---

---

“Ionera, you are clear for departure.” First Seeker Ehu Hadif watched from the control tower as the Pegasus class ship the Ionera rumbled to life and slowly lifted up from the landing pad, bright orange exhaust flames boiling out from it’s engines. Hadif turned his head slightly, the Kasatha squinting his black eyes as the ship’s engines burned brighter. Alarms blared as the hangar double doors opened slowly, the landing area vented of its oxygen by the vacuum of space. With a thunderous roar that vibrated the control room floor and walls the Ionera surged forward, smoothly passing between the hydraulic doors and racing out into space.

The alarms continued their shrill keen as the hangar doors slowly closed shut. Ehu Hadif watched the Ionera flying away, shrinking to a barely noticeable spot against the void, until the resealed doors obstructed the view. The alarm went silent followed by a loud rushing sound as oxygen poured into the hangar from vents along the walls and ceiling. With a low sigh the First Seeker stepped back from the viewport and crossed the control room toward the elevator, clasping his four hands together against his lower back. The Ionera was a newly built ship, fully stocked and equipped for lengthy expeditions across the stars. The crew of five while younger and inexperienced were eager and resourceful, or so Hadif had been told. This was their first “real” mission and even with the simplicity of their task concern gnawed away at Hadif’s insides.

Several days ago two Starfinders had been sent to the planet Verces. They were tasked with recovering an extremely valuable item from the aptly named Outlaw Kingdoms, an item that was better off not falling into the wrong hands - namely those of some warmongering Vercite chieftain or cult leader. The Starfinders had succeeded in their acquisition of the item and booked passage back to Absalom Station aboard an independent merchant vessel, the Prudent. The ship had traversed most of the distance successfully, but then just ten hours away from its destination an emergency broadcast was detected. The source being a transmitter carried by the Starfinders themselves. The transmission was stationary which indicated that the Prudent was most likely adrift.

The Stewards, the peacekeepers and ambassadors of the Pact Worlds, had also detected the emergency signal and had intended to look into it. It had taken hasty, immense appeal by Hadif to get the Stewards to stand back and allow the Starfinders to send out their own investigation. In truth the only reason the Stewards complied was because the First Seeker had deliberately neglected to inform them that the signal was from aboard a civilian vessel inbound from Verces. The Stewards without doubt were assuming the signal was from a small Starfinder vessel with no other lives in jeopardy. But that did not mean that they were not watching from a close distance. Hadif shook his head to himself as he stepped inside the elevator and pressed the down button, the elevator making a dinging sound as the doors slid shut.

The First Seeker’s stomach churned as he descended down to the lower level. This entire situation was extremely volatile. On the one hand if the Prudent had just malfunctioned there would still be questions as to why the Starfinders had arrived instead of the Stewards, nevermind why the Starfinder Society First Seeker had insisted the Stewards not to respond to a distress signal which turned out to be aboard a merchant ship. On the other hand if something had gone awry and innocent lives were lost the fallout would be tremendous. Even under new leadership the Starfinder Society was still under constant scrutiny since the Scoured Stars incident. Further “issues” caused by the Society could have permanent lasting consequences. Perhaps the First Seeker should not have been misleading about the nature of the signal, but he did not want to risk some Steward finding the item in question aboard the ship and confiscating it as evidence. Or worse attempting to wrest it away from either of the Starfinders and causing an incident between the two organizations.

As the elevator came to a gentle stop and the doors opened with a second ding the First Seeker wondered if maybe he should have been the one to go after the Prudent, but then quickly remembered he had important matters to attend to here. He could have sent someone else but that would have caused inefficiencies elsewhere as the Societies’ resources were stretched quite thin these days. As he stepped out into the bustle of Absalom Station, Ehu Hadif made a silent prayer to Desna for the crew of the Ionera. With any luck the Prudent would be just experiencing an inconvenience and it and the Ionera would be arriving within a day.

“Ionera, you are clear of station traffic. The skies are yours.”

The two escort fighters broke off from the Ionera, having smoothly guided it beyond the crowded space around Absalom Station which was fading in the distance. A massive freighter loomed nearby, one of the fighters turning hard to avoid the large vessels’ hull and following its wingman back toward the station. The Ionera was, for the first time, truly space bound and on course for it’s first mission.

