Traja perched on a rooftop, her sharp eyes hidden behind the visor of her advanced combat helmet, scanning the chaotic urban landscape below. She clicked her tongue as her main target, Ubel disappeared from her sight. Her fingers danced lightly over the trigger of her sniper rifle as she aimed her sights to track her prey. Her pulse was steady, and her aim remained true, but she could sense something was off.
Then something primal flickered inside her—a warning.
Instinct kicked in, and she narrowly dodged several rifle rounds that hissed past her head. Traja’s eyes widened under her helmet— she spotted four intruders in her killzone. She already had a gut feeling that this was no ordinary squad—their advanced combat suits allowing them to leap from rooftop to rooftop like predators in pursuit, their thrusters carrying them effortlessly through the urban sprawl. Seeing that her location had now been compromised, she relocated.
“Shit! She disappeared from our sight. Ursa, Eris! She must have detected you! Move with caution!” Creed yelled at his holo that was connected with the two women now advancing in great speed to their target.
Traja, now in a different position, quickly adjusted her rifle and stance and then aimed. She fired a quick burst at Ursa, the rifle shot with high caliber rounds, splitting the cold air. Each blast is powerful enough to obliterate a small structure. The bullets tore through air and masonry alike. But Eris’ reaction was faster, moving like a shadow, darting between covers. Traja’s sniper rounds always miss her target by inches.
Leaping between buildings with ease, Ursa and Eris used the surrounding architecture as both cover and springboards. Ursa rolled into cover behind a ventilation unit as Traja’s next shot obliterated the corner of the building she had just passed. She was now targeting both of them. Her ballistic rounds left massive craters on the rooftops and walls. Traja tried to track her, but Ursa’s combat suit was built for speed and agility. Every time Traja lined up a shot, Ursa was gone, taking cover behind a rooftop vent, or sliding between the jagged edges of broken buildings. Then Traja spotted two more intruders on the streets below. But decided to focus her attention on the two that were leaping across rooftops. She deemed them to be more of a threat than the two at the winding lower urban labyrinth. The four were communicating with each other in Holo as they sped toward their target building.
“How’s the commander?” Marus asked Eris and Ursa as he sped across the streets, dodging crowds and stalls.
“He’s not the commander anymore, did you forget?” Mei corrected Marus.
“Ah!”
“He’s fine. But enough chatter, we need to take this sniper out first.” Eris interrupted their banter.
"That fucker is hard to kill anyway." Ursa inserted.
"Hahaha! True!" Marus nodded in amusement.
“Creed just passed me some information. It seems Elpano had opened up. His former crew snitched on their rogue member who quit earlier. And the name of the sniper is Traja, an experienced female Bounty Hunter and Tracker.” Mei said. “Elpano mentioned that she was their group’s assassin.”
“So, she’s that good, damn.” Marus sighed as he slid across the rooftop.
“It doesn’t matter.” Ursa leaped to another building. “She’ll die like others.”
Eris signaled to the others, her voice calm and tactical through the comm.
"We’re closing in. Stay low, use the structures."
"But we’re not getting close if we keep moving like this. She’ll pick us off when we climb" Marus nodded, his voice grim.
"She can try." Mei chuckled in response, her voice full of excitement.
The sniper, fired again, this time at Marus and Mei. The shot missed, but the kinetic force behind the blast destroyed a water tank below, sending metal debris crashing down to the panicking civilians and forcing Marus to leap out of the way just as another shot zipped past his head.
"She’s tracking us too well," Mei said, her voice quick but controlled. "We need to split up. Misdirect her attention"
Both went in separate routes and used the tight alleys and cramped urban sprawl to their advantage. Traja fired round after round, each shot decimating parts of the cityscape—windows shattered, rooftops caved in, and entire sections of walls exploded into clouds of dust and rubble. Despite her lethal accuracy, her shots were becoming increasingly wild as her targets stayed one step ahead, zig-zagging through the narrow labyrinthian streets below and the chaotic messy rooftops above.
Mei took a different approach, circling and scaling the side of a building with her suit’s thrusters, moving silently along the vertical surface. She fired a small EMP grenade at Traja’s perch, but the sniper detected the incoming projectile just in time. Traja kicked off from her position and vaulted to the next rooftop as the grenade detonated, sending a pulse of electricity across the surface where she had been moments earlier.
