tirepanted3 wrote:(Though a new chapter of "Rescue Operation" would be appreciated more.
)
Thanks! That means a lot to me.
Quick disclaimer: some parts of this post are (a little) darker than usual.
**************
Judith cursed under her breath. “The town is crawling with cops even though it's the middle of the night... I bet the Solomons are behind it.”
“Then it's a good thing we left the jeep behind at the entrance of the city.” Abigail commented. “And that we took the time to change clothes.”
They were now wearing civilian clothes. On their way, near a night club at the edge of the town, Judith, Abigail and Deborah had the luck to come across a trio of slighlty tipsy tourists: Three young women (a blonde, a redhead and a brunette), probably in Frontier for their studies, who wanted to slum in for a night. They were probably a tight group of friends, as they had chosen to share the same dress code (black pants, dark red tank tops and dark blue jackets) ; and to share the same hairstyle (a loose bun at the back of the head). And from a certain point of view, for these three friends, this night would indeed become unforgettable, though not in the way they intended... Indeed, this welcome little twist of fate allowed the Judith and her sisters to change clothes and discard their guard uniforms, which would raise a few eyebrows in the town since only people working on the Solomon estate were supposed to wear them. The outfit's three real owners were probably currently waking up, and discovering themselves stuck in an uncomfortable predicament. Hidden in some bushes, with only their most intimate undergarments to protect their modesty. Even their underwear were similar: comfortable dark blue sports bra and matching boyshorts, perfect to dance all night. The three party goers were tied up and gagged with strips of Judith's, Deborah's and Abigail's discarded guard uniforms. Though Judith wasn't too worried for them. The night was warm, and they were probably able to work as a team to free themselves. Eventually.
“The cops are probably here for Aster and her friends, but I don't want to take any risk. For our safety, we will assume that they are also looking for us. We have to leave town.” Judith decided.
Abigail nodded. “Boat, plane or car?” she asked.
“We will improvise on the spot.”
“We can't roam freely across the streets as if we owned the place though.” Abigail objected. “Not with so many cops.”
“True. But I know something for sure.” Judith said. “The best way to go unnoticed by the cops is to look like one, if you see what I mean...”
Deborah smiled. “Big sis, I like the way you think.”
**************
Simon chose to remain with his goons in front of the embassy, as if to besiege the building. He had spotlight installed, and because of them the façades of the embassy were lit as if it was broad daylight.
“Looks like the guy will camp here all week if he has to...” Hieron commented while looking at the street through the window of his office. “Talk about being stubborn!”
Aster, Klenia, Mikani, and Shayna were with him. Aster was studying a map of the town, Klenia was fidgeting with the cushions of her chair's armrests, Shayna was pacing up and down, and Mikani was grimly looking through the window. Agria was watching the captured Yuna and Cynthia, Cleo was at the infirmary. Salomé, Lena and her friends, and the freed slaves were resting in other rooms.
“It could be a problem if we want to leave the embassy.” Aster commented. “Even with our country's diplomatic immunity and with an escort, an 'accident' could still happen to us on our way to the airport.”
“I wish I could just get rid of him, but my hands are tied.” Hieron said. “I received a message from our government. I can't create an international incident for you. I have to be... tactful.”
Klenia sighed. “I think I liked you better before you became a politician...” she commented.
Hieron grimaced and put his hand on his heart. “That hurts! I have feelings, you know?”
“Quit complaining.”
Hieron dropped the act and smiled. “Sorry. Force of habit, now that I'm a politician and all...”
Aster rolled her eyes. “Please remain focused. I want us to leave this place as soon as we can.”
“Why exactly? Solomon can't reach you here, and we will give all the workers you freed the Federation's citizenship and passports.”
“Because I want to exfiltrate Salomé.” Aster dryly answered.
Hieron frowned. “Pardon me?”
“Hieron, we all know how everything will play out. Simon won't try to get back his workers. Officially, they don't belong to him. Officially, they're workers, not slaves, and now that they are here and have passports he can't prevent them from leaving. But he will never let his sister go. In a few hours, Cérès will hear about the whole story of what happened here. She will also hear that the easiest way to solve the conflict would be to hand back Salomé to her brother.”
