Box o' Tales Entry #1

They say that if you want to know what a person does, you look at their hands; if you want to know where they've been, look at their face; if you want to know what they're thinking, look at their body; but if you want to know who they are, you look at their eyes. Lucky for me, I seem to be lacking a few features.

"I'll give you to the count of three to get out of my bar."

The Rangers, in their all-too-obvious blue and white uniforms, didn't blink, but neither did Alysthir. One gun pointed at the two, and two phasers at the barkeep. Her customers wouldn't even have noticed if they too hadn't recognized the jumpsuits, and being the scum they were, every one of them did. It was an interesting stand-off. No one without a death wish threatened Alysthir, and no one sane pointed a gun at two armed Rangers.

"Three."

She blew a steaming hole in the head of the first, and the second made it halfway to the door, running, before a patron's knife impaled his neck. Alysthir walked to the second body, pulled a small purse of chips from his pocket, and pressed it to the chest of her new customer before walking away.

"Keep the change," she murmured. It was the only thanks he'd get. "Now, someone get rid of those two."

A bounty hunter from the nearest table to the first claimed them, much to the dismay of the rest of the full bar. Whoever got rid of Alysthir's kills got to keep what was on them, and whoever started a fight about it had to answer to the lovely barkeep herself. This pair had some nice weapons. That hunter walking out the door would be a very happy customer when he came back through.

A second patron brushed by him, heading in the opposite direction, but Alysthir was none too pleased to see him. Already back behind her counter, she pulled her gun on the fifth target of the night.

"Alysthir," he praised loudly, "the only woman feared in eight galaxies!"

He approached her and leaned over the counter as if he hadn't even seen the gun.

"Grevver," she spat. "The only piece of shit whose payment I won't take." She scowled. "What are you doing here?"

"Not trying to get a drink, if that's what you're wondering. And speaking of who's where, why exactly did I hear you were on Delta-9?"

She touched the barrel of the gun to his head. "The answer worth it?"

Grevver grinned. He always was an overconfident bastard.

"Had to shoot an old family friend."

"Way I heard it, you missed. Found your cripple wandering the Beta system."

Alysthir smirked. He thought she'd spare him so he'd show her where her target was.

"Do you know why I'm the only woman feared in eight galaxies, Grevver? I keep my word."

Down, went the fifth body of the night, followed by the usual scramble. Alysthir wiped the blood off her goggles and ordered to no one in particular, "Find me Simon Goldstein!"

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Reading over it, I don't think I could have made Aly any more violent, but I think it was inspired by a Halo book, so meh. Maybe I was thinking along the lines of Riddick meets city life or something. Less violent things to come. :)