"The AP-12400 Bounty Hunter Bomber is the newest vessel in the AP Manufacturing shipline. Utilizing the breakthrough technology of lateral-vent thrusters, it out-turns the majority of ships in its class. With an increased power supply, the 12400 is able to mount an unheard of amount of fighter-class weapons. A thin profile ensures enemy fire will rarely hit, and in the unlikely event of that occuring, an extended hull capacity is featured for increased survivability. In addition..."
Those were the last words I recall clearly enough to repeat. I distinctly remember the phrase, "...completely indestructible..." being repeated over and over by the monotonous recording in the ship gallery. That phrase... that phrase forever changed my future.
"What the... what the hell do you want?", I responded, groggy and sore.
As I lazily opened my eyes, I immediately peered around the shoddy enclosure. It was a dark, warm room, with clutter covering all visible surfaces. A pungent musty smell caught my attention, but I thought nothing of it.
My head was held in place by some sort of clamp-like device, and unable to move, I panicked quickly.
"Who are you, and what did you do to me, you sick bastard?!", I yelled into the darkness. Nothing. Nothing, but that god-awful giggling sound.
"What the hell do you want?!" A sweet voice penetrated the silence. "Jeez, calm down, will ya? Here, take this..." With a quick jab, I felt a sharp prick in my neck. The pain receded abruptly. "Does that feel better?" A clicking noise from behind my head drew my attention. Surprised, I was now able to sit up. "There, now your neck should be juust fine." Unconvinced, I sharply responded. "Who are you? Where am I? Where's my ship?!" "Reeelaxxxx... The name's Olivia Satarae. This is Freeport 11, you're safe here".
A tall, lean form appeared and lit a small holo-lamp. Parting back the jet-black foot-long hair revealed a stunning figure. Her deep blue eyes seemed to twinkle at every word, and remained fixated on mine for an unnerving length of time. Those very eyes remain engraved into my memory to this day.
"No, no, you don't understand. I shouldn't even be here. I gotta go back... return to... to... Minor! Yes, that's it, California Minor! I gotta return that... that... what the hell was I doing here in the first place?"
"You mean this?" Olivia retrieved a small, purple glowing object from a wad of wrapped paper and used aluminum foil. "Ugh... I had to keep it covered, it stinks beyond belief. I found it in a small storage space in what used to be the cockpit of your ship, it seemed important, so I decided to save it."
My eyes grew wider, as I had suddenly remembered what I was here for...
"The... cruiser... Norfolk. The captain hired me, to retrieve something for him... Said it was incredibly dangerous, and offered quite a large sum. A... Cell. A Power Cell... What he needed it for is beyond me, but I was down to my last few credits, out of food, and barely enough fuel to make it across one system. Generous fellow he was, Joseph Hart, gave me a month's supply of food rations and twenty-five million credits, even before I left! I wasn't really bothered by his warnings -- after all, my ship was 'indestructible'..."
"Well, I'll wrap it back up. I'm pretty sure prolonged exposure to whatever this thing's emitting isn't healthy.", she replied in a concerned tone. "Consider yourself lucky we found you when we did... our computers calculated a 6% chance of survival upon discovery of your ship, if you could call it that. It wasn't pretty... not much more than a pile of smoking debris remained. A miracle the life support hadn't failed completely."
"My... ship. Where is it?", I asked. "We couldn't bring that thing anywhere near the Freeport. It was so heavily irradiated, our sensors were nearly disabled when we approached it. We were forced to send the remains hurtling into space, we couldn't risk it. But... I did manage to find some items, you must have tractored them in from those Praetorians you mentioned in your mayday call. Or at least I think that's what they were, the signal strength was horribly low. " From an old rack mounted on the room's wall, Olivia pulled down four lead-encased containers. They seemed particularly heavy, as she struggled to lift even one. "What are those things?", I inquired curiously. "Pulse cannons, Corsair technology. They're pretty beat up... I don't think you'll be able to use them." "Use them?!", I started to boil with rage, "How the hell can I use them? I don't even have a damn ship and now I'm stuck on this sorry excuse for a Freeport!"
"What the hell is wrong with you, Breen?", she replied, offended. Surprised, I responded. "How do you know my name?" With a laugh, she retorted, "Well, silly, you had it engraved in your cockpit's dashboard. You must have really loved that thing..."
"Well, anyway... I can try to set you up with a used ship, if that's what you want." I replied with a smug look on my face, "I'd prefer my AP-12400, shiny and new like the day it was made." All I heard was a sigh, most likely of frustration. With a beep and a whoosh, the holo-lamp dimmed and the door to the room slid open. A blinding white light flooded the enclosure. "Come with me." Olivia stepped into the bright hallway.