“You know I won't do that.”
“I know you wouldn't sink so low. As much as I know that Cérès would.”
The man shook his head but didn't even try to refute her.
“Understood. What about the psychologist, her nurse and her driver?”
“They're free to do whatever they want. They can come with us or stay here. I don't think Simon even remembers about their existence.”
Hieron nodded. “And Cérès doesn't have to know about their existence either...”
“That's the idea. We'll be escorting Salomé. I trust you to protect the workers we freed.”
Hieron nodded.
“Do you know a way for us to leave this building unnoticed?”
“Of course! Do you think this place has only one entrance? All good embassy must have some kind of secret exit, specifically for the kind of situations we're in right now.”
“Tell me more.”
“We have dug a secret underground passage that leads to a building nearby.” He showed them a bunch of tickets. “I trust that, once you're out, you won't have too much trouble getting to the next cruise boat that will leave the town in a few hours... However, there's one problem.”
“There's always one problem.” Klenia slyfully remarked.
“Nothing that's too unpleasant for you, hopefully.”
“Stop wasting our time needlessly with your stylistic effects and get to the point.” Aster interrupted him.
“You will need to disguise yourselves. The Solomons have informants all over the town. We can't risk having them recongnize you.”
Klenia was overjoyed.
“This is perfect! In fact, I was reading today's newspaper and I noticed that Matilda's handball team had just finished a game here in Opal, and that they were going to return to the Federation. So...”
“Their hotel is at the other side of the town.” Hieron objected.
“But...”
“Klenia, just let it go.” Mikani interrupted her. “There will be no handball team for you. Leave these girls alone.”
Klenia crossed her arms. “Fine, since you all spread the word to kill my vibe... But mark my words: The moment we land on the Federation, I will go on a quest to get my hands on one of these outfits. I'm making this promise to myself. You have been warned!”
“There's a huge party going on in the casino hotel near the place you'll exit.” Hieron said to help diffuse the situation. “Lots of people entering and leaving, an easy way to infiltrate the place while blending with the crowd, and plenty of women wearing gorgeous expensive clothes...”
Klenia pouted. “Well, since you're apologizing so nicely, I will settle with this for now...”
“Then take the time to prepare yourselves, but no too much. You will leave soon.” Hieron said.
“That's the idea. So, if everything is settled, I'll take the time to freshen up.” Aster concluded.
**************
A grunt and an 'Ow!'.
These were the only sounds the policewoman was able to make when Abigail grabbed her, knocked her out, and dragged her in an empty dark alleyway. Contrary to most of the other cops roaming the streets around the embassy, this one was walking alone. Judith suspected that she wasn't part of the patrols sent because of Simon Solomon, but a mere rookie stuck with the meter maid duty. Opal the Casino city never slept, therefore its parking lots were chargeable even in the middle of the night to pour always more money into the city's pockets. The policewoman was rather young, in her late twenties probably, and her hair were tied into a proper bun at the crown of her head, as if she wanted to prove everyone around her that she was a serious hard-working girl. Ultimately, the explanation didn't matter to her though. What mattered is that the police uniform was going to be useful to lure other victims to them.
Abigail finished putting on the clothes. She was now dressed in a dark blue uniform jacket, matching pants, and black shoes. At her feet was lying the sleeping young woman dressed in black socks, a white tank top over a beige push up bra and light pink seamless panties.
“Drag her deeper in the alleyway. I can hear her snoring from here.” Judith said to her sister. “Also, find something to bind and gag her. We're not amateurs, for goodness sake!”
The tall woman watched Abigail grab the unlucky woman under the shoulders to drag her. Then she noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye. A lone person was quickly walking down the opposite sidewalk, avoiding the light of the street lamps. The policewoman had black hair, but her skin was suspiciously lighter than a true denizen of Frontier. Perhaps it was because of the distance or the darkness of the night, but Judith could have sworn that the police uniform was too big for her. And was it her, or was this woman limping a little?
As if she felt she was being watched, the black-haired woman briefly turned and, for a few seconds, her eyes met Judith's. The tall woman suddenly felt a shiver down her spine. She couldn't explain it, but her instinct was telling her that it would be a very bad idea to get in this woman's way.
