Flying a Lemon? (Glitch)

==Eavesup Docks, outside the Core Spaceport==

Eavesup was the place to go to shop for used space vessel parts. For private ships, anyway. The cruisers used by the various official fleets wouldn't be caught dead down here. Every Mainframe employee had their own vessel, but the company didn't pay for a shiny one. As such, Copland was rooting for hand-me-downs.

Can I help you find somethin'? the NPC vendor called out to him.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a multphasic shielding system."

There was a pause as the NPC's coding scanned the shop's inventory. I got nothin' by that, but I can get you a great deal on a multiphasic torpedoe launcher.

Copland arced an eyebrow at the comment. Multiphasic weapons were a little too upscale for this sector of the city. Some commander must have accidentally sold the item while trying to clear out his extra part inventory. Even if his Pathfinder couldn't equip it, the blade alone might make for a good offer piece.

"Name your price," he said to the vendor.

One thousand, two-hundred and seventy-three credits.

A whistle escaped the player's lips. That was a little more than he was willing to spend. Actually, it was a lot more and there was no haggle feature on this NPC. "I'll have to think about that one." The NPC only nodded and went back to staring ahead, waiting for the next player to initiate some dialog.

Copland had a feeling everything in this parts dealer was going to be overpriced, so he went back out into the hustle and bustle of the bazaar.

Glitch was working his way though one of his favorite used parts section of Core. He had pulled out some decent pieces for his current project and now he was looking for another gem. The list of needs for this was still longer haves so he just worked his way from stall to stall looking without a general goal in mind.

Stepping into one stall he grabbed a power converter for a ball turret and showed it to the owner. What followed was a five minute long bartering match where Glitch ended up coming out on top. He stashed it into his pack, thankful he had found what he needed for one of the laser cannons he was going to be mounting on the hull of his new ship. He thanked the man behind the ‘counter’ and stepped back out into the hall.

Glancing across the crowd he had to double take when he saw someone he thought he recognized. Stepping closer he confirmed his suspicion and stepped up next to the man.

“Hey Copland, a little surprised to see you slumming down here with us normal folk.”

He joked with the man in a friendly fashion, knowing what he did for a living and what sites the man would normally see.

“Hey Copland, a little surprised to see you slumming down here with us normal folk.”

Copland turned around to see who had called him out. The voice sounded familiar, but the face clicked it into place. He nodded in greeting.

"I could have gone with the company model," the Mainframer shrugged. "But where's the fun in that? I decided to take the credit bonus towards a ship. Besides, I don't like the hull design."

{Sometimes I wish I had taken the company ship. It would have been a little easier to upgrade.}

"You wouldn't happen to know a dealer where I can get a multiphasic shield, would you? I'm trying to get into this race where you have to fly pretty close to a star. I'd rather not get fried during it."

Glitch whistled at the tall order. In these parts such a device was a bit rare, and in a condition that Copland would want it was near impossible.

“That’s one hell of a device. Only one guy around here may have one of those in working order. Come on.”

He led Copland through the maze of people and used parts heading towards the corner of the bazaar. It had been set up in an old warehouse and every square inch had been claimed by NPC and players alike. He knew a guy in one of the corners. He carried the best stuff here and he figured he would have what the guy was looking for.

Stepping up to the older man through parts hanging from the lean two roof he nodded in greeting.

“Hey Harry.”

“Glitch, what brings you to my…neck of woods?”

Glitch motioned behind him at Copland, winking at Harry.

“My buddy here is looking for something.”

He looked back and motioned to Copland.

“Go ahead, tell him.”

Glitch whistled at the tall order. Copland knew it was a stretch, but he figured someone on Core would at least be able to put him in the right direction.

“That’s one hell of a device. Only one guy around here may have one of those in working order. Come on.”

{Legal, I hope.}

The benefit of being in his air rider gear in this full crowd was that there were no pockets to be cyberly picked, and his belt was pretty tricky to get into too. Not that anyone was in a stealthy mood in this section of the shops. Copland craned his neck back as he was brought to a massive warehouse.

"How have I missed this place before?"