---

Vanborin sighs, the acceleration pushing him deeper into his mattress. To his surprise, the mattress looked just shy of 13 centimeters, offering more support and padding than the usual thin pad or the mesh panels found in the cheaper station capsule hotels. Even the securing net draped over him to keep him in his bed was quality. Unlike the cheaper cabins aboard transports, trying to cram in as many paying customers as possible by using bunk beds and narrow corridors, this room offered twin-sized beds on opposite sides of the room.

Briefly he wondered if like the cheaper cruise ship ships if the beds sat on tracks that allowed the two to be pushed together in the middle of the room, creating one large bed for both?

But then he hadn't actually met his roommate yet, receiving a random bed assignment from the Ionera's AI with its bog-standard female-neutral voice. Presumably they'd did the same as him, cramming their belongings into the nearest locker before rushing to their launch station.

There hadn't even been time to program the e-ink wallpaper or any sign of personalization left by previous occupants.

"MIRAGE," he managed. "What items do we have in storage for personalization?"
"I regret to inform you that no personalization supplies have been provided," it said, "due to the accelerated launch schedule."
"And why was the launch schedule accelerated?" he asked.
"I regret to inform you that no information was provided to explain the accelerated launch at this time."
"Of course you don't," he said with a scowl. This was not good.

He had managed to briefly meet with his mother, still working for Astro Ales, but now as a manager. His sister Jen was away at school on Castrovel. It made his eye arch in surprise, but that was all he could learn before he had to report.

For years, he'd lived under a very strict hierarchy, but they had non of that aboard ship. How was this expected to run, he wondered.

---

"Copy that," came the answer from the Ionera's cockpit, a young human woman's voice. "Ionera, out."

Zaeli Ashren was at the controls, eyes hungrily taking in the sight of the expanse of stars ahead of her. When she'd joined the Starfinder Society, she didn't know she'd be given her own ship to fly on her very first mission. Well, it wasn't really hers, it belonged to the SFS, but they'd looked at her experience flying dinky shuttles in atmo and decided they trusted her with a Pegasus-class scout ship. Just the feel of this thing in her hands was enough to put a smile on her lips.

"Let's see what you can do..."

Thrusters to seventy-five percent. The soothing hum of the engine rose higher, the hull of the massive cargo freighter off starboard rushing by. Zaeli caught a glimpse of the AbadarCorp logo near her stern. Good riddance. The shape of Absalom Station grew smaller and smaller in the distance behind. That damn place had a gravitational pull, in more ways than one. She thought she might've left it behind for good. Part of traveling is coming back home, she reminded herself. Gives the journey meaning.

Zaeli put the Ionera into a bank, swerving to make their heading, her grin returning. "Oh yeah, she's got some moves." She spoke mostly to herself, but also to the Ryphorian woman assigned to be her co-pilot, Valiane, seated at her station across the cockpit from her. "Maybe we'll really put her through her paces on the way back."

She slowly pushed the thrusters up to full, then leaned back, flipping a switch and pressing a few buttons on the controls. She'd have plenty of time to get remote control set up on her 3040, but for now it'd have to be manual. "Okay. Autopilot's engaged, and we're locked in on that distress signal. MIRAGE, what's our ETA?"

A monotonous, robotic woman's voice droned down on them from above, that of the shipboard AI. "At maximum thrust, intercept with the Prudent will occur in approximately ten hours."

Zaeli let out a hefty sigh, lolling her head over towards her co-pilot. "Guess we've got time to kill." She lifted her wrist-mounted computer, quickly opening a few files she'd requested on her new crewmates and finding Valiane's. "So. I'm reading here, 'no piloting experience,' but they assigned you co-pilot. I could give you a few pointers if you want. Unless you're more of an observational learner."

Valiane sat in the seat assigned to the co-pilot, though she questioned the decision made. It was more process of elimination. She was good with guns. She was good at shooting things with said guns from a long distance. So being in this seat made sense, somewhat.

