Nearly two weeks later, Luna's Layover came into view up ahead. Jeridan and Nova sat on deck as the S'ouzz dropped them out of lightspeed.

The crew and the two AIs had been busy analyzing the data. ZHI had had made no hostile or suspicious moves and had instead given invaluable insights. The android's constant questions about the new world it found itself in was a bit concerning even though it was understandable, and everyone had started to give ZHI short and guarded answers. But ZHI was extremely useful, and Derren/Mason and Helen were optimistic that they could figure out how to get the jump gates back online and even repair those that had been only lightly damaged.

Jeridan looked at the distant bright point of light that heralded their approach to the station and smiled. A brief stop here, and he and Negasi would be equipped for going to Eridanus Delta and finally meeting the leadership of the League of Concerned Archaeologists. Maybe now they'd find someone who would talk straight to them.

"I still can't believe you want to stop at this dump," Nova grumbled.

Jeridan grinned. It was the first step in a brilliant plan. The con of the century! He was fully recovered from the wounds he had suffered on the Imperium station and was feeling great.

"Essential repairs. We took a lot of wear and tear since our last pitstop. Besides, we're low on ammo and nearly out of torpedoes," Jeridan replied, not untruthfully.

"But of all the places … "

"Don't worry. You don't have to set foot beyond the docks."

"I wasn't planning on it. What do I tell my kids when they ask to see the station?"

"You tell them it's a dangerous dump full of the scum of the galaxy. Surely, you've told them that on stops before."

"Yeah," Nova said with a sigh. "Yeah, I have."

"Then it will be no problem."

Nova gave him a sharp look. "No discussions of R and R around my children."

"We're only going there to refit and try to hear what the word is on the spaceways. We've been out of touch for too long."

"What the two of you do on shore leave is none of my business. I just don't want you talking about it."

"We don't go in for that sort of thing," Jeridan told her.

Jeridan and Negasi never paid for companionship. Too depressing.

Nova did not look convinced.

It doesn't matter what she thinks, Jeridan told himself.

Still, he did feel a bit embarrassed that she thought they were going to the brothel.

"Keep an eye out, everyone," Negasi said from his post at the turret. "Luna imposes a truce within a quarter of a light year around the station but that doesn't mean everyone follows it."

Jeridan was already keeping an eye on the three different ships within view, one approaching the station and two heading away together.

The station itself could now be resolved on long-range scanners. It was built into a giant comet on the outer edge of the Oort Cloud of a system with no habitable planets. That made shipping essentials to the station an expensive burden, but Luna's Layover was at a perfect spot next to the intersection of two important spaceways.

The comet looked like a giant snowball with docks, gun turrets, and other installations sticking out of it. Luna had tunneled inside to create a network of rooms and corridors. The entire comet was lit up a brilliant, crystalline white. After so long in interstellar space, it looked beautiful and welcoming.

Jeridan knew that appearances could be deceiving.

He opened up the hailing frequency.

"This is Jeridan Cook, captain of the Antikythera, and Nova Bradford, owner. Permission to dock."

A woman's voice came over the comm. "Dock in Bay Five. Wait, is this Jeridan Cook of the New Endeavor?"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Uh-oh.

That had been their last ship, confiscated for lack of payment just before Nova hired them for this crazy mission.

"Um, yes."

"For five hundred credits to my personal account, I'll give you a hot tip."

"I don't need any hot tips. I need some repair work and remunitioning."

"It has to do with an old pal of yours."

Jeridan waved his hand. "Look, I just want to dock. I'm not interested in any cack."

It was always the same at Luna's Layover. Everyone was on the hustle, station staff included, and whatever they were selling was usually worth far less than the asking price.

The flight controller said two words. "Flechettes. Flashback"

Jeridan stiffened. In his peripheral vision, he could see Nova staring at him.

He cleared his throat, licked his lips, and replied, "Is he on the station?"

"Five hundred credits."

"Two hundred."

"Don't be cheap with valuable information. Four hundred."

"Two-fifty."

"Three-fifty, not a credit under." The flight controller sounded like she meant it.

"Negasi?" Jeridan asked.

"Better pay it."

"All right, all right. Negasi, send me half. Flight controller, send me your banking info, and send me the intel on a private message. The walls have ears."

