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Salvage Rights (Survivor00 & Romantic[Dream])

Date - 21:57 â?? 24 July - 2644 NDE (New Dawn Event)
Location - Kosamu System â?? Sünde V Mining Station

A Graverobber?

Glauren Ashenbane had never considered herself a graverobber, more like.....an archeologist. Someone who uncovered lost and forgotten wrecks and brings them into port. The rules were eons old but still applied, if you found an abandoned vessel in international space, then it was yours for the taking. There was good money in the business and besides, if she didn't do it, some other willing shmuck would gladly come along and do it for her. Whether it was a military faction wanting the wreck of an enemy battleship so they could reverse-engineer their technology, or a wealthy billionaire lusting over the shell of some lost luxury liner for his private collection, Glauren didn't care. As long as she got paid for her services, she was fine with working for anyone regardless of their background.

She sat up in her bunk onboard her modified freighter, the Necromancer III. Her first ship had been impounded by the Central Galactic Authority and sold for scrap, while the Necromancer II had been attacked by pirates and left as a riddled piece of debris, floating for all eternity at the borders of the System. But so far, her luck with this ship was holding out. She picked up the 3D holopad and slid a tiny, crystalline memory chip into the slot on the side. A small digitalized image popped into existence in front of her. It was an image of her and two of her friends. Another girl of twenty-two was draped around her shoulder, a grin on her face. The other was a man of around the same age. Tanya Forester and Dylan Volga. Tanya had been Glauren's girlfriend for several months when that picture was taken.

The two of them had simply been friends before Glauren had gotten into salvaging, and Tanya was immediately on the top of Glauren's list for a second-in-command. But as they traveled deeper and further into space, the two had grown closer, eventually giving into each other's curiosities and desires in a blazing fire of passion. The two had remained lovers long after that nightâ?¦

Her body was still aboard the Necromancer II...

Glauren sighed and turned off the display, popping a wake-up stimulant into her mouth. She shook her head to clear the initial grogginess and was rapidly awake again. She stood from the cot and walked over to the recessed bins that slid out of the wall at the gentlest touch of her fingertips. She selected a tight black tank-top and a matching pair of jeans, before sliding her legs into the thigh-high utility boots that appeared to have been designed just for her. Buckling them up, she walked out of her cabin directly behind the the bridge. She walked towards the pilot's chair, turning her gaze out the window of the bridge, looking over the bow of her ship into the stars beyond. The view from the window was stunning. An extraterrestrial sunrise, the star just beginning to rise from behind the contour of the planet's surface as she passed by, the thick atmosphere warping the spectrum and creating a shimmering effect along the surface. In the distance, a nebula glowed warmly from the gasses within, curling into all sorts of exotic shapes. Cracking her neck, she turned to the ship's controls and made sure she was still on course.

She had bought the aging Bora-Class freighter from a shipping company that was going out of business. After modifying it so that it would be able to carry ships as well as cargo, she restarted her salvaging operations. The only problem was...is that she needed a crew. Even with the AI system onboard, there were still some things that a living person could do that a computer couldn't...

She could already see her destination, a small space station sewn out of an asteroid. A number of smaller ships were currently docked there. Mainly single-person craft or even the occasional Escort craft, the background of people she could find there were endless.

"Necromancer III requesting docking clearance." Glauren spoke into the comm., her voice silky, but frosted with a coldness that came with seeing too much. She waited patiently for a response as she slowly brought her ship in range of the docking platform. Tendrils of cables, pipes, and metallic extensions jutted into space from the rocky surface as she flew by, and she even caught a few heavy guns following her as she drew nearer. This was haven for all types of scum, but even scum didn't like pirates. She'd fit in just fine here.

The radio crackled to life and a synthesized voice stated, "Docking clearance granted. Please dock at airlock 47-V." A small navigational blip formed on one of the display screens. The ship shuddered as the AI started automatic docking procedures. The AI, a Model 03X5, was as old as the ship was, used primarily for docking, controlling the reactor levels, point defense and the like. The Necromancer III groaned as the docking engines fired a quick pulse and pushed her sideways towards the docking station.

