It had been a couple of weeks since her encounter with the bounty hunters. There was a little talk in the marketplace about the bodies that were found, but it died off very quickly. Murders were so common in Omera that they didn't warrant a lot of conversation. Usually, not even when the bodies were found in the condition those two had been found in – one dried out, the other burned to a cinder.

Lyra hadn't seen any other bounty hunters since that day and she started to hope that maybe, they'd decided she wasn't worth the effort and would leave her alone.

She stretched and yawned, the rays of Astriq's twin suns slipping through the cracks in the walls of her place. Lyra lay back on her bed – which was nothing more than a ragged, flat, and lumpy mattress atop some cinder blocks and wood she'd laid down. Her blanket was threadbare in patches and ragged all over, but still managed to keep her warm at night.

Lyra had carved out a home for herself in the ruins of a dilapidated and crumbling building. It had been fenced off by the Omeran civil authorities since the top floors of the place had mostly caved in, but as with so many other buildings, it remained standing years after it had been condemned.

Quite by accident, she'd found that the building had a basement. Although the floors above had mostly come down, the bunker had been reinforced and remained intact. Despite the few cracks in the concrete walls that let in air and light, it was sturdy and solid otherwise. Lyra didn't feel as if she were in danger of the walls coming down around her, despite the appearance of the rest of the building. Whoever had built the bunker had done a great job.

It was one room, fifteen feet by fifteen feet, made of thick concrete. There were a couple of small windows in the very top of the walls next to the door that she'd boarded over to prevent anybody from looking in. The door between the two narrow windows was the only way in or out of the place. And she'd been able to reinforce the door with some metal she'd found and install a heavy duty lock on it as well.

Some people might feel claustrophobic in such a small place, but to Lyra, it was comforting. This was her place and she was snug and secure in it. Her bed was in one corner and she'd furnished it with tables of all shapes and sizes – items she'd been able to pilfer from other people's trash piles. There were bookcases against every wall and every shelf was stuffed with books. Lyra had so many books, they overflowed and were piled onto nearly every surface in her place.

It wasn't much, but it was all hers. She was getting by and doing the best she could.

Lyra stretched and rolled out of bed, neatly making it and arranging her pillows just so. She set her stuffed animal against the pillows and then got dressed in her dark trousers, boots, and green shirt. She moved over to her makeshift kitchen – which was a large round table she'd managed to acquire. On top of the table was a small, portable grill that ran on Rajok crystals, some chipped dishes, and her silverware.

She looked into the box next to the grill to take stock of her food.

"Great," she muttered to herself.

Inside the box were some dried fruits and dried meats, but not enough to last her very long. She was going to have to go out and get some supplies. While she seldom liked being out in public, it was a necessary evil. Not only did being amidst a crowded marketplace teeming with people make it easier for her to pilfer what she needed, it also gave her the opportunity to hear what everybody is talking about. Listen to the buzz and chatter.

Lyra knew that being smart and informed about what was going on was one of the keys to surviving in a world like hers.

She sighed and checked the time on a datapad she'd stolen a long time ago. It was early – Astriq's second sun wouldn't even be up for another hour yet – but the marketplace would likely already be filling up. The crowd wouldn't peak for another couple of hours, but it should be enough for Lyra to move about virtually unseen.

She tore a couple of strips off the dried meat in the box and slipped them into her pocket. After grabbing her bag and her cloak, she headed out the door and then stopped, making sure it was locked behind her. Lyra took the three steps that led up from her door and squatted down.

"Meeko," she called out. "Breakfast time, sweet girl."

From beneath a pile of nearby rubble, a large, burly black and red cat bounded over to her. The cat rubbed against Lyra's legs, its purr throaty and deep as she scratched its fur. Meeko nudged her other hand – the one with the food in it – with her head, drawing a small laugh from Lyra.

"Hungry this morning, huh?"

The cat meowed in response, it's deep blue eyes boring into hers.

"Yeah, me too," Lyra said.

She held one of the strips of dried meat out and the cat ate it from her hand, purring and chewing at the same time. It had taken months for the cat to get comfortable enough with Lyra to even let her pet it, let alone feed it by hand. But, lacking any friends or companionship, Lyra had persisted in trying to make the little cat her friend – and had finally won her over. Sometimes, Meeko slept in her place, curling up with her on the bed, and other times, she just wanted to prowl the darkness outside.

