Cairo was nervous, which was more than understandable given the fact that she was a stowaway on a Zeta Reticulon cargo vessel. Of course, the highly toxic cargo that she had with her wasn't exactly helping matters. If the Zeta security officials that were about to board their vessel strictly adhered to regulations, she would quickly be discovered, along with the Zeta-specific death slurry they had with them. Sure, she was "hiding" in a storage container but the use of even the most basic bio-scanner would out her in about 9 picoseconds. Cairo knew she wouldn't stand a chance. Thankfully, the combination of trying economic conditions that existed for most of Zeta Reticulon's citizens, coupled with the fact that government corruption was the rule, not the exception made "going by the book" a rarity, especially when it came to routine checkpoint stops like this. Apparently, a modest "contribution" to each official would, if all went according to plan, allow Cairo and her crewmates to continue on their merry way to the planet's surface. Despite the multiple assurances made to her beforehand, the situation remained tense. Quintavius had gone to great lengths to get them this far and if he had faith so would she.

"It was only days, not weeks...right?" Cairo thought to herself.

The passage of time was now becoming a blur since their last briefing on Earth. Events were unfolding so quickly, that she couldn't keep track. Cairo thought that in some ways this was good and in other ways it was bad. Good in the sense that there was very little time to think about just how incredibly difficult her task was going to be. It was also bad since moving this fast without working out every detail often resulted in sloppiness, which in turn, could lead to disaster. Making matters worse, Cairo knew she was not the only one at risk. All four Hybrids along with their cargo ship pilot, Trace Flireen, had their lives on the line as well. Those same biometric scanners that would easily detect Cairo's lame attempt at hiding in a storage container would also be more than capable of identifying genetic irregularities, such as hybridization anomalies and deadly Zeta-specific death cocktails. Unlike everyone else on board, Trace Flireen, who was the son of recently murdered Zeta Trader Bok Flireen, had little to worry about when it came to genetics. However, his risk was still all too real given the fact that his acts of aiding and abetting known enemies of the State would immediately be considered treasonous. He expected that these low-level government officials would board their ship, take their "processing fee" and be on their way. Given the fluid situation they were facing, all six crew members were feeling vulnerable at the moment.

Even with all this uncertainty, Cairo knew that she had it easier than everyone else. She was visibly out of sight and could easily block her thoughts. Unfortunately, the Hybrids weren't so lucky. Despite being between 94-97% Zetan, none of them were trained to selectively transmit, receive, or block outgoing telepathic communications. As such, just like 99.999% of all Humans, "breeding Hybrids" could still easily be read by other TP-capable beings. Cairo knew this could be a problem and decided to reach out to them telepathically before the Zeta officials arrived.

"I sense and fully understand your fear," she said to them collectively. "Try to control your heart rate by breathing deeply and slowly. Keep your brain continually active, even if you are not being directly addressed. Using the individual repetitive thought process we practiced will also help. Do this and you will be fine. It's also ok to openly think about the "contributions" you plan to offer the officials in exchange for safe passage to the planet surface. They'll be expecting as much so this should help ease any tensions that might arise early on."

Cairo paused in case one of them wished to speak aloud, or think to her individually. Neither occurred. Despite her attempts to calm them she still sensed their lingering apprehension and decided to continue, albeit using a slightly different approach.

"Remember, you're not facing this challenge alone. You have your Terran families with you in spirit and the strong backing of our ET friends, who, through great effort and personal sacrifice, have made it possible for us to be standing on this very ship today. And do not forget to look at the brave face of Trace Flireen who stands with us. He lost his father at the hands of these Zeta tyrants. With help from his family and other Sympathizers, we will soon stand on Zeta soil, and together, we will end their Sektor V Reign of Terror once and for all."

Within seconds of completing her mental pep talk, the pressure release associated with the adjoining airlock could be heard as the Zeta officials boarded the trading vessel. After briefly surveying their surroundings, the three beings slowly approached the four Hybrids without making a sound.

