Hilda quietly fumed as she made her way down the alley. She had what she came for, but she still couldn't help but think that going to Gene, Melfina and Jim was a mistake in the long run. After what happened during the race, she figured they had every right to be upset with her. However, there was much more at stake than a race or ego and so far, none of them gave her the chance to explain herself. She was also angry with the woman called Twilight Suzuka for implying that she had lied to Gene and the others. Of course, one doesn't survive on the Frontier worlds by being Miss Congeniality. Not that long ago, Hilda wouldn't have cared what people like Twilight Suzuka had thought about her, but things were a little different now.

**

Takana cautiously made her way from rooftop to rooftop, keeping Hilda in her sight. **What could she be up to?** the tracker-killer asked herself. She was certain the kimono-clad Terran had warned Hilda about her. So what was Hilda doing now? She was traveling light, so it was unlikely that she was fleeing. Could the Outlaw be setting up some sort of trap for her, or was she just being careless?

The tracker-killer got her answer as Hilda walked into a bar further up the street. As she was debating wether or not to go in after Hilda, Takana looked up the alley and saw a platinum-haired Ctarl Ctarl heading the same direction as the Outlaw. While waiting for Hilda at the offices earlier, Takana couldn't help but notice the residual scent of another Ctarl Ctarl in the building. She thought that perhaps it was a waitress making her home in the low-rent district of Heiphong- not entirely unheard of. As she watched Aisha walk past on the alley below, it dawned on her that Aisha was wearing some sort of Imperial Officer's uniform. And she was heading into the same bar as Hilda. Very curious.....

**

Almost reluctantly, Aisha had set out on her own from the offices to find the Outlaw. After what Hilda had said about the Scepter, she was reluctant to let the Outlaw out of her sight, even if Hilda proved that she wasn't the best of company.

Aisha had plenty of time to mull over her current predicament. There was no denying that she had become attached to the Terrans she had been living with all of this time. It was apparent to the others that she considered young Jim Hawking her favorite Terran. And as much as she considered Jim to be just like a little brother at times, she would sometimes catch herself blushing after letting her mind wander and picturing what he would look like in a few years. She knew that day wasn't that far off, either- Humans aged slightly faster than the Ctarl Ctarl. Golden hair was a very coveted and desirable trait, rare among men on the Ctarl Ctarl homeworld. The calm and collected Twilight Suzuka was just as adept at filling the role of the sage, rational elder sister and her fighting prowess was more than worthy of a Noble Ctarl Ctarl's respect and admiration. Melfina was so good-natured and purehearted, she was almost beyond reproach even if her taste in men left something to be desired. Aisha even had to concede that the frequently loathsome Gene Starwind was capable of daring and courageous deeds when called upon to do so. This somewhat odd assortment of Terrans had become a source of comfort for the Ctarl Ctarl, like another family. But as attached as she had become to them, Aisha was compelled to try and return to the Empire and her place in the sun as long as there was Warrior's blood coursing through her veins. It was some sort of unspoken obligation to her ancestors. As long as she tried, Aisha felt she was worthy of the title Immortal Ctarl Ctarl.

Sitting at the bar was Hilda. Stepping through the front door, she caught the image of the ex-Ambassador in the reflection of the large mirror over the bar. Rather than acknowledge her presence, Hilda simply looked down at her drink. Aisha walked up behind her.

"The way I see it, you have two choices" Aisha said as Hilda continued nursing her drink. "One is you can calm down, head back with me and tell us why exactly this key you have is so important and what it has to do with the Scepter....."

"And the other choice?"

"You try and leave without an explanation, I break both of your legs and leave you in the alley for whoever's trying to kill you."

Hilda laughed. She didn't doubt the Ctarl Ctarl's ability or willingness to carry out the last statement. She laughed because she found such straightforwardness was very rare in this day and age. "You're an interesting one, Aisha." Hilda remarked as she finished up her drink. "You talk all the shit you want, but you're one of the few people I've met who can back it up."

The Outlaw left a 5 Wong coin on the bar and headed out the front door with Aisha. After taking a few steps down the alleyway, Aisha held out her hand in front of Hilda. The two of them stopped.

"Suzu said that a Ctarl Ctarl is after you." she reminded the Outlaw.

"I'm positive...why do you bring that up?"

"I smell one." Aisha said.

