“Surely.” Tobin leaned back in his chair before beginning. “Haven is a refuge of sorts. It is a place where people, and ships, that seek safe and discreet harbor may come. It is also a center for unregistered trading, if you will, in various commodities.”

Nathan leaned toward Cameron as Tobin continued to describe his world. “Must be the space pirates you spoke of,” he jeered under his breath. Cameron rolled her eyes as Nathan turned his attention back to Tobin, who had not even noticed his sidebar.

“And it’s possible for us to hide there, even with so many ships in the area?”

“Haven’s primary business is the harvesting of her vast ring systems. There is only one planet in the Haven system, a gas giant with many moons. Haven City, and the only spaceport in the system, is on one of those moons. The planet’s rings are full of all manner of ores, minerals, and water ice. And the planet’s atmosphere is rich in many useful gases as well. Ships come from all over the quadrant to fill their holds with the resources harvested here, for which they pay a duty to the powers that control this system.”

“So there’s a government of sorts here?” Nathan was a bit concerned about the possible complications that might arise due to the presence of a local government.

“I wouldn’t call them a government, Captain. It’s more of a family business, so to speak. However, I would advise you to treat them with much the same respect that you might give to any legitimate government, if you understand my meaning.”

“Of course.”

“As far as hiding your ship, it is simply a matter of getting you authorization to harvest the rings like any other ship. As long as you have a proper transponder that identifies your ship, no one will give you a second look, I assure you. And there are so many ships traveling in and out of the rings on a daily basis that anything you do, short of armed combat, will go unnoticed.”