No. Not telling actually. More like screaming at the top of its lungs. The black-haired woman ignored her and continued her way.
“This one is for me...” Deborah commented.
Judith reflexively grabbed her sister's arm. “Wait!”
Deborah and Abigail looked at her quizzically.
Judith hesitated, then said: “This one is giving me the creeps. It's best we don't try to mess with her.”
The twin sisters shared a glance, but they trusted their older sibling's judgement. “If you say so. We'll find less feisty candidates then.”
Abigail grabbed the plastic handcuffs strapped on the belt of her newly-aquired uniform and used them to bind her victim's wrists behind her back. Still unconscious, lying on her stomach, the girl couldn't protest against her treatment. Deborah noticed another police officer, a sergeant according to her chevrons. Also a tall fit woman with long black braided hair that she could impersonate with ease.
**************
Taking the police uniform was a good decision. The outfit was allowing her to roam the streets freely. Emery knew about the secret underground passage leading to the embassy. The access was in an empty building. Nobody was expecting her. Checking if Aster and the others were in the building would be easy.
And if they were there...
Emery didn't care anymore about her orders, about Hieron's disappointment or about Cérès' reprimands. She just wanted to see them dead, especially Aster and that annoying Klenia. Agria the traitor too, if she could get her hands on her, though she would have to be careful with this one. Agria was well-trained enough to beat her in a fight.
Better save her for last. That way, i'd have no regret if she wins...
However, she would have to be careful while roaming the embassy. She needed a plan, an excuse to convince the guards that she was on a special secret mission. And, moreover, she had to make sure that Hieron didn't know that she was there. She couldn't just stroll in like some rabid madwoman... Sanity had its advantages after all. Emery knew she was crazy, but it didn't mean she had to be stupid or – worst – inefficient.
The black-haired assassin was on her own, with no back-up or ally. This was reminding her of her very first missions. Strangely for someone as asocial as her, in reality she very rarely worked alone. Back in the days, there were the other special combattants, the missions with Aster's team, and Hieron or Cérès were always monitoring her. Then, after the civil war, she had her own team. Emery realized that the last time she truly worked alone was when she tracked down the soldiers who did the... thing to her.
Memories were flowing back. Emery didn't exactly know why she was remembering these events now, of all time. She suspected that it was linked to her growing madness.
Back then, she started her hunt exactly the same way as she started this one: acquiring an uniform to walk the streets. Emery remembered the sentry. A woman with soft brown hair, a heart-shaped face, beautiful green eyes and good curves, wearing the stadard uniforms of Olympus' army. Disgusted by how happy she looked, the assassin snapped her neck and, after taking the clothes off, threw the underwear-clad corpse in a dumpster.
And then she found the first man. When he was on top, making her scream, the guy was laughing. But when he understood what was going to happen, when he saw it in Emery's eyes, he started to cry.
I have children... Music to her ears.
Emery thought of Aster and Klenia. Perhaps they would beg too?
Soon...
**************
Thanks to her newly aquired uniform, Abigail asked the sergeant to follow her in order to investigate ''something suspicious going on in the alleyway''. The officer confidently followed her, swaying her shoulders to play the tough girl. To dispatch her, Deborah chose a sleeper-hold.
“It would be easier to give up...” she said to her victim.
The police officer wasn't agreeing.
“Ghhhhhhhhhhh...” She was flailing her left arm, desperately trying to hit Deborah. To no avail.
Then, she finally lost consciousness and went limb in her captor's arms.
Deborah sighed. “One tough cookie...”
Judith made no comment. Neither did Abigail.
Deborah sighed again. It was tough to have a tough crowd... She quickly stripped the unconscious policewoman. She started with the shoes, the belt and the pants, then followed with the uniform jacket and white shirt. The sergeant was wearing black leather underwear underneath.
“Yuck!” Deborah grimaced. “Please conceal her, I cannot bear to look at that...”
Judith dragged the underwear-clad policewoman deeper in the alleyway, where the unlucky scantily clad meter maid was already lying bound and gagged, out of sight. “Throw me her handcuffs and your clothes. I'll need them to secure her.” she said.