The answer was simple. This was one of those places you only found if someone took you or gave you explicit instructions. They came across a lean-to built inside the warehouse. It struck the fixer as odd to have a building inside a building. An older man, apparently named Harry, stepped out and greeted Glitch.

“Glitch, what brings you to my…neck of woods?”

Glitch motioned behind him at Copland. “My buddy here is looking for something.”

He looked back and motioned to Copland.

“Go ahead, tell him.”

Copland stepped forward. "Hello. I'm looking for a multiphasic shield. Or at least something to take the bite out of close proximity to a star's corona."

He was gearing up for a Loop of Kon Garat remake from the Stargate series. Part of the race included a stretch that went through the corona of the planet's sun. Copland was pretty sure his current navigation system would be up to snuff, but he really wanted to get this shield to make his Pathfinder 'immune.' The ice field in Stage 3 would rely on that console extensively.

{Hmmm, maybe I should look for a new accelerator to get me out of there faster.}

The man named Harry could be seen pondering the question posed to him by Copland. Glitch had known Harry for several years now but only in the sense that Harry was his go-to guy for ship parts when he couldn’t find the piece anywhere else. Like so many interactions these days in the Conduit Glitch and Harry knew nothing about each other except for what they showed on there avatars. Harry could be a women from Mexico or a guy from the Ukraine and Glitch would have no clue. It was exciting in a way.

Harry took his finger from his lips, raising it in the air and squinting his eyes.

“I just may have what your looking for. Come on.”

So the pair followed the eccentric dealer to a corner of the warehouse, passing through wrecks and discarded parts strewn across the stressed concrete floor until they came upon a corrugated sheet of metal. Harry grabbed it and heaved it across the floor, and as it slid it reveled a cut hole in the floor.

“Come on guys.”

With that Harry barreled his way down a make shift ladder. It looked like it had been cut out of a lower class ship and bolted right there, the rungs bowed and at the breaking point at several points. Glitch shrugged at Copland.

“He always has something interesting so its worth taking a look.”

Glitch followed Harry down, climbing nearly two dozen rungs down before his feet hit a grated catwalk. As he turned he saw what looked like the top of a ship, a fairly large one, with the catwalk leading to a now opening hatch. Harry was heaving it open, making a ‘come hither’ motion as he did. Glitch complied, his gloved hand running along the once sleek hull before climbing in. He found himself in the cramped airlock of the ship, several controls lined up along the wall and an EVA suit hanging in a small changing alcove. Glitch could tell the ship was in ‘well used’ condition by the looks of dark and dank corridor to his right.

“Just came in last week. It’s a derelict that was delivered by one of those salvage companies. Still haven’t taken a look around but I do know the hull is breached beyond repair and core is damn near bled empty.”

Glitch nodded and reached down to his belt, flicking a switch on a small box. A messenger bag materialized on him. It was khaki and well worn and as Glitch opened the flap various electronic tools could be seen within. He pulled out a small coin shaped circle with a USB jack on the back. He slipped it into the nearest access control bank and then pulled out his tablet. He stretched it to the size of a large book and pushed a couple commands leading the small circle to begin pulsing a deep red LED color.

“Well lets see what we have here. A quick and dirty diagnosis should give this a better picture.”

He paused, looking at Copland hopefully as the device did its work. After a minute or so a small ping could be heard from the tablet.

“Alright. Hull has been breached over… forty percent of its surface. This puppy won’t be going anywhere soon. The core hasn’t just been bled, its fuel rods have been jettisoned. Where did you say those salvagers found her?”

Harry looked thoughtful a moment as he mentally reviewed the week old conversation.

“Out orbiting a recourse world near Darum.”

“Did they pull a registry tag?”

Harry shrugged, not knowing the answer.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell. Right I remember.”

He did his best to pull up the ship registry but what little his sensory device could do couldn’t compensate for the lack of power going to the computer core. He could pull up a brief damage report stored in this panel before the ship wide crash which painted a picture of just what was in this ship.

