They all met in the large relaxing room on the Star Bastard. Vandioch, Azzogh, Vrigon and Zorgo, all felt and looked as weary as each other, even Vandioch with his less mobile and relatively inanimate Droid features!
They sat around the table in that big room, usually used for drinking and informally chatting. None of them were feeling relaxed or chatty right now, though.
They were all exhausted from the stress, anxiety and broken sleep in the wake of what had happened with Djex's recent disappearance. This meeting, it seemed, was not going to be easy and it felt, from the start, like there wasn't much to say. They all were sure about one thing, though:- Djex was probably going to need them. She'd taken off one night in the Devastator fighter craft and not been seen or heard from since.
Vandioch decided to start things off.

'We all know why we're here. Djex, our dear friend and comrade is missing. She hasn't been heard from in three days, and that is a cause for concern! I think it's safe to say that we're the closest to her, so I asked you all to be here, you three in particular besides myself. The question that we all need to think about is:- what do we all think we should do about this problem? Sitting around waiting seems to be something we might not be able to afford to do for much longer if we want her back in one piece. But on the other hand, we can't just go rushing off to get her, without thinking it through first. The dangers of doing something like that, you don't me to elaborate on! I've already spoken to most of the others and now I think it's for us to us to decide...
'So... what do you all think we should do, my dear friends?'

As Vandioch had said, they didn't need him to elaborate on the countless dangers of dashing off like reckless idiots. The whole area was likely to be teeming with hostile ships and dangerous, unmanned space traps and artificial planets with gravitational pulls which could pull a ship to its untimely and terrifying demise or which were populated by dormant war drones left over from the Long War between Prosperity and The Peace Federation. These killing machines which floated just above the surface of these artificial worlds, just waiting for an unwitting ship to come across their sites and be blasted out of existence.

They all sat in virtual silence for what felt like several minutes, though it was only some seconds. No one really knew what to say, apart from agree on the fact that they were perplexed and unsure of what was the best thing to do...
Zorgo decided to speak up.
'I reckon, maybe... maybe, wait another day and see, but no more than that. Djex won't fuck about trying to get back, so I always give her a few days, but any more than that, then it gets worrying. It's been three days now, so I reckon we act.'
'Fair point, Zorgo', Vandioch responded, 'but can we afford to do it that way? Either way, it's risky for her, but we may either waste time by waiting too long or end up being detected and all dead as well as exposing Djex, herself, if we rush in too soon'.
'Well, yeah, you're not wrong there, but it's the best I can think of off the top of my head, and my head is killing me right now. I haven't been able to sleep or think straight', replied Zorgo.
'I know, my friend' replied Vandioch, sympathetically.
There was a lengthy pause, then Azzogh spoke;
'I don't wanna hang about any more. I think it might be best to sneak past those bastards while we can and head to Skjir's World. That's where she is, no doubt about it! I can't sleep properly after this, either, so best just go for it, I say.'
'I understand, Azzogh', said Vandioch. 'We are all frustrated and stressed to the limit by this but we need to make sure we get things right it before we do anything and we need to decide quickly on what to do. We need to know for sure',
'Is what we talk about amongst ourselves here going to be what we all decide to do? I mean the whole ship?' asked Vrigon.
'Yes,' replied Vandioch. 'As I mentioned before, I spoke before with the others and they all said, unanimously, that they'd go with what we decided here. I have to say, you can't ask for more loyalty and support than that!'
'That's no lie, for sure!' exclaimed Vrigon, slightly shocked and feeling somewhat overwhelmed and pressured by the very idea of that. She felt shaky, and gently gripped the hand of Azzogh, sitting next to her. Azzogh held her hand and that brought some small comfort in this time of great stress and turmoil.
Vandioch continued-
'I think, having calculated all of the risks involved, that we may just have to go after Djex. I spoke with Aafzi while she was taking control of the bridge, and she seemed to think much the same. We've hung around here for days, so it's probably best to go after we make sure everything is prepared.'
The other three all nodded and looked, at least partly persuaded by this. Aafzi was a well-respected pilot and ship controller and commander. She'd seen many voyages and numerous conflicts with Prosperity as well as many other foes, so her opinion was inevitably going to carry some weight with those present here.
'The question is,' Vandioch continued, 'that is, assuming we do decide to do this, just when we do and by which means'.
'Well, let's make sure, whatever we do, we don't attract any unwanted attention or get into any unnecessary scrapes, eh?' said Zorgo.
'Naturally!' said Vandioch.
'Well, aye, my old mate, but how do we do that, exacty? I don't mind a bit of a risk, but I'm not so sure that I feel all that naturally inclined to go through all those fucking death-traps and warships. That's just insane!'
'We do the same way as we always do, my good friend' said Vandioch to Zorgo with a flicker of his left eye. His own artificial way of winking at someone. He had made some interesting ways of imitating the facial and physical expressions of humans and other organic life forms. Zorgo and the others couldn't help but smile at this, despite their tense moods. This lightening of mood was much-needed and they felt a flicker of humour between them all for the first time since this horrible episode began just a few days earlier.
'Isn't it a bit of a risk taking a ship of this size into all that danger, though?' asked Vrigon with a little concern. The collective mood became more serious again.
'True, but it's nothin' we've not done before, like' interjected Azzogh. 'I mean, you remember that time we had to sneak past that fucking great convoy of destroyers and pursuit ships which were all really trying to catch us? We got past that without too much trouble, so with any luck, we should be alright. At least, I hope so!'
'I share your concern, Vrigon,' said Vandioch. 'But Azzogh is right. From what I have looked at, and what I discussed with Aafzi, we should manage this, I think. However, I intend to not take any unnecessary chances and cover every possible risk of error or failure, so that we have a back-up in the event of any disaster. I don't want anyone getting hurt or anything getting damaged if I can possibly avoid it!'
'Is it paranoid of me to consider the possibility of this being a trap being laid for us? The whole damn thing is so unusual!' Vrigon said.
'That is a good point, ya know' agreed Zorgo.
'Aye', 'but I think it's a bit too obvious, if ya know what I mean,' said Azzogh. 'I reckon they'd be a bit more subtle than that if ya get me?'
'I agree with Azzogh', said Vandioch. 'Those bastards are sneakier than that. They'd be a tad more subtle if this were a real trap. I've considered this for some hours beforehand and spoken to Aafzi. A trap is unlikely on this occasion. Both my calculations and my feelings suggest that it is not.'
'Not a double bluff, you don't think?' asked Vrigon, just to eliminate all possibilities.
'No, I don't think so', confirmed Vandioch. 'Trust me, I've thought of that, too, my dear friend', and he looked to Vrigon with his version of a smile. So strange how a Killer Droid like Vandioch managed to act and even look so comforting when the time was right! Vrigon smiled back, grimly. She felt a little more at ease.

