An ork and a human moved into a backroom of a store and sat down casually.  The ork sat down slowly and heavily, grimacing slightly as he settled in.  It was well after hours and the store, and streets were very quiet and dark.  

“So.  I’m assuming you’re coming to pay off what you owe on the account, eh Yegor?”

“[b][color=0072bc]Ha, hardly.  I pay upfront, always.  That’s why we always got along so well.  And speaking of getting along so well, have you got the stuff we mentioned initially?[/color][/b]”

“Drek.  Right down to business.  Big favors.  Calls at, what is it, 3 am?  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we’re parting ways Kyooz.”

“[b][color=0072bc]Indeed chum.  Things went sideways.  Pretty bad.[/color][/b]”

“Ah.  Again for you huh?  Seems to be a trend with you.”  It wasn’t a question so much as a statement.

“[b][color=0072bc]You know, I’m gunna miss your smoothie, geared head, right?  Best damn…shit, what are you?  Mechanic?  Decker?  I dunno.  All I know is you’re a hidden treasure here.  You do my ‘trix fixes, you patch my ‘ware, mod my toys.  Yeah.  A damn hidden gem.[/color][/b]”

“Nice to hear that, even if it’s from you.  Anyway.  You asked about that stuff, and—“

“[b][color=0072bc]And you got someone.  You always got someone.  I wonder how often that someone is actually you.  But no matter what, you always got someone.[/color][/b]”

“Damn right I always got someone.  It’s how I survived this long chummer.  This sprawl woulda sucked me up long ago, spit my ass out.  I’m getting old brother, I’m getting old.”

“[b][color=0072bc]You are.  And that’s why I trust you.[/color][/b]”

The only response was a confused look which prompted the ork to continue.  “[b][color=0072bc]You’re old.  In this biz, that means you can be trusted.  Because if not, you’d have been dusted a long time ago.  But you can be trusted, but you’re not stupid.  In this world, that blind, stupid trust, it’ll get you greased quick as drek.  But you made it.  A human.  Here.  Most people don’t know of you, or just give a nod of respect and keep it hush hush.  I envy you.  Us orks, we don’t get that.[/color][/b]”

“Ah drek.  Most people dunno how old orks grow to be.  Shit, a lotta us humans are around from the kick off of all this shit.  Sure, a shit ton of your orks die, but most of you die violently.  Who knows how long you could live.  If you, you know, put down the guns, stepped away from the shadows and did something respectable.”

“[b][color=0072bc]Some of us are past that point.  I dunno[/color][/b].”

“You’re no victim kid.  Look at me, in my damn face.  The choices you have made in your life have brought you here.  Why do you do it anyway?  Honestly.  I know that whole ‘I Yegor, I shoot bullets’ routine, and I never told you this, but I fucking hate Yegor.  Never understood why the hell you play it so fraggin’ dumb.”

“[b][color=0072bc]Now now, one question at a time.  Yegor is a tool.  Nothing more.[/color][/b]”  The shop owner chuckled and opened his mouth but Kyuzo cut him off quickly.  “[b][color=0072bc]Slot off frag face.  Look.  It’s like, why don’t you put up signs and advertise?  Why don’t you get corporate work?  Why don’t you lay heavy into the grab that money you’d be making by outfitting runners?  Because you do what you have to do to stay alive and have some sort of edge.  In the shadows, if you’re smart, capable, if you’re a leader, if you’re anything people look up to, they don’t look up to you.  They target you.  They’ll look you up, find someone to sell you out too.  This bunch I’m running with now, I need to bail soon.  They’re no good for me, no good for anyone.  I miss that about Detroit.[/color][/b]”  He grimaced saying it, but remembered that he’d spoken to the man before about his past, albeit briefly.  He’s so used to keeping that hidden that it was second nature now.

