The trail had gone cold some time ago. Try as they might, the execs at Saeder-Dyne either couldn?t keep someone on the payroll long enough or the person they sent simply vanished. So then they considered a risky investment. The hunter that they were forced to rely upon had turned his back on them more then once in the middle of a hunt. It didn?t seem to matter that it cost him business in the long run. But, he was good enough at what he did that even the fickle execs of the Company were willing to take such a gamble.

?So, she?s as strong as the other one. Maybe more. You?ve pissed her off. And you?re not even sure that she?s addicted to your serum like you had hoped. Oh, and lets not forget the fact that you pretty much trained her in every aspect of your own operations. Seems to me that you don?t need me... you need to bury your own asses and save her the trouble of bloodying her hands with the lot of you.?

There was a murmur between the ten board members, generally angry. ?Mr. Black, we don?t need a lecture, we?re offering you a job...? started the slightly elderly gentleman that was sitting at the end of the table right now.

?Oh yes, a job that?s gotten others killed. I?ve watched this situation and, frankly, I think you wait ?til the end like this just to piss me off.?

?Be that as it may, we are hiring you to find her and the information she took from us.?

He snorted, cocking his head to the side as he looked at them. ?Tell me, even for as long as she?s been gone, there are still secrets in those files that she got away with that you think can hurt you??

There was silence at his question, long and drawn out as they all looked at one another, avoiding his gaze.

?Ah... you no longer have any idea what she might have, so you?re now in damage control.?

?We want her dead, Mr. Black. Her dead, and the files returned to us.? Came the demand, cutting off any further speculation.

?This little bit of information has just doubled the normal going rate, and you?ll pay me half of it up front, in less then twenty minutes. Otherwise I may find her just to help her.?

?That?s preposterous!? ?How dare you make demands of this board!? ?Have this scum killed!? roared out from the many members of the board, except for the one at the head of the table who raised his hand and finally got silence. Needless to say the guards didn?t move from their positions by the doors.

The man known as Mr. Black stood there at the other end of the table form the ten, a good ten feet of expensive wooden table between them and him. As if that was enough of a distance. As if that were enough of a distance to protect them.

Mr. Black was known as that because he?d never given his name, and he only wore his black power armor. Simple, but effective, the simple matte black of the shell absorbed light well enough that there was little in the way of highlights, which meant that if he could catch you in a dark place, then it was unlikely that you were going to come out of said shadows.

?Very well Mr. Black, but this time we?ll take out some extra insurance of your... continued cooperation.?

They couldn?t see the arching of the brow behind the solid metal helmet that covered his face, the video screen swapping through various available spectrums as he waited for the shoe to be dropped.

?We?re going to install a device on your ship that will help you, and help us keep you focused.?

?Oh, I doubt very much that you have anything that I need.? He?d been very careful to keep his systems on both his ship and his suit so that he wasn?t dependent on any one cooperation. He could even interchange the assorted odd bits from one company to another without hindering any of the systems.

?Yes, well, for how long this mission is likely to take, and the associated risk, we insist that you keep a log transcriber that will send us your information without actually inconveniencing you with having to make repeated updates back to us...?

The voice trailed off as the black armored man leaned forward to press knuckles against the table, which creaked ominously at the weight put against it. ?I?m waiting to hear the leash portion of this,? he said in a soft voice the belied he anger at the moment.

?It will also allow us to pass our... wishes back to you as well.?

?Yeah, that?s what I thought... And just how integrated do you intend to make this to the systems on my ship?? this was growled as the table further creaked, showing signs of stress where the legs ended.

?Well, if something were to happen to you to where you could not finish your job to our satisfaction, we would naturally want to be able to recall it,? said in what was probably supposed to be a reasonable voice.

He stood up and contemplated this. None really knew what his ship looked like or even what it was capable of. But he had a pretty good idea that the R and D people they had working for them had come up with a fairly nasty virus to help things along. No doubt it was also likely to try and infiltrate his suit while he was interfacing with the ships systems too.

?No deal, my ship and I are autonomous, I don?t need anyone sinking their slimy tentacles into either.? Metallic clank and scrape as he crossed his arms over his chest.

