"So what is your plan from here, Mark?"
Mark shrugged
"I was building a ship with the armor panelings set to arrive in a day's time… Well, from there I was planning to leave the system and maybe set up a pirate enclave somewhere?"
Luna showed a smile
"Well, you have always acted more like an outlaw than a law-abiding citizen"
Mark shrugged
"It's a habit from my time in the other place, I led the largest independent army ever seen in those parts, we tore down empires ten times our size for spiting us and burned down merchant republics with mansions made from pure gold and sparkling jewels for trying to divert supplies we relied on"
"That does sound quite grand… But, won't you reconsider?"
"...That depends on Lisa's attitude, I won't get between the two of you"
Luna opened her mouth to speak, however, she paused as her attention seemed to be drawn elsewhere for a few moments
"What is it?"
"Someone is trying to steal the ship I arrived in, they were trying to overwrite the lock on the outer bulkhead, but now they've brought a series of power tools to the hull"
"...What?"
"Don't worry, I've remotely enabled some countermeasures"
"Who the fuck would try to steal a ship in an open port?"
Luna pulled out a console and projected a still holographic image for Mark to see, he rose to his feet at once and immediately cursed out loud
"Motherfuckers"
He recognized his old ship, the Sparrow, along with quite a few people in the holographic picture, most were employees of Metallurgy developments LT busy trying to break into the ship, however a few others were part of the Towo station security forces
"Mark?"
"Is the Sparrow secured?"
Luna's eyes unfocused for a moment before she nodded
"Yeah, even if they somehow breach the shields that will only elevate the security program's response to the attempted incursions… Besides I brought 28 mobile auxiliaries with me, if they actually get inside I am supernovaing the Towo system star"
"That seems excessive"
"No, this is targeted harassment, either the crazed stalker is behind it or the guild. Even if they are blinded by greed and simply being used, I am not obligated to hold back, I will turn the very power behind their long-forgotten evolution into the instrument of their demise"
Mark showed a smile and asked
"How does that biological anger feel?"
Luna blushed as she instantly remembered the spiel she had given Mark about how biological life instinctively believes itself above and in control of their base instincts, Mark let out a laugh before he spoke
"Don't worry Luna, I am just pulling your leg a bit… Even if it was a long time ago, that is technically still my ship they are messing with, so let's go file a formal complaint"
Luna nodded and rose from her seat
"I take it you know where we are going?"
"I sure do, one moment…"
Mark walked up behind the bar and accessed the console, where he authorized a rather large transfer of his personal credit holdings to Carol with a personal message. Letting out a sigh as he gazed at the console Mark eventually turned back around to face Luna and spoke
"Let's go"
Luna nodded, the two left the bar and headed towards the nearby interstation metro where they waited for a train
"So how do you know these people?"
"Well, I had planned to untie the underworld of the station and then the system to start an enclave… Well, I lost interest along the way because the prickly personality I chose to be the final standing underworld kingpin"
"I see, the Iron Snakes?"
"Yeah, those guys, somehow they're bold enough to try and cross me and still cowardly enough to not take advantage of the opportunities I've created for them"
"I see, that sounds like the typical gangster to me though"
Mark shrugged
"I suppose so, however they betrayed my expectations and with you here I have even less of a reason not to dip them in tar and shove them onto a campfire"
"That sounds pretty barbaric"
"Yeah, that's because it is, however it's also a great way to get back at people"
"Sounds like it"
As the two of them stood and waited a logistics bot flew around the metro station until it seeming spotted Mark and flew over to him before playing a delivery tune
"...Right"
Mark immediately knew who had mailed him and took the package, as Luna watched him and the package with intrigue Mark opened it up and dug though the shipping peanuts until he found the console inside, handing the empty package back to the logistics drone
"I should have expected this, my stay on the station wasn't all bad, I did manage to make a friend"
"A friend?"
Mark nodded and powered on the console which immediately received a string of messages
[Motherfucker, why didn't you contact me?]
[Why did you destroy your console in the first place?]
[Who's that chink you're hanging out with? Don't tell me you finally found a squeeze with a pulse?]
"...They sure have a colorful vocabulary"
"Yeah, Luna this is the gunsmith, gunsmith, this is Luna"
[Right, would you answer my questions already? Was it a denial maneuver? And if it was, why are you walking around the street like nothing happened?]
