Taking her into the back room, Zuzen set her down onto a medical examination table for the doctor while Sykes explained what happened. "A few hours ago, she was shot by police officers while fleeing from them shortly after the destruction of a merchant fleet ship. They tried to bring her in for questioning but in the middle of doing so her friend was killed and she was injured. I ran into her and got her to safety. She was a lot more injured until I put my suit on her and the onboard medical devices healed her as much as it could, but it couldn't heal the internal injuries. She has a bullet in her that is causing a lot of havoc."

Doc Valentine quickly lead the group back to one of the tables, and motioned for Zuzen to set her down. "All right, now be real careful like," he said, "We don't want to cause any more damage, now do we?" Zuzen shook his head and gingerly laid the injured alien down on the table. After listening to Vash's story, Doc Valentine nodded, "Well, that was kinda more info than I really needed, but that's fine," he said, "But this shouldn't be too much of a problem, I deal with people gettin' shot up all the time."

It was at that moment that the heavily scarred 'Nurse' called Nina returned, this time with a pair of young nurses in tow, a man and a woman. Doc Valentine looked up, "All right, now Nina, I want you to go back to mannin' the front desk. Jericho, go patch up our other friend," he said to each one in turn, before turning to the newly arrived female nurse, "And Lilliane, I need you to go get the medical supplies and bring 'em here? This one got shot up; you know what to get, right?"

Lilliane nodded her head, and made her way to the door at the side of the room. It wasn't long before she came back pushing a cart of medical instruments and a bottle of alcohol. She arrived and moved in next to Noki, giving the rest of the group a dirty look. "Yeah, I'm gonna need y'all to clear out while I work," Doc Valentine said.

Zuzen nodded his head and moved from beside the bed, near to where Nina was standing. The man seemed a bit strange, but at the moment he was Noki's only hope and he didn't seem to be bad. And the Doctor did have a point, people getting shot were probably one of the most common things any doctor on this planet saw.

~~ Meanwhile, back with our Fuzzy Buddy ~~

Maarcuu sighed as he heard that their possibility to escape the planet was in fact gone, thanks to the actions of his new best friend 'Rectja'. As Vash approached him and commanded he investigate more on the ship, Maarcuu nodded. "With Maarcuu's new armour, nobody will know who Maarcuu is, so Maarcuu could infiltrate the docks with ease!" He claimed before he heard Alice shouting that she didn't want to help. "Maarcuu may need Alice's assistance. Alice can access more information then Maarcuu could ever dream of. Besides, HK-55 needs a translator." The Beastman said with a chuckle as HK-55 gave him an unenthusiastic array of beeps. As the group began to walk away, Maarcuu grabbed a small device Vash had left behind containing a link to Alice's comm-systems. He quickly placed it in his helmet and threw it on before he grabbed his blaster rifle and began to walk into the streets of Norrux Mirugal.

Making his way to the Level 3 docking bays, Maarcuu acquired guidance from several sources until he finally arrived. Once he was there, he saw a young LokLok standing by the docking bay doors. "HALT-CHUKA!" The bug like alien called out as it raised one of its four arms. "What is your business in the docking bay-Chuka?" It was commonly known that the LokLok's planetary culture believed that finishing every sentence with their first name was very polite, much like how Beastmen normally spoke in third person, or how the Morelelgia of Poosh communicated by letting loose powerful (yet extremely musical sounding) farts. "Maa-" Maarcuu began to say before he remembered that he was a wanted man. If he wanted to speak to somebody about something, he'd have to use a fake name. Then, he got an idea. Extended his arm so he looked at his wrist, he activated a holographic device that the suit had built into it. After browsing through a few files, he found the "Norrux Mirugal Docking Bay Pass" that the previous owner of the suit had used. Rather then speak, the Beastman presented the pass to the LokLok guard. "Ah, well then Mister "Josin Marl", proceed to the docking bay-Chuka. Shall I have a crew prepare your ship for you-Chuka?" The LokLok asked before Maarcuu's eyes went wide underneath his helmet. A ship?! The bounty hunter had a ship?! This was a lucky turn of events! Maybe finally they could get off of this bloody rock! With a casual shake of his head to indicate he wanted none of the things that the alien asked him about, Maarcuu proceeded into the hanger bay and checked the deck number on his pass. Reaching the dock platform where "his" ship was located, Maarcuu cursed to himself silently as he saw the ship. It was indeed a perfectly preserved Gala-Cruiser 860 with Turbo Shot blasters and a Rëüs Warp Drive modulator, a ship which Maarcuu had always wanted, but it only fit one person. At least he knew he had it at his disposal and could return for it later on with HK-55 to help him pilot it, but he needed to find the ship he was told to locate.

As he was getting ready to walk away from the ship in hopes to find the one used by Noferktii, he heard a booming deep voice coming from further down the corridor. As he turned his head, he watched two people approach from the East. One of them was a dark and scuzzy looking man who Maarcuu recognized as the man who tried to steal HK-55 from him the previous day. Thankfully, the droid had gone along with Zuzen and the others to see that Doctor so it could acquire more data about Norrux Mirugal. The second creature, however, was a Raximotoriphalupagorian who appeared to be another bounty hunter by his outfit and weapons. Maarcuu quickly pretended to act like he was investigating the ship that was now his as the two approached him, before the scruffy man opened his eyes in a shocked expression. "Leaving already, Josin?" The man asked with a sinister grin as he folded his arms. "I'm shocked. Truly the 'greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy' would have stayed here for days until he found his prize. Need I remind you that Rectja wants the G.L.I.P. Beastman and is willing to pay anything to acquire him?" Maarcuu's blood froze with fear as he was chatted up by the sinister man. He worked for Rectja? More importantly, if he knew who the bounty hunter was, then surely he would recognize the voice difference that the two owners of the armour shared.

However, in a sudden shocking event, the Beastman began to speak in a different voice. This voice was much deeper then his own and seemed to resemble that of a human action film hero. "Jos- I mean, I've got other things to take care of. You two can give the bounty to somebody else.. I don't want it." Maarcuu said with his new voice, which Ana had secretly fashioned so he could remain incognito. The scruffy man chuckled menacingly and shrugged before he motioned to the Raximotophali to follow as they walked away. Curious about what he was doing there, Maarcuu decided it was time to find out more about Rectja. "Hey, boys! Wait up! I may not want the bounty on that little Runt of a Beastman, but I'm still interested in working for Rectja. Do you guys know of anything that's coming up I could use to my advantage to get on his good side?" Maarcuu asked as he dashed over to the men and patted them on the back as they walked. This struck them as odd, but then again, they knew very little about the bounty hunter they thought was standing in front of them.

