“So let me get this straight,” Jones complained as he made sure all of the openings on his Service uniform were properly secured, “we’re just going to walk right into what you’re almost completely certain is a trap.”

“Yep.”

“Well, why’d you pick me to come along sir?”

“You were the first name that popped into my head. Why? You don’t like a little adventure?”

“With all due respect sir I wouldn’t call this adventure...more like…suicide. You said it for yourself, she’s got a vendetta against you.”

“Well, at least I’d assume she would. Regardless, this is a corporate space station, there’s only so much they’ll let her get away with. Likely we’ll exchange some rather crass words and she’ll try to find some way of ruining my future prospects for IPH contracts. We’ll be fine crewman.”

Ansul had said nothing, he was busy checking his own uniform. When he was finished he’d pulled a device from a nearby cabinet and scanned himself to check for suit defects then proceeded to check the other two men. He’d put on his finest cape, a shiny green one that Faust had given him for his Lunahk, the Martian equivalent of a birthday. Jones eyed him curiously when he picked up his dark goggles and strapped them to his forehead.

“Ansul, we’re going for a walk in space, I doubt that it’s going to be very bright.” the junior crewman pointed out.

“Have you ever been on a corporate station? They’re white, all of them...white! Why they have to be so bloody bright is completely beyond me.”

The captain merely chuckled at the exchange.

“Oh, and one more thing.” the Martian walked over to Jones and grabbed him by the uniform, “That’s First Officer Ansul and if you forget it again I’ll have you scrubbing pots for the rest of your tour. Got me?”

Jones suddenly snapped to attention. “Yes sir.” Ansul wasn’t the type to get bent out of shape over rank but with the auxiliary crewmen he understood that it was important for them to know their place.

“Captain.” the voice was scratchy and came over the loading bay’s intercom. It was Herschel.

“Go ahead Mr. Herschel.”

“We’ve received instructions from the station sir regarding load out.”

“Okay, can you please tell me how they read?”

“The station’s platform is designed to provide artificial gravity and has a system that will provide a temporary atmosphere for you to make the crossing from the ship to the station. They instructed specifically for you not to wear helmets of any kind. Any crewman attempting to approach the station with either a helmet or personal weaponry will be shot on sight by the station’s automated defenses.”

“Wow, they don’t ask much do they?” Ansul chimed in.

“So they want us to walk out into space with no helmets and no weapons and trust them to keep us alive?” Captain Tarsik asked.

The intercom lay silent for a moment before Herschel responded, “That’s what it seems like sir.”

“Very well, message received. Thank you Junior Pilot Herschel.”

The intercom crackled as it deactivated. The captain turned to his men who both had a none-to-approving look upon their faces. This whole proposition had already seemed sketchy enough but it was looking worse by the minute. Tarsik had already instructed Faust to record everything the Honshu’s sensors and communications channels were capable of recording. It might all be needed as evidence at some later date to use against Von Braun and IPH. As an extra layer of precaution the captain himself had a hidden audio recording device that tucked neatly into his left ear. It recorded to internal storage instead of a tele-wave back to the ship which the station would easily detect and jam. He was gambling that the technology was old enough that it would go unnoticed. Likewise Ansul had tucked an old plasma derringer, good for one shot, into his right boot that had been designed to fool scanners.

When the men were ready they had Faust signal the station who in turn signaled her that the temporary gravity and atmosphere field was in place. They all instinctively held their breath and grabbed onto something solid as the loading bay door opened but nothing of consequence happened. A moment later they were off, pushing the first of the nega-grav sledges down the ramp. As they made their way out onto the platform they were greeted by a near 360 degree panorama of the Crux. The entire region of space was part of the much larger and heavily trafficked Firefly Nebula. The glowing gases, dimly lit by a star two light years distant, made for an incredible sight. Yellow and green swirls as far as the eye could see. None of the men had ever stood directly inside a nebula before.

Even Captain Tarsik, who’d been around the galaxy several times over, had never quite experienced anything like it. His attention quickly turned, however to the station itself. On a tower situated above the door that they were headed for shone a bright golden light, no doubt the device that projected the field that was keeping them alive. A gravity and atmosphere envelope that could disappear at the flip of a switch, a pretty good security system he had to admit. There was also the blaster turret directly over the door, a visible sign that this place would tolerate no funny business.

