Nemo instinctively shielded himself, emerging from Troy's consciousness, and already in the real world, falling onto his back, feeling cold sweat on his back.
"Bus, Larius," he almost whispered, only now realizing how much he had exerted himself.
The mercenary appeared very quickly - as if she was guarding the entrance. Rough, strong palms lay on the smuggler's temples.
"I warned you..."
The Force emanating from her was barely perceptible, but it worked - it flowed through his body and mind, searching for damage.
"Everything is fine," Larius finally exhaled. "At most, your head will hurt."
"That's acceptable," Nemo said in a weak voice, slowly sitting down. Judging by the tremor in his legs, it was too early to stand. "He really only works for himself. He wanted to organize an attack on the Black Sun's transfer point."
Taking out his deck, he entered the coordinates he had seen in Troy's mind while they were still fresh in his memory.
"That's why Clark didn't talk to him," Larrius understood. "That means he's going to have the entire Black Sun on his tail. They don't forgive things like that... To turn them against you, take the cargo, or whatever he needs from this cargo. And leave, letting you clean up this mess... Beautiful, I must say."
"But you can earn their favor," Nemo pointed to the coordinates, "if you have a contact there and turn in Troy's organization to them."
Kontr still slowly got up. The weakness would pass. After all, he hadn't gone all out. But... He couldn't risk it like that anymore.
"He needs to be brought around," Nemo said, greedily stuffing the remains of the food into his mouth, "I want to see if he remembered anything, and give him to you."
"The Fly can find a way to them," Larrius nodded, getting up and heading towards the chained body. "But it's better to tell them right away what you want for the service. To have such an organization in your debt... It's not safe."
She sat down next to him, peering into the face of the stunned man.
"I'll think about all this, there's still time," Nemo sighed when everything on the makeshift table was gone. He was beginning to understand the terrible thinness of Kailas and his hunger after the flight.
Larrius got up and returned to him, sitting so that Troy could see her when he woke up.
This time his awakening was different – he lunged so hard that the handcuffs creaked. And the look in his eyes when the prisoner opened them was far from calm. But there was still no fear in it.
"Well, today is definitely not a good day for you. Yes, Mr. Troy?" Nemo said with a crooked smile, looking him in the eyes.
Another lunge. The skin under the handcuffs burst, but Troy seemed not to notice. Tearing the skin from his wrists, he tried to free his hands.
"Calm him down," the contr said tiredly to the woman, "I don't want him to hurt himself."
Larrius picked up a small stone from the floor, tossed it, and with unexpected force, threw it at the prisoner's forehead. He flinched from the impact and stopped struggling. His gaze became thoughtful.
"It's pointless for you to struggle, Troy," Nemo said quietly. "I've already gotten everything I needed. Or I will. Keep at least some remnants of pride and decency. If you have any."
The prisoner made a quiet sound. It was neither a dismissive snort nor simply a breath.
"A pirate talking about decency? That's something new."
"I'm not a pirate, Troy," Nemo rubbed his fingers, "Jethro is my friend, and I got into this to help him. And thanks to you, I'll get both moral satisfaction and material benefit. Personally, I have no complaints against you, Troy, even if your methods are disgusting to me. And if things were different, I would let you go..."
"I have complaints," Larrius said quietly. "I want this man."
Actually, Nemo had initially wanted to listen to Troy. What he would say. But this was also not bad.
"I can't just give him away," Nemo said tiredly, "I risk being known as naive or kind-hearted. As Troy said, everything has a price. And I will price him... At one credit."
Larrius took a coin from her breast pocket, tossed it, and flipped it to the smuggler.
"Bought," she said quietly. "You can stay if you want."
Nemo caught the coin, pretending to check if it was real, then remembered something and confirmed: "Sold. Can you get me the beacon?" he asked with a smile, showing Troy's knife. "I can't leave his group alive."
"I have my own," the mercenary pulled a narrow blade from her sleeve, bent over the prisoner. Her elbow pressed Troy's head against the stone, not letting him interfere with the operation. The knife easily sliced through the suit fabric and shirt, revealing a small bump under his collarbone.
Troy flinched, but Larrius was alert and didn't let him cut his own throat on the razor-sharp blade.
A few seconds later, she straightened up, a pea-sized beacon clutched in her fingers.
"Done."
The beacon was placed in a dry plastic cup and pressed with a second one inserted into the first, then carefully put into a pocket.
"I'm done. And I think I'll stay here," Nemo was curious about what would happen next.
"Why?" Troy wasn't looking at him. All his attention was focused on the woman standing in front of him.
"Clark is my brother."
Troy closed his eyes.
Larrius slowly took a small round container from her pocket, divided in half by a transverse line. The halves turned with a slight click, and the mercenary dropped the object onto the prisoner's chest. It opened, and a cloud of fine droplets sprayed out, generously drenching Troy's face and clothes.
