There is life out there! Thank you defalcon! I am SAVED!!
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Coppertop arrived back at the Assassin with three Saravzan. Scimitar was beside her, and the two fighters spoke in low voices. The grey vixen Ferran was making sure they weren't being tailed with Emerald Dragon, although Copper doubted the need for that. Shellions and Kronans couldn't track if their lives depended on it. Which it probably did.
The Assassin had been moved to a partially intact hangar on the outskirts of the city at Wild Angel's urging. Her excuse had been that she was getting tired of teleporting everybody to and from the ship. Copper had laughed at her and then complied.
"I'd have thought that your ship would have been vaped long ago," Scimitar said. "You always were hard on your vehicles. What happened to that monster of a warhorse you owned not long ago?"
"Ironheart? When Kroys mounted that attack on my town he got loose, and attacked a group of Shellions. He decimated them before a blade found his heart, I hear."
"He deserved better."
"Aye, he served me well, but his days were numbered anyway. I was using him less and less, and he needed action. He couldn't have died any other way that would have pleased him better, I think."
"Most fighters want to die in battle."
"Yes. Back to your original comment - as long as I'm around, the Assassin will be around. I may be demanding of my other vehicles, but the Assassin ... I take care of the Assassin."
"You must do," Emerald commented. "Especially if you had it in the days before Devan."
Coppertop gave her friend a crooked grin. "Aye, I had it before Devan. Not long before, though."
"You're older than Prince Jazz?" Ferran demanded.
"Actually, no," Copper retorted. "I'm a year younger than him, but I've led a harder life."
"I'm sure," Ferran muttered, but Copper ignored that. Touching her sword, she covered the dark green jewel with her hand. A glimmer of white fire showed between Coppertop's fingers, and when she took her hand away and drew Shale the blade glowed with that same white fire. It drove back the shadows, but cast darker ones in the mercenary's unreadable dark green eyes and in Scimitar's lighter feral ones. Ferran scowled, but the light obviously served some other purpose, for the Assassin's boarding ramp extended. Coppertop tossed a grin over her shoulder at Scimitar and doused the light before leading them into the ship.

The Lessaria 309 glided through space, a bronze-furred rabbit at the controls. Shonar was a fighter pilot, selling his skills to the highest bidder. His heavily modified Protector had once been part of the elite fleet that Kroys had commanded. At his command, they had pursued the Assassin 216 through an asteroid field, and only Shonar had returned. Abandoned by Kroys, he had once more struck out on his own and had assisted Coppertop in sneaking aboard Kroys' private flagship, the Hypernaught (which had resulted in his former employer's death.).
Four hours ago, he had recieved a coded, encrypted message from the mercenary, asking him to meet her on Colonia. He knew Coppertop well - he had given her her current name (unintentionally) - and had fought beside her many times. She trusted him as much as one mercenary trusted another - she knew that he could turn against her if it was to his profit, but she also knew him well enough to know that he had never been able to resist intrigue. He had a vague idea what this was about, but his suspicions would not be mentioned. This was strictly business. If she paid him enough, he would help her. If she didn't, he was gone.
The Lessaria shot through space, a sleek silver splinter of death. In two hours Shonar would arrive at Colonia, and perhaps at his next job ...

Yikes, you've nearly caught up to me ... I shall have to take enough time off to write lots of good parts