Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Triad 2177 ❯ Break & Enter ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Silvace Atronach 
Salvaging isn't piracy, it's treasure hunting.
Non Anime: Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Mecha / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.10.2003 | Updated On: 01.27.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.6K | Visits: 265 | Status: Completed
Salvaging isn't piracy, it's treasure hunting.
Non Anime: Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Mecha / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.10.2003 | Updated On: 01.27.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.6K | Visits: 265 | Status: Completed
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<CENTER><I>"All hail to the thief" - Radiohead, from "2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm)"</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>Vera clumsily slipped on her helmet. A few strands of hair fell in front of her face and tickled at her nose. She whined to herself and pulled off the helmet to adjust her hair again.
<P>"Figures I have to be the only one in my family to get the recessive 'thin-hair' gene," she lamented as she put her helmet on again.
<P>"Haven't you started that thing up yet? Get going!" Jim yelled over the LEV's intercom.
<P>"I'm going, I'm going!" Vera yelled back. She grumbled to herself and flicked a few switches on.
<P>"Good morning. Please enter your user number," a voice said out of the console.
<P>Vera whined to herself again and input her user number.
<P>"Welcome, pilot Ver-ah," the computer replied, mispronouncing her name.
<P>"Piece of shit. It's Vare-UH, VARE-UH!" she yelled back, correcting it.
<P>The computer replied with a quiet hum. Vera groaned.
<P>"Ok, I'm ready, Jim," Vera said, gripping the control sticks.
<P>"Excellent, move over to the starboard hatch and get ready," Jim commanded.
<P>Vera walked the LEV over to the circular hatch on one side of the hangar. Jim and Nash were already standing there in their spacesuits, each with a pack over their shoulder.
<P>"Still having problems with version three point five?" Nash asked with a chuckle.
<P>"Shuttup," Vera replied.
<P>"Miryhn, we there yet?" Jim asked over the radio.
<P>"Yep, we have visual!" Miryhn exclaimed, tilting the handheld radio back in his hand from his ear.
<P>The frontal thrusters fired and the ship came to a stop beside the wreck. Miryhn inspected it slowly front to back.
<P>"Ready yet?" Jim said.
<P>"Chill, captain, we just got here!" Miryhn replied with annoyance. He placed the radio down and leaned in on the monitors of the exterior cameras.
<P>The ship was dark gray, scarred with black areas from high-powered laser beams and deep ruts where the laser actually melted a rift in the metal. The glass of the cockpit was smashed open and most of the windows on the side of the wreck were deeply cracked or completely busted out. As the Entropy slowly encompassed the wreck, Miryhn saw a large section of the port cargo area ripped out. It was only about two stories in length, but Miryhn had never heard of a LEV with the kind of strength to open ship hulls. Nothing but a cutting laser could have opened that rift. Even odder was the fact that the rift was crudely welded shut, so much that Miryhn could see the gaping holes, big enough for a small animal to crawl through.
<P>"Alright, I'll find a spot and launch the entry-tube. You guys just sit tight," Miryhn said over the radio.
<P>Miryhn grabbed a control stick on the left side of the control riser and flicked on a small monitor near it. With the stick he guided the starboard entry-tube out of its compartment on the side of the Entropy and into the direction of the wreck.
<P>"Ready yet?" Jim said impatiently.
<P>"I haven't even fired the fucking tube, captain. Wait for me to say when to go!" Miryhn snapped, holding the radio closely to his face. He sneered and tossed it on to the right console.
<P>"Ok, ok, but hurry up!" Jim replied.
<P>"Now, one thing my grandpa always taught me was..." Miryhn said to himself as he guided the tube along the side of the wreck. "That when you go fishing..." he continued, extending the tube slowly into the side of the wreck. A dull, metallic thud sounded from the tap against the hull. "Is that you have to find..." he continued, moving to another spot. This time when he tapped the hull with the tube, a hollow and resonant boom sounded. "The right...spot!" Miryhn said as he smashed the extension button down. The port ship thrusters fired as the starboard entry-tube plunged into the hull with a loud, ear-piercing metal squeal. Miryhn let off the button and the thrusters stopped and the tube stopped moving.
<P>"Shit, made enough noise?" Nash said over the radio.
<P>"You're in, guys," Miryhn said, leaning back in the chair, his job for now being done. "This wreck must be really fresh. The centripetal turbine is still coasting. You have some simulated gravity in there," Miryhn added, reaching for a bag of pretzels.
<P>"Ok, good. Let's get our asses in there!" Jim ordered.
<P>Vera's LEV was the first down the entry-tube, followed by Jim and Nash doing a light jog down it.
<P>"You know the drill, Miryhn. Keep that long-range radar up. But most importantly, don't nod off!" Jim said strictly.
<P>"No problemo, el presidente!" Miryhn said jokingly while doing a military salute in midair. He ripped open the bag of pretzels and propped the radio up on the right console.
<P>"Sarcastic son of a bitch I hired, eh?" Jim said, exiting the entry-tube and taking a few steps inside the cargo hold.
<P>"No doubt about it," Vera commented, the LEV hovering toward a stack of crates.
<P>"Split up and search. These large-class freighters are nothing but one big cargo hold. God knows what we'll find here," Jim commanded.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>Nash split up from them and left for the aft of the ship. He had been searching for ten minutes through what seemed like a labyrinth of sealed crates. He sat on the ground and opened his pack.
<P>"Eye-searching is hard. Let's try the perimeter scanner," Nash said, taking a laptop and a small dome-shaped object out. He placed it on top of a crate in the open space above him and plugged it into the laptop. Nash yawned as the computer booted up.
<P>"Vera, how's your end?" he heard Jim ask Vera over the radio.
<P>"No good, just boxes and more boxes. Looks like Cam was talking out his ass again," Vera said, the sound of crates being moved by the LEV in the background.
<P>"There's gotta be something here!" Jim replied.
<P>"We'll find out in just a moment, folks," Nash said over the radio.
<P>"What do 'ya mean?" Jim asked with curiosity.
<P>"Running a perimeter scan. This search is just taking too long," Nash said, firing up the scanner program.
<P>"Good thinking. I don't think there's anything here for the scanner to fuck with. All the electronics are dead," Jim said, the sound of a crate being crowbarred open in the background of his radio.
<P>"Hmm..." Nash hummed as he stared at the screen. The scanner worked perfectly, displaying a map of the entire cargo hold. It then ran a few color-coated clouds and markers over the map. "Holy shit, captain!" Nash yelled.
<P>"What now?" Jim said, still crowbarring crates open.
<P>"Low-grade Metatron to your back-left. Tons of it. Plus a few traces of high-grade," Nash said excitedly, briefly studying the map.
<P>Vera cheered happily. "I'm all over that! Head'in your way, Jim!" she said, the sound of her LEV thrusters in the background.
<P>"Hot damn! You're a savior, Nash!" Jim praised. The sound of heavy footsteps was in the background, followed by the sound of him struggling to crowbar open a crate.
