Well friends, here's another early-ish update to end your weekend with! I know the past couple of chapters have been more talking than action, but it picks up from here...let me know what you think! ;)

Session Fifteen

"Ed's got it!" Ed yelled, throwing a triumphant fist in the air.

Leon and Jet looked up from the shogi table where they actually had a game in progress. Faye gave Ed a look from over the top of her paperback romance.

"What've you got this time, Ed?" Jet asked, chin propped in his metal hand. The Bebop had been on Tharsis for two days, waiting on their perfect chance to infiltrate the Dragon. So far nothing had presented itself. Ed had been typing instructions into Tomato non-stop for several hours now, coming up with option after option, but nothing looked promising.

"Aw, c'mon, guys, Ed's really got it this time. Be excited, ok?"

Leon slid a knight across the board. "We are excited," he said. "We're just working on our poker faces."

"Hey, some of us have those perfected," Faye said.

Leon snorted.

"You haven't played poker with me yet," Faye huffed.

"Good luck getting me to."

"Forget poker," Ed said. "Feast your eyes on this!" she spun Tomato around so they could all see the screen.

"It's a truck, Ed," Jet scratched his head.

"Yup!"

"Carrying medical supplies?" Leon asked, noticing the red cross symbol on the side of the truck. Jet captured his knight with a crafty smile. Leon frowned.

"That's what they want you to think."

"The Dragon?" Leon asked, retaliating by snagging Jet's bishop. Jet frowned.

"Yup!" Ed turned Tomato back around and started typing again. "Andross is packing his brain suckers as we speak and putting them in this truck," she waved at the screen even though the others couldn't see it. "Then he ships it to Tharsis sneaky sneaky. Undercover as doctors! Ooh, how clever," Ed giggled. "There's your way in, Leo!"

"Hey, you might be onto something."

"Ed has more," Ed promised. "Andross is coming in the flesh. Seems like the coppers are getting on his nerves."

Jet smiled. He'd given Bob a few tips on that one.

Leon's eyes lit up with excitement. "Even better! This could work, Jet!"

"What could work?" Faye asked. "Why am I always the one in the dark here?"

Jet nodded. "It would be a perfect way in. And if Andross really is coming, he'll be a good bargaining tool."

"Bargaining tool for what?" Faye whined.

"For getting the Dragon," Leon said. "Besides, if Andross is in that truck, then that's one down already."

"Bye-bye truck, hello money for Bebop Bebop!" Ed said.

"Not if you haven't posted those bounties yet," Jet reminded her.

"Ed is waaaay ahead of you." She winked and hit another key on Tomato. "Bounties are live as of...now!"

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?!" Faye shouted.

"Oh, right," Jet looked over his shoulder at her. "I seem to remember somebody refusing to join our planning session a few weeks ago so she could pout instead."

"I do not pout," Faye crossed her arms.

"You're for sure in on this, right?" Jet asked.

"Well, yeah."

"Because I seem to remember somebody wanting to tear our arms off for going on this mission, too."

"That'd be a shame," Leon muttered. "Seeing as how I just got mine back."

"Haha, very funny." Faye stuck her tongue out. "Yes, I'm in. Since I can't seem to stop you lunkheads, I guess I'll have to make sure you don't get killed."

"Aw, we're touched, Faye. Really." Jet laid a hand over his heart.

"Shut up before you get on my bad side," Faye threatened, but her scowl didn't reach her eyes.

"I thought we were already on your bad side." Leon smirked.

"You are." Faye said, raising her chin haughtily.

"Oops." Leon's tone clearly said he didn't think it was accidental.

"But seriously, will someone fill me in on this plan?" Faye asked.

"Ask Leo," Ed chirped. "It's his idea."

Faye looked over at Leon.

He cleared his throat with a flourish.

Jet rolled his eyes.

"We need a fast way to take out the Dragon, right?"

"Right," Faye said when he paused.

