Aki returned to the bridge, and still found Jeanne sitting in one of the seats.

She greeted him. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry" Her apology sounded sincere.

"No matter" Aki replied gruffly.

They both looked out of the bridge windows. The Ship had left the atmosphere, and was moving through the space between planets.

"Space is beautiful..." Jeanne remarked.

Aki shook his head "I prefer being on planet"

"Some do." She said thoughtfully. "Where is you xeno friend?"

"He's in the guest quarters"

"He can come out. I doubt any of the soldiers mind."

Aki nodded "I'll tell him then. Where is Weyland?"

"He's in his quarters, talking with people from his firm."

"Ah" Aki said

"Do you actually know who he is?"

"He's a businessman."

She giggled "He's not just a businessman. He is THE business man. He runs the Weyland-Yutani Cooperation. It's like the biggest conglomerate in human history."

"Okay. And what about you? Weyland said you escaped. Are you a bad blood?"

"Not really." Jeanne laughed "I'm that what you'd call a smuggler."

"A smuggler?"

"I transport stuff for people without questions asked."

Aki nodded "And you will transport us to Akkan?"

"To Ourbas-78? Yeah I will, once we get my ship back."

"Your ship?"

"It's been confiscated after my… run in with the colonial authorities. Weyland has located it on the Odessa."

"The Odessa, what's that?"

Jeanne pointed out of the Window. A huge planet, a gas giant, loomed into view. Its atmosphere was a sparkling turquoise, and in front of it, a tiny, dark speck, the Odessa loomed.

"A space station?"

Jeanne nodded.

There was a rustle behind them, and Weyland emerged into the bridge area.

"Cabe, get us close to the station, but don't answer their radio. I want to check out where the Shipstern bluff is berthed before I hail them."

"Fred, is there a Plan?"

"There is, Jeanne."

"Well?"

"I'll go on board. Check out the Ship, see if it is still space worthy. Then I'll knock out the guard who is with me, and get on board. Cabe here will then dock this ship to the side of the Shipstern bluff and we will transfer Eran, Aki and you, Jeanne, over, you will start it and we will be on our way. Cabe, the three of you will stand off in neutral space outside the system and wait for my call."

"Yes sir."

Jeanne also nodded her consent.

"How about you, Aki. Are you in?"

"I am, but I want Eran to accompany you."

Weyland coughed. "I beg your pardon?"

"I want Eran to go with you."

"Why? I'm faster on my own!"

"Because I don't think it is a good idea to do this alone."

"I see." Weyland nodded "If Eran can stay unseen, then its fine."

"I am sure he can." Aki nodded.

The Odessa was huge, consisting of three large spires, fused together at their bases.

Aki was surprised that the humans could have constructed something of that size, but he had been told this wasn't the only one.

There was a huge airlock door at the base of one spire, but it had been shut. Weyland and Jeanne were checking the spires for the Shipstern bluff, whilst Cabe was holding the ship steady, slowly watching the station revolve below them.

"I think I found her!" Weyland exclaimed, and Jeanne walked over to him.

"Yes, that's the Shipstern Bluff. Near the top of the third spire.

Aki checked the window, seeing a sleek, Bordeaux-red ship docked against the spire's air lock. The Shipstern Bluff look fast.

"How does she look, Jeanne?"

"Perfect!"

"Well, Cabe, go hail them, and we'll get the docking procedures over with. Aki, go inform Eran of your plan."

Eran was standing beside Weyland in the ante-chamber of the Airlock.

"You do understand me, don't you?"

Eran nodded and hissed

"Try not to kill anyone, until I tell you to"

The xeno nodded again

"And stay out of sight."

Again, he nodded.

The outer airlock door rumbled open, and Eran hoisted himself up into the ceiling, out of sight. He watched Weyland square his shoulders, and then the Airlock door hissed open.

"Welcome, Mr. Weyland. Welcome to the Odessa!" the man's voice was rough, and Eran watched Weyland step out of the ship. He said he would clap his hands when they were out of sight and Eran could leave the ship.

"So glad you could accommodate me." Weyland said.

"It's no bother. This place is pretty quiet anyhow."

Eran heard Weyland clap "Well, better quiet than too much action, aye?"

"That is true. Though, I wouldn't mind some action. This isn't what I had signed up for."

The voices grew distant, and Eran poked his head out of the Airlock door. The corridor was deserted, and he hurried along, until he had caught up with Weyland and the man, staying out of sight, but shadowing the two.

"The Ship is a few floors down, I'd advise on using the elevator."

"Elevator? Is there no stairs?"

"There isn't. But it's only a short ride..."

There was a hiss of an electric door, the sound of it shutting again, and then a whoosh.

The two men had gone.
Eran bounded to the Door through which he had seen the two disappear. He checked for a maintenance opening, tearing the panel from the wall, and moving into the elevator shaft. Downwards, he saw the elevator disappear. It was quite a drop.

Luckily he wasn't scared of heights.

He began clambering down, but then had a different idea. He could simply grip the Elevator's wire that was moving downwards in the middle.

He just had to hurry. The Counterweight was moving upwards, and he was directly in its path.

