“Zero?!”

  “Yes, zero.”

  “Really zero?”

  “YES ZERO — AS I FUCKING SAID.”

  One day the crew would love to talk about the great coup, the big spoils that made them rich. That one job that undeniably brought their names onto the radar of the few legendary hunters.

  That day wasn’t today.

  Luckily the way was short – Commerce deck, Promenade, ship. It seemed easy enough as they started running, but on the Promenade, they could already see a Ravage Pirate Dreadnought – a nasty piece of machinery. It looked like a gigantic beetle, if said beetle had more weapons than one could count.

  “Corvo — why did the bounty get flagged?”

  Ruri had the habit of never truly letting her guard down, something she learned to truly appreciate the moment she became a Bounty Hunter. To switch from cozy ramen eating to full-on crisis management had always been one of her simpler tricks.

  “Oh, my shit. It’s a Dreadnought.”

  It was harder for Riga to keep up with the pace – tiny legs and all.

  “CORVO!”

  Corvo was still evaluating the situation - searching for any thread of information that might lead to clarity.

  They weren’t sure if the Dreadnought had already seen them. Knowing their luck, Ruri suspected it had. While entering the hangar, they stopped briefly.

  “I make the deck ready.”

  Leido was Ruri’s co-pilot - a good one, Riga liked to add frequently.

  “No.”

  Ruri already had a plan – well, more of an idea, since she disliked saying she had a plan.

  “What do you mean no?”

  Eyes locked onto Ruri.

  “It’s too late, we have to hide. We can’t win in space. We have to take them here.”

  The Dreadnought was too big to dock directly – a smaller transporter was launched and made its way toward the hangar. The crew was scattered throughout, hiding behind crates and pillars, except for Corvo, who stood right in the middle ready to greet the pirates. It was a common distraction technique Ruri liked to use. You couldn’t really tell that Corvo was part of the crew since his body was simply a standard-issue android body, which was used for all sorts of bots in the entire universe. The transporter was smaller than the ships around, probably only fitting about five people. But they were dealing with Gurlags, so Ruri was thinking two or maybe three could fit. She checked the positions of her mates and switched her blaster to kill – all was in place.

  The ramp opened. One Gurlag fell straight out of the ship landing face down. He was beaten up – one eye bulging a little even. His hands were cuffed with Basint locks – a high-grade metal with magnetic properties. Around his neck was a collar from the same material. It was a dead giveaway. Only the Vorex had this kind of equipment.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Faces turned pale. Leido gave Ruri a serious look, both glanced to Riga, knowing that whatever happens she has to be saved. The first step down the ramp was accompanied with a thud. The Vorex had giant mechanical claws as feet. Another step – another thud. Ruri remembered that sound sadly too well. In the vast universe, the Vorex were feared even amongst the strongest and most influential cultures. Corvo approached the cold creature. Its body was entirely made from metal, with a skull that merely imitated a human one. A red cloak with golden rim swung from the shoulders to the ground.

  “Welcome stranger.”

  The Vorex didn’t get distracted by Corvo and scanned the room thoroughly. Its red eyes glowed – some believed there were still humans in their metallic husk; others only saw the death embedded in their eyes.

  “Droid. What is thy purpose?”

  Its voice echoed with gravitas – dark and sinister. It stepped closer to Corvo. Ruri would have loved to see another way but she had only one shot.

  “I’m sorry Corvo.”

  Almost face to face with the Vorex.

  “Execution override.”

  Corvo exploded. His parts flew across the whole hangar.

  “Now!”

  Leido, Riga and Ruri all charged towards the monster. Flames engulfed him. No damage, not even scratches – just enough time to make a move. A roar – metallic. It stepped out of the flames, directly met by Leido’s plasma blade. A backhand swing sent Leido wide – smashing into the wall of the hangar. From Riga’s wristband a metallic spear assembled itself in her hand. She aimed for the neck. The hit seemed to stick but one twitch from the Vorex shattered her spear. Stunned, her eyes filled with fear. She locked onto the hand of the beast. It was about to impale her. Ruri pushed her to the side – last second. Instead, she took the blow. She flew wide – her wounds burst open. Still – she shot a grappling hook, latching onto its right leg and pulled herself back. Sliding between its claws time seemed to freeze.

  She looked into the red horror – no anger or resentment just manufactured terror. A blaster shot right into the neck. Finally, a hit. She tried to pull on the hook to bring the Vorex to fall – useless. Claw to her neck – she couldn’t breathe. Leido tried again. Both hands gripped the sword handle tight. A big wind-up – screaming. Even with all his might the sword bounced back from its head. The Vorex grabbed him too. A clenching grip around his neck. Their feet lost contact. In one motion both got smashed to the ground.

  The Gurlag saw his opportunity and jumped at the Vorex. Smashing his cuffs over and over again into the back. The cuffs shattered. Left, right, left, right. Desperate he tried to put a dent into the armor.

  The grip on Ruri released. A devastating swing right into the Gurlag’s face followed. His jaw got dislocated. Disoriented and powerless he stood before the machine.

  A deep breath from Ruri – a painful one. Still lying on the ground she started shooting. The Vorex was ready to send a deathblow towards Ruri but, suddenly, the eyes turned cold. A shutdown.

  A shrill sound tore through the hangar. A wave of red light burst from the Vorex’s core. Gliding far past the Dreadnought, deep into space.

  “A distress signal… no.”

  She said it, defeated. The fight didn’t matter anymore. This meant they were marked, it meant they were now official targets.

  Riga walked slowly towards the others.

  “We did it. Didn’t we?”

  Ruri and Leido got up, both looking towards the Dreadnought. Ruri couldn’t hide the reality from Riga.

  “No, Riga. We are now enemies of the Endless Empire.”

  Ruri tumbled but stopped herself from falling. She knew the wounds would eventually catch up to her. A Gurlag cut, yes, she could take that, a wild swing from a Vorex at the same wound – that leaves a mark. Leido was panting, his eyes locked onto the Dreadnought – terrified it wasn’t over. Riga’s focus anxiously shifted between the two.

  Loud laughter.

  It felt displaced, made their stomachs turn. The Gurlag adjusted his jaw. The blood was dripping from his face. He didn’t just look beaten up but almost mutilated and yet he couldn’t resist laughing.

  With one hand pressed on her wounds, Ruri pointed the gun at the Gurlag. He was not really impressed by it, not surprised either.

  “What happened on that ship?”