Valiane didn't quite expect to find herself amongst the Starfinders. Quite frankly, if she had autonomy she would not be here, but it served her purpose. She quickly checked the ship's systems as the robotic voice of the A.I. confirmed their arrival time. Valiane, a pale Ryphorian with white colored eyes and long, light blonde hair (almost white itself) sat next to the pilot. "Great, she's a talker," Valiane thought to herself tersely. Valiane didn't enjoy talking much. Especially to people who decided it was their business to read a file on her. Granted, the file would not tell the woman everything.

"Don't believe everything you read," she said matter-of-factly as her attention went back to the stars in front of her. The mission itself seemed simple, but in her experience simplicity paved the road for chaos. She trusted herself to get out of any mess that came her way, but she dreaded having to drag around the sorry bunch of people that were with her. Skilled they may be, the more people she had with her on a mission, the less focused she could be. Can't shoot someone through the eye from miles off if she had to ensure one of her team members wasn't bleeding out or fuddling around.

She hoped to not be bothered too much, but as Zaeli said, they had time to kill.

Zaeli blinked a few times, waiting for Valiane to elaborate further, but nothing more seemed to be coming. She noted the Starfinder Society had also listed extensive skill with weaponry for the Ryphorian, so it was probably a good thing she was sitting in the co-pilot's seat instead of someone like Zaeli. The only weapon she really had experience with was the somewhat-oversized handcannon holstered on her leg. An archaic weapon, sure, but Zaeli had always found an appreciation for old tech. And her gun packed more than enough punch to be a threat.

She closed the file and swiped over to another interface, the very first thing she'd set up after boarding the Ionera. "You like music?" Without waiting for an answer, she queued up a track which soon filled the air in the cockpit. Loud enough to feel it, but not so loud it drowned out everything else. Within a few seconds Zaeli's head was bobbing left and right, dark bangs swaying in front of violet eyes, her boots tapping against the floor.

She was in an obviously good mood, free from Absalom Station again and this time at the helm of a ship, and she certainly wasn't about to spend the next ten hours in silence.

Valiane remained silent as not even her opinion on music was going to stop Zaeli from playing it. Truth be told, Valiane did enjoy music. When she target practiced she often had music playing. It helped keep her focus.

She waited a beat. Then, despite her initial nature, she spoke. "This music is....fine." It was the closest thing to a compliment Valiane was going to give at the start of this journey.

If there was one thing Zaeli was confident in, it was her ability to get along with people. It was all about being able to adapt, just like when she traveled to a new environment, or took on a new line of work. Try one method, and if it failed, fall back and try something else, and don't get discouraged. This new co-pilot of hers wasn't much of a conversationalist, but that was just fine. She'd already found a way to make things more comfortable between the two of them.

Her head still swaying side to side, Zaeli turned her attention to her computer, continuing her work interfacing with the Ionera's systems, and not bothering Valiane with any more questions. I've got a great feeling about this ship...

---

Down in the lower levels of the Ionera, Temash Arall vigilantly watched the monitors of the engineering station as they displayed the real time information of all the ship's systems. The lashunta mechanic nervously glanced between the Ionera's thruster levels and the power core's status as the thruster's slowly crept to full power. Though no stranger to the inner workings of a starship, Temash couldn't help but feel somewhat out of his element. He was a new Starfinder. All of them were; including the Ionera.

“This is it, P0L-E.” Temash leaned forward in his seat, his eyes glued to the monitors. “Time to see if we’re golden or if we missed something in the preflight check.”

Hovering just over the monitors, a mechanical drone idly shifted back and forth waiting for a command. Its LEDs flashed a dull green as its speakers sounded with the only word it was programmed to say. "Squawk."

“You don’t need to tell me.” Temash sighed. “Not exactly thrilled we had to do a rush job on our first mission, but those were the boss’s orders, and I’m not arguing with the First Seeker on our first assignment.”

"Squawk."

“I know I shouldn’t be worried, but look at this ship!” The engineer broke free of his stare down with the display. Stepping out of his chair, he began pacing the room. Pointing at different sections as he continued to vent his concerns. “Everything on here is either fresh off the assembly or newly refurbished, the wiring looks like it took days just to organize, and I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen a single thing held together with ion tape. This is without a doubt the finest craft we’ve served on, and I’m in charge of keeping it that way.”

