“We don’t [i]have[/i] to just be smugglers, we can do other legitimate jobs too! Now we’re armed, we could try to land a gig transporting rare metals or something? Ah, I don’t know.” He finished with a big shiver. Light had been a haulier for a long time, but never for anything as valuable those nondescript devices in the last job. The possibilities seemed dauntingly endless.

“Let’s go eat. World domination can wait until tomorrow. You can tell me all about the discount Jess offered you.”
[hr]

[u][b]Twenty day cycles later…[/b][/u]

[hr]

As it turned out, world domination could wait much longer than tomorrow. There was no new job offer from Jess, and only one short excursion For Good Cause. They picked up a few odd day-long jobs around the planet, but the payment from this only just covered their regular expenses. The current jobs on the Myrmidon board all had lengthy contracts that would’ve precluded any other activity. Senjen did fulfil his acting duties though, gaining a meagre bonus.

Then out of the blue they receive a junk text message via the ship’s comms net:

<< KFJDHT HBITW, JDSAEOO HIUSSVRF. LWQQGUH>>

“Hmm, weird.” Light said. He was repairing a busted power conduit under the main dash when he heard the ping.

“Senjen! You seeing this? It has got to be some kind of interference, right?”