With a smirk, the Raximotophali turned to the scruffy looking man and said "Hdeea ka juaga niuyag piuav!" with a laugh. The scruffy man chuckled and turned to Maarcuu as he said "Well, if you're keen on getting on Rectja's good side... Then you may want to check out the Pan-Galactic Level 4 Speeder Races that's happening in two days. Come on, we'll talk more about it with you. We were actually just heading to check out the main prize.." Maarcuu was suddenly struck with surprise at this. A race? He could totally win that if he managed to acquire the right tools. Maarcuu nodded as he followed behind the two men, before they came to a massive ship in the furthest loading bay. "Here she is, Josin. Our boy's took it as payment from the crew a little earlier this week. Rectja sent his regards and told us to leave none alive. She's called "The Blaze Star", and she's fast. From what our engineers said, she can make the Kessel run in less then 5 Par-secs. She's got state of the art technology, room enough for two small portable ships. You know, something small-ish like those Gala-Cruisers. But she's not only fast, but dangerous. The boys made some "special adjustments" to her, so now she has 6 Prime Ultra-Photon Cannons, automatic blaster turrents, a storage of about 98 Missiles, both Heat Seeking and Concussion, as well as tons of storage space for transporting goods, or smuggling things off this rock. Starting price on the market would be Eighty Thousand Credits, but thanks to the Omnipotent One's great generosity, whoever wins the race will get this baby for free, as well as a little extra on top." The scruffy man said as he examined the ship, walking around it proudly. Maarcuu was in total awe. This was slowly turning into the best day of his life. Not only did he now possess the Galcti-Cruiser model like he always wanted, but now there was a great chance to win the group a one way, first class ticket off of Norrux Mirugal. Maarcuu stopped marvelling at the ship and cleared his throat with a chuckle. "Alright then, boys, I've only got one thing to ask.. Where do I sign up for this tournament?"

Ana had made her way outside while the others discussed the plans, mostly just to get away from them all. It wasn't that she didn't like them... They were all just too good for her tastes. She pulled out her lighter, the intricately engraved AC on the side a bright silver beacon to thieves, and then pulled out yet another cigar. At this rate, she'd be out before the week was over. With a flick of her thumb, the butt was lit, the paper flaring up before shrinking down into a dull orange glow. The lighter was shoved back into her coat pocket, right next to her gun. Her back pressed against the wall of the old building, the wood creaking beneath her weight. Her eyes lowered until they were nearly closed, going into a small half-sleep, swaying in and out while the smoke entered her lungs and back out her mouth with every other breath. Of course, this didn't exactly last long as the others weren't particularly quiet with their exit. She was about to follow them, though she didn't see the extra alien they had brought back. Her brow raised, and she kept her back to the wall and peaked around the corner until they were gone, and hurried back inside.

Just as she had suspected, the one that had been spying on them was in fact still there, sleeping in the corner where they'd left her. Never being one for tact, she stepped up to the sleeping alien and kicked her in the leg. Arus let out a little mumble and stirred, blinking slowly as she looked around at her surroundings. In the back of her mind, Sura stirred slightly, but made no move to do anything, as if going back to sleep. Before she could become panicked, Ana raised a hand to quiet her. "You aren't in danger," Ana assured the alien, giving her a calm look. "If they wanted you dead, you would be. They even let you keep your gun, see?" She motioned with her free hand to Arus, who checked the holster on her thigh. And, just as the human had said, her Neran was in its holster.

With some help from Ana, Arus got to her feet, and Ana explained that the others had headed out to see some doctor in the slums. She'd caught that much. Arus knew the one - some of the thugs she hadn't killed had been sent to him, only to be killed a few days later. Ana smirked; it was nice to see someone who didn't put up with shit. Even if she was fucked in the head, Arus was already a bit more tolerable than most of the others. So, the two headed out of the apartment towards the clinic, Ana following close behind Arus, mostly to make sure she didn't bolt. By the look of things, the alien didn't look comfortable in the crowd, and might run at the drop of a pin. She wasn't going to take the heat for that.

A little dealing in an alleyway caught her attention, and she stopped Arus with a grab of the alien's arm. The pair looked down the alley, and saw a man in a thick black trenchcoat cornering some woman against the wall. Whether it was a drug deal or a rape or a weapons deal, Ana didn't particularly care. The only thing she saw that she wanted was that coat. With a smirk, she and Arus made their ways towards the shady business in the alley. There was some muffled shouts and the sound of a beating, and Arus emerged with Ana a few steps behind, a large black coat now covering her suit from view, covering her down to the knees. Putting her hands in her pockets, she took a drag from her cigar and blew the side of her mouth. It really was a nice coat.

Arus and Ana showed up at the clinic just as the scarred nurse entered from the back. With a small explanation, Arus was permitted in, though Ana was made to stay out, due to her smoking. With an annoyed look, she took a little object from her suit-jacket, snipped off the burning end of the cigar, stomped it out, and replaced the still long log back into its case. She'd have to finish it up later. A few moments after Arus, Ana entered. "Tad crowded back here," she muttered, sounding clearer without something hindering her mouth.

After everyone aside from his patient and nurse had left the small operating "room" Doc Valentine and Lillianne began to strip the wounded alien of her top, since it'd just get in the way of his operation, and hooking her up to the machines sitting on the wall. Then he took a syringe full of clear liquid, the woman may already be unconscious but the anesthetic would make sure she stayed that way while he worked on her. After all, he didn't want her to wake up while he was in the middle of rummaging around her insides trying to fix everything. It shouldn't be a particularly difficult operation, after all he'd done plenty of gunshots wounds in his day. The only issue was that they usually weren't closed up around the actual damage like this one, and that was what worried the Doctor a little bit. He was going to have to cut her open just to find the wound, and he didn't want to screw it up. Not that he actually believed he might screw it up.

"Alright, Lillianne, let's do this," Doc Valentine said, "Scalpel."

The nurse didn't reach for any of the tools lying on the table, but rather for the bottle of alcohol. She opened it up to reveal that while it was indeed full of very strong alcohol, it also had a number of surgical tools sitting inside it to sterilize. She carefully pulled out the scalpel and handed it to the Doctor. He didn't start cutting right away, instead taking a long look at the injured alien, trying to decide where it'd be best to start the operation. Then he nodded to himself, and began to operate.