<P>"No snide comments, Miryhn? No quick quips or condescending bullshit?" Nash said arrogantly.
<P>Miryhn only replied with the sound of crunching pretzels.
<P>"Come on, say something! You know you can't pick on me about this!" Nash whined.
<P>"Didn't I say ignoring you made you shut up?" Miryhn said in between chews.
<P>Nash sighed and flicked off the headset of his helmet, mouthing 'fuck you'.
<P>"Leave 'em alone, I want both of you ready to get the hell outta here at any moment. God knows when Diaz or the cops or something will show up," Jim said sternly.
<P>"Yeah, yeah, gotcha Captain. I'm gonna check out the area with the high-grade Meta," Nash said, packing up his laptop and dome array. He began walking in the indicated direction of the high-grade Metatron.
<P>As he rounded a row of crates, he approached the wall parallel to where Jim and Vera were. He pulled a flashlight out of the pack and inspected the crates along the wall. As he carefully examined the stacks, he spotted a ceiling-high container behind a wall of crates. It was about two stories tall and the opening had been ripped open violently. Melted steel and several jagged edges showed that a high-powered cutting laser had been used and then the object or objects inside had been forcibly drawn out. Nash pondered whether in a struggle or whether in a hurry. He hopped over a low spot in the wall and approached the ceiling-high containers.
<P>He stuck his head inside the large, jagged opening of the container. He pointed the flashlight inside, but the light wasn't powerful enough to reach the back wall. Nash involuntarily walked inside the container, silent and awestruck. Flecks of shining high-grade Metatron were littered along the floor and walls. Above him, the jagged rips in the container walls let in what little light was in the cargo hold, making a reflective light show inside the container.
<P>However, besides the flecks, the container had just empty space. Nash snapped out of his awe and left the container. He shook his head again to clear out the rest of his wonderment and turned to inspect the outside of the container. He took out his laptop again and took out the stylus. He took down and drew any and all markings and numbers on the exterior of the container.
<P>"Hey, Nash, where the hell are you? We got a pretty good load of low-grade Meta and some scrap shit," Jim said over the radio, startling Nash.
<P>"Sorry, captain, I found something interesting. Come take a look real quick," he said, turning off the laptop and placing it back in his pack.
<P>"Alright, but it better be good. I have a bad feeling about sticking around," Jim said.
<P>"I loaded what I could on the LEV, captain. Want me to come?" Vera asked.
<P>"Naw, dump all that off in the hangar. We'll be right there," Jim replied.
<P>Nash had been ignoring the radio since he last spoke. He had taken interest in the two spots beside the container. He carefully examined each square and noticed the size of each. It seemed as though two more containers were there along with the open one he just inspected.
<P>"What the hell went on here?" Nash said to himself softly.
<P>"This is what you were blubbering to me about?" Jim asked, standing behind him.
<P>Nash leapt up, startled again by Jim's arrival. "Y-yeah. This container, captain. It looks suspicious. So do these two spots next to it. I think this was the main prize of this haul," Nash said, knocking on the container wall.
<P>"Well, I don't see shit in that thing, so hurry up and let's get outta here," Jim said, folding his arms as he inspected the container.
<P>"This was the high-grade Metatron I mentioned. It's in this thing. But it's all just flecks of it," Nash said, hiking his pack strap up his shoulder a bit.
<P>"Woop-de-doo, it's not here anymore. Let's go," Jim commanded impatiently, rocking his thumb toward the direction of the entry-tube.
<P>"I guess you're right. I was excited over nothing," Nash said, disappointed.
<P>"Don't worry about it. We got a reasonable amount of cash coming with just that low-grade shit," Jim said, throwing an arm around Nash's shoulders as they started walking toward the entry-tube. "I guess we underestimated Cam."
<P>"Probably more so than we thought," Nash said under his breath, glancing back at the containers.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Back so soon?" Miryhn said, taking his feet off the console and on the riser floor. The others came in, dressed out of their spacesuits.
<P>"Just some low-grade Meta. No big deal," Vera said, fixing her hair up from it being in the helmet.
<P>"That'll buy us a reasonable amount. I guess Cam was getting in a tizzy over nothing," Jim said, plopping down in his seat and lighting up.
<P>"All thanks to me..." Nash said, folding his arms.
<P>"Yeah, yeah, thanks kid. You did good," Jim complimented indifferently.
<P>"Get the hell outta here?" Miryhn asked while retracting the entry-tube and placing it back inside the ship through its control panel.
<P>"Yeah, just go. Head back to Erigan. We'll cash in our haul with Jose. He'll give us some free fuel for all this low-grade Meta," Jim said disappointedly.
<P>"If we're about to make so much money, why are you sad captain?" Vera asked compassionately.
<P>Jim made a fake pouting noise. "I just wish that high-grade was usable," he said, faking to cry.
<P>"Hate to interrupt the warm and fuzzy feeling, but we have an S.O.S. call," Miryhn said, tossing the crumbled up pretzel bag on the floor of the bridge.
<P>"Ignore it. I wanna get outta here," Jim said, waving his hand around aimlessly.
<P>"Captain, it's from the Valkyr," Miryhn said, raising his eyebrows.
<P>"What? Put it through then!" Jim said, sitting up in his seat instantly.
<P>"Somehow it doesn't surprise me that he'd say that," Nash said quietly. Vera giggled at his comment. Miryhn hit a button on the console and a video window popped up in midair across the canopy of the bridge.
<P>"This is the freighter Valkyr. I'm taking fire from a squad of automated security LEV units that attacked me when I passed by that wreck a little while back. I'm going to be shot down soon. My weapons can only hold them out so long! Please, help me kind senor or senorita that receives this message!" the video screen of Diaz said in his smooth, tenor Latino voice.
<P>"Ha! Diaz is in trouble! Serves him right! Let's get going back to Erigan," Jim said, leaning back in his chair.
<P>"He's not that far. I can pick up his vapor trails. From what I'm picking up here. he's obviously been crawling around in that wreck," Nash said, examining a monitor beside him.
<P>"Say what? Shit, he probably picked all the good stuff out ot that wreck! Go after him, we'll help him!" Jim ordered.
<P>"You sure, captain? We're not exactly combat-ready," Miryhn said, taking the ship controls and pulling the throttle back.
<P>"If we help him, he'll owe us. This is perfect," Jim said with a pleased chuckle. "Besides, with Vera's master LEV piloting and the recent pack of missiles Floyd gave us a good deal on, we can take down a few measly LEVs," he added braggingly.
<P>"I guess you have some sort of extortion plan cooked up already, eh captain?" Vera said with a sigh. She loathed having to go deal with her navigation computer again.
<P>"Damn straight! Everyone prepare battle stations, we're gonna go pirating!" Jim said excitedly.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Ernie, what the hell are we gonna do? Missile batteries one through three have been exhausted and there's still five Phantomas left!" the man to the front-left of Ernest's command console said.
