricking of their charges tingling against her bare skin, but Ranald shook his head and held out the binders. Without a weapon her chances of victory were nonexistent. Reluctantly she extended her wrists and the binders snapped around them.

“All you have to do to win your freedom is tell us where the murderers are,” Ranald said, wiping his face clean with the white ceremonial gloves he wore tucked into his belt. A vein in Sayeeda’s temple began to throb and her vision redded.

“Win my freedom?!” she snarled, her vision narrowing.

“By the Goddess’ bleeding tits if I hadn’t been here Aiden would be on the executioners dock right now!” Ranald opened his mouth to say something but she didn’t give him the chance. With a shocking swiftness she drove a knee into his crotch and simultaneously bought her head forward, catching him on the bride of the nose as he doubled over in pain. The veteran staggered back gasping for breath and with blood pouring from his nose and lip. She kicked out sideways, planting one of her high heeled boots against the knee of one of the guardsmen with a dislocating pop that sent the man screaming to the ground. Her bound hands swung upwards in a vicious arc, driving her binders into the face of a second guard who toppled back screaming and grabbing at his broken jaw. Ranald rose to all fours but she kicked him in the belly and then drove the heel of her boot into one of his kidneys. Her back arched as one of the shock batons caught her across the shoulder blades. A second jolt of blue white light flashed as the remaining guard thrust his baton against her hip. For a second she stood, contracting muscles contorting her painfully and then one of the batons gave out and she slumped to the ground. Vision narrowed to a black slit and then there as darkness.

Consciousness returned as an unpleasant rush. She was laying in a bed and she was about to throw up. With a tankers self control she fought her gorge down. The fighting compartment of an armored vehicle as no place to throw up. No matter how bad things got, they didn’t improve for the smell of vomit in the air recycler. She was laying on a cot in a cell. It was dimly lit but she could tell she as the only occupant. Experimentally she tugged at her wrists and found them unrestrained. She was still wearing her party clothes, though they were a little worse for wear. Obviously she hadn’t been out for very long.

The cell as small, with a screened of refresher, semi opaque or a minimal amount of privacy. Security mesh was stretched over the entryway, razor sharp and probably electrified. A pair of armed guards, both wearing palace livery and carrying riot suppression guns stood facing the door, watching her impassively. Her back ached tremendously and she didn’t doubt she had burns to match. Well it had gone well enough for five against one. She touched the back of her breastplate suspiciously, her fingers finding a small burn mark. It as probably ruined, typical.

“Six to Control,” she said in a whisper. Her implant hissed in her head unable to reach Lonney. She tried Taya and Neil but received similar static. Either this place as shielded, or, more likely, this place was buried deep enough below the palace to prevent radio communication. The implant had its uses but it was intended to be linked to a much more powerful array in a vehicle or infantry repeater station, none of which were available.

“Did you say something?” one of the guards asked with a slight sneer.

“Yes,” she replied but then lay back on the bed refusing to elaborate. There would be a way out of this. Somehow there would be
@POOHEAD189

Neil was escorted to the Highlander by the High Guard (accompanied by an administrator), and in turn Neil himself escorted a very reluctant Taya. He had a feeling the girl didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Of course she saw everything transpire like he did, but she wasn't savvy enough to see the subtle looks Ranald and Aiden had given one another, nor the looks the guardsmen had with each other. He didn't expect they would kill or imprison Neil and Taya outright, but if they did not leave as soon as possible, they would likely find themselves languishing beside Junebug.

"What about our things?" Taya asked as they were led straight to the hanger. Neil shoved her forward. "We didn't bring anything, remember? Besides we'll have enough money to pay for whatever you might have left behind." He placed in the code to unlatch the doorway into the Highlander, the door hinges hissing as they pressurized. "Ello govna!" Lonney echoed from within. Neil then shooed Taya into the ship, causing her to squeak at the sudden urgency. She scrambled in. Neil made sure she was gone, and then turned to the administrator. "How do we get our money?"

"It will be wired to you once you leave the atmosphere. We have your credit account number."

"How convenient." Neil said, dripping with sarcasm.

The man looked offended at the implication. "Sir," he said, aghast. "I am not privvy to why you have earned such money, but I will have you know that once my king has given me an order, I obey. He has sent me to ensure-" The lanky man drew up the contract on his vidcaster. "-you and the lady Taya receive 120,000 credits. Now, if you will exit the hanger, you will receive your reward. I cannot promise anything if you test my master's patience, however."

Neil rolled his eyes. "Very well. Thank you." The rogue leaped onto the open hatch door, and hung off one of the pistons, dangling by a hand. With his free hand, he saluted the gathered group of armed men. "Have a nice life," and subsequently swung into the doorway, the hatch closing in slowly behind him. As soon as he realized they were alone, he let out a sigh. He smacked his cheeks to get his senses cleared, and then marched past the heavily wired corridor into the cockpit. Taya was in there waiting on him, arms crossed.

"Neil, what the hell are we doing?" she asked.

"Whoa-oa, language. Please," he quipped, opening up the OMDS and typing in a small algorithm. "What we are doing is getting rich. Now keep quiet for a sec, that's an order." Wheeling around the display mic, Neil opened up the comms and turned on the transfer beacon, switching channels until he heard a clear voice. "Hello, Highlander. Your airlane is 3490470. Please leave in an orderly fashion. Hanger exit code #18470234."

"Thank you so much, we'll get out of your hair." Neil said, and turned the comm off.

"Neil!" Taya lectured. "That pompous outfit might make you look fit for Captain, but we can't just lea-"

"Go find out what satellite is in airlane 3490470," Neil said, pointing at her. Taya didn't move, instead glaring at him. Neil had to roll his eyes a second time, and then he tugged on his vest. "One, this outfit is not pompous. It's stylish and tactical. And two, we're going to bust Sayeeda out of here. No fucking planet betrays us and takes our Captain. But we can't do that unless you do your job, understand deckhand Taya?"

She gaped, and elation was evident in her eyes. He had to urge her again, but she scuttled off to search the planet airlane logs, and came back with the information that Satellite X094 was merely forty galactic kilometers away from the airlane. "So, what are we going to do?" She asked him, impatient to hear the plan. Neil had been busy typing in a more elaborate algorithm while she had gone searching for the number.

"We are going to split up." Neil said, which caught her off guard. He raised a hand to halt her questions. "You, are going into the atmosphere with Lonney. I am placing a flightplan in Lonney now. When he gets into orbit, you are going to hack into the satellite with a frequency, and cut out all communications to this sector of the planet. Understand?" To say it was ludicrous was an understatement. It would be highly difficult for anyone to pull off such a hack, and even if they succeeded, it would cause untold kilometers to lose services. Perhaps the entire capital city.

"I don't think-" she began, but Neil cut her off. "Can you do it?"

"...Yes. What about you?"

"After you do that, Lonney's next plan, when you are done with your job, will fly back to the top of the palace in our guest wing, where Sayeeda and I will meet you on the balcony. Open the door and we'll head up. Understand?... Understand?"
"I do." she said, clearly at a loss as to what to say. She then smiled to herself and giggled. Neil blinked, looking very much like a perplexed royal himself, decked out in his finery and sitting in the Captain's chair. "What?"

"I knew you had a thing for her but, I didn't think you'd end up being a better prince charming than Aiden." She mused. Neil deadass just stared at her. "Can we focus? 'Cause we can still just leave."

"No no, sorry." She said, biting her lip. "But still, how do you plan on breaking her out?"

"Oh, me? No, I've done this plenty of times."

He spent the next quarter of an hour arming himself, placing a flak vest underneath his slimming, broad shouldered and very royal attire. He had a plasma pistol set into the groove of one of his pockets, and had his own gun on the back of his pants. He slipped on his utility belt, and then strapped thirty feet of rope. You never knew when you needed it after all. Once he was outfitted, he made it to the open hatch door under the Highlander. He was glad for that mercenary shootdown the other day. If he hadn't of gone under the Highlander earlier, he wouldn't have noticed the easy access vent near the edge of the platform. The pilot opened the hatch and began to climb down.

