Corliss glances at the doorway. No shots fired out there, that was good. He was loathe to run into Keshin and Joanne again, but he needed to go to his ship to negotiate the little deal he had just made.
Besides, he was concerned. About Alic, yes, but about Terenia, as well.
<I don't think I could ever do it, sorry, mate,> says Mike.
<What?> Corliss replies, confused. Then, <become a Yeerk?> He laughs. <I never asked you to.>
<No, what she did.> Mike takes control and gently pushes back the chair, walking over to grab Corliss' Dracon and putting it back in his windbreaker. <Gah, my bloody arm. Fecking 'ell.> He starts for the door, giving Fox, Morgan and Raksha a last glance, then pushes it open and steps outside. <I can't reckon why she'd want to be trapped in your sort of body, mate. No offense. It must've been one helluva situation to force her into this sort of life.>
<'ey, I'll have you know, we have a lot going for us,> Corliss says smugly, maneuvering Mike's arm so he can place his hands in his pockets.
<Yeah? Like what?> Mike presses.
<Really good looks.>
<Oh, shut up, will ya?>
Corliss glances towards the woods, where his Skimmer is parked, then looks over at the little crowd some distance away, near Terenia. He sighs and walks off toward the Skimmer, setting about the task of negotiating a great quantity of medicine for the bounty hunter.
"You did what?" cries the cracking voice of his sibling Reven's teenage host, James, via long range comm link.
"Rev, it was either that, or have her blow me to kingdom come."
An exasperated sigh. "Corliss, I don't know how we're going to negotiate this. The base is just getting on its feet, we need food and a working recycling water supply, we're running out of our rations. A month and a half for seventy-five standards of experimental metabolic...what was it?"
"Anapsulim," Corliss replies dully.
"This will take six months to acquire! Look at these readout sheets! It's not even on the mainstream Imperial market, it's some kind of guinea pig snake oil bull****!"
"Just give me some time, I'll help you get the clearances," says Corliss, becoming increasingly irritated. "I'll go right into the bloody labs if I have to."
"No, you won't. Screw Static Shock, who cares if the network of turelek blacklists us?" Reven snaps. "No, it's too risky."
"I gave her a promise, mate. I'm going to at least try and fulfill it."
Reven growls in frustration. "Corliss...I can get some of our contacts on a few of the Vissers' ships to see if they can manage...maybe twenty standards of this crap. Maybe. But the price on your head is so high, it'd take the goddamn Council to pay for this in a month and a half!"
"Then let me handle the rest," Corliss says, determined. "Okay?"
"Fine. Fine," Reven says. "I don't know why you guys hang out at that forsaken place. It's brought nothing but trouble."
"Thanks, dad."
"Be careful," Reven adds hastily.
"You, too." Corliss signs off with a sigh, seals up the ship, and starts back toward the parking area. The little group is still there, so he heads over in their direction, his sneakers crunching through the gravel.
"What's up, doc?" he asks, looking at the little circle of friends and enemies. He glances at Keshin. "Your med order is in the works. It's going to be tough, but we're working on it. It's all wrapped up in these labs in various Blade Ships, as I'm sure you're well aware."
