Inside the hangar, Ravel stared at Zion's ship with a large grin spreading across his face.
Another crew member that had stood behind him the entire time stepped forward. As its mask and armor slowly shifted back into small modules, a large insect-like body revealed itself.
Its mandibles clicked before a strange shrill sound came from its mouth.
"Captain, are you —— he wasn't lying?"
Ravel glanced sideways. "Hold on, Jace," he muttered, raising a hand. "Your translation module's glitching again."
The creature fell silent for a moment, then tapped roughly on a small metal node under its jaw.
"Captain," Jace repeated, its voice now clear. "Are you sure he was telling the truth?"
Ravel chuckled, eyes still fixed on the ship. "Whether he found it in a pirate den or not is completely irrelevant," he replied. "His supposed crew doesn't matter either, since all of them are dead."
"How are you so sure they are dead?" Jace asked, his head tilting slightly.
"Simple," Ravel replied, grinning. "If they were alive, they would've been guarding this ship."
He took a few steps forward, dragging his hand over the ship's hull. "Something this old will make us a fortune, especially with its schematic."
"Its schematic…" Jace's mandibles clicked. "A life of luxury."
"A life of luxury indeed," Ravel turned around, waving his hand in the air. "Inform the other ships and head back for Daresk!"
The rest of the crew looked surprised for a second before quickly jumping into action. All of them were aware that they'd just hit a jackpot, though the exact value was something none could put a number on.
It didn't take long before all three of the scavenger ships turned around and their engines roared to life again, heading straight back for the mercenary planet Daresk.
As the ship rumbled, Zion sat down on his simple metal bed.
[We're moving,] Uriel's calm voice echoed through his head. [Trajectory indicates a direct course towards Daresk.]
"That's a relief," Zion muttered, smiling slightly. "I was almost worried they'd continue to fight for the Fighter Class wreckage."
[At current speed, we'll reach Daresk in five days,] Uriel continued. [Two of the scavenger ships seem to be upgraded Strider Classes, while the ship we are currently on is a Lance Class.]
Zion nodded slowly. "That's pretty rich for a scavenger crew…"
The Lance Class ship was just one tier under the Fighter Class, yet this ship was nearly 200 feet long. The two Strider Class ships were unique though.
'Strider Class ships are normally the lowest tier of ships, mostly used for transport,' Zion thought, narrowing his eyes. 'They must've had many great hauls before.'
As the hum of the ship filled the silence, Zion sat with his back against the cold wall, eyes half-closed as he tried to rest.
[Host,] Uriel said quietly. [It would be wise to delay transferring the schematic until we reach Daresk.]
Zion's eyes opened again as he nodded faintly. "I was planning to, yeah."
Minutes slowly passed by as he waited for the scavengers to come back and pick him up for the payment.
After more than half an hour, a loud knock echoed from the door.
Zion straightened instantly, his eyes locking on the door. Right away, the door clicked open, and one of the scavengers stepped inside.
The scavenger's helmeted face turned towards him. "The captain wants to see you," the man said, voice muffled through his mask.
Zion stood up slowly, giving a slight wave of his hand.
The scavenger turned around and led the way without another word.
Outside, the long corridor was lit by flickering strips of yellow light running along the ceiling. He followed the scavenger through it without much of a word, his expression calm but his nerves tensing up again.
'This is the final part,' he thought, clenching his fist slightly. 'If this goes well, the entire journey will be safe.'
[There are three heat signatures following the host from a distance,] Uriel's voice sounded inside his mind. [Likely escorts.]
'Expected as much,' Zion thought, briefly glancing behind him.
After they turned another corner, he stepped into a small lift. The ride up only took a few seconds, and when the doors opened again, the lights had changed to higher-quality white lighting.
Ravel was waiting for him inside a wide control room at the center of the ship. Holographic panels flickered around him as he sat in a reinforced chair.
"Zane," Ravel greeted with the same easygoing smile. "Glad to see you're still in one piece. I trust the accommodations were tolerable?"
Zion stopped a few feet away, glancing at Ravel. "I've had worse."
"Good," Ravel said, rising from his seat. "Would've been a shame to hear my hospitality didn't meet expectations."
He gestured to a small table beside him. On top of it lay a single crystal-like chip the size of a fingernail.
"Thirty thousand credits, completely clean and nearly untraceable. Just like promised."
Zion approached the table slowly, his eyes switching between Ravel and the chip.
"You know," Ravel started as he reached the table, "most people would've begged for more… but you didn't."
Zion raised an eyebrow.
"I like that," Ravel said, nodding in approval. "Means you know exactly when to stop pushing your luck."
"Thanks?" Zion said, confused by the sudden compliment.
Then, he grabbed the crystal chip from the table under the watchful eyes of Ravel and the scavengers that had brought him here.
Zion waited for a few seconds, expecting to hear something about the schematic. But as the seconds passed by, Ravel simply smiled and gestured that it was okay for him to leave.
He turned around with a strange unease tightening in his chest, quietly channeling energy through his body to be ready the moment something went wrong.
'Did he forget?' he thought, heart pounding faster. 'No, he's smart. He should've guessed my intentions already.'
One of the scavengers opened the door, gesturing for Zion to follow him.
Zion glanced back once more, seeing only Ravel's smile before the doors shut.