“When you asked for this meeting, I had assumed it would be a slightly more private affair.”

Behind him, Jason could almost hear Tisi rolling her eyes at Hela’s words. From across her incredibly fancy desk, the merchant favored her friend with an equally unamused glare, before her eyes slid back over to him.

“Tisi, I might understand. The woman has a habit of sticking her tusks into anything even tangentially related to her crew. Like a mother with no daughters and a single son.”

This time he definitely did hear Tisi splutter, probably in complaint at the unflattering comparison, but Hela ignored her, continuing on. “So yes, her I understand. What I struggle to understand is why another of your crew members also saw fit to intrude on this discussion?”

Jason glanced back to where Yaro was standing, barely paying attention to the conversation as the rakiri was busy inspecting an ancient looking spear that the merchant had hung on the wall of her office.

“She insisted,” he lied.

In truth, he had requested she come, assuming that the presence of her and Tisi would prove a sufficient deterrence to any advances the noble woman might have cared to make. Something the rakiri had agreed to readily enough.

Though there had been the implicit agreement of them both stopping for lunch somewhere afterward, something Jason had no issues at all with. He enjoyed the alien woman’s company, her quiet demeanor more suited to his personality than most of her more boisterous Shil’vati shipmates. That said meal might end with a rendezvous of another sort was also a possibility, though the fact that Yaro hadn’t automatically assumed that would be the case was what actually made it a possibility.

If she had assumed that one rendezvous automatically entitled her to another, he probably would have refused on principle. Never mind the fact that he would have been just as disappointed as the alien if that eventuality came to pass.

He was a guy, but he was also a human being, and if the news coming from Earth had proved nothing else over the past week, it was that humans were more than happy to break their own nose if it meant bruising someone’s knuckle.

Sure, his decision not to sleep with an attractive alien wasn’t quite on that level of self-sacrifice, but for a guy in his twenties, it felt close.

“Did she now?” Hela said.

Realizing he might have inadvertently created an enemy for his crewmate, he demurred. “You know how women can be. Never let a man go anywhere unattended.”

“Don’t trust me, Tisi?” Hela smirked, her mood lightening as she glanced in her friend’s direction.

“With an unwed male?” Tisi deadpanned from her position on the leg of a nearby sofa. “About as far as I can throw you.”

Hela smiled. “I could have the engineers lower the Maw’s gravity for a few minutes. I don’t mind being tossed down a hall if it gets me a few minutes alone with this cutie.”

Jason resisted the urge to point out that he was standing right there, as the two women talked about him like a toy they were fighting over. He wanted to. He really did. Unfortunately, he was here to ask a favor of one of the people in this conversation, and the other was his CO.

So he had little choice but to stand in irritated silence as the byplay between the two continued. Fortunately – or unfortunately – for him, Hela was a decent merchant, despite her vapid noble demeanor.

“Oh, I think we’ve annoyed her handsome male friend?” While Hela seemed more amused by the notion, he thought he could see just a hint of guilt on Tisi’s face.

“I don’t much enjoy being ‘squabbled’ over,” Jason said calmly, reeling in his desire to say much worse.

Tisi leaned forward. “Apologies private, it was just supposed to be a little light banter between friends. We didn’t mean anything by it.”

Jason forced a smile on his face even as he wanted to point out that said apology wasn’t really an apology. It was an attempt to minimize or dismiss the faux pas as little more than a joke.

Unfortunately for him, he had little choice but to accept it. Even ignoring the power disparity between him and the two women, making an issue of it after Tisi had apologized would only make him seem petty.

“Not a problem, ma’am.” He smiled.

Tisi didn’t look entirely convinced, and was about to say more, before Hela interrupted.

“Alright, now that we’ve gotten the pleasantries out of the way – and why my guest has a ‘guard detail’ with him – we can get down to the reason why he’s here.”

As the woman spoke, she poured something that was no doubt very expensive into a glass and took a sip, curious eyes peering at him over the rim.

“I need to send a message,” Jason said, figuring it was better for him just to jump straight to the point rather than dance around the subject.

Given that he was dealing with someone who negotiated trade deals for a living, he doubted his own fairly lackluster social skills would allow him to come out on top if the conversation dragged.

“The automated mail servers are just down the street.” Hela leaned back in her seat, glass in front of her. “A messenger ship should be through in a week.”

“His location is classified, Hela. No mail in or out.” Tisi scowled at her friend. “You knew that when you got the contract to bring him here.”

“That I did and do.” Hela stared back at Tisi. “A contract that stipulated that I not disclose the ‘passengers’ location to anyone under pain of heavy fine or worse.”

Tisi snorted. “As if that’s stopped you before.”