Deborah complied, before dressing up with her new uniform.
“Hey, Abie. You do realize that once I've put these clothes I will be your superior? That means I will be allowed to boss you around.”
Abigail rolled her eyes and groaned.
Deborah sighed a third time. It surely was tough to have a tough crowd...
**************
Klenia approached the box still holding Reka, Amara and Lucina. Shayna and Venia were following her. The crate was stocked in one of the empty rooms of the embassy, guarded by a few soldiers.
The box was shaking.
“They are still inside?” Shayna asked.
“Nobody took the time to get them out yet. Not that I'm complaining, of course.”
Shayna chuckled and lightly caressed her girlfriend's shoulder. “You're so mean...”
“And what about the killers? Where are they?” Venia asked.
“You mean Emery's agents? Hieron is interrogating them, with Agria's help. They will be court-martialled.”
“Do you think he can handle them?” Venia asked.
Klenia laughed. “Don't worry about him. He doesn't look very mean, but it's mostly because he has a soft spot for us. Hieron was one of the instructors who taught Emery and her likes. He can be pretty scary if he wants.”
“Really?”
“Well, he's one of the two persons Emery wouldn't even dare defying directly.”
“That's scary indeed...”
“Anyway, I need to have a talk with one of our dear friends...”
She removed the crate lid.
They were greeted by three angry stares and a chorus of muffled angry groans and moans. Reka, Amara and Lucina were still trussed up and gagged. The first two were still naked. Their faces were red because of the heat, the humiliation, and the crotch-ropes.
“Howdie folks! I hope that things aren't becoming too sweaty here." She winked. “Or too kinky...”
More angry muffled screams.
Klenia ignored Reka and Amara. She grabbed Lucina under the shoulders to lift her and put her on her knees. One of the straps of the henchwoman's blue bra was falling, so Klenia adjusted it. Then, she slowly took the time to remove all the thick black duct tape wrapped around her lower face. The henchwoman winced during the entire process. She spat the rags filling her mouth as soon as she could.
“Glad you're more comfortable...” Klenia said.
Lucina eyed her warily. “What do you want?” she asked.
“I've been thinking. And I'm under the impression that we missed one of you jokers... You know, a redhead with twintails. Does it ring a bell to you?”
Lucina was taken aback by the question. She paused, thought, then tried: “Um... No...?”
“Not a very good liar, uh?” Klenia commented. She pinched the woman's right cheek. “Ow!” Lucina exclaimed, more out of annoyance than out of pain. Klenia pinched her other cheek. “Stop that!” Klenia pulled her up by the ear, as if she was a naughty child. “Owowowowowow!”
“Are you sure you don't want to talk?”
“I will tell you nothing!”
Klenia let her go. “Suit yourself.” She grabbed the discarded rags spat by Lucina.
“Wait!”
Klenia gagged her again with the rags, before wrapping fresh strips of brown tape around the henchwoman's lower face. “You told me everything I needed to know anyway...” She pushed Lucina. “There you go! Inside the box you return!”
“So, we did miss one of them...” Shayna commented while Klenia was closing the lid.
The latter nodded. “Where are Aster and Mikani? We have to tell them.”
"We leave these three in the box?" Venia asked.
"That will teach them a lesson." Klenia said. "Never try to harm my girlfriend!"
Shayna chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. "She's very protective..."
**************
Emery was inside.
One of the perks of being a special combattant, even a former one, was that anyone in the knowing would take at face value you saying that you had a special secret mission and that they had to say nothing to anyone.
She heard that Hieron was interrogating Yuna and Cynthia in an isolated room of the embassy. Therefore, he was – for now – not in the way. But, more importantly, she heard that all her targets were inside the building as well.
Just Aster and Klenia... If I have to be caught, let it be after I kill these two...
She remembered that she had to infiltrate an official building not so different from this one to get her hands on the second soldier. She was disguised as one of the guards. She caught her prey in the restrooms.
The restrooms... Why not start with them? It was the best place to catch a victim alone and by surprise...