"Well, that settles that. Cool the reactors to minimum levels and activate anti-theft procedures. I don't want this one stolen." Glauren muttered, grabbing her trusted R-5 pistol from the control panel and strapping it to her belt. She left the bridge via an elevator and began walking down the spinal corridor of the ship. She waited as the airlock grew in size and slowly connected with her ship with a dull thump. There was the slight hiss of equalizing pressure and the 'Clear' light flashed on. "This should be interesting..." She said with a cool smirk, opening the door and walking into the tunnel. Looking around at the crowds of people gathered inside the multi-level station, she smiled a little.

"Time to find me a crew..."

The station had been built out of pre-existing cavern formations in the asteroid, steel beams and walkways had been grafted onto the rocky surface. A thick layer of sealant had been applied to the entire cavern to keep the vacuum of space from breaching the station. It was a strange blend of architecture, but one that Glauren felt at home with. She preferred the artificial environments presented on stations and ships to the real thing. She assumed her fondness for off-world settlements came from her being raised on a colonial vessel.

She inhaled deeply through her nose, the sharp aroma of synthesized gin, engine grease, and old steel flooding her nostrils. "Ahh..." She sighed gratefully. "Smells just like home..." Looking up, the central monitor broadcast information in every language imaginable. Scanning the crowds, she noticed a few people giving her an odd stare. Most people weren't too fond of salvagers, finding little honor in that particular trade. They were also considered easy prey by space faring pirates and gangs, because their ships were slow and hard to maneuver, even more so when attached to a second ship. The best mode of defense was to avoid eye contact. Don't let them know what you're thinking and they'll leave you alone.

She walked over to a young woman who was standing next to the railing. Her skin was a dark tan color and her ruby-red hair was cropped almost boyishly short. A number of tattoos ran up and down her arms. "Where's the best place around here for a drink?" Glauren asked her, slipping a fifty credit note into the woman's hand. Bribery was the only way you were going to get information out of someone around here, short of putting a gun to their head.

The girl looked at her and nodded her head in the direction of a small outcrop two floors up. "La Cantina Galactica." She said with a thick Latino accent. She quickly slipped the credits into her pocket and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Glauren peered up at the outcrop, her left eye coming into inhumanly sharp focus. A bionic replacement, courtesy of a near fatal wound to the head. The scar had been cleared up with reconstructive surgery, and it was almost impossible to tell that she had even been injured. She could clearly see the people milling about up there, beer-bellied freighter captains, ex-military, hookers, low-lives, the perfect crowd in which to find a willing crew member.

A triumphant blare echoed from the central monitor, and Glauren shifted her gaze to the screens, her eye refocusing quickly on the screen. A newscaster from the CGA flickered on screen, her dark blue uniform contrasting sharply with her pale-ish skin. Glauren could tell the woman was a Synthetic, someone who had been genetically created and manipulated in a tube. They were nearly identical to humans, but their teeth were just a little bit sharper, their faces just a little less emotional than a `real' human's.

"The EROS Corporation tanker, the Goliath, disappeared four days ago while on its return run from the Erumac V Drilling Fields. She was filed as missing shortly after failing to report in dock yesterday. Piracy is believed to be the main cause of the disappearance, but other possibilities have not been ruled out. She was carrying over 100,000,000 credits worth of Petra-feranol at the time of her disappearance. A massive search is on for the Goliath, but officials say it could be months before she is found... More information will be given when it is reported. This is Federation News, signing out."

Glauren blinked, considering the situation. "Could be worth a pretty large sum...I'll have to check it out..." She spoke to herself. She knew that she wouldn't be the only one looking in on it though. She just hoped she would be the first to get lucky. Looking back up to the Cantina, she quickly entered the elevator and rose to the upper levels.
 
Date - 19:32 - 07 July - 2644 NDE
Location - Scylla System - Planet Corallis - Sille City

Salia Il'Laru - 63rd Entry

I was working at the shipyard today. It was pretty uneventful. We were working on patching the hull of a CGA patrol ship. The hull had been critically damaged by pirate weaponry. Seems to have been solid-state weaponry form the ragged state of the torn hull.There was also more metal present between the hull and the internal walls. Lots of fragments. I suspect they were fragmenting hollow-point rounds. They don't penetrate much, but they can get at sensitive electronics held between the walls and hull, like airlock controls and thruster controls.

The crew has got most of the hull repaired. We should be done tomorrow. It'll be my last day as a Journeyman for the Sygnus Station. As a training station, we're often picked up by individual repair companies looking to fill their ranks with new blood. It was my turn. I've been offered a job on Sünde V, a mining station in the Kosamu system. The owner says there's plenty of work. And I'll finally be paid at a CGA minimum wage, rather than an adjusted living wage. Considering the wage for a CGA-certified mechanic was rather high, it was still going to be a profit after renting an apartment and paying bills.

