It was nice and warm in the captain's quarters, so Hudson sat on the maroon rug beside the fireplace. He was quickly hypnotised by the flames as they danced in front of him. Now and again, a crackle or a pop would threaten to break his concentration, but they never did. He was too far gone, too lost in those hazy memories that link the past to the present. Only Gilda calling his name broke the fiery spell, forcing Hudson to leave the comfort of the rug to sit beside him at the table.

The Gogglo who had come to see them carried his usual white cane and was dressed immaculately in a black pinstripe suit with a white shirt and red tie. His rough and bumpy scalp could not be hidden by the merest suggestion of grey hair, and his gaunt, skeletal frame suggested he was gravely ill. He limped through the door and struggled across the black and white tiled floor, slowly edging towards the table where Hudson and Gilda sat. Hudson saw him wince in pain with every step, his wide-angled mouth almost folding into his pale-yellow skin.

“Give Mr. Raven a hand.” Gilda ordered.

Hudson stood up to help but the proud newcomer raised a four-fingered hand to assert his independence. It was a clear sign that Hudson should back off, so he duly obliged. Raven then sat down but he took a moment to catch his breath before communicating in the manner all Gogglos communicated – by telepathy.

“Gentlemen, I must apologise for being late, but I had to make sure I wasn’t followed.”

Hudson heard the voice as clear as day in his head. Many times, over the years, he had found himself having telepathic conversations with a Gogglo, but the experience never got less strange the more times it happened. There was something unnerving about a species with the ability to get inside your head. Hudson often wondered if they could read minds. Certainly, nobody had ever claimed they could, but Hudson wondered, nonetheless.

Gilda had obviously received Raven’s telepathic message too because he said, “We understand your concerns.”

“Excellent,” Raven replied, once again through telepathy. “I’m carrying information that is most sensitive. This cannot fall into the wrong hands.”

Hudson nodded while trying not to stare at Raven’s oval-shaped eyes. Both pupils floated in the sclera. It was a feature shared by every Gogglo and helped spread the belief the species with the shifty eyes could not be trusted.

Raven brandished a small piece of paper from his suit pocket. It was crumpled up and needed to be unfolded. Gilda reached over and took possession of it. He scanned the contents while Hudson sat in silence.

“It’s a picture.” Gilda announced, his tone surprised.

“Of an abandoned Antantan military base named Fort Nebula.” Raven added. “The prize that awaits us there is substantial.”

“How substantial?” asked Gilda, glancing subtly at the photo before passing it for Hudson to scan.

“We’re talking about the big one.” Raven admitted.

“The big one?” Hudson and Gilda repeated simultaneously, looking at each other in confusion.

“Yes, the biggest treasure of them all. The one every pirate, mercenary and half-witted adventurer would sell their own mother to find.”

Hudson’s mouth was agape. “You don’t mean...?”

“I do.” Raven confirmed. “The Domdan Treasure.”

Hudson and Gilda exchanged surprised glances. The Domdan Treasure was a mythical prize sought by many over the years. The haul of paintings, gold bars and diamonds were rumoured to have been stolen by the Grimpians when they marched into the capital of Runeya over 1,000 years ago. Sadly, the treasure disappeared shortly afterwards, leaving behind a legend for the ages.

As Hudson contemplated Raven’s claim, he suddenly realised he was staring at the picture of the military base like a wide-eyed boy.

“You heard right, gentleman.” Raven added. “The most sought-after treasure in all Lozaro is within my grasp. All I need is Viper’s Fist to retrieve it for me.”

Hudson’s suspicion meter suddenly kicked into overdrive. An individual with Raven’s connections could easily find a more trustworthy group than Viper’s Fist, yet here he was offering the chance to not only find the treasure but also the opportunity to sail off into the sunset with it.

“Why ask us?” Hudson asked, bluntly. “Why not get the treasure yerself?”

His question prompted an angry glare from Captain Gilda, but Hudson did not care. It was a legitimate question. A question that surely needed to be answered if the Fists were to proceed with a deal.

“I’m a businessman with a busted leg, not a crusader. This is way beyond my capabilities, and quite frankly I’ve enough trust that you will do the job without stabbing me in the back.”

“Trust?” Hudson replied. “You trust us?”

“Why should I not?”

“Because nobody trusts us.” Hudson laughed.

“Quiet, Mr. Hudson.” Gilda whispered before turning back to Raven. “How much are you willing to pay?”

Raven leaned back in his chair. “A quarter of the total sum raised from the sale of the loot.”

“Sounds promising.” Gilda replied.

Hudson jumped in immediately, “Tell me ye don’t actually believe any of this, captain? It’s too convenient. He knows we could swipe the loot and do a runner.”

“You're right.” Came Raven's surprising telepathic response.”

Hudson was unsurprised at Raven’s admission, but Gilda seemed genuinely shocked. It was yet another example of the captain taking his eye off the ball. How could the deal not be suspicious?

“What do you really want?” Hudson demanded to know.

Raven took a moment to answer so Hudson hurried him along, desperate to get the truth from the shady businessman. Gilda stayed silent, perhaps unnerved that Hudson’s instincts were right.

“It’s my daughter, Echo.” Raven announced.

"What about her?” Gilda asked.

“Last year she joined a mercenary group called the Red Ghosts. Heard of them?”

Hudson and Gilda shook their heads.

“Anyway, when my well-placed sources told me the Domdan Treasure’s location, I immediately went to Echo and the other Ghosts to find the treasure. It seemed like such an easy job. I never for a minute believed anything could go wrong.”

“What did go wrong?” Hudson asked.

