Fic: Private Transactions (B7)
Title: Private Transactions
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1600
Characters/Pairings: Soolin, Deva
Notes/Warnings: Pre-S4.
Summary: Soolin sells her skills, that’s how it works. This time, though, is just a bit different.
For aralias in the 500 Prompts Meme - Prompt 332: if looks could kill - Soolin & Deva
***
Someone moved in the shadows ahead, and Soolin pressed herself back against the corridor wall, her weapon primed and ready. One wrong move and whoever it was wouldn’t have time to regret their mistake. Carter Dome was more than half empty already and she hadn’t been expecting anyone hanging around here at this time of night.
“What do you want?” she asked, after a long pause of both apparently waiting to see what the other would do. She had no desire to stand in the corridor all night.
The newcomer moved forward nervously, out of the gloom and into what small light the corridor offered. “To hire you.”
Soolin turned her head. She was almost inclined to be amused, though she knew by now it wasn’t safe to underestimate anyone, least of all a stranger who evidently had some idea about who and what she was. Still, he wasn’t her usual type of client, if there was such a thing. He was hesitant, softly spoken, and he didn’t appear to be armed, either. “You want to hire me?”
“You are Soolin, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she said, back on her guard at the use of her name.
He hesitated again and then took a step nearer, for which she gave him some credit. As far as appearances went, she’d have expected him to still be quivering round the corner. But, as she’d already reminded herself, it didn’t ever do to judge by appearances. That sort of thinking could shorten your life.
“Well, then,” he said, suddenly sounding slightly more confident, “we want to hire you. If you’re wondering we - I’ve got the credits.” He held up a credit chip. “It’s all in order.”
Soolin raised an eyebrow. “Is it? You’ll forgive me if I don’t just take your word for it.”
“Of course.”
“And,” she added, “what is it you want me to do? I assume you have a target in mind. It isn’t only about the money, you know.”
He looked briefly amused. “But mostly it’s the money, I take it?”
“Don’t waste my time. Who is it?”
He turned his head, watching for her reaction as he spoke. “Tal Frint. He’s - well, he’s -”
“Yes,” she said, and she couldn’t keep the ice out of her voice. She had noticed Frint. “I know. I’ll take it - assuming everything is in order, of course. I will have to check.”
“I had a feeling you might want to take this one.” He smiled, and moved forwards. “Now, this card contains all the necessary information to get you past his security system. Once you’ve activated it, it will also close down that system - and Frint doesn’t trust anyone, so he relies on the automated security as much as he can. I trust that’s going to prove a fatal error.”
“If you’ve got that,” said Soolin, sceptical again, “what do you need me for?”
He held out the information card. “This - this is my line of work. Yours… isn’t, I’m afraid.”
“I see,” said Soolin. “How long will that give me, would you say?”
“About twenty minutes at least. Assuming, of course, that you can deal with any guards who are there - there is usually one.”
“Of course,” said Soolin. “Anything else?”
He nodded. “Yes. He has people - prisoners - in there. Release them. We’ll be waiting outside for them - we’ll deal with that side of it.”
“We?”
He shrugged. “Friends. Family. It doesn’t matter. You’ll do it?”
“Assuming all of this checks out,” said Soolin, but privately she thought: With pleasure.
“And, of course,” he added, still polite, “the rest of the credits will be made available after you complete the, er, task.”
Soolin nodded. “Naturally.”
*
Frint wasn’t the man who had taken her and killed her family - that was obvious, since she’d killed him a long time ago - but she’d recognised him almost on sight as fundamentally the same type of lowlife. Different name, different planet, different racket, but always the same. Like too many others, he turned up and took what he wanted, set up a game of destruction and death and corruption. He ruined the lives of everyone around him and didn’t care. So, yes, she knew him, and she counted what she was doing as a public service.
Well, a public service as long as one ignored the hefty sum she was getting from her mysterious and nervous friend.
*
She’d checked out everything she could, and the money was genuine, which was the essential thing. She still didn’t have more than a single name for her contact, though - Deva, apparently - and she couldn’t guarantee that the security card he’d given her would work until she tried it. It had better do all he said, she thought, though she made preparations for if it failed. She wondered who he was working for, if it wasn’t only himself. She would have preferred to know. It had taken her a while to register it, but there had been one thing he’d said in particular that worried her.
She’d have to get to the bottom of it before she left this planet, but first she had work to do.
*
It didn’t take her long. The card got her access, exactly as promised - she’d go so far as to say she was almost impressed, provided it continued to work - and she’d shot her man within five seconds more. The guard had followed less than a minute after. Given how unwatchful he’d been, she wondered if that one might qualify as suicide rather than a kill.
Finding the prisoners took more time than she had anticipated, however. The building wasn’t large and she had begun to wonder if this was some sort of trap, after all, though it’d be a strangely elaborate one if it was only her they were after. She wasn’t under the illusion that she merited that much attention from the authorities. But what she’d first taken for a large safe turned out to be the door to a narrow staircase that led down into a locked cellar - now unlocked and a few nervous, ragged prisoners were already edging their way out.