Hela studiously inspected the glass in her hand. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

“Oh, so I didn’t spend the night of your nineteenth birth date holding back your hair while you kneeled in front of a toilet? With you alternating between vomiting and complaining about a customs official refusing your bribe?”

Jason felt his eyes widen slightly at the casual mention of bribery by his captain. Was that common? He glanced over to Yaro to see her reaction, but the rakiri was still inspecting the artifacts scattered around Hela’s office. This time it was a primitive looking musket.

“A misadventure from my youth,” Hela said, drawing him back into the conversation. “As you’ll recall, mother banned me from seeing the Delaney boy for a week as a result.”

“Aunt Teezia punished you for trying to lowball the customs official. Insultingly so from what I heard. Not for making the attempt.” Tisi grinned and leaned back, arms crossed. “Nor did said punishment stop you from having me help you sneak out each night for that week.”

The two women smiled at what was probably a fond memory shared between the two of them. Jason on the other hand was still bewildered by the casual mention of bribery and a sort of ‘going-rate’ for it by his commanding officer.

Was that what they were here to do? Bribe Hela into accepting his message? Ignoring the fact that his savings probably didn’t even amount to a night’s spending in the merchant’s eyes, he thought they were going to… he didn’t know? Bank on Hela’s sense of decency and her relationship with Tisi to send a message?

…Yeah, he felt stupid just thinking it now.

It had seemed such a casual thing when he talked about it with Tisi. Barely even worth bringing up as an issue. But now he thought about it, they were planning on breaking military law here. A stupid law, put in place by a rich noble to punish him for embarrassing her, but a law nonetheless. Just so he could send a message to Raisha and Tarcil? Both were important to him, but he sincerely doubted either wanted or expected him to risk his career and freedom just to send a message.

Not that his freedom was supposed to be in jeopardy. Given the context, the worst a military court would realistically do would be fining him, but that didn’t account for the possibility of the noble that stuck him here intervening to leverage a larger punishment on him.

He kept his features placid though. Sure, the stakes had just been raised in his mind somewhat, but clearly Tisi had a plan given that she was here. She hadn’t steered him wrong thus far and he doubted she would do so now. Agency and being his own man was fine and all, but in this case it was clearly better to follow his captain’s lead than panic over his own formed picture of how the inner workings of the Imperium functioned.

“So, we know you’re going to send the message, at this point we’re just haggling over price,” Tisi said.

“Fine.” Hela rolled her eyes as she put her drink away. “Though, if I were to deliver any hypothetical messages the next time the Maw leaves port, I would expect to be remunerated appropriately.”

“I thought we were friends, Hela?” Tisi said, acting wounded.

“This and that are totally different.” The noble waved her hand dismissively. “One is friendship and the other is business. I may not have always listened to my mother, but she was right about that. I won’t mix the two.”

Jason’s captain looked put out at that, but she didn’t argue the point further. Which wasn’t unexpected. Tisi took duty seriously, and trading in the name of her dynasty was Hela’s duty.

Which left him wondering if the young officer had just been played by her old friend, given that the merchant must have been all too aware of that, or if that really was one of the noble woman’s rules.

…This was why he hated dealing with charismatic people.

“Alright then, what do you want?” Tisi sighed. “If you’re after cash then I can probably spare enough for the going rate.”

Again, Jason couldn’t help but feel discomfited by the idea of a ‘going rate’ for bribery.

“Really?” Hela smiled wolfishly. “Little miss hoarder is finally opening her fabled vault?”

“So what if I am?” Jason’s CO frowned defensively.

“Oh, I meant nothing negative by it.” Hela giggled, her eyes pivoting round to glance at Jason. “I’m just glad to see that my old friend is finally taking a page from my own playbook. Boys do love a gal with money after all.”

This time it was Jason’s turn to scowl, but before he could say anything, Tisi cut him off.

“I’m doing nothing of the sort,” Tisi squawked, though whether the blue flush that covered her dusky skin was due to anger or embarrassment, Jason couldn’t tell. “I’m helping out one of my crew.”

“I’m sure,” the noble across from her drawled.

“I’m also more than capable of paying for myself,” Jason said, ignoring the almost indecipherable look Tisi sent his way as he butted into the conversation.

He’d tried his best to stand by his decision to let Tisi do the negotiating, but he had his limits. Having his CO pay out of her own pocket for him was a step too far in his eyes.

He had his pride after all.

“Oh?” Hela said, eye widening slightly.

He got the feeling she was surprised that he’d spoken, likely having expected him to sit back silently and let Tisi do the talking. Whether she was putting that down to a gender thing or a military thing, he didn’t know. He didn’t much appreciate it though.

“Are you sure about that?” the woman drawled.