“Well there’s your shields, decent looking gravity generator as well. Guns are useless, half of them blasted off and the others depleted so low it’ll be a wonder if they shoot again. The core is a fairly mundane model for this size ship….”

His voice trailed off as he stared at the tablet for a moment, then h is eyes come up at Harry.

“Harry this ship came in last week? Why the hell didn’t you tell me this power distribution system was here? You knew I’ve been looking for something like this for a month.”

The man shrugged sheepishly.

“figured it was to big for your project.”

Glitch shook his head. “This is freaking perfect. And the computer core is in pretty good shape to for being without power for this long. Hell those converters are right up my alley as well. Just looking at this damage report this ship is a gold mine.”

He stopped, thinking a moment.

“What d you want for the whole thing?”

Harry took a while to respond. That could be a good sign as most vendors instantly knew they didn't have one. Copland was afraid to get his hopes up though. Harry took his finger from his lips, raising it in the air and squinting his eyes.

“I just may have what your looking for. Come on.”

{Say what?}

The dealer moved on to the back of the shop. Glitch followed, so Copland went too. Copland gave out an admiring whistle at the graveyard of spare parts. Harry gave a heave-ho to some scrap of metal to reveal a rabbit hole.

“Come on guys.”

Copland shot a look at Glitch, who only shrugged. “He always has something interesting so its worth taking a look.”

{I'm not going to get arrested for this, am I?} Copland didn't dare voice the question. He followed Glitch down the hole and wondered if tetanus existed inside the Conduit.

At the bottom of the ladder, Copland could barely believe Harry had his shop on top of a hangar. He looked around trying to find the bay doors that let this ship in but couldn't find one. It was a digial ship in a bottle. He stood agape for a moment before realizing Harry was waving them in. His footsteps echoed off the catwalk as he hurried up.

“Just came in last week. It’s a derelict that was delivered by one of those salvage companies. Still haven’t taken a look around but I do know the hull is breached beyond repair and core is damn near bled empty.”

Copland examined the EVA suit as well. He didn't need one as his air rider suit also served that purpose. But a true suit would not need the board in active mode. Glitch plugged in a device that attempted to interface with the computer and assess the damage.

“Well lets see what we have here. A quick and dirty diagnosis should give this a better picture.”

He paused, looking at Copland hopefully as the device did its work. After a minute or so a small ping could be heard from the tablet.

“Alright. Hull has been breached over… forty percent of its surface. This puppy won’t be going anywhere soon. The core hasn’t just been bled, its fuel rods have been jettisoned. Where did you say those salvagers found her?”

Harry looked thoughtful a moment as he mentally reviewed the week old conversation.

“Out orbiting a recourse world near Darum.” Copland wasn't familiar with the planet, but the Conduit was a pretty extensive 'place.'

“Did they pull a registry tag?”

Harry shrugged, not knowing the answer.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell. Right I remember.”

{Well that's comforting to know.}

“Well there’s your shields, decent looking gravity generator as well. Guns are useless, half of them blasted off and the others depleted so low it’ll be a wonder if they shoot again. The core is a fairly mundane model for this size ship….”

{Awesome!}

Copland went over to inspect the shield device. He rubbed off a layer of ship grime and was surprised to see a Reaga logo. Reaga was the first credited and one of the higher quality manufacturers of the technology. If this was legit, it was a great discovery. The fixer peeled Gadget off and stuck it to the device. The keytool seemed to grow clamps that locked on and began analyzing the code. After a moment, a green check mark appeared. That meant the shield was a real Reaga (for the two of them had done some work for the company way back when).

"How much for the shield?" Copland asked. He started looking around to see if there was anything else he could grab for a one stop shop outing.

“Harry this ship came in last week? Why the hell didn’t you tell me this power distribution system was here?" Glitch pined. "You knew I’ve been looking for something like this for a month.”

The man shrugged sheepishly, “figured it was to big for your project.”

{What project is this?}

Glitch shook his head. “This is freaking perfect. And the computer core is in pretty good shape to for being without power for this long. Hell those converters are right up my alley as well. Just looking at this damage report this ship is a gold mine.”

He stopped, thinking a moment.

