The corridor stretched ahead. The station is quite large and it's name is as majestic too
Stellar Prime.
It was built forty years ago by the Stellar Core Consortium, they needed a permanent base to mine the rich asteroid belt in this sector for rare metals and energy crystals.They built extensive bays, refineries, living quarters, and other facilities for their staff.But when the belt's resources began drying up and cheaper automated drones became available, the company pulled out overnight.They casually left the station behind because dismantling it was more expensive than just abandoning it.
Now it belongs to whoever stayed behind and whoever came after. Han Wei was one of those few who chose to stay. For what reason, Ash don't know.
Five years ago, when Ash took refuge here, Han took him in under his wing and for that he'll be always be grateful to that old man.
There's not much difference compared to five years ago and now, from what Ash could see.
Maybe except now there were fewer lowlife criminals seeking asylum here.And that's because of the Hounds.
Roughly two years after Ash came here, they docked to refuel and resupply, but never left. They saw they can simply bully the people here into getting what they want.
They eventually rooted out the other thugs from the station and started extorting a "protection fee" from the residents.
Back then there used to be a lot more scavengers as well. But as things usually go, most of them ran away out of fear of the Hounds or chose to work under them.
Except for Rhea, she never gave in and the Hounds aren't that stupid to pick a direct fight with her. But even she knows she can't hold out for long against their numbers.Especially out there in space , her own ship isn't a match for the Hound's heavily armed ones.
The station residents mostly chose to keep to themselves, except for the random merchants.But somehow Ash found acquaintances and friendships with some of these people.
"Hey Ash, where ya goin?"
A kid grinned at him with mismatched teeth and implant in place of his right eye.Ash turned around.
"Uh huh, nowhere you wanna be, Tiko," he said.
"You're going scavenging with Rhea, aren't you?" Tiko's face lit up. "Come on, let me come too!"
Ash thought for exactly one second.
"You know what? I left my toolkit back at the bar. Run and grab it for me and I'll wait right here."
Tiko's eyes went wide and he bolted off at full speed.
Ash watched him go, felt a small pang of guilt, and then walked faster in the opposite direction. 'Sorry, bud. Your mother would skin me alive if I brought you anywhere near the docking bay'.
He cut through the merchant area and found Zelth in his usual spot.
Zelth was part of the tentacled Cephari merchant tribe, low level cephalopod aliens who traded in the outer rims. Usually Tier 1 with powers related to deals and trading.
Zelth's power, Deal Bind was the kind of thing that sounded harmless until you'd seen what happened to someone who tried to walk away from one of his agreements. Ash had seen it happen. He didn't recommend it.
Zelth's power was known as Deal Bind. When he make a deal with another person, Zelth could bind that person for a while. The bound person usually felt a compulsion to honor the deal, but of course since it was only Tier 1 the power was very limited. But if the other person somehow chose to break the deal, Zelth would know about it, and you really don't want to cross him.
Ash had seen it happen many times before. He had become acquainted with Zelth by trading supplies and selling scavenged materials.
"Ash you're going out?"
Ash nodded.
"You guys are the only ones who keep bringing something of substances to trade. Be careful of the Hounds though, they're planning something".
Ash's heart dropped for a moment. But he masked it with a smile.
"Sure.. Thanks for the warning Zelth. Say, the shipment of Zhang will be on time today, right?"
"Yes, Zhang contacted me awhile ago He'll be here on time after docking at Careyn hub".
"Oh that's a relif then, see you later, Zelth."Ash said bye and left to get the lift to reach the bay.
Ash managed to reach the lift just before the doors slid shut and squeezed himself in. Inside, it was crowded with different types of creatures, hybrids,even a hulking figure in patched exosuit armor who took up half the space.
The lift jerked to life and started going down, opening at different levels along the way and people shuffling off at each stop. It took about eight minutes to finally reach the docking area on the lower decks.
The dock itself was a huge open space, filled with freighters and cargo haulers of every size. Ash scanned the area, eyes moving past the bigger ships until he spotted the one he was looking for.
The Luna Mist.
It's a light freighter, comparatively small next to the hulking freighters around it, it was easy to miss if you weren't looking for it.
Rhea was outside near the loading ramp, working on something
Ash jogged over."Right on time, aren't I?" he said, grinning.
Rhea looked up, not impressed.
"Barely. I was starting to think I'll have to go out alone ." She stood and wiped her hands. "And the Hounds have already been sniffing around. Someone tipped them off about the freighter. Now come on, let's not waste anymore time"
Ash followed her up the ramp.
"It's a miracle this thing can still — " he started.
" she," he corrected quickly after a glare from Rhea.
"It's a miracle she can still fly. Incredible, really."
"She's never let me down like some people have," Rhea said, and punched his shoulder. "She also saved our asses more times than I can count."
Ash raised both hands in surrender.
Rhea dropped into the pilot's seat and started working on the launch.
"Strap in. Engines are in a mood today."
Ash buckled the worn harness. "Comforting."
Rhea flipped the main power switch.
The console hummed to life with a low, reluctant groan. Screens flickering on one after another, some taking a second longer than they should.
She tapped a sequence of keys, muttering under her breath as the engines spooled up.
"Still moody," she said, "Come on, girl. Don't embarrass me today."
A warning light blinked once, then steadied.
The floor vibrated under their feet, a deep rumble climbing through the deck plates.Rhea eased the throttle forward.
The ship lifted off the bay floor with a sluggish lurch. The docking arms slid past, then the station's outer hull, then open space.
Ash watched as they put the station behind them. No matter how many times he did it, the thrill of scavenging still excited him. Just being out here in space gave some kind of significance to his life.
Rhea banked gently, lining up with the asteroid belt ahead.The belt was a slow-moving wall of rock and ice, chunks glinting faintly.
She adjusted course and slipped between two large rocks."Keep an eye on the short range scanners. Ash."
"Clear so far," Ash replied.
They flew in silence for a while. Then Ash spoke.
"Hey, Rhea… do you ever think about leaving here?"
"And go where? I don't have any other place to be. Do you?"
Ash looked down, then said in a quiet voice.
"No."
Rhea sighed.
"See, Ash. Except for the ones like Old Han, most of them would take the chance to leave if it meant a better life outside. But that's not the case, is it? It's worse out there. At least here we only have to put up with the Hounds. Out there.. you'd be lucky if some bandits took you in as a slave. Stellar Prime gives us a safe home in comparison."
"You're right," Ash said. "Especially for someone like me, it's better to stay at the station"
"Now, now.. don't get all gloomy. Let's hope there's something worth salvaging so we can both go home happy."
Rhea winked at him. Ash knew she was right.
After all, she'd been a Stellar resident longer than him.
But still, something inside kept nagging him.
"Look."
The freighter's signal appeared on the seekers.
Rhea pointed.
"There. Hull's mostly intact. We're in luck."