John Cabot, leader for the Mandalorian Mercenaries had had a quiet and uneventful morning so far. He hated the paperwork, though. He tried to push some of it to Dha Piruna and Ranov'la Aran, two of his Consuls, but they wouldn't take any more bureaucratic work than they already had.
"You need us out there making money, John." Ranov'la would say, "And we need our leader out there with us."
Business was flourishing. Dha and Ranov'la did a good job alright organizing their contracts and keeping an eye out for new opportunities, but there was so much more to that. Mercenaries relied greatly in their reputation and the relations with their clients. With the success and reach they achieved, not stepping over the toes of one client while serving another was becoming more and more of a politics puzzle. Suddenly his door opened without notice. He had told his secretary to announce people before letting them in.
"Excellent morning, isn't it, John?" Ranov'la Aran entered the office with a contented smile. John thought of objecting the intrusion, but he had already learned to pay attention whenever his Consuls were too happy about something. He decided not to say a thing until Ranov'la did.
Ranov'la went directly to John's cabinet and poured himself a drink, emptying the bottle. "Was this the last of Luc's whisky?" He didn't really expect John to reply to that and sat in the couch.
It was a kind of a warrior's jest amongst the Mandalorian command to act so laid back towards each other, specially the Consuls towards the Mandalore. Something to keep him from losing the "part of the gang" feel. They would follow the Mandalore to the grave if needed be, but they were a family more than anything.
John decided it would be a good thing to take a break from the paperwork and poured himself a drink as well. He returned to his desk and listened.
"I've got great news, John."
"Well, let's hear it then."
"We're being hunted."
"What?", John was sure that last sip went through the wrong pipe.
"Someone has hired Dark Wing to hunt us. From elimination me and Dha are inclined to think the KNF might have done it."
"And that is... What is it you said? 'Great news' because..."
"John, come on. The Kusarians despise the Bounty Hunter Guild from the bottom of their little Kusarian hearts. If it was indeed them that hired the DW to hunt us down, they had to go a lot out of their way to do it. I take it they weren't impressed by your little stunt with their commander. Anyway, we need to confirm that. I'm sure Die Hard will be more than pleased if this is true", Ranov'la smiled broadly.
"Ranov'la, wait. Hold on a second. How do you even know that?"
"Oh yes, that... Well, me and Dha were attacked by them yesterday in Bretonia territory. But it gets better. At the time, we were aiding the BPA and they disobeyed their orders to stand down and attacked us anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if the BPA/QCRF have already blacklisted them by now. The BPA officer actually helped us fighting them."
"Wait, alright, get back a little. Who were they?"
"They were Crunch, Vexille and Suzanna. The BPA was fighting a pirate bomber and ordered us to stand down. He wanted to deal with it himself," Ranov'la continued, "We were watching the fight and noticed the DWs moving. At first they just stood there. I greeted them and got no reply. They moved away and returned in different ships. I was a bit suspicious of their movement, but we were distracted by the ongoing fight. Eventually that fight ended and as we returned to Planet Cambridge, they attacked Dha. As I moved in, the BPA ordered them to stop, but they ignored. The police officer joined and helped us."
"And how did it go?"
"What can I say, John? They failed. Actually they failed big time. Neither me nor Dha even used our shield batteries or nanobots."
"Alright, I'll try and sort this out. Alert everyone to keep an eye out for these guys. Don't let them get close to the new pilots."
"Understood, John. Dha is already working on that." Ranov'la stood up, "Oh, one more thing. I need you to sign this.", he handled John a document.
"What? Why do you need yet another ship? How many have you got already, five?"
"Come on, John. I'm a collector, what can I say? Also, I didn't even apply for that fat bonus you mentioned. I'd much rather you get me a nice little gift." he said leaving the office, "Oh, and be sure they send that one in a gun metal pattern, it will look gorgeous in that color. Thanks a bunch, John."
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