After that night, Fuggla began to stop by the cabin regularly. After a while, Zack started to not mind as much. She was still overly moody, unstable, and unpredictable, but she was "skilled" in the cabin. Still, many a night after the deed was done, Zack found himself doing the same ritual: staring into the bathroom mirror, and wondering what would be next.

Regardless, it was time to make some coin and prepare for whatever else TIUO would come up with. There was still one more dossier, but Zack was frankly terrified of who else it would be. TIUO seemingly had an eye for chaos. Zack hadn't even looked at it, mostly out of a sense of dread. His hope was that as he did more privateer work, the team would pull closer together. Killal and Fuggla mostly got along, but when they fought, they fought hard. Fuggla also hated ship engineer Lucky for no apparent reason. Lucky was not a dramatic type, but she didn't like being on the receiving end of Fuggla's various antics. At least Fuggla had a tendency to show up to the cabin after altercations.

After a few weeks of field work, Zack took the Vagabond back to the Nexus. He walked over to the old Pathfinder Hall. Apparently, Tann's Day Spa was already closed. For all of Tann's self-important grandiosity, he didn't seem particularly good at anything. Zack shrugged to himself, and walked back to the merchant floor. The Nexus typically didn't pay well for salvage, but it was one of the best places to find more advanced goods of various sorts – weapons, ships parts, and so forth.

Zack met up with Killal and Fuggla outside of a club. He wished them well, but couldn't go himself. There was captaining to do, and he still had to stop by the Privateer's Guild to see what they were complaining about now. Killal had also punctured several space suits that needed repair. He started to walk towards the Guild Hall, but stopped when he heard some yelling. Not just any yelling. Fuggla's yelling. Zack turned around, and started to walk towards the yelling. After the yelling kept going, he started to run instead.

"Who do you think you are, you bitch?!" Fuggla said towards a pair of figures in the distance. Zack couldn't get a good look as to who. As he closed in, his heart sank. It wasn't just anyone she was yelling at. It was Scott and Sara Ryder.

"What?" Sara said.

"Admit it, bitch! You're trying to steal my man! You were always just a poser anyway!" Fuggla yelled. Zack glanced at Sara Ryder. Sara looked angry, confused, and more than a little bit weirded out. Zack then glanced at Killal. Killal was laughing his ass off.

"Excuse me, I don't know who your man is, and I'm just trying to get back to my apartment, so…" Sara said.

"How long were you two sleeping together?" Fuggla shouted at Sara.

"Miz, you are clearly agitated. I think you should return to your home before security gets here," Scott said.

"Hey, goodie two-shoes, how about you back off and let the ladies talk it out," Killal said to Scott, chuckling. Killal was clearly getting a lot more enjoyment out of the situation than he should have.

"Captain Wolfe! Is this about you?" Sara said, staring in his direction.

Luckily Scott was right, security showed up and took Fuggla away. Fuggla protested loudly, but off to the drunk tank she went. Scott and Sara walked over to Zack. Even though Zack hadn't worked with them for some time, they still made him uncomfortable. Between Scott's incessant self-righteousness, Sara's continuous snark, or Tann being Tann, working with them didn't make him feel well.

"Is she with you, Wolfe?" Sara asked Zack angrily.

"She is part of my crew, yes," Zack responded quietly. It was time to steel himself and prepare for the bombardment of whatever this creature had to say.

"Where do you find people like this, Wolfe? The Pathfinders would have found you an awesome crew, and you keep showing up with dysfunctional creeps," Sara said.

"The Pathfinders are gone, and I have to make do," Zack responded.

"We know you went full pirate after the Pathfinders were decommissioned, but this is a bit much, Wolfe," Scott said. It seemed the goodie-two-shoes was ready to dog pile. Just like old times.

"Full pirate? I'm a member of the Privateer's Guild. I'm legit," Zack replied to Scott.

"What the heck are you doing as a Privateer anyway? You could really help the sector, and instead you're chasing credits and crazy batarians," Sara followed up.

"I'm not going to apologize for doing what I need to. I can't afford to be charitable, you know that," Zack said.

"You don't need to pork psycho batarians. And are you saying we can afford to be charitable?" Sara said.

"Yes," Zack said. At that, Sara's face went red.

"Look, we realize that you had to do more than us to get into the Pathfinders. But you can't hold that against us forever," Sara said. Zack shrugged slightly. You had to do more than us to get into the Pathfinders. Truer word was never spoken.

"How about you come clean, Wolfe?" Scott said.

"Come clean about what?" Zack replied.

"Your benefactor, or benefactors. Your actions don't line up. Someone else is giving you money and orders," Scott said. Scott was absolutely right, as he often was. Him being right was a problem just as much.

"I don't have any benefactors. I am a lone operator," Zack said. A lie, but an easy one to tell. It was mostly true. TIUO was more of a wild card than a benefactor.

