Old dogs don't do new tricks

[Onas Knox]

Onas cut the water off of his retractible sink and kept his gaze on the receding water untill it dissapeared. It had been a pecular year so far, and for all his effort, it didn't seem to be getting any better. He thought about his options, Jack Briggs had helped him in the past, but there were others. While his eyes trailed the silver painted rings around the drain, contacts drifted through his head. He could call on Connie or Tentess. But they always worked interplanet jobs, and he wasn't looking to spend that much time off world. Well, not yet anyway. Nick strongly recomended Charles Sweets. Charlie worked Persephone proper, but that was a contact he didn't want. To close to the old life. Dealings like that, old contacts from Sid, were dangerouse. He'd already nearly been arrested once this year, Onas felt that Charlie would be pushing his luck.

He looked up into the mirror, his goatee and cheeks still wet from shaving. He could see the age in his face, it was starting at thirty. Bags under his eyes that would never leave, despite how much sleep he'd had. A scar above his left brow, and another cutting through his mustace, not terribly mind you, but enough that he noticed it more and more. A patch of hair missing from the crown of his head. Not effects of balding, no it came from not wearing a helment, and climbing through the infruastructure to fast. He'd hit the I-beam so fast it'd knocked him clean out, shoring his head the width of his finger. His hair was growing back out now, soon he hoped it would be hidden from sight. He ran his wet hand across his freshly groomed goatee, feeling the thick bands of recycled water wipe out of his hair. He stared into his own brown eyes, and sighed through his nostrils, a slight weez wistled from his smoking.

Maybe his brother was right, this was going to get him killed. Onas wanted, well, mostly wanted to be legit. And he told himeself he would be, as soon as the dutchess was finished. They were so close. One more stack of cash and it would be done. Once this was finished he could go legit, and not look back. Justin argued that they could make the money legit now, yeah right, he thought and smiled a bit. A half a years wages for a normal man, and thats without food and utilities and every basic need being brought into it. Men living at their max means.

'At least they don't sleep with a knife under thier pillow.'

"Shut up," Onas said aloud to his inner dialoge, "I..."

He wasn't ashamed of talking to himself when he was alone, nor was he crazy, he was at a loss for words. What if he did go off world, it would certinly bring less heat. Tentess couldn't pay, and Connie... well, Connie was backup. He could call Rishi. He was getting nowhere, none of these people worked, that's why he decided on Jack a week ago. He snatched his towel off its ring and dried his hands angrily, throwing it into the sink as he walked away.

Onas dropped to his bedside with force, he picked up a boot and slid his foot into it thinking on. He could try to find Pryia, perhaps she knew someone. That was a long shot anyway, he was sure he could get her, but she was no runner, she was an assasin. Onas didn't have qualms with a fight, but he had standards. You don't kill people for money, it just wasn't right. And "Trigger" was just Jacks name. You need a certain notariaty in this buisness, Nick knew that. Who was Onas trying to convince, Nick... or perhaps himself?

Perhaps.

Onas finished with his shoes and walked to the Athena's kitchen, his boots scrubing the grated floor. Nick was the only one here besides himself, everyone else including Justin had taken this time to get some R&R. They'd earned it plenty, he just hoped his brother was having fun, and not scrounging for work somewhere. Nick interupted his thoughts.

"We headed out today?"

"I am, your free to do what you wanna do," Onas' voice was a little harsher than he meant it to be, he wasn't in a great mood this morning, though he wasn't trying to quarrel.

"Good, then I'm gonna ride along." Nick said, rounding the ash of his cigar against the edge of the tray. "If your still convinced Trigger is our man that is."

"He's our best option Nick," Onas maintained, his hands rubbing the pulse out of his eyes. He smelled the scent coffee and felt for warmth on the pot, "Is this that crap J bought, or yours?"

"It's the crap J bought," Nick replied, he took a heavy puff off of his cigar, the smoke lingering at his lips for a moment and wooshing away when he spoke, "You sleep last night?"

Onas sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, I slept a few hours at least, maybe six. I thought we agreed to just chuck this la shi. Where's the good stuff?"

"Quit changing the gaisi subject Onas, are you using Jack, yes or no?" Nick's question wasn't really a question at this point.

