Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows (Part Four)

Nobody had came out into the alley when the screams started, or stopped. I had to leave the knife behind, but at least I had a name. A name I hadn't heard of before. The name had turned quickly into a dead end, perhaps he had been lying, or too far gone to tell the truth. Nobody had known who he was talking about. Maybe it was just his name I ended up with, or worse a new player I didn't know.

Frustrated, I had cursed the lost time, and re-focused on the real reason I was there. For the first time in years one of the slave traders linked to my enslavement even more years ago, would be out in the open, more importantly, with his family. It would only be fair, he and his family for mine. It would be a waste of assets in this place to kill him, but I was well past worrying about those ramifications.

First I had to flush him into the open, for that I had to use some of the cells to form a diversion. Yesterday, after the attack on me I had heard rumors that my target, and family, had showed up to the same casino they would be today, betting and watching the capsuleers Alliance tournament. One cell would rush the casino, eliminating the guards, while another distracted the local police, with a suicide bombing aimed at their headquarters just blocks away.

I couldn't bring myself to call him by name, Harcourt Durand. He had financed the raid on the backwater colony my family had lived on. The raiders had been brutal in separating men from wives, parents from children, in an effort to keep them all under control. Honestly, it hadn't taken much to find his involvement, his financing for these kinds of raids wide-spread in their notoriety. It was just a shame the slaver who had actually done the work had died before I had gained my freedom.

The Casino grounds were wide, spread out in a show of luxury on an otherwise back-water planet. It wasn't well known, but it was well protected, and well designed. Automated defenses did most of the work, covering the approaches and doors with equal vigilance. Probably using the most sophisticated intelligence and sensors to determine threat from guest, likely under the direct fire control of one or two controllers in the security building.

I hadn't had any hand in helping the cell design their attack on the Casino, to them it was a symbol of the corruption in this sector. Money that should have gone into their schools, or to promote more jobs in the area went instead into helping build this. It wouldn't be long now before they got their chance for some payback.

I moved to the other corner of the overlooking building, towards the diversion, but left the massive rifle where it lay at the casino's corner, next the the rumpled security officer I'd found up here. He'd recover, but that recovery would be slowed by the drugs I'd put in his system to keep him quiet and out of the way for the next hour or more.

The diversion was the classical choice, a nondescript government building, some kind of tax organization or another. The important factor was it was a easy target, the cell hitting it was small, and expendable. Their plan I had fully vetted, the diversion being usually more important than the main attack. Some of their number would slide into the building, others waiting just around the corner. The advanced group would take out security camera's and guards without anyone sounding the alert. The plan didn't hinge on the lack of an alert, but it helped.

Once security was down, the other teams would rush in and get as many people out as they could, while others planted the bombs. Then they would also evacuate the building. Anyone left inside would be collateral damage. It was harsh, but the more attention pulled there would be the less response to the casino. I wrapped my hands around my binoculars, waiting…

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I didn't see or hear anything for a long time, each minute that passed made my heart rise in my chest, I wandered back to the other side of the building using the scope to scan the casino. Harcourt's vehicle was already there, he and his family safely inside through one of the underground entrances, but after the attack, there would be no where to go but out the doors and into his car. Looking back over at the federal building, nerves ran amok in my head. I started running through everything that could go wrong. Not that I could expect to hear from that team until the explosion, I just wish I could have heard anything.

Police radios and emergency networks were too encrypted to listen-in to easily, so all I could do was wait. I heard and then saw first one and then a second police car whine around the building I was in at high speed, headed directly for the diversion, their passing directly preceding the whip-snap of high velocity gunfire in the distance, muted by the streets. I checked the timeline, no surprise one of the guards, or the automated system had alerted. It was already a race against time.

I pounded my fist against the side of the roof, heading back to my binoculars to watch. I couldn't see anything through them, just watch the steady stream of police headed in that direction, fire and medical units passing by slowly, well behind the line of fire. Some one must have detonated a bomb early, the single loud crack and sudden surge of smoke over the rooftops confirming it.