P0L-E rotated, keeping Temash in view of its optical lens at all times. "Squawk."

“Course I can fix whatever breaks, that’s not the point. My repairs are quick and efficient, but they ain’t always clean and tidy. That was fine on junkers like the Remorse, but here? Whatever I end up doing is gonna stick out like a broken antenna.” After a few more seconds of restless pacing, Temash found himself back at his station. “Just hope the Society don’t mind if this ship gets a bit messy. That’s all.”

As he planted himself back in his chair, the thruster's power levels finally ticked up to one hundred percent. All systems were now fully operational, and the power core remained perfectly stable. "Brilliant!" Temash cheered to himself. "Green across the board! Looks like this should be a smooth ride, eh POL-E?"

"Squawk."

Temash nodded, concurring with the robot's suggestion. "Yeah. Should probably let the others know as well." Tapping a few keys on the stations control panel, Temash opened comms to the bridge. "Engineering to the bridge. Looks like we're all set... Hold on. Is that music I'm hearing? Don't tell me you lot are having a party up there and you didn't invite us? You're gonna hurt P0L-E's feelings." Temash gestured to the drone.

"Squawk."

"Hear that? He's crushed." Temash shook his head in false disappointment.

---

Does this ship really need me? Rif thought as he felt the acceleration of the Ionera as it left port. Bracing himself against the walls of the ship until it was no longer necessary. They had left early and while he wonderd why. He was more concerned with his role on the Ionera.

Rif had thought that a doctor like himself was needed aboard Starfinder vessels like the Ionera. But it had turned out this was not quite the case. While he was accpeted and assigned to this ship, there was not a assigned role for him that fit his background. Instead of being medical officer on the Ionera. He is a assissant to the quartermaster.

Rif started walking to his station, he did not know how to feel about this being a assissant to a postion that he has little experience with. To a part of him it felt insulting since he is a doctor, not a quartermaster. But it seems like his profession is not as needed on the Ionera or with the Starfinder Society to his dismay.

He sighed as he pass another corrider. Still Rif is going to do his job even if he is bad at it and he still can be a doctor if someone gets hurt. Who knows he might just be good at helping the quartermaster and organize and keep count of supplies for the ship. Though he has yet to formally meet the person he is helping and hopfully it will be a plesant encounter.

As Rif reached his station and saw that he was alone and his quartermaster was missing. While this meant Rif could just relax and maybe spend time messing around before the quartermaster arrives. That was not him and so he choose to do his job. Even if he is a assissant, that does not mean he has to be with his boss to do his job. So Rif went over to a computer terminal and started reviewing the infomation for what supplies the Ionera is suppose to have and start his duties. His metal fingers typing away at metal comptuer keys.

So starts Rif's first day aboard the Ionera and hopefully the start of a good venture with the Starfinder Society.

---

The Ionera’s first flight through deep space, or “shakedown”, went perfectly. All systems remained in the green and there were no alerts from MIRAGE or any of the ship’s lesser VI’s the whole time. Power levels were consistent with exact expectations and the ship core and power distribution were flawless. Structural integrity was robust, requiring no last moment tweaks or makeshift rigging from Temash. Sensors, shielding, weapons, and environmental functions were all clear. For most of the flight the crew just manned their stations and stayed attentive, though they did have stray moments to ponder or interact with each other if they wished.

Over the passing hours the MIRAGE AI maintained a vigil on the signal that presumably was coming from the Prudent. There was no outgoing recorded message or a code of any sort, meaning the signal was most likely from a simple distress beacon. MIRAGE pointed out that considering the signal was being sent by the Starfinders themselves, that the Prudent may have been destroyed or “commandeered” and the Starfinders were out in space aboard escape pods or some other miniature craft. The Prudent was a merchant ship after all, a direct target for pirates or other ne'er-do-well‘s. Though MIRAGE also said that the Prudent could have just experienced a massive system failure and the Starfinders or someone else aboard activated the portable beacon as a call for assistance.