"Good luck," Taya said to him, giving a smile. Neil was always endeared to her sincerity. It really balanced out his crass behavior and terrible jokes. He smiled back. "You too, girly. Keep the engine running."

The hatch closed behind him, and as the Highlander lifted off, no one was close enough to see the slim form of the thief crawling into the ventilation shaft under the landing platform, making his way further and further into the complex. His memory served him well, soon he found he was just at the edge of a steep shaft shooting straight upward. He began to climb up, placing his hands and feet at each side to shimmy up with, finally making it to the fourth floor and hauling himself into that shaft.

"Ssss crsssshhhh" Neil's comm relayed, static overriding any discernible message. Neil placed a hand to his ear. "Captain?" He said aloud, having recognized the voice. But he received nothing but static feedback. Judging by the feedback however, he could guess the wing she was located in. He needed to go east. Luckily, further thought led him to believe she was being escorted it was the guard station near where he had found the body of Aiden's dead sister. "Well...fuck." he said aloud, his voice softly echoing down the chamber. "At least I know where she is now."

He began to crawl again, thanking all the Gods that the ventilation in this place was vast indeed, meaning the shafts were large enough for him to crawl comfortably. It was when he was nearly three quarters of the way there that he suddenly heard a large shocking screech from his comm, and he gasped. The noise was almost unbearable, and then it was silence. His eyes welled with moisture, and he wheezed. "Good job Taya." he whispered, and after he got over the shock, he continued on his way at a greater pace. The comms wouldn't be dead for long.

By the time he made it round the corner to the facility, he was tired and sweating. But looking through one of the opening vents, he could see two Dar'mond guards lounging at a control panel, talking to one another about the regional Flipball game. The first one was goading the second one into a bet, two for one odds. The other denied the chance, saying he wasn't the type to risk on a game. Neil wanted to think of something witty to say, but he took the time to simply unholster his gun, and counting to three, he unhooked the latch and fell down three meters into their midst.

They didn't have time to react before they were both shot, Neil's aim and quick shooting impeccable at close range. Unfortunately, his high caliber gun echoed loudly. Junebug, and likely other guards would have heard it. Neil took no time in procuring the identification key from the belt of one of the dead men, and he slid into the chambers where the prisoners were kept. Neil would literally slide into Sayeeda's view, sweating and with hair tousled.

"Sup babe."

He unlocked her cell door, and tossed her the key and then a plasma pistol. "I know I should have been quieter about it, but you know me." He winked. "We have about an hour before we're all discovered via camera, so we need to get the fuck out of here."
@Penny

The sound of the shots woke Sayeeda from a dead sleep. Like most veterans she had the trick of sleeping in any situation. On Kay-Bisard she had only awoken once the water filling her fox hole had reached her nose. She rolled out of bed, snatching for a weapon that wasn’t there, present reality asserting itself a few heartbeats after instinct. Her fingers twitched uncomfortably for want of a weapon. She froze for a second as Neil slid across the stone floor to come to a stop.

“Well you certainly know how to make an entrance,” she observed as he unlocked the cell and passed her the plasma pistol. Her fingers wrapped the grip gratefully as she stepped into the hallway. Two dead guards slumped at their stations. Well they got paid to take risks the same as her. It was a shame that Aiden had chosen to put them in this situation but then a great many things were a shame.

“Do you have a plan for getting out?” she enquired as they slipped out between two security doors. She had many questions about how he had gotten to her in the first place but none of that was tactically relevant at the moment. There was always plenty of time for explanations later. Assuming there as a later of course.

“We need to get to the roof balcony,” Neil breathed. He looked husky and muscular in his current outfit, an effect she realized of the body armor he was wearing beneath his fine clothes.

“Right elevator then,” she decided. They ran along the hallway at a jog towards the large central shaft that housed the main elevator. They were about twenty meters from it when the doors rolled open to reveal Ranald and a dozen guardsmen. All of them carrying riot guns and shock batons.

“I knew it had to be…” Ranald began in a weary voice.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” Junebug screamed and pantomimed throwing something. Guardsmen dived in all directions, fearing the devastating blast of even a small grenade in such a confined space. Neil snapped off a shot that blew the control console to flaming junk. Whether by luck or good judgement the short slammed the elevator doors closed in a shower of sparks. She grabbed Neil by the shirt and through her weight against him, pivoting him around a pillar a moment before a volley of riot shot. High density plastic sacks dispersed by shotguns, less lethal ammunition but nobody's friend, ricocheted wildly from the corridor walls with a curiously comic elastic ring.

“So uh not the elevator,” she corrected, pointing her pistol blindly around the corner and firing a pair of shots at random, just to keep their pursers honest.

“The stairs and vent access are on the other side of the elevator,” Neil began then a look of mischief filled his eyes.

“What are you…” but the pilot was already moving, springing lithely back down the hallway pursued by a storm of shots. One of the balls struck him in the back but even basic body armor was enough to soak the blow. She leaned out and put three bolts into the elevator door, spraying the crouching men with gobets of molten metal which sizzled and smoked against their fatigues.

“Captain Cykali,” Ranald yelled. His voice tinny an attenuated after the roar of the gun fire.

“Surrender is a perfectly reasonable option!” Junebug paused for a second glancing back down the hallway. Neil was doing something with the corpses at the security desk but she couldn’t see what.

“I’d be happy to accept your surrender. Standard terms,” she called back. Earning a snigger from Neil who was straightening and heading back towards her. A shotgun coughed but it was a jumpy guard twitching and not an aimed shot at a real.

“Captain be reasonable, we control the only exit and more men will be here in a moment, I don’t want to have to …”

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” Junebug yelled. The troopers didn’t react this time, which was a great pity because they were still crouched in a tight group when the two grenades Neil had salvaged from the security guards went off with a shattering concussion. One of the grenades must have been a flash bang and the second was either smoke or tear gas judging by the spurting stream of thick grayish smoke.

“Go! Go!” she yelled and broke cover running through the dazed men as the groped blindly, clutching bleeding ears and choking on the smoke. Neil and Sayeeda made it throuh before enough of the gas had spread to do more than make their eyes water. She paused to drive a heel into Ranald’s temple, dropping him unconscious to the floor. The old sergeant was just following orders and probably didn’t have anything personally against her, but she felt a sadistic rush of pleasure at the petty retaliation.

They climed into the vent without further pursuit, wiggling their way through the tight shafts till they reached the next level. They paused long enough to observe a dozen soldiers racing down the fire stairs to the floor below before opting to climb another. Sayeeda was sweating by the time they made it to an elevator shaft on the next level. The shaft was sealed to the public by luck or ill judgment Aiden had neglected to deactivate the VIP code he had given her.

“Taya bring her in,” Neil was calling over a handheld radio.

“Lonney I don’t think we should…” the message trailed off into a scream on Sayeeda’s mastoid implant as they finally got high enough for it to come into range. The elevator hit the top floor and the doors sprang open. Junebug stepped hastily from the enclosure, as concerned about being caught in a metal death trap as the unfortunate guardsmen below had been, but she needn’t have worried. Neil jerked the door to the penthouse open for her and she stepped inside clearing the door and sweeping the room.

“Put your hands on your head!” she yelled. The same woman she had shot the night before was sitting on the plush leather divan, this time in a stunning red evening dress, cut just highly enough to cover the wounds from the previous nights attack. Her dark eyes widened in shocked amazement at the appearance of the two mercenaries.

“Hands! Now!” Junebug snapped though the woman was not noncompliant so much as shocked and terrified. Reluctantly she raised her hands and placed them against the back of her head.

“Taya what is your ETA,” Junebug demanded as she finished sweeping the room. She lowered the pistol though she didn’t put it away. The girls reply came back at once breathy and gasping as though she had been running a race.

