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Anna turned her head to the side as she stood askance to the mirror, puffing her chest out and observing. Catching the guildmasters eyes was an important thing, shed realized, and was clearly difficult at her age. The two new assets on hand were a promising development, she chuckled. Her newly given assignment attested to that fact.

She slumped down on the single, uncomfortable chair in her temporary hunters quarters aboard Sheffield, picking up the datapad from the equally simplistic nightstand next the even more basic sleeping cot. Hitting a button, the screen flashed to life, showing a mugshot of younger looking man. He had a sort of cocky look across his face, and a sort of dreamer's glint in his eye, she observed. Most of the important info parameters were blank, but the lack thereof was quickly forgotten as her eyes found their way to the bounty credits. Details on just why the reward on this guys head was so high werent easy to come by; very hush-hush, especially for the guild. All that the girl could determine was that the fellow in question had done something big to ruffle the Guilds feathers. That seemed to be a natural accelerant to bounty totals with the Guild; her father had proved that theory. All the same, Anna didnt have much reason to dig unnecessarily deep on this one. There was money involved, a lot of it, and the notion of fitting out a hot off the line fighter had been drifting around her mind for a few weeks. Hell, she could probably put out a down payment on a destroyer if she felt like it with this kind of scratch.

Hi, can you guys fire up the Sundered Paige for me? Im going out on a hunt soon. Anna asked politely after punching in the comm channel for docking control.

Sure thing, lass, shell be ready for you in a few minutes. An older voice sounded out in the tiny room after a long pause.

Thank you. She smiled, strolling over to a bag of clothes on the floor.

Time to get suited up, she thought. It was going to be a long hunt.

I crouched low, hidden underneath the stands. A big red "C" written on the side near my spot. I wasn't liked much around here, espically around the locals. I got meals when I could, stole them most of the time, even though they may have been out of the trash. They hadn't tasted particulary good, but then again most of my life things hadn't tasted good. Irony had always tasted like rotten fruit, and I knew what that tasted like. The team scored another goal and I made a sarcastic woop as they did. Another goal for the team.

"You sure it's him?" a voice said near my hiding spot, I paused mid light of my smoke.

"Yeah, I'm positive." said another voice. "Looks like he's been hiding for a few weeks here. Normally hides here under these stands. Normally around C row...that's his territory."

"Well..." the sound of a cocking handgun echoed through the tunnels leading up to my hiding spot...my brain spun up...Handgun, basic blaster, 9mm...I shook my head, the hunter in me was coming out, analysing information. "...then I guess we'll have to invade his 'territory'."

I rolled into the trench next to me and crawled into D row across the way, I climbed out quietly and laid against the wall next to the cement wall. I picked up the small piece of metal that had fallen off the bleacher and held it close to my chest.

"He's not here...you said C row damnit."

"Hey Dave, that's the information I got...not my fault that it was wrong."

"Don't use my name damnit, he could still be around here...LARRY."

Dave Christian and Larry Jacobs. Two common bounty hunters around here who normally only play for the big game. The bounty on me must have increased even more. Last I checked it was at nearly 20 million credits. I looked into the trench and noticed their shadows.

"Check it out, a trench leading into D row...looks like he heard us coming..." said Larry. He jumped into the trench and started crawling through to D row, his hand appeared first, in it was his gun. I quickly slammed the bleacher metal down on his hand, cutting it clean off. He screamed in pain and I grabbed the gun. I fired blindly into the hole and heard gurgling.

"LARRY! Damnit Taviz Fyren! You're a dead-"

I fired through the hole and heard his body hit the ground before he could complete his sentence. I had been discovered and it's time I bailed out of my hiding place. I crawled back into C row and took Dave's gun. The bullets had landed their mark straight in his head...a lucky shot...good thing something good finally happened to me. I put both the guns underneath my belt and searched the bodies for anything that would identify me. I pulled out a few passports and pocketed them to use for later. I found the mini-computer he carried on me and saw my picture.

Taviz Fyren
Wanted Dead or Alive
100,000,000 Credits

100 million credits. There was other information where my last known whereabouts were. I had to move fast. I crawled out of my hole and into the stale night. I had to move quickly if I were to get off this planet. No doubt if they knew where I was, so did the Guild, and if they knew...I was a dead man.

A blast of frigid air rushed into the Sundered Paige as Anna released the side hatch, looking on the frozen landscape ahead of her with wide eyes.

“B-r-r-r.” She shivered reflexively, huddling her gloved hands in the pockets of her heavy synthfur coat. “S-s-snow? C-crap.”

She stepped, or lurched, rather, out into the debilitating, bitter cold, forcedly looking around the visage in stiff movements. Growing up on Sheffield, this kind of thing was as new experience as the term could allow. Ethan had brought her to Cambridge, or New London, once or twice, but other than that, the girl was completely unlearned about the endlessly differing venues of Sirius. Such was a part of her reasoning to becoming a hunter.

A relatively thinly dressed man, Anna thought inwardly, strode onto the docking platform in front her, offering his hand to her with a warm smile. “Greetings, Miss Paige, we’ve been expecting you.” He frowned in confusion for a moment at the fact that the girl made no move to oblige his handshake, then realized the reason.

“You h-h-have?” She stuttered out as another gust of icy wind picked up across the platform. “Who e-exactly are you?”

“Sub-lieutenant Mein of the Rheinland Military. I’ve been informed that you’re here pursuing Dev.” The officer took a look around the platform, most likely out of military instilled instinct.

“Dev?”

“Sorry, that’s just one of many of the man’s aliases; one he used around these parts for some time. Taviz Fyren, I mean to say.”

Anna nodded slowly, bringing the mark’s file back to mind. “Yes, so what a-a-are you doing here?”

“Nothing that critical, just making sure your arrival is safe and… escorting you to wherever it is that you need to go on New Berlin.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t n-n-need a babysitter, alright?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Nein, you have to realize, Rheinland wants Herr Fyren in custody just as much as the Guild does. I’m simply here to help.”

“Fine, just d-don’t get in my way.” She shivered out nervously, standing on her tiptoes and surveying the area.

This Fyren guy must have really done something to piss all these people off, Anna mused to herself. His file had him listed wanted by about half of Sirius, so just what did he do to make that happen? Whatever the reason was, she was going to figure it out, she decided. Looking at the data files on him, and the classified heading on the reasons for the bounty to go with, was really getting old. She was going to satisfy her curiosity no matter what, even if she had to ask Taviz himself.

“Ahem… So where are we off to, Miss?” The sub-lieutenant questioned, resisting the notion to kneel down while talking.

Anna shook her head fractionally, amidst her thoughts. “Sorry, the s-s-stadium. I’m supposed to m-meet up with a couple other hunters who have been out here for a few days.”