"How can you..?" Hilda started to ask. The Outlaw scanned the alley, but didn't see anybody, not even any other humans. Aisha gently tapped her finger on her nose before continuing. Her nose wasn't nearly as good as Takana's, but she knew enough that she was picking up the scent of another Ctarl Ctarl- possibly the same one that came by while she and the others were out.

"Adult. Female, I think. A few meters ahead and above, trying to conceal herself" Her eyes locked on a flashing neon sign.

"And I take it she can hear every word we're saying."

Aisha nodded.

"Well, I'd hate to keep her waiting any longer." Hilda said as she drew her gun. Aisha barely flinched as the din of gunfire, brass casings and broken glass landing in the alleyway filled her sensitive ears. The neon sign that she pointed to exploded in a shower of sparks and falling glass as Hilda emptied out an entire clip into it. A figure jumped out from behind the falling sign, briefly silhouetted by the other neon signs and a bright crescent moon before falling towards the ground. The large neon sign hit the ground with a loud crash, and more sparks and glass exploded upon impact with the ground. The Outlaw was hoping that she had wounded her would-be assailant, but was dismayed to see her land perfectly in the alley in front of them. She slammed a fresh clip into place.

"So predictable! You had your chance. You should know by now that weapon isn't going to keep you safe forever, Hilda." Takana smiled, baring her fangs.

"Then humor me." Hilda said as she leveled the pistol with one hand and began squeezing shots off. Takana leapt forward in a blur and closed the distance with the Outlaw running in a zig-zag pattern. She did this so quickly that it took her no less time to close in on Hilda than if she charged straightforward. The Ctarl bounty-huntress felt a bullet graze her shoulder and rib-cage as she came within reach of Hilda. Before she could wrap her arms around her quarry, Hilda produced a Taser with her free hand and jabbed it into the side of Takana's neck. The bounty-huntress shrieked as 20,000 volts of electricity coursed through her body before collapsing onto the ground and twitching helplessly.

"I'm sure a Ctarl Ctarl conducts electricity as well as any other species." Hilda grinned.

Aisha looked on with curiosity. Despite the subtle hint Hilda dropped about the Scepter earlier, she still wasn't enthusiastically going to jump into a fight on Hilda's behalf. Besides, it looked as though she could hold her own. On the other hand, Aisha found herself wondering about the Ctarl bounty-huntress. She moved closer to the motionless Tracker-Killer, examining her. As she got down on her haunches, Aisha saw a tattoo on Takana's leg, running vertically up the front of her calf. It was written in the Ancient script of the High Ctarl Dialect.

"She's an ionah...." Aisha said.

"That supposed to mean something?" Hilda impatiently asked.

The word could mean 'disowned', 'pariah' or 'lone hunter'. "She's an outcast...." Aisha began explaining to Hilda. It was the closest thing the Empire had to a mafia, pirate guild or gypsies- all rolled into one. A Ctarl Ctarl could become an Ionah for transgressions ranging from mass-murder and war crimes to Imperial Courtesans teaching themselves to read. Or military officers failing to catch wanted Outlaws. It all depended on the mood of the Sentencing Tribunal. There really wasn't a Terran equivalent that Aisha knew of. However, the marking on the leg was that of a true Ionah- one that could never return to society or the homeworld.

"Meaning she's not here on official business from the Empire....." Hilda surmised.

Aisha Clanclan nodded.

Neither of them noticed Takana slowly unscrewing the pendant while curled up in the fetal position. A small pinch of the iaru root extract was clutched between her forefingers as she brought them to her lips. After a few seconds, the effects of the electrical shock were starting to wear off. Sadly for Takana, the psychotropic and hallucinogenic effects of the root had not kicked in yet- the dose wasn't big enough to act as much more than a pain-killer; feeling was starting to return to her arms and legs. Aisha was still on her haunches and turned back to Takana just in time to see one of her hands grab her bell, pulling it forward slightly. Takana then rolled over onto her back and rammed her fist into Aisha's face as she was trying to break free and then launched her into the alley wall with both feet while she had Aisha off-guard. There was an audible cracking of bricks and mortar as Aisha impacted with the wall.

"Don't interfere, for your sake." Takana hissed sharply at Aisha as she hit the ground. She turned to face Hilda, who took two steps back and raised her pistol. The bounty-huntress responded by raising her arms out to her side, as if offering the Outlaw a free shot. But as Hilda's finger tensed on the trigger, Takana practically flew up into the air, landing on a fire escape above and behind the outlaw. Instead of taking the indirect route to attack Hilda, Takana leapt down on top of Hilda this time. The Tracker-Killer wrapped her arms around Hilda in a bear-hug and slammed the Outlaw back-first into the alley wall while pinning Hilda's arms to her side. The next thing Hilda knew, the bounty huntress tightly clamped one hand around the Outlaw's throat and knocked the gun out her other hand.