"It would be ideal if we had all two-or three-" he gave Faye a look, "Dragon leaders in one spot. That way, we can just hand them over to ISSP all at once. Then we don't even have to play clean-up on the rest of the Syndicate. The Syndicate is using Dragon's Eye to grow their influence across the galaxy, so I figure the fastest way to sabotage the Dragon and get their attention is to steal their Dragon's Eye. Then, we make an arrangement with them to trade back the Dragon's Eye for, I don't know, several million woolongs," Leon waved his hand in the air like that sum was no big deal. "But when they show up to trade, instead of giving them the drugs, we give them handcuffs and voila! Problems solved."

"That's great, kid, but where are we getting our hands on that much Dragon's Eye?" Faye asked.

"That's where Ed comes in," Ed said. "Ed found the Dragon's Eye! It's in this truck," she spun Tomato and pointed at her screen again.

"Ok, but hijacking a truck is illegal," Faye said. "Even if it is Syndicate owned."

"Since when have you cared about whether anything was legal?" Jet raised an eyebrow. "Besides, when it's in pursuit of a bounty, hijacking a Syndicate truck is entirely legal."

"Yeah, but Villanova isn't listed as a Syndicate bounty. So going after Dragon property is just asking for trouble."

"Ed, show her what you've been up to," Leon said.

Ed hopped off her perch on the Bebop's console and put her computer on the shogi table, careful not to scatter too many pieces. Jet still grumbled when one of his pawns was shifted out of the way. Ed motioned Faye over. She walked up, her expression skeptical.

"Behold!" Ed pointed at Tomato which was displaying Villanova, Draugh, and Andross as bounties.

Faye whistled. "And they're all listed as Syndicate. You guys have this all thought out, don't you?"

"Ed's not a guy," Ed said.

Faye glared at her.

Ed laughed. "We planned while Faye Faye pouted."

"I told you already, I don't pout!"

Ed stuck out her lower lip and crossed her arms, mirroring Faye.

"I don't look like-ugh!" Faye uncrossed her arms as she realized she did, indeed, look like that. "Just call me when you have a job for me, ok?" she huffed as she stomped downstairs.

"You think we overdid it a little?" Leon asked as she left.

"Nope!" Ed grinned.

"Ed, I thought you said they would be here," Leon said over his com. The Bebop was floating in space outside of the exit of a Dark Gate leading to Mars. After doing some digging, Ed found out that this was how the Dragon had been moving their new drug under the nose of the ISSP.

"They'll be here. Ed promises." Her voice came back somewhat distorted.

"They'd better." Faye buzzed in, sounding about as bored as Leon felt.

He and Faye were suited up and hovering at the Dark Gate exit in the Swordfish and the Redtail, waiting to get the surprise drop on the "medical" truck when it left the gate. With the Bebop standing by to lend a hand, they hoped to catch the truck quickly, without too much fuss. Then they'd tow her back to Mars and stow her in an ISSP warehouse Bob somehow managed to wrangle for them.

Leon leaned his forearms against the Swordfish's console and sighed. "Maybe they figured out what we were doing and used a different Gate."

"And how were they supposed to figure that out?" Faye asked.

Leon shrugged and then realized no one could see the motion. "I dunno."

"Are you proposing we have a snitch?" Faye needled.

"Well, it isn't me."

"It's not Ed," Ed said.

"As the most senior member here, I am above suspicion," Jet chimed in.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Faye demanded.

"I'm too old and decrepit to snitch on anybody," Jet said.

"I thought you weren't old," Leon said.

"I'm not old. Just too old to be a snitch."

"Well, if that's the way we're playing, then it's Leon." Leon could hear the smile in Faye's voice. "He's the youngest."

"That makes me inexperienced, remember?" Leon joked. "So then it would be Ed."

"Ed doesn't lie. Ed just hunts for fishies. Faye Faye lies about the money she spends. She would be a good snitch."

"Hey! I do not lie about money-"

"What about that time you bought - what was it? - a Tharsis wolf fur coat for a 'paltry sum'?" Jet reminded her.

"Well, it was!"

"Until ISSP demanded the money from our last bounty for that office building you blew up. And you refused to sell back the coat to cover damages. So Ed and I had to pay out of pocket."