“If you’ll just follow me then, I’ve a speeder that can get us there in no time at all.” He extended an arm in the direction they needed to go. “You’re quite fortunate coming at this time of year, by the way. The temperate season has just begun not but three days ago…”

---

Light footsteps echoed out across the empty stadium, followed by heavier ones soon after. Anna never had much interest for sports, but today her attendance was for a different reason. At least the place was quiet, and easy to investigate, she thought.

“Well, here we are. Where to next?” Mein said idly, taking in the bleachers and stands around them.

“Last reports say Taviz has been hiding out around here, under the bleachers and stuff.” She answered, buried in examination of a datapad in her hand.

The shivering stutter had disappeared, as the stadium shielded the two from the chilling wind. It was still cold, though; at least to Anna.

“And these friends of yours?”

“Not friends, just fellow hunters.” She corrected. “Normally we get on just fine by ourselves for the most part, but with this Fyren guy… Well, let’s just say there are extenuating circumstances.”

Mein crossed his arms, a smug smile of his face. “You’ve got a pretty wide volcabulary for your age, Miss Paige.”

She scowled in the other direction, ignoring the remark. If there was one thing she despised, it was comments about her age. This “Mined” guy was walking on thin ice if he wanted to stick around.

“Come on, I’m picking up a beacon from one of the hunters. Probably telling us where they are.” She nodded her head for him to follow, shoving the datapad into her jacket and trotting off in the direction of the signal.

---

The stadium was big. Really big. It took at least ten minutes from where they started to make it to the C section bleachers. Anna wasn’t complaining, though. Moving around made her forget about how bloody cold it was…

She stopped abruptly, pulling out the datapad again.

“Problem?” Mein cocked his head, before taking another look around.

“No… I just thought this was where the signal was coming from- there.” She pointed ahead. “My bad, they’re in the next section over. Come on.”

Anna hurried onto the next area, the sub-lieutenant’s long strides keeping him right on pace with the young hunter. The girl turned a partition of metal to section D and stopped short, faltering back a step.

“What? What is it-” Mein turned the corner a second later, his face adopting a stiff and serious look as he found what his partner saw a moment before.

Two stark white bodies lie motionless, side by side on the stone floor ahead. The hunters, Dave Christian and Larry Jacobs, had found Taviz; or Taviz had found them.

Mein rushed over to the two men, kneeling down to check their conditions. His head dropped tiredly, sighing as his examination ended as soon as it began. “They’re gone.”

Anna’s jaw hung slightly, a frightened look on her face as she stared at the bodies in front of her. The corpses in front of her.

“Are you alright, Miss Paige?”

She blinked twice, shaking the look off of her face. “Y-yeah, of course.” She stammered, no fault of the temperature. “What happened to them?”

The sub-lieutenant shook his head sadly. “Gunshot wounds, one to the head on this one, and a few to the chest on the other. Looks like particle burns too; I’m guessing Dev knocked them off with one of their own weapons…”

“Check their pockets; is there anything they have on them? Datapads, notes, anything?” The scared little girl was gone, the hunter taking over and scrounging for any shred of information it could find.

Mein patted down the two men, looking into the pockets and pouches littered about their heavy garb. After a few moments he turned back to the girl, shaking his head in the negative. “Nein, it looks like if they did have anything on them, he has it now.” He stood up, but not before sliding his hands gently over the hunters’ eyes.

Anna sighed, looking over to a small metal device lying on the ground a few feet away. Picking it up, she pressed a button on the side calmly, the blinking light atop it dimming to nothing. “The tracking beacon. Looks like one of them had the right mind to activate it when the scuffle began. Lot of good it really does us though…”

“So we’re back to square one, are we?” He pursed his lips in subdued irritation, crossing his arms again.

“Looks like.” She replied wistfully. “I’ll have to call this into headquarters, if you don’t mind.”

“Likewise.” Mein nodded. “I’ll try and dig up any information I can from intelligence. There’s not a chance the trail is completely cold just yet. I’ll keep in touch.”

The two split paths, Anna back to the Sundered Paige to relay the news to Rostock, and Mein to one of the many military controlled outposts across the planet. There was no doubt in the young hunter's mind as to why Taviz was classified as armed and dangerous now, that was for sure.

I frowned as I approached the landing pad, a Bounty Hunter transport sat on the tarmac and a small girl was walking towards it. I squinted my eyes and eyed the girl. Quickly I moved back the way I came and down the stairs back onto the street. It was time for a change of appearance. I removed my contacts and threw them into the trash can as I walked by. I pulled the hood over my head and began to jog quickly towards the planetary subway system. As I quickly hurried a long the shops on the way there, I grabbed some bleach out of a store and kept moving. The owner yelled in anger as I moved quickly to the bathroom and slammed the door shut, effectively locking him out.

A lone bucket sat in the corner along with some cleaning supplies and I quickly set to work. I dumped the contents of the bucket out all over the floor, the smell of pine wafted into the air as the cleaning solution did its work of making the restroom smell nice. I rinsed out the inside of the bucket and dumped the bleach into it. I grabbed some soap and mixed it in as well to create a lather. I looked at my gloves and sighed...last time I colored my hair I had ruined the old ones...now these new ones would be ruined as well. I sighed and stuck my hands into the bleach and set to work. A few hours later my hair was stark blonde and my eyes were back to their original color...I looked just like I had when I was younger. I dumped the bucket into a urnal and flushed several times to clear the odd mix of colors out of it and quickly moved to the trash can, throwing the gloves away. I unlocked the door and opened it quickly. Facing me in surprise was a Rheinland officer.

"Oh...excuse me sir. I didn't-" he started.

"It's ok, I'm finished in here anyway." I said and moved past him towards the train that had just entered the station. As I walked I could feel his eyes burning into my back.

"Control, belay that last transmission. I have him in my sights." I heard him say. I broke into a full on sprint and heard his footsteps behind mine. "In persuit! Call the Bounty Hunter on the tarmac!"

I easily dodged the traffic and made it onto the train. I shoved my way through the passengers much to their irritation. The Rheinland Offical fired two shots into the air and they scattered, but in his foolishness, his attempts to get through the crowd had allowed me the passage I had needed. I jumped off the train quickly just as the doors closed and the train pulled away. I laughed and turned just as a fully auto handcannon was pointed directly in my face by a small girl.

"Move and you die." she said.

I smiled and raised my hands slowly. "You got it." I said with a smile just as the shop owner came up swinging a baseball bat, I bowed gingerly towards the girl, the bat knocked the handgun our of her hands and she gasped in surprise. I laughed, grabbed the mans bat and shoved it into his stomach. He grunted and I took off sprinting up the stairs.

