“That is an outrage!” yelled the angry Bog, smashing his fist down on the table and cracking the hardwood considerably. Lily didn’t flinch though, truly, she didn’t even care.

“That’s our price, darling. You can take it, or you take your cheap ass back to Kaladi,” she replied, putting her hands behind her head as she leaned back on her booth.

They had sat down at the farthest table on Mushi’s Bar, looking for a quiet place to conduct business. The mercenary bar was always full of such activity, so, normally no one would look twice at an angry client, even if it was a seven-foot Bog with tusk-like teeth the size of Lily's forearms.

However, a few heads turned at the ruckus, and the Bog seemed to think better than to piss off a room full of bounty hunters packing heat. He tugged on the collar of his fur-lined jacket and sat back down. His companion, a red-robed Slimrith, nudged him as if to emphasize that point.

“We are simply asking you to collect one person, not even a whole gang or group like most jobs would,” said the Slimrith more calmly, his raspy voice just above a whisper.

Lily laughed at this, a hearty bark that seemed to take the Bog male and his friend by surprise.

“That’s all well and good, but you seem to think I’m an idiot,” said Lily, her laugh betraying her impatience.

“I don’t know what you-” began the Slimrith, but Lily would have none of it.

“The man you want me to hunt is part of the crew of one of the Four Rulers. The 'Prince', if I recall, yes?” Here both aliens turned pale, or at least the Bog did. One could never tell with the fully cloaked and masked members of the Slimriths tribes, but he did hunch over further, which seemed like an accomplishment.

“Even if I ignored that he belonged to the second biggest group of bounty hunters out there, which, why would I? It’s against the code to set a job on another bounty hunter unless he breaks said code. Did he? No!” She snapped before either could try to answer.

“You were greedy enough to want to trade in one of your own but didn’t have the balls to do it yourself. So, you figured, ‘Let’s ask her to do it! She’s probably desperate enough, and might not notice what a dickless duo we are!' ...but I did.”

Lily saw the Bog reach for his piece even as she mocked them, and threw what was left of her drink at the Bog's face, blinding him before he could fully take aim. She took the opening, and with a swift movement, knocked the gun off his hand. The Slimrith didn’t get a chance to react; he had reached inside his cloak but was too slow to match Lily, who smashed her now empty bottle on the table and pointed the sharp remains at his partner's throat.

“You have any idea how expensive the beer is here? If you were gentlemen, you’d offer to replace it, but I’m guessing not,” she said, as the Slimrith stared at her angrily.

“You’re a fool! We all know you haven’t had a job in months! Moray won’t allow it! And you have only yourself to blame, picking who you did as your first officer!”

Lily spared him a glance at this, eyeing him dangerously to let him know one more word and she might turn the broken Tres Zetas bottle on him instead. The Slimrith winced at her glare and seemed to think better of antagonizing her. “Come on Raki, we’ll find someone else.”

The Bog slowly moved away from her, eyeing the broken bottle with dread, but soon followed his friend towards the exit. As rude as they were, what bothered Lily most was that they were not wrong. Picking the self-proclaimed "Kaiser" of the bounty hunter's disgraced second officer as her own had affected their employment. Ever since he took over as leader of the Four Rulers, Moray pretty much controlled most of the jobs for all mercs. He and his crew took most of them, of course, and what few he spared to keep the others happy, he had made sure she and hers didn’t see a single one.

This was still only their first year as a crew, but the only jobs Lily could get for them were either from private citizens not going through the usual channels or ones so low even Moray didn’t care to filter them. The latter would not suffice in the long run, and with the former, you ran the risk of the client being full of it. That’s the only reason she had taken this meeting, even though she knew it would probably turn out as it did.

“No luck again, Captain?” came the floating mechanized voice of the LX-47 Ad-bot serving at the bar.

“Afraid not, 47. Unless you got anything else for me, I think I’ll call it a night and give my crew the bad news.”

“Well, there is a mysterious hooded individual that came in during your argument. She asked for the least likely to, and I quote ‘stab her in the back after she paid them more than they deserved.’ So, you know, I thought of you.”

“She sounds lovely,” Lily said with a sardonic laugh.

“Not really, but I know that's human sarcasm.”

“Tell her to drop by, can’t be any worse than the last two.”

