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He landed the hover in a lot in a shipping district. Alex had programmed a new ID tag for the hover, but didn't want to risk it anywhere close to where he was going. He preferred changing tags through hardware, not programming.

The trip had taken slightly more than four days, he'd been able to push the engines when awake, since he wasn't jacked up on stims, and with being able to access the network, he'd been able to sleep while the hover kept flying.

The area looked exactly like hundreds of other shopping districts he'd been in over his Merc career, if he hadn't come from a town filled with Samalians, he'd think he was back on one of any worlds populated solely with humans. He didn't even see the occasional Samalian in the crowd, or a store selling Samalian products.

Why were any of those people here? Who came to a vacation world, only to soak in the culture that was prevalent where they'd come from?

He dressed in something less conspicuous, keeping only the under armor for protection and wearing loose pants, a shirt and one of his least armored jacket, to try to get away from the mercenary look. Reluctantly he left his gun in the hover and put a knife at the small of his back and in his boot.

He felt under-prepared without his gun. He could bring the Azeru that was in Tristan's pack, but he didn't like the small weapon. It lacked the power he preferred.

He exited the hover and mixed into the crowd, doing his best to move casually, like someone on vacation and not a Merc on a weapon run.

He missed being home where he didn't have to bother about stuff like how he moved and what weapons he carried. He thought about calling home, checking on things, but it hadn't even been two weeks since the last time. He didn't want to make Kline feel like he didn't trust him to look after the town, and there was always the possibility his call would be noticed by corporate security.

He hadn't noticed any heightened security on his way to the city, but after the destruction of the building, the corporation had to be on high alert.

The walk to the Samalian neighborhood was without incident, and his way to Jof's shop was surprisingly quiet. None of the kids who had trailed him were thereabouts. He couldn't believe they'd gotten so good since his last visit he wouldn't be able to tell they were there.

Maybe having Jof tell them off had put him in the category of people they shouldn't bother or, more likely, something had changed.

He found out what had changed when he noticed the man in one of the narrow alley not far from Jof's shop. He was mostly shadowed, but the jacket he wore was armored. And he noticed how the man's gaze stayed fixed on Jacoby as he walked by.

Merc, definitely not the usual corporate security, like what had been in the building Tech had blown up. They'd brought in one of the Merc units that specialized in running security, which meant he had to be careful.

Jacoby walked by Jof's shop without giving it a second look. When he noticed another man in the shadow he took out his datapad, calling up the city's map, but deactivating the positioning option.

"Excuse me," he called out, waving to get the man's attention.

The man stiffened, and Jacoby had to fight every instinct telling him to get a weapon out. The man was wearing heavy armor and while he couldn't see the gun he was carrying, the bulge under the jacket was large.

Playing the lost tourist, Jacoby acted like he hadn't noticed. He gave a nervous laugh. "I'm sort of lost, and this damned thing is glitching, it won't tell me where I am." He looked at it. "Can you tell me where to get to the Carlison market? I'm supposed to meet my wife there, but she just had to--"

"Scram," the man growled.

"Look, I just need directions, or to at least know where I am on here." He turned the datapad so the man could see the map.

The man stepped into the light. And Jacoby forced himself to take a step back, instead of preemptively stabbing him. Hard face with multiple scars, scared knuckles from the multiple beating he'd given. "Do I fucking look like I give a damned where you are?"

Jacoby raised his hand. "Okay, okay, sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I'm leaving." He went back to walking. He gave one glance over his shoulder, trying to look afraid and the hurried away.

Outside the neighborhood he leaned on the wall and pretended to check his datapad while listening for anyone coming from that alley. When he was certain he hadn't been followed he considered his next step. He had to get in contact with Jof.

He couldn't call, his line would be monitored, and while Alex could circumvent that easily, Jacoby had always relied on programs. Programs he hadn't carried with him for over forty years.

"You need help." The speaker was a young Samalian with light copper fur with swirls of black. He wore canvas pants which had seen better days.

Jacoby almost told him to leave, but realized he could be the answer to his situation. "Do you know where..." he had to search his memory for the Samalian's full name. "Jofdelbiro house is?"

"Maybe," the young boy? Girl? Jacoby decided on boy, just because he didn't want to think a girl would engage in this kind of hustle.

Jacoby smiled. "How many credits will it make for you to remember?"

The boy snorted. "What my going to do with those? That's space stuff."

"Fair enough, what is it going to take for you to remember and delivered something to him?"

