Phaerin's pilot indicated to him that it would be another five minutes, the repairs on the vessel had been nearly complete, the damage to the engines which they thought were severe had not been as bad as they had initially believed.

Damn ADD. Phaerin nodded as his pilot hurried off back to the ship. He was currently in the warehouse, a facility that he once used for his smuggling operation but that had been when he was small time. Now the green skinned reptilian was far more dangerous entering the big time over a year ago. He was now involved with human trafficing and only two days ago had attacked and captured a vessel. The students on it were already transferred into slavery but he was getting his information about ship routes leaving Shokushu and other worlds.

As of late he was becoming more and more of a nuisance, as was indicated to the damage to his ship. The ADD wanted him, though since damage was done primarily to his engines he had assumed that they wished to capture him alive. He was lucky to loose the ADD's ship in the asteroid field and make it here.

The warehouse had been located in an abandoned city, the population having died out over a decade ago but the place was an excellent place of operation. Currently though it was the only building that possessed a small degree of power from a portable generator he had brought her over a year ago that he used to power the lights.

Currently the lights were off to minimize the power signiture, the powerful reptilian creature did not wish to be found, not wishing to press his luck with the ADD. As soon as the ship was fixed he was out of here, going to ground in one of his numerous safe houses that he had established for such an occassion.

It was too hot and he needed to let things cool down a little. But he did not realize that he and his pilot were not the only people on this planet. There was another, a few blocks away. Newly arrived to this world by transporting here, Aegir glanced around the deserted streets delighting in the perpetual twilight of the world.

He had been here once before having used the place in an experiment with Pia and due to the perpetual twilight it made for a good transitionary world. Besides, he had already laid a ring of stone here that he could use to focus his energy on and transport elsewhere so half his work was already done.

He desired to make a quick jaunt to Earth, there were a few books he had to get his tentacles on that he assumed Pia would find interesting and was in the process of slithering to the outskirts of the abandoned city without a fear in the world despite picking up the brainwaves of the two alien beings. Subconsciously he began to map them out as was natural to him. One he figured out fairly quickly since the species evolved from humans the brain itself was fairly similar and since the human brain was so easy to work out it became second nature to work out, the other would be harder to crack but in a few minutes he would unlock that one as well.

Then he became aware of a third mind, one that he had already mapped out before. The red headed ADD agent that had shot him was here and given what he had learned of the ADD he assumed she was after the other two. He paused, he had enjoyed his time with her, and wondered if he should take a little timeout from his business.

He decided that he would not, though he was tempted, but this was interesting enough to get a peek at things. He only got to see the ADD in action once, twice if you counted when he was shot though that was a brief stint that he really did not count, nor had he counted the time when one of their agents so foolishly hunted him, she had mistaken his identity and paid for that but since she was running from him for the most part he did not get to see her in action.

The last agent that he watched had a degree of psionic potential, Minerva did not and thus there would be differences in their tactics that the two would use. A learning experience one would think, and so since it was new he slithered forward. He had the memories of past engagements but nothing beat the real thing.

Minerva winced a bit as she opened a door to what appeared to be an office building, her shoulder still stiff from the landing. The fighter had been wrecked in the fighting with the alien craft and she was forced to crash land her fighter just on the outskirts of the city. She had been fortunate to have been able to land her fighter in one piece and it didn't explode upon landing.

Still the agent situation was dire, she had been the only one to have been able to engage the slaver as he approached the system. So as a result the redhead was the only to have manage to follow him here. Now the young woman found herself alone on this planet without any backup. To make matters worse, her fighter's communications system was out and she had no way to contact anyone. Her only hope to escape this barren planet was to capture the slaver and take his ship.

Knowing that that slavers typically operated in pairs so someone can fly while the other keep an eye on the prisoners, the odds didn't look good for the young agent. Still Minerva had to try as there was no option for failure. The agent had begun to make her way to the top of the office building, it being one of the largest in the area. She hoped she could use the building's height to observer the slavers and see what they are up to. It would only be from there she could decide on a course of action.

