[ TT ] `` Best bounty hunter in the universe ? Well , then you want them , '' said the man , pointing down the bar to where a little girl and her robot were playing chess .

“ Best bounty hunter in the universe? Well, then you want them, ” said the man, pointing down the bar to where a little girl and her robot were playing chess. 
 
 “ Nononon. I think you misunderstood me. I said the ‘ best bounty hunter ’ not the best… ” I glanced back at the tow headed child and her rust bucket of a robot, “ Whatever the hell you want to call that… a comedic duo? ” 
 
 The elderly man let loose a laugh I felt through the old copper topped wood of the bar, “ Alrighty you cunt. Go talk to them and see if you still think that. ” His eyes said I should shut up and get going. 
 
 Raising my eyebrows to his response I grabbed my beer and attempted to walk over to the pair nonchalantly. As I walked closer the bar quitted down. The chatter from the Qatarian group dropped from existence. The mouth vomit of the Verillian bartender even faded away as I drew closer. Her narrow shoulders faced me and she seemed fully enveloped in the game splayed before her. Her minuscule fingers were tapping away at the surface of the table as her robot companion sat unmoving. I was afraid that his moving bits had rusted together when suddenly his mechanical arm sprang to life and grabbed a pawn and jabbed it forward a square. 
 
 “ Oh finally! Good lawd I thought you were never going to move! ” She didn ’ t look like she was more than thirteen as I approached their game. I just couldn ’ t believe that geezer would recommend these two over any one else in this establishment. The Golden Huntsman was known for attracting the most sordid, and capable, characters in the Andromeda galaxy. Thinking about it, the fact these two weren ’ t dead was in itself quite a feat. Just existing on this planet took myself a monumental effort. I ’ d been nearly mugged twice, almost stabbed by a drugged out lunatic with a pitchfork and had to fend off a pack of Kildaf wolves just out of town. I took the last step to approach to the side of their game just in time to notice that she had a pistol trained squarely at my crotch. 
 
 “ You have ten seconds to explain yourself or get the fuck out of here. ” 
 
 “ Uhum. ” I grabbed my throat and willed the frog in it to get out of the way of my vocal chords. “ Yes. I uh. ” I attempted more vigorously to dislodge the creature, “ I would like to hire the pair of you I think. ” 
 
 “ You think? ” The humanoid robot looked from its pieces. “ You either do or you do not. Make up your mind fleshbag. ” 
 
 “ Right. Yes. I would like to hire you. A piece of technology was stolen from my company and I ’ ve been tasked with retrieving it without police interference. ” I finally noticed that bar had come to complete silence. Looking around I noticed that every eye was focused solely on our exchange. The old man I had first talked to looked like he was about to burst from holding back a laugh. His face a vivid, veiny red while his right hand barely contained a grin. 
 
 “ Ralph? Kill him? ” The girl was wearing what looked like mining clothes draped loosely over her small frame. 
 
 “ Actually Les. I ’ m curious. ” 
 
 “ You ’ re curious? Oh come on. He ’ s a corporate dumbass in charge of taking care of some bullshit his bosses want covered up. ” She let the pistol muzzle drift upwards to my chest. 
 
 “ Les. You can ’ t always shoot potential clients. But yes. I am curious. You ’ re from the Glasgow conglomerate correct? ” His vaguely humanoid face turned towards mine. The rust of many years had done irreparable damage to the surface of his outer coating but between the outer plates his inner mechanisms seemed in perfect condition. In fact, they looked of exceptional quality. I looked him over and noticed that most of his mechanisms were dramatically over speced for his model. 
 
 “ Yeah. I ’ m from Glasgow. I ’ ve also noticed that you seem to be sporting some hardware of ours. ” 
 
 “ Hah! He ’ s got a good eye! Sure as shit I am. You guys make the best aftermarkets in the known universe. ” 
 
 Les seemed to realize that I would not be getting shot at this point and slipped her pistol back into hiding. “ Well since Ralph is curious how about this: two hundred grand up front and another two fifty on completion. ” 
 
 I tried not to let my eyes bulge. I really did. “ Four hundred and fifty fucking grand? ” 
 
 “ You ’ re right… ” Les rubbed her pointed chin, “ How about we make it an even five hundred? ” She retorted with a smile. 
 
 This time I didn ’ t try. I let my eyes widen and my jaw drop. The old man at the end of the bar finally lost it. His laugh rocked the Hunstman to the foundation. It knocked me off balance as he roared, “ Take the offer ya cunt! Yer the first person she hasn ’ t killed in months! ” 
 
 “ I… well… Are you two up to it? I mean Ralph I get. He ’ s got some pretty serious hardware tucked away, but you? How old are you kid? ” 
 
 Les stood up from her chair and her face seemed to rise to just in front of me. Her eyes locked with mine and then came the pressure. Immense, unfathomable pressure in my knees. In my chest. In my skull. It was everywhere and heavy beyond words. I couldn ’ t breathe. I couldn ’ t think. Then seeming to leak out of the aether her voice rang through my head, “ I ’ m more than capable of whatever is necessary. I ’ ve handled myself for tens of years and I ’ ve dealt with people of strength beyond your imagining. Do not think that because of how I appear I have any qualms of tearing your existence into shreds. ” 
 
 With no warning the weight lifted from my frame and I saw that she was still sitting. I ’ d never experienced the power of a psionic before and I never wanted to again. The tremors that followed were violent but thankfully brief. As I finally drifted back to reality after her mental attack, I realized that I was staring at the bottom of the table Les and Ralph were playing chess on. I attempted to pick myself up only to realize that I had vomited where my hand had tried to find purchase. 
 
 “ Are you willing to pay six hundred grand now? ” 
 
 I knew she had raised it again, as confirmed by the guffaw of the old man at the bar, but god damn. Managing myself to an upright I walked to the bar and grabbed a rag from the Verillian barkeep, paid up my thirty-five hundredths of a credit for the beer and said, “ Yeah Miss Les.'' I turned back to her with a shaky smile, “ I think I can swing six hundred thousand credits for you two. ” 

