18+ The Hunt

Aden had already been up for several hours, cleaning the hold of the Judicator and inspecting his weapons and armor, when he heard footsteps behind him. Skylar walked up to the workbench beside him and set a cup of coffee down near his arm. Without a word, she walked over to a locker on the far wall and outfitted herself with the usual carbine and pistol she always sported.

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question. It was hard to keep anything from Skylar, not that he had done anything to hide the fact that he was indeed intending to leave. The Judicators reactor was primed and she had no doubt overheard his calls the night before. "How long you going to leave me with these people? I don't exactly blend in around here." Skylar leaned against the edge of the workbench and raised an eyebrow at him. He smiled at her, leaning back in his chair.

"You're not doing so bad at this bounty hunting business for a first timer. I doubt any of them have any real idea what you really do, even if they are suspicious of where you suddenly came from." He shrugged and stood up, taking his rifle with him and storing it in a locker on the wall, "Besides, I'll only be gone a few days. Got a lead on Theren that I'm going to follow up on. You can tell the others that and it might keep them happy for a little while. If they ask where I got the lead, be creative," He grinned, "Can't give up too many secrets can I?" Pulling on his helmet, Aden walked down the hall towards the cockpit, taking the cup of coffee with him.

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"Not even a good-bye kiss." Said Skylar with a smirk. Always the hard ass. I suppose I'll not tell him about Jessicas outpouring then. Rolling her eyes, She grabbed the rucksack that contained the gear she had borrowed from the Judicators equipment locker and slung it over a shoulder before walking down the ramp, back out into Blacklights withering morning sun. Almost as soon as she cleared the ramp, the Judicators engines rumbled to life, their droning roar filling the air as Aden brought them up to full power and the ship lifted off, causing dust to billow around her. Once it was high enough off the landing pad, the ship rotated ninety degrees into its flight position. With a final, near deafening roar from the engines, the Judicator arched up and out of Erigins atmosphere.

Skylar raised a hand to her brow to block the sun as she watched it go. Despite the early hour it was already nearing twenty-five degrees celsius on the arid planet. It was still a far cry better than the forty below average back on Cyris though so she wasn't going to complain.

It took her about twenty minutes to retrace the previous days path through the city and arrive at the safe house. She could have gotten there in as little as five minutes but she took care to make sure that no unwelcome eyes were on her. Once there, she opened the door and stepped into the common area, where most of the others had gathered and were busy discussing the plans for the day.

"Pretty much. Except we'll be going as 'business associates' of hers. Dress up all fancy like, and walk right in. Nobody should have any reason to be suspicious" The silver armored hunter, Corvis, was talking to one of the newer additions, "Let's get out of here, then. We'll bring you any info we get our hands on."

Skylar glanced around, noticing yet another new face, a man probably in his mid fifties with a short crew cut and wearing civilian clothing was standing near the stairs. She gave him a curious look before shrugging off her pack onto one of the chairs and flopping down into another, "Where's everyone off to then?"

As the others planned their day, Simus headed into the kitchen to find something to eat. He couldn't help but marvel at how clean everything was. Even the tidiest houses of his time had some slight odor. A full chamber pot in the next room that wasn't quite covered, some vegetables that were getting old, some meat with not quite enough salt to make it last, someone who hadn't bathed recently or had worked up a sweat working outside. Simus was a rich man and he and his family were able to enjoy arcane niceties such as special frost enchantments to keep their house cool in the summer or to keep their food from spoiling but things went bad eventually. Clothes with self-cleaning enchantments still had to be washed every so often. Magic had made his life easier than most but this place had no magic. It was all mundane machines that kept the carpets of this house clean, the food cold, that let a man boil water in mere minutes and heat food in a few dozen seconds. It was both mindblowing and wonderful. Technology he had only ever dreamed of was right here in front of him.

On the kitchen counter he found a pot of black coffee and a bag of buttery crescent rolls. He fixed himself some breakfast and sat at the table alone. The coffee was good and the roll was delicious. He devoured it and then went for another. As he ate, Jessica came down and into the living room. Her head was as bare and scarred as ever and she was rubbing her eyes. She was still in her pajamas and her phone was in her sleeper's front kangaroo pockets so she could "talk" normally. She had shown Simus the amazing communications device last night and he dearly wanted to fiddle with it but he would wait until Jessica didn't need it to communicate. She didn't deserve what had happened to her, the poor thing. Simus wondered if there was a doctor or a healer on this planet that could fix her up but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. She had probably thought of that already and couldn't find one.

