“Serrano is here to see you.”

Alex Hawthorne grabbed his VR headset and pulled it down from his eyes, ending the virtual tour of the space colony of Vesta. He wasn’t sad to be torn away from the headset, especially since he was tired of watching it after a full hour.

Looking over at the entrance, he saw his good friend and former brother-in-law, Rick Bishop, by the door.

“Who is Serrano?” asked Alex, his eyebrow raised.

“You remember Serrano,” replied Rick in a low voice. “The big guy from orientation? Remember now?”

Rick gave him the kind of look that told Alex that Serrano was trouble. He also used his arms to gesture at Serrano’s size, showcasing the muscular frame of the man. At that moment, Alex finally remembered just who Serrano was, and the fact that he, of all people, was here to see him wasn’t a good sign.

“Send him in then,” replied Alex as he grabbed his knife and slipped it into the sheath in his belt. At least if this meeting went sideways, he’d be prepared for trouble.

Rick opened the door to their small room, allowing entry to a man that looked simply dangerous. Alex remembered the way Serrano threw his weight around at orientation, making a number of demands and not respecting the staff on the colony ship but then again, that could have applied to a half dozen other guys as well.

What else could be expected from a ship full of criminals?

“Ah, Alex Hawthorne, getting settled in, I see?” said Serrano, moving closer to Alex and extending his hand. Alex took his hand in greeting, noting how firm the shake was in return. Serrano had a powerful build with an impressive upper torso and thick legs. He had a full neck and a scar that ran from his ear lobe straight down his jaw. His hair was jet black and his eyes were a dull brown.

He seemed like the most dangerous kind of enemy. The kind that would invite you to a fancy dinner only to poison your wine and take pleasure from watching you die.

“You can say that,” replied Alex as he gestured to his VR headset. “Although I’m tired of watching the prompts about the colony.”

Serrano scoffed and then started to laugh. “Ah yes, the colony of Vesta. A noble purpose that brings us all together, no? I was only too eager to answer the call for help. Who wouldn’t be for the purpose of resupplying the male stock at our furthest colony?”

Serrano could barely contain his laughter, shaking his head in disgust at the words he’d just said.

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Not like we had much of a choice.”

“No, you’re right about that,” said Serrano, shaking his finger. “And I will say that this fate beats rotting away in a prison for the rest of my life. I never thought I’d be one to be traveling through space to another world. And yet here I am, fifty light-years from home. It’s still better than Earth though.”

“That’s something we can agree on,” replied Alex.

In the years since the Great Expansion, there weren’t many left on Earth these days. Most of those capable or intelligent enough had escaped to other space colonies. Those that were left mostly lived a squalid existence, save for one group of people.

“I heard you were a veteran of the Orbital Wars,” said Serrano, changing the subject. “Now that’s fighting I would’ve loved to see. I heard it was brutal and raw and almost entirely without mercy. Gangs of men fighting for different barons on Earth’s orbital ring. It sounds like a hell of a good time.”

“It wasn’t,” replied Alex.

Simply put, it was hell. It was a chapter of his life that he’d been wanting to forget. He fought for one of the richer barons as a play soldier, defending their territory when it called for it. The truth was that he was just as happy as everyone else when the Consortium banned the use of private armies on the orbital ring.

And of course, it was that event that indirectly led to his current condition.

Serrano gave him an odd look, most likely since he wasn’t used to being rebuffed in such a manner. He didn’t address it directly and pivoted instead.

“All I’m saying is that I know you know how to fight. And in times like these, it couldn’t hurt to have several like-minded men joining together to watch out for their own interests. Especially with where we’re going.”

“Like-minded men?” asked Alex. “Is that what you call your gang of thugs?”

“Alex,” warned Rick in a low voice.

Alex turned to look at his friend, recognizing the look of fear on his face. In his own way, Rick was trying to warn him about speaking to Serrano in that way.

Serrano started to laugh—a wicked garble that sounded as deadly as he looked. “You should pay attention to your friend. I’m not sure if you know of my reputation, but I’m usually one to be treated with respect.”

“You’ll have to forgive me then,” said Alex. “Because I’m not one to offer respect to a murderer.”

“Are we not all murderers?” asked Serrano, grinning cruelly. “After all, I read your file, Hawthorne. What you did to that poor man was terrible.”

“You have no idea why I did what I did,” replied Alex. “And if this is your way of getting me on your side, you’re mistaken.”

Finally some anger appeared in Serrano’s eyes. “You’d be wise to listen to what I have to say. This affects everyone on this ship. You can turn me away at your own expense but a man with half a brain would listen to the offer I have.”

Alex found himself taking a deep breath. He knew that Serrano was someone who couldn’t be trusted but he found himself intrigued by the promise of an offer, especially given their current conditions. With them due to arrive in the 51 Pegasi system within the next week, this journey that had taken nearly a year was almost at an end.

So what kind of plan did Serrano have?

“I’m listening then,” said Alex, sitting down in his chair. “What do you have to say?”

Serrano sneered and mimicked his movements, also sitting down. He reclined all the way back and put his hands together.

“There’s a reason why I want a group of men put together,” explained Serrano. “That reason is because I have no desire to go to Vesta whatsoever. This whole grand mission of resupplying the male stock of a troubled colony doesn’t interest me in the slightest.”

Rick was the one that actually gasped. “But that’s what we signed up for. And it’s not like it’s that terrible of an assignment.”

Serrano didn’t break his gaze to look at Rick. He kept his eyes trained on Alex as he continued to speak.