---

Meanwhile Jericho, the only male nurse, had finished up with the former patient who hurried out of the clinic, who was still whimpering a bit as he pushed past Ana and Arus. Zuzen himself acknowledged Ana and Arus's entrance with a simple nod. At the moment he was too focused on Noki to make small talk. Then Jericho came up to the group, glancing back at the 'room' where Valentine and Lilliane were operating on Noki before speaking. "So, she a friend of yours?" he asked curiously.

"Jericho, you know the deal," Nina said, her irritated tone of voice making it obvious she'd had this conversation with the man before, "No questions."

"What? It's not like I asked what they were doing when she got shot," Jericho protested, "And it was kind of, um, rhetorical I think. I mean, why'd they bring her here if she wasn't their friend? That's something only an offworlder would do." At that last statement he laughed it off, making it obvious he was just joking around. But then he stopped and blinked, "Wait, are you offworlders?"

"Jericho!"

"Sorry, they don't have to answer if they don't want to..."

---

Aethel was currently making her way through the corridors of Rectja's Palace, doing her best to seem completely normal. Which wasn't all too hard when she had half of her face covered by a respirator. She'd unfortunately had to sit through even more of dances done by Rectja's slave girls, which hadn't brightened her thoughts much. But she had to stay so that she could see when they were taken back to their cells; or rather, when the Princess was taken back to her cell. Eventually the dancing had ended after what seemed like forever to Aethej, though she was aware it probably seemed like longer to the slaves themselves; not that he planned on ever finding out for certain.

But as she made her way through the palace, her mood improved and she didn't need to pretend. After all, now she had a concrete plan on how to escape from this wretched place. Granted, she'd always planned on escaping somehow but now the opportunity had presented itself and Aethel was willing to seize the initiative. She knew someone would eventually be coming for the Princess, it was only a matter of time before it happened. And Aethel didn't want to be on Rectja's side when it happened; so she wa currently heading down to the woman's cell in order to strike a deal. Plus it'd be no good if the Princess ended up broken before help came, and knowing she had help on the inside would probably be a big help in preventing that from happening.

Eventually she arrived at the Princess's cell, though it took her longer than normal because she didn't head straight there. Instead she'd taken a roundabout route, not wanting any of Rectja's thugs to report to him that she was down here. She hadn't cared when she had come down only to break the monotony with conversation, but now that she was going to be conspiring against the fat alien slob that ruled this place, she figured some caution was warranted. She noticed that the cell was guarded, which was to be expected, but thankfully it appeared to be Shalizar like before. That was good, since when they talked he didn't seem to be as bad as the other thugs Rectja had working for him. So she bounded on up, a peppy grin on her face beneath her mask, and waved at him, "Hey Shalizar! Wassup?"

"Oh, that's fine," Aethel said, "I just need to talk to the Princess real quick." She sounded happy and upbeat, even more so than usual, and had actually begun rocking back and forth. She usually wasn't like this unless she was making something explode, but having a plan to escape felt almost as good. Almost, but not quite. Now all she had to do was get past Shalizar and talk to the Princess and everything would be golden. Granted, she could see several ways in which the plan could possibly go awry, but she was prepared for that possibility. Though her contingency plan involved a rather messy and explosive suicide, so she'd much rather have the plan go well. And when that happened, she'd be free to go her own way again and would finally be able to live as she wanted. She may even return to this little planet some day, and rid this palace to explode. The girl absentmindedly grinned as she imagined the foundations of the building collapsing and Rectja's jewel being reduced to nothing but a pile of expensive rubble. Preferably with the fat alien trapped inside.

Ana chewed on the inside of her cheek as the pair of nurses argued with each other while Arus stood nervously behind her. Her hands were forced into the pockets of her new coat, her right hand fidgeting with the lighter. A small grumble escaped her at the restrictions at this clinic. Though, it shouldn't have surprised her, even on a dump planet like this. Hospitals never liked smoke in the air. Something about patients with bad lungs. She never really had paid much attention to the reasoning behind, only been annoyed by it. Too many restrictions for her tastes. Why couldn't there have been a designated smoking area or something?

As she was mulling over it, she could hear Arus muttering to herself behind her, mostly indistinct. However, Ana could hear the slight change in tone each time the woman finished a sentence. Switching back and forth. Arguing, it sounded, the girl sounding meek one second and harsh the next. It creeped Ana out. Not as much as hooker-clowns. But it was still creepy, and she still didn't like it.

A little sigh escaped her as she looked at the male nurse. "Kind of," she said in response to his question. "Stray we picked up. Others decided to help. Nothing else to say about it." That would have to be enough to satisfy the man's curiosity, as she then went silent, beginning to pace around while Arus retreated into a corner to squat in. Once Vash returned, both women glanced over to him, though Ana was the one that actually made the effort to speak to him. As the man leaned onto Zuzen, she smirked at him, a chuckle escaping her. "Look like shit, bud," she informed him. "I'd give you my coat to cover up the mess, but I kinda just go it. Don't wanna dirty it up already."

Arus inched her way over to them, glancing worriedly between the three. "Y-You don't have t-to be rude, y'know?" she asked to Ana, who merely cave her a raised eyebrow in response. The Quernoan turned towards the man. "We-- I mean, I have some spare clothes, probably, at my house. I-If you want, I mean," she added quickly to the end. Inwardly, Sura groaned. At least a trip home would mean a chance to grab their rifle. She felt too bare just having a pistol. Now, if only he'd accept the little proposal...

Ana looked skeptical at the sudden openness the alien was showing, but kept it to herself. This was for the others to decide, not her.

"Oh, I see," Nurse Jericho said to Ana, only a little surprised one of them bothered to answer, "What brou-"

"Jericho," Nina said, another irritated sigh escaping her lips, "Don't you have something nurse-y to be doing."

"Um, not at the moment I don't think."

"Yes. Yes you do," Nina said simply. Jericho just nodded and went into the back of the clinic to do some sort of 'nurse-y' things. Nina may not be allowed to hurt the other nurses, but the last time Jericho got on her nerves too much, Doc Valentine had forced her to pay for the boy's broken wrists. Not that she thought it wasn't worth it. At that Nina shook her head and pulled out a cigarette from her pocket. As she lit it she looked over to Ana and simply said, "Nurse's privilege."