<P>"I don't care! Keep firing, senor Martin!" Ernest snapped. He gritted his teeth and stared at each of the external camera monitors.
<P>"Phil, don't fire to the stern. Some other ship is coming into our range!" the woman on the front-right said, busying herself pressing buttons and viewing monitors surrounding her post.
<P>"April, I know. You don't have to keep us updated on every little thing," Phil Martin snapped, leaning a little ways out of the platform he was on to the front-left of Ernest.
<P>An explosion erupted from the back of the ship and the three crewmen were thrown forward. Ernest's three platinum necklaces jingled as they hit his half-buttoned Hawaiian-shirt chest. He frowned and straightened them out before they got caught in his fur of chest hair. A maelstrom of machine gun fire followed the explosion from several directions.
<P>Ernest cussed in Spanish. "Can we outrun them? I know it's asking much considering how lacking we are on fuel."
<P>"Hard to say. They shot out engine two and sub-thrusters four through seven. It'll be tricky," April reported, surveying a long display vid-window.
<P>"Wait, that ship on our stern is speeding up. I think they got the S.O.S.," Phil said, watching the radar before launching another missile battery.
<P>"Open communications, now!" Ernest demanded.
<P>"Com-link established, opening vid-window," April said in a monotone.
<P>The vid-window opened to an image of a close-up of Miryhn's face.
<P>"Shit, this thing is acting up again! Just a sec, captain," Miryhn said. The vid-window adjusted twice and switched to Jim.
<P>"Ah, compadre! Hello, senor Hauser!" Ernest said, brown-nosing.
<P>"Now what did I tell you about stealing my wrecks? Have you forgotten that I vulture Cam's wrecks and not anyone else?" Jim said with a small grin.
<P>"My apologies, senor, I was given the task of finding that wreck by an outside source. I don't care for you or your words of greed," Ernest replied bitterly.
<P>"Outside source? Shit, you work'in the mobs now? Who? The mafia? Yakuza? Triads?" Jim said, his grin growing a bit.
<P>"That is none of your business, senor," Ernest replied bitterly.
<P>"Alright, look, since we're old pals and all, I'll help you outta this jam. But in exchange, I get something from your cargo, deal?" Jim said, folding his arms.
<P>Ernest took a deep breath and thought it over briefly. Another explosion rocked the ship and several buzzers and lights went off. April whined loudly as her fingers were heard tapping faster and faster. Phil pounded another missile batter launch button and cussed to himself.
<P>"Alright, senor, deal," Ernest replied quietly.
<P>"What's that? Don't help? Sure, no problem, see 'ya later!" Jim said, waving.
<P>"No! I said it's a deal!" Ernest yelled.
<P>"Oh, well, why didn't you say so the first time?" Jim said jokingly.
<P>"Rot in hell, Ender," Ernest said under his breath.
<P>"My associate will be there in a moment. For now, brace for any impact," Jim said, cutting off the vid-window.
<P>"What did that mean?" Phil said, feverishly viewing the combat situation.
<P>"I don't know, I wish I...MISSILES! SIX O'CLOCK!" April cried out.
<P>A flurry of missiles flew past the bridge canopy, exploding suddenly all around the ship. The hull creaked loudly, but no damage was reported on the monitors.
<P>"Damn, that was incredibly accurate," Phil said, viewing the radar again. "They shot down two of 'em!"
<P>"Knowing senor Hauser, that was luck," Ernest said bitterly.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Damnit, the cheap ones are useless!" Jim said, slamming his fist onto the armrest.
<P>"We got two of 'em. Isn't that good enough?" Nash asked innocently.
<P>"Nash, those were Kaparov 7-20's. They're the most accurate missiles with homing capabilities on the black market for the cheapest price available," Miryhn explained.
<P>"Then why the hell did they only hit two?" Jim asked in a fury.
<P>"Because their locking sensors probably locked onto each other. We launched far too many at once," Miryhn explained.
<P>"Who's idea was that?" Jim asked, still furious.
<P>"Yours. You told me to put twenty fucking missiles in a battery, so I did!" Miryhn replied angrily.
<P>"Why didn't you tell me they'd do that?" Jim snapped.
<P>"I told you three times!" Miryhn replied, still angrily.
<P>"Captain, there's no use worrying about it now. Let's just hope Vera can finish the last three off," Nash interrupted.
<P>"Yeah, you're right. We'll fix the missile batteries later. Until then, support her with some lasers or some shit," Jim said, leaning back and lighting up another cigarette.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Alright, it's go-time!" Vera said confidently as her LEV left the hangar of the Entropy.
<P>The LEV dropped out the hangar door and she fired the thrusters. She maneuvered around the Entropy and flew toward the Valkyr.
<P>"You have no chance to survive, assholes, make your time!" she said as she raised the LEV's assault rifle.
<P>"What the hell are you talking about in there?" Miryhn's voice said over the radio.
<P>"Huh? Oh, nevermind. It was nothing," Vera said, trying to avoid the subject.
<P>"Reduce speed. You may crash," the LEV's computer said in a monotone.
<P>"Shut the hell up!" she said, focusing more on combat. Flying up to the Valkyr, she stopped the LEV on top of the ship and aimed carefully. "Have some of this!" she yelled and opened fire on one of the enemies coming from the bow of the ship. The LEV exploded and several parts of it drifted by her. She caught a brief glimpse of the remains. "Huh, they're unmanned? Oh well, two more. Just two more," she said quietly.
<P>"One coming from the engines, watch your back!" Miryhn yelled over the radio.
<P>"Covered!" she said, bringing the rifle toward the back, opening fire again. This LEV avoided the stream of fire and flew straight at her. Vera gritted her teeth and stopped firing. She threw her LEV's hand out in front and caught the enemy by the head of the LEV.
<P>"And denied!" she exclaimed, tossing the enemy off the side of the ship. She opened fire again and riddled it with bullets until it exploded.
<P>"Now where's lucky number three?" she said with a small chuckle.
<P>"Senorita! Watch out! I have one more missile salvo!" Ernest's voice said over the radio.
<P>"What?" she said. Just then, another battery of missiles launched out the side of the Valkyr. Vera screamed and ducked the LEV down onto the hull of the Valkyr. She watched as the salvo flew out in all directions.
<P>"He's above, look out!" Miryhn yelled over the radio.
<P>Vera let out another scream and thrusted the rifle into the air. She opened fire again and watched as missiles streaked around her. She pinched her eyes shut, clenched her teeth and whined meekly.
<P>"You're missing entirely! Look where you're aiming!" Miryhn yelled.
<P>"Sorry about that. I freaked out there," she said as she stood the LEV up.
<P>The enemy LEV flew down at her and fired from its machine gun. Vera thruster-jumped away, but the fire caught the left leg.
<P>"Leg d-d-d-d-d-d-d-damage. Please exercise c-c-c-c-cau-caution," the computer said in its usual robotic monotone.
<P>"Didn't I just tell you to shut the fuck up?" Vera snapped at it. She growled and fired once more at the enemy LEV. Her aim was true enough and it exploded from only a few rounds.