“[b][color=0072bc]And as much as you might wanna deny it, people like me are needed, to a degree.  People out there, they got Corps robbing them, gangs stealing from them, cops stepping on their throats, governments turning their backs on them, organizations taking advantage of them.  I remember back in Detroit, I started a war.  I had enough of the Yaks out there.  I know some places, the outfits are decent, respectable, don’t piss on people, but this outfit, they were trying to make a place there, carve out something new.  So I did some work, pulled some strings and both the Star and local triads got wind of a few hits on them by those Yak boys.  It was bloody, but you know what?  As long as Lone, gangs, corps, and runners, they’re killing each other, they’re not focused on other things, like innocents.[/color][/b]” 

The old man’s look was one of interest and he motioned for Kyuzo to continue.   “[b][color=0072bc]Sorry, I digressed.  Anyway, one way or another, basically by my own hand, they find out it was me who turned the others onto them and they want revenge you know?  So they send the bosses’...frag’s the term?  Futokoro-Gatana.  Right hand dude.  They’re like brothers.  They send him and two yak swordsmen after me.  They find me in a bar and the guy, to his credit, asks if I wanted to do that there.  I sad nah, let’s head out to somewhere away from prying eyes.  Long story short, two goons get aced and it’s he and I, and he thought he had me, I turn and his sword meets my kukri.  And that look.[/color][/b]”

Kyuzo’s eyes glazed over slightly, and a wicked smirk crept onto his face.  “[b][color=0072bc]That look is one of the things.  Every once in a while, you get to show someone who thinks they’re god what it’s like.  Those people that pray on those who cannot do anything, they don’t know what it’s like to feel that.  Helpless.  About to die.  That that person standing over them with a sword, gun, about to cast some spell and end their life, even if they don’t deserve it, they have kids, people love them—that scum standing over them is putting a fear of god into them.  And seeing that look in their eyes, at that one moment.  They know they’re about to go off to whatever afterlife they believe in.  They know that, if they believe god keeps score, they’re going to have hell to pay, and there is that edge of panic and fear.  They finally get what they had coming.  And it’s people like me that get to dish it out.  Does it change anything?  Not usually.  Those victims are still dead.  It’s not about violence, or blood, or revenge.  It’s about there being some actual justice in dark places.  And you know what.  Maybe, sometimes it does make something better.  And it sure as drek don’t make it any worse.[/color][/b]”

“Very well.  I can see your perspective.  But there are other ways to make peace.  And Kyuzo, you’re not at peace with yourse—“

“[b][color=0072bc]Aw, come on, you too?  With the Universal Brotherhood, New Age Gods, One Spirit stuff?  I’m just drekking you.  But look.  Everything has its place.  Peace.  Love.  Words.  Violence.  Bloodshed.  I guess I’m just really good at finding my niche.[/color][/b]”  

The man sighed and looked down for a moment, either sad or disappointed.  

“[b][color=0072bc]I know you think I’m young.  I am.  And you’re old and experienced.  It’s why you’re the only motherfragger on this planet I can talk to like this.  But, well.  I hope that you never go through something and actually agree with me.  I mean that.  You have been through a lot, we’ve talked about it.  But you’re still…innocent to some things.  I think that’s what really makes you a fraggin’ gem.  Stay gold Ponyboy.[/color][/b]”

“You know.  In all my years, I’ve never really…thought that there was a difference in loss.  You know?  I mean, I thought losing a son was losing a son.  Losing a husband or wife, it was all the same.  I guess you’re right.  I think this shop, this biz, it’s my little sanctuary.  I may be the luckiest man in the city.”

“[b][color=0072bc]You just might.  Now.  How about my bullets, and my gun?[/color][/b]”

“Yegor want his toys huh?” He had a look of distaste as he said it before continuing, with a laugh.  “Yeah.  These rounds.  Man.  I’m assuming you… I don’t even know.  So yeah.  3 boxes of shotgun loads, 5 boxes of 308, 3 boxes of 668 and I could only get one box of the 50.  This is some high end stuff.”

“[b][color=0072bc]What’d you hear about it?[/color][/b]”

“Well, the shottie rounds are especially nasty.  Corp erasers is what I heard.  Seen a video.  So it’s highly volatile and corrosive agents mixed with high temp thermite and copper rounds.  First of all, I’m not sure what kind of guy would ever think this up, but I’m mad I didn’t first.  Anyway, this vid’s got this corps security drone, the tanks.  They take one shot with the scattergun and, holy drek.  I mean, this stuff looks like someone threw up acid on that drone.  It just, melted and shredded it.  I can only think what it would do to some poor street sam, even the high end corp ones burnouts.  They’d be gone.  And the pistol and rifle rounds, just as devastating.  But look man.  I know you know your stuff.  These things SCREAM collateral damage.  You don’t understand.  You need to think about what is behind that target, and then some.  This shit is highly dangerous, highly illegal, and Corps, Lonestar and every other sec-corp are shitting themselves trying to get rid of these things.”

