The Argo was hanging motionless adjacent to the Shikoku jumpgate in Kepler. Running cloaked, the ship was waiting for any traffic that might be heading in or out of the system. The trade routes between Liberty and Kusari were the old faithful of supply lines, and could always be counted on to produce convoy's rich with goods.
After watching his fuel burn away minute by minute, Antares paced on board the bridge of the ship, strumming his chin occasionally. Suddenly, the scanner chirped indicating ships, and he turned his attention out the view port to the jumpgate. Three transports had appeared with a flash, and were starting to form up. Antares raised his hand to Jonas and bid him to hold. As the ships approached the trade lane, Jonas moved the ship closer to the rings. Antares sat in his chair with a plunk and hit a button on one of its arms, dropping the cloak. The turrets followed a burst on the rings causing it to overload. The ship began to move around and encircle the group.
After a few tense minutes, the lead ship agreed to pay a standard 'toll'. They took off towards Ames and Antares silently signaled for the cloak. The ship entered the lane as it disappeared and shot towards the station as well.
After dropping out, the ship veered away from the station and went to cruise, off towards the gap between dark matter nebulas, on the way to the Galileo jumphole.
"Alright we'll keep this heading a few more minutes then head back to Blackport 66. Good job gentlemen, a decent patrol for today. " Antares spoke loudly over the sound of the engines roaring. At that moment, the scanner once again began to chirp. The crew all looked up and at each other in anticipation of another target, and what the captain might do. Jonas and Rister both climbed over the scanner screen to get the details.
"Something on scanner sir, not far, on the edge of the nebula. But..." Rister called out with a scratchy voice, and hesitated.
"But?"
"Well it ain't movin' sir. It's just sitting there." Rister finished.
"Aye sir, thermals show no heat or energy signatures. Not from here. Pretty cold chuck o' metal by the looks!" Jonas reported.
"Dammit" Antares spoke aloud. He knew what it could be. People rarely left space garbage out here long. New wrecks are few and far between due to more modern tracking technology. "Lay in a course and take us in, drop the cloak for now".
The ship appeared again and its flood lights engaged illuminating the bow of the ship. As it approached the object, the glimmer of light from the surrounding lighting was catching on its metal surface.
"Close range scanning now sir. Shows as a...well I'll be! Its an old Starflier sir! Dead cold, and looks beat up, but intact." Jonas read.
"Now where did this come from?" Antares thought aloud, "Well this is something. Alright folks get the tow cables locked onto it pronto. We'll haul it back to the Blackport for now. I'll throw it at Sunny, he'll figure out where this clunker is from. He'll deal with it. Get moving, you know how I hate bein' caught out in the open!" he finally barked.
The men got moving and in a few minutes the ship was back to getting under way, albeit slowly. With the thick rock density of the clouad, hauling a fighter behind you was no easy task. Too bad Argo's bay couldn't hold her he thought. A whole fighter was just too big.
Not long later they waddled into sight of the station, and made for the closest landing bay. It had been quite a day, with quite a haul. Not only that but finding a jockey to dump the wreck on would be a piece of cake...he hoped.
As the ship came down onto its repulsor pad, and tractor beams took a hold of the starflier, Antares reached up from his seat to grab a hand held mic wired to the ceiling. He keyed in,
"Station controller, this is Captain Antares of the Argo. Get on the {AFC}- channel and get me Sunny...I've got something I think will be up his alley..."