I'm nervous. I'm going to go out dancing tonight. One last time before I take off. I don't know how the clubs on Sünde V are. I know it's an asteroid, so there's bound to be all kinds. I just hope there's one good dance floor.


Date - 22:17 - 16 July - 2644 NDE
Location - Kosamu System - Sünde V Mining Station

Salia Il'Laru - 64th Entry

I thought I was just homesick. But... I really want to go home. It's not great here. It's horrible. I don't care about the environment. It looks rather interesting really. Metal and asteroid. Artificial lighting. I don't mind that. But the dance floor here is dead. If I try dancing, someone changes the song to something cruel and harsh to the ears. Undanceable. I can't dance to their rage metal. Either a Steelface or the Trenian bouncer will change it after... Thirty seconds. It's so loud too.

The work sucks too. They're taking part of my pay for 'additional training, material supply, and equipment maintenance.' I have my own equipment, and they're charging me for spanners and welding pens that I don't even use... I don't know how long I can survive here with the pay that's getting taken away. I've already begun to lose credits from my account. The boss is a total salve driver. He thinks I'm a miracle worker, judging from the way he expects me to get twice as much done as I'm capable. Other workers are cutting corners with their work. I pray, and fear for their safety.

The apartments are horrid. Water supplies are rationed, and the quality is sub-par. Only the water that gets supplied to the ships is decent. Our water is impure. I think there's rust developing in the pipes. The superintendent doesn't seem to care. Because of the rationing, my skin is starting to dry out. I'll have to start buying drinking water and pouring it on myself soon. I don't have a bathtub. Just a shower unit, so I can't just fill the tub and soak.

I want to go home, but I wouldn't have a job there, or a home. I'd be on the streets for quite a while. And as much as I love my family, I don't want to go back to them ashamed of myself.

I hope things get better.


Date - 21:47 - 24 July - 2644 NDE
Location - Kosamu System - Sünde V Mining Station


Salia was in 'La Cantina Galactica' again. It was the only decent bar. They had decent water, which was a rarity among the places in Sünde V. Unfortunately, the bouncer was addicted to rage metal music. Utterly horrid and unable to hold a rhythm. The drummers were constantly suffering seizures, guitarists just stomped on the distortion pedal until it was jammed down and hit any note the pleased. The singers? There weren't any. Just people who yelled. It was no surprise the most popular rage metal band singer was a Kerrak. They had the ability to shriek at any pitch up to 300 decibels, even capable of drowning out the sound of turbine engines.

She had become so uncomfortable with the area that she was wearing a full-body suit. Her thighs were even covered by a mesh. Nothing thicker could be there or she couldn't breathe. The whole thing was a dull dark gray, and hung loosely on her. It was completely outside the fashions of her kind. But she'd rather wear it than feel the eyes of the rather morally loose people she often saw while out of her apartment.

As the Nallian girl watched over the whole of the uppermost barroom, she saw the Trenian bouncer. He was standing next to the jukebox. Like it was his. She was surprised his rocky fingers didn't break the bloody thing. There were a few Steelfaces there too. Mostly humans. They were the closest thing Sünde V had to a gang, and they certainly caused as much damage. Security was too light. The station seemed the to have the motto, "To Each Their Own" and not in a good way.
 
Glauren leaned against the grimy wall as the lift rattled noisily on its way up to the Cantina. She could already smell the faint stinging odor of cheap alcohol and smoke. Not that it was a problem to her; she had grown up in places like this, jumping from station to station all her life. Even before she reached the outcrop, she could hear the vulgar beats of rage metal. Not something she was a fan of, the music was just too grating on the ears and mind. Possibly surprising for her appearance, the salvage captain was a fan of Nu-Opera. Much more calming to listen to, especially on the long voyages through backwater space.

The lift door clanked open, and she was assaulted by the roar of the music. Definitely a Kerrak singerâ?¦ She calmly stepped into the Cantina, flicking her eyes around the bar, just in case there was anyone who wanted to make trouble. She kept her hand away from the holstered pistol; she wouldnâ??t draw it unless the situation arose. It was the standard lot of faces, a Trenian bouncer huddling around the jukebox, various human hunched over their drinks and credit notes. She noticed with curiosity the Nallian, who seemed strangely out of place given the surroundings. Although she could see that she wasnâ??t the happiest of the lot. Stepping over to the bar, Glauren dropped down on a stool and pulled out a number of credit notes, slapping them down onto the bar. â??Iâ??ll take a Nova.â? She said plainly to the bartender, a human, and one that looked like he could rip your arms out, if the Trenian didnâ??t do it first.

