New Staff

The air transport touched down right outside the warehouse, its twin engines rotating and aiming down to slow its fall before its rear hatch rolled open and three figures stepped out. It didn't stick around, only staying long enough for the three people to step out and unload a large crate before its engines roared and it took off back into the sky. 

Kyle and Leonard stepped out to greet them, or rather Kyle and Jared. The group before them, two men and a woman, weren't dressed like thugs or criminals, but like everyday civilians one might walk past on the street and not bat an eye. 

"Go on." He gave Kyle's back a slight push towards them. He was the boss after all. But the man stood in place, evidently still not used to his new position. Leonard sighed, stepping forward instead in his place. 

"Welcome to our-" He began to introduce himself, but was interrupted as a light fixture on the warehouse wall came loose, crashing into the ground with a loud bang. "Humble abode." 

"Place is a dump." The lone woman spoke up, spitting out a piece of gum she had been chewing onto the pavement. 

"It may not be a real looker just yet." Leonard admitted. "But that's why we are here in the first place, to get this warehouse and operation up and running." 

The woman rolled her eyes and Leonard decided to ignore her, moving over to the next person who stepped forward and shook his hand.

"Good morning sir, name's Jake." Leonard nodded and the man went on to introduce the rest. "This is Steve, and that bitch over there is Lexi." 

"A pleasure to meet you all. My name is Jared, and this here is our boss, Kyle." He motioned with his hand to the man behind him as he took a step out of the way. 

"Ah, hello." Kyle said plainly, voice just slightly shaky. An improvement Leonard guessed, but it didn't inspire much confidence. That was clearly evident by how Steve's face fell, Lexi's eyes rolled, and Jake's eyes narrowed. 

"Well Kyle still has a lot of work to get through." He nudged the man to quickly retreat back to his office. "Why don't I show you three around?" 

As Kyle retreated back to the office, or at least what could be just barely passed for one, Leonard directed the three newcomers inside, letting them just dump the crate they brought with them haphazardly in the middle of the warehouse floor. They'd clean that up later. 

"We'll get some accommodation sorted out soon." He began as they finished their 'tour' the moment they stepped inside. The warehouse was just one big empty space with a small office suspended in one of the corners. "Until then I'll find a hotel to get you all put up in." 

"Don't bother." Lexi said with a dismissing tone, chewing on a wad of gum. "I have a place to stay."

"She has a partner in the area." Jake filled him in as the three of them dropped a rucksack they had each been carrying. "Though me and Steve would appreciate that. We stayed in the previous base we had been assigned to." 

Leonard nodded, giving a quick glance at Lexi who looked like she didn't want to be here in the slightest. Everyone had different reasons for joining the Bloodhounds, and the pay was good enough for them to turn a blind eye to many things. That and the threat of violence should they ever turn around and run their mouths to the authorities. 

That made Leonard wince, not the threat of violence, but rather the wages. They had 100,000 credits, and needed to pay for all five peoples wages. Well four for now anyways, he wouldn't bother taking any money out right now. Kyle might not too considering he was incharge, though he wouldn't be surprised if he did. 

"You'd think being in a criminal organisation would mean you didn't have to worry about these things…" Leonard sighed to himself. "But I guess it still is an organisation after all." 

"The job we've been assigned will be mostly handled by me and Kyle for now. But for you guys I'll just have you helping to clean this place back up. I'll get some contractors in to do the more technical parts, but for now we just need some old fashioned labour." 

"Urghh.." Lexi moaned, while Jake and Steve remained unphased. It was obvious to them that such a job was the first thing they'd be responsible for. Just a passing glance at the warehouse told them it was in desperate need of some love. 

"Where should we start?" Jake asked. 

"Just pick up all the trash and bits around the floor and pile it up outside. I'll arrange for a skip to come down and collect it all." He paused after he said that, looking around before correcting himself. "Maybe two skips." 

Leonard dismissed himself as the group got to work and made his way back up to the office. Kyle was already there, standing by a window overlooking the warehouse floor as the three, or rather two considering Lexi was sitting against the wall on her comm, got to work cleaning the place up. 

"Thanks for that." Kyle began as Leonard walked in, closing the door behind him. "I'm still not used to being in charge, you know?" 

"Ha, I know more than you'd think about that." He laughed in return, standing next to him as they both watched the work happening down below. "Besides, it's what I'm here for after all. To help out." 

"So what now?" 

"The not so fun part." Leonard sighed. "Budgeting." 

(/) 

"Lexi, you could always help." Steve complained to the one person leaning against their wall as they lazily scrolled the galactic net, only to be met with a disinterested middle finger. "Fucking bitch." 

"Forget about her." Jake spoke up as he walked back into the warehouse after dumping a large metal sheet that had long since fallen from the roof outside. "We both know she's not going to do jack shit." 

"I know, I know. Still pisses me off though." The two men took one side each of a large pipe, hefting it up on the count of three. "I don't know how she got away with it with the old boss Salvador." 

Jake gave him a blank stare as they dumped the pipe outside, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. "Wait. Do you seriously not know?" 

"Know what?" 

"That Lexi was boning the boss." Jake said as if it was common knowledge, and Steve sighed, nodding in understanding. 