47 left and returned with a young alien woman with a black hood covering her bluish-green face. Lily didn't immediately recognize the species, but she still couldn't have been more than twenty-one or so, but she certainly looked like someone who had seen some action already. Her clothes were skin tight, except for the odd green chest plate and her combat boots. A white holster strapped to her thigh carried a blaster she hadn't seen before. Custom job maybe.

The girl kept glancing nervously around the room as she sat down, clutching at het chest as if guarding something precious there. “Are you Captain Lily?”

Her voice was harsh and filtered through a breathing mask, which Lily only now noticed as she faced her. She was some kind of aquatic species, and she noticed the ridges on her arms now, and the tip of the long head fin poking out of her hoodie. Her yellow eyes felt fierce though, they immediately grabbed her attention. There was some real grit behind them.

“Yes, I know. A privilege to be so close,” she said with a genuine smile, tipping her hat at the girl.

“...um, sure. You see, I was told you’d be available,” she said, looking decidedly unimpressed. Lily tried not to look annoyed at this and merely settled back against the soft cushion of the booth, arms extended to look relaxed and confident.

“Oh, we are," she said. "But you should know slots fill in quickly, and I got offers for days,” and she wondered if perhaps wasn't overselling it.

“They told me you haven’t had a job in three months, and that you and your crew have been blacklisted.”

Well, she called that bluff, thought Lily as she deflated a bit. It didn’t leave her a lot of options, so she decided it best to play it straight.

“All right, you did your homework, but whatever you may have heard, my crew can get any job done just as well as any other man, woman, or tentacled-face person in this bar!” 

Lily was quick to defend her crew, she was used to being discredited by reputation alone, but it was unfair that they had to suffer that same stigma when all they did was sign up with her. And she was damned if she was going to take it twice in one day.

“I also heard as much,” she responded more sympathetically. “I don’t know who you pissed off, but I have no issue with you. I was told you would honor any job you got and see it through, and right now that’s exactly what I need.”

Lily was listening now and feeling not a little sorry to have jumped the gun on the young fish girl.

“My name is Em'maliniu Hi'rioni," and she took her hoodie down, letting her large head find flop down freely like a cascade of beautiful hair would. "I was on my way to Montalban to...well, doesn’t matter anymore. On my way there, our ship got attacked by the HPA. At first, I thought they were just after the Tovarian refugees traveling with us, but it turns out they were after a Coalition spy.”

“And I'm guessing that's you?” asked Lily, dreading the inevitable answer.

“Yes," she replied. "I work alone, taking on sabotage jobs for them across the system, and was on my way back from one where I...found something.” She looked downcast for a moment before continuing, “The last HPA base I struck happened to have this around and I couldn't help but take it.” She pulled out a small electronic device from inside her chest protector. Lily recognized it immediately as one of the black data sticks the HPA used to keep their most sensitive information.

“The officer carrying this was well protected, he told me what was inside and I know how useful this can be to the Coalition. How it could help them save lives from the HPA by helping us find them first...if we can get it safely to them," and here she looked up at Lily with hope in her eyes.

Lily pursed her lips and she eyed the data stick in Em'maliniu's hand, processing her story and all the implications this job would entail. Finally, after a long pause, she said, “...ok, but first I need to ask you something."

The girl gulped a bit but steeled herself, "yes?"

"So are you like a space mermaid? Is that your deal?"

The fish girl blinked her yellow eyes a few times, incredulous, but then bared her teeth angrily at Lily.

“What does that have to with anything?! Why do humans always bring that up?!” she replied beyond annoyed.

“Just saying, you basically look like one, except for the whole two legs you got going on, and we are in space, so..."

“I’m not a mermaid! Please do not refer to me as such! I don't  knowwhat your whole species' fascination is with them, but-”

"Hey, they're hot and they sign sailors to their death! What's not to like?"

"I do not sing sailors to their death!"

"All right, all right, calm your fish girls! I feel you on that. Will try to keep it in mind as soon as we get past these guys." 

The girl didn't need to even ask, she immediately turn around as the front doors banged open and three HPA soldiers walked in, rifles in hand and looking ready to use them. They looked around the room, clearly looking for someone. Oh, whoever could it be, thought Lily with very little amusement.