“[b][color=0072bc]I’m not in the habit of offing my own people, but thanks.  I’ll keep that in mind.[/color][/b]”

“And this thing.  Kyooz, you’re lucky I always thought highly of you.  This thing, I made.  And you know that means it’s like one of my children I never had.  It’s a Nolan Arms Hunter.  30 Caliber medium machine gun.  Usually crew served, but I stripped this down to make it as tactical as it can be.  Bipod gone—I know you need a bipod about as much as I need a dragon crawling up my ass.  All premium parts, mostly titanium aluminum alloy.  Lighter and less prone to overheating and damage than the original parts.  Mag fed from bottom, can be belt fed on top.  Integrated suppressor in a shorter barrel, smartlink per usual.  Speaking of smartlink, before you go, I can hook it up like you asked.  I’ll make your systems almost completely, if not completely, internal.  No wireless.  Very low likelihood of getting hacked, at least without someone porting into your arm.  Not impossible, nothing is, especially if you run in to one of them technomancer types.  But the good thing about me is I run my own hardware and software.  So my ICs aren’t unbeatable, but most people ain’t seen stuff like this before.  They’ll have to fight to get into your system, and you’ll be aware of it and can take measure if need be.  But anyway, yeah, that Hunter.  It’ll destroy the majority of any AVs you’ll see, let alone some chromed out corp guard.  Especially with this, these are Armor Piercing Sabot Rounds.  These things were MADE to eat through armor.”

Kyuzo nodded appreciatively and noted that schematics and information had been sent to his personal HUD.  He put them away from later.  

“And I have a gift for you.  I went ahead and thought to myself, how’re you gunna move your arsenal.  And I realized, you’d put them in a friggin trunk, like a short sighted whelp.  So, I know a person who works on the magical side of things.  I dunno all the fancy mage talk and terms.  So basically, I got you a bag.  This bag though, it’s a magical storage bag.  This is the important part.  It’s the side of a duffel bag.  It can hold anything that’ll fit in there.  You put it in, it’s gone, poof.  Again, dunno how it works, and I hope it DOES, or you’ll be assed out on a LOT of gear.  SO yeah.  Drop it in, it’s gone.  ONLY ZIP IT WHEN YOU’RE DONE.  Period.  When zipped, it’s supposed to shrink to like, a wallet or something, dunno.  Get to where you’re going, unzip it, reach in, pull shit out.  DO NOT ZIP UNTIL ALL THINGS ARE OUT!  Once you zip again, you got a plain old, run of the mill duffel bag.”

“[b][color=0072bc]And what about that other thing?[/color][/b]”

“Done.  You know, if you ever wanted to know, they—“

“[b][color=0072bc]I don’t,[/color][/b]” Kyuzo insisted.

“Understood.  All’s well.  And don’t forget to leave that credstick, I don’t need you blowing out of town with a bag full of my merch.”

“[b][color=0072bc]Ha!  Yegor not leave old robo-breeder with no nuyen.[/color][/b]”

“Yegor’s like a bad rash.  You think he’s gone, but he doesn’t go away forever.  Anyway, let’s go get your link patched up.  And I need something from you.”

Both men stood, but Kyuzo looked at the man strangely.  He’d never heard him say he needed anything, and it just caught him off guard.  He silently waited for him to go on.  “Humor me and come give an old man a hug.  I know in this day and age, it’s an antiquated thing, but so am I.” 

At first Kyuzo had no idea how to react, thinking maybe it was a joke or something.  But the man quickly stepped forward and put his arms around the ork in a hug, which Kyuzo returned somewhat awkwardly.  “It’s a Slavic thing.”

“[b][color=0072bc]It’s weird.[/color][/b]”  

“Shut up, or I’m charging you for the free merch.”

“[b][color=0072bc]Hug away old timer.[/color][/b]”