I leave the checkpoint and brace myself for the noise of Vimos Station. Hundreds of voices rise above each other, some selling merchandise, some just trying to be heard by the person next to them, and some arguing so passionately that they’re attracting the gaze of passing enforcers. I keep my eyes firmly averted from those enforcers, manoeuvring through the edge of the crowds while scanning people’s faces for their level of desperation.

I’ve occasionally gotten jobs just from noticing how badly somebody wants something. It could be a product that they’re too good to steal, yet are still willing to pay me to do it for them. Or it could be someone that they’d rather ‘disappear’, no questions asked. Everyone here wants something; it just depends on whether they’re willing to pay me to get it for them. I’m probably the least suspiciously dressed person on the whole space station. People pass by in great cloaks that hide any definable features. And the noise makes it almost impossible to tell if two people are having a chat about galactical politics or are selling human organs.

A Torl man bumps into me. I immediately seize his wrist. “Give it back.”

He scowls. “Why’ve you got one of our rings anyway?”

I wrench open his hand, grab the ring and slide it back on my finger. “Obviously because I married a Torl. Steal something again and you’ll lose the hand.”

“Maybe you just killed one of us. The gem only goes black when one of the owners dies.”

“Really? You think I don’t know that?” I grab hold of his cloak and lower my voice. “It’s like you’re asking to be killed.”

Fear registers in his white eyes. “Y-you’re Valentina Mayes, aren’t you?”

I let go of him. “It’s Tina. And yes. How’d you know?”

“T-The Headquarters. I w-was there, in a cell, when you-.”

Two enforcers walk past us, barely glancing at me. I’m gone before they take a second look. I weave through the crowds as quickly and discreetly as I can. Just have to look like I’m walking towards something and not away from something. It can’t be too difficult. What do I need here again? Right, some armour for next week. That Torl guy reminded me of what’s coming up. I certainly don’t have the credits for anything after that Calitrexia fiasco. To think, I did all of that and didn’t even get paid. Yana would have been proud that I didn’t demand it. I just wanted to get off that planet.

I’d rather get off this station too. Who knows what that Torl guy will do? He obviously won’t directly go to the enforcers, he’s just a common thief, but he could put an anonymous tip in that I’m here. Most enforcers wouldn’t care, but the Torl ones, and maybe those Calitrexian ones now, they’d make blending in a little more difficult. It’s not like there are no better targets here. I just happen to have very solid evidence against me. It’s completely Yana’s fault. If it wasn’t for her, I’d have never stayed on Torline for longer than a week.

“Tina!” someone shouts, looping their arm around my neck too casually for comfort. “If you’re looking for one, I’ve got just the job for you.”

“Karne. Didn’t know you were good enough for this place.”

He laughs. “Still got that sharp tongue, don’t you? Well listen up, I’ve got this small assassin problem messing up my trading deals in twelve different systems. The guy’s gone ahead and killed all the right people to start up civil wars on these system’s primary planets. I’m sure he’s being paid by some weapon manufacturers who’ve scored deals with all the sides in these little conflicts; that doesn’t really matter. All you need to know is that I’m willing to pay you a large sum if you take out this assassin.”

I pull Karne’s arm off my neck. “Sounds like a tough target. One thousand five hundred credits upfront, one thousand five hundred when the job’s done.”

“C’mon Tina, we’ve been friends for years. Why not cheapen it up a bit?”

“How many people have you sent after this guy so far?”

“Only seventeen or so. But they’ve been no match to you so they were bound to fail.”

“You know my rates. If it’s a major risk to my life then it’s three thousand.” I smile. “Plus, you’ll lose even more money if someone doesn’t end this guy. And you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“Fine. I’ll go transfer the credits along with the details.”

He walks away, shoulders drooping and feet dragging on the rusted metal floor.

“Nice doing business with you!” I call out, smiling as he flips his middle finger up at me.

