S1 - Mission 6 - Debt Collection

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

Captain's Log, Stardate 191350.1.

I have to say that I am less than exited about welcoming a delegation of Ferengi to the Starbase Columbus. Diplomacy demands we extend every welcome to our new guests, but any occasion where the Ferengi visit calls for caution.

Otherwise, life is progressing per usual here on the Columbus, I am happy to say. Aside from some transfers and departures I am looking forward to a quiet month here on the base.

[CO's Office]

Stafford had laid his cane over his left shoulder as he typed away at his PADD with his right. He was alone, and thankful for it. Angelika Koehler. Daphne Crane. Domonique Tuveri. Three dead women, all under his command. The pain of their loss was not something he would let touch him unless he was alone. He blinked rapidly and focused on the PADD. He pecked away at it:

New XO- Mike Tritter
New FCO- Zuriel Soreka
New medical officer- Naira
New chief engineer- Daniel Howell

All three women had died violently, at the hands of ruthless killers. Angelika had been shot, Daphne and Domonique had been burned. How many more would die? This time no amount of blinking could keep the tears away.

The PADD blurred and he could no longer focus. He pushed it away.

"=/\=Computer, fire." Holographic flames leaped into existence in the genuine stone fireplace. If a chimney and flue were feasible in a Starfleet base it would have been real. Stafford had the snap, crackle, and pop, didn't have to worry about smoke or wood shavings, but he missed the real heat and the cleanup anyway.

Ensign Hughes, a shrewish Englishwoman with a permanently sour expression, popped her head into the office.

"Draining the power again, sir?" Hughes said, pointing at the fireplace.

"A cheery fire to chase away the black cloud that always follows you," Stafford replied lightly. "Now why have you brightened my life right this moment, ensign?"

"Thought you might be interested in your duties. You like to meet with the new officers." Hughes was tidying up his office absentmindedly. "Good Lord, captain! Apple cores, banana peels, muffin wrappers, beef jerky, egg shells. Clean up after your snacking. And why must you always put your sunflower seeds in your coffee cup?"

"Because my trashcan is always full?"

"With more food!"

"Ensign, send in Commander Soreka on our way out, please, love?"

With one of her trademark mutters she carried a double armload of garbage over to the replicator to recycle and made her exit. 

[Michael J. Tritter]

[Executive Officer's Office]

Tritter was getting used to his new office. He had been recently promoted, it was a small event, but he preferred it that way. Nothing mattered more than to him than having his family be there for these events. Even with his last promotion, nothing met more than having his partner be able to pin on his new rank. He was enjoying some... quiet time, an in-depth interview with a complete psychopath can be very taxing. He never lead onto such a thing, but he dealt with it on his own and did so quietly. He made the office as much like "home" as he could, he knew he would spend a lot of time here. He had a picture of his family on the desk, next to the dual screens on the desk, he wanted to keep it nearby, as it helped with things.

It was not long before he noticed he had a visitor, he turned around and scooped up his visitor, it was his son, which was a bit of a surprise to him - as his son was often the quiet child. He than focused on the young boy and asked, "Hey Bud, what brings you down here?" The young boy smiled and said "You Dad, I missed you", and proceeded to give the large man he called Dad a hug. Tritter smiled slightly and said, "I know son, I'm sorry, things have been very busy, I missed you too. How did you get here?" Christopher whispered the following to his Dad, "I snuck out while Daddy Ryan and Ashley were sleeping" Tritter chuckled a bit, "Son of mine, you are sneaky, you know that?" The young boy grinned widely and laid his head on his Dad's shoulder. Tritter was content to just stand there and enjoy the quiet for the time being... As he usually was kept extremely busy and he really just enjoyed the quiet, which is like a breath of fresh air for him.

[Daniel Howell]

Engineering
Howell had recently been demoted from First Officer back to Chief Engineer. His feelings were mixed, but his opinions were something to be kept to his personal logs. He walked in to engineering as many of the officers looked round at him, now back in his yellow uniform. They already knew the events of everything.

Dan nodded at them before saying "Report please." He then thought to himself I haven't said that in a while as an engineer He walked into his old residence one more, the CEO's office. He sat down and awaited a report.

[Zuriel Soreka]

"Ensign, send in Commander Soreka on our way out, please, love?"