"I havn't talked to the man yet," Onas finally concieted, then he added, "Jack never turned me away before, but were talking what, two, two and a half years here?" He asked, absently, opening a high cabinent to get a ceramic cup.

"At least." Nick lamented a little too easily.

"Then what is your 'gaisi' wenti with it?" Onas asked, his aggrivation pressing on towards tention.

"That's a lot of time thats past, hasn't it occured to you that maybe he's not the same guy you remember? Talk on the street is back and forth, some say he's still the man, others say he's slippin." Nick layed out his hand too soon.

"Yeah, whats the talk on me?" Onas countered.

"That your dead, you might consider keeping it that way." Nick said dryly, smoke still in his throat, "Or are you reneging on your brother allready?"

"For the last time, and I really want you to hear this, stay out of my affairs with my family. I didn't push you with your sister, you damn well owe me that with my brother." Onas declared, dropping the mug down with added force. The two stood off with a lingering stare before Nick finally backed off.

"Fine, you remember you said that." The stare broke with tension, but Onas had some amount of regret over his inervention. He turned away from Nick before allowing himself to blink, lest his eyes give away his heart. 'You don't tote that crap around with you', he told himself, 'that's how people get hurt.'

"So you keepin the stash?" Nick changed the subject, 'Thank God' Onas said so loud in his mind he almost thought he'd said it aloud.

"You know, new day, new ship, new dew." He ran his thumb and his finger across his mustach, from the inside out, "Why, is no bueno?"

"Naw dawg, it's all good, you jus ain't sported one in a minute is all." Nick said casually, "But it fits if your goin for the capadre look."

"Do I need to revisit your dreadlock phase?" Onas said lightheartedly, he poured his cup and stood doctoring it with flavors.

"That was a good look for me." Nick mused, sitting back and throwing his foot up against the table, leaning his chair back on two legs.

"Shhhyeah... Okay," Onas answered while taking a sip of his coffee, it was a little fuller than he meant, so he slowly walked it towards the table. Sitting down he mulled for a minute or so before eventually looking back up at his friend. "I'm gonna drop' ah dime on Jack, if he don't answer, then we'll call Charlie, all right?"

Nick let his chair rock back to the ground, pounding down, he reached out and palmed Onas head by the crown, "Now that's what im talkin about," he leaned back again and added, "That's all I wanted to hear."

"All right, all right." Now that Nick was off his back, he might as well come along, Onas lit a cigerette and took a sip of his coffee before continuing, "Go ahead and come on with me in a bit, gonna head down the way, see if I get in the door. You know anyone still with Briggs?"

"I think I'as pretty clear about 'not' keeping in touch with 'Trigger,'..." Nick said non-chalantly, then he thought for a second and added, "Cypher, I remember someone told me he held down the fort when Briggs got the sickness, but them two was always thick."

"Jack had the desiese too?"

"What'd you think you were special? I can't say for sure, it's only the talk." Nick informed him, he was right, street talk was about as reliable as a tabloid. They got the general picture, but never bet on the details.

They sat for a bit longer, mostly so as for time to go by. It wasn't late enough yet for anyone to be anywhere. While they burned out the clock, they hammered out the details of the paint, munitions and a few loose ends. Mostly it was a waiting game though, but that too passed...

[Onas Knox]

Nick made a few waves and ended up getting in contact with Cypher, Jack's er... second in command. So to speak. Onas was fine with it, in the past he'd worked some jobs where Cypher had done the grunt work for Jack when he was ki... occupied with other problems. They had a meet'n greet set up at O'Hanrahan's Pub around an hour later. One thing he could say, was that old friends in this line of work were reliable. He might not have a job right now, but at the very least, Cypher was cordial about it.

Onas and Nick hit the streets a few minutes after Nick got off the wave, Onas wearing a black T-shirt, and the same stained jeans he'd had on all day while he killed time tinkering with the main drives. Nick had on a suit that would rival any modern gangster. No accounting for taste, Onas thought smiling to himself. When they got to the pub, Onas felt a little underdressed, and he made mention of it to Nick who shrugged it off saying;

"Ah, I'm sure by now Cyhper will let you know to quit coming after jobs looking like an idiot."

"Honesty can be a little more brutal than honey lies ni soie fi," Onas quiped.

