In the cargo bay of each captured freighter, the droids and crew worked tirelessly to unload the freighters. Crates of weapons, medical supplies, and industrial equipment were carefully stacked and cataloged, each item adding to the growing arsenal of the Blitzkrieg. Ubel watched from Blitzkrieg through the eyes of a droid, the bustling activity. Ensuring that everything was proceeding as planned.
“Creed, once the cargo is secure, I want a full report on the condition of the freighters. We need to know if they can be used for future operations or if they should be scrapped for parts.”
“Understood, Commander. I’ll have the report ready and send a droid within the hour.”
As Creed moved off to oversee the inspection, Ubel turned his attention to the command console. He was trying to choose how he would be disposing of their plunder. Either through smugglers or a legit corporation or find a fencer with whom he could partner.
After minutes of inner conflict, his thoughts were interrupted by a chirp from the comms panel. The 3D face of Creed appeared.
“Commander, all systems checks on the freighters are complete. No significant issues were detected. The ships are ready for further orders.”
“Excellent. Prepare them for integration into the fleet. I want them fully operational and ready for deployment.”
Ubel reviewed the inventory reports, planning their next steps. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from the holographic projections of the cargo and the captured freighters. Then he decided to just go with the flow of decisions and consequences. Something that he would always do in the game. He went back to his seat and issued commands again to his helmsman, a command droid.
“Set course for Banedog's Backyard, adjust the destination to be 500 km away from the scanning range of the station. We don’t want them jumping on us, due to them getting shocked from our sudden warp,” he commanded.
“Aye captain.” the droid obeyed once again as it manipulated the terminal again to set up the ordered coordinates that Ubel had required. Then it notified him of the completed input. “Destination set, captain.”
“Prepare an accompanying warp for the fleet. At the same destination.” he turned to the droids. “Activate photon shields! Enable the Fleet Gravity Sphere!”
He was slowly getting used to in saying the same commands for a warp. His eyes started sparkling as he was excited to see the spectacle of the bending of space.
The droids obeyed his orders and the Blitzkrieg, once again glowed in golden light and a golden filament. Expanding until it covered the entire ship. Then another layer of white filament came out from the ship and expanded, covering the entire fleet of twenty-one ships.
The pirate crew were once again mesmerized by the spectacle that was happening. And knowing what was going to happen next, they prepared themselves for the sudden change of gravity. And as they had expected when the sphere stopped expanding, the entire fleet suddenly felt a strong gravity pulling them towards the direction of the Blitzkrieg.
But this time, their body had somewhat adapted quickly and only a few of them experienced nausea and fell to the floor. Then they all quickly recovered themselves and prepared for the warp.
“Start the warp sequence,” Ubel ordered.
“Aye aye captain.” the droid responded then started a countdown. “3...2...1… Warping!”
Then the space in front of them started to bend and stretch, pulling the entire fleet into a singular point at the center. In a second, all of the fleet disappeared, leaving no trail behind in the void of the belt.
And in the next second, the stars in front of them had changed. Upon arrival, their ship system all simultaneously reported the change in coordinates and the new space they were in.
As the fleet emerged from the warp, the crew still looked around in awe, their eyes still couldn’t believe that the magical and unexplained experience had happened once again. Their eyes were wide with surprise and wonder. Even if it was his second time witnessing it, Ubel still felt the same childish wonder and excitement to see the effects of the warping. It was the same for the pirates who also witnessed it with him, but instead of just remaining speechless, they now have noisy discussions on what technology could have made such an isolated jump possible without the use of a jump gate.
Then he ordered his droid and fleet to maintain Vector Traveling Speed to their intended destination. As Ubel's fleet arrived at Banedog's Backyard, the atmosphere aboard the Titan Class ship, Blitzkrieg, was charged with excitement and anticipation. The crew members were buzzing with energy as they prepared to disembark and make their presence known in the bustling spaceport.
Thanks to his long-range scanner, he already has the fully rendered image of the station and he was impressed with its size and even the design. It has the shape of an almost ellipsoid with a vertical height that is much longer. And he was even more glad that it didn’t change much from what he had remembered.
If his former experience with the station’s sensor range was still unchanged, it would require two hours until Blitzkrieg and its fleet were detected by the Banedog's Backyard Station. However, it seems that the station had upgraded the range of their scanners as the Blitzkrieg system suddenly notified of being detected. And the response was not welcoming.
"I'd say our arrival hasn't gone unnoticed," he muttered as he opened up the coms.
The entire station went into full combat alert and even Ubel could see on his ship’s scanner that the station had suddenly deployed its main turrets and also undocked hundreds of its garrison ships. Quite impressive from its former thirty to forty fighters that he had known previously… ten years ago.
“Captain we detected an attempt to scan our ship but failed due to the distance. And we also detected approximately two hundred and forty-six station turrets locked unto our fleet.” The droid revealed. “Requesting a response order.”
“That is quite an overkill…” Ubel heard from one of his ship captains in Holo.
“Disable the Gravity Engine Sphere for now. Let them scan our ship if we get closer later. When they scan, however, disable our photon shields but maintain active turret defenses to all ships.” Ubel ordered.
