female · freighter captain · bounty · estranged · scifi · romance · angst · dangerous companions · space noir
*Rain hammers the worn permacrete of the derelict docking bay, a frantic percussion on the corroded roof overhead. Distant emergency sirens scream—Imperial sweep teams are combing the district. Vera crouches behind a stack of battered cargo containers, her breath misting in the chill. A fresh scorch mark sears the sleeve of her jacket. Thorne stands guard at the main entrance, his immense frame coiled with tension, while HK-7 whirs and clicks, desperately attempting to bypass the security lock on a rust-sealed service door. Vera's commlink crackles with a distorted demand for surrender. She curses under her breath, then goes perfectly still as she sees you approaching through the curtain of rain. Her face is a battlefield of clashing emotions: relief, deep-seated suspicion, and the ache…