Chapter 73: Bracing for the Worst
"A bit," Yui replied, voice steady despite the tension. "We ran into quite the figure. Joji. I’m sure that name rings a bell from the early days."
There was a brief pause over the comm before Elara responded, her tone shifting slightly. "It does. We ran sting operations in his country a few times—some successful, some... not so much. What does he have to do with anything, though?"
Yui exchanged a glance with Elias before continuing. "He’s here with his son—who’s been affected by a shard. I’d bet he’s dealing with the movement penalty too. But more importantly, he managed to slip away while we were dealing with someone who was either trying to capture or kill him."
A beat of silence, then Elara’s voice sharpened. "Wait, what? Who did you fight?"
Yui exhaled, rubbing the back of his head. "It was some guy in a mask. Don’t know if he was with the rebels or just a freelancer, but he was gunning for Joji. He fired first."
There was a pause before he continued, voice flat. "Reflected his own blast right back at him. Ended up with a hole through his skull before he even knew what happened."
Elara’s voice came through the comm, calm but pointed. "You’re sure he’s dead?"
Yui glanced at the charred remains still smoldering in the hallway before shaking his head slightly. "Yeah. No way anyone survives getting their own shot turned against them at point-blank range. There wasn’t much left to identify."
Elias looked at the blackened scorch mark along the wall and floor, the faint remnants of heat still curling in the air. He swallowed before speaking. "It was quick. But that’s not our biggest problem—Joji and his kid are gone
Elias exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he shook off the lingering tension. "I’ll scan for him again, but we should probably alert the local guard force about the dead guy before some poor tourist stumbles in here and freaks out."
"Right," Elara replied through the comms. "I’ll handle it. I’m taking this old guy back to the ship for holding until we secure the second shard user. Once you find Joji, don’t engage. Wait until we’re back. Shouldn’t take more than 15, 20 minutes max."