All the while Zuzen was standing quietly, diverting his attention from Noki by thinking of ways to bring down Rectja. Ideally they needed to sneak into the Palace somehow, since going in guns blazing would leave them all dead if they were lucky. But as for how they'd do that, he had no idea. And when Vash came in from what looked like a bar fight and collapsed Zuzen was kneeling down at his side; his eyes would have been wide if he actually had any, and he was honestly worried about the man. Had he been mugged? Did he do something stupid? Was it Rectja's thugs?

Before he got the chance to say anything Nina looked over at the counter at the man, "Just so you know, this is a clinic, not a grocery store. You don't get any two-for-the-price-of-one deals here." Zuzen looked up at the woman, irritated at her almost callous disregard for the man's status. Then the insane alien spoke up and offered to give Vash new clothes, from her home. Zuzen was a little suspicious, since they had tried to kill him earlier, and it was entirely possible it was a trap.But the meeker of the two personalities seemed nice enough, and if he was going to get through to either of them it would be that one. "I do not have a problem with that, but he is not going with you. I will be," Zuzen said, "The rest can head back to my house." He didn't think any of the others actually accepted him having any kind of authority, especially Ana, but he figured this was the best course of action. He trusted himself better than these people he just met to keep her in line, and the fewer that went the fewer would be in danger if they were walking into a trap.

While events were transpiring in the rest of the clinic, Doc Valentine's world was narrowed down to little more than the operating table that Noki was laid out on, his surgical instruments, and Nurse Lillianne. Lillianne was completely silent as Valentine worked, his normal demeanour being replaced with complete and total seriousness. He worked and worked, and while it wasn't an easy surgery it was a successful one. After he had finished closing up everything he'd opened during the course of the surgery, he stepped away from the table and smiled.

"Hell of a wound," Doc Valentine said to nobody in particular, chuckling.

"Um, Doctor?" Nurse Lillianne said, a bit confused.

"Aw, it's nothin'," Valentine said, shrugging, "Now watch over th' patient here while I go tell 'er friends she's gonna be alright."

Nurse Lillianne nodded, "Of course."

Doc Valentine nodded at his nurse, before pushing back the curtain and walking back into the open clinic once again. He did notice that there were a couple more people than there was before, but since Nina hadn't let him know and they were standing near the ones who'd brought Noki in. He didn't see Jericho, so he assumed the boy was off doing something. He made his way over to the group, smiling beneath his surgical mask.

"Alright folks, it looks like your friend's gonna be al-" he began, before trailing off. He'd just noticed a couple of new people entering the clinic, and they didn't look like they were here for medical treatment. Nina realized it too, and her eyes narrowed; one hand slowly crept to the assault rifle at her back and the other made its way to the knife she kept strapped to her thigh.

The slightly balding man with a pig-like nose smiled as he entered the waiting room. "Evenin' Doc." He happily called out, a thick accent that resembled the ancient language of "British" (discovered in the films on a dead planet somewhere outside the galaxy) resonating through his voice. "So... You got our fuckin' money?" The thug asked while his associates, a Raximotophali, an alligator Animamity (renamed species from Beastman), and a couple of Klomites, all dressed in high tech armours, pulled out various weapons. The Porkeian with the accent pulled out a high caliber blaster pistol that was no bigger than a thimble and said "Doc.. You haven't paid up for eight fucking cycles. The Boss doesn't like it when you're not paying your dues.. He said if you don't give us the Fifty Thousand Credits, then we'll just have to bring him a new piggy bank in the form of your decapitated and hollowed out head."

The Porkeian looked ape hand the room as he as his partners got settled in. Once his eyes found a lovely young nurse with the name 'Nina' scrawled out on a name tag, he winked in a disgusting and suggestive manner. Watching her roll her eyes in disgust at his actions made him chuckle slightly. They believed he was repulsive, but he decided that they were just playing hard to get. With a sly smile, the Porkeian pulled out a small blaster the size of two thumbs stacked up ontop of each other, recognized as the "Cricket" from the Cassius "Instant Desolation Line". Grinning wickedly, the Porkeian aimed the gun at Valentine's head and whispered "Its a shame.. You always have such beautiful assistants.. Rectja hates when we kill your beauties, so they won't be harmed if you do what we want.. After all, they're supposed to be included in the package you offered us. They are the payment for me and my boys.. But I digress. Now then... Either you've got the credits, or you don't get a head. Which one's it gonna be, Doc?"

"All right, all right, now let's not be hasty here and make any rash decisions we might regret," Doc Valentine said, holding his hands up to show that he was unarmed, "Now, if y'all would be so kind as to put th' guns away, we can start talkin' business. I reckon that's what your boss would prefer, am I right?"

While Valentine was outwardly acting as though he was going along with the thugs, it was in reality all an act. You didn't operate a clinic like this without some kind of protection, especially against those who wanted 'protection' money. And for Doc Valentine's clinic that was Nurse Nina. She wasn't actually a nurse, and had never even touched a patient except to hold them down if Jericho and Lillianne were busy and they had a lot of patients. All the scars that crossed Nina's face and body weren't just for show; they were from real wounds she'd suffered during her life. Before arriving on Norrux Mirugal she'd served in a mercenary company, and had been damn good at what she did. Nina had been silently surveying the thugs from the minute they had walked in, and while she didn't doubt that she'd be able to kill them all Valentine wasn't so optimistic. Nina had a habit of being too sure of herself since most of the people who carried a gun on this planet were just untrained thugs. She had on form-fitting armour underneath her uniform, a souvenir from her time as a mercenary, but it didn't cover her limbs or face. All Valentine had was his revolver, and while he wasn't anywhere near Nina's level he was a fairly good shot. All in all, it didn't look like good odds for them.

And then there were the friends of the injured alien he had in the back. He didn't want any of them to get caught in the crossfire and injured, but he sure as hell wasn't going to pay Rectja. He knew some of the things that scumbag alien did and Valentine was having no part in financing that.

"Don't get coy with us, Valentine." The thug said with a menacing look as he loaded his blaster and aimed to at the man's head. "I'll blow you up like a fucking over inflated balloon." Looking around angrily, the man nodded to his compadres, who began to move around the room, looking around for anything of value. "That's right, Rectja would like us to speak buisness... But he's got other things to worry about, like that fucking twerp with the cat-ears. But I've got insurance just in case you decide anything funny..." He said as he lowered the gun and nodded towards a chunkier looking man. The fatter alien man smiled and pointed to his palm, revealing a small red button that resembled a detonator.

