The Red Limit Bar looked pretty much like it always looked. Dimly it, dingy, crowded and you still didn't want to look closely at the floor.  Paxx Palandjian was enthroned at his usual table in the back corner. He did not miss the arrival of the crew from Aaru.  Natha, Ingev, Reno, Paul, Laz and Lev arrived as one to scope things out. Kalket, Dinah, Marc and Anja would arrive a bit later.

Truth be told the bunch were just as happy to be away from Marc and Dinah who hadn't, sadly, completely made up yet. As Kalket had put it, make up sex was way too much fun to hurry up to get over things.

Lev, this being his first visit to the Red Limit, was running his eyes across the dregs of humanity and non-humanity who were regular Red Limit patrons. It reminded him, he thought, of the drunk tank in any city's lock up. Only they were usually cleaner and not quite this noisy.

Silence fell when they walked in, as it had the last time. They were still the folks who'd supposedly destroyed Sutta and terminally pissed off both the Barons and the Syndicate. And, apparently, knocked off Hodran to boot. 

A few minutes later, when the place wasn't hit by missles or neutron bombs, the usual noise returned and folks went back to their drinks and their conversations.

Of course it all happened again when the final four walked in, only perhaps lasted a bit longer.

Paxx waved the four over his way, figuring the others, who'd all taken up strategic positions around the room, weren't likely to take him up on it anyway.

"Hey.  We'd heard you went home. Back for more, eh?" Paxx commented.

"Things to do, munitions to buy, people to annoy,"  Dinah said. "How's things with you and yours?"

Paxx shrugged. "Lots of business. Lots of munitions for folks here too.  And I hear they're betting you don't show up at the next COBRA meeting."

"Aw, so little faith in my faithfulness," Dinah said.  "Plus I just bought a new dress."

"So you are going to go into Bahnderad's own fastness, eh? I'm not sure if I should be impressed with your bravery or with your insanity," Paxx commented with a grin.

"Either will do," Dinah said, smiling at him.  "How are the supply runs going for the settlers?"

"We've been hit a couple of times. Seemed pretty perfunctory to me," Paxx added with a shrug. "Their hearts weren't in it."

"Which means what?" Marc asked.

Paxx shrugged. "I'd say their attention was aimed more at higher prey than supply ships visiting a bunch of derelict settlers on a barren rock in the middle of nowhere."

"It's so nice to be appreciated, don't you think sweetie?" Dinah asked Marc.

"I told you I should tie you to the bed," Marc replied, but with little energy.

"Kinky games?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, mama," Marc muttered running his eyes across the bar, checking on the location of all his folks, and noticing Zaf walk in just behind McGee.

Dinah laughed.  "So, Paxx, what other items of interest are there?"

"The Syndicate seems to be getting its collective self back together. They're already rebuilding Sutta.  But it'll be awhile, at least, before the worst of it is back in business. Mostly they want the casino, hotel and convention areas back," Paxx replied. "Oh, and Chola says to say hey. He's off with the Darrochs, no doubt all of them up to no good."

"So Dara's probably smiling again," Dinah said.  "How's Jerry doing?"

Paxx frowned. "How am I supposed to know?"

She shrugged.  "I'm going to be having a small get together after the COBRA meeting.  And your name is on the top of my list of people I'd like to come."

"Oh yeah? When and where?" Paxx asked, interested. "On the new Sutta complex?" he added with a shit-eating grin.

"No, at home, on Earth."

"Earth?" Paxx repeated. "Never been there. Might be fun. Who else is gonna be there?"

She grinned.  "It's a surprise."

"Oh, well, sure, count me in. I like primitive worlds."

"I won't take that personally," she promised.

Paxx grinned.  "Good thing. So who's the new guy over there?"

"Lev," she said.  "He's turning the dragons into cavalry."

"Oh?  That I want to hear more about. From what I know they're pretty awesome as they are."

Marc commented, "Well, we wanted to discourage anyone from attacking our new colony."

"Feel free to ask him about it," Dinah said.  "We're pretty amazed ourselves."

"I will," Paxx said. "You know, I expect, there are Syndicate assassins in the bar."

Marc growled.

"Now why did you have to go and tell him that?" Dinah asked as Anja stood to share the news. 

Anja sauntered across the bar, every male eye firmly on her alluring butt. Paxx sighed watching it.

"Now I find it hard to believe you sleep alone of necessity," Marc commented to Paxx.

Paxx shrugged. "Who'd put up with me?"

"I've no idea," Dinah said.  "But if you'd like I'll keep my eye out."

"I heard Earth girls are easy," he commented deadpan.