But every morning, the black and red cat was there for breakfast, happy to give Lyra a little affection and companionship.

"I need to get us some more food, sweetheart," Lyra said softly. "The cupboards are a little bare."

Meeko meowed at her again, as if to tell her to go stock up.

"You watch the place while I'm gone, okay?"

Another mewling noise was her only reply. Lyra set the other strip of dried meat down and gave the big cat a scratch behind the ears and headed off to the marketplace.

As she suspected, the marketplace was full, but not quite as full as it normally was. She probably should have waited a little while longer, just to make herself feel safer. But, she wanted to get what she needed and get out of there. Although it had been a couple of weeks and she felt a little bit safer, she was still wary. She'd never been targeted like that before and she still didn't know why.

Needless to say, the whole experience had left her more than a little rattled.

"Girl," came the familiar gruff voice.

Lyra turned and saw Montor looking at her, the faint traces of what could have been a smile on the corners of his mouth and a sparkle in his eyes. Lyra hadn't intended to take his donation today but walked over to his booth anyway. She felt she owed him something.

Montor had just slipped the last of the pies into the bag and passed it to her. Lyra gratefully accepted it and slipped it into her bag. She fished some coins – the last of her coins – out of her pocket and pressed them into his palm. He shook his head and tried to give them back.

"Not necessary," he said.

She grabbed his hand and closed his fingers around the coins. "It's not much," she said. "Not nearly enough to cover all of the food you've given me. But, I want you to have it. Just to say thank you for how good you are to me. I appreciate it, Montor. More than I can say. You help keep me alive."

Lyra could have sworn she saw his eyes glisten with tears, but he bit them back and cleared his throat.

"You remind me more and more of my little girl every day," he said. "She took nothing for granted and always wanted to do the right thing too."

"I wish I could have met her."

"I think you two would have been good friends," he replied, his voice deep and rumbling. "Now, go. You're bad for my reputation."

"I actually think I soften it a bit, Montor," she said. "People don't always like buying from a grump, you know."

He grunted and waved her off. Lyra laughed and started to turn away, before turning back quickly and planting a kiss on the large, gruff man's cheek. She could have sworn she saw color flare in his cheeks, but she quickly turned and bounded off.

Montor's kindness never failed to touch her. He had been wrong about one thing though – she didn't always try to do the right thing. Lyra knew that stealing was wrong. But, she had no choice. It was how she survived.

She moved along the booths, looking at some of the items for sale among the many. She saw clothes that she coveted. New boots and a new cloak. She'd have to save up for them all, but she was determined to get them.

"Lyra," a hushed voice called to her.

She turned and looked at the space between two of the booths and saw Hyk standing there. Like her, Hyk was one of the invisible and scratched out his living the same way she did. They were friendly, though she wouldn't go so far as to call them friends. Trust was a hard thing to give out when you lived like she did and friends were often a luxury she couldn't afford.

"What is it, Hyk?" she asked as she stepped over to him.

"I just wanted to warn you. Watch your back," he said, his eyes darting around nervously. "There are men in the market. Big men. Hard men. And they're looking for somebody."

"Bounty hunters?" she asked, a jolt of fear surging through her.

He nodded, his movements quick and birdlike. "Yeah, probably," he said. "Not the usual off-worlders."

"Thanks for the heads up."

He shrugged. "Gotta look out for each other, yeah?"

She nodded and then turned away. Lyra melted into the crowd, her heart beating harder as she weaved her way around and through the crush of bodies. Lyra picked her way through the crowd, her eyes vigilant. She lifted a couple of purses stuffed with coin and gathered some other supplies. She did her best to avoid stealing from vendors. The hard-working people of Astriq and tried to keep her stealing limited to off-worlders. People who didn't come from her home planet.

Lyra knew it was wrong either way, but in her mind, stealing from the people working to scratch out a living was somehow more wrong. She paid for what she could with her ill-gotten gains so they didn't have to go without just to keep her fed.

