“Get that son of a bitch!” Dustball roared. “Whoever brings me his head will get first choice of the plunder!”

Dustball crossed his arms over his chest in the front doorway of the saloon as he watched the rest of his men sally forth into the late afternoon. He grinned wickedly, knowing that it did not take much motivation to send his men into a cruel blood frenzy. As he watched them spread out and begin to search the neighboring buildings and houses on either side of the street, with a satisfied look, he turned to walk back inside the saloon.

His two trusted bodyguards, Dela and Rotar had been the only two that stayed behind. He glanced across the saloon at them, both large and menacing Titans, veterans of many hard-fought battles, then turned back to gaze out the large front windows.

“How long do you think it will take to find this Titan?” Dustball asked over his shoulder.

Probably not as long as you think, Lupis thought to himself as he crept through the open back door and behind the two bodyguards. With one deft movement, he pulled a serrated knife from Dela’s hip holster and as the other Titan was looking down to see what was happening, slit the jagged blade across his throat. Rotar, the other burly Titan standing only two feet away, saw the activity out of the corner of his eye and quickly turned. Lupis was by far the quicker of the two though, and managed to open palm strike the other’s throat, while at the same time the bloodied knife went to work stabbing his abdomen furiously.

By the time Dustball heard the gurgling noises coming from his bodyguards, it was too late. He turned just in time to see them both slump lifelessly to the ground, a large angry looking Titan was now the only one standing across the bar. Quick hands pulled a handgun from Rotar’s holster as the bodyguard fell, and a gunshot rang out as the only other member of his gang who had stayed behind stumbled backward, a red stain splattered against the wall where his head had been a moment before.

Dustball contemplated going for his gun, holstered on his leg, but saw the other Titan’s gun already trained on him and thought better of it. He instead raised his hands, displaying his empty palms to this sudden murderous intruder.

“Who are you?” The gang leader demanded.

Lupis of course had no answer, but wished in that moment that his voice worked, so he could enjoy making this slimeball squirm. He instead squeezed the trigger and painted the storefront windows with the inside of the little Coyid’s head. He heard shouting from out in the street and figured one of the other gang members had heard the shots. It would probably not be long before more came back to investigate.

Lupis’ bloodlust had been activated and continued to rise. Something was not right here, but he could not put his finger on what it was. Much of this whole scenario felt oddly familiar, as if this had all happened before. Had it though? Was he somehow reliving a past experience?

Memories flooded back suddenly as though a dam had broken inside his subconscious mind. He had experienced much of this before he realized. It was one of his first missions, before he had been able to afford his armor, before he had been able to afford his ship. Now he remembered why for the past few days much of this had just felt wrong. He had not engaged the Red Pistol Brotherhood out of some sense of duty to a female, but for money. He had been hired by the local city council to take out the bandits.

Then more started to become clear to the bounty hunter. This must be some sort of trick, he had been on a mission. The villagers that had stolen from the government of Saxon. He had traveled to Tuscan to retrieve them. Now his past was beginning to make sense, though why he was now here was still confusing. But as he remembered the events that came after he had found the villagers on Tuscan a red haze of rage passed over him.

* * * *

The Rhapsody left the atmosphere of the small planet Tuscan and began rocketing back towards the space station Astracus. Lupis began working his hands over the controls, and a few moments later the autopilot had taken over the pre-programmed flight. He then pushed a button to bring up a display in the bottom corner of the Nav-screen. This display was linked to the cargo hold, and an image of the dozen cultists he had found back on the planet was displayed. The female Viverrid was standing up and addressing the others. Probably trying to calm them down or assure them all that Lupis was not the type of Titan who would really hand them over to a corrupt government official in league with the mob. He felt a small twinge of guilt as he saw this and his finger hovered for a long moment over the button that would have patched the audio from the cargo bay to his helmet’s EEG sound system but thought better of it. He was not happy about what he had to do but listening to them talk about it would not make the deed any easier.

Now that they were out of the atmosphere and deep in the vastness of space, the view screen was no longer needed and Lupis turned on the Titannet telecaster as the image of an old action vid displayed across the screen. He twisted and squirmed uncomfortably in his captain’s seat, trying to sink his attention in the vid and not on the captives in the cargo hold.

When Lupis realized that this was an old Major Lee vid, and one that he had watched a dozen times before, he began flipping through the Titannet channels. Major Lee had been his favorite vid star since he was young, but this particular one was about rescuing prisoners from the jungles of the Thunder Isles, and he did not much care to watch his stoic hero always do the right thing no matter what external force was pushed on him at that particular moment in time like a nag to his conscience.

It was a long flight back to Astracus, but Lupis had managed to while away the time and simultaneously ignore the repercussions of guilt. After the cheesy old classic Gingerella and a couple Beagle Lugosi vids, as well as an instructional vid on how to dismantle a Marshall Industries W1411 mobile water filtration system, he was now only a few hours away from his destination. He brought up the display on the viewscreen of the cargo hold and sighed under his helmet.