Just under ten hours later the crew had their answer. The Ionera’s sensors detected a large object as the source of the signal which MIRAGE immediately identified as the Prudent. Soon enough the ship came into physical view; an elongated freighter of a crude-looking “bulky” design. At a glance the Prudent looked more like an old warship that had been retrofitted rather than a standard build merchant vessel. As the Ionera approached it was obvious that the Prudent was dead in space. The engines were dark and there was no visible light anywhere on the exterior. At first it seemed that most probably the Prudent had just suffered a malfunction, that is until MIRAGE provided an unsettling status report from a quick scan. “Scans show that the Prudent is completely without power. I am reading only five life signs aboard the Prudent; one in the bridge, one in the engine area, two in the lower hull, and one in what appears to be an observation platform. Given its size and estimated requirements there should be anywhere from thirty to fifty life signs rather just five. The distress signal is coming directly from the life sign near the engine compartment. This confirms that the source of the signal was from a long range portable device.”

---

Zaeli slowed the Ionera down further and opened the ship's intercom system. "Prudent is in visual range. Come on up to the cockpit if you want to take a look." Zaeli supposed they had no captain, so she wasn't about to order anyone, but they definitely needed to discuss some and gather information before taking action here.

"MIRAGE, did the scan pick up any hull damage to the Prudent?" Zaeli asked. "Any signs of an attack?"

“Negative.” MIRAGE immediately replied, “there is no significant damage anywhere on the exterior of the ship. No breaches or other abnormalities in the Prudent’s structure can be detected.”

Valiane eyed the Prudent before her as Zaeli communicated with the others. Despite MIRAGE indicating there was no evidence of an outside attack, that did not mean that nothing happened inside.

"We should be cautious." Valiane atter-of-factly stated, standing up to await the others before they made any decisions. She would need to prepare anyway.

"Cautious? What happened to the Prudent and what do we have so far about the state of the ship?” Rif, after spending time doing what he could do while waiting for them to reach the Prudent, made his way to the cockpit. Curious about the state of their target. Once at the cockpit, Rif heard the last of what Valiane said and was concerned.

"That," Van said dourly, “is a trap. Even if they lost the main generators, there should be auxiliary generators powering sections of the ship, power banks for emergency systems. No lights mean everything's been turned off or disconnected.”

Van waved his hand, “And where's the rescue ships? There ought to be more than just us looking for this ship. This is a bad sign."

“You're right. Which actually makes me less worried.” Temash chimed in from behind Van. Whether he had just slipped in or had been there the whole time was unclear. The engineer and his robot companion had a habit of popping up places when he didn’t have work to occupy his time, something the crew had become aware of in the past ten hours “I've done a few ambushes in my day, anyone who knows what they're doing wouldn't make it this obvious. So either we're dealing with a bunch of amateurs, or there's a legitimate reason she's gone dark. Either way, we should be able to handle it.”

"Anyone know why it's just us out here?" Van asked, glancing at the rest of the crew, "’Got anything to share, MIRAGE?"

“According to the uploaded mission briefing First Seeker Ehu Hadif informed the Stewards that the Starfinder Society would investigate the signal, given that two Starfinder Society personnel were involved.” MIRAGE said. “It is most probable that the Stewards or the First Seeker informed nearby security and search and rescue services of this as well.”

“As for the absence of any other spacecraft,” MIRAGE added, “the Prudent is in fact in deep space and several light seconds off course of the direct route between Absalom Station and Verces.”

Zaeli began to tap methodically at her wrist-mounted computer screen. "Gonna try to search for any comms link I can establish. MIRAGE detected five life signs aboard. Prudent's systems are down, but maybe one of them has a personal device I can link to."

“Incoming transmission from Absalom Station.” MIRAGE announced, “It is from Venture-Captain Arvin.”

While the First Seeker, Ehu Hadif, had sanctioned this mission Venture-Captain Arvin had been the one to brief the crew of the Ionera on Absalom Station and was responsible for overseeing the investigation into the Prudent and the two unaccounted for Starfinders and their package. Arvin had in fact selected the five crew members himself when the Ionera was ready for duty as of recent. By all intents and purposes he was the “handler” for the crew of the Ionera.

Due to the short distance between Absalom Station and the current coordinates the transmission would be live instead of a recorded burst message.