The four of them sat in silence for a few seconds, though, again it seemed much longer. This meeting was needed for them to talk about and confirm things and decide what they were going to do. But it almost seemed like a weird attempt or a pretence of some kind of formality, which was something these people were not fond of. They didn't spend too much time discussing things further. All that was said was a few details of what they were going to do, most of which had been thought of beforehand and they all knew each other and the ship and its crew to not need to ask too much.

So, with that, it was decided. They'd proceed towards Skjir's World in approximately a day from now. The best way to go would be around it's biggest moon. That way, they could hide in the shadows, and conserve power and not need to use the ship's cloaking device until they got closer to the planet, itself. Around this time there was usually a flow of debris around the area. They could sneak through that, using deflector shields to avoid any damage, and get past the Prosperitan vessels which dare not go near it. Prosperitans wouldn't think they were insane enough to go through that space dross, even in a ship like theirs! As for the moons and artificial planets they might have to encounter beforehand, they could pass through during the dead hours when Prosperitan security was lowest and they could more easily concentrate on avoiding any nasty little surprises lurking in the debris or in any planet or moon's orbit.
They all needed to prepare themselves for this, mentally and physically, so another day of rest and they'd be on their way. A general sense of relief was felt by all four of them. They still worried about the well-being of Djex. The fiery-haired, fiery-eyed crazy bitch who was also their dear friend and comrade. But, despite the worry, they at least now, had some sense of what they were going to do, and the seemingly endless frustration was now subsided. They got up and left the room and headed towards their various places of rest. Vrigon could barely walk for her exhaustion! Azzogh decided to walk with her to her room, or what passed for a room, such as it was. Vrigon appreciated this good deed. As they walked towards the room, they saw Scratcher, the worg lying in his makeshift bed. He was half asleep and was obviously pining for the missing girl, who had always shown him much love, since he the day he'd been found by Zorgo and Azzogh on the ship. Vrigon and Azzogh passed him by, deciding to let him rest. When they got to Vrigon's small sleeping room, she asked Azzogh to stay with her. She needed someone there and he was always a good person to have in times like this. Azzogh was happy to oblige, and was always appreciative of her company, but especially in this grim time!

She lay down on her bed, only half undressed, and asked him to lay next to her. They lay there huddled together and felt thankful for having each other at that moment. They didn't stay awake for long. The exhaustion from the emotional turmoil of the past few days caught up with them and they both drifted off to sleep. As Azzogh dozed, he was thinking of how weird it was how they'd all ended up together like this, on this old Sakaari ship. A rag-tag band of misfits and lost souls, who'd found each other in times of need. All of them had lost someone close, most of them lost half of their families, but they had all become like some kind of weird, multi-coloured family in their own right. Azzogh wondered at this and, despite all of the terrible things he'd seen and experienced in his life, he felt fortunate to be here and to have these people in his life. He felt comfortable with Vrigon in his arms, and only wished Djex was there, too. He hoped they'd see her again soon.. they would see her! He had to try and believe they would. As this thought passed through his mind, and he felt Vrigon breathing heavily and regularly from her sleep, Azzogh fell asleep, himself. It was the first time in while he'd felt at ease enough to do so and he slept well.

Everyone on that ship was thinking of Djex, as they prepared to go and find her. They all thought of her as they fell asleep or as they sat on the bridge at the controls or observing space and listening to the eerie sounds of vibrations from various things they passed. They all wondered where she was and hoped they'd get her back. She was too important to not get back. She was Djex, and anyone who knew her, knew this very well.