Traja fired at Mei, her bullet shattering a piece of concrete near her face. Mei barely had time to duck before another shot rang out, sending chunks of debris flying. But the distraction had worked—while Traja had become focused on Mei, Eris, and Ursa used the brief distraction to split up, maneuvering through the complex maze of fire escapes and ledges, each trying to find an angle to close in on Traja, rapidly closing the distance.
Traja's eyes darted from one to the other, calculating their movements. Her HUD flashed alerts, tracking their positions as she fired again, barely missing Mei by inches as she flipped off a balcony to the street below, her armored boots kicking up sparks as she landed. Marus, quick on his feet, fired a grappling hook, swinging himself onto a higher rooftop to flank Traja from another angle.
But Traja had the high ground—and the advantage of distance. Her shots rang out again, tearing through the urban landscape, and sending debris scattering across the rooftops. She breathed in sharply, lining up another kill shot.
And then it hit her—she lost sight of the two; Eris and Ursa.
Then, realizing too late that she had fallen into their trap, she quickly recalibrated her rifle. In a burst of thruster-assisted speed, Traja leaped to a higher rooftop, gaining a better vantage point. She quickly scanned the area, her advanced visor analyzing the shifting battlefield.
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But Ursa and Eris were already waiting.
Her senses flared again, but too late this time. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two figures explode from her blind spot. Ursa came in hard and fast, her blade sweeping in a deadly arc. Traja spun on instinct, using her sniper rifle to block the incoming attack. Sparks flew as the energy blade clashed against metal, shattering part of its frame. Before she could regain her balance, Eris followed up with a flurry of strikes, forcing Traja to backpedal. The force of the impact knocked her rifle out of her hands, sending it skittering across the rooftop.
Then in a split second, Ursa saw an opportunity, and launched forward, her boot connecting with Traja’s head in a powerful kick. The impact was devastating, Traja’s helmet shattered to pieces under the blow. The sound of metal cracking echoed as the bounty hunter’s head snapped back, and she stumbled, dazed from the impact. But her muscle reflex acted and responded by somersaulting backward, putting distance between herself and her attackers then reaching for the blade at her side.
Her helmet was ruined, revealing her face—long black hair matted with blood, and her red eyes glowing with an eerie intensity, even in the dim light of the cityscape. Blood trickled down her forehead, but she grinned through the pain, clearly relishing the fight. As she took a few more steps back to gain distance, Mei and Marus arrived, their boots thudding against the roof, forming a deadly quartet.
"Well, well... aren't you a beauty..." Eris genuinely praised the appearance of Traja, with venomous intent.
Now the hunter was outnumbered and cornered, with no way to retreat.
The four of them circled her like wolves around wounded prey. They could see that Traja’s combat suit was top-tier, better equipped than anyone they had seen. But even Traja knew her situation was now beyond grim. Mei and Marus unsheathed their blades, glowing faintly with energy. The air was thick with tension as they faced off against the sniper, waiting for the moment to strike.
But Traja wasn’t done yet. They could see it in her eyes—the cold determination of a hunter. One of the four stepped forward, their blades humming in the cold air.
Eris tilted her head, her voice cutting through the silence.
"By the way, who are you working for, Traja?" Her voice was sharp, demanding. "We know you used to work with Elpano. But just in case you didn’t know, he already called off the contract on Ubel’s head."
"Elpano? That washed-up coward? I’m not here for the bounty." Traja, still breathing heavily, grinned beneath, her voice dripping with pride. That statement caught them off guard.
"Then what the hell are you after?" Eris asked, her blade held at the ready.
"You think this is about credits? You don’t get it, do you?" Traja’s grin widened. "I’m here for the hunt."
“Hunt?” Marus asked in confusion.
“That boy, named Ubel… he is my pride… and my prize. And you are just distractions for this sacred ritual.”
Her words hung in the air like a taunt.
"So, you’re here for the thrill of taking him down." Ursa clenched her fists, her muscles tensing as she understood what Traja was saying. The realization hit them all at once.
"You’re insane, though I don’t think I can say that when your prey is as insane as you," Eris smirked.
But Traja wasn’t listening anymore. Her focus had shifted. All four of them understood what had to be done. Realizing that no amount of talking would get them answers, the group exchanged a glance. There was no reasoning with her. This had to end. So without a word, they shifted their stances, unsheathing their blades, ready to strike. The air crackled with anticipation as they prepared for the deadly exchange.