A ripple of other cracks sounded shortly afterwards, deep black smoke bellowing from the middle of the city, the diversion had been successful, to a point at least, two more police patrols passed the bottom of the five story building I stood atop. Now for the main attraction.

Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows (Part Three)

My bed felt empty when I woke, I allowed myself a few minutes for my mind to catch up with my body. I had landed here just under 24 hours ago, between organizing weapons, and talking to contacts I had only made it back to my second apartment in the city at just past day midnight as they called it here.  That'd be roughly 0500 standard, still hours before sunrise, actually just heading into dark, a rough 3 hours ago. Days were long, but so were the nights.

I had been recognized by the various cell leaders I managed to contact yesterday. A interesting group of fighters if I had ever met any. The thing about creating a stimulus was you didn't need to find people who's views matched yours exactly, just ones with influence, resources, and malice usually were good enough. The first group had started out as a militia going nowhere quickly, looking to expand their credibility by pulling off something "large." They'd be the hired muscle in this case, lots of guns, very little experience or intelligence. A perfect distraction.

Some of my other cells, though I doubt they would love being called that if they found out who else they were 'working' with, included various independent hackers, anarchist groups, and a single old Rote crewman who had grown tired of the good life after retiring from a STUGH battleship just after AT8. Likely just after watching my Bhaalgorn get torn to pieces. He had been most helpful, but wouldn't be participating further.

I slid out of bed, still mostly dressed, I had left my boots on, the shirt resting over a chair close to the bed. Today would be my chance to get ready, and clear any remaining trail back to me. A rustle drew my attention to the wooden, though metal reinforced front door. Feet moved on the other side and I tensed, soft whispers just barely registering with my enhanced hearing.

My time was up in this apartment, I grabbed my leather jacket, my mind taking off at incredible speed, the apartment was on the second floor, overlooking a convenient escape stairwell mounted to the side of the building. Windows be damned, I plowed through, my crash corresponding to crash of some kind of ram, or person slamming into the front door of what was previously my apartment. I landed sideways on the stairs, using my momentum to propel me over my back and onto my feet, tearing off down the single flight of stairs, my booted feet crunching noisily in the alleyway. I looked back just in time to see a pinched Amarr face peer out the window.

Looking out like that always confused me and I wished for a weapon to reduce my tail by one. I barreled around the corner, just as three pursuers, including the Amarrian, made it onto the balcony. They were too slow by seconds, sheer luck had saved me this time. I wasn't clear yet.

My heart beat in my ears, drowning out the sound of any pursuit, and of my footsteps. I pounded down one street and then the next, ducking into the dark alleyway, noticing for the first time the oppressive darkness all around and the chill in the air. Implants activated deep in my skull, lightening the surrounds, a small overlay map appearing in view at just the right place. It networked sounds and sensory inputs too small for my brain to make out to map the local area, just two angry red place markers falling off behind me. I threw on my coat to combat the cold and mute my sounds a bit, aiming towards a corner that would hopefully lead me back to a main street, where ambush was less likely.

I near slid to a stop around the next corner, the Ammarian inches away from me, slug thrower raised just below my shoulder level. A bad place for him, especially given the surprise registering on his face, he must not have expected me so soon. My body crouched, more by instinct than command, my right arm was leading around the corner, it popped up slam against the gun-holding fore arm, jarring the gun up and to the side, the bang of the gun rattled my eardrums, some kind of hasty suppressor reducing the crash of the high velocity slug to a bark.

The Amarrian, to his credit, did not wait to see if his shot had landed, his other hand was already in motion, heading towards a nasty looking knife concealed in the folds of his pants. It came up towards me with incredible speed. My left hand met his just above his wrist, denying his first thrust by redirecting it outwards, my right arm and hand pivoting to twist around his right, taking the gun out of the fight while I was able to stay inside his arm span.