"Where's everyone off to then?" A tall and attractive woman wearing a tight fitting long sleeve shirt, dark pants, knee high boots and a heavy black vest over the shirt asked. Jessica had given Simus the rundown on who was who and had shown pictures of them to him, but it was all a bit much at once and he couldn't remember this woman's name.

"Morning Skylar." Jessica "said" with a yawn. "I'm not sure, I just woke up. As you can see, I'm not even dressed yet. Do you know where Marek is? I was hoping to coordinate whatever I'm going to do today with whatever plans he's got. Also I think I left my electric toothbrush on the Judicator. I can't find it anywhere."

Simus picked up this third crescent roll and waked over to Skylar. "Looks like these three..." He pointed to Corvis, "Are off to play business executive with miss Ataro. Or, rather, Allison Gray. That's her alias in this realm so I'd recommend addressing her as such."

Everyone, including Jessica, looked at Simus as if he was completely mad. Normally he'd be very uncomfortable in a situation like this but considering he, the caveman from the stone age, had just given the Machine People of the Future a situation report he found it very funny. His lips turned upward and he gave a small chuckle.

"I should probably introduce myself considering my less than graceful entrance yesterday. I imagine you all thought I was either a complete madman or a museum exhibit given life. My name's Simus Psyrakon and I'm a friend of Baroth's. If I told you where I was from you wouldn't believe me. All you need to know is that Jessica and I are related, she got me up to speed on your hunt and I'm here to help her and you. I'm not sure if any of you know what magic is but I'm very good at the kind that kills people. Shocks them, freezes them, burns them to a crisp. I'm also very good with a sword, if anyone uses them anymore. I was also a father of four so I know how to keep a house tidy. Cooking, sweeping, laundry, that sort of thing."

They still looked at Simus like he was completely mad but he waited patiently for someone to speak up.

"Have fun babysitting" she called to the green armoured bount hunters and the vested woman. She walked out the door, into the ridiculously hot Eregin morning. She adjusted her sniper rifle on her back, and turned to the two humans that were going to be doing the talking.

Both were wearing their armour, but if what Corvis had said was true, they planned to change into civilian clothes once they arrived at Ataros' residence. She could see the larger buildings of the entertainment district, in the distance, the rays of the planets sun reflecting off of them. She turned to stare at Corvis."We're not walking, are we?"

Corvis didn't waste time listening to the old mans' life story, or whatever it was he was talking about. He simply stood by the door, waiting for the two women to join him. The Khajiit sniper, Dah'Sharrah, was out first, saying something about babysitting to the others that were staying behind. Corvis was confused at first, until he spotted the young looking woman that had been carved up.
He couldn't tell if she really was a kid or not, nor did he care. He was curious as to where Marek had gone.

Almost since they'd landed on Eregin, she'd stuck to him like glue. Now the man was gone, but his dark haired companion was still here. It was a bit of a mystery, but Corvis was already dismissing it as irrelevant. He already knew Marek wasn't thebest at playing with others. He'd probably gone off to investigate some leads of his own. And if he didn't return, well, that simply meant their was one less to split the bounty with once they took Ataro down.

He nodded at Kyle, turned and left the safehouse, noticing the Khajiit staring off in the direction of the entertainment district. She turned to him as he approached and asked, sounding rather annoyed, "We're not walking, are we?" He smirked at her, underneath his helmet, and shook his head "Have a little faith, would you?". Normally, they would have, but if they were going to play the part of rich 'business partners' of Ataro, showing up on foot wouldn't sell the act.

A few seconds of searching revealed a speeder with an open roof, that was simply idling in the street, its' owner nowhere in sight. For a moment, Corvis simply stared, not believing anyone would be stupid enough to leave such an expensive vehicle in the slum district of Blacklight. Apparently, the driver valued drugs, or cheap sex more than he did his mode of transportation. Opening the door and sitting in the drivers seat, he looked over his shoulder. "Coming, ladies?"