Soolin hurried them up the stairs and then on out of the building. She watched them disappear into the shadows of the woodland, where she saw other figures emerging to usher them away. It seemed to have been a successful night’s work, she thought.
As she took a few steps away from the base, she ran into Deva again, edging towards her from around the side of the building.
Before he could say anything, either about the mission, or the further credits he owed her, Soolin pulled her gun on him, pressing it into his face.
“The money should be all in order,” he said, sounding even more flustered and breathless than he had before. “And I have the rest - there’s really no need to be so -”
“You said you knew I’d want to take this one,” she said, pulling him further away from the base, towards another section of the woods. “How did you know that? And careful what you say now - the wrong answer and I’ll kill you as soon as look at you.”
He sagged back a little, almost as if in relief. “Ah,” he said. “I suppose that was a mistake. But there’s no need to do anything drastic. I told you. I’m good with computers - and you seem to have a tendency to turn up in some interesting files.”
“That’s plausible,” said Soolin and edged away a fraction, though she didn’t lower her weapon.
Deva coughed. “And, incidentally, I do still need to clear that last payment, so if you prevent me returning, that chip will be quite worthless.”
“I told you it isn’t only the money,” she said. “Sometimes it’s about job satisfaction.”
“Ah,” said Deva again.
“Which I’ve already got from this one,” she added, putting the gun back in her belt. “I won’t ask any more questions, but you can keep the rest of that.”
“That’s an odd attitude for a mercenary,” he said, and now he sounded as if he might be amused, but she couldn’t quite tell, not in this light.
Soolin shrugged. “My life. My decision. Just keep out of my files in future.”
“If it would help,” said Deva quietly, “and as an alternative payment, I could conceivably, er, remove you from some of them.”
“Well, I do like to keep a reasonably low profile,” Soolin said, with a smile. “It’s a deal, then. And if you have any more business to put my way, I’d be interested. Just don’t expect lower rates again - mention that to anyone, and I’ll have to deal with you, after all.”
“Further business?” Deva echoed, sounding alarmed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was hoping this would be a purely one-off arrangement.”
Soolin gave a distant smile. “I see. It must be nice to have that luxury. I wouldn’t know.”
“And,” he added, covering the awkward moment, “I don’t think we could afford it - not at your usual rates, you understand.”
Soolin nodded, before she let him go. “Yes. I understand.” When it came down to it, there was no telling who you could trust, but at least he had good taste in enemies, which counted for something as far as she was concerned.
It had, she decided, been a good night’s work. She might have lost half her fee, but on the other hand, she’d have paid for the privilege of putting a rat like Frint out of his misery. Anything else was a bonus.
***
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there:
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1600
Characters/Pairings: Soolin, Deva
Notes/Warnings: Pre-S4.
Summary: Soolin sells her skills, that’s how it works. This time, though, is just a bit different.
For aralias in the 500 Prompts Meme - Prompt 332: if looks could kill - Soolin & Deva
***
Someone moved in the shadows ahead, and Soolin pressed herself back against the corridor wall, her weapon primed and ready. One wrong move and whoever it was wouldn’t have time to regret their mistake. Carter Dome was more than half empty already and she hadn’t been expecting anyone hanging around here at this time of night.
“What do you want?” she asked, after a long pause of both apparently waiting to see what the other would do. She had no desire to stand in the corridor all night.
The newcomer moved forward nervously, out of the gloom and into what small light the corridor offered. “To hire you.”
Soolin turned her head. She was almost inclined to be amused, though she knew by now it wasn’t safe to underestimate anyone, least of all a stranger who evidently had some idea about who and what she was. Still, he wasn’t her usual type of client, if there was such a thing. He was hesitant, softly spoken, and he didn’t appear to be armed, either. “You want to hire me?”
“You are Soolin, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she said, back on her guard at the use of her name.
He hesitated again and then took a step nearer, for which she gave him some credit. As far as appearances went, she’d have expected him to still be quivering round the corner. But, as she’d already reminded herself, it didn’t ever do to judge by appearances. That sort of thinking could shorten your life.
“Well, then,” he said, suddenly sounding slightly more confident, “we want to hire you. If you’re wondering we - I’ve got the credits.” He held up a credit chip. “It’s all in order.”
Soolin raised an eyebrow. “Is it? You’ll forgive me if I don’t just take your word for it.”
“Of course.”
“And,” she added, “what is it you want me to do? I assume you have a target in mind. It isn’t only about the money, you know.”
He looked briefly amused. “But mostly it’s the money, I take it?”
“Don’t waste my time. Who is it?”
He turned his head, watching for her reaction as he spoke. “Tal Frint. He’s - well, he’s -”
“Yes,” she said, and she couldn’t keep the ice out of her voice. She had noticed Frint. “I know. I’ll take it - assuming everything is in order, of course. I will have to check.”
“I had a feeling you might want to take this one.” He smiled, and moved forwards. “Now, this card contains all the necessary information to get you past his security system. Once you’ve activated it, it will also close down that system - and Frint doesn’t trust anyone, so he relies on the automated security as much as he can. I trust that’s going to prove a fatal error.”
“If you’ve got that,” said Soolin, sceptical again, “what do you need me for?”
