"Force Exile II: Smuggler/Part 3"@en . "10"^^ . . "8"^^ . . "The Hawk-bat roared into Commenor\u2019s atmosphere, quickly disappearing from view due to the overcast sky. Captain Sei\u2019lar wove the ship through the cloud formations until he joined the spacebound vector for trading ships and freighters departing the nearby city of Munto, his first mate Jorge aiding him at the pilot\u2019s station in lieu of the usual pilot, Micor. Minutes later, the sky of Commenor was replaced by the void of space as the light freighter moved further and further from the planet. \u201CHow are you holding up, Micor?\u201D he asked. \u201CI\u2019ve been better,\u201D Selu replied. \u201CWhat about him?\u201D \u201CIs that so?\u201D"@en . "15"^^ . "13"^^ . . "3"^^ . "The Hawk-bat roared into Commenor\u2019s atmosphere, quickly disappearing from view due to the overcast sky. Captain Sei\u2019lar wove the ship through the cloud formations until he joined the spacebound vector for trading ships and freighters departing the nearby city of Munto, his first mate Jorge aiding him at the pilot\u2019s station in lieu of the usual pilot, Micor. Minutes later, the sky of Commenor was replaced by the void of space as the light freighter moved further and further from the planet. Once they cleared Commenor\u2019s gravity well, Captain R\u2019hask keyed the navicomputer for a jump to New Holstice. The computer completed the calculations and R\u2019hask activated the hyperdrive. As they flew through the multi-colored dimensional tunnel of hyperspace, Jorge went back to check on their passenger. The Corellian sauntered back to where Selu was lying in his medical capsule in the already-full hold. \u201CHow are you holding up, Micor?\u201D he asked. \u201CI\u2019ve been better,\u201D Selu replied. \u201CThat\u2019s what I thought,\u201D said Jorge. \u201CDid you hear about your cousin?\u201D \u201CWhat about him?\u201D \u201CLast night, while you were in Munto being fawned over by doctors and nurses, your cousin Sarth was getting a kiss from Cassi.\u201D \u201CIs that so?\u201D \u201CYep. The captain and I watched the whole thing.\u201D \u201CGood for him,\u201D Selu said. \u201CHe told me he liked her. I\u2019m glad to see the feeling\u2019s mutual. Besides, he told me about it this morning.\u201D \u201CAw, you knew already? Too bad. I got quite a rise out of your uncle earlier when I told him.\u201D Selu rolled his eyes. \u201CSo that\u2019s why you came back to check on me. You wanted to rat out my cousin.\u201D \u201CBasically.\u201D Selu shook his head. \u201CGet out of here, Jorge. All you do is stir up trouble,\u201D he said jokingly. Jorge shrugged, grinned, and walked off, heading back to the bridge where Captain R\u2019hask was. R\u2019hask was sitting quietly, staring off into the multicolored vortex of hyperspace, lost in his own thoughts. Spacefaring had been a way of life for him for many, many years, but had recently begun to lose its allure of adventure and freedom. Perhaps it was an instinctual predisposition among his species or maybe he had just worn himself out through years of traveling. He had already tried to ease the loneliness of space by shipping more crew than he really needed to\u2014the Hawk-bat could be run by a crew of three, even with the increased crew necessitated by its modifications, but R\u2019hask preferred a larger crew. They all worked together to make the ship run and it in return was their lifeline, their source of income, and their transportation. Still, there were some things it lacked that R\u2019hask had come to miss about Bothan society. All he had to do was finish this deal\u2014which wouldn\u2019t make any money anyway\u2014and he could turn the ship over to someone else. However, the Bothan captain was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of Jorge\u2019s boots against the deck as the first mate returned up the corridor connecting the main body of the ship with the bridge. \u201CHow\u2019s the patient?\u201D R\u2019hask asked. \u201CIn good spirits,\u201D said Jorge. \u201CHe doesn\u2019t seem that hurt.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s good,\u201D said R\u2019hask. \u201CDoes he suspect anything?\u201D \u201CNot that I can tell,\u201D Jorge replied. \u201CIf he did, he\u2019s not in much position to do anything about it.\u201D \u201CExcellent. The sooner this deal is finished, the sooner we can make some changes in the crew lineup.\u201D \u201CWhat kind of changes?\u201D \u201CJorge, have you ever thought about settling down?\u201D \u201CYou mean like, not being a spacer? Living on a world, maybe finding a wife and a stable job?\u201D \u201CExactly.\u201D \u201CNah. Not for me.\u201D \u201CWell, I have been thinking about it,\u201D R\u2019hask said. \u201CA lot more, recently.\u201D \u201CI wondered why you\u2019ve been acting so funny recently.