"So... Where's the money you owe Rectja? And don't for us that 'I'm using it to rebuild my shop, I'll pay you back next time when I get more customers' bullshit. Rectja wants his fuckin money, and he wants it now. Its that, or you can try better on that Pod race thing he's holdin.. But, seeing as how Rectja always wins betting on those races, I would say your chances of paying him back that way are slim." By now, the man was a bit too close for comfort to Valentine, getting right up in his personal space. "Shall we talk, or would you prefer to squawk instead?"

I wasn't sure how much it was okay for me to say, so if you want me to change anything I'd be more than willing to do so. But I did purposely leave it ambiguous as to whether or not Valentine managed to kill the Porkeian, so you get to decide that. But I think this is enough to post; let everyone react to the thugs and the 'sneak attack' on them by Valentine and his Nurse. Also, still waiting for you to edit the part of your one post where you killed a nurse. :P

As soon as the fat alien revealed the detonator in his hand, Valentine's demeanour immediately changed. He had hoped there'd be some way out of this, but if they were willing to blow themselves up it was a different story. After all, it'd endanger his patient and her friends and there was no way he'd get the change to tell them to leave. Hell, knowing Rectja's thugs they'd probably try and keep them as hostages. Valentine had the money, but he wasn't about to pay up to Rectja so it seemed to Valentine like there was only a single course of action left. At least Noki's friends looked like they could handle themselves; most of them at least.

"Y'all think you can come into my clinic, and then try and demand my money?" Valentine said, calmly but angrily, "Not once have I ever paid money t' thugs like you, and I don't plan on startin' any time soon."

And with those words, they struck, hopefully taking the thugs by surprise. The Porkeian's mistake was lowering his weapon and then moving in close to the Doc. It gave him time to draw his revolver and fire it point blank at the alien's face, hopefully quick enough that he wasn't able to move out of the way. Almost simultaneously Nurse Nina hopped over the counter, taking one of the aliens rummaging around the room by surprise. He may have been wearing armour, but Nina had drawn her knife and grinned maniacally as it found purchase in the man's relatively unprotected neck. She laughed as she tore the bloody knife from his neck, quite obviously enjoying the fact that she was finally seeing some action. Valentine had hoped he would've been able to at least keep his customers safe, but it looked like they'd have to fend for himself.

---

While all this was occurring Zuzen had been watching and paying attention intently from the first mention of Rectja. It seemed like quite a fortuitous event that the thugs of the man they needed to kill just happened to stroll into the same clinic they'd taken Noki to. However, he hadn't wanted to inconvenience the Doctor to much, so he'd planned on following them out and not making a scene inside the clinic. However, things took a turn for the worst when the alien revealed the detonator in his hand. This could turn out bad, even if Valentine decided to pay.

He was taken a bit by surprise when Valentine changed from appearing compliant to pulling a gun on the Porkeian's face. He didn't stop to see if the Doctor had actually killed, or even hit, the alien and instead leaped straight into the fray. And his first target was the alien with the detonator. Zuzen didn't bother to pay attention to the alien's reaction to Zuzen barreling down on him, and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the detonator; and he grabbed it hard. He heard it audibly snap as he twisted it around to swing the man sideways off his feet, and slam him face-first into the wall of the clinic. He slammed his metal-shod foot on the poor alien's hand before turning to the rest of Rectja's thugs and yelling in his booming voice, "Repent for thy sins, for death waits you!"

It had seemed like time had stopped moving for as long as she continued to move her body. Audra had still not adapted to her new routine, of being paraded and mocked, leered at by scum - and that's what they were called, those who stared and laughed and hollered. Scum. The biggest scum of all was the one holding the strings, or in this case the chain, and as her day of nearly nude dance-based servitude came to an end, she silently cursed the slimy scum behind it all. Rectja was living it up, but Audra remained vigilant, remained optimistic that his end would come, and it would be she holding the chains in the end, hanging him up to dry and rot, like a piece of dried meat for the hungry..

These thoughts carried her back to her cell, though literally it was the guards doing the carrying and the escorting. The lizard thing was again standing guard as Audra sat on the slab bed in her cell, her knees bunched up and coming to a rest under her chin. She was tired, her feet were sore, and sleep wouldn't fix either problem, not as if the makeshift bed could provide any sort of reasonable, comfortable sleep. Audra closed her eyes, escaping for a moment to a happier time and place, a time where she could see the sky and the only one to even get a glimpse of her uncovered skin were the maids handing her clothing following a bath. When under confinement, focusing on the positive was how she kept her faith alive.

The thought process was interrupted by the tones of Shalizar and another voice thereafter, one Audra had not been familiar with. The voice sounded nicer than Rectja, but in this place she wouldn't trust her own mother. It wasn't a guard, it couldn't be; a guard would be shouting, threatening, and Shalizar wouldn't have humored the visitor. But, the voice belonged to someone who was allowed entry into Rectja's palace, so Audra would have to remain on her guard. She doubted that a visitor would be making some kind of assassination attempt or some kind of...private request, both would cause all sorts of trouble for the visitor.

"Let the visitor speak. But only through the door," Audra spoke up, her voice putting up a brave front. "Speak fast, I'm in no mood for conversation."

At the Princess's response Aethel looked up at Shalizar, saying "Excuse me" in a sing-song voice as she made her way past him towards the Princess's cell. her mood dampened somewhat when she actually saw the Princess sitting there on her bed, wearing what could barely be called an outfit. It was a reminder of just what Rectja did, and what fate might await Aethel herself if she didn't escape. Despite the severity of what Rectja did to his slaves, it was easy for Aethel to 'forget' and just not think about it when she wasn't directly confronted by it.

So her wasn't smiling anymore when she walked straight up to the cell door, getting as close as possible. Not that it'd be easy for the Princess to tell her expression underneath the rebreather that covered the lower half of her face. "Oh, that's fine," she said to the Princess, taking one of the cell bars in each hand. However, as she did so she flicked something towards the Princess.