Valiane remained silent as the others joined them in the cockpit. This was clearly something more than a 'find a ship and figure out what happened' mission. It was either a trap or it was going to become one. As MIRAGE indicated an incoming message from Venture-Captain Arvin, Valiane stepped back a bit, eager to get things underway. While she did not mind being set up as the ship's co-pilot, she was better with a rifle in her hand or a computer in front of her.

"Concerning.” was all that Rif said with his arms crossed. The situation with the Prudent did not look good. Either this was a trap or something very bad happened. Which made him wonder if the Starfinders and their package were still on the ship.

When MIRAGE spoke about a message from Venture-Captain Arvin, Rif kept silent, waiting for the message to play and see what the Venture-Captain wanted to say.

"Just what is in there?" Van demanded. "What is onboard that people were willing to divert this ship and kill those aboard?”

The options, as he saw it, that either what they brought knocked out the ship and killed the crew or that someone attacked the ship from the inside. And why didn't they want the Stewards to know about it? Why risk a rookie crew on a rush job?

Zaeli gave up on trying to reach anyone aboard the Prudent, at least for the moment. "Patching in the transmission," she said, switching over to the ship's controls.

"Ionera here," she greeted, once the live comms were open. "We've reached the Prudent, sir, but from the outside it doesn't look good. Systems are down, only five life-signs detected inside. No sign of outside attack, though."

A blue holographic image sputtered to life atop the helm, a projection of Venture-Captain Arvin. Or rather his shoulders and head. The Venture-Captain’s usual stern expression was etched across his visage, the right side of his mouth was scrunched up revealing a thin dimple at the corner of his lips. Arvin could see everyone gathered in the cockpit on his end of the transmission. His piercing eyes moved between each of the assembled Starfinders; first Zaeli, then Valiane, then Temash, then Rif, and finally Van before settling back on Zaeli.

“I see,” Arvin spoke in a level tone of voice, “that is… very disconcerting.”
Despite his steady tone Arvin’s face showed immediately worry as he continued. “Have you managed to make contact with anyone aboard the Prudent? Even with the ship dark there will still surely be portable communications devices aboard.”

"’Working on it now, sir.” Zaeli answered, eyes focused on her screen.

“MIRAGE,” the Venture-Captain directly addressed the Ionera’s AI, “what are your readings within the interior of the Prudent? Was there perhaps a chemical leak or maybe a compromising breach in the ship that may have killed most of the crew?”

“Negative,” MIRAGE replied, “my scans detect no hazardous or foreign bodies in the ship and there has been no damage to the ship that might have lead to depressurization.”

“Can you detect any active signals aboard the Prudent?” Arvin asked.

“I am only detecting the signal first received from the Prudent.”

“Understood.” Arvin’s voice wavered. “It is very possible there could have been a mutiny attempt aboard the Prudent. Or maybe stowaways from back on Verces who ambushed the crew during the flight. But even then… There are… too many variables here. The only way to find out what happened is for all of you to board the Prudent and see for yourselves.”

“And remember, your primary objectives are to recover the item from Verces and our two operatives. Or their bodies, Desna forbid. Time is critical. MIRAGE can send status reports while you are aboard the Prudent so long as an uplink with the Ionera is maintained. I will send MIRAGE the ID’s of the operatives so you will be able to identify them.”

Van's eyes narrowed as his jaw tightened. Whatever they were sent to retrieve, even the Venture-Captain was afraid to name it.

"MIRAGE," Van said quietly, "After this transmission, please prepare for me a complete listing of all ship's equipment that is currently on board, and a separate listing of all equipment we haven't received yet."

They were rushed out before a proper inventory could be done, only MIRAGE would know what they had and didn't have in the ship's locker.

Before they had a full list of equipment available to them, Temash was already going over what he had on his person to make sure he wasn’t needing anything from that list. Aside from weapons, most of what he carried for basic ship repair covered what he’d need to navigate a derelict like this. The only thing missing was a full layout of the ship, but that would have to come from the Venture-Captain, assuming it wasn’t classified.

“Captain. If you got any schematics for the ship you could send over, it would do wonders in helping us find our way around in the dark.” Temash requested.