A second later, the liquid ignited.
He had killed one of Jethro Nemo's attackers in a more terrible way. But... It was faster. It was unpleasant to watch, but for some reason, he considered it fair. For Clark, Eugene, the unknown girl, for all those whose lives Troy had cut short or crushed in his pursuit of enrichment.
The smell of roasted meat hit his nose. Hearing... The contr turned it off, leaving only sight. He didn't want to feel pity for this man. Getting to his feet, he waited until the one who called himself Troy stopped twitching. When his hearing returned, he said quietly, nodding towards the exit:
"There's nothing else here that deserves our attention."
All this time, the woman had stood motionless. The flames were very hot, her hair was moving and crackling, threatening to ignite at any moment, but Larrius didn't move an inch.
Only when Nemo called her did the mercenary slowly nod, carefully drop a piece of glass onto the charred body, and head for the exit of the smoke-filled basement.
The speeder maneuvered confidently through the traffic. His favorite activity was slowly but surely bringing the contr back to life. Or perhaps it was adrenaline.
"Shall I take you to the hotel? Or will you ride with me? I need to pick up my bag from the motel," it looked wild, but the guy was going back to where he was taken.
"With you for now," Larrius said, leaning back in her chair and not opening her eyes. "There might be an ambush. The group already knows that the leader has been captured."
"Because of my mistake, I lost my bike and a good blaster," the contr said with annoyance, "I remember the ambush, but the necessary equipment is there, and it's very expensive. Hold on."
With these words, he took a sharp turn and, after flying less than a block in the opposite direction, turned towards the motel.
"We'll be there in fifteen minutes," Nemo informed. He didn't use the Force for his maneuver, only his skill in operating the machine and what he learned about it during his time on it. "There's a 'Haven' a couple of blocks away, where Jethro is now, we can drop by. Although no. It's better to get rid of this speeder first."
No one answered him. The mercenary continued to lie half-reclined in the chair, the Kushiban curled up on her lap, also silent. A silent agreement hung in the air.
Fifteen minutes later, the speeder landed carefully a hundred meters from the motel; Nemo didn't dare drive closer. Looking questioningly at the couple, he waited for an answer, whether they could go further or not. He didn't dare use the Force; Kailas was too well-remembered.
"We'll wait at the entrance, downstairs," Larrius finally moved. The execution in the basement had, for a time, seemed to have robbed her of the desire to move and speak, but she got out of the car quite confidently. The Bus waved its tail and disappeared as usual somewhere behind other cars.
Nodding, Nemo first unbuckled his holster and headed straight for the concierge to check his condition. Especially since there was a high probability that his things had already been pocketed by him.
The concierge was not in the lobby. There were traces of an explosion, and the safe was missing.
Well... Things...
It seemed that one creature's business on this planet was almost destroyed. Taking out his blaster, the contr slowly moved towards his room.
The mercenary walked silently behind, about ten meters away, covering his rear. The Bus was not visible; it was doing its usual job – reconnaissance. The corridor gaped with open doors, and everything there was ransacked, but some rooms were locked.
No one bothered to put the door to Nemo's room back in place, and everything was turned upside down there during the capture.
Before entering, the guy examined the entrance. He didn't want to stumble into a booby trap in his own room, while also looking for his duffel bag.
The room was clean. Both from booby traps and from things. At least, there was nothing valuable in sight. Even the broken blaster had been pocketed by someone.
"Well, you..." he hadn't decided yet what he regretted more, the tools, the cloak, or the stealth belt. Because he rushed to the hiding place under the windowsill.
The hiding place was intact. No one had reached it.
Well, at least something...
Nemo began to put the business cards into his pockets, inserting the memory card back into his deck. Everything was finished here, he could leave. He approached the woman.
"That's it, and I think I left the speeder keys in the ignition. I suggest we fly in mine."
"Did they take a lot?"
The wrinkles on Larrius's face became more pronounced; she looked tired.
"They took about a thousand and a half," Nemo waved his hand, "trifles, but unpleasant. Now... I could really use a nap. Let me drive you to my place. And I'll rest with Jethro for a while. Then I'll go to the Fly."
The mercenary nodded, turning towards the exit. The Kushiban jumped down from somewhere above onto her shoulder and settled comfortably.
"Seven people in the rooms, sitting locked up, scared," he reported. "In the others, everything has been taken."
"It's not the first time they're scared," the guy grumbled, heading for the car. "Either those who like this life stay here. Or those who don't want to change anything. I don't care about them. But I do care about the surprises that might be in the speeder."
"Where's the car?" the alien immediately asked. "I'll take a look."
"In the parking lot, a hundred meters to the northwest, spot three-forty-seven," Nemo answered immediately, "dark blue minivan."