Zuriel had spent a lot of his time since his arrival simply getting adjusted to starbase systems, he had not been stationed on one since DS5, which means it was easily twenty years ago. In any case the station was in good shape in the aspects of flight, after all there was no gravity well to compensate for in the middle of deep space.

Zuriel felt this would be a good assignment, it had its own challenges, and even better it was close to home, and the added bonus of being with Captain Stafford could not be forgotten. As Zuriel simply watched over the shoulders of some of the crew on the command deck, they had been very helpful in jogging his memory, but this was interrupted by huffing and puffing of a female crewmen making her way right over to him. "The Captain requests your presence in his office, good luck." The crewmen said that last part with a noticeable amount of venom, this caused Zuriel to raise a eyebrow as she stormed past him.
[CO's Office]

Zuriel entered the firelight lit room quietly to find his Captain sitting there. The El-Aurian walked up to his side as he himself stared into the fire, "You asked for me sir." Zuriel could feel something was wrong with the Captain, "You'll be happy to know I corrected a .002 degradation in the stations tilt, I'd hoped you called me here for a medal." The El-Aurian joked trying to diffuse the tension.

[Maxine Dainshire]

[Counselor's Office]

Maxine spent the morning setting up her quarters and now worked on her office. She hung up famous quotes and positive affirmations on the wall, placed decorative vases on her console table, and laid down two area rugs to add color to the monotone room. She made a note to get a mobile and aromatic infusion wall stickers. Patients always commented on one or the other, a conversation starter. Some patients came in talking, revealing secrets they'd never told anyone. Others needed to be cajoled into saying, "Good morning."

She hoped she could fit in with her fellow crew. Having done a short stint on a Marine ship, she knew the feeling of being shunned in public. The crew had revealed their deepest feelings and felt vulnerable in her presence. And vulnerability was seen as weakness. She understood, but she had to undergo therapy herself to help process the feelings of alienation.

"Well," she said, surveying her office. "Not bad. Now I have to scare up some customers."

Her mind turned to the crew. "Computer, please download the crew's psych evals and bios to my PADD."

"Complete."

Her PADD beeped in response, indicating the deed was done. She replicated a hazelnut coffee and settled in for a long read.

[Naira]

[Shuttle Bay]

"Lurels," Naira brushed aside the girl's long hair as she whispered into her ear. "Lurels, honey I need you to wake up." But the little girl wrapped her arms tighter around her new mother's neck and nuzzled her head further into the woman's chest. The six-year-old girl had fallen asleep during the last leg of their journey to the starbase. As far as Naira knew, this was the first time the girl had slept soundly in quite some time. So with a long sigh, Naira decided to just let her sleep for now.

She shifted the girl's weight onto her hip, carefully picked up her bags with her other arm and directed the older girls out of the shuttlecraft with a tilt of her chin.

Naniid and Aorua alternated between staring at various officers and crewmen going about their duties and quickly averting their eyes to stare at their own feet. Naniid had taken up the habit of clinching and unclinching her fists; that was when she wasn't fussing with the hem of her skirt. Aorua, on the other hand, was once again chewing on the jagged remains of what was once her fingernails.

Naira had to remind herself that these girls did not have the same childhood that she had had. They did not grow up on a starbase much like this. While she was returning to an environment that felt much like home to her, these girls were once again being thrust into a new and strange location, filled with a number of species they had never encountered before, and they had no idea what to expect.

But this was for the best, she tried to tell herself. A starbase would offer a safer, more stable environment for them.

While she had been looking forward to working aboard the USS Athena, after what had happened on their first mission, she knew that she needed to find something better for the girls. She owed them that much.

"You know, I grew up on a starbase not that much different then this one," she spoke in a calm and reassuring manner. "And well while there weren't many Orion children for me to play with, I still made a lot of friends and had fun. Living here you'll get the opportunity to meet a lot of new people, go to school and learn all kinds of new things."

She paused for a moment to flag over a young ensign. "But first, perhaps we should find our quarters so that we can unpack and settle in."

"Excuse me," she addressed the young man with a smile. "Can you direct me to the Starfleet Residential decks?" Then, she waited patiently as the man pulled up a map of the base on his PADD and indicated with a tap of his finger where they needed to go. 

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

Zuriel had spent a lot of his time since his arrival simply getting adjusted to starbase systems, he had not been stationed on one since DS5, which means it was easily twenty years ago. In any case the station was in good shape in the aspects of flight, after all there was no gravity well to compensate for in the middle of deep space.