“Hey! You’re not supposed to be here! The HPA doesn’t get to just waltz in here when you feel like it,” yelled the bartender as he came over to meet the intruders.

“Our money seems good enough for your 'kind', so I’m sure you won’t mind us taking a look around the place.” The lead soldier spoke as arrogantly and angrily as one would expect from an alien-hating group.

“You want to find someone around here? Put out a bounty and we’ll find them for you,” he replied angrily.

“We did, and it’s taking too long!  You got a problem with us? Take it up with Moray. Now move in and find her!”

Strictly speaking, the HPA and Moray were allies, but he knew most bounty hunters could not stand them, even if they did take jobs from them occasionally. Mushi was supposed to be a safe space for all of us, even those out of favor. Allowing the HPA in here would not play well, and even Moray had to play the long game.

“I’m guessing they’re here for you,” she pointed out as the girl put her hoodie back up, but they would spot them soon enough.

Em'maliniu cursed under his breath, and looked around ready to bolt, or worse, do something stupid. Lily could see her reaching down for her not so concealed blaster.

“Get your hand out of your pants,” she commanded, startling her.

“Nothing good ever comes out of pulling your little toy in public and waving it around,” she commented dryly. "That's what boys do. If you want to leave here alive, then just answer me one thing...you got any money?”

“Not really,” she admitted, but was quick to add “but the Coalition should! My handler has funds to spare for something like this."

There was something genuinely earnest about the girl, something good. Maybe she had just spent too much time around a more unpleasant sort, but Em'maliniu's plea reached her. She let out a heavy sigh, already thinking how she was gonna sell this to Astor, but that was a concern for later. First things first.

She got to her feet and cracked her neck audibly, calculating her best exit plan. Lily was nothing if not direct, and the most direct way out of the bar was through the front door, and the HPA men standing between them.

“Follow my lead and stay behind me,” she instructed as she walked calmly towards the soldiers.

The whole bar sensed what was about to happen, and she was heartened to see that even with Moray keeping them out of work, she still had built enough of a reputation that the nearby bounty hunters steered clear as she passed them.

“Excuse me, boys, we’re just going through. Nothing to see here,” she said to them pleasantly.

“That one is our prize.” said one of them, pointing at Em'maliniu behind her.

“Are you sure? You know, technically more than half the hunters here have a wanted poster of their own. You're not really committed to this gig until you got some skin in the game."

“You have three seconds before we...wait a minute, I know you. You’re the admiral’s dau-!” Lily made her move before he could finish, drawing her sword out and straight into the man’s face.

The nose guard of the white helmet cracked as the pommel of Lily’s sword connected, and a loud crunch was heard as his nose broke under it. The man clutched at his face in agony as he fell to the floor, screaming.

Lily wasted no time and ignited the edge of her blade, watching it turn to a bright red as she swung it before the other two could react. One elegant side motion and a quick series of cuts, and both rifles broke to pieces in their hands.

The soldiers were no doubt taken back by the blade, them being so rare nowadays. The HPA still trained officers with them, but it was purely for ceremonial purposes than any practical reason; most didn’t even bother carrying them. Lily had been the only one to take her fencing lessons seriously, which is why she earned top marks and beat everyone she ever came across. Well, except her mother.

Her one pet peeve had been the color, as with everything, the HPA insisted on making it green. But green wasn’t her color, so she made some modifications to make the laser edge a bloody bright red, which gave her a more dangerous look, and one that was working from the looks of the two soldiers.

She moved the sword slowly through the air, cutting it and enjoying the soft whistling it made. She let the tip of the blade hover just above one of the soldiers’ helmets, gently lowering it until it made contact with it. The spot started to burn and let out a small billow of smoke, as the laser-edged blade cut through it like warm butter.

“The polite thing to do would have been to gracefully accept you’re not welcome and bow out quietly. Instead, you boys chose to make a scene and now look at you, on the floor, bleeding, and with one of you possibly about to lose their hair.”

Lily didn't exaggerate, a few more seconds and the blade would have completely burned through the helmet and into the man’s head. He was trying very hard not to yell as the whole thing heated up like a microwave.

“Moray won’t stand for this,” replied his partner, pure venom in his voice.

“That’s ok," she sheathed her sword, "we’re already on his shit list."