<div align="center"><strong>~ Stephen McPherson, security guy - On Persephone with Si and Sasha, in the back room of The Best Little Hot House in Town, meeting Ferret about a job ~</strong></div><br/>McPherson reminded himself his role was not to follow these negotiations, but to provide security for the First Officer should negotiations go south.  Still, it would be interesting to watch how Dearing conducted herself ... and he was more than a little curious about the glamour model running a criminal enterprise out of a florist shop.<br/><br/><em>To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.</em><br/><br/>Did Ferret really think she could intimidate them by revealing the location of a captain who was making no effort to hide his movements, or surprise them with the fact she had a big guy with a gun hiding in the shadows?<br/><br/><em>All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.</em><br/><br/>It wasn't the man in the shadows who showed himself Steve was concerned with.  It was the men he couldn't see.<em>If I was workin' for her, where would I be hidin' now?</em>There were several possible locations.  The room was hardly a showcase for "Office Beautiful" magazine, and it made sense.  Here was this woman who probably never appeared anywhere with a hair out of place, yet this space where she made business deals looked as if it were little more than an unkempt storeroom.  Definitely out of character, and obviously done on purpose, to provide plenty of cover and concealment for her own security guys during negotiations like this. If shooting started, they'd be humped.<br/><br/><em>The crate labeled decorative stone, that's where I'd be, somethin' to provide a bit of protection against incoming fire.</em>Then he realized his mistake.  Chun ... Gou cao de Chun! Just because that's what the crate was labeled didn't mean that's what was in the crate.  In fact, that could be part of the deception.  A distraction for someone just like him, drawing his attention away from other less-likely hiding places.  One doesn't get to be head of a large criminal empire by laying all his (or her) cards on the table.<br/><br/><em>All warfare is based on deception.</em><br/><br/>For now, his "contingency" consisted of throwing himself against Dearing and knocking her toward the door through which they had just entered.  Yes, it wasn't much of a plan, and he'd have to work on it.  Still ...<em>a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.</em><br/><br/>Trouble was, it wasn't even a good plan.<br/><br/>Then things got a little worse.  Dearing stepped up to the workbench in a move calculated to invade Ferret's space. As a negotiation tactic, it was good.  From a security standpoint, it was bad.  So much for Plan A.<br/><br/>McPherson shot a glace to his "partner" to see if he could tell what Simon was thinking.<br/><br/>---------------<br/><br/>Chun - dumbass<br/>Gou cao de  Chun - dog-humping dumbass