The boy looked Jacoby over. "Two bags of Horftun."

"Okay, where do I get that?"

"Three," the boy corrected.

Jacoby smiled, but didn't feel like spending any more time haggling. "How about I make it five?"

The boy looked at him, eyes narrowed, ears halfway folded back. "Will it get me hurt?"

"Not if you avoid the people watching his house."

Another snort. "Humans don't see much."

"Then you won't get hurt. So, is five enough?"

He pointed to a shop on the other side of the road. "You can get that there."

"Two now, the rest when you've delivered it."

"Four now."

"Three, and I'll give you three more when you get back."

"That's six, not five."

"I'm glad you can count, does that work for you?"

"Three now, three after. How do I know you'll get them?"

This wasn't this kid's first hustle, Jacoby thought, it was probably not even in his first few. Considering how many humans were here, it was probably how he made his living.

"Okay, how about this? Point me to someplace I can wait for you."

"You can wait here."

"I'd like to sit down."

"You can sit here."

"Kid," Jacoby was losing his patience. "I want to sit at a table, maybe have a drink. I don't expect you to be quick."

"They don't let me in any of your places."

"Then show one where you can go in."

"They're not going to like you there."

Jacoby chuckled. "Kid, Most of my working life has been spent dealing with people who didn't like me. I can handle it."

He thought about then shrugged. He pointed at a door at the corner. "That's Porfi'Nat's. He's got food and drinks."

"Okay." Jacoby wrote a quick message, then transferred it to a data chip. He handed that to the boy. "You give that to Jof, and tell him that's where he'll find me."

The boy took the chip. "The Horftun?"

"Give me a name, not your real one, just a name I can tell the person in charge there so they can hold you three bags."

"But I get three now."

"The moment you agree, I'll go buy them."

The boy nodded and gave him a name Jacoby could easily remember and pronounce. Horftun turned out to be a type of meat, which was dried and packaged in bags. Three of them were almost more than the boy could carry, but Jacoby didn't comment.

He went in the door the boy had indicated. It was a smaller version of Dini's Tavern. With the bar on the right side of the room, and a dozen tables close together throughout the room. Half of them were occupied and everyone stopped what they were doing to watch him. The most of them stared at him with open hostility, a few went back to their food.

One caught his attention as he headed to the counter. He dropped the three bags on it. "These are for Jifnik, he's going to be by for them in a while." He offered the thin Samalian a credit chip. "That's so you'll give it to him and not keep them for yourself."

He took the chip and placed the bags on a shelve behind the counter, in view of everyone.

Jacoby found a table against the wall and sat. He looked at the two Samalians seated on the opposite side of the room. Unlike everyone here, who only wore some type of pants, he wore a long coat with an odd hat, large brim with the sides bent up, and a dip in the crown. That was what had caught his attention, he'd seen a hat like that before.

There had also been the sense the Samalian had recognized him. Which was impossible, he only knew one Samalian, and that was Tech. He'd have remembered one with orange fur, with the white around the eyes and under the muzzle and neck and the black stripes.

No, it had been a human who'd worn the hat, and the long coat, if he remembered correctly. It had been a long time ago, when he was still living the life, the man had stuck with him because he'd felt off. He hadn't been on the job, it was a case of two jobs intersecting, and he hadn't worn any armor, hadn't carried any weapons other than a sword and a knife. Neither of which looked to be modern.

He's still held his own in the fight, somehow taking hits and not falling. He'd gone his own way once the fight was over.

"I give," The thin Samalian was standing by his table, breaking his chain of thought. "No need watch. I give."

"I'm not watching." Not you anyway. "Bring me something to drink."

"Not have drink for your kind."

Jacoby smiled. "Then bring me something someone here would drink. I'm waiting for someone and I'd rather be a customer than a loiterer."

The Samalian didn't look like he understood most of what Jacoby said, but shrugged and came back with a large mug of a foul-smelling drink.

The Samalian with the one wearing the long coat looked more like the others here, wearing only pants, although they were in better condition. He had golden fur which was darker and longer around his head, falling down to his shoulder.

The golden-furred one glanced in Jacoby's direction then to his friend and they talked. They finished eating and left, not looking at Jacoby again.

He didn't touch his drink, passing the time doing some research. He looked for which Merc company had been hired, but he was out of practice navigating the boards.

Someone who wasn't Jof sat across him. "I'm waiting for someone." He said, going back to his datapad.

"You're waiting for me."

Jacoby looked at him? Her? Something said 'her' to him. "You're not who I'm waiting for."