Not at all. He had zero clue if the going rate was a societal norm or a noble norm. If it was the latter, the price would undoubtedly be an order of magnitude higher. Still, it changed little. If it was more than he was comfortable paying then he definitely didn’t want Tisi paying it for him.

“Well, I’d like to hear a number first,” Jason deadpanned back.

Hela continued to stare at him before laughing quietly. “Oh, I like you. Here I thought you were just another male, but it seems that the rumors of human spunkiness aren’t just rumors after all.” Her eyes roamed up and down him in a distinctly predatory fashion. “I’d love to tame you.”

“Hela!” Tisi shouted in shocked manner, her features turning an even darker blue. “You can’t say that!”

“Can’t I?” Hela just chuckled at her friend’s surprise. “Look at him. He didn’t even blink.”

Sure enough, Jason hadn’t. Though that had more to do with his surprise at the woman’s frank admission than anything else. That, and that her words weren’t threatening to him, as he imagined they might be to a Shil’vati male, or a human woman if their genders were reversed.

That was not to say that Hela’s interest didn’t represent a vaguely nebulous threat. It certainly did, on a social, economic and physical level if she decided to push the envelope. It was just that, despite everything he’d been through, the notion of Shil’vati sexual interest toward him still hadn’t shifted entirely from interesting, novel and intriguing, to possibly threatening.

Perhaps that was him being obtuse, but the expectations of a lifetime weren’t about to be undone in just a few months.

“A number please,” Jason prompted, refusing to be rattled even as his CO looked at him in surprise.

Hela was still smiling even as she turned her gaze back toward him. “One.”

Jason frowned. “One credit?”

“One date,” Hela corrected.

“Hela you can’t be-” Tisi started to say, before the merchant cut her off with a single raised hand.

“I can assure you that I am totally serious.” The woman said, the smile slipping from her face to be replaced with a far more businesslike expression. “I’m also negotiating with your man here, please don’t interrupt.”

Tisi scowled angrily, but crossed her arms and sat back. Jason caught her eyes as she looked over at him. Her expression clearly said that she wasn’t happy, but she gave him a brief nod that told him he could continue negotiating. Something that raised his opinion of her in that it suggested she trusted his ability to be able to make his own decisions.

Something that probably wasn’t wise given his track record, but at least it told him that his CO thought of him as a person with his own agency rather than a porcelain doll in need of guidance and protection.

“And the price in credits would be?” he asked, turning his attention back to Hela.

“More than you could afford,” Hela said simply, before inclining her head in Tisi’s direction. “Her either.”

“Seems a bit odd, given that Tisi seemed totally assured that she could afford it.”

“If it was the usual rate, perhaps.” Hela allowed. “Unfortunately for both of you, I have all the supply which means I set the price of that supply. And I say that the price in credits is beyond what either of you can afford.”

Jason refused to be rattled by the woman’s words. “But a date is somehow worth more?”

“In the right place? With the right people?” Hela acceded. “Definitely.”

Jason cocked his head as he realized he’d misjudged exactly what Hela was after. He’d – perhaps a little narcissistically – assumed she was just after sex and was using her position to essentially blackmail him into it. It wouldn’t be the first time someone in a position of power had used that maneuver. Even if it had been something he’d had zero intention of agreeing with on principle alone.

“Where?” he asked. “And with whom?”

“Ooh, there’s that spunk again,” the merchant tittered. “And the answers are the Governess’s mansion and the ‘high and mighty nobility’ of Gurathu respectively.”

“You want to bring Jason along to show him off to a bunch of border world yokels?” Tisi put in, apparently unable to contain her astonishment or displeasure.

“Parties like these are all about making a statement,” Hela said primly. “And having a human hanging off my arm for the evening would be a rather exotic statement.”

Jason ignored the fact that he was being talked about like a fashion accessory.

“That’s it? I join you at this party and you’ll send my message? Nothing else?”

Hela favored him with a half-lidded gaze, her tusked mouth twisting into a vaguely vulpine smirk. “Not unless you want it, dear.”

Jason thought it over, searching for catch. He couldn’t see one though. Accompany Hela to a party of fancy nobles and she’d send his message?

He thought it sounded too easy, but then again, why wouldn’t it? Realistically, sending his message cost the merchant nothing. Before they’d arrived at the ship, he hadn’t even really considered the cost, given the way Tisi spoke about it.

So with that in mind, Hela’s request for a date wasn’t that strange. A medium sized favor for a small favor, with her coming out on top. Which was to be expected of a merchant to be honest.

“You’ve got a deal.”

Hela looked positively delighted even as Tisi sighed from her seat.

“Oh, yes, human boys are all sorts of fun,” the noblewoman giggled.

Jason ignored her, just as he tried to ignore the fact that he felt like he’d just made a deal with the devil.