It was several slips of papers folded together and written on. She hadn't seen any cameras down here, but she wasn't sure if Rectja had the room bugged or not. So she'd written all the relevant information on slips of paper, folded them together, and brought them down here. They read as follows: "I'm here to help you. :D", "I'm here against my will too; I don't want to work for Rectja any more than you do", "Trust me, have you seen any other women that want to be here?", "But we can't do anything now; we need to wait for the right opportunity", and finally, "All I want in return is amnesty/pardon. :D".

"The greater and prouder you be, your fall be all the more sorrowful." A deadly quote, yet one that applies to life so well. An example would be the once reknown Hero of the Salasian system, Captain Neil Blaze, who was running through the dirty alleys of the Noruxxu Mirugal Underground, bleeding through his materialized combat armor. He'd just been in a small firefight with that fat slug Rectja's men, and he'd made the mistake of underestimating them, giving them the chance to get him. He'd dispatched of the men eventually, but they'd landed a shot into the sides of his stomach. Didn't hit anything vital, but even then, it could have. He should not even have given them the chance. Getting rusty on Norrux meant death for him.

But for now, he'd have to get that wound healed. Even if the shot didn't hit a vital spot, it could still kill him through infection and blood loss. Thankfully, he knew just the man to deal with it, and coincedentally, said man's residence wasn't too far from here. In fact, it was quite close. Doc Valentine, a man he'd heard of a while back, three months after his ship had been captured, his men slaved, and he had been marooned on this slum planet. He'd met him only once, and immediately Neil had known him to be a good doctor. Or at least he had thought he knew. He assumed that most Doctors gave the same kind of feel, since the Doctors in the Imperial Navy, or at least the Imperial Navy he'd been in, were quite similar in feel, even if their personalities were polar opposites.

He held his side, feeling the blood seep through the carbon cloth that kept the armor together, and the pain. If he had not his training, he wouldn't have been able to think properly at this stage. He turned a corner, and immediately saw the light building further along the alley, which was easily differentiated from the rest, thanks to its better condition. The next thing he saw was the small swarm of dirty looking mobsters outside, that were likely Rectja's men. Most other mafia's and crime syndicate's would get crushed here, as he had learned quickly in the year that he had stayed here.

He raised an eyebrow, and used his right, and unused hand, to pull out his pistol from his holster at his side, and raised it slightly. One handedly, he slowly brought it up, still unnoticed, and looked through the holographic sight. He wasn't gonna fire yet, though, because there was the possibility of it being a "diplomatic" meeting, or as close to diplomatic as these thugs could get, and he'd rather NOT get Doc Valentine pissed at him. Although he'd rather not have some with diplomatic relations with those thugs patching HIM up. "Hello, chaps." he said in his native Britsh, as he kept the pistol low and undetected, but ready to fire. Two firefights in a day. Quite the record for an Academy Captain, huh?

Ana and Arus stood around the corner, peering out as they could to get a look at the men who were holding up the good doctor and his nurse. Ana already had both of her pistols out, and Arus was holding her own. The half dead cigar was placed back between Ana's lips, the woman having long ago stopped caring about the smoking policies. Grey lines stretched up to the ceiling, pooling over as she kept her gaze steadied on the ugly beast trying to intimidate the doctor. Arus gently tapped her, and Ana glanced back toward her. The alien leaned in and whispered, "I'm going to cloak and get in the middle of them. Should surprise them if things to wrong and a bullet gets put through a skull." Ana merely nodded, and Arus was gone with a small hum as the cloaking device became active.

Arus - or, rather, Sura - inched her way in, being very careful of the Klomites and their damn good armor. She'd need to get a good shot on them. Though, their necks did seem to be rather exposed. That's where she'd put the gun. She grinned, and worked her way between them, slipping between their lines until she stood between three Klomites and the Animamity. Her breathing was steady, and her gun was already aimed at the Klomite closest to the Porkeian. As time ticked on, and the pig kept threatening the Doc, Sura could feel the violence coming in.

And she was right. As the doctor blew the brains from the Porkeian, and the nurse sliced open the throat of the Klomite to her right, a pistol shot rang through the clinic as a bullet whizzed out from thin air, going right through the Klomite's neck, leaving a gaping hole. A second later, the one neck to him fell, clutching a similarly large hole in his throat. By the time she turned, the Animamity had already bolted, the coward sprinting out the door, likely to inform Rectja if things went south. Unfortunately, Ana was hot on his tail. Activating the speed boost in her legs, she sprinted past with inhuman strength, gunning downa Klomite as she passed. Sura rolled her eyes, not really thinking the bastard was that important. But that wasn't important. There were still more to take care of. Sura got out of their midst, and moved to another side of the room. Then, she took aim...

Outside. Ana was still chasing down the Animamity. However, it only took a few seconds. She leapt and tackled him to the ground, pressing one of her pistols to his skull. He shouted as he hit the ground, and squirmed beneath her, even with the pistol at his head. Grunting, the cyborg stood up and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, and drug him into a nearby alley. He was violently thrown into the wall, knocking the air out of him. Then the front of his shirt was grabbed, and he was thrust against the wall, once more the gun held to his face. This time, he settled down. She grinned, and pushed the gun into the holster within her jacket.

"Don't worry, you aren't gonna die," she assured him, letting him go. "Unless you run." He flinched as she said that, as if that was what he exactly meant to do. "But, on to business. I've got a message for Rectja." The man perked up at that. "You aren't getting shit from the doctor, but I can do you one more. Tell Mr. Tyrr that a representative of Cassius is on Norrux, and will meet him at the race." He nodded, and was prepared to leave. Before he could, the front of his shirt was grabbed and he was pulled onto he was nearly nose to nose with Ana. "But if I am denied access to Rectja, I'll hunt you down and make you wish you died today. Understood?" He nodded quickly, and she pushed him off. "Good. Now, get out of my sight." The man took off running down the alley, and she chuckled. She headed out of the alley herself, and leaned up against the wall of the building next to the clinic, not really feeling any incentive to go back in. They were probably just cleaning up anyways.

Ana took another drag of the cigar, and blew the smoke into the cool Norrux air. Soon, she'd be off this dump.

The swords glanced off each other, and Noki grew more and more furious. With a shrieking battle cry, she swung the blade high over her head, and brought it down with a clang. That was a bad move, as her training instructor easily side stepped her, and swept his leg into her ankle, knocking her off balance and into the ground. The wind was knocked out of Noki, and she tried to get up, and found the blade placed gingerly on the side of her neck. She hissed, and bowed her head in silent defeat.