“What do you want for the whole thing?”

Copland piqued at the question. The guy was going to go all out on this piece to see what else was salvageable.....

As Harry pondered the offer Glitch eyes Copland, his voice a polite whisper.

“We split it 70-30 and you get your shields.”

He nodded, eyebrows raised with a slight hopeful grin on his face. If they were able to make this deal they could be potentially hitting a gold mine. Harry looked back at the two men, his hand rubbing his chin.

“How about 10k”

Glitch scoffed at the number, his head shaking strongly in the negative.

“You MAYBE could have gotten that number if the hull was still good and MAYBE if the computer core wasn’t shot. As is…I’d give you 5k.”

Harry’s look of disgust told the story of how that offer was going to go. He brought his hands up ushering the two men out of the hatch.

“Why don’t you guys move along now? This is a business not a charity. I couldn’t sell this thing for any less than eight.”

Glitch stood his ground, his own hands raised to stop Harry.

“Don’t start rushing here. I can give you six.”

Harry folded his arms across his chest, a defensive position. Glitch had done this little dance with the parts dealer before and he knew it was winding down.

“Seven.”

Glitch mirrored Harry.

“Seven and a half.”

Glitch flashed a slight smile at his counter offer as he watched Harry breaking down. Seven thousand five hundred credits was a lot of money but Glitch knew with all the parts there the haul was worth quite a bit more. Especially with an unopened hull, God knows what was behind that curtain. He glanced back at Copland to read the man’s reaction.

Glitch leaned in. “We split it 70-30 and you get your shields.”

Copland only nodded. He didn't want to seem too overeager, but a ship with multiphasic shields was definitely equipped for deep space travel. Anything else he could salvage off this derelict would be a major plus in his preparations for the Loop, which was essentially a deep space obstacle course. He only observed as Glitch and Harry haggled. The two had obviously wheeled and dealed before, an art Copland didn't quite practice yet.

“Seven and a half.”

Twenty-two fifty with a shield system guaranteed, not to mention a few other things. Well...there probably was a few other things that would make up the rest of the cost. That sounded good to the repair man.

"You've got yourself a new customer," Copland spoke for the first time. He tried to appeal to the accountant in Harry. "So it's not really a loss for you. If he ever tries to short change you, you can always try me." The last was said as a joke, although there could be some truth to the statement.

Copland saw the gears turning in Harry's digital head. Door Number Three could have a year's supply of bath soaps behind it, meaning Harry could still walk away with a smile. It appeared as though the same thought crossed his mind.

"Deal," Harry said but then pointed to Copland. "But I get to make you pay on the higher end next time."

Copland took the man's hand. "We have an accord." He tapped into his funds and sent the 2,250 credits to Glitch's avatar. It was Glitch's deal after all. He deserved whatever transaction bonus Harry may or may not have. Copland tipped his head to Harry. "Pleasure doing business with you, Harry."

Grinning at the dealer Glitch shook Harry’s hand after Copland, passing the money over to him after Copland had given his share. Once Harry had nodded he had his money he waved to the ship and then began climbing the ladder.

“She is all yours boys. Enjoy!”

Glitch reached into his bag and pulled out a large size Blade. Normal Blades where just the size of a deck of cards but when you were moving something like a full size starship you needed to use a more heavy duty storage device. This one was the size of a paperback with a control panel on the side. All he had to do was slip it into the control panel at the hatch and hit a button and the next thing they knew Copland and Glitch where on the catwalk staring at a giant empty space where the derelict had been. Glitch slipped the Blade back into his messenger bag and turned his attention to his new business partner.

“Let’s take this to my place and we can re ress it and give it a good look over. Come on.”

He led the man out of the shopping bazaar and to one of the heavy duty elevators. They rode up from the bowls of the city-planet heading up to the more civilized districts. About half way up the metal tube the elevator rode up in turned into a glass one giving the duo a view of a city that seemed to never end its reach to the sky. Core was a model of overcrowding, and the buildings screamed it. Glitch had called one district or another home his entire time on The Conduit.

“One hell of a town, and I’m never sad to see it go.”

