Scavenger

The slight in and out hiss filling the absence of sound in space is quite calming. It reminds me of Star Wars. Darth Vader. Maybe not the most calming of presences, but it reminds me of a better time. Sitting in my orbital pod, warm and cozy, hooked into internet I was siphoning off a nearby planet.  Before I got myself into this mess.

The rusty metal of the ship gives way to a sizable hole in the hull. The light from my helmet lamp goes far in the blackness of space. But it looks weird out here. Bouncing off the shiny interior of the cargo ship with nothing else in its path. It’s too white. It looks stale. Medical.

The crew seem to have escaped. At least there’s no bodies here. There’s a mess hall though. The unmistakeable bolted-in benches and chairs, with tiny little sanitary salt and pepper floating near the wreckage. A red blob hangs nearby. I hope its from a broken ketchup bottle.

Whatever hit it must’ve been big.

The wreck was the cargo ship UFP Korvatal. A distress call was sent out nearly four days before. Oddly enough it was floating just outside federation space. Free cargo for anyone fast enough to find it. Federation couldn’t… or wouldn’t even stop you.

That was until you decided to go back into Federation space. It was a risky job, but the potential payout was huge. I would be able to pay off my rent, maybe even buy a place on a little moon somewhere with low taxes. No one would bother me who couldn’t be scared off with a few well-placed landmines. That’s the dream.

Hey everyone! had this image in my head of a scavenger sitting outside a big cargo ship, waiting to go inside. That’s what I tried to write about tonight, hope you enjoyed it!