As Scott hurled through space, he second- and triple-guessed himself. This was possibly the most insane thing he'd ever thought of doing and by several orders of magnitude at that!

The hardest part had been convincing Roberts. The captain had flat-out refused at first, telling Scott that his plan was asinine, bordering on suicidal. The only thing that had tipped the scales was when Scott pointed out that as Drake's grandson, his life probably wasn't in all that much danger, just his freedom. Well, that and the fact that Roberts' wouldn't be placing his ship at all that much risk, and Scott offered to pay him for his services with his mother's cut of the last job they'd pulled together. When the pirate captain finally gave in, he merely shook his head, saying, "You're just like your mom, you know that? I'm not sure if you should be proud or terrified by that fact."

Scott wasn't sure either. On the one hand, having pirate blood in his veins was something to be ashamed of more than proud of. On the other, his mom was an exceptional pirate in more than one way, from all accounts. Also, it was easy to judge her from the comfort of his growing up outside the pirate life, something he could only do because she'd dared to turn her back on the lifestyle and walk away.

Still, if Scott was going to do this, he had to commit and risk everything he had. Perhaps more importantly, he'd have to stop questioning himself. Any hesitancy on his part would end this before it really got going. And besides, there was more than just his freedom at risk.

Charlotte looked over at him. "Are you certain you wish to go through with this? We can still go back and try negotiating with your government to see if they'd be willing to help pressure your grandfather into releasing your parents. As our chosen representative to the human government, you may possess enough influence to make it happen without this level of risk."

Scott shook his head. "No. There's no way to know if that would work or how long it would take. Knowing the speed at which they work, those negotiations could take years or decades. This is the only way I can think of to ensure their safety here and now."

Charlotte nodded. "Very well, as you prefer. However, I will ask that you be careful. Drake may be your grandfather, but there are still many things that could go wrong with this plan, perhaps more than can go right."

Scott felt his stomach tying itself in knots. "Yeah... You're not wrong..."

-

Lucy fought the urge to check if the gun strapped to her back was still in place. Of course, having destroyed all the cameras she could find, she was reasonably sure her father's security didn't know she'd hidden it on her person, so checking for it now and giving it away seemed like a bad idea. Still, it was like having an itch you couldn't scratch. It was borderline maddening. Still, she suspected if the gun had gotten loose or fallen out, she wouldn't be oblivious to it for long. Even as Drake's daughter, there were some things she couldn't get away with.

Still, in some ways, the old man had won. She intended to give him what he wanted, just not everything he wanted. One thing he'd taught her a long time ago was that it was best to always negotiate from a position of strength, and right now, she was severely lacking in strength in these negotiations. It was time to address that deficiency.

As she walked into her father's meeting room, she noticed that, as usual, all the displays and decorations had been switched out for a new set. Was this something he was doing just for them? Or did he have that many things on rotation just because he could?

Of course, Captain Drake had his back to them as they entered, only to turn around with a flourish and a broad smile, displaying his showmanship for the audience of two. "Well, if it isn't my two favorite guests! And hopefully, soon-to-be heirs? Have you considered my offer?"

Lucy smiled in return, though her smile was a few degrees colder than her father's. "Yes... About that..." She was discreetly reaching for the gun when one of Drake's terminals suddenly beeped, indicating an incoming message, halting her movements.

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The terminal beeped again, and Drake frowned in the way he did when one of his little shows was interrupted. Finally, he reached over and activated the terminal, and one of his people appeared on the screen. His tone remained light, though the undercurrent of a threat in his almost jovial tone was more than apparent. "I'm in a meeting with my daughter. This had better be an emergency."

The operator nodded. "Yes, sir! Well, it's not an emergency, but you left strict instructions that should we ever receive a message from this operator, you were to be notified immediately, no exceptions."

Drake's face switched from threatening to interest in an instant. "Well, go on!"

The operator nodded again. "Yes, sir! It's from an incoming vessel manned by the operator you had tagged as 'promise.' It simply states, 'Mission accomplished.'"

Drake suddenly smiled as if he was a child on Christmas morning. "Excellent! Ensure they are welcomed on board and received by our best available security detachment! And make it apparent these are honored guests!"

The operator seemed relieved to see him in a good mood receiving the news. "Yes, Sir! Right away!"

Lucy wondered if the operator was able to say anything without preceding it with a "Yes, sir!" but decided maybe she was being unfair, given that she'd never been on the wrong side of her father's wrath.

Drake turned to her, his smile stretching the limits of what was humanly possible. "Well, that is some very welcome news! Our discussion will have to be put on hold momentarily, as I've got a new guest to attend to. However, it should be worth the wait as soon as we have the entire family together!"

An icy hand gripped Lucy's heart. Did that mean he'd finally caught Scott and Alice? How had they gotten past Charlotte? She thought the alien was going to take her kids far away to safety!

Lucy didn't even realize she was reaching for the gun again until she felt John's hand on her shoulder while he spoke softly. "Now's not the time."

Realizing he was right, Lucy relaxed. If they did have Scott and Alice, the last thing they needed was confusion in the chain of command right now. Once they were safe, then maybe...

As Drake walked out of the room, he actually had a spring in his step, which was kind of impressive for a man who needed a walking cane. However, Lucy couldn't help but imagine a target on his back.

-

Cleo activated the door controls and entered the hold. Scott, who seemed to be thinking himself in circles, looked up. "Did everything go smoothly?"

Not that Cleo could blame his nervousness. Instead, she merely smiled to try and comfort him. "Yup! They're even sending us to one of his nicer holds, reserved for important guests. I believe your grandfather intends to put on quite the show for you!"

Scott nodded, looking around at all the appendages Charlotte had stored in the hold as he answered. "Well, let's hope we put on a more...impactful show."

Cleo laughed. "Oh, it'll leave an impact. I promise!"

With that, Cleo returned to the cabin to bring the craft in for a landing, making sure to seal the reinforced door behind her.

-

Dax and his squad were geared up and ready to receive Drake's newest guest. His squad... it still felt weird even thinking that. Looking back, Thane grinned and nodded at him, making him fight the urge to grin in return. At least the other veteran member would keep his head straight.

As far as first jobs under his command could go, this was about as bland as it could get. However, Drake was apparently willing to pay half their usual rate just to escort this "guest" from the hangar to a room on the upper decks. Who was Dax to disagree with a man determined to throw away his money like that?

As the shuttle set down, everything seemed fine at first, but once the gangplank to the craft's hold lowered, the sight of walking out onto the floor made Dax's heartrate skyrocket as his adrenaline started to surge. A kid who couldn't be more than seventeen or eighteen walked out, escorted by the very same nightmare bug that had nearly killed Dax and Thane when they'd captured Lucy the Red. He immediately raised his gun into a firing position while shouting for the squad to do the same, but before he could get a shot lined up, a series of explosions rocketed through the shuttle, causing Dax and his squad to dive for cover instead.

The bug threw the kid to the ground, covering him with its body. It only started to stand up once the explosions were over. That was when another human descended the gangplank with what appeared to be a shotgun in hand. The second human unloaded several shots into the bug until it stopped moving. Then, when the first human started to stand, she clocked him in the head with the butt of her gun. It wasn't enough to knock him out cold, but it dazed the kid, who fell to the ground again while she kept him covered.

The newest arrival shook her head and spoke to the kid on the ground. "Sorry, Scott, but the equation's changed. My best bet for survival now lies in playing for the other team."