"And you ran things how long on your own before getting caught... Twice?" Nick asked non chalauntly, scanning the room for Chyper. He made eye contact and began walking over.

"Oh that's not below the belt at allll." Onas said under his breath.

Somehow over all the noise Nick heard him. He turned to Onas' ear and whispered with a face so straight, he could have been telling him launch codes, "You let a buyer come along on a boost, and she was a fed that put you in cuffs, your not livin that one down this lifetime... I don't care... how well it worked out."

Onas eased back enough to look him in the face, "Holmes, wrong time, wrong place, and way, way under the belt. But I will knock the stuffing outta you right here and right now." His last words were a mixture of speaking and laughing. Not out loud, but the kind where you laugh through your nose, when your trying to stay quiet and composed. "Why don't you put your silver tounge to work at makin us some money, or is gettin to the issue at hand to much to ask?"

"Oh after you sir.." Nick said mimicking his 'white voice.'

Onas rolled his eyes as he stepped past his counterpart to Cypher's table, "Evening."

Nick was only a few steps behind, "Good ev'nin, thanks for meetin with us at the last minute. I would've givin ya'll more heads up, but we're... On a bit of a timetable." Here he held his hand out to Cypher, but turned to Onas and gave a look as though to say, 'Your just gonna sit down and not shake the guy's hand?'

Onas could read his mind, and it was full of stuff pertaining to why Onas didn't do so well at Sid's portion of the jobs...

[Cypher]

Cypher had taken the wave from Onas not long after Jack Briggs had given him the news. Trigger was leaving again, this time maybe for good. Once again, Cypher was left with the reins. He didn't like being left in charge, didn't like having to deal with the talking side of things. He was the businessman, the counter and the mover, the man who had Jack's back when everything inevitably went to hell.

However, part of being best friends with a man who had saved your life meant being completely loyal, even when that same man abandons you, the company, and the gorram planet you both live on for some girl what told him she wanted nothing to do with him anyway...you have his back.

So, he was not in the best of moods with he set out for the pub. He was wearing a black button-up, a black vest, black pants, and a silver tie. The newsboy cap he wore was black as well. Dark colors for his dark mood. He sat in a corner booth, pulled his hat down rather low over his eyes, and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms. A rather bland wristwatch covered the tattoo on his wrist.

After a moment, their usual server approached. She gave him a smile and his usual, a double shot of the cheapest whiskey in one shooter glass, a few fingers of the best whiskey in another glass on the rocks. Cypher threw back the double and set the glass upside-down on the table just as Onas and Nick walked up.

He stood up, shaking Nick's hand appreciatively. If he had known what had started their argument, he'd have been amused. To think he would care what others wore...Jack Briggs was the most shabby dresser in the business; he just had the stones to pull it off and make it seemed charming. Onas was fine, and as long as someone could do a job right, Cypher had never worried what was on his or her back. "Gentlemen," he greeted. "Have a seat." He sat down and took a quick sip of his drink.

Tugging out his usual black notebook and a pen, he opened it up and began scanning the words and numbers. If either Nick or Onas attempted a peek at the pages, they would see a nonsense jumble written in perfect handwriting. Quite a brilliant man, Cypher wrote everything in code. "I understand you're looking for a job." He was all business, not worried with small talk or pleasantries. "Jack's been really busy, so we're a bit behind in some of our deliveries and pick-ups. I can offer you a couple of different things in the next week or so. One is more dangerous, better-paying, and off-planet. Infiltration, information acquiring, and probably some...combat. The other is here on Persephone, slightly less dangerous, and pays a bit less. A simple snatch-and-grab."

Here he set a fingertip down on the coded word, "Ghiebe7," and sent them a serious look. "I'm not interested in how brave you men are or whether or not you're daring even to attempt something dangerous. I'm only interested in both jobs getting completed. They are both integral to this business. The more dangerous the job, the more skill required to complete it...If you tell me you have the skill to complete the job and it ends badly? We're not interested in doing business with you again."

He knew Jack had worked with Onas in the past, but he hadn't personally been on a job with him and hadn't had the time to pick Jack's brain about Onas' usefulness before he left. Though the words sounded like they could be rude, it was obvious Cypher was only being honest and setting all the cards on the table. He eased the words with a shrug and a slight grin. "Tell me what you're interested in and we'll get started."