<P>"Good work! Now, keep his end of the deal for us, won't you, Vera?" Jim said coyly over the radio.
<P>"A-okay, boss!" she said, opening the cutting laser on the left hand of her LEV. She put the LEV's hand to the top of the Valkyr and opened a hole large enough for her to get in.
<P>"Senor Hauser, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Ernest said, opening another vid-window within the Entropy's bridge.
<P>"Just making sure you don't backstab me after helping you. It's a...business measure, if I may call it that," Jim said, pressing a button that force-closed Ernest's window.
<P>"Alright, captain, what do we want?" Vera said, turning on the video feed from the cockpit of her LEV.
<P>"Not sure. Nash, run a scan," Jim said, laughing quietly to himself in greed.
<P>Nash whistled. "He's loaded with high-grade Meta. In some of those crates I can detect small traces of titanium and organic substances," Nash said, examining his computer monitor.
<P>"Still pushing weapons and drugs, eh Ernest?" Jim said with a chuckle.
<P>"Captain, see anything you like?" Vera said, slightly impatiently.
<P>"Nash, what do you recommend?" Jim said, taking a puff of his cigarette and dabbing the ash off into the ashtray.
<P>"Well..." Nash said, carefully watching Vera's monitor. Vera's camera passed by a container not unlike the one he saw back in the wreck. His eyes widened and he scrambled to grab his laptop out of his pack. He opened it and opened the art files he made from the sides of the container. The symbols matched perfectly and Nash grinned in excitement.
<P>"Hurry up, Nash!" Miryhn yelled, his hand aching to press a button on the console.
<P>"Captain, tell her to grab that container. That one, right there!" Nash said, grinning widely.
<P>"Huh? Why? It's just orange and big. It looks like a container for shipping cars," Jim said, unimpressed.
<P>"It looks just like that one back on the wreck that I said had all that high-grade Meta! Take it, take it, take it! We'll be rich!" Nash said, giddy as a schoolboy.
<P>Jim laughed. "Psh, alright, alright. Vera, grab that orange thing. Nash thinks it's the motherlode," Jim said, adjusting himself in the seat.
<P>Vera's LEV latched onto the container. "Got it, boss!" she replied.
<P>"Ok, Miryhn, put that son of a bitch's ship to rest," Jim said, folding his arms proudly.
<P>"Main generator distributor targeted. Ready and...fire!" Miryhn said, pressing a button on his console. Three laser cannons on bottom of the ship fired at the broad bottom side of the Valkyr and an explosion erupted from the side of it.
<P>"Thanks, guys. The gravity generator shut down, I can move this thing easier now," Vera said, her LEV taking off in the now zero gravity cargo hold, dragging the container behind her.
<P>"That'll teach him to fuck with our wrecks. Pick up Vera and get the hell outta here, Miryhn," Jim commanded. He then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
<P>"You ok, captain?" Nash said, glaring at Jim.
<P>"Just fine, Nash. I'm just glad this all worked out. We're gonna be rich!" Jim replied in between ecstatic laughter.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>Vera climbed out of her LEV and hopped down to the floor of the hangar. She looked back at the two-story tall container as she pulled her helmet off and curiosity took her.
<P>"What the hell did they have me grab? Is this Nash's supposed 'motherlode of high-grade'?" she said, approaching the container. She placed her hand on the side of it and stood silently. She looked over and noticed a small crack in the container and a control panel. She walked over to it and placed a hand on the control panel, trying to find a button or something like it to open the container. "No one would care if I opened it right now. This isn't some Christmas present or something," she said with a smile. She glanced left and right, then fiddled with the control panel.
<P>It had a series of three buttons in a row above a small LCD screen. She rubbed her chin and looked at it dumbstruck. She pressed the three buttons in random order and the panel seemed to come to life with light.
<P>'Ruler of war and fertility, the name is needed,' the screen read. 'Please state password,' it continued.
<P>"War and fertility...what the hell?" she said, puzzled.
<P>"What about 'war and fertility'?" Nash's voice said from behind.
<P>"Yeah, what's all this about?" Jim's voice chimed in.
<P>"Oh, yeah, you see...I was trying to open it and it's confusing me here and-," Vera stammered.
<P>"You were trying to figure out the solution, right?" Nash finished for her.
<P>"Who the hell puts such a pathetic riddle in place for a lock on a container?" Jim said, tossing his cigarette butt on the ground and rubbing it out.
<P>"It's simple too. War and fertility most likely means some sort of god from an ancient civilization on Earth," Nash stated.
<P>"Shit, I don't know anything about that. You two figure it out and tell me what you find," Jim said, and then left out the door.
<P>"What a lazy-ass," Vera said, shaking her head.
<P>"He can't see how impatient he's being with those dollar signs in his eyes," Nash said, pacing in front of the container. He stared up at it the whole time.
<P>"What's that saying mean anyways?" Vera said, leaning on the container.
<P>"Don't know," Nash said, shaking his head. "But I have an idea for the password. I remember a civilization called the Romans from Earth. They had a god called...Mars!" Nash yelled at the container. It didn't respond.
<P>"Damn, if that didn't work, I dunno what will. I know a few more gods, but they're for other stuff," Nash said, putting a hand on his hip as he stared at the container.
<P>"What about some other civiliazations?" Miryhn said, walking in. He walked with a slouch and with his hands were in his pockets.
<P>"Aren't you suppose to be piloting?" Vera said.
<P>"I told Jim I had it on autopilot," Miryhn said, pointing this thumb back toward the bridge.
<P>"I thought the autopilot broke two weeks ago," Nash said, glancing at Miryhn.
<P>Miryhn laughed arrogantly. "That's what he doesn't know," Miryhn said with a smug grin.
<P>"Great, we're gonna crash," Vera groaned.
<P>"Nah, I'll only be here a minute. I was just curious," Miryhn replied, inspecting the container. He paced slowly around it and folded his arms behind his back as he looked up and down it.
<P>"Any idea on what god was in charge of 'war and fertility'?" Nash asked, folding his arms behind his head.
<P>"Damn, that could be any. There's tons of old gods and goddesses and tons of mythologies to search through, right?" Miryhn said, leaning over at the container.
<P>"Yeah, but what one other than Mars was in charge of that?" Vera said, crossing her arms over her chest.
<P>"Well, I played some game a while ago about the Norse. They had their own mythology, 'ya know. I think there was some chick that was in control of war or something. Her name was Freya," Miryhn rambled.
<P>With that, the panel made a noise and a loud, metallic noise came from the inside of the container. The sound of an interior motor sounded and the sides of the container opened a little. A large slit opened on each of the four sides, wide enough for entry.
<P>Miryhn, Vera, and Nash all watched in shock. They then looked at each other. Vera was the first to dart inside the container, followed by Miryhn and Nash. Vera stopped cold only a few feet from the opening and stared upward in awe.
<P>"What? What is it?" Nash yelled, glancing around. He noticed Vera's wide-eyed staring and looked up as well.
