You Can't Take The Sky From Me!

A trooper pod flies across the ocean of stars, driven by a young hot-blooded bounty hunter. The pod soars to a small planet that looks black, with orange lines. That's Planet Kraa, a small planet but hot, where every day there are volcanic eruptions. The danger of its constant natural disasters makes Kraa the perfect hideout for Haul, an Orkan serial killer who has just escaped execution and carried a massive bounty on his head. He intended to trap his pursuer with a natural trap.

Jared gripped the controls of his T-pod easily, eyes locked on Haul's ship, unwavered even though the hot smoke was getting in the way. The heat from Kraa's eruptions hits the pod's hull, but Jared grits his teeth and maintains his focus on the target.

21-year-old Jared Gauthier smirks. "You think you can death-trap me here, do you? Watch!" he growls boldly.

Jared's flying skill wasn't all talk. He has earned respect for his daring moves, sharp instincts, and the ability to pull off stunts that make people amazed. His flying was bold and aggressive, always pushing his limits and skimming the edge of danger. Every sharp turn and quick decision showed how determined he was to prove himself that he was unstoppable.

Haul's pod dived into the pool of a boiling volcano, but Jared knows what he's about to do. Haul's pod is FGB, model 2879, meaning it's very good at performing sharp maneuvers, something that most other pods, especially Jared's pod, are unable to do as well. As expected, in the last seconds before hitting the surface of the red lava soup, he suddenly rose back up. But since Jared had already predicted it, he had already maneuvered his ship into the direction Haul was about to take.

And Jared tried to crash his pod into Haul's pod, with his pod at the top. Haul was shocked, of course, so he quickly slammed his wheel in another direction. But he is a bit too late. The top of his pod still hit something that Jared intentionally attached to the bottom of his pod. Something like iron that was purported to protect the pod against crashing crash, but this time, it crashed a little bit of Haul's wings.

A radio call enters Jared's receiver, and shrieking voices with undetected language that seems more like stomach growls are heard. Orkan language sounds that way because of the way their mouth is structured. So even if they learn proper Earthlish, it's still hard to tell what they're talking about.

"Stop complaining and give up!" Jared replied to Haul with a radio com attached to his dashboard.

But Haul replied with a barrage of laser shots. Luckily, nothing really damaged his pod because Jared's reflex avoided the attack.

"Son of a rat wants some exchange, huh?! " I'll give ya a laser!" When the target was on lock, Jared shot, the blast striking Haul's engine and causing thick black smoke from the tail of his pod. However, despite the hit, the target remained airborne, stubbornly evading capture.

"Just give it up, Haul," large sums of money lay within reach, waiting to be claimed, a tempting prize that only fueled Jared's drive. "Logan, tonight we will dine in the Devil's Bowl!"

Logan's voice came through the coms, steady despite the chaos. "Watch out, Komob! The steam eruption is coming up fast. Stop tailing him!"

Jared barely acknowledged her warning. "I know what I'm doing, Bubble Gum-Haired nerd!" he yelled back, his fingers already working the controls with precision.

The pod shot forward, its engines humming as Jared calculated the speed just right to avoid the eruption. He had done this a thousand times before—speed, timing, angle, all figured out in seconds. He wasn't going to let a little steam ruin his chase.

Logan's voice becomes more urgent. "King of Missing-Out Bounties, you need to stop! The steam explosion is—"

"I said I know what I'm doing," Jared grunted, cutting her off as he adjusted the pod's thrusters and veered away, skillfully avoiding the eruption's edge, the air sizzling as he passed.

But then the eruption hit faster than he expected.

A burst of searing steam exploded, engulfing Jared's pod in a split second. The blast hit with a deafening roar, shaking the ship. Jared's hand slammed the controls, his instincts kicking in to save himself. The heat was unbearable, the ship trembling. He quickly checked the readouts—damaged but not destroyed. With a quick move, he narrowly escaped the full force of the explosion.

But it was too late.

Haul's ship was already slipping away. Jared cursed, helpless as his target vanished. The sound of Haul's laughter echoed over the coms, mocking him in a language Jared didn't understand. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Wiping the blood from his face, Jared groans, "...that sounds like a toilet flushing. Must be full of shit."

The ship moans, smoke pouring from the engine as the pod drifted unsteadily.

Logan's voice came through again, this time full of frustration. "Jared! You arrogant fool! You didn't listen to me! I told you it was going to explode, but no—you had to keep going! For what?! Because it makes you look awesome?!"

Jared leaned back in his seat, staring into the void of space. His hair was messy and dusted from the shattered pod's glass, a few strands sticking to his blood-smeared skin. He almost get there, almost! But one second changes everything now.

His stomach growled. The galaxy's finest meals seem impossible now.

Jared sighed, "I guess Devil's Bowls should wait..."

Logan was still ranting. "You always break everything! Every time we make money, you break something, and we end up spending our prize money fixing things! How are we ever going to get rich, buy a ship, and—now we don't even get any money!"

Jared turned her out. His mind was on his mistake—his arrogance had cost him. But right now, he doesn't care about the job. He just cared that his money had escaped... and that he wouldn't be eating anything good tonight.

"Relax, I'm fine. " We can try again later," Jared cut through all her rants. "I'll catch him next time... and I'll get my meal."

Logan was still yelling though, but Jared was already lost in thought, trying to keep himself optimistic. One day he will be out of the bad days, and good days will come.

"I tracked Haul across the galaxy for months, losing sleep!!" Logan, still nagging. "I should've known Argonarians can't follow tactics!"

"Now, now, don't be racist, Logan," Jared called out calmly. "Come pick me up."