I was doing a diagnostic of my ship when I found something interesting. I had taken it out for a spin. I noticed it had a special sensor which detects life. The on-board computer explained that it is called The Ampullae of Lorenzeni. Everyone who is born expels a small electrical discharge. This is called proof of life. These Ampullae can detect them. Which is why certain predators are the perfect killing machine. I asked if they could use the killing factor on special occasions. For example if someone tries to shoot at us. Other than that I would like it to restrain itself. It promised to put this into consideration. The ship flies through space lanes like it was gliding on the ocean. The previous ships I had owned experienced a tiny amount of drag even though it was barely noticeable. This one moved as though it was going with the flow. We moved along the western galactic current. It is a magnetized dust path that moves like a river but it is very rough. When I landed I saw a group of marauders talking to the captain. The leader was a three arm humanoid with the lower half of the body resembling a Suborder Serpentes. I think it might have been a spitter. The captain was trying to placate the man. But in the end they shot him. We all ran to rescue him. That was until he fell to the floor and muttered with his dying breath, "I found Nox." The guy who shot him regretted his decision. He called for a medic because he wanted the bounty. I checked him and felt his body become cold. He had died. The authorities took him to the Medical Examiner where they declared him dead.
As we walked out of the Medical Centre the marauders rounded us up for a little Q&A. The leader who had scales for skin and reptilian head and eyes. I noticed that he had no nose. He had three fingers on each hand. One arm seems to blow off at the joint. The thing wanted to know if we knew where Nox was at the present time. Everyone gave the same answer. We didn't know. He gave a roar before he gave us the death stare. He tried to see if we were lying. The doors opened and an officer came to arrest him. He tried his best to slither away. The others eyed us with suspicion as they were escorted to the detention facility. I took a deep breath. The guys promised not to mention this to anyone. The curator assigned us a new captain. A middle aged Hyperion. He is a head taller. Bronze skinned with a potbelly and balding blue hair. He was eerily calm under pressure. Curious as a child and sometimes he is opinionated. We went to the dead zone. All the electronic devices began to glitch. We had to move back an alarming distance to ensure the equipment still functioned properly. We also had to use manual tools. I wore a space suit with a carry on oxygen tank. To make sure I don't drift elsewhere I was tied up with a rope attached to a winch. There was a small propeller attached to us which forced gas to assist with steering. The others got the same treatment. The captain told us not to be heroes. Just get what we can and tug the rope. He will pull us in. We lazily floated towards the thing and saw ships that were intact but were floating helplessly as though a puppet had its string cut off. We used gas torches and wrenches to open the ships. I saw a couple of motherboards that can be sold for a high price. I went for those. The others began to surgically removed weapons.
We had to conserve oxygen. Once the alarm went off on the oxygen meter we tugged three times. He would pull us in and replace the empty oxygen tanks with ones that are full. He would log what we hauled and have us sign it in to be sure. We would go back and get whatever we could and come back again. The back and forth went several times. Once we ran out of oxygen tanks. We carefully went back to Magnus bay. The elderly curator was pleased with the goods. He asked us to get cleaned up as the maintenance crew refilled the oxygen tanks and made sure the ship was refueled and restocked for the next mission. The curator asked me if I was interested in selling the ship. I had to prove to him the ship was at least a few centuries old. The craftsmanship was pure perfection. Which is why the hull wasn't rusted or sustained any other damage other than a dead battery and fuel leakage. I managed to fix it since it was no different than the stuff from the drifter colony I lived in. He lost interest and walked away. I grinned as I walked back in and installed a water recycling system. Also a functional bathroom with a decent sized septic tank. A small bunk bed. A small closet for the meager clothes I possessed. The others watched with interest as I quietly installed a gunnery seat. I made sure the was online always and made a comm link so I can communicate with the ship to rescue me if things get ugly. We had to go on the next mission to acquire parts from the Naru ship that was left after the war spilled into their borders.
We flew in and saw a huge ship shaped like a large torpedo. It looked more like a predator since the top was painted gray and the bottom was painted white. It felt like a trap so I activated the ship and asked it to watch my movements and start shooting till it made me an exit. The ship confirmed the request and we put on the hazard suits before going out. We had to crack it from the top. The chassis was thinnest near the back. We slipped in and then floated down the corridor. The light turned suddenly and the alarm went off. The re-enforced polymorphic steel doors shut with a snap. We were trapped like a bunch of lab experiments. I looked up to see a straight tape with tiny dots lighting up every inch or so. I recognized it as a security strip. It is used for surveillance in top secret locations. I had a feeling it had something to do with half Serpentes so I made up my mind to use my engineering knowledge while avoiding any and all use of my gifts. The artificial gravity activated and we fell on the hard floor. I walked back to the door that shut behind us. I searched for a hidden panel and found one. I had to push forward then up to reveal it. The others wanted to know what was going on. I explained that this was a sick game. Someone wants to kill us all for doing this type of stuff. I cut a few wires and started crossing them. The door on the other side opened but not the one wanted. The on board computer explained that she has overridden the command so it won't matter. One way in means find another way out. I managed to hack into the system and find where the core is. I just needed to overwhelm it. If I can do that then we can leave this ship.
We heard banging and we were thrown back as the ship was cracked open like an egg. Midnight Menace has kept firing till the hull gives out. We all used the grappling hooks to connect with my ship. It pulled us out and I boarded it through the bottom which opens like a mouth. While the others boarded The Titan Hullbreacher. We flew back to Magnus bay and a very pissed off captain gave the curator a piece of his mind. The two were yelling at each till one of the others who were present decided to intervene. They were a breath away from a full on brawl. The Hyperions are known for hand to hand combat. The curator was a Paleon. His species were only interested in amassing wealth. They have no interest in fights. They thought everyone can be bought. The price varies from person to person. They were raised to believe that money can get them out of everything. What they needed was to find the sweet spot. Once the sale was complete they go their separate ways. The curator was shorter than me by a few inches. His mohawk hair was gold in color with strands of black as proof of aging. And his skin was as black as midnight. His red eyes were wide with fury as he tried to punch him. Today I learned the Captain's name. Nexus Burning. After an hour or more of yelling later. He promised to verify the place before sending us. He wasn't going to replace us since it is hard to find good help these days. Both played the staring contest and none won since they were interrupted. The pirate radio called The Radioactive was talking about the ship that were stranded on the vacuum of space. He mentioned it was a trap to get the mythological one who is called Nox. Nexus turned off the radio and gave us our next assignment.