Freecloud glittered in the nightlght. She was beautiful, corrupt, and full of danger. Docking bay 13 was oddly quiet. Normally, she was busy, loud, and alive. The silence put Kim on edge as he stood near the cargo hatch, arms crossed, watching customs scan the Star for the third time. There was no alarms, no red lights; just the low hum of bureaucracy.

Behind him, Rhian looked out over the cargobay, keeping her eyes on the cargo. “It’s too clean,” she said. “Too quiet.”

Kordath grunted. “You always think someone is watching.”

“I don’t like dealing with the Consortium,” Rhian muttered. “Something’s off.”

“We’re in and out,” Min-jae shoved past the two. “Deliver the plasma, take the payment, and walk. We’re just another name on the manifest. Let’s not borrow trouble.”

From behind a stack of crates, Sae-jin muttered, “Famous last words.” She continued to scanned the surrounding area with her padd.

Inside the bay, two men waited. Corporate suits, polite smiles, nothing memorable. They screamed of Consortium.

Kim stepped forward. “Outrim Hauling Company. You have the transfer codes?”

The taller one handed over a datapad. “You’re early. That’s appreciated.”

“You paying early?” Min-jae asked.

“Half now, half once it clears. No questions.”

Kim hesitated, then nodded. “No questions,” he nodded.

The exchange was quick, almost too quick. The suits faded into the crowd as the crew turned back toward the ship. Rhian’s communicator chirped. “Encrypted signal,” she said. “Unknown origin, it just hit local chatter.”

Sae-jin frowned as she looked at her padd, “That’s not normal. Someone’s digging through the undernet.”

Kim turned, he didn’t need this. “Source?”

Rhian scanned, then froze. “Us. The trace is locked to our signal.”

“A trap?” Varin asked.

“No,” Rhian said. “Worse. Someone planted it. They wanted us to bring them here.”

Sae-jin cursed. “We were played.” She gave Kim that look, that one that said I told you so.

Kim shook his head. “You think?”

At the top of the ramp, Salvos looked out at the neon skyline. “On Freecloud, there’s no such thing as coincidence.”

Min-jae glanced over to the Captain, “We need to leave.”

“Too late,” Sae-jin said. “The trace is tied to local traffic. They’re already in our system, it appeared after those suits left.”

Kordath scanned the bay. “So, do we stand and fight or run?”

Rhian looked up. “They’re digging for information on someone named Ambrose Nichols.”

Kim’s voice cracked, he knew that name. “Everyone on the ship…” He was almost shouting at this point, “now.”

The Star’s engines roared, lifting them free of Freecloud’s pull. Neon lights shrank into the distance. Rhian’s console still flashed with the tether. “They wanted us to bite,” she said.

“Congrats, Captain Serious,” Sae-jin muttered. “We’re officially the catch of the day.”

Kim gripped the armrest. “Then let’s make sure they choke on it.”