"You let your emotions take control of you... I will not lie, your passion makes you a fearsome opponent, Noferktii." Her instructor helped the young alien to her feet, and continued. "But you can't rely on brute strength to bring down your enemy if they are vastly stronger than you. You must use their anger and force them to get mad. They will make mistakes. Just calmly and coolly defend, until they wear themselves out. As you did today. Then strike once, and victory will be yours."

Noki bowed, and acknowledged his words. "Thank you, master. I will try to do just that in future". She went to walk away, humbled by his words, when he spoke again.

"Hey, I have a gift for you..." Noki's training gown was tattered and ripped, and she was bruising around her eye, but she went up to him none the less. He reached into a bag, and revealed a massive pistol, intricately etched with various alien symbols and such. Placing the weapon in her hand, the wizened old man smiled. "Each student who continues my training after today, which is few and far between after that humiliation," He chuckled, and continued, "receives a weapon of my choosing, which embodies their trials and tribulations, that brought them to me. Yours is the Kiss of Death, a kiss you yourself know far too well, but you use that fury to further your own strength, which makes you a strong warrior. May it protect you in your travels, Noferktii."

Noferktii stood there, dumbstruck and jaw dropped, and then jumped into the air. Yes, finally, her own gun! She hugged her master. "Thank you so much!" She regained her composure, and stood awkwardly in front of him. "I mean, I am honored, master. I will treat it with the utmost care, Now, if I may be excused, I have to prepare tonight's mea-" Suddenly, her master spoke up, in a strange accent: "But he's got other things to worry about, like that fucking twerp with the cat-ears." Puzzled, she went over to him.

---

With a start, a loud gunshot woke Noki, who bolted upright. This caused pain to shoot up her side, and she gripped the wound, wincing. That's right, the doctors, the blaster wound, Rectja... After a quick inspection, she determined she was healed, but still shouldn't exert herself too much. Which couldn't happen, as her friends appeared to have made some new friends. Trying to get up, she was stopped by a nurse, who told her otherwise. Noki snapped at her, "What am I supposed to do? My friends are in trouble because of me. If they die. I will never live that shame down, could you?"

The nurse simply replied, "And if you die, all this will be for nothing. Trust in them, and they will survive. The best you can do, right now, is get better and pay them back for this later. Trust me, this is the only way." Noki sat there, and sighed, burying her face into her hands. As much as she hated it, this was true. Doing anything now will only get her killed. So she got up, and went with the nurse further up the back, where they could take cover and not be in the way. Noki grabbed her pistol, just to be sure, and they proceeded to let the others clean them up.

In the moments that followed, events occurred before the Captain that changed his viewpoint on the current dealings. Gun fire had broken out, and some people had dashed out of the clinic. Things had definitely changed. It was now a free for all fire fight. Except there was only a single one of the thugs left outside. He'd find out what had happened later, but for now, he'd have something to put a couple of rounds into.

Neil brought his pistol up, and aimed at the last one left outside. There were probably more inside, which meant bad news for him. But for now, he'd deal with the offending party currently disturbing his delicate state of mind with its ugliness. With the thuggish, boorish, and uncivilized alien in sight, he squeezed the trigger twice. The pistol's generator sent a powerful current through the conductive tzernium rail, which was assembled as a linear motor, inside the weapon, creating a powerful electromagnetic field that pushed the ferromagnetic steel-titanium round out. The bullet broke the sound barrier immediately as it left the chamber, creating a loud crack sound, that echoed everywhere. The pistol's inertial dampeners considerably lowered the recoil of the shot, and its coolant system used the excess heat created from the friction of the shot to power the miniature thermal reactor in the weapon. Truly a masterpiece of efficient human technology, Neil thought as he fired.

The AP tipped bullet cracked straight through the alien's forehead, which was covered in a slightly primitive armor, possibly killing it immediately, but Neil always had his rule of double-tap. The second and third bullet went through his stomach, and his jaw, respectively. "Shots fired, you sons-a-bitches." he whispered to himself, as he broke into a quick run. The pistol was lowered, facing the ground as he burst into the room, expecting the worst, but only saw an injured woman lying down, nurses, a giant cyborg, Doc Valentine, and some others. "Uhhhhhhh, what's up, Doc? Are these fine ladies and gents with you? Oh, and can I request some medical assistance? I may or may not be bleeding out here." he said, noting that the people he saw were not exactly gangster-like. He also made a mental note about his current recklessness, so he'd deal with that sooner or later.

But for now, he'd try to not die here. Dying of blood loss would be too embarrassing.

~~ Meanwhile, in The Docking Bays, Some Unimportant Exposition shit was going on, so we'll cut to when Maarcuu re-enters the fray. For now, here's a picture of a Duck in a Tuxedo

Now, Back to the Boy-Girl-Cat Animantia we all know and love ~~

Maarcuu was at a loss for words. The information he had just gained from his hour of undercover investigation was excellent! He needed to inform the others immediately about what he had learned: everything about the Starship that was offered for the race, about the bounty on his head, and the "Boonta Lueiag Race" being held on Level 8 in three days. However, when he arrived at Zuzen's apartment again, he found the place empty and void of any life forms. Maarcuu was entirely confused and worried that his friends had seemingly disappeared without a trace, but then he remembered about the Dual-Homing Device he had programmed into a certain little droid. Thank god HK-55 had gone with the others. Quickly activating the tracer, Maarcuu discovered they were inside of a clinic owned by some doctor named Valentine. After asking around for a while, he finally found the building and burst through the doors. He smiled as he saw all of his friends again, but frowned when he saw a rather ugly looking woman with scars on her face, a man that immediately reminded him of a medical officer, and some asshole in a suit of armour who seemed to be bleeding. Shrugging his shoulders at the others, Maarcuu rushed over to the people he knew, removing his helmet as he spoke. "Everyone! Maarcuu has news! Incredible news! News about... Wait, is that gunfire? What the hell happened while Maarcuu was gone?" the Animantia said with a grin before he remembered that he was a wanted man. Quickly whipping his head around to the others, he raised his hands defensively as exclaimed "Oh! Right! Uh... Maarcuu isn't Maarcuu.. Maarcuu is Jar'Ulah, Bounty Hunter of the Laurentian System. Pay no attention to Jar'Ulah referring to Jar'Ulah as Maarcuu. Maarcuu is Jar'Ulah's.... Cousin."