"HEY!" I heard her yell and fire warning shots up towards me...but I wasn't going to stop...

...my life was on the line, and no little girl was going to stop me. Not when I was nearing freedom.

Anna cursed under her breath as the target slipped out of her vision. Her shirking of marksman classes was showing; she should have hit him on the run.

Catching his wind back, the shop owner rolled over and pushed himself up to his knees. I-I didnt know. Sorry.

But Anna was already out of earshot, bounding with all her strength after the fleeing Taviz. There wasnt a chance in hell he was going to escape that easily. Through the station, up the ramp, and out to the docking pad, she ran. He was obviously trying to make a quick getaway, and probably hotwire a ship in the process. Her estimation was correct as she spotted the now blonde young man on the far side of the tarmac, meddling with the hatch of a RepEx armored transport.

Get the hell away from there! She screamed as loud as she could across the platform, voice breaking midway through the sentence.

Taviz turned his head in her direction momentarily before turning back the access panel he had ripped open, redoubling his efforts.

S*** Anna muttered, raising her weapon again. She wasnt going to get any answers if he was dead, but she was going to get even less if he escaped.

A flurry of gunfire rang out across the pad, pilots and cargo workers adopting confused looks as they took cover. Anna could see sparks and flashes as her volley smashed into the armored transport and around it. Whether or not she had hit the man, she couldnt tell. One thing was for certain though: she wasnt going to get anything done at this range.

A dull humming roar became louder and louder behind the girl, and she spun around to see what it was. Get in! Sub-lieutenant Mein yelled, motioning for her to get into a roofless speeder.

She jumped in, and was immediately pinned in her seat as the man threw the accelerator to full speed, blasting off towards their target at breakneck speed. At this rate they would be in range within less then a half minute.

Did he take any fire? Mein questioned, not taking his eyes off their destination for a second.

Anna shook her head helplessly. I cant say for sure. He shook me in the train station, and now hes hacking into that RepEx transport. She sighed, fiddling with her gun.

Alright, coming into range- Damn it! He cursed as Taviz slipped inside of the vessel suddenly.

Anna held one hand on her seat to steady herself against the torque of the speeder as she stood erect, raising her weapon as the transports thrusters lifted it tentatively off the landing pad. She was only going to get one shot at this. Well, two, but the first was vital.

There! The officer stated, pointing towards the rear hatch of Fyrens getaway vessel.

Taviz stood at the edge of the hatch, looking down at his pursuers with a steady eye. Anna raised her hand cannon once again, aiming straight at the fugitive. He dropped instinctively to a readied stance, punching a panel next to him to close the doors.

But it wasnt fast enough; the girl pulled the trigger, but not before shifting her aim a fraction to the left. Taviz jumped slightly as the shot whizzed a few inches to the left of his head, echoing violently against a bulkhead as it ended its burning trajectory. A punch of vacuum made his ears ring slightly as the doors sealed in the vessel.

The speeder slowed to a halt as the armored transport lifted off and exploded out into the stratosphere. Anna hopped out and took a few steps forward, gazing off at the burning speck as it made way for space.

Mein sighed, flicking the engine off and laying his head back. You know, you could have given me the gun if you couldnt pull yourself to shoot him

Shut up. Anna ordered simply as she pulled her datapad out of her jacket, pulling up a map. Yes! She flung a fist into the air in success, looking back to Mein with a smug smile.

He furled his brow, giving the girl a questioning look. Yes what?

You dummy, that last shot wasnt a gunshot at all. She stood akimbo, explaining herself with a badly subdued air of told you so. Otherwise at that range this baby would have blown a crater in that section of paneling.

Mein undid the door latch to his side of the speeder, getting out and leaning against the side of the vehicle. Then what was it?

The young hunter cocked her head slightly to the side, wearing a wide smile. Dave and Larrys tracking beacon, thats what.

The sub-lieutenants look slowly changed to an amused grin. Sorry for doubting you then, Miss! Shall we?

Anna outstretched her arm towards the Sundered Paige, a stones throw away from where they were. You saved my arse back there with your little speeder; the Spaige would love to have you.

I knew I f***ed up. I left in a hurry before I could scan the area for anything those two bastards would have dropped, and I missed something very important. A tracking beacon. Naturally, I would have ripped it from the bulkhead and jettisoned it, but something about this girl made me curious. Three times now she had a chance to kill me, and she didn't. If I were safe with anyone if would be someone who would be merciful. I shook my head clearing the thoughts. No, I would not surrender so easily. If they want to find me, I'll let them. I activated the cruise engines before being stopped by a Rheinland fighter.

"Halt, we have been ordered to board your ship and look for a fugitive." said the speakers. "His name is Taviz Fyren. We believe he may be onboard your ship."

S**t, they'd found me...now what to do? I was trapped...my only hope was to accelerate just right...wait...a battleship. Coming in behind me. I didn't answer the transmission, a second one came and I ignored that, a third final one came before the fighter threatened to blow up the ship. Just as he did, the battleship came in quickly and knocked the fighter off his post, sending him spinning away. He struggled to correct himself with his thrusters but I was too fast. I punched it towards the lane the Battleship just came out of and jumped away.

"Fugitive is escaping! All fighters to intercept!" I heard him say as I left range of communications. I looked back to the tracking beacon and smiled. They wanted to find me...I'd let them. I bailed out of the trade lane and started heading quickly towards the Omega's. The Hessians I didn't have very much contact with, one of the few people who had probably never heard of me...if a Rheinland Offical and Bounty Hunter trekked into their space, they would know about it, and send someone to intercept. I had 700 tons of optronics loaded in the back, just enough to maybe buy myself some time before escaping into Corsair space, far from the prying eyes of Bounty Hunters and Rheinland Officals, from there I would finally be able to figure out what to do with myself...and with this bounty on my head.

G-force pushed Anna and Mein back into their seats slightly as the Sundered Paige blasted off for orbit, inertial dampeners kicking in a moment later. The stars twinkled into view as the duo slipped past the icy clouds above and towards the exit ring.

I dont know how long its going to be before he finds that tracking beacon. Anna broke the silence, leaning back in her seat. As far as we know, he already has, and is sending us on a wild goose chase.

Mein shot her a subdued look of doubt. Then whats really the use?

She shrugged, turning back the controls in front of her as they neared the ring. Its better than nothing, right? Have a little faith.

---

The sub-lieutenant was quiet for a few minutes, tuning into military commbands to hear what the latest situation was. Anna was about to interrupt and ask him herself, but he put down the device after a moment and slumped back in his seat.

A screening patrol found him leaving the planet, but he broke through somehow. He sighed. They lost contact a few minutes ago.

