{"data":{"id":16908,"title":"Phantom Bounty: Part Four","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/16908-Phantom-Bounty-Part-Four","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/16908","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/16908","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Phantom Bounty","images":[{"id":22591,"name":"PhantomBounty-PartFour.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/l72ruee757twtr\/source\/PhantomBounty-PartFour.jpg","alt":"","size":404783,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2018-12-17T17:51:13+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/22591","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/22591\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Phantom Bounty: Part Four was published originally in Jump Point 3.4. Read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.\nMila was a traitor. She\u2019d risked her career as a bounty hunter . . . had betrayed her partner, Rhys, to free Casey. Was it all worth it? Had Casey been telling the truth about her father developing bioweapons?\n\nMila snuck a glance at Casey as she returned to the co-pilot\u2019s seat. The dark-haired woman offered her a small smile, then harnessed herself into her seat. Mila\u2019s childhood friend. A terrorist.\n\nThe emptiness of space loomed before them, nothing but darkness beyond Devana\u2019s forward screen. Mila gripped the controls so tightly her hands ached.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve managed to mask our signal,\u201d Casey said, \u201cbut it\u2019s a temporary fix only. We have a half hour. No more.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow . . . ?\u201d\n\nCasey explained the method, and Mila shook her head, partially in awe of the hacking skills required, partially in dismay over the length of the resulting prison sentence if she were caught at it.\n\n\u201cCould have used that trick myself a time or two,\u201d Mila muttered.\n\n\u201cNot if you want to stay on the right side of the law.\u201d Casey cleared her throat. \u201cAfter this is over. Of course. Just picked up the signal on the scanner. Gotta be my contact. The ship\u2019s waiting a few clicks from the jump point.\u201d\n\nMila\u2019s hands grew tighter on the controls as she glanced at the scanner screen. Space normally held the dual promises of endless possibility and endless danger . . . but today it held only danger for her.\n\n\u201cAny sign of the Advocacy?\u201d Mila asked tightly.\n\n\u201cNot yet. But . . . they\u2019ll follow. They always do. Get me to my contact, and we\u2019ll execute the plan.\u201d\n\nMila tried to calm her breathing, but her heart was racing, and she couldn\u2019t make it stop. It was supposed to be simple. Mila would pull up next to the contact ship; Casey would knock her out, then transfer to the other ship. When Rhys and the Advocacy found Mila, she\u2019d tell them Casey took her ship and ran with it. Then everything could go back to normal. Or almost normal. Would Rhys believe the lie? Could she lie to him?\n\nThis was stupid. So stupid. She\u2019d acted rashly. There was no way she could lie well enough to convince the Advocacy and Rhys that Casey had somehow escaped the containment pod, overpowered her, and then locked her inside. But Mila didn\u2019t have another solution.\n\n\u201cStraight ahead.\u201d Casey plotted new coordinates, and Mila followed the trajectory.\n\nA long, sleek yacht came into view in front of them. A few thin lights gleamed along the length of the 890\u2019s hull. The owner of this ship had plenty of money; Casey\u2019s contact was the real deal.\n\n\u201cFreelancer,\u201d came a voice over the comm. \u201cState your business.\u201d\n\nCasey replied, \u201cTell S Whispering Wind approaches.\u201d\n\n\u201cAround which sun does the finest planet orbit?\u201d\n\n\u201cIlios.\u201d\n\nMila\u2019s heart skipped a beat and she slammed a hand over the comm, silencing it. \u201cIlios,\u201d she hissed. \u201cLike the project?\u201d\n\nCasey\u2019s brows rose for a split second, then her expression smoothed. \u201cExactly like that.\u201d\n\n\u201cI thought you destroyed all that data.\u201d\n\n\u201cS has cleared you for docking,\u201d the comm interrupted, \u201cbut we\u2019ll need to scan you at close range.\u201d\n\nCasey pushed Mila\u2019s hand out of the way and hit the comms. \u201cRoger that.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell me what\u2019s going on,\u201d Mila hissed. \u201cWhat is this about Ilios?\u201d\n\nCasey sighed. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you about S. Or Ilios. If I did, I\u2019d have to kill you.\u201d\n\nMila tensed in her seat. There was no hint of humor in Casey\u2019s voice. None. She was serious.\n\n\u201cI risked everything for you!\u201d\n\n\u201cLook . . . all I can say is that People First has friends in high places. They support the cause. But not all friends are created equal. Many do things . . . for their own reasons. And can be persuaded to help if you offer the right terms.\u201d\n\nMila pulled the ship up beside the much longer 890. \u201cThis contact is connected with People First? And what were her terms for you, to get you out of here and betray PF?\u201d\n\nThe 890 commed them before Casey could answer. \u201cWe detect two life signs in the Freelancer. S says you were supposed to come alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cI needed help getting here,\u201d Casey replied tersely.\n\n\u201cS says both of you must board. Or we leave.\u201d\n\nCasey glanced at Mila with a veiled expression, \u201cI\u2019m sorry to drag you into this. But we both have to go over there.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d Panic rushed through Mila, and she tightened her grip on the stick. \u201cNo way. That wasn\u2019t the deal. You go over. I stay here. Or I\u2019m leaving.\u201d\n\n\u201cEvony.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t call me that,\u201d she said through gritted teeth. \u201cMy name is Mila now.\u201d\n\n\u201cMila,\u201d Casey\u2019s voice was low, soothing. \u201cHow do you think it\u2019ll look if we fly away now? They\u2019ll shoot us out of existence and jump without a glance back. You have to go over there. I\u2019ll make sure S sends you back here.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow will you make sure?\u201d\n\n\u201cI just will. Now suit up. We\u2019re wasting too much time. S definitely won\u2019t be happy if the Advocacy shows up at her door. But I\u2019m pretty sure you understand that.\u201d Casey left her seat and headed back to suit up herself.\n\nMila stared at the yacht, trying to decide if she could outmaneuver it and escape. But then what? She had to get rid of Casey, not keep her on board. She let out a frustrated sigh, unbuckled, and headed back to her gear. She ignored Casey, not meeting her gaze.\n\nHer injured shoulder, shot by Casey, cried out in pain as she pulled her suit up. She slapped a new numbing patch on it and continued dressing. As she closed the suit up, her hand touched her necklace.\n\nMila\u2019s heart twisted as she pulled the bronze token over her head. She stared down at it, at the infinity symbol, the special iridescent \u201cgood luck\u201d stones dangling from it, and a new wave of regret washed over her.\n\nRhys had spent some of their last creds on this. To make her happy. Mila took the necklace and tucked it in the space between the bunk and the wall. She didn\u2019t deserve it. And it hadn\u2019t brought her good luck anyway, had it?\n\nWhen Mila got back to the cargo hold, Casey was suited up, her helmet under one arm.\n\n\u201cReady?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah,\u201d Mila mumbled.\n\nThey both latched their helmets on, then Mila depressurized the cargo hold and opened the back ramp. She and Casey pushed off the ramp and drifted toward the 890\u2019s rear lift. When they were inside the empty space, the cage lifted under them, and artificial gravity gently resumed. A light turned green above them, and Casey took off her helmet. Mila did the same.\n\nThey stared at the double doors before them, waiting in tense silence.\n\nThe doors finally slid open, revealing a broad-shouldered man in a dark grey flight suit. \u201cS will see you now.\u201d\n\nThe man stepped into the lift, one hand gripping a pistol, and gestured for Mila and Casey to enter the ship.\n\nMila squared her shoulders and met the man\u2019s hard glare with one of her own. She wouldn\u2019t be afraid of these thugs. She\u2019d faced off against dozens of wanted criminals and come out on top. She could do it again.\n\nAnother pair of guards met them in the next corridor where it widened. One of them patted Casey and Mila down and removed their mobiGlas as the other kept his gun trained on them. When they were satisfied, they led them down the corridor and into a well decorated lounge.\n\nMila\u2019s eyes darted around. The lounge was on two decks, and more guards looked down at them from behind the rail of the upper deck. By the taste displayed here, Casey\u2019s contact was old money. It could have been owned by Mila\u2019s parents or any of their friends on Terra. Silk panels from Rihlah, famous Terran brocade applied to the benches, a delicate glass and metallic table at the center, and a very impractical glass chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Iridescent stones decorated the chandelier, and Mila\u2019s hand almost went to the spot where her good luck necklace used to be. They looked just like the stones on it.\n\nTwo more guards entered, bringing the total to five on the main deck. Mila\u2019s lips parted as a woman, apparently the mysterious \u2018S,\u2019 walked in behind them.\n\nIt was the woman from the market stall where Rhys had purchased her necklace.\n\nMila did a double take. No . . . there were differences. This S was petite, with space-black hair and light blue eyes, just like the woman at the stall. But the woman before her wore a well-tailored suit and robe, not loose skirts. And her hair wasn\u2019t done up in braids, and she didn\u2019t have a nose ring. She looked more . . . well-preserved \u2014 her skin smooth, a product of youth treatments. This was not the same woman . . . but Mila would be willing to bet they had some relation to each other.\n\nThe woman walked up to them with a smile, and exchanged kisses on the cheek with Casey.\n\n\u201cBrought a friend?\u201d she asked, raising a brow at Mila.\n\n\u201cLike I said. I needed a ride.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd who is this?\u201d\n\nMila didn\u2019t answer, just tried to keep her expression blank. She couldn\u2019t let this woman know she knew anything about her.