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[Alvarez]

"Tony, Tony, Tony ... I told you not to sell us out," a woman said sweetly.

Tony, startling awake and opening his eyes, found himself staring down the barrel of a military issue plasma side-arm, the vapor coils glowing a sooty reddish-brown and putting off a steady heat. He found he couldn't move his arms, either, feeling them bound to the bed with police-ties.

"Who the he-" he started to yell as the gun was pushed into his mouth. His eyes met hers, though the light behind her head hid most of her features. Two other guido-looking assholes stood behind her, smirks on their faces as the woman reached out and patted Tony on the head.

"I hope the money that the LPI paid you was worth it, honey. I hope you got to enjoy at least some of it." she said. "You didn't honestly think you would get away with selling out one of you own, did you? Bobby's rotting in Huntsville right now if the Xenos haven't killed him yet. Jim was killed when they stormed the warehouse and Allie was sold to some goddamn Corsairs. All because you couldn't keep your mouth shut."

"Mmf mmhmmm mfff!" Tony yelled into the gun barrel.

A white glint appeared as the woman smiled, the light reflecting off of her teeth.

"Don't worry, Tony. I'll look after your boys, or have someone look after them. Junkers look after their own, even if their father's a traitor." the gun clicked as she turned off the safety, "Any last requests?"

Sweating profusely, Tony started to cry, screaming into the gun barrel. He thrashed about and then -

A sharp sizzle and gore, what didn't evaporate in the intense heat, splattered all over the wall and bed.

"The Junkers always take care of their own.."

[Arch]

Several floors away in one of the hanger bays a beet up old Armored transport makes a rather ungraceful landing. As the hum of the engines quiets the ramp lowers and arguing can be heard from within the ship.

"If you ever do that again..."

"You'll what? Shoot me? We both know that's not going to happen."

"Not only did you drink all but the one bottle of rum but you bit me while I was trying to dock and stole the last one from me! You could have killed us!! If I'd have hit the throttle we would have smashed right out the other side."

Just then a dock worker comes up and asks if everything is alright and if theirs any repairs to be done to the ship. "Kid theirs always repairs to be done look at her. And no everything isn't fine. Can you have her put in a cell for a while?"  Pointing to Reiko.

"Um yeah we can do that."

"Haha I'm kidding but I may take you up on that in a few hours."

"What? Too scared to do it yourself need to ask him to do it for you?"

"Scared of you? Don't forget who works for who here. I'm the Captain and like it or not you follow my orders. Now if were done. Were done right?"

"Yeah were done."

"Good. Ahh good old Rochester, the black market capital of Sirius."

"Yeah yeah, the one stop shop for what ever you could want. I've heard it all before can we just go to the bar already?"

"I'm gonna give that kid your job, he calls me sir and dose what I ask when I ask."

"He probably gets payed better."

Arch shakes his head and throws his hands in the air as he starts heading to the bar. Reiko follows arguing with him the whole way. Once their Arch grabs a bottle of rum off the bar and sticks it in her face.

"Shut up!!"

...

"Much better. Bartender, add that one to my tab and bring another."

The two sit at the usual table in the corner over looking the rest of the bar as the bartender brings the other bottle. "Good to see you again Arch. I see your still having crew issues."

"I'm not an issue you stunted growth now get out of here."

Muttering to him self. "There has to be something better then this. That guy out in Nuremberg happens across an abandoned base and sets up shop there not only has his own base but living the good life out there. Here I am, come up with a truly unique business and stuck on a ship with the devil her self. Its not easy making contacts in every faction in Sirius. One would think that kind of connections would pay off by now."

"What are you stuttering over their?"

Arch looks at Reiko and for a moment imagines the mess his plasma pistol would make and the silence that would follow. Then the look on her face from the other night when she was hammered and dancing in the ships cargo bay and didn't know he saw her crosses his mind. 

"Just trying to figure out whats next. This war between the houses should really be bringing more profit. So far the most Ive gotten is supply run jobs. With any luck the resent escalation will bring with it more information. Cargo runs are for suckers, information is where the money is. Should get in touch with some of my higher up contacts maybe they will have something useful."

