Aliens from all over the galaxy filled the bar. It was dark and the crowd was rough. Smugglers, gamblers, and outright killers. No one would have thought Xalera Sarel was any different. She did her job and did it well. No one was allowed to judge her by what she did. Or so she thought. A Derex, an alien with six eyes and yellow green skin pushed her aside causing her to spill her drink. She drew her laser and pushed back. The Derex fell to the floor. He yelled in Derexian, swearing multiple times.
She replied by saying, "you started it and if you want to die push back," in Derexian. She held up the laser and asked for another drink. The bartender handed it to her and walked away. She buried her thoughts of the days work and took a gulp. Blurriness overtook her for a moment but she blinked and was fully aware of her surroundings. She looked around the bar to see the different aliens and few humans. A furry Carria sat in a booth glugging a tall glass of Carrian liqueur. He finished and before he could set his glass down, passed out. Xalera shook her head and took a swig of her spicy drink.
A few booths down from the Carrian sat a human pilot. Or at least a mostly human pilot. He was greenish in color but when he took a drink he turned blue for a moment after. His pilots suit was orange which made him look even more green. Xalera focused her attention back on her drink. Someone touched her arm moving her armor. She was wearing a blood red set of armor that went from her knees to her neck to her wrists. Below her knees and underneath the armor was a black jumpsuit. She carried a red mask with black stripes down the sides. She rarely took off her mask in public. She could be recognized as a bounty hunter too quickly. She did like to make friends and visit family as herself, not the bounty hunter, mostly called Alania, a Barelian word for death. Xalera drained the last of her drink and put the mask on, clipping it to the neck of her armor. An alien gasped, realizing who she was.
'Must be a newbie in these parts,' Xalera thought, 'most everyone in this bar knows who I am.' A human with a surly face and an angry demeanor walked up to Xalera.
"Hey Xal. I need a favor for a friend of mine."
"Sure," Xalera replied, her voice changed because of the mask.
He handed her a piece of paper and walked away. She scanned the room then looked down at it, her hand on her laser.
'Naloren Ashcax, bounty: 5,000 cred chips on delivery. Any means necessary.' The write up was followed by a picture and a location. The location was Takerun, a planet that Xalera liked. She would enjoy seeing it again, even if she was going on a cheap bounty hunt. She rarely took anything under 50,000 cred chips. It wasn't worth her time and skill. She threw a few cred chips to the bartender, checked all her weapons and left. She walked down a few back alleys and the rough street crowd stayed out of her way.
"Hey Xal!" a kid yelled.
She raised her hand in a wave, but continued to her ship. She finally reached her landing pad and walked up to her ship. She pressed a button on the side of her mask and on the ship then said her passcode and the hatch opened. She walked aboard and quickly closed the hatch behind her. He ship was shaped like an upside down L. The lower portion was the engines and storage, while the upper compartment was the cockpit, holding cell, and other necessary things.
Xalera made her way up the small stairway to the cockpit. She finally reached the top and walked to the cockpit to sit in her chair. She pushed a few buttons and the ship took off.
"Permission to take off, traffic control."
"You will be sent an exit vector, please stand by."
Numbers ran across her screen and a red line showed her where to go on her view screen.
"Thank you, traffic control."
"Have a safe flight."
The bounty hunter snorted. She was always under attack by other bounty hunters from the galactic government. They felt that the galaxy was too dangerous with her around. She didn't mind the challenge though. It kept her on her toes.
She pushed the ship out of atmosphere to make the jump to hyperspace. A ship jumped into the system right in front of her. It sped away leaving a blue-green trail.
'Must need repairs,' the bounty hunter thought. She pushed a few buttons and pulled a lever. The hyper engine powered up with a hum and pushed her past light speed. She got up and walked away from the helm. She felt a bit hungry. She slowly made her way to the back of the ship for some food.

*****
Beeping filled the small lounge and Xalera ran to the cockpit. She pulled back the lever and the ship slowed. She looked down at the beautiful planet. 'Even more beautiful when I get paid to be here,' she thought, lifting the paper to her face. The mans picture stared back.
'He doesn't seem like a criminal. Probably did something real bad to upset Pori's friend. She brought the ship down into the atmosphere of the planet. She left the paper on the chair beside hers.
"What is your destination and ships registered name?"
"My ship is The Tracer and I'm headed for Wynu, the biggest city."
"OK. Your landing bay is C64. It's the bottom level."
"Thanks," Xalera said with a smirk. She always got the C level. She landed her ship expertly and shut off the power. Taking a crystal from under the controls she left the ship with the paper. The crystal was a vital part of the controls. Without it nothing would work because no commands would get to the systems. She put the crystal in a pouch inside her armor and locked her ship using her finger print.
She looked around suspiciously and checked her laser. She also checked her dart gun and loaded the correct darts in it. A few people jumped out of her way as she walked to the lift to go to ground level. A few hid while others mumbled things as the bounty hunter walked by. But they were not her prey.