\u201D \u201CYes, well, I want to return to Bothawui, Jorge. I\u2019m getting too old for this.\u201D \u201CWhat about the ship? Who will be the captain?\u201D \u201CIf all goes well, you\u2019ll take my place.\u201D \u201CReally?\u201D \u201CYou\u2019ve crewed with me for ten years now, from when you were an undersized, scrappy whelp, until now. I think you\u2019ll do well.\u201D \u201CThanks, Cap\u2019n. I won\u2019t let you down,\u201D Jorge promised. \u201CYou\u2019ve earned it, Jorge. You\u2019ll be the captain of the Hawk-bat, and all my records, cargo manifests and the ship\u2019s maintenance fund will be yours, as will all the crew contracts. You\u2019ll be the full master.\u201D R\u2019hask watched as Jorge\u2019s eyes widened as he nodded appreciatively. \u201CThat\u2019s a lot of things to chart and keep track of. There\u2019s only thing I don\u2019t like about it.\u201D \u201CWhat\u2019s that?\u201D \u201CI have to be more responsible if I\u2019m the captain.\u201D R\u2019hask and Jorge both chuckled. \u201CYou\u2019ll be fine, lad,\u201D R\u2019hask said. \u201CI\u2019m sure of it.\u201D The rest of their short trip continued without incident. While they were still in hyperspace, R\u2019hask and Jorge made sure the Hawk-bat\u2019s laser turrets were fully calibrated and the torpedo launcher port was clean and ready for launch. Unfortunately, R\u2019hask had been unable to find replacements for his highly illegal weapon since Selu had fired off a pair of the torpedoes to deal with some pirates. It wasn\u2019t easy to just go to a nearby weapons depot or starship repair bay and inquire about buying proton torpedoes. Jorge figured the crew would have to go to the Outer Rim or Hutt Space to find that kind of weaponry. Soon enough, the freighter reverted into realspace over New Holstice. Jorge scanned the system for ships and found the usual freighter and private vessel traffic, along with one particularly large vessel. Fine-tuning the Hawk-bat\u2019s sensor suite, he activated the secondary sensors that Sarth had added until more detail on the larger vessel appeared. \u201CWhat is it, Jorge?\u201D R\u2019hask asked. \u201CLooks like a Carrack-class light cruiser calling itself the Vigilance,\u201D the first mate replied. \u201CWonder what they\u2019re up to.\u201D \u201CAs long as they don\u2019t get in our way, we\u2019ll be fine,\u201D said Captain R\u2019hask. \u201CActivate the passive sensor baffling.\u201D A unique set of interior hull plating that R\u2019hask had picked up on a stint to Af\u2019El, the Defel homeworld, on a meleenium run lined the cargo hold. The shadowy Defel, rare in the galaxy, but known for their near invisibility, were also expert metallurgists. R\u2019hask had brought them a cargo of valuable bacta and food beyond what the Commerce Guild ships usually did and the Defel had helped him line the ship with defelite, an extremely rare material they made that returned a false signal to passive sensor scans once activated, creating an effect similar to the Defel\u2019s own natural abilities. While a more thorough sensor sweep would penetrate the defelite\u2019s camouflage, it was capable of easily resisting casual inspection while resembling a common durasteel alloy. Jorge flipped a switch labeled \u201Ccargo hold running lights\u201D and the plating activated, concealing the true nature of their cargo. The plating was another secret only R\u2019hask and Jorge knew about the ship, along with its true history. While Cassi, Sarth, and Selu knew the ship as a light freighter produced as a civilian version of a popular MandalMotors design, R\u2019hask had actually converted the Hawk-bat from the Mandalorian gunship designed for the True Mandalorians before their defeat at Galidraan. The civilian spacecraft was a knock-off of the gunship, but R\u2019hask\u2019s modifications had made the Hawk-bat indistinguishable from the light freighter class while retaining some of the military craft\u2019s capabilities. Sarth, while not adept at all aspects of shipbuilding and mechanical repairs as Jorge was, had a startling knack for increasing the energy efficiency and output of the ship\u2019s mechanisms and reactor, boosting its already formidable combat capability with additional energy that was on the wrong side of impossible. Were R\u2019hask or Jorge ever to consider a career of privateering or piracy, the ship would need little modification to handle that role. Jorge and R\u2019hask both knew that the ship\u2019s upgraded power plant could support a lot more firepower, but had refrained from doing so in order to keep the ship within legal limits. Still, no freighter even as upgraded as the Hawk-bat would be able to even think about a running fight with a ship the size and firepower of the Vigilance. Captain R\u2019hask, his