Anna smirked, turning to the officer. Well, it would be rude for them to take him in without us, wouldnt it? Besides, weve got a leg up on them, no worries.

I suppose so, but it would undoubtedly be preferable to have backup incase we run into trouble.

The girl gave him an uncertain look. I work better alone. You should be happy I let you tag along, Mister Mined.

Mein.

Eh, whatever. She shrugged again. Whats your full name anyways?

Strauss. Strauss Mein. He replied, looking over the star charts now. So where exactly is the tracking beacon taking us, Miss Paige?

Cmon, you know my first name. The young hunter pouted. Use it, Strauss.

The man sighed, but in play this time. Fine. Where are we going, Anna?

She grinned, bringing up a few nav screens. The Omegas, from the look of it. Hes made it out to Stuttgart thus far, but hes had to dodge patrols the whole way, so we should be able to make up some time on him. From there his obvious choice would be to head out to Omega-11, and from there, who knows. She crossed her arms, a serious look now across her face. If we cant catch him before he gets past 11 then weve failed. He could go anywhere, take refuge with anyone, or do anything he really wants once he reaches that point. Hes a smart guy.

Omega-11 Strauss thought aloud. Dangerous waters; hes brave to bring a Republican transport out there. Brave, or stupid.

Well, hes not stupid, thats for sure. Im sure hes got something up his sleeve, I just dont know what yet.

Well, whatever it is, it better be damn good. The Hessians dont take kindly to Rheinland corporations. Unless he offers up the equivalent of the Holy Grail, he might find himself in a body bag, via people that dont know a thing about this bounty. Then weve really failed.

Anna nodded, initiating docking sequence with the gate to Stuttgart. Well, well have to push the girls engines just a little bit harder then, wont we?

---

Taviz eyes scanned the charts around him carefully, plotting his course to stay out of laws way to the best of his ability. His past work experience had given him a touch of insight into how the Rheinland lawful forces ticked.

The hole to Omega-11 wasnt far off now, but neither were that girl and her pet, undoubtedly. He would have to smooth talk the Hessians fast if he wanted to stay out of their reach. Of course, he could always dump the beacon But he couldnt. Maybe he was enjoying the thrill of the chase, or maybe he wanted to get the chance to talk to the hunter again. Whatever the reason was, he still had a chance on escaping either way. He wasnt giving up on that notion; not by a long shot.

---

Ten minutes later, he was through the jump hole and making his way through the noxious environment of Omega-11. Military activity was almost nonexistent in the system, his only possible troubles being with the Daumann escorts who might have been notified of the situation at this point. Well, then there was the Hessians, whos odds of playing along with his scheme were about fifty-fifty; not to mention the hunter, who was probably nipping on his heels after all the scenic routes he was taking. Yes, the odds against him were high at this point, but that was half the fun, he smiled to himself.

His plotted course gave him a wide berth from Solarius Station; the last thing he needed was a heroic little wing of Daumann nationalists lighting up his shoddily defended stolen transport. His final destination at this point was the Hessian base Freital. He couldnt be sure on its exact location, but he wouldnt be coming across it before running into a Hessian patrol wing in the process. But that was fine; if everything would play out like it should, getting discovered would be a good thing. He continued his trawling through the ships computers while its autopilot took him along the specified course. He didnt have long, but with his skills, the limited time would be sufficient. Hopefully.

---

The droning white noise of the cruise engines reverberated through the undersized bridge section of the light gunship. The brilliantly reflective, high polished metal hull of the vessel adopted an umber hue as is glided its way gracefully through the dim skies of Omega-11. The gunship was a brand new design for the Guild, specifically suited to anti-fighter warfare, with the agility and weaponry to match.

How such a young hunter had come to own such a ship baffled the Rheinland officer, but he wasnt one to pry. As long as this fugitive was taken care of, preferably involving the actions of himself, everything would be in order. He could only hope that Anna knew exactly what she was doing. So far, she had had multiple opportunities to put Taviz in his early grave, but had opted for another method. Whether she was still green in her field, hesitant of killing someone in cold blood, or had ulterior motives behind her actions, he didnt know. For now all he could do was aid her in whatever way he could, hoping everything went well. Thats what he was ordered to do, and that was what he was going to do.

Were getting short on running room. Anna stated solemnly.

Strauss frowned helplessly, pivoting his seat towards the girl. Hes headed into Hessian space, isnt he?

She nodded slowly, looking to the nav maps for the umpteenth time in their chase. Its pretty obvious now; hes trying to take shelter with that lot. I dont know how he plans to work that out, but thats his goal; Im certain of it.

Agreed. He leaned back in his seat. So if he does somehow get onto the Hessian base within the system, were finished.

Like I said, have a little faith, aye?

---

Taviz was getting close now, he could feel it. Freital was still a ways off, especially due to the fact that he didnt have exact coordinates to the base. However, ion emission signatures were becoming thick; he was in Hessian patrol territory now, and the stage was set. His business on the ships computers was complete now; the only thing remaining in this plot was getting caught by the Rheinland pirate group.

Speak of the devil. Fyren said aloud as five contacts appeared on scanners; Hessians, without a doubt.

Ah, you have quite the nerve showing your face here, Republican. A dark voice echoed out across the transports comm speakers. I did not realize that your exports now are shipped directly to our bases.

Laughter rolled down among the Hessian pilots, Taviz imagined. It wasnt a bad joke, actually.

You know, Ive suggested that time and time again to the big shots. Taviz jested back. Ill let you know how that goes.

The Hessian wing commander chuckled. Very funny, stranger, but really now, give me one reason not to blow you to hell right here and now.

Showtime. Well, first off, Im not a Republican transport captain. I did a little commandeering back on New Berlin when a bounty hunter tried to take me in. I came here hoping that you might let me lay low for awhile with your people.

The pirate was silent for a moment. So far, everything Taviz had said was the truth. Whether or not that was going to convince this guy was another story altogether.

Well, thats all well and good, but why would we believe you? The commander was all business now, the formerly casual air nowhere to be seen. Even if you were telling us the truth, we have no reason to leave you alive.

It was time to play the next card. Well, the sabotaged Rheinland Gunboat Stolin might suggest otherwise. He lied, using a recent CNS account as ammo. You know, the one that lit up Stuttgart skies as its power core overloaded.

So, you mean to say that was you? The Hessian questioned, his voice discerning.

Why exactly do you think Im being hunted in the first place?

Another long pause; the wing was most likely discussing their course of action. Time was running out, and it didnt look like the pirates were convinced just yet. He still had a few more lifelines, but using them took minutes of the clock. Minutes he didnt have.

