The Strike Shuttle landed with a thump that vibrated through the hold. Liam did a quick inspection of his Embrine 400b rifle. Everything was in order. Scott growled as the giant felarnian moved beside him. Liam looked up, feeling small beside the seven feet of fur and muscle. At 6', he was short in comparison to the average felarnian and canamarian. Even the raiel towered above him. Standing there, waiting for the shuttle to settle, Liam suddenly felt miniscule in the grander scheme of things.

The yellow light by the bay door turned green.

"Ready to roll, bossman," Nubia said as she and Blockade joined Scott and Liam. Her voice was a mix of smooth butter and a twang common among Earth Space pirates, originating in the ancient American South.

Nubia and Blockade were new members of Eagle X. A packaged deal, a team like Liam and Scott. Her tactical combat gear was spray painted alternating patches of electric pink and neon yellow, the Eagle X eagle stenciled on her shoulder. Blockade was a big wall of a man. At 6'5 and clad in heavy assault gear, he could shrug off a grenade to the chest. Nubia was 5'7 and had to look up to meet the men's eyes. Despite her size, she'd made quite the impression in her five months with the group. She was a natural leader, which was why Liam approached her, and she fought with style.

She tossed a lock of her braided silver-tipped auburn hair out of her eyes and patted her partner on the shoulder. Blockade grunted and put on his helmet, covering his colonist pale skin and shaggy blonde hair.

Nubia whistled. "Looking good, tank!" She smiled and lowered her goggles, the pink and yellow working well against her dark brown skin. "Should we be expecting trouble?"

"No," Liam said.

"Always," Scott growled at the same time.

The two looked at each other. Liam shook his head.

"We have history with the Song Brothers," he explained. "We do business in good faith, but tall and irrational over here picked a fight with them the last time we met in person."

"A felarnian versus a raiel?" Nubia asked. "I'd pay to see that fight."

"Save your money. I won," Scott chuckled.

"Yeah, he won and the brothers put a price on our heads and bounty hunters on our asses."

"Sore losers," Scott mumbled under his breath.

"No, you reacted like you always do and jeopardized everything."

"We're fine."

Liam jacked a round into the chamber of his rifle and turned to Nubia.

"We should probably expect trouble. If it comes to violence, shoot to maim, not to kill. We need these guys."

Scott chuckled.

"Idiot." Liam turned on the shortwave comms link. "Hitman, we good?"

"Yeah, Spider. It's all clear up here. No sign of a ship or workers though. Place is like a ghost town."

"Great... Alright, team. Code names from here on."

"Copy that," Nubia and Hitman said at the same time.

Liam pointedly looked at Scott.

"Raven?"

"Copy that, Spider."

Liam nodded and turned to Blockade. The big man grunted and gave a lethargic affirmative nod.

"Ok. Hitman, we're heading out. Keep your eyes open and warn us the moment you see any sign of danger."

"Copy."

Scott hit the hatch button and the bay door opened with a hiss. Cool air rushed in from the empty station. Liam took a deep breath of the stale air and led the team out. Scanning left and right the place seemed to have been abandoned. The space was empty save for a trio of large shipping crates arranged near the far wall. The balconies overhead were barren and the massive loading dock doors had already shut before they disembarked. The team was alone.

"Do you think they stood us up?" Scott asked as he moved past Liam towards the crates.

"No. Not unless they ran into issues."

"What kinda issues, bossman," Nubia asked, following Scott and watching his six.

"The kind that comes with the EC raging bull and heavily armed cruisers."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

The team reached the crates and found a security door propped open by a canister of fire suppressant.

"Someone's here," Nubia observed.

"Eyes open, people," Liam said. "Maybe the Song Brothers used a different loading dock, or maybe they're not here yet. Either way, we don't want any surprises."

Nubia and Scott nodded. Blockade merely stared, his face obstructed by his helmet. Liam imagined his always stoic expression. He didn't quite trust the big man, but Nubia came highly recommended and he couldn't hire one without the other. Liam gestured towards the door and the team moved in, Scott at point, Liam bringing up the rear.

"What was this place?" Nubia whispered as they moved down a long dimly lit corridor.

They passed a series of doors, permanently sealed using welding torches. The work seemed relatively new, lacking the rust and wear of the doors and walls they affixed.

"This used to be a supply depot. In Earth Conglomerate's rapid expansion we needed places to resupply our ships. The colonies worked in most cases, but out on the fringes these stations were essential. Once we spread out these places fell into disuse. You can find them everywhere, if you know where to look."

"Ask me about abandoned shipyards and I'm a veritable atlas, but these little out of the way nooks with breathable atmospheres and working lights... I could have used them in my pirating days."

Nubia looked back at Liam and gave him a wink. He smirked and gestured with his head for her to keep her eyes forward.

"I'm sure you could have."

At the end of the hall was a small door also propped open. Examination showed the welding had recently been cut by torches.

"I'm getting a bad feeling," Liam mumbled. "Weapons ready."

Nubia drew her two pistols. Blockade made a fist and his gauntlet bulged until he clutched the head of a sledgehammer. Scott pushed the door open and they continued through. On the other side was a short flight of stairs leading up to a landing. An open doorway revealed a second much wider hallway. Above were the remnants of a second flight. Another landing loomed overhead.

Liam clenched his teeth and whispered from the back of his throat.

"Nubia, watch the landing. It's a perfect sniper position." Someone standing beside him wouldn't have heard a sound.

Nubia: On it, Spider.