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s just an old friend of mine,\u201d Casey said, her voice light.\n\nThe woman\u2019s eyes darkened, her polite demeanor fading a fraction. She gestured to one of the guards.\n\n\u201cCome with me, Elaine. Let us talk over here.\u201d\n\nCasey followed her to an ottoman near the center of the room, while the guard grabbed Mila\u2019s arm and pulled her to the edge of the space and out of earshot of Casey and S\u2019s quiet conversation. Did S know who Casey was originally? She\u2019d called her Elaine, the name she\u2019d used on Tevistal.\n\nThe two of them engaged in an intense, quiet talk for a few minutes and then Casey lifted the sleeve of her suit and peeled off a piece of her skin. False skin. Mila went cold at the sight of it. Casey hadn\u2019t mentioned any hidden data . . . or details on the price for her passage. Casey scraped a chip from the skin and passed it to S.\n\nCasey was selling data, probably Phan Pharmaceutical data. Had she lied about everything? Was she just stealing data to sell to competitors? Anger started to bloom in Mila\u2019s chest, and she fought to keep her mouth shut. All that mattered now was that Mila get out of this alive and unscathed.\n\nCasey finished her transaction and returned to Mila.\n\n\u201cWhat was that?\u201d Mila hissed.\n\nCasey\u2019s expression was tight. \u201cShe\u2019ll let you go back to your ship just as soon as she checks my payment.\u201d\n\nA new guard ran through the door. \u201cMadame. The Advocacy was spotted by our scout. We need to jump. Now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait \u2014 no.\u201d Mila looked toward the door they\u2019d come in. \u201cSend me back. Send me back now.\u201d\n\nS shot them a glare and gestured to the guard behind Mila. \u201cTake them each to a room until after the jumps.\u201d\n\nJumps. This was starting to get a lot more complicated.\n\n\u201cLet me go back to my ship!\u201d Mila\u2019s voice rose.\n\nCasey dug her nails into Mila\u2019s hand and leaned close, whispering. \u201cThey won\u2019t let you now. Keep it together if you want to survive this.\u201d\n\nMila lurched to the side, trying to make a desperate run back out to her ship.\n\nThe guards closed in on her, grabbed both her arms, and dragged her the other way. She went limp, no longer fighting it as the realization of what had happened sunk in.\n\nThey took her up a flight of stairs and opened the first door they came to, pushing her inside.\n\n\u201cHarness up. We\u2019ll be jumping soon,\u201d one of the guards said.\n\nThe door slid closed and she heard the lock engage. Mila took a panicked look around the small room, and then sank down in the jump seat. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she buckled in. She\u2019d messed up.\n\nShe\u2019d always been able to get out of scraps before. Always. But not this time. She just kept sinking deeper into a pit that appeared to have no bottom.\n\nThe ship hummed softly as it powered up, and in mere minutes she felt the woozy sensation of the first jump. Another soon followed, and Mila\u2019s hope died as they travelled further and further away from her ship.\n\nWhen the Advocacy found the empty Devana . . . they\u2019d know. They\u2019d know she\u2019d helped Casey escape. They\u2019d think she was working with her.\n\nAnd it would be true.\n\nThe stomach-lurching feeling of the third jump let Mila know her old life was over for good. Now she was a criminal . . . on the run. She could try to say Casey had kidnapped her, but why would she have? There was no good way out of this. And Rhys knew the truth; he\u2019d known about their shared past. If the Advocacy pressed him . . .\n\nWould Mila even get off this ship alive?\n\nWhen the yacht powered down, Mila unharnessed herself and paced the small room.\n\nHours passed, and a guard brought Mila food and water. The reconstituted food tasted like death, like a last meal before the end, and a terrible one at that. She could barely wrap her mind around what she\u2019d done \u2014 how much her life had changed in just a few hours. Then the locks disengaged on her door again, and she turned as it slid open.\n\nCasey slipped through and quickly closed it. \u201cThe guards are busy . . . for the moment. This might be our only chance to talk.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou lied to me. You knew.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo. I didn\u2019t. I\u2019d hoped to get you back to the ship.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can never go back now, Casey. Not ever.\u201d\n\n\u201cShh. I\u2019m Elaine here.\u201d Casey looked completely calm, unbothered by the fact that Mila\u2019s entire life was hanging in the balance.\n\nMila rushed Casey and shoved her against the metal wall. \u201cThey\u2019re not gonna let me walk out of here, are they? I\u2019m an unknown entity. I was never supposed to be here.\u201d\n\nCasey winced with pain and her forehead creased with worry. \u201cS \u2014 Sybil \u2014 will make sure she knows who you are before she lets you leave now. And when she finds out you\u2019re a bounty hunter . . .\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I think I know something about her. There was this woman selling trinkets at the market\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cA younger sister. You don\u2019t say a word about knowing anything, understand? She\u2019ll kill you if she thinks you know anything about her. She operates under the illusion that we don\u2019t know anything.\u201d\n\nMila backed away from Casey, feeling dizzy. \u201cYou lied to me. You\u2019re selling data\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cNot bioweapons! When we do jobs, we collect harmless, or even beneficial, research and sell it to fund our cause. But I\u2019m funding my escape with it this time.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is it? What did you just sell?\u201d Mila\u2019s voice rose as she spoke, and she tried to calm herself down, but her mind was racing.\n\n\u201cThe formula for a medical treatment that hasn\u2019t been patented yet.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow can I believe that?\u201d\n\n\u201cLook, we don\u2019t have time for this.\u201d Casey placed her hands on Mila\u2019s shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eyes. \u201cYou know about her family. She\u2019s going to find out about you. There\u2019s no way she\u2019s letting you just go back to your regular life now. You have one choice.\u201d\n\nMila shrugged off Casey\u2019s hands. \u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou come with me. I\u2019m going to try to convince her to let us disappear together.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d Mila began to pace the room again. \u201cI can\u2019t just . . . leave the Empire.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you stay \u2014 you just freed me and left your ship stranded next to a jump point. They\u2019ll know you helped me. You have no other choice.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou think I don\u2019t know what it looks like? You have to help me get off of here. Have them drop me off somewhere so I can . . . somehow make it right.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know too much! About me \u2014 about PF \u2014 about Sybil.\u201d\n\nRed crowded around the edges of Mila\u2019s vision, and it took everything she had not to wrap her hands around Casey\u2019s neck and squeeze. \u201cI helped you. You\u2019d be dead if it wasn\u2019t for me. You have to help me fix this. Help me get out of here.\u201d\n\nCasey folded her arms across her chest and glanced back toward the door. \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou. Will.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey\u2019ll catch you\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd it won\u2019t matter to you either way. You\u2019ll be long gone, hiding in Xi\u2019an territory.\u201d\n\nCasey met Mila\u2019s eyes and sighed. \u201cFine. Get yourself killed if that\u2019s what you want.\u201d She reached into her suit pocket and pulled out a translucent swipe card.\n\n\u201cStole it off a guard.\u201d Casey smiled ruefully. \u201cThis should get you into the corridor at the end of this one. They have a little 85X there. I know we\u2019re stopping at a planet soon. Backwater, but plenty of places to hide. I\u2019ll distract the guards for you. When I knock twice on your door, wait five minutes, then it\u2019s time for you to go.\u201d\n\nMila stared down at the card in her hand.\n\n\u201cThank you again, for helping me. I owe you my life.\u201d Casey wrapped her in a quick hug that Mila didn\u2019t return. \u201cI really am sorry. Try to be safe.\u201d Casey gave her one last sad smile. \u201cIf you change your mind . . .\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d Mila said, her voice breaking. \u201cI\u2019m going to fix this.\u201d\n\nThe knocks came after Mila had given up on Casey ever following through.\n\nTwo knocks.\n\nMila grabbed her helmet off the floor and hugged it to her chest.\n\nHeart pumping a chaotic rhythm in her chest, Mila waited through five tense minutes, then swiped the card Casey had given her. The door slid open to reveal an empty corridor beyond. She barely breathed as she gingerly stepped into the corridor and looked both ways. She turned right, as Casey had directed her to, and hurried toward the end. It curved right, taking her to a new door.\n\nShe said a quick prayer to the Banu god of luck that the room beyond would be empty, then scanned the card.\n\nThe door opened into a hangar bay. The 85X sat at the center of it.\n\nAn alarm sounded, and red lights began to flash in the bay.\n\nMila was sweating freely as she latched her helmet on.\n\n\u201cHey!\u201d\n\nSomeone tackled her from behind, shoving her down on the floor. She fought back, twisting in the man\u2019s grasp until she saw him face to face. A guard, the one who had warned Sybil about the Advocacy\u2019s arrival.\n\nMila slammed a gloved fist into his unprotected face, and he stumbled backward. She desperately climbed forward, trying to get into the 85X cockpit, but the guard followed her.\n\nDepressurize Bay. The small words flashed in the corner of the cockpit\u2019s interface. As the guard grabbed her leg, she hit the button on the screen. A whole new set of alarms joined the ongoing din. The man\u2019s eyes widened, and he scrambled away from her, toward the hangar door. He scanned his key card, trying to make it open, but it was sealed shut. He would die if she didn\u2019t do something.