"Yeah what ever, I'm here to drink. And I think later I'll drink some more."

Arch pours him self a drink then puts his feet up on the table and leans back in his chair before taking a drink.

"I like that plan, it has all the important things a good plan needs. A start, drinking and and end, more drinking. Just one little flaw, theirs no credits to be made in it. So later once all the Rouges get good and sloshed lets steal the guns off their ships, sell them to the weapons dealer who will then sell them back to em."

"Hahaha, aye aye capin."

"There's the spirit. This is the best job in the void.  Now I wounder who those two thugs are that just walked in. Their not Tony's usual guards."

Reiko turns to look as they enter the bar.

[Alvarez]

Life was turned upside down when Tony's body was found without a head yesterday. There were rumors of who did what, what did who, and who was coming after who. The only indication of what had happened was a small holo-disc that had three Junker names on it and a list of files showing Tony's link to their disappearances.

Joey didn't give a shit about any of that, except that now that Tony was dead, all the workings of Rochester were his to deal with. Great. He didn't mind being a second in command but frankly, he hated the responsibility of being the one making the choices.

So when the door to his little "office," which wasn't much more than a storage closet, opened, he said "What in the hell do you want now?!" as he turned, pistol in-hand.

What he saw was a woman with short, pink hair with a green lock, a trenchcoat and a brilliant smile. Flanking her were a pair of goons, each holding carbine-style guns which, to Joey's practiced eye, looked like they were of Liberty make.

"Hello, Joey," the woman said sweetly, "I've come to alleviate you of your command." The two guidos hefted their carbines but were at least nice enough to not point them directly at Joey.

Joey cocked an eyebrow and sat back in his chair. "Is that right?" he asked, a smirk coming to his face. "You think you just walk in and take over Rochester?"

She nodded slightly then and said, "Tony and I came to an agreement." Joey looked a bit less sure of himself at that comment. "After he betrayed three of mine, we figured he wasn't fit for command anymore. I could use a man like you to back me up though, Joey."

Suddenly Joey recognized her. She'd done three stints on Huntsville, in the heart of the Xeno territory and lived to tell the tale. Rumor had it the LPI was trying to get rid of her by putting her in there but she'd killed half a dozen of them and they left her alone.

Katrina Pride. They called her the Lioness. She ran one of the tighest-knit Junker groups in Liberty. Just a small time band of smugglers, miners and thieves, never-the-less they took care of their own. Violently, in fact. She even was called the "Lioness" for her protectiveness over her "pride."

She ran her hand over Joey's desk, then sat down and crossed her legs. "I think it's time that we united a bit further than we already have. We may very well be thieves, smugglers, sellouts and thugs ... but all we have is each other. Tony didn't seem to realize that. Hopefully you do, Joey."

Slowly he nodded, setting the pistol down on the desk. "Well, if that's the way you want it ... I want 30% of whatever you're in to."

She smiled that dazzling grin at him and replied, "If you'll accept 22, we have a deal."

[Arch]

(OOC: There was a slight failure to communicate on how we were going to RP this but I'm just going to continue on so forgive me if it seems a bit awkward lol. Oh and some parts may be a little on the graphic side. Not too bad though.)

One of the men walks over to the table and places a data pad in front of Arch then without saying a word he turns and they two leave the bar. Reiko turns back to Arch; "What was that about?"

Arch is silent as he reads the information stored in the data pad. As he reads further into it his face becomes serious before he shuts off the pad and places it into his pocket as he sets his drink on the table and stands up.

"We have to go to Beaumont Reiko. Leave the drinks I need you sharp on this one."

As they launch from Rochester Reiko sits in the co-pilot seat starring at Arch unsure what to think as she has never seen him so serious about anything before.

"Whats going on? Your starting to creep me out. First you leave perfectly good rum at the bar and now your heading to Beaumont with an empty cargo hold looking like your about to kill someone."

"That's because that's exactly what were going to do."