Derek was awake long before any of the others, though he didn't move from his chair for the longest time. He silently wnet over the information they'd gathered in his head, and came to the conclusion that Ataro was either very paranoid, or she was gearing up to fight a war against someone. There was no other reason she'd hire quite so many mercs.

His train of thought came to an end as the others began waking up and coming downstairs. The Argonian was the first downstairs, and he approached Derek. Deciding he could no longer feign sleep, he got to his feet and faced the humanoid. "Have you any idea whatthe rest of us should do while the others perform their reconnaissance? I realize our quarry would most likely grow suspicious if a number of mercenaries are seen throughout the streets, but we should plan our next move while we wait" Derek knew that the Argonian, he thought his name was Drell, or something like that, had an excellent point

If the entire group went around Blacklight, it would attract the wrong kind of attention, and Ataro could be gone long before they got to her apartment. The others filed down the stairs as well, with Corvis, Lyssa and Dah'Sharra immediately beginning to talk about their own operation. Then the old man that had arrived with the black armoured hunter and Jessica came down, with a trim, haircut, and wearing plain clothes.

Looking back to Argus, he said "I think everyone should follow their own leads. That way, no one notices us working as a large team, and it's less likely they'll get suspicious" he then realized that Corvis and the rest of the reconnaissance team was heading out, just as Adens' companion showed up, and began talking with the old man. He began talking, and seeing as this was his chance to gather some intel on where the hell he'd come from, Derek paid attention. After giving a situational report, introduced himself and listed a few of his skills.

"Well, Simus, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Derek. I don't think we'll need you to clean the place up. Just, stick with your... granddaughter, and seeing as she's gotten you caught up, you should be fine" he said, turning towards Skylar. "Is Marek on his way?" He doubted the answer would be yes. Marek did his own thing, and Derek wouldn't have been terribly surprised if he'd decided to go after Ataro on his own.

While hugging Baroth, Jessica mutely apologized into his chest.

"I'm sorry Baroth." She said softly. "None of this is fair to you and we're both acting like children. You deserve better than this."

No, Jessica. Not yet, i don't. He thought to himself as the small, scarred girl backed up and allowed for Simus to step forward, laying a hand on Baroth's shoulder.

"I'm sorry too Baroth." Simus said, clasping Baroth on the shoulder once Jessica had released him."You saved me from an eternity of nightmares and I haven't been very grateful. So thank you, Baroth Hermingfel, for saving my life. Again."

"And certainly not the last time. Don't thank me yet." Baroth murmured as Simus stepped back and engaged in conversation with Jessica. As much as it pained him, Baroth actually decided to stick around to watch their reunion. It was nice to see Simus finally reunited with his last blood and final grand-daughter. He knew the General had been through a lot and it was good to see him happy. But by now, Baroth was sure happiness was a solid lie. Just like the gods. He gave up on them eons ago, long before he left Nirn. His home. Gone. Now only a faint memory among thousands. Now, yet another burden to bear. But something also told Baroth this was long from over. That this was just the beginning. At the urging of Simus and Jessica, Baroth abandoned the thoughts for the time being and pushed on to the safehouse. Along the way, he decided to open a line to Oracle.

"Oracle? You there? You've been quiet the past few hours...."

It was a moment before she responded, as she was deep within the Archived Citizen Files of Eregin, specifically Blacklight. Finding Jessica again, she decided to go around her for the time and continue along the path down her family tree. She had been doing this for the past few hours, tracking down the next member of the Psyrakon Family and using that member's information to jump to the next member, then repeating the process. She had to be close, as the dates were aging back to the early 6E's, when she intercepted Baroth's calling transmission. Without question, she bookmarked her place and quickly exited the digital world of Blacklight Archives. Now in free-form in Baroth's visor, she responded to the transmission.

"Hm? Oh, yea. I'm here. I was just doing some research for....ah, doesn't matter. Are you ok? I heard yelling.."

"Yea, i'm fine. Just another day, i suppose. Where's Rex?"

"He's....looking after the ship, i believe. That's what the radar is showing me."

Of course they both knew Baroth could have easily looked at the small, circular radar at the bottom left-hand corner of his visor. Maybe he just didn't feel like it. Maybe he wanted to hear Oracle's voice instead. Maybe.

