Story: Flicker (all chapters)

Authors: Chie

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Chapter 1

Title: Chapter 1: Homecoming

"Warning! Vessel approaching at high speed."

"Warning! Vessel approaching at high speed. Suggest evasive maneuvers."

"Warning! Incoming vessel has breached close proximity alert range."

The sirens warning about the incoming vessel go unheard. They just blare out in the monotone of the computer's voice into nothing but thin air.

The incoming ship however is alive and well. Its pilot, a woman by the name of Tara, has been tracking the ship for days. Her 'boss' had hired her out to go after a man named Reth and this is where her leads had come out to. Just another day's work for a bounty hunter.

Or so she thought.  Tara has been a bounty hunter for five years now. This is all just part of the routine for her. Following leads wherever they go and hoping she can get her target before her target gets her. Ever since the legalization of bounty hunting throughout the galaxy people have found a way to figure out if they've been targeted and when it's coming. It didn't exactly help Tara that her boss had a knack for telling his targets that one of his bounty hunters is coming their way.

She kicked the console of her ship and swore loudly. The ship she had been tracking down for days was now sitting in front of her dead in space. Reth had gotten away.

"Great. Just great. Three weeks following this idiot and what do I get? A dead ship. In the middle of nowhere! I am so killing Soth for hiring me out for this crap. This is the last time I work for him." Tara yelled.

Angry didn't quite cover what she felt. Still she knew she had to check out the ship. It might provide some clue as to where this mysterious Reth had gone. She sighed as she got up out of her seat and walked down the length of the hallway leading toward her quarters. She grabbed her usual gear, an old worn light purple flight jacket with her name stitched on the back, a gun belt that held her trademark pistol that she had had painted to match the jacket and had it stylized with a floral pattern as well and a favorite necklace of hers. It had been just what she had always worn but as Tara had gotten a name for herself it had become her trademark.

Her ship was going through docking procedure as she continued muttering to herself. She wanted nothing more than to be back at her boss' place ripping him a new one instead of being out here in the middle of nowhere chasing ghosts.

A metallic clang rang through her ship as it docked with the derelict ship. Tara hoped that something would come of this as she made her way through the docking tube.  

"Stupid freaking dead ship. I hate how they get so cold so fast." She muttered to herself as she noticed how cold it was inside.

It was eerie how quiet the ship was. The silence was only broken by the occasional quiet warning that the ship had been boarded. Tara slowly made her way through the ship. It was rather spacious for a personal ship. The quiet had put her on edge for some reason. As she walked into the cockpit she saw a note on the console that simply read, 'Turn around and smile bounty hunter.'

Tara sighed and slowly did so. It was the oldest joke in the book. Make your ship look derelict and then trap a bounty hunter. A woman was standing in the doorway with a gun drawn.

"Greetings miss bounty hunter. I wasn't expecting a woman sent after me."

Tara laughed quietly and said, "You're not the only one who expected something different Reth. Heck even my boss said it was a guy."

Reth smiled and said, "Please call me Sam. Jokes on you anyway really. Name's Samantha Reth. I'm a bounty hunter myself."

Tara just stared at her and said, "You have got to be joking. Soth sent me out after another bounty hunter? Oh that man is so dead when I see him next."

Sam put her gun up in her holster and laughed. "Too late. I already got to Soth. He's been going around trying to get rid of all the bounty hunters he can."

"Seriously? You've got to be pulling my leg. I had no idea Soth just wanted it down to the best bounty hunters out there."

Sam flicked a button on that activated the ship. "Yeah I'm actually surprised you didn't know. Soth's been after you for a while apparently. Considering he sent out Jakar after you."

Tara's eyes widened. "He did what!? He sent Jakar after me? That man is the best bounty hunter out there. Oh I am so dead."

Sam laughed. "Hardly. There was a point to me trapping you here. Get what you need from your ship and ditch it. Once I knew who was coming after me and who was going to be going after them I figured if I could convince you to join me we might be able to get rid of Jakar."

Tara thought through everything. It made sense but there was question still bothering her. Why had Soth sent out a bounty hunter to get her? She had to get to the bottom of this and Sam was offering her the only way to do that.

She looked at Sam and calmly said, "Alright. You've got a deal."

Sam smiled and put her hand out for a handshake. As Tara shook her hand she smiled. "Alright. Well that's settled. Go get your stuff and we'll get out of here as soon as we can. I have no idea when Jakar is going to show his ugly face but if we're still here when he does you can bet that nice jacket of yours we'll be turned into space dust."

Tara quickly went up to her ship and grabbed what she needed and threw it all into a pack. She really didn't want to leave the ship behind but she knew she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. It was just a ship after all. She had left ships she had owned behind before but never one that she had owned for this long. As she stood in the entry way to Sam's ship she input a simple line command into the ship that would cause it to detonate the instant a ship breached the close proximity alert radius. She knew it wasn't much but if Jakar was accurately tracking her, this one simple thing might just slow him down a bit.

Tara sighed as she walked back into Sam's ship. Sam was standing near the air lock with a slight smile on her face.

"You're going to have to crash in my room. It's the only place I have space for us to sleep. That and it's the only bed on this ship."

"You're joking right? First you want me to ditch my ship, which I'm fine with by the way, and now you want me to share a bed with you? I don't even know you!" Tara said in surprise and annoyance.

Sam just continued smiling. "It either that or I leave you to die here. If I had the space I wouldn't even think of suggesting something like this. Well I might think of it but I probably wouldn't actually say it. And the not knowing me is easily solved. All you have to do is ask."

Tara was still annoyed at Sam but knew that she really didn't have any other options available to her. She sighed and said, "You're really outgoing for a bounty hunter."

