After spending roughly an hour ghosting through congested crowds of filthy pedestrians, I finally managed to slip into a bar. It wasn't any better, to be completely honest: in the low light around me, I spotted people drinking at a large bar that dominated the main wall of the room while an assortment of metal tables were strewn about the rest of the room. The generally-unkempt nature of this establishment was more than a little repulsive: I'd much rather keel over dead than be forced to live in a filthy house...

"Mortie, come back to your senses please," Boreas began, cutting through my thought process, "I was able to get in contact with an informant. Sit at the bar and order a drink."

"I don't take my helmet off in public."

"Just act like you're having a good time. Your informant will slip you a data shiv that can be read through your HUD. All you have to do is not draw attention to yourself. Sound easy to you?"

"A cake walk."

Pushing my way through the crowd of drunken patrons, I settled down on one of the creaky barstools and waited for the barkeep to spot me.

"Y'know, you could wave or somethin," the young woman behind the bar griped as she walked over to me. "What can I get you?"

"Scotch, if you have any."

"Well, it's your lucky day." the barkeep replied as she pulled a large bottle out from underneath the counter. "Got some today from a shipment."

"How much for a glass."

"Twenty creds if you got em."

I tossed a green shiv onto the bar counter and accepted my glass. Deciding it wouldn't be too bad to have a quick drink, the lower part of my facial visor detached. My helmet can be detached into two pieces courtesy of a modification done by my partner. Initially, I questioned Boreas when he showed me the modified version of my headgear, but he assured me it would make my helmet lighter. He wasn't wrong.

I quickly downed my drink and loosed an appreciative sigh as the amber liquid worked its magic. Replacing the lower part of my visor, I watched as my HUD flashed back to life.

"That was some risky shit you just pulled, mate," Boreas snapped at me.

"I needed a drink," I responded, "You told me to order a drink, so I did."

"I didn't expect you to drink it, you asshole."

"I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to drink actual scotch. It's hard to come by nowadays."

Boreas would've snapped back another retort, but a loud screech from the front door signified someone was entering. The bar quickly fell into silence before conversations blossomed again.

I heard someone settle into a seat beside me, and I didn't turn to regard them as they slipped an info shiv under my empty glass.

"Borealis sends his regards," a raspy voice began, "Don't fuck up."

I simply nodded as I retrieved the shiv and inserted it into a slot in my prosthetic arm. A few seconds later, I was staring at a map of Du'Vuna with a red blip indicating where the Arestosos residence was located.

"Hmm," I began. "It's on the other side of the planet."

"Shit." Boreas hissed. "That appears to be the case. After studying this map, it looks like there's  more than just a few patches of decrepit forestland left." the map spun around to where the red blip was staring back at me. "As you can tell, a large amount of vegetation surrounds your target. That makes it exceptionally difficult for you to get in close via starship. My suggestion is that you return to your ship and fly to this marker," a yellow pinpoint appeared east of my target. "from there, you can approach on foot. Just be wary of the abominations that prowl the forests of this planet."

I cocked an eyebrow. "This doesn't add up. Explain how there's so much forestland left?"

"It's simple: the officials of Du'Vuna tried to further expand this city, but ran into a problem when the wildlife decided to fight back. Keep in mind all sorts of nasty chemicals were pumped into the local ecosystem, which makes things all the worse for the settlers of this planet."

"But you told me there were, and I quote, 'small patches of forestland left.'"

"Well, I was fucking wrong." Boreas snapped back. "I only have simple maps of Du'Vuna to work with, and I'm sure the schmucks who run the planet don't want people knowing there's more to this city than the trash heap they might be living in."

"Fair enough." I mused. "Why did the Arestosos family decide to live in the middle of this hellhole?"

"Think, you dunce: no one in their right mind would enter a blackened forest full of mutated freaks in search of a notorious crime family."

"True." I mused. "I'm guessing their security systems must be pretty top-notch, eh?"

"Can't tell right now since I'm looking at a broad map of the planet, but I'm guessing they are."

"Fair enough." I began, only to feel someone grab my shoulder.

"What are ya doin' over here?" a heavily-bearded gentleman prompted me. Given his disoriented state, I'm guessing he drank one too many beers. "Talkin' to yerself or somethin'?"

Thankfully, I can turn off the modulator that allows me to speak through my helmet . I thought to myself. Wouldn't want anyone hearing that I plan to assassinate one of the most prolific crime families in the Ristos System.

I decided against responding and chose instead to rise to my feet.

"Hey..." the barkeep began, reaching for something underneath the counter. "Let's not have a confrontation..."

At this point, everyone in the grimy bar now had their eyes on us. Without looking at the barkeep, I raised a hand in a sign for her to stop what she was doing.

"Don't." I breathed. "I'll deal with this."

She offered me the slightest of nods.

"Mortifer, diffuse this situation now or so help me god I'm going to blow a gasket." Boreas hissed.

I loosed a barely-audible huff and regarded the drunken patron that had bothered me. He now had two of his buddies, one on either side of him, and they were all positively smashed.

"Yes, I was talking to myself." I responded, pushing past the trio of swaying, disoriented fools. "I do that a lot."

"'E-ey!" the original speaker barked. "Where ya goin'? I was just abou' to get ya a mug of ale!"

"I only drink scotch." I said, and left it at that. Without another word, I left the bar and made my way back to the spaceport.

"You have friends following behind you." Boreas pointed out.

"I expected them to follow," I replied, "I take it you're observing through nearby cameras?"

"Yep. While the UTF doesn't have a firm hold on Du'Vuna, they sure do love their CCTV cameras."