Im sorry, stranger, but I still dont have any reason to believe you. You corporates are known for your webs of lies; today is no different. Taviz observed nervously as the weapons systems of the fighters came online one by one.

Next card. Then how about a peace offering? He quickly interjected.

The commander sighed. You tire me, captain. We have scanned your vessel, and have found nothing of deep interest. I am sorry.

The optronics were a bust, leaving the one and only option left at Fyrens disposal. There wasnt a chance they would pass this morsel up. At least he hoped so.

Alright, alright, youve tied my hands. Ive got something you need, and you wont be getting it if you turn me to scrap.

This is becoming rather pathetic. The Hessians voice was not amused. You will not waste my time any longer.

Im not wasting anyones time. Ive got extensive shipping schedules for Republican trade routes for the next three months. That was the last trick up his sleeve. If they didnt buy this, he was a dead man.

Another pause ensued, at least three times longer than the last. Finally, the commander spoke. You may relay the data to this vessel. From there I will forward it to base, where they will examine it for legitimacy.

That wasnt going to work. The hunter would be on him any second. Having the data analyzed would take time; way too much time.

Bring me to your base; you can examine the data, me, and my ship there. Taviz tried his hardest not to sound like he was grasping at this point.

This is the best I can do for you, captain. The Hessian stated firmly. If you dont like it-

The commander cut off abruptly. Taviz was about to ask what was going on, then he looked at his scanners. A gunship size vessel was little more than ten kilometers from their position. Time had run out.

---

Here we go! Anna exclaimed as the transport came into range, along with five Hessian fighters.

Strauss face wore a slightly apprehensive look. Looks like he found the Hessians; or the Hessians found him; before us, and they dont look too friendly.

The hunter threw her head back and laughed theatrically. Time for you to see what the Sundered Paige has got, mm?

Two of the five Hessian fighters, broke formation and encircled the gunship. Odin fighters, and heavily equipped ones at that.

Bounty hunter, youll leave the area right now if you know whats good for you! One of them barked, energy rippling off of his vessel as a full accommodation of Natterturn Zweis came online.

Anna shook her head firmly. Sorry Hessian, that transport is holding a wanted man, one that Im going to take whether you like it or not. The girl hit a few commands, bringing weapons of her own online.

So he was telling the truth The commander mused to himself as the hunters transmission played across his cockpit. Alright, everyone on the gunship! Show the girl what happens when you tread in our space.

The fighters took off on different vectors, closing in on the lone vessel. The skies of Omega-11 were about to light up.

Bring it on! Anna bit out, throwing the gunship forward into the fray. Hold on tight, sub-lieutenant. Things are about to get messy.

The first two Odins sheared their formation, blasting off to the gunships respective sides. Their tachyon guns opened fire, slashing across their targets shields with relentless intensity.

You arent going to get anything done that easily. The hunter muttered, focusing on the lateral view screens.

Two Solaris class turrets pivoted towards the eastern target, two to the other side. The Odins finished their assault, hanging a turn in the opposite direction, unleashing their payloads in unison as they mirrored each others maneuvers. Anna opened fire, and shining golden lances of energy pierced through the vacuum, shattering through the Odins shields and sending lethal bolts into their hulls.

Damn it! Pull off! One of the pilots screamed as his port wing was cut to ribbons under the devastating turret fire.

Stabilizers inoperable, his ship spiraled off target and out of control, raining shreds of rock and debris as the doomed pilot careened into an asteroid.

The other was even less lucky, the Solaris fire slicing through his cockpit and rendering the poor Hessian nothing more than a wet spot in the small fighter. The pilotless vessel drifted off, dead in space, and out of range.

Ha ha! You blokes want some more? Anna chided, her age showing through the impressive combat abilities. Ive been doing prep simulations for this bloody thing for months. Its about time I did this s*** for real. She commented to the wide eyed sub-lieutenant beside her. Hey, looks like our target is trying to make a break for it. Im giving your console limited weapons control. Stop him cold, Strauss.

Youve got it. He nodded, cracking his knuckles and taking hold of the controls in front of him.

---

Now its a party Taviz grumbled as the sky around him flashed violently with laser fire. Time to slip out the back door.

He flipped the cruise engines on, maneuvering the heavy ship behind an asteroid as he did. Too late; a pair of cruise disruptors jetted with absurd speed towards his position, one smashing into the asteroid and destabilizing all engine electronics within its paralyzing blaze, and the other whipping around the obstacle and cutting into the rear of the armored transport. The cruise engines shuddered, and Taviz threw the thrusters on full blast. He wasnt done yet.

The transport was large, but the most agile of its class. He aimed the nose of the vessel directly away from the gunship and its targets, pushing the rear thrusters to their limit.

Incoming missiles. The transports automated warning systems stated without emotion.

Four of them. They were staggered, and fired from multiple angles. Fired by a pro, Taviz observed. He punched the starboard thrusters and the vessel lurched sideways, just as the first projectile screamed past. One down. The next two were fired close together; too close together. They whipped around the asteroids not unlike the transport did itself, closing in on the fleeing transport with blistering speed.

This is going to hurt! Taviz braced himself as he pulled his course into a fierce lean, cutting sideways portside, and right towards a massive asteroid.

The lumbering vessel smashed into the colossal silhouette; the cockpit darkened and shook, sparks flaring out various consoles as the chassis of the transport lurched and flexed under the impact. The massive object shifted its position as the ship collided into it, gunboat size splinters fracturing off under the stress. Burning ion trails glided through space in delicate mayhem as the armored transport spun helplessly off the collision.

C-come on. Fyren gritted his teeth and gripped his seat with all his strength as inertial dampeners struggled to maintain stability.

The mans head whipped forward, the insane trajectory halted as soon as it began. The transport had run into another asteroid, this one miraculously stopping it cold in its tracks.

Damn it! That wasnt supposed to happen. Taviz barked, reigning in his spinning equilibrium and looking to the monitors around him.

The wild maneuver was a last ditch effort in shaking the precisely aimed missiles that were shadowing him. The shivering crash had shaken the transport, but not damaged it beyond flying ability; thrusters were still intact. He hadnt planned on having his psychotic spin halted so soon, though. Sure enough, the missiles appeared on scanners, right on his tail. He had a bad feeling about what the attack was set to accomplish. All he could do now was brace for impact.

The first missile struck the belly of its target with full force, the shields buckling powerlessly under the blast. The next, as Taviz had reluctantly predicted, found its target with exact aim: the shield generator. The cockpit shook and dimmed again as the projectile met the target. The shields werent coming back online.

Four missiles He mused aloud, resigning his escape.

The final missile soared gracefully towards the final target: his rear thruster. Fire enveloped the rear of the transport as the dooming shot found its target. Taviz was a bona fide sitting duck.