\n\nMila paused the depressurization and lurched out of the ship. She crashed into the man, seeking the pistol he held in his grip. She slammed an elbow into his gut again, and he released the gun. She picked it up and trained it on him.\n\n\u201cLast chance to get out!\u201d she yelled. He stared at her wild eyed and scanned his card again.\n\nThis time the door opened. Several guards waited beyond, but he yelled something to them and they didn\u2019t try to enter.\n\nThe door slid shut, and Mila climbed back into the ship, tossing the pistol into the seat beside her.\n\nShe brought up the Starmap, her hands shaking with adrenaline, praying that it would display more than a void. They were in orbit over a settled world! She chose a landing site to the west of the closest city. She could abandon the ship there, hide in the wooded hills, wait it out until she was sure Sybil and her guards had given up waiting for her to emerge. She chose her destination, and then completed the prep sequence.\n\nThe countdown began. She harnessed herself into the seat as the hangar bay opened, revealing black space behind.\n\nShe throttled up and took off, leaving the 890 behind.\n\nMila headed directly planetside, sparing little attention for the ship at her back. If they shot up the runabout, she would have no more worries herself. There was nothing she could do but speed to her landing site.\n\nShe pictured Rhys. His handsome face, his reassuring words, the way he\u2019d held her. That smirk she\u2019d probably never see again unless she got caught or found a way to fix this impossible situation.\n\nAs she entered the planet\u2019s atmosphere, she spared the time for a few tears.\n\nA few days ago she\u2019d been hunting the Phantom.\n\nNow she needed to become one.\n\nFive Months Later\n\nMila wove her way through dark alleyways, keeping her head down, a hood concealing her face. A lock of her newly short-cropped blonde hair fell into her eyes, and she blinked as it irritated them. The green colored contacts she wore felt dry, scratchy. But at least from afar she wouldn\u2019t be recognized.\n\nShe glanced back at a huddle of transients gathered round a rusty heater, and turned down the next alley. She\u2019d reached the hostel sector.\n\nIt was dangerous being back in Tevistal so soon after the Incident, but she\u2019d run out of options and time. A dozen small-time jobs had funded her existence along the way, but now there were even more bounties on her head.\n\nShe\u2019d been hunted for months, had been nearly caught, but so far she\u2019d always gotten away. And this was the one place they\u2019d probably never expect her to return.\n\nMila gritted her teeth and walked down the dark alley between two hostels. A cracked globe flickered, guiding her to a hostel entrance. She pushed open the door, and the scent of piss wafted over her. It barely registered. This place was only half as filthy as most of the places she\u2019d slept the past few months.\n\nVoices rang through the thin metal walls. Arguments. The sound of two people moaning and grunting. An old vid playing at full blast.\n\nMila found an unoccupied room and went inside. Dim sensor lights lit up the room. The place had a film of filth coating it, but it would do.\n\nShe shut the door behind her and activated the second-hand mobiGlas on her wrist. Her hacking program did a quick job of activating the RoomTab. The lights and power came on in response, and she pulled her mobi away. It would stay on until she ran her program again. No creds needed. Which was good, because she didn\u2019t have many left.\n\nA glance around the now well-lit room brought a flood of memories back. The pain came with it, weighing Mila down. She sank to the dirty mattress.\n\nShe and Rhys had tracked the Phantom to a room like this once.\n\nMila did something she hadn\u2019t done for weeks. She brought up the news search she\u2019d saved to her mobiGlas, to see if anything had changed since she\u2019d last checked.\n\nPHAN PHARMACEUTICAL CEO UNDER INVESTIGATION\n\nShe rewatched the vid of Casey\u2019s father being arrested with the sound turned off. Owen Phan\u2019s face was the same regal countenance she remembered from growing up. When Mila had first heard that the truth about the biological weapons had leaked, it had been a relief to learn that Casey had at least been telling the truth about that. And even more importantly, Mila\u2019s mother had been kept completely clear of the breaking scandal. Knowing that Phan wouldn\u2019t be making weapons anymore was the only glimmer of light in these recent dark days.\n\nAlmost without thinking, Mila accessed another archived news story.\n\nAn image of herself flashed in the air before her. Or at least what Mila used to look like. It was the photo the Advocacy had been using on her bounty.\n\nEVONY SALINAS CHARGED WITH AIDING AND ABETTING \u201cTHE PHANTOM\u201d\n\nThe article speculated on the nature of the terrorism, on the relationship between Mila\u2019s parents and Phan Pharmaceuticals, and on Mila\u2019s motives. Even with the revelation of the biological weapons it hadn\u2019t changed the fact that the Phantom had wreaked havoc for months. Casey, and by association Mila, were still considered criminals.\n\nThe article had included a small photo of Rhys as well. He had been held for questioning, but with no proof of any wrongdoing on his part he had eventually been released.\n\nMila reread the final line.\n\nEvony Mila Salinas is still at large, with several bounties on her head for crimes ranging from petty theft to terrorism.\n\nShe scanned back up to see Rhys\u2019s face one more time, but it was like a knife through her heart. She turned off the mobi.\n\nShe needed to get to Xi\u2019an territory fast, and she only knew of one woman who could get her there. Sybil.\n\nBut she\u2019d been unable to dig up anything useful on the woman. All she knew was that she was related to that peddler who had sold trinkets in the Tevistal market square on Pilgrim\u2019s Day. So that\u2019s who Mila needed to find. Sybil might have her guards shoot Mila on sight after what she\u2019d done . . . but Sybil had helped Casey \u2014 for a price.\n\nAnd Mila was desperate enough to pay just about any price Sybil asked. She\u2019d learned a few weeks ago that Rhys was hunting her down, trying to bring her in, that her time was running out.\n\nMaybe . . . maybe if he did find her again in Xi\u2019an territory, free of Advocacy influence, she could explain. She could hope for his forgiveness, if nothing more.\n\nBut until then, she\u2019d be a Phantom. Doing what she needed to stay free.\n\nTHE END","de_DE":"Anmerkung des Autors: Phantom-Bounty: Teil Vier wurde urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 3.4 ver\u00f6ffentlicht. Lies Teil Eins hier, Teil Zwei hier und Teil Drei hier.\nMila war eine Verr\u00e4terin. Sie hatte ihre Karriere als Kopfgeldj\u00e4gerin riskiert.... hatte ihren Partner Rhys verraten, um Casey zu befreien. Hat sich das alles gelohnt? Hatte Casey die Wahrheit \u00fcber ihren Vater gesagt, der Biowaffen entwickelt hatte?\n\nMila schaute einen Blick auf Casey, als sie auf den Sitz des Co-Piloten zur\u00fcckkehrte. Die dunkelhaarige Frau bot ihr ein kleines L\u00e4cheln an und setzte sich dann in ihren Sitz. Milas Jugendfreundin. Ein Terrorist.\n\nDie Leere des Raumes tauchte vor ihnen auf, nichts als Dunkelheit jenseits von Devanas vorderem Bildschirm. Mila packte die Bedienelemente so fest, dass ihre H\u00e4nde schmerzten.\n\n\"Ich habe es geschafft, unser Signal zu verbergen\", sagte Casey, \"aber es ist nur eine vor\u00fcbergehende L\u00f6sung. Wir haben eine halbe Stunde Zeit. Nicht mehr.\"\n\n\"Wie... wie... \"?\u201d\n\nCasey erkl\u00e4rte die Methode, und Mila sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf, teils in Ehrfurcht vor den erforderlichen Hacking-F\u00e4higkeiten, teils in Best\u00fcrzung \u00fcber die Dauer der daraus resultierenden Gef\u00e4ngnisstrafe, wenn sie dabei erwischt wurde.\n\n\"Ich h\u00e4tte diesen Trick ein oder zwei Mal selbst anwenden k\u00f6nnen\", murmelte Mila.\n\n\"Nicht, wenn du auf der richtigen Seite des Gesetzes bleiben willst.\" Casey r\u00e4usperte sich. \"Nachdem das hier vorbei ist. Nat\u00fcrlich. Ich habe gerade das Signal auf dem Scanner empfangen. Ich muss mein Kontakt sein. Das Schiff wartet nur ein paar Klicks vom Sprungplatz entfernt.\"\n\nMilas H\u00e4nde wurden enger an den Bedienelementen, als sie auf den Scanner-Bildschirm blickte. Der Raum hielt normalerweise die doppelten Versprechungen von endloser M\u00f6glichkeit und endloser Gefahr.... aber heute war er nur noch eine Gefahr f\u00fcr sie.\n\n\"Irgendein Zeichen von der Anwaltschaft?\" fragte Mila straff.\n\n\"Noch nicht. Aber.... sie werden folgen. Das tun sie immer. Bringen Sie mich zu meinem Kontakt, und wir f\u00fchren den Plan aus.\"\n\nMila versuchte, ihre Atmung zu beruhigen, aber ihr Herz raste, und sie konnte es nicht verhindern. Es sollte einfach sein. Mila zog sich neben das Kontaktschiff zur\u00fcck; Casey schlug sie nieder und \u00fcberf\u00fchrte sie dann auf das andere Schiff. Als Rhys und die Anwaltschaft Mila fanden, sagte sie ihnen, Casey nahm ihr Schiff und lief mit ihm. Dann k\u00f6nnte alles wieder normal werden. Oder fast normal. W\u00fcrde Rhys die L\u00fcge glauben? K\u00f6nnte sie ihn anl\u00fcgen?\n\nDas war dumm. So dumm. Sie hatte sich voreilig verhalten. Es gab keine M\u00f6glichkeit, dass sie gut genug l\u00fcgen konnte, um die Advocacy und Rhys davon zu \u00fcberzeugen, dass Casey irgendwie aus der Eind\u00e4mmungskapsel entkommen war, sie \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigte und dann in ihr Inneres einschloss. Aber Mila hatte keine andere L\u00f6sung.\n\n\"Geradeaus weiter.\" Casey plante neue Koordinaten, und Mila folgte der Trajektorie.\n\nEine lange, schlanke Yacht kam vor ihnen in Sicht. Ein paar d\u00fcnne Lichter schimmerten auf der L\u00e4nge des Rumpfes der 890er Jahre. Der Besitzer dieses Schiffes hatte viel Geld; Caseys Kontakt war das einzig Wahre.\n\n\"Freelancer\", kam eine Stimme \u00fcber die Leitung. \"Nennt euer Anliegen.\"\n\nCasey antwortete: \"Tell S Whispering Wind kommt n\u00e4her.\"\n\n\"Um welche Sonne kreist der feinste Planet?\"\n\n\" Ilios.\"\n\nMilas Herz lie\u00df einen Schlag aus und sie schlug eine Hand \u00fcber die Kommunikation und brachte sie zum Schweigen. \"Ilios\", zischte sie. \"Gef\u00e4llt dir das Projekt?\"\n\nCaseys Augenbrauen stiegen f\u00fcr einen Bruchteil einer Sekunde, dann wurde ihr Ausdruck gegl\u00e4ttet. \"Genau so ist es.\"\n\n\"Ich dachte, du h\u00e4ttest all diese Daten zerst\u00f6rt.\"\n\n\"S hat dich f\u00fcr das Andocken freigegeben\", unterbrach der Comm, \"aber wir m\u00fcssen dich aus n\u00e4chster N\u00e4he scannen.\"\n\nCasey dr\u00fcckte Milas Hand aus dem Weg und traf die Kommunikation. \" Verstanden.