Smoke and Mirrors

[Zapp]

To hunt, one must be able to think like the prey, act like the prey, and be the prey. Having been on the receiving end of the Bounty Hunter hunt before, she knew how things worked. Some things were universal, and while each person was unique in approaches to problem-solving (and running), it all ended in only a very few ways. She went to her room and took the files, which had somehow managed to find their way there through a locked door that showed no signs of forced entry. She sighed and rubbed her temples, looking at the background info provided. Not much, and nothing on their crimes besides a very brief "treason against the Guild". Esther grimaced and thought. It was what the bad Hunters didn't think was necessary. To most, it was a job of thugs, shooting things and getting paid.

To Esther Carson, it was an art. Cat and mouse. An age-old and time-honored exchange between hunter and hunted. It took relatively little thought. She analyzed her thought process in their situation. Apparently, they had fled Sheffield. In a relatively short time, she'd want to find a safe haven. Newcastle was one jump away via a jump hole, and held three pirate bases, but it was unlikely they'd go that way. How to explain to pirates that they weren't Bounty Hunters in a pair of BHG ships? Her mind skipped the elimination of what it couldn't be and leaped straight to exactly what she'd do: head to Freeport 4. (Interesting of note, Esther Carson had been chased by the Guild from Sheffield before, and Freeport 4 was exactly where she ran). From there, it depended on what opportunities presented themselves. Momentarily refreshing herself with a glass of ice-cold lemonade, Esther quickly moved to the launch bay and the Prodigal Daughter. She was on the hunt, and there was no moving slow when you were trying to bring down prey.

Of course... she did slow down on the way to the docking bay. It was too obvious, and the record showed they had been on the run for nearly half a year. Esther leaned against a wall as the hustle and bustle of the station washed by, thinking. The bounty size was enormous, that much was for sure. She had been watching it for some time, noting how it went up. Hell, she had been waiting for it to stop going up to try and collect. It was quite obvious these two were pros, and that no two-bit Hunter would be getting lucky here. Rethinking her path, she nonetheless continued to the Prodigal Daughter, her Orca-class Gunboat.

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