Glitch chuckled as the elevator stopped and went horizontal, the car speeding up towards their destination. The light music piping through the speakers was beginning to drive him up a wall right before the doors slid open to a nondescript dock yard.

“Let’s take my ride.”

He led Copland to slip he had rented for a couple of hours. He flew a Delta Flyer, something he had picked up from a second hand market and spent quite a bit of time cleaning it up.

“I’ll show you where I’ve been calling home.”

“She is all yours boys. Enjoy!”

Copland waved to Harry as he left them in the basement. He was about to enter the gangway when he saw Glitch remove a book from his bag. The derelict dissolved into the large blade. Even though he knew he was in a computer program, seeing things like this always amazed Copland. If only they could figure this stuff out in the real world, maybe they wouldn't have to retreat into this virtual reality.

“Let’s take this to my place and we can re ress it and give it a good look over. Come on.”

"You afraid Harry will derezz our avatars and take the ship back?"

They left the shop area and climbed aboard one of the elevators going to the literal Uptown districts. “One hell of a town, and I’m never sad to see it go.”

Copland wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. "Somewhere else you'd rather be, or you like seeing it in your viewscreen all the time?"

After a while, they came across a parking garage for spaceships. Copland's was in a similar structure over his Mainframe office. They came and went so often that the repair company got permission from the Core's Corp of Engineers to program in a mini port.

“Let’s take my ride.” Glitch pointed to a sleek, triangular shaped vessel. Copland recognized the Star Fleet design of the shuttle. “I’ll show you where I’ve been calling home.”

"Nice," Copland admired the ship. "Mine's not the prettiest in the Black, but I've always preferred functionality over cosmetics. Course, I know the Delta Flyer model could outgun my Pathfinder."

{But I can go toe to toe with you in maneuverability.}

"Kinda ironic you're going to put that hulk of a ship inside this one. I might start calling yours a TARDIS.....bigger on the inside..."

Copland came really to buying one. Phone boxes don't make for great Loop runners.

Glitch chuckled as he climbed into the hatch, closing it when Copland had joined him.

“A lot of stuff on The Conduit will blow your mind when you stop and think about it. The fact that I have a cruiser class derelict in my bag should make you drop your jaw.”

He climbed into the pilots chair and ran his fingers along the controls. While he had kept the majority of the touch controls that had come with the ship he had installed a joystick for the flight control. Pushing the power up sequence he motioned for Copland to sit in one of the seats behind him as he brought the craft off of the deck of the hangar and pushed the throttle lightly forwards.

Glitch nosed the ship out of its slip slowly, turning it towards the door and piloting it out at a fraction of its possible speed. Once he had exited the doors he aligned himself for an exit path and gunned it, slamming the throttle up three quarters of the way and pointing the nose skyward. The internal dampers kicked in forcing the gravity to realign to the ‘right’ perspective as the small craft cut through the atmosphere and entered space. The clouds and light faded away to the blackness of space.

He pulled up a navigational map on one of his side panels and set a course for the small orbiting dry-dock he was renting. It was a long cylinder, ribs visible on the outside of the now closed skin. It was just big enough for the cruiser Glitch was bringing to be rezzed within and it would offer a nice private place to inspect his newest purchase that left his wallet fairly lighter.

The Delta Flyer aligned itself to dock at the small port on a control area built on the side. It slipped into the small hangar, the landing struts folding out from its bottom and touching down on the cramped space. As the two men stepped out they were surrounded by tools and parts, a small buggy was parked in the side with tool benches arranged around it. a small door led to the control room, a place that he both worked and ‘lived’.

“Home Sweet Home. Come on.”

He stepped through the doorway and walked over to a control panel with a full open window stretched above it looking into the dry-dock. A full ships skeleton was arranged before them, its structure looking like it came out of some prehistoric museum. Glitch hit a command on the control and the frame of a future ship faded away leaving the giant open space empty. He slipped in the Blade with his new purchase and rezzed it in its place.

“Alright let’s give it a good scan and then we can go take a look inside.”

