A tempting proposal

Shannon approached from behind, trying to surprise her prey - and a bit self-conscious about her outfit. She had her hand on her gun, just in case, as she ever so slowly neared Frank.

"So you have finally arrived. Good." said Frank in a soft, calm voice.

Shannon glanced around to see who he was talking to, but she was the closest person to her target. She gripped her weapon and set it to stun, prepared for an unlikely ambush scenario.

But Frank didn't make a move. "There really is no need for ****." he said, putting both of his hands on the table submissively. "I surrender."

There was no denying it, Frank was talking to her. He didn't seem violent. Guess the great Frank was just a scaredy cat in person. All the easier. It didn't have to be a challenge for her to gain prestige. Or the bounty. "It's over, Frank." she said confident in her catch.

"What a pleasant voice. Please, take a seat," he pointed at the empty chair across the table, "so that we can see eye to eye." After feeling Shannon's hesitation, he added, "I give you my word, darling, I'm not going to run."

Hah, your word? she thought. Your word means absolutely nothing, scum. But Shannon could not stand the idea of not looking her prey in the eye. Even in her current attire, her pride got the better of her. She wanted to see the fear in his eyes. His uneasy squirming under the iron hand of justice. The shame of being caught by a woman. He was already at her mercy. What could he possibly do? She walked across the table and took a seat, keeping her gun pointed at Frank in the process.

"A lovely sight," Frank smiled charmigly, "as expected."

Shannon eyed up the criminal suspiciously. "Have you been expecting someone?"

"It would be an awfully rude meeting if I hadn't been. Don't you think so, Agent Callaghan?"

"How do you know me?" Shannon gripped her gun tighter.

"Because I sent the tip for your agency, of course."

Shannon's eyes widened. That was unsettling news indeed.

"I know what you think." Frank leaned back in his chair. "You're a smart detective, Agent Callaghan. You could put two and two together." That cocky sneer never disappeared from his face. "If I arranged this meeting, then you may have walked into a trap. My men may jump on you any minute. Your martial arts skills may knock out some of them, but you would eventually succumb. I wouldn't only dodge the law for the umpteenth time, I would have a federal agent in my custody. Who knows, I may even allow my men to play with you for the beating they'd endured."

Shannon glanced around nervously, assessing the perimeter. If Frank had prepared for her to 'catch' him, then the agency really had sent her into a trap. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary - apart from all those perfect people walking around the streets - but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease. She kept her eyes on the man, trying to get behind that cold stare, but he never wavered. If he was bluffing, he was a genius. If he wasn't, she was in some deep shite. She could feel sweat forming on her hands gripping her gun shakily. She tried to play it cool, but she knew she was not a good actor. And in an ambush, she alone wouldn't last for long.

Frank smiled seeing her reaction. "But of course, that is not going to happen. I can assure you, I don't have any men waiting around the corner. I am no mobster. You can relax, Agent Callaghan."

Shannon gave a sigh of relief. The son of a bitch was bluffing. Toying with her. And he did it without batting an eye. "Nice try," she tried to gather her confidence, "but ultimately futile. You are coming with me."

"Let's not be so hast. I have a proposal for you, Agent Callaghan. A proposal, you would be foolish not to consider."

Shannon raised an eyebrow. What is he up to now? Is he trying to bribe me? Would I let him?

"And you are no fool. Are you, Agent Callaghan?" he flashed her his perfect white teeth.

She hated the way he said her name. Like he was mocking her. She wanted to shoot him and see him drool on the ground, but his offer had peaked her curiousity. Hers was not the most well-paid profession. And she had needs. Needs that required funds. "You have one minute to speak your mind. Then, bye bye." she waved the gun mockingly. After all, she was in charge of the situation.

"Thought so." he smiled, pleased at her response.

"55 seconds."

Frank raised a hand slowly moving it to his suitcase, "May I?"

Shannon nodded, being prepared for any bad moves. All the while counting the seconds in her head. If he planned to give her credits, that suitcase wouldn't be big enough. Not even close.

Frank pulled out a dossier and slapped it on the table with a big picture on top, facing Shannon. "Dana Dixon. Age, 25. Born on Centurion X, ..."

Shannon didn't even need to listen to the rest. She knew all about the blonde woman with pigtails on the picture. 'Dee Dee'. Leader of the Scourge of the Veil. As much of a leader as pirates have anyway. She and her gang had been terrorizing the Veil system from the moment they could drive ships. They were not an intergalactic threat, but they were a menace and a thorn in the side of the Federation for a while now. Robbing trade routes then disappearing without a trace. And each member had a hefty price on their head.

Frank looked confident. Shannon had been looking at the picture for the last two minutes, completely forgetting the 'one minute' she had given him. That was a promising sign.