"Oh, ok..."

"Yea...."

"Hm..."

"Mhm..."

"Hey, Oracle?"

"Yea?"

"You should get back to your research. We're at the safehouse."

"Oh, yea. Alright. I'll uhh....yea."

"Yea..."

And in an instant, her head and shoulders faded off his visor as she jumped back to the Archives. Arriving at the safehouse doors, Baroth saw Derek and Kyle were up, but he payed little attention to them. He padded up the stairs and went to his room, scanning himself in then sitting on his bed. He would have to plan for what he would do tomorrow. He knew certain meth-labs and drug-markets hidden through out Blacklight. Many of which still operated freely and without discovery, allowing them to output more drugs than ever and piss off the Blacklight Metro Police Department. Several, however, had been found out, cleared, snuffed, and burned to a black crisp before anyone could even think about what was happening. Baroth had made some powerful friends in the drug trade and Black Market business over the past eons and he'd invested millions in some of the best drug businesses before they even developed fully. This gave him inheirited business partners and some of the best drug traders and black marketers there were, which oddly explained how Packel came into the picture.

So, it was fair to say that Baroth was up and gone before anyone was awake, leaving only a small holo-projecter so Simus could summon Oracle for a small time to help him shave his hair. The holo-projecter worked by heating up internally, so that, about half an hour after Simus activated it, the chip within the projecter would fry itself and he wouldn't be able to summon Oracle again. This was not only out of Paranoia, but caution too, on the off-chance someone happened to steal the projecter from Simus. He also left instructions on how to use the electric razor. He suspected Simus talked with Jessica about how to use it, but just in case they didn't, there it was.

Pushing off into the night, Baroth looked for signs of where even one of his old business partners was hiding. Then it came to him. Downtown, in the 'slums' of Blacklight. He could start there.

OOC: WOOOHOOO! I'm back! Finally got around to posting this bad boy. I have a follow-up i'll post soon. And i'll include Kraguul's part in there. Anyhow, there it is! Hope you guys enjoyed!

"Coming, ladies?" The silver armoured hunter called from outside. The Khajiit was already out there, and Lyssa decided she'd better get out there as well. Enough time had already been wasted, and she wanted to get the job over with as much as everyone else. She headed out into the morning sunlight, wishing she was wearing her helmet as well, to keep the boiling heat down.

She spotted the open topped speeder that the silver armoured hunter had commandeered, with the Khajiit standing beside it. Lyssa vaulted into the passenger seat, and shot the silver armoured man an expectant look. "Ready when you are"

"I think everyone should follow their own leads. That way, no one notices us working as a large team, and it's less likely they'll get suspicious" Argus inclined his head. He'd been wondering about his own information. If there were secret passages that were being used without the knowledge of the authorities, it probably meant trouble for the hunters as well. Especially if the men using the passages were in the employ of Kaylin Ataro. "Understood. I'll head out right away, and meet back with the rest of you here." He began to make his way to the exit when he noticed the Khajiit bounty hunter that had been left behind when his partner and the other two had departed.

He examined the man, taking into account his weaponry and armour. It would be nice to have a little back up, especially if there were hostiles below.The Khajiits bulky armour was hardly inconspicuous , but then, and Argonian in a Dunmer city wasn't any more stealthy. "Excuse me. But I was wondering if you'd be interested in accompanying me?"

After the two of them had changed out of their armour, and into business clothes, with briefcases, he drove into the entertainment district. They arrived at the apartments a few minutes later. Glancing over at an adjacent building, he turned to look at the Khajiit bounty hunter. "Get out here. You can cover us from that building" the woman left the vehicle, and headed towards the building. Corvis parked the speeder, and opened the door, then he glanced over at the other woman. "Let's go."

They stepped out of the vehicle, and Corvis checked over the weapons he'd concealed on his person. A steel blade and a blaster pistol. Just in case it didn't go to plan. He always liked to be prepared for a quick get away. A pretty dunmer woman sat at a desk, and smiled at the pair of them as they stepped inside. "Good morning, sir, madam. How may I help you today?"