"Hey! I lost that coat chasing down a bounty you recommended, so I'd say we're even!"

"That's not even," Jet exclaimed. "That's -"

"Here she comes!" Ed interrupted Jet. "Lookie lookie!"

Leon jolted upright as a truck materialized in front of him, sliding effortlessly out of the Dark Gates. It's triangular front end nosed out of the Gate first, followed by a cargo container with a bright red cross painted on the side. The truck barreled forward without a second thought.

"Jam their radio, Ed!" Leon said.

"On it!"

There was a moment's surprise as the truck visibly slowed, as if the driver were having second thoughts about leaving the Gate. Leon imagined the men inside reaching for their radios to call for help, only to realize that they weren't working. He swooped down in the Swordfish, heading for the front of the truck. As he neared the truck, a compartment on the top of the cargo container opened up and a military grade machine gun rose out of it. A scathing line of fire swept toward the Swordfish.

"Oh, hell, what is that!?" Leon yelped, as he put the Swordfish into an evasive spiral. He felt the ship shudder as something clipped his left wing. He took her into a dive, dropping below the machine gun's arc. As he dropped beneath the truck, he tilted the Swordfish's nose up and let loose with the plasma cannon, aiming for the truck's engines.

"Well it's definitely not standard artillery on a medical truck," Faye growled as the machine gun took aim at her and she flew sideways to dodge the incoming fire.

The truck took a sharp right turn, attempting to cut between the Redtail and the Swordfish only to find their way blocked by the much bigger and more intimidating Bebop. The cannon rotated to aim at the Bebop. Faye flew across the front of the truck, peppering them with gunfire. It wasn't heavy enough to do serious damage, but it was a thorough distraction. The truck swayed wildly as the driver attempted to avoid the gunfire. Leon rose up from behind the truck and gave the machine gun a well-placed round from his plasma cannon. The blue shot splattered over the machine gun, short-circuiting the system and frying its electrical components. Over his radio, he heard Ed cheer.

A second later there was an explosion from the front of the truck and the truck's speed dropped as Faye put a couple rounds into their engines. The truck was now at the mercy of the Bebop, unable to flee.

"It's about time for that tow cable, Jet!" she radioed.

"Gotcha covered," Jet said. A few moments later, Jet appeared on the Bebop's deck in a space suit, lugging a heavy tow cable. Faye flew over in the Redtail and grabbed one end of the cable in her ship's pincers. She flew it back over to the truck. Leon made sure his space suit was sealed, then popped the hatch on the Swordfish. He slid himself out of the pilot's seat and drifted down to the top of the truck. The magnets in his boots helped him stick to the cargo container and he walked toward the front of the truck. He slid down to the driver's side door and peered inside. A scowling Andross met his curious gaze. Leon smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He pulled a length of wire out of his pocket and wired the door shut from the outside. Clambering over the top of the truck again, he did the same thing to the other side, ignoring the rude gestures Andross' sidekick gave him.

After securing the doors, he made his way back to the top of the truck. Faye hovered over the truck, tow cable clutched in the Redeye's pincer grip. Leon grabbed the dangling towline. Big rigs like this one always had tow cable hook ups behind the cab, in case they broke down in space and had to be towed in. He gave Faye the thumbs up and set about anchoring the towline to the truck.

"Hey, you got me patched through yet, Ed?" Jet asked, now back inside the Bebop.

"Just about...now."

"Red Dragon, this is Bebop. Can you hear me?" Jet crackled over the radio. Faye and Leon kept their channels open so they could all hear the also meant that Faye and Leon could add to the conversation although Jet had cautioned them both to let him do the talking.

"We hear you, Bebop. But this isn't Red Dragon. This truck is a medical truck carrying pharmaceutical drugs to Mars," Andross answered. "You are interfering with official Mars business and if you don't back off now, you will be prosecuted. You have no right to ambush us like this."

"Ooh, prosecuted. Scary," Faye purred.

"As cowboys, we have every right to detain a legal bounty in any capacity we deem reasonable." Jet sounded like he was quoting something.