**************
Aster needed a few minutes alone. Therefore, she went to the restrooms. She didn't want to go with Hieron, Mikani, and Agria, who were checking if Emery's captured agents were well-secured.
Aster rinsed her face with cold water. She still hadn't completely recovered from her confrontation in the warehouse. And to think that she had told to herself that she was done with Emery now that the civil war was over... She was foolish to think that the assassin would stay out of her life forever. And not only was she in danger, but all of her friends were in danger as well.
Why? I've lost Aaria and Dimitri... Isn't it enough? Do I have to fear losing Klenia, Mikani and Shayna as well?
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a movement thanks to the mirror in front of her. She sensed a danger and quickly turned round.
There was a woman behind her. Black hair and cold eyes with a knife in her hand.
Aster couldn't believe it. Emery! Here!
How did she enter?! Simon is besieging the place outside, and every guard inside is on the alert! It was like a nightmare...
However, asking how Emery accomplished that feat wasn't the priority at the moment. Aster realized how dire her situation was. Everybody was watching the threat outside. She was surrounded by guards and friends but, right now, had she been alone in the building it would have had the same effect. Nobody was expecting an inside threat. Nobody could help her. They probably wouldn't even hear her if she called for help, as they were all near the windows and doors.
Emery and Aster stared at each other. They didn't say anything. They were beyond words.
Emery didn't have the room or the time to aim and throw her knive. She chose the hand-to-hand combat. Using her good leg to leap, she charged.
Aster dodged.
The blade of the knife scratched the washbasin's enamel. Aster tried to disengage and call for help.
Using her good leg as a pivot, Emery swept her off her feet. Aster fell hard on the floor.
Even now, with her wounded leg, she's still stronger than me... How foolish of her to think that Emery wouldn't train herself to overcome her weakness...
Aster was on the floor. She was at a disadventage.
Knife in hand, Emery cautiously approached her. Just like all good predator, she knew that a prey was never more dangerous than when it was cornered.
In desperation, Aster kicked the knife out of Emery's hand as soon as it was at reach. The weapon flew across the room, then glided along the tiled floor.
Emery didn't take the risk to move away from her prey to pick it up. Instead, she blocked Aster on the ground with her legs. Then, she grabbed her victim's throat and started to squeeze.
Incongruously, even though she should have been afraid as her end was probably near, Aster's first thought was to notice that Emery's hands were surprisingly warm and soft.
Strange. I've always thought she'd have cold hands... She mentally shook her head.
Do something! Scratch her face! Gouge her eyes! But she couldn't reach her. Emery had moved her knees to block her arms.
“Finally...” the assassin said.
Aster's vision became blurred.
She could hear some noise.
Everything went black.
**************
Emery was exulting. She remembered the third soldier, the most brutal. He was the only who actually managed to try to fight back. Emery took great pleasure in crushing his ego before ending his life.
Suddenly, the assassin heard the door open. Someone screamed. Emery raised her head.
Mikani and Klenia. Of course, Klenia was the one who screamed.
How amateurish... Losing so carelessly the element of surprise...
From her part, Emery was a professional. During the few seconds her opponents took to recover from the shock, she quickly moved away from Aster and, using her good leg to gain momentum, jumped to grab her knife.
Mikani attacked first, while the assassin was still getting up after taking the weapon. Her kick would have broken off a few teeth, had Emery not quickly dodged at the last second. The short woman was mad with rage.
“And to think I used to admire you...” she spat.
Emery ignored her banter. Admiring someone was a stupid thing to do anyway. It was like asking for disappointment...
Mikani moved to attack again, but Emery was too quick. The knife plunged in the short woman's left shoulder. Mikani groaned but, thanks to the adrenaline, she managed to ignore the pain the time to punch the black-haired woman in the face with her right fist.
Emery was strong and well-trained, but she was still a human and even she couldn't take a punch without flinching. She took a few steps back, a little dazzled. Still, when Klenia approached her to try to restrain her, the assassin slashed towards her with the knife she hadn't let go. Klenia leapt backward just in time, and the blade mostly damaged her clothes, leaving only a superficial cut on her right arm.
