"A cargo we can sell for one fuck of a lot of money," Nat told him.

"No."

"No?" she repeated, eyes wide.

"What you have," Big Bill said quietly before she could continue her protest, "is a means to an end. With those weapons in the hands of free merchants…"

Doc turned a snicker into a cough.

Big Bill ignored him. "… you, we could take what we wanted."

"We take what we want now," Nat pointed out, wiping bloody fingertips on her overalls.

"No." Cho answered before Big Bill could. "We take what we can. There's a difference."

The big man nodded again. "That's what I like about you, Mackenzie Cho. You see the whole picture. The information about how the little gray aliens played puppet master across known space and beyond has the Confederation teetering on the edge," he continued. "We apply pressure at the right point and we can keep everything we can take." Reaching back, he pressed one hand against the cargo bay hatch. "With what's in here, we can take enough to make a difference."

"The Navy will try and stop us," Doc said slowly. Folding his arms over his chest, he frowned and added, "Advantage always goes to the side that doesn't play by the rules."

It was like both halves of his personality had made their own point.

"With this…" Big Bill smacked his palm against the hatch, the sudden impact loud enough Nat jumped and swore. "… we can make our own rules. Now then…" His smile was genial as he leaned back and folded his arms, smile broadening when Doc scowled and unfolded his. "… let's go over our options. I could purchase this from you, as is. You'd make less than you would if you sold the contents piece by piece, but opening the armory would be my concern. You would, of course, no longer have first choice of the weapons for your own personal use, nor would you be at the forefront of the revolution."

Cho could feel Doc and Nat staring at the back of his head. "No deal." This was his chance. The way Vrijheid had been William Ponner's

"I thought that would be your answer." He nodded his approval. "The second option involves you returning with a new and preferably less broken CSO and, once you have the codes, I do the hack myself."

And Cho remembered how Big Bill had acquired the station.

"There's two reasons I don't like that plan," Big Bill continued. "First, the Corps objects to outsiders getting their hands on their toys, and they make that objection with extreme prejudice."

"I thought it'd just blow up," Nat muttered.

"Exactly." Big Bill beamed at her. "And I do not risk blowing myself up for anything less than one hundred percent of the profits. Second, I can't be associated with something that might not work. Bad for business. Option three begins the same way as option two, but you hook up to the old ore docks-there's an old explosives storage pod there that should protect the station should things go wrong. Once that lock is off, I get fifteen percent of the contents for the use of my secure space, and you can sell whatever you don't personally want after you and I discuss distribution."

"You and I?" Cho asked, his voice level even as he fought the urge to sneer. "You'll get your fifteen percent off the top, sure." He didn't want the Heart blown to shit any more than Big Bill wanted his station damaged. "But I have a Marine armory full of weapons. Why will I need your to help get rid of them?"

One of the Grr brothers growled.

Big Bill, however, seemed pleased to have been asked. "Weapons change everything. I know where they should go to both get you top price and have the most advantageous effect. But, more importantly, before it even comes to that, you're going to want my help because I can see that you capture a working salvage operator."

"How?"

"Captain Firrg has a small outstanding debt she'll be happy to clear."

Two ships would make it a lot easier, turning the nearly impossible to even odds. Cho nodded. "She follows my orders." Mackenzie Cho, Captain of the Heart of Stone, took orders from no one.

"Of course. I'll set up the meeting. Say, 1600 at the Golden Griose?"

Cho glanced over at Nat, who shrugged. "Schedule's clear, Cap."

"Good. We've got some lovely potential for change building here, Captain Cho." Big Bill's expression suggested he was moments away from rubbing his hands together. "Get me some actual and we'll talk again. Try to grab a Human," he threw back over his shoulder, heading for the air lock. "I've always felt we have the strongest, not to mention least ethical attachment to self-preservation."

Falling into step behind him, the Grr brothers laughed.

Cho took Huirre with him to the meeting at the Griose. Firrg's crew was completely Krai, and he had no idea how good her Federate was. Good enough to function, definitely, but he wanted no confusion on either side.

"I hear she's out here because of lost love," Huirre said as they made their way across the Hub to the Griose. "The one she wanted, wanted another, and it blackened her heart." He ducked a shoe thrown out of the pushing match over by the falafel cart, paused, and frowned. "Or that might've been on a vid I picked up at Cully's when I was in for those gloves."

"Keep up," Cho growled. "And I don't give a H'san's ass why she's out here," he added as Huirre fell back in beside him. "She follows my orders, no questions asked. And she doesn't fukking need to know what we're carrying, understood?"

"Aye, Captain. But if she asks?"

"I do the talking."

"Aye, aye Capt… gunin yer chrick!"

Edible was the highest compliment in the Krai language. As far as Cho could see, Captain Firrg didn't look significantly different from Huirre-a bit bigger maybe, about a meter high, greenish-gray mottled scalp, lightly bristled, three sets of paired nose ridges-currently expanded as though she were smelling something nasty as they made their way toward her.

"I don't like this," she growled before Cho could actually sit. "And when I say this, I mean Humans. Don't like them, never have. Only reason I'm in on this is because Big Bill says you're taking down a Human."

"And because you're into him for a new set of air scrubbers," Cho reminded her, sitting down. Anything could be bought on Vrijheid, including information. Firrg's Federate was better than he'd expected-fluent and without so much as an accent. He could have brought Nat instead of Huirre, who sat staring at the other captain with hunger. With the Krai, hunger covered a number of options.

"Serley son of a bitch wants his pound of flesh," Firrg snarled. Smart people didn't assume they could tell what another species was thinking but the hatred in her eyes was unmistakable. Cho wondered if Big Bill knew. Or cared if he did. "I have no choice," she continued, "the Dargonar is by your side…"

"And under my command."

"And under your serley command," she agreed through clenched teeth, shifting a little of that hatred toward him. "But that's it. Everything goes through me. I don't want your kind having any contact with my crew, and I don't want any part in what you and Big Bill are up to."

"Are you that certain without knowing what it is?"

"I'm that certain. One job together and I go back to not giving a shit about what you or this cark sucker gets up to." Holding up her slate, she nodded toward his. "I've got a set of temporary codes you can use to contact me."

She had a jagged scar across her forehead, Cho realized as the codes transferred, the angles too regular to be accidental. When she saw him staring, she drew her lips back off her teeth, and Huirre whimpered. Cho curled his own lip in response. He'd been hated before; it didn't bother him much. During his court-martial, the hatred coming off the families of the dead sailors had been so virulent the Navy'd had to remove them from the courtroom in order to get anything done. "Any suggestions where we can pick up a Human CSO fast and easy?"