"You expect me to believe Captain Galbalan just attacked?" Admiral Dresk asked. The comm link was audio only, but his voice dripped with arrogant suspicion. "I find that hard to believe."

"You find it hard to believe that a pirate running a slave trafficking operation opened fire on law enforcement?" Mims quipped. "I thought you Militia types were supposed to be smart."

"Watch yourself, human," Dresk growled. "Nine of my Enforcers are dead. Somebody's going to pay for it, and it might just be you."

Seven hours had passed since Yvian took the Big Dirty. She'd kept the frigate shooting at Mims for an extra fifteen minutes before ceasing fire and announcing she'd taken the ship. The ship's logs had been altered to show Galbalan was alive and kicking when the frigate killed the Militia fleet.

"Somebody already paid for it," Mims told the Admiral. "Galbalan killed your people. We killed Galbalan. Case closed."

"Gribshit," Dresk replied. "Captain Galbalan wasn't even under arrest. Why would he open fire?"

"I don't know," said Mims, "and he's too dead to tell us."

"It doesn't make any sense," said Dresk.

Yvian knew why the Admiral was skeptical. Captain Galbalan had worked for him. The pirate had kept meticulous records. Yvian now had indisputable proof that the Brilend Militia was not only assisting the slavers, but giving them orders. She'd also learned there was a third pirate group still in operation. Mims had promised they could go kill them later.

"Why wouldn't it?" asked the Captain. "Galbalan had just been caught attacking a passenger transport. He had over a thousand kidnapped civilians stuffed in cryo in his hold. Why wouldn't he panic when the Militia got involved?" After a pause he continued, voice thoughtful. "Unless..."

"Don't even think it," the Militia Admiral warned.

"Unless he knew they were dirty," Mims continued. "Unless he knew they'd keep him safe. That's the only reason it wouldn't make sense." His voice was suddenly cold. "Is that why you find it so hard to believe, Admiral? You think he wouldn't shoot your Enforcers because he worked for them?"

A pause. "That's a serious accusation, human." Admiral Dresk said calmly. "What evidence do you have?"

"No evidence," Mims lied. "But isn't it odd that your officers tried to stop me and not him?"

Dresk grunted. "I'll look into it. I'm impounding the Big Dirty as evidence. Get any people you have off it and shut down the engines."

"No can do, Admiral," said Mims. "There are twelve hundred kidnapped civilians on that thing. I gotta get the Big Dirty to a station so I can let them out."

"Leave them," said the Admiral. "We'll take care of it."

"No can do," said Mims. "Rescuing the civvies is part of my contract."

"Fuck your contract," said Dresk. "Stop that ship right now or I'll have you charged with obstructing an investigation."

"Go ahead," said the Captain. "An obstruction charge for rescuing people? The Magistrate will laugh you out of court."

"They're not people," said Dresk. "They're evidence."

"They're civilians," Mims corrected. "And you don't have the authority to take them."

"I'm the Brilend Militia," Dresk growled. "I have the authority to do whatever the fuck I want. Now give me the Gods-damned ship!"

"You can have it," said Mims. "We'll be at the Grayland Trading Station in two hours. We'll leave it docked."

"Gods-damn it human-" Mims ended the comm before the Militia Admiral could finish speaking. The Admiral's battlecruiser was in the sector, but it wouldn't reach them for another thirty hours. Yvian supposed he could send his escort ships ahead, but even then they'd have plenty of time.

"Asshole," Mims muttered. A comm request flashed onto his console. He ignored it. He turned to Yvian. "You get what we needed?"

Yvian nodded. "Comm records, credit transfers, everything. All nice and neat and ready to send to Dannil."

"Not Dannil," said Mims.

Yvian frowned. "Why not Danil?"

"He's a Brilend," said Mims.

"He's a Chronicler of Lives," Yvian told him. "He'll print the story."

"I know he would," said the Captain. "Dannil Starlancer lives in Brilend space. If he prints the story, he won't live out the week. You don't piss off the Militia in the space where you live."

"I'll send it to a Flivvan reporter," Lissa spoke up. "Dannil can tell me who to talk to."

"Sounds good," said Mims. "That kind of attention should bring in the Military."

"I hope so," said Lissa. "I want those motherless sons to pay."

"They won't," said Mims. "Militia enforcers are almost never prosecuted. But they won't be restarting their slave ring under that kind of scrutiny."

"And we saved a whole bunch of people," Yvian pointed out.

"That we did." He sighed. "Twelve hundred and thirty eight of them."

Yvian frowned. "Why do you sound so unhappy?"

"Because he knows what I'm going to make him do," said Lissa. "Right, Captain?"

"Care packages." The Captain was forlorn. "Twelve hundred thirty eight sets of clothes." He drooped a little more with every word. "Twelve hundred thirty eight wrist consoles." He leaned an elbow on his console and put his head in his hand. "Twelve hundred thirty eight credit chits worth twenty five grand a piece."

"It's not that bad," Lissa chided. "Why do you care so much about money, anyway? You're rich."

"It's the principle of the thing," Mims sighed again. "Also we'll have to talk to them. You remember last time? It took hours, and that was only two hundred people." His head snapped up. "Shit."

"What?" asked Lissa.

"I didn't factor the time it'll take to release the prisoners," said Mims. "We'r'e going to have to split up if we want to catch the Tegarns."

"No we won't," said Lissa. "It's taken care of."

"They're not privateers," said the human. "If they try to sell those ships they'll be arrested." He left unspoken what would happen next.

"No they won't," Lissa assured him. "I took care of it."

The Captain's brow furrowed. "Took care of it how?"

"We have a contract." Lissa shrugged. "They're selling our ships for us."

Mims mulled that over for a moment. "What's the commission?"

"Forty percent."

Mims grimaced. "Ten percent is standerd."

"Kolva's a haggler." Lissa shrugged again.

The Captain gave her a look.

"Alright, fine," Lissa conceded. "The Tegarn's were flirting with default. If we dumped them back on the Niroco, they'd be enslaved within a year." She glanced down, then met the Captain's eyes. "Now they can pay off their debts, find a nice station somewhere, and live out their lives in peace." The Captain's glare did not abate. She sweetened the pot. "And you'll never have to see them again."

"There is that," Mims allowed. He leaned back in his chair. "I still don't like it. Rewarding people that stole from me is..." He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I already agreed not to kill them."

"You didn't really want to kill them anyway," Yvian pointed out.

"No," Mims admitted. "I just think we should." He stood up and stretched. "It's going to be a long night. Let's get dinner going while we can."

"And cake," Lissa added.

The Captain frowned. "Cake is for celebrating a job well done."

"The job is done," Yvian pointed out. "The client's already paid."

"He cried when we told him about all the people we rescued," Lissa added. "I think it meant a lot."

"This was a shitshow," said Mims. "No cake."

"But we're heroes," Yvian protested. "A force for good."

"And we took a bunch of ships," said Lissa. "And made a bunch of money."

"No cake."