“MIRAGE can access the Infosphere from your location and use the scans of the Prudent to find a match.” Arvin said.

“I have just completed that very task.” MIRAGE said. “The Prudent is in fact a retrofitted warship of orc design. This particular ship model has not been produced for decades but it was originally designed by a long defunct orcish manufacturer. Due to its large size and simple enough infrastructure that allows for easy expansion it made for an ideal merchant ship.”

The holographic Arvin nodded and then addressed the crew for a final time before the projection fizzled away. “Board the Prudent, be swift, and find out what has happened. And find our operatives. I am transmitting their profiles to MIRAGE now. Desna watch over you.”

---

Van checked the seal of his suit and boots, then loaded a few items into his pack - his tool kit, the first aid kit, his remaining ammo, a week's worth of field rations, canteen with its drink-port, and his one smoke grenade. Into the front pocket, he also slipped in a space-rated red paint marker and a roll of duct tape he'd gotten from the Ship's Locker, along with his personal comm.

He'd have to rely on his pistol. His laser rifle was perfect for sniper shots, but lousy for shipboard combat where one wrong shot could damage the hull. Van really liked breathing air.

The red paintmarker would ensure he could mark the doors to show they'd search them.

Picking up his pack, he stepped out of his berthing compartment and headed towards the docking port and the spacesuit he'd wear across.

Gotta get myself a better suit, Van sighs. Like an Estex suit. Built for a bit of a rough rumble.

---

The crew of the Ionera had prepped themselves, MIRAGE specifically recommending flashlights and portable communicators. MIRAGE suggested Zaeli maintain a constant uplink with the Ionera so the former could provide real time advisement over comms. The Ionera slowly closed the distance between itself and the Prudent before docking successfully with the old orc vessel, directly connecting the cockpit airlock with the bow airlock of the larger ship. According to the schematics this entryway lead straight to the bridge. As the Ionera rocked slightly from the impact MIRAGE stated that the singular life sign in the bridge was moving deeper into the ship and judging from the speed of it’s movement the subject was running. No doubt alerted by the Ionera’s arrival. The question was if the unknown figure was retreating out of fear or moving to alert the others aboard the ship. The fact was there was no way to preemptively know if the handful of detected signatures were even “friendly”. For all anyone knew they could be stowaways or boarders that were responsible for stalling out the Prudent.

As he had promised Venture-Captain Arvin sent the profiles of the two missing Starfinders to MIRAGE. One Kasinn Navasi and Nuru Adeyemi, a half-elf Witchwarper and an Aasimar Solarian, both of whom were members of the Exo-Guardians. A faction within the Starfinder Society that dedicated itself to acting as protectors of the Pact Worlds and not just explorers and artificers. Arvin had added that while he had only occasionally interacted with Kasinn and Nuru they both had a solid reputation among not just the Exo-Guardians but the Starfinder Society as a whole. The fact that whatever ill had befallen the Prudent and its crew had done so with those two aboard was telling that the situation was quite severe.

“It is likely that the life sign in the engine room is one of the Starfinders given that is where the signal is coming from,” MIRAGE reminded the crew, “the other Starfinder could be alive but obviously I cannot guarantee this. The signal could also have been activated by a crewman who managed to acquire the emergency device. The only way to know for sure is to go to the engine room.”

MIRAGE stated it was better for the crew to pry open the jammed airlock door rather than cutting through it. With the power out the emergency door would not be active and it was foolish to risk the bridge of the Prudent being exposed to the vacuum of space should the Ionera be forced to pull back for some reason.

---

This had all turned a bit spookier than Zaeli had been anticipating. She'd expected an easy shakedown run, a chance to get to know her new crew members and gain some experience while seeing someplace new, not... scouring a retrofitted orc warship for survivors where something had clearly gone very wrong.

Zaeli geared herself up in her space suit, not knowing what kind of environment they were about to walk into. It was somewhat snug-fitting, easy enough to move in, and would offer her at least a little protection if it came to a fight, but Zaeli couldn't help but hope whatever was responsible for this had moved on. She was no soldier, and while she knew how to use the handcannon strapped to her thigh, it would be better for everyone involved if her ammunition remained unspent.