"It was, however the person looking for me was Luna, so I overreacted a bit"
[Damn right you did, for a homicidal maniac with little to no social skills you sure are jumpy, Mark]
"Hey"
Luna remained silent as Mark and the gunsmith continued bickering, however after boarding the train, she suddenly spoke up
"So how did you find Mark, Alissa?"
Mark paused and immediately asked
"Who is Alissa?"
Luna pointed to the console and responded
"The gunsmith, she's a shut-in living in the central district called Alissa"
[How the fuck did you do that, you whore!?]
Luna showed a smug smile and responded
"Come on now Alissa, you didn't really believe your shoddy encryption and triple-layered firewall could keep you hidden from the real deal, did you?"
[Alright, Miss Real Deal, why don't you go sit on a shotgun? I think it would do wonders for your Constipation, bitch]
Luna laughed out loud and fired back
"Come on now, just because the muzzle flash of a ballistic rifle is the closest thing your pale ass have ever been to a natural light source, you don't have to be so violent, shut-in"
Mark let out a sigh as the two continued to bicker, he had half expected them to stop hurling insults at each other at some point, however even after getting off the metro and arriving at Metallurgy developments LT headquarters they were still at it
[Why don't you come over and huff my farts, you slut!?]
"Oh yeah? Come on now, we both know you would pass out as soon as I so much as touched the front door to your lair"
Mark walked into Metallurgy developments LT headquarters leaving Luna outside as she continued her verbal duel with Alissa
Inside the lobby Mark immediately realized that it looked exactly the same as it the holographic image that had been projected when he had been ambushed by Serlina, only this time around it was all very real
'So she remodelled the entire lobby to turn it into a killbox before inviting me over? Guess I should feel just a little flattered'
Walking up to the counter Mark greeted the receptionist
"Hi Yen, is the boss lady in?"
The receptionist's business smile faltered slightly when Mark greeted her by name, despite her never having introduced herself, however, she still remained cordial, at least with her language
"May I have your name?"
"Mark"
The receptionist looked up something on her console for a few moments before she spoke again
"I don't see an appointment, Mr. Mark, Would you like to book a meeting? I have a clear time slot in the boss' schedule in two months' time"
Mark blinked twice before he asked
"So it's going to be like that?"
"Mr. Mark, please don't be difficult, miss Serlina's time is limited and she can't be expected to be on call for anyone that just walks in and asks to meet her"
Mark glanced at the security personal that was slowly boxing him and let out a sigh when Luna walked into the lobby and spoke
"Yeah, that's not going to work for us, get your boss down here before I sunder this entire fucking station"
Needless to say Luna's comment attracted the attention of the security personal that closed in on her to restrain her, however before they managed to touch her, they all fell over, Mark vaguely senses what had happened to them, but still asked
"What the fuck was that, Luna?"
Luna showed a smile as the heads of the security personal that had tried to apprehend her began smoking before outright catching fire
"Death, the instant kind"
The 8 receptionist and remaining security personal all instinctively took a step back when the smell of burning flesh reached them as Luna continued
"Now, unless any one of you want your grey matter cooked, I suggest you call your boss so she can explain why her goons are scratching the polish on my ship with power tools, trying their damnedest to steal it"
One security guard standing by the entrance behind Luna reached for his weapon, however before he even managed to touch it he let out a bloodcurdling scream as he collapsed on the floor and trashed around before finally falling limp a few moments later, black smoke seeping out from his mouth and nose
"That was the near-instant death, does anyone want to try out the prolonged death and get cooked over several minutes, or are you going to stop fucking around and call your boss?"
Needless to say, Serlina quickly got a urgent call and according to the receptionist that was trying (and failing) her literal crying of fear, she would be there in a few minutes
[How the fuck did you light those people on fire?]
Luna shrugged before she casually explained
"It's a point defence system on my escort crafts, using two interfacing focused beams of exotic radiation, the crossing of the two generates intense heat at a specific point in space near instantaneously. It's very convenient against missile and drone barrages, and it passes clean though most common materials"
[That's fucking sick, I am sorry about calling you a whore earlier]
"Don't worry about it, I was a little jealous you were getting along so well with Mark too, Alissa"
[So we're cool?]
"Yeah, water under the bridge, so to say"
[Pfft, what the fuck is that old-ass saying? The old folks home called, they need you back to fill their elderly imprisoned quota]
Luna's eyelid twitched for a moment before she showed a smile and immediately clapped back
"You know Alissa, maybe I should take you up on your invite and beat your pale ass while I visit your den, you pale cave-dwelling creature"