Charyd opened one eye when he heard his communicator, as if seeing half of the screen would make the truth hurt half as bad.

Squilla showed up on the dock even though her eyes were focused on the tablet as she clicked away at it. “You called, cap?” she asked, her voice distracted.

Charyd ignored the message and closed his eyes again. A moment later, he heard Scooball come onto the dock as well and ask the same question.

“Can you check this for me?” Charyd asked and waved at his communicator without opening his eyes.

Squilla ignored him but Scooball took the communicator. Charyd knew that the message was real when he felt the other stiffen beside him. A moment of silence, interrupted only by Squilla’s swimmerets clicking against the screen, and then that stopped too. There had to be a technology error. A mistake, someone else’s bounty had to be collected. It was impossible they nabbed Alice before getting Polo. Willing he thought hard on her, of her least favorite thing.

If you don’t get back here now, I will call your brother.

That threat would normally cause instant rage emotion coming at him. His despair deepened.

He smacked his forehead, Scooball jumped next to him at the sound. There’s no way Alice would get the message. She was too far away to communicate.

She thought everything through on this. Planning came easy to her and was completely natural. Getting caught would never happen.

“Her bounty has been claimed.”

He snatched the comm and another message came in from Polo trying to explain the situation and jumping back and forth on what to do. They had been purchasing at a vendor to refill on supplies when [item] got rung up wrong and had to go in the back to check the book. Alice suggested they go out front to check the price on the melons there, confirm the clerk isn’t messing with them. Before Polo and Mishupeshu came back in, a bunch of mercenaries were pointing guns at Alice, with the clerk hiding behind them. The story had too much detail, they wanted it to be believable.

“Polo you can stop the prank. There’s no way they would capture Alice and you got away.” Charyd vocalized the message looking at the others, but not one made eye contact. Completely guilty. Polo though would not answer the phone, the annoying typing pen showed up as another message was being written.

Of course, they were doing messages, Polo and Mishupeshu could not act. Charyd called Polo’s comm. One ring and it took him to voicemail. Mishupeshu’s rung three times before they finally picked up. That was not normal. Polo usually answered and Mishupeshu would avoid talking on the comms at all cost. The sound of vendors shouting their wares echoed in the background. The crew’s doctor did not sulk around in the alley but was in the wide open. They could probably see the sale prices that lied about twenty percent mark down, when they over base product by thirty percent. Smoke burned in the area to show off the clean oil and how their competitors would destroy your system.

Mishupeshu did not greet to confirm that they actually answered Charyd’s call. They did not look at their comm, keeping it down at their side as they walked, the fur of their paw blocking the screen. Charyd licked his lips, “You there, doc?”

“Yeah.” The rumbled voice replied.

“Tell him to reply!” Polo’s voice came in as loud as the vendors. “What do we do?”

Charyd ignored a ping coming through his comm. Polo could earn a Tony award with his action and how he was able to project his voice. Mishupeshu could not act at all, it made playing hide and seek in their medical quarters pointless, the seeker would just ask and find out. “Was Alice kidnapped?”

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“Yeah, she got kidnapped.”

“Captain - she tried snipping them with a mind attack and shooting, but they hit her fast and hard. She told us to run, her panic emotion drove us. We-”

“You didn’t help her?”

“She told us to run.” Mishupeshu stated.

“They outnumbered us three to one and -”

Charyd hung up. Mishupeshu said Alice was taken.

Another message came in from Polo.

“She’s been collared.”

The comm dropped from his hand. He kicked it, then ran over and picked it up. Trying to call Mishupeshu, but it never stopped ringing. More pinging sounds from Polo came in asking what to do, they weren’t done getting the supplies for the ship. Supplies did not matter, Alice had been taken. They had to came back. Wait, but they were the last connection to Alice, they had to know where she was last. Know what she last stated. She had to have told them something. She protected her family, always had the next step planned out.

Endless messages from Polo came in – none of them saying what Alice wanted or what she would do in this situation.

What would Alice do?

He yanked at his hair, hoping it became an antenna to reach her somehow. There was no way she could be easily stopped by a collar. Except, she had, the Cadoon kept her in prison easily with one. She needed help to get out.

But he needed her now. They had to finish loading up the ship. Mishupeshu had even made a specific order of medicine – low quality, black market, high amount – to bring back home. Add on top of that saving Alice and…

They were all wanted here though. The bounty posters were probably live in every tavern and bolthole. Maybe it was one of Mishupeshu’s contacts who gave them up?

Charyd could morph and use the Cadoon identity chip of Officer Charyd, see how far that could get him before they caught on. Though they probably had that on lock down too. It had been such a long time since Charyd stole the man’s identity, he was probably long found and all his IDs locked down.

But no.

Charyd had to stay on the ship. Who would Alice send in this situation?

She would know what to do.

That was how it happened last time. It all started with Alice. Once she was gone, the rest of them were easy pickings. Alice was their protector. She was probably the smartest being Charyd had ever encountered – excluding the droids and AIs that cheated with their databanks – and she was fiercely protective over them as if they were her own pod.

And Charyd was just lucky with that horseshoe Alice always accused him he had shoved up his ass. Lucky enough to lose his entire family in an hour.

And now. Again.

Alice was gone.

No. She was taken.

Polo was still messaging and Mishupeshu avoided communicators like they were made of water. But they were both still on the station. The same station where whoever grabbed Alice could easily grab them.

The choice was no choice at all. Either remain to look for Alice and risk all of them getting captured again or leave the three of them behind. Leave behind half his family. It was no choice at all.

“Captain.” Tony’s voice felt like a blast of hot air in the room where all three of his crew were frozen. He looked over but the hologram did not appear. Instead, one of the screens flashed to reveal the ship’s supplies. Mishupeshu had yet to finish refuelling. That made his choice so much easier.

“We can... I...” Squilla was clearly searching for something to say but nothing was coming out.

Scooball was a bit better by putting a comforting hand on his shoulder even though she usually disliked touching others. But all three were silent. Nobody knew what to do. Alice was the one that usually acted in these types of situations. She was able to get any one of them out of trouble with only a minimal thought.

Without her there to connect them all, let them all know what was happening, calm his mind—Charyd was lost.

And then the door of the dock swooshed open once more and another set of footsteps sounded on the grating. Charyd quickly squashed the hope inside him that it was Alice, even though Ilise’s footsteps were so similar to hers. Both were trained and walked almost the exact same way.

Maybe Ilise would know what to do?

No. She definitely would know. She just wouldn’t help. Not when one of her own military buddies was the one who caught Alice. Relying on her would only end the whole crew in a trap. They were so close to home too. The crew probably wanted to see their friends and family again.

Alice wanted to see them too. Risk everyone to save the one. Ilise was a Captain and would easily throw a cadet under the bus to save a ship. To save her Darkstorm.

“What happened?” Ilise’s voice dashed the last of Charyd’s hopes. She sounded angry.