"As easy as Guild girls."

"Hrumph," Paxx muttered as the drinks were delivered. And as the drinks were delivered Anja told the others what Paxx had said.

"I don't suppose he was nice enough to point them out to you was he?" Lev asked.

Anja shook her head, doing her best not to appear as if she were checking out everyone in the bar.

"They don't look happy," Dinah murmured, looking at the bar. 

"I don't either," Marc replied, frowning at her. "Why do you do this to me?"

"Should I leave you two?" Paxx asked. Kalket who'd walked in with them was standing at the back of the room well out of verbal range.

Dinah ignored him, leaning her chair back against the corner she was sitting in.  "Why do you think you can order me around?  Threaten me with retribution if I don't comply?  Why don't you trust me enough to get that I love you enough to give you what you need and then just let me know what those things are as if I were an adult and not a child or a servant?"

"I don't order you around. I merely arrange things so you can do what you want to do with sufficient security. If I ordered you around you'd be on the ship."

Paxx sat back enjoying the show.

She sat forward, resting her feet on the rungs of his chair.  "Oh?  Then what the hell was that bit where I'd deal with it or you'd tie me to the bed?" she demanded.  "Or the part where you just do it, fait accompli and I either like it or lump it?  Why the hell can't you just talk to me first?"

"Because," Marc replied patiently, "you set that jaw of yours, stick it out, and then tell me to go to hell. Oh, yeah, after you punch mine."

"How would you know that?  You've never tried it when the subject was my health or safety."

Marc frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Have I forgotten something?"

"Seriously, I swear I tried it and all I got was a socked jaw. I mean, I don't mind asking, if there's the slightest hope that you'll agree," Marc explained.

She made a noise in her throat.  "All you have to do is ask," she said softly.  "I know what the thought...how important this is to you and why.  Do you think the way I feel about you leaves room for me to do that to you?  If the situation were reversed, could you do that to me?"

"Okay, sweetie pie, next time I'm ask. How's that?  Make-up sex now?  We can just pop right up to Aaru..."

She grinned.  "Sure," she started and then she shoved his chair sideways as hard as she could, toppling him off balance.  An instant later a laser blast hit the wall behind her, on a trajectory that should have hit his head.  The killing place in her head took over without conscious direction sending a bolt of energy back along the same line of fire but the man she'd seen had already moved.  The two men with him returned her fire from both sides, sending her diving to the floor, while she clearly and loudly shared all her favorite words with those in earshot.

Anja had moved first and zapped toward her getting between Dinah and the shooters.The others from Aaru were returning fire while the innocent (at least in this action) dove for cover.  Anja would have zapped out with Dinah but she couldn't get to her, because Dinah was currently bent over Marc whose head had impacted the wall and was therefore bleeding from a head wound and out cold.  Kalket checked him out and reported, "Oh he'll be fine," and happily threw himself into the brawl that had suddenly broken out between the crew and the shooters.

McGee, pausing in the doorway, said to Zaf,  "Marc and Dinah must have gotten here first."

"Dammit, I wish they'd have waited," Zaf complained as he threw a self-defensive punch. He spun around and pulled a fist back to deliver a mighty blow but hesitated when Natha yelled, "That's Lev, he's with us!"

"I'm Lev, I'm with them," Lev repeated and threw a punch toward Zaf's surprised jaw which went past it and landed on a guy right behind Zaf.

"I'm Zaf. Thanks."

"Delighted," Lev said as he smashed a chair down over someone's head.

McGee laughed and moved out of the way while Zaf plunged right in.  He spotted Dinah on the floor next to Marc who, head in Dinah's lap, was waking up again.  By now the entire bar had gotten sucked into the brawl which made cross bar travel hazardous but he arrived unscathed just as Marc opened his eyes.  "Want a hand up?  Or are you more comfortable there?"

"I'm fine," Marc replied woozily.

Anja was biting her lip. "I should zap the both of you out of here now," she said.

"No, I'm fine," Marc repeated.

"He's fine," Dinah repeated, reassuring herself, her face white.

McGee eyed them both and said, "You two need a drink.  I'll be right back with the scotch."  He headed across the room, throwing a punch here and there as he went to clear a pathway.  When he returned he had the bottle and four glasses.  "Here you go," he told them as he poured.

Marc drank his scotch and enjoyed the show, even if his eyes looked crossed. Eventually Kal ran out of bodies to pound so he came back over and regarded Marc with a frown. "What year is it?" he asked Marc.

"Dunno. 1872?"

Dinah shook her head.  "If you're hurt there's no make up sex."

"Elizabeth?" he asked.