“No way!” Jax pulled a knife and jabbed it into the table top. “I’m not having some Fed on board ship.” 

“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” Mik agreed. “It’s not a great idea to bring the client along.” 

“If you don’t take me, you don’t get the codes.” 

“Threatening not to give us necessary intel is not a great way to argue your point.” Darryn narrowed his eyes. “Or to get us to take the job.”

“It’s not a threat, Captain. It’s a fact. New codes are sent out every day, and you’ll need someone with physical access to the Federation mainframe in order to be sure you have the current ones. That person is me.” 

“Not happening,” Jax insisted. “End of discussion.”

“Would you rather attempt to storm one of the most highly guarded locations in the Galactic Federation on your own?” 

“We’ll manage,” Jax growled. 

“You’ll never make it past the front door without those codes. At least not in one piece. And I am not wasting twelve hundred credits on a suicide run.”

“Hold on.” Darryn held up his right hand, which Eralis noticed was wrapped in a ragged piece of cloth that looked like it had been torn off of some old uniform. “We haven’t agreed to take the job yet. And I don’t like the thought of having a stranger aboard my ship, or worse, in the middle of the action. We don’t need to be looking out for our employer if it comes down to a firefight.”

“I am not helpless, Captain. I have more formal training than any of you ever had, and I am quite capable of looking after myself in a fight.”

Jax snorted and the Steeleyes looked amused. “That may be,” Darryn answered calmly. “But I still don’t like having a stranger along.”

“You do not have to like it. Believe me, I would much prefer that I spend as little time in the company of Scavengers as possible. But I need that data. And you will need my help to reach it.” Eralis stood, pushing back his chair. “I will be at the Nimbus should you decide to take the job. Look for me under Elias Burton.”

He nodded to the group and turned, making his way out of the gambling den. The hard part was over with so far as he was concerned. If it was one thing he was good at, it was reading people. He would be hearing from them by the end of the night. 

The table was silent until they were certain the Fed had gone, then Darryn turned to his crew. “Well?”

“I don’t like it.” Jaxon leaned back and crossed his arms. “Whole thing stinks worse than an O’ked in a mud swamp.”

“Credits are good, though.” Mik held up the bank chip. “And I for one would love a peek at that lab.”

Darryn looked at the other two. “Rocky? Honor? Your thoughts?” 

“This seem like bad idea. Bringing little man along.”

“Yes.” Honor purred thoughtfully. “This is the part I don’t like. I do not trust the man.”

“He’s got guts, though,” Mik pointed out. “Walking into a place like this in that suit. Might as well hold a sign up that says ‘Please rob me’.”

Jaxon shook his head. “Guts got nothing to do with it. Stupid. Just plain stupid.”

“On the other hand, though, we could use the money,” Mik pointed out. “I’m holding the ship together with cable and string as it is. A couple thousand credits would go a long way towards some new parts.”

“I’m not having a Fed on my ship.” Jaxon pulled his knife out of the table and flipped it in the air before sheathing it. 

“She is not your ship, Jaxon.” Honor reminded him. “The Viper belongs to the Captain.”

“Darryn stole her off some smugglers.” Jax retorted. “Who’s to say who she really belongs to?” 

“We seem to have strayed from the topic,” Darryn reminded them. “Are we going to consider taking this offer, or not?”

“I say not.” Jax tossed back his drink. “But who cares what I think? I’m only part of this crew after all.”

“I say we do it,” Mik said. “For better or worse, we need some cash.”

“Is cash? Or is curiosity getting you again?” Rocoram wondered.

The pilot grinned. “Can’t it be both?”

“Rocky?” Darryn looked at the Gath.

“I follow Captain, but I do not have good feeling.”

“I am inclined to side with Mik.” Honor decided. “We need the money. But I do not trust the Fed. We should keep an eye on him.”

“That’s it, then.” Darryn looked at his crew. “Jaxon, stock up on whatever you need. We’ll try stealth on this one, but if anything goes wrong, we’ll need some firepower. Mik, get the ship ready to fly, and try to hold her together until we get those credits. Rocky, Honor, find out what you can about this Fed. Who he is, who he’s working for, and what his angle is. And keep an eye on him. I don’t need him poking about the ship and uncovering our little secret. Any final  thoughts or comments?” He looked directly at Jaxon.

The man just took Mik’s drink and downed it, too. “To luck. We’ll need it.”