He held out the information card. “This - this is my line of work. Yours… isn’t, I’m afraid.”
“I see,” said Soolin. “How long will that give me, would you say?”
“About twenty minutes at least. Assuming, of course, that you can deal with any guards who are there - there is usually one.”
“Of course,” said Soolin. “Anything else?”
He nodded. “Yes. He has people - prisoners - in there. Release them. We’ll be waiting outside for them - we’ll deal with that side of it.”
“We?”
He shrugged. “Friends. Family. It doesn’t matter. You’ll do it?”
“Assuming all of this checks out,” said Soolin, but privately she thought: With pleasure.
“And, of course,” he added, still polite, “the rest of the credits will be made available after you complete the, er, task.”
Soolin nodded. “Naturally.”
*
Frint wasn’t the man who had taken her and killed her family - that was obvious, since she’d killed him a long time ago - but she’d recognised him almost on sight as fundamentally the same type of lowlife. Different name, different planet, different racket, but always the same. Like too many others, he turned up and took what he wanted, set up a game of destruction and death and corruption. He ruined the lives of everyone around him and didn’t care. So, yes, she knew him, and she counted what she was doing as a public service.
Well, a public service as long as one ignored the hefty sum she was getting from her mysterious and nervous friend.
*
She’d checked out everything she could, and the money was genuine, which was the essential thing. She still didn’t have more than a single name for her contact, though - Deva, apparently - and she couldn’t guarantee that the security card he’d given her would work until she tried it. It had better do all he said, she thought, though she made preparations for if it failed. She wondered who he was working for, if it wasn’t only himself. She would have preferred to know. It had taken her a while to register it, but there had been one thing he’d said in particular that worried her.
She’d have to get to the bottom of it before she left this planet, but first she had work to do.
*
It didn’t take her long. The card got her access, exactly as promised - she’d go so far as to say she was almost impressed, provided it continued to work - and she’d shot her man within five seconds more. The guard had followed less than a minute after. Given how unwatchful he’d been, she wondered if that one might qualify as suicide rather than a kill.
Finding the prisoners took more time than she had anticipated, however. The building wasn’t large and she had begun to wonder if this was some sort of trap, after all, though it’d be a strangely elaborate one if it was only her they were after. She wasn’t under the illusion that she merited that much attention from the authorities. But what she’d first taken for a large safe turned out to be the door to a narrow staircase that led down into a locked cellar - now unlocked and a few nervous, ragged prisoners were already edging their way out.
Soolin hurried them up the stairs and then on out of the building. She watched them disappear into the shadows of the woodland, where she saw other figures emerging to usher them away. It seemed to have been a successful night’s work, she thought.
As she took a few steps away from the base, she ran into Deva again, edging towards her from around the side of the building.
Before he could say anything, either about the mission, or the further credits he owed her, Soolin pulled her gun on him, pressing it into his face.
“The money should be all in order,” he said, sounding even more flustered and breathless than he had before. “And I have the rest - there’s really no need to be so -”
“You said you knew I’d want to take this one,” she said, pulling him further away from the base, towards another section of the woods. “How did you know that? And careful what you say now - the wrong answer and I’ll kill you as soon as look at you.”
He sagged back a little, almost as if in relief. “Ah,” he said. “I suppose that was a mistake. But there’s no need to do anything drastic. I told you. I’m good with computers - and you seem to have a tendency to turn up in some interesting files.”
“That’s plausible,” said Soolin and edged away a fraction, though she didn’t lower her weapon.
Deva coughed. “And, incidentally, I do still need to clear that last payment, so if you prevent me returning, that chip will be quite worthless.”
“I told you it isn’t only the money,” she said. “Sometimes it’s about job satisfaction.”
“Ah,” said Deva again.
“Which I’ve already got from this one,” she added, putting the gun back in her belt. “I won’t ask any more questions, but you can keep the rest of that.”
“That’s an odd attitude for a mercenary,” he said, and now he sounded as if he might be amused, but she couldn’t quite tell, not in this light.
Soolin shrugged. “My life. My decision. Just keep out of my files in future.”
“If it would help,” said Deva quietly, “and as an alternative payment, I could conceivably, er, remove you from some of them.”
“Well, I do like to keep a reasonably low profile,” Soolin said, with a smile. “It’s a deal, then. And if you have any more business to put my way, I’d be interested. Just don’t expect lower rates again - mention that to anyone, and I’ll have to deal with you, after all.”
“Further business?” Deva echoed, sounding alarmed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was hoping this would be a purely one-off arrangement.”
Soolin gave a distant smile. “I see. It must be nice to have that luxury. I wouldn’t know.”
“And,” he added, covering the awkward moment, “I don’t think we could afford it - not at your usual rates, you understand.”
Soolin nodded, before she let him go. “Yes. I understand.” When it came down to it, there was no telling who you could trust, but at least he had good taste in enemies, which counted for something as far as she was concerned.
It had, she decided, been a good night’s work. She might have lost half her fee, but on the other hand, she’d have paid for the privilege of putting a rat like Frint out of his misery. Anything else was a bonus.
***
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there: