Chapter 1: Fetching The Deer

"Captain.... I'm picking up a faint reading... looks to be about 50 clicks off port. A debris field." Creek motioned for the Captain to take a look.

* * *

"Salvage. After all this, I'm after SALVAGE? You're kidding, right?" Nate looked absolutely peeved. He'd pissed off his CEO somethin awful (This translates into one giant middle finger and yelling of the yellow-bellied variety), and now his most loyal soldier was telling him he was going to be the new Captain of a salvage vessel. A 20 year old, derelict salvage vessel. Lisa Fish had gotten word of a merchant selling this ship for dirt cheap.

"Nope. It's salvage or the alliance. And I heard they got it in for you, Cap'n. Especially that finger of yours," winked Lisa.

* * *

"I don't like this... I don't like this one bit. Any other ships around, or are we it?" This was one giant debris field which should have been picked up a long time ago.

"I've run some passive scans, but it's cold so far. No ships." Creek answered carefully, as she was still thumbing away at the controls. Everything was checking out. No heat... no sign of any life... no sign of anything at all, really. Except of course the large chunks of metal, at least a month old.

"What was it?"

"Whatever it was... it was very big..." More thumbing of controls, followed by a few computer calculations. "Hmm.... interesting"

"Shin-shee, stop ho-haaing and spit it out."

"It 'twas an Alliance Transport. Large... very large. About six times the size of the Mariner... yup, no doubt about it. See that hull plate over there? I recognize the marking."

"The hell could happen to an alliance ship without drawing a cruiser to clean it up?" thought Nate. Unsettled, but damn well not letting the crew see that, he switched the button for intra-ship comm. "This is the captain. Lisa, Hadjet... get up to the bridge." Several seconds later their footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs to the bridge.

"What's up, cap'n?" The always cheerful Lisa walked over to