\"\n\n\"Sag mir, was los ist\", zischte Mila. \"Was ist das mit Ilios?\"\n\nCasey seufzte. \"Ich kann dir nichts \u00fcber S. Or Ilios erz\u00e4hlen. Wenn ich das t\u00e4te, m\u00fcsste ich dich t\u00f6ten.\"\n\nMila verspannte sich auf ihrem Sitz. Es gab keinen Hauch von Humor in Caseys Stimme. Keine. Sie meinte es ernst.\n\n\"Ich habe alles f\u00fcr dich riskiert!\"\n\n\"Schau... alles, was ich sagen kann, ist, dass People First Freunde an hohen Orten hat. Sie unterst\u00fctzen die Sache. Aber nicht alle Freunde sind gleich geschaffen. Viele tun Dinge.... aus ihren eigenen Gr\u00fcnden. Und kann davon \u00fcberzeugt werden, zu helfen, wenn Sie die richtigen Konditionen anbieten.\"\n\nMila zog das Schiff neben dem viel l\u00e4ngeren 890 hoch. \"Dieser Kontakt ist mit People First verbunden? Und was waren ihre Bedingungen f\u00fcr dich, um dich hier rauszuholen und PF zu verraten?\"\n\nDer 890 kam zu ihnen, bevor Casey antworten konnte. \"Wir entdecken zwei Lebenszeichen im Freelancer. S sagt, dass du alleine kommen solltest.\"\n\n\"Ich brauchte Hilfe, um hierher zu kommen\", antwortete Casey kurz und b\u00fcndig.\n\n\"S sagt, ihr beide m\u00fcsst an Bord gehen. Oder wir gehen.\"\n\nCasey blickte Mila mit einem verschleierten Gesichtsausdruck an: \"Es tut mir leid, dass ich dich da mit hineinziehe. Aber wir beide m\u00fcssen da r\u00fcber gehen.\"\n\n\" Nein.\" Panik eilte durch Mila, und sie zog ihren Griff am Stock fest. \"Auf keinen Fall. Das war nicht der Deal. Du gehst r\u00fcber. Ich bleibe hier. Oder ich gehe.\"\n\n\" Evony.\"\n\n\"Nenn mich nicht so\", sagte sie mit knirschenden Z\u00e4hnen. \"Mein Name ist jetzt Mila.\"\n\n\"Mila\", Caseys Stimme war leise und beruhigend. \"Wie w\u00fcrde es aussehen, wenn wir jetzt wegfliegen? Sie werden uns aus der Existenz schie\u00dfen und ohne einen Blick zur\u00fcck springen. Du musst da r\u00fcbergehen. Ich sorge daf\u00fcr, dass S dich hierher zur\u00fcckschickt.\"\n\n\"Wie willst du das sicherstellen?\"\n\n\"Ich werde es einfach tun. Jetzt zieh dich an. Wir verschwenden zu viel Zeit. S wird definitiv nicht gl\u00fccklich sein, wenn die Advocacy vor ihrer T\u00fcr steht. Aber ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass du das verstehst.\" Casey verlie\u00df ihren Platz und ging zur\u00fcck, um sich selbst anzuziehen.\n\nMila starrte die Yacht an und versuchte zu entscheiden, ob sie sie ausman\u00f6vrieren und entkommen konnte. Aber was dann? Sie musste Casey loswerden, nicht sie an Bord behalten. Sie lie\u00df einen frustrierten Seufzer los, der nicht angeschnallt war, und ging zur\u00fcck zu ihrer Ausr\u00fcstung. Sie ignorierte Casey, ohne ihrem Blick zu begegnen.\n\nIhre verletzte Schulter, von Casey erschossen, schrie vor Schmerz, als sie ihren Anzug hochzog. Sie schlug einen neuen, bet\u00e4ubenden Fleck darauf und zog sich weiter an. Als sie den Anzug schloss, ber\u00fchrte ihre Hand ihre Halskette.\n\nMilas Herz verdrehte sich, als sie die bronzene M\u00fcnze \u00fcber ihren Kopf zog. Sie starrte darauf herab, auf das Unendlichkeitssymbol, die besonderen irisierenden \"Gl\u00fcckssteine\", die daran baumelten, und eine neue Welle des Bedauerns \u00fcberflutete sie.\n\nRhys hatte einige ihrer letzten Glaubensbekenntnisse daf\u00fcr ausgegeben. Um sie gl\u00fccklich zu machen. Mila nahm die Halskette und steckte sie in den Raum zwischen Koje und Wand. Sie hat es nicht verdient. Und es hatte ihr sowieso nicht viel Gl\u00fcck gebracht, oder?\n\nAls Mila zur\u00fcck in den Frachtraum kam, wurde Casey angezogen, ihr Helm unter einem Arm.\n\n\" Bereit?\"\n\n\"Ja\", murmelte Mila.\n\nBeide rasten ihre Helme ein, dann entlastete Mila den Laderaum und \u00f6ffnete die hintere Rampe. Sie und Casey stie\u00dfen von der Rampe und trieben in Richtung des hinteren Hebers des 890er. Als sie sich im leeren Raum befanden, hob sich der K\u00e4fig unter ihnen an, und die k\u00fcnstliche Schwerkraft nahm sanft wieder zu. Ein Licht wurde gr\u00fcn \u00fcber ihnen, und Casey nahm ihren Helm ab. Mila tat das Gleiche.\n\nSie starrten auf die Doppelt\u00fcren vor ihnen und warteten in angespannter Stille.\n\nDie T\u00fcren glitten schlie\u00dflich auf und enth\u00fcllten einen breitschultrigen Mann in einem dunkelgrauen Fluganzug. \"S wird dich jetzt sehen.\"\n\nDer Mann trat in den Aufzug, eine Hand griff nach einer Pistole und gestikulierte, dass Mila und Casey das Schiff betreten sollten.\n\nMila rechnete mit den Schultern und traf den harten Blick des Mannes mit einem ihrer eigenen. Sie w\u00fcrde keine Angst vor diesen Schl\u00e4gern haben. Sie hatte sich gegen Dutzende von gesuchten Kriminellen gestellt und kam an die Spitze. Sie k\u00f6nnte es wieder tun.\n\nEin weiteres Wachpaar traf sie im n\u00e4chsten Korridor, wo es sich erweiterte. Einer von ihnen t\u00e4tschelte Casey und Mila ab und entfernte ihr mobiGlas, w\u00e4hrend der andere seine Waffe auf sie gerichtet hielt. Als sie zufrieden waren, f\u00fchrten sie sie durch den Flur und in eine gut eingerichtete Lounge.\n\nMilas Augen huschten herum. Die Lounge befand sich auf zwei Decks, und weitere Wachen blickten hinter der Reling des Oberdecks auf sie herab. Nach dem hier gezeigten Geschmack war Caseys Kontakt altes Geld. Es k\u00f6nnte im Besitz von Milas Eltern oder einem ihrer Freunde auf Terra gewesen sein. Seidenpaneele aus Rihlah, ber\u00fchmter Terraner Brokat auf den B\u00e4nken, ein zarter Glas- und Metalltisch in der Mitte und ein sehr unpraktischer Glasl\u00fcster, der von der Mitte der Decke h\u00e4ngt. Schillernde Steine schm\u00fcckten den Kronleuchter, und Milas Hand ging fast an die Stelle, an der sich ihre Gl\u00fccksbringerkette befand. Sie sahen aus wie die Steine darauf.\n\nZwei weitere Wachen traten ein, so dass die Gesamtzahl auf f\u00fcnf auf dem Hauptdeck stieg. Milas Lippen trennten sich als Frau, scheinbar das mysteri\u00f6se \"S\", kam hinter ihnen herein.\n\nEs war die Frau vom Marktstand, wo Rhys ihre Halskette gekauft hatte.\n\nMila machte eine Doppelaufnahme. Nein.... es gab Unterschiede. Dieses S war zierlich, mit raumschwarzem Haar und hellblauen Augen, genau wie die Frau am Stand. Aber die Frau vor ihr trug einen gut zugeschnittenen Anzug und Mantel, keine losen R\u00f6cke. Und ihr Haar war nicht mit Z\u00f6pfen verziert, und sie hatte keinen Nasenring. Sie sah mehr aus.... gut erhalten - ihre Haut glatt, ein Produkt der Jugendbehandlung. Dies war nicht die gleiche Frau.... aber Mila w\u00e4re bereit zu wetten, dass sie eine gewisse Beziehung zueinander hatten.\n\nDie Frau ging mit einem L\u00e4cheln auf sie zu und tauschte mit Casey K\u00fcsse auf die Wange aus.\n\n\"Hast du einen Freund mitgebracht?\", fragte sie und hob Mila die Stirn.\n\n\"Wie ich schon sagte. Ich brauchte eine Mitfahrgelegenheit.\"\n\n\"Und wer ist das?\"\n\nMila antwortete nicht, versuchte nur, ihren Gesichtsausdruck leer zu halten. Sie durfte diese Frau nicht wissen lassen, dass sie etwas \u00fcber sie wusste.\n\n\"Sie ist nur eine alte Freundin von mir\", sagte Casey, ihr Stimmlicht.\n\nDie Augen der Frau verdunkelten sich, ihr h\u00f6fliches Auftreten verblasste um einen Bruchteil. Sie gestikulierte zu einer der Wachen.\n\n\"Komm mit mir, Elaine. Lassen Sie uns hier dr\u00fcben reden.\"\n\nCasey folgte ihr zu einem Ottoman in der N\u00e4he der Mitte des Raumes, w\u00e4hrend die Wache Milas Arm packte und sie an den Rand des Raumes und aus der H\u00f6rweite von Casey und S's ruhigem Gespr\u00e4ch zog. Wusste S, wer Casey urspr\u00fcnglich war? Sie hatte sie Elaine genannt, den Namen, den sie bei Tevistal benutzt hatte.\n\nDie beiden unterhielten sich f\u00fcr ein paar Minuten in einem intensiven, ruhigen Gespr\u00e4ch, und dann hob Casey den \u00c4rmel ihres Anzugs an und sch\u00e4lte ein St\u00fcck ihrer Haut ab. Falsche Haut. Mila wurde kalt, als sie es sah. Casey hatte keine versteckten Daten erw\u00e4hnt. ... oder Details \u00fcber den Preis f\u00fcr ihre Passage. Casey schabte einen Chip von der Haut und gab ihn an S.\n\nCasey verkaufte Daten, wahrscheinlich Phan Pharmaceutical Daten. Hatte sie \u00fcber alles gelogen? Hat sie nur Daten gestohlen, um sie an Konkurrenten zu verkaufen? Wut begann in Milas Brust zu bl\u00fchen, und sie k\u00e4mpfte, um ihren Mund zu halten. Alles, worauf es jetzt ankam, war, dass Mila lebendig und unversehrt aus der Sache herauskam.\n\nCasey beendete ihre Transaktion und kehrte zu Mila zur\u00fcck.\n\n\"Was war das?\" zischte Mila.\n\nCaseys Gesichtsausdruck war straff. \"Sie wird dich zu deinem Schiff zur\u00fcckkehren lassen, sobald sie meine Zahlung \u00fcberpr\u00fcft.\"\n\nEine neue Wache lief durch die T\u00fcr. \"Madame. Die Advocacy wurde von unserem Sp\u00e4her entdeckt. Wir m\u00fcssen springen. Jetzt.\"\n\n\"Warte - nein.\" Mila blickte auf die T\u00fcr, in die sie hereinkommen w\u00fcrden. \"Schick mich zur\u00fcck. Schick mich sofort zur\u00fcck.\"\n\nS schoss ihnen einen Blick zu und gestikulierte zu der Wache hinter Mila. \"Bringt sie alle in einen Raum, bis nach den Spr\u00fcngen.\"\n\nSpr\u00fcnge. Das wurde langsam viel komplizierter.\n\n\"Lass mich zur\u00fcck zu meinem Schiff gehen!\" Milas Stimme erhob sich.\n\nCasey grub ihre N\u00e4gel in Milas Hand und lehnte sich nah heran, fl\u00fcsternd. \"Sie werden dich jetzt nicht lassen. Rei\u00df dich zusammen, wenn du das hier \u00fcberleben willst.\"\n\nMila taumelte zur Seite und versuchte, einen verzweifelten Ausflug zur\u00fcck zu ihrem Schiff zu machen.\n\nDie Wachen schlossen sich ihr an, packten ihre beiden Arme und zogen sie in die andere Richtung. Sie wurde schlaff und k\u00e4mpfte nicht mehr dagegen, da die Erkenntnis des Geschehens einbrach.\n\nSie nahmen sie eine Treppe hinauf, \u00f6ffneten die erste T\u00fcr, zu der sie kamen, und schoben sie hinein.\n\n\"Zaumzeug anlegen. Wir werden bald springen\", sagte eine der Wachen.\n\nDie T\u00fcr schob sich zu und sie h\u00f6rte, wie das Schloss einraste. Mila sah sich in Panik in dem kleinen Raum um und sank dann auf dem Klappsitz. Tr\u00e4nen str\u00f6mten in ihren Augen, als sie sich einschnallte. Sie hatte es vermasselt.\n\nSie war immer in der Lage, aus den Abf\u00e4llen herauszukommen. Immer. Aber diesmal nicht. Sie sank einfach immer tiefer in eine Grube, die keinen Boden zu haben schien.\n\nDas Schiff brummte beim Einschalten leise, und in wenigen Minuten sp\u00fcrte sie das schwammartige Gef\u00fchl des ersten Sprungs. Eine weitere folgte bald, und Milas Hoffnung starb, als sie immer weiter von ihrem Schiff weg reisten.\n\nAls die Advocacy den leeren Devana fand. ...sie w\u00fcrden es wissen. Sie wussten, dass sie Casey bei der Flucht geholfen hatte. Man k\u00f6nnte meinen, sie arbeitet mit ihr zusammen.\n\nUnd es w\u00e4re wahr.