A dive bar was not exactly where I expected us to end up, but where else would all the shady deals be conducted.
Ty, Scarlett and I are crammed into a booth way too small for the three of us. I was between the Jones twins, which was honestly a great place to be.
We've changed out of our Aurora Legion uniforms for civilian outfits, picked out by Scarlett of course to be up to the latest trend. She stood out of the three of us, her skintight ensemble blood red while Tyler and I wore similarly styled black tunics and tight pants. It was honestly a great look on Ty,
The sight across from us was not so great.
At least a dozen gremps were piled into the booth across from us, all eyes focused on Scarlett's uniglass and the rotating image of our Longbow, 312 stenciled onto the hull.
We were here to try and sell her, to get us enough credits to buy something else that hopefully the TDF would have a harder time finding.
It makes my heart hurt a little, but this was necessary to give us the best chance to keep Auri safe.
So here we were, trying to cut a deal with cat-like gremp. Neatly groomed tortoiseshell fur covered with a sharp white suit.
"Risky, Earthgirl." The gremp's voice is a smooth purr. "Rrrrisky."
"We were told Skeff Tannigut was a lady who could handle a little risk," Scarlett smiles. "You've got quite the reputation around here."
"There's regular risk, Earthgirl, and then there's the risk of twenty years in Lunar Penal Colony. Trafficking in stolen Aurora Legion hardware is no joke."
"Neither is the hardware," Tyler says, all of the gremps looking at him in mixes of horror and outrage.
"You let your male speak in public?" Skeff Tannigut asked me and Scarlett.
"He's...spirited," Scarlett smiles, giving Ty a side-eye.
"Sorry about him. I'm still breaking him in." I force a smile before giving Ty a withering glare. Maybe he caught on or it was quite a look because his shoulders slump slightly.
"I could sell you a pain collar to help with that." The gangster offers.
Scarlett takes the opportunity to jump in.
"If you're feeling so generous, let's skip the foreplay, shall we?" She waves at the holo image of our Longbow. "A hundred thousand and she's yours. Weapon passcodes included."
Ty looks down at his hands clasped in his lap as the gremp and her associates discuss the offer.
Tannigut looked at the hologram again before looking at Scarlett.
"I'll give you thirty thousand," she says. "First and final offer."
Scar raises one perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Since when do gremps do stand-up comedy?"
"Since when do Aurora legionnaires sell their ships?" the gremp asks.
"We could have stolen this baby. What makes you think we're Legion?"
Tannigut points to me. "His haircut."
"What's wron—hrk!" I stepped down hard on Ty's foot to silence him. Of course, its Golden boy's haircut that gets us busted.
"All due respect, but the whys aren't your concern," Scarlett says smoothly. "There's no tech anywhere in the galaxy like the tech that comes out of Aurora labs. One hundred thousand is a bargain, and you know it." Scar tosses her flame-red bob out of her eyes and manages to look nowhere as desperate as we actually are. "And therefore, madam, I bid you good day."
