Risks and Decision

After the battle had come to a complete end and everyone was able to gather after going over their recent gains, a small group had gathered together.

Among them, there was Ripley, Neo Stella, Ashwin, Medea and Bunbun.

They were all located in the ship belonging to Ripley which was the only ship that was big enough to let Ripley inside along with everyone else.

Their first meeting had begun as they went over the battle and the overall conclusion of what had taken place and how they would proceed.

They had already finished several discussions as they were moving on to other subjects.

Neo Stella looked over toward the silent Ashwin who never said a word the whole time as he was tinkering with his newly obtained loot. 'This one seems to be quite skilled. I will have to keep an eye on him.'

She held some interest in Ashwin since she had similar interests and she believed that they could both learn a lot from each other.

There were some concerns that she had about some things so she spoke up again addressing the issue at hand. "I understand that an agreement had been made between you all earlier but I need to say this....

The previous agreement may not have been fully fulfilled but it is more than acceptable for you to back out now and nobody would blame you. You have already achieved more than had been expected of you all.

If you continue any further then you will be forced into a situation where you may incur the wrath of more troublesome influences. I would hate to see your reputation to be torn down and for you to be put into a bad situation for us."

She suggested that it was wise for all of them to consider everything completed.

The next part of the job to complete everything was much too risky that it could end up being far more dangerous for anyone involved.

The buyers of the remains of the Ripper Mercenaries were not fully known.

Each of them could be from lower influences that could not cause any problems for those of the White Storm but not all of them would be from such places.

Those with higher connections or who had great influence could pose much greater problems for anyone in the universe.

If they were powerful enough then a group like the White Storm could easily become the public enemy of almost everyone.

They would have a very difficult time surviving if they were always turned away at every place they stopped and had to watch their backs around any person.

Ripley listened to the words of her vice-captain before offering her opinion. "We want to get back our allies too but some things might make it impossible. I do not want to discard my allies but I cannot put us all at risk too."

She was feeling quite hesitant about putting her new allies and the remains of her crew in danger.

They could free some of them if they were slightly easier to get to but not all of them could be saved.

It was the most rational decision to prevent future troubles but it required sacrifice too.

They would have to give up on saving everyone or they would have to risk the lives they had to save everyone.

Not everyone was so willing to risk everything and everyone for the sake of so few others and so few benefits.

The Ripper Mercenaries could pay back the White Storm but it was unknown if they could afford to pay back enough for the White Storm taking such a high risk.

Bunbun looked around the room taking in the words of both Ripley and Neo Stella before turning her attention toward her fellow crew members who she had to rely on and who she was in charge of.

Her very decision could greatly affect their future journey and what position the White Storm would be in.

They could become something akin to pirates and criminals or they could be able to blend in with the current influences that inhabited the vast universe.

Their journey had only begun so it would be problematic to have some problems arise that could disrupt their initial plans and cause them to have to return home without making much progress.

She saw how Ashwin showed little interest in such a discussion so she turned to look toward Medea.

She could see the determination of Medea that she usually had. 'I guess there is no other choice.'

Bunbun knew all too well about the personality of Medea.

Medea was not someone who would back down to power when it concerned such matters which had been proven from her most recent activities as she went around freeing slaves.

Bunbun pondered for a moment before considering what she would do. "That method might work... we will continue to help you out but we cannot be so open about it. As for what we want as a reward... let us discuss that now."

Ripley looked quite surprised by the decision that Bunbun made so she replied in a worried tone. "How could I ever accept that... how could I ever pay you back for this..."

Bunbun shook her head while stating in a confident tone of voice. "My crew have a goal to achieve that. Among the things that we need to do, among them is to visit a certain planet.

I hope that you and all of the others can provide us with the much-needed support to get there safely and complete our mission. This task will not be so easy to achieve since the planet we wish to visit is believed to be rated an SSS risk planet."