"In any case, you need to be more careful who you bring on board," Scott said. The disappointment on his face was clearly visible. Sara took a deep breath to send another salvo.

"Why are you pulling all this crap? You're acting like an idiot and endangering the whole sector," Sara said.

"How am I endangering the whole sector? Don't be so damn dramatic," Zack said.

"Look, you're good. You'll travel and you'll fight. But these people that associate with, they're dangerous, Wolfe. What are you trying to accomplish? And for who?" Sara said.

"Conspiracy theory! Classy move, Sara," Zack said. Sara's face tightened as if she were about to lose her cool, and then relaxed a bit.

"Just be careful. We're all former Pathfinders, we need to look out for each other," Sara said. Zack looked at her for a moment, smirked a bit, and then began to laugh.

"Right, Sara," Zack said. He was unable to restrain the laughter.

"What is so funny Wolfe?" Sara said angrily.

"We need to look out for each other? Really? I bailed your ass out on Eladeen, and now you're whining about my crew, and you've always been some sort of awful."

"What do you mean by that?" Sara said.

"I hated working with you. It was degrading and unbearable. And now here you are pulling the nostalgia card. The irony of it all is hilarious," Zack said.

"I knew you were never loyal to us," Sara said. Her face began to go from anger to sadness.

"Damn right! Why would I be? Two stuck up nepo babies, playing hero, and then asking me to clean up after them? Loyalty is a tall order in those circumstances, Sara," Zack said.

"Careful, Wolfe. Do not sow division in the team," Scott said.

"We aren't the same team and never were. Now, if you two would excuse me, I have to go pick up the crazy batarian," Zack said, and headed off.

"You were always a jackass, Wolfe!" Sara yelled at Zack while he was walking away. Zack didn't answer.

A short walk and shuttle ride later, Zack was at the security office. Fuggla was in one of the cells, sitting down. She looked exhausted, as if she had been screaming for some time. Zack walked over to the officer, who agreed to let him pick up Fuggla. Nexus security was always short on cells, so talking your way out was easy. After the guard opened up the cell, Fuggla got up slowly, and then the two of them start to walk back to the hangar.

"You know, if you get into too many fights, we could lose docking rights for the Vagabond," Zack said to Fuggla. Zack was angry at Fuggla, but he was angrier at the Ryder twins right now.

"I hate that woman," Fuggla said.

"Yeah, I got that, but I'd rather not have to get you out of prison when you express that," Zack said.

"I still hate that woman," Fuggla replied.

"Just watch yourself and get back to the Vagabond," Zack said.

The next day, Zack continued his various errands. Fuggla was entirely unrepentant and confrontational, so Zack left her on the ship for as long as it was in port. Trips to security were not in the schedule, and the Guild was chatting up his inbox. Zack walked into the Guild Hall, unsure of what to face inside.

"Welcome Captain Wolfe!" a crowd yelled.

Not this shit again, Wolfe thought. When the Pathfinders threw him a surprise party, it was a big promotion, but a bit backhanded overall. The secretary walked up to him.

"Barbaros was killed in a brothel and you are now interim Guildmaster of the Privateer's Guild!" she said.

"How did he get killed in a brothel?" Zack asked, confused.

"No one knows for sure. Security found his body in the lobby. They said it was strangulation," the secretary replied.

At this, his mind clicked. TIUO wanted to make him Guildmaster for reasons unknown. Killing Barbaros served that purpose. Who really killed Barbaros? Barbaros was a bit of a character, but if he was good at anything it was self-preservation. TIUO and company must have either caught him out or already knew him.

After he had a slice of cake, the secretary gave him a list of responsibilities. The list was a bit long. Set up a bunch of shipwrecked pirates with a new ship here, shake down losers for dues there, and a long list of items that he couldn't possibly do in his current stay. At least they gave him a budget. These various chores would take some time, and they would provide an opportunity to look into that third dossier.

"We're happy to have you as interim Guildmaster! And it should be an easy election to be the official role, during the next voting cycle," the secretary continued.

"Why will it be easy election?" Zack asked.

"Because you and Barbaros were the only ones in the Guild with respectable ships and clean rap sheets. The next privateer down has lost 3 ships, and the one after that is currently serving time for attacking Nexus shipping," the secretary said.

"Ah," Zack replied. He wasn't so much the best one for the job as much as he was the last one standing.

"So, about that paperwork- " the secretary started.

"I'll take care of it," Zack said. He headed back to the Vagabond.

Not long later, Zack was back aboard the Vagabond and was underway. He was in his cabin, scrolling through the chore list when his omni-tool lit up. TIUO was calling. Zack stared at a moment, reluctant, and then opened up the call.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Captain Wolfe. As promised, you are now the Guildmaster of the Privateer's Guild," TIUO said, triumphantly.

"Interim Guildmaster of the Privateer's Guild, not that I particularly wanted the job in the first place," Zaid said flatly. He stared at the hologram for a moment, and then continued, "What happened to my predecessor?"