Quan, the short four armed alien was fast at work on the engines. His pale white flesh streaked in grease as he worked on the damage. Minerva could witness the creature fast at work from the window of a nearby office building that overlooked the warehouse that he and Phaerin had resided at.

The ship was on the street. There were no other vehiciles in the city that she could see, at least nothing in this quadrant of the city. But seeing how the city had been abandoned it had been reasonable that whoever had been here took them with them to another city perhaps.

She had been uncertain of the history of the city and why it had been abandoned in the first place but if it were something sudden like a plague then the would be a clutter of vehilicles still present, right?

But Phaerin came out of the warehouse for a moment. He pointed at a few areas near the rear of the ship, what he made a priority she guessed by the way the little alien nodded and went back to work. It was hard to tell the severity of their damage from here too.

She took her eyes off the warehouse for a second as Phaerin went back inside. Her gaze had been attracted to movement, a mauve coloration slithering in closer to the area of the warehouse, a figure that she had recognized as a being that she had met before.

But to her relief he did not join the others, at least not yet. Finding an alley were he could watch Quan he melted into the shadows there as he observed matters and seemed to wait. She could only make him out because she had observed him hiding, had she not be watching she would have been clueless that he was even there.

Minerva watched as she saw a pale white four armed alien begin working on the engine. The agent was surprised about how quickly he was working on the engine. It was clear to young woman wouldn't have long to try to do something before he got it fixed. She quickly looked around to see what all she had to use in this city. However the office building and at least the part of city looked like it had been cleaned out, anything that wasn't nailed down or had any real use had be taken by whoever had left the city. It is as if someone ordered the population to get up and leave, the young woman briefly wondered why they would have abandoned this place.

It would be something that she would have to leave for another time as she saw something mauve off on the distant, before it faded away into the darkness. It became clear to the redhead that it was the Aegir, Great, what is he doing here. She observed him moving to observe the same alien that she watching. It had been clear to the agent that he was not involved, at least not involved yet. Slowly she began to move quietly to a new place where she can get a better look at the warehouse. They must have stuff in there to help repair their vessel and if they do she might be able to find something she could use.

Why the city had been abandoned was a question for another time perhaps. On earth there was the lost colony of Roanoke but this was different as property was gone too or at least moved from the area. It was then that it occurred to her that the settlement may not have created cars or other vehicles and had either lacked the ingenuity of such devices or had an ulterior means of moving about. It still left the question of what had happened to the native populace but that was neither here or there.

The smaller alien appeared to be quite dexterous and nimble, she could read it in his movements as he made repairs to the rear of the ship. There had been plates in the hull at the aft of the ship where her shoots had gotten through and ruptured the hull of the vessel. She could see into the ship and the interior damaged engines that the alien was fixing, he had no problems passing through the breech, he was small enough to do so.

He was coming in and out of the ship frequently going into the warehouse and coming out with supplies to further his work. From her best guess the place had extra parts and he and Phaerin had been using the place as a safe house of sorts to store excess parts for such an occasion as this.

Her thoughts were confirmed as she moved about the office building getting better vantage points on the warehouse below. The place, she reasoned, had not always been a warehouse but had been designated as such she guessed. It was sizeable, one level with large doors outfitted on the back and a trio of docking bays for small ships or trucks she guessed so that they could be loaded or unloaded as the case ma be.

The large doors may have been an access point for larger cargos, but she could only assume this.

Inside the building was Phaerin and while she could not see him clearly he was standing but leaning over a table, reading something perhaps? His hand rested on his hip or more appropriately his blaster as if expecting trouble.

Minerva could see a few crates inside the warehouse as well, supplies she guessed, and there were other devices on the table but she could not make them out clearly from her vantage point. She had only known that they were there because the suns of this world glinted off of something metallic.

Minerva managed to find a spot in the office building that gave her a decent view of the warehouse. The redhead took a moment to make sure she was out of view of the warehouse. She still knew that Aegir was around, but her previous encounter with the purple creature left her little doubt that he could track her down. The young agent could only hope that he stayed out of the situation or at least did not join forces with the aliens.

