Alex groaned as he came to.

    He forced an eye opened and closed it on seeing Will, already out of bed and moving about, cleaning accumulated dust.

    "How can you do that?" Alex croaked. "Get out of cryo full of energy?"

    "I'm used to it. Been doing cryo with fluid replacement since I've been a kid."

    "So I'll get used to it?" 

    "Dunno, maybe?"

    Alex groaned again.

    He felt like he was trying to wake up from a dream that didn't want to let him go. He'd been exhausted before going under, from his work getting the life support system saner, then helping cleanup some of the messes he'd caused. In a few places, when He'd unlocked everything, it released nasty chemicals.

    There had been a few injuries, but most of the damage was to rooms, so he'd helped out with the cleaning in between working with the ship's system, slowly allowing the core processor contact with life support, until they could work together.

    Considering he'd woken up from cryo, which was controlled by the life support system, he expected the two would have fully integrated, and it would be ready to talk with other systems.

    But first he had to get up.

    He forced both eyes open this time and looked to the metal cuff on his bicep. It was blinking green, which meant all his blood was back in him. He figured the queasiness was due to some of the cryo fluids being left. He went directly for a shower. Like the first time, he felt grimy.

    * * * * *

    "Hey, Crimson." Anders stood in the doorway to Asyr's lab.

    Alex looked over his shoulder. "I didn't know you came to this part of the ship," he said.

    "Where else am I going to find you? We've been docked for a full day, I thought you'd be exploring the station, seeing as it's your first time away from home."

    "This is more important. I figure I'll have plenty of chances to visit stations once I've met up with Jack." Meeting up with Jack, that's what he'd told everyone. Nothing about Tristan, or getting Jack back, just meeting up with him.

    "Nope, sorry, but that doesn't work for me." Anders moved behind him and looked at the screens. "Are you in the middle of anything urgent?"

    "Not really. I'm going through the ship's system, figuring out how insane each of them is. I can probably integrate them in any order, seeing how I already tackled the worst of the bunch, but I'd prefer going from the more stable to the lesser so. Help build up the core before moving on to the less stable ones."

    Anders looked at him, a crooked smile on his face. "I have no idea what you just said, and I don't care," he added as Alex was about to explain again. "But I did hear you say you don't actually need to be here right now, right?"

    "I guess so."

    "Good." He grabbed Alex by the arm and pulled him out of the chair. "You're coming with me, and we are going ground side."

    * * * * *

    Alex didn't grumble during the short shuttle trip from the station to the planet side port. He worked very hard at not grumbling. He felt he had more important things to do than jaunt down and go to a bar. He was quite sure he wasn't going to enjoy any of this. Upon getting out of the shuttle, Alex had enough of a shock to make him forget he didn't want to enjoy himself.

    The shuttle landed on a patch of dirt surrounded by a few buildings. He looked around to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

    "Where are we?" Alex asked.

    "Junaly's main port." Anders answered.

    Alex looked around again. "This isn't a port, it's barely a landing site."

    Ander's laughed. "You're thinking every planet is like the one where we picked you up? That was a capital world. This is a fourth rate mining world. It doesn't have much to attract people."

    "Why did we stop here then?" Milo asked. He was a little younger than Alex, and from listening to the conversation, had joined the crew on the stop before Alex got on. He'd been looking to get away from abusive parents. Or at least that's what he'd said.

    With them were Barbara, one of Ander's usual hanger on and Zephyr, someone Alex had seen on the ship. He was difficult to miss with his golden skin and white Mohawk, but Alex hadn't known him to be friends with Anders.

    "Because this place has the richest fence in the universe." Zephyr said. He had a rich bass for a voice that made Alex shiver. "With the haul we got this time, this is the only place we can move it."

    Alex still couldn't believe this qualified as a port. Even his home planet had a space port capable of taking ships, not only shuttles. If a ship tried to land here, it would destroy everything for blocks around.

    "So why exactly are we down here?" Alex asked. "There's plenty to drink on the ship."

    "You can't spend all your time in there," Anders answered. "Come on Crimson, you've got to get out once in a while." He started walking.

    "Why? It isn't like there's anything worth seeing here." He eyed the gray buildings, one or two story houses? They all looked the same.

    "There's the sky," Barbara said. "You have any idea how rarely I get to see it? Sometimes I forget what color it is."

    "This one's blue," Zephyr answered. "I don't see why you like that. I prefer the sky from home, deep orange. That's a beautiful sky."

    She snorted. "You're weird."

    "Hey," Anders said, "it's a big universe, there's enough sky for everyone to enjoy."

