Kinley Pryse looked asleep.
She sat in the pilot's chair of the Canto Belle with her boots propped on the console, hat tipped low over her face. One arm hung loosely off the side of the chair while the soft hum of hyperspace filled the cockpit. The ship drifted through the blue tunnel of starlight, and for all appearances the captain hadn't moved in hours.
The cabin door hissed open behind her. A man stepped into the cockpit wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and a confused expression. He scratched at his chest and glanced around the empty compartment. "There you are," he said. "Was wonderin' where you got off to."
Kinley didn't move.
The man smirked. "Guess cuddlin' ain't really your thing."
One corner of Kinley's mouth twitched beneath the shadow of her hat.
"Nope."
The man laughed and wandered closer, leaning against the bulkhead. He looked comfortable. Relaxed. Safe. That was the trick of it. The stars ahead suddenly stretched and snapped back into place. Hyperspace released them. An instant later, warning lights blinked across the console. The man frowned.
"What's that?"
Kinley lifted the brim of her hat just enough to look out the viewport. A ship hung in the darkness ahead of them. Then another. And another. The lead vessel was already powering weapons.
The man's face drained of color.
"No."
Kinley finally sat upright while his eyes darted between the ships outside and the woman beside him. "You sold me out???"
Kinley removed her hat and settled it back on her head properly. The corner of her mouth curled into a grin. The man was still gibbering and staring at her in disbelief, but Kinley just leaned back into her chair and folded her arms behind her head.
"Truth be told," she said, watching the boarding craft launch from the larger ship, "I was startin' to wonder when they were gonna show up."
Outside, the boarding shuttle closed the distance.
Inside, Kinley looked perfectly at ease. Like she'd been sleeping the whole trip.
Maybe she had.
After all, collecting a bounty didn't take much effort when the mark climbed into your bed all on his own.
-----