"Your eyes...." Takana whispered softly as she leaned in and saw herself reflected in Hilda's eyes."They're beautiful. I've been waiting SO long to see your eyes like this". She slightly loosened her grip on the Outlaw's throat and her wickedly sharp thumbnail was uncomfortably close to Hilda's right eye and only moving closer. Takana didn't have to say a word in order for Hilda to realize what she was going to do.

**

Nobody at Starwind and Hawking was in a good mood, let alone Gene Starwind. He was lying on the sofa, going though an old gun and accessories catalog but it was quite clear to even the most casual observer that he was quite annoyed. The price listed underneath each item only served as a reminder

Hot Ice Hilda had come back from the grave and was now spoon-feeding him lies, half truths and expertly playing him for a fool. The only thing that he was certain of now was that the two-eyed woman who looked like and acted like Hilda was indeed Hilda in some way shape or form. One hundred and fifty thousand Wong down the drain because of her, just like that. All for a little piece of plastic. And what was it about she said about some Scepter that stopped Aisha from killing her?

The Outlaw sat up and growled as he blindly pitched the catalog across the room.

"DAMMIT!"

Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Melfina had walked in and was standing behind him.

"What is it Mel....?" he asked, sounding more than a little annoyed.

She took a step back, with a slightly hurt look on her face. Gene could tell that it had nothing to do with their dropping out of the race. He realized that he shouldn't snap at her like that, but for the time being, everybody here was operating with a short fuse. There was something she wanted to tell Gene that she had been putting off, but ever since Hilda's re-appearance the opportunity never presented itself.

**

Takana relaxed her grip on the outlaw's throat as she brought her free hand closer to the Outlaw's right eye, Hilda seized that opportunity and struck the Ctarl Ctarl's injured ear with her fist, breaking free and immediately diving for her pistol on the alley floor. As her fingers wrapped around the grip and she started to roll over- intending to empty the clip in Takana's face- it felt like she was hit by a ton of bricks. Takana kneed her in the side Hilda found herself as equally fucked as before, just in a different position.

"Are you scared yet, Hilda?" Takana asked as she stood over the Outlaw, one foot firmly planted on top of Hilda's throat and the other pinning the wrist of her gun-hand to the alley floor. The Tracker-Killer applied more pressure. "Don't lie to me, I KNOW you are."

Already Hilda was struggling to form words. The only thing tarnishing Takana's moment of triumph was the defiant stare in Hilda's eyes as she struggled to breathe. She had come across plenty of Terrans who had begged for their lives- but Takana took them anyway. The bounty huntress knew that Hilda wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"....look....you....bitch...." Hilda finally gasped.

Takana pressed her forefinger to her lips and stared down at the Outlaw "Shhhh....save your breath, Hilda." she sweetly cooed as she applied more pressure to Hilda's throat. "I'll be gentle for now. Believe it or not, you're worth more alive than dead. Of course, by the time I'm finished with you, you'll be **begging** me to kill you."

".....you.....be-" Hilda struggled to form the words. This only resulted in Takana stepping down even harder on her throat. She was starting to black out.

"Hmmm...?" Takana asked as she perked her ears. She turned around just in time to see Aisha's fist collide with her face. She stumbled away from the Outlaw and was now face-to-face with a very irate Aisha Clanclan.

"I said....look behind you, you stupid bitch..." Hilda wheezed as she struggled to get back up.

Before Takana could regain her composure and counterattack, Aisha closed in and kneed her in the stomach as she tackled her. The two of them flew across the alley and smashed through the plate-glass window of the bar, with the Tracker-Killer bearing the brunt of the impact. Aisha landed on top of the bounty huntress and began pounding her mid-section and head. The few remaining patrons of this particular bar moved as though they were going to break up the fight until they saw it was between two Ctarl Ctarls.

"I don't care if the Terran lives or dies!" Aisha yelled as she pummeled Takana "....but don't you EVER turn your back after striking me!"