"I am not a bounty!" Andross replied angrily. "I am a pharmacist bringing medical supplies to Mars and I ask again that you back down or I'll call ISSP."

"By all means, go ahead. You'll be doing half of my job for me," Jet said.

There was some interference on the radio that sounded like a growl.

"That's right, Andross. You might want to check the bounty listings if you haven't recently. I think you'll find out the Red Dragon has more problems than you know about."

"Is that right, Lucaza?" Andross snarled.

"Recognized my voice, did you?" Jet chuckled.

"Have you just been playing the Syndicate all along?" there was something bordering on respect in Andross' voice.

"You might say that," Jet said. "It's in our job description, you know."

"Geez, I'm not getting paid enough for this," Andross muttered. Then he continued. Although there was nothing different about the way he spoke, Leon instantly knew he was addressing him. "You know you can't hide from the Dragon, boy. You think you're clever, trying to lure them in like fish in a net. But you don't know what you're about to catch."

"I believe I just caught you, Andross," Leon said as he jerked the tow cable in place. It made a satisfyingly loud clank that he was sure sounded more ominous inside the truck. "Which is a shame because I thought you weren't half-bad when I met you. You know, aside from the obvious drug-dealing Dragon friends you keep."

"At least it's better than what I've heard about your murdering father," Andross said snidely. "I may deal drugs, but I didn't gun down an entire Syndicate."

"Look, Spike had his reasons, and so do we," Jet derailed the conversation before it went further. "We're just riding drag and rounding up the stragglers. It'll go easier with you if you come quietly. Kill the line, Ed," Jet muttered.

A second later, the radio chanel burst into static. Leon scowled as he made his way back across the truck to the Swordfish. "Spike wasn't a murderer," he said to himself. "The Dragon deserved it."

"I knew you looked like trouble when you came to the Den," Andross muttered. Leon and Jet marched a handcuffed Andross and his henchman (luckily it wasn't the trigger-happy Jag) to the Bebop's holding cell. After transporting several bounties tied to various points in the ship, Jet and Faye added the holding cell to one of the Bebop's storage rooms. The holding cell was a steel cage built into one wall with bars forming the other three walls. It was big enough to hold about four men comfortably. Leon had yet to see it in use, but he felt a strange sense of pride that Andross was the first man he put in it.

"Glad I didn't disappoint," Leon said, prodding Andross into the holding cell with his newly acquired Jericho. Andross stepped inside like he was walking into a new home.

"Nice place. The bars on the door really give it that extra something," he said. Leon didn't answer. He stepped out of the way as Jet guided Andross' henchman into the cell too. Jet closed the heavy steel door. It locked automatically and could only be unlocked by keying in a command on a keypad set into the wall a few feet away.

"Well, I guess that takes care of that for now," Jet said, rubbing his hands together.

"Looks like it," Leon agreed.

Jet turned to leave the storage room and Leon followed. Just as Leon was about to step through the circular door into the Bebop's revolving halls, Andross called out to him.

"So, you're the Spiegel kid, huh?"

Leon paused, letting Jet walk ahead. He turned back toward the holding cell. "And if I am?"

Andross shrugged. "It means nothing to me. I'm just the Dragon's Eye dealer. But the Syndicate has plans for you."

Leon walked back up to the cell. "What do you know about them?"

Andross shrugged. Despite his hands being cuffed in front of him, he leaned casually against the wall like he'd put himself in the cell on purpose. "Not much. I'm not high on the totem pole." He flashed a grin. "I'm just paid to grow drugs."

"You're not a part of the Syndicate?" Leon asked, narrowing his eyes.

Andross shook his head. "Not formally. They just pay me more than anybody else." Andross gave Leon a pointed look.

Leon crossed his arms. "Mad about the fake woolongs, are we?"

"Well, I'll be honest, it was a bit of a letdown. I was beginning to think Lucaza was for real and I was about to be loaded."

"Is that all your loyalty amounts to? A pocketful of cash?"