My left hand balled and struck while his side was exposed, striking his exposed armpit before I came at him again, my fist connecting with the side of his face, sending him limply to the ground, his face bleeding, or possibly that was my knuckles. I realized I was still holding his gun arm, and relieved him of the gun, a smallish caliber pistol, well worn, with a improvised silencer attached to the end.  The two other goons crested the turn behind me, winging barking shots off the wall next to us both. I ducked back, considering taking the Amarrian out of the fight, more permanently.

The two other goons took that option away from me by charging me in a show of sheer bravery. One that I ended with three shots, the first one, quiet, impacted in the ground next to goon one's boot. The next took goon two just below the sternum, dropping him mid run to the floor as the impact and exit of the bullet separated his spine from his body, tossing it all over the ground behind him. No body armor, I mentally noted, and moved on to my next shot. One that should have missed, but goon one, failing to continue his luck from the first shot, dove towards me. Firing his gun, like a bad holo-drama, as he flew through the air towards the ground. Not surprisingly, his shots missed by a wide margin. My third shot was headed for the ground, an easy miss if the goon hadn't dove towards it, bullet three met goon one's eyeball and exploded, with the bullet and remnants of his brain, out the back of his head. It was the kind of crazy thing that can only happen in a fight for life and death.

The Amarrian stirred at my feet and I have him a short, sharp kick to the side of his head for his trouble, reaching down to take the knife from his limp hand. My map resolved in my vision again, apparently the Amarrian hadn't gotten so much in front of me as I had run in a tight circle, taking two lefts, a right and then three lefts. I smirked, nearly as smart as some of the things I said to Usagi. It was time to see who, and why. The knife was deceptively sharp for it's size, I made sure to dull the blade on the wall while waiting for my visitor to wake. It also took about that long for my hands to stop trembling.

Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows (Part two)

It always was a thrill sneaking through security, though basically perfect forgeries and identities were a dime a dozen for someone with the resources of a capsuleer, sneaking past a Federal ID checkpoint always served to pour in the adrenaline. One person ahead of me, a short, loud and rather foul smelling Intaki businessman chatted with the security as they read through his paperwork. Though corruption had fairly gutted most of the credibility of anyone on this planet but the federal guards, they were still serious. I moved up, my turn.

The fedralist stared at my ID and then back up to me, quiet as he regarded yet another minmatar worker staring down at him. He took his time checking my name against various warrants, known criminals, CONCORD pirates. I showed up in none, well, I guess I should say that my current ID showed up in none of the databases and I was shuttled through as just another traveller, a migrant worker even, my pod jacks hidden by the tall collars of my currently in fashion jacket. It was a small grace against the hot wind blowing in from outside, but a welcome distraction from any further questions.

I had taken more detours and shuttles than I could count. If it weren't for the small computer keeping track of my movements, I would have been lost by now.  Instead after just short of 24 hours of travel, and 20 hours of sleep. I was inside the, well let's just call it, personal hell. At least it wouldn't be for much longer, if everything went to plan.

It had been a while since I last stepped foot planet side. Dust tickled my nose as I stepped outside, the planets 1.13g, more than what I was used to, but not uncomfortably so. To fit in a bit more I had removed the spikes from my forehead, dropping them off along the way, along with my other piercings. It was tough to fit in more than that, even on a Gallente world.

The first stop was to a small apartment I rented months prior, a change of clothes immersing me into the local culture. Tight leather greyish pants hugged my body closely, a red and white slashed t-shirt covered my chest, I slipped of my more simple sneakers in favor of heavier boots. I stopped by the mirror, chuckling at the image, briefly wondering what Usagi would think. Turning slightly, I think I knew. I waited for the flush of that thought to clear my cheeks before heading back out.