<P>"Huh, what do 'ya know?" Miryhn said, typically unimpressed by the sight.
<P>"It's an...an Orbital Frame!" Vera said, dazed.
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<CENTER><I>"All hail to the thief" - Radiohead, from "2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm)"</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>Vera clumsily slipped on her helmet. A few strands of hair fell in front of her face and tickled at her nose. She whined to herself and pulled off the helmet to adjust her hair again.
<P>"Figures I have to be the only one in my family to get the recessive 'thin-hair' gene," she lamented as she put her helmet on again.
<P>"Haven't you started that thing up yet? Get going!" Jim yelled over the LEV's intercom.
<P>"I'm going, I'm going!" Vera yelled back. She grumbled to herself and flicked a few switches on.
<P>"Good morning. Please enter your user number," a voice said out of the console.
<P>Vera whined to herself again and input her user number.
<P>"Welcome, pilot Ver-ah," the computer replied, mispronouncing her name.
<P>"Piece of shit. It's Vare-UH, VARE-UH!" she yelled back, correcting it.
<P>The computer replied with a quiet hum. Vera groaned.
<P>"Ok, I'm ready, Jim," Vera said, gripping the control sticks.
<P>"Excellent, move over to the starboard hatch and get ready," Jim commanded.
<P>Vera walked the LEV over to the circular hatch on one side of the hangar. Jim and Nash were already standing there in their spacesuits, each with a pack over their shoulder.
<P>"Still having problems with version three point five?" Nash asked with a chuckle.
<P>"Shuttup," Vera replied.
<P>"Miryhn, we there yet?" Jim asked over the radio.
<P>"Yep, we have visual!" Miryhn exclaimed, tilting the handheld radio back in his hand from his ear.
<P>The frontal thrusters fired and the ship came to a stop beside the wreck. Miryhn inspected it slowly front to back.
<P>"Ready yet?" Jim said.
<P>"Chill, captain, we just got here!" Miryhn replied with annoyance. He placed the radio down and leaned in on the monitors of the exterior cameras.
<P>The ship was dark gray, scarred with black areas from high-powered laser beams and deep ruts where the laser actually melted a rift in the metal. The glass of the cockpit was smashed open and most of the windows on the side of the wreck were deeply cracked or completely busted out. As the Entropy slowly encompassed the wreck, Miryhn saw a large section of the port cargo area ripped out. It was only about two stories in length, but Miryhn had never heard of a LEV with the kind of strength to open ship hulls. Nothing but a cutting laser could have opened that rift. Even odder was the fact that the rift was crudely welded shut, so much that Miryhn could see the gaping holes, big enough for a small animal to crawl through.
<P>"Alright, I'll find a spot and launch the entry-tube. You guys just sit tight," Miryhn said over the radio.
<P>Miryhn grabbed a control stick on the left side of the control riser and flicked on a small monitor near it. With the stick he guided the starboard entry-tube out of its compartment on the side of the Entropy and into the direction of the wreck.
<P>"Ready yet?" Jim said impatiently.
<P>"I haven't even fired the fucking tube, captain. Wait for me to say when to go!" Miryhn snapped, holding the radio closely to his face. He sneered and tossed it on to the right console.
<P>"Ok, ok, but hurry up!" Jim replied.
<P>"Now, one thing my grandpa always taught me was..." Miryhn said to himself as he guided the tube along the side of the wreck. "That when you go fishing..." he continued, extending the tube slowly into the side of the wreck. A dull, metallic thud sounded from the tap against the hull. "Is that you have to find..." he continued, moving to another spot. This time when he tapped the hull with the tube, a hollow and resonant boom sounded. "The right...spot!" Miryhn said as he smashed the extension button down. The port ship thrusters fired as the starboard entry-tube plunged into the hull with a loud, ear-piercing metal squeal. Miryhn let off the button and the thrusters stopped and the tube stopped moving.
<P>"Shit, made enough noise?" Nash said over the radio.
<P>"You're in, guys," Miryhn said, leaning back in the chair, his job for now being done. "This wreck must be really fresh. The centripetal turbine is still coasting. You have some simulated gravity in there," Miryhn added, reaching for a bag of pretzels.
<P>"Ok, good. Let's get our asses in there!" Jim ordered.
<P>Vera's LEV was the first down the entry-tube, followed by Jim and Nash doing a light jog down it.
<P>"You know the drill, Miryhn. Keep that long-range radar up. But most importantly, don't nod off!" Jim said strictly.
<P>"No problemo, el presidente!" Miryhn said jokingly while doing a military salute in midair. He ripped open the bag of pretzels and propped the radio up on the right console.
<P>"Sarcastic son of a bitch I hired, eh?" Jim said, exiting the entry-tube and taking a few steps inside the cargo hold.
<P>"No doubt about it," Vera commented, the LEV hovering toward a stack of crates.
<P>"Split up and search. These large-class freighters are nothing but one big cargo hold. God knows what we'll find here," Jim commanded.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>Nash split up from them and left for the aft of the ship. He had been searching for ten minutes through what seemed like a labyrinth of sealed crates. He sat on the ground and opened his pack.
<P>"Eye-searching is hard. Let's try the perimeter scanner," Nash said, taking a laptop and a small dome-shaped object out. He placed it on top of a crate in the open space above him and plugged it into the laptop. Nash yawned as the computer booted up.
<P>"Vera, how's your end?" he heard Jim ask Vera over the radio.
<P>"No good, just boxes and more boxes. Looks like Cam was talking out his ass again," Vera said, the sound of crates being moved by the LEV in the background.
<P>"There's gotta be something here!" Jim replied.
<P>"We'll find out in just a moment, folks," Nash said over the radio.
<P>"What do 'ya mean?" Jim asked with curiosity.
<P>"Running a perimeter scan. This search is just taking too long," Nash said, firing up the scanner program.
<P>"Good thinking. I don't think there's anything here for the scanner to fuck with. All the electronics are dead," Jim said, the sound of a crate being crowbarred open in the background of his radio.
<P>"Hmm..." Nash hummed as he stared at the screen. The scanner worked perfectly, displaying a map of the entire cargo hold. It then ran a few color-coated clouds and markers over the map. "Holy shit, captain!" Nash yelled.
<P>"What now?" Jim said, still crowbarring crates open.
<P>"Low-grade Metatron to your back-left. Tons of it. Plus a few traces of high-grade," Nash said excitedly, briefly studying the map.
<P>Vera cheered happily. "I'm all over that! Head'in your way, Jim!" she said, the sound of her LEV thrusters in the background.
<P>"Hot damn! You're a savior, Nash!" Jim praised. The sound of heavy footsteps was in the background, followed by the sound of him struggling to crowbar open a crate.
<P>"No snide comments, Miryhn? No quick quips or condescending bullshit?" Nash said arrogantly.
<P>Miryhn only replied with the sound of crunching pretzels.
<P>"Come on, say something! You know you can't pick on me about this!" Nash whined.
