Robin surged towards Tivy as she screamed for help, snatching her under his arm and sprinting through the ship towards the kitchen. Tivy wriggled in his hands and tried to pull herself free, but he kept a spitefully firm grip on her as chaos erupted within behind him. The sound of the crew scrambling to their stations meant little to him as his back-up plan came together. He skidded into the kitchen and eyed up the metal freeze door at the back of the room.
As the others screeched into the kitchen, the sound of the freezer room door slamming met their entrance, along with Robin's cocky, smiling face showing through the square glass panel in the middle top of the door.
As Seeth, Diego and Trent charged for the door, he lifted Tivy into their vision, his elbow hooked around her throat. The handle of the door creaked with an icy crackle, solidifying under the psyker's frigid touch. A wave of realisation hit everyone at once as Robin grew a long claw on his other hand and pointed it straight at Tivy's face, who flinched away from it instinctively.
"I'm going to leave this ship without any hassle, or Tivy's going to pay the price for your stubbornness!" He shouted, his voice heavily muffled by the door. "I always get what I want, and it's time you all started to realise that."
"What the fuck is that little prick doing on my ship?" Seeth spat, venom dripping from her lips.
"Little prick? You know him..? Has he frozen the handle?!" Diego gripped the handle and pulled, but the door didn't budge.
"Venner's ex-husband. Ice psyker and absolute prick. He tried to chat me up last week." Seeth growled, subconsciously flexing her claws.
Diego snorted with anger, pacing back and forth outside the door, staring Robin down furiously. "Oh, I am NOT in the mood for this. You hurt her, and it'll be the last thing you ever do!"
"Can we all just calm down?" Geralt pleaded. An uncomfortable pang of guilt struck the feline deep within his stomach as his gaze landed on Tivy's terrified expression. Maybe I should have left this well alone… He thought to himself as he recollected his and Oxyi's conversation about the crisis couple. I've caused nothing but trouble… "If he just wants to leave, can't we just let him?"
"You all owe Venner money for her destroyed ship, which means you owe me." Robin sneered; not even the appearance of victory was enough to feed his bastard ego. "I want money for my own vessel, so I can actually leave you fowl vermin behind!"
"Excuse me?!" Seeth retorted, offended.
Through the chaos, Trent managed to find Tivy's gaze and held it. Despite the fear and cold, she felt a warm reassurance from the fox's eyes as they softened, for just a moment.
We'll get you out of there, Tiv. I promise.
"You want to bargain? Fine." Trent was surprisingly calm for the situation he was in. "We'll give you your precious dies. But if you so much as harm a hair on her head -" Trent gestured towards Diego and Seeth, who were barely holding themselves back from tearing the door off its hinges. "Then the deal's off. Do we understand each-other?" He turned to address Seeth directly as Robin's eyes narrowed. "Do we have any money left to give this dick-head?"
"I'll see what I've got." Seeth growled again. Vermin… I'll turn you inside out you little creep.
Trent shifted his focus back to Robin. A malicious grin was now spreading across his face, upon hearing the group relent to his demands.
Behind Trent, Wex hooked Diego's arm and pulled him and Seeth in.
"Options?" He asked under his breath. "Time is on his side, he can choose to hurt your friend whenever he wants."
Seeth turned her head and assessed the size of the freezer with Robin, but more importantly Tivy within it.
I can't teleport in there without potentially hurting Tivy, plus everyone is watching him…
"I've got nothing right now, aside from ripping the door off, but there's too much risk Tivy will get hurt. What about your psyonic defenses, Diego?"
But the lizard shook his head.
"I can armour Tivy up, but it'll affect him too because of how close together they are. It'll make things more complicated… Maybe that's the right call though? It'll still protect Tivy but… I don't know how advanced Robin's psyonics are. I'm a far cry from full strength right now. He might still be able to hurt her through my protection."
"How much do you care about hurting this guy?" Wex asked, tilting his head.
"Hurt, not at all. Killing? I'd say that isn't for the best." Seeth glanced towards Venner, who was crying loudly into Geralt's chest.
"Gotcha. Leave it to us. Once we do our thing, get that door open and get your girl out." Wex grinned, patting both Seeth and Diego on the shoulders. He calmly went over to Hammand, who was standing on the work surfaces in a state of deep alarm, staring into the freezer room through the single window.
The two of them communicated quietly, Hammond buzzing through several quick responses. In a brief flap of Wex's coat, Hammond had already scuttled out of the room, something short and chunky clutched between his larger hands.