Sam laughed and said, "Only towards women. I absolutely hate men. I find them completely untrustworthy and not worth my time.  Women on the other hand I can deal with. Especially the cute ones."

Tara felt herself blush. It was from surprise and embarrassment more than anything else. Sam noticed it and added, "You're one of those cute ones and that blush makes you even cuter."

Tara's blush grew as she said, "Are you hitting on me?"

Sam crossed her arms in front of her and leaned against the wall as she rolled her eyes and said, "Well of course I am. How could I not? You're too cute to pass up at least trying to win over. But for now I'll leave you to your thoughts and let you get your stuff put up. I'm going to be up in the cockpit getting us very, very far away from here."

Sam turned and walked off toward the cockpit. Tara shook her head as she found she had been staring at Sam. Her thoughts raced around her head with a buzz. Sam had just been trying to see how she would react to her. As Tara walked down the hall to Sam's only room a lot of things started to make sense. She had only been offered this because Sam thought she was cute, because Sam liked her.  It made sense in her mind but her heart was another matter. Liking Sam the same way was just, somehow beyond her at the moment. Tara felt like all of a sudden she was getting herself involved with something far bigger than just Soth's corrupt dealings and Jakar hunting her down. She knew that if she was going to live through this whole mess that she would have to trust Sam and maybe, just maybe, let her in her heart.

Sam sat up in the cockpit getting everything all set to go. She felt a little stupid for having been so blunt. At least she knew it had been truthful. She really did think that Tara was cute. There was just something about her that made Sam smile. It was odd. She had only met Tara not more than an hour ago and yet she felt so sure of her feelings. Maybe this was the turn in luck she had been looking for ever since finding out she was being hunted down.

Tara slowly made her way up to the cockpit. As she did her hand unconsciously went to the necklace she was wearing. It was the one she had always worn since she was a little girl. It was the only jewelry she allowed herself to wear. She had gotten it for her sixth birthday and had never found out who had given it to her. All the box that had been given to her by her mother had said on it was, 'From someone who thinks you're special.'

 Ever since she had become a bounty hunter, she had spent the occasional off day trying to track the person who had given it to her down with little success. It was the only thing that she would never part with. It was a simple necklace, a small panda shaped pendant on a silver chain. She used it like a worry stone, rubbing at it while she thought and Sam had given her more than enough to think about. As she walked into the cockpit she put her thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Where are we going to go first?" Tara asked quietly.

Sam turned around, using the swivel in the chair to face Tara. "We're going to Hiphon.  It's my homeworld and the easiest place for us to get out of notice. Besides. We're going to have to pick up some new clothes for you. That jacket of yours is too famous for you to keep wearing."

Tara nodded her head and stopped herself from leaving the cockpit. "Samantha I've been thinking about what you said to me."

Sam smiled and said, "About the fact that I like you? And you can just call me Sam you know."

Tara smiled slightly and said, "Yeah. I just wanted to ask you why you like me. I mean you hardly know me and yet you came out with that. I'm still trying to make sense of it all."

Sam got up from where she sat and looked at Tara. This was a question she wasn't sure how to answer but she knew that she would have to try. "I like you because you're exceptionally pretty. It surprised me when I saw you standing here. It's...just hard to explain. I can't fully explain why I feel this way about you. I probably won't be able to for a while. I can only say that I like you and that I really don't know all of the reasons why. Is that good enough?"

Tara sighed slightly. It wasn't the answer she had been looking for. She had wanted to hear every last reason why and Sam had only told her one of probably many.  Without realizing it, she had wanted to hear Sam say what she had. Simply hearing her say she liked her for some reason really did feel like reason enough. She smiled and said, "It can do for now. I'm sure that the longer this crazy adventure goes on for the better acquainted we'll get and you'll be able to tell me what you can about why you like me and I'll be able to return the favor."

Sam blinked and stared at Tara. "D-did you just say you like me?"

Tara looked at the floor and then back up at Sam's bright green eyes. "I did. Just not in so many words. There's something about you that makes me want to know more."

"When we get to Hiphon we'll have to find a nice place to go for a walk or get something to eat while we talk about ourselves. I'm glad to hear you return the sentiment."

"How long until we get there?" Tara asked out of curiosity.

"About two days. I could use some sleep though. You pushed me a little too hard when I was trying to outrun you. I haven't slept in four days." Sam said with a yawn.

"Go get some sleep then. I'm sure there's something we can talk about when you've gotten some rest. I for one would love to know why Soth did all of this. A bounty hunter war would pull in almost every star system and pull the whole galaxy into war. I'd also like to know where is and isn't safe anymore." Tara said.

"When I get up, I'll let you know what I know. But for know I leave you to your thoughts of me and the rest of this messed up galaxy." Sam said as she walked off the bridge.

Tara found herself staring again as she watched Sam leave. This trip just got a lot more complicated than she wanted it to be but at least she knew what she was going to do. For now all she knew to do was talk to Sam when she got up and when they got to Hiphon a few more things would be explained but for now she was content enough to just sit in the captain's chair and think as she stared out at the stars.

Despite how badly she wanted to, Sam just couldn't sleep. She sat awake, staring at the ceiling thinking about things. It had been the necklace on Tara. That was what seemed so familiar. Sam remembered having given a necklace to a girl she had found very pretty at a young age, despite her mother telling her it was foolish of her to think of girls in that way. She had never learned the girl's name but she did remember the panda shaped pendant. She had saved for weeks to buy it. She had watched the girl open the gift that same day and was glad to see that she had genuinely liked it. Sam had wanted to tell the girl the next day that it had been her that had given her the necklace but the next day Sam had been forced to move away quickly. This was the second world she had lived on, Hiphon being the first and she had finally made her way back to her home planet but she always wondered what had become of the girl she had admired. Now she knew. The name on the back of the jacket had told her the woman's name. Tara Kisala. Now Sam knew why she had known she had liked Tara so much, because she had fallen in love with her a long time ago. She sighed and got up. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep right now.

