Ubel's revelation hung in the air, leaving the crew in a state of bewilderment. They had known him to be a cunning and ambitious leader in their world of outlaws. But to hear him speak of his sudden resignation was a stark departure from the Ubel they thought they knew.

"You see…" Ubel continued, his tone echoed a hint of self-reflection. "I've come to realize that the path I've been on—this path of amassing power and influence through force—is not the path I want to continue."

His words were met with a mixture of confusion and curiosity from the crew. For many of them, the idea of turning away from the pursuit of power and wealth seemed incomprehensible. After all, it was this very pursuit that had brought them together under Ubel's command in the first place, the very reason why they accepted readily his usurpation of Munda’s position.

"I've spent a short time chasing with you all, command you all..." Ubel continued. “But I will…”

They all waited for his explanation which seemed to start in a somber tone. They had spent enough time under his command and had grown accustomed to his unorthodox ways as a pirate. And due to their initial experience with him, the idea of him willingly relinquishing control was almost unfathomable. Then suddenly, he changed into a grin as if he was trying so hard not to laugh.

“Pfft! Eh, fuck it. You’re all boring to me. Even your plan to betray and stab me was so fucking lame that I was very disappointed to see the twist.” Ubel said while holding his stomach as released his pent-up laughs. After several seconds of relieving himself, he turned to them again after breathing deeply. “Haaaaa… anyways, as payment for entertaining me in a short while… I’ll give you 500,000 each.”

As the crew stood in stunned silence, processing Ubel's unexpected insult and generosity.

“You can vote or choose among yourselves who will take over. That will be interesting in its way.” Ubel added as he sent them the amount of credits that he had mentioned. All that was waiting for them to do was to accept it. “But I don’t care and I wish you all the best, blah blah blah.”

All of his now-former crew including those who intended and planned to betray him, had received 500,000 credits except Elpano. The crew exchanged incredulous glances, unable to fully comprehend the magnitude of what was unfolding before them. To be offered such a substantial sum of credits was unheard of in their line of work. Especially after getting used to their former commander, Munda, who had been more inclined to take than to give.

"Are you serious?" one crew member finally managed to stammer out, breaking the tense silence that had settled over the group.

"I am." Ubel nodded, confirming his words. Then he continued. “Anyways, be quick about it. But I’ll still take the three freighters we captured recently. They’re mine. Well, I already paid for the docking fee, taxes, the overhaul of the fleet, and the resupply… so it's already not a bad deal for you. It’s like you’re all starting in better conditions this time around. And oh yeah, I almost forgot, the droids will also come with me. And no, you can’t stop me.”

"We... we don't know what to say." one crew member spoke up, the words echoing the sentiment shared by all.

Their boy commander offered them a small grin.

"You don't need to say anything," he replied.

"But why, Captain?" they asked, their tone a mixture of curiosity and confusion. "Why would you give us so much? What's your angle?"

Ubel mulled for a moment before answering.

“I used to laugh at cave divers and cave explorers who would risk themselves crawling through tight holes and passages just to feel a sense of extreme thrill that could only be found when facing danger.” Ubel's lips curled into a wry smile, his gaze holding a hint of mischief as he regarded his crew. “Now, I can relate to what they feel. It truly is addicting, to say at least.”

But they still couldn’t understand his point. Ubel realized this and laughed to himself.

"Never mind my ramblings. Ignore Pffft! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Haaa... Anyways, just consider my gift to all of you as an investment," he replied cryptically. "An investment in your potential, in your ability to carve out your fate And perhaps, if fate should have it, our paths may cross again someday. You see I have a very bad habit of making my enemies just to make things… interesting and fun."

Ubel chuckled softly, the sound tinged with a hint of amusement in anticipating what would happen in the future.

"Because where's the fun in fighting boring enemies?" he replied with a shrug. "A boy like me that decided to become an outlaw and pirate, needs worthy adversaries to keep his life interesting. And who better to challenge me than those I've invested by myself?”

The crew fell silent, pondering over Ubel's words with a mixture of apprehension and intrigue. However, their leaders and figures of authority realized the true personality of their commander. This was a testament to what they had suspected to be Ubel’s unpredictable nature, his penchant for weaving intricate webs of intrigue and manipulation that kept them perpetually on their toes.

“So… yeah, I will continue my career on my own this time.”

The crew exchanged uncertain glances, still grappling with the implications of Ubel's words. It was clear that their former commander had always marched to the beat of his drum, guided by motives and desires that often eluded their understanding. Even now with Ubel’s mischievous expressions, he was still unreadable for them.

“Commande-”

“So you fuckers should leave the premises of my freighters and Blitzkrieg right now,” Ubel said loudly, echoing across his former crew. Interrupting any more dialogues with them he wanted to finish his business with this station and leave as soon as possible.

Realizing that they couldn’t change his mind or make more dialogues with him, they turn their back and head to their ships with very obviously conflicted faces. Ubel sighed in relief as he turned and also released the service of the Banking Group’s ferry that immediately went on its way. He glanced at his prisoner and told him of his sweet release.