“I’m not sure. Echo and the rest of the Red Ghosts arrived at Fort Nebula this morning to begin their search for the treasure. There were no issues until about an hour ago when I received a disturbing message. Echo was agitated, scared. She kept rambling about monsters living under the ground. I haven’t heard from her since.”

“Any idea what she meant by monsters?” Hudson asked.

Raven shook his head. “No, but naturally I’m worried about her.”

“Why not tell us all this in the first place.” Asked Gilda.

“Because I was afraid you would shoot me down in flames when you heard it was the Ghosts that needed rescuing. You guys aren’t exactly in the business of saving rival gangs.”

“We’ll take any job for the right price.” Gilda informed him. “Mr. Hudson, join me outside for a moment?”

Hudson nodded and followed the captain out the door and into the freezing corridor. It was a far cry from the cosiness of Gilda’s cabin.

“Listen to me for a moment…” Gilda began.

Hudson was intrigued as Gilda talked. By the time, their brief chat was over, they were under no illusions about how best to handle the situation and returned to the bargaining table with a much stronger hand than the one they started with.

“We’ll rescue yer daughter.” Gilda announced, drawing his finger through the dusty table to create a clean line.

“Oh, thank you, I….”

“But we’re keeping the treasure.” he added, firmly.

“You can’t do that.”

“We can and will.” Hudson said, jumping into the argument with both feet. “Ye won’t find another group of mercenaries who will say any different.”

“What happens if…” Raven’s telepathic speech suddenly came to a halt, and Hudson saw him shift uncomfortably in his seat. “….my daughter’s dead.”

“Then we keep the treasure anyway.” Gilda explained.

“Now hold on….”

Hudson got up and walked around the Gogglo to whisper into the circular hole that passed for an ear.

“That’s the deal. Take it or leave it. What’s more important, yer daughter, or the treasure?”

Raven visibly bristled at the question and then nodded slowly in defeat. Hudson took it as a sign he had agreed to their terms. So did Captain Gilda who offered Raven a drink. The Gogglo refused and excused himself from the table, warning them he expected them to deliver his daughter to safety.

"Are you coming with us?" Hudson asked Raven.

"No, it's best I remain in Vala. If you find Echo, contact me using my communicator code. Remember I can't use telepathy through it so it will need to be a typed message."

Once Raven left, Hudson and Gilda talked excitedly about the job ahead. They drank a few glasses of red wine to celebrate but were interrupted by the sound of singing and laughter coming from outside. The crew were obviously back. It meant Gilda could set sail. He reckoned they would be in Jandalgine by morning.

“No need to tell the others.” Hudson said, swirling the red liquid around his mouth.

"Why?"

"They'll know when we wake them up in Jandalgine tomorrow."

Gilda shook his head. “We tell them as soon as we’ve set sail.”

“Is that a good idea? They’ve had a few drinks, not to mention it's dangerous to have everyone up-top. The Stingtross have been attacking ships closer to land lately.”

"Never mind those flying monsters. We'll blast them to bits if they come near the ship.” Gilda got off his chair. "Ye coming?"

“I guess so.”

After steering the boat away from the harbour, Gilda ordered the drunk mercs to assemble on the top deck. Some of them could barely stand, while others hung over the side of the boat and spewed into the murky water. Serk was by far the furthest gone. He swayed from side-to-side, eyes glazed over as he stared at Gilda with a look of sheer contempt.

“Listen up,” the captain started. “I have some incredibly good news for ye all. We are on our way to recover the legendary Domdan Treasure. My contact Mr. Raven has delivered once again.”

But the reaction was not positive. Some of the men seemed sceptical at first, then excited, and finally subdued. They talked amongst themselves while glaring in Gilda’s direction.

“What’s the matter with ye?” Gilda asked. “This is the Domdan Treasure we’re talking about here. Ye’d think ye’d at least crack a smile.”

Serk staggered towards the captain, his eyes dark and narrowed. Gilda seemed surprised but not intimidated. Hudson demanded Serk go and sober up, but he refused, and then angrily turned back towards the captain.

“You think we can get this treasure?”

Gilda nodded. “Of course, I do, Don’t you?”

“Not with you in charge.”

“Excuse me.”

“You heard.”

Hudson stepped forward to diffuse the situation. “He’s had a few drinks….”

“Stay out of this,” Gilda snapped, before turning his attention back to Serk, who was only too happy to launch into a full-blown tirade against the captain.

“The crew are fed up with your blunders. It’s time for someone else to take your place.”

“I see.” Gilda said in a strangely calm voice. “And everyone feels this way?”

The muted response was telling. Only a few of the mercs disagreed with Serk’s claim, the rest fell silent. Gilda simply nodded and then walked towards the stairs that led back to his quarters.

“Do you know what this is?” he called back to the crew. “Mutiny.”

He swung back around, pistol in hand. There was no time for Hudson to react as he fired three bullets into Serk’s chest. The bleeding merc stumbled backwards and fell to the deck. Hudson guessed he was dead before impact.

“I trust we won’t have any more complaints.” Gilda said, calmly going downstairs and leaving the wreckage behind him.

As the shock subsided, the crew became animated. Some rushed to Serk’s lifeless body, others shouted obscenities at the captain. Bry Tanner was consoling Squeak, but he stopped to speak to the other mercs before marching across to Hudson, teeth gritted, and fists clenched.

“He has to pay for that. The last two holdouts have said they want him gone.”

Hudson bowed his head. He could not believe the captain had murdered one of their own. It was a cowardly act. One the crew would never forgive. Nor would Hudson. After all he and Gilda had been through together, their relationship would never be the same again. Reluctantly, Hudson started towards the stairs that led to the cabins.

“Where are you going?”

“To tell the captain his time's up.”