HK-55 beeped somewhere in the corner of the room, seemingly trying to communicate something to the group. However, this had been going on for the entire fight, so most had assumed the droid was either had serious circuit-damage, or was freaking out that combat had arisen. Rolling it's eyestalk as nobody paid attention to it again, the small android began to wheel away from the group. As it passed Maarcuu, HK-55 beeped something that, when analyzed rhythmically by the right equipment, sounded awfully like the Galactic Common phrase "Fuck this shit". The droid then parked itself over by an electronic trashcan and began to beep as if it were having a conversation.

Maarcuu turned his head away from the events concerning the droid and said to the group, "Jar'Ulah has found a ship! The ship that was taken from (---)! Rectja Tyrr is offering the ship as a prize for the "Boonta Lueiag" Speeder Race being held in three days on Level 8: the Garbage District of Norrux Mirugal. If we can win that race, we can get the ship back and leave Norrux Mirugal forever! Although, Maar-Jar'Ulah, has discovered a bit of an issue. Apparently, Rectja Tyrr has a blockade surrounding Norrux Mirugal, preventing any ship from leaving or entering the planet. Jar'Ulah fears that Rectja Tyrr is searching for any Anamantia resembling Cousin Maarcuu, and has gone to extreme limits to prevent Cousin Maarcuu's escape..." As Maarcuu finished explaining what he had discovered, he noticed the odd looks on each of their faces. "What?"

The Captain stared at the new coming man quizzically, but for only a second. He seemed odd, and rather rude, considering how he brushed right past him. If this had been the Navy, he'd have sent the chap to the brig, in chains. Then he'd be court martialed. Harsh, but those were bad days. And they didn't end well either, seeing what happened. But as he listened to him speak, his mind snapped to a thought process like it had glue. The man claimed to be Jar'Ulah, the bounty hunter, but stuttered and kept forgetting his own name. Obviously, he wasn't JarUlah, but from his spoken words, the wanted pilot, Marcuu.

Immediately, Neil's mind sprung to action. He pieced together the bits and pieces of the situation. 'Wanted man.... space ship...and a race.' Of course, there were some other details, but they weren't as important. He knew what to do, to get off this hellhole of a place. But it required a slightly morally ambiguous action, something Neil did not hesitate to do. He put his pistol back in his holster, and spoke, ignoring the now increasing pain in his sides "Look, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're the worst liar in this sector, Marcuu. You're a wanted man in here, so what stops me to from turning you in, and getting the fuck off this planet? Obviously, nothing, but I'm no friend of Rectja. In fact, I hate the bastard, and this place. So, I wanna make a deal with you. And you won't have much of a choice."

"Thankfully for you, its nothing much. I just want yo-" he was cut off as the bullet which was currently lodged in his hypocondrium decided that it hadn't caused enough damage, and gave through the flesh, slightly, causing him to start bleeding much more heavily. The sudden loss of blood caused a total shutdown, and all went dark for him. The last thing he felt before he was entirely knocked out was his body hitting the wall, and sliding down.

Doc Valentine pretty much ignored Maarcuu's entrance, since he was more concerned with Neil's injury and the fact that before he'd blown the Porkeian's brains out he'd managed to get a glancing blow on his leg. Thankfully it wasn't that bad, so he could focus more on Neil's wound. He made his way over to the collapsed and unconscious man, ignoring his own wound as he did so. He looked up and noticed Jericho watching from through a door and gestured to the nurse.

"All right, a firefight's no reason t' just stand there gawking, get this boy here to one of the operating tables," Valentine said, Jericho simply nodding and moving in to lift up the man and take him to one of the tables, "And get Lillianne t' help you, alright?"

Jericho just nodded his head as he managed to lift the man with a grunt of effort. To be honest Valentine was a bit surprised the man could carry Neil, but he didn't mention it since there was more important things going on.

Then he looked to the others in the clinic and shook his head, "I have t' say, I'm really sorry about that folks. If I'd seen another way outta that, I woulda taken it. But it seems t' me that we got a common enemy, don't we?"

Zuzen simply nodded his head, "One could say that I suppose, but I'm worried about that man revealing our friend here's identity to Rectja." He punctuated that sentence by clasping the diminutive Maarcuu on the shoulder.

Valentine waved that off, "Don't be worrying about that, if he wants to step outta this clinic alive I'll make sure he doesn't say a word t' anyone."

"Thank you," Zuzen said, then looked down at Maarcuu, "Now, what was this about a race again?"

---

Meanwhile Jericho had taken Neil to one of the beds, and had found Lillianne.

"We got another bullet," he said, "Doc wants me and you to take care of the poor guy."

Lillianne nodded, then looked over at Noki, "Alright, seems the fights done. So you can head back out there with your friends."

And with that she and Jericho went to work on removing the bullet from the unconscious Neil, leaving Noki to head back out to the waiting room with the rest of the group.

Once all of the thugs were dead, the still invisible Sura began to back up towards the door. The time was running out, and it would be better for her health if she just bolted. However, the tall alien bumped into an obstruction in ther door, which pushed her back in, causing her to fall to the floor and decloak. Ana stood over her, a hand held out to help the alien up.

The pair then stood together in the corner, the melancholic Sura muttering to herself while Ana leaned against the wall, puffing in the cigar, calmly watching the others mill about while the wounded man - who she expected to be dead - was carried off. Herbert left hand hung loosely by her side, clutching an ornate lighter, which she flicked open and shut annoyingly, while the other hand rubbed over a small card she had procured from the Animamity, loaded with enough credits to get her some booze and cheap cigars the next time they passed a liqueur store. She had priorities, and her indulgences were high on the list. She needed to be presentable when she met the man of the planet, anyways.

Sura looked up and glared at Zuzen and Maarcuu, wishing she could put a bullet in both. She could get Maarcuu from here easily, but she wasn't even going to scratch Zuzen without some explosives. Or really tough armor piercing rounds. Neither of which there was access to, even at her apartment. But, she was already forming a plan, much to Arus's disapproval. And the race they were so eagerly talking about could help in that plan.

"Well, now that all the excitement is done, would it be too much to ask if I could go home and get the rest of my equipment?" she asked, quite rudely, causing Ana to smirk. "Or would you prefer your new captive team member to remain practically useless?" Even though she had a high caliber pistol and cloaking device. But they weren't on her mind right now. Her rifle and her money was. And that was what she needed to focus on getting, even if it meant dumping one of these assholes in the gutter to get there.