furry hands on the control yoke of the freighter, brought the Hawk-bat down smoothly through the atmosphere of New Holstice, heading for the medcenter. His fur was rippling and bushing up subtly, a Bothan trait that indicated anxiety. The presence of an Imperial craft might be completely unrelated to the deal he was brokering, but then again, it might not. If it was related to what he was doing, there could be trouble. Carrack-class cruisers were speedy craft that rivaled starfighters for sublight speed and were sometimes equipped with tractor beam projectors and starfighters, both of which would be trouble if the ship grew interested in the Hawk-bat. However, the Vigilance showed no interest in the freighter for now, even as the Hawk-bat descended through New Holstice\u2019s. New Holstice was a fairly pleasant world, as far as planets went, with a temperate climate near the medcenter, whose tall smooth buildings dominated the skyline of the landscape. The center, famous throughout the Rim, was the largest complex of buildings in the city and possibly even on the planet. Conveniently located near the medcenter was a modest-sized spaceport composed largely of circular docking bays sunk into the ground. By no means a shabby smuggler\u2019s den, thespaceport was made largely of local permacrete, all decorated in same pale green as most of the medcenter. As directed by the local control, R\u2019hask set the ship down on repulsors into a round berth, the high walls rising to engulf the ship as it descended to land. Jorge had commed ahead to the medcenter, and a pair of paramedics was already waiting for them in the bay to take Selu\u2019s medical capsule to the center for treatment. Jorge and R\u2019hask opened the bay door and slid Selu\u2019s capsule out and into the hands of the medics, who hustled him off after assuring the captain they would call them on their comlinks as soon as the patient was allowed to receive visitors. R\u2019hask glanced at his chrono. They had almost a full day before they were supposed to meet Skoors, their contact, to conclude their deal. Pulling on his captain\u2019s jacket, R\u2019hask led Jorge out of the moss-draped spaceport, heading for the city rather than the medcenter. \u201CWhat do we do until we\u2019re supposed to meet our friend?\u201D asked Jorge. \u201CI want to know what that Imperial cruiser is up to,\u201D said R\u2019hask. \u201CSo you\u2019re just going to go up to the nearest official and ask?\u201D \u201CNo, I\u2019ll do that tomorrow when I feel like falling under official suspicion. I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to find out yet. I\u2019m still working on that.\u201D \u201CSo you\u2019re going to ask the nearest information broker?\u201D \u201CWell . . . I was thinking about it.\u201D \u201CIf anyone does, the Car\u2019das Syndicate might know something about it. We could check into it\u2014see if they have any local contacts around.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s as good a plan as any,\u201D said R\u2019hask. \u201CHow do we find them?\u201D Jorge smiled. \u201CLeave that to me.\u201D Commenor Sarth Kraen sat by himself at a table in the fashionable Munto Core of Cuisine caf\u00E9, waiting. He was supposed to meet Annita Daowot here for lunch as she had insisted the night before, and while an Investigator speeder had escorted him here, accompanied by the reticent Tunroth Drelve, she had yet to arrive. Drelve, completely uninterested in the d\u00E9cor of the caf\u00E9, had found himself a table near the entrance, watching every patron with hawkish vigilance. The restaurant, while not prohibitively upscale and expensive, was popular among businessbeings in Munto for its efficient service, good food, and flattering d\u00E9cor, designed to be as airy and natural as possible while resembling a garden. Large windows gave the building lots of sunlight, and there were various miniature landscaped beds located throughout the caf\u00E9, with brilliant blooms blossoming from some of the flowers and accentuated with small fountains and waterfalls, while trees provided shade. Sarth had thought about taking a seat on the first level, but a polished silver serving droid had escorted him up a large flight of stairs that dominated the north face of the building up to a large wraparound balcony overlooking the floor of the restaurant, while a window provided a good view of the street outside. The clouds from earlier had broken and now brilliant sunlight streamed down, though the warmth of its rays inside the building was negated by the climate control system nestled in the tables, columns, roof, and behind plants. The dull roar of daily conversation could be heard over the soft sounds of a classical melody played over a hidden audio system as Sarth waited, the sounds of a hundred