“Lonney says, two shakes of a ...something,” she reported. Sayeeda looked up out the balcony window and then tore her eyes away just in time to avoid being blinded by the full blast of the Highlanders thrusters kicking out giga joules of plasma to break a decent that must have been just short of a completely powerless dive. The concussion blew in the windows and swept the plants on the patio garden like a hurricane. The car they had used as a drop ship the night before, still parked where it had been left, flipped like a paper plate, bounced and went over the edge of the balcony. Sayeeda couldn’t actually see it but she mentally winced at the damage the thing would do sliding down the side of the building, let alone crashing to the compound below. Well she could live with it. The Highlander edged in close, the forward ramp beginning to deploy. Sayeeda took a step towards the ruined patio and then paused looking back at the richly appointed room.

“What?!” Neil yelled shouting to be heard over the rush of wind and the roar of thrusters.

“I was just thinking!” she shouted back cupping her hands. Her face split into a wide grin.

“We really should steal something!”
@POOHEAD189

Neil was checking the back corridor as the Highlander exploded onto the scene, sending the aircar tumbling down nearly a kilometer to the ground to wreck a perfectly good roof of the lower compound. Fortunately, it meant that they had a ticket out of here. He took one last glance down the hall, and then closed the doors, locking them from the inside and then shooting the control panel, causing the stunning woman to squeal in fear.

That was when Junebug called out her idea.

Neil pointed at her. "You see, this is why you're the Captain." He yelled with a wide grin. The room they were in was extravagant and large, and with a quick glance he could tell it was often used by the royal occupants. There had to be something here for them to take. Especially since their money might not have been wired yet. He wasn't about to leave without getting something from this whole venture other than some infamy and a few stories.

He took a few moments to toss aside some chairs in the room. Sayeeda kicked down an ornate table that was likely an heirloom, and Neil kicked aside the kindling to find nothing but some old memorabilia from the family history, medals and such. They could check under the Queen sized bed or rip apart the canopy. Maybe they cou-

His eyes turned to the beauty that cowered on the couch, and he raised his gun at her. She squeaked, eyes wide. "Don't worry!" He said to her. "We won't hurt you. Just tell us where the valuables are and we'll let you live!" Neil had every intention of letting such a good looking woman live, but he wasn't about scaring her to get some valuables. It seemed getting shot the day previous and being held at gunpoint made whatever willpower she might have had deteriorate.

"Under the bed!" She screamed and ducked her head into her lush bosom, covering her extravagant gun with her hands. Neil left her to it, vaulting over the couch and making it over to the bed.

"Come in. Where are you two?" Taya asked over the comm.

"Hold on. We'll be there in a second." Sayeeda told her, and then gripped the bed frame. "On three." Neil gave a nod. "One, two, three." The furniture was moved across the room just far enough to reveal a hidden compartment under the bed. "Oh-ho-ho what have we here?" Neil murmured to himself. Sayeeda waved him back, and he leaped aside just as she vaporized the lock with her plasma pistol, the frighteningly hot greenish bolt causing the steel to sizzle.

Neil kicked the top of the compartment, and it swung open. Immediately, there was a glow. A ray of sparkling light emanated out of the small compartment. It took Neil a moment to realize the mineral that glowed a golden light was Aestimobium, a solid substance of ineffable quality that glowed like a thousand stars. Neil's jaw dropped, taken aback by the rare element. It was the rarest form of wealth in the galaxy. It was only one brick, but it was easily worth over ten times the amount of reward money they would have wired to them. Not to mention, it would put a bounty on their heads that would nearly match it once the recently superbious Aiden found out it was gone.

Neil picked it up, and tossed one of the sheets over it to keep the light from distracting them. Junebug and Neil shared smiles, and Junebug ordered the Highlander bay door to open. As Lonney would not doubt say, they had no time to lollygag. Within moments, they were on the Highlander and set to shoot off. Neil let Sayeeda handle the mineral while he sat down on the cockpit chair, turning on the planetary thrusters and placing all auxiliary power to the boost.

"Welcome back Cptn!. And you as well, Furst officah'!"

"Good to be back," Neil breathed, and punched it. The atmosphere, and the planet of Dar'Mond itself shrunk behind them as they entered outer space proper, and soon Neil had them outside of the range of any of the Dar'Mond planetary scanners. Two hours later, they entered the R.I.P. once more, and Neil took the time to relax. He stood up and stripped the finery off, taking the flak jacket off of his torso and tossing it to the side. He rolled up his vest and armor, and donned the white undershirt now scuffed from the whole debacle planet side. He went out into the corridor and into the 'mess hall,' expecting to find Junebug or Taya.
@Penny

It felt surprisingly good to be back on the Highlander and back in space. Even the normally agonizing transition into the RIP hadn’t seemed as bad as it usually did. They had only been on Dar’mond for a few days but somehow it seemed to be much longer than that. Their account had been frozen and, in any case, there were a limited number of ways to transfer wealth from one system to the next. It wasn’t like they had time to by trade goods or visit a currency exchange that might sell one of the more recognizable regional currencies. She had taken the time to beam a warning down to Kagan. The mercenary had already been laying low but she hoped he was able to get his people of planet. Killing an unarmed woman on a contract wan’t to Sayeeda’s taste but she supposed Kagan might have objected to shooting down enemy aircraft that might have been civilian, or reconnoitering an enemy village by fire. She had her principles but she didn’t pretend she had alot of moral high ground when it came to her working life.

“We should have raided the bar while we were at it,” Sayeeda lamented as she sat down the heavy decanter of industrial alcohol she kept for emergencies. The aestimobium sat on the galley table, glowing like solid starlight. The material emitted no known radiation but was both beautiful as a decoration, and useful in minute quantities in a wide range of extremely high end electronics and research equipment. It usually only occured in minute amounts and a block like this had to have been bought together from dozens or hundreds of separate sources. Aiden would be furious when the mistress he had no doubt inherited from Alexander told him of what had happened. She wished the woman well, she was just a different sort of mercenary afterall.

Neil came back from the cockpit, evidently happy with the jump. The had calculated with necessary haste and made the first jump Lonney could solve for. Dar’mond didn’t have much of a navy but there were more than enough ships to bring down the Highlander if she tarried. Once the reached a safe and obscure system they could plan their next move. She poured three glasses of the alcohol and mixed them all with the cola that they had left from their abortive freight mission.

“Well Neil,” she said raising a glass in saulte.

“It was a hell of a date!”
@POOHEAD189

Neil plopped down beside Sayeeda, happy she wasn't dwelling on Aiden or the life they had just torn to shreds. He gave a groan and lifted his legs up, placing his booted feet propped upon the table. Junebug poured him a glass, and slid it to him. He caught it with his offhand, and tossed it into his other hand before taking a long sip. "Well, I was going to say I didn't get lucky but..." He indicated his glass toward the Aestimobum, giving a wink.

Taya was nowhere to be found as of yet. After the harrowing experience of having to hack a planetary satellite and and being locked inside of an AI controlled Highlander, and this after being told to vacate a planet or face imprisonment...that'll make a young woman sleepy he had to imagine. Speaking of which, Neil downed the glass and decided to let Junebug know just what they did to bust her out, not really leaving out any details.

"They probably would have picked me up on the scanners if Taya hadn't ripped those apart." He finished, catching the bottle Junebug tossed to him and pouring himself a bit more. "The rest was us making our way out. Sad for Ranald, I never really minded him. Seemed like a tough old geezer." Neil smiled to himself, remembering one of the older mechanics back on Fortus that had helped him start out as an engineer before he joined the Ordo Sanctus.

"And Aiden?" Junebug asked casually, just lounging and enjoying the relaxation.

