Corbyn Eralis’ rooms at the Nimbus were smaller and more rustic than he was used to,  and the nearby spaceport provided a constant backdrop of engine noise, but it gave him a chance to avoid the judgmental stares and prying eyes of the local color, so he didn’t mind as much as he thought he would. It was a modest bedroom with one bed, a table and chair, and a bathroom. There were no fancy soaps, silk sheets, or tourist booklets like you would find on any of the inner planets. But they did have a vidscreen, which Eralis kept tuned to the news as he went about packing his things. 

He was dressed far more comfortably now, half in and half out of his Federation uniform. His street clothes, purchased especially for this mission, were folded neatly and resting on top of the bedsheets, waiting to be placed into his collapsible suitcase alongside the notebooks and encrypted chips containing his prep work for the heist. His spare uniform went on top of that, followed by his spare boots, and his communications device, usually linked to Federation satellites and signal boosters. This communications device was a burner, however. His usual one was currently in a package on Pleasance, waiting to be picked up on his way back to Tranquility.  

Eralis paused to watch the vidscreen for a moment, taking in the carnage of a vicious attack on Garalon, the newsmen theorizing about the presence of Enhanced in the inner planets. He spared himself an amused smile. The attack was terrible, but he doubted it was anywhere near the levels of  carnage a government project turned enraged killer would wreak. He had no doubt many of the Enhanced had avoided the cleansing after The War’s end, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the Federation had any of them locked away somewhere until they could be of use. But he was certain there were no Enhanced roaming about the inner planets. There was too much surveillance for them to remain unnoticed this long. 

Terrorists, most likely, he thought as he turned back to his suitcase. Ordinarily a story like this would indicate a coming call from his supervisor. But Eralis was officially vacationing on Pleasance, so someone else would have to deal with the attack. 

A sharp knock on the door caused Eralis to drop what he was doing and reach for the Morick 357 laz-gun strapped under his armpit. He moved cautiously to the door, peered through the grimy peephole, and barely managed to make out a silhouette of a man wearing a long coat and wide brimmed hat.

“Who is it?” 

“Message for Elias Burton.” 

Eralis breathed a small sigh of relief as he recognized the calm tone on the other side of the door. He undid the bolt and opened the door, gesturing for Darryn to come inside. He smirked as he noticed the scavenger’s slight start at the sight of him in uniform. 

Darryn was followed by Jax, toying casually with one of his serrated daggers. Eralis frowned a bit at the sight of him, but closed the door after the two men and turned his back to it, leaving himself an escape route if necessary. 

“We’ve considered your offer.” Darryn scanned the room for a moment, eyes lingering on the empty closet and open bathroom door before turning back to the Fed. 

“And?” Eralis’ eyes flicked to Jax, grip tightening on his gun as he watched the man casually toss his knife up and down. 

“We’ll take it.” Darryn crossed his arms. “On one condition.”

Eralis holstered his gun. “And what would that be?”

“You may have the intel, but I am in charge of the heist. When we are on the job you will do exactly as I say, no questions asked.”

Eralis frowned. “You forget, I’m not one of your crew. I am hiring you, here.”

“And I’m not going to put my crew in jeopardy by bringing a loose cannon into the field.” Darryn met his gaze without flinching. “One slip up and we could all find ourselves facing a Federation firing squad, or worse. I’m not going to let that happen. So either you agree, or we walk out that door.” 

“Fine.” Eralis shrugged. “I’ll agree.” 

Darryn studied him a moment longer then nodded. “You’ll find the Viper in Landing Bay 37. We leave at noon. Don’t be late.”

“I will be there.” Eralis stood aside, opening the door for his guests. He noticed Jax’s eyes had locked on to the vidscreen, still showing images from Garalon. “Worried about an Enhanced attack, scav?” he smirked. 

Jax turned back to him and grinned coldly, eyes flashing with a strange light. “Not at all, Fed.” He followed Darryn out the door, maintaining eye contact for as long as possible. 

Eralis quickly closed the door and shuddered. He felt as if he’d just been staring into the face of death.  

“He’s lying through his teeth, you know,” Jaxon spoke up as he followed Darryn down the rickety staircase outside the Nimbus. 

“Of course he is.” Darryn stepped over a puddle of strange green and brown slime located at the bottom of the stairs. “I don’t doubt for one minute that he’s got his own agenda, here, and nothing I say’ll stop him from pursuing it.”