Wex turned back towards Diego and Seeth, with a cheeky grin on his face.
"Remember, act quick and stay cool. Ice-pop over there is too engrossed in hamming up his win, let's keep our surprise to ourselves."
Back at the freezer door, Trent was continuing his negotiations with Robin, only to the increasing satisfaction of the human.
"So we'll give you whatever dies we've got, and we promise to let you go safely. But you have to give us Tivy back without hurting her."
"Oh please, I wasn't born yesterday. The second I let our precious little soup bug go, you'll bring me to the floor! No, Tivy comes with me. Only once I'm safe and sound will I even consider letting her go."
"Tivy is going nowhere!" Trent replied, his voice rising. "You want a hostage? Take me instead."
"Fuck off, fox. What the hell would I do with you? I think… I need a replacement wife for the one you brainwashed away from me! So no. I won't be letting Tivy go until I'm done with her. That's the price."
His response almost floored the fox. A fierce snarl wrinkled his muzzle as his anger bubbled to the surface.
"You let her go right now you disgusting perverted PSYCHOPATH!" It was getting too personal now; the cracks were starting to show in the fox's resolve. He lurched forward and slammed his fist hard against the window, and Tivy jolted at the sound.
Robin laughed, satisfied with his reaction. "Ahah. What makes you think you're in a position to bargain with me, fox?!" Tivy squirmed in Robin's grip again, and this time, he hauled her up onto his shoulder, so she was facing away from the window - away from Trent.
Trent took a step back, cradling his injured hand. Not only had he hit it hard, but Robin's psyonics had left an icy burn against his skin.
"Awh, did the wittle fox hurt himself?" Robin chortled. "Not everyone can handle being under pressure, Trent. Maybe you should step aside and let someone more competent do the talking?"
As the pain seared against his skin, something suddenly clicked on the fox's mind. The running. The hiding. The bargains, the failed deals, and the burn... And despite the rage that boiled and threatened to overspill, a voice in the back of his head spoke with a warm, commanding clarity:
Cat and mouse.
And she focused him. After all, he knew how to play this game…
With all the might he could muster, he channeled the heat flowing through his heart into the hottest form he knew.
He laughed.
"I love it. You're hammering the nails into your own coffin and asking us to sign your headstone." Trent grinned back at the human. "No. You've fought for some leverage, but it's time to cash that in, or prepare for the heat. You let Tivy go, and we'll let you go. That's the deal. Be grateful that we are even giving you a choice."
"Fuck you! You're not winning this!" Robin yelled, now slamming his free fist against the freezer door. "Maybe I'll just take your fucking woman right here in front of you!"
Despite Robin's threats, Trent appeared composed. His shoulders relaxed, a calm, almost scary confidence seemed to overtake him as he stared at Robin's face, squared perfectly in the frosted window.
"Still handling that pressure okay in there? You know you should be dead, Robin. I don't know what you were planning, but obviously it went wrong. But you've pulled it back, you've managed to get yourself a bargaining chip and you're working your game. Fine. You get to live and we'll pay you some dies for the ship. Fine. But take the win - before we take it from you."
Robin's eyes narrowed as the two of them stared each-other down. Standing just behind him was Diego, leaning on his fists threateningly over the kitchen surfaces, muscles tensed and ready to strike, like a hellhound protecting its pack. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of the lizard, from all he'd heard both in rumour and within the ship… But the death stare he was getting through the glass made him glad there was an inch of metal between them right now. His patience wouldn't last forever. Robin's ego wouldn't let him admit it, but deep down, he knew Trent was right…
Hauled up on his shoulder, Tivy shivered from head to toe, buzzing both from the fear and the cold. Robin's clammy shoulder offered no respite from the cold, his slimy voice and the boxy insides of the freezer cubby rattling around her senses.
I need to stay calm. I need to stay calm. The crew will help! I-I just… I need a distraction…
She turned her focus to the various goods and products stocked on the metal shelves that lined the two walls either side of her. Vegetables and pre-frozen soups lined the lowest shelves, with Tivy in mind. The middle shelves were a little more sparse, with the odd cut of meat or sealed box of canned goods stored against the very back. She glanced up to see some large frozen turkeys stored on the very top shelves, almost as big as she was.