Corvis gave the woman his best smile. "We're actually here for a tenet of yours. Alison Grey." He lifted the briefcase and motioned to his companion. " My associate and I are here to discuss some things. She moved here and asked us to arrive and assist her with understanding the legal niceties of Eregin" the woman didn't bother asking any further questions, and instead motioned for them to move on. "I see. I trust she already gave you her room number?"
Corvis nodded and smiled, and the two of them moved to the turbolift.

Mar was not very happy that Lyssa had left him behind. He didn't blame her, of course. Even out of armour, with his muscle-bound frame, tail and fur, he would hardly blend in on Eregin. Still...he was bored out of his skull sitting in the corner, listening to these others speak of their plans, knowing they probably didn't trust him enough to include him in any of them. He wasn't offended. He didn't trust any of them, either. His Heads-Up-Display informed him someone was approaching, and he glanced up to see the Argonian. "Excuse me. But I was wondering if you'd be interested in accompanying me?"

Mar considered the Argonians request. It didn't take him long to figure that going anywhere with the lizard-man would be much more interesting than sitting around the safe house all day. "This one is interested. He is ready to depart when you are" he told the man.

"Uh, right on. Thanks for the update Simus..." Skylar raised an eyebrow at the grey haired man and glanced at Darek, giving him a silent, 'What's his story?'. Whoever the guys was, he hadn't been there the day before which meant he had arrived last evening or sometime during the night. And since the safehouse wasn't exactly easy to find, he had probably been brought in by someone else in the group. She wanted to know who had let him in as well as where the hell he'd come from but those questions could wait for the time being. She could grill Jessica about him later.

In answer to Dareks question about Marek she said, "Marek took off this morning. Something about a guy owing him some money."She said with a small shrug. She got up out of the chair and walked in the direction of the kitchen, "Please tell me there's still some caf left. I've only had one cup so far today." She said. Finding a cup, she grabbed the pot and poured herself some coffee.

She leaned down and looked out from under the cupboards at Darek, "He said he should be back in a couple days or so if you're wondering." She said as she idly mixed some sugar into the caf with a spoon. Returning to the living room, she sat on the arm of the chair she'd been sitting in and sipped her coffee. A quick glance around the room told her who was present. It seemed that almost a third the group had left to do some recce work, leaving herself, Darek, Jessica, the new guy called Simus, the Argonian, and the Khajiit. She didn't see Baroth anywhere but assumed that the drifter had found something to do.

Skylar tracked the Argonian across the room as he made his way over to the Khajiit and asked if the huge hunter wanted to accompany him on a little recon mission of his own. 'I should get moving on my own leads too.' She thought, taking another sip from her coffee. Looking over to where Jessica and Simus were standing she said, "Well... I suppose I'll head out soon too. Anyone care to join me?"

(OOC: Sorry about no color, did this from my phone.)

Dah'Sharra was out of the speeder and heading towards the building directly across from the rather luxurious apartments. It turned out she was in luck, as the top floor of the building had been undergoing construction, before the war started. The floor was abandoned now, and she happily set up a snipers perch. From where she lay, peering through the scope, she had a near perfect view of the street and apartments. "This is cozy. Let's see if anything interesting happens" she muttered to herself.

From his seat, Derek noticed the look Skylar shot him. He shrugged at her, and turned to Kyle. The younger man didn't look surprised that Marek had taken off on his own. Skylar indicated that she was planning on heading out herself, and stood up. "That's a great idea" he approached Jessica and Simus from behind, and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "You can take these two with you. Take in the sights. Kyle and I will be playing tourist today as well" Kyle stood, and began typing on his data-pad.

"I've just given all of you a single use entry code to the safe house" then he turned to Derek. "I'm going to go lock down the armoury and armour up. Meet you outside in five?" Derek nodded, and headed to his own room to change out of his civilian clothing and into his bodysuit and green armour. He remembered he'd have to have a little chat with Baroth and Jessica about bringing random people in. And hacking his door locks. Despite the pair of them thinking themselves clever or sneaky, the sensors in the main door sent an automated alert to his helmet whenever they were opened without the proper code.

Lyssa watched the man smooth talk his way past the desk receptionist, with a mix of amusement and surprise. 'He can be quite charming when he wants to be' she thought as they turned towards the lift. She discreetly checked her weapons, and was sure that he was doing the same. Two vibrobades were all she'd thought to grab out of her kit. Her pistol was too large to fit anywhere discreetly, without forming a suspicious bump.

