Hunt

For two hours I'd been watching the smugglers' docks, searching for my prey's lair, someone who knew how to evade her pursuers.

Suddenly I saw Churfa's ****, a young Asian woman dressed as a mechanic, not very tall, sneaking discreetly. I swore I couldn't let her get away; it was my best chance. She was skilled, but I was more so. She went into a cantina.

I slipped behind her, my boots crunching silently on the rotten planks of the dock. The air smelled of rancid oil.

The music was being played by a band of aliens. I was looking for my target; she was at the bar. I sat down beside her, removing my mask. She smiled, clearly reassured.

I ordered a glass of spiced red wine, pretending not to notice her. She turned her stool slightly toward me, her fingers stained with motor oil tapping the counter in time with the strange music.

"You're not from around here," she murmured in Mandarin, before repeating it in Basic with a lilting accent. Her dark eyes gleamed under the bluish fluorescent lights, scrutinizing my face as if searching for a weakness.

I smiled, feigning relaxation.

- Yes, you know this bar well ?

Her smile froze for a fraction of a second, her fingers stopped drumming. She tilted her head, a strand of dark hair falling across her face.

She knows.

I kept my expression neutral, but I felt my muscles tense beneath my jacket. The acrid smell of her perfume mixed with motor oil stung my nostrils.

I kept my expression neutral, but I felt my muscles tense beneath my jacket. The acrid smell of her perfume mixed with engine grease stung my nostrils.

She slowly raised her glass, her lips brushing the rim stained with red. A tense silence settled between us, broken only by the hum of faulty fluorescent lights and the distant rumble of a spaceship taking off.

She said.

- John pours a drink for the young lady on my account. I have a feeling we're about to get to know each other.

With that, a glass slid across the bar to me.

The glass grazed my fingers, icy with condensation, its amber contents reflecting the cantina's dim lights. I caught it with a slow, deliberate hand, without breaking contact with her dark eyes, which silently challenged me.

She smiled again, but this time, she placed a hand on mine. She was flirting with me, actually.

Her hand was surprisingly soft despite the burn scars that crisscrossed her knuckles. The warmth of her fingers contrasted with the coldness of the glass between our palms. An electric current seemed to course through my arm—was it a trap or a genuine advance?

The bluish neon lights flickered sharply, casting shifting shadows on her face. In the flickering light, I saw her pupils dilate slightly. She leaned her torso toward me, her knee brushing my thigh beneath the counter.

- Thank you for the drink, my name is Alyte.

She smiled.

-Tyan, I'm warning you, I'm a ****. I have free rein.

- No worries, I have no prejudices.

Well, I had confirmation that she was Churfa's ****. She was cute, hazel eyes, 5'5", athletic build, 34-inch breasts—everything was valid.

- I have to leave tomorrow late morning. Would you mind skipping the introductions and getting straight to business? I have a room in an annex on the dock where my ship is. Would you be interested?

It was my lucky day. She was going to take me to her master, and then I had something to do with her and her boss without being too rough.

- It's direct, but why not? I came to have some fun.

- Then come, follow me. My master will be back tomorrow morning, and we'll be alone. She took my hand, and I followed her without hesitation.