“A lot of stuff on The Conduit will blow your mind when you stop and think about it. The fact that I have a cruiser class derelict in my bag should make you drop your jaw.”

"Yeah, but have you seen a blade fail inside someone's inventory?" Copland shuddered at the memory. That glitch made one of the largest system tears I've ever seen....present company excluded, of course."

He took one of the offered aft seats while Glitch ran through the pre-flight checklist. Copland couldn't help but look at a few of the diagnostic screens. He barely felt the acceleration as the inertial dampeners activated. Even breaking atmo was pretty smooth. Leave it to the Trekkies.

They landed in a spacedock's hangar. Copland followed his host out of the small ship into the just bigger closet they parked in. “Home Sweet Home. Come on.”

"I can only imagine the rent on this place. But at least you don't have to worry about noisy neighbors."

They stepped through the doorway and walked over to a control panel with a full open window stretched above it looking into the dry-dock. A full ships skeleton was arranged before them, its structure looking like it came out of some prehistoric museum. Glitch hit a command on the control and the frame of a future ship faded away leaving the giant open space empty. He slipped in the Blade with his new purchase and rezzed it in its place.

"Whatcha Frankensteining over there?" Copland asked before the skeleton vanished from sight.

“Alright let’s give it a good scan and then we can go take a look inside.”

"I expected more hull damage. Doesn't look to be that bad." Copland shrugged. "Unless the gaping hole is on the other side."

"Whatcha Frankensteining over there?"

Glitch chuckled as he cycled the internal scanners to run up and down the length of the hull to paint a more accurate picture of just what he had gotten himself into. He answered the question as the holographic display began to flesh out an image of the derelict in front of them small red highlights showing up as damage was recorded.

“Lets just say I’m working on an upgrade to my mode of transportation.”

He paused, pushing a red section of the miniature model in front of them forcing it to zoom to such detail that you could see the damage clearly. Several tears had ripped open the hull like it had been a tin can revealing the technically complicated inner hull.

“Looks like each breach isn’t large. There is just a lot of them. Yet I can’t put my finger down on cause. It’s looking more and more like this was a plant rather then a once owned ship.”

He did his best to hide his excitement. Inserted ships like this were rare and typically thought of as treasure troves. It had been the designers way of slipping little prize boxes into the game without making it to obvious.

“I have got to see what’s inside there.”

Even while the sensors continued to run across the ships torn hull he nearly ran off to the side of the cramped control room, bee lining it to a hatch leading into a cylindrical airlock.

“The dry dock is at zero G and no pressure so if your coming you’ll need to throw on an EVA suit.”

He swung open the heavy looking door and stepped in, his hand instantly reaching to a shelving unit built into the side wall. The magic of the Conduit took effect and nearly instantly Glitch’s wardrobe went from casual city wear to a simple light weight all white EVA suit. He grabbed hard metal circle and slipped his head into it letting it fall to his collarbone. Instantly the device formed into the suit, clothing and tubes snaking up to meet it as he pulled a small air cylinder from a holder and clipped it into a receiver along his back. Next Glitch grabbed a fully loaded tool belt, every item stuck to it magnetically, and wrapped it around his waist the clasp in front making a magnetic clicking sound as it secured around him.

Glitch grabbed a large case from another shelf setting it down on the ground next to his feel after looking at a small readout near the handle. The case was about the size of a briefcase and had a lighting bolt painted on the side. It was a portable generator, a model favored by salvagers and quick repair crews and Glitch knew just how invaluable it would be on the dead derelict.

Once Copland was set he hit the cycle command on a control panel by the far door, the metal wring around his neck glowing once before a full helmet formed around his head with large Plexiglas ports in front and to the sides of his face. The cool rush of pressurized air kissed his cheeks as the booth around him dispelled all of the air and the gravity disappeared. A push of a button on his thigh kicked the heavy metallic boots on sucking him back down to the grated decking.

“Ready?”

Without waiting for an answer he slid open the door to the open space of the dry dock. Glitch stepped to the edge before pulling a grappling hook gun from the wall and twisting the device so it activated. Clicking a carabineer attached to a small lead on the base of the tool he took aim at the general direction of the hatch they had entered not half an hour ago and fired.