She had just purchased some meats and vegetables to take home – along with a few more books – when she felt that familiar tingling sensation on her scalp. The hair on the back of her neck felt like it was standing on end and goosebumps crawled along her pale flesh.

Doing her best to be subtle about it, Lyra looked around at the crowd. It didn't take her very long to spot the source of her unease. A large man loitered near a booth that sold daggers and other blades. He wore a thick cloak that obscured most of his body, but she could tell he was massive – and was probably wearing body armor on top of it.

Though he tried to give the appearance of browsing and acting nonchalant about it, she could feel his eyes on her from deep beneath the hood that cast a thick pool of shadow across his face. There was no doubt about it in her mind – he was there for her.

Lyra turned and casually threaded her way through the crowd, hoping to put some distance between the man and her. Hoping to lose him within the throng of people. Sneaking a glance back over her shoulder though, she saw that he was moving with her. He was keeping a safe distance, but he was definitely following her.

She turned down one aisle in the marketplace and pulled up short. Another man stood at the end of the walkway. He was wearing the same colored cloak as the man following her and staring at her just as hard. Lyra quickly turned around and started back the way she was headed before. She glanced over her shoulder again and saw that both men were now in pursuit. They weren't moving quickly, but they were moving steadily and were gaining ground.

The walkway ahead of her was mobbed with people. With Astriq's second sun joining the first high overhead, it was now peak time in the marketplace and moving about was slow going. She consoled herself with the fact that at least they were having as difficult a time moving throw the crowd as she was – probably even worse since they were so much larger.

When she glanced back again though, she saw that they weren't having as many problems. People seemed to be practically jumping out of the way to avoid them. Lyra was aghast, watching the crowd part behind her, letting the big men pass by – and continue to close the distance between them.

They'd both pushed the hoods on their cloaks back and she saw that they were both Andruvian men. Andruv was a planet in the same system as Astriq – and was her home world's biggest rival. Had been for time out of mind. It wasn't a stretch to say that Astriqans and Andruvians hated the sight of one another.

They had pale blue skin, red eyes that seemed to glow with an inner fire, and had hair darker than the deep reaches of space that they wore in a braid that hung to the middle of their back. Both men had tattoos on their forehead – though, she wasn't close enough to see the design. Hoped she'd never be that close to them.

Lyra turned and started pushing her way past people, ignoring the shouts of outrage and indignation. She needed to get out of there. Get away from them. She needed to get to the back streets where she'd have the advantage. If she could get there, she could lose them. Or, if all else failed, she could use her power and not have to worry about being seen.

Lyra burst through a thick knot of people and almost screamed. Standing at the head of one alleyway was another Andruvian man, his hood pulled back, showing off the same tattoo as the others. Glancing behind her again, she saw that the other two men had closed to within about twenty yards.

Her heart hammering in her chest and a fear-fueled adrenaline coursing through her veins, she turned and ran. She couldn't get to the alleyway in front of her, but there were plenty more she could get to.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the man moving. Shadowing her. He wasn't making a move to grab her, he was just pacing her. Ahead of her, she saw another Andruvian man – that made four – cutting off her access to the marketplace. Something felt wrong about this whole thing. Off. There was something she wasn't seeing.

In a near panic though, Lyra turned down an alley to her right and belatedly realized what it was she didn't see before. She was being herded. The Andruvians got her exactly where they wanted her. She turned around again, vowing to fight her way out in public if needed when she felt the sharp stab in the back of her neck.

She gasped and reached around, her fingers finding the source of the pain, and pulled it out of her skin. Looking down at it, Lyra saw that she was holding a dart. A tranquilizer dart. She dropped it to the ground where it hit the stone with a high pitched ring and felt a slow burning sensation rolling through her body. She suddenly felt thicker. Like the air around her had taken on a physical weight and her head had been wrapped in cotton.

As the four Andruvians turned into the mouth of the alley, all eyes locked on her, she fell to her knees. Her vision started to waver and it was like she was looking at the world from beneath a pool of water. Lyra opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't form a coherent thought, let alone a word.

As the Andruvians advanced on her, she fell over onto her side, her head ringing off the stone beneath her. The last thing she heard was the men laughing and congratulating each other.

And then her whole world went black.