The stars seemed to slowly rush by. Tara was thinking about getting some sleep herself. The past few days for her hadn't been exactly easy. She idly rubbed at her necklace as she thought about the conversation she had had with Sam. She wanted to talk more about things but part of her just wanted life to continue the way it had been going. Life was never easy but she found a way to manage. She missed her homeworld of Verra. It just hit her suddenly. She hadn't been home in over five years and all this time she hadn't thought of home once.

"You know. I think I recognize that necklace of yours." Sam said quietly from the doorway.

Tara turned around to face her and said, "You do?"

"Did you ever live on a world called Verra when you were about six?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Tara said with a hint of surprise.

Sam paused for a moment before continuing. "Did you ever get a box with that necklace in it?"

Tara thought through to where Sam was going with this whole thing. "You're the one who sent it to me?"

Sam nodded and said, "That must be why I was so comfortable with you even though we just met. Because I used to watch you when you were little. I had no idea who you were of course but it was nice to see you look all happy when you got that."

"I can't believe I've spent so much time looking for who gave that to me and here they are sitting in front of me. Thank you. It's been the only thing I've ever owned that I never want to get rid of or leave behind." Tara said with a smile. "I thought you were trying to get some sleep."

"I just couldn't. I just kept thinking about that necklace and you. Not to mention all of the other things that we're involved with now. If this problem gets any bigger than just the bounty hunters it will send everything into a galactic civil war. I don't even know if we can stop it at this point. The last bounty hunter hangout I went to was already clearly set into divided lines. There are those that actually want Soth's plan to work and they said they would find it fun. Then you have the others who want to keep the bounty hunters as individualists and not limit it to just a few select members. I agree with those guys. I love this lifestyle enough to fight for it. But I don't want it to be constant competition." Sam said as she just let out every thought she had.

Tara thought about it for a moment. Everything that Sam had said was true and it scared her. A civil war on a galactic level would tear hundreds of worlds apart. Even just the infighting between the bounty hunters would cause significant damage. It was the lengths to which some bounty hunters were willing to go that would cause the wars to start up. She swore softly and said, "There has to be something that can be done to stop this from getting out of hand. Soth can't have had every eventuality planned, that would just be ludicrous.  Even Jakar by himself wouldn't be able to continue Soth's work. It would take close to half the bounty hunters in the galaxy for this to get that far out of hand. I don't know what we can really do if it is that far gone already but I do know we could both use some sleep."

"Something'll come up for sure and we'll find a way to solve this whole mess. You're right though, we could use some sleep. The really good question is, do you want to sleep in shifts or not?" Sam said as she smiled.

Tara returned the smile and said, "Better get over it now rather than later. I don't want to find out you snore or roll around later when we'll actually need to do this."

Sam laughed at this. Tara joined her and as they let their laughter die the two of them were both thinking about all of what they had said. Maybe something would happen to the bounty hunters and the galaxy at large and to them, it seemed like they were the ones that were going to decide which way everything would roll.

Two days later the ship, Sam had named it Flicker, arrived at Hiphon's central port in the town of Lisara. It was a sprawling city set amongst the lush green of a tropical forest.  The biggest waterfall on the planet was visible as they approached the port's docking area. It added to the whole feel of this being a jungle world, which it really was still in most places. Lisara was the most populous of any town on Hiphon and it was also the only space port.

Most worlds had it so that every major town had a space port but Hiphon liked keeping it this way so that the merchants in Lisara wouldn't lose their businesses. There was also dissent from local tribes that kept Hiphon from adding a spaceport to their capital, so all traffic had to come into Lisara and use an air speeder to really go anywhere. The air was filled with hundreds of the small speeders as Tara looked out the cockpit window. It was her first time having been here which in a bounty hunter's line of work was considered odd to not have visited a planet.

Sam guided the ship into the dock she had reserved for her ship. It was a smooth landing and as the ship's engines died down, Sam turned to Tara and said, "Welcome to Lisara and my hometown."

Tara was still thinking about all of the scenery as she said, "You actually live in this place?"

Sam smiled and said, "Not as much as I should. Flicker is really my home but Lisara is where I claim residence whenever I'm on a planet that requires you to state your home world before allowing you to touch down."

Tara smiled and said, "I hate those places. The ID checks are so thorough that even if you lie about what your name is, they know. I've always had to claim Verra as my homeworld."

Sam nodded and said, "I like it here though, despite not living here full time. If there was ever one place where I could just get away from everything, barring bounty hunters looking for me of course, this is the place. It's just so quiet here."

They gathered what they needed and headed out into the tropical air. To Tara it felt almost unbearably hot and wet but to Sam this was just another nice day. The port was buzzing with all sorts of sounds from equipment moving back and forth to people talking in all sorts of languages. It sounded much like any space port but something was different here. The atmosphere here felt more friendly and inviting. Tara felt like this world was welcoming her to another home she hadn't known existed.

They walked out of the port and into the town proper. The buzz of talk could still be heard here and there but otherwise the planet was extremely quiet. Even the airspeeders seemed to make no sound at all as they passed by overhead. It was no surprise to Tara why Sam found this world so peaceful.

The one thing that surprised Tara was the diversity of races in the city. You had everything from the lizard like people of Raxis to the more feline race from Foron. It looked about as diverse as most bars did on the more populated worlds but without the drunken patrons.