\n\nDas magenschwache Gef\u00fchl des dritten Sprungs lie\u00df Mila wissen, dass ihr altes Leben f\u00fcr immer vorbei war. Jetzt war sie eine Kriminelle.... auf der Flucht. Sie konnte versuchen zu sagen, dass Casey sie entf\u00fchrt hatte, aber warum sollte sie es tun? Es gab keinen guten Ausweg. Und Rhys kannte die Wahrheit; er hatte von ihrer gemeinsamen Vergangenheit gewusst. Wenn die Advokaten ihn bedr\u00e4ngten.....\n\nW\u00fcrde Mila \u00fcberhaupt lebend von diesem Schiff runterkommen?\n\nAls die Yacht heruntergefahren wurde, l\u00f6ste Mila sich und ging durch den kleinen Raum.\n\nStunden vergingen, und eine Wache brachte Mila Essen und Wasser. Das rekonstituierte Essen schmeckte wie der Tod, wie eine letzte Mahlzeit vor dem Ende, und eine schreckliche dazu. Sie konnte sich kaum vorstellen, was sie getan hatte - wie sehr sich ihr Leben in nur wenigen Stunden ver\u00e4ndert hatte. Dann rasten die Schl\u00f6sser an ihrer T\u00fcr wieder aus, und sie drehte sich um, als sie aufrutschte.\n\nCasey schl\u00fcpfte durch und schloss sie schnell. \"Die Wachen sind besch\u00e4ftigt.... im Moment. Das ist vielleicht unsere einzige Chance zu reden.\"\n\n\"Du hast mich angelogen. Du wusstest es.\"\n\n\"Nein. Habe ich nicht. Ich hatte gehofft, dich zur\u00fcck zum Schiff zu bringen.\"\n\n\"Ich kann jetzt nie wieder zur\u00fcck, Casey. Niemals.\"\n\n\"Shh. Ich bin Elaine hier.\" Casey sah v\u00f6llig ruhig aus, unbehelligt von der Tatsache, dass Milas ganzes Leben auf dem Spiel stand.\n\nMila eilte zu Casey und schob sie gegen die Metallwand. \"Sie werden mich nicht hier rausgehen lassen, oder? Ich bin ein unbekanntes Wesen. Ich h\u00e4tte nie hier sein sollen.\"\n\nCasey zuckte vor Schmerz und ihre Stirn knitterte vor Sorge. \"S - Sybil - wird daf\u00fcr sorgen, dass sie wei\u00df, wer du bist, bevor sie dich jetzt gehen l\u00e4sst. Und wenn sie herausfindet, dass du ein Kopfgeldj\u00e4ger bist....\"\n\n\"Nun, ich glaube, ich wei\u00df etwas \u00fcber sie. Da war diese Frau, die auf dem Markt Schmuck verkauft hat.\"\n\n\"Eine j\u00fcngere Schwester. Du sagst kein Wort dar\u00fcber, etwas zu wissen, verstanden? Sie wird dich t\u00f6ten, wenn sie denkt, dass du etwas \u00fcber sie wei\u00dft. Sie operiert unter der Illusion, dass wir nichts wissen.\"\n\nMila wich von Casey zur\u00fcck und f\u00fchlte sich schwindelig. \"Du hast mich angelogen. Du verkaufst Daten....\"\n\n\"Keine Biowaffen! Wenn wir Auftr\u00e4ge erledigen, sammeln wir harmlose oder sogar n\u00fctzliche Recherchen und verkaufen sie, um unsere Sache zu finanzieren. Aber diesmal finanziere ich meine Flucht damit.\"\n\n\"Was ist das? Was hast du gerade verkauft?\" Milas Stimme erhob sich, als sie sprach, und sie versuchte, sich zu beruhigen, aber ihr Geist raste.\n\n\"Die Formel f\u00fcr eine medizinische Behandlung, die noch nicht patentiert ist.\"\n\n\"Wie kann ich das glauben?\"\n\n\"Schau, wir haben keine Zeit daf\u00fcr.\" Casey legte ihre H\u00e4nde auf Milas Schultern und zwang sie, ihr in die Augen zu schauen. \"Du wei\u00dft von ihrer Familie. Sie wird das mit dir herausfinden. Es ist unm\u00f6glich, dass sie dich jetzt einfach wieder in dein normales Leben zur\u00fcckkehren l\u00e4sst. Du hast eine Wahl.\"\n\nMila zuckte Caseys H\u00e4nden mit den Achseln. \" Was?\"\n\n\"Du kommst mit mir mit. Ich werde versuchen, sie zu \u00fcberzeugen, uns zusammen verschwinden zu lassen.\"\n\n\" Nein!\" Mila begann, den Raum wieder zu beleben. \"Ich kann nicht einfach... das Imperium verlassen.\"\n\n\"Wenn du bleibst - du hast mich gerade befreit und dein Schiff neben einem Sprungplatz gestrandet gelassen. Sie werden wissen, dass du mir geholfen hast. Du hast keine andere Wahl.\"\n\n\"Denkst du, ich wei\u00df nicht, wie es aussieht? Du musst mir helfen, von hier wegzukommen. Sie sollen mich irgendwo absetzen, damit ich es irgendwie richtig machen kann.\"\n\n\"Du wei\u00dft zu viel! \u00dcber mich - \u00fcber PF - \u00fcber Sybil.\"\n\nRot dr\u00e4ngte sich um die R\u00e4nder von Milas Vision, und es brauchte alles, was sie hatte, um ihre H\u00e4nde nicht um Caseys Hals zu wickeln und zu dr\u00fccken. \"Ich habe dir geholfen. Du w\u00e4rst tot, wenn ich nicht gewesen w\u00e4re. Du musst mir helfen, das in Ordnung zu bringen. Hilf mir, hier rauszukommen.\"\n\nCasey faltete ihre Arme \u00fcber ihre Brust und blickte zur\u00fcck zur T\u00fcr. \"Ich kann nicht.\"\n\n\" Du... wirst...\"\n\n\"Sie werden dich fangen...\"\n\n\"Und es wird dir so oder so nichts ausmachen. Du wirst lange weg sein und dich in Xi'an Gebiet verstecken.\"\n\nCasey traf Milas Augen und seufzte. \"Gut. Lass dich umbringen, wenn es das ist, was du willst.\" Sie griff in ihre Anzugtasche und zog eine durchsichtige Magnetkarte heraus.\n\n\" Ich habe es von einer Wache gestohlen.\" Casey l\u00e4chelte bedauernd. \"Das sollte dich in den Flur am Ende von diesem hier bringen. Sie haben ein kleines 85X dort. Ich wei\u00df, dass wir bald bei einem Planeten anhalten werden. Backwater, aber viele Verstecke. Ich lenke die Wachen f\u00fcr dich ab. Wenn ich zweimal an deine T\u00fcr klopfe, warte f\u00fcnf Minuten, dann ist es Zeit f\u00fcr dich zu gehen.\"\n\nMila starrte auf die Karte in ihrer Hand.\n\n\"Nochmals vielen Dank, dass du mir geholfen hast. Ich schulde dir mein Leben.\" Casey wickelte sie in eine schnelle Umarmung, die Mila nicht zur\u00fcckbekam. \"Es tut mir wirklich leid. Versuchen Sie, sicher zu sein.\" Casey schenkte ihr ein letztes trauriges L\u00e4cheln. \"Wenn du deine Meinung \u00e4nderst....\"\n\n\"Nein\", sagte Mila, ihre Stimme bricht. \"Ich werde das in Ordnung bringen.\"\n\nDie Schl\u00e4ge kamen, nachdem Mila Casey aufgegeben hatte und Casey jemals durchgesetzt hatte.\n\nZwei Schl\u00e4ge.\n\nMila nahm ihren Helm vom Boden und umarmte ihn an ihrer Brust.\n\nDas Herz pumpte einen chaotischen Rhythmus in ihre Brust, Mila wartete f\u00fcnf angespannte Minuten durch, dann streichelte sie die Karte, die Casey ihr gegeben hatte. Die T\u00fcr schob sich auf, um einen leeren Gang dahinter freizulegen. Sie atmete kaum, als sie behutsam in den Flur trat und in beide Richtungen sah. Sie drehte sich nach rechts, wie Casey sie angewiesen hatte, und eilte zum Ende. Es kr\u00fcmmte sich nach rechts und brachte sie zu einer neuen T\u00fcr.\n\nSie sprach ein kurzes Gebet an den Banu-Gott des Gl\u00fccks, dass der Raum dahinter leer sein w\u00fcrde, und scannte dann die Karte.\n\nDie T\u00fcr \u00f6ffnete sich in eine Hangarhalle. Der 85X sa\u00df in der Mitte.\n\nEin Alarm ert\u00f6nte, und rote Lichter begannen in der Bucht zu blinken.\n\nMila schwitzte frei, als sie ihren Helm anlegte.\n\n\" Hey!\"\n\nJemand packte sie von hinten an und schob sie auf den Boden. Sie wehrte sich und drehte sich im Griff des Mannes, bis sie ihn von Angesicht zu Angesicht sah. Ein W\u00e4chter, derjenige, der Sybil vor der Ankunft der Advocacy gewarnt hatte.\n\nMila schlug eine behandschuhte Faust in sein ungesch\u00fctztes Gesicht, und er stolperte r\u00fcckw\u00e4rts. Sie kletterte verzweifelt nach vorne und versuchte, in das 85X Cockpit zu gelangen, aber die Wache folgte ihr.\n\nBay drucklos machen. Die kleinen Worte blinkten in der Ecke der Cockpitoberfl\u00e4che. Als die Wache ihr Bein packte, dr\u00fcckte sie den Knopf auf dem Bildschirm. Ein ganz neuer Satz von Alarmen schloss sich dem laufenden L\u00e4rm an. Die Augen des Mannes weiteten sich, und er kletterte von ihr weg, zur Hangart\u00fcr. Er scannte seine Schl\u00fcsselkarte und versuchte, sie zu \u00f6ffnen, aber sie war verschlossen. Er w\u00fcrde sterben, wenn sie nichts tun w\u00fcrde.\n\nMila hielt die Druckentspannung an und st\u00fcrzte aus dem Schiff. Sie st\u00fcrzte in den Mann und suchte nach der Pistole, die er in seinem Griff hielt. Sie schlug ihm wieder einen Ellbogen in den Bauch und er lie\u00df die Waffe los. Sie hob es auf und trainierte es an ihm.\n\n\"Letzte Chance, rauszukommen!\" schrie sie. Er starrte sie mit wilden Augen an und scannte seine Karte erneut.\n\nDiesmal \u00f6ffnete sich die T\u00fcr. Mehrere Wachen warteten dahinter, aber er schrie ihnen etwas zu und sie versuchten nicht einzutreten.\n\nDie T\u00fcr schob sich zu, und Mila kletterte zur\u00fcck ins Schiff und warf die Pistole in den Sitz neben ihr.\n\nSie brachte den Sternkreisel zur Sprache, ihre H\u00e4nde zitterten vor Adrenalin und beteten, dass er mehr als eine L\u00fccke aufweisen w\u00fcrde. Sie waren im Orbit \u00fcber einer besiedelten Welt! Sie w\u00e4hlte einen Landeplatz im Westen der n\u00e4chstgelegenen Stadt. Sie konnte das Schiff dort aufgeben, sich in den bewaldeten H\u00fcgeln verstecken, es warten, bis sie sicher war, dass Sybil und ihre Wachen aufgegeben hatten und darauf gewartet hatten, dass sie auftauchte. Sie w\u00e4hlte ihr Ziel und beendete dann die Vorbereitungssequenz.\n\nDer Countdown begann. Sie spannte sich in den Sitz, als sich die Hangarbucht \u00f6ffnete und den schwarzen Raum dahinter freilegte.\n\nSie drosselte und hob ab und lie\u00df den 890 zur\u00fcck.\n\nMila steuerte direkt auf den Planeten zu und schenkte dem Schiff auf ihrem R\u00fccken wenig Aufmerksamkeit. Wenn sie den Runabout hochschie\u00dfen, h\u00e4tte sie sich keine Sorgen mehr gemacht. Es gab nichts, was sie tun konnte, au\u00dfer zu ihrem Landeplatz zu eilen.\n\nSie stellte sich Rhys vor. Sein h\u00fcbsches Gesicht, seine beruhigenden Worte, die Art, wie er sie gehalten hatte. Dieses Grinsen w\u00fcrde sie wahrscheinlich nie wieder sehen, es sei denn, sie wurde erwischt oder fand einen Weg, diese unm\u00f6gliche Situation zu l\u00f6sen.\n\nAls sie in die Atmosph\u00e4re des Planeten eintrat, verschonte sie die Zeit f\u00fcr ein paar Tr\u00e4nen.\n\nVor ein paar Tagen hatte sie das Phantom gejagt.\n\nJetzt musste sie eins werden.\n\nF\u00fcnf Monate sp\u00e4ter\n\nMila wand sich durch dunkle Gassen, hielt ihren Kopf unten, eine Kapuze verbarg ihr Gesicht. Eine Sperre ihres frisch kurz geschnittenen blonden Haares fiel ihr in die Augen, und sie blinzelte, als es sie reizte. Die gr\u00fcn gef\u00e4rbten Kontakte, die sie trug, f\u00fchlten sich trocken und kratzig an. Aber zumindest von weitem w\u00fcrde man sie nicht erkennen.\n\nSie blickte zur\u00fcck auf eine Ansammlung von Transienten, die sich um eine rostige Heizung versammelt hatten, und drehte die n\u00e4chste Gasse hinunter. Sie hatte den Hostel-Sektor erreicht.\n\nEs war gef\u00e4hrlich, so kurz nach dem Vorfall wieder in Tevistal zu sein, aber ihr gingen die Optionen und die Zeit aus. Ein Dutzend kleiner Jobs hatten ihre Existenz auf dem Weg dorthin finanziert, aber jetzt gab es noch mehr Belohnungen auf ihrem Kopf.\n\nSie war monatelang gejagt worden, fast erwischt worden, aber bisher war sie immer entkommen. Und das war der einzige Ort, an den sie wahrscheinlich nie erwarten w\u00fcrden, dass sie zur\u00fcckkehrt.