A metallic spike shot forward, a strong cord trailing behind it as the force of the pressurized charge pushed the magnetic tip of the projectile right against the hull. After several tugs to make sure it was good and secure Glitch pulled another lead from his harness and clipped it to the now taught fiber line.

Glitch grabbed the small generator and placed it lightly in front of him before he smiled back at Copland and using the toes of his feet he pushed off just as he turned the grips off propelling him towards the secured derelict. He used his body to keep the case in front of him bringing it along for the short journey

“Lets just say I’m working on an upgrade to my mode of transportation.”

"Did you start this upgrade from the blueprints?" Copland knew new construction when he saw it. He let it go to get a better view of the damage.

“Looks like each breach isn’t large. There is just a lot of them. Yet I can’t put my finger down on cause. It’s looking more and more like this was a plant rather then a once owned ship.”

"Or it hit a spaceberg," he said before chewing on his lip. Copland didn't trust plants, the put-there-on-purpose kind. He had no quarrel with the household variety.

“I have got to see what’s inside there.”

"Did you check it for Mimics first?" Copland found a ship like this full of the nasty buggers pretending to be footlockers and cargo crates. He got chased out of the hold by a box with shark teeth trying to get a taste of his pixelated flesh.

Glitch was already running for the hatch. “The dry dock is at zero G and no pressure so if your coming you’ll need to throw on an EVA suit.”

Copland double tapped his belt buckle. Goggles instantly materialized on his face. His surfer gear took on a segmented appearance while his skin took on a mottled look. The surf board activated from his inventory and hovered at his feet. Copland jumped on and raced behind his host.

“Ready?”

"How did you get all that on so fast? I mean, I cheated...but damn." But the door was already opening. Glitch went through this whole process of using a zip line gun instead of rezzing some sort of gangplank. "You know, I could have just given you a lift."

The surfer whisked alongside Mission Impossible Man. His vehicle had limited space capabilities, but it was based off the second generation search engine from the television show ReBoot (aka a Web Surfer). Actually, his whole company was based off the show which explained the keytool Gadget. The board and 'wet suit' combination provided a built in EVA effect. It allowed him all the dexterity while on dry land without the need for a bulky suit, but he couldn't travel between planets with it alone.

"Are we there yet?" Copland bugged. He hadn't opened space throttle on the board in a long time but didn't want to show off in front of the guy still holding his shield.

As Glitch moved along the open and empty space between the control booth and the derelict ship he had the pleasure of his new companions company. With a sarcastic witty tone Copland continued to nag at him bringing a strained smile to his face.

“I know there are faster ways of doing this, but not many that are as fun as this.”

While not a long journey his zip line trip did give Glitch the chance to get a better look at the ship. Back on Core he had only been able to see a small section of hull but here he could appraise the entire package. The ship was a typical freighter, mainly cargo space with maybe a deck of compartments for its small crew. Within the belly of this beast could lie nearly anything which excited him just as much as the thoughts of the salvage parts themselves.

It didn’t take him long to make it to the ships hull and as he reached his goal he spun himself around landing boots first. Pushing the button his boots clung to the metal surface allowing Glitch to uncouple from his tether and move the short feet to the now closed hatch.

“Must have closed itself.”

Crouching next to the sealed entryway he pulled his torch from a pouch and triggered the actuator. A small blue flame sprung up, a small fuel canister allowing it to glow hot enough to cut a small hull into the hatch. It took nearly a minute and when he was done he gingerly removed the nearly circular piece out of the newly cut hull and set it into another pouch for later analysis. With the flick of a second button he brought his helmet lights to life and peered through.

“There you are.”

Reaching in he pulled the emergency release and a satisfying click vibrated through the meta and up Glitch’s boots.

“Open Sesame”

Sliding the hatch open Glitch slid in, the portable generator in tow.

“I know there are faster ways of doing this, but not many that are as fun as this.”

You mean more fun than traveling in three dimensions? Copland was very tempted to slow Glitch to a stop and make him climb hand over hand to the ship. But Glitch had the master access code embedded in his avatar, which meant he didn't necessarily have to hand over the loot.

