The twin suns of Krelis Prime burned high in the sky, casting long shadows across the jagged canyons and sprawling outpost of Xerxes. Lucas crouched on a rocky ledge overlooking the bustling marketplace below, his eyes fixed on the shifting crowds.
Through the visor of his helmet, augmented reality overlays tagged potential threats, civilian movements, and high-value targets. He activated a drone, sending it ahead in stealth mode, its cameras and sensors feeding data back to his wrist-mounted console.
"Alright, Vos," Lucas muttered to himself, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Where are you hiding?"
…..
Neyra Vos sat in a dimly lit room at the heart of a nondescript building, her translucent skin faintly glowing in the darkness. The Aurith assassin had been lying low for weeks, avoiding the eyes of bounty hunters, pirates, and even former employers.
She stared at the holographic table in front of her, the projections showing various reports and movements across the neutral zone. Her telepathic senses reached out, brushing against the surface-level thoughts of those nearby.
"Something feels… off," she murmured, her golden eyes narrowing.
Her crew of informants had reported an increased presence of bounty hunters in the area. Some were amateurs, easily dismissed, but others were more persistent. Neyra tapped her fingers on the table, her mind racing.
"If someone's coming for me, I need to know who they are—and what they're capable of."
…..
Lucas's smirk widened as the drone transmitted a faint heat signature from the building Neyra Vos was hiding in. The Aurith had done a decent job masking her presence, but she hadn't accounted for the precision of his gear—or his patience.
"She's holed up, probably paranoid out of her mind," Lucas muttered. "Let's push her a little."
From his perch, Lucas activated the drone's noise disruptor, sending faint, irregular clicking sounds into the building's ventilation system. To Neyra, it would sound like a failing fan or, worse, an intruder trying to move quietly.
Lucas leaned back against the rock, watching the drone's feed. "Let's see how jumpy you are, Vos."
...
The faint clicking noise echoed through the room. Neyra's golden eyes darted to the vent above her, and she immediately stood, her hand resting on the hilt of her plasma dagger.
"Is someone here?" she asked aloud, her voice steady but her mind racing.
Her telepathic senses flared, but the disruption in the ventilation made it harder to pinpoint thoughts beyond the building's walls. Neyra clenched her jaw, her glowing veins pulsing faintly.
"Whoever you are," she muttered, "you'll regret stepping into my domain."
She tapped a button on her wrist, sending out a silent alert to her informants in the area.
…..
Lucas chuckled as he observed Vos's reaction through the drone feed. She was good—disciplined, composed—but not immune to pressure.
"Alright, let's take it up a notch," he said, flicking through the drone's interface.
The drone emitted a faint pulse, sending an encrypted message to a local comm station. The message was anonymous, but it carried false coordinates and a fabricated bounty report that suggested Neyra Vos was moving to another outpost.
"Let's see if your people buy the bait," Lucas said, leaning back and watching the chaos unfold.
...
Neyra's informants received the message simultaneously. Many dismissed it as a ruse, but others panicked, fearing they might lose track of their valuable employer.
One informant, a jittery Vraskan, immediately contacted Neyra. "Vos, we've got chatter about you moving to the Andar Outpost. Is this true?"
Neyra frowned, her mind racing. "No, that's not true. Stay where you are and—"
The line went dead.
Neyra cursed under her breath, her suspicions confirmed. Someone was actively working against her, feeding false information to sow discord among her ranks.
"They're close," she murmured, her golden eyes narrowing. "Too close."
....
Lucas smirked as he watched Vos's frustration through the drone feed. He could almost see the gears turning in her mind, trying to piece together what was happening.
"Let's see how far I can push you," he said, activating a secondary drone.
The second drone circled the building, emitting faint, almost imperceptible sound waves designed to mimic distant footsteps. It was a subtle tactic, but it added to the psychological pressure.
Lucas leaned forward, his silver eyes gleaming. "Come on, Vos. Make a mistake."
...
The faint sound of footsteps echoed through the building. Neyra's hand tightened on her plasma dagger as she activated the building's internal scanners. The system showed no signs of intrusion, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.
"Whoever this is, they're clever," she admitted, her voice low.
She closed her eyes, focusing her telepathic senses. This time, she reached deeper, pushing past the interference in the ventilation system. Slowly, she began to pick up fragments of thought—calm, calculating, and… amused.
Her eyes snapped open. "There you are."
…..
Lucas felt a faint pressure against his mind—a tingling sensation that made him sit up straight.
"She's trying to read me," he muttered, impressed. "Smart move, but you're not the only one with tricks."
Activating his neural dampener, Lucas blocked Neyra's telepathic probe, leaving her with nothing but static.
"Nice try," he said, smirking.
….
Neyra reeled back, her telepathic senses flooded with static. Whoever was targeting her wasn't just skilled—they were prepared.
She paced the room, her mind racing. "This isn't just a random hunter. This is personal."
Neyra's golden eyes narrowed as she activated her personal terminal, pulling up the bounty boards. Scanning through the names of active hunters in the area, she searched for any that matched the profile of her pursuer.
Her gaze stopped on one name.
"Lucas Kane," she murmured, her voice tinged with suspicion.
A sly smile crossed her lips. "Let's see if I can turn the tables on you."
...
Lucas watched from his perch as the drone fed him live updates on Neyra's movements. She was starting to act more decisively, her paranoia giving way to a calculated resolve.
"She's good," Lucas admitted, leaning back. "But not good enough."
Unbeknownst to him, Neyra was already setting her own trap.
"I know you're out there," she whispered, her golden eyes glowing faintly. "And when I find you, you'll regret ever coming after me."