<P>"Didn't I say ignoring you made you shut up?" Miryhn said in between chews.
<P>Nash sighed and flicked off the headset of his helmet, mouthing 'fuck you'.
<P>"Leave 'em alone, I want both of you ready to get the hell outta here at any moment. God knows when Diaz or the cops or something will show up," Jim said sternly.
<P>"Yeah, yeah, gotcha Captain. I'm gonna check out the area with the high-grade Meta," Nash said, packing up his laptop and dome array. He began walking in the indicated direction of the high-grade Metatron.
<P>As he rounded a row of crates, he approached the wall parallel to where Jim and Vera were. He pulled a flashlight out of the pack and inspected the crates along the wall. As he carefully examined the stacks, he spotted a ceiling-high container behind a wall of crates. It was about two stories tall and the opening had been ripped open violently. Melted steel and several jagged edges showed that a high-powered cutting laser had been used and then the object or objects inside had been forcibly drawn out. Nash pondered whether in a struggle or whether in a hurry. He hopped over a low spot in the wall and approached the ceiling-high containers.
<P>He stuck his head inside the large, jagged opening of the container. He pointed the flashlight inside, but the light wasn't powerful enough to reach the back wall. Nash involuntarily walked inside the container, silent and awestruck. Flecks of shining high-grade Metatron were littered along the floor and walls. Above him, the jagged rips in the container walls let in what little light was in the cargo hold, making a reflective light show inside the container.
<P>However, besides the flecks, the container had just empty space. Nash snapped out of his awe and left the container. He shook his head again to clear out the rest of his wonderment and turned to inspect the outside of the container. He took out his laptop again and took out the stylus. He took down and drew any and all markings and numbers on the exterior of the container.
<P>"Hey, Nash, where the hell are you? We got a pretty good load of low-grade Meta and some scrap shit," Jim said over the radio, startling Nash.
<P>"Sorry, captain, I found something interesting. Come take a look real quick," he said, turning off the laptop and placing it back in his pack.
<P>"Alright, but it better be good. I have a bad feeling about sticking around," Jim said.
<P>"I loaded what I could on the LEV, captain. Want me to come?" Vera asked.
<P>"Naw, dump all that off in the hangar. We'll be right there," Jim replied.
<P>Nash had been ignoring the radio since he last spoke. He had taken interest in the two spots beside the container. He carefully examined each square and noticed the size of each. It seemed as though two more containers were there along with the open one he just inspected.
<P>"What the hell went on here?" Nash said to himself softly.
<P>"This is what you were blubbering to me about?" Jim asked, standing behind him.
<P>Nash leapt up, startled again by Jim's arrival. "Y-yeah. This container, captain. It looks suspicious. So do these two spots next to it. I think this was the main prize of this haul," Nash said, knocking on the container wall.
<P>"Well, I don't see shit in that thing, so hurry up and let's get outta here," Jim said, folding his arms as he inspected the container.
<P>"This was the high-grade Metatron I mentioned. It's in this thing. But it's all just flecks of it," Nash said, hiking his pack strap up his shoulder a bit.
<P>"Woop-de-doo, it's not here anymore. Let's go," Jim commanded impatiently, rocking his thumb toward the direction of the entry-tube.
<P>"I guess you're right. I was excited over nothing," Nash said, disappointed.
<P>"Don't worry about it. We got a reasonable amount of cash coming with just that low-grade shit," Jim said, throwing an arm around Nash's shoulders as they started walking toward the entry-tube. "I guess we underestimated Cam."
<P>"Probably more so than we thought," Nash said under his breath, glancing back at the containers.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Back so soon?" Miryhn said, taking his feet off the console and on the riser floor. The others came in, dressed out of their spacesuits.
<P>"Just some low-grade Meta. No big deal," Vera said, fixing her hair up from it being in the helmet.
<P>"That'll buy us a reasonable amount. I guess Cam was getting in a tizzy over nothing," Jim said, plopping down in his seat and lighting up.
<P>"All thanks to me..." Nash said, folding his arms.
<P>"Yeah, yeah, thanks kid. You did good," Jim complimented indifferently.
<P>"Get the hell outta here?" Miryhn asked while retracting the entry-tube and placing it back inside the ship through its control panel.
<P>"Yeah, just go. Head back to Erigan. We'll cash in our haul with Jose. He'll give us some free fuel for all this low-grade Meta," Jim said disappointedly.
<P>"If we're about to make so much money, why are you sad captain?" Vera asked compassionately.
<P>Jim made a fake pouting noise. "I just wish that high-grade was usable," he said, faking to cry.
<P>"Hate to interrupt the warm and fuzzy feeling, but we have an S.O.S. call," Miryhn said, tossing the crumbled up pretzel bag on the floor of the bridge.
<P>"Ignore it. I wanna get outta here," Jim said, waving his hand around aimlessly.
<P>"Captain, it's from the Valkyr," Miryhn said, raising his eyebrows.
<P>"What? Put it through then!" Jim said, sitting up in his seat instantly.
<P>"Somehow it doesn't surprise me that he'd say that," Nash said quietly. Vera giggled at his comment. Miryhn hit a button on the console and a video window popped up in midair across the canopy of the bridge.
<P>"This is the freighter Valkyr. I'm taking fire from a squad of automated security LEV units that attacked me when I passed by that wreck a little while back. I'm going to be shot down soon. My weapons can only hold them out so long! Please, help me kind senor or senorita that receives this message!" the video screen of Diaz said in his smooth, tenor Latino voice.
<P>"Ha! Diaz is in trouble! Serves him right! Let's get going back to Erigan," Jim said, leaning back in his chair.
<P>"He's not that far. I can pick up his vapor trails. From what I'm picking up here. he's obviously been crawling around in that wreck," Nash said, examining a monitor beside him.
<P>"Say what? Shit, he probably picked all the good stuff out ot that wreck! Go after him, we'll help him!" Jim ordered.
<P>"You sure, captain? We're not exactly combat-ready," Miryhn said, taking the ship controls and pulling the throttle back.
<P>"If we help him, he'll owe us. This is perfect," Jim said with a pleased chuckle. "Besides, with Vera's master LEV piloting and the recent pack of missiles Floyd gave us a good deal on, we can take down a few measly LEVs," he added braggingly.
<P>"I guess you have some sort of extortion plan cooked up already, eh captain?" Vera said with a sigh. She loathed having to go deal with her navigation computer again.
<P>"Damn straight! Everyone prepare battle stations, we're gonna go pirating!" Jim said excitedly.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Ernie, what the hell are we gonna do? Missile batteries one through three have been exhausted and there's still five Phantomas left!" the man to the front-left of Ernest's command console said.
<P>"I don't care! Keep firing, senor Martin!" Ernest snapped. He gritted his teeth and stared at each of the external camera monitors.
<P>"Phil, don't fire to the stern. Some other ship is coming into our range!" the woman on the front-right said, busying herself pressing buttons and viewing monitors surrounding her post.