"Little bitch if you ask me." Which gave his Captain a chuckle. Neil continued. "I never really liked people in authority," he said, then held his hand up, grinning. "You don't count, no worries."
@Penny

“Well I suppose I have been on worse dates that didn’t involve going to prison or hacking satellites,” Junebug said, taping a slender finger on the glowing treasure before them.

“Besides…” she began, a strangely mischievous expression crept over her face and she leaned back and stretched, pulling her arms back to display her long lean body to best effect. She held the pose for a moment longer than could have been explained by mere chance. Her eyelids lowered and fluttered sultrily.

“If you are still feeling frisky…” she let the words hang for a moment, leaning forward seductively.

“Then you can take the first watch, because I am about to pass out” she concluded with a laugh which earned her a groan from Neil. She stood and lay a hand on his squeezing fondly and then sidled past heading for her quarters leaving the stunned pilot behind. Taya stepped from the galley where she had clearly been hiding to listen to the conversation, her face stunned.

“What…” she began, brining a spoonful of pudding to her mouth with a sour expression, “A fucking tease.”
@POOHEAD189

Neil's jaw dropped like an anvil, dumbfounded for once. But after he collected himself, he found he couldn't even be mad. She tricked him. He shook his head and smirked. "How dare you," he said jokingly, and smiled when she squeezed his hand. He squeezed back, and as she walked away, Taya leaped out of her cover and it did not surprise Neil in the slightest.

“What…” she began, brining a spoonful of pudding to her mouth with a sour expression, “A fucking tease.”

"And yet it just fucking, makes her sexier." Neil replied wistfully, and decided to just lounge for a bit next to the monitor. She was the Captain, and he'd take first watch.

---

3 days later.

"Are you insane?" Taya asked seriously, glaring at Neil and looking at Junebug for support. "We can't go to Dioni III. It's an entire planet of smugglers and cutthroats."

"We're already here," Neil replied, waving her off. "Look, we can't go to the authorities to sell a stolen fortune. We need a buyer of ill repute and this is the best place to look for one. As long as we're discreet and keep our wits and weapons about us, we'll be fine. I've had a few buddies come this way before. They left with their lives and some even got lucky at gambling."

The moon hung before them, seemingly stationary in motion. It was an ecuminopolis; an orbital body covered in city. It relied entirely on imports from other worlds to survive, and since most of the galaxies underworld activities were done on, or were connected to Dioni III, there was never any shortage of patronage and tribute. If gave off the look of a chromatic green planet with rings of fire, the many lights on the planet, blazing in the darkness. Behind it was the true planet it orbited, Bracchus Prime. A planet of dense bogs and endless wetlands, where many of the criminal overlords held fiefs and criminals fought for bloodsport.

There were no laws or regulations against drugs, violence, or immigrants (Xenos or otherwise) here. At least in a planetary sense. Each crime boss had different rules. The only universal rule was keep to the contracts you sign, but even then, it wasn't exactly enforced by any law enforcement. The Terran Imperials would have invaded and perhaps destroyed the moon years ago, if not for the fact it was a good way to keep the most unsavory criminal occupied, and that the Terran Imperials also conducted some business in its lower depths, off the record.

"Might be able to find some more parts to fix up my mech too," Neil said aloud, flipping the switches to turn the planetary thrusters on and enabling the ship's signal to go unguarded so they could be hailed to land. Neil just needed to find a frequency that would match the one he sent out.

Rare mineral: Looking for buyer.

They were redirected to sector 8, titled 'Traders Promenade.' Neil knew it by another name from reputation alone. 'Smugglers Den.'
@Penny

The Highlander descended towards Dioni III in a gentle dive. Bracchus Prime was gradually eclipsed as the moon swelled to fill the viewport. The plot position board was alive with reports, dozen if not hundreds of craft were lifting and landing at any one moment, each one captured and plotted by the Highlander’s sensors. The glut of electronic information only became intelligible when Sayeeda had Lonney filter for likely threats based on power to weight ratios. Even so a dozen ships ranked as threats capable of engaging the Highlander and one group of a half dozen fighter sized vessel ranked as a possible if operating as a unit. More interestingly the sensor data registered a heavy ship, cruiser size or larger, partially concealed in the icy rings of Bracchus Seccundus, a large and otherwise uninspiring gas giant several light minutes out. Only the Terran’s and a few other of the major regional powers built such warships and its presence, if the sensor read was accurate, was concerning but not immediately worrying.

The communications board was lit up too and Taya typed in a continual stream. Several docking options appeared in a sidebar of Junebug’s console, conveniently tagged with estimated cost and services provided. Junebug quickly eliminated those which were unbelieveabley cheap and unreasonably expensive. The Highander was in fighting trim after its refit on Dar’mond so she swiped away those options which had extensive repair facilities. From the remaining list, still more than a dozen, she selected the third least expensive. Despite the presence of a fortune in rare minerals, they were cash poor. The repairs on Beckett’s node, seemingly a life time ago had been expensive. Similarly the cola shipment that they had jetisoned in favor of saving Aiden and his men was a loss. They were low on food and ammunition and had only a few thousand credits in various forms of exchange to batter with. Well she supposed she and Taya coud sell their dresses for something but they were still going to need to make this happen quickly.

The Highlander rocked slightly as it entered the atmosphere, friction heat making the forward shield glow momentarily before they punched into the air below. The moon was in a geostationary orbit and their destination was on the side facing the primary. The only illumination it received was reflected from the Prime. The sea of light below them blazed in defiance of the natural darkness. The entire moon was covered with construction, vast canyons existed between levels, the result of happenstance rather than good planning. Air cars, many of them older than Sayeeda herself, buzzed up and down. Casinos, lit up in neon, or topped with holoprojectors battled for attention with a constant barrage of noise and light. The lower levels contained bars, shops, repair facilities and, presumably, homes.

“Looks like a fun place,” Sayeeda commented to no one in particular. Although her voice was noncommittal she was more serious than not. After the glitz and media attention on Dar’mond she was rather looking forward to some anonymity. Part of her was concerned that they were only three days from Dar’mond and that it was such an obvious destination for them to choose. The jump had been hard across a RIP current though and if Lonney was correct a major current shift should take place in the next twelve to forty eight hours. Current changes within the RIP could alter navigational time tables by weeks or months. Unless the Dar’mond authorities were especially quick to launch their pursuit, they would find their quarry long gone by the time they reached the Smuggler’s Den.

The Highlander jinked suddenly. There was no feeling of motion with the grav pumps running but the shifting viewscreen and the sudden whine of the compensators gave it away. Junebug looked up at Neil who was settling them back onto course for one of the artificial canyons. His sudden swerve had been to evade a string of air bikes which had boiled up unexpectedly from a building. She doubted that any of them could have dented the shielding, but she would rather not rack up a body count before she even touched the ground.

“I guess areospace control is sort of crowd sourced,” she commented mildly, eliciting a snort from Neil.

A few minutes later the Highlander set down in a broad concrete floored hangar. Three other ships, also small freighters shared the bay, though none of them were in nearly as good condition as the Highlander. One of them, a battered Xylar had holes in its hull patched with plastic sheeting and rivets. It must have been temperature stable enough to survive re entry but it must have leaked air at a prodigious rate. More likely than no the hold itself was open to vacuum and only the cockpit and engineering sections were pressurised when it was beyond and atmosphere. A good way to get yourself killed in anyone's book. Stevedores moved between the ships and low slung cargo sleds, shifting boxes that might be anything from innocuous food stuffs to highly illegal nerve toxins.

Sayeeda walked down the ramp before the hydraulic extenders touched it to the ground. She was wearing her ceramic chest plate atop a tan PT shirt and a set of combat pants tucked into dark tan combat boots. A submachine gun hung from an attachment point on her chest, her helmet clipped to her belt on the right side. In contrast to her previous policy she hadn’t opted to cut her hair, letting it hang halfway to her shoulders. The interior of the docking bay smelled of plasma burns and ancient lubricant as well as the sharp tang of ozone from a recent weld. In places oils dripped from leaky hoses, running in sluggish streams to a central drain of rusted metal.