The agent could finally get a good look at her handiwork, as she had managed to have put holes in the ship. Already the smaller alien was climbing in and out of the ship through the holes she had made. If Minerva was a sporting person, she would guess it would take at least most of today to finish the work. Of course she wasn't really have a good idea of exactly how good this alien was at damage control. The redhead looked around for the other alien but it took a while for her to find him.

Eventually, the agent did locate the alien off to himself standing over a table. She couldn't really tell what he was up to as she could really only see part of him, however she noticed that he did have a gun already ready in case he needed. The fact that he had to his hand on his gun showed he was paranoid and ready for anything. She was going to need something to even the odds, it was then she noticed something metallic glint on one of crates in the warehouse. If she could get to it, she could see what it was.

It was going to be difficult for her to make her way from the office to the warehouse, but if she was quiet enough she could make it there before anyone was the wiser. Well anyone who wasn't a psychic anyways...

Easily Aegir had tracked Minerva's process as she moved about the office building to get a better vantage point of matters. He took his eyes off the smaller alien for a moment flickering his gaze towards the office itself as if trying to see her.

He knew that she aimed to be stealthy for she was at the edge of his telepathic abilities and thus he could scan her mind as he stood there and while he was unable to see her he could feel her presence, her brainwaves giving her away.

But Minerva made her way closer just as the smaller alien was coming out of the warehouse pushing a crate with considerable effort, the crate easily three times his size. But the sound of the crate being pushed along the ground masked any sounds that she may have made.

The alien took up a crowbar from his assortment of tools and went to work prying opened the crate. Inside were several hull plates that he was going to wield into place as a makeshift repair until they had more time available to do a more through job.

He took up an arc wielder and a wielder's mask that he put on before trying to nove one of the large plates out of the crate. He examened it then the breech before leaning the piece at an angle against the crate intending to cut it into two more managable parts.

And thus Minerva was able to get closer onto ground level without drawing his attention. Aegir was another matter entirely.

It appears we meet yet again, I trust you're not going to accidentally shot me again, deliberately perhaps but not accidentally. The words took form in her head though she heard that "voice" before. And while she did not think Aegir could see her from where she was he was able to sense her well enough to ping her with a message.

Minerva paused and took cover as she realized that she was in the little alien was coming out of the warehouse. Fortunately the redheaded agent, the alien was more interested in working on the ship than checking to see if there was anyone else around the abandoned city. The alien walked over to the crate that had to be at least three times size of him. The agent watched in the amazement as the creature began to move the crate. It looked way too heavy, it sounded way too heavy, but he was able to make it move back into the warehouse. Still it provided the agent an opportunity to make her way in the warehouse where she could better observe what he was doing.

As she did so, she heard a familiar voice in her head. The young woman was careful just to try to think a reply, knowing that the purple creature would understand her. W-what are you doing here? Look if you aren't involved with these slavers I'm not going to shoot you today. I have different fish to catch. She moved to a room where she could hide herself as she was sure that Aegir would not done with her yet.

Actually I was heading back when I sensed a trio of brain waves an decided to investigate. I have stolen memories of agents in work, though I have never actually seen it. If I were involved then you would already have been caught, or at least the others warned. Alas, I have not done that yet despite having mapped out the mind of the little one already.

But you need to tread with caution, if what I saw in the little one's mind is correct the warehouse is well defended.

Aegir spoke into her mind reading her thoughts with ease. He watched the smaller alien struggle with the crate though he was stronger than his diminitive size would have one believing. Of course this may prove to be rather interesting in how this actually plays out.

Wonderful. Well I don't have any choice, if I going to have to take them out and take there ship or at least its radio if I going to have any chance at a rescue. Minerva took a look room she had hidden herself in to see if there was anything useful. Unfortunately it appeared to be a janitorial closet, something these slavers didn't need to have operational. So like the rest of the city she had found so far it had been completely cleaned out of anything that had any use or was not bolted down. If she could only make it to the create with the item on top of it she might be able to gain the upper hand. But she was going to have to be really observant when she moved out. If it was well defended, that meant there must have been sensors or something all over the place.

Communications ... Aegir paused for a moment as he ruffled through his memory of the word at least as far as it was defined for humans. There was a slight pause as he obtained the information that he was after.