Sam wound her way through various streets, some going over canals or through small groves of trees that were too large to be removed. It was scenery that Tara was completely unused to. Verra had forests and lakes but they were way out in the uninhibited regions and nowhere close to any city. Verra prided itself on being an industrial world. Hiphon was Verra's polar opposite.

They spoke very little on the way to Sam's house. Mostly just small talk about the scenery but one comment from Sam stuck in Tara's head.

"When this is all over and we figure out how to stop the galaxy from imploding in civil war I want to come back here and stay here. Just give up bounty hunting all together." Sam said as she looked around at Lisana's scenery.

Tara smiled at this and said, "You know, that really doesn't sound like a bad idea. I like it here. It's a little hot here but I could get used to this. You were right about this world being peaceful."

The conversation turned to more mundane things as they continued working through the streets of Lisara. The occasional street vendor would call out, advertising whatever service or product they were offering. Even though they were trying to be heard across roads the sounds felt muted and quiet. Tara had never felt more at ease than she did here. It made her want to forget everything about Soth and Jakar and the whole impending war.

They finally walked up to a small looking place that looked like it was nothing special. Sam touched a blank spot on the wall and a small console popped out. It was a simple electronic lock but it had been hidden so well that had Sam not shown her where it was Tara would never have known. A few electronic beeps made an almost musical sound as Sam quickly entered the combination to her door. The door chimed and whispered open. Sam smiled and said, "Welcome to my house. You can actually let your guard down here for as long as we're here. I can guarantee that this is the safest place on the planet, even safer than the Emperor's palace."

Tara was surprised to hear that but coming from a bounty hunter it was no real shock to her. She knew exactly how far she herself would have gone to protect a place. This place felt familiar though. The instant she walked through the door, Tara felt like she had come home.

Sam looked at Tara and noticed the look on her face. It was one of simultaneous recognizance and unfamiliarity with her house. It was a rather cute look as well. Sam smiled and said, "Feels like home, doesn't it?"

"How could you tell that's what I was thinking? You're not one of those races that looks human but has telepathy are you?" Tara said with her head quizzically cocked to one side.

"And if I was would you like me any less?" Sam said as she sat down on her couch.

Tara smiled and replied, "No I wouldn't but I was wondering how you knew that, for me, it oddly feels like home here."

Sam motioned for Tara to join her on the couch and said, "You had this look on your face that just said, 'this place feels like home to me and I've never been here before'."

Tara sat down and the conversation turned slightly more serious. She looked at Sam and said, "What do you want me to do to change how I look so people won't recognize me? You said that should be one of the first things we do."

Sam thought for a moment before saying, "I was thinking we could dye your hair and legally change your name. Short of that, a change of wardrobe would be the least you would need to do. I know it is a lot to consider but..."

"Done." Tara said without hesitation.

Sam looked at her in surprise. "You're kidding. You're not even going to think it through?"

Tara smiled and said, "I did think it through. As long as I can pick my hair color and you pick my new name. Leaving my past behind is nothing. It's not exactly memorable to begin with, except the necklace you gave me."

Sam noticed how dead Tara's eyes looked despite the smile. She had to know why she had been so eager to leave everything that was a part of her behind. "What's in your past that you want to leave behind so badly?"

Tara's smile faded off her face. "It's nothing much. You know how bounty hunting can get. I've been one since I was eleven. I'm currently twenty two. I've been bounty hunting for so long you think nothing would bother me, especially my past. But it's one particular memory I wish I could forget."

Tara got up from the couch and paused for a moment before she said, "Soth hired me out when I was thirteen. It was my first time working for him. I had been in the business long enough to know that Soth only hired the best and thought I had it made. That was until I actually finished that contract."

Sam quietly asked, "What happened?"

Tara sighed and said in almost a whisper, "Soth hired me out to kill my parents and I didn't know who the targets had been until the job was done."

"What?" Sam said in total disbelief.

"I wanted him dead for so long but the only way I knew I would be able to do that would be to work for the bastard. That's what I want to leave behind. That's why I'm willing to do anything to help you end this. Because that bastard killed my parents and tore everything away from me that was precious to me." Tara said with tears in her eyes.

Sam was surprised to hear this. She had heard rumors of this happening to bounty hunters but she had never thought them to be real. Sure Soth had been corrupt but this was downright evil. Sam was glad she had rid the galaxy of him. The room was eerily quiet until Sam said, "It's a good thing he's dead. Now it can never happen to anyone again. I knew Soth was corrupt but I had no idea he was capable of such things."

Tara had calmed down slightly and she could feel herself getting angry. The past was something she had spent years trying to forget, drowning herself in drinks and the lifestyle of a bounty hunter. She had never been above visiting brothels and some of the more seedy places the galaxy had to offer just to wash away her memories. She had by and large left a good portion of her bad habits behind such as the sleeping around with women and men and the heavy drinking but that had only been three years ago. The old habits die hard though and she would often find herself waking up in a motel smelling like alcohol and a stranger would often be in the bed next to her passed out from the previous night's activities which Tara could never recall. Tara turned to face Sam and said, "I hope you enjoy stories about people's pasts because I'm going to share mine with you."

Sam shot her a look of surprise. "Why are you sharing it with me?"

Tara smiled and said, "Because I've made up my mind to leave my entire past behind and stay with you. I've come to really like you but you have to know about me first so you can see what I am really like. I just can't tell you I love you and keep my past from you. It would feel like I had lied to you."

Sam settled into the couch a bit more and thought it over for a minute. "You're doing this so I know what I'm getting myself into, aren't you? Because I want to choose you to be the one person in my life I can trust and care for, you're willing to let me see the darkest parts of you."