The charge came, Jeridan paid it, and got a message a few seconds later.

"Pleasure doing business with you. You are cleared to dock in Bay Five."

"Thanks," he grumbled.

He turned to see Nova glaring at him.

"What?" he asked, putting on an innocent face.

"That's what I want to know."

"Nothing that concerns the mission." Jeridan got back to piloting. Nova kept staring at him.

"I'm waiting for an answer."

"We never get answers from you, so you don't get answers from us. Negasi, read that message please."

"Already doing it."

"Anything we need to worry about?"

"Not right this minute."

"So is it valid intel?"

"If it's true, it sure is."

"Can I dock?"

"Yeah. And order rapid service for the refit. Nova will pay the extra costs."

"Hey!"

Jeridan grinned. "All for the mission. We're in a constant hurry to save the galaxy, remember?"

As Nova muttered unrepeatable things under her breath, Jeridan steered toward Bay Five. The bay doors were open and no other ship was docked there.

Good. He hated sharing space with an unknown ship.

He just hoped a certain ship he did know didn't end up docking there. He needed to read that message as soon as he could.

Jeridan landed. The bay doors began to close so the station could cycle in air.

"A perfect landing as usual. You really have talent for hiring the best, Nova," Jeridan said cheerfully.

"What are you guys up to?"

"Nothing that will affect the mission. Get in contact with the maintenance crew and order us those torpedoes. We won't be on shore long."

He left the bridge before Nova could ask him any more inconvenient questions.

He stopped at the armory and grabbed a pistol and some Kevlar flexweave, then headed for the airlock where Negasi waited, fully geared up. The docking bay had already been pressurized so they walked out without suits.

As they crossed the large space, heading for a door at the far end that would take them into the station, Jeridan asked about the message.

"Bruno is here."

Jeridan groaned. His pal had just confirmed his worst fears.

Bruno Flashback was a mercenary who had hired himself out to every war in the past thirty years and been seriously injured in all of them. He was more scars and prosthetics than he was flesh and blood and he had a mentality to match. The nickname came from his habit of suddenly leaping back into some old battle on the least of triggers. Several spaceports and even entire planets had banned him for opening fire on figments of his imagination.

They had met Bruno Flashback on Latimer Station, another sinkhole in the galaxy. While the man had terrified them and anyone else within a light year who had half a brain and no death wish, they also saw him as a business opportunity. They had just scavenged an old Imperium military installation on a backward planet. The place had been thoroughly scavenged many times before and they thought they'd come up with nothing until Jeridan had found a crate of flechettes buried under some rubble at what used to be the firing range. It was way more ammo than they needed and they offered to sell it to Bruno Flashback.

He paid a good price. What they didn't know at the time was that the flechettes were a previously unknown practice round that looked and felt like the real thing but crumpled against flesh, barely leaving a bruise. Apparently, Imperium troops would use these on military exercises, shooting at each other without actually hurting anyone.

Bruno found that out in the middle of a battle. He needed a few more prosthetics after that.

Since then, news of Bruno Flashback had trailed them all across the spaceways. Wherever he went, he always asked about Jeridan and Negasi, swearing revenge. The flight controller must have heard him ranting and then decided to make some easy credits by warning them.

"So where is he now?" Jeridan asked. "You said it was safe to dock."

"He went off to harvest water from the comets. Too cheap to pay Luna's price."

Water was the one essential that was inexpensive on this isolated snowball. Jeridan wondered if harvesting what was what he was really up to.

"When is he due back?"

"He didn't say. Why would he? He left only twelve hours ago. I had MIRI do a quick analysis based on the distance to the nearest comets and extraction time to supply one man on a long voyage. That's a lot of assumptions but she says he'll be gone at least twelve more hours."

"Time enough. Let's get this done."

Just as he said this, the door they were heading for opened and several humans and aliens passed through wearing red jumpsuits. The maintenance crew.

"This is priority, guys," Jeridan said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the Antikythera. "The lady in charge will pay for speed."

They smiled at that.

Jeridan and Negasi passed through the door into a main corridor leading to the center of the station.

"I sure hope she pays for speed," Negasi said. "I don't want to be here twelve hours from now."

"Hell, no. Let's get our disguises and get going."

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