Just A Girl

Kienan was the galaxy's most dangerous assassin, a killer so effective the mere mention of his name was enough to cause people to shrink in fear.

Kienan had been born on a nearby colony that was slaughtered by a race of alien buried near the planet's core. He had fought alone against them, and as an act of revenge triggered the destruction of the entire system. His past swallowed in starfire, Kienan had dedicated his life to mastering the skills of an assassin. It was almost as though he had been bred for the purpose, his skill was so great.

Kienan took another drag off of his cigarette, mulling it over. He was a killer true, but he paid little mind to the reputation he amassed. He was, after all, just doing what he did best.

Kienan took another drag on the cigarette, exhaling slowly. "I thought you gun-hunters fought other people's wars and whatnot," he said. "I didn't know you were trying to horn in on my profession."

"It was an offer I couldnt refuse," Drayton said. "Three million for a simple hit."

"Three?" Kienan said. "I usually get ten for private commissions."

Drayton turned, shocked, and smiled at him. He was putting him on. Kienan smirked back at him.

"Sure you do," he said. "I know you Kienan. You'd take a job for 1 credit, if you thought it was right."

Kienan exhaled again, making more ghost shapes on the dark. "So you say," Kienan said. " I just do . . ."

" . . .What comes naturally," Drayton said with the weariness of someone who had heard it a million times before.

He looked back to the stage at Grey, who was beginning her next set, a cigarette still dangling from her lips as she tested her sound levels. "Hey, who don't you try for her?"

Kienan raised an eyebrow, his emerald eyes narrowing on Grey. "She's a little young for me, don't you think? She doesn't look a day over seventeen."

Drayton smiled. "And you, my dear friend, aren't much over twenty yourself," he said. "You're not still carrying a torch for that girl, what was her name . . .Sil-something?"

Kienan's face darkened suddenly. "No," he said. He had just spent a whole week with the woman Drayton mentioned. Most of it involved in pulling her out of a jam she had gotten in with an alien government.

By the time that was over and done with, Kienan mused. I think we finally decided that we were done with each other. Now all that's left are the embers of once was.

"Good to hear," Drayton said. "Don't get me wrong Kienan, I liked her OK, but something about that girl told me she was gonna get you killed one day."

Kienan smiled around his cigarette as he lit it.

"Yep," Drayton said. "She seemed to live to complicate your life."

Kienan took a long thoughtful drag on his cigarette. "Ex-Girlfriends always do, don't they?"

An hour later, Grey unplugged the guitar from the amplifier. Last call had been an hour ago and most everyone was on their way out of the club. Her gray-gloved hands switched off and unplugged the amp, gently rolling up the cord for the guitar and setting it on the stage. She began to feel a strange compulsion and felt around in her jean pockets for a cigarette.

She looked up. In the hand in front of her she saw a cigarette and a lighter.

"Lucky I was here," the golden-skinned man with the dark green eyes said, an easy smile on his face.

Grey smiled shyly and took the cigarette as the man lit it for her.

"I hope I'm not getting in the way of you cleaning up," the man said. "I just wanted to tell you how much I liked your sets tonight.