1-
In the merc world rule number one was number one. You had to watch yourself, no one else would. Age, sex, race, condition, it didn't matter a merc was a merc and mercs do only one thing. They hunt. They're born hunters, hunters of humans, hunters of anything they're paid for. And any merc can tell you, when an animal is cornered is when they fight the most fierce.
Stemming the blood flow with her hand, Raine glanced towards a heavy-set man across from her, part of the three-man team put together on this run.
"Dales, the med-kit, behind you, fourth locker." Raine never wasted words and the wound in her upper shoulder wasn't making her any more amiable for dialogue. Grunting the older man threw the med-kit to her, watching as she removed gauze and bound up her shoulder. Grinding her teeth threw the pain.
"Nice slash you've got there." Dales remarked, a course chuckle issuing from him. Raine, finishing with the kit, glanced back to the man, her face expressionless. "Didn't move quick enough, eh?" Dales persisted, not noticing Raine's stiff demeanor. "Shut up, Dales!" Called the pilot from the front of the ship, a D27 old model, somewhat rusty but still in good enough shape for cyberspace.
"Didn't see you all that much in the action, should cut you out some for that." Gray glanced back at the two, his hands resting comfortably on the controls.
He had put together the team for capturing convict Alan Broode and capture him they did, the man was now safely settled into a cryochamber, not due to wake until they arrived at their destination, a comfortable slam.
Dales expression changed to a sullen look, it was true that Raine had had the hard part in getting to Broode, lightweights always did, and in this case Raine hadn't gotten away unscathed as she usually managed.
However distrusting mercs were with one another they knew teamwork, to some degree, was essential to capturing a target. And in this case Dales had been abit shirking, his hesitance resulting in Raine's wound. Raine hated incompetence, almost as much as she hated her current team, she was relishing the moment they got Broode to his slam and the job was done, payday complete.
Dales shutting up, Raine ignored the two men, staring expressionless out of the viewport, into space, various planets and stars winking in and out of vision-range, the swirled lights of the galaxy making an exotic appearance. Raine was used to being in space, she was hardly out of it, she didn't spend much time on-planet, not unless the target was a hard one and Raine hadn't found one yet that she wasn't capable bringing down, fairly quickly, and with a competent team.
Wincing slightly as Gray switched the ship's interior lights on, Raine pulled her dark-lensed glasses down over her eyes.
"Right, into crychambers. We've got two weeks till we reach Vesport 3."
Rising stiffly, her shoulder still paining her Raine moved to her alloted chamber, punching in the buttons on the side panel she watched as the chamber sealed, red and blue fluids beginning to leak into the small space. Almost immediately Raine's body relaxed, responding instantly to the chemicals that induced space-sleep.