"Avast ye scurvy dogs!" Zara yelled, swinging across the gap between two ships on a tether line. Blaster in hand, she landed atop the enemy frigate, shooting down troopers with flair.
"Argh, take that, Coalition scum!" she quipped, kicking the last standing guard squarely in the jewels before disabling the patrol ship's engines.
"Too easy, my hearties!" Zara laughed over the radio as Coalition vessels foundered dead in space. She always did love playing pirate.
Of course, most real pirates were nowhere near as entertaining as the legends, just greedy lowlives, Zara mused. She treasured her brief "retirement" after faking death, but truthfully she missed the thrill of the fight at Lord Kross's side.
Speaking of whom... that handsome devil had gotten himself in trouble again. Zara grinned, knowing exactly where she would head after collecting this nice patrol ship bounty.
Sure enough, a few weeks later, Zara traced rumors of Kross's forces gathering in the outer systems after a disastrous defeat. She found his location just in time to pull him out of another Coalition trap.
Zara smiled fondly at the memory of their reunion. The unflappable Darius Kross, stunned speechless to see a ghost. Understandable, since she had given him quite the memorable send-off before her "death."
But Zara needed to focus on infiltrating the Coalition capital world and rescuing Kross's captured officers. Should be easy enough - she hadn't earned the nickname "Phantom of a Thousand Heists" for nothing.
Donning a slinky disguise, Zara made her way through the pleasure clubs frequented by Coalition officers, selling gossip and intrigue. In vino veritas, as the ancients said. Drunks spilled secrets.
Within a few weeks, she learned the officers were imprisoned not on the capital, but a black site prison ship called Nightmare Moon. Getting aboard unseen would take all her skills.
Zara spent days shadowing the Nightmare Moon from a distance in her cloaked scout craft, meticulously timing the sentry patrols and fueling cycles. She slipped aboard during a botched prisoner transfer.
Nightmare Moon lived up to its hellish name. Wasted prisoners languished in lightless cells until interrogation. The Coalition tortured everyone, guilty or not.
Moving silently through the corridors, Zara bypassed security systems using old override codes. She found Kross's officers deep in solitary confinement.
Zara cracked her knuckles and got to work on the guards, ensuring they wouldn't wake for a long time. Then blasting the cell doors, she welcomed the stunned prisoners with a flamboyant bow.
"Your chariot off this hell awaits, gentlemen!" she proclaimed. The officers were too weary to do more than limp after Zara toward the docking bay.
They stole the Warden's personal shuttle, blasting away while Zara aimed its guns backward. "So long, you Coalition bastard! Give my regards to your mothers!"
Zara whooped, firing wildly as they escaped into hyperspace. Setting course for the coordinates Kross had given her, she sauntered back to check on the rescued prisoners.
"Gentlemen, the lovely and talented Zara Talon at your service. I'll be your rescuer today." She gave a deep bow.
The officers laughed hoarsely. "Zara, you devil! We heard you died years ago."
"Death is overrated. Though I'm flattered you all wept for little old me," Zara replied with a wink.
They wasted no time catching up on old capers and comrades. Zara always did prefer the company of rogues. Proper types bored her, unlike a certain commanding warlord she was rather eager to see again.
Kross's face as she arrived with his lost officers was priceless. Zara lived to keep that man on his toes. Their repartee came naturally as breathing. And breaths came faster when alone...
"Woah, easy there! Watch the hands!" Zara sputtered, as one of the rescued officers got overly friendly, misreading her winks. She twirled him effortlessly into a submission hold.
"I'm flattered by your interest, but let's keep this professional, yes?" She patted his cheek playfully after releasing the grunting man. No use causing drama over misguided flirting.
Zara never lacked for attention, but her heart saved its fire for an uncompromising pair of eyes that still smoldered in memory across years and lightyears...
But Zara wasn't foolish enough to expect lasting ties from Darius Kross, much less anything beyond the physical. Her life had taught harsh lessons about trust. In the end, she would only betray herself hoping for more.
Still, a little fun when the fates allowed wouldn't go amiss. Especially if she could make that guarded man's pulse race in the process. The game deceived both hunter and hunted. Such was life's great cosmic joke.
For now, it was enough to play her role in the stage of stars, no matter where the story led. A good pirate chased freedom first, never love. The sea of night called, her laughing sails always one step ahead of regret. Maybe she would head for the Rift Nebula next...
Zara smiled bittersweetly, keeping her true thoughts hidden behind bravado. Her course stayed steady only for herself. But oh, the memories that stirred watching Kross's fleet sail away once more to destiny or doom.
In the end, empires rose and fell, lovers came and went. She bowed to no one's ambitions. But perhaps when the fighting ebbed, they would share one last dance among the ruins before destiny tore their fates apart to distant shores.
For now, duty pressed on all sides. But pirate souls lived for stolen moments between obligations. And Zara Talon excelled at liberating what personal treasures she could amidst the impersonal tides of war and time.
The game wasn't over yet. The players still had their parts. She would savor each untamed breath.
With a roguish grin, Zara leaned back and propped her feet up. "Next stop, anywhere my heart desires!" she laughed, wheels already turning for the next heist.