[Onas Knox]

Onas almost lit a cigerette, but as he reached for his pack, Nick nodded a no. Onas nearly lit one up anyway as so to reply, 'get bent,' but Nick was right, it was fairly well known that Cypher didn't like smoke. Maybe not to all, but practicaly every person who had ever worked on Sid's crew had become a chain-smoker, so one way or another, they had all learned about certian contacts. Thus, Onas staved it off... for once.

Cypher was indeed dressed far better as well. A smart suit of a solid black, save a striking silver tie. Perhaps the tie was an afterthought... The hat was a nice touch also. It did however leave Onas' black tee and greasy jeans looking a tad out of place. He, inter, took the inside seat of the booth. Cypher brought out his pen and paper, actual pen and paper, and got down to buisness. 'Something to note,' Onas thought as he reached out and slid someones discarded shot glass over to himself. It had been emptied and left upside down on the table, and as it was, it kept Onas' hands busy since he would not, aparently, be smoking.

Onas thought for only a moment about the fact the this man still used paper. For the most part, people just didn't use it anymore. Even on the rim worlds. Usually, when it was used, it was refered to as "hard copy" and and generaly could be traced. It took a lot of moxy to use tracible hard copies in this buisness. Cypher was commendible on that point. The only time that Onas' crew used them, they had to be encoded. Like Nick's letter was back on Ariel a few weeks back. Cypher broke his thinking;

"I understand your looking for a job."

Nick looked at Onas and nodded, Onas looked to Cypher and nodded his head in affirmation, and let him continue. Cypher laid it out for them in two options, and though he made mention of payments, he listed no numbers, but that was fairly standard. The opertunities were your basic outline. One simple job, quick, clean, fast cash. No doubt the money wasn't good enough for Onas' purposes. The other was off world, Onas had wanted to avoid that since the only working vessle he had was Nick's, and it wasn't really a job vessel, so to speak. Although, if the money were good enough, they could get a percentage now, typically half, and just take the Athena. That was a best case scenario, and not likely to pan out. Most "high paying" jobs, meant around fifty.

And there are costs to any job.

That said, Onas had a mind to just take both. With the payment of the first job, and a percentage of the second, and what they had left in the budget... it really should have been enough to get the dutchess on her feet. Nick had planned to sell off the scraps tuesday anyway, as it were, they should only have 'needed' about thirty thousand. But that didn't mean he wouldn't be just as happy with more. More was always good.

Onas, despite not using actual paper often, had his usual setup on hand, and set a scrap of paper, face down, on the table. On the other side was the number "50,000" in small print. Generally when Sid did this, it let the contact know this was a starting point, 'what we want to make,' so to speak. Sid always bid high, Onas mimiced that here. They were gonna wittle it down, that was a given.

Cypher gave a tidbit on the fact that these were a must compleate job, and any failure after startup would be the end of thier working relationship. That was fine with Onas, it meant the jobs were on the clock for Cypher, and that a screw up, would cost him. Therefore it would cost Oj if he dropped the ball. Nick had his hands clasped together against his mouth, resting his elboes on the table. He looked over too Onas with his eyes. Onas looked briefly at him as Cypher finished that speach, and he inconspicuosly nodded his approval in return.

"Tell me what your interested in and we'll get started," Cypher finished, Onas went ahead and slid him the paper.

"We can take both, if you can give them. We'll start with the local job. If you can't give both, then I'll take the impressive one." He changed from the plural to himself at the end, that was more for Nick than Cypher. Onas knew without asking that Nick would want to go, but Onas continued to give him an out, just in case. "As always," He lowered his voice a bit, just for dealings sake, "Half up front."

Really, the last part almost never has to be said. But in the decade he'd watched his old boss negotiate, Sid always said it. Even if he'd done fifty jobs for the same guy. It was like a motto or something. And it was either followed by an exchange and a threat, or being told that it didn't need to be said. Nevertheless, Sid always did it, and so would Onas.

[Cypher]

Cypher may not have liked smoke, but he was used to being around it in the pub. It was appreciated they didn't smoke right across from him, though. He noticed Onas looking at the notebook and his hand moved to finger the cover protectively. The man was very attached to his notes and using a pen. Cypher was a very physical person; he felt more in control having the notes all to himself.