Zuriel felt this would be a good assignment, it had its own challenges, and even better it was close to home, and the added bonus of being with Captain Stafford could not be forgotten. As Zuriel simply watched over the shoulders of some of the crew on the command deck, they had been very helpful in jogging his memory, but this was interrupted by huffing and puffing of a female crewmen making her way right over to him. "The Captain requests your presence in his office, good luck." The crewmen said that last part with a noticeable amount of venom, this caused Zuriel to raise a eyebrow as she stormed past him.
[CO's Office]

Zuriel entered the firelight lit room quietly to find his Captain sitting there. The El-Aurian walked up to his side as he himself stared into the fire, "You asked for me sir." Zuriel could feel something was wrong with the Captain, "You'll be happy to know I corrected a .002 degradation in the stations tilt, I'd hoped you called me here for a medal." The El-Aurian joked trying to diffuse the tension.

[CO's Office]

"Metal? I've got a metal for you. It's called a blade between the ribs." Stafford said with good cheer. "It's good to see you, Commander."

The captain clasped his old friends around the shoulders with his hands, a macho but still warm gesture. The man who has once been Soreka's young and lively chief of the boat was gone. In his place was a shrewd looking, slit eyed, sunken faced older fellow. His face was that of a wizened old convict who could still evade the law. His facial hair was narrow and wispy, shot through with gray. The body beneath his uniform was all skin and bones.

Ensign Hughes briefly interrupted the reunion by bringing in a PADD and a bottle of a sensuous looking alcohol in a glass decanter. There was two crystal glasses as well.

"Thought you might like to go over your old friend's files and get a tooth full ," the Englishwoman said.

"Thank you, dear, thank you." Stafford said. "Splendid."

When the yeoman made her exit the captain slopped two glasses full of the liquid and smelled his own. The scent of peat, mountain streams and fire reached his nasal passages and tickled his brains.

"Irish. Bushmills, if I'm not mistaken." Stafford held out the glass to Soreka. "Don't let her attitude fool you, Elizabeth is a wonderful assistant. Now, what shall we drink to?"

[Zuriel Soreka]

[CO's Office]

"Metal? I've got a metal for you. It's called a blade between the ribs." Stafford said with good cheer. "It's good to see you, Commander."

The captain clasped his old friends around the shoulders with his hands, a macho but still warm gesture. The man who has once been Soreka's young and lively chief of the boat was gone. In his place was a shrewd looking, slit eyed, sunken faced older fellow. His face was that of a wizened old convict who could still evade the law. His facial hair was narrow and wispy, shot through with gray. The body beneath his uniform was all skin and bones.

Ensign Hughes briefly interrupted the reunion by bringing in a PADD and a bottle of a sensuous looking alcohol in a glass decanter. There was two crystal glasses as well.

"Thought you might like to go over your old friend's files and get a tooth full ," the Englishwoman said.

"Thank you, dear, thank you." Stafford said. "Splendid."

When the yeoman made her exit the captain slopped two glasses full of the liquid and smelled his own. The scent of peat, mountain streams and fire reached his nasal passages and tickled his brains.

"Irish. Bushmills, if I'm not mistaken." Stafford held out the glass to Soreka. "Don't let her attitude fool you, Elizabeth is a wonderful assistant. Now, what shall we drink to?"

"It's good to see you too my friend, Captain Stafford I and truly say few deserve it better." Zuriel said as he placed his hand on his friends back, "I never thought we would serve in the same station again, you have to admit its exciting." he huffed as he turned to see the Englishwoman returning into the room.

"And the service around here cannot be understated." Zuriel joked as he caught sight of the alcohol being brought into the room.

"I'll have you know the flight systems on this barg, are remarkably boring, but I'm close to my home planet, which keeps the wife happy, also she wants to have you over for dinner, considering all you know about me...be gentle." Zuriel was half serious, but he mostly trying to lighten the burden of the dinner invitation.

[Naira]

[Turbolift]

Once again, Naira shifted the little girl's weight as she pivoted from one foot to the other. For such a small little thing, Lurels weighed more than looked. If nothing else could be said for it, Naira was able to get in a full body workout  just by carrying her; there was no need to hit the gym first thing in the morning.

As the turbolift came to a halt and the doors opened to a long corridor lined with residential quarters, Naira ushered the girls along. "Right this way, it's not far."