\n\nMila knirschte mit den Z\u00e4hnen und ging die dunkle Gasse zwischen zwei Hostels hinunter. Eine zerbrochene Kugel flackerte und f\u00fchrte sie zu einem Eingang des Hostels. Sie dr\u00fcckte die T\u00fcr auf, und der Duft von Pisse wehte \u00fcber sie. Es ist kaum registriert. Dieser Ort war nur halb so schmutzig wie die meisten Orte, an denen sie in den letzten Monaten geschlafen hatte.\n\nStimmen ert\u00f6nte durch die d\u00fcnnen Metallw\u00e4nde. Argumente. Der Klang von zwei Leuten, die st\u00f6hnen und grunzen. Ein altes Video, das auf Hochtouren l\u00e4uft.\n\nMila fand einen unbesetzten Raum und ging hinein. Der Dimmsensor leuchtet den Raum aus. Der Ort hatte einen Schmutzfilm, der ihn beschichtete, aber es w\u00fcrde gen\u00fcgen.\n\nSie schloss die T\u00fcr hinter sich und aktivierte das gebrauchte mobiGlas an ihrem Handgelenk. Ihr Hacking-Programm hat die Aktivierung des RoomTab schnell erledigt. Die Lichter und die Energie kamen als Reaktion an, und sie zog ihren Mobi weg. Es w\u00fcrde so lange dauern, bis sie ihr Programm wieder laufen lie\u00df. Keine Creds erforderlich. Was gut war, denn sie hatte nicht mehr viele \u00fcbrig.\n\nEin Blick in den nun gut beleuchteten Raum brachte eine Flut von Erinnerungen zur\u00fcck. Der Schmerz ging mit ihm einher und belastete Mila. Sie sank auf die schmutzige Matratze.\n\nSie und Rhys hatten das Phantom einmal in einen Raum wie diesen verfolgt.\n\nMila tat etwas, was sie seit Wochen nicht mehr getan hatte. Sie brachte die Nachrichtensuche, die sie in ihrem mobiGlas gespeichert hatte, auf, um zu sehen, ob sich seit ihrer letzten \u00dcberpr\u00fcfung etwas ge\u00e4ndert hatte.\n\nPHAN PHARMACEUTICAL CEO WIRD UNTERSUCHT\n\nSie beobachtete das Video von Caseys Vater, der mit ausgeschaltetem Ton verhaftet wurde. Owen Phans Gesicht war das gleiche k\u00f6nigliche Gesicht, an das sie sich als Kind erinnerte. Als Mila zum ersten Mal geh\u00f6rt hatte, dass die Wahrheit \u00fcber die biologischen Waffen ausgelaufen war, war es eine Erleichterung zu erfahren, dass Casey zumindest die Wahrheit dar\u00fcber gesagt hatte. Und noch wichtiger war, dass Milas Mutter v\u00f6llig frei von dem Bruchskandal gehalten worden war. Zu wissen, dass Phan keine Waffen mehr herstellen w\u00fcrde, war der einzige Lichtschimmer in diesen letzten dunklen Tagen.\n\nFast ohne nachzudenken, stie\u00df Mila auf eine andere archivierte Nachrichtenstory.\n\nEin Bild von ihr selbst blitzte vor ihr in der Luft auf. Oder zumindest, wie Mila fr\u00fcher aussah. Es war das Foto, das die Advocacy f\u00fcr ihr Kopfgeld benutzt hatte.\n\nEVONY SALINAS ANGEKLAGT WEGEN HILFE UND BEG\u00dcNSTIGUNG DES \"PHANTOMS\".\n\nDer Artikel spekulierte \u00fcber die Art des Terrorismus, \u00fcber die Beziehung zwischen Milas Eltern und Phan Pharmaceuticals und \u00fcber die Motive von Mila. Selbst mit der Offenbarung der biologischen Waffen hatte sie nichts an der Tatsache ge\u00e4ndert, dass das Phantom monatelang verheerende Sch\u00e4den angerichtet hatte. Casey und der Verband Mila galten immer noch als Kriminelle.\n\nDer Artikel hatte auch ein kleines Foto von Rhys enthalten. Er war wegen Verh\u00f6rs festgehalten worden, aber ohne Beweise f\u00fcr ein Fehlverhalten seinerseits war er schlie\u00dflich freigelassen worden.\n\nMila hat die letzte Zeile noch einmal gelesen.\n\nEvony Mila Salinas ist immer noch auf freiem Fu\u00df, mit mehreren Kopfgeldern auf ihrem Kopf f\u00fcr Verbrechen, die von kleinem Diebstahl bis hin zum Terrorismus reichen.\n\nSie scannte wieder hoch, um Rhys' Gesicht noch einmal zu sehen, aber es war wie ein Messer durch ihr Herz. Sie hat die Mobi ausgeschaltet.\n\nSie musste schnell in das Gebiet von Xi'an gelangen, und sie wusste nur von einer Frau, die sie dorthin bringen konnte. Sybil.\n\nAber sie war nicht in der Lage, etwas n\u00fctzliches \u00fcber die Frau herauszufinden. Sie wusste nur, dass sie mit dem Hausierer verwandt war, der am Pilgertag auf dem Marktplatz von Tevistal Schmuck verkauft hatte. Das ist es also, was Mila finden musste. Sybil k\u00f6nnte ihre Wachen Mila nach dem, was sie getan hatte, sofort erschie\u00dfen lassen.... aber Sybil hatte Casey geholfen - f\u00fcr einen Preis.\n\nUnd Mila war verzweifelt genug, um fast jeden Preis zu zahlen, den Sybil verlangte. Sie hatte vor ein paar Wochen erfahren, dass Rhys sie jagte, versuchte, sie hereinzubringen, dass ihre Zeit abl\u00e4uft.\n\nVielleicht... vielleicht, wenn er sie in Xi'an Gebiet wiederfinden w\u00fcrde, frei von Advocacy-Einfluss, k\u00f6nnte sie es erkl\u00e4ren. Sie konnte auf seine Vergebung hoffen, wenn auch nicht mehr.\n\nAber bis dahin war sie ein Phantom. Sie tat, was sie tun musste, um frei zu bleiben.\n\nDAS ENDE","zh_CN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Phantom Bounty: Part Four was published originally in Jump Point 3.4. Read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.\nMila was a traitor. She\u2019d risked her career as a bounty hunter . . . had betrayed her partner, Rhys, to free Casey. Was it all worth it? Had Casey been telling the truth about her father developing bioweapons?\n\nMila snuck a glance at Casey as she returned to the co-pilot\u2019s seat. The dark-haired woman offered her a small smile, then harnessed herself into her seat. Mila\u2019s childhood friend. A terrorist.\n\nThe emptiness of space loomed before them, nothing but darkness beyond Devana\u2019s forward screen. Mila gripped the controls so tightly her hands ached.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve managed to mask our signal,\u201d Casey said, \u201cbut it\u2019s a temporary fix only. We have a half hour. No more.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow . . . ?\u201d\n\nCasey explained the method, and Mila shook her head, partially in awe of the hacking skills required, partially in dismay over the length of the resulting prison sentence if she were caught at it.\n\n\u201cCould have used that trick myself a time or two,\u201d Mila muttered.\n\n\u201cNot if you want to stay on the right side of the law.\u201d Casey cleared her throat. \u201cAfter this is over. Of course. Just picked up the signal on the scanner. Gotta be my contact. The ship\u2019s waiting a few clicks from the jump point.\u201d\n\nMila\u2019s hands grew tighter on the controls as she glanced at the scanner screen. Space normally held the dual promises of endless possibility and endless danger . . . but today it held only danger for her.\n\n\u201cAny sign of the Advocacy?\u201d Mila asked tightly.\n\n\u201cNot yet. But . . . they\u2019ll follow. They always do. Get me to my contact, and we\u2019ll execute the plan.\u201d\n\nMila tried to calm her breathing, but her heart was racing, and she couldn\u2019t make it stop. It was supposed to be simple. Mila would pull up next to the contact ship; Casey would knock her out, then transfer to the other ship. When Rhys and the Advocacy found Mila, she\u2019d tell them Casey took her ship and ran with it. Then everything could go back to normal. Or almost normal. Would Rhys believe the lie? Could she lie to him?\n\nThis was stupid. So stupid. She\u2019d acted rashly. There was no way she could lie well enough to convince the Advocacy and Rhys that Casey had somehow escaped the containment pod, overpowered her, and then locked her inside. But Mila didn\u2019t have another solution.\n\n\u201cStraight ahead.\u201d Casey plotted new coordinates, and Mila followed the trajectory.\n\nA long, sleek yacht came into view in front of them. A few thin lights gleamed along the length of the 890\u2019s hull. The owner of this ship had plenty of money; Casey\u2019s contact was the real deal.\n\n\u201cFreelancer,\u201d came a voice over the comm. \u201cState your business.\u201d\n\nCasey replied, \u201cTell S Whispering Wind approaches.\u201d\n\n\u201cAround which sun does the finest planet orbit?\u201d\n\n\u201cIlios.\u201d\n\nMila\u2019s heart skipped a beat and she slammed a hand over the comm, silencing it. \u201cIlios,\u201d she hissed. \u201cLike the project?\u201d\n\nCasey\u2019s brows rose for a split second, then her expression smoothed. \u201cExactly like that.\u201d\n\n\u201cI thought you destroyed all that data.\u201d\n\n\u201cS has cleared you for docking,\u201d the comm interrupted, \u201cbut we\u2019ll need to scan you at close range.\u201d\n\nCasey pushed Mila\u2019s hand out of the way and hit the comms. \u201cRoger that.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell me what\u2019s going on,\u201d Mila hissed. \u201cWhat is this about Ilios?\u201d\n\nCasey sighed. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you about S. Or Ilios. If I did, I\u2019d have to kill you.\u201d\n\nMila tensed in her seat. There was no hint of humor in Casey\u2019s voice. None. She was serious.\n\n\u201cI risked everything for you!\u201d\n\n\u201cLook . . . all I can say is that People First has friends in high places. They support the cause. But not all friends are created equal. Many do things . . . for their own reasons. And can be persuaded to help if you offer the right terms.\u201d\n\nMila pulled the ship up beside the much longer 890. \u201cThis contact is connected with People First? And what were her terms for you, to get you out of here and betray PF?\u201d\n\nThe 890 commed them before Casey could answer. \u201cWe detect two life signs in the Freelancer. S says you were supposed to come alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cI needed help getting here,\u201d Casey replied tersely.\n\n\u201cS says both of you must board. Or we leave.\u201d\n\nCasey glanced at Mila with a veiled expression, \u201cI\u2019m sorry to drag you into this. But we both have to go over there.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo.\u201d Panic rushed through Mila, and she tightened her grip on the stick. \u201cNo way. That wasn\u2019t the deal. You go over. I stay here. Or I\u2019m leaving.\u201d\n\n\u201cEvony.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t call me that,\u201d she said through gritted teeth. \u201cMy name is Mila now.\u201d\n\n\u201cMila,\u201d Casey\u2019s voice was low, soothing. \u201cHow do you think it\u2019ll look if we fly away now? They\u2019ll shoot us out of existence and jump without a glance back. You have to go over there. I\u2019ll make sure S sends you back here.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow will you make sure?\u201d\n\n\u201cI just will. Now suit up. We\u2019re wasting too much time. S definitely won\u2019t be happy if the Advocacy shows up at her door. But I\u2019m pretty sure you understand that.\u201d Casey left her seat and headed back to suit up herself.\n\nMila stared at the yacht, trying to decide if she could outmaneuver it and escape. But then what? She had to get rid of Casey, not keep her on board. She let out a frustrated sigh, unbuckled, and headed back to her gear. She ignored Casey, not meeting her gaze.