<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Under orders from the United Earth Government, Sol has begun closing its borders. Automated gun posts are being build just outside the wide orbit of Pluto. The UEG is claiming this is to shut out the many space stations outside of sol controlled by the Union, however, some are claiming that this is a way to make sure warp experiments stay strictly in the hands of the UEG.<br/><br/>Copyright 2094 Sol News Wire.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/><br/>Detective Kyna Lust saw the tiny movement of Lemke's eye, and she knew he had seen the luminescent holographic newsticker at the same time she had.<br/><br/>"That's how the universe says 'Fuck You', Lemke..."<br/><br/>The newsticker swirled above the crowd in front of the twenty story office pylon at the crux of the three way intersection that formed one of the largest open spaces in Saturn-1 Orbital.  Predator and prey stood motionless, only a meter apart. They faced each other in the crowded thoroughfare as the bustling crowd flowed around them like water.  Lemke stared at her.  He was coiled to strike.  The only thing that held him back was the gun ready in her lace-gloved fist.  Her grip tightened on the black pistol.  He looked her up and down with a flicker of his gaze. The glow from hundreds of ethereal advertisements reflected on her black plastic shortcoat, from the fur-cuffed sleeves of which she had produced the pistol.  Behind her he could see the helmets of her tactical squad bobbing as they forced their way through the crowd.  Her breath was coming fast.  Their eyes locked.  She lowered her head without breaking the staredown as she imperceptibly shifted her weight to take his inevitable attack.  She had memorized all the information Saturn-1 Police Department had on Lemke, and she couldn't believe he would go down without a fight.<br/><br/>Lemke listened to the crowd as he watched beads of sweat gather on Kyna's forehead.  With each passing second, her tension grew and her backup got closer.  In his peripheral vision he watched one of the armored cops smash a young woman out of his way.  Her high-pitched scream made Kyna twitch for a fraction of a second.  Lemke dropped fluidly behind the shopper passing him, bowling over the people nearby.  Kyna grimaced with frustration as she barely managed to keep from firing.  She lunged into motion as she flicked an extendable shock baton out of her sleeve, agonizingly conscious of the moment she had lost shifting out of her defensive stance.  The cries and movements of the panicking people told her Lemke was flanking her, knowing she couldn't track her pistol after him because of the stunned bystanders next to her.   Her grimace became a snarl as she pivoted and sidekicked the shopper back into the crowd.  She felt her stiletto heel tear into the innocent woman, but that only fired her determination to take Lemke down.  She saw Lemke scramble out from underneath the woman, crouching as he turned to face her.  Her view was suddenly blocked by the station tech who had been passing on her right when Lemke made his move.  His pale shocked face filled her vision as he jostled to get out of her way.  Kyna's eyes locked again with Lemke's as he launched himself at her from his crouch.  She brought her pistol to bear but the muzzle caught on the equipment harness of the station tech who was still interposed between her and the onrushing Lemke.  His face was a mask of feral rage.  Kyna felt a wave of nausea and fired as fast as she could pull the trigger.<br/><br/>Lemke crashed into Kyna and the tech, knocking all three to the floor.  He felt the breath go out of her as she hit the ground.  Her pistol was trapped under the spasming tech.  She whipped her baton at his face but he smashed her arm back down on the floor.  Agonizing pain shot through her elbow as it hit the slab tile.  Her baton clattered next to her numbed hand.  Lemke drove his knee into her gut, pinning her.  She struggled to get traction with her free leg, but the stiletto heel of her boot just scraped along the tile.  Lemke grabbed the baton and jerked it up to his waist, unable to raise it higher because it was tethered to her wrist.  Kyna gritted her teeth and with a scream of exertion put every ounce of strength into trying to stop him from bringing the baton down on her, but her stunned and injured arm was no match for his strength.  He slammed the baton into her face and released its maximum charge.