She had never really thought about it before, but in that moment she wished that the Federation had put enough forethought into designing the interior of the starbases to be more visually appealing, warm, and inviting. While the bland monochromatic color scheme was certainly functional, it did nothing to give the impression that behind these walls it wasn't just officers looking for a place to sleep between shifts, but rather there were families and individuals trying to call this place home. However, she was not about to let some hallway drag down her mood. When she was done, she would make sure that their quarters weren't just a place for them to lay their heads down at night, but a place where they could grow closer.

[Naira's Quarters]

"Here we are," she said as she lead them into her assigned room. It wasn't spacious, but at least they had the room to themselves. "It may not look like much now, but we can put out some pillows, hang some drapes and add some mementos from home."

She slipped Lurels into the bed and covered her with a blanket before returning to the older girls. "Why don't we unpack your things?"

Together, the three of them loosely hung a number of sheer drapes from the walls and ceiling. They scattered throw pillows in piles around the room. Clusters of candles and clay figurines were placed on tables and shelves alongside stacks of books and other such trinkets. From the ceiling they hung a couple of Orion fern trees, which would provide a soft glow of their own each night beside the vast reaches of space just outside the window.

Hopefully this would be the last time that they would have to adjust to a new place for quite some time.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

"It's good to see you too my friend, Captain Stafford I and truly say few deserve it better." Zuriel said as he placed his hand on his friends back, "I never thought we would serve in the same station again, you have to admit its exciting." he huffed as he turned to see the Englishwoman returning into the room.

"And the service around here cannot be understated." Zuriel joked as he caught sight of the alcohol being brought into the room.

"I'll have you know the flight systems on this barg, are remarkably boring, but I'm close to my home planet, which keeps the wife happy, also she wants to have you over for dinner, considering all you know about me...be gentle." Zuriel was half serious, but he mostly trying to lighten the burden of the dinner invitation.

[CO's Office]

"I'd love to see you and Talia again." Stafford said. "To family."

The whiskey met its end and the captain felt the fire spread from his throat to belly. He set the glass down.

"Now," the captain said, pushing the PADD away. He knew Soreka's career, even a lot of which was not in the files. "We'll have to socialize another time. We've got the Ferengi delegation coming in today. But I wanted to talk to you about drones. Have a seat."

"I want to make use of your drone expertise." Stafford told the other man. He topped off the glasses and took a meditative sip. "We don't have many options here when it comes to defense, especially of the battlespace. The Station can be defended, but when it comes to the sector as a whole we only have the Gibson. You know her well. She's slippery in a fight but she's not built to fight. How feasible would it be to deploy drones in this sector?"

[Michael J. Tritter]

[Executive Officer's Quarters]

Tritter had been focused on taking care of a few things around the new Office of his and he let his Son help "decorate" if you will. He was quite content to let the young boy have fun, although he may have to reorganize it later, but that is how things work. His son had moved over to the floor in-front of one of the chairs, he had pulled out a few small dinosaurs out of his pocket and proceeded to engage in some type of play with them, as if he turned the chair into the habitat for the dinosaurs. It would not be much longer before he saw another one come running in, his daughter this time, he kneeled down and gave the small child a hug, he would than notice his better half standing in the doorway. He whispered into his daughter's ear "Give me a moment" She chuckled a bit, once he got up, she took his spot in the chair and sat there with a wide eyed grin.

Tritter would than make his way over towards Ryan, they hadn't seen much of each-other over the past few months, so any time together is appreciated. After enjoying a tight hug, Michael sighed quietly as they split. Ryan focused on him and said, "So hows the new life treating you?" Michael chuckled quietly and said, "Nothing interesting yet, I am sure it will be though. Just trying to decorate" Ryan grinned a bit and said, "Thats good for sure" One thing the men rarely talked about was work, as he knew that a break from it is definitely important. Although Tritter did bring in some work to the conversation, he added the following, "Thank you for your help with catching her, I would have had no idea what was going on without that information"

Ryan laughed and said, "Being a freak came in handy for once I wager" Tritter gave him the look, he obviously did not approve of that comment, he added "You're not a freak, so knock it off with that" Ryan chuckled and said "If you say so boss", a definite hint of sarcasm in his tone, the two had a... unique relationship to say the least. He than also added "I got you some food, as I know you haven't been eating", he gave the larger man the "You need to take care of yourself" look, as he stepped out to go get the food he had brought and set a large plate of French Toast, Sausage and toast, as he knew what they like to eat, as he picked up on things like that.

