Firefly Getaway

Task

by Werewindle

 

Bartabus called his two biggest headaches into his office, Minty and Tance.

Tance was the Lady’s great-nephew, Minty was the illegitimate child of the Lord. The Lady was the founder of the Sheta guild, when she married her much younger lover he became the Lord. That’s how Tance and Minty met; they grew up together and even joined the guild together as junior members when they were sixteen.

The founder was a great lady but she had a huge soft spot for her baby sister’s brat. The fact is Tance and Minty should never have been allowed in the guild, not as future assassins at least. They were much better suited to support positions, keeping the grounds or working in the laundry department. They lacked skills, control, hell they lacked the ability to blend in. Anywhere.

That hadn’t changed in the last decade. The only thing that changed with the boys was they got older and weirder. Bartabus had never had much to do with them but the Lady retired five years ago and they’d been a plaguing him ever since.

His assistant knocked and showed the pair in. Tance was tall, nearly seven feet, thin, tan and had dirty blond hair he kept in an elaborate French braid. Minty on the other hand barely scraped past five feet, he was pale, slightly pudgy and had dark red hair cut in a long mullet. The only similarity between them was their murky hazel eyes.

“Mr. Englebocker,” the pair greeted in stereo.

“Sit down gentlemen.” Bartabus waved at the chairs in front of his desk. “I’ve called you here because I have a job for you.”

“A real job?” Tance asked excitedly.

“Or did someone need their dog watched while they’re on assignment again?” Minty was more suspicious, but you couldn’t really blame him, they did get a lot of crap jobs still being junior members and all.

“No, boys an actual contract.” Bartabus held up his hands to ward off their questions. “I chose this especially to be your first solo contract. The target is a bit high profile but the client isn’t demanding proof of completion.”

Tance and Minty were nudging each other and grinning, clearly excited at the prospect of a choice contract.

“We’ve found out that your target will be attending the festival on Firefly with a friend. Luckily for you two, he will be without his bodyguards while there. But unfortunately, due to recent events firearms are banned from the planet. Choose something else for weapons, nothing showy or hard to conceal. If you are found with them, you will be escorted off world immediately.” Bartabus warned the duo. “Understand?” They nodded. “Good. Take the files and study them closely. The festival is in two weeks, you’ll have to figure out a way to sneak on to the planet before they close planetary traffic there. Dismissed.”

Minty and Tance snatched the folders off the desk and practically ran from the room. Bartabus stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles and tucked his hands behind his head. With any luck those two would get themselves off’ed and he’d never have to see them again.

Some days it was good to be Boss.


Minty rushed to their basement apartment slamming and locking the door behind Tance. ”Oh, man! Can you believe it?” Minty jerked the refrigerator door open and snagged two beer bottles. “A toast! Then right to planning!” The redhead handed over one of the bottles.

“To our first solo venture!” Tance declared as they clinked their bottles together. They each drank deeply and Minty fell back onto the lopsided couch. “Now. What kind of weapons should we take?” Tance asked, pacing back and forth in front of his partner.

“Well, since we can’t take fire arms...” Minty trailed off.

“Swords? No, no those would be hard to hide.”

“That leaves out the halberd, axes and maces.”

“We need to think smaller. Knives?” Tance suggested.

“But that’s just so... un-fun.” Minty complained.

“You’re right.” The blond sighed deeply and flopped down on the other end of the couch. “This is harder than it seemed.”

“Yeah, and we haven’t even figured out how we are going to get to Firefly yet.”

“Oh! I know! How about if we...”


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