Robin barked something at the door, his words long since blended into paste in her head. He was angry, and she didn't like it, that was all there was to know… She could feel him tense under her, his shrill voice vibrating through the entire freezer, echoing back and forth. She just wanted it to end…
When something caught her eye. A small rectangular vent on the back wall lifted open, a pair of honey and red claws gently lifted the flap open and Hammond emerged silently. He gently lowered himself to the floor, he had something clasped in his other hands as he straightened himself out and shook off the frost. How the bug had fit into such a small space was beyond her, the vent was miniscule, even for them! More and more questions rattled around her head when she suddenly recognised the short object -
Tivy's eyes bolted wide open as Hammond raised a sawn-off shotgun and pointed it at the back of Robin's legs. But before the bug pulled the trigger, he looked up at Tivy, using his smaller hands to mimic covering ears. Tivy nodded slowly, her jaw clenching tight as she grimaced and clasped her hands over her ears.
She squeezed her eyes shut…
BANG
Robin's leg was swept out from under him, his knee blasted to pieces as he collapsed to the floor along with a smattering of blood and bone. Tivy scrambled away the second they hit the floor together, her little claws scraping against the frost-covered metal as she tucked herself away on one of the middle shelves. She felt a bubbling froth of sick rumble in her stomach as she noticed the splash of crimson, rapidly crystallizing against the door along with a smattering of buckshot impacts.
The freezer filled with a reverberating scream as he immediately began to thrash about on the floor, a set of razor claws shot out from his fingers and he lashed out in surprise and panic. His claws slashed through the shelving legs as Hammond landed in his furious sight.
"YOU - YOU FUCK! HOW DARE YOU!"
Hammond leapt back, pressing his back against the wall as Robin's razors slashed back and forth, inching closer to him like a desperate wounded animal. The metal around them creaked loudly as it became unstable. Cans began to tumble down, crashing onto Robin's shaking frame, but he barely noticed. Blinded by rage and red, there was no rhyme or reason to his attacks; he continued to thrash violently, with both his pride and preservation at risk.
Trent rushed to the freezer door, squeezing the metallic handle downwards, but still it refused to shift. Diego charged forward, taking the handle from Trent and pressing down on it, the handle giving way after only a couple of seconds and the lizard hauled the door open in one powerful motion.
In front of them lay a furiously swiping Robin, his daggers of ice whipping back and forth, slashing through the legs of shelves and surrounded by fallen, dented cans. A terrified Tivy, curled into a ball on the middle shelf. A similarly worried Hammond, clearly considering if he needed to reload and climb up where he could to avoid the icy swipes below -
And a turkey.
Mid-flight.
Or rather, mid-fall.
CRACK
Several kilograms of frozen solid bird crunched straight into the back of Robin's head unceremoniously. His flailing stopped in an instant as the turkey stuck its landing.
The room fell into a jaw-dropped silence. Slowly, Diego and Seeth edged forward together, unsure of what to do.
"Robin…?"
Diego knelt down beside Robin's body. He placed his hands gently out, his fingers dancing with orange crackles. When Robin didn't respond, Diego glanced back at Seeth and Wex, with an awkward 'we may have fucked up' grimace on his face.
Tivy peered between the gaps in her fingers with a shy squeak, glancing around cautiously, trying to see what was going on from her shelf.
"R-Robin?"
Venner stumbled forward slowly, her eyes wide in disbelief. Oxyi and Geralt were too stunned themselves to try and stop her.
And out from the wreckage of the walk-in freezer, cool as a cucumber, Hammond nonchalantly stepped over the floored body. Amidst the silence he casually entered the kitchen, turned around, pointed at the turkey and buzzed proudly to the room:
"B-I-R-D."
*
Oxyi hefted a heavy cardboard box onto the table in front of her, which creaked lightly in protest. It was densely packed, sealed only minutes ago. Venner was standing off to the side, her eyes red and puffy, but dry for the time being.
Oxyi sighed softly under her breath as she played with the corner of the white cardboard, gathering the courage to speak.
"A-Are you sure about this, Ven? I-It's not too late!"
"I'm sure, Oxyi. I need a break, need to stay with my family for a bit. Haven't spoken to my parents in… too long. I'll be okay, I promise."
"We're gonna miss you. I'm gonna miss you." Oxyi sniffed loudly, blinking the beginnings of her own tears away.
"You guys will be fine. I'm not sure anything in the universe can stop you. I'll stay in touch. You haven't heard the last of me." Venner smiled weakly, but genuinely.
"You better. Or I'll send Tivy over to sort you out! You'll catch those spatchy hands, I swear!"