Tritter grinned a bit and put his right hand on the other man's left shoulder, he stated "Thank you" to his better half and took the plate, sitting down at the desk, he proceeded to make fairly quick work of the food, as he said, he was starving. Ryan would scoop up their youngest and sat with her in his lap. She had fairly easily occupied with the coloring book she had brought along, one thing about their kids, they managed to keep themselves entertained for the most part.

[Zuriel Soreka]

[CO's Office]

"I'd love to see you and Talia again." Stafford said. "To family."

The whiskey met its end and the captain felt the fire spread from his throat to belly. He set the glass down.

"Now," the captain said, pushing the PADD away. He knew Soreka's career, even a lot of which was not in the files. "We'll have to socialize another time. We've got the Ferengi delegation coming in today. But I wanted to talk to you about drones. Have a seat."

"I want to make use of your drone expertise." Stafford told the other man. He topped off the glasses and took a meditative sip. "We don't have many options here when it comes to defense, especially of the battlespace. The Station can be defended, but when it comes to the sector as a whole we only have the Gibson. You know her well. She's slippery in a fight but she's not built to fight. How feasible would it be to deploy drones in this sector?"

[CO's Office]
"To Family." Zuriel said lifting the glass to his lips. He then clasped the beverage in his hands as the captain got down to business. The idea of drones on a station made more sense as the Captain continued. The idea itself was new, tactical information command was the future of defense for the federation. The fleet was not a war armada, but with the use of drones and fighters, it could stick to its mandate of exploration without crossing the line, many times avoiding deadly battles, or at least putting themselves in a better position.

After Zuriel had his glass topped of he put real thought into how drones in Station space could work. "Well it depends on a few things, we could deploy science drones in a sensor net a couple of thousand kilometers out, act as an early warning beacon." Zuriel shrugged.

"Engineering drones could be automated and maintain the entire thing, they themselves would need to be calibrated for the extended use, they are honestly for battle repairs on ships, they're not really even made to survive a prolonged fight, but if get some help for engineering, we could fiddle with their power conduits, make them more efficient, they would have to dock to charge half as often." Zuriel took another sip of his drink, he could not help but feel a little bit enthused by the ideas going through his head.

"Finally we can use the combat drones to disable weapons systems in enemy ships, disrupt shield patterns stuff like that, they were never meant for direct combat mind you, but think of them as bees attacking a bear, there is no chance they will kill the bear, but the bear always runs." Finally sitting Zuriel relaxed in his chair.

"Why is a Ferengi delegation coming here? Strictly speaking this is not the most lucrative area to do business or scam citizens. What do you think they are up to?" Zuriel said clearly concerned, the Ferengi were always working some sort of angle, always causing trouble, but rarely had anything to show for it; that did not seem to temper their arrogance however.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[CO's Office]
"To Family." Zuriel said lifting the glass to his lips. He then clasped the beverage in his hands as the captain got down to business. The idea of drones on a station made more sense as the Captain continued. The idea itself was new, tactical information command was the future of defense for the federation. The fleet was not a war armada, but with the use of drones and fighters, it could stick to its mandate of exploration without crossing the line, many times avoiding deadly battles, or at least putting themselves in a better position.

After Zuriel had his glass topped of he put real thought into how drones in Station space could work. "Well it depends on a few things, we could deploy science drones in a sensor net a couple of thousand kilometers out, act as an early warning beacon." Zuriel shrugged.

"Engineering drones could be automated and maintain the entire thing, they themselves would need to be calibrated for the extended use, they are honestly for battle repairs on ships, they're not really even made to survive a prolonged fight, but if get some help for engineering, we could fiddle with their power conduits, make them more efficient, they would have to dock to charge half as often." Zuriel took another sip of his drink, he could not help but feel a little bit enthused by the ideas going through his head.

"Finally we can use the combat drones to disable weapons systems in enemy ships, disrupt shield patterns stuff like that, they were never meant for direct combat mind you, but think of them as bees attacking a bear, there is no chance they will kill the bear, but the bear always runs." Finally sitting Zuriel relaxed in his chair.

