Kal's memories tugged him back to a different time, before he became the lone bounty hunter drifting through the stars with a reputation for leaving no target unclaimed. He thought of the job that brought him face-to-face with Lyra, and the half-spoken bond they'd formed in a place where survival was measured not in hours, but in heartbeats.
The planet was called Zyrris-3, a desolate, rugged terrain that hid a bounty unlike any other. It was an unforgiving landscape with violent weather patterns and thick, toxic storms rolling through every few hours, making it hostile even to well-prepared hunters. Zyrris-3 wasn't just hostile, though—it was known as a planet of graves, a place that held memories of those who sought fortune but found only death. Its red-tinted skies made the world feel like it was drenched in blood, a fitting stage for the bounty that had brought a small army of hunters, killers, and mercenaries all gunning for the same prize.
The bounty was immense, enough to make any hunter second-guess alliances, which made Kal wary of partnerships. But he'd met someone on the fringe of the job who was too talented to ignore: Lyra.
Kal had heard whispers about Lyra before meeting her. In the bounty world, her name was often linked to the kind of high-risk jobs that most wouldn't touch, often associated with the ghost-like way she left her marks behind. She was tactical, ruthless when needed, and had the rare instinct to judge a situation in seconds. Unlike him, she didn't have metallic exoskeletons or tech-enhanced reflexes. She simply relied on her skill and the arsenal of gadgets she carried—tools she wielded with deadly precision.
There was also a third member in their group, a mysterious figure who introduced himself as "Kade." Kal had taken an instant mistrust of Kade; he spoke little and had a look that said he'd cross his own allies if the price was right. But, in a job like this, trust was secondary to survival. They had come together out of necessity rather than friendship, each holding a different skill set that might just give them an edge over the hundred other hunters closing in on the same target.
Their mission was to retrieve a powerful artifact, rumored to have tech capabilities beyond anything the Federation had seen, from an ancient ruin nestled in Zyrris-3's deep canyons. The artifact was said to be guarded by the remnants of an old defense system from an extinct civilization. Supposedly, it was a self-sustaining weapon—a force none of them truly understood but one that every bounty hunter on Zyrris-3 would gladly die for if it meant laying claim to it.
The initial plan was simple: infiltrate, secure, and escape. Yet, the moment they set foot on Zyrris-3, they realized they weren't alone. Hundreds of hunters were scattered across the canyons, each tracking the prize like wolves ready to rip apart any rival in their path.
It wasn't long before chaos erupted. Blaster fire lit up the rugged landscape, and in the midst of it all, Kal found himself side by side with Lyra and Kade, fighting against waves of other hunters. Explosions rocked the ground, clouds of sand and debris obscured their vision, and every step forward was a gamble. Kal's shoulder was bleeding, a deep gash from a stray shot, and Kade wasn't much better off, limping from a close call that nearly severed a tendon in his leg.
In the middle of the onslaught, Lyra took charge. With a fierce determination, she swung her rifle, firing off rounds and clearing a path with a precision Kal would have admired if he wasn't already struggling to stay conscious. She could read the terrain with uncanny accuracy, leading them through natural cover as she kept the enemy at bay.
"Stay with me!" she shouted, hoisting Kal up as she scanned their surroundings.
Kal could barely respond, the pain from his injuries fogging his senses, but he managed a grim nod. As Lyra half-carried, half-dragged him toward a ridge, she threw a glance back at Kade, who was struggling to keep up.
Then, from nowhere, an explosion detonated a few feet away. The blast sent Kal and Lyra sprawling, and when the smoke cleared, he saw Lyra lying a good distance away from them, dazed but alive. However, dozens of hunters were already closing in, and in their weakened state, neither he nor Kade had any chance of fighting their way back to her.
"Lyra!" Kal's voice was hoarse as he struggled to rise, his body fighting against him. But Lyra was already on her feet, battling off any hunters that came near her, her face a mask of calm rage.
She looked back at them briefly, her eyes flickering with determination. "Get out of here!" she yelled, voice cutting through the gunfire. "I'll find another way out—just go!"
But Kal hesitated. His instincts told him to stay, to help her fight through, but his body wouldn't obey. Kade pulled him back, his face cold and unfeeling. "We don't have time for heroics," Kade muttered. "If we don't leave now, we die here."
Kal gritted his teeth, torn between his loyalty to Lyra and his own survival. But, just as the hunters began closing in around Lyra, a rescue ship appeared on the horizon. The Federation's retrieval unit had come to evacuate them, signaled by the distress beacon they'd activated earlier.
He cast one last, desperate look at Lyra as the rescue ship's doors began to close, but Lyra was nowhere to be seen. In the chaos, Kal never got to see what happened. As they flew away, he couldn't shake the sick feeling that he'd left her behind, that he'd left her to die.
The memory stung, not only for what they'd faced but for what he owed her—his life. And as far as Kal knew, she had met her end on that cursed planet.