\n\nHer injured shoulder, shot by Casey, cried out in pain as she pulled her suit up. She slapped a new numbing patch on it and continued dressing. As she closed the suit up, her hand touched her necklace.\n\nMila\u2019s heart twisted as she pulled the bronze token over her head. She stared down at it, at the infinity symbol, the special iridescent \u201cgood luck\u201d stones dangling from it, and a new wave of regret washed over her.\n\nRhys had spent some of their last creds on this. To make her happy. Mila took the necklace and tucked it in the space between the bunk and the wall. She didn\u2019t deserve it. And it hadn\u2019t brought her good luck anyway, had it?\n\nWhen Mila got back to the cargo hold, Casey was suited up, her helmet under one arm.\n\n\u201cReady?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah,\u201d Mila mumbled.\n\nThey both latched their helmets on, then Mila depressurized the cargo hold and opened the back ramp. She and Casey pushed off the ramp and drifted toward the 890\u2019s rear lift. When they were inside the empty space, the cage lifted under them, and artificial gravity gently resumed. A light turned green above them, and Casey took off her helmet. Mila did the same.\n\nThey stared at the double doors before them, waiting in tense silence.\n\nThe doors finally slid open, revealing a broad-shouldered man in a dark grey flight suit. \u201cS will see you now.\u201d\n\nThe man stepped into the lift, one hand gripping a pistol, and gestured for Mila and Casey to enter the ship.\n\nMila squared her shoulders and met the man\u2019s hard glare with one of her own. She wouldn\u2019t be afraid of these thugs. She\u2019d faced off against dozens of wanted criminals and come out on top. She could do it again.\n\nAnother pair of guards met them in the next corridor where it widened. One of them patted Casey and Mila down and removed their mobiGlas as the other kept his gun trained on them. When they were satisfied, they led them down the corridor and into a well decorated lounge.\n\nMila\u2019s eyes darted around. The lounge was on two decks, and more guards looked down at them from behind the rail of the upper deck. By the taste displayed here, Casey\u2019s contact was old money. It could have been owned by Mila\u2019s parents or any of their friends on Terra. Silk panels from Rihlah, famous Terran brocade applied to the benches, a delicate glass and metallic table at the center, and a very impractical glass chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Iridescent stones decorated the chandelier, and Mila\u2019s hand almost went to the spot where her good luck necklace used to be. They looked just like the stones on it.\n\nTwo more guards entered, bringing the total to five on the main deck. Mila\u2019s lips parted as a woman, apparently the mysterious \u2018S,\u2019 walked in behind them.\n\nIt was the woman from the market stall where Rhys had purchased her necklace.\n\nMila did a double take. No . . . there were differences. This S was petite, with space-black hair and light blue eyes, just like the woman at the stall. But the woman before her wore a well-tailored suit and robe, not loose skirts. And her hair wasn\u2019t done up in braids, and she didn\u2019t have a nose ring. She looked more . . . well-preserved \u2014 her skin smooth, a product of youth treatments. This was not the same woman . . . but Mila would be willing to bet they had some relation to each other.\n\nThe woman walked up to them with a smile, and exchanged kisses on the cheek with Casey.\n\n\u201cBrought a friend?\u201d she asked, raising a brow at Mila.\n\n\u201cLike I said. I needed a ride.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd who is this?\u201d\n\nMila didn\u2019t answer, just tried to keep her expression blank. She couldn\u2019t let this woman know she knew anything about her.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s just an old friend of mine,\u201d Casey said, her voice light.\n\nThe woman\u2019s eyes darkened, her polite demeanor fading a fraction. She gestured to one of the guards.\n\n\u201cCome with me, Elaine. Let us talk over here.\u201d\n\nCasey followed her to an ottoman near the center of the room, while the guard grabbed Mila\u2019s arm and pulled her to the edge of the space and out of earshot of Casey and S\u2019s quiet conversation. Did S know who Casey was originally? She\u2019d called her Elaine, the name she\u2019d used on Tevistal.\n\nThe two of them engaged in an intense, quiet talk for a few minutes and then Casey lifted the sleeve of her suit and peeled off a piece of her skin. False skin. Mila went cold at the sight of it. Casey hadn\u2019t mentioned any hidden data . . . or details on the price for her passage. Casey scraped a chip from the skin and passed it to S.\n\nCasey was selling data, probably Phan Pharmaceutical data. Had she lied about everything? Was she just stealing data to sell to competitors? Anger started to bloom in Mila\u2019s chest, and she fought to keep her mouth shut. All that mattered now was that Mila get out of this alive and unscathed.\n\nCasey finished her transaction and returned to Mila.\n\n\u201cWhat was that?\u201d Mila hissed.\n\nCasey\u2019s expression was tight. \u201cShe\u2019ll let you go back to your ship just as soon as she checks my payment.\u201d\n\nA new guard ran through the door. \u201cMadame. The Advocacy was spotted by our scout. We need to jump. Now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait \u2014 no.\u201d Mila looked toward the door they\u2019d come in. \u201cSend me back. Send me back now.\u201d\n\nS shot them a glare and gestured to the guard behind Mila. \u201cTake them each to a room until after the jumps.\u201d\n\nJumps. This was starting to get a lot more complicated.\n\n\u201cLet me go back to my ship!\u201d Mila\u2019s voice rose.\n\nCasey dug her nails into Mila\u2019s hand and leaned close, whispering. \u201cThey won\u2019t let you now. Keep it together if you want to survive this.\u201d\n\nMila lurched to the side, trying to make a desperate run back out to her ship.\n\nThe guards closed in on her, grabbed both her arms, and dragged her the other way. She went limp, no longer fighting it as the realization of what had happened sunk in.\n\nThey took her up a flight of stairs and opened the first door they came to, pushing her inside.\n\n\u201cHarness up. We\u2019ll be jumping soon,\u201d one of the guards said.\n\nThe door slid closed and she heard the lock engage. Mila took a panicked look around the small room, and then sank down in the jump seat. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she buckled in. She\u2019d messed up.\n\nShe\u2019d always been able to get out of scraps before. Always. But not this time. She just kept sinking deeper into a pit that appeared to have no bottom.\n\nThe ship hummed softly as it powered up, and in mere minutes she felt the woozy sensation of the first jump. Another soon followed, and Mila\u2019s hope died as they travelled further and further away from her ship.\n\nWhen the Advocacy found the empty Devana . . . they\u2019d know. They\u2019d know she\u2019d helped Casey escape. They\u2019d think she was working with her.\n\nAnd it would be true.\n\nThe stomach-lurching feeling of the third jump let Mila know her old life was over for good. Now she was a criminal . . . on the run. She could try to say Casey had kidnapped her, but why would she have? There was no good way out of this. And Rhys knew the truth; he\u2019d known about their shared past. If the Advocacy pressed him . . .\n\nWould Mila even get off this ship alive?\n\nWhen the yacht powered down, Mila unharnessed herself and paced the small room.\n\nHours passed, and a guard brought Mila food and water. The reconstituted food tasted like death, like a last meal before the end, and a terrible one at that. She could barely wrap her mind around what she\u2019d done \u2014 how much her life had changed in just a few hours. Then the locks disengaged on her door again, and she turned as it slid open.\n\nCasey slipped through and quickly closed it. \u201cThe guards are busy . . . for the moment. This might be our only chance to talk.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou lied to me. You knew.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo. I didn\u2019t. I\u2019d hoped to get you back to the ship.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can never go back now, Casey. Not ever.\u201d\n\n\u201cShh. I\u2019m Elaine here.\u201d Casey looked completely calm, unbothered by the fact that Mila\u2019s entire life was hanging in the balance.\n\nMila rushed Casey and shoved her against the metal wall. \u201cThey\u2019re not gonna let me walk out of here, are they? I\u2019m an unknown entity. I was never supposed to be here.\u201d\n\nCasey winced with pain and her forehead creased with worry. \u201cS \u2014 Sybil \u2014 will make sure she knows who you are before she lets you leave now. And when she finds out you\u2019re a bounty hunter . . .\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I think I know something about her. There was this woman selling trinkets at the market\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cA younger sister. You don\u2019t say a word about knowing anything, understand? She\u2019ll kill you if she thinks you know anything about her. She operates under the illusion that we don\u2019t know anything.\u201d\n\nMila backed away from Casey, feeling dizzy. \u201cYou lied to me. You\u2019re selling data\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cNot bioweapons! When we do jobs, we collect harmless, or even beneficial, research and sell it to fund our cause. But I\u2019m funding my escape with it this time.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is it? What did you just sell?\u201d Mila\u2019s voice rose as she spoke, and she tried to calm herself down, but her mind was racing.\n\n\u201cThe formula for a medical treatment that hasn\u2019t been patented yet.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow can I believe that?\u201d\n\n\u201cLook, we don\u2019t have time for this.\u201d Casey placed her hands on Mila\u2019s shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eyes. \u201cYou know about her family. She\u2019s going to find out about you. There\u2019s no way she\u2019s letting you just go back to your regular life now. You have one choice.\u201d\n\nMila shrugged off Casey\u2019s hands. \u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou come with me. I\u2019m going to try to convince her to let us disappear together.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d Mila began to pace the room again. \u201cI can\u2019t just . . . leave the Empire.