The rat's smile grew at the threat, then dropped from her face entirely as the two girls threw their arms around each-other in the middle of the DA battleship's staging hanger. It was mostly quiet at this time of day, with the few soldiers that were around giving the girls plenty of space to say their goodbyes. Theo had hauled the rest of Venner's bags off to her own private room, where they'd remain for the duration of her journey home.
On the other side of the hanger, Seeth sighed gently and cast a look over her shoulder at the pair.
She caught Venner's eye, and the rat gave her a small, deeply tired smile. Somewhere in her exhausted red eyes, there was a hint of genuinely thankfulness. Seeth returned the smile along with a subtle, knowing nod before turning her attention to her front once again.
"You sure you're okay with this, Jace?"
"Absolutely." The commander replied. "It's my pleasure to assist one of your crew. We'll get her where she needs to go."
"Thank you. I appreciate it, Jace." She gave a forced laugh then. "This hasn't been the best start of my captain career, has it? Less than a week in and already someone's died on my ship."
Jace laughed too. "My first week as commander, I accidentally had an entire regiment of dragoons scrapped, including custom models. The pilots were absolutely furious. Fucking up is a rite of passage as far as I'm concerned." He paused for a moment, then - "can I ask, how's Diego doing?"
"Better, I think. I think he just needs some time." But the hesitation and worry in Seeth's voice was palpable; it had hit her just how little she knew about her boyfriend, meeting a brother she didn't even know he'd had. She had no idea how the last six months had been for him either really, whilst in DA territory.
And he didn't know much about her either.
They had a lot of catching up to do. And while that was exciting, she felt… oddly anxious about it.
"That's understandable." Jace replied, surprisingly softly, picking up on Seeth's apprehension. "I'd give him my regards, but I can't imagine he wants anything from me right now."
Seeth sighed again. Despite the day already demanding so much, she wanted to address the niggling itch in the back of her mind. She looked Jace straight in the eyes, sending a shiver up and down the dragon's spine.
"Jace, listen, we really do appreciate you doing this… but I'm sick of you feeling like you owe me already so… can we call us even after this?"
Jace raised an eyebrow; it sounded a little too good to be true.
"If you're sure?" He extended an arm out to her, which the Controller shook firmly.
"I'm sure. I don't like people being indebted to me."
"You might be in the wrong business, Lockblade. But so let it be. I appreciate that. Speaking of which -" Jace peered around the Controller to see if Seeth's companions were no longer in ear-shot, which they weren't. "I'm glad you stopped by before we departed the moonstop. I had a couple of things I wanted to speak to you about, privately."
"Go ahead." Seeth replied casually.
"The Rewritten striking within our territory, the attack on the colony, those were the exact coordinates I shared with you. I only shared them with you - "
Seeth felt a defensive urge take her, but held her tongue. It was clear the dragon's demeanour was non-accusority.
" - Did you share those coordinates with anyone at all?"
"No one. I kept them private." Seeth confirmed instantly.
"...I was worried you'd say that. Could you do me a favour and have your gear checked for any taps? Because someone accessed that data and it was either through you or… well… me."
Shit! I didn't even think to ask Leech about that! How the fuck did they know where he was?! "I'll get my stuff checked." Seeth replied calmly. "You'd be wise to do the same though, if you haven't already."
"The issue is finding someone I know I can trust… but yes. Please let me know once you have. But onto my next point, I am aware that you lost some property in defence of our colony?"
Seeth raised an eyebrow, shrugging her shoulders. On que, a burly-looking rhargnorn soldier arrived behind Jace carrying a secure looking crate in his arms. He held it out towards the pair and Jace punched in a code on the front, releasing a couple of latches and the lid popped upon.
Within lay two keys. A single baron master key, complete with rust and old blood, and a much sharper looking new key, forged from bright silver with a delicate blue gem inserted at the top. It was obviously not functional but instead was inscribed with the words 'Thank you, Lockblade!' down the shaft in sparkling, black letters.
"We found fragments of your axe blade in orbit, reconstruction of the weapon was impossible, but we did find a key from your collection about a mile from the village." Jace traced his fingers over the top of the new key. "I don't know if you plan on rebuilding your collection, or if you'll hold onto them at all now. But I personally commissioned you a trophy key on behalf of the empire as a thank you for your valiant defence. Your actions will not be forgotten."
