Mission 4-2-7

Marco

He hurried to the bridge to find Alex wearing her normal uniform, not the crisp uniform she had been required to wear as a captain of the fleet. This uniform was simple black pants with a maroon tank top that had a black leather jacket pulled over it. The belt at her waist held many weapons and gadgets, but she also had two gun holsters strapped to her legs. It was the uniform that Alex had worn whenever she could get away with it.

Alex turned to Garth and said, "I'm going to go down to the planet to pick up some agents. You will stay here on the ship and do nothing destructive. Got it?"

"But what if you need backup?" Garth asked.

Alex's eyebrow raised, then she said, "Garth, I don't need backup. I am an elite agent trained to do stuff like this from a very young age. I can handle it alone."

With that, Alex walked off the bridge and to a shuttle in the launch bay. Soon, she was off going towards the planet they had stopped next to.

Alex landed the shuttle on the small planet and got out. Her mission was simple: get in, get Marco, and get out. Marco was one of her better fighters and he was also a good pilot, but most of all, he was great at reading emotions. Alex was afraid she would hurt Garth without someone there to hold her back and Marco was just the guy to do that.

Alex knew Marco had lived in this town before and that it was one of his favorites, but she wasn't sure. The best place to get info would be at the biggest club in town.

Alex heard the music and found the club quickly. It looked like you could only get in with a special invite, though. Alex frowned, but approached the doors anyway.

"Can I see your invitation, ma'am?" the large man at the door asked.

"I'm here on official business for the government, so I suggest you get your boss and let me in," Alex said with an icy tone.

The man's eyes widened and let her in, indicating a table for her to sit at while she waited for the manager to come to her.

Alex was the only person in the club with weapons showing, so most people stayed away from her, but one man approached her anyway.

"Weapons aren't allowed in this club, so you must work for the government," he said in an interested tone.

"I need info," Alex said, sliding a few coins over to him. "Can I persuade you to answer a few questions?"

The man grabbed the coins eagerly and answered, "I'll answer any question you have."

"I'm looking for a man," Alex said. "Tall, dark skin, brown eyes, black military cut hair, tattoo of a dragon on his right forearm. Have you heard of him?"

The man studied Alex curiously then asked, "What do you want with Marco?"

"I'm an old friend," Alex answered. "I need his help."

The man nodded. "Meet me at the entrance to the Johnson Dinner on fourth street in one hour. We'll talk more then."

Alex watched as the small man walked away, then another man approached. He was well dressed and clearly nervous about talking to her.

"I'm Philip, the manager," he said, his voice cracking a little. "What does the government want with my club?"

Alex smiled at him and said, "Oh, we just wanted to make sure everything looked good on the inside. Clearly you are obeying the laws, so there are no problems here. I'll just need to tell that to my boss and you are good to operate for another ten months without a checkup."

Philip smiled in relief and led her out of the club.

Alex hurried to the diner on fourth street and studied it for a long time. She saw the small man from the club go inside, followed by another man in a cloak. The second man got settled in a booth across the aisle from the man from the club.