Saving My Lesbian Friend from The Vampire King!

"You can't touch the stars with shackled hands,

A king who won't hear, never understands.

You can't rule the skies with clipped wings,

A king deaf to truth always fails."

Logan borrowed a trooper pod to fetch Jared, flying all the way to Kraa. The song "Heart of a Lion" blasted through the cabin, its angry rhythm similar to lion roaring matching her feelings towards Jared. 

When the song ended, the radio made a crackling noise, breaking the quiet that followed.

"…and that was 'Heart of a Lion' by The Libero boy band, who stopped their band activities after the band's lead vocalist, Jean Arvin, went missing five months ago, following a pirate attack on his tour ship. The search for him is still ongoing."

Logan's sighs, feeling sorry about what happened to her idol. She didn't know him personally, but his disappearance had caused a huge chaos across the galaxy. Arvin was becoming a legend, with his music bringing people together. No matter their gender, status, or race, everyone loved his songs.

Suddenly, something drawing her attention. A group of intergalactic police ships flying above Esteban, one of Kraa's moons. Logan's eyes widens as she saw the fleet. Haul landed there for emergency landing because Jared had damaged his ship earlier, and Logan had a bad feeling about this.

"Don't let them catch you, Haul," Logan growls. She swear to herself she will divorce Jared as teammates if the worst really happens. "We need your bounty." 

She adjusted the pod's path and fasten the speed into Kraa's atmosphere, following the pin point location that Jared shared.

The pod's engines hummed as Logan flew through the layers of the atmosphere, her chest tight with worry. A destroyed pod meant they'd have to use public transport now—a huge level down. She also worry that Jared might be badly hurt and need expensive medical care. If that happened, it would mean more money to spend. On top of that, the mission failed, and all their money spent on capturing Haul was gone.

And it's all because Jared thought he knew what he was doing!

Logan gritted her teeth. How badly she wanted to punch his face if it's what it takes to make him listen to her just for once. This wasn't just about the money—it was about teamwork, and Jared couldn't seem to understand that; always taking it as if everyone thinking he was an imbecile.

As the pod fly lower, Logan focused on the radar and saw the thick smoke from Jared's melted pod. The landscape of Kraa stretched out beneath her—vast, barren plains. The wreckage of Jared's pod lay scattered nearby, twisted metal scorched by steam vents. Jared was crouched, digging through the debris, salvaged what he could sell later so the damage isn't that grave.

They will need a new pod, she has to hurry back so she can search for Haul or another higher bounty. However, a breaking news update notification dings on her smartwatch.

Great News!! Galaxy's biggest serial killer, Haul The Orkan--Captured by Major Baxter!!

"Damn it," she muttered. Haul—the bounty she'd been chasing for days—had been caught by the intergalactic cops. They got him! Haul had surrendered without a fight?! Logan couldn't believe it. And if the cops had him, no one would get the bounty!

"Shit!" she cursed, slamming a fist against the dashboard.

Logan landed close to the destroyed trooper pod. The airlock hissed as Jared jump in to the pod, carrying some machine partition that still working fine. He can feel such angry aura emanates from Logan. Its shivering and suffocating. Jared doesn't want to look for more trouble for himself; his wound already create enough headache. It's better to stay silent for now.

***

Landed on Minerva, the mother ship headquarter for the bounty hunter alliance BattleLion, Logan walked ahead, silent. With her beanie hiding her hair, she seemed cold, while Jared stood tall, his spiky brown hair messy from the battle. A scar marked his forehead, his intense brown eyes looked tired for losing a trooper pod.

Jared wiped the blood from his forehead and noticed Logan looking at him. Her face was unreadable, but her gaze was sharp behind her glasses.

"What?" Jared asked casually.

Logan crossed her arms and mimicked his voice sarcastically. "'I know what I'm doing!'"

"Well, I'm not dead," Jared replied with a smirk, proud of his quick reflexes.

Logan snap in frustration. "Why don't you ever listen to me, Jared?! Why am I even here if you don't take my advice?!"

"Well, you don't know what it's like in the field!" Jared shouted back. "You just sit back, chilling with soda, and tell people what to do as if they're idiots!"

"Well, you ARE an idiot! Look at us now—we lost our trooper pod! Instead of getting the bounty, we lost an asset! And it's all because you 'know what you're doing!'" Logan's eyes glared as if she want to swallow Jared alive.

Logan swiped her credit card on the gas dispenser, then picked up the nozzle and began refueling the trooper pod she had borrowed, filling it until the tank was full. She continue ranting; "You need to know that I'm here because I feel bad for you! You always fail, and the only missions you've successfully completed are the ones where your dog did all the work. I'm here to help you, but if you think you're smarter than everyone, then let's just stop all this instead!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the tank was fully refilled, and she turned and stormed off.

"Fine then! I'll pack up all my stuff, and I'm taking the dog with me! I found him!" Jared retorted.

"No, I'm taking the dog! I'm the one who bathes him and feeds him his favorite food. He'll be happier with me. You'll only use him for money!" Logan said to Jared, who was walking behind her.

"Oh, no, lady, he loves me more! He's adventurous, just like me!" Jared insisted, following Logan into the cafeteria at the docking bay.

They walked toward two bounty hunters who were smoking at the cafeteria. One of them had an eagle tattoo under his vest. That was Maverick, whose trooper pod key Logan had borrowed to pick up Jared from Kraa.

"Hey, Mav, here's the key I borrowed. Thank you so much, and I already refilled the gas," Logan said.

Maverick nodded and then turned his attention to Jared, eyeing his bloodied appearance. Slowly, a mocking grin appeared on his face. "Hah, I can tell another bounty was missed today, huh?"