Takana was unsuccessfully trying to get the former Ambassador Plenipotentiary off of her, but was seeing stars each time Aisha's fist connected. She may have had the enhanced sense of smell and the advantage in stealth and height, but Aisha unquestionably had the edge in pure, raw strength. And she was pissed. Takana tried to break free as she felt Aisha lift her up, but before that could happen the ex-Ambassador swiftly kicked her in the stomach and Takana flew into the wall behind her. There was blackness, punctuated by a million stars exploding in front of her eyes as she was vaguely aware of the cracking of plaster and sliding down to the ground.

**That bitch! It can't end like this** Takana silently pleaded to nobody in particular as she fought off the darkness **Not humiliated in front of my prey! Not in this filthy place with all of these Terran degenerates watching! NO!** She caught the gleam of her pendant and suddenly realized that it wasn't a plea, it was a vow....

Aisha was catching her breath when she heard the *tink* of another shard of glass hitting the ground. Hilda placed her hand on Aisha's shoulder as she climbed through what was left of the window.

"Don't kill her yet. I have some questions I'd like to ask her." Hilda said. If what Takana had said about being worth more alive than was dead true, then she could only think of one person

"Like what?" Aisha snapped.

"I'd be really interested in knowing who hired her."

The bar's patrons and even the bartender were cautiously making their way to the exits, sensing that their fun at this particular establishment was over for the evening.

Takana placed an especially thick pinch of the iaru root under her tongue. As far as Takana was concerned, the root and all of its effects were infinitely better than what any mate could offer. No lover could make her feel as powerful and alive or heighten her senses while asking for so little in return like the root could. She let out a sharp moan and her body spasmed as the megadose finally hit her bloodstream. All the pain was starting to ebb from her body already. Takana opened her eyes to see Aisha looking down at her with contempt and anger.

"Stand up!" Aisha ordered.

Takana obliged, perhaps far more quickly than Aisha would have liked. Her foot connected with the ex-Ambassador with one sweeping kick. Aisha tumbled through the air and landed on a billiards table behind her, recovering quickly and looking like a sprinter in her starting gate as her talons tore into the green felt of the tabletop. Almost immediately, she got back up and charged Takana. Even though her kicks and punches were more furious than before, the tracker-killer found herself evading them with relative easy. She barely felt the punches and kicks from Aisha that did connect.

**It feels like......raindrops** Takana mused as Aisha continued to pummel her to no avail. That was the beauty of the root. The things it did to her body.....such beautiful things. It protected her- she could not feel pain when she surrendered herself to the root. Everybody except for her seemed to move in slow motion. Aisha slammed her into the wall and Takana countered by soundly kneeing her in the abdomen and elbowing her in the face and back while she was doubled over. As she watched Aisha hit the floor, the bounty-huntress was aware of something buzzing past her ears while watching Aisha struggle to recover. She turned to see Hilda firing a pistol from across the empty bar- the bullets lazily drifting by her head.

**Raindrops**

Hilda was surprised at how quickly Takana was able to tilt up the billiards table. It was now on it's side, five rounds from Hilda's pistol barely able to chew through the thick lacquered wood and green felt of the table, and none of them touching Takana. Hilda knew this and stopped firing. But she had to do something quickly. She looked at the tracker-killer as Takana stepped out from behind the table inhaled sharply then exhaled, almost as if she were meditating. Takana gently tapped Aisha with her foot as she struggled to get back to her feet. The ex-ambassador stumbled and was on her knees, grabbing onto the edge of another billiards table.

**

Melfina almost reluctantly began making dinner. She didn't like the tense awkward silence that permeated throughout the building. Even asking how many places to set at the table could've sparked a very nasty and ultimately pointless argument.

Suzuka was quietly meditating, somewhat disappointed in herself for losing her composure with Hilda and failing to get straight answers from her. The encounter with Takana also weighed on her mind, but not as heavily as Hilda's parting comment about Gene and Melfina.

The entire building seemed entirely too quiet, and somebody was conspicuous by their absence. Of course they each had seen Hilda storm out. However, Jim was the first one to bring it up.

"Has anybody seen Aisha?" he asked.

"Dunno. Maybe she went out looking for Hilda." Gene said as he looked up from his magazine. Under different circumstances, he would've been more concerned about Hilda. Cynically, he knew that Hilda would make her way back because he felt that she wasn't through using them.