Tara nodded and sat back down on the couch. "My life was perfect and wonderful up until Soth had me kill my parents. It went right into the shitter after that. At the time I was only thirteen and I was only two months away from turning fourteen. Well after I had...finished the job I immediately went to a bar and ordered the strongest thing they would give me. Two days later I woke up naked in a hotel with two other women and no idea what had happened. According to one of them I had asked them both back to my room and well I'm sure you can guess what happened. It had been two days of drunken sex and I imagine I was doing it all so I could just forget that I had just killed my parents. Problem was is that I found I enjoyed it. The times I can recall it I remember really enjoying it all. The taste of alcohol, the feel of sex, the smell of smoke, and everything else. I had sunk into the lifestyle of the bounty hunter so far that I had better reputation for how much I could drink and how long I could go in bed instead of how good a bounty hunter I was. That fact always seemed to come last. That was how I was until about three years ago. I still lapse back into it on bad days, but now that I've met you I really want to change myself and turn my life around."

Sam sat there in stunned silence. The first thing that came to mind to do was give Tara a hug. She didn't say anything for a while, she just held Tara close and let her know that she was loved without having to say anything. How Tara had lived through all of that was beyond Sam. Living through killing your own family was hard enough and it was no surprise to Sam that Tara had taken the path she did. Tara slowly returned the hug and Sam said quietly, "All of that is behind you now and that is the important thing. As long as I'm around I'll care for you and be there for you when you need me to be. I've been falling in love with you since we first met and I think I can let you into my heart."

Tara felt herself crying as she heard what Sam had said. It echoed the things her parents used to say to her when she was young. That no matter what happened, they would always love her. It was like something just clicked in her head and Tara finally felt like the weight of guilt had finally lifted itself off her shoulders. It was like her parents had finally forgiven her for what was really Soth's crime. Tara pulled back slightly from the hug and kissed Sam. It had just been an impulse but it just felt right to do.

Sam was surprised by the kiss, but gently returned the soft passion that Tara had put into it. She could feel how happy Tara was just by how the kiss felt. It was an almost perfect moment simply because perfect moments were impossible. This was just as close as it could get to perfect.

Tara slowly let the kiss break and then as Sam softly wiped her tears away she said, "This has turned out to be something more than what I was expecting when this all started. I've really fallen in love with you. It's really true this time. I can actually feel what it's like to love someone and be loved back. I'm glad you don't think less of me for my past. And as much as I would love for this wonderful moment to continue I think we have a war to stop." She paused for a moment and then said, "I love you Samantha. Before we get dragged into this whole thing I just thought that was something you should hear."

Sam smiled at hearing her full first name. It sounded so cute coming from Tara. "I love you too Tara. You're right that we need to get down to business though. First is your new name though. Everyone knows Tara Kisala the bounty hunter."

Tara nodded knowing that her name had been stitched into her trademark jacket and was well known in the bounty hunters' circles.

Sam continued, saying, "I was thinking. If you married me your last name would change and registering a new first name could be done right alongside changing your last. Hiphon's government doesn't allow you to change your name without a reason. Getting married is one of the few times they'll accept changing both."

Tara blushed brightly and stammered, "Y-you w-want me to m-marry you?"

Sam smiled and said, "We both know we love each other already. Why not go all out and get married?"

Tara thought about it and then said, "You going to propose properly first?"

Sam laughed and got off the couch and went to one knee in front of Tara. "Miss Tara Kisala would you kindly take my hand in marriage?"

Tara smiled and said, "Of course I would Miss Samantha Reth."

Sam sat back down on the couch with a smile and said, "Well now that that's out of the way we just need to think of a good first name for you. How does Hannah sound?"

Tara thought about it and said, "Give me a couple more names to think over and we'll go from there."

Sam took out a small datapad and turned it on and started to type out a few names. The list read: Hannah, Lisa, Kairi, Naomi, June and Faye. The two of them looked at the list and Sam said, "Those are a few ideas. I've got more if we need them."

Tara let out a deep breath as she looked at the list of names, one of which would be her new name for the rest of her life. She crossed out Naomi, June and Lisa quickly followed by Faye and Kairi. The name Sam had first said was the one she liked the most. And she handed the list back to Sam as she said, "I like that name the most. It's an unusual name."

Sam smiled and said, "Hannah Reth. Sounds good actually. Nice to meet you Hannah."

Tara laughed slightly and said, "That is going to take some getting used to. Now all we need to do is change my hair and we're set."

Sam looked at her and said, "Well mine is brown and yours is currently light pink. Personally I think you'd look cute with a cerulean blue color or a nice deep, dark red."

Tara, trying to think of herself as Hannah now, said, "Ooh, I like the idea of red hair like that. Sounds like we've got this part of it figured out."

Sam smiled and said, "That we do. So what do we do now Hannah? Sit here and plan everything or go get what we can get done first?"

Hannah, as Tara now resigned herself to being called, said, "I say we get done what we can and go from there. This whole mess is so complicated and if I get caught and killed it is not going to help."

That decided, Sam and Hannah made their way out of Sam's house and headed to the nearest church. The only reason Hannah knew about why they were going to a church was that most planets wouldn't accept marriages done by a commonwealth official like a judge or Justice of the Peace. The only thing that Hannah was worried about was whether or not the church would sanction a same sex marriage.

Her fears were assuaged though as the priest promptly married them in short ceremony that consisted of nothing more than verifying that the two of them really wanted to go through with this and that is was for love and nothing else. The priest was the last person to hear Hannah's real name spoken aloud.

He looked at the two girls and asked, "What are your names and reason for visiting this holy place?"