They reached the twelfth floor without any trouble, and room 45. No one waited for them outside, armed or otherwise. "No bodyguards? Not even a security droid. Let's see what we can find inside" glancing around to make sure that no one had followed them up, she removed an electronic lock slicer from her pocket, and inserted it into the security panel. The indicator light turned from red, working, to green, indicating success. The door slid open, and Lyssa grinned at her companion. "After you"

Corvis had expected at least one guard, even if he was only a cheap merc, in the hallway, or inside, waiting for them. If there was any nasty surprises waiting for them, they weren't visible. "After you" the woman said, and Corvis couldn't suppress a grin as he stepped inside. She obviously wasn't stupid. Despite the old mans' warning that the team had to work together, it was a good tactic. Send Corvis in first, and if he got riddled with blaster bolts, she'd know just how many, and where the guards were.

With that in mind, he drew his own blaster, and stepped inside. He cleared the place, room by room, including closets, before returning to the entrance. "This place is clear. Either Ataro was overconfident, or she doesn't think anyone knows she's here" he kept his blaster in his hand, and approached a desk that had several sheets of paper lying on it. "We're looking for anything that can tell us her schedule. Every little thing could be an important clue" he glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and lock the door. No point being careless"

Simus and Jessica were a little startled when Derek put his hands on their shoulders and volunteered them to go with Skylar but it was actually a pretty good idea. It would give Simus time to acclimate to this new world and Jessica could do what she does best: gather and sort information. Capable as she was at combat she didn't like getting shot at and she didn't enjoy killing. The whole debacle aboard the Glory of the Altmer had soured her battle lust. She had started off in the Red Sabres as an engineer and she was still one of the best but she had proven herself better suited to being a Comm Specialist and researcher. She didn't mind. It was work she really enjoyed and the times when she did go out on missions to keep her combat skills sharp, as all Red Sabres were expected to do, made for a nice change of pace.

Kyle than notified them that they would all be getting a one time use safehouse key, an obvious measure to curtail Baroth and Oracle's not-so-subtle hacking attempts yesterday. Derek and Kyle probably got alerts on their helmet HUD's whenever somebody broke into this place. It was a relatively basic home security system and she wondered why Baroth and Oracle hadn't considered that. Maybe they just didn't care? They should, they'd get in trouble for it, and Jessica and Simus by association. She should really bring that up.

"Thanks Kyle." Jessica said through her phone, taking a moment to smile at him. He'd gotten cute in the last eight years. "That sounds like a good idea. Let me shower and get dressed and I'll be ready to go."

Fifteen minutes later Jessica was back downstairs and was dressed in a lime green tight fitting T shirt, a pair of short blue jean shorts, a pair of white sneakers with short white socks and blue sun hat with a wide circular brim and an untightened chin strap. Tiny shield generators were active inside her clothing. They weren't as strong as the shields on her suit or a soldier's hardsuit but had a fast recharge and were strong enough to take a few bursts of gunfire or a sniper's bullet. They would to their job. Jessica also stuck a pink pair of sunglasses into a small black purse. The purse also contained her void sphere with her plasma pistol, boltgun and enough ammo to get her out of a situation. Plus other things like her wallet, her keys a phone charger and some sunscreen which she had already applied to her exposed skin. Her phone was in her right pocket.

"Ready when you guys are." She said.

"Same here." Simus said. His father's instincts screamed that Jessica's outfit was far too revealing for a girl her age but he held his tongue.

"By the way." She said, holding up a finger to the group. "I was able to find a lead yesterday. It was when I was out yesterday and I haven't see many of you since and I'm not sure how useful it will be, but I contacted my CO in the Red Sabres. Captain Ria. She said that Ataro's been hiring a mercenary group called the Iron Hands. They're well trained and well equipped and have an excellent logistics and recruiting corp. A large private army really. But their business practices aren't exactly on the up and up. They tend to turn on their employers when it's convenient or when a deal goes bad. They'll fight for just about anyone with enough money however and Ataro seems to have plenty of that. Have you guys heard of these guys at all? Maybe Marek or Baroth has? They both seem the types to do so. Does anyone know how to reach them?"