"Don't worry about Barbaros, the case has already been closed, and you were never a person of interest," TIUO said.

"That's not what I was asking," Zack said, frustrated.

"You are in no place to make demands, Captain Wolfe. You were promoted to Pathfinder by my organization, you owe your entire 'privateering' enterprise to my organization, and now you are Guildmaster because of my organization. Without me, you'd be an unemployed janitor right now." TIUO lectured.

"I wasn't demanding anything. I was trying to figure out what you're putting on me. Why did you even want me to be Guildmaster?" Zack said.

"That's for us to know, and you to find out when told. We do have other objectives for you as well," TIUO said.

"What do you have for me?" Zack asked. Here we go again, he thought.

"The Ryder Twins, your former associates, are currently freelancers after the Pathfinders were shut down. They are heavily involved with a group that goes by Nexintel," TIUO said.

"Yeah, I know, I use Nexintel for data all the time on where to look for Kett supply lines, and they give me contracts from time to time." Zack said.

"We need you to destroy Nexintel," TIUO said.

At this, Zack nearly jumped out of his seat. "No way in fucking hell. My privateer business would be screwed, and while the Ryder twins piss me off, I'd rather not kill them," Zack said.

"You will obey our orders, or lose your command," TIUO said.

"What command?" Zack replied. "This is a privateer ship. I'm not killing the Ryders."

TIUO glared through the hologram for bit, and then relaxed slightly.

"There is an alternate approach that does not involve killing the Ryders. I'm sending the dossier now."

"How am I supposed to privateer without Nexintel?" Zack asked angrily.

"Get your intel through the Guild," TIUO said dismissively.

"The Guild's intel sucks ass! The other captains are a bunch of washups and knuckleheads-" Zack started.

"Like you?" TIUO said, cutting him off. "You're Guildmaster. Build up the Guild in the way that suits your business. But you will complete your mission, and you will be well compensated for doing so. Read the dossiers, and get that last squadmate, slacker. TIUO out," TIUO finished and hung up.

Zack's nose crinkled. He opened up the dossiers. According to TIUO's data, Nexintel used several automated scanning shuttles to get locations on enemy ships. If they were shot down or otherwise rendered inoperable, most of Nexintel's operation would be toast. As would his, he thought quietly. The issue was that they were scanning ships, they were spread out, and they were never in the same spot at once. If he tried to shoot them down in the field, they would scan his ship. If he tried to take them down during their stops, they would scan him. He would have to figure out a way to get close without being seen, and repeat that several times after they were on alert because another one of their shuttles were shot down.

Zack sighed. TIUO always made things interesting. He would have to figure out how to get close to those shuttles. In the meantime, he could look into the Guild's business and his crew's business. After the first round of adventures, Killal had not come forward with any other ideas or demands. Fuggla was generally being herself, but didn't really demand anything specific. The rest of the crew seemed fine. That left the Guild.

Opening the first round of Guild dossiers was a bit of a shock. Barbaros, it seemed, was really good at doing a whole lot of nothing. So many things were so far behind: a bunch of dues were missing, a request for another ship, and a lot of general riff raff. Securing a ship for the guild would probably be the easy part- he'd just go to the same mechanic who refit the Vagabond – but chasing people down for dues was not something he was interested in. There also a lot of applications. Apparently, Barbaros had been turning everyone down who didn't have a proven track record or personal connections. Zack opened up the application list. About twenty applications in, a picture caught his eye. It wasn't just any picture. Zack squinted for a moment. It was … the girl from all the back.

It was the woman that TIUO had thrown at Zack to persuade him to play along when he was still a janitor. The lady who had tried to buy his ship at auction after the Pathfinders were closed. She had attempted to join the Guild, about three months before the Pathfinders were closed. Zack nervously scrolled down the information. Apparently there had been some messaging between her and Barbaros. There were several in-person meetings scheduled. The last one was the day before Barbaros was killed, and the location was less than half a block from the brothel where his body was found. Zack opened the personal information panel. There was a name: Jane Doe. Obviously a fake, and there was no other information. Zack took a deep breath. His suspicions were all but confirmed: TIUO had been in some sort of contact with Barbaros, and was directly involved in his death. Was Barbaros just a disposable contact? Was he a disposable contact too?

Zack opened up the messaging interface. He stared at it for a moment, and then closed it. Jane Doe was a battle for another day. In the meantime, there was still that last squadmate dossier. Zack opened his personal messages to try to get his mind off Jane Doe. More spam, a self-righteous faux apology from Sara Ryder, a ham fisted guilt trip from Scott Ryder and that was about it. Zack didn't answer the Ryders; he had no desire to. The only thing there was to do was take care of that damn dossier. Zack opened up the dossier, read a bit, and started scroll down. He tensed up a bit as read the details. This next recruit would not be easy.

Zack put down the datapad, laid down in his bed, and went to sleep.