The crew spend a week in jump space as they travel to the Imperium, continuing to join them is Phillip, who they met on the Ralhe system. As they re-enter normal space, they immediately notice a significance of increased vessel traffic coming into and out of the inner system. The HIGHNDRY is piloted by Asang, and a half-day later through inner-system travel, they arrive at the system highport orbiting Iderati II.
Wade spends some time purchasing and upgrading his equipment via a gunsmith at Pots Imports in the port. The gunsmith leads Wade to a backroom that contains advanced weaponry, where Wade inspects a few items and purchases a laser weapon, trading in his revolver and armour as well as a few credits. Later, he purchases some cloth armour which is to be custom fitted.
Meanwhile, the crew work on selling some of the cargo they picked up on their last adventure. Phillip takes an assortment of cybernetic parts into a shop in the highport to try to sell their merchandise. When questioned, Phillip indicates the parts were found… floating through space. Through a successful broker check, the shop operator agrees to buy the parts, and requests they be delivered to a delivery bay in the highport loading zone.
They prepare the cybernetic parts shipment, also storing some of the narcotics they stowed away from the same container yard in their last adventure on the ship. They unload the groundcar they had stowed, and travel down to the loading dock they were directed to, diverting through several maintenance and travel corridors on the station. As they arrive at the loading dock, they encounter several heavily armed guards, who approach them. Phillip leads the handoff exchange with the group, who attempt to renegotiate the agreed deal in their favour, which escalates further after Asang grabs one of them, pressing them against the groundcar. The guards, amused by their initiative and passion, agree to honor the arrangement and the tension is released.
With credits transferred, they travel back towards the HIGHNDRY on their groundcar, several Imperium officials monitor, and follow the crew on their way back. Wade has the car stopped and confronts them, and they are brought in for questioning in relation to an incident at the Flammarion highport, which occurred just over two weeks ago.
In the depths of the highport, they are directed to an office where a man seated in a decked-out office is waiting for them. Jexa and Wade immediately recognise him as Gihren Stone, a man from their past who remembers them very well…