„Wormgate? You know I hate those things!“, Red grunted.

She was sitting opposite Yezz, this time in her own living room. Grubs was sitting to her left in an armchair while Twitch was standing in a corner, nervously fidgeting with a small metallic sphere from a nearby shelf that Red had kept from their job on Petaron.

The day since their last meeting had been busy with repairs, restocks, keeping in touch with friends and family or just plain old housekeeping. Red had spacious quarters, given the sometimes cramped conditions of a space station. A glass door led into a small indoor garden, and an open doorway connected the living room to the dining room. The captain kept her home on Binary Bloom as tidy as her quarter on the Rusty Bolt, but with more space had added more decorations and comfort. Right now the three of them were lounging around a low coffee table surrounded by a wide couch that Red had offered to Yezz and two armchairs, one for Grubs and one for Red herself. Twitch had pulled over a chair from the dining room, but after a few minutes decided that he’d rather stand.

„The Aerax are excellent wormhole engineers“ Yezz began, but Red interrupted her mid-sentence, her voice slightly strained: „That’s not it and you know it. The whole wormholes thing freaks me out. Two points in space a thousand light years apart touching each other? And then these seven dimensional freaks turn that into a permanent connection? I don’t care what the scientists say, there’s going to be some serious fuckery with that sooner or later.“

„The last wormhole incident was thirty years go, on the other side of the galaxy. And no reported casualties.“, Twitch calmly remarked. Grubs shot him a quick glance while the two women ignored him.

„It’s only around 600 light years, and you know that even at full speed it would take your ship almost a year round-trip. And that’s ignoring that it doesn’t have that kind of range. The Aerax wormgate is the only way. We need to get that core looked at, and there aren’t any scientists or labs in the Junkstorm that I know of or trust enough to do it.“

Red and Grubs exchanged an unspoken conversation with their eyes, and after a moment the captain answered with a more calm voice: „It’ll cost you an additional five percent.“

„Two percent.“, Yezz shot back immediately.

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„Three.“

„Agreed.“

The two women shook hands to seal the deal, and Yezz projected a local star map from her digital assistant, a tablet she preferred over the more common watches because she liked to write more than dictating voice notes.

„It’s a quick 23 light years outside the Junkstorm. Practically next door. Six days if you hurry a bit.“

„Eight at least.“, Twitch injected, „Three days to the edge of the Junkstorm, Five to the gate.“

„And we’ll need to haul payment for the aliens.“, Grubs added.

„How far from the other end of it to your contact?“, Red asked.

Yezz tapped on the PDA, changing the map: „The destination gate is right on the edge of the Lagoon Nebula, and I know that’s the most distant pocket of humans in space, but like the Junkstorm most aliens don’t like the region, so it’s what our primitive species gets to call a home.“

Grubs studied the map and looked at the scale display it showed. „Four days from the gate, I reckon. So 12 each way.“

„Three or four for the lab to get some results. Not even a month.“, Yezz continued with a cheerful voice.

„Don’t see a better option.“, Red sank comfortably into her armchair, just a hint of worry still lingering in her eyes. Grubs also visibly relaxed, the immediate next steps now being clear. Twitch put the sphere back on the shelf and came to sit in his chair again.

„What about Elias’s offer?“, Red put the spice back into the conversation.

Yezz closed the map and looked up: „First of all, thanks for coming to me with that, instead of going behind my back.“, Yezz added.

„Wouldn’t do that.“, Red looked at their fence, „The station is too small for intrigue and betrayal.“

Yezz gave a quick laugh: „You wish. Lucky you, not being home all that often you don’t see it. Anyway, “, she changed the topic, „I have not technically committed to my buyer, but it does put me in an awkward position. Elias is not willing to offer up more details about his buyer? I’m mostly asking to avoid us doing a whole dance and it’s the same one who just wants to make sure he’s getting it.“

„Nope.“, Red remarked, „His lips are sealed on that. He’ll happily talk about whatever else you want, but he’s keeping that a secret.“

„Not his only secret, I believe.“, Yezz wondered, her gaze lost in space for a second, before she continued: „I don’t have an easy solution. But if you’re gone for a month, if you trust me with this, I’m sure that I can figure something out.“

„We’ve always trusted you with the business side of things.“, Grubs stated factually.

„And we can always have a chat on the hyperspace frequencies.“, Red added, „And yes, I understand we’ll have to talk so that any aliens listening in don’t know what we’re talking about.“

„If, and only if, necessary, that would be an option.“, Yezz agreed.

„Let’s get to it then.“, Red decided for her crew after getting their approval with quick glances to her sides, „What can we bring to the Aerax as transit payment?“