There was a long pause as the head of the table picked up a phone and talked quietly to the real head of the corporation who never showed himself in these meetings. After a short time he nodded and hung up the handset, then set his elbows onto the table, interlacing his fingers. ?We are willing to give you a quarter of your total up front, no more.?

The one known as Mr. Black considered this. He?d never once given in to a lessening of his asking price, always holding out. But he?d never doubled his pricing either. His arms uncrossed themselves and he nodded to the other, ?Very well, a quarter, paid to my account before I leave the building.?

?The amount is already there. When can we expect our first report??

He snorted, already making his way to the door as he worked out and plotted how he was going to pick up the trail, ?When I send it to you,? tossed casually over the shoulder before going through the door and down the hall. He didn?t bother to try and take the elevator or the stairs either up to the roof or down to the bottom floor. He took a right down a seeming dead end hallway, which was right against the outside wall. There was an office there with his alias on it.

His suit interfaced with the lock easily enough, and the door opened into a completely empty office. The reason it was empty was visible in the missing window. This allowed him to simply jump from the window, ignite the boosters attached to his legs and leave without having to really reveal where he was headed to, as he usually circled the building a little as he thought. But this time he was doing more then thinking.

?External scan,? he commanded, telling his suit to go over the outer shell of the armor, ?do we have any hitchhikers??

He accelerated, nearing the speed of sound as he made it difficult for anything to continue to hold on to him as the system worked to scan. ?There is nothing clinging that I can find from sensors, boss.?

That done, he scissored his legs slightly, making a twist and sending himself out in a random direction. Accelerating even more as he went, then launching skyward, screaming up through the upper reaches to where the atmosphere met space. By now any tracking radar would have lost him from the small cross section augmented by a mixture of carbon fiber and a mesh of metal wires to give it added strength. Lightweight and strong, it reduced his cross section to something more like a bird.

Here at the edge of his envelope floated his cloaked ship, which he boarded through a side hatch. He had space to stand and unsuit from the armor, but that was about it, the rest was taken up by armaments, armor and propulsion. And Vex. ?They are still looking for us boss.?

?Yeah, that was a large chunk of money that they just paid up front. How much could you get before they started monitoring??

?Nearly all, there are still a half a million in credits in there that we might as well kiss good bye, but all debts have been paid up, and I put a nice buffer in the account we use for overhauling, and I?ve already put in an order for the necessary long haul this is likely to require.? The ship?s computer was advanced, hell it was unique. Dumped form some military operation because it was too detailed oriented, which the military never really liked, he?d picked it up for a song.

There was a full length mirror inset into a bulk head, not so much there so he could look at himself, but so he could assess the damage he?d taken during any of the number of numerous bad ops he?d been involved in. He took a look this time just because he happened to be standing there.

At about six foot tall, having been prior military, he?d maintained his fitness, though not nearly as much as he had when he was in. His red hair was still cropped close, leaving the hair on the side of his skull close shaved and the top a thick matting of almost fur like quality red hair. His face was weathered, from the constant trouble he?d been in since a child up to now. There was the constant shadow of a beard over his jaw, something that even a close shave minutes before would never fully erase.

He turned to look at his right shoulder, looking at the tattoo there. It had been of a Chinese style dragon wrapped around a shield that had his squadron?s emblem on it. At least until a bullet had grazed across the middle, wiping out the emblem and the middle part of the dragon. The rest of him was also riddle with scars, but he?d stopped trying to have them erased a long time ago, leaving himself looking like a patch work doll of some sort.

?Tell me what you found so far,? he said, turning from the mirror and settling into the pilot?s chair that spun around automatically and moved him into place so that he was at the controls. Which was really a joke, because unless they were in the middle of a fight, the ship did all the work, and even in a fight, the ship was doing most of the work.

The forward display lit up with assorted information about different planets, highlighting several that showed acts of heroism that could not be pinned to anything more then a woman of black hair and exceptional strength and abilities. ?If these are her, she?s been around, Boss. Tracking these might be harder then you thought.?

?It never could have been easy, Vex, otherwise I wouldn?t have been hired for this.? And he drummed his fingers, as there didn?t seem to be a rhyme or reason for the pattern he was seeing. ?Can you establish a path or even a time line??

?Working on it Boss.?

