In Praetor

Chapter 1

Gunshots rang out in the night as a high-speed chase went down on Narcu's Rye Speedway. The ground-craft highway was not as busy as the hover-craft light way, though it still had traffic and mountains enclosed the highway on either side. Half a dozen Hydro-Jeeps chased a 2030 Ponte. A lightly armored figure popped up through the sunroof of the Ponte with a plasma rifle as it swerved around a couple cars. 

"Hold the wheel steady," the figure ordered in a chilling voice. 

"Yes," the driver choked out, shivering in fear. 

"Remember, you won't get hurt if you trust our bodyguard," a young girl chided from the backseat. "They're here to protect us." 

The bodyguard took aim at the pursuing vehicles, blowing out front tires one-by-one with each shot. This caused the closest pursuing vehicle to swerve out of control and start a domino effect before flipping over the edge of the highway into the ravine below. 

"That should keep 'em busy." The bodyguard reloaded the plasma rifle and set it down. Tapping the side of their helmet to change the eye shield settings, they proceeded to scan the area. "We should be safe for now." 

Twenty minutes later, the driver pulled up to Narcu's Intergalactic Spaceport which vaguely resembled an airport as spaceplanes and other spacecraft came in and out of it. As he was about to get out, the bodyguard stopped him. Stepping out, they let their fingers lightly tap the plasma pistol at their hip. In an instant, the gun was in their hand and firing off several shots. A few people screamed, but security calmed them down as the driver got out on the bodyguard's cue and opened the door for the girl in the back. 

"Thank you, Louis," she smiled cheerfully. "And you, Bodyguard." 

The bodyguard nodded and pulled off their helmet. Everyone watching stared in disbelief as it was revealed that the lightly armored figure was a slightly tall woman with short, silver-blonde hair and silver eyes that stood out against her lightly tanned skin. However, the most surprising part was her cold and expressionless demeanor. "It was just a job." 

The girl gave her a look of admiration. "You were really cool though." 

Some emotion flitted across the woman's face before quickly disappearing. She turned away, spotting her employers heading towards the car. 

"Mommy! Daddy!" The girl ran to meet her parents halfway. She chattered excitedly to her mother, barely exaggerating the events of the time they had been gone. 

"Governor Vancour," the woman nodded to the girl's father. 

"Thank you for protecting my daughter," the governor said with genuine gratitude. Holding out a small bag of gems, he added, "I'm eternally grateful." 

"I'm just in it for the money," she muttered darkly, taking the bag and walking away. 

"Who was that?" an acquaintance asked as they came up to the governor. 

"That was Zulu Gemini, the dangerous In Praetor."

Zulu leaned against her Hover-Cycle, carefully cleaning her plasma rifle. She listened to the sounds of the night, having spent the last five hours driving to the wilderness of Narcu, a mixture of forest and jungle with swampland spreading for miles. Being away from civilization made her feel more relaxed and calmed her. Tomorrow she would leave for Narcu's moon, Hygeno, and take up another job. For now, however, she would enjoy the absence of other people. 

Pausing in the middle of what she was doing, Zulu reached up to touch her sunglasses, changing the mode to heat vision. She scanned her surroundings, narrowing her eyes when her suspicions were confirmed. With a low growl Zulu slipped into the shadows, silently making her way towards her target, disabling traps along the way. With swift hands she took out the sniper and scouts that had made the mistake of taking their eyes off her. Disposing of the bodies was easy enough, a few slices to let their still warm blood flow and they'd be carnivore food in seconds. Taking their provisions and belongings let her get supplies without needing to worry about money. Or unnecessary interaction with others for that matter. 

"It's your own fault," Zulu said coldly to the dead hitmen, not caring that they couldn't hear her. While in the middle of her clean-up, she lost her vision for several minutes and had to steady herself against a tree. As sight came back to her, she started coughing and blinked at her hand to find blood. In a voice that sounded almost confused, she let out a single "Oh". 

The next morning Zulu rode her Hover-Cycle back to Narcu's International Spaceport, where her small cargo ship, the Supernova, was tucked away in one corner of the loading bay. After storing her Hover-Cycle in the cargo deck of the Supernova, she did an inventory check and made sure her other cargo was secure. Quickly and thoroughly she did a maintenance check before double checking everything. 

"Everything check out?" One of the loading bay personnel came up to make sure there were no problems. 

"If it didn't, you'd know," Zulu told him pointedly. The icy blaze in her eyes caused the young mechanic to shiver involuntarily. It reminded him of a story he was once told. A story of a young woman whose seemingly happy life and bright future were stolen by a corrupt military and government system. He wondered if this woman who could kill with a glance had a similar life to the story.