people talking and trading stories as serving droids took orders and delivered trays of food and drink. Right now, it was nearing the lunch rush, and the droids were taxed by the large number of customers clamoring for service. Dressed in a decently fashionable pair of clothes and fairly well-cleaned up by his mother\u2019s insistence, he didn\u2019t feel nearly as comfortable as he did when in everyday ship\u2019s attire. Plus, he hadn\u2019t slept well. Even after the attack had ended, he had only had a few hours of rest, most of which he had spent tossing and turning, unable to close his eyes for long in fear that he\u2019d wake up a prisoner of the ruthless Mistryl. Sarth settled into his soft upholstered chair as a droid hurriedly rushed up to his table and placed his requested cup of caf on the table and then bustled off to help a pair of unhappy Thyferrans. He had glanced at the holographic menu briefly, and then decided to wait for Annita before ordering. Sarth looked down at his chrono. It was after midday, when he was supposed to meet Annita. His father and mother had been working out security arrangements with Bwilor when had left; by now, they were probably finished and eating by now. He sighed. It was typical of Annita to be late, and apparently service in the Investigators hadn\u2019t taken that out of her. In the mean time, he tried to think of a plausible cover story he could tell her without revealing too much information. As much as they had been friends, or at least acquaintances, or at least he had helped Annita out in years past, he wasn\u2019t exactly sure how much she could be trusted. Finally, she walked up to the table and sat down. Her hair, while still put up, wasn\u2019t completely contained, with a few curls escaping out of the back, loosening the professional appearance she had fostered earlier. She wasn\u2019t wearing her uniform, having instead chosen a dark blue halter-top knee-length dress that shimmered faintly when the sunlight or glow from the overhead glowpanels hit it. Sarth figured that a fashion expert would have described the garment as classy without being overly formal. Although he didn\u2019t feel any particular attraction to Annita, one part of his mind registered the fact that she looked much more attractive than she did in uniform. He also noted that she had a sizable handbag with her\u2014probably carrying a blaster, datapad, stuncuffs and other law enforcement accessories\u2014and that she wore a nondescript jacket over the dress, which wasn\u2019t a surprise. She could probably conceal other pieces of equipment in the jacket\u2019s pockets without needing to wear a belt. \u201CHello Sarth,\u201D she said. \u201CYou look nice.\u201D \u201CThank you,\u201D he said. \u201CSame to you.\u201D \u201CI figured it\u2019d be more discreet for me to appear in everyday clothes rather than in uniform. Tends to attract less attention that way, unlike your Tunroth bodyguard. Though at least he\u2019s at the front booth so people can wonder who he\u2019s watching. If he were over here, then we\u2019d really stick out like a sore thumb.\u201D \u201CI figured you\u2019d say that.\u201D \u201CDid you now?\u201D \u201CWhy do you think he\u2019s over there, Annita?\u201D \u201CI see. Well, let\u2019s eat first. I wouldn\u2019t want to make you tell me what you\u2019re up to on an empty stomach.\u201D Sarth and Annita both turned their attentions to the menus in front of them. Sarth settled on a local fish and vegetable dish known as nautico, while Annita ordered nerfsteak au Coruscant, grilled rare. \u201CStill favor pricey food, I see,\u201D Sarth said. \u201CI prefer to have my meat fresh and tender,\u201D she replied. \u201CBesides, these are department creds.\u201D After the serving droid took their order, delivered a cup of caf to Annita, and wandered off, Annita began her questioning. \u201CSarth, what\u2019s going on?\u201D Sarth feigned innocence. \u201CWe\u2019re sitting at a caf\u00E9 and waiting for our food.\u201D She sighed. \u201CDon\u2019t go evasive on me, Kraen. Why are people attacking you?\u201D \u201CI thought you said you were going to wait until I\u2019d eaten before you started grilling me.\u201D \u201CI did, but I changed my mind. As I said, I like my meat fresh.\u201D \u201CNo.\u201D \u201CNo?\u201D \u201CNo, I\u2019m not telling you anything until I\u2019ve eaten. You can wait.\u201D \u201CSarth, if you\u2019re trying to get out this\u2014,\u201D she said. \u201CNo,\u201D he stopped her. \u201CI\u2019ll tell you what you need to know, but on my time. Logically, you have no option but to accept, because your one other option is to take me into the Investigator station.