Next to him was Mino, Maverick's sidekick. Following Maverick's mockery, he smirked. "Another one for the 'Top Bounties I Almost Caught' thropy list."

Both Maverick and Mino laughed at Jared, listing the bounties he had missed. Some of them were even made up but believed to be real.

"You need to remember that bad days exist," Jared said, glaring at Maverick. Though he seemed calm, his glare was a passive-aggressive warning.

Maverick noticed the glare but wasn't intimidated. He puffed smoke into Jared's face, expecting him to cough. But Jared stood still, his sharp glare never leaving Maverick. Unaffected. Maverick grinned. "I feel really sorry for your girlfriend. She works so hard for you, but you always mess everything up. That trooper pod? She had it before she recruited you, but she had to lose it because of you. And you still call it a 'bad day'? That's bullshit!"

A fight broke out between them in an instant. Jared couldn't take the mockery any longer, so he beat Maverick up. Maverick tried to defend himself but was caught off guard by how strong Jared was.

***

Ten minutes later, both Jared and Maverick sat before Flaggot, the owner of Minerva and the leader of the BattleLion bounty hunter alliance.

Flaggot was an Earthling with a large head with white hair. His brown hair had gradually turned white, so he dyed it silver. His face looked like it had been overworked for three decades. His thin, slender, and small frame was covered in flashy fabric designed for comfort in varying temperatures.

Despite his appearance, Flaggot had been a legendary bounty hunter in his golden days. He had earned countless scars from the battlefield and refused to fix them with plastic surgery, wearing them proudly—his robotic left leg includes. That was why everyone respected him.

"He—" Jared pointed at Maverick with his thumb, hesitating to speak because Flaggot was looking at him as if he lacked maturity. "---mocked me."

Maverick silently giggled at how stupid Jared sounded. Beating someone because they stole your wife? Understandable. But beating someone up because of mockery? How old are you?

Flaggot gave no reaction, no change in expression, not a word. He kept all his judgments to himself, but Jared believed the leader was judging him in the worst way possible, even worse than how the other bounty hunters mocked him.

Flaggot looked at a piece of paper and read it. Then he glanced at Jared. "Also, your partner, Logan Hebron, requested a divorce and mentioned that she wants custody of Herman. It's not just a bad day for you, kid."

"Sir, we are not a married couple, she is a---" Jared corrected him, as Flaggot seemed to think that Herman was their son.

"Who gets married these days?" Flaggot signed the 'divorce' paper without hesitation.

"Sir, my dog—!! I can't lose my dog!!" Jared stood up from his chair.

"Sit back down!" Flaggot hissed in a shockingly loud roar, instantly making Jared sit back down. All he could do was exhale.

As Jared watched Flaggot sign the team termination contract, which meant losing his dear dog, his jaw clenched. His mind raced, strategizing various ways to get his dog back. He had gotten his dog before he joined Logan, and now she had taken him away from him? No way!

Jared had to return to his unit and steal Herman when Logan wasn't looking. It doesn't matter if he had to give up all his belongings—Herman was no bargain!

Jared walked quickly into the elevator that would take him to his unit's floor. When the door opened, a familiar figure stood inside unexpectedly. It was Archiles, his rival. Archiles always showed up at the worst times. He was dressed in a worn but stylish combat suit, his smirk as annoying as ever. Archiles is handsome, with thick eyebrows and sharp, fiery eyes. He had the kind of look that would make him the hero in any heroic story, a natural-born leader with a presence that demanded attention.

Rolling his eyes, Jared stepped into the elevator, knowing it would be a war with Archie. But he hoped that the thought of stealing Herman would keep him focused and save him from another "war."

"Well, well," Archiles said, stretching. "Komob! No bounty this time?"

Jared tried to ignore him, but he couldn't. He had to respond. "Well, if it isn't mommy's pet. Weren't you supposed to be in Jinqe, drinking expired milk?!"

Archiles got mad when Jared mentioned the name of the planet where people send their elderly parents to nursing homes and shot back, "I'd rather be Mommy's Pet than an ass hunter!"

When the elevator doors opened, the two boys stormed out, beating each other up. Archie's flashy hair was now messy, and he would need to redo it before his upcoming date with a hunter mama, Rosalia, at the bar. But he didn't care—he needed to teach Jared a lesson!

Without further ado, Jared found himself back in front of Flaggot. This time, with Archie.

Flaggot looked bored when he saw Jared's face. "What is it now?"

Jared pointed at Archie with his thumb, about to say something, but Archie was faster. "This is a misunderstanding, Mr. Flaggot! We were just sparring!"

"Uh, yeah. Sparring," Jared followed.

Flaggot narrowed his eyes, clearly doubtful.

"You see," Archie continued, "we're equals, right? Our builds are the same—same height, same weight—though I'm definitely smarter. But, well, we both wouldn't miss a chance to spar when we see each other, considering our tight schedules." To make sure this really was a misunderstanding, Archie gave Jared a side hug and whispered to him, "Smile, dumbass, or he'll punish both of us!"

Jared smiled.

Thanks to Archie, Jared was saved from another penalty for fighting with a fellow bounty hunter. Getting out of Flaggot's office twice in one hour was an achievement only Jared could get. On his worst days, he could get in and out of Flaggot's office five or six times.

"Bad day, eh?" Archie asked as they both left Flaggot's office. He wipe dried blood from his lips, "You know, you can't just go around beating people up when you're mad. Sometimes, you need to ignore them and focus on bettering yourself. That's how you shut them up."

Archie left without further interaction, but Jared couldn't take that genuinely friendly advice to heart, as he always saw Archie as an enemy. Anyway, Herman was more important now. He really needed to get to his unit. The plan was to pretend to take all his belongings, but he would only take Herman with him.