The tallest official, which by Human standards wasn't tall at all, stood at approximately 1.5 meters in height. None of them had any truly distinguishing marks or features save for the variable width neon green bands each of them wore on their right arms. The only reason Cairo knew any of this in hiding was that Trace Flireen was carefully communicating with her at all times, partly to keep her informed and partly to keep his mind focused and active at all times. This was dangerous. She knew if he let his broad mental block down for even a second, all three officials would instantly know that a 6th being, a stowaway, was also onboard. And naturally, that revelation would lead to an even bigger problem...a Human was among them. So while Cairo did appreciate Trace's high-refresh-rate intel, it also made her a bit apprehensive. The irony of that fact was not lost on her given her very recent attempts to calm everyone else's nerves...

"Papers!"

Trace told Cairo that he was not entirely sure which of the three officials blurted the demand out telepathically. This uncertainty however was quickly resolved when the command was repeated after all five passengers (apparently) didn't respond quickly enough.

"PAPERS!" was repeated more forcefully by the security officer with the widest green armband.

Cairo could sense that the Hybrids were becoming tense. If she could feel this, Cairo knew the Zeta officials could sense it as well. Not good. She knew Trace had to act quickly. Thankfully, Trace independently came to the same conclusion.

"We have papers...and sufficient resources...for safe passage to the surface," he replied to everyone telepathically.

By now it was clear that the "Wide-Band" official was the only one of the three cleared to communicate. However, that did not stop all three of them from visibly displaying a sense of surprise. Trace's quick actions did have the desired effect of taking attention away from the Hybrids, at least for the moment, but it would appear that his very straightforward bribe offer was not exactly normal 'protocol'.

Wide-band communicated once again.

"WE decide who makes it to the surface and WE decide what defines sufficient resources, if at all," he communicated forcefully.

Trace, trying to keep things moving forward, quickly produced the papers for all five passengers.

"Of course, indeed, my apologies, as you say, sir. "

His slightly sycophantic response seemed to assuage the officials to some degree. Feeling slightly more confident, trace took his offer a bit further. "We can offer 100 credits," he said without any hesitation. He knew this offer was high. It was nearly double the amount Quintavius and others had suggested he use. He also knew it was a risky move given the protocol browbeating he had just received. From afar, Cairo was worried about another factor Trace may have unwittingly brought into play. A highball offer like the one just made could potentially reek of desperation, which in turn, could spiral costs out of control and beyond their ability to pay. She knew if that happened they were dead, quite literally...

After Trace made his offer, a period of painful silence followed as the three officials conferred telepathically amongst themselves. Trace knew he could not be the only one nervous but simply hoped, well, prayed that they would somehow get through this with none of the officials being any the wiser. His real worry was for the TP-incapable Hybrids. Seconds before Trace was going to actively break the mental silence, official "Wide Band" began walking back towards the group.

"We have determined that your paperwork is in order and that your processing fee will suffice ...this time."

Trace wasted no time and immediately paid the lead Official 500 credits.

After doing so, Trace noticed that Wide-Band was not finished. Once again, Trace's adrenaline levels quickly shot up. Only this time, he was completely in the dark. What did he do wrong and what did they want now??

"Well Mr. Trace Flireen, what we hope you did wrong was purely of a mathematical nature. You see, we expect FULL payment for ALL passengers in tow, whether they are in plain sight...or not. And at this moment, we only see 500 credits registered...

Trace's stomach fell to the floor. His eyes quickly followed in the same direction. He obviously failed to block his thoughts in time as the Officials read his mind for the second time in as many moments.

"What now?" he thought openly and somewhat unapologetically. They had seen his hand at this point so why play coy?

"Well, from our vantage point, this incident can be dealt with in one of two ways, Trader Flireen. We could simply turn you over to our superiors and let them do with you as they may. Given the smuggling and other ancillary charges that will be levied, it is unlikely that this option will turn out well for you or your traveling colleagues. Alternatively, you could agree to pay what you owe, plus an additional processing fee for what I am sure was an unintentional oversight on your part. Your choice entirely," he said with a smug smile.

Trace could not pay Wide-Band quickly enough. To be on the safe side, he decided to give him every last credit they had. As it turned out, the desire for a quick exodus was mutual, as the Zeta security detail did not say or communicate another thought after recording the additional credits in their manifest. Within less than a minute, six greatly-relieved passengers were once again alone and on their way to the planet's surface.