\u201D Annita glared vibroblades at Sarth, but sat back. Sarth counted it a victory. If Annita had been suitably distracted from her line of questioning, she wouldn\u2019t press as hard, and hopefully she\u2019d even forget some of her questions in between now and when they were finished. However, Sarth didn\u2019t really think he had a chance of that happening. It was a quiet half an hour until the food arrived. When the serving droid finally unloaded a tray, setting their plates on the table, Sarth was quite ready to eat. The nautico was steaming hot and delicious, seasoned well, and with a thick, meaty fish. Sarth guessed it was imported from some other planet\u2014Naboo maybe? The food also seemed to loosen up Annita, and they talked about local happenings and exchanged other small talk as they ate. \u201CGood nerfsteak?\u201D he asked. \u201CYes, it is,\u201D she said. \u201CAnd your fish?\u201D \u201CIt\u2019s delicious. Good choice of restaurant.\u201D \u201CThank you,\u201D she said, forking another piece of the tender nerfsteak. Sarth, finishing his meal, sighed contentedly and pushed his plate back. He waited for Annita to similarly finish her meal, which she did a few minutes later. He had been busy thinking of how he was going to explain his situation to Annita. It was no use avoiding the topic of the Mistryl, but he had to avoid discussing Selu\u2019s identity at all costs. The only problem was that if he told her about the lethality of the Mistryl, he was going to have a hard time explaining how Selu took down two of these opponents as a former starfighter pilot, particularly given the number and quality of the weapons the Mistryl had possessed. There was also the fact that Annita had to have already examined or read the report on the two Mistryl bodies. Sarth decided that the best way to start was to bait Annita a little bit more, distracting her. Annita folded her hands on her lap and looked pointedly at Sarth. \u201CWell?\u201D \u201CAre you sure you want to know this?\u201D She rolled her eyes. \u201CI wouldn\u2019t have come if I didn\u2019t, Sarth.\u201D \u201CAh, so you\u2019re not happy to see me.\u201D \u201CI am happy to see you again, Sarth. I didn\u2019t mean it like that, and you know that.\u201D \u201CFine. Sorry. You know I\u2019m glad to see you too.\u201D Inwardly, Sarth smiled. He\u2019d already thrown Annita off of her original line of questions. \u201COf course. Oh, and it won\u2019t work.\u201D \u201CWhat won\u2019t work?\u201D \u201CSarth, I\u2019ve known you for too long. You\u2019re trying to trip me up by distracting me because you know you can set off all my alarms. Don\u2019t deny it. Quit stalling and spill it already.\u201D Sarth bit his lip. She\u2019d figured him out, and quickly too. He made a mental note to not underestimate Annita again. Apparently, her time in the Investigators had developed her skills at penetrating the fog around an issue. Which was perfectly fine, except those talents were focused in his particular direction at the exact moment when he wanted to fog the issue the most. Perfect timing, he thought. \u201CI trusted you back at your parents\u2019 house, right? I need you to tell me what\u2019s going on now. Look, you know me. Whatever you\u2019ve gotten yourself into, I can help you.\u201D \u201CYou can help me? I don\u2019t think so,\u201D said Sarth, shaking his head. \u201CIs that so hard for you to accept? Are you ashamed to take my help? Is that what this is about?\u201D Annita\u2019s emotions were starting to seep into her previous casually conversational tone. Sarth considered her last statement. Was it just that he was afraid of giving away Selu\u2019s identity, or did Annita have a point? He\u2019d never really considered himself as needing much from others, at least not until Selu had suddenly popped into his life a few months ago. Had he gotten to the point where he saw himself as above other people? Thinking about it, Sarth realized that she was more right than wrong. It was time to come clean, while still keeping in mind other considerations such as Selu\u2019s identity. \u201CI\u2019m sorry Annita. I just didn\u2019t want anyone else to get involved.\u201D \u201CInvolved in what?\u201D \u201CI\u2019m a hunted man,\u201D he said slowly. \u201CHunted? By who?\u201D \u201CI used to work at a Republic Science Division laboratory doing weapons research and analysis after I got out of school. It paid well, looked good on my career experience, and helped out the war effort. I started off analyzing warships and starfighters, but after they found out about my talent in computers and droid programming, they put me to work on captured Separatist droid types. My specialty was destroyer droids. One day, I figured out how to decrypt the entire code package that controls them.\u201D \u201CWhat does that mean?\u201D \u201CIt means I could remotely command any droideka I wanted to, as long as it used that basic code framework. It was immensely valuable research, and that\u2019s where the trouble started.