He had been avoiding any contact with them before they reached the space station, but Lupis decided that after eight hours in the back of the Rhapsody, they could probably use some water, and maybe some food as well. He arose from the pilot seat and walked over to the small personal Sailworld R9 personal replicator on the wall in the cabin and pushed the button to bring it out of sleep mode. This type of replicator was not an industrial one and was only rated for 1 to 3 Titans, its abilities would be taxed severely to produce materials for everyone on board currently.

The power cells of the Rhapsody’s engine core were still over seventy percent, and Lupis knew that he could afford to recharge them after dropping off his cargo to the mob boss. There was a small discreet station on the edge of The Expanse, a few dozen AUs away from Astracus. And even if all else failed, he had a charger on board the Rhapsody, even though it was a tedious process, he could always use one cell to charge the others. He could afford the extra power drain on the cells, and began the process of replicating enough water and food for his “guests”. Ten minutes later, as the hum of the replicator motors were whirling to a stop, he loaded everything onto a magnetic hover lift and went to the back of his ship.

The doors opened and the Titans all huddled towards the back walls, seemingly in fear of the great armored bounty hunter now standing before them.

“Do not be afraid.” Came the robotic voice from his helmet’s speakers. He then led the hover lift inside to the middle of the cargo hold and stepped away.

Several of the Titans came forwards to snatch provisions from the offered lift. They seemed somewhat reluctant to partake of the proffered rations, but they seemed to prefer the risk that the bounty hunter was tricking them to the alternative of starvation and began to eat and drink.

“Where are you taking us?” The pretty young Viverrid chanced asking the intimidating figure standing before them.

Lupis regarded her carefully. Under the vivid lighting of the Rhapsody’s interior, he saw that she was prettier than he had originally noticed. Also, her figure and her fur were different than the rest. She was somehow better groomed and maintained. He noticed under her plain robes that she wore a pair of higher-end velveteen thigh-high boots. He got the sudden feeling that she had not been a simple pauper. Still, he had his orders to fulfill his mission, and those things were not his business.

“Astracus.” Lupis replied impartially. “We are about 15 AUs away, so prepare for departure. We’ll be there in less than two hours.”

“So you’ve decided to turn us in then?” The Viverrid female asked boldly.

Lupis stood silent for a time before answering. “Less than two hours.” He said before turning to leave, closing the doors behind him.

The remainder of the trip seemed to go by quickly, and before he knew it, he was pulling the Rhapsody into an empty bay of the shady space station. Once parked safely in dock, Lupis shut down all but auxiliary power to the ship and went back to retrieve the cargo. The cargo bay opened on the Rhapsody and soon after, all fourteen passengers including the pilot exited the ramp and began walking towards the interior of the station.

Three of Boss Rancor’s thugs were waiting for them at the doors that exited out into the terminal. Whether from a desire to avoid creating a scene from the other members of the station or a trust in Lupis’ abilities, they did not have their weapons drawn openly, though the Phantasm Model 3 armor of the bounty hunter automatically detected their hidden firearms and gave him notice.

“Right this way.” A tall, lean Felid, the species Lupis could not quite place, somewhere between a Puma and a Cheetah, called out with a thick accent. “The boss is waiting.”

Lupis would have naturally moved to bring up the rear of the group, but two of Boss Rancor’s men took up the role, so he followed behind the Feline, who led the curious procession through the terminal. They got their fair share of strange looks from the other Titans who were either coming in from a flight or going back to one. There were dozens of commercial space flights coming and going each hour on Astracus, providing a steady new influx of travelers every day.

Few of the travelers who came and went on this enormous space station knew that it was really owned and operated by the Barksdale crime family, but for those that had heard the whispering voices in the corners of Astracus, the sight of several Barksdale soldiers escorting a group of poor ragged robed Titans and one fully armored one through the station was quite a spectacle. Lupis did his best to ignore the gawkers and focus on the task at hand. They marched single file through the terminal and entered the boardwalk of the main station.

The Feline mobster led them across the station, past the town square and the various marketplaces, plazas and multi-story boutiques that lined either side of the main thoroughfare. Gabriel, Lupis’ police AI system linked into his Net-Comm, began identifying several more known Barksdale soldiers watching from the upper floor balconies, mixed in with the crowd. This set off Lupis’ radar for danger, but he figured they were there to ensure the delivery.

Finally, the group came upon the familiar casino on the east end and mostly the same group of Canids guarding it as were the last time he had been through here. This time, the group of Canids seemed to be ready for them, for they moved aside upon their approach, though not without a few sullen, sideways glances at the towering suit of armor. They moved past the guards and were led to the elevator by the same Ursids and were soon on a pair of mag-lifts straight to the penthouse.

