Bounty Hunter Academy by Hadwin Fuller

Author:Hadwin Fuller [Fuller, Hadwin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2023-12-01T16:00:00+00:00

11

Chapter 11

“It’s probably just another space pirate incursion,” said Gold One as we rode the elevator down to the emergency shelters. “My father says there are dozens of attempts every year, but only a few ever get past the perimeter cannons.”

“But why would they want to attack the colony in the first place?” I asked. “I mean, it’s not exactly as if we’ve got anything worth stealing.”

I was out of the panzersuit now and back in my civilian clothes, as were the others. Still, the memory of the tight-fitting suit lingered, and I felt a reluctance to twitch any muscles out of fear that I might suddenly fly across the elevator.

“They’re after the Supreme Bounty Hunter,” said a voice.

We all looked around at Gold Three, who (for reasons unknown) was still hanging around our party despite seeming to dislike each and every one of us.

“It’s true,” he said, lifting his chin as if he dared anyone to disagree with him. “I heard about it on Jool.”

“In one of those conspiracy groups, was it, Harkum?” sneered Gold Four.

“Maybe,” said Harkum. “That still doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

Gold One and Gold Four exchanged disbelieving stares.

“Why would anyone in their right mind want to capture the Supreme Bounty Hunter?” asked Gold Four.

“Why do you think, Sulhanna? Because she’s worth a lot.”

“How many detrons?” asked Zozo, her tone not betraying whether she believed Harkum or not.

“The payment won’t be made in detrons,” said Harkum with a sharkish smile. “Detrons are the currency of the Tri-Galactic Territories. But the people who want the Supreme, well, they don’t operate inside the Tri-Galactic Territories. Their purview is a little wider than that.”

“Outsiders,” I said, and my mind automatically went to that tarantula-haired, many-jointed creature who had scurried off with my brother all those years ago. The chances that it would be the same person - or creature or whatever the word was for an outsider - were extremely slim, but my outsider did have one thing in common with Harkum’s outsider: they both liked to steal people.

“Stop encouraging him,” said Gold One. Having changed out of his panzersuit, he was now wearing a neat, dark-blue jumpsuit with white trimming. He certainly looked like the son of one of the colony’s wealthiest families, but then again, Pygott was the son of the man who was probably the colony’s wealthiest citizen, and he looked like - well, he looked a lot different.

“No outsider would pay any amount of money,” Gold One continued, “detrons or otherwise - to capture a human. We’re just not that important.”

And now the sharkish smile on Harkum’s face stretched so wide it was in danger of tearing his cheeks. “Who said the Supreme Bounty Hunter was human?”

I felt a cold chill go up my spine. The Supreme Bounty Hunter had to be human. The alternative was unthinkable. Sure, there wasn’t any obvious reason why an outsider couldn’t be the leader of the BHA, but something about it just felt wrong - like one of your parents turning out to be an android or something like that.

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