The lower docks of the Arzad space station were quiet save for the steady footfall of Minmatar slaves heading towards a waiting transport.
Three robed figures hid in the shadows, guns ready, waiting for the 'overseer' to pass by.
Garst Tyrell glanced up from his clipboard to give an occassional yell, ordering his men to work faster.
A slave collapsed from the line, exhausted and malnourished. The guards scooped him up and carried him away, the Minmatar's scream could be heard just before he was flushed out an airlock.
Garst shrugged and turned his attention to the remainder of his cargo. He walked along, doing a last minute inspection before giving the order to load them up the ramp.
Shalee watched him from where she crouched, hidden in the shadows, her hair pulled back and tucked underneath the hood of a heavy cloak, waiting for a moment to catch him alone.
In the dim light, she had no way of knowing who the overseer was Garst, a man she had spent the last few weeks running from. She had went out of her way to avoid him, having done a good job at hiding out on her downtime. She had hopped he would eventually give up on her and head back to null sec. So far the plan had been working, she'd only ran across him once in space by chance.
One of her guards gave a nod, signalling the time to move out.
Nearby, the last of the slaves made it up the ramp. She could hear the orders given to the crew for the hatch to be raised.
Something about the voice nagged at the edge of her subconscious. A recognition. But at the moment she was too focused on her part of the plan to let her thoughts drift from getting the job done.
Her orders were to hold the overseer, a name given to whomever were purchasing the slaves, make sure he was subdued while the transport was hijacked.
They moved swiftly and with precision. Three guns took aim as they circled in around Garst.
"Move and die," she said as she took the rear position.
He dropped his shoulders impatiently, clipboard falling to his side. "If you want money, you're barking up the wrong tree. I dont carry any on me."
"We don't want your money. Keep your hands up."
In the background gunfire suddenly errupted as some of Garst's crew were being taken out- the ones who tried to intervene. The ramp lowered and the slaves were lead off of it again.
Reluctantly he raised his hands and placed them above his head in the universal sign of 'surrender'. He turned slowly to smile at them coyly, shrugging his shoulders as if to say "you got me". He winked in her direction "And who might you be sweety?"
She finally recognized the voice. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck as she took a step away from him, cursing under her breath. He hadn't recognized her at least. She gave a silent prayer.
Another guard spoke, "Shut the fuck up you filthy slave bastard. You will not talk to her." He cocked the gun.
A rush of people flooded the dock at once. Gunfire filled the air, screams errupted. The freedom fighters took control of the situation as best they could, trying to usher them down another corridor to another dock where they would be loaded up and taken to safety.
The moments trickled away. She was tense, her body rigid from not moving a muscle, keeping the gun aimed at him, knowing that if he had any inkling of who she was, he would kill her.
"Thats my time and money you're fucking with sweety. How do you want to die, slow and painful, or slow and messy?" He goaded, frowning with anger.
She pretended to ignore him as she listened to a guard give her the all set over comms. The slaves were now loaded up onto another ship and was undocking.
Now all they had to do was get the hell out of there themselves. She gave a nod to the other two, motioning for them to go ahead and prepare the shuttle.
As the two started to back away, she shifted around, keeping space between Garst and herself.
"Hey where do you think you're going precious?" He stormed after her, yanking her towards, pinning her in a choke hold and placing her directly in the line of fire of her guards.
"Fuck off. We are letting you go. Take advantage of it." She struggled in his grasp.
The two guards keep their guns aimed, but were hesitant. "Let her go."
He pinched a pressure point on her left wrist until she dropped her gun. He warpped his arm around her thigh awkwardly pinning her close, holding his right arm around her neck painfully.
"I want my propety back and I want it now," he whispered coldly.
She shook her head at the two guards, "Impossible. They are gone."
He started to choke her tightly when she finished speaking, making her gasp for breath.
The guards moved in closer, guns still aimed though they didn't have a clear shot.
"You're not really helping your case madam. I spent a lot of time and money aquiring that stock and I don't have the time or patience to start all over."
Shalee gasped for breath as she felt his hands tighten around her throat. Her eyes locked on the guards. "Go." She screamed at them. A direct order. She was their superior and a capsuleer. She knew that if Garst somehow had a chance to kill them, he would. They would die on this dock, the worst case scenario for her is that she'd wake up in a soft clone.
"Go!"
They hesitated for a few seconds then scrambled off into a nearby shuttle.
He relaxed his grip. "Thats better. Now lets talk, you and I. Man to bitch." He threw her forward suddenly. "Turn around and face me, get on your knees where bitches belong. We are going to talk."
She stumbled forward, rolling across the metal grating. She dove for the gun, fingers wrapping around it as she rolled over onto her back, aiming up at him. "Don't come any closer."