"Why is a Ferengi delegation coming here? Strictly speaking this is not the most lucrative area to do business or scam citizens. What do you think they are up to?" Zuriel said clearly concerned, the Ferengi were always working some sort of angle, always causing trouble, but rarely had anything to show for it; that did not seem to temper their arrogance however.

[CO's Office]

Old curmudgeonly man or not, Soreka was on point. Off the cuff, the El Aurian had broken down the feasibility of deploying a brand new defense and research project. Stafford was impressed.

"Excellent. Get on it. Have you met our Strategic Ops Officer, Lieutenant Commander Ay'la?" Stafford asked. "She'll sort you out with anything you need. Materials, permits, and so on."

When Soreka brought up their serving together the captain could only smile and nod.

"A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one." He replied shortly. "As for the Ferengi, they have not disclosed the reason for their visit. Another thing Ay'la and our chaplain, Vem, will be working on. Along with myself. Well, commander."

He stood and grabbed his cane to steady himself. Months ago, an explosion from a booby trapped console had permanently lodged shrapnel in his right hip. If he had relented and gotten a cloned bone graft and some other fancy medical procedures he'd walk normally. But Stafford was a stubborn fellow and thought the entire procedure unnatural. He didn't want to walk, not that much.

"You get settled in and get started on the TIC project. We'll meet up for that dinner." Suddenly, his usually stern and shrewd expression softened just a bit. "It's good to see you again, Zuriel."

[Hust Kinun]

[Office]

Hust had returned to work after another debacle that had ended up with him in sickbay. This time, he was determined to stay out of that room for quite a while. He walked around his office as he read over the monthly reports from some different groups he had been keeping tabs on, and reading up on new "landmark" cases where a major portion of Federation or other law had been expanded or retracted. While nothing major had come up recently, it was good to stay aware.

As far as Hust was concerned, he wanted nothing of any more shenanigans, adventures, parties, or quests. He'd had quite enough of that. He focused on his work, filing papers and reading. It seemed that Tellar prime had finally settled a six-year-long suit between the Vulcans and the Tellarites. Now not showing emotion was upheld as NOT a challenge for a fight to the death between species. Such weird people.

[Crystal Newberry]

[FCS Luna-Beam, Cabin]

Crystal wasn't happy in the very least, and it was compounded it even more with her latest assignment to a Federation starbase in the Anditia system. To top it all off, since she was wanted by the said Federation Civil Authority and Starfleet for many reasons, she would have a much harder time made ten times worse because her adoptive daughter was with her. She is a caring mother, but she truthfully didn't have anyone or more, in this case, someone she trusted to watch her daughter and not turn them in.

She closed her eyes for a moment, memorizing the calm atmosphere that she had right now before the chaos started. Slowly opening them again, she walked to the nearby table and picked up the device she now wore consistently to hide her appearance. Placed on her wrist Crystal hair changed to a dark brownish-black, and her eye color became more stormy bluish. She'd already giving a similar device to her daughter to conceal her identity. The device wouldn't hide her outer cloak or clothing, but it was better than nothing. She picked up her lance in miniature version and placed it inside the cloak before taking the padd.

On the padd is a list of items she needed to pick up. This was more customary if Federation Customs or Security did a passive check of her items, but she entered a few commands. A moment later the padd blinked before the correct storage of info appeared. Her target!

Thomas Andrew Jett
Last Known Location: Federation SB Columbus, Anditia System
Threat Level: High
Reward: 12,500 Bars of Latinum
Crime: Smuggling of Unauthorize culture items!
Misc Note: Contractor wishes Mr. Jett brought to him alive.

It was at this time after reading this, her cabin door chime. Quickly getting rid of the data from the padd, she called to entered. A moment later her daughter entered looking like a small twin of Crystal. "Mother, we are arriving at Columbus in a few minutes," Sierra spoke up after hugging her mother.

"Good good. We will do a little shopping," Crystal replied looking at her daughter before kneeling down. "Sierra, this is dangerous, and I wouldn't put you at risk. While were on Columbus, you will be known as Sarah Bagman. I'll be Sofia Bagman."

"I know mommy, and I will be careful." She replied looking at her mother.

[Space]

The small freighter slowly moved to a docking position in the outer tier ring of Columbus. It would be a few more minutes before the two passengers debarked, but the freighter's captain was paid to stay until they returned. Their decoy to remaining was to pick up needed supplies for another run to the local colonies.