The man nodded without a word, grabbing a few bottles and expertly pouring a shot of clear liquid into a glass. Without missing a drop, he added another liquid, resulting in the drink taking on a powerful blue color that almost seemed to glow. He passed the drink to her, and she handed him the credit notes. Glauren lifted the glass to her lips, counted silently to three, and swallowed the drink in one gulp. Instantly, her insides were smeared with fire, white-hot from her throat to her stomach. She clenched her hands into fists for a few seconds before setting the glass down and clearing her throat.

The bartender returned to take her glass, and she looked him over with some scrutiny. â??You look familiarâ?¦â? She muttered, cracking her neck.

He looked back at her, just barely a glance as he cleaned the glass and returned it to a counter. â??Iâ??ve worked other bars before,â? The man rumbled in return, â??Youâ??ve most likely seen me there.â?

Glauren shrugged, that seemed the most logical explanation, and thought nothing else of it. Salvaging had taken her to all sorts of places. She passed over another couple of credit notes, â??Iâ??ll just take something light this time.â? The bartender simply nodded and filled her glass with an amber-colored liquid that was highly sweet to the taste. She felt the presence of the person sitting down beside her before she glanced over in the direction of the Nallian. It was rare to see one in a backwater system like this. She paused, turning back to the bartender. â??Make that two.â?

Trading the notes for the second glass, she stood from her seat and walked over towards the booth the Nallian sat in, sliding the glass in front of her before taking a seat across from the semi-aquatic alien. â??Here. You look like you could use a drink.â? She said calmly, quickly panning her eyes across the bar to make sure there were no threats. A couple of thugsâ?¦but sheâ??d keep her eyes on them.
 
A human female had come in. One Salia had never seen before. Not surprising though. Salia saw so few people, and had only been on the mining station for a short time. She was ordering a Nova. From what she knew of alcoholic drinks, the Nova was rather potent. Perhaps the woman wasn't in the best of conditions. But, that wasn't her place to ponder. This bar wasn't exactly in the best of conditions either. So few things were in the mining station. It was then that she finally resolved to go back home the next day. The suffering at her home would be less than here. At least there she could pick up a basic job while she waited for a new journeyman job. Or maybe she'd join the military. Her skills would certainly be used there, and the conditions would be much better.

And there'd be pure water.

Her whole body slumped, especially her shoulders, as her hands grabbed at her arms. It was a depressing thought to go back home so soon after the job. Her entire body was clearly communicating it, if anyone even cared enough to look at her for more than a few microseconds. Salia bit her lower lip gently, then put her hands at her sides to help push her off the seat when she heard something rather nearby.

“Here. You look like you could use a drink.” Salia straightened out immediately, trying to hide her slouching and moping. She became as stiff and straight as a board. The girl hadn't been trying to gain attention through her sadness.

"Uh um..." She ran her hand along the back of her head, getting at the aqua-colored hair that covered her neck. Her hand clenched nervously over the strands for a moment before she figured out what to say. Sort of. "I uh... That's okay... Uh... I don't really... I mean..." She was a stumbling mess with her words, and the darkening color in her cheeks was showing her embarrassment clearly. "I don't do well with alcohol..."
 
Glauren cocked an eyebrow at the Nallian girl, before shrugging and taking downing her own glass with a single gulp. It was almost too sweet to swallow, like drinking liquid sugar, but after drinking the Nova right before, the effects were somewhat diminished. â??Suit yourself...â? She said with a shrug, even though she left the extra drink in front of her in case the Nallian changed her mind. The run-down nature of the cantina meant that it lacked privacy filters, but the screaming rage metal blasting from the cantina speakers covered the sounds of their conversation well enough, meaning that eavesdroppers would have a hard time listening in, even though she had to speak louder than normal to have her words heard.

â??So what brings you to this dump?â? She asked, â??You donâ??t look the type to come here.â? Her eyes flitted again towards the group of thugs, a few of them were gesturing towards her and the Nallian, some making rather crude motions. She frowned slightly, but continued on with her conversation, shifting her posture a little to make it easier to access her gun in case the situation started to degrade.
 
