[Salone]

Jack's eyebrows shot up at the arrival of Julius and his men. Plastering his face with an artificial smile, he feigned relief at seeing the armed group.

"No problem at all Jules, no problem. Was checking the goods and found one that wasn't on my receipt. You know I wouldn't lift what wasn't mine."

He stepped a few paces forward, raising his hands to show that he wasn't hiding anything. If anything, he would have to keep them distracted.

"Tell you what, Jules. You train your rifles off my pretty little face, and I'll walk your little princess here off my ship. You got business that I have no business sticking my nose in, and I respect that. No need for blood."

He desperately tried to search his mind for an excuse. Anything to get them off his ship. Anything to set them on solid ground so he could close the bay doors and just lock them out. From there it was just a matter of lifting off before they could cut their way back in.

Of course, the many prosthetic limbs and implants that kept him going were a testament to just how many of his ideas had never worked.