**

"Now.....where were we?" Takana grinned and asked Hilda. It looked like a stalemate- but Takana was more than willing to break it. Hilda only had a few rounds left in her pistol, and Takana somehow had gotten her second wind. The wheels in Hilda's head were in motion- on a table next to her were two glasses, a bottle of grain alcohol, some cocktail napkins and a flickering candle. The only thing she didn't have was enough time. For some reason, despite all that was going on around her, she took a closer look at the name on the bottle. It was from the bargain-basement Sandoval distillery.

**Sandoval**. That name should mean something to me, Hilda thought. McCoy and Sandoval- they were two of the names she was supposed to meet up with at Blue Heaven. McCoy backed out of their meeting, but.......

As she was getting ready to close in on Hilda, a hand shot out and firmly grabbed Takana's calf. The tracker-killer stumbled a little before looking down on Aisha.

"You again!? I warned you, don't interfere!" she spat at Aisha, who just wasn't giving up. She delivered a swift kick to Aisha's ribs before turning around.

if nothing else, the kick that sent Aisha tumbling across the floor saved Hilda the trouble of telling the ex-ambassador to move out of the way. Takana saw that Hilda had something in her hands. A bottle of 140-proof alcohol with a flaming piece of paper stuffed into the neck. Aisha continued to roll away from the tracker-killer after being kicked. Takana was unfamiliar with the concept of a Molotov cocktail until Hilda threw one at her and it shattered, bursting into flames at her feet. Burning alcohol spilled forth and the lower portion of Takana's cloak had caught on fire. But even more disturbing for her was she could feel the heat. It could only mean that the megadose of root was starting to wear off already. It was supposed to last longer. She suddenly felt like a bride ditched at the altar.

"No!" she yelled, as she leapt backwards and on top of the bar. Her cloak was further enveloped in flames as she stumbled, caught herself and landed on the opposite end of the bar. The tracker-killer lost her composure as she frantically tore off the flaming cloak, knocking down several bottles of equally flammable beverages in the process. The cloak was off, but Takana now found herself surrounded by flames as the alcohol that spilled on the ground and the shelves had ignited. Steeling herself, she dove over the bar and through the flames, landing near where Hilda's cocktail had ignited. Her dress was on fire around the hemline, but she was able to beat out the flames. Takana wasn't burned too badly, but fire was one of the few things she feared. The only scent she could pick up now was that of flaming alcohol and her own singed hair. Her ears were picking up the crackle of flames, the occasional bottle of liquor exploding from the heat and sirens in the distance, getting closer. She looked around, expecting to see Aisha and Hilda. However, her prey was gone without a trace.

**

The front door to Starwind and Hawking flew open with a loud metallic bang. Jim was startled to see Aisha walking in gingerly with one arm wrapped around Hilda's shoulder for support. At first, he thought Aisha was drunk but quickly dismissed the idea. She had a higher tolerance for alcohol than most humans and wasn't away long enough to go on a bender.

"What happened, Aisha?" he asked as he bolted out of his seat.

"It's nothing- I'm fine." she winced as they made their way to the sofa.

"Let's have a look at you..." Hilda said.

"Stop making such a big fuss- I'll be OK." Aisha said, mostly to try and reassure Jim. There was a small gash just to the left of her lip and some bruising around her ribs. She also had a sprained ankle from Hilda practically dragging her out of the burning building; Aisha was almost oblivious to the flames as she wanted to finish what Takana had started with her. However, Aisha's pride sustained the most damage, although she proved to both Hilda and Takana that she could take it as well as she could dish it out. It looked like a draw from all outward appearances, but a proud Immortal Ctarl Ctarl could never be satisfied with a mere draw.

"I'm getting you some ice." Jim offered as he hopped out of the chair and went to the kitchen.

"Why did you put yourself between me and her?" Hilda asked rather suddenly as the boy left. "Gene told me that I was the one responsible for your demotion."

The platinum-haired Ctarl Ctarl paused, making certain that Jim was out of earshot for what she hd to say next. "Don't flatter yourself!" Aisha quietly hissed as she glared at Hilda. "You have yet to tell me what you know about the Scepter of Orubuu-Ria. And if I find that you're lying to me, then I want the pleasure of killing you with my own two hands. It's as simple as that."

Hilda actually smiled at this. "Did I tell you that I find your candor to be a refreshing change?"

Jim quickly returned with several ice-cubes wrapped in a clean dishtowel. "Are you sure you're OK, Aisha?" the boy asked as he handed her the ice.

She took it and looked at the boy as she applied the ice to her ankle. Jim looked back at her, more than a little bewildered. The Ctarl Ctarl remained silent.