"What are you gonna do, shoot me?"
"Don't tempt me."
"You dont have it in you."
"Just back away."
He raised a mocking eyebrow, "Would you like me in you?" A sadistic little grin spread across his mouth, "You need something in you to tame that wild spirit, because you certainly dont have the guts to pull that trigger."
She glared at him as she scrambled to her feet, trembling, gun aimed at him. "You have no idea what I am capable of Mister Tyrell."
"You know my name. You think that gives you any power over me?"
She sideglanced, taking note of what ships were docked up. A few shuttles. "You need to get on that shuttle and leave. Now."
"Not without my property, are you deaf? Or do you think you can get away with murder out in the open, with witnesses around?"
She shrugged, "Maybe you'll resurrect in a soft clone, one from the time of your days in PIE before you became such a cold hearted fuck. I'd be doing New Eden a favor. And anyhow, nobody here will stop me."
He jolted when she mentioned PIE. Recognition slid across his face. "Shalee," he growled her name. "I should have killed you last time. Did you enjoy your time in the city lockup?"
"I was never arrested for your crime."
"I don't even know who I killed nor do I care. What does interest me, other than the theft of my property which well get to shortly I assure you, is what you're doing chasing me off all over New Eden?" He advanced toward her with an exaggerated swagger.
"Stop!"
"Still looking for a real man, eh hotlips?" He stopped and smiled viciously at her.
"I swear to God I will shoot you, stop."
"Don't you DARE use the Lord's name in vain bitch. I may no longer be a card carrying member of the Empire..." he trailed off collecting his thoughts. His voice softened suddenly, "You shouldn't give me even more of a reason to kill you."
She shot at his feet, the bullet richocheted off and pierced a nearby wall.
"You know youre going to die right?" Anger flushed his face. "I'm going to start with your fingernails. I'm going to pull them out one by one while you watch. Those pretty little red fingernails wont be scratching the back of anymore of your man whores any longer."
She inhaled a quick breath as she started walking backwards, making her way to one of the shuttles, keeping her hands wrapped around the gun, aimed at him.
"Then I'm taking your hair. Chopping it off. Not a peice left on your head when I'm done."
"Go to hell."He took a step towards her as he taunted her, "I have to see you again, I must already be there. I will promise you one thing. Its going to hurt. And when you die? I'll find your next clone, and do it all over again."
Fear. Wave after wave of fear rolled through her.
"I might even film it and send it to Zenton. Unless." He spread his hands. "You return my property right now. Right now. So how much do you value your life?"
She fired again as he mentioned Zenton's name. The bullet ripped through the fabric of his pants near his calf, milimeters from his skin. "STAY AWAY!"
"You're wasting ammo along with my time. I'm not going to ask again. My property or you life. You have five seconds to decide how long you want the rest of your life to be, and how painful."
She shook her head, "No. You will not have those people, but I will send you the isk you spent on them."
"Not good enough. We both know this system is days away from occupation and when that happens the slave trade is going to go underground. I don't have ISK to spend on black market price bullshitting."
"That's a laugh. You're Garst Tyrell, CEO of No Mercy, you should be rolling in isk. Don't lie to me."
"War isn't cheap. Only lives." He smirked as if he suddenly had an idea,"Maybe we can come to an agreement after all."
"You want those slaves? Fine keep them, theres always more being bred every day. If you want them you will give me that isk and come with me right now." His gaze locked on hers as if willing her to say yes.
"Come with you? Absolutely not. Youll be leaving this station. Alone."
"Not if you want to keep your slaves and your life." He offered his hand and his most charming smile. "How bout a win win?"
"The slaves are long gone, and you seem to forget that I am the one holding the gun."
"It doesn't matter. We both know you wont use it, you may as well just toss it away."
"Apparently it does."
"I'm done with this. Wheres my god damn isk?"
"You'll get it as soon as I am out of here."
"I don't trust you. You'll rip me off."
"You dont trust me?"
"After what you've done?"
"Good. Because you shouldn't. I hate you more than I've ever hated anyone."
"After you tried to kill me last time? You don't know about true hate."
"After you tried to rape me!" She screamed at him.
"Consensual lust isnt rape."
"Fuck you. You don't know anything at all."
"I know enough to see the way you've been eyeing me this entire time. You want me."
"God you're sick." She took another step backwards, her back coming flush with the transport door. She slammed her hand against the open switch and stepped through the threshhold backwards, never taking her eyes off of him. The door slid closed and locked.
"The game continues, silly little butterfly." He picked up his clipboard took out his comm unit, whistling as he strode down the hallway, "Back to work."
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