Sam spoke for both of them as she said, "I am Samantha Reth and this is my Fiancée Tara Kisala. We came here because we are in love and wish to marry."

The priest took a moment's pause before saying, "There is no other reason than love for this?"

Sam smiled and gave Hannah a kiss. "Of course there's no other reason."

The priest sighed slightly and said, "All right then. Which one of the two of you will be changing names? I assume one of you wants to take the other's name?"

Hannah was the one who spoke this time. "That would be me. I wish to take up the name of Hannah Reth. As a sign of leaving my old life behind for my new one because I love Samantha so much."

The priest knew better than to question it. After all he really couldn't argue with a couple who were in love and he couldn't refuse their wishes. "All right then. Samantha Reth do you take Tara Kisala to be your wife?"

Sam instantly said yes and then the priest looked at Hannah and said, "Do you Tara Kisala hereby take Samantha Reth as your wife and henceforth change your name to Hannah Reth?"

For the last time in her life Hannah thought of herself momentarily as Tara and she felt like all of her past was finally going to go away for good this time. She smiled as she looked at Samantha and said, "Yes I do."

"Then in the name of whatever god or gods you believe and by the power the governments of Lisara and Hiphon I now pronounce you a married couple and your names forever changed." The priest said with practiced ease.

The two quietly left the church and they both were smiling. Sam kissed Hannah and said, "I really do love you, you know that?"

Hannah smiled and said, "Of course I know that. I wouldn't have married you otherwise. It must have been those two days on the way here where I finally realized just how much and then today with all of this. It's so weird to think that I'm never going to hear my birth name ever again."

They headed through the streets over toward where Sam knew a barber was as they continued talking about everything. Unknown to them though a rather shady looking feline like off-worlder was watching them and listening in. A chime in his headset prompted him to quietly say, "This is S'kaarassa. Yes I have been following them. No, only since they landed and I've only lost track of them twice because of crowds. Damn it Jakar I'm not a god of tracking, I'm not without faults. All I can tell you is that your target has gained herself an ally. A girl Jakar. Another bounty hunter, I'd bet my tail on it. I'll try to keep track as best I can Jakar but my job gets rather hard when you insist on calling me. "

He angrily shut off the headset and angrily swore. For the third time that day he had lost track of them again. Jakar was not going to be happy about this. He blended into the crowd easily and tried to head in the last direction he had seen them going. Tracking for Jakar was still worth the pile of money he was being paid or S'kaarassa would have long ago given up on this. But Jakar was also a very short tempered bounty hunter and would have killed his tracker in a heartbeat had he left his job, so S'kaarassa kept tracking his prey.

Sam and Hannah didn't notice their follower but neither of them had a reason to be worried. It was true that Jakar was after them but neither of them had suspected he would break one of the biggest rules of Bounty hunting and hunt them using spies and assassins. Bounty hunters did rely on networks of information and each one had his or her own contacts but when it came down to it the bounty hunter was the one to get the job done. Assassins and mercenaries were considered the scum of the underworld.

Fresh from an almost shotgun wedding, the two of them walked into one of Sam's favorite places to have her hair done. Sam spoke to one the hairdressers as Hannah looked around. The shop was somewhat small in size but it was obvious the clientele was very well taken care of. The place smelled fresh with a hint of lavender instead of the usual smell of wet hair and acrid fumes from disinfectant.  Three chairs sat on one side of the shop opposite three barber's chairs. It was simple and efficient.

Sam turned around and looked at Hannah. "The hairdresser said it will take a little while. While you sit here and get your hair re-colored I'm going to go quickly grab something for us to eat. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Hannah nodded and let the hair dresser direct her over to one of the chairs. She would take the time and just try to relax for a bit. The day was going to be extremely hectic and it was far from being halfway over. As she sat there she thought about the past few days.  She thought about meeting Sam and the whole story of the necklace. Parts of it made sense but one nagging doubt in the back of her head had been how Sam had initially greeted her. It had been with surprise rather than recognizance. Was Sam lying to her then? She tried to push the idea out of her head. It was probably just jitters and worries from just having committed herself to Sam for life. But the doubt persisted and Hannah knew she would have to ask her about it eventually. She tried to relax and not let her mind wander.

Sam had walked over to a small sandwich shop and had ordered something for both her and Hannah.  Her thoughts drifted over meeting Hannah and how surprised she had been. The surprise wasn't from the fact that her hunter had been a girl but that her hunter had been a woman she had fallen for as a kid. It made her wonder to herself just how much Soth had really known about the bounty hunting world and its members. The thought crossed her mind because she had a feeling that whatever Soth had known, Jakar had as well. She sighed as she tried to fathom just how crafty Soth had really been and how his plans were still in motion even with him dead. As she returned to where Hannah was, Sam couldn't help but think that preventing the war would be harder than she had originally thought. It was beginning to look like Soth and Jakar had been planning this for years and years and no one single action would be enough to end it.

Hannah was patiently waiting for Sam as the dye in her hair dried out and became permanent. It wasn't the first time she had changed her hair color but it would definitely be the last. She had forgotten just how annoying it was and how long it took even with the best technology available. As Sam walked in she smiled but the thoughts from earlier dimmed the brightness of it slightly.

Sam returned Hannah's smile and took a good look at her wife's new look. It was the perfect shade of red like they had talked about and Sam couldn't have been happier about how it had turned out. AS she handed Hannah a sandwich she said, "You look like you've got something on your mind."

Hannah sighed and quietly said, "I was just thinking about meeting you out there. It's silly to think but that whole thing about my necklace and how you said you're the one who gave it to me. It feels weird to ask this but when you first saw me you had a look of surprise and you didn't recognize me like you would have been someone who had known me when I was little."

