Solae had nearly reached the building that Julia had told her functioned as a storefront for Vitger's sales. There was no one lingering around this section of town, efforts diverted elsewhere to rescue efforts and combing through rubble for what belongings and supplies could be salvaged, which made her even more uneasy than if it had been densely populated. When she was at the community center she had been fearful that her face would be recognized and a greedy mob would assault her. Now that she was in relative isolation she was paranoid of something far worse: that she would be attacked by a deviant and dragged off with no one the wiser. For reassurance she pulled out the pistol that had been tucked under her side and into the waistband of her pants. It felt impossibly heavy no matter how she gripped it, though she was absolutely certain it was the responsibility of carrying such a weapon that psychologically gave it the weight she imagined.

A short burst of clanging noises rang out from the warehouse she was passing. The noblewoman paused and held her breath so as to hear better. Not even a second latter she heard a demand from a foreign voice for someone- she could only assume it was Rene unless there were multiple bounties secretly in circulation- to come out with their hands in the air. She quickly and quietly skipped up to the door, eased it open silently, slipped inside, and then closed it just as carefully. Her shoulders ached from carrying the bag containing her soldier lover's personal armory but she dared not to leave it behind. Were her rescue to fail, or she killed, planting a parcel full of deadly weapons where Vitger could easily discover them was a recipe for disaster.

"ONE!" Vitger shouted from further inside.

Little did he know how he was guiding the armed marquise to his and Rene's location. Solae jogged around a white freight container that had obscured her from view on entry. Taking a deep breath she put both hands on the pistol and looped one digit in through the trigger. Her heart was pounding in her chest as her fingertip rested against a curved piece of metal that would have sent a lethal shot one firm squeeze. No matter how much Rene had coached her that she would have no difficulty in using such a simple pistol she felt he underestimated how hard it was in practice- because it granted the ability to take a life.

"TWO!" Vitger threatend.

The blonde came around the corner and aimed her pistol directly at Vitger's back. An open container was at the far side of the warehouse and Rene was not far from it, crouched still between two of identical design, obviously struggling with the decision he was about to make. Even at this distance she could see his eyes going wide as she stepped into his range of vision. It must have been a shock to spot her with her face disguised by dirt, a scarf wound around her head and neck, his bulky bag slung behind her, and holding a slaver's weapon with an air of determination. Had he not known her personally he may have had a great deal of difficultly recognizing her as the same woman that had been so traumatized by the destruction at the embassy on New Concordia.

"Three," Solae announced.

Vitger whirled around. If he was surprised at the interruption, he was even more surprised that it was Solae herself that had appeared, and what smug satisfaction he held that his prize was so close was mitigated by the fact she was pointing a pistol at his torso. Her features were hard and cold as steel. Neither he nor Rene could spot an ounce of hesitation, fear, or anxiety in her visage. The aristocrat was a deeply empathetic woman but, as had already been witnessed by her paramour, when backed into a proverbial corner or threatened she was as fierce as any other lady of her pedigree and station. The Falia lineage had not been granted title for being cowards.

"You!" Vitger barked, "Turn yourself over to me and I'll let both of them go," he commanded, almost drooling at the prospect. His eyes dragged down her figure hungrily. With Tychon and Julia she had temporarily forgotten what it had been like to be ogled by degenerates. Her blood curdled at the thought of being touched by someone so unapologetically base and vile.

"No," she replied simply. "In the last week I've lost my home, both of my parents, my best friend, all my co-workers, and even my ex-boyfriends. The only thing I have left is Rene. You must have lost people you know during the typhoon," she said as she strode closer, pistol still aimed at his chest. "Imagine if you lost them all and you had only one person left to protect. What would you do to anyone foolish enough to try to take them from you? To threaten them? No one has to die here but let me be clear: if anyone does, you'll be a rotting corpse for your neighbors to find." A month ago she would have been bluffing but today she was not. This was the most dangerous Rene had seen Solae. Because she had so little left to lose she was becoming more desperate to protect what was left and that was pushing her to a terrifying precipice. If Vitger did not surrender he could very well watch a murder in slow-motion.

"I bet you've never even shot that thing! Stay where you are or I'll fill Tychon with needles!" Vitger blustered. He was getting unhinged at how outwardly calm and composed Solae was. Regardless of what she felt internally she possessed the confidence and grace of an assassin seeking an excuse to pounce.

"I landed our ship [i]through[/i] the storm. Are you asking to race me? How about we ask Tychon to best on whose reflexes he thinks are faster," she dared. "I'll ask you to drop it once, nicely, before we test all the enhancements I was given that Duke Tan didn't put on his notice."

Vitger hesitated. He had sincerely not anticipated the blonde beauty in questioning being so lethal. Capturing Solae had been predicated on the assumption he'd always have the upper hand physically. Now that he was literally staring down the barrel of someone who was willing and able to murder him he was faltering. He didn't want to forfeit his life, especially when he was sure that Solae [i]would[/i] kill him before letting him take her, and she'd have the opportunity to do so given their circumstances.

"Rene, would you please come get your bag?" Solae asked sweetly as she closed the gap between herself and Vitger and whipped her pistol hard into his wrist, forcing him to drop his own stun gun reflexively. Vitger yelped in pain and screamed obscenities at her. He had started to lunge, intending to grapple over her much more efficient pistol with the unconscious Tychon still underfoot, but Solae drove her knee hard up into his crutch. Vitger let out a strangled cry and crumpled to the ground. Regaining her grip on her weapon the marquise stood over her captive with an aura of haughty victory. There was no compassion for the sad excuse of a man writing on the ground in agony. She strongly suspected he had a certain reaction to the sight of her that made her strike all that more potent.

"How long do we have until Tychon wakes up?" she demanded. Vitger was whimpering over the damage to his extremities and could not offer an answer. Sighing and rolling her eyes she tried to nudge the giant next to them with her foot. "Looks like you'll have to move everyone's favorite fuel retailer to one of those containers yourself, Rene."