Eventually, Shannon snapped out of it and turned her attention back to Frank. "I'm here for you at the moment. But don't worry, I'll nab 'Dee Dee' some other time."

"You are kidding yourself if you think you will have a chance againt her in space. Their ships outrun even the Azmodian battlecruisers. She is only **** while on land. And you know it."

He had a point. But Shannon was still not convinced. "And I assume she is beyond the next corner, eh?" she asked skeptically.

"Why do you think the uncatchable Frank Durant returned to his home planet out of all places?"

"He was getting homesick, like the little wuss he is." she replied snidely.

"You wound me, Agent Callaghan. I offer you the biggest bounty in the galaxy and this is what I get?"

"Hah, she is a pain but she is nowhere near the biggest catch in the galaxy." she scoffed.

Frank reached for the dossier and spread it across the table. Shannon dropped her jaw. In the dossier were the pictures of the rest of her gang. All five of them. Each young women who thought they could take whatever they wanted without consequences, even from government transports. The five together with their ships really were the highest-paying catch of possibly the century.

"No way are all five of them on the same planet at the same time."

"They are here on Urma 7 for approximately," he looked at his watch, "22 hours and 13 minutes."

"Of course... And how would you know this?"

"Yesterday's storm had caused an electric malfunctions in the docks. Urma 7 is known for those infamous storms that mess up travel every once in a while. It takes 48 hours for the systems to reset. Put it plainly, ships that docked before the storm cannot leave the station until tomorrow. One can avoid the law" he pointed at himself as an example "but one cannot avoid old technology and its malfunctions."

Shannon did remember seeing most of the docking bays locked down when she arrived. She thought it was just a coincidence at that time. Now it all made sense. Frank could be telling the truth. "Why not just sabotage their ships and ambush them at the station?"

"The planet has over 67 stations just on this side. And they are probably not all docked at the same one. If you can search all those stations for their ships in such a short time, be my guest."

Shannon knew he was right. Even finding ships according to descriptions would take much longer, let alone finding ships that had never been described before. "Let's say I believe they are all here and stranded for a day. And let's say I help you catch them. What would you get out of it? Money? Fame? Sex slaves?"

"No." he laughed. "Though not a bad idea. But no. I am not interested in any of those things. At least for now."

"Then why ask for a federal agent's help?"

"Let's just say, I have been wronged, and I want ****. Plain and simple."

"On all five?"

"Nah, I'm only interested in Dana. Her ship, to be more precise. The other four are just to sweaten the pot for your professional assistance in the matter."

"Such a smooth talker. Is that how you charm money out of all your victims?"

"If you think I see you as a victim, you are mistaken, Agent Callaghan. If anyone, I am the victim here."

"Yes, you are." she punctuated it by waving her gun at him.

"I gave a tip to the best agency, so that I could meet with their best agent." he winked at Shannon. "Nice to meet you, by the way." he smiled.

"What's the catch?"

"Must there be one?"

"Don't play with me. What is the catch?"

"You will have to work with me. Together. As a team."

"And?"

"And I expect your... discretion when it comes to my 'unfortunate escape' at the end of the day."

"Might I remind you that you are dealing with a law enforcer?"

"Might I remind you that I am giving this law enforcer five catches for the slip of one?"

Fair enough, she thought. She was really thinking about going after Dee Dee and her gang. Frank was a nice enough catch, but she needed more to finally be taken seriously. To be feared. And the additional money wouldn't have bothered her either. "What if we fail to catch them?"

"You mean, I was sent an agent who doubts her own success prior to a job?"

Damn it, I didn't mean it like that. "What if you mess up and we fail to catch them?"

"That would put me in a pickle, wouldn't it?"

"Indeed."

"I assure you, I don't inted to fail. With my information and your skills, we will surely succeed."

"But just so you know, if you mess up, I take you instead."

Frank exhaled deeply. "I don't think I have a say in this, do I?"

"You don't. I'm not leaving this planet without a catch."

"So, does that mean we are partners?" Frank held out his hand towards Shannon to seal their agreement.

Shannon looked at the hand for a while, then reluctantly shook it. "We are partners. For now." If my superiors could see this, they would strip me of my badge, she thought.

"Ow!" Frank pulled his hand away after feeling a painful bite.

"That was setting 1, for vermin." Shannon waved her gun in her other hand. It was the least he deserved after that bluff with the ambush. "Don't think of double-crossing me or I'll show you setting 5."

"I assure you, Agent Callaghan, that is entirely unnecessary." said Frank, rubbing his aching hand.

"I'm keeping an eye on you. Now tell me where we are going." she leaned back while holstering her gun on her belt. She still didn't trust Frank, but he was no fighter. This close to her, he would not be able to escape.