"Oh. The reason I looked so surprised wasn't because it was a female bounty hunter or the fact I was being hunted. I had known that I was being hunted but when I saw it was you I panicked and tried to pass it off as surprise. Soth must have known about my past and known I had always admired you. He sent you to kill me because he knew that the instant I saw you I wouldn't be able to pull the trigger. If that was how he works and how his plan goes, then it's no longer as simple as we thought it was." Sam said.

Hannah could feel her heart sinking. Soth had been far crueler than she had ever expected even after assigning her to kill her parents. The man had thought every last little detail out so well it made Hannah's head spin. Just how deep did the network of spies, corrupt officials and bounty hunters go? To learn something about someone's past like that and then sit on the information until the time was right and then to use it without either party knowing he had ever obtained it was pure evil and brilliance. Sam was right. That made things much more complicated. It also meant that Soth had watched literally everyone in the entire galaxy through his network of people. One thought hit her that she had to say aloud. "Sam, what if our contacts in the underworld weren't only working for us even if they said they were?"

Sam was mid-bite as she was asked this and she thought as she chewed her sandwich. She swallowed and said, "Then we trust no one in the underworld. Loyalty is going to be next to impossible to prove. Although since I personally killed Soth and you were planning to, that puts us both in the clear."

Hannah's hair had finally dried out and the hairdresser told her they were free to leave. She looked in a mirror once as she left and smiled at the new her. Smiling at the fact that she was finally leaving Tara behind as well as her past. It made her feel somehow better about everything. Like she was finally being given a second chance to live life the way she wanted to. Letting herself fall in love with Samantha and then marrying her had been the two biggest stepping stones and had been the largest hurdles so far. The rest would come as it may and Hannah knew that now she was ready to face the underworld of the bounty hunter with fresh eyes and a new outlook.

Sam decided to head for the local park and just take a nice walk. The weather had been perfect all morning and now it was approaching afternoon. Hannah followed closely, loosely holding hands with Sam. They talked more about things besides their main worries, just to get their minds off the biggest problem either of them was likely to face. Most of the chatter was about simple things like what they were going to do with all the extra room at Sam's place now that Hannah would be sharing a room with her. The extra room was finally relegated to being storage for the time being. Both of them had most of their possessions aboard Sam's ship so what they would store there was a bit of a mystery but they did decide to stay here in Lisara for a few days and plan what needed to be done.

Music drifted though the small wooded area as they got closer to the center of the park. It was a light sound that had a tone to it that felt lighthearted yet romantic. It was loud enough to be heard but at the same time soft enough to be enjoyed rather than be obnoxious. It made the walk more enjoyable than it already was.

Hannah was still getting used to how warm it was here but she felt a lot safer being out in the open than she had before. Still there was the issue of her outfit. It was the last link to her past she still had. She stopped for a second and stared out into the trees watching the leaves fall slowly. Sam noticed she had stopped and did the same.

"Is something wrong?" Sam asked quietly.

"No, nothing's really wrong. It's just that everything here is so different from what I'm used to. Well, I guess that's not entirely right. I guess just hit me that I'm really leaving everything in my past behind me. All that's left to do is to get rid of my jacket and I'll never be my old self again. I think part of me wants to hold on to it as a way to remind myself of why I did all of this but I think having you in my life will be more than enough to remind me of what I'm really fighting for." Hannah said as she continued watching the leaves fall. "Do you feel the same? Do you fight for the same reasons I do?"

Sam smiled and put her arms around Hannah's waist as she watched the leaves with her. "Yeah, I really do feel the same. Your reasons for fighting are different though. You fight to forget the past and start over with a new future. I fight to protect someone very close to me and to protect the future we can have together."

The two stood there quietly watching the multi colored leaves float on the afternoon wind as people walked by. Both of them were wishing that this could just be the way everything was and would stay but they knew that the war needed to be stopped before that dream could become a reality. After a short while they moved on and continued walking through the park.

They didn't speak as they walked, just thought to themselves about all of the things that had been said over the past few days. It felt weird to Sam to not be talking about something. Just keeping quiet and contemplating life was something she hadn't really taken the time to do before. Even when she just by herself she rarely just thought about what to do next. The way things were now though she felt like she had to be eight steps ahead of her opponent just to stay on equal footing. The realization that Soth had planned this whole thing out for years had changed everything. Even now Sam wasn't sure that they would be safe from Jakar and his network of 'associates'.  There was just this nagging doubt that they were being followed by someone.

S'kaarassa spit into the dirt as he followed some distance back. He realized now that Jakar was definitely not paying enough for this. That stupid idiot never did pay well, but it was the only work S'kaarassa could get. Years of being an assassin had made him very few friends and even fewer employers. Still, the amount he was being paid was barely covering his stay here. He wanted to end Jakar but it would have to come at the right price for him to betray his employer. For now he just decided to keep following and making sure he wasn't noticed. He walked through the woods trying to regain sight of his prey.

 He knew his efforts had failed as soon as he felt the cold metal of a gun pressed up against the back of his head. A voice from behind him told him to turn around. He slowly did so and was staring into a pair of bright violet eyes and the smiling face of one of the women he had been tracking. The gun pointed at him told him immediately who it was.

"Well, well if it isn't Tara Kisala. Or should I say, Tara the whore?" He said without thinking it through.

Hannah cocked the hammer back on her gun and said, "Give me one damn good reason I don't pull this trigger S'kaarassa."

"Well at least you know my name but you don't know who I'm working for and if I'm dead I can't say anything now can I?"

"Shove it Cat. I know you're working for Jakar because he's the only idiot this side of the Core that would hire you. I'm sure my wife can give you some damn good options though." Hannah said with a smile.