It is likely that you could construct one out of the supplies kept here. Of course, it would be easier to be procure such a device. As it stands you're out numbered three to one so this can be interesting pending your course of action ...

Three to one? All that she had been aware of was Phaerin and the engineer critter. She saw nothing else as she crept out of the janitorial closet. Logic told her if that was the case, if Aegir was not lying of misspeaking then the other guy was still in the ship.

The engineer was outside by the ship now and the warehouse she found contained a series of crates of all sizes. She also could see Phaerin leaning over a table looking at star charts and studying them. On the table was a palm sized device, circular in shape with a dial on the side of it and a button in front of it. The object was metallic, a grayish coloration and nothing she had seen before, at least nothing at this range anyway.

Minerva paused at she reached the door. Three? There are three? She didn't see a third alien in the warehouse and she was observing the warehouse. This was pretty distressing, two aliens were hard enough. To face a third one, perhaps facing all three at once, that was a depressing scenario. The redheaded agent thought about for a second, it was becoming clear that if she hadn't seen the alien; it must still be somewhere on the ship. She could only imagine what the alien is like, probably was the commander of the ship if it didn't leave the ship.

Still the agent was going to have to do something. She snuck back outside the room into warehouse, from a distance she could see the one of the aliens still leaning over a table looking at something. Now she was closer she could see that the object was was a circular object that fit in a hand and appeared to be a dial and a button. It was probably a small radio, though she couldn't be sure until she got into her hands. Now she just find something to cause a distraction or enable her to render the alien unconscious.

Yes, three, though you misunderstand in part. I can sense the two that you see while the third I'm only aware of because I saw it in the little fellows mind. Even I cannot read it though I wouldn't be able to anyway ... Aegir partially explained to her as she exited the warehouse.

Phaerin did seem to be in the possession of a radio or similar technology though it was hard to say what without a closer look. He did look up from his charts and looked around, apparantly hearing something though he did not see her, at least he displayed no signs of noticing her if he did.

He said something in an uncomprehendable language, the little alien outside responded, raising his squeaky voice she was at least able to understand him. "No, I'm by the ship. Need something?"

Again Phaerin said something, continuing to look around as his hand lowered to his belt touch the circle on his belt buckle that changed it from red to green, he looked around for a second longer then went back to looking over his star charts.

You can't read the third's one mine? This made the agent pause as she realized the consequences of what he was saying her mind. [i]So you can't read his mind or anything? Which meant this third creature, whatever it was, was a powerful psionic as it could block Aegir. The agent suddenly realized that she was probably not safe from the unseen creature.

As if the to emphasize the point, the alien she first snuck up on began to look around. The young agent dove behind a crate disappearing out of the alien's view as he attempted to spot something. She could hear say something that she couldn't understand. Quickly the little creature outside said that it was outside.

The tall alien she was sneaking on said something as he continued to look around the room. She noticed that he had changed something on his belt buckle. As the creature began looking at his star charts again, the red headed agent looked for something nearby to knock him out with. She realized that this was starting to get far too dangerous to sneak around.

think just that he realized that it did little good if she thought that he was helpless given the situation so he shared a tid bit of knowledge that he had gleaned out of the little ones mind.

[color=440000]That is simple because it has no mind to read. An automontron, though quiet suspectible to the trauma of telekinetic blows.[/color] He returned though he could feel her heightened sense of dread at the situation. While he was unable to read Phaerin's mind just yet he could easily tap into her own to follow what was going on.

He could see that Minerva was now looking around for he had tapped into her senses to both see and hear what was going on. He could see that she found a crate that had been opened, there were machine parts inside which he assumed were for the ship. There were also some extra tools in there, a spanner having enough weight behind it to cause a knockout blow, plus it had the advantages of being fairly light and having a grip.

[olor=#440000]Most unusual. Simple, but unusual. I do not foresee that approach working, Phaerin seems to be a cagey one and there is the matter of that belt buckle. I'm not too versed on technology but know well enough that he's done something just now, especially since he's essentially turned his back on you.[/color]