---

Gah, pull back! Were outgunned and outmatched! The Hessian wing commander ordered, weaving around Solaris fire.

Out of five Odins, only two were still flying. The commander had skills; Anna could tell, but he couldnt take such a vessel out on skills alone; he needed firepower, and more men. The other had taken a direct hit to his engines and was faltering midflight constantly as he juggled the task of staying alive, and dealing damage to his target. The hunter grumbled quietly as she fired the energy rounds off at his sputtering vessel. The damage wasnt really doing him any favors in winning the battle, but it was making him a bloody hard target to hit.

Taviz is disabled. Hes not going anywhere. Strauss informed, stretching his neck and fingers.

Anna bobbed her head once in acknowledgment. Saw that, nice shooting. She spun casually in her seat towards him as he watched the remaining Hessian fighters break off their assault and disappear into the field. Where did you learn to do that?

He smiled slightly, thinking back briefly. Ive been in a lot of positions during my relatively brief time in the military. One of them was missile control on a defense fleet cruiser. Learned a lot of tricks most pilots never even think about there.

I see. She turned back towards the view screens, looking towards the crippled transport ahead. You know, I really dont feel comfortable leaving that guy alone for that long. Lets get him onboard, then we can shoot the breeze.

---

Alright. Anna began calmly across comms. Youre dead in the water, and youve got two choices.

Taviz voice came back a few moments later. And those would be?

You could uselessly open up on my ship, and get blown to scrap; netting me a cool hundred million. Or She paused for a second. You could give yourself up, and rest in relative comfort for now.

Great choices. Great choices. He repeated with just a touch of sarcasm.

So? What will it be? Id really rather not have to kill you.

Will you play nice? He raised his eyebrows, smiling sheepishly.

Anna smirked playfully. No promises.

---

The hunter and officer treaded slowly into the cargo bay of the gunship, looking upon the man in front of them. His hands were raised, a friendly look on his face.

Sorry Im late. You should have seen the traffi-

The young mans sentence was cut short, a brief crack resounding through the hold as Strauss landed a potent jab right to his nose. The fugitive hit the deck like a sack of potatoes.

Do you charge by the hour? Anna laughed out loud.

The sub-lieutenant rubbed his knuckles in mild pain. Sorry, Ive been wanting to do that for some time now.

Come on, lets get him restrained. I dont want to take any more chances with this guy.

I opened my eyes slowly and groaned at the pain in the middle of my nose. That rheinlander had a mean right hook. I was staring at the celing of a gunboat, close to the cockpit I was willing to wager. So I'd been captured and now I was being taken to the slaughter. No doubt Jack would have me killed in an accident in prision for crimes I didn't commit, for crimes that wern't even listed in my profile. I wiggled my hand towards the strap. Someone tightened these suckers down good. Though little by little I was working my way over to the clip.

"Don't even think about it." said the hunter who was now standing in the doorway. "You've been a pain in my neck as it is for the past few days."

"So why didn't you just kill me? You had more than several chances to do so. Too scared to shoot someone?" I replied with a smirk.

"No. Your files confuses me. You did something to piss off a lot of people. And I mean a lot. The Guild wants you captured, your file is classified, and the bounty is 100 million credits, rumored to go up to 150 million if you're not captured in a few months. So, tell me...what the hell did you do?"

I stared at her for a few moments and smiled. Then I started laughing. "You're a naive one aren't you? I didn't do anything."

"You're lying."

"I can assure you I am not. I have done nothing wrong."

"So you were framed?" she asked glaring at me with those eyes. Those accusing eyes.

"No. Wasn't even framed. One day I was just listed with a bounty on my head for no apparent reason. I escaped Deshima-"

"Deshima? As in the Guild base in Shikoku?" the girl interupted.

"The very one." I replied.

"Why were you there?"

"I was a hunter once. Just like you. Looking for marks, hunting them, taking them in, earning cash hand over fist. But I was too good, they wanted me eliminated...it's too long of a story to explain..."

"You're right, it is, and you're lying. You know how? If you were a hunter, you would have been out of those straps by now."

She turned back to the cockpit and I hit the strap releasing the top one and sitting up. "You know you're a little brat...why strap me in when you know I can easily get out?"

"Because you've no where else to run?"

I mumbled to myself. She was right, I was in a room with a locked door on the outside and console encrypted controls in the cockpit. If I overtook her, the ship would just fly until it ran out of fuel, then food, then I would die alone and with no food or water. This girl wasn't too bad. "So what do you want to know?" I asked.

"Everything."

I laughed and laid back down. "Strap me back in, would'ja?"

------

She handcuffed me to a sturdy pole next to the cockpit and sat on the other bed sipping coffee. I glared at her as she completely pulled off the "treats" trick. Trying to get me to talk by drinking or eating things that I would love to have. But I was a hunter, I didn't fall for that. The only information she would get out of me is a farewell, if even that.

"We're getting closer to Sheffield." she mentioned suddenly looking over the top of her mug as she took another sip.

"That's lovely? Did you make any stops while I was in my fist induced coma?" I said with sarcasm.

"Yes, I did, I dropped off your good friend in Rheinland and promised to give him around 10 million credits of the bounty money for his help."

"Oh that's lovely, why don't you just give him my arm instead, that's worth easily 10 million credits at this point."

She grunted and took another drink and continued asking questions. "Why don't you just tell me why you lied about being a hunter? Tell me what you really did."

I sighed. "I told you the truth, if you don't believe it, I'm sorry. I've given in to the fact that I am going to die once I get to your station. The man who wants me dead will be waiting for me there-"

She sat up quickly and stared at me. Nearly losing her grip on her mug. "Who?"

Damnit. I slipped up. "No one you need be concerned with, I'm sure if you get as good as I did with hunting he will find you soon enough."

"Incoming transmision from Sheffield Station" Squaked the computer.

"We're here." she said and walked to the cockpit. I sighed...time to meet my maker.

----

The side of the gunboats ramp opened and I was tugged out of the ship onto the landing platform by my handcuffs. The hunter in me suddenly came to life. I looked at every face, trying to place someone. I saw three men who were positioned across all the walkways, each of them staring at me, each with a rifle and handgun. The rest went on about their business. These were the hitmen assigned to kill me, they wouldn't be foolish enough to attack now, not with all these people present. They would hit when I least expected it, probably would kill this hunter too so they wouldn't have to pay the credits.

"Stay on guard. They're waiting for me." I said to her.

"Shut up." she said and tugged the cuffs harder with the chain, I grimaced in pain. Guess I was on my own then. We turned a corner and I saw the men start to run towards the other staircase towards the adjoning tunnel. I thought they would appear...but I was wrong, no one showed up at the other end of the tunnel. We continued to walk until we made it to a counter protected by what looked like some kind of shielding system.

"Name." she said with a sarcastic drawl.

"Taviz Fyren, I'm here to claim the bounty." the little hunter said. The woman behind the counter raised her eyebrows.

"Finally caught the bastard huh? You're a lucky girl."

The hunter smiled. "Thank you miss, can I get my check now?"

"The commander said that when Fyren is captured he wanted to give the check out in person. After the things he's done, he said that the man diserves to see the hunter who caught him recieve the check." the woman looked at me and snided, "You're a bad man! It's people like you who...who..."

I raised my right eyebrow and questioned her. "Who what? Get wrongly accused? Then yes, it is people like me."

"No, I know you from somewhere..."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, probably from all the wanted posters everywhere...ya dolt."

She opened her mouth in shock. "Get him out of here! Lock him in the cell next to the office. I don't want this man escaping!"

"Oh lah de dah!" I said outloud as the hunter locked me in the cage. She took one last look at me, did a sarcastic salute in my direction and dissappeared around the corner. I was only a matter of time before those three men came for me. I had to be ready. I clinched my hands into fists and waited. There would be no sleep for me tonight...there would never be sleep for me again. I laid against the wall and stared at the door, waiting...praying someone would come in and try to kill me...

...I would be waiting.

Anna slowly made her way through the countless corridors and stairwells of Sheffield, down, further and further, closer and closer to this “Jack”. Something was askew in all this; she didn’t for a second take Taviz at his word, but there still something wrong with this whole situation. She did her best to shrug it off as she came to the door she was looking for; room 0-A5, section 3, block F. Getting used to this bloody impossible to comprehend location system on the hunter base was still on her to-do list.

“Knock knock…” She called out nervously, rapping her knuckles against the cold metal door; which opened nearly as soon as she did.

“Please, come in.” A voice came out the dimly lit room.

The hunter slipped in quietly, looking around the small, office-like area. Two guardsmen with heavy rifles and accompanying handguns stood vigil at her sides, on either side lateral to the entrance. A plain, sterile metal desk sat in front of her, a monitor facing the doorway.

“Ah, Anna Paige; I’ve heard a lot about you!” She could now make out the portrait of an older man on the monitor before her. Typical; he didn’t even have the decency to be there in person.

The girl looked to the monitor, a guarded look on her face. “A lot of good, I hope.”

The man laughed, putting his hands up in a gesture of ease. “Of course, of course. You brought in that cretin Taviz, didn’t you?” He smiled thinly, looking back towards her. “That makes you quite the little hunter, in my book.”

“If you say so.” Her eyes flashed around the room; the bad feeling was getting worse, she could only hope that that’s all it was: a bad feeling. “Now, I hate to seem pushy, but could I get my payment now? I’m k-kind of in a rush.”

The man smiled again. Anna didn’t like that smile.

“Tell me, where is Fyren now? I thought I made the idea that I wanted him here clear to acquisitions…”

“Someone had other ideas. Thought it would be a better idea to put him behind bars as soon as we could. You know how cunning that snake is anyways.”

“Mm, I can’t argue with you there.” He brought his fingers together in front of him, reclining somewhat in the high backed chair on which he sat; on the other side of Sirius, no doubt. “I suppose it doesn’t matter either way.”

“So?”

“Ah, the payment, my apologies.” He nodded fractionally. “Unfortunately, I might not have been completely truthful about that detail.”

Here it was. Anna was starting to wonder if she should have believed Taviz of all people. She would know soon enough.

“Completely truthful…” She repeated quietly.

“Tell me, what did Taviz say to you when you caught him?”

“A lot of things.” She replied. “Most of which I wrote off as a last bid for freedom; words from a caged animal. Now, you tell me, ‘Jack’...” Her eyes burned into him, even through the view screen. “Is that really what they were?”

He smiled again, and the guards behind the girl shifted their positions to block the doorway. “Probably not.”

The little hunter eye’s again darted around the room. This wasn’t going to end peacefully; if it came down to an escape, she needed to know what she was going to do.

“Then tell me; what’s this all about?” She asked, stalling for time.

“I’ll tell you.” He closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts for a moment. “First off, Taviz indeed is; or rather, was; a hunter such as yourself; a rather good one too, most definitely.”

“Is that why you put up a bounty on him?” She bit out. “So you could save face and keep your little position? No competition and all that?”

The man’s eyebrows raised in a touch of confusion. “Hm? Is that what he told you?” He idly rubbed the five o’ clock shadow across his broad chin. “Well, perhaps those were words from a caged animal. Well, it may be possible that…”

“That what?” The girl demanded.

“That he may not know the full gravity of the situation after all.” He stated simply. “A pity if all of this could have been avoided.”

“Will you start making sense, damn it!” She snapped, taking an angered step towards the screen.

“I suppose it matters little. Taviz saw something he shouldn’t have, and for that, he needed to be dealt with. Hence the bounty.”

“But you aren’t planning on paying out any bounty, are you?”

“Not quite. One hundred and fifty million credits-”

“One hundred and fifty, now?”

“Ah yes, the bounty was increased last night.” He nodded casually. “And I would of course be paying it if not for… the risks that would be involved by doing so. Taviz is a convincing fellow; if he decided to share his knowledge...” The man was quiet for a moment.

“So, you’re going to kill me, then Taviz; is that right?” Anna questioned darkly.

“Yes.” He replied simply. “All loose ends must be accounted for. I’m really quite sorry, but there’s no way around it.” His look was without emotion now. “Goodbye, Anna. I’m sorry your story has to end so early.”

And with that last musing comment, the screen flickered off. She had only known the famed Jack for a few minutes, and she already could see the dirt that he was. The bastard wouldn’t even keep the camera on to see the blood that he was spilling. Anna was brimming with anger; she did her job to the letter, stayed strictly discerning with her mark, and followed orders. What did she get? A burn notice.

But she wouldn’t let emotion cloud her judgment. Not now. Not when her life was on the line. The sound of dual particle rifles humming to life sounded behind her. The young hunter slowly turned around, not making any sudden movements that might make the two men decide to finish the job on the spot. Sure enough, they both had the weapons glued to her, fingers floating dangerously close to the weapons’ triggers.

“Please, please don’t kill me.” She was only going to get one chance at this; she dropped helplessly to her knees, pleading desperately to the man on the left. “I-I, don’t even know what’s going on! Why are you doing this?” Tears came now; real tears. She almost surprised herself.

The gunman pursed his lips slightly. “I’m sorry, lass.”

“W-Why? What did I do?” She sobbed, beseeching eyes focused intently.