“How you like that view Jones?” the captain called out to the crewman who was pulling the large cable that would allow the station to reel in the sledges.

“I’ve never seen the like sir.”

“And you probably won’t again.”

Jones thought about that statement for a moment and decided that it had not been meant as a commentary on their own potentially dangerous predicament but instead on just how awesome and rare such a sight truly was. As all three of them reached the airlock their tele-waves crackled into life.

“This is Aeolus command, opening outer doors.” the voice was not that of Essa Von Braun. No, she had peons to do the menial tasks for her now. With a loud clanking metal sound the large door began to open. Inside was a chamber that was obviously an airlock as it had a second set of metal doors just like the outside ones. The three men from the Honshu, dragging the cable, stepped inside and the inner door also began to open. With the atmosphere force-shield in place it was safe to open both sets of doors. As the inner door opened a large hovering robo pushed its way into the airlock and stuck out a thick metal arm. Jones understood and placed the cable into its grasp. Without any sound of acknowledgment the robot simply began to retreat back into the station, now with four laden sledges in tow. The men simply stood to the side, against the walls, as each sledge passed them in turn. Once the final one had entered the station the airlock outer doors began to close.

From the cockpit of the Honshu Emily Faust saw the golden light on the platform’s tower go dark. The environment generating field had been powered down.

Ansul slid his goggles into place as they stepped from the dim airlock out into the brightly lit station, painted all white of course, just as he had predicted. Four men with impeccably clean uniforms of white and all trimmed in a light blue stood nearby waiting to greet them. One of them clearly wore captain’s stripes. The other three men were at attention while this fellow stood much more relaxed and smiled as he extended a hand in greeting to Captain Tarsik.”

“Captain.”

“Captain?”

“Ah, yes. My name is Deutron Cal, captain of the Prometheus. Commander Von Braun informed me that you scanned her on your way in. Impressive ship isn’t she?”

“Oh that she is captain. Of course I’d want to own her myself and not have corporate pencil-pushers staring over my shoulder all of the time.”

The man leaned in a little closer to Tarsik, “You and me both.” they joined each other in a small laugh.

“Deutron Cal...former Service captain?”

“Actually I…”

The man’s words were interrupted as Commander Von Braun came walking up from behind the men. “Do not socialize with that man Captain.”

“Yes ma’am.” Cal responded as he snapped to attention.

Essa approached Tarsik and his men. She looked all three of them over before speaking. “Well, what good luck that I get to have my old friends as guests aboard my station. What brings you out here Captain?”

“A change in contract, otherwise you’d never see me or my ship anywhere near the Crux I can guarantee you that.”

“Oh. How is your ship?”

“Still the best ship in the Service.” Tarsik grinned. This seemed to get a bit of a rise out of the commander but she hid most of her reaction from her men.

“Well, our station isn’t the best place for leisure activities but if you’d like I would gladly grant shore leave to your crew.”

“Your offer is quite gracious, but they’re quite content aboard the Honshu.”

Jones almost interjected. He could see what looked like a bar down the long corridor they were standing in but decided that it was in his best interest to keep his mouth shut.

“If it’s all the same to you commander we’d just like to get our paperwork filled out and be on our way, what with the twenty four hour journey out of the Crux and all.”

Von Braun paused for a moment and wrinkled her nose, “Over dinner captain. I’ll sign your paperwork over dinner.”

“Commander we really…”

“I must insist captain. You and your first officer will join me for dinner, it’s only two hours from now and then we’ll get you on your way. Your crewman here is welcome to enjoy our facilities while he waits.”

Tarsik glanced down the corridor and noticed the bar. Of all things this station just had to have a bar didn’t it? “Crewman Jones can return to the ship.”

“He may enjoy our facilities while he waits.” and with that she turned and walked away.

“Always such a lovely woman.” Ansul said sarcastically, more to himself than to anyone in particular.

Captain Tarsik turned and saw the jubilant look on Jones’ face, a look that disappeared almost instantly.

“May I suggest something to pass the time Captain?” Deutron Cal offered.

“What might that be captain?”

“It would be my pleasure to give you a tour of the Prometheus.”