Dead Men Have No Legacies: Stories of a Seasoned Bounty Hunter

Chapter 10

After I finished eating breakfast, I decided to leave for Du'Vuna. I have a lucrative bounty waiting for me to collect, so who was I to wait?

"Remember to watch your back when you get to Du'Vuna, mate," Boreas told me through our comms system as I fired up the engines of my ship, "Messing with a crime family is deadly business–Especially the Arestosos Family. They're notorious in the Ristos System for a reason."

"I only deal in deadly business, partner," I told him, smirking behind my helmet, "Du'Vuna is nothing but a large city, isn't it."

"Not all of it. The Arestosos manor is located in one of the only patches of forest left on the planet. However, have fun finding it."

"Can you get me an informant."

"I'll try. You're taking one hell of a risk just traveling to Du'Vuna. Just because it's a core planet doesn't mean it's all sunshine and rainbows."

"I know that." I replied as I left Erastus' atmosphere. "Trust me, I know how to cover my tracks. I've done this for a while, Boreas."

"Still, I can't help but worry about you, man."

Silence enveloped our conversation, and I was left alone with my thoughts. I'm still amazed Boreas stuck around even after getting married and having a kid five years ago...He should've just left me so he could take care of his family. Instead, he's risking his life by helping me...

"Have you talked to your wife recently?" I prompted Boreas before I could stop myself.

I could tell I caught him off guard. "Erm–yeah. I talked to Janet yesterday. Why?"

"How's your boy?"

"Daniel? He's doing great. Why do you ask?"

I sighed. "Just wanted to make sure the safe house I found for them was satisfactory. I know they weren't happy with moving, but I tried to make it easy on them."

"You didn't have to do that, man. I'm sure they could've stayed on Erastus–."

"It's bad enough my competition knows I don't work alone. If they knew your family was on Erastus, they'd be dead already," I reminded him, "I can work to keep your identity anonymous, but it'd be too difficult to hide your entire family."

I heard his voice catch in his throat. "R-Right...Yeah, they're enjoying the house you found for them on Solara. It's away from the Core Ring, and it's a nondescript planet."

I nodded to myself. "Good."

I heard him hesitate before speaking once again. "Listen...If it's possible...Can we visit them after you take care of a few more bounties."

"We'll have to be careful...But I don't see why not."

"Thanks, Cylus."

"Of course. You're risking your neck by sticking with me, so it's only fair I take care of your family."

I heard him huff out a soft laugh. "Y'know, I hear a lotta talk about you when I go to buy supplies on Erastus. People think you're some kind of spectre that pops up, kills its target, and vanishes. They're all wrong, of course. You might be a bounty hunter, but you're a good guy. That's why I chose to stick with you over leaving and taking care of my family."

I was at a loss for words–I doubted I could say anything in response to what Boreas said. Me, a good guy. A voice in my head echoed. Right, a bounty is put on my head every six months or so, and I kill anyone who tries to kill me. Of course I'm a good guy!

I shut that voice up and focused on reaching Du'Vuna. It, along with five other planets, formed a section of the Ristos system commonly referred to as the Core Ring. The capital planet of the system is called Versalio, and it's actually not a bad place. Unfortunately for me and Boreas, I'm a wanted man on that planet since I gunned down a UTF agent that had tried to force my partner to give him money. I didn't care if the bastard was corrupt or not: no one messes with Boreas.