"What's wrong, Aisha?"

"No milkshake? Aisha's really really thirsty, y'know!" she pouted as she tousled his hair.

The boy stepped away, rolling his eyes. "Did anybody ever tell you you're high-maintenance?"

"I'm worth it, aren't I?"

"If you say so...." Jim sighed, not able to tell wether or not she was just teasing him.

By now, the earlier commotion had brought Gene downstairs and melfina followed Jim out of the kitchen.

"What happened?" Gene asked.

"Went out for a drink, ran into an old acquaintence, nearly got killed, started a structure fire..." Hilda said wryly as she sat down in a recliner opposite the sofa "...but enough about my night."

**

Ewan Craven's office building held a commanding view of the city of Heiphong. Numerous brightly lit towers, obelisks and pagodas jutted straight up from the earth. However, none of them rose out of the ground as highly as Craven's imposing pyramid-shaped skyscraper complex. The view behind his mahogany desk often made him feel like a god looking down on mere mortals.

And intuition told him that somewhere down amongst the mere mortals there was the Outlaw Hilda and the Ctarl Ctarl bounty-huntress that he hired to track her down. He knew that Takana was being careful not to tell him too much, otherwise his people might be able to find the Outlaw for themselves- a shrewd move on her part. If he knew exactly where Hilda was, he wouldn't have bothered hiring Takana Jaci-Jaci.

Craven looked at the empty shelf on the opposite end his office- a stark reminder of what the one-eyed Outlaw took away from him. All that meticulous work for nothing- but that would soon change.

He stood up from his desk, looking past his reflection in the window down into the etheral sea of concrete, steel and gleaming lights. So close, yet so far....

"Come out come out wherever you are...." he said, as though Hilda could hear him.

**

Takana got a running head start and jumped off the ledge of the six-storey building. It wasn't that far across, but as she landed on the ledge of the opposite building, she stumbled and began to slip. Pain shot througout her body as she scrambled for a better grip. She heard herself cry out in agony.

**Shit! What's wrong with me? Even a senile old tomcat could've made that jump with ease!**

There could be no denying it- she tried another hit of the root after fleeing the burning building, but it had already worn off. The pain was amplified as she pulled her body up along the edge of the building and over the ledge. As much as it shielded her from Aisha's beating, it slowly dawned on her that the large hit of the psychotropic painkiller she took simply delayed the inevitable. Takana stood hunched over and struggling for breath. There were also cuts on her arms and the back of her legs from landing hard on the broken glass. In her pocket, along with the root she was so fond of was a salve that was supposed to treat cut and burns, which she gingerly applied on her wounds. There was a strong and slow burn from the salve as she did this, but she didn't want the wounds to go septic on her.

**If I'm in this much pain right now, I don't want to think about what the white-haired woman with Hilda could've done to me without this**

She gently stroked the pendant. Why? Why did Hilda have all of these protectors all of a sudden? What could she be offering them? The dark-haired Terran in the Kimono wasn't as strong as her, but she was very skilled and disciplined. The petite Ctarl Ctarl wasn't as fast as her, but every aching inch of Takana's body knew that platinum-haired Ctarl woman was considerably stronger than her and her senses were good enough to sniff out the ambush she set up for Hilda. Judging from the smell of gun-oil and cordite within the Starwind and Hawking offices, it was safe to assume that there was a small arsenal kept there- most likely belonging to Captain Gene Starwind. Takana chuckled- Boys and their toys. A gun was only good if you could hit what you were aiming at, she smirked. A sharp pain in her ribcage brought her back to harsh reality.

As determined as she was to resume the hunt, she realized that she was in no condition to continue tonight. The tracker-killer was now exhausted and in considerable pain, and her quarry would be expecting her. She needed to come up with a new strategy. Takana Jaci-Jaci now had to choose her battles and choose them wisely.

If her employer simply wanted a corpse, Takana could have finished the job tonight. If he wanted her alive, it wouldn't be that much of a problem as long as Hilda was by herself. But now the exact opposite was true. The lone hunter found herself against some formidable opponents who stood between herself and the Outlaw. And now that they knew she was after the Outlaw, they'd be even more cautious and on-guard.

Takana could only think of one way around that. Separate the weakest from the pack. In order to do that, it appeared as though another visit to the offices of Starwind and Hawking would be in order. For the time being, pain had caught up with her. It would be her only companion as she curled up in a corner on the rooftop for a few hours of fitful sleep.