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you stay \u2014 you just freed me and left your ship stranded next to a jump point. They\u2019ll know you helped me. You have no other choice.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou think I don\u2019t know what it looks like? You have to help me get off of here. Have them drop me off somewhere so I can . . . somehow make it right.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know too much! About me \u2014 about PF \u2014 about Sybil.\u201d\n\nRed crowded around the edges of Mila\u2019s vision, and it took everything she had not to wrap her hands around Casey\u2019s neck and squeeze. \u201cI helped you. You\u2019d be dead if it wasn\u2019t for me. You have to help me fix this. Help me get out of here.\u201d\n\nCasey folded her arms across her chest and glanced back toward the door. \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou. Will.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey\u2019ll catch you\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd it won\u2019t matter to you either way. You\u2019ll be long gone, hiding in Xi\u2019an territory.\u201d\n\nCasey met Mila\u2019s eyes and sighed. \u201cFine. Get yourself killed if that\u2019s what you want.\u201d She reached into her suit pocket and pulled out a translucent swipe card.\n\n\u201cStole it off a guard.\u201d Casey smiled ruefully. \u201cThis should get you into the corridor at the end of this one. They have a little 85X there. I know we\u2019re stopping at a planet soon. Backwater, but plenty of places to hide. I\u2019ll distract the guards for you. When I knock twice on your door, wait five minutes, then it\u2019s time for you to go.\u201d\n\nMila stared down at the card in her hand.\n\n\u201cThank you again, for helping me. I owe you my life.\u201d Casey wrapped her in a quick hug that Mila didn\u2019t return. \u201cI really am sorry. Try to be safe.\u201d Casey gave her one last sad smile. \u201cIf you change your mind . . .\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d Mila said, her voice breaking. \u201cI\u2019m going to fix this.\u201d\n\nThe knocks came after Mila had given up on Casey ever following through.\n\nTwo knocks.\n\nMila grabbed her helmet off the floor and hugged it to her chest.\n\nHeart pumping a chaotic rhythm in her chest, Mila waited through five tense minutes, then swiped the card Casey had given her. The door slid open to reveal an empty corridor beyond. She barely breathed as she gingerly stepped into the corridor and looked both ways. She turned right, as Casey had directed her to, and hurried toward the end. It curved right, taking her to a new door.\n\nShe said a quick prayer to the Banu god of luck that the room beyond would be empty, then scanned the card.\n\nThe door opened into a hangar bay. The 85X sat at the center of it.\n\nAn alarm sounded, and red lights began to flash in the bay.\n\nMila was sweating freely as she latched her helmet on.\n\n\u201cHey!\u201d\n\nSomeone tackled her from behind, shoving her down on the floor. She fought back, twisting in the man\u2019s grasp until she saw him face to face. A guard, the one who had warned Sybil about the Advocacy\u2019s arrival.\n\nMila slammed a gloved fist into his unprotected face, and he stumbled backward. She desperately climbed forward, trying to get into the 85X cockpit, but the guard followed her.\n\nDepressurize Bay. The small words flashed in the corner of the cockpit\u2019s interface. As the guard grabbed her leg, she hit the button on the screen. A whole new set of alarms joined the ongoing din. The man\u2019s eyes widened, and he scrambled away from her, toward the hangar door. He scanned his key card, trying to make it open, but it was sealed shut. He would die if she didn\u2019t do something.\n\nMila paused the depressurization and lurched out of the ship. She crashed into the man, seeking the pistol he held in his grip. She slammed an elbow into his gut again, and he released the gun. She picked it up and trained it on him.\n\n\u201cLast chance to get out!\u201d she yelled. He stared at her wild eyed and scanned his card again.\n\nThis time the door opened. Several guards waited beyond, but he yelled something to them and they didn\u2019t try to enter.\n\nThe door slid shut, and Mila climbed back into the ship, tossing the pistol into the seat beside her.\n\nShe brought up the Starmap, her hands shaking with adrenaline, praying that it would display more than a void. They were in orbit over a settled world! She chose a landing site to the west of the closest city. She could abandon the ship there, hide in the wooded hills, wait it out until she was sure Sybil and her guards had given up waiting for her to emerge. She chose her destination, and then completed the prep sequence.\n\nThe countdown began. She harnessed herself into the seat as the hangar bay opened, revealing black space behind.\n\nShe throttled up and took off, leaving the 890 behind.\n\nMila headed directly planetside, sparing little attention for the ship at her back. If they shot up the runabout, she would have no more worries herself. There was nothing she could do but speed to her landing site.\n\nShe pictured Rhys. His handsome face, his reassuring words, the way he\u2019d held her. That smirk she\u2019d probably never see again unless she got caught or found a way to fix this impossible situation.\n\nAs she entered the planet\u2019s atmosphere, she spared the time for a few tears.\n\nA few days ago she\u2019d been hunting the Phantom.\n\nNow she needed to become one.\n\nFive Months Later\n\nMila wove her way through dark alleyways, keeping her head down, a hood concealing her face. A lock of her newly short-cropped blonde hair fell into her eyes, and she blinked as it irritated them. The green colored contacts she wore felt dry, scratchy. But at least from afar she wouldn\u2019t be recognized.\n\nShe glanced back at a huddle of transients gathered round a rusty heater, and turned down the next alley. She\u2019d reached the hostel sector.\n\nIt was dangerous being back in Tevistal so soon after the Incident, but she\u2019d run out of options and time. A dozen small-time jobs had funded her existence along the way, but now there were even more bounties on her head.\n\nShe\u2019d been hunted for months, had been nearly caught, but so far she\u2019d always gotten away. And this was the one place they\u2019d probably never expect her to return.\n\nMila gritted her teeth and walked down the dark alley between two hostels. A cracked globe flickered, guiding her to a hostel entrance. She pushed open the door, and the scent of piss wafted over her. It barely registered. This place was only half as filthy as most of the places she\u2019d slept the past few months.\n\nVoices rang through the thin metal walls. Arguments. The sound of two people moaning and grunting. An old vid playing at full blast.\n\nMila found an unoccupied room and went inside. Dim sensor lights lit up the room. The place had a film of filth coating it, but it would do.\n\nShe shut the door behind her and activated the second-hand mobiGlas on her wrist. Her hacking program did a quick job of activating the RoomTab. The lights and power came on in response, and she pulled her mobi away. It would stay on until she ran her program again. No creds needed. Which was good, because she didn\u2019t have many left.\n\nA glance around the now well-lit room brought a flood of memories back. The pain came with it, weighing Mila down. She sank to the dirty mattress.\n\nShe and Rhys had tracked the Phantom to a room like this once.\n\nMila did something she hadn\u2019t done for weeks. She brought up the news search she\u2019d saved to her mobiGlas, to see if anything had changed since she\u2019d last checked.\n\nPHAN PHARMACEUTICAL CEO UNDER INVESTIGATION\n\nShe rewatched the vid of Casey\u2019s father being arrested with the sound turned off. Owen Phan\u2019s face was the same regal countenance she remembered from growing up. When Mila had first heard that the truth about the biological weapons had leaked, it had been a relief to learn that Casey had at least been telling the truth about that. And even more importantly, Mila\u2019s mother had been kept completely clear of the breaking scandal. Knowing that Phan wouldn\u2019t be making weapons anymore was the only glimmer of light in these recent dark days.\n\nAlmost without thinking, Mila accessed another archived news story.\n\nAn image of herself flashed in the air before her. Or at least what Mila used to look like. It was the photo the Advocacy had been using on her bounty.\n\nEVONY SALINAS CHARGED WITH AIDING AND ABETTING \u201cTHE PHANTOM\u201d\n\nThe article speculated on the nature of the terrorism, on the relationship between Mila\u2019s parents and Phan Pharmaceuticals, and on Mila\u2019s motives. Even with the revelation of the biological weapons it hadn\u2019t changed the fact that the Phantom had wreaked havoc for months. Casey, and by association Mila, were still considered criminals.\n\nThe article had included a small photo of Rhys as well. He had been held for questioning, but with no proof of any wrongdoing on his part he had eventually been released.\n\nMila reread the final line.\n\nEvony Mila Salinas is still at large, with several bounties on her head for crimes ranging from petty theft to terrorism.\n\nShe scanned back up to see Rhys\u2019s face one more time, but it was like a knife through her heart. She turned off the mobi.\n\nShe needed to get to Xi\u2019an territory fast, and she only knew of one woman who could get her there. Sybil.\n\nBut she\u2019d been unable to dig up anything useful on the woman. All she knew was that she was related to that peddler who had sold trinkets in the Tevistal market square on Pilgrim\u2019s Day. So that\u2019s who Mila needed to find. Sybil might have her guards shoot Mila on sight after what she\u2019d done . . . but Sybil had helped Casey \u2014 for a price.\n\nAnd Mila was desperate enough to pay just about any price Sybil asked. She\u2019d learned a few weeks ago that Rhys was hunting her down, trying to bring her in, that her time was running out.\n\nMaybe . . . maybe if he did find her again in Xi\u2019an territory, free of Advocacy influence, she could explain. She could hope for his forgiveness, if nothing more.\n\nBut until then, she\u2019d be a Phantom. Doing what she needed to stay free.\n\nTHE END"},"links_count":3,"comment_count":34,"created_at":"2018-12-19T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"7 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-14 00:45:15","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":16907,"next_id":16909}}