prompts: Parachutes & Turning Tables
Chakwas was hardly listening to Zaeed's story, her attention on the scrolling vendor index. Someone on the station had to carry dextro-friendly antibiotics, surely.
"...and that's why I prefer traditional parachutes."
Wait, what? "I beg your pardon, Mr. Massani. I was momentarily distracted. Why do you prefer 'traditional' parachutes?"
"Nothing like it, I tell you." He rolled his good eye. "You drop behind enemy lines, fight your way through a bloody jungle, and climb up piles of corpses, but at the end of the day? You have a bloody great silk sheet strapped to your back." His grin was at least half lear. "Fucking luxury. Nylon parachutes are bullshit."
"Oh. I... see." She wouldn't have thought him aware of the finer things in life. She wondered if he could appreciate a good brandy. Without killing his way through a jungle first.
Something moved in the crowd behind them; a little too fast to be a normal shopper.
"We've got company!"
Zaeed dropped the boxes he'd been carrying for her, pulled out his rifle, and shoved her unceremoniously behind the kiosk. "Get the fuck down, woman!"
She complied, ducking in time to avoid a hail of bullets from a nearby storefront. Massani whirled, sending his own deadly rain back in response. His targets fell, but he didn't see the concussion grenade land behind his back. Chakwas saw him go down, saw a bright red stain spread as the grenade-thrower took advantage of his immobility.
Massani wasn't going to be getting them out of this.
She stepped coolly out from behind the kiosk.
"The fuck you doin', daft woman?" Massani hissed through gritted teeth. "Leave me be. Hide."
"Quiet, please." She pulled the ugly pistol from his hip as their remaining assailant came to finish them off.
Her first bullet caught him between the eyes.
The second hit his chest for good measure.
The third hit his back-up, who had been no more than flicker of movement in her peripheral vision.
"Da-amn," floated up blearily from the half-conscious merc on the floor.
Chakwas brushed her silver hair out of her eyes and sighed, then knelt down next to Zaeed. "Well, better get you patched up."