Gauging the distance, Eran jumped, and grabbed onto the elevator wire, curling his tail around it to stabilize himself.

This was going to work…

Weyland was in the Elevator with the Colonial Marshal, moving downwards. He hoped Eran would find a way to follow them.

The Marshall turned to him. "Mr. Weyland, I have a question."

"Go on"
"If your company buys this station, will you keep the detachment of Marshalls up here?"

Weyland made a non-committal noise

"Because some of us have just recently brought their families to live up here."

Another non-committal noise.

The Marshall started again. "You see, Seegson is currently planning to decommission this station, if they can't find a buyer. You have no idea how glad I was when I heard that a negotiator from your firm arrived here. And now you are here, this surely means you are planning to finalize the deal?"

"Just a quick question, do you know the name of the negotiator my firm sent?"

"Of course. We all talked to him. I don't know his first name, but his last name was Schultz."

"Schulz? As in Dr. Schulz?"

"He didn't introduce himself with an academic title. But I'm pretty sure that's him."

"Grey beard, about a head shorter than me? Would that be a rough description?"

"Yeah, sure, but why do you ask? You sent him?"

Weyland quickly thought his options over, and decided to keep as close to the truth this time as he could risk.

"We didn't send anyone. My firm never planned to buy this station."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not Weyland-Yutani." He said grimly.

"He introduced himself and his credentials checked out. Our local Seegson executive-"

Change of plans. "Where is that man? I want to talk to him."

"Oh, he's in the other spire. It's quite a ride, and we'd have to pass the station's centre…"

"All right. We'll check out the ship, and then I want to have a chat with this Schulz."

The Marshall nodded. "I'll be happy to take you, though the station's centre is a bit wonky."

The lift stopped, the doors opening to reveal a corridor with an Airlock at the end of it.

They stepped out, the door closing behind them.

"This is where the ship is berthed." He pointed at the airlock.

"I hope you didn't damage it." Weyland said as he walked over to the closed doors.

"It was flown here by the pilot after her arrest. It's undamaged, even though we cannot start it as it is bio-coded."

"Can you open the door? I want to check out if the engines are still the original ones."

The Marshall nodded, and unlocked both airlock doors.

Weyland ducked through the low opening into the Shipstern Bluff's interior.

It was just as he had remembered it. Faded, small, just a bridge, a sleeping quarter, and a hold that was closed. The instrument panels were silent, and there was a large claw affixed to the controls, with a large red light. It was an immobilizer, and he would have to get rid of it.

He took out his communicator, and typed a quick message that he had arrived at the ship.

The Marshall joined him. Weyland pointed towards the immobilizer claw: "What's that?"

"It's an immobilizer. It disables the controls."

"I hope it is removable. If this damages the ship you will be liable."

"Of course it is removable. I though you wanted to check out the engines."

Weyland turned towards the service panels leading to the engine control modules, and opened it.

In the same moment, he heard the click of a gun being cocked.

"Hands up!" The Marshall said.

Slowly, Weyland raised them and turned around. "What is the meaning of this?"

The Marshall smiled. "It's just as Schultz said."

"I'm sorry?"

"We were informed of your plan. You were sent to discredit Weyland-Yutani."

Weyland looked so surprised, the Marshall laughed "Schultz told us, eventually, and Android impersonating his boss would arrive and try to steal the Shipstern Bluff, to discredit Weyland-Yutani's attempt to buy this station, but we weren't going to fall for it. And when I got the radio message today, I knew it was happening."

"Me? An Android? Marshall, that is bullshit!"

"Keep your hands up. I've already radioed Schulz, and he will come over to settle this with you personally."

Suddenly, it got dark.

"I don't think that's gonna happen." Weyland said.

"Why do you think so?"

"If you turn around, you'd know."

"I'm not falling for that bullshit. I was with the colonial marines, I know how to do this."

"Very well then. Eran, disarm the man, but do not kill him."

The Xeno, who had, silently, crept up the door, and was now standing behind the marshal roughly grabbed the gun, crushing it, and two fingers in his powerful grip.

The Marshall cried out, in pain and in shock, as he spun around, seeing the hulking xenomorph behind him.

Eran whipped up his tail, hissed savagely, extended the spear he was carrying, and, pushing the Marshall to the floor, he held the tip of the spear under the man's chin.

"What is this?" the man held his bleeding fingers

"May I introduce you to Eran? He is an associate of mine."

"What the hell?"

"If you don't want to end up as xenomorph fodder, or worse, I suggest you give me code for the immobiliser."

The Marshall considered his options. "Think of your family… your child…" Weyland whispered.

"If I tell you the code, promise not to kill me."

"Promised."

"The code is 78238146A."

Weyland turned to the immobilizer claw, quickly punching in the code. With a beep, the machine accepted it, loosening its grip on the controls. He pulled it off, and chucked it back out past the airlock door into the corridor.

"Will you let me go now?" the Marshall asked fearfully.

"Where is Schulz?"

"He will be here any minute."

"All right."

Without another word, Weyland reached into his pocket, drew out one of the smaller pistols, and shot the Marshall into the head.