<P>"April, I know. You don't have to keep us updated on every little thing," Phil Martin snapped, leaning a little ways out of the platform he was on to the front-left of Ernest.
<P>An explosion erupted from the back of the ship and the three crewmen were thrown forward. Ernest's three platinum necklaces jingled as they hit his half-buttoned Hawaiian-shirt chest. He frowned and straightened them out before they got caught in his fur of chest hair. A maelstrom of machine gun fire followed the explosion from several directions.
<P>Ernest cussed in Spanish. "Can we outrun them? I know it's asking much considering how lacking we are on fuel."
<P>"Hard to say. They shot out engine two and sub-thrusters four through seven. It'll be tricky," April reported, surveying a long display vid-window.
<P>"Wait, that ship on our stern is speeding up. I think they got the S.O.S.," Phil said, watching the radar before launching another missile battery.
<P>"Open communications, now!" Ernest demanded.
<P>"Com-link established, opening vid-window," April said in a monotone.
<P>The vid-window opened to an image of a close-up of Miryhn's face.
<P>"Shit, this thing is acting up again! Just a sec, captain," Miryhn said. The vid-window adjusted twice and switched to Jim.
<P>"Ah, compadre! Hello, senor Hauser!" Ernest said, brown-nosing.
<P>"Now what did I tell you about stealing my wrecks? Have you forgotten that I vulture Cam's wrecks and not anyone else?" Jim said with a small grin.
<P>"My apologies, senor, I was given the task of finding that wreck by an outside source. I don't care for you or your words of greed," Ernest replied bitterly.
<P>"Outside source? Shit, you work'in the mobs now? Who? The mafia? Yakuza? Triads?" Jim said, his grin growing a bit.
<P>"That is none of your business, senor," Ernest replied bitterly.
<P>"Alright, look, since we're old pals and all, I'll help you outta this jam. But in exchange, I get something from your cargo, deal?" Jim said, folding his arms.
<P>Ernest took a deep breath and thought it over briefly. Another explosion rocked the ship and several buzzers and lights went off. April whined loudly as her fingers were heard tapping faster and faster. Phil pounded another missile batter launch button and cussed to himself.
<P>"Alright, senor, deal," Ernest replied quietly.
<P>"What's that? Don't help? Sure, no problem, see 'ya later!" Jim said, waving.
<P>"No! I said it's a deal!" Ernest yelled.
<P>"Oh, well, why didn't you say so the first time?" Jim said jokingly.
<P>"Rot in hell, Ender," Ernest said under his breath.
<P>"My associate will be there in a moment. For now, brace for any impact," Jim said, cutting off the vid-window.
<P>"What did that mean?" Phil said, feverishly viewing the combat situation.
<P>"I don't know, I wish I...MISSILES! SIX O'CLOCK!" April cried out.
<P>A flurry of missiles flew past the bridge canopy, exploding suddenly all around the ship. The hull creaked loudly, but no damage was reported on the monitors.
<P>"Damn, that was incredibly accurate," Phil said, viewing the radar again. "They shot down two of 'em!"
<P>"Knowing senor Hauser, that was luck," Ernest said bitterly.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Damnit, the cheap ones are useless!" Jim said, slamming his fist onto the armrest.
<P>"We got two of 'em. Isn't that good enough?" Nash asked innocently.
<P>"Nash, those were Kaparov 7-20's. They're the most accurate missiles with homing capabilities on the black market for the cheapest price available," Miryhn explained.
<P>"Then why the hell did they only hit two?" Jim asked in a fury.
<P>"Because their locking sensors probably locked onto each other. We launched far too many at once," Miryhn explained.
<P>"Who's idea was that?" Jim asked, still furious.
<P>"Yours. You told me to put twenty fucking missiles in a battery, so I did!" Miryhn replied angrily.
<P>"Why didn't you tell me they'd do that?" Jim snapped.
<P>"I told you three times!" Miryhn replied, still angrily.
<P>"Captain, there's no use worrying about it now. Let's just hope Vera can finish the last three off," Nash interrupted.
<P>"Yeah, you're right. We'll fix the missile batteries later. Until then, support her with some lasers or some shit," Jim said, leaning back and lighting up another cigarette.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Alright, it's go-time!" Vera said confidently as her LEV left the hangar of the Entropy.
<P>The LEV dropped out the hangar door and she fired the thrusters. She maneuvered around the Entropy and flew toward the Valkyr.
<P>"You have no chance to survive, assholes, make your time!" she said as she raised the LEV's assault rifle.
<P>"What the hell are you talking about in there?" Miryhn's voice said over the radio.
<P>"Huh? Oh, nevermind. It was nothing," Vera said, trying to avoid the subject.
<P>"Reduce speed. You may crash," the LEV's computer said in a monotone.
<P>"Shut the hell up!" she said, focusing more on combat. Flying up to the Valkyr, she stopped the LEV on top of the ship and aimed carefully. "Have some of this!" she yelled and opened fire on one of the enemies coming from the bow of the ship. The LEV exploded and several parts of it drifted by her. She caught a brief glimpse of the remains. "Huh, they're unmanned? Oh well, two more. Just two more," she said quietly.
<P>"One coming from the engines, watch your back!" Miryhn yelled over the radio.
<P>"Covered!" she said, bringing the rifle toward the back, opening fire again. This LEV avoided the stream of fire and flew straight at her. Vera gritted her teeth and stopped firing. She threw her LEV's hand out in front and caught the enemy by the head of the LEV.
<P>"And denied!" she exclaimed, tossing the enemy off the side of the ship. She opened fire again and riddled it with bullets until it exploded.
<P>"Now where's lucky number three?" she said with a small chuckle.
<P>"Senorita! Watch out! I have one more missile salvo!" Ernest's voice said over the radio.
<P>"What?" she said. Just then, another battery of missiles launched out the side of the Valkyr. Vera screamed and ducked the LEV down onto the hull of the Valkyr. She watched as the salvo flew out in all directions.
<P>"He's above, look out!" Miryhn yelled over the radio.
<P>Vera let out another scream and thrusted the rifle into the air. She opened fire again and watched as missiles streaked around her. She pinched her eyes shut, clenched her teeth and whined meekly.
<P>"You're missing entirely! Look where you're aiming!" Miryhn yelled.
<P>"Sorry about that. I freaked out there," she said as she stood the LEV up.
<P>The enemy LEV flew down at her and fired from its machine gun. Vera thruster-jumped away, but the fire caught the left leg.
<P>"Leg d-d-d-d-d-d-d-damage. Please exercise c-c-c-c-cau-caution," the computer said in its usual robotic monotone.
<P>"Didn't I just tell you to shut the fuck up?" Vera snapped at it. She growled and fired once more at the enemy LEV. Her aim was true enough and it exploded from only a few rounds.
<P>"Good work! Now, keep his end of the deal for us, won't you, Vera?" Jim said coyly over the radio.
