She nodded slowly, but didn’t seem satisfied. “And?” she prompted. And? What else — “You also said I should get off at the next stop.”

Ah, right, he thought. That.

“And if you ever did, I’d be dead in an hour,” admitted Finn, smirking slightly. “Alyx, you’re the only reason this boat hasn’t sunk. I’m sorry for what I said. Real, real sorry.”

She eyed him for a few more moments, sizing him up, debating whether or not he deserved her forgiveness and frankly Finn couldn’t blame her if her answer was no. But finally, thank god, he saw her expression lose its hard edge. “And I’m sorry for snapping,” she said. “But Finn, I’m just looking out for you, y’know.”

“I know. And thank god you are. Here — I brought a peace offering.” He dropped into a seat across from her and presented two beer bottles he’d stolen from the kitchen. Bending one against the edge of the console screen, he cracked it open and passed it over.

She accepted, curling her fingers around the neck of the bottle, but not without fixing him one last look of warning.

“Don’t talk to me like that ever again, alright?”

“Never,” Finn agreed, and they clinked bottles.

She tilted the bottle to her lips and they drank, peaceful at last. When she brought it away, she asked quietly, “So, how did it go with Raisa?”

Finn lifted his brows, considering the last two hours of his life and where in the story he should start. After the part with the guns, he decided firmly. She could find that out from someone else. Preferably when he was in another room.

“It was interesting. She gave me a bit of insight into what Corra’s been doing for her,” he explained, also choosing to leave out what that was exactly for now. If the notion made him shudder, he couldn’t imagine Alyx taking it much better. “And she said she can’t get in contact with her. But. Apparently she’s with a guy named Ranson Lars.”

He tried not to notice Alyx narrowing her eyes at him a little. “That so?”

Okay, so she knew where this was going. Hesitantly, he went on, “So. We’re going to figure out where this guy is and –”

He didn’t even finish the sentence before she let out a groan. “Finn…”

“Alyx,” Finn groaned back, sinking back in his chair. “You don’t understand, she’s in danger, we have to–”

“Finn, we’re in danger,” she interrupted sharply. “We’re running low on fuel, on food, I’ve got three crew members asking to be let off at the next terminal because they haven’t been paid in–”

“Wait, which crew members?” he suddenly wanted to know. “How come I don’t know about this?”

She blinked at him incredulously. “Really? Do you honestly need me to answer that?” She sighed. “Look, Finn, I care about Corra as much as you do and if she’s in trouble, of course I want to do something, but we need work. We need to get paid.”

“Right, well–” Finn looked around the room, desperate for an argument to come to him. It didn’t. “We will be.” When she only narrowed her eyes further, he added, “Eventually.”

Alyx let out another long groan and put her head in her hands. “Eventually isn’t good enough.” Sitting up straight again, she gestured to her console. “Look, I even got a job specifically for you! I talked to this guy who’s willing to pay a lot of credits for anyone who brings him nice little ships.” She tilted her head at him and smiled like a mother might smile at a fussy child she wanted to calm down. “You like stealing ships, c’mon.”

“Sure,” Finn muttered, fixing her with an irritated glare, “But I don’t really appreciate that tone–” But before they could reprimand one another once more, something struck him. Alyx wanted him to steal them a ship to sell. And Corra…Corra was undercover with one of Ellegy’s top ship manufacturers.

Maybe there was an easier solution to this stalemate than he thought.

“Well maybe if you could treat your responsibility to this ship with–” Alyx was arguing when he held up a hand to her. She frowned and growled, “Don’t you try and–”

“Alyx,” he interrupted sharply, a smirk forming on his face. “Alright. I’ll do it. I’ll steal a ship for you.” When Alyx eyed him suspiciously, he just grinned. “And you can look for Corra.”