\u201D \u201CWhat happened?\u201D \u201CSomeone infiltrated my lab. They took my research and drugged me so I couldn\u2019t remember everything. It was too complex for me to reconstruct it, literally months of work erased. Then they tried to kidnap me.\u201D \u201CWho did?\u201D \u201CI\u2019m being chased by Mistryl Shadow Guards. The only reason they haven\u2019t caught me is because my cousin Micor has been there. He\u2019s ex-military, and he helped fend them off.\u201D Annita sat back in her chair. \u201CMistryl?\u201D she replied. \u201CSarth, I suppose you already know that that\u2019s bad news for you. They\u2019re lethal, and incredibly hard to detect. They also don\u2019t give up easily.\u201D \u201CI do,\u201D he said. \u201CThat\u2019s why I didn\u2019t want to tell you. I didn\u2019t want to place you in danger.\u201D At least, that was part of the reason for why he didn\u2019t want to tell her. If she was knowledgeable about Mistryl, she\u2019d know that even ex-military pilots didn\u2019t stand a good chance against them. \u201CSarth, I appreciate the thought, but you\u2019re so far off, it\u2019s not even funny.\u201D \u201COh?\u201D \u201CI don\u2019t need you to protect me or pity me. Maybe that\u2019s how you\u2019ve always felt towards me, but it\u2019s not what I want from you. I can take care of myself. And serving in the Investigators means that stopping people like this is part of my job.\u201D \u201CThen what do you want from me?\u201D Sarth asked. \u201CProfessionally, I want you to cooperate with the investigation. Personally, I\u2019d like you to treat me like an adult, and not the kid I was when you left for school.\u201D Sarth considered what she said, and once again, came to the conclusion that she was correct. He had been talking down to her, treating her like an inferior instead of an equal. He wondered if he did that a lot. It was something he had to consider, but at a later time. \u201CFair enough,\u201D he answered. \u201CI can do that, within reason.\u201D \u201CGlad to hear it,\u201D she said. \u201CHow\u2019s the investigation going?\u201D he inquired, changing the topic to keep her from resuming her questioning, at least temporarily. \u201CWe\u2019ve gotten some leads, but not too much. We\u2019ve been trying to track the location of the ship they came on. Also, I did an autopsy on each of the bodies. One died of violent trauma from a fall, the other from a razor blade through the sternum. Unfortunately, we haven\u2019t got anything major from them yet\u2014the lab\u2019s still working on analysis.\u201D \u201CYou did the autopsy?\u201D \u201CIt was late, and I was impatient. Besides, I\u2019m the best one in there.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s good, I think.\u201D \u201CWe\u2019re still not sure how many of them there are, or if those were the only two on the planet.\u201D \u201CIs there any way to find out?\u201D \u201CI suppose we could try going door to door and asking.\u201D \u201CI hadn\u2019t thought of that. I\u2019ll start tomorrow,\u201D he said facetiously. \u201CFor now, my guess as a profiler says that they\u2019ll be cautious. Set back by this loss. They\u2019ll lie low until they launch a more detailed plan, assuming there are still Mistryl on the planet.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s good. How certain are you of that?\u201D \u201CSarth, I\u2019ve been trained in profiling. Based on what data I have, this is my best guess: they\u2019ll try again, but not immediately.\u201D \u201CSo we have time to prepare and set up a defense. And maybe even you\u2019ll catch them first.\u201D \u201CI hope so. Hey, look out!\u201D Annita lunged across the table at him. Then their world exploded and they both went flying. Jirnza had sat on the rooftop of the clothing store for longer than she wanted to, peering through a pair of electrobinoculars at the Core of Cuisine caf\u00E9. Clad in a fairly innocuous looking jumpsuit, she had scaled the roof with the aid of her climbing claws and spotted her target, Kraen, a minute earlier. Helsi hadn\u2019t liked this particular idea\u2014snatching someone in broad daylight was generally frowned upon, but Jirnza felt that the surprise alone would guarantee success. If grabbing Kraen wasn\u2019t an option, she could always slip quietly off or she could rattle him somehow. At the present moment, though, he didn\u2019t seem to have a large number of bodyguards with him. There did appear to be a member of the local law enforcement with him, but Jirnza didn\u2019t think she\u2019d be a problem. Local patrollers usually weren\u2019t, and this one didn\u2019t look particularly threatening. She wasn\u2019t wearing body armor or carrying a large blaster, and she was alone. Obviously, the locals