My usual mohawk somewhat subdued after hours of travel, drooping more from the heat in the air. Moving through the streets unnoticed was easy, even if people had been paying attention. Eyes down, minding my own business I easily escaped notice of the three Police just outside the hotel, not that anyone would have reason to expect any trouble. I certainly didn't. The lobby was nice enough, squalor by podder standards of course, a simple polished rock entry way, with a small bar to the left.

The bar was less than impressive, the heat in the bar some ten times that of the outside.  Probably to let the men and women inside wear as little clothing as possible. The heat formed pinpricks of sweat on my forehead, joined quickly by the rest of my body. I brushed the sweat off my forehead irritably with the back of my hand, scanning the bar, heading to one of the tables in the back.

I had to weave through several throngs of dancing teens, the table I was headed to had five occupants already, a bit older than the rest of the crowd, but still unconsciously swaying to the beat of the music thrumming through the air.

They turned as I approached, one of their team holding a gun on me. I hoped they remembered me, or I would be off to a bad start.

Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows (Part one)

I awoke slowly, the soft buzz of my alarm in the back of my ear, waking me and not my sleeping companion. Our naked bodies were twisted together, meeting in the most intimate of places. I looked down her back, noting with a satisfied grin the scratch marks on her back, my hand innocently cupping her hip, the sheets half covering us both.

I lay there for a moment, enjoying her so soft skin against mine. I willed my hand to slide down and squeeze her supple ass, her back arching, pressing against me as I did. I let out a quiet noise of approval, running, no, scratching, my fingertips up the curve of her ass before removing my hand from her.

I disengaged my body reluctantly from Usagi's, leaning down to kiss her neck as I withdrew, intentionally leaving the covers where they lay. The view was more than worth it. Picture worthy even, soft light pushing through the tinted window in my bedroom doing wonderful things to the curves of her body. Wonderful enough to consider getting back into bed and waking her, again, but the annoying, insistent inner ear drone of my alarm wouldn't let me. I turned to my closet, blindly reaching in for a pair of pants and shirt hanging there, my eyes unwilling to leave the sight on the bed for long. The cool shirt slid over my chest, over the red marks left by her fingers, on my back and covering the marks on my chest from her teeth, yes, it had been a good night.

There was a soft Napanii murmur behind me as I turned around, looking back at her, this time her eyes on me, and I couldn't tell if she was enjoying the show or sad to see me go, or both. Technically we were in my quarters, but I was still the one leaving. I pulled on my pants, grabbing finally for the jacket strewn on the floor, I took one last, long, glance over my shoulder and then stepped out.  I had spent more of my time looking at Usagi then getting ready, and was already late.

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The next four days would be critical, various cells were becoming impatient, and understandably so. I had set them up for years. Carefully plotted their hate and ambition to meet the needs of my cause instead of theirs. Taking each cell and placing them carefully at the throats of others. I took my seat on the small, inconspicuous shuttle for second time in as many weeks. Last week had just been observation, watching, testing, putting final things in play.

This weekend wasn't just going to be the opening rounds of this years Alliance Tournament, but the settling of a score long overdue. I leaned back into the seat, muttering about the overly long loading time, even though the loading time had saved me from missing the shuttle entirely. The flight times of the interbus shuttles would seem forever as opposed to flying myself, but I needed to be unnoticed. I closed my eyes, the image of Usagi on my bed appearing behind my eyelids, a small involintary grin appearing on my lips, her smoldering gaze looking up at me, it sent a pleasant, if sad shiver up my spine. My eyes snapped open when the hiss of the shuttle compressing met my ears.

I turned to the small window, watching the ship slide out of the TXW-EL station, headed towards Vestouve and Empire, a STUGH and then Veto. vagabond undocking in unison, their capsuleers blissfully unaware of our shuttle just to the side of them, the lean HACs twisting towards the 5-F gate. I turned away from the window, tucking my hand under my chin, willing the time to pass faster. Settling this score would be nice, but at this point, getting back might even be nicer.