I am looking for an HFY one-shot I heard narrated on YouTube (possibly by Agro Squerril or netnarreter).
The story is told from the perspective of the alien criminal/thief.
Plot details I remember:
-The main character is an alien master thief/criminal who has escaped from every prison he has ever been placed in.
-He is famous because no prison, security system, or species has been able to keep him contained.
-At the beginning of the story, he escapes from a specially built, supposedly inescapable prison.
-After his escape, the Galactic Council decides they need someone special to catch him.
-Instead of sending soldiers or normal bounty hunters, they hire a human bounty hunter.
-The criminal becomes genuinely worried/scared when he learns a human has been sent after him, because the Council only calls humans when a situation is considered impossible.
-The chase takes place across multiple planets/locations.
-The human is not simply tracking him; the reveal is that the human understands and predicts his behaviour.
-The criminal slowly realizes the human is not following him — the human is anticipating his choices and guiding the hunt.
-The criminal is eventually captured alive.
-A memorable detail: early in the story, the human gives the criminal a rock.
The criminal spends time trying to understand the significance of the rock, assuming it must have some hidden purpose (tracking device, technology, psychological trick, etc.).
The rock turns out to be connected to Earth and the final capture/ending.