The fluffy tail flashed in the air, and the Bus disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
Perhaps he should have talked to Larrius. Told her that everything she did was right. That Troy got what he deserved, and Clark was avenged. But... Nemo didn't know where to start. And he wasn't sure if he should talk to the woman about it. And he didn't want to spoil the situation.
So he just walked silently towards the car.
The Kushiban sat on the roof and washed himself with his paw – just like a big cat. When the people appeared, he waved his tail and jumped to the ground with the most independent look.
"Didn't find any explosives, but there's a beacon under the chassis, should I remove it?" a thought appeared in Nemo's mind.
"Disable it," the guy said quietly, "we don't need any extra witnesses, and the equipment will be useful."
Opening the door, Nemo sat behind the wheel, inserting the access card into the slot.
"Where to? To the hotel where you got out during our first meeting?"
The Kushiban dived under the chassis, only its tail flashed.
"Yes," Larrius answered quietly, sitting next to him in the passenger seat. She held the door, and after half a minute, the Bus took its honored place on her shoulder.
After that, the speeder soared upwards, towards the nearest traffic flow. Half an hour later, Nemo landed about fifty meters from Larrius's and Bus's hotel.
"Will you send me a list of the necessary equipment later?" the mercenary asked before leaving the car.
"Certainly," Nemo nodded, waving goodbye, and soared upwards.
On the way back, he allowed himself to unwind. Emerging from the main stream, he flew between two skyscrapers, squeezing the speeder into a dark alley, and scared away a flock of birds pecking at something. Or someone. He returned to Jethro's room satisfied and calm.
Starting to take off his clothes at the entrance, carelessly throwing them on the floor, he slowly reached the bunk. The hard bed with an equally rough pillow seemed like the height of bliss. Only now, finding himself in relative safety, did he realize how exhausted he was. Threads of pleasant pain seemed woven into his body. His body ached, and his mind told him that he didn't need any more such surprises.
Touching the cold and pleasant handle of his "Kilan" under the pillow, the contr allowed himself to enjoy what had happened. Despite all the problems, he found himself in an almost winning situation with a couple of trump cards left. And tomorrow he would play them and recoup all his expenses. Ideally.
With these thoughts, the guy fell asleep, still gently holding the blaster under his pillow by the handle.
Nemo's personal morning was pleasant. He finally slept well, did his exercises, took a shower, and had breakfast. While eating breakfast and browsing the news, he found a pleasant, albeit expected, surprise. While Nemo was sleeping, a message from the Fox arrived on his deck. The mercenary informed him that the order was completed, the amount, minus the execution fee, had been transferred to the client's account, and he was counting on further cooperation.
The local news channel was a delight with its variety. In addition to another redistribution of spheres of influence (the tote is open, place your bets on the winner!), several orbital skirmishes, a couple of blown-up hangars, and the crash of a transit capsule, the announcer reported in a sinister voice about the appearance of a dangerous pyromaniac on the Moon, burning his victims alive. The maniac called himself "Nobody," was particularly shaggy and dangerous, and the inhabitants of Nar Shaddaa were advised to keep their ears and other senses at the ready.
He would need a haircut. And a name change. Again. He didn't particularly want to come up with a new one now. After plastic surgery, with a new face... But being a dangerous pyromaniac... It wasn't flattering.
Finishing his coffee and eating what was mistakenly called bread here, the contr began to dress. Being without outerwear was unpleasant. He would have to buy a jacket or cloak again. However, it was not a great loss. Putting the newly acquired knife into his boot shaft, Troy's blaster into a concealed holster, and the "Kilan" onto his belt, he combed his hair, made a ponytail, and headed outside to the speeder. He needed to go to Karvo.
The way to the mediator's office was successful; the roads were not overloaded, and the guy quickly reached it, leaving the car in another parking lot. He wanted to talk to the one who sold him out, for form's sake, but after the pyromaniac... It didn't seem like a good idea. Buying a jacket at the nearest shop, Nemo reached Karvo's office, entering through the main entrance.
The same Zabrak was sitting there. He squinted at Nemo with the expression of an alcoholic who saw a Bithuan rabbit, but wasn't sure if it was the same rabbit as last time. No one stopped the smuggler again.
With a confident step, he went upstairs to the Fly's floor, and with an equally confident movement, opened the door, entering the office with the secretary.
"Is Mr. Karvo in?" he asked with obvious interest.
"Yes," the girl pressed the intercom button. "How should I announce you?"
"Say that I've come to check the quality of technical support provided by our specialist," Nemo smiled.
The secretary raised her eyebrows in surprise, but obediently dictated everything she was told into the microphone. A moment later, the intercom came to life, and Karvo's voice rasped an invitation to enter. The secretary pointed to the door behind her.
Nodding to the girl, the contr went through the next door.