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+--- Thread: Smoke and Mirrors (/showthread.php?tid=17186)
Smoke and Mirrors - Zapp - 03-03-2009
Previously...
Twas a slow day. The sluggish Hunters, ne'er-do-wells, and various detritus of society dragged themselves across the bar, seeming to not have energy even to lift their glasses to their lips. Beads of perspiration slowly dripped down glasses and humans alike. It wasn't a heat wave, but it sure as hell felt like it. For some reason, stations seemed to have seasons just like planets, only more random. A lethargic Esther Carson sat at the bar, hand cradling her first drink which she had yet to separate from the wooden surface. Fake wood, more than likely, but no one seemed to care.
She stifled a yawn behind her free hand and decided to go to bed, though she didn't move really. Just sat there.
It was a surprising break in the monotony when staccato notes sang from her pocket, high-pitched and urgent. A leaden hand lifted the comm-device to her face, and it extended to reach from her ear to her mouth.
"This. Had. Better. Be. Good."
A muttered voice from the other side served only to narrow her eyes in suspicion, and she placed the comm-device back into her pocket after a minute. Slowly, she slid off the stool and walked out the door. Her slow pace didn't change as she practically dragged herself to a distant office on Sheffield. It was spartanly furnished, with a small video-viewer on a table. No one was inside, but the viewer framed the face of a man.
"The renowned Esther Carson," he drawled out, making it sound like a flourish and grandiose announcement at the same time. "One of the best, they say."
"Bloody smoke and mirrors," she muttered to herself, not liking how this was playing out. "Yes, that is indeed what they say. Now, the point?"
"Concise and to the point. I like that, Miss Carson," he seemed to pause, considering his choice of wording. "I need two people found. Discreetly. They're hiding, of course. I'll have files sent to your room...?"
"Whatever. I expect the pay is good?" her flippant attitude masked her silent eagerness, if this was what she expected it was...
"Quite."
"Let me guess," she said, rather slowly. She was choosing what to say herself, now. This was obviously not the little league. "Taviz Fyren and Anne Paige?"
It was a flicker of facial muscles, not a flinch, but at the least a well-guarded one. He hadn't expected her to jump to the right conclusion so quickly, obviously. A triumphant smile played across her face. "I like to be informed. Jack." With that, she walked out of the room. The man mused a moment, mulling over whether he had made a wise choice or not. But if anyone could find them, it was her.
Smoke and Mirrors - Zapp - 03-04-2009
To hunt, one must be able to think like the prey, act like the prey, and be the prey. Having been on the receiving end of the Bounty Hunter hunt before, she knew how things worked. Some things were universal, and while each person was unique in approaches to problem-solving (and running), it all ended in only a very few ways. She went to her room and took the files, which had somehow managed to find their way there through a locked door that showed no signs of forced entry. She sighed and rubbed her temples, looking at the background info provided. Not much, and nothing on their crimes besides a very brief "treason against the Guild". Esther grimaced and thought. It was what the bad Hunters didn't think was necessary. To most, it was a job of thugs, shooting things and getting paid.
To Esther Carson, it was an art. Cat and mouse. An age-old and time-honored exchange between hunter and hunted. It took relatively little thought. She analyzed her thought process in their situation. Apparently, they had fled Sheffield. In a relatively short time, she'd want to find a safe haven. Newcastle was one jump away via a jump hole, and held three pirate bases, but it was unlikely they'd go that way. How to explain to pirates that they weren't Bounty Hunters in a pair of BHG ships? Her mind skipped the elimination of what it couldn't be and leaped straight to exactly what she'd do: head to Freeport 4. (Interesting of note, Esther Carson had been chased by the Guild from Sheffield before, and Freeport 4 was exactly where she ran). From there, it depended on what opportunities presented themselves. Momentarily refreshing herself with a glass of ice-cold lemonade, Esther quickly moved to the launch bay and the Prodigal Daughter. She was on the hunt, and there was no moving slow when you were trying to bring down prey.
Of course... she did slow down on the way to the docking bay. It was too obvious, and the record showed they had been on the run for nearly half a year. Esther leaned against a wall as the hustle and bustle of the station washed by, thinking. The bounty size was enormous, that much was for sure. She had been watching it for some time, noting how it went up. Hell, she had been waiting for it to stop going up to try and collect. It was quite obvious these two were pros, and that no two-bit Hunter would be getting lucky here. Rethinking her path, she nonetheless continued to the Prodigal Daughter, her Orca-class Gunboat.
Smoke and Mirrors - Zapp - 03-10-2009
A stream of gunfire flew through the Barrier ice field in Magellan, lacing through space to punch through darting fighters that, despite their best efforts, were getting chewed up by the much larger ship. As the last fighter went down, jagged tractor beams snaked out and scooped up the pods of the Hacker vessels. Once safe in the cargo hold of the Orca, crew members, armed with various blasters, opened the pods and put the Hackers on their knees in a row as Esther Carson came down from the bridge. Her hands were behind her back and she walked slowly up and down the row of seven Hackers.
"First one of you to talk gets left off at Freeport 4 and is free to go. The rest of you are going to Sheffield. I'll give you some time to think that over."
She turned her back on them and counted to thirty, noting how deathly silent the cargo bay was. She turned around and took the picture of Taviz and Anne out.
"All you gotta do is tell me where I can find these two."
All was silent for a few moments.