Everything was so damn clean. Having been stuck in rickety spaceships and on even shoddier stations for the past… well, too long, Kat wasn’t quite accustomed to being somewhere where a steady deep-cleaning regimen seemed to be a part of the weekly schedule.

Maybe it’s this one. There's a saying, I think. About wishful thinking and not knowing what you're asking for.

Kat considered that piece of wisdom as she stepped out of the elevator, meeting the sharp green eyes of Zoey Swann, the Union's ambassador to Corgans, the moment the doors closed behind her. She was a Terran as well, tall and beautiful, dressed in a long silvery robe, with long black hair neatly tied up in a ponytail.

Kat had been surprised to get a call from the Galactic Union, and flabbergasted to find that it had come from a Corgan world. Seeing Zoey Swann made it make a little bit more sense, but not a lot. Still, when the Union called, any bounty hunter looking to keep hold of their license would be wise to show up.

Balancing on the cusp of what was and what was not legal was hard enough without the Union on your back.

“Kat Edwards, I presume,” Zoey asked, certainly already knowing who Kat was.

Kat had felt like she’d left her entire family history with the Corgan guards before she’d been allowed up to meet the ambassador. She nodded to the ambassador. “Just the person I was waiting for to track down Commander Soros for us.”

"That's quite funny," Kat said after a moment of silence, her voice emotionless and filled with disbelief, although she knew the ambassador was unlikely to joke with her. "I thought you said you wanted me to find Commander Soros for you."

"Correct," Zoey Swann replied with the faintest of nods.

Kat considered her next words very carefully. Corgans were part of the Galactic Union now, their newest member, in fact. As much as she cared to follow general politics, neither party seemed too overjoyed about the arrangement.

The Corgans were happy to be considered as a contender for the most powerful species in the galaxy as well as the most ruthless. Playing with others didn't come naturally to them.

I guess it's better to have them with us than against, Kat thought, but that wasn't the real issue.

But the real problem was that she knew the name. Everyone knew that name. Long, long years ago, before the new Corgan chieftain took a hold of his clan lords and dragged them to join the Union, Soros had already been famous. It was hard to go unnoticed when you were the guy who trained all those lords, including the chieftain Nadar Brenger, one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy.

"I don't know the situation," Kat said, opting for honesty. "But if a man like that doesn't want to be found, I would not poke him."

Zoey smiled.

"Well put," she agreed, "but I'm afraid that's not a possibility. The chieftain wants him found and that is final."

"I know you're married to one of the clan lords," Kat said seriously, waiting for a reaction, but Zoey simply nodded. "Maybe you're more used to their ways, but I can assure you, no one wants to mess with Soros outside of the Corgan territories."

"And I can assure you no one in our realm wants that either," Zoey replied and her tone had gotten just a bit edgier, the look she was giving Kat being steely at best and damn near ice-cold at worst. "If you want to refuse, you're welcome to. I am simply saying that it needs to be done. And we will pay the person who does it well. You are high on our list."

"I didn't say no," Kat said, leaning back in her seat. "I just want to understand. Give me a straight answer. Why not send a Corgan after him?"

"You said you know Soros," Zoey asked.

"By reputation. Haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet."

"Then you might have heard he has a very strict code of honor. It is doubtful he would hurt you if you pose him no threat," Zoey said, shrugging.

She didn’t sound too convincing.

"That is not very comforting, is it?" Kat asked.

Zoey Swann was clearly about to respond with something snappy, but she caught the smile on Kat's face and answered with one of her own.

"It's not," she admitted. "But the chieftain assures me you would be in no danger."

"Of course I would be, there are no guarantees with a man that trains killers for a living that I wouldn’t end up as meat for the grinder. That is not the point. What did he do?"

It seemed that question was a bit more difficult for Zoey. It didn't surprise Kat, considering she'd heard that the Corgan politics were complicated to say the least. Not all of them wanted to belong to the Union and the whole merger was still very tender.

"Nothing yet. Your task..." Zoey began, "is to talk to him, if possible. If not, to simply let us know where he is. We would like you to find out whether he will be a threat to the chieftain."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Nadar Brenger is able to defend himself."

"Perhaps," Zoey said. "Soros trained him, so who knows? The point is, at a time like this, there can be no assassination attempts and there are plenty who would give Soros anything he wants if he just killed the chieftain. Or threaten him with anything, but that would be very foolish, as you may well know. So far, he doesn't seem to care for either, but even the greatest fighter can't sleep with his eyes open, so he's left the Dolon Hall academy. For now."

Okay, that explains things.

Kat thought it over. The task itself didn't scare her, even if the target deserved all the terror she could muster. She had heard stories about Soros and agreed with Zoey. The man likely wouldn't hurt her unless she provoked him.

Likely.

Her task seemed pretty straight-forward too, one that she was on board with. Frankly, a little break from the killing and the lugging of smugglers, terrorists and thieves across the galaxy would be a welcome change. And perhaps, this time, she might be able to help someone, to contribute to keeping a large part of the Union at peace like she’d always wanted to.

That prospect alone was worth a little risk.

"Alright," she said, seeing the Union's ambassador smile with relief. "I will do it."

"Excellent. He was last seen on Hetton, near his academy. We believe he is still there in all likelihood. Good luck to you. And Miss Edwards... be careful. If we do not cross paths again, it was a pleasure."

The words were spoken with silent concern. Kat nodded, knowing what she meant. Soros might have been a warrior with a set of rules, but he was still a killer.

Not only that, either. The commander of killers, teacher of warriors. The man who taught all the bloodthirsty clan lords everything they knew.

And I guess it’s my job now to reason with him. Fun.