“Well, at least it isn’t a crash landing in a river,” she remarked to Neil as he clambered down the ramp. A grease stained man in filthy coveralls was striding across the floor towards them, avoiding the streams of oil with casual familiarity. He waved and smiled cheerfully, though Sayeeda didn’t doubt he had cracked a head or two with the heavy hydraulic spanner that hung from his utility belt. The man was completely bald, his shining pate spotted with patches of dark melanin that he certainly hadn’t picked up on this moon. She held up a mesh bag containing the agreed upon amount of credit chips. The fellows grin broadened, teeth surprisingly white against his grimy skin.

“Ok, it is your show,” she told Neil, gazing around at the freighters with interest. Being in a place like this was why she had poured her life savings into the Highlander. Excitement and adventure were a drug, one you kept taking regardless of how likely it was to get you killed.
@POOHEAD189

The Promenade turned out to be far less prestigious than the name let on. Rust and dried blood coated the once pristine structures that crowded around the walkways and courtyards of the province. Bright lights and gaudy signs that promised low prices, fine drinks, or your dreams coming true were a distraction from the decaying urban landscape and the literal tons of pollution that undulated into the perpetual night sky. Province 8 was one of the many criminal 'verticle cities' that dotted Dioni III, but it was one of the most notoriously unscrupulous on the planet.

"Ah, home sweet home," Neil mused, though there was a hint of irony in his voice that was inescapable to a keen ear. He did seem to trail along and glance about roguishly as if he could predict where every business deal and thief hid in the vast maze of crowds and alleyways. Smaller structures made of plasteel or scrounged metal were made in certain areas, where less reputable but small time merchants tried to sell their wares. As they passed by an establishment of pleasures, a powerful thug that leaned upon a railing with his elbows eyed Sayeeda and Taya, and grinned. The grin did not stop, his mouth curling impossibly wide to the edges of his cheeks.

"You've been here before?" Taya asked, spooked beyond reckoning. She kept her hands at her sides and pockets, hoping to feel if any pickpocket that thought to try his luck on the young girl. Junebug kept her weapon at the ready and her eyes peeled, following Neil who walked far more casually. Though a trained glance showed he'd taken precautions, his gun within easy reach and the flack jacket under his shirt was strapped tightly to his torso.

"No, but a lot of places like it." He said. "Always wanted to come here, though. Seems like the next step on my list until I joined the Highlander."

A moss-green Xenos the size of a hauler trumped by them, a breathing sack under its neck enlarging every so often. The feelers on its stumpy hands looked as if they would stick upon contact. Even Neil had never seen such a creature before. If he was more of a biologist than a mechanical engineer, he would have been curious on how such a species not only evolved but grew sentience.

They turned the corner and found themselves in another courtyard, a bit larger than the previous ones they had stalked through, with a fountain in the center that only trickled water. Neil had to guess the water was somewhat clean, for a lot of bedraggled and down-on-their-luck people seemed to have made shop and small homes in the area. Though mostly it was smaller businesses and loneshark deals. Neil was going to head to the center and ask around before he spotted someone he knew. They spotted him first, however.

A tall man approached, his cloak brown and stained. He had a long blonde, braided beard that reached down to his chest, and hair to nearly match it. The man was somewhat aged, but younger than Ranald, with a strong nose and blue eyes. Neil saw him approaching, and he grinned, his arms out wide. "Sven! What in the universe are you doing here?" He said, obviously trying to draw attention to himself, probably for various reasons.

"Thought you were dead," Sven said, his voice deathly calm and with an intimidating amount of cunning. He didn't seem to be a comrade of Neil's, but the younger man didn't seem too wary around him. Obviously they had worked together in the past. Neil spoke next. "Well that's what you were supposed to think, so I guess it worked out. How have you been? Business good?"

"Who are they?" Sven asked, his cold, calculating eyes switching to Sayeeda and Taya. Small structured lights flared within his left eye, as if it was a miniature computer terminal. Neil patted him on the shoulder, trying to ignore the question. "Come on now, I have something to sel-" The pilot was gripped by the collar roughly, Sven's face inches from his own. "If business was good, do you believe I would be here?" He asked. "No games."
@Penny

Sayeeda kept her eyes open as they moved through the city. The place was filthy beyond easy description. Trash of all description littered the street. Bars and other establishments kept the front of their premises clear, if not clean, by paying the homeless to remove the trash. Where it went from there was a mystery, but Sayeeda was willing to bet that at even more dilapidated levels of the city, rats, or whatever the local pests were, roasted above fires of burning trash.

Grafitti was almost as omnipresent as trash. Sayeeda counted half a dozen gang signs which she saw mirrored in more precise renditions on the flesh of the numerous toughs and thugs which lurked in front of the seedier bars and eateries. She wished that they had left Taya with the ship, not just because the girl was clearly overwhelmed but because she attracted attention with her neat features and stylish blonde hair. Attention that fell on Junebug quickly slid aside as they took in the pistol and the submachine gun. Part of her wished she had bought a rifle also, but there was no percentage in carrying a heavy weapon where sight lines were likely to be so short. Even if it all dropped in the pot, shots of over fifty meters would be exceedingly rare in this warren.

Sayeeda didn’t like cities. She had grown up in a city on clean well administered *BLANK* but her childhood fondness had been quickly replaced after she went off to war. Andor had only taken contracts that required city fighting with extreme reluctance. The strength of armored regiments lay in mobillity, moving quickly to surprise the enemy and disrupt his operations. In a city every apartment block was a potential ambush site and every street funneled men and vehicles into predictable firing lanes. Even leveling a city with artillery or direct fire didn’t help, as the rubble remaining was even better for snipers and irregulars than buildings were. They had occasionally had to do it, but it had been mainly close action work for infantry and losses had been exorbitantly high.

The air was a faintly acrid fug. Ejecta of various sorts rained down from above, although it was aresolized by the time it reached this level. The smell mixed with stale beer, decaying trash and the unpleasantly oily smell of cooking meat. It wasn’t a pretty place. Still by the look of some of the denizens, hard men in cheap suits they imagined were fashionable and carrying large obvious side arms, there was money to be made here. It would be the ideal place for a criminal to hide out, strangers were obvious avoiding them was as simple as moving to a different level.

The arrival of Sven took her by surprise. It seemed unlikely that anyone who knew Neil would be here, but then again they were looking for one of Neils contacts and webs of association worked both ways. The fellow’s beard and bearing were certainly impressive, used to violence certainly but probably not a military background Junebug decided. SHe glanced around, noting a few of the armed locals watching with some interest as the fellow approached Neil, exchanged a few words and then suddenly grabbed Neil and lifted him into the air.

“Whoa, easy boys,” she said in a flat tone. Sven glanced at her with a look of anger and flinched slightly. The submachine gun was still hanging from the attachment point on her chest armor, but the pressure of two fingers on the butt lifted the barrel so that, quite by apparent accident, it pointed at Sven’s knee cap. Her fingers weren’t in the trigger guard, but they drummed a slow beat against the ceramic chest armor beside it, in subtle warning.

“I won’t claim I don't understand the impulse, but I don’t want to walk out of here right?”
@POOHEAD189

The implication didn't seem to intimidate Sven, though he glanced at her gun as if he was adding it to a calculation, as if their every move and twitch was something he was to take into account. It felt as if he did not even need to directly look at someone for him to be aware of their every move. Neil held his hands up disarmingly, a roguish smile on his face. "Alright Sven, I'll tell you. I'll need your advice anyway so..." The Pilot gingerly pulled himself out of Sven's grasp.

Sven let him go, eyes switching to Neil as the young outlaw pulled at his shirt to unwrinkle it. Before he spoke, he glanced Sayeeda's way, and then back at Sven. His voice was low. "We have come across a large quantity of Aestimobium, and we were looking for a buyer that would be interested in taking a bite out of it." Neil said. "I was thinking you might know a guy around these parts."