    "You're mightily jovial," Zephyr said, his tone suspicious. 

    "I'm just happy to be breathing unrecycled air. And you're going to one of he best join in this part of the universe." 

    "How do you know that?" Milo asked.

    Anders smiled at the youngest of the group. "Because the last time we were here I talked with some the natives and they raved about it." Anders whistled the rest of the way.

    Twenty minutes later he stopped them at a building that looked like every other. Gray walls, with a gray door. This one was one story. If it was a bar, there was no indication of that.

    "Okay, before we go in," Anders said. "I need a favor from the two of you."

    "Sure," Milo said.

    Alex only raised an eyebrow. 

    "I need you to start a fight." 

    "Why?" Alex asked.

    "Does it matter?"

    "Yes. If I'm going to get beaten up, I'd like to know why."

    Anders smiled. "You're not going to get beaten up. Just start a fight, then leave, and we'll meet up with you-" he looked around, and pointed to a building three rows down. "Behind that building."

    "You're not going to fight?" Milo asked.

    "No, we just need the distraction so we can slip in the back."

    Alex groaned. "You're going to rob them?" 

    "Yeah," Barbara answered.

    "I'm not having anything to do with this," Alex replied. 

    "Come on Crimson."

    "No! Damn it Anders, I'm not a criminal."

    Anders silenced Barbara and Zephyr with a raised hand before they said anything.

    "I'm not asking you to commit a crime," Anders said. "I'm just asking you to cause a distraction. We'll be the ones committing it."

    "Does the captain know about this?"

    "He doesn't need to know everything we do." 

    "And if you get caught?"

    Anders smiled. "I never get caught."

    Alex glared at the smug bastard and tried to see if this was some sort of plan of his to hurt Alex. Anders had been cordial since the job, even friendly, but could it have been a ploy to get Alex to drop his guard? Even if it wasn't, Alex couldn't get involved in a crime. If they got caught he'd be stuck here. Alex turned to leave.

    Anders had an arm around his shoulders before he'd taken two steps. "Don't be like that, Cr- Alex. Nothing bad's going to happen, I promise."

    "Damn it, Anders. I'm just suppose to be a passenger, I'm not one of your gang."

    "Look, I know that, but I thought you'd like to have some fun."

    Alex glared at him. "Fun? You call robbery, fun?"

    "Of course. Look, no one's going to get hurt." He paused. "Well not seriously hurt. Brawls happen often enough in places like these it's just part of the entertainment for them."

    Alex wasn't sure how true that was. All he had to go by were movies he'd watched, and sure, in those it all seemed fine by the end, but he doubted they were a depiction of reality.

    "Come on," Anders continued. "Are you really going to let Milo do this by himself?"

    Alex looked over his shoulder, the other man looked uncertain. He could probably convince him to leave too. Only, what would the others think of him. Milo was part of the crew, he had to deal with the other's opinion of him. Alex would be gone soon enough.

    But until then, he too had to deal with opinions. Did he really want to be the guy that let the others down. Would the crew care that he wasn't one of them? He'd gained some respect with his work controlling the other ship. Enough that no one had tried to take reprisal on him for the people hurt when he fixed the life support system.

    If he let Anders down now, how would he be treated if there was another situation like that? Would they think he'd done it on purpose? He cursed under his breath.

    "Fine, but Anders, only this time." He looked at the building. "How the hell am I suppose to start a fight? I barely know how to fight."

    Anders slapped his shoulder. "That's the spirit, and you'll think of something. You're resourceful." He guided Alex back to the others. "You two go in first. Get a drink, enjoy the atmosphere. When you see us come in, get the brawl going."

    Milo was all smiles now. "This is going to be fun."

    "How can you know?" Alex asked, opening the door for the younger man.

    "Everyone knows Anders' the best. And with this, we're going to be in with his gang."

    "I kind of wish he'd checked with me on that first."

    Milo looked at him, surprised. "You don't want in? Why not? His gang gets the best of everything. They get an extra cut of the haul, the best quarters, I even heard they have private parties with enhancers."

    Alex didn't ask what that was. He found two stools at the bar and sat, waiving the barman over.

    "I'm not a party guy," he told Milo. And he certainly didn't want to be in a room with Anders where there might be anything affecting his judgment. Anders had backed off when Alex told him he was taken, but the man didn't strike Alex as someone who gave up easily.

    He asked for something local, and swiped his cred chip. "You really shouldn't use that," Milo said, ordering his own drink and handing the barman an unmarked credit stick. 

    "What?"

    "Use your cred chip. You're leaving a tag of where you are."