*****
Over the next day Xalera asked in the bars and local hangouts about Naloren Ashcax. She received allot of answers. A few said he had left for the outer rim when he double crossed 'Shux.' Obviously Pori's friend. Many others told Xalera that he was hiding in the lower levels. The lower levels were underground. The government frowned upon the activities that went on in the lower levels but they did nothing about it. Many smugglers, murderers and other unfriendly types lived in the lower levels. Xalera found many of her bounties down there.
'This should be simple,' she thought.
She rented a hovermech and went to the outskirts of the city. At the edge of the city was a cliff. She turned off the power and pushed off the edge. She fell silently with it. She only fell for a few seconds and she powered up the engine and shot into the dark cavern that lay before her. She turned the lights on the hovermech to see where she was going. She traveled for a few moments then came to a stop and turned off the power to the hovermech. She jumped out and walked to a hole in the ground. One light lit the whole cavern revealing ships of all sizes. She stepped on a rock and a lift came up. Xalera stepped on it and it took her down to the lower levels.
It took her to a large, brightly lit and highly illegal bar. At Dar's you could buy or sell anything or kill anyone and no one would care.
"Hey Alania! Who are you here for this time?"
Xalera smiled under her mask. Here she was known only as Alania. She didn't trust anyone here. Back home she trusted only a few with her real name. She walked up to the bartender and leaned in close.
"I'm here for a man named Naloren Ashcax. Do you know him?"
"Can't say I do. Sorry."
"He looks like this," she said, holding up the paper. The bartender squinted in the light.
"Oh yeah. Came in here a couple of nights ago. He's stayin' near the ship yard he said."
"Thank you," Xalera said tossing him a few cred ships. He smiled and pocketed them.
Xalera set out on the hunt for her prey.

*****
She was close now. She could see him, but couldn't get her dart gun up to shoot him. He led her through the crowd and he quickly scampered down the lamp lit street. Xalera followed like a hunter after prey, her gun now held high. An old woman touched her arm as she passed.
"Do you wish to see your future?"
"No, I'm busy," Xalera said stopping only to answer the woman.
"Ah yes. Rushing off to your death. Ah yes..." the woman mumbled.
Xalera shook her hand off and continued down the street. She followed Naloren into a dark building. He took the lift and she raced up the stairs to the second floor. She burst through the doors without thinking about the possibility of a trap. She was the best shot in the outer rim and could get anyone, or so she thought.
"Hands up bounty hunter!" Naloren spat. He was holding a laser and his six friends on either side of her had two each. Two more came up the stairs behind her, blocking her escape. She dropped her dart gun and raised her hands.
"How long did you know I was tracking you?"
Naloren grinned, "I put you on my trail. We have a mutual friend, you and I."
Xalera cocked her head, but said nothing.
"Pori knew nothing of my plan to kill you. To rid the universe of such evil is an honor."
"I'm not evil. I do other peoples dirty work for them."
"You have no mercy."
"For the right cred chips I do."
"Money," Naloren spat.
Xalera nodded.
"Disarm yourself. Some of these will fetch a nice price."
Naloren rubbed his hands together in glee, his laser hanging off his thumb.
Xalera took of all her weapons. The knives out of her armor and the poisonous darts out of he pockets. When she was done a small pile was at her feet.
"Take off your mask, Alania."
"I am not Alania when I take off my mask. If you kill me without my mask, you kill an innocent daughter of Nollan not a bounty hunter."
"Very well. Now you die, Alania."
The laser echoed through the dark hallway and down the stairwell. Alania fell to the ground limp. In her dying moment she had forgotten what the wise woman had told her. Now it was too late.
Naloren lowered his laser and walked over to the body. He picked off the mask and seen Xalera. He thought for a moment, returned the mask to it's place, picked up some of the weapons and left.

*****
A month later Xalera's ship, the tracer, sent a message. It's last. Xalera had programmed it to send a message to her father if she didn't touch her ship for a month. Which would mean she had died. He father on Nollan walked over to his view screen where a flashing light told him that he had received a message. He clicked play and watched the following message with tears in his eyes.
"Hello father," Xalera started. She was wearing the red bounty hunter suit without the mask.
"I programmed this message over a month ago, to send if I did not come back to my ship for a month. Now you must accept that I am gone. I never told you what I do. Or did, I should say." she lifted up her mask and put it to her face.
"I am, or was, the bounty hunter Alania. I most likely was killed by a quarry or by another who wanted my death. I am sorry for keeping this a secret. please forgive me, and good bye."

This was just one of those stories that I had to write to get out of my system. Also I just finished my other story 'The Runaways' and now I'm a little bored because I have nothing else to write about. But Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, please r/r and Keep Writing!