Hybrid Saga 01 - Hybrid Read Online Free Page A

the stranger warned, releasing Ethan’s hand and returning his attention to where it had apparently been before, on a tavern across the street.
    Ethan backed away, watching as the dark stranger strode off towards the tavern and disappeared inside.
    “Ethan!” Elora called out to him from a short distance ahead. “Come on! Do I have to watch you constantly?”
    Still looking back at the tavern, his curiosity peaked, Ethan turned to follow his sister again.
     
    *     *     *
     
    The tavern was indicative of what Jarred would expect to find in an outpost such as this. Being a stopping point for smugglers, thieves and the occasional mass of fleeing refugees, Wasteland Station would inevitably attract its fair share of shady characters, making an establishment like this one a hub for the criminally inclined. And judging by the smell of the place, the customers probably hadn’t come for the food.
    He moved from the entrance of the tavern, walking alongside the bar, which stretched across the length of the establishment, receiving glances from the occasional patron as he went. Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, he waited quietly, waving off the approaching barkeep.
    Looking over his shoulder, Jarred peered across the bar and took in the man he had come here for, a young woman perched on his lap. It had taken him two weeks to finally track Mac Keplar down, not that the man had seemed to be trying to hide at all. He was just constantly on the move, jumping from world to world, outpost to outpost. Jarred had missed him two days earlier at a mid-space docking facility, by literally only a couple of hours. The fact that Mac probably didn’t even know that he was evading capture so well frustrated Jarred more than how much time and effort he had expended in tracking him down. But he had him now and this time he wouldn’t be slipping through his fingers. All that was left was to go and collect him.
    Mac was a relatively small man in stature, harmless looking really, not that that meant anything. Jarred knew from experience that appearances could and usually would be deceiving, but it was not his direct quarry that concerned him. By reputation Mac was known for avoiding violent confrontations, more inclined to bargain or cheat his way out of any sticky situation.
    No, he would not be the problem. The large trio of men that surrounded Mac at the table would be. He observed the three in a glance, noting that one was left handed and all were carrying holstered weapons. None appeared to be all that bright though, positioning themselves randomly around their table, Mac however, sitting in a spot that would allow him full view of everything happening in the establishment. He was obviously the only thinker of the group. The others were simply muscle. But simple or not, they were three and Jarred was only one. In addition to that, he assumed most of the tavern’s patrons would also be carrying firearms and he doubted any of them would take kindly to a violent confrontation in their midst, least of all one brought on by a bounty hunter intruding on their turf. He would have to choose his next move carefully, and more importantly, it would have to make a statement.
    Jarred turned back to the bar, preparing himself for the task ahead. He would have to be quick.
     
    *     *     *
     
    “Please, we’re desperate!”
    Elora Bishop stood, pleading with an aging freighter pilot she had seen leaving one of the docking bays in, what she considered to be, one of the slimiest outposts she had ever had the displeasure of finding herself stranded in.
    She had been scouring the compound for pilots with a ship of any kind, in the hope of bargaining her way into a ride to any place that wasn’t this place. The old pilot, who almost seemed to sympathize with her predicament, had been the first to actually take the time to hear her out, though it was obvious to her now that he was quickly losing interest. Nevertheless, he was the