regretted saying anything when he jerked his hand back, taking more of her hair with him.
"Just tell him where it is," Norik told her.
"You hear Romeo?" said Stompy. "Tell me where it is and I'll let you keep your hair. Corpses look real funny when they don't have none."
"I can't," she said more to Norik than to Stompy.
Norik frowned as he watched her lower her hand and point to her abdomen. He fought the urge to close his eyes in annoyance as he remembered what she had said about the genetic experiments. That they used surrogates and that she had undeniable proof. She had impregnated herself with that proof. She was either the most brilliant undercover investigative reporter that ever lived or completely nuts.
"Well if you can't then I suppose I'll just have to kill you both and search the whole ship," Stompy decided. He studied Norik and weighed up what he'd seen of the man's fighting prowess compared to the injuries that now hindered him. "Who wants to die first?"
"Oh we get a choice?" Jasmine snorted. "How kind of you."
"Do not antagonize the man who has a plasma blaster pointed at your neck," Norik told her.
"I'll antagonize whoever I damn well please," she yelled at him. "And don't get me started on you. What kind of Corps Officer lets himself get injured by incompetent hired help?"
"You blinded me with a flashlight," Norik argued back.
"You look at Duarr porn!" she blurted.
"Duarr - what?" Stompy asked. He was confused. They should be listening to him, he had the plasma blaster, but instead they verbally assaulted each other.
"Duarr porn," Jasmine repeated. "What kind of a sick depraved man looks at Duarrs making love?"
"Why am I risking my life to save you again?" Norik asked, sick of the woman and her antics. He turned away and walked to the exit.
"Hey!" Stompy called out and moved the plasma blaster from Jasmine's vulnerable neck and pointed it at Norik's back. "Get back here."
"No," Norik said over his shoulder. "She is all yours. Blow her brains out, I do not care."
"Stop!" Stompy demanded. "Stop right now. I order you to stop."
"Or what? You will kill me? You are going to kill me anyway," Norik said but turned to face the man.
"I think you should kill him first," Jasmine told Stompy.
Stompy changed his mind and put the plasma blaster back to her neck. "Don't tell me what to do, bitch. I know my job and I'm very good at it."
"Well that's heartening," she muttered. "I'm sure your mother is very proud of you."
"You leave my mother out of this," he told her and yanked on her hair again.
Jasmine was bent so far back that she felt as if she could out-limbo anybody. "I seem to have hit a sore spot," she gasped. "Did mummy not love you?"
Stompy had her on her knees now, the plasma blaster in her face. "I said, leave her out of it."
"She's so proud of her little murderer," said Jasmine.
"Shut up!" Stompy screamed and blaster-whipped her. It had the desired effect of shutting her. He pulled back to smack her one again, when he heard the slap of boots on deck plating. He looked up just in time to see a long blade slice through the air before him. His head hit the ground before his body collapsed on top of Jasmine.
Jasmine looked up at Norik from where she lay trapped under Stompy's deadweight. Norik stood above her still holding his follow through pose after just decapitating a man. She watched his chest rise and fall as he gasped for air. He seemed to be having a moment so she waited for it to pass and when it didn't she ventured, "A little help?"
Norik turned his head and looked down at her. She had a nasty gash above her left eye and another on the cheek, it almost lined up with the bruise from earlier. He lowered the knife and said, "You could have gotten yourself killed."
"Well I didn't," Jasmine told him with a smirk of triumph. It morphed into a wince. "I got him killed instead," she said and laughed at her morbid joke. It quickly turned in to hysterical laughter with tears. Soon she was
"Just tell him where it is," Norik told her.
"You hear Romeo?" said Stompy. "Tell me where it is and I'll let you keep your hair. Corpses look real funny when they don't have none."
"I can't," she said more to Norik than to Stompy.
Norik frowned as he watched her lower her hand and point to her abdomen. He fought the urge to close his eyes in annoyance as he remembered what she had said about the genetic experiments. That they used surrogates and that she had undeniable proof. She had impregnated herself with that proof. She was either the most brilliant undercover investigative reporter that ever lived or completely nuts.
"Well if you can't then I suppose I'll just have to kill you both and search the whole ship," Stompy decided. He studied Norik and weighed up what he'd seen of the man's fighting prowess compared to the injuries that now hindered him. "Who wants to die first?"
"Oh we get a choice?" Jasmine snorted. "How kind of you."
"Do not antagonize the man who has a plasma blaster pointed at your neck," Norik told her.
"I'll antagonize whoever I damn well please," she yelled at him. "And don't get me started on you. What kind of Corps Officer lets himself get injured by incompetent hired help?"
"You blinded me with a flashlight," Norik argued back.
"You look at Duarr porn!" she blurted.
"Duarr - what?" Stompy asked. He was confused. They should be listening to him, he had the plasma blaster, but instead they verbally assaulted each other.
"Duarr porn," Jasmine repeated. "What kind of a sick depraved man looks at Duarrs making love?"
"Why am I risking my life to save you again?" Norik asked, sick of the woman and her antics. He turned away and walked to the exit.
"Hey!" Stompy called out and moved the plasma blaster from Jasmine's vulnerable neck and pointed it at Norik's back. "Get back here."
"No," Norik said over his shoulder. "She is all yours. Blow her brains out, I do not care."
"Stop!" Stompy demanded. "Stop right now. I order you to stop."
"Or what? You will kill me? You are going to kill me anyway," Norik said but turned to face the man.
"I think you should kill him first," Jasmine told Stompy.
Stompy changed his mind and put the plasma blaster back to her neck. "Don't tell me what to do, bitch. I know my job and I'm very good at it."
"Well that's heartening," she muttered. "I'm sure your mother is very proud of you."
"You leave my mother out of this," he told her and yanked on her hair again.
Jasmine was bent so far back that she felt as if she could out-limbo anybody. "I seem to have hit a sore spot," she gasped. "Did mummy not love you?"
Stompy had her on her knees now, the plasma blaster in her face. "I said, leave her out of it."
"She's so proud of her little murderer," said Jasmine.
"Shut up!" Stompy screamed and blaster-whipped her. It had the desired effect of shutting her. He pulled back to smack her one again, when he heard the slap of boots on deck plating. He looked up just in time to see a long blade slice through the air before him. His head hit the ground before his body collapsed on top of Jasmine.
Jasmine looked up at Norik from where she lay trapped under Stompy's deadweight. Norik stood above her still holding his follow through pose after just decapitating a man. She watched his chest rise and fall as he gasped for air. He seemed to be having a moment so she waited for it to pass and when it didn't she ventured, "A little help?"
Norik turned his head and looked down at her. She had a nasty gash above her left eye and another on the cheek, it almost lined up with the bruise from earlier. He lowered the knife and said, "You could have gotten yourself killed."
"Well I didn't," Jasmine told him with a smirk of triumph. It morphed into a wince. "I got him killed instead," she said and laughed at her morbid joke. It quickly turned in to hysterical laughter with tears. Soon she was
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