Landing at the spaceport was easy enough, and getting settled into a semi-permanent dock space was even easier. The place had so much in the way of in and out traffic that he found it very easy to settle into place. His alias wasn?t even really questioned, which he wasn?t used to. But this also meant that anyone doing the same thing would have a similarly easy enough time doing the same thing. So, he had vex begin monitoring inbound traffic. He also decided to keep tabs on the local Saeder-Dyne traffic just in case something juicy came up that would keep him occupied if things proved difficult with the initial search for her.

The simplest thing would have been to start flashing her picture to the locals and asking about her. But that would have been an amateurish mistake in his book. One, she was keeping a low profile more then likely. Other than her involvement with the attack on the outpost, there was nothing around here that said she was even still here.

Two, not only would that draw attention to her as the one being looked for... it would draw attention to him as the one seeking, and offering a reward would just make things worse for him. What he needed was a snitch. Someone who knew information and for a price, would let you know what it was and then keep it to themselves unless someone came along asking the right questions and offering the right cash. But, a dead snitch told no tales either.

But he started with some hacking, using Vex to get into the local net and the security, street and business cameras to see if he could get the info he was after. Two hours later, he had one lead, and since he had nothing better to do, he thought he?d go ahead and track it down himself. He decided to go unarmed except for a knife concealed in his boot. This would prove costly to him later, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

The place in question was a semi-popular bar near the spaceport; call the Star?s End Bar. First glances didn?t help the sketchy information he had for the place form asking around to find it. He had put on a flight suit form the locker, ragged and more of that of a freighter pilot then of a bounty hunter. He felt really naked without some kind of blaster, or even his armor, but the latter was going to have him in a fight he wasn?t sure he wanted yet, and the former was looking to be a rather common thing around here, and he was regretting not having it on him.

The first thing, upon entering the place, was that it left him completely open to anything that decided that he was a threat. The door surprised him, the mechanism suddenly hissing just as he was past it, catching his trailing foot and making him stumble, which he exaggerated a little until he got to the bar, allowing him to look around for a moment.

He didn?t need to see her or whomever it was that was in there to know there was someone dangerous here, that familiar itch on his skin that told him there was a decidedly unfriendly set of eyes watching them. Eyes that also had a weapon. Jon, you?re an idiot. I mean really, going into a bar and bringing a pig sticker with you? What did you expect? Them to play by some set of rules?

Other than a couple of booths set in the dark, there was also a spot near the end of the counter where there was plenty of room for someone to sit and have every bit of the bar under observation. There was plenty of light in here to make shadows really dark, and short of pulling out a flashlight and shining it into the dark areas, which would likely end with him having a lot more air in him and a lot less blood.

He settled on a barstool and ordered from the droid behind the bar, a slight frown on his lips to have to deal with them instead of a living person behind the bar. It made him all the more uncomfortable. He didn?t hate droids. He knew better, but after one tried to kill him, he wanted as little to do with them as possible.

Beer taken and credits given, he shook his head and sipped form the freshly opened bottle, in haling and then relaxing as he felt the cold liquid settle into his belly. Not bad local stuff. Now, back to the situation at hand. ?It can?t be comfortable there on the floor,? he said casually, eyeing that spot for a moment.

There might have been a snort, but it was more likely his imagination. After a little bit he was sure there was no one hiding in that bit of darkness. He hoped, because making a mistake like that only happened once. But, as his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness that was hidden in some of the place, he spotted the darker silhouette of a beer bottle on one of the darker booth?s tabletop. And this booth was in the perfect position to show the one seated there the entire bar from front door to kitchen. Made sense. And, as he watched, the bottle disappeared form its spot and then was placed back, as if drunk from. Well, that confirmed someone was sitting there.

Jon, you idiot, it could be anyone in that booth. Anyone. But, his gut told him that he?d gotten very lucky and he wasn?t going to have to do much more in the way of searching. Thinking for a moment, he was hoping that he could draw her out into the open, at least out of that booth so that he could take a look at her, or them, whomever it was that was settled there watching him. Remembering the bottle, he lifted his own and gave it a slight wiggle as he said, ?Refresher??

The voice was soft enough, "(vq) I'm good." There was an edge of caution.

