I woke up, yawning As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, then I began to stretch my arms above my head, feeling the satisfying pull of muscles and joints loosening after a good rest.

Yawning once again, I stepped out of bed then out of my quarter and walked through the Corridor still somewhat half asleep when I finally arrived at my destination the lounge, where there's a full kitchen to the side, making my way to it and opening a sealed box containing premium grade coffee beans from the world Colmbia in the Nova Imperium, after processing it into a cup of coffee I added some milk to finally make some good coffee since I was just paid yesterday, With Cup in hand I headed towards the cockpit.

"Good morning, Captain Ernest," chimed Eli, as her fox avatar appeared on one of the monitors, her tail swishing lazily.

"Morning, Eli. What's our status?" I asked, taking a seat and sipping my coffee. The taste was world beyond the synthetic coffee, with complex flavors that makes your tongue tingle I mussed.

"All systems are operational. We are still docked at the mining station. No anomalies detected during the captain's absence," Eli reported, her voice clear.

"Good to hear," I replied. "Let's see what jobs are available station. Eli, connect me to the station's job board."

"Connecting you now, Captain," Eli responded, her avatar spinning around playfully before the job board interface popped up on one of the monitors.

I scrolled through the listings, not really surprised about the limited list.

//Deliver rare minerals to the triton foundry, 6 jumps out, reward: 120k credits.//

"Mmm this is an option but I'll take a look at the other first."

//Transport 20 miners to Alexandria in the Nile system, 7 jumps out, reward: 150k credits.//

"I don't have the space for all of them."

As I'm browsing the remaining the job board Eli's avatar flicked its tail thoughtfully. "Captain, it appears someone is outside the Star Hopper requesting to speak with you for a job opportunity."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I looked at the monitor and saw three cloaked figures standing by the ship's ramp. They seemed out of place in the rugged mining station.

I frown, is this a surprise inspection by the local authorities or some local thug's I thought to myself as I exited the cockpit, and down the corridor towards the cargo bays, grabbing my pistol along the way in case there hostiles.

As the ramp went down, I looked at the three cloaked figured suspicion visible on my eyes as I made sure to be near cover just in case, when one of the figure stepped forward.

"Are you the Captain of this ship?" The figure asked.

"Yes I'm Captain Ernest. I heard you want to speak with me?" I said, keeping my eyes on them.

"Yes, Captain. We have a job offer for you," the lead figure said, pulling back their cloak slightly to revealing they're eyes. "We need transport to the planet Newer York in the Jin system. It's inside Free World territory, about 20 jumps from here."

"That's a long way," I replied, suspicion creeping into my voice. "What's the reward?"

"One million credits," the figure said simply.

I raised an eyebrow. "One million? That's quite a sum. Why not take a more direct route?"

"We have our reasons," the figure replied, their tone steady. "Here is a down payment of 200k credits. The rest will be paid upon arrival."

They handed me a credit chip, and I scanned it with my data pad. The funds were real. I still felt uneasy, and the large sum only added to my suspicion. "This doesn't make sense. Why would you pay so much for a routine transport? What's the catch?"

The figure's eyes met mine steadily. "We are on a mission of great importance. Our reasons must remain confidential. However, we assure you, the journey will be safe, and you will be generously compensated."

I shook my head. "I need more than just assurances. You need to give me something concrete. Why should I risk my ship and my life for you?"

The figure glanced at their companions before speaking again. "We understand your concerns, Captain. We can offer you this: in addition to the payment, we have information that could be valuable to you. Information about a derelict ship floating in a system in the outer rim."

I felt a twinge of interest but remained skeptical. "Stories about derelict ships are a dime a dozen. I need more than legends."

The figure reached into their cloak and pulled out a small data chip. "This contains the exact coordinates and scans of the ship a direwolf class destroyer. Verify it for yourself. If you find it unsatisfactory, you can terminate the contract at any time."

I took the chip and inserted it into my data pad. The scans looked genuine, detailed, and far more convincing than I had expected. I glanced back at the figures, still feeling suspicious but now intrigued.

"Alright, you've got my attention," I said, finally. "But I'm still not fully trusting you."

The lead figure nodded. "We understand, Captain. Thank you for considering our offer."

"Follow me," I said, leading them through the ship. I pointed out the lounge and the empty passenger rooms. They chose to share a single room, which was unusual, but I didn't press the matter. Once they were settled, I made my way back to the cockpit.

"Eli, we're taking on passengers. Set a course for New Heaven we need to resupply," I instructed as I strapped into my seat.

"Understood, Captain. Course set," Eli responded, her avatar started pressing buttons.

I began the pre-flight checks, ensuring everything was in order. And getting clearance to undock from the station, The undocking proceeded smoothly as engines roared to life, and the Star Hopper, started to maneuver out of the asteroid field leaving behind the mining station behind. As we travelled the void of space, towards New Heaven.

As we left the station, another figure emerged from the shadows, near the docking bay. Wearing civilian clothes, they watched the Star Hopper depart. With a quick motion, they activated their data pad and sent a message. The contents of the message were unclear. As they disappear as if nobody was there in the first place.

Back aboard the Star Hopper I set up the Autopilot, as i exited the cockpit to get something to drink in the lounge, and tell my pasengers that well stop by New Heaven to resupply for the long journey.