Page 18 of Shellshock

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Caligher chased their target down with unwavering glee. He stopped short, causing Lucca to nearly slam into his ship.

“Alright. There he is!” he said with giddy anticipation.

A vast pause stretched between them.

The thing ahead of them was a towering party yacht. Five stories tall and gaudy as sin, it resembled a Las Vegas hotel, or maybe a drug lord’s mansion. Through the windows were twisted alien trees. Most of the balconies were equipped with heavy artillery, facing out.

The construct was interesting. She’d give it that.

“Well, let’s hide our presence then,” he said.

“Cal.”

“Hm?”

“That’s a different ship.”

“…Oh.Whoopsies!”

Did he just—

He took off flying before she could ask. His next stop was more gradual.

“Okay, Lucca, now can you hide us?”

“Doing it now.”

“Good. Oh, shit, he’sright up there,” he whispered. He sounded so excited. She checked her monitor and confirmed that it was indeed the pirate—stalled in the distance. A quicksand feeling formed in her gut as she studied the silver vessel.

“I feel like he’s baiting us out,” she said.

“Maybe. Stay close. I’m going to move in and jump in.”

“Wait, Cal. A ship like that might be trapped.” Could she hack into the pirate’s ship? It was a dicey, risky subject. “Let me check something before you make the jump.”

They crept overhead where Caligher could stage his landing from his invisible vantage point. Lucca wouldn’t do anything yet—she wouldn’t risk revealing their positions. But she could be prepared for when Caligher needed her.

She checked everything. Precision was key to staying alive in a universe looking for ways to rip her to shreds.

The pirate was visible through his cockpit window, pacing back and forth, lost in thought.

He stopped—then unexpectedly looked straight up, meeting her eyes through her monitor. As if he could see her there. Her heart skipped before plunging straight into her stomach. The pirate hadn’t glanced up randomly.

He was holding her stare.

“Cal, he… knows I’m here.”

“What?”

“He’s just looking up at me. Maybe it’s my ship.”

Maybe that file gave him a way to track her.

The pirate approached his console, eyes pinned to her position. Lucca felt herself losing her nerve. She decided right then and there that bounty-hunting wasn’t the business for her.

“Keep close,” she whispered, slowly rolling her ship backward. The pirate’s eyes followed her trajectory, confirming his awareness.

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