A nod was given in return to that. Well, at that distance he wasn't sure, but at least it sounded female. Which was something of a plus. But there was nothing for him finding out for sure unless he could get close to her. So, dared he? Well, the worse she could do was kill, him, then he'd be damn sure... no. She?d be pretty paranoid; the voice had said that, best to stick with being here for something else then her for now. "You come through here often?"

There was a wiry chuckle. The voice sounded young even to her own ears, "Often enough."

Progress, slow and patient, was being made. He smiled and gave a shrug as he adopted a slight drawl to his voice, "Ah, first time through myself, new route for the company and seeing what kind of business can be drummed up around here..." adopting the demeanor of a freight hauler. They were common enough even when he landed, and would provide something of a cover if he really needed it later.

She let it pass, though she wasn't fooled. "Oh, which Corp.?"

"Corp?" That word through up warning flags for him, as only a few used that particular word in his own experience. So he shook his head pretending not to know what she meant for a moment, "The Company is mainly farming and crops, if that's what you're asking."

She smirked, "You just said the company was running a new route, which company?"

"Ah," nodding, "Janovah Seeds..." he was glad that he had done a little homework of the local companies in the area, picking out one of the ones that he knew to be out this far as he gave a shrug, continuing with, "My second term with them, which kind of makes me nervous hauling crops into a new sector while some namby pamby banker runs around making promises on time tables."

She nodded at that; the name fit enough, "Sounds about right. Bankers should stick with what they know." She finished off her beer.

He nodded his agreement to that, raising his arms and looking up as if he were directing a prayer heavenward to deliver him form such things. But he recognized the sound of an empty bottle, and he thought he had a good way of drawing her out. ?If I offer a refill, maybe you?ll join me out here?? Smiling as he cast a glance over to the booth.

A smile that froze in place as he heard the unmistakable sound of a blaster sliding over the table. Unmistakable, as he also saw said blaster slide forward for him to see. He felt the ice run through his veins and his face go white as he realized that yes, that was pushing things too far. He turned back and chugged the remainder of his beer, and gave a nod. ?Right, so I?ll just be moving along, shall I?? said as he stood, and headed for the doorway.

Smooth Jon, what will you do for an encore? He took a breath once he was outside, got a hold of himself, and made his way in the direction of the shipyard. There was no reason to even attempt to try and lay in wait for her, at least not without his armor. He was musing things over mentally, on autopilot as far as walking went, when he passed the alleyway, and heard the unmistakable sound of someone stepping up behind him. You really are a *** idiot, he thought to himself even as he spun and brought one arm around to ward off the knife he knew was there without seeing it.

Fast though he was, he couldn?t ward off the knife-edge that gashed his shoulder, drawing first blood. Already his boot was up kicking the dude while his hand went to it and pulled out his own knife, going to his own fighter?s stance as he watched the other recover from the boot to the stomach. Apparently not prepared for such reactions, the thug was also a little soft, wheezing from that, so Jon had no hesitation in going in to finish the kill.

And was once again feeling ice in his veins as the gun shot echoed in the alley, and watched the right side of the other man?s face vanish in a gory mess as the bullet punched through from the other side. He closed his eyes and waited for the second shot, there was no way for him to get out of the line of fire before the second one came flying for him, as he was still in the middle of the alley. But it never came, He did feel the barrel pressed to his temple though, and the not so subtle suggestion was taken, the knife tossed tot eh side as he relaxed and straightened. ?Smart lad, come along now.?

Lighter his wallet, though it had only cost him a handful of credits, he was not happy when he got back to Vex. The first thing he did was to open the weapon?s locker and pull out his blaster, loading and priming it. It was already in a leather holster, which he?d modified by removing the straps that normally tied it to his thigh and putting Velcro on it. His right thigh of all his pants had a set of strips that would catch that Velcro and allow the pistol to hold in place. But would also let go of his clothing to allow him to fire the pistol without taking it from his holster. He hadn?t had to yet, which showed in the still pristine end where the barrel was, free of such things as a blaster hole.

?Found her Vex.?

?Very good, Boss. Record timing on that.? There was a long pause after that, followed by, ?Now what??

?I haven?t a friggin? clue, Vex.?

It didn?t need to be said, but this was Vex after all. ?Sounds like a really stupid plan, Boss.?

?Thank you for pointing that out to me,? came the dry reply.