I snorted and led my pursuers down a shady alleyway between two rusted buildings. I have a feeling the atmosphere is to blame for the overall-pisspoor condition of the city around me. I feel bad for the people living here...

Putting a stop to my idle musings, I hid in the shadows as the drunken bastard that had bothered me and his two henchmen loudly followed me down the alley.

"Why are we following this guy again?" one of the drunken buffoons inquired.

"That guy looked familiar." their leader responded. "Couldn't get a good look at him, though."

"Think he's an assassin?" another goon inquired.

"With the weapons he had, I wouldn't be surprised."

When they got closer, I drew my pistol, made sure the silencer mod was on, and removed one of my knives from its sheath.

"Where is that bastard?" one of the men inquired, only to hit the dirt when I shot him in the head. The other goon fell with a groan when my knife punched through his eye socket, and I shot the leader of these morons in the kneecap so he couldn't get away.

"Why did you follow me."

"So you are an assassin." the idiot breathed. "Who are you after?"

I shot him in the head. "None of your business."

Leaving my handiwork to rot in the alley, I resumed my trip to the spaceport.

"Well, I suppose that could've been bloodier..." Boreas breathed.

I huffed out a chuckle. "Hey, look on the bright side: at least I led them away from the bar."

"Yeah, cause that's a good thing," he grumbled, "Just get to your ship and fly to the location marker I placed on your map."

I studied the yellow blip that sat away from my objective once again before nodding to myself. "Affirmative." 

After I left the alley, I walked through the crowded streets before spotting a small figure sitting in one of the nearby allies. Against my rational mind, I approached this child.

He yelped in surprise and looked up at me. "Wh-Where did you come from?"

I knelt before him and held his gaze. I studied his ragged clothing and tousled hair "You don't have a home."

"N-No...No I don't..."

I removed an orange shiv from my belt and tossed it at him. "Try to find a place away from this district. It's a bit of a pig sty around these parts."

"Wh-What?" the kid demanded. "Why?"

"You looked like you needed it." I told him. A few moments later, I undid the armor protecting my prosthetic and removed the small knife from the hidden compartment. "When you're cornered, aim for the neck."

"Th-Thank you sir!" the child cried, embracing me. "Wh-What's your name?"

"Call me Mortifer."

"I-I'm Eli."

I ruffled the kid's hair. "Get out of these parts, Eli. If any other kid tries to steal from you, don't hesitate to hit first."

With an energetic nod, he ran out of the alley.

"Was that necessary?" Boreas prompted me as I rose to my feet.

"Yes."

"The kid's odds of surviving on these streets are slim to none."

"To hell with that. If there's a will, there's a way." I retorted after exiting the alley.

I heard my partner sigh. "It's official: you've gone insane..."

On my way back to my ship, I caught sight of an interesting person as I passed through a marketplace. Amongst the pedestrians, a lone figure stood scanning the crowds. What caught my eye was the emblem of a raging ram that was on the left breast of the man's breastplate.

"That's the emblem of the Arestosos crime syndicate, yes?" I prompted Boreas.

"Ehm...Yes, yes it is."

"Could this guy give us useful information?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try."

I nodded and followed the flow of traffic toward my target. Opting to roughly shove the man with my shoulder when I passed him, I heard the Arestosos agent grunt before shouting at me.

"Hey! Hey you bastard!" he barked. "Get back here!"

Suppressing the smirk that threatened to spread across my face, I led my target away from the marketplace and toward a building that looked to be abandoned. I pushed the front door aside with a resounding creak, and I stepped inside to lure my prey away from any...Witnesses.

After I was within the building, I settled down in a dark corner and waited. Sure enough, the Arestosos agent barged into the room and started looking for me.

"Why am I not at my post? Well, sorry boss: some asshole decided to shove me. Judging by the armor he wore, he has a fair amount of credits on him. If I take this prick out, the bosses will probably pardon me for this little deviation." he said, presumably through a commset.

"Boreas?" I whispered. "Can you cut this guy's comms?"

"Let...Me...See...There we go. Be glad I sent my drone with you."

"You did?" I inquired while my target started to panic.

"Of course I did. Also, you should be glad I installed a comms jammer in my masterpiece."

"Wha-Boss? You hear me? Boss? Damn it, there's only static." the agent growled.

Since he was now vulnerable, I left my hiding spot and prowled toward my best source of information. After considering my options, I decided to shoot my target's knee out.

With only the slightest of clicks, the Arestosos crony fell to the ground with a cry, and I continued stalking toward him.

"Wh-What the hell are you!" he exclaimed, dragging himself away from me.

Of course, I didn't respond. Instead, I shot the bastard in the left elbow joint, effectively rendering the limb useless.

With a whimper, the man stopped struggling.

"Give me what I want, and I won't kill you." I told him.

"A-And that is?"

"How to get to your client's household."

The blood drained from my target's face. "Wh-No. No I can't tell you tha-."

He caught off with a ragged scream when I shot him in the other kneecap.

"Give me what I want."

With shaky hands, he tossed a lanyard with an ID attached to it toward me.

"Use-Use that to get through the gate–it's thirty feet tall and electrified, so this is your only way t-to get through the outer security system."

I nodded to myself. "What about the household itself?"

"Th-The Arestosos manor has some of th-the most advanced security systems in the sys-system." he stammered. "You'd be lucky to get thr-through the front door."

I retrieved the lanyard and studied the ID: So, your name's Ralph, eh? Today was not your lucky day...

"Alright, I found a way to get through the gate." I informed Boreas after shooting Ralph in the head. "Now I can head back to my ship."

"Was that necessary?"

"Very."

"But you shot him in the head..."

"If I didn't, he would call for backup the instant your comms jammer was turned off. It's better this way."

"I suppose I can't argue with that..."