Her words appeared as text at the bottom of his optic lenses. The stairwell was silent except for their quiet breaths. Scott mounted the steps and gave the all clear. The door screeched as Blockade propped it open, securing their escape route. The sound echoed up and down the passageways. The ensuing silence was almost deafening.

The team joined the felarnian on the landing.

Hitman: Spider, my sensors are reading all clear, but I'm hearing some strange noises coming from the back of the ship. I'm going to check it out.

"No, stay where yo-"

Music wafted down the hall, melodic and enticing. Scott growled and drew out his plasmatic edge. Igniting the energy blade, a roar escaped the weapon as green plasma and small shards of metal emerged. Nubia and Blockade stepped back from the heat.

"Why does that sound familiar, Raven?" Liam asked, sticking to Scott's code name.

"Isn't that the catfolk call to surrender?" Nubia asked.

Before Liam could respond, Scott roared and charged down the hall.

"Nubia, you can't say things like that around him witho-"

"Incoming!"

Everything happened at once.

A crackling field of energy filled the doorway, cutting the team off from Scott. At the same time a shooter emerged from the door on the second landing, a wide barreled gun raised to fire. A group of armed men came in through the door Blockade had just propped open. Over the comms, Hitman reported contact.

Hitman: There's five of them, no eight. Light armor, rifles. I think I can take them, but you guys need to fall back. Repeat. Fall back, we're not alone.

Liam was already barking orders while the letters scrolled across his vision.

"Weapons hot. Shoot to maim, people."

He fired from the hip, dropping the sniper on the landing. Nubia unleashed a barrage of pistol fire, taking down the two men at the bottom of the steps. Blockade dove down the stairs, moving with surprising speed. He landed on one man, taking him out of the fight with his sheer size. Blockade smashed another man in the mouth with the business end of his gauntlet and felled a third with a smack atop the head as he rose to his feet. Nubia was already making her way to his side, laying down suppressive fire and keeping more attackers from using the door.

Liam approached the field, the electricity making his hair stand on end. On the other side he watched Scott rushing down the hall. Out of a side passage, a tall, thin man with pale lavender skin and a long neck emerged. In his hand was a pistol with a barrel not unlike a small antenna dish. He fired the weapon, disturbing Scott's fur as he dropped his blade and grabbed his ears. Even at a distance the whistle from the gun made Liam's teeth rattle in his skull.

A second raiel joined the first, identical except for the raking scar down the side of his face. A gift from Scott. The Song Brothers flanked Scott on either side. Scott tried to stand and the second brother shot him with his own sonic weapon. Scott cried out and fell to the ground, pounding his ears to make the pain stop. Liam touched the field to test the charge and the shock made his arm go limp.

"Bossman," Nubia shouted.

Another sniper had claimed the landing above. He took potshots at Blockade and Nubia, but couldn't get a clear shot. One-handed Liam put him down as well. The big man blocked the doorway with his body as his partner reloaded. Scott's cries brought Liam's attention back to the energy field.

"Pi. Pornim. Enough!"

Pi, the scarred raiel stared at Liam, his bulbous eyes seeming to look through him. After a few moments of Scott writhing in agony, Pi nodded. He pressed a small handheld device and a new whistle sounded. The attackers lowered their weapons and ceased their useless assault on the man blocking the door. The energy field slowly dissipated.

"Stand down, everyone. How we looking, Hitman?"

Hitman: These guys had me hogtied, Spider. But they just let me up and gave me back my gear. I don't understand.

Nubia: I don't get it either. They're just tending to their wounded like we didn't just have a dust up. What gives?

"Our ride is here," Liam explained. "Form up on me."

Liam moved towards Scott, rifle at his side. Blockade and Nubia quickly joined him.

"Mr. Blue, it is a pleasure to see you again," Pi sang. His brother watched the team with a far less friendly expression.

"This was necessary for us to continue to do business," Pornim sang.

Nubia shook her head. Liam felt the irritation in the raiel's words, the harmonics affecting his own nervous system. He knelt beside Scott, checking for a pulse.

"I'm fine," he growled.

Liam stood, shouldering his weapon. Nubia took a moment, but holstered her pistols.

"Now that satisfaction is had for the damage done to my brother," Pornim keyed commands into his handheld, "we can proceed."

"You don't really think we're gonna hitch a ride with you bastards after you attacked us?" Nubia asked, understandably flustered.

Pornim squinted, his lower eyelids sliding up, the raiel equivalent of raising an eyebrow.

"Is Mr. Green hurt?" he inquired, gesturing towards Scott. "If he needs medical assistance, we have a very competent medic aboard our ship. Do you need assistance?"

The Song Brothers smiled. Liam shook his head. The smugglers were no fools. They knew a felarnian of the warrior caste, a khalyn, like Scott would rather die than admit they needed help. Especially after being so thoroughly beaten.

"I said I'm fine."

"Then the grudge is settled." Liam wasn't asking. "The three of you are even."

The brothers nodded. Scott struggled to a crouched position and also nodded.

"Good. Where is your ship?"

"It will be here shortly," Pi sang.

"What about your men?" Nubia asked looking back towards the stairwell and the wounded. "We put bullets in them."

"Our people will be compensated as always."

"I don't like that."

Pi and Pornim walked past the team, heading in the direction of the Strike Shuttle. Blockade took Scott's hand and pulled him to his feet. Liam retrieved the felarnian's plasmatic edge and handed it over to his partner.

Spider: Happened just like I'd expected.

Raven: If I didn't know better, I'd think you were pleased.

Liam shrugged.

"Let's go."