Glitch touched down on the freighter's hull. “Must have closed itself.”

Probably to save atmo in the intact sections. Copland saw the cutting torch come out. So much for a master code. Did Harry forget to hand you the keys?

“There you are.” Glitch reached a gloved hand inside. Copland heard nothing in the depressurized dock. “Open Sesame.” So much for a hidden key above the frame.

The owner tugged his generator inside. I call top bunk! Like either of them bought it to live in. Copland hovered in after him. First stop engine room to see how much we can bring back online?

Glitch looked back at Copland and nodded as best as he could in the hard suit surrounding him. He pulled himself through the hatch, the heavy case dragging behind him.

“Sounds good, hook up this generator to see if we can jump start the power core. Worst comes to worst we can run what we want off of this for an hour or two.”

Grabbing a hold of a support beam Glitch pulled himself forward propelling him down the short corridor before turning left, deeper into the ship, bringing him closer to the engines and logically the engine room. He wanted to get some semblance of power going to he could get to the bridge and do a once over on what was good and what was junk.

As he moved down the tight corridor he couldn’t help but notice the unused feeling of the space. It was becoming obvious to Glitch that this had been floating wherever the salvagers found it for awhile, most likely put there during a content patch specifically meant as a ‘little goody’ for someone to find. While he had spent good money on the derelict the man still couldn’t help but get a rush at the thought that he might find something very valuable within the ships hold.

He reached a sealed door, the word Engineering stenciled on the hard steel, fading in simulated age. Pulling himself to the side he gestured to his companion and then the door.

“Lets see you open this one.”

“Sounds good, hook up this generator to see if we can jump start the power core. Worst comes to worst we can run what we want off of this for an hour or two.”

Copland closed the hatch behind him and then floated behind Glitch down the hallway. If they did manage to bring the systems back online, it wouldn't do to have all simulated atmosphere rush right out the door...kinda like cranking up the furnace when your front door was wide open in the winter. The human pinball seemed to know where the engine room was, so he let Glitch lead.

If this was a plant, it's huuuge. Do you think Harry might have already cleaned it out though?

That was kind of a stupid question. The vendor himself had said how rare a multiphasic shield generator. Copland highly doubted the man would just let it sit there for very long. Of course, there wasn't all that much of a market for such a device. Only crazy people flew into stars. They reached another closed door, but Glitch didn't try cutting this one open.

“Lets see you open this one.”

'Aight. Copland hovered over, bending his knees so the board wouldn't slam against the bulkhead. This lock wasn't a keypad. It looked more like one of those kinds with the card you wipe over, like an RFID chip. That meant it was electronic. The ship was dead. Tricky, but I can do it.

Copland reached into his belt and pulled out a blade. Activating it, the blade reformed into something that looked one of those handles you install on a shower door. This, however, was a gunmetal black with boxy edges. It just fit right over the span of the scanner. He tapped the center of the handle, causing the tips to glow a neon blue. The scanner itself glowed a moment later as it drew energy from the handle device. A holographic interface emanated from a hidden emitter on the handle.

Ten black boxes lined up in a row with a number pad appearing on the right hand side. It appears to be a numeric lock. Fortunately, it's a small sequence. But the question is do the numbers repeat or is each number used only once. And how many attempts before it doesn't give you any more? Gadget, codebreaker.

The keytool connected remotely to the handle. Copland followed along and entered digits into the proper boxes. He noticed a pattern in the sequence early on and put in the rest before Gadget predicted it. He did let it confirm the code before hitting the enter key. The code was accepted but nothing happened to the door. Copland waved his hand over the display screen, causing a schematic to appear. One particular circuit was glowing.

When I trigger this circuit, the locking mechanism will release. I'm still going to need help manually opening the door though. Ready?

When they were both in position, Copland hooked a finger around the glowing line and tugged towards him. Power was redirected from the handle into the scanner, and then into the lock itself. He helped Glitch push the door aside just enough so that they could get their fingers in and really pull it open.

Voila!