Sven did not seem the type to be impressed by near anything, but his brows raised slightly at the claim, before they narrowed with suspicion. He matched gazes with Neil, and then stood straight once more, reaching his impressive height. "Still playing with forces beyond your reckoning, I see." Sven said. It merely made Neil grin. The cold man paused for a few moments, as if weighing a trillion different options at once, or as if he was processing something beyond their comprehension. "Yes." He said simply, moments later. "I know of a buyer. Gnorlaac of the Crimson Star."

Neil let out a whistle, obviously knowing the name. Though by experience or reputation, it wasn't clear. "Do you know of anyone less... savage to deal with? I don't think someone like me would be safe in that kind of place."

"If you want a buyer, Gnorlaac is the one." Sven repeated, his voice gravely and hard. "I had thought you were used to danger. Saxon won't stop hunting you until one or both of you are dead."

Neil pointed at Sven, as if he had a secret knowledge. "Saxon is dead. I made sure of it." Neil replied vehemently. "Last time I saw him he was being swallowed by a Torjun Beast off the Parmenaen Strait. Unless he can climb out of an acidic stomach, he's long dead. Besides," He raised a hand, as if to halt any further denials or comments. "Even if that weren't true, the trails been cold for years now. 2 years in cryosleep will do that to you bounty."

"Ah," Sven said, weighing the information. "For your sake, I hope you're right." With a movement of his head, he indicated they should head north. "Find the Cantina called Red Dwarf. Go inside and tell the Formian girl 'Tu Wada Klecto.' She'll take you into the back where the private party is held. Don't mention my name."

"Wouldn't think of it," Neil chuckle, and when Sven didn't shake his hand, Neil awkwardly placed the open palm on Sven's shoulder. "Good to see you bud. See you soon."

The pilot led the two women away from Sven, who watched them depart with an unyielding stare before he sank back into one of the shanty shops, his ragged cloak now camouflaged within the canopies of tarps. As they made it past the central fountain, Taya piped up with a whisper. "Who was that man?" she asked, glancing back at where Sven had stood not moments before. Neil smiled as he turned the next corner. "Who he is now doesn't matter. But he used to be the planetary governor of Jutgard." he said. "Don't ask."
@Penny

Junebug didn’t lower the semi-surreptitiously aimed weapon until the conversation ended. Her face blank and unmoving as an insect. She didn’t judge Sven likely to shoot them in the back, but then there was no point in making more risky assumptions than you had to. Her life had enough chances in it already.

They found the Red Dwarf only after asking a few of the itinerant spacers for directions. Even then the directions were cursory and filled with nervous glances and quick departures. The bar was located in a slightly more upscale area. A vast holoprojection of a Red Dwarf star, ten meters across blazed in the entryway. Every thirty seconds the holo star went nova, scattering coherent light which congealed into the name Red Dwarf and then collapsed back into its burning protoplasmic namesake. It was a neat effect. Patrons lounged at outdoor tables in front of the place, almost all of them were armed and many bearing crimson start mark, either in tatoo or painted onto armor.

“Nice place,” Sayeeda said in a deliberately neutral tone, noting the bullet holes that picked the facade of black marble. The impacts were heavy calibre, vehicle mounted almost certainly. Neil glanced back over his shoulder at her with a slightly guilty expression on his face.

“Yeah well, nice people aren’t buying what we are selling,” he said with a weak smile.

The bouncers, both human and covered from head to toe with gang tattoos, didn’t give them any more trouble than an unfriendly grunt. They were carrying short shot guns and riot batons, both of which would end a fight very, very quickly. They did spare a look for Junebug’s weapons and armor but it was more skeptical than afraid.

The interior of the place thumped with synthesized music, it was almost loud enough to be painful. The bar was being operated by a trio of completely naked human women and one alien, also naked, that might have been either male, female or a combination of the two. Large clear tanks sectioned off areas of the place. They were filled with a shimmering slightly bluish liquid in which swam strange creatures, somewhere between birds and fish, they seemed to be almost gem like in their sparkling magnificence.

Men and women gyrated together on a central dancefloor enfolded by table that rose by gentle increments to allow every present to see the action, the fluid in the tanks ran down the incline in slow cataracts, more like petroleum than water. Sayeeda decided it might be liquid helium, though she had never heard of anything living in the stuff as these fish creatures clearly did. There was a large fenced off area to the rear where a knot of muscle, more heavily armed than the rest, controlled a broad ramp which lead up to private viewing boxes with black one way glass.

Junebug slid her helmet down over her head, the built in noise cancellation gear immediately muting the tumult to a dull roar. She flipped the faceshield up, knowing from experience that people found the dull reflective surface to be far more intimidating than a bare face.

“Alright,” she said, “lets find ourselves a Formian.”
@POOHEAD189

Good, Neil thought. A faceless and intimidating Sayeeda would give far more credence to their request for an audience, and the audience in general. The problem was Taya. Neil didn't look overly intimidating, but he had a look that showed he was used to this sort of underhanded operation by the way he carried himself. As they walked through the crowd, there was a myriad of Crimson Stars mingling with mere bar patrons.

With a subtle movement, Neil slipped an idle cloak off a table and rolled it up to give as little visibility to the fact he had it as possible. Once they made it across the dance floor, he unrolled it and reoriented the cloak. "Taya, come here." He said. The girl looked a tad confused, but did as she was bade. Neil placed the wrapping around her head, tying it from the back despite her protests. Neil ignored her, turning her toward him and holding up a finger. "Its best they don't see your face," he half lied. "Now, don't speak or make any noises, not even a squeal. Understand?"

"Its hot," she protested, pulling the lower part of the wrapping off her mouth slightly. Neil let her take in some air, and then pulled it back up. "I know. You can loosen it slightly, but keep it tight around your chin. We won't be in there long. Ok?"

She nodded, and he gave her a wink.

Once they were situation, the three made it to the entryway, where a large Margrond Xenos stood. It was a human-like beast that had four muscled arms, an overwhelming slab of stomach, and a face Neil could only describe as 'ugly as sin.' He barred their passage, along with a small squad of muscled and armed goons, automatic lasrifles held at the ready. Neil held his hands up in greeting. "No need for that, we're simply here to see Gnorlaac."

The proclamation caused them to turn off the safeties on their weapons in unison. "Whoa whoa, hold on now," He began, trying to defuse the situation. He looked around, and then leaned forward. "Tu Wada Klecto...we good now?" There was a short silence as the men looked to one another, and the Margrond raised an arm and spoke an indecipherable language into the comm on his wrist. Above them, a light Neil had not noticed before turned green, and the Xenos stepped aside to allow them passage into the back rooms.

The music went from an oppressive noise to a backdrop as they walked down the entryway, two guards flanking them with weapons poised to go off at any sudden movement by the three. Neil knew Sayeeda was good, so he turned to glance Taya's way and check on her, however her expression was hidden from view by the cloak. That was a small victory at least. Red lights that gave the entryway a darkly lit vibe increased the shadows around them in a strange fashion. The more traditional lights of the other room, still blue and green in color, lit up the area far more nicely.

The next room they found themselves in, Neil could only really call it a throne room. It was a smaller party, with hired muscle and dancer girls mingling with one another, along with prominent Xenos and businessmen wearing expensive and near Dar'mondian level of lavish clothing and jewerly. Some of them looked to be enacting business deals while others simply lounged, enjoying their status as one of the select few to be invited inside Gnorlaac's private party. At the center of the back wall sat Gnorlaac. An enormous blue Formian, with an impressive second chin covered in either fur or hair. His torso was bare, and his lower half was covered in expensive cloth to make some patched together trousers. His six fingered hands were covered in jeweled rings, and his large maw had more than a few golden teeth within his jowls. In Neils opinion, he had the look of a 'nice guy' on the galactic net that hit it big somehow.

