Project Prometheus Ch. 54 - Teaser (Patreon)

“What? That asshole who decked Talon and imprisoned Shazza was supposed to be transferred to a prison colony, but he got away! Why shouldn’t we go after the piece of shit?” Priya questioned.

“No arguments or complaints from me on that note, babe! I’d like to stick my foot so far up his ass that the water from my knee will quench that playboy’s thirst,” Inari told her girlfriend. This elicited a snorting laugh from Priya, who couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the imagery.

“You and that sense of humor of yours! I swear… it will be the death of me!” Priya giggled as she got herself under control.

“Well, let’s just hope that the bounties we picked up will be enough to keep the more… bold hunters off our tails,” Inari said with a wan smile.

“When was the last time anyone wanted to willingly tangle with us?” Priya posed, reminding Inari of the status they held within the guild’s ranks.

“You do make a fair point, love,” Inari admitted.

Both women knew of what they were speaking of and that was one of the unwritten rules of the Bounty Hunter’s code. One of the biggest rules of the code was that if any hunter had a quarry already in their custody, or under their protection, then every other hunter was to leave them be.

Sometimes, when bounties were posted, they were posted for the wrong reasons or the reasons were built upon lies. Such incidents did occur, and when they did, the mark in question could try appealing to a separate hunter for protection. It didn’t happen often, but on occasions when they did, the quarry in question was rendered untouchable by any other hunters.

Even with Korsa and Taal’ani being high-level targets, because they were under the protection of Inari and Priya, no one could come after them. They could try, but they not only risked meeting their gods to face to face, but it also ran the risk of being disbarred from the guild. For those who were in the guild long enough knew that this was one unwritten rule that was never bent, much less broken, no matter the price on their quarry’s head.

Any hunters who violated this one rule were summarily disbarred and told to never even attempt to reapply, as they have shown themselves to be honorless dogs. Such people were never given a second chance, because the honor of a bounty hunter had to be as good as their word.

If it wasn’t, then how could they be trusted to do things by the guild’s rules? Such hunters were worth less than the dirt beneath their boots and were never given the time of day. Not only were they not worth the trouble, but they also had no qualms about breaking any rule, written or unwritten. Such lack of respect would always see those who played fast and loose with the rules removed with extreme prejudice.

“All right then. We probably should get back to the rest of the crew. Let’s hope they managed to secure everything we need to get our project up and online,” Inari stated.

“And what we need to fix Zuzie up,” Priya said, walking arm in arm with her girlfriend.

“Yes, especially that!” Inari agreed as the pair left the Bounty Hunter’s Guild hall. While what they found wasn’t what they had hoped, it was at least a step forward. They also now had a chance to not only have the bounties on their friends rescinded but also to be Blacklisted!

When it came to bounties, there was very little that could deter a hunter from going after said target. Unless said target had a poster who couldn’t pay, or they were Blacklisted from being hunted. Either case was rare, but being part of the bounty roster’s Blacklist was even more so. If you were Blacklisted, that meant that you were a forbidden target, and not only you wouldn’t be paid, but there would soon be a bounty put out on you!

If you had the money, the influence, or were in exceptional circumstances, then you could apply to be added to the Blacklist. Getting on the Blacklist was an insurmountable task, as it required a unanimous vote of the entire council to enact it. This was why it was so rare, as such people who required this protection were easily as rare.

While they normally wouldn’t have even dreamed of being applied to be Blacklisted in the first place, circumstances had changed drastically. They were likely to be hunted by a government entity who would experiment on their friends for the powers they held. Not only that, but the crew alone were the only ones who knew of the location of something extremely valuable to the rest of the galaxy; the location of the Perseus.

Though Inari would be reluctant to let the council have that particular piece of information. But with all things considered, it might be needed to pull off a successful negotiation. There might also have to be some bribes, or ‘gifts’ to consider, but whatever price they needed to pay would have to be paid. Though the council was often impartial with their decisions, a little bit of play in their direction couldn’t hurt.

Inari sighed as she thought through the whole thing as they made their way into the restaurant zone of the station. There was a lot to think about as they would make their way to Terra Nova, along with every angle it was to be played from. She only hoped that the options they had would be enough to make it work.