"What!?"

"You remember when Tony's brother on Beaumont contacted us and wanted me to dig up any information I could find on a fellow Junker that went by Lioness?"

"Well I did, only I found a lot more then just information on her. I also found information on Tony and his brother James. Tony was selling out our own to LPI which really wasn't surprising. What was surprising was the fact that his brother has been dealing with the Xenos. He has been providing them with weapons witch they then use on our own pilots. Katrina contacted me a few weeks ago and said she had plans to deal with Tony and asked if I could hold the information I had on her until it was done."

"Yeah and? Get to the part where were killing someone and more impotently tell me you have a plan."

"Tony is dead. Katrina is now Matriarch of Rochester. Word will get to his brother soon, so we have a very small opening to take advantage of. James is expecting us, hes waiting on that information. However he wants to keep it between us, probably so he can have his new found Xeno friends deal with her and none would be the wiser. Just another Junker killed at the hands of the Xenos. That's our opportunity, he will meet with us privately behind locked doors."

"I see just one little flaw in this plan. Even if hes already dead, as soon as we open the door his thugs are going to be standing there. Not to mention the fact that isn't there someone to take over should he oh I don't know end up dead?"

"There was. The Xenos attacked his ship during a trip to Yanagi for a business meeting. He probably found out about James's dealings with the Xenos and was on his way to inform the others. As for his thugs I have every confidence in your ability."

"Can I bring that Gatling laser I picked up the other day?"

"Uh I think that's a bit much. Why don't you head down to storage and grab the 4 good plasma pistols. Not the standard military issue ones, I mean the good ones that we got off the hackers. Oh and you remember those anti-grav devices we picked up on Cambridge research station? Bring those too we'll have some fun with this."

Reiko jumps up and says "Ohhh I see how you want to play this. Might actually work. Never knew you had it in you." then she heads out of the bridge.

As the transport nears Beaumont Arch contacts the base control center and informs the traffic controller that their expected.  "Docking permission granted. Please proceed to docking bay 2, hanger bay 4 is open."

"Acknowledged Beaumont control heading to docking bay 2 hanger bay 4."

Once the Transport sets down in the hanger bay the cargo ramp lowers as Arch and Reiko walk down the ramp. "Welcome to Beaumont Arch. James has been expecting you. This way."

"Well nothing beats sending a peon as a welcoming party."

"Uh."

"Don't worry kid I know how he is. He don't pay you to think."

"Uh no sir that's not it. I'm supposed to ask her to stay with the ship."

"Like hell you will, if he wants to meet with me he can meet with the both of us same as everyone else."

"I'm not supposed to let her leave the hanger."

"Fine with me." Arch turns to head back to the ship.

"Wa wait, fine she can come but she better not drink his rum this time."

"We can find our own."

Arch and Reiko are taken to one of the more luxurious sections of the base. Unlike the lower levels there are actually windows as well as carpeted floors, and plants in pots along the hall ways. Almost as if James was going for a corporate look.

"Looks a bit gaudy don't you think Reiko?"

"Well its definitely cleaner then our ship but I think the little trees are a little over the top."

When they reach the end of the hall way there's a large room with absilutly nothing in it and a rather heavy door with two rather heavy guards standing on ether side.

"This must be the place."

"James is expecting them."

One of the guards opens the door as they all enter the meeting room. Inside there are two more guards and a man standing behind a desk with his back to the door staring out a window.

"Ahh Arch. You sure took your time on this one. Your usually a lot faster then that."

"We'll you know how it is. There's a lot going on these days, the war between the houses has boosted business considerably."

"So did you get what I asked for?"

"I did."

The man tilts his head signaling the guards to leave the room. As they do the doors close behind them.

"So what did you find out?"

Arch turns to Reiko, she slowly begins to make her way around the desk toward James as Arch responds.

"Quite a lot actually, far more then I expected."

Arch pushes the button on the door control panel to seal it shut as Reiko pulls her gun and puts it to James's head.