Their clash was immediate. Ursa’s blade whistled through the air, aimed at Traja’s torso, but the bounty hunter moved with inhuman speed, parrying the attack with a precise block before spinning into a kick that knocked Ursa off-balance. Mei and Marus followed right after, their blades went blurry as they attempted to corner her. Mei’s strikes were sharp and calculated, aiming for Traja’s joints, while Marus wielded his energy blade with brute strength, slicing through the air in powerful arcs.
But Traja wasn’t an ordinary opponent. She moved like water, flowing between attacks with practiced ease. She ducked under Marus’s swing and sidestepped Mei’s slash, countering with a strike to Mei’s helmet, sending her staggering back. The force of her blow rattled Mei, but the group was able to cover for her in a split second and this allowed her to recover quickly, snarling in frustration.
Eris circled, her stance low and predatory. With a quick dash, she closed in, her blade aimed at Traja’s side. But Traja was ready, catching Eris’s wrist mid-swing and twisting it, forcing Eris to drop her blade. Ursa dashed forward, blades outstretched, aiming to free Eris from Traja’s grip. Traja grinned behind her shattered visor, kicking Eris forward into Ursa’s path, forcing them to collide. Then Traja’s blade clashed with Marus’s energy sword, the sound of metal screeching as they locked eyes. She ducked low, sweeping Marus’s legs out from under him before spinning into a brutal backhand that knocked him off his feet. With a fluid motion, she rolled back to create distance, ready for the next round.
It was a dance of death. Despite their coordinated efforts, they couldn’t land a decisive blow. Traja was no slouch. Her movements were honed from countless battles, a lethal mix of bounty hunter instinct and tracker’s cunning. She moved like a shadow, fluid and unpredictable, her blade flashing in arcs that parried and countered the incoming strikes from all sides. But the numbers were against her. Each time she blocked one attack, another would come from a different angle, forcing her to stay on the defensive.
Ursa came in from the left, slashing at Traja’s exposed flank, but Traja blocked the strike with her forearm guard, sparks flying as the blades collided. Eris, recovering from her earlier disarm, lunged again, this time faster, more furious. The fight escalated into a whirlwind of steel, energy, and adrenaline. Blades clashed, sparks flew, and the rooftop trembled under the weight of their battle. Traja weaved between them, her footwork impeccable. Despite being outnumbered, she held her own, her skill as a tracker and bounty hunter evident in every precise movement.
But it was chaos. The rooftop was slick with debris, unstable from the previous rounds of sniper fire and explosions. And that’s when it happened— Traja’s boot caught on a degraded part of the rooftop. Her balance faltered for a split second, but it was enough for Mei to seize the opportunity. With a powerful roundhouse kick, Mei slammed her armored boot into Traja’s chest. The impact was brutal, sending Traja crashing into the wall on the rooftop with a sharp crack.
Traja slowly recovered, grinning despite the blood running down her face. Eris’s eyes widened beneath her visor.
"Everyone, get back!"
The rooftop rumbled as the bombs exploded, sending shards of debris flying in every direction. The shockwave knocked the four pirates back, but their combat suits protected them from the brunt of the blast.
When the smoke finally cleared, Traja was gone.
“She got away...” Eris dusted herself off, shaking her head, which was full of dirt and specks of dust. "Shame, she would be a nice addition to my bed."
“Nahhhh... that bitch is a monster. I don’t want to fight her again. That woman is also a weirdo, very much like Ubel.” Mei grumbled, rubbing her shoulder then let out a low whistle. While Marus groaned, standing up and cracking his neck.
“We’re alive, aren’t we? That’s something.”
They exchanged glances, a silent agreement passing between them. They had survived the encounter, but barely. As they regrouped and checked their gear, Ursa sighed deeply.
“Let’s get back to the others. Ubel’s probably sitting there all smug while we’ve been out here doing all the hard work.”
“Yeah, I could use a drink,” Eris smirked.
As they made their way back, they rendezvous with the reinforcements, some of them setting up a perimeter that had been meant to trap Traja.
"Next time," Marus muttered, "I’d prefer if we could just shoot her from a distance."
They all agreed in unison. The team, battle-worn but alive, began their trek back to the cantina where Ubel and the others awaited them.