“Of course. It has been only five days. Including the agreed upon daily interest, the sum to repay stands at 96,255 piTec, barely four thousand more than the initial loan. The implant will be another 500.”

“Here you go,” Lana said, extracting the required amount from the crystalized piTec Nori had given her.

The tall creature gracefully accepted. “I will return the shuttle to your ship immediately. It has been a pleasure doing business with you and your crew. I’m quite pleased the Warped didn’t kill you. I would have lamented such an outcome.”

“Err, thanks, I guess,” Lana said awkwardly. She looked at the teardrop-shaped item in her palm. It looked exactly the same. “It feels a lot lighter.”

“Perhaps you would like to buy more items from me?” Alzigo suggested. “I have a case of excellent Exhar ale. It is quite treasured by many other species and can be resold, to the right buyer, for a large profit.”

“I think I’ll pass, thanks.” Lana looked around. “Once Unity is repaired, we’re going to head out to your brother’s station. As another Exhar facility, I doubt they’ll need some of their own drink.”

Alzigo’s double jaws slackened. “I see. So you intend to head to Hammerhead station next. In that case, the ale will not be valuable. No, what Hammerhead values most are alloys and mined resources.”

Lana blinked at him. “Huh?”

“My brother’s station is situated near an asteroid field in the Alpha Centauri system,” he said. “The area is home to many mines. Hammerhead caters to them. They serve as a forward merchant outpost, allowing traveling traders to buy resources in bulk while offering miners a market to sell their wares. My brother rakes in the taxes, with hardly any need for actual work.”

“That’s … unfortunate?”

The alien nodded. “He is the bright star of my family. In any case, if you are going there, it would be a good opportunity for you to make a profit. I happen to know that the asteroids around this station have low concentrations of Aluminum, which is a key component for several valued alloys. You can make a good profit by selling it there. Especially as your solar system seems to be saturated with it.

“Thanks for the tip,” Lana said. “I’ll pass it along.”

“One other thing,” Alzigo hesitated. “I’d like to request a … favor.”

Lana looked at him expectantly.

“I have a package I’d like delivered to a friend who’s staying at Hammerhead. Could I trouble you to deliver it to her in person?”

“I guess ... err, what’s in the package?”

“Just … personal items I have borrowed and would like to return. The delivery address is on the package. You can find her location via the station’s public terminals.”

“Alright,” Lana said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. “It’s just that--”