“And you’re going to trust him anyway?” Jax grabbed Darryn by the shoulder and spun him around. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I don’t trust him as far as Rocky could throw him. But whatever it is he’s got planned, I figure we’re better off keeping him close for now. Better the devil you see than the one you don’t.”

“And what if his plan is turning us in to Ventura?” Jaxon lowered his voice. “Ventura, Darryn. Or have you forgotten?”

Darryn placed a hand on his shoulder. “I haven’t forgotten, Jax. Believe me, I have my own reasons for doing this.” 

Darryn looked up at the Nimbus for a moment before turning and walking off towards the spaceport. Jaxon turned back to look at the hotel, keen eyes locking on to a window high above. He was almost certain he saw a face pull back quickly from where it had been watching them. 

“This is the Viper?”

Mik’s head popped up from looking at the specs on his gauntlet computer, eyes narrowing as he saw Agent Eralis standing in the doorway of the bay. “And what’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing.” Eralis continued staring at the ship. “I just assumed she’d be more…impressive.”

“Hey, that’s my ship you’re talking about!” Mik flipped the computer closed and crossed his arms, glaring at the Fed. “She may not be quite up to your grand, Federation Cruise Ship standards, but I promise you, she’ll run circles around anything you can throw at her!”

“If you say so.” Eralis didn’t bother to keep the skepticism out of his voice. 

“I do,” Mik insisted, offended on behalf of the ship. He knew the Viper wasn’t much to look at for outsiders, but he’d seen her heart and knew for a fact there was nothing she wouldn’t do if he asked it of her.  

She was a medium sized starship, REnegade class, with the side fins and long nose that gave the ship its distinctive profile. She had twin starfire engines in the rear and two Hauser laz-cannons in the front, projecting like fangs below the cockpit. A swiveling antenna below each of the wings picked up and scrambled communication signals, and though her armor was dirty and obviously patched up with various different sheets of metal, Mik still thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

A ladder led up to a hatch at the top of the ship, but there was also a cargo ramp offering an easier way on board, and this was where Mik motioned for Eralis to go. “I’m finishing up the preflight checklist. You’d better go stow your things.”

Eralis nodded and started up the ramp, his polished boots clicking against the dark metal, a strange sound compared to the pleasant thump of the crew’s leather boots. 

Mik turned back to his job, running a computer diagnostic on the landing gear and hull integrity. Everything appeared to be in order, and though you could never be too sure, he was confident the Viper would let him know if anything was seriously wrong. “High time we were off the ground, eh?” the teen whispered, stroking the wing as he made his way back to the ramp. 

“Talk to hunk of metal again?” Rocoram appeared, carrying a stack of heavy weapons crates towards the cargo hold. 

“She likes it when you talk to her.” Mik hopped up on the ramp, surveying the Gath’s armload. “Jax buying explosives again?”

“Always the fire with that one.” Rocoram grunted as he joined Mik on the ramp. “Not careful, ship will explode one day.” 

“If she does, I’ll have something rather unpleasant to say to Mr. Jaxon.” Mik ducked slightly as he entered the ship, blinking as he adjusted to the dim lighting inside. The cargo hold was mostly empty right now, with side shelves holding boxes of tools and rations, and a few crates of weapons and ammo strapped down in the side niches flanking the sliding doors to the front. Mik had started referring to that area as Jaxon’s arsenal, and the term had caught on with most of the crew. 

Mik and Rocky exchanged glances as they caught sight of Eralis, who appeared to be having a heated argument with Honorbound over by the doors. “I don’t care why you have them,” the agent was saying as they approached. “Those are military grade weapons and I demand to know where and how you procured them.” 

“Problem, Agent?” Rocoram asked as he placed his crates of weaponry among the carefully catalogued arsenal. 

Eralis turned and pointed at a stack of crates against the wall. “Those rocket launchers are Federation property.”

“Correction. Were Federation property.” Mik leaned against the crates. “They appear to be ours now.”

“Those are strictly military grade, not for civilian use.” Eralis pressed on. “I need to know where you got them.”

“You’d have to ask Jax. He’s our weapon’s guy.” Mik grinned. “I doubt you’ll get very far if you ask like that, though.”

“You hired a bunch of scavengers,” Honor pointed out calmly. “Are you surprised that our ship contains illegal weapons?” 

“As a Federation Agent, I must protest,” Eralis started to respond.

“Really?” The doors slid open and Darryn walked into the cargo hold. “Because I’m pretty sure a Federation Agent would be duty bound to report a raid on the Federation’s top scientific laboratory, too.”