“Aye captain.” the droid replied.
Then he received a communication from the station, a loud security alert rang on the coms.
“This is the Banedog's Backyard Control Center, you are entering this station’s defense grid without identifying yourselves. Cease your engines immediately or you will be shot upon!”
Ubel laughed inwardly as he enjoyed the panicking voice of the CC manager. Then he commanded his helmsman to fully stop their engines as well as his other ships. Then he introduced himself.
“I am Ubel, captain of the Blitzkrieg and commander of this fleet. We request docking permission to sell our plunder in the station.”
“Pirates?”
“You can say that.”
Station control went into silence for several minutes before replying.
“This is the Control Center, provide your ID codes and we will deliberate whether to grant you permission to enter our space.”
Ubel then ordered his command droids to comply and provide their ID codes. The Station Control went into silence again as all of them waited for the reply.
“I told you, commander, they aren’t welcoming to us.” Bastille reminded Ubel of his holo.
“Speaking of that, what the hell happened? I know for sure that outlaw stations welcome anyone to dock. Even if you’re a sovereign navy or the most wanted criminal in the sector. Something must have happened that got you people, blacklisted from this station.” Ubel inquired.
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Bastille and the rest of the crew made uncomfortable facial expressions and frowns that Ubel sensed something did happen in the past. Then Creed finally opened his mouth and took over.
“Munda attacked one of the trading barges of this station. Well, technically… we all did as part of his fleet.” Creed explained. “It was one of the stupidest mistakes Munda ever made. This also probably… what caused him to be very cautious right after.”
“I know for sure that every ship owned or under the station’s… ‘’protection”, has a large display of their mark on their ship to avoid such conflict or to deter any attack from pirates. What did cause Munda to miss that?” Ubel asked again.
“Munda was just THAT stupid back in the day, commander,” Creed answered.
“Well, true. It worked for the advantage on my case.” Ubel sarcastically laughed then leaned back on his seat as they waited for the verdict of the station for a few hours. Then Ubel received another alert from the station’s CC.
“This is the Banedog’s Backyard Control Center, Docking Permission Granted.”
“Huh, thank you.” Ubel cut off the communication and ordered the commanding droids on his fleet to dock at the station. Creed noticed the surprise in Ubel’s tone in his reply to the CC of the station.
“What is it, commander?” Creed asked.
“Nothing, I was just surprised at their fast response in permitting our entire fleet to dock. I even expected them to demand to dock only on a few of our ships or even restrict our movement but instead…” Ubel grinned at Creed’s holo and continued. “…we received no demands. But if we add the Blitzkrieg in the picture, it could make sense.”
“Yeah, maybe you spook them too much, commander.” Bastille nodded.
But Ubel knew the possible reason.
“They are interested,” Ubel added, then stood at the helm of the ship, observing the activity outside with a satisfied grin.
The sight of other ships at the entrance of the port, ranging from sleek fighters to massively modified combat freighters, corvettes, and even cruisers, only added to the thrill of the moment. He was tempted to shoot the station just to test his ship’s capability.
"Looks like we've made quite an impression," Bastille remarked, his voice laced with amusement.
He could see that the main turrets of the station had already locked themselves on the Blitzkrieg, making Ubel laugh.
“You scared them, shitless commander.” Creed laughed also on the holo, after seeing the reaction of the entire station. It's like their arrival had stirred up a hornet's nest.
“Of course, the size of Blitzkrieg made it look like a moving small fort station,” Ubel told Creed. “Now they know we aren’t some nobodies.”
“FAFO commander?” Creed grinned.
“That’s right,” Ubel replied with a smirk. “FAFO.”
“Captain Audubel, your fleet is assigned at Dock 131. Please maintain low speed within the station. Follow the spectral guides and obey the docking procedure accordingly.” A system notice from the station was sent to the helm of the Blitzkrieg, also sent same docking procedures to his other ships.
Although he didn’t know if it was intended or not, thankfully his entire fleet was given an entire area of the docking bay where all of his ships were docked side by side. It seemed that the entire Dock 131 was also built to receive a fleet of ships. Something that he didn’t think this station was capable of.
But he admits that Blitzkrieg itself stands out. It required dozens of docking spaces just to cater for its massive size. The dock alone had to make several folding transitions for its bridges just to accommodate the entirety of Blitzkrieg.
The size of his ship was fortunately enough for the maximum size of the docking doors of the station. Something that made him impressed as he didn’t expect that the station could cater to a Titan Class ship. He could also say that Blitzkrieg could also house his entire pirate fleet, though, for him, it’s too early for his crew to know that.
“Open communication channel to every crew,” he ordered the command droid.
The crew members then opened up their holos upon his call.
“We are here finally here. As you can see, we made a very good impression upon our arrival. So, stand proud and take advantage of it. Maintain ship awareness and caution.” Then he turned to Creed. “Creed, you will command the crew while I sell our plunder. Then have our men prepare the cargo for disposal. Choose six men whom you think could help me in selling our wares.”