Valiane seemed to know what she was doing, at least from what Zaeli had gathered during the long flight. Very cool, very composed. The file she'd perused on her had only covered her skillset, not her background, but on the surface she seemed like someone who could handle a mission like this confidently. Maybe I'll just follow her lead. Observational learning.

Waiting near the airlock, Zaeli re-checked her computer to ensure her uplink to the Ionera was stable. She hadn't given up trying to find a personal device among the Prudent's life signs to open communications with, but so far she'd had no luck there. Her backpack was loaded up with a few portable kits for electronics, mechanical tools, a basic medkit, and some spare ammunition, everything she thought she might need.

Clicking her harness-mounted flashlight on and off once to check, Zaeli glanced around at the rest of the crew, unable to hide a bit of nervousness.

---

Rif did not know how the others felt about their first mission, as he double-checked his gear. A nervous habit of his, and while he did not expect this, it would be their first mission. Then again, who would think that a new crew's first mission is to recover a package on a dead ship on which something bad has transpired there. Only five were alive on board, and Rif could not help but feel nervous since this was beyond his training and what he was used to.

But this is his mission, and he is not one to chicken out despite the situation. Rif only wished that things were different, but things were beyond his control, like most things in his life.

After checking his gear and making sure his weapons were loaded and ready to go. Rif took a moment to look around at his teammates. He knew little about them and hoped to learn more organically by talking to them, rather than by looking up their records. Though Rif could tell that one of them was a bit nervous. Zaeli, he thinks her name is, and he cannot blame her for feeling that. At least he is not alone in feeling nervous, and Rif felt a bit better because of that. It made him feel human, and that is a feeling he always wants to feel.

So, after noticing that no one was preparing to use the prybar and open the airlock. Seeing how he was ready, having his gear and then some, all checked and ready to go. From his medical supplies, armor, flashlights, and what else he felt would be needed. Rif was golden ready, and since no one else seemed to be going to open the airlock. Rif figured he could, and give his cybernetic arms something to do.

Thus, after grabbing a crowbar and getting into position. Rif used his strength and used the crowbar to get the airlock opened. Putting the cowbar in the middle of the airlock where the doors connect and starting going to work. After some moments of trying to get the thing open. It would eventually open, and Rif was greeted by darkness on the other side.

Rif turned on his flashlight and put away the crowbar just in case they might need it again. He turned his head to the others and said, "into the breach, as some might say." Rif then waited for the others to move and start this mission in earnest. He might be ready, but it is time to see if all of them are ready for what lies inside the Prudent.

---

Van sighs as he steps into the airlock area.

"So," he begins, adjusting his gloves, "How are we..."

He blinks, then a look of horror creeps over his face. "What are you doing? MIRAGE, seal our internal hatch right away! Only authorized crew to be permitted inside the Ionera!"

"We can't close that hatch now," he explained, pointing to the damaged airlock. "Someone already knows we're here. If they avoid us, if they slip by us, then they can take over the Ionera, leaving us to rot! Rescue missions is how many pirates take ships!"

"And don't tell me that MIRAGE can stop them, it's not impossible to override the ship's AI. Just ask any pirate."

Van scowled as he pulled his pistol out. The damage was done, they best get moving now before the unseen enemy tried to make their move.

"MIRAGE," he said into the wireless headset. "Which way to the emergency signal?"

---

“I guess it’s a good thing you brought one then, eh?” Temash chimed in at Van’s suggestion and gave the half-elf a friendly pat on the back as he attempted to ease his fears. “Yeah, someone could give us the slip, override the AI, and take off with our new ship. But if they could do that and avoid being picked up on our lifesign scans, I don’t think a hatch opened with a pry bar would really be an obstacle. Nah. People like that seriously know what they’re doing. Probably would have set a better trap in the first place. That being said; P0L-3!”

The drone answered immediately and within a second the mechanical companion floated above his shoulder awaiting his order. Temash’s hand pulled back, reaching into his tool belt and producing his portable lantern. Quickly affixing it to his shoulder, its light illuminated the darkness ahead before giving his command. “Why don’t you scout ahead? Make sure nothing is hiding around the corner before we head ‘into the breach’, eh?”