And there it was; the guard turned his head for just a second, giving a momentary look of uncertainty to the man next to him. The other guard responded in turn, his eyes focused on the first for just a second. That was all that Anna needed.

In a flashing motion, she upholstered her firearm, immediately plugging the second guard right between the eyes. The first’s gaze shot forward, and back to the girl; his rifle unready and off aim. He fired, his shot straying to the left as the hunter rolled in the opposite direction. Through the flash of smoke and cinder, he switched his aim to the side, and towards Anna. Too late, she had already fired another shot, instantaneously searing its way through the man’s left calf. He dropped to one knee unwillingly as he pulled the rifle’s trigger a second time, the shot uselessly finding its way to the ceiling above.

She ran; out the door, through the hallways, up and the stairs, and onto the holding station. The guard was in no position to give chase, so there was no need to kill him. Her mind was still struggling to keep up with what was happening. Taviz was telling the truth? There was no way around it; he was. Who the hell was this Jack guy? Nothing he said made sense, then all of the sudden he has the nerve to try and kill her? Nothing was adding up, and the entire station quite possibly now had the order to kill her. She still was humoring the thought that what happened in the room was going to stay there, but the odds of that were slim. The bounty on Fyren was top tier, straight down from Guild command. Was that guy Jack a guild master? Or was he just a big shot with the cash to do whatever he liked? There was no way to know at this point; she had to get to Taviz, and off of Sheffield, fast.

Anna slid sideways and into the counter as she bolted into the acquisitions office, scaring the girl behind half to death.

“What are you doing?” The clerk demanded, surprised and irritated.

The hunter raised her weapon to the woman’s head. “Unlock Taviz Fyren’s cell. Now!”

Her eyes widened, staring blankly in fear at the little girl. “Okay.” She nodded, hitting a few commands on the console in front of her. “It’s done-”

Anna didn’t care what she had to say; she didn’t have the time for that. Before the girl had even finished her sentence, the hunter was down the row of temporary holding cells and in front of Taviz’ cell. Without a moment of hesitation, she threw open the door and burst inside, panting heavily.

“Agh!” She screamed as a dark shadow dropped down from above, catching her in a vicious choke hold. “T-Ta…” Anna gasped out, fighting against the slender, but powerful arms around her.

The grip eased slightly. “Anna?” Taviz replied. “What are you doing here?” He questioned cautiously. Just because it was Anna in the cell didn’t mean he was safe; she could have been ordered to kill him all the same.

“J-Jack… He’s trying t-to…” She choked out, her eyes watering now.

He was taking a chance, but it wouldn’t be the first time. The man loosed his arms, and his grip, and the little hunter dropped to the ground in front of him, coughing and gasping for air.

“He… he’s trying to kill us!” She managed, turning over and sitting on the ground, still fighting for breath. “Some… thing about you seeing something you weren’t supposed to. I don’t, I-”

“Slow down.” He eased, kneeling down in front of her and putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are we in danger?”

She sat there gasping lighter now, and turned her face up to his after a moment. “Yes.”

Almost on cue, a metallic siren rang out through the cell area.

Anna fought to her feet, Taviz helping her up. “We have to get to the docking bay! There’s not a chance they’ve revoked my access codes yet, we can use that to escape.” Her wind was back, and she was back in control.

The two blasted through the corridor, arriving back in the office. The woman behind the counter’s mouth gaped open as they appeared again, and sprinted for the door a moment later.

“Toodles.” Taviz waved.

The docking area wasn’t far off; they shot through the hallways towards their destination as fast as they could. The call had just gone out, and there wouldn’t be a heavy security response in such a short time. If they could strike while the iron was hot, they just might escape.

“S***!” Anna barked, skidding unsteadily to a stop as two security officers turned onto the path in front of them.

Taviz didn’t let up for a minute, using his full momentum to his advantage as he plowed into the first officer. The man grunted as he was hammered to the floor, dropping the rifle in his hands and slamming his head against the wall. The next one pivoted 180 towards Taviz, steadying his firearm on the young man. Even after the attack, Taviz still had inertia from his charge. He dropped to his belly, snatched up the rifle, rolled to his back, and put a gunshot through the gut of the second officer.

The little hunter stood wide eyed as the young man pushed himself up to his knees, rushing over to both men to see if they had anything of use on them. Who was this guy?

“Come on!” He called out, motioning for the girl to follow.

“R-Right!” She pulled out the hand blaster she had used in Jack’s office, dashing off after Taviz.

---

Taviz dropped down and fired a few cover rounds back into the hallway they had just exited; staving back the crowd of pursuers they had now accumulated. “Get the ship fired up! I’ll keep them off of us!”

Anna looked quickly around the hangar. After only a few seconds, she found the Sundered Paige, pulling out her access card and getting the hatch open.

“Come on!” She yelled over the gunfire.

Fyren had just finished jury rigging the ripped off panel next to the hostile corridor’s entrance to the bay, and a thick metal shutter slammed closed in front of him. He ran towards the girl’s voice, finding her hanging out of the hatch of the gunship after a second. He started towards her, but she raised her hands and shook her head quickly.

“No, take this!” She pitched a small card in his direction, and he caught it reflexively. “My bomber, it’s right over there; go!”

The girl was smart; they could split up if they had two ships to fly. It had been awhile since he had flown the Guild bomber, but that didn’t matter much now. He rushed over to the vessel, and a shivering explosion shook the air.

“Damn it! We’re out of here!” He called out; the security force had made it through the shutter, by force, as it seemed.

The dual hunter ships screamed to life, thrusting off towards freedom.

---

“Sir, they’ve made it off of Sheffield. We’re scrambling ships to pursue-”

“Belay that, captain.” The man on the monitor clasped his hands before him. “Let them run… That’s all they can do at the moment, and all they will be able to do from now on.”

“But… sir.”

“Don’t fret; we’ll deal with them the only way the Guild knows how.” He smiled. “It’s time to put out a few bounties.”

A second narrow escape. I'd only had one other of those escapes, and that was when I ran the first time. No doubt Anna was traumatized at the entire situation, the only people she had known turned on her at the drop of a hat. But then again that's what the BHG tended to do. Soon as you had a huge bounty on your head they were all over you.

"Anna." I said over the secure comms. I searched for something to say. Something to say that would help her. I had, after all, once been where she was now. "We're going to get this bastard, we're going to take him down and run him into the ground. He will pay for what he has done to us, making able bodied people of the Guild run for their lives."

"He will pay." she replied, maybe choking back tears, maybe clenching her teeth...or maybe she had become like me...and couldn't feel at all.

We flew our ships into space, searching for whatever was next...and awaiting the next trial...