At the top, the group exited the two tiny elevators and regrouped. They were met here with another group of Barksdale soldiers, who lined both sides of the hall. Lupis looked back to make sure that the group of Titan refugees were all still following, and his suit alerted him to a touch on his gauntlet.

Lupis immediately saw the Viverrid at his side, she looked into the helmet’s mirrored visor with pleading eyes. He looked down and saw something that she had slipped into his gauntlet. It was some type of locket or amulet. He did not take a good look, though his helmet would certainly be able to retrieve a screen capture, something about the look in the mysterious young female’s face caused him to quickly close the armored fingers around it, and as they began moving again, he stowed the small object away in the compartment that held one of his sidearms in a leg drawer. It was a strange thing to do, and it caused Lupis’ attention to divide, and he was contemplating the action as they entered Boss Rancor’s office.

The fat little Rodentia was sitting behind his desk, much as Lupis had last left him and a greedy smile crept across his Rodent maw as the group entered the lavishly decorated room. The gangster reached across his desk and opened a mahogany box, extracted a fat cigar and then clicked a shiny engraved silver lighter to the end before easing back in his chair puffing a plume of smoke into the room.

“Lupis, my good male.” The Rodentia began in a voice as greasy as his slicked back fur. “I knew I picked the right Titan for the job. You got them back, and for that, I commend you. The last time I talked to you, you made it sound like I might have to wait a lot longer. But here you are.”

Lupis watched the slimy criminal while his goons rounded up the robed refugees. With a wave of the Boss’s hand, they singled the Viverrid female apart and then led the rest of the group out of the room discreetly. He immediately got the notion that he had missed something important during the whole encounter with her and her friends, but decided it was ultimately none of his business.

“Have a seat Lupis. You want one?” Boss Rancor motioned towards the box of cigars on the table and nudged it across towards the other end. “Take off the helmet and light up, you’re among friends here. Those are the good kind, imported from southern Iscalio, the only place on Titan that Zenith still allows some vices to thrive.” Boss Rancor laughed with a rough, smoky voice.

The little mob boss seemed to sense from the armor’s non-response that Lupis was not so much interested in vices. In fact, there was only one thing left here that he was interested in still.

“We agreed on a price.” Came the response from the built-in speakers on the mirrored helmet.

“Always a professional.” Came the disappointed reply from Boss Rancor. “Such a shame, we have so many fun pleasures that could occupy a Titan like you on this station. But if credits are the only thing you’re interested in…” Boss Rancor nodded his head to one of the soldiers standing to the side of the bounty hunter. “Dutch here will take you down to the vault and get your reward. I am after all, a Titan of my word.”

The Wolfen nodded in reply and began to lead Lupis out of the room wordlessly. Before he left though, the little Rodentia mob boss called out.

“Hey Lupis.”

Lupis paused at the doorway and exchanged one last glance at the Vivverid, who had a sad and pained expression on her face. It was not misplaced, he thought, as she was likely about to be turned into a forced prostitute for the rest of her miserable existence.

“Nice doing business with you.” The boss puffed a cloud of smoke and began laughing heartily, a laugh so cruel and slimy, it sent chills down Lupis’ fur within his mighty coat of armor. As he exited the room, the rest of the room joined in the hideous laughter.

Lupis was led back to the mag-lift, the Wolfen Dutch, in an expensive blue suit nodded once he stepped on and pushed the button to close the door. They stood in awkward silence as the mag-lift descended back to the casino floor. Suddenly the lights inside the lift flickered and the whole thing came to an abrupt stop.

Lupis immediately braced himself for danger, something had not felt right about this situation but now all his instincts were screaming to prepare for an ambush. When the mag-lift halted suddenly, the Wolfen mobster fell over from the displaced motion, while Lupis’ armor engaged magnetic compensators automatically to keep him from losing his balance. He glanced down at the Wolfen, who was already trying to stumble back up to his feet. If this was a setup, it did not make much sense to not let one of the conspirators in on it. Before Dutch could react further, Lupis punched the Canid, knocking him out cold. He pulled the punch so as to not completely take the other Titan’s head completely off, at least until he knew what was going on.

There was another flash, this time from all around the elevator, and Lupis realized what was happening too late. As the lights inside the elevator flicked off, his armor became unresponsive and he recognized the tell-tale blue flash of EMP waves, shutting down his suit. He flicked his eyes down at the unconscious Wolfen. His suit had anti-EMP surge protection and would soon reset and come back online, he doubted that this one Canid could do much damage to his suit until he regained control, even if he came back around before his suit did.

Then the lift doors opened, and instead of the casino floor, Lupis was immediately face to face with two dozen Delta series MV1 Zenith Battle Drones with smart rifles leveled directly at him. Behind the line of robotic soldiers, a Zenith Corporation chief officer gazed intently. This officer spoke a command into his Net-Comm.

Before he knew it, Lupis’ suit commands were overridden, and the emergency evacuation activated. The suit began to fold up, exposing him, and worse, his face to the world.