“They say that women outnumber men in Vesta nearly ten to one. Most men with half a brain think that this is good for us, that we’ll all get ten women apiece for the rest of our lives. I read between the lines though, Hawthorne. Those women that live on Vesta have been used to running their lives without men around. I don’t think we’re going to a man’s paradise but a woman’s paradise. Those harpies are going to be insufferable, and we’ll be nothing more than slaves to them. It sounds like pure hell to me, and I’ll never let myself be under the command of any woman. It’s because of a woman that I was even put in prison in the first place. I’ll never give another one control over my life.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little quick to jump to conclusions?” asked Alex. “We know nothing about Vesta beyond what we’ve seen here on the ship in the training modules. It really could be a chance to start over.”

Serrano shook his head. “If the deal was worth taking, they wouldn’t have offered it to us. And I think they are making light of this situation with the bears on Vesta. What else would have killed all those men? There’s something they’re not telling us and I’m not going there to find out.”

“So what do you propose?” asked Alex. “What’s your plan B?”

Serrano grinned. “Have you ever heard of Dangallu? In the HD154354 system?”

Alex shrugged. “Who hasn’t? It’s a lawless system where anything goes. It’s the only system where slavery hasn’t been fully stomped out from what I hear, and it’s only because the fleet of the Alliance doesn’t go there because of all the pirates.”

“Exactly my point,” said Serrano, putting his hands behind his head. “It’s the perfect system for a bunch of criminals to find new homes. You’ll never have to worry about the battleships of the Alliance finding us there. Now that’s a real place to start over, and I hear we can purchase all the slaves we need. Even a few women to go along with us. If you want multiple women, that’s the way to get them. Not Vesta.”

“How would you get there though?” asked Alex. “This ship is going straight to Vesta and then it’s turning around to Earth. Earth is another year’s travel away even at faster-than-light speed, and that’s assuming you could bring the ship under your control.”

Serrano leaned in closer. “That’s where it would pay to have numbers on our side. The HD154354 system is on a tangent with our current travel path, meaning that we are just as close to it now as we’ve ever been. It would be nothing to reroute the ship toward Dangallu, and we would have more than enough supplies to last us until we get there. All we’d have to do is take over the ship.”

At this point, Serrano shrugged like he didn’t have a care in the world. “And I’ve seen the crew that works this ship. The men are weak. None of them have seen any real combat and most of them look like they don’t get enough to eat. Not you, Hawthorne, you have a reputation about you. I know you’re a good fighter, and I’ve heard about your actions during the Orbital Wars. With a man like you by my side, no one would stand between us and taking over this ship and going to Dangallu.”

“What’s in it for me?” asked Alex after thinking it over for a moment. “What can you offer me so I go along with this?”

Serrano sneered. “The chance to start over? Bountiful women and all the freedom you could possibly desire? Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about that often in the last six months. You’ve been rotting away in a prison cell. Don’t you want freedom?”

“I’m getting my freedom,” replied Alex. “In Vesta.”

“Vesta,” growled Serrano. “I’ll be damned if I let them dictate where I go. They were foolish enough to let me leave Earth, which was their first mistake. Now they send me to some shithole colony that’s about to collapse? Fuck that. I’m offering you a real chance at freedom. I’m offering you the chance to start your life over again.”

“I’ll think about it,” said Alex suddenly. “But you won’t get an answer from me tonight.”

Serrano’s eyes narrowed. “You should really think long and hard about your answer. One way or another, I’m going to Dangallu. And you can either be with me or you can be against me. I promise that you’ll not want to be left behind. Not after what I have in store for the ship. Care to change your answer?”

Alex didn’t break eye contact with the man. “I said I’d think it over.”

To his surprise, Serrano actually grinned. “Some of my men told me not to waste my time with you. They said you act like you’re not just a criminal like the rest of us. That you really believe this Vesta bullshit is a second chance. Perhaps I should’ve listened to them.”

With those words, Serrano pushed up from his seat and made his way to the door, brushing past Rick in the process. Before he could leave though, Serrano turned to look at Alex one more time.

“Do you know Truman? Big guy just like you? Long hair and powerful back?”

“I know him,” replied Alex. “What of him?”

Serrano sneered. “He turned me down too. I hope you don’t end up like him.”

Serrano left the room, and the automatic door closed just behind.

Rick let out a low whistle once he was gone. “You shouldn’t have done that, Alex. Serrano is a powerful man around here. He’s got friends in high places.”

Alex actually smiled and shook his head. “He’s nothing but a thug like most of the men on this ship.”

“They say he had his own organization back on Earth. His own drug mafia where he was the kingpin. He’s not a man to be trifled with.”

“I’ll take my chances,” replied Alex as he moved from his chair toward the bed. The soft surface was nothing like the one he had back in that prison cell on Earth. This bed was actually comfortable.

“Nothing can ever be easy, can it?” asked Rick. “Not with guys like that roaming around the ship.”

Alex never got the chance to answer the question. There was another knock on the door, which caused both men to give each other a wary look. Rick opened the door, only to find a familiar face.

“Doctor Barnes, good to see you,” said Rick. “Come in.”

“Thank you, Rick, but I’m afraid I’m here to see Alex today,” said Barnes, walking into the room. He was dressed in his medical suit and carrying an electronic pad in his right hand. What Alex noticed the most about the doctor was the troubled look on his face.

And it seemed to be directed right at him.

“Alex, I need you to come with me. There’s something about your file that I really need you to see.”