"My father isn't coming."

Jacoby put the datapad down. "Your father?"

"Jofdelbiro."

He studied her, darks sandy fur, brown swirls. "You were at his shop."

"Do you want to do business? Or are you just here to drink that?" she made a face at the mug.

"Fine. Crimson placed an order, but Jof's place is being watched."

Her ears did some twitching. "After the building where the corporation stores its equipment was destroyed, any Samalian who's even looked at weapons is being watched. If I didn't need the money your friend offered I'd tell you to go deal with one of the human weaponeers."

"Then can you get me the weapons?"

She pulled out a datapad and began working on it. Jacoby took it out of her hand and wiped it. "Don't use that. The corporation's got its ear in it."

"You think I don't know how to protect my data?"

"I think you don't know the corporations like I do. If they're watching you they have someone listening to all data around you."

She indicated his datapad. "You didn't seem worried."

"I was just doing generalized searches. Not about to tell them where you're holding illegal arms."

"Then how are we doing this? Am I just telling you where to go?"

"No. You're going to walk out and start walking down the road in a straight line."

One of her ear canted. "And why do I want to do that?"

"So I can spot your tail and get rid of it. Put your hand on the table."

She frowned, her ears folding back. "Is that a human thing?"

"It's a 'let's deal with this' thing." He took one of the small comm units out of a pocket. She placed her hand on the table and he took it in his. "When I want to talk to you, I'll have it click. Don't react and just listen to me. Understood?"

Her ears did something.

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Yes. I understand."

"Good. Now. Is there a way out the back? And can you convince whoever runs this place to let me out that way?" As she led him to the back, he glanced at the bar and noticed the bags of meat were gone.

* * * * *

He was on the roof a moment before she left the tavern. He spotted the first of her tail instantly. She had to know about him too, he was being so blatant about it, which meant he was the decoy. The second, the real tail, was more careful, staying on the opposite side of the road and blending in with the crowd. He looked for another one, but the two seemed to be it.

"You have two of them," he said in the comm. "This isn't going to be quick. Nothing that can be done about that. Keep walking I'm going to deal with one of them. Don't try to lose them; that's just going to warn them you know."

He climbed down the roof and hurried to the other side of the street. He wished he was armed. He could have taken both of them down from the roof with the rifle, not that it would have been discreet, and he didn't feel like leaving bodies lying around, too messy.

He should have brought tranquilizers. He should have expected this wouldn't be straightforward. No job ever was. That was why mercs existed, so the wealthy didn't have to deal with the unexpected. There was a time he was always ready.

A long time ago.

He hurried to catch up to the Merc tailing her. Doing his best not to attract attention from the crowd. Fortunately he looked more like one of them than another Merc, so he only came across as someone in a hurry.

He walked behind the man, looking ahead for an alley and for enough of a break in the crowd he had a chance of doing this without anyone calling security.

When the opportunity presented itself. He grabbed the man by the neck and pulled him in the alley. The man broke out of the hold and immediately attacked.

Jacoby blocked, parried and dodged, gauging the man's strength, both physical and in tactics. He was young, so had the strength advantage, but not as experienced as Jacoby.

He waited for the opening. Punched him in the throat, then grabbed him in a chokehold. The man tried to get out of it, but he was already fighting for breath. Soon he wasn't struggling anymore.

Jacoby found the restraints and had the man secured. He went through his pockets and found an injector with a potent tranquilizer, and no guns. They were under order to capture whoever they were after. They were hoping she would lead to someone who might know something about the destruction.

He pocketed the injector and went back to the street. He needed to catch up to the other before he realized he was alone. He walked as fast as he could and spotted him. Again he wasn't even trying to hide the fact he was tailing someone.

This side of the road was less crowded since it followed the Samalian neighborhood. He injected the man with the sedative and pulled him in an alley, leaving him there to sleep it off.

"I've neutralized your tail. Keep going, enter the direction on a chip, then turn around. When we bump into each other hand it to me and go home. Be careful heading there. When they realized you aren't tailed they'll probably try to grab you."

He went back on the street and walked in the direction she had. He took out his datapad and made to read it as he walked. He saw her turn around and head toward him. She didn't acknowledge him and they bumped into each other. He almost dropped his datapad as he reached to keep her from falling over, and she reached for him.

"Sorry," he said as they grabbed each other's hands and steadied themselves. He let go of her as she grumbled something in Samalian, and he continued walking, pocketing the chip.