The soldier shuffled the crate towards Seeth, who carefully pulled them free and examined them more closely. The gesture struck her deeper than she expected. The Baron key was the first one she ever took. Her mind flashed back to the fight aboard the ship, the Famished, the Baron who tried to make her his apprentice, followed by her sending his broken body skidding back into the corridor, and finally, the relief when the nomads cheered her victory. Her fingers slid across the lumpy metal, the memories were captured so succinctly in such a small keepsake, but she had completely forgotten about them since recovering Diego.
Comparatively to the sour tang and almost muddy exterior of the Baron key, the DA key was a sleek, sharp trophy, shaped almost like an axe.
"And if you don't like it, I'm sure it'll sell for a decent price." Jace snickered, finding some relief in Seeth's reaction as she clutched the keys close to her.
"I… don't know what to say..."
"The bottom layer of the crate also contains some ammo for your firearm. I believe the files called it a 'Surface-to-Air Fuck You' cannon? Interesting name."
"Fitting, though." Seeth gave a small smirk, pocketing the keys and closing the lid of the crate. She took it off the soldier's hands who audibly grunted in relief as the weight came off him. "You didn't need to do this, Jace. I just said we were even."
"I don't like owing people either, Seeth. You lost property in defence of our colony, it is fitting I return it as much as I can. I hope the keys weren't too much though."
"They weren't… Thank you, Jace. I had forgotten, this was a nice way to be reminded."
The two shared a moment of contemplative silence, exchanging an understanding nod at the other.
"I'd better get going. I'll give Venner a final goodbye, and I'll be in touch regarding the equipment taps."
"Please do. Take as long as you need with your friend, we're not leaving until morning. If there's anything she needs, tell her to ask Theo and he'll sort it out for her."
Seeth nodded back and slung the crate over her shoulder, turning away from Jace who turned away himself and headed into a door at the other side of the hanger. Her free hand felt over the outline of the keys in her pocket.
Lockblade… Maybe it wasn't such a bad nickname after all.
*
Garnet's nose twitched, the air held a distinctively spicy twinge that wafted through the Den's air conditioning system. It was different, a far cry from the sweet pastries that used to fill the air.
But not bad. Just different.
His clothes sat a little baggier than usual, but the otter's appetite was returning, bit by bit.
"You want meatballs, pa?!" A deep voice called out from the kitchen.
"Hells yeah! Those are smelling mighty fine!" The otter smiled, his mouth salivating at the thought. "How spicy did you make 'em this time?"
"About as spicy as Tora!" The voice called out. "Gotta get those cobwebs out of you somehow!"
"Oi! Cheeky prick!" Tora yelled back, the sound of her approaching footsteps shaking through the den's floor. She padded through the door with a large bowl, filled to the brim with spaghetti, meatballs and a red sauce. "Your son is a wank stain, Garnet." She huffed, placing the bowl down with a quiet clack onto Garnet's desk.
"Yeah. He's a good cook though!" The otter laughed heartily. The demoness couldn't help but crack a smile as Garnet chortled, intensifying as he noticed the sauce was the exact same colour as Tora's skin. "Look at 'dat! He even got your complexion right!"
Tora's smile dropped off her face as her eyes flicked between her hands and the food bowl, her disbelief punctuated by an exasperated roll of her eyes.
"If-If this is him flirting, he's awful at it!" Tora sighed, her breath hot on her tongue and not due to the cooking. It's hard to get over the best. She thought to herself, images of Seeth pressed against her flashing through her mind. She quickly shook the blush from her cheeks and placed her fists onto her hips. "A-Anyway, get some grub in you, Garnet."
The otter pulled the top drawer of his desk open and fetched himself a napkin and cutlery, preparing himself for food when a heavy, metallic clack shook him. Heavy footsteps approached the room, currently out of sight.
"Dang nabbit! I got clients! I'll have to eat this in a bit. Could y'all pop this back in the kitchen for me?"
The footsteps thudded closer, along with an unsettling creak, cutting Tora's response straight from her throat as both her and Garnet turned to see who had entered the Den. Garnet's face turned stern, his hand floating towards the pistol strapped to his hip as his optics landed on the GLYPH foreman, creaking around the door and thudding into the room with all the grace he could.
"What the hell are you doing 'ere?" Garnet growled lowly. "You better not be here to start any trouble!"
Tora tensed at Garnet's side, preparing to throw herself across the room should the situation demand it, her muscles rippling across her fists tightened into balls at her sides.