All eyes turned to them as they entered, the unknown three causing a small stir within the room. Neil crossed his arms, trying to remain as confident as possible despite all the attention. The music stopped, and the Formian raised a hand, waving them to come in closer. "Ekta chuka me colo so na me," he said, his voice veritably booming across the expanse of the room. Flanking him were two Hexanagallion guards, clad in Xarconian plate armor, their faces and snouts concealed.

A small droid floated up between them as Neil and the others moved forward, translating. "So, I heard you have something I would be interested in? Do tell." The voice was automatic and rigid.

"That is correct," Neil said, a big smile on his face. "And let me say that this is a lovely establishment. Do you rent or own? Nevermind. Yes we uh...we have something I think anyone in the Galaxy would kill for. But since we were in the neighborhood, we heard of your fair deals and wanted to see if you'd be interested."

"Do not test my patience, boy. Out with it." The Droid said after the Formian gave a few grunts.

"Hold on, big fella. Discussing business when 10 pounds of Aestimobium is at stake is a process to be appreciated." The Formian's eyes widened, and there were various gasps within the crowd. Neil simply smirked, as if he had everyone in the palm of his hand. Then again, he did that often anyway. "You see," Neil continued loudly, drawing all of their gazes to him. "By my recknoning, such a prize would be...psssht, I don't know. 40 million credits? More? Well, me and my crew," He gestured at the two figures behind him. "We have no real use for it other than money, and would like it gone no questions asked. So we are willing to part with it for, say, 25 million. That's a generous offer, my friend. Also, it pays to be on a crime lord's good side, am I right?"
@Penny

A hush settled across the crowd as the import of Neil’s words began to register on the crowd. Junebug could feel the shappening of the gazes as a room full of hungry predators turned their attention to the crew of the Highlander. She grinned beneath the reflective mirror of her face shield. It wasn’t an expression that had anything human in it, it had more in common with an animal baring her teeth.

The Formian smacked his jowls together in an odd wet sound. It was only after nervous titters of laughter began to spread that Junebug realised it was laughter. The droid zipped closer, an articulated lens zooming in on Neils face with a series of whirring clicks. It drifted to Sayeeda and repeated the motion before moving on to Taya.

“Kul trana suc xhua, prada carak sul nor,” Gnorlaac rumbled.

“If you are lying to me boy, we will feed your bones to the gnawers,” the droid translated in its static mechanical voice. Sayeeda winced at the impudent expression that stole across her pilots face.

“We got the goods, you can bet your ass,” Neil quipped. Gnorlaac began to laugh again although this time there was a harder nastier edge to it. The music swelled up again as the Formian turned away, evidently done with the face to face portion of this interview. Sayeeda relaxed slightly, shifting out of her stance of imminent violence. A black skinned human woman, her head shaved smooth and tattooed with dozen of unrecognisable designs approached.

“I am Yrla, I am Gnorlaac’s right hand,” she said, her voice assured but not disrespectful.

“You will tell me where your ship is and we will arrange for an assayer to confirm what you claim. I warn you if this is some game, it won’t end well for you.”
@POOHEAD189

Neil regarded the woman for a moment. At first he thought she reminded him of Sayeeda, her hair short and her body lithe but fit, and a dangerous quality about her. But on second glance, he realized that was not the case. There was a competence, but a lack of command or confidence. She must had been bought as a slave and had served Gnorlaac well, or she had risen through the rank for gathering intel, etc. Either way, he would be respectful. Dangerous or not, she seemed to be his eyes and ears at the moment.

"The D-15 Landing pad near sector 8." Neil replied, giving the ships HLNDR designation number. He had the slightest notion that Taya had tensed up when he gave the information, but one had to look for it to notice. It seemed like no one did, thankfully. As the woman placed the information in her datapad, Neil spoke up. "Will you accompany us or will one of your agents?" Behind Yrla, a door whisked open to reveal two heavily clad warriors. Their races unknown, though they seemed man sized, encased in full Dyrelian battle-armor, leaving even their faces covered in las and bullet resistant armor.

"Both," she replied curtly. Her datapad 'pinged' aloud, and she holstered it onto her utility belt as she motioned for Neil to lead the way back to the ship. The guard's guns were not pointed at them, but they were slung within their hands much like Neil and Sayeeda's guns had been when they had dealt with Sven.

Through the rusted streets, the blood and excrement on the walls giving off a very pervasive sense of mild disgust, Neil strode ahead confidently and never did look back. He had his hand close to his revolver if he heard even the slightest thing amiss, but all was quiet save the calls of the low-life merchants and the growls of various Xenos that prowled. Once they entered the landing pad, Neil told Taya to open up the ship. She didn't make a noise, and simply pushed a button within her clothes that activated the bay doors.

"Wait here, would you?" Neil asked them. All of them, and he went up to retrieve the most valuable mineral in the galaxy.
@Penny

Sayeeda gestured Taya back into the ship, the girl was quick to take advantage of the chance to get out of the potentially dangerous situation, all but running up the ramp. She might tell herself that she would be more useful inside the ship and maybe that was true, but truthfully Junebug just wanted her out of the way. There were a million ways this exchange could go wrong and shooting the Highlanders crew to save the forty million was both the most likely and the most difficult to avoid.

The aliens in the armor snorted and yipped at each other their communication undecipherable to human ears. Junebug watched them with studied boredom her plasma rifle cradled casually but within only a few degrees of the armored killers. In the ancient struggle between weapons and armor, weapons were currently in the lead. Nothing a man could carry would do much to stop a plasma bolt. Even ablative armor would transmit a bone shattering shock as the superheated plasma detonated on its surface. Powered armor was more effective and could be plated heavily enough to withstand the shock, but it sacrificed movement. Mechs and the like were more akin to light vehicles than armored infantry. Sayeeda figured if this went south she could take at least one and probably both of the alien gunmen down but it didn’t mean she was eager to try conclusions. One of the creatures, sensing her regard made a crude leer running a purplish tongue over its fangs. Sayeeda winked without allowing her face to lose its bored expression, gannering another burst of garbled alien chittering.

Further by play was interrupted by Neil returned carrying the small chest in which the *BLANK* was stored. The guards and the young woman who was apparently going to perform the assay quited in anticipation. The pilot set the case down on the grease stained floor and flicked both the latches open with a theatrical flourish.

“Behold!” he cried, throwing the lid open and posing dramatically. The soft glow of the *BLAN* pulsed from within the chest, illuminating falling dust motes in its pure light. Neil looked a little crestfallen.

“No one appreciates a show,” he muttered. Sayeeda noticed that his revolver was tucked into his belt, within easy reach for a quick draw. Apparently she wasn’t the only one concerned about the number of ways things might go wrong. The woman, Junebug never got her name, pulled a bulky but portable scanner from a bag and ran it over the *BLANK*. For an endless minute the machine beeped and whired before the aide, or whatever she was, finally tucked the scanner away.

“It appears to be genunine,” she said, her voice a little to netural to be believable.

“Where did you say you got it from?” she asked. Junebug rolled her eyes.

“We stole it from the Pirate King and he is going to sail his fleet of dreadnoughts in here and wreak horrible vengeance on whoever holds the cursed treasure. Anyone who toucheth it wilt surely perish excetera and if this is the part where you try to talk us down from our price because its soooo dangerous, then you can just be on your way and we will find another buyer,” Junebug sneered. The aliens stiffened, gripping their weapons. Junebug negligently lifted her rifle to point at the closes gunmen though her face still appeared bored rather than threatening. The aides face was dark with an unpleasant emotion.

“Very well, we will pay your asked price, but you should know that…”

“Yeah yeah, no one disrespects the boss, we get it,” Junebug finished, lowering her rifle as the aliens took their own hands away from their weapons.

“Take the goods,” the aide told the aliens.

“No,” Junebug and Neil spoke simultaneously, paued to look at each other and then turned back to their guests.