He had gotten the notebook from his ex-wife. It was one of many; the woman has access to all sorts of paper and hard copy supplies. In her business, she had to. There was no fear in him that the notebook would ever end up in the wrong person's hands. Cypher's code was not easy to crack, and that notebook was always on his person. The only way someone else would end up with it was if they pried it from his cold, dead fingers...and then it wouldn't matter much if someone did get his notebook.

Cypher glanced at the paper Onas set face down and his eyes narrowed at the way it was slid across to him. Snatching it quickly towards him, he flipped it over and rolled his eyes. He downed the rest of his whiskey before tugging out a lighter, which he always carried despite being a non-smoker, and set fire to the paper, dropping it quickly into his glass of ice where it extinguished into ash.

"Both? That's fine. I'm not negotiating a price with you, but I can tell you if they're both completed, you'll get what you want." Onas went on to tell him he wanted half up front, and Cypher held up a finger. "We're not amateurs. You've worked with Jack before. I'd thank you not to insult me, even if I'm not Trigger." He removed two envelopes from inside his vest and pulled a very Jack move. Removing his newsboy, he tucked the envelopes under it and slid it across the table to the men.

"Contacts, dates, and instructions are in each envelope, as well as the up-front."

[check your PMs tomorrow for job information]

[Onas Knox]

Cypher began with, "Both? that's fine. I'm not negotiating a price with you." Onas started to object here, but he let cypher continue as he'd seen Sidney do in the past. It was very much a 'from the hip' dicision that paid off nicely, as Cypher followed up with; "But I can tell you if they're both compleated, you'll get what you want."

At this Onas was both contented, and ruffled. Obviously, whatever the pay was, it was over fifty stacks. Onas furrowed his brow a bit at this, and exchanged a glance with Nick. Just what were these jobs? More than fifty thousand platinum for two jobs given out at the last minute? Whatever the aforemetioned 'information' was, it must have been fairly damning. Cypher had thrown him a curveball of sorts, but they needed money, and quickly. Cypher was giving them an opertunity, you'd be crazy not to take it. Surely as well connected as Jack was, he'd have heard of at least a bit of Onas' misfourtunes by now. So not taking a job at the table, would be almost as bad as not compleating it once money had changed hands.

Still, it wasn't his usual type of gig. Onas was a starship scrapper by trade, and recently, a starship thief. Although, in this buisness, it did pay to diversify. Therefore, Onas let it play.

As previously mentioned, Onas wanted the Athena to tackle any job that might cause this kind of ruckus. So he'd dropped his old boss' line about half up front. Cyphers reaction was a mix of mild frustration, and deliberate authority; "We're not amateurs. You've worked with Jack before. I'd thank you not to insult me, even if I'm not Trigger."

Onas' cheeks burned a bit, and he hoped his flesh did not betray his embarrasment at not having spent more time working with customers. Any job could be done. Any job. Even if he were sent to steal Jack's hat itself, it could be done. You just had to plan it out, and have the huevos to do it. Onas and Nick could pull anything off, he was sure of that, but that fact alone didn't make him a good negotiator. Obviously, he had no intent to insult a well paying client with supream potential for repeat buisness.

Wether his embarrassment showed or not, Cypher retained his poker face, and set his hat on the table. A slight of hand occured here with phenomenal expertise, as Cypher had place two letters under his hat and they were subsequently slid across the table too him. He'd seen Jack do this with Sid before from a distance, now he knew the true purpose of it. It made him feel pretty slick to be the guy at the booth, and he repeated what he'd seen Sid do. Onas slid the hat towards him across the table and let the letters fall into his hand, placing the hat back on the table when he'd finished. Cypher let him know very plainly that these were the jobs. And more importantly, that half the cash was in them.

Money had now changed hands, and this was an active set of contracts.

Onas slid the letters into his pocket, and motioned to Nick. As they got up, he shook Cypher's hand, keeping his thumb inline with his fingers and wrappin his pinky finger under Cypher's hand. It was a well known handshake that simply meant, "I'll take the job." Nick did the same. Shortly after, they would excuse themselfs.