"No." The foreman grunted back. "I'm here to place a contract." His voice sounded distant and echoey, yet perilously close at the time.
Both sides waited out the brief silence with baited breath, almost as if it was a duel at dawn, fingers flicking over triggers anxiously.
"Fine." Garnet relented. "GLYPH isn't barred from Guild services, yet. Let's make this quick." He huffed, his keyboard loudly clacking as he began the new contract details. "Price?"
"Half a million dies." The foreman grunted again, satisfied for now.
"Half a mil? Geez. How many board members did you have to suck off for that one?" Garnet scoffed, his comment met with another low grunt, more annoyed this time. "Payment upfront for this one, tin can. You're a low trust client. There will be a fee of fifty thousand dies for a contract of this size."
"That is excessive." The foreman replied flatly.
"For you? That's the price." Garnet spat back firmly, easing back into his chair. Beside him, Tora was still tensed across her entire frame, ever-so-slightly leaning forward, like a beast on a chain spoiling for a fight.
"Fine. I will have a barge bring the money onboard, with the fee." The foreman conceded, but the tension in the room appeared to only increase as the foreman's beady eyes focused on Garnet's optic.
"What's the contract type?" Garnet continued, his voice seething with a mixture of passive-aggressive boredom and sheer disdain. It was beyond rare to see the otter address anyone with such sass, but the room was far too tense for Tora to take note.
"Elimination." The foreman replied quickly, his posture mirroring that of Tora.
"Makes sense I suppose. And the target?" Garnet quizzed with a raised eyebrow.
The foreman paused in anticipation, within the murk of his helmet, his eyes flicked between Tora and Garnet quickly. With a curling snarl, his dry lips uttered a single name.
"Lockblade."
"Fuck off." Tora replied stone faced, turning to Garnet. "That is not happening. Right Garnet?"
Yet, Garnet's demeanour shifted to an infinitely less sure one as he nervously scratched the crook of his neck with his left hand.
"There is no reason why the guild cannot accept contracts on their own mercenaries. I have checked the Guild code." The foreman continued. "You have no official reason to deny me."
Tora panned between Garnet and the foreman, becoming increasingly nervous as Garnet grabbed a small handkerchief from his desk and cleaned the optic above his ear with it.
"Garnet! There's no way we can accept this contract! Not after everything Seeth has done! Don't tell me you're gonna let this slide!"
Within the fog of his helm, the foreman's grin grew sharper.
"So? When will the contract mobilize?" He asked with a sinister tenor.
Tora felt panic grip her chest as Garnet stayed quiet, only offering a loud sigh as he placed the handkerchief back down. As the oni began to fear the worst, the otter finally offered something meaningful.
"Y'all put in a terrible position, you know that? If I accept, I'm putting a hit out on one of our own, and a damn fine one at that. If I refuse, I expect you'll take this to the Black Lance anyway?"
"Not only that, If you refuse -" The foreman snapped angrily. " - I will inform my superiors that the Guild is refusing services to GLYPH. I expect they will begin to see the Guild in another light."
"Meaning?!" Tora growled back, taking a step forward.
"If GLYPH think we aren't willing to do business, they won't see us like a business no more. They'll see fit to have us locked in those suits, like he is."
The foreman merely chuckled at the accusation.
"They can fucking try." Tora cracked her knuckles, stepping forward again, but Garnet held out his arm to stop her.
"He ain't gonna do anything on the Den now, and neither are we."
"So, handler? What will it be?" The foreman asked confidently.
Garnet drummed his fingers against his desk and sighed once again, before locking eyes with the foreman through the misty dome of his helm. A bead of condensation dripped over the outside of the helm as he awaited the otter's answer.
"Get the hell off my station." Garnet finally responded, his voice carrying a less than subtle undertone of threat. "Tell your superiors, the Guild doesn't associate with slavers any longer."
"Hmpth." The foreman grunted back, scraping his heels on the floor as he turned. "Our money was welcome, previously."
"Yeah, well… things are changing."
"That means fuck off, kettle-head." Tora barked, crossing her arms and jerking her chin towards him.
The foreman heeded her words with a surprisingly lack of response, clomping his way out towards the dock. Both Garnet and Tora held their breath until they heard the airlock close behind him, letting out a dramatic exhale when he was finally gone.
"I need to speak to the other handlers immediately." Garnet launched into action, scooting closer to his desk and tapping on his keyboard frantically with shaking fingers. "Either I'm getting fired… or the Guild is going to war."