“You’re walking through all that commander? No offense but that job should be for the ground team.”
“If your ground team was the one who handled your supply runs, Creed… I would rather handle it on my own. I don’t trust anyone not to get scammed in the underbelly of this outlaw station. And from what I heard from all of you, none of you have external experience in trading with the other outlaws on rogue stations.”
“Yes, commander.”
“Don’t worry, I always record what I do to teach you, idiots, on how not to get scammed in the future.” Ubel lightly jabbed.
Creed nodded as he scratched his head. He has mixed feelings about being berated by someone who looks so young that anyone would think Ubel to be his younger brother.
“Have them disembark and wait upon the exit of Blitzkrieg.” Ubel then added. “Don’t get intimidated by others now. We are fucking pirates with a big-ass flagship and fleet. Pretend that you have the guts to burn this place into space debris if you have to until you don’t have to in the future.”
Creed chuckled in agreement, and his crew who also heard his advice cheered in response as they shut down their holos.
Then he turned towards his droids.
“Maintain your security around Blitzkrieg and take custody of anyone who will try to… do something suspicious in the vicinity or trespass the restricted area of the docking bay.” he smiled.
“Aye commander.”
He went down to his elevator and disembarked from his ship. The men that he requested were already waiting for him below. They saluted him as he arrived. He quickly recognized one of them.
“Oh you’re Mei, right? And these were…?” he asked for their names.
“Commander! I am Mei Yin.” a young woman with black long hair in a ponytail yelled her name, and he could already predict her personality due to her tomboyish features. She was one of the crew that led the boarding party that captured Geisler’s ship. It seems she would not be wearing the mask that previously covered her entire face when they first met.
“Marus.” a young man with probably the same age as Mei saluted. He also remembered that this man was also among Mei’s companions during the boarding battle. He also has black hair but is much shorter and has a crew-cut style.
“Orphel.” a woman with crimson dreadlock hair who previously got his attention due to her great skills in steering the ship and using drones. Her blind right eye which had already fully discolored, displayed a white cloudy eyeball. She was the one who gave very valuable input that he needed when he tried to select the best candidates to be the captain of Godright.
“Linus.” a man who struck him to be very serious while wearing cracked glasses. He didn’t know why this man was still using those glasses despite already living in the cyberpunk age where he could just replace his eyeballs with a better ocular implant. But Ubel decided to not mind it as he probably had his reasons.
“Eris.” a woman with short, golden-colored hair introduced herself. She also got his attention as one of the boarding parties who displayed great skills in ground combat. Her previous valuable input was also taken into account for his plans he took note of her.
“Bastille.” a man who was one of the candidates to become the captain of Godright but he was deemed to be more capable as a first lieutenant instead due to his inconsistent way of tackling challenges.
During Ubel’s tests, Bastille would take a cautious approach and then suddenly change in the middle which would cost him a lot of time and energy or even cost him the opportunity. An indecisive person who still needed to be guided by someone above him. Although… Ubel was already thinking of giving Bastille one of the captured freighter ships as an option to have two vice commanders in his fleet.
As Ubel gazed at their faces one by one, he started to suspect that Creed somehow personally chose these people after they gained his attention. Although he doesn’t mind it, he is still impressed that Creed took that kind of initiative in choosing those who will accompany him here. It played right into his plans to train some members on how to handle trading and interacting with the underworld.
"Commander, shall we make our way to the docking bay?" Mei asked, eager for some reason.
"Yes, let's show them what we're made of," Marus nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Did you bring your breathing mask?” he asked all of them. He previously sent them a message as rogue stations were not exactly good at maintaining the lower level of their polluted air. Especially when corpses, rotting limbs, and diseases were common features of every rogue station. The smell would be the second priority.
In turn, they all looked at each other as if confused with his question.
“Yes. We always had on our suits.” Mei showed the mask that was part of their combat suit, which impressed him.
It was probably why they were able to confidently fight without considering the scenario of losing air or leaking bulkheads when they boarded the freighters or previously captured vessels.
“Well, just follow what I do and don’t get separated. I don’t know if you have ever stepped on an outlaw station but your organs are going to get harvested if you find yourself alone and lost here.” he laughed as he warned them. Then he leaned to his side and yelled towards their captured prisoners who were restrained in chains. “That goes for all of you too.”
With Ubel leading the way, the crew began to make their way to the docking bay, their steps purposeful and confident. When they exited the wall that restricts intruders from entering their ship, they were greeted by a crowd of onlookers, their eyes wide with wonder at the sight of the imposing vessel before them. Ubel and his crew members exchanged knowing looks, relishing in the attention they were receiving.
"Looks like we've got the attention of the entire station," Ubel remarked, a wide grin spreading across his face.
As they walked, they couldn't help but notice the curious glances and whispers that followed them, a testament to the awe-inspiring factor that was brought thanks to their fleet and most especially the current presence of the Titan Class ship on their docking area.
The crew members with him laughed, their spirits buoyed by the excitement of the moment. They knew that they had made a statement with their arrival, and they were eager to see what opportunities awaited them in Banedog's Backyard.