“You can leave now. Elpano. I already took your entire assets as payment for what you did. So off you go.” Ubel said as he gently pushed Elpano who was still in shock for the development of the current events around him. Slowly, the crowd of Demonic Monkeys passed by them.

“Elpano, I said you are free. Go. I don’t need you anymore.” Ubel repeated to the still-traumatized man, Gesturing towards the exit. "Time to go.”

The broken man nodded in terror and quickly joined the rest of the departing crew of the Demonic Monkeys.

As he watched them depart, deep inside he harbored no sense of camaraderie with the crew. Even their act of betrayal made him bored. They began to file out of the Blitzkrieg’s docking bay, their footsteps echoing against the metal floor.

With that, the last of them disappeared from view. Ubel turned his attention back to the task at hand. With a sense of finality settling over him, he decided to close the entire premises to his access only to the doors of the docking bay.

Then he realized some of the crew stayed. He also found out that there are one hundred and forty-four of his former crew who never accepted the 500,000 credits he offered from the Holo that he sent to all of his former crew. Almost a third of the Demonic Monkeys.

“What? Was 500,000 credits, not enough?” Ubel asked.

Then as if they realized that Ubel had noticed them, one of them spoke as loud as their representative.

“We will not take the credit, commander.” a voice rang out which shocked the crew and surprised Ubel.

It came from Creed. Ubel blinked in surprise at Creed and other’s decision. He hadn't expected such a response and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

“Huh? Why?” Ubel's brows furrowed in bewilderment.

Creed and other crew members seemed to have an agreed understanding with one another as they exchanged glances.

“Let us join you, commander.” his vice commander said. Ubel regarded Creed with a quizzical expression then surveyed the others who stood with him. Creed and those who stayed met Ubel's gaze with unwavering resolve, their expressions were firm and resolute.

“Us?" Ubel asked. Creed nodded firmly, his expression resolute.

"Yes, commander," Creed affirmed, his gaze unwavering. “The Crew of Godright wishes to stay under your command.”

"We stayed because we know what you are capable of," Bastille added, his voice steady and resolute. "We've seen what you're capable of... and we want to be a part of it."

A chorus of voices rose in response. Mostly were the crew of the Godright and others who saw the benefits of working under Ubel as they felt the massive wealth and income he could provide under his leadership. They all raised their arms, affirming their allegiance to Ubel and their willingness to follow him into the unknown.

"You are a better commander than anyone we ever had." Creed continued. "Me and others may not understand your motives or your methods, but I know one thing for certain: you've always had the knack in the life of an outlaw and command, and that is worthy in our eyes, even when we didn't realize it previously."

“Heeeh… Well, I don’t mind.” Ubel just grinned again. With a nod of appreciation, he accepted Creed's decision and welcomed the Godright crew into their fold. “I did tell you that you are free to go wherever you want. But no promises though, I will fucking exploit you for my fun.”

“And will that send us to a planet of treasures?” Creed asked.

“Maybe.” Ubel playfully replied.

“Then that is enough for us, especially when you showed us the wealth you are capable of bringing to the table.” Bastille laid out as he laughed. Creed nodded, understanding Ubel's stance. The rest of the crew murmured their agreement. For them, the prospect of adventure and profit under Ubel's command far outweighed any material reward.

Ubel just shrugged and went on his way to continue his current task. He turned his attention to the droids of the arms dealer.

“Well… What are you waiting for? Help these droids load what I purchased to the cargo bay of the Blitzkrieg.” as he said this, the Titan ship opened a small hull on its side which displayed an enormous space.

“Ah yes, commander!” Creed immediately took over command and issued intricate orders to complete Ubel’s orders which were carried out swiftly, with the droids efficiently loading the purchased cargo onto the Blitzkrieg. The crew helped with the transport of the crates into the cargo bay, their minds still reeling from the events that had unfolded.

Once the cargo was secured, Ubel made his way back to where Creed and the others were gathered. His demeanor was calm and collected, his eyes betraying none of the turmoil that churned within him.

"We'll be leaving the station soon," he announced, his voice carrying a note of finality. "Once the cargo is loaded, we'll set course for our next destination. I will go somewhere for now to finish some things that I realized I have to do for our next venture. I will send a holo later."

"We're going to make the most of our time here," Ubel explained. "Opportunities are waiting to be seized, and we're going to be the ones to seize them."

Curiosity flickered in Creed's eyes as he listened intently.

"What kind of opportunities are we talking about?" he inquired, eager to learn more about Ubel's vision.

Ubel grinned, a glint of excitement dancing in his gaze.

"We'll start by expanding our network," he replied, his tone brimming with enthusiasm. "There are contacts to be made, deals to be struck, and alliances to be forged. Banedog's Backyard may be chaotic, but it's also teeming with potential allies and resources. That is something that I realized too late after I was targeted by Elpano."

Creed nodded, his mind already whirling with possibilities.

"And what about our next move after that?" He asked, his voice tinged with anticipation.

Ubel's grin widened as he glanced at Creed.

"That's where the real adventure begins." He declared a hint of mischief in his tone. "But first, let's focus on making our mark here. The galaxy won't know what hit it when we're done."