    Alex nodded to the stick the bar man returned, along with their drinks. "And that doesn't?"

    "It's tricked up. Everyone on the crew has one, I guess you're too new, you're not use to it. When we get back to the ship, just transfer some credits on your stick, not too much, if it's stolen anyone can get the money off it, just enough for what you've got planned."

    Alex thought about telling him he wasn't part of the crew, but he caught movement by the entrance. Anders and the others were here. He swiveled on his stool and looked around. The crowd looked rough, mostly men, and some women in stained and worn clothing. They all looked strong and ready to pick a fight.

    How was he suppose to start a fight? The movies made it look easy, push someone, insult someone's boyfriend, but he was certain he'd end up hurt if he did that. No one looked ready to give him an excuse to start something.

    Then he smiled. There was someone here he knew wouldn't hurt him.

    He spun to Milo. "What did you just say?"

    Milo sputtered, spilling some of his drink. "I-"

    Alex didn't give him time to add anything. He shoved him off the stool and into the woman next to them. "Don't give me that. I heard you right."

    The woman shouldered Milo away, but didn't do anything else.

    "I didn't-" Milo raised his hands, clearly confused.

    "I don't know how you're raised in the cesspool you call a home, but here that's an insult if i ever heard one." He pushed him again and this time Milo lost his balance and fell on a table, tipping it over and sending the drinks to the floor. The men there barely had time to stand to avoid having them spill on their legs.

    Alex ignored their cursing, pushing one away as hard as he could before bending down and grabbing Milo by the collar and pulling him up. "You better start fighting back," Alex whispered. 

    Milo looked at him, confused for a moment, then punched him in the stomach.

    Alex's plan to over act the force of the impact wasn't needed as he staggered back into someone, trying not to double over from the pain. That person shoved him off and Alex turned and punched her. Then he dodged.

    Glass and tables broke. He was shoved. Hit a few times. He hit people back. He barely ducked in time as something flew at him. Curses and yells filled the bar. Alex found that he was grinning. He struck someone in the back that was stumbling toward him, then blocked a blow that was hard enough his arm hurt from it.

    He did a quick look around, past the fighting men and women, trying to find Milo. He saw his back leaving the bar and limped after him, punching a man on the way.

     When Alex joined Milo at the agreed upon meeting point, the shorter man was wiping blood off his face. Alex leaned back against the building grinning. His heart was racing, he was hurting, but he felt surprisingly good. He laughed, which earned him a stunned look from Milo.

    Alex forced the laughter down. Why was he laughing? He'd hurt people. He'd been hurt. He shouldn't be enjoying this, but he had, hadn't he? The idea made him uncomfortable. He'd never thought of himself as a violent person before. The most violent thing he'd done was get in a fight with another student when he'd been in his early teens, and his parents have grounded him for a month.

    He'd always felt that fight had been a mistake due to his youth. He didn't remember enjoying it, but now, he wondered if he had.

    "Glad to see you two made it out okay," Anders said, walking by, but not stopping, Barbara and Zephyr were with him. The three of them smiling, and Anders had a box under his arm.

    Alex and Milo followed, Alex wincing each time his foot hit the ground, but he didn't ask them to slow down. He found he wanted to keep up, to show he was as tough as they were.

    "So," Alex asked, between winces, "How much did you get?" 

    "I haven't counted it yet, but there's got to be thirty." 

    "Thirty credits?" Milo exclaimed. "I got beaten up for thirty lousy credits?"

    "Thirty thousands," Barbara said. "And for your part in this you've earned three thousand."

    Milo beamed.

    Alex managed to remain silent only for a few seconds. "Is that what you call a fair cut? Considering Milo had the worse of the job?"

    Barbara glared at him, and Anders stopped. Alex almost walked into him. The large man looked at him thoughtfully.

    "You know, you're right. I guess we should split it evenly."

    Barbara and Zephyr exchanged a worried look.

    Alex shrugged and walked around him.

    "Six thousand is enough for each of us, right?" Anders fell into steps next to Alex. "Thanks for reminding me to be fair."

    Alex glanced at him. "You saying no one's complained before?"

    "I guess everyone's use to doing what I say."

    Alex chuckled. "Are you in the habit of giving them a chance not to?"

    "I guess I've gotten into the habit of ordering people. I'm a little surprised you aren't pissed at me."

    "I should be, shouldn't I?" He shook his head in disbelief at himself. "Just don't blindside me with something like this again, okay? I'm not saying I'll ever do this again, but I want to know what I get into first."

    Anders studied him for a moment, then they continued in silence.