"We're looking for anything that can tell us her schedule. Every little thing could be an important clue" he glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and lock the door. No point being careless" Lyssa rolled her eyes, locking the door. "I know what to do. This isn't my first time searching someone's house, you know" she retorted, searching through stack of papers that seemed to advertise the local 'attractions'. Nothing that Ataro was likely to attend, unless her tastes were very much different than the mainstream girl. "I'm going to check the bed room" she called over her shoulder.

There was no guarantee she'd find anything, but Lyssa had enough to buy a place like this, she would have kept her valuables, or sensitive information in the bedroom. The room was larger than some of her apartments Lyssa had stayed in during her early years as a bounty hunter. Ataro either had a lot of contacts, or was simply filthy rich. Lyssa was betting on the latter option. She searched through drawers, looking for anything that would give her a hint to Ataros funding, or next destination. Nothing. "I'm getting nothing in here. Any luck out there?"

"The Iron Hands?" He repeated. "Never met any of them in person, but I've heard they're nasty.But if they're working for Ataro, we could be in trouble. Especially if they're operating on Eregin" Kyle came down the stairs in full armour, with his pistols riding on his hips comfortable. Derek left his shatter rifle and jet pack behind, but he brought his blaster pistol, that was holstered at his side. "Let's go. We'll regroup later back here" The two of turned left, heading deeper into the slums. Not many of those in the slums wanted to take on two well armed and armoured bounty hunters.

The pair of them kept moving, searching for the kind of people that would be willing to talk. Derek had contacts inside the rest of Blacklight, but he preferred to avoid his high profile contacts. If anyone was keeping an eye out for bounty hunters, they'd likely notice a pair of green armoured men asking around. "Do you really think Jessica meant the idea to lock down the safehouse was a good idea or..."

"I think she likes you, son. But I'm not the type to give too much advice on women. I'm still alone, aren't I?"
"Likes me? I-uh...I don't know what to say about that" Derek shot him a glance.
"Don't worry about it. If you two are meant to be, it'll happen. Now-" Kyle tapped him on the shoulder.
"Check your HUD, five o'clock. We've got an audience" without slowing down, he glanced at his wraparound vision, and noticed a man wearing a tan shirt and black pants. "Maybe he likes our armour. Let's keep moving. If he follows, we'll deal with him"

They kept moving, and the man kept following. "I think he's the Iron Hands. How many humans besides our group do you think are in Blacklight?" Derek grunted in agreement.
"Let's keep going. The farther we are inside the slums means the less likely anyone will notice if we get in a fight"

While the woman went into the bedroom, Corvis searched through the living room. Ataro kept the place neat, if nothing else. It almost seemed like the place hadn't been lived in, if not for the dishes in the dishwasher and the fact that no dust had settled anywhere. And the computer sitting in standby mode on a desk. He activated the computer and was expecting a password.

He was surprised, but mostly irritated at the womans' carelessness. It was stupid to leave technological devices unsecured. He searched through the device, but found nothing but a single message that caught his attention. "I'm getting nothing in here. Any luck out there?"
"Maybe. Get in here"

The message read: Ataro, one of your people killed another of Dorvalles' girls. Since you obviosuly can't keep your people under control, I'm sending Tanner and a couple squads of my men to keep your people in line. Meet him in the market square tomorrow morning. There's a few more details of our deal he's going to go over with you.

"Dorvalle. Doesn't sound like an Argonian or Dark elf name. Ideas?"

She came out of the bedroom when called, wondering what he'd found. He showed her the single message he'd found on the computer, and she read through it quickly. Stating that this Tanner person would be in the marketplace tomorrow morning seemed like a set up. What worried her, though, was the fact that the writer indicated that Ataro had more than one group of 'people' working for her.

"Dorvalle. Doesn't sound like an Argonian or Dark elf name. Ideas?"
"You don't need to guess. Dorvalle's a Breton. Owns House Ambrosia, if I remember right. A pleasure house. Basically anything goes there, but you hurt Dorvalles' girls, and security escorts you out, usually with a blaster shoved in your back. Technically, his operation is illegal, but he pays alot to stay in business"
she wrinkled her nose. "I've been there a few times, hunting bounties. It's closer to the nightclubs in the entertainment district" she informed him.