Emery regained her senses. However, Klenia didn't let her the time to regain the initiative. She attacked again, this time kicking Emery's knife out of her hand.
Not again... the black-haired woman thought. She truly was losing her hand, if she could be disarmed so easily...
Emery noticed that, although she was wounded, Mikani was still trying to flank her.
Now, that's a professional.
Klenia looked at the assassin with anger. “This time, you're going down!” she spat. “Naked and in the box!”
“Why don't you just try?” Emery's eyes were glimmering with pure unhidden malice.
Internally, she was smiling. Her banter was a ruse, a feint to deceive Mikani and encourage her to attack.
Mikani prepared to jump, thinking that Emery was distracted.
Predictable. The black-haired woman smiled coldly and moved to intercept her. However, the short woman stopped her assault at the last second, avoiding a punch that would have broken her jaw. Emery frowned. Suddenly, Klenia jumped her on her blind spot. Emery then realized that she fell into a ruse. Mikani's move was only a distraction to allow Klenia to get the drop on her.
They anticipated my own feint to trick me... the black-haired woman thought.
Emery fell on her back, the other woman over her, and received a punch on the face. Her head hit the floor hard.
But the assassin ignored the pain. At the training camp, she had to endure far, far worst. They had to train their bodies to withstand torture. While Klenia was aiming another punch, she took this opportunity to hit her in the throat. Because she was still a little dazzled, she couldn't hit hard enough to crush the windpipe, but Klenia coughed and wheezed, and lost her grip. Emery repelled her and tried to get up. She was ready to finish off Klenia. Just another hit with the edge of her hand to crush her throat for good...
This was her mistake.
She had forgotten that a shoulder wound wasn't an incapacitating wound. Mikani jumped on the black-haired woman's back and brought her down to the ground. She used her legs and all her body mass to pin her on the floor. Emery struggled to try to take back the upper-hand, but she could hear more people enter the restrooms. Klenia's girlfriend screamed, then helped Mikani immobilizing her. A few guards were following the blonde. They helped Mikani and Shayna restrain her.
Then Hieron arrived.
She had lost.
“Aster... Is she...?” Klenia asked.
One of the guards checked Aster's pulse.
“She's breathing.” he said.
Emery mentally cursed while everyone else looked relieved. She had failed. If only she hadn't been interrupted...
“She needs first aid though. And quick.” the guard added.
Hieron gave a few orders to have Aster taken care of, then looked at his former special combattant with a mixture of anger, disappointment, and sadness. Emery held his stare without blinking. “Take her away.” he said.
“Let me do it my way...” Klenia growled.
Emeyr saw the anger in the woman's eyes. She was unimpressed.
Hieron shook his head. “No.”
“She tried to kill Aster!”
The man looked Klenia in the eyes. “If you strip her, you better also have to be ready to kill her in cold blood afterwards. Because there are no forces on Earth or above that would prevent her from escaping and getting her revenge on you.”
“But...”
“Klenia, Emery is sick! The last man who forcefully stripped her, she strangled him with barb wires!” Hieron shouted. “She found him, she drugged him, she tied him up. She waited for him to wake up. She broke his knees, then his fingers, and then she strangled him.”
Emery recalled that the man did other things than merely stripping her, but she also did other things as well afterwards... The fourth, and last soldier, was the ringleader. The one who started everything. She saved him for last, after his three pals. The guy had his fun with her, so she returned the favour. With her knives. And a hammer. And nails.
Klenia was understanding. Slowly – but haven't she always been a little slow? Emery thought so at least.– “The Silent Butcher...” she said.
“Klenia, help your friends take care of Aster.” Hieron concluded. “Let me deal with Emery.”
**************
“One and one makes three.” Deborah said with a beaming smile, dropping an unconscious policewoman on the ground. Their third, and last, victim was a tall short-haired brunette with a generous chest.
“Stop quoting dated music and strip her. Judith needs her uniform.” Abigail said.
“With gusto!”
The policewoman was wearing white panties with black little hearts and a similar-looking brassiere.
“Cute.” Deborah commented.
