The manager replied.
"But you're on your own once you're in the field. Get in, get what you need, and get out. Simple as that."
I nodded, feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline at the prospect of a challenging mission.
The ancient ship was a wild card, a relic of a bygone era that could hold anything, or nothing at all.
But that was the thrill of the hunt, the reason we did what we did.
"We'll take it,"
I said, my voice firm.
"Send us the full details and the payment breakdown. We'll be on our way within the hour."
The manager smirked, her expression one of approval.
"I figured you'd say that. You've got the job. I'll forward everything you need. Just don't get yourselves killed. You're too interesting to be stamped as KIA."
The connection ended, and the holo-display blinked out, leaving us in the dim glow of the bar's neon lights.
The mission brief remained on my holo-phone, the ancient ship's location pulsing like a heartbeat on the screen.
Paul finished his beer, slamming the empty glass down on the table.
"Ancient ship in an asteroid belt. Hell of a job, Drac. Think we'll find anything worth the trouble?"
"Only one way to find out,"
I said, standing up and paying what I owed by pressing my holo phone at the Inbuilt tables scanner.
"We've got 86 days to get there. Let's get back to Invicta, gear up, and prep for the jump. This is the kind of payday we've been waiting for."
Julian stretched, flexing his tattooed arm with a satisfied grin.
"Guess we'll be making history, digging through history. Let's see what those ancient xeno f*cks left behind."
We made our way out of The Void's Embrace, the weight of the new mission settling over us like a battle-ready mantle.
The Citadel's corridors were still bustling with life, but our focus was razor-sharp, the allure of the ancient ship pulling us forward.
As we stepped back onto Invicta, the familiar hum of the ship's engines greeted us, a comforting reminder of the power at our disposal.
The crew moved with practiced efficiency, each of us slipping seamlessly into our roles as we prepared for departure.
I stood on the bridge, my eyes fixed on the holographic display of the Uyiescapus system.
The asteroid belt loomed like a jagged scar, the red icon of the ancient ship a tantalizing mystery waiting to be unraveled.
Darius joined me, his expression a mix of excitement and determination.
"We're ready to fire up the engines. Course is set, we have a green light from traffic control Just say the word, and we'll be on our way."
"Good,"
I said, my voice steady.
"This is the kind of job that'll put us on a rocket to the sky, we pull this off, and It's just a matter of time until we get our own frigate."
Airid, still adjusting the last of his consoles systems, glanced over.
"And if we don't pull it off?"
I smirked, my fingers tightening around the edge of the console.
"Then we'll go out doing what we do best. No retreat, no surrender. We face whatever's waiting for us head-on."
The rest of the crew nodded, the unspoken understanding passing between us.
This was more than just a mission, it was a test of our resolve, our skill, and our willingness to face the unknown.
"Engage the thrusters"
I ordered, my eyes locked on the holographic map.
"Let's go see what secrets that ancient ship's been hiding."
Invicta shuddered as the thrusters powered up, the ship's engines roaring to life.
The stars outside the viewport began to stretch, the familiar pull of acceleration pressing us back into our seats.
We had 86 days of travel ahead of us, 86 days to prepare, strategize, grind the VR, and brace ourselves for whatever awaited in the Uyiescapus system.
But as Invicta soared through the void, the anticipation thrummed through the ship like an electric current.
The Iron Fenrirs were on the hunt, and nothing in the galaxy could stand in our way.
...
2201.08.15 86 days later.
The days had flown by in a blur of training, planning, and the steady hum of hyperspace and realspace travel.
As the final hours ticked down, a tense energy filled Invicta, each of us focused on the mission ahead.
The Uyiescapus system was within reach, and the asteroid belt loomed like a fortress of jagged stone, the solar system's natural defense against prying eyes and opportunistic scavengers.
The moment we neared the asteroid belt Invicta flipped around and performed a full burn slowing us down while the ship's sensors immediately came to life, scanning the chaotic mess of rock and metal that filled the space ahead.
The asteroid belt stretched far and wide, a dense field of tumbling debris and massive, spinning rocks that looked capable of smashing a ship like Invicta to pieces.
"Engaging maneuvering thrusters,"
I said once the ship flipped around once again, my voice calm as I gripped the control sticks, feeling the ship's power at my fingertips.
"We're in the thick of it now. Eyes sharp, everyone."
Darius sat at the navigation console, his hands flying over the controls as he plotted a course through the maze of asteroids.
The holographic display showed a shifting map of our surroundings, asteroids large and small spinning erratically, their trajectories impossible to predict with any certainty.
"Got a path mapped out, but it's tighter than my asshole,"
Darius muttered, his eyes locked on the screen.
"One wrong move and we're space dust."
Paul peered through the viewport, watching as an asteroid the size of a city block tumbled past, narrowly missing Invicta.
The impact with our deflectors that materialized as a blue bubble sent alarms blaring momentarily before the ship's automated systems recalculated and adjusted our trajectory just in time.
"Close call,"
Paul said, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
"We might as well be flying through a minefield."
"Keep your hands steady, and your nerves steady,"
I replied, my eyes scanning the incoming data.
"Apes strong together."
I joked earning the laughs from my battlebrothers.
Invicta weaved and darted through the asteroid field, the hull creaking occasionally under the strain.
Bodies drifted past, remnants of less fortunate crews whose ships had fallen victim to the belt's lethal embrace.
Some were ancient, spacesuits from a bygone era, their owners long since turned to dust, others were more recent, still wearing the scars of their final, desperate moments.
"Drifting wreckage on our six,"
Airid reported, his voice tense.
"Looks like some poor bastards tried their luck and didn't make it."
"Keep an eye out,"
I said.
"Any one of those could be a hidden danger."
As we pressed deeper, the wreckage grew denser, twisted metal and shattered hulls caught in the relentless churn of the asteroid belt.
It was a graveyard, a testament to the unforgiving nature of space.
Occasionally, smaller debris pinged off our deflectors, the sound of our fission reactor diverting additional energy to our deflectors.
To compensate for the expenditure echoed through the hull like distant, hollow knocks, a grim reminder of how close we were to disaster.
"There's our target,"
Julian announced, pointing to the viewport.
"Dead ahead."
Emerging from behind a particularly massive asteroid, the ancient ship came into view.
Even from a distance, it was clear that the ship was of xeno origin.
Its design was nothing like the sleek, angular and utilitarian ships of human make.
This one was curved, almost organic, with smooth, flowing lines that defied any conventional sense of geometry.
Half of its hull was buried deep within the asteroid, as if it had collided at high speed and never fully came to rest.