"Can you blame me?" Andross smiled. "All I did was sell out to the highest bidder. If your offer was real, I would've sold out to you. As it was, I ended up telling the Dragon about some lousy bum who tried to buy me out but didn't have the cash to back his offer."

Leon snorted. "Look, I don't really care who you'd sell out to. You're a bountyhead either way."

"Is that all I am to you? A pocketful of cash?" Andross parroted.

Leon scowled.

"They told me you'd probably be as cold as your father." Andross gave him a calculating look.

"Look, if they told you you could use my father as leverage against me, you can't. I never knew him, so if I'm anything like him, it's not because of him."

"You have the same hatred for the Syndicate," Andross pointed out.

"The Syndicate is the reason he's dead."

"He's the reason that most of the Syndicate is dead."

"Is that a bad thing?" Leon asked.

Andross shrugged again. "Depends on how you look at it, I suppose."

"Well, I suppose it's bad if you work for them, but that's your fault for picking the wrong employer."

Andross chuckled. "You got me there. I'm just a shark drawn to blood and the Dragon's full of it."

Leon put his hands in his pockets and spoke over his shoulder as he walked away. "And I'm just a bounty hunter who's gonna clean up all that blood."

When Leon got back to the living room, the rest of the crew was already gathered.

"Hob-nobbing with the prisoners, are we?" Faye asked.

"Oh, they're a real riot," Leon said. "You'd like Andross. He's got the same eye for money you do."

"Why do I even put up with you?" Faye rolled her eyes.

"Because I live here." Leon dropped into a chair at the coffee table and gave Faye a charming smile.

"Grow up, you two," Jet muttered. He and Ed were sitting on the couch, hunched over Tomato.

"Yes, sir." Leon gave Jet a mock salute.

Faye flung herself into the second chair with a dramatic sigh. "Now what?"

"Now we tell the Dragon we stole their drugs and their scientist is making his new home in the bottom of our ship." Leon said, propping his boots on the coffee table. Faye frowned, but she didn't say anything.

"I don't think having them come to us is a good idea," Jet said, sitting back and crossing his arms.

"Finally!" Faye said. "I've been trying to tell you guys this from the beginning. What do you say fellas? We turn in Andross and let ISSP handle the rest."

"That's not what I meant, Faye," Jet said.

Faye pouted. "It was worth a shot, right?"

"Wrong," Leon muttered.

Faye glared at him.

"What I mean is, having the Dragon come to us tips the hand in their favor," Jet explained. "Nothing screams ambush louder than 'hey, come to my warehouse, I've got your drugs'."

"So you're saying we should go to them?" Leon asked, eyebrow raised.

"Like ninjas?" Ed asked, looking over the top of Tomato. Ein peeked his head over the top of the computer too. Ed pushed him back down.

Jet shook his head. "No, then we'd just be walking into their arms. I think we should agree to meet them in a neutral place for this deal. A public place. Somewhere where a firefight would be too obvious. Somewhere that makes the Dragon behave."

"You got somewhere in mind?" Faye asked.

"Perhaps," Jet said with a smile.

"And where might that be?" Faye narrowed her eyes.

"How would you like to go place some bets, Faye?"

"You're proposing we meet them in a casino?" Faye asked, incredulous. But there was no disguising the interest in her voice.

"Why not?" Jet asked. "Syndicate deals often go down in casinos and bars for the precise reason that they're filled with civilians."

"Wouldn't that put people in danger though?" Leon asked.

"Not really," Jet said. "The whole point of doing the deal in the middle of a civilian crowd is that both sides have to behave. You can't bring in your weapons and you've got to conduct yourself with at least a drop of civility. Casinos also usually have their own security, which we could use to our advantage," Jet winked.

"So we can hide one of us on the inside," Leon said.

"Exactly."

"Ok, but I'm not playing backup this time," Faye declared.

"And I'm not burly enough to be a security guard," Leon added.

"Ed's Ed," Ed said, grinning widely at Jet.

Ein just barked.

Jet sighed and put his head in his hand. "It was my idea. Shouldn't I get to hand out the jobs?"