Thousand Stellars of Disrespect
In Solari-3, inside the main headquarters of Mercury's Bounty Hunters Organization, the atmosphere was tense. The building stood tall in the heart of the city, and deep within its core was a room with black walls and old, framed paintings hanging around. A sleek desk stood in the center, cluttered with documents and gadgets. Behind it sat a man in a sharp black suit, his face lowered under the shadow of his fedora. A robot silently served him a fresh cup of coffee.
Suddenly, the door opened, and another man entered in haste. "Sir, that Arka—"
"I know. I've already received the report," the suited man interrupted, lifting the cup to his lips.
The man at the door nodded cautiously. "Then… what should we do? Should we raise the bounty on his head?"
The man in the chair leaned back slightly, thinking. A moment of silence passed before he finally gave the order, firm and direct.
"Raise his bounty to one thousand Stellars."
---
Arka stared at the paper on the ground, his eye twitching in pure frustration. "What?! They only raised it to a thousand?! Why not ten thousand?! My feat was unmatchable!" he shouted, kicking a nearby rock as the wind fluttered the bounty slip.
The paper read clearly in bold letters:
---
Arka
The Revolutionary
Bounty: 1,000 Stellars
Wanted for: Killing Civilians, Destruction of Public Property, Destruction of Titan-09, unauthorized use of unknown techniques.
---
"Tch," Arka scoffed, crossing his arms. "After all that, this is the best they could do?" He looked at device.
[WELL, IT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING.]
"Shut up, Lisa. I just wiped a whole gang off the map and crushed a military robot. I should be feared galaxy-wide, not underpaid."
He glanced at the bounty poster once more and smirked, "Fine then. I'll just give them more reasons to raise it."
Arka hopped onto his bike, adjusting the AR glasses as he revved the engine. "Lisa, show the map. We're heading to Solari-2's Red Light District, it is—"
[WHAT?! ARE YOU INTO THESE THINGS NOW?] Lisa cut in with a shocked tone.
"Shut your mouth," Arka replied with a sigh. "That place is popular among bandits with high bounties. I'll go hunt them down and get my bounty raised."
[OH... WELL, THAT MAKES MORE SENSE. STILL SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCUSE TO ME THOUGH.]
"Whatever," he muttered, then accelerated the bike, launching into the sky with a loud roar.
The red-light district was covered in pink and neon lights. All around were women wearing revealing clothes, looking for clients. Arka stood at the entrance with his arms crossed. "So this is the district."
[BE CAREFUL AROUND, THESE WOMEN WILL TRY TO SEDUCE YOU AND MAKE THEIR WAY OUT BUT YOU HAVE TO CONTROL YOUR MIND AND DON'T GIVE IN.]
"Don't teach me!" Arka said and walked inside. He looked around as he moved forward. Most of the men around were ugly and drunk, sticking close to the prostitutes. The buildings were glowing in pink and neon, filled with flashy boards and music playing from every corner.
Arka smirked, "Lisa, how much will my bounty raise if I massacred all the bandits here?"
[DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! FROM MY CALCULATION, THERE ARE MORE THAN 200 BANDITS IN THIS DISTRICT. YOU CAN'T TAKE ON ALL OF THEM ALONE. EVEN WITH YOUR ABILITIES, YOUR STAMINA WILL RUN OUT FAST.]
Arka clicked his tongue in irritation, "Tch. I have to get more stamina, I guess," he muttered, walking through the street with his hands in his pockets.
Suddenly, two women pulled him into a corner. One leaned close with a sultry smile. "Want to have some fun, mister? I'll give you that for only 10 Stellars. Others are charging 15."
The other woman stepped in, brushing her hair aside flirtatiously. "And I'm only taking 9 Stellars. Come with me instead."
Arka sighed, clearly unimpressed. "This district really is filled with desperation," he muttered under his breath.
"I'm okay, I don't need it. I'm here for something else," Arka said calmly, taking a step back to put some distance between them.
The two women exchanged glances, a little surprised by his rejection. One of them gave a short scoff and muttered, "Suit yourself, mister."
Arka adjusted his coat and looked around the district again, his eyes sharp and focused. Now, where are those high-bounty bastards hiding?