Nine.

The room was lit only by the soft green glow of a holo-table. The five people around it looked distorted in the strange light coming from underneath, and the dead silence in the room added to the effect. There was a definite tension in the air.

“Check.” came a voice.

“Check.”

“Blindfold.”

Babs slammed her cards down on the table, abruptly. “Dammit, Danielle!”

“What? It's a tactic. I'll lose more slowly.”

Krystof shook his head. Maybe gathering these three women again hadn't been such a good idea. They had sat down to play some games for old times' sake, and he had been meaning to bring up the treasure, but there had never been a good opportunity for it. They'd been talking for a good three or four hours now. He looked to Darren, but he was just as silent – how do you start talking about the greatest treasure in the history of the galaxy?

“So why are you really here?”

The voice cut through the room like a knife, silencing Danielle and Babs at once. It was the fifth player. She sat at the end of the table, leaned back so that her features were concealed, her arms crossed. Kendra. Of course.

“I'm glad you asked.” said Darren, throwing down his cards. “We've found the coordinates to Christmas Planet. We intend to go there, but just the two of us... we wouldn't get far. What do you say?”

A dead silence fell over the room. All three of the women glanced at each other, seemingly waiting for someone else to answer. Babs broke the silence.

“Well, I'm in. How about you?”

Danielle bit her lip. “I'm tempted, sure. But... Unfortunately, I can't come with you. I'm duty-bound to another mission.”

“What could possibly be more important than Christmas Planet?” asked Krystof, surprised.

“Averting a galaxy-spanning war. The details are, I'm afraid, confidential.”

The room fell silent again. Everyone turned towards Kendra, who wasn't speaking. It seemed like she was mulling it over.

“No. My family needs me.”

Darren was disheartened. He had hoped to get the help of all three; that Danielle would back out was perhaps half-expected, but to lose Kendra as well...

“Well, guys, you still have me!" Babs spoke up, "I don't usually talk about myself, but let me tell you, I handle crisis situations extremely well. Maybe not as well as Danielle, but... Well, I don't have as much experience with it, but either way. This one time, a guy tried to pick a fight with me on Zebulon VI, have I told you that story?”

Darren and Krystof exchanged glances. There was no convincing either Danielle or Kendra, that much they knew. Well, Babs was good. Hopefully good enough.

“Allright, let's keep playing."