"For one James you should never turn your back to an open door. Second you really shouldn't be so trusting as to send your guards away. And last I know what you've been up to. The Xenos? Of all the people to do business with you had to pick them? If they had their way Rochester and Beaumont would be nothing more then more scrap floating around Liberty."

James turns his head slightly to look at Reiko out of the corner of his eye before she pushes the gun against his head harder telling him to turn around. Arch pulls his pistol as he walks up ti the desk. He places a fist and the barrel of the pistol on the desk as he leans in toward James. He looks James strait in they eyes and with a stone cold face says.

"Tony is dead."

Fear grips James as it sets in just what is happening.

"Rochester knows what he did, Katrina is running the show in New York now. And I know all about your deal with the Xenos. You sell them weapons in return they over look your rum shipments as they pass threw Texas. To bad the deal is only for your shipments. Those of use who make a living out there find our self's being shot at by weapons you provided them."

"Come on Arch, its business. If it wasn't for that deal only half of my shipments would get threw thanks to this deal I've doubled my profits."

"At the cost of your own people. Junkers are dieing from our own weapons and it ends now!"

Just then Arch stands up and in one swift move raises his pistol. The room fills with the smell of plasma discharge blood splatters on the window and wall as James now headless body hits the floor.

"Damn Arch you could have warned me. I was standing right there!"

"I didn't want him to see it coming, I want him to be surprised when he realizes hes dead."

Just then thuds can be heard against the door as his guards begin firing at it trying to get in.

"Well sounds like its time for part two Arch."

"Yup now comes the fun part."

Arch turns and toward the door and pulls his second pistol as he walks toward it. Reiko follows suet and the two take positions on ether side. They activate the anti-gravity devices and push themselves off the floor drifting up to the ceiling.

Reiko looks over to Arch; "These pore fools wont even see it coming." Just then theirs a loud crashing sound as the guards blast threw the door. Seconds later they enter one by one weapons drawn searching the room.

"Where did they go?"

Suddenly Arch and Reiko open fire. The fire fight lasts only seconds but leaves a horrible mess. The screams of James erend boy can be heard from outside the room as everything settles. Arch looks around and puts a couple more rounds into the body of one of the guards who foot is still twitching.

"Well that brings a whole new meaning to shooting fish in a barrel."

Reiko busts up laughing as Arch pushes him self back toward the floor and turns off the device.

"You can stop screaming kid, its over were not going to kill you. Here take this. Plug it into the computer in the base control room. I want it broadcast on every vid screen on the base."

Arch punches a few buttes on the data pad and hands it over to him. After he heads off to the base control room Arch looks up and grabs Reiko pulling her back down.

"You know your going to have to clean all this up don't you.? I cant have my new office looking like a war zone."

"Oh real funny Arch. Why do you have to go and ruin such a great time with something like that?"

"No really get to work."

"Shut up, don't make me shoot you too."

"Haha well you never change."

"Nope, and your still full of surprises."

Arch walks behind the now rather slanted desk and sits down in the chair leaning back and putting his feet up on the desk.

"Your a true Junker now Reiko, you've learned the business and now you understand what happens to those who put profit before the safety of our own. Unlike the Houses our corrupt leaders can be cleansed by anyone with the proper information and the nerve to do what need be done."

Reiko pushes a body out of one of the chairs siting before the desk and sits down.

"Well its efficient I'll give it that. I do have one question though. Where did all of this come from? I never took you for the violent type."

"Hahaha. Underestimation is a powerful weapon. James underestimated me when he assumed I was not a threat. You underestimated me when you assumed I wasn't capable of fighting. To survive in this business you must know when to show your hand and when to hide it. You don't need to hold all the cards, just make everyone else think that they do."

Reiko bows. "Well played. I have a new found respect for you Patriarch Arch."

"Well its not Captain but it dose have a nice ring to it doesn't it."

"I'm still not saluting you."

"Cant you just enjoy the moment? You smell that? That's the smell of justice and success."

"I thought it was the smell of plasma scoring and death."

"Aye well in this case its the same thing! Go away you bother me."