weren\u2019t aware of what they were up against. Jirnza clambered back down the side of the wall, reaching a powerful swoop bike parked in the recesses of an alleyway. She slid a concealing mask over her head to conceal her identity and ran a quick check on her equipment. Everything seemed sound. It was time to go. Mounting the bike, she gunned its repulsorlift engine and roared out into the street. Rather than merely hover half a meter above the ground though, she pointed the swoop\u2019s forward maneuvering vanes skyward and the powerful engine launched the craft into the sky, reaching an altitude of several meters above the ground. She goosed the craft forward, heading straight for the Core of Cuisine\u2019s second floor. Reaching into a bag at her side, she pulled out a highly illegal hand grenade and hurled it at the window next to Sarth and Annita as she cranked the swoop into a hard left turn. The grenade hurled end-over-end through the air until its contact fuse detected the window a meter in front of it. The fuse sent a pulse of energy into the compact detonite core, triggering a detonator. A three meter ball of fire and shrapnel burst into existence, turning the window into deadly transparent shrapnel. Annita had seen the swoop coming out of the corner of her eye, noticing its unusual flight pattern and altitude. Three years in the Investigators kicked in, and she had lunged for Sarth, grabbing him and pulling them both down below the table, just as the grenade detonated. The top floor of the restaurant experienced mass pandemonium from the explosion, with people running everywhere screaming, some cut by flying pieces of glass. Annita couldn\u2019t be bothered with that now. The blast had thrown her and Sarth several meters backward, slamming her painfully into the balcony rail. Something gave in her ribs, and she gasped in pain. No time for that at the moment, nor for the partial deafness she was feeling. Annita\u2019s right hand darted into the left side of her jacket, and she drew a small blaster. Peering over the edge of the overturned table, she saw the swoop coming around for another pass. She ducked back, counted to three, and then popped back over the table, blaster in hand. Annita pulled the trigger four times, sending scarlet energy flying at the swoop, which quickly maneuvered out of the way while the pilot returned fire with a heavy blaster. While only one of Annita\u2019s bolts hit the swoop, the Mistryl\u2019s shots all sizzled into the table. Annita, her back pressed up against the table, yelped as the metal superheated and caught her jacket on fire. Sarth, who had just regained his senses, saw the flames rising from her jacket as Annita turned around and backed away from the ruined table. Crawling forward, he pulled the burning and shredded jacket off and stomped on it, extinguishing the flames. \u201CGood, you\u2019re up,\u201D she said. \u201CHere, take this.\u201D Annita reached down and hiked the skirt of her dress up to her thigh, revealing a hold-out blaster strapped to her leg. \u201CTwo blasters?\u201D Sarth asked, surprised. \u201CNo one ever expects it,\u201D said Annita, tossing him the hold-out. \u201CWhere\u2019s your Tunroth friend?\u201D \u201CI don\u2019t know,\u201D said Sarth. \u201CI hope he shows up soon.\u201D The swoop returned for another pass and Jirnza changed tactics, holstering her blaster in favor of a small canister tossed underhand into the shattered window. Sarth suddenly leaped up, grabbing Annita\u2019s handbag from the floor. Annita cursed and fired a pair of shots at the Mistryl to distract her from Sarth\u2019s foolhardy maneuver. Sarth lunged over to the canister, shoved it inside the handbag and sealed it before chucking it out the window. It landed on the ground and the bag bulged slightly as a slight haze came out of it. \u201CSarth! My comlink was in there!\u201D Annita shouted. \u201CSo is the canister.\u201D \u201CWhat was it?\u201D \u201CCzerka 317-sleep gas canister,\u201D said Sarth. \u201CWe tested them at the lab I told you about. Very effective for knocking out groups of people within thirty meters, and it\u2019s perfectly invisible and odorless.