Sam stepped out from behind the grove of trees they had used as cover. "I'm going to give you two options. I let Hannah kill you here and now or you come with us and turn against Jakar."

"How much you paying girl? I don't work for free. Unlike your wife."

A foot to the stomach shut him up as Sam said, "Speak about her like that again and I will kill you. You'll get paid well enough, that's all you need to know."

S'kaarassa rubbed his ribs as he said, "How do I know you're good for it?"

Hannah smiled slightly and said, "We've got the money. It is more than within your best interest to take the offer. If you don't you die. It's as simple as that."

"Fucking bounty hunters. You guys are way too blood thirsty. I'll take your offer." S'kaarassa said as he knew that the alternative was something he didn't want.

Going back to Jakar would be impossible now. In his mind he cut the contract he had with Jakar and threw his chips in with the two that had been his prey. He sighed to himself as he said, "Let me contact Jakar one last time and tell him I failed my mission. He'll be none the wiser and I will be totally free from him. I want him dead anyway and joining you is the best way to gain that goal."

"How can we be sure you won't contact him ever again?" Hannah said as she lowered her gun slightly.

"I'll crush my communicator. I swear it on my tail." S'kaarassa said.

Sam nodded and kept an eye on him. She knew that a Kithara's word when sworn on their tail was a binding contract. It at least made S'kaarassa honorable among assassins. He ended his communication and true to his word destroyed his communicator. He smiled and said, "He is rather pissed at me but he released my contract. Now what is your plan of action and why does Tara not respond to that name as quickly?"

Hannah put her gun away and said, "Questions that will be answered later. But I will ask you one thing. How much of Soth's plan did you know about?"

"The hell are you asking about that dead asshole for? As far as I knew he gave the whole scheme he'd been cooking up to Jakar. Beyond that I had no idea what was being planned. Oh and before I forget to ask, what's my pay for all of this?"

Sam laughed and said, "Always looking out for money aren't you?"

"I have to make a living somehow right?"

Hannah smirked and said, "We should go talk about this back at our place Sam. We don't know if Jakar has hired anyone else."

"Agreed. Move it S'kaarassa. We still don't trust you as we haven't talked out everything yet." Sam said as she prodded S'kaarassa with her finger.

S'kaarassa grumbled and moved. He silently hoped these girls were worth betraying Jakar. Not even his life was worth it if they didn't pay enough. He hated living like this but it was the only life he knew since he was young. He silently wondered if it would have been any easier to have been a bounty hunter.

 A few minutes later they entered Sam's home. S'kaarassa wasted no time in asking questions. "So am I going to get answers now or what?"

"Impatient little shit aren't you? Fine. Which one do you want answered first?" Hannah said as she sat down on the couch in the living room.

"Well I would ask about the money first but it can wait for this one. Why in hell did she call you 'Hannah' Tara?"

Hannah shrugged and said, "I got married to her and changed my name. What's it to you?"

S'kaarassa stared at the two of them. "Married? You married a girl? I thought humans were against that."

Sam smiled and sat down next to Hannah. "Not all of us are. It's rare, that's true enough, but it does occur. I'll give you an answer as far as money goes since I know you're dying to know. We'll give you Twenty thousand."

S'kaarassa smiled. "Twenty thousand credits doesn't sound half bad. It's five times what that idiot Jakar was paying."

Hannah looked surprised. "He hired you out for only four thousand? Either Jakar is an idiot or he had something on you he was holding over your head. Everyone in the underworld knows you by name and knows you don't take jobs for cheap. Hell I thought twenty wasn't enough for someone like you."

S'kaarassa laughed and said, "You're thinking Bounty Hunter prices there Hannah. Assassin's work for a hell of a lot less but that's because we know exactly what we're doing and don't charge costs. I hear your prices are right up there. Five hundred thousand last I checked a bounty board."

"One million is what I charged Soth for my fee for going after my wife. I made him pay up before I left and demanded another five-hundred for when I came back. It is now my most rewarding bounty ever. I got a loving wife."

"Ha. You girls have probably only been together for a day at most. How can you be so sure of the love between the two of you?"

Sam stared at the cat-eared man and said, "What are you trying to say S'kaarassa?"

He straightened himself up and sat down on a chair on the other side of the living room. He put his paws together and clicked his claws against one another as he said, "If my understanding of human love is right then it takes time for you to build a loving relationship of any sort. My race, the Feras, don't have time to waste like you humans do so for us a quick romance is all but it ill suits you humans."

Hannah stared at him and said, "You think I would marry her if I felt nothing? You Feras have a lot to learn about humans."

She turned to Sam and asked, "What's the plan? We have to be ahead of Jakar if we want to succeed."

"The plan is simple. We find out how far Soth's connections go and how he knew what he did. We kill Jakar and go from there. Chances are Soth didn't let this little secret of his out to one person." Sam said as she tried to think of a decent plan.

"Well the first part of that is impossible. Jakar told me that Soth knew everything and threatened to use what he knew about me to ruin my business and basically get me killed. Killing Jakar won't be a cakewalk either. He's probably suspecting someone to hunt him down." S'kaarassa said as he recalled what Jakar had told him days ago.

"Damn. Well that throws a wrench into our plans. In any case we should begin tracking Jakar down. That should be the first step." Sam said as she dug out a data pad.

Everyone nodded as they started to draw up plans for what to do next. Plans and ideas were shot back and forth across the room and several made it to paper before being scrapped in favor of a better idea. It was long and hard work and they were up into the late hours of the night still planning. There was still a lot of work that needed to be done.

 

 

[End notes: Complete for now anyways. It's the start of a book I'm working on.]

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