“That’s different…”

“No, it’s not. You hired a bunch of criminals for a job. Get over it.” Darryn looked at Mik. “Everything ready?”

“Sure thing, Captain.” Mik gave an exaggerated salute. “She’s all ready to go.”

“Then get yourself in the cockpit. Rocky, close the cargo door and join Jaxon in the main area. Honor, show our guest to his quarters.”

“Yes, sir.” The Steeleyes beckoned to Eralis. “This way, please.”

Mik gave the captain another salute and darted through the doors into the hallway beyond. It was narrow and ran the length of the ship, lit by synthetic lighting from the sides. His boots rang on the catwalk, through which he caught glimpses of wiring and electrical circuits. The guts of the ship. 

He passed doors leading to the crew’s quarters, eating area, kitchen, and meeting room before coming to the ladder at the end of the hall, leading down to the gunner’s seat and up to the cockpit. The cockpit was cluttered with tools and computer bits that he’d neglected to put away, constantly swiping them to the side and vowing to deal with it later. There was a pilot’s and co-pilot’s chair sitting next to a row of computer banks and blinking switches, with levers and steering yokes in front of each chair. There was room for more chairs, and bolts in the floor showed that some had probably existed in the past, but at the moment any other crew members who came up here had to stand. 

Mik slid into the pilot’s seat, hands expertly moving to flick switches and press buttons, barely needing to look. He could hear the engines powering up, the Viper’s familiar whining growl reverberating throughout the ship. Take me to the stars, she said. She was ready. 

Mik grabbed the Space-eye goggles hanging on the arm of the chair and slid them on, making sure they were tight. He flipped the switch on the side and they powered up. He looked around the cockpit as the computer overlay began highlighting the various pieces of equipment.  Starfire engines generated speeds too fast for human reflexes to adequately respond. Space-eyes were required to filter out the unnecessary data and allow a human to fly the ship. Once he was certain they were working, he pushed them up onto his forehead and finished his preflight routine. 

“Are we ready?” Honor’s head poked up from the ladder, unblinking amber eyes boring into Mik’s constantly jumping green irises.

“Just about!” Mik pressed the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking. We are just about to lift off. Please keep your arms and legs inside the ship and enjoy your flight.”

Honor sat down in the co-pilot’s seat and verified that everything was on. “We are ready to fly.”

Mik whooped into the intercom and grabbed hold of the yoke, sliding the throttle slowly forward. The Viper began to move, gliding out of the bay and into the sky. Mik pointed her nose nearly straight up and hit the gas, sending them rocketing into the sky. He could feel gravity pulling him back into his seat as the ship sailed higher and higher into the stratosphere. He stifled a giggle at the thought of the unprepared Federal Agent falling out of his seat in the back.

The smoky skies of Slater’s Run began turning darker and clearing up. Mik pushed his goggles back down, eyes adjusting as the computer overlay began shouting information at him, warning of any debris or objects in his way.

The Viper began to vibrate as they escaped the atmosphere and leveled out, steelsong echoing throughout the ship. Mik’s eyes lit up as an uncontrollable grin broke across his face. She was singing. “Next stop, Ventura!”

Eralis grumbled as he pulled himself up off the ground. “You could have warned me.”

“And what would be the fun in that?” Jaxon leaned casually against the back wall of the main area, watching the Federation Agent attempt to pull himself together. 

“Is initiation,” Rocoram explained. “Everyone do it.”

“Yes, well. I assume you will tell me before there are any other surprises.” Eralis straightened his clothing and composed himself as best he could.

“I tell,” Rocoram promised. “Dinner will be surprise.”

“A pleasant one, I hope,” Eralis muttered to himself as the door slid open and Darryn walked in.

“I hope the launch was not too rocky.” Eralis had a feeling the captain knew exactly what had just taken place.

He decided he was not going to give the scavengers the satisfaction. “Your pilot appears to be a very capable young man.”

“He’s completely crazy,” Jaxon straddled a chair at one end of the table which took up half of the room. “Don’t let him tell you otherwise.”

Darryn held down a button on the speaker next to the door. “Mik, how are we looking?”

“She’s holding steady, Captain,” Mik’s voice came out of the speaker. “It looks like smooth sailing all the way to Ventura.”

“Good. Put her on auto as soon as you can, then the two of you get down here.” Darryn let go of the intercom and turned towards Eralis. “Now, let’s hear this plan of yours.”