“I know we are all friends and everything, you know you being infamous gangsters and we being some randoms who never made port here till yesterday, but just for the hell of it, lets assume we want to see the money before we hand over the goods.”

“You are a very irritating woman Captain Cyckali,” the aide said, clenching and unclenching her fists. Junebug smiled toothily.

“And just to be sure no one gets any weird notions, lets do the hand off somewhere neutral, one of those casinos should do fine.”

“The Golden Nebula,” Taya’s voice sounded in her mastoid implant. The girl was good, listeninging into the conversation and doing her own research as she went.

“THe Golden Nebula, lets say three hours from now?” Junebug went on as though she had come up with the name.

“That is hardly enough time to get the money toge…” the Aid protested.

“Well then I guess we will have to take our bussiness elsewhere after…” the aide through up her hands in disgust.

“FINE!” she snapped and whirled on her heel, practically storming out of the building flunkies in tow. Junebug grinned, Neil gave her his ‘what the fuck was that’ expression as he pulled his revolver from his belt. She shrugged a little sheepishly.

“Sorry, it has been days since I shot anything, guess I’m a little tense.”
@POOHEAD189

The Pilot laughed. "Don't worry, with our luck I'm sure we'll shoot something real soon." he said with a wink, snapping up the trunk and lifting up the near-priceless object. He shook his head as he relayed the scene that had just played out. "Acting like we'd just give them the stone. They idiots?"

"I think they think we're the idiots." Sayeeda said, hands on her hips.

"How could we be idiots? We have some fucking Aestimobium."

"And how did we get it?" She asked Neil, raising an eyebrow.

He sighed. "...By being idiots." Sayeeda smirked. Taya's voice rang over the comms. "If you two are done, let's get in here and discuss what exactly we plan on doing." The hanger was still empty, but Neil realized it was probably for the best they talked further inside. A devil in the back of Neil's head made him say. "Yeah, before the Captain shoots somebody." He felt a woosh of air behind the nape of his neck right as he leaped forward, and he ran into the Highlander with Sayeeda right on his heels until Neil spun and held the Aestimobium in front of himself. Sayeeda hid a smile, and just pointed at him.

He placed the mineral down on the table after she sat down, and he sat down too, thinking he was safe. The boot that stomped on his foot relieved him of such notions, but they were both laughing after Neil cursed. In a moment however, Sayeeda went back to business and began. "So..." she said, her tone brooking no room for anything else but making a plan worth executing. "we go to the Golden Nebula. Did either of you see any good places for guns to hide in the Cantina?"

"I could barely see anything." Taya said, the cloak that had been wrapped around her head now snug on her shoulders once more.

"There's probably plenty of places to the left when you enter, where the crowds and dancers are." Neil pointed out. "But on the right, the sit down bar and tables are probably where we'll do the transaction. We can't exactly flank or hide either, they've seen both of our faces and Taya isn't the best gun, no offense."

Taya's face gave a clear 'none taken, seriously' as if she wanted to be as far away from any gun as possible.

"Then we'll just need to sit in the corner near the door, and wait. Or if they already have a table for us, we don't sit next to each other." She said to Neil, and he nodded. They needed eyes everywhere. "Taya, give us your cloak." The girl blinked, but did as she was told, and Sayeeda wrapped it around the Aestimobium container.

Neil spoke up next. "They'll never guess we have a container now."

Needless to say, he had to dodge Sayeeda again.
@Penny

The Golden Nebula was not what Sayeeda had imagined from a dingy crime world, though perhaps it should have been. Neoclassical dance music thrummed like a thunderstorm as they stepped through the security checkpoint and into the interior. Just as Taya had said the establishment employed sophisticated biometric scanners, though the expensive units were almost completely recessed into large palatial columns. The security was well armed and obvious but also clean enough to hint at respectability. Also, just as Taya had said, neither the Aestimobium nor the pair of pistols concealed beneath it triggered the sensors. One of the metals many properties was the release of energy in the form of radiation. The radiation was poorly understood but seemed to have no harmful effects on humans. Apparently it was also enough to smother the electronic signatures of the hardware. Sayeeda kept her face pleasant but she really wished they could have bought more hardware. In theory the weapon restrictions applied to their ‘business partners’ too, but Junebug was to familiar with breaking rules to put much stock in that slender protection.

“I still say we should have pulled a last minute move, somewhere I could have covered with a rifle,” the mercenary griped. She was dressed in a skin tight body suit of dark gray, almost black synthetic polymer. It was the sort of thing that a jet bike rider might wear and was judged by Taya to be not too far out of the ordinary for the Nebula. The plus was that it let her wear combat boots, those these were new, black and buffed to a high sheen rather than her worn tan favorites. A band of black enameled metal encirled her brow, keeping her now almost shoulder length hair out of her face. She really needed to find time to get it cut, or at least buzz it so that her helmet would fit properly again.

“Will you give it up,” the long suffering Neil responded as they ascended a broad stairway. The interior of the casino was massive and open. Games of chance of every conceivable sort ringed a huge central space. Not only the ground but the walls and ceiling were covered also. Antigrav plates had been installed to allow a guest to walk up the walls or over the ceiling. Bars and drinking establishments stood out like barbs on the wall and celing. THe central space was a vast zero gravity dance floor. Launch points were marked on the floor where the gravity was low enough that one could jump into the field. Smaller grav points flashed in and out of existance as bars of neon lights. Hundreds of people flipped and spun overhead, gyrating with wild excess that would have been impossible in normal grav.

“Whoa,” Junebug said, impressed inspite of herself.

“Also what is this like nine dimensions of fire arcs to worry about? Remind me to kill Taya.”

Neil had managed to get together some of the scrap from within the docking bay, and after haggling a bit with the local populace, he managed to quickly fashion and weld some believable, makeshift armor and clothing to better blend in. Oh he'd did not look well off. The leather overwrapped plates of steel on his torso and the ragged workman's clothing made him seem far more like a high ranking junker ganger than anything, or perhaps a shoddy bodyguard to the far more impressive looking Sayeeda. But he certainly wasn't himself. He'd even gotten some soot and pressed it across his face to better give off a local impression.

"Yeah, no kidding," he mumbled in reply to the Captain's comment. He doubted anyone above them would be a good enough shot to actually attempt to take one, but still. It gave them a slightly more vulnerable feeling. Neil clutched the cargo he carried in his left hand a bit harder, and scanned the crowd for any signs of the meeting. It occurred to him now that they had not discussed with Gnorlaac's second on if they were meeting her specifically or one of Gnorlaac's other goons. Luckily, after a moment of searching they found her in the crowd at a table. Small wonder that every table that sat around her and her two guards were nearly empty, save a few bums that were either concealed hitmen or were too dumb to actually take a hint and leave.

"If she doesn't have the money, I don't even care if we get killed, she's going down." Neil said.

"Just keep calm." Sayeeda told him, though she sounded like she was on edge as much as he was.

"So, you decided to join us my... good friends." Yrla said once they had approached her, and she indicated for them to take a seat. If Neil had a knife he could cut the tension. He'd just need to settle for his loaded revolver if push came to shove. Neil pulled out a seat for Sayeeda, and when she seated he took his own seat. He saw Yria, Sayeeda, the guards, and two of the low class cantina residents eyes followed the wrapped container as he set it on the table.

"So...this is it?" the dark skinned woman asked, eyeing them suspiciously. "You know I'll need it shown to me."

"The money first." Neil said, causing Yria to give an incredulous laugh. Neil just grinned, speaking up. "You wire the money to us. We verify it. Once we have it, we give this to you. If you aren't satisfied, you can kill us." It was matter of fact and simple, but the 'killing them' part would not be so easy. In a crowded Cantina, even one owned by Gnorlaac, a firefight wouldn't be ideal. However, if Neil and Sayeeda planned on stealing from him, it would be justified, which meant in order for everyone to be happy, the deal would go as planned...

@Penny