She gave the uniform to her older sister. Then, she and Abigail dragged the woman deeper in the alleyway, dropping her next to the two other underwear-clad policewomen. She cuffed the brunette's wrists behind her back with her own handcuffs. Judith threw them her discarded top, which they cut into strips, using some of these strips to tie the woman's legs and ankles, and the others to fill her mouth and cleave-gag her.
Judith observed their handiwork.
The three policewomen were lying next to each other, secured and snoring.
“Perfect.” she said.
Deborah smiled. Judie's compliments were so rare...
“Now, we move. Time for us to leave this town...”
**************
Aster was saved.
She regained consciousness not long after receiving first aid.
Currently, she was lying on a spare bed. As soon as they were allowed by the nurse to see her, Klenia and Mikani hugged her, crying tears of joy.
“This time, we thought you were lost...” Mikani exclaimed.
Aster embraced them.
“Me too.”
Someone had disinfected and bandaged Mikani's shoulder.
“You're hurt.” Aster commented, a little worried.
“Nothing lethal. With the painkillers Hieron gave me, I'll be fine.” She hesitated. “Although I don't think I'll be able to mug anyone for a while...” She added, in order to try to lighten the mood: “You'll have to do it for me, Klenia.”
The latter smiled. “Count on me!”
Shayna and Venia were standing next to them, smiling. In the corner of the room, Aster could see Salomé seated on a chair, lost in her thoughts, and Lena talking with her grilfriend and her driver.
Aster relaxed. Everyone was fine.
“Emery?” she asked.
“Hieron will take care of everything from here.”
Aster nodded. “Good.” She hesitated, then added: “Mikani, Klenia, you will have to take over from here.”
“What?”
“I don't think I can properly help you. I need some time to recover, and you have to evacuate Salomé as soon as you can.”
Klenia and Mikani shared a glance.
“No way!” the first said.
“We don't think it's a good idea to leave you here alone. Cérès may...” the second added.
“I'm not afraid of Cérès." Aster interrupted her. "She's not stupid enough to hand over a citizen of the Federation to a notorious foreign criminal. It would make her lose face. Please, I'm asking for your help. I made a promise to Salomé and we don't have much time.”
The two women hesitated.
Klenia sighed. “You know I can't say no when you make this face...”
Mikani added: "We'll do it."
"I'll help too." Shayna added.
Aster looked at Salomé. "Don't worry. I'm not giving up on you. I would trust these three with my life."
The tall woman nodded. "Okay."
“I'm coming with you.” Venia said.
The others hesitated.
“Are you sure?” Shayna asked.
Her sister looked at them with determination. “You will need someone who perfectly speaks hellàs." She hesitated. "Well, someone a little more reliable than Salomé...” She looked at the tall woman. “No offense.”
“None taken.”
“And about the other workers?” Mikani asked.
“You said that Hieron was going to help them. If you trust him, I'll trust him too. For now, I want to be with my sister.” She squeezed Shayna's shoulder. "Now that we've finally been reunited." Shayna smiled.
Mikani shrugged. “I'll tell Hieron to bring us another wig.”
Klenia looked at Lena, Zara and Rina. “What about you?”
The three women shared a quick glance. “We will stay here and wait for our passports and safe-conducts.” the nurse then answered. “And we will go as far away as possible from the place you are. No offence, but being mugged once is good enough for me. I do not want to be involved in more of your shenanigans. Or to risk being mugged again.”
“It's not that terrible...” Klenia mumbled to herself.
Mikani grinned slyly. “Especially if it's with Shayna...”
Both women blushed awkwardly. Venia laughed.
“I thought we agreed to never mention this ever again!” Shayna exclaimed, her tanned skin becoming bright red.
“Don't pays attention to Klenia.” Mikani added. “I think that, when she was mugged for the first time of her life, she discovered that she liked it way more than she should. After all, this is how she met her current girlfriend.. And to say nothing of the roleplays she has in mind for them...”
Klenia tried to handgag her, but Mikani swiftly dodged. Venia was laughing even louder now.
Aster chuckled. “Then go, girls. There's a casino hotel waiting for you, full of women willing to donate their nice suits, dresses and car keys for our cause! It's like an all you can eat buffet!”
Things got dark very quick here! 