<P>"A-okay, boss!" she said, opening the cutting laser on the left hand of her LEV. She put the LEV's hand to the top of the Valkyr and opened a hole large enough for her to get in.
<P>"Senor Hauser, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Ernest said, opening another vid-window within the Entropy's bridge.
<P>"Just making sure you don't backstab me after helping you. It's a...business measure, if I may call it that," Jim said, pressing a button that force-closed Ernest's window.
<P>"Alright, captain, what do we want?" Vera said, turning on the video feed from the cockpit of her LEV.
<P>"Not sure. Nash, run a scan," Jim said, laughing quietly to himself in greed.
<P>Nash whistled. "He's loaded with high-grade Meta. In some of those crates I can detect small traces of titanium and organic substances," Nash said, examining his computer monitor.
<P>"Still pushing weapons and drugs, eh Ernest?" Jim said with a chuckle.
<P>"Captain, see anything you like?" Vera said, slightly impatiently.
<P>"Nash, what do you recommend?" Jim said, taking a puff of his cigarette and dabbing the ash off into the ashtray.
<P>"Well..." Nash said, carefully watching Vera's monitor. Vera's camera passed by a container not unlike the one he saw back in the wreck. His eyes widened and he scrambled to grab his laptop out of his pack. He opened it and opened the art files he made from the sides of the container. The symbols matched perfectly and Nash grinned in excitement.
<P>"Hurry up, Nash!" Miryhn yelled, his hand aching to press a button on the console.
<P>"Captain, tell her to grab that container. That one, right there!" Nash said, grinning widely.
<P>"Huh? Why? It's just orange and big. It looks like a container for shipping cars," Jim said, unimpressed.
<P>"It looks just like that one back on the wreck that I said had all that high-grade Meta! Take it, take it, take it! We'll be rich!" Nash said, giddy as a schoolboy.
<P>Jim laughed. "Psh, alright, alright. Vera, grab that orange thing. Nash thinks it's the motherlode," Jim said, adjusting himself in the seat.
<P>Vera's LEV latched onto the container. "Got it, boss!" she replied.
<P>"Ok, Miryhn, put that son of a bitch's ship to rest," Jim said, folding his arms proudly.
<P>"Main generator distributor targeted. Ready and...fire!" Miryhn said, pressing a button on his console. Three laser cannons on bottom of the ship fired at the broad bottom side of the Valkyr and an explosion erupted from the side of it.
<P>"Thanks, guys. The gravity generator shut down, I can move this thing easier now," Vera said, her LEV taking off in the now zero gravity cargo hold, dragging the container behind her.
<P>"That'll teach him to fuck with our wrecks. Pick up Vera and get the hell outta here, Miryhn," Jim commanded. He then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
<P>"You ok, captain?" Nash said, glaring at Jim.
<P>"Just fine, Nash. I'm just glad this all worked out. We're gonna be rich!" Jim replied in between ecstatic laughter.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>Vera climbed out of her LEV and hopped down to the floor of the hangar. She looked back at the two-story tall container as she pulled her helmet off and curiosity took her.
<P>"What the hell did they have me grab? Is this Nash's supposed 'motherlode of high-grade'?" she said, approaching the container. She placed her hand on the side of it and stood silently. She looked over and noticed a small crack in the container and a control panel. She walked over to it and placed a hand on the control panel, trying to find a button or something like it to open the container. "No one would care if I opened it right now. This isn't some Christmas present or something," she said with a smile. She glanced left and right, then fiddled with the control panel.
<P>It had a series of three buttons in a row above a small LCD screen. She rubbed her chin and looked at it dumbstruck. She pressed the three buttons in random order and the panel seemed to come to life with light.
<P>'Ruler of war and fertility, the name is needed,' the screen read. 'Please state password,' it continued.
<P>"War and fertility...what the hell?" she said, puzzled.
<P>"What about 'war and fertility'?" Nash's voice said from behind.
<P>"Yeah, what's all this about?" Jim's voice chimed in.
<P>"Oh, yeah, you see...I was trying to open it and it's confusing me here and-," Vera stammered.
<P>"You were trying to figure out the solution, right?" Nash finished for her.
<P>"Who the hell puts such a pathetic riddle in place for a lock on a container?" Jim said, tossing his cigarette butt on the ground and rubbing it out.
<P>"It's simple too. War and fertility most likely means some sort of god from an ancient civilization on Earth," Nash stated.
<P>"Shit, I don't know anything about that. You two figure it out and tell me what you find," Jim said, and then left out the door.
<P>"What a lazy-ass," Vera said, shaking her head.
<P>"He can't see how impatient he's being with those dollar signs in his eyes," Nash said, pacing in front of the container. He stared up at it the whole time.
<P>"What's that saying mean anyways?" Vera said, leaning on the container.
<P>"Don't know," Nash said, shaking his head. "But I have an idea for the password. I remember a civilization called the Romans from Earth. They had a god called...Mars!" Nash yelled at the container. It didn't respond.
<P>"Damn, if that didn't work, I dunno what will. I know a few more gods, but they're for other stuff," Nash said, putting a hand on his hip as he stared at the container.
<P>"What about some other civiliazations?" Miryhn said, walking in. He walked with a slouch and with his hands were in his pockets.
<P>"Aren't you suppose to be piloting?" Vera said.
<P>"I told Jim I had it on autopilot," Miryhn said, pointing this thumb back toward the bridge.
<P>"I thought the autopilot broke two weeks ago," Nash said, glancing at Miryhn.
<P>Miryhn laughed arrogantly. "That's what he doesn't know," Miryhn said with a smug grin.
<P>"Great, we're gonna crash," Vera groaned.
<P>"Nah, I'll only be here a minute. I was just curious," Miryhn replied, inspecting the container. He paced slowly around it and folded his arms behind his back as he looked up and down it.
<P>"Any idea on what god was in charge of 'war and fertility'?" Nash asked, folding his arms behind his head.
<P>"Damn, that could be any. There's tons of old gods and goddesses and tons of mythologies to search through, right?" Miryhn said, leaning over at the container.
<P>"Yeah, but what one other than Mars was in charge of that?" Vera said, crossing her arms over her chest.
<P>"Well, I played some game a while ago about the Norse. They had their own mythology, 'ya know. I think there was some chick that was in control of war or something. Her name was Freya," Miryhn rambled.
<P>With that, the panel made a noise and a loud, metallic noise came from the inside of the container. The sound of an interior motor sounded and the sides of the container opened a little. A large slit opened on each of the four sides, wide enough for entry.
<P>Miryhn, Vera, and Nash all watched in shock. They then looked at each other. Vera was the first to dart inside the container, followed by Miryhn and Nash. Vera stopped cold only a few feet from the opening and stared upward in awe.
<P>"What? What is it?" Nash yelled, glancing around. He noticed Vera's wide-eyed staring and looked up as well.
<P>"Huh, what do 'ya know?" Miryhn said, typically unimpressed by the sight.
<P>"It's an...an Orbital Frame!" Vera said, dazed.
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