"Fuck, why didn't I figure that out." He gave his head a light smack. "It's so obvious now that you said it. Wait." He thought for a second. "If she was doing that, why is she stuck in this shithole with us?" 

"The old boss died." Jake explained. "Wasn't told how, but his shit is being divided up between a bunch of people. Guess whoever took over the old base isn't interested in having Lexi suck their cock." 

"Shit really? He died last night and his shit is already being torn apart?" 

"That's just how this job is." Jake and Steve leaned on the outside walls of the warehouse as an aerial transport touched down, dropping two large skip bins onto the floor before flying off. Jake sighed, kicking back off the wall. "Can't believe I'm going to say this. But I already miss guard duty." 

"Here here." Steve joined in to complain as he began to throw the large pile of trash they had collected into the bins. "I can already tell my body is going to hate me come morning." 

(/) 

"And that's all the money gone." Kyle sighed as he leaned back in a newly ordered chair. It took a bit longer to deliver considering they were all the way out in the boonies, a whole two hours. 

"That's all the money budgeted." Leonard corrected. Sitting across on the other side of Kyle's desk. "We have enough for one month if we stick to this extremely tight budget, which should be enough time to secure more funding, or other streams of revenue." 

Kyle groaned at the thought of trying to secure funding. "We should be able to get at least something if we can pin down this Joseph fellow." 

"Probably." Leonard agreed, though he didn't really know the inner workings of the Bloodhounds. "It's our best bet right now anyways." He looked at his comm unit, the time reading 3pm. "You think we should head to the bar soon in advance?" 

"Urgh… I suppose so." He groaned as he pushed himself up out of his chair. "If I knew a promotion was this much work I would have said no." 

"That's hindsight for you." Leonard stood, following Kyle out of the office and down the stairs into the much cleaner warehouse floor. Their three employees, as Leoanrd had begun to call them, considering they were being paid for their work and all, were lounging around a small common area they had begun to create underneath the suspended office above. Tucked into the small enclave were a set of sofas and a small table. It wasn't much yet, they didn't exactly have much money after all, but it was a start. 

"I've forwarded your hotel rooms to your comms." Leonard spoke up after seeing that Kyle had no intention of doing so himself. "You can all knock off for the day, there is really not much more to do right now." 

"You're the boss." Jake kicked his feet off the small table between the two couches and climbed to his feet. Leonard didn't bother correcting him on who the actual boss was. "But you don't need anyone for night guard?" 

"Well figure that out later." Leonard answered. "There really isn't anything worth having here." Although as he said those words his eyes drifted over to the crate they had brought in with them. It was a small uninteresting thing, that Leonard hadn't bothered checking out yet. "Actually, hold that thought for a moment." 

He walked over to it, Kyle following behind, Jake and Steve as well. Though Lexi remained firmly seated on one of the couches. 

The crate itself wasn't very large, and wasn't locked either. Leonard filled the lid off, taking a look at the contents inside. It wasn't much. As described through the messages Kyle had received, inside were a few metal boxes containing two different types of ballistic rounds, a single large rifle, and a stack of 10 pistols. 

Leonard picked one up. The cold metal was heavy as he began to inspect it. It wasn't a top of the line gun by any means, but it was far better than what one could get in the civilian market. The small revolver he had been carrying around was complete trash in comparison. 

"Forgot about this stuff." Kyle said at his side, picking up a pistol of his own and a few ballistic rounds already neatly tucked into several magazines. "Should come in handy tonight." 

"That it should." Leonard agreed, tucking a few magazines in his waistband as well. It was uncomfortable, the cold hard metal against his skin, but he'd get some proper gear later. For now he'd have to make do. "Let's move the rest into the office for now." 

Kyle nodded at his suggestion, and the two men took a side each and carried the box up the stairs into his office. It wasn't the most secure, but it at least had a lock on the door. He didn't trust the new employees they just received not to go poking their nose into it if they left it in the middle of the office. 

"You can all go now." He said after coming back down from the office. "Be back in the morning and we'll figure out some more permanent positions." 

He didn't have to tell them twice, well he did but it was besides the point as the three quickly made their way outside to 'freedom'. Kyle and Leonard waited until they left before leaving themselves, Kyle pulling the large warehouse doors shut and wrapping a thick chain around them. 

"It's the best we have for now." He admitted as he attached a large padlock and locked it shut. "Besides, I'll be staying here over night so it shouldn't be a problem." 

Leonard raised an eyebrow at his statement. "Don't have another place to stay?" 

"Nah. And besides, someone should make sure no one sneaks in and tries to steal our shit. Or at least what little we have." 

"Should order a bed for the office then." 

"I'll get around to it. But you know as well as I do that we don't exactly have the money for it right now. Besides, at the last base I was at I slept on the floor. Sleeping on a chair is an improvement at least." 

Leonard almost felt bad for the man as the two of them hailed a cab and made their way towards their target. Almost. "He's still an agent for a foreign nation. Unknowingly or not. Besides, even before that he's a member of a criminal organisation. He doesn't deserve my pity." 

Sure, he'd fully admit that his way of thinking was cruel. But his mission, or rather the task he had been burdened with to safeguard his home nation from the galaxy wide war that was to come was larger than any moral quarrels he might have. 

"It'll be worth it in the end." He justified to himself. "I'm sure it will be."