\u201D Jirnza smiled as she brought the swoop around. Soon, the two would be asleep and the scientist would hers. Local law enforcement hadn\u2019t shown up yet, but even if they arrived now, her swoop could outrun anything they had. She\u2019d scoot out of town and then double back to the ship in the evening with her prisoner. Success was hers. A pair of shots flew by her. Apparently the local law enforcement took issue to kidnapping, and Jirnza dropped the swoop\u2019s nose, bringing her out of Annita\u2019s line of fire and sending her skimming along the ground. As she swerved through a group of pedestrians, a massive Tunroth appeared out of nowhere with a sizable kilter battle staff. Jirnza lashed out at the alien with a kick as she flew by, and the battle staff thrust that would have knocked her off the vehicle through merely smashed through her swoop\u2019s controls as the Tunroth staggered from the impact. Drelve wrenched the weapon, and the swoop went out of control, throwing Jirnza off head-first. Mid-air, she released a smoke grenade, blanketing the street with a noxious opaque cloud of red smoke. The landing nearly knocked the wind out of her, but she staggered into an alleyway and disappeared, making her way back to the ship via a circuitous route to throw off any pursuit. Helsi would not be pleased. Sarth and Annita heard the tremendous crash from the swoop and saw the plume of red smoke. Both slowly stood, weapons at the ready. Suddenly, a massive spiked hand appeared at the base of the shattered window. Two blasters were aimed at it, but the following hand and face that followed the first one over the ledge was Drelve\u2019s. The Tunroth, wielding a large battle staff, hauled himself up. \u201CArea secure,\u201D he said. \u201CIs she still alive?\u201D asked Annita. \u201CI don\u2019t know. She ran away,\u201D replied Drelve. \u201CI called the Securers. In the mean time, I will check the lower floors. Stay here.\u201D With that, the Tunroth went down the stairs, checking the restaurant and its frightened patrons for further threats, staff at the ready. \u201CI don\u2019t know how he\u2019s so calm,\u201D said Annita. \u201CI\u2019ve done this for three years, and I\u2019m still scared whenever I get shot at.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s what Micor is like. Nothing ever bothers him.\u201D Annita holstered her weapon, and Sarth returned the holdout to her, which she strapped back into place in the leg holster. \u201CYou saved my life, Annita,\u201D he said softly. \u201CThank you.\u201D \u201COh . . . it\u2019s nothing,\u201D said Annita, waving him off. \u201CDon\u2019t worry about it.\u201D \u201CI won\u2019t forget it,\u201D said Sarth. \u201CI was just doing my job,\u201D she told him. \u201CAre you hurt?\u201D \u201CJust a little bruised. Some small cuts and such, and I\u2019ll have a killer headache tomorrow. And you?\u201D \u201CI\u2019m fine,\u201D she answered quickly, but the grimace on her face told Sarth otherwise. \u201CNo, you\u2019re not,\u201D he replied. \u201CYou were on fire a minute ago.\u201D \u201CTrue,\u201D she admitted. \u201CI think I bruised a rib too.\u201D She ran a tentative hand over the injured rib and winced. Sarth reached over and grabbed one of the large cloth napkins from one of the upturned tables, collecting some ice from a glass. Making a small bag out of the ice, he pressed it against Annita\u2019s rib and she gave a slight gasp from the contact. \u201CHold that there,\u201D he said. \u201CI\u2019ll get another one for your back.\u201D \u201CDon\u2019t worry about it,\u201D said Annita quickly. \u201CIt\u2019s not a big deal. Just forget it.\u201D Sarth, ignoring her, quickly collected another napkin and ice, wrapping it into a pack. Gently, he turned Annita over to check on the cuts on her back she\u2019d sustained from the grenade blast and the burn from the melting table. They seemed to be minor and mostly absorbed by the jacket, but those that had pierced it had hit skin and left small lacerations; her dress didn\u2019t cover her shoulder blades. Sarth started to place his ice pack there and then noticed something: a pattern of small white scars lining the skin of Annita\u2019s back from her shoulders down. There was no way, short of serious genetic alteration, that they were recently created. \u201CAnnita, what happened?\u201D he asked incredulously. \u201CThese aren\u2019t recent.\u201D \u201CNo,\u201D she said, her eyes dropping to avoid meeting his. \u201CDid you get these on the job?\u201D he asked. \u201CNo,\u201D came her reply, small and pleading. Her professional demeanor had evaporated upon his inquiry. \u201CDid your father do these to you?\u201D \u201CYes,\u201D she admitted after a long time, her voice more a sob than anything else. \u201CPlease don\u2019t say anything more, Sarth. Just don\u2019t.\u201D \u201CSo that\u2019s why you always wore long sleeves all those years. You didn\u2019t want anyone to see,\u201D Sarth surmised. Crying and shamed, Annita nodded, pillowing her face on his shoulder. \u201CI\u2019m so sorry, Annita,\u201D he said. \u201CI never knew. I never knew how bad it was for you.\u201D Gathering her in his arms, he held her close to him as she cried softly, pulling the burned jacket over her shoulders to once again hide the marks of abuse and shame. In the distance, the sirens of Securer vehicles wailed, creating an auditory backdrop to the pain and chaos in the shattered caf\u00E9."@en . "1"^^ . "6"^^ .