A hand found it's way to the table top, a single finger tracing a slow, quarter-sized circle on the table. She did look up and eye the liquid, but decided against it. Her kind were easy to intoxicate, as liquids were processed through their systems at incredible speeds compared to humans. Plus, drunkenness was much worse for a Nallian than a human. Humans lost coordination, memory, and inhibitions. Nallians lost the ability to breathe as they got more intoxicated, and the lack of oxygen going to their system wasn't nearly as fun as waking up next to a random stranger. That wasn't to say that her kind didn't drink. They just were very, very moderate.

"I was a journeyman back home. I got hired here in the docking station to do repairs. I honestly... Didn't know conditions here were, um... Sub-par." She looked over where the woman's eyes kept flickering to. Seeing those people and their gestures made her look away at a wall, just not wanting to see anything at this point.
 
Glauren leaned back in her booth, cracking her knuckles absently. "Well I'll be damned then." She said with a sultry chuckle in her voice. "I think I might be able to help you, if you're interested in a business proposal." She sat back up, looking the Nallian in the eyes. It was a rather piercing gaze, even when she meant to just talk. "I've docked here so I can find a crew to help run my salvage ship. I'm in need of an engineer, and if you're willing to hop aboard, I'll compensate you for your work." She said, reaching over and plucking the other glass from the table, draining that as well. No sense in letting good alcohol go to waste. "It's not the most comfortable line of work in the system, but it's steady."

As the words faded from her throat, she glanced over at the gang once again and frowned. Some of them were starting to approach now. Looking back to the Nallian, she nodded. "Excuse me for just a moment." And with that, she stood from the booth and tossed her hair behind her with a toss of the head. She almost sauntered up to the gang members that approached, meeting them about halfway across the bar.

The human, a Steelface who must have thought himself to be tough shit, grinned a cocky, shit eating grin. "My boys were just observin' you and the blue chick. Thought we could give you two a good time." The round of chuckles those words drew forth showed that the punk in front of her was the ringleader for these punks. His eyes drifted down towards her chest. "Yeah. Gonna show you two a real good time."

Glauren shook her head. "Sorry pal, not interested. Try your luck elsewhere." She growled.

"I don't think that was an offer," The ringleader sneered, leaning in to sniff at her neck. "We're gonna give you a good time, 'specially if you don't want it." He inhaled her scent, suddenly lunging his hands up to grab her arms. Glauren ducked out of the way, her own arms coming up lightning fast to grab his. The Steelface's eyes widened in shock and surprise as she spun around, the loud crack of his shoulder dislocating resounding through the bar. Following through, she used her positioning to flip him over her shoulder, bringing him crashing down onto his back, screaming.

The barrel of a pistol being pressed to his head silenced his screams to fearful whimpers. Glauren stared down coldly at him, the hammer cocked and her finger waiting on the trigger.

"Now you boys cut your shit out and get out of here. Otherwise, they'll be mopping your head from the floor." She said, crouching beside him. She rose to her feet, looking back at the rest of the dumbfounded gang, before walking back to the booth, setting the pistol down on the table, in case they decided to try some more.
 
An offer as an engineer on a salvage ship? That was more dangerous than working on this very station. She'd have to be stupid or desperate to accept it. And the way the woman looked at her. Salia could read those eyes. They wanted to drill into her very core. It put her so ill at ease she could barely think. This woman wasn't the most graceful of being either. She feared for the safety of any crew, and the ship that she was in control of. And like that, the woman was up and out of the booth.

In a matter of seconds, the woman had started a fight. And ended it with a pistol. It was a more archaic weapon, but it certainly got the job done. Most modern hand weaponry was electromagnetically driven. She had her own weapons. They were natural pieces though, considering some of her skeletal structure was external, which resulted in claws and a bone spike jutting out of each elbow. Plus her bite wasn't exactly gentle. Yet she'd opted to pull out her multi-tool, which was flipped out into a screwdriver.

When the woman sat back down, Salia could no longer look at her. Technically, the human had saved them both from being abused by the Steelfaces. But she'd also likely invoked their wrath, and now she was involved in it too by association. She'd always relied on flight to get away from them when she was followed or confronted. Violence was responded to with violence. And cowardice was responded to with a chase, and an inevitable giving-up on their part.
 
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