*

Luckily Karne was sticking close to his assassin problem, because the guy is on Vimos Station. I wouldn’t have pegged Karne as acting intelligently; maybe he got dropped on his head again. My main concern is why this assassin is here of all places. Is he getting weapons and armour for his next target or is his next target here? The latter would make things much more complicated. The only political leaders here to assassinate are the gang leaders. And I am not about to get in the middle of a gang war. That would warrant at least another five hundred credits.

It doesn’t take me long to find the guy. Karne’s description was pretty accurate: an Aicer with hair darker than black, eyes the colour of Earth’s sun and skin like storm clouds. It’s a wonder he’s done so well as an assassin. Aren’t those lot meant to be discreet? The massive sniper rifle on his back says otherwise. It’s a miracle no enforcers have found something to charge him with. Carrying weapons here isn’t illegal, but it’s certainly enough to make enforcers keep an eye on you. It’s why I’ve only got my handgun; a plasma rifle is a lot more suspicious.

Murder is illegal though, so I doubt that I’ll be able to just shoot this guy and walk away.

I’ll have to tail him. Maybe he’ll need to pee and I’ll take him out then. Or maybe assassins don’t have to pee. I wouldn’t know. Sure, I’m technically taking a job that involves killing a particular individual, and I’ve killed a bunch on other jobs, but it’s not like I’m someone who treats killing like some sort of art. I just do it because I’m paid to or because the person is trying to kill me.

Yana started out refusing to kill, even when she did pull the trigger, she’d stay up thinking about the person’s face and whether they had friends and a family depending on them and all that other nonsense. Her restlessness would keep me awake until I managed to calm her down. It’s been odd to be able to fall asleep without calming her first. Who am I kidding? It’s been odd to fall asleep without her.

The assassin stops suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. He looks back and I pretend to be twisting my ring around while looking around. His gaze falls directly on me, I can feel it, but it passes onto each and every person in his immediate vicinity. Eventually he moves off again, his pace faster. I act like I’m chatting to someone on my wristband while following him at a reasonable distance, glancing up occasionally to keep an eye on him.

He finally turns off into an empty corridor. I wait several seconds, and then enter. I stumble to a stop and look around with my best confused expression. The assassin has stopped and is staring at me with a look eerily similar to hunger. I frown, look back the way I came, then turn to him.

“Hi, do you happen to know where docking port five is? I could’ve sworn it was this way.”

“You’re going with the lost act, really?” he grumbles.

I stare at him with a blank expression. “Does that mean you don’t know? I’m sorry, this is my first time off Earth and I was meant to be meeting this cute Torl girl here. I must’ve gotten turned around. If you can’t help me, I’ll just be on my way.”

“Who sent you?”

I turn to say goodbye, but his gun is raised. “I-I don’t kn-know what you’re t-talking about.”

“You’re armed. Did you really think that I wouldn’t notice?”

“I h-heard this station wasn’t s-safe.” I say, eyeing off his gun. “I-I guess I was r-right.”

This better work. I just need him to lower his gun a little and I’ll have a clean shot.

“Tell whoever sent you that I’m not an idiot.”

“You’re l-letting me go?”

He takes a step forward, studying me carefully. “I didn’t know humans could have eyes so orange.”

Why’s he care what colour my eyes are? Just lower your damn gun already.

“O-oh. That’s just some g-genetic anomaly.”

“Hm. Fine, go meet your girlfriend or whatever.”

He lowers his gun completely.

I shoot him right between his widened eyes. “Actually, I was sent to kill you.”

I snap a picture of him, send it to Karne and tuck my handgun away. I stroll into the deafening streams of people and watch as credits stream into my account. It looks like I’ll be able to afford that armour after all. Maybe I’ll even get a sweet visor so people can stop focussing on my eyes so much. Yana was the one who stopped me from hiding them, but she’s not here to nag me anymore. I can barely believe that she’s been gone for almost a year now.

It’s about time I pay her a visit.