Metsker Steel Works
Outskirts of Misrata, Flint
August 12, 2558
Two hours after the enormous Metsker facility had closed, Aegis made his move.
He had a black shirt adorned with various equipment and his legs were still covered in their section of MJOLNIR armor which was also colored black. His mouth, nose and back of his head were covered by a balaclava. Sporting his favorite Acheron A9 pistol with a few spare magazines, he wasn't aiming to destroy the place, rather find anything on what the pirates were doing with Metsker, if at all.
Drew had protested his idea to go alone, saying that at least he should have a sniper covering his back. Trip didn't want anyone else at risk except himself.
"I'll be out before they knew that they've been infiltrated."
"That's what Laura said before she went aboard the Anije."
He now had crept in the scrapyards, using the piles of junk to spot sentries. His breathing had to be muffled, he had spotted sensors with machine guns that swept the area, not just relying on what the guards saw, but also heard and smell.
Beside one of the giant hangars, there were a few regular sized doors. He scanned the area one last time, watching the nearest autoturret pivot away from him before trying the door. Surprised it was unlocked, he peeled back, slipping inside and shutting the shaft behind him.
The hangar was empty save for a large dark object that had a few lights that shone over the large tarp covering. Sprawling structures surrounded the hidden ship and upon closer inspection they were riddled with tools made for disassembly, a ship that was nearly broken.
Slipping under the tarp, he found one of the ship's hatches. The lights inside were dim, but not able to be seen outside the covering. The interior looked oddly familiar, but now unrecognizable due to the fact that the snaking remains of the catwalk ended in a drop to the hangar's thirty foot pit down below.
From what he could tell, this was a legitimate part of Metsker, no pirates had been involved as this was merely a ship meant for breaking. What puzzled Trip was the sentry guns posted atop the hangars. If they were hiding something, surely this was a place to do it? Somewhere that you can put your guns alongside?
Reaching the bridge, he found the navigation terminal and activated it. It was dark which meant the power was out. A quick look at her engines from the port side showed that they had been cut out. Trip walked around the bridge, checking any wiring that was not removed during her alpha scrapping, which was the main removal of her electronics and interior decorations. The bravo scrapping was all appliances, consoles and other things bolted on. Finally came the delta scrapping where the entire ship sections were broken off and hauled to the mill for refining or wherever else valuable.
The ship had yet to go through her bravo scrap and he had to get as much data as possible before it happened.
He managed to find some wiring inside one of the engine computers displayed from the bridge. Ripping out the red rubber, he found the port for the terminal, wrapping it around one side and using the other side, opened his flashlight, using the wire inside and adapting it to his battery.
His rough contraption worked, the navigation terminal flickered to life, shimmering as it attempted to compensate for the static interfering with the screen.
Aegis flicked the clearance button and hacked the system of the low frequency signal that Drew had been broadcasting for a few minutes. The terminal seemed to sync and then went green, giving him free access.
He was surprised to see the navigation drive purged and her slipspace generator having been disconnected with the controls. Metsker wasn't known to do much with the things that were kept inside the ship and that part was often kept out of what Aegis and the Blades had glimpsed at the company on their website. Sale of a slipspace drive was highly illegal, even in independent colonies like Flint. After scouting the Anije and her compliment of pirate craft, it was safe to say that they had been refitted into pirate vessels for quicker transportation and a fast escape if necessary.
He scrolled to access the other stations from his terminal when his battery began to die out. At first the screen flickered and then after a few minutes, the brightness began to fade until Trip was straining to keep looking. He finally found some records that he was looking for in the fuel data. The identity of the ship had been erased from even the intact logs which he cursed and banged, before the terminal finally died, his power drained. What he did manage to get was that her journey ended very close to where he had engaged the pirates for the first time.
His client and friend Koyara had provided him with everything about the ships that the pirates had assaulted, dossiers, manifests and even the numbers on everything inside the ship. Had the pirates not been intelligent enough to remove even the galley oven, he could have pinpointed it by finding out the serial number and matching it to the respective vessel.
He slunk outside, finally seeing the ship's engine husks. The innards had been removed, evidence by the massive hollow section in between. However something else caught his eye.
Oil had been smeared over what Trip saw as a digit on the engine's serial number. Using his gloved hand, he brushed aside the oil, finding the eleven digit serial number. Punching it onto his disposable datapad, he put up a search.
His mouth fell open when the ship's name came up.
"I'll be damned."
"Damned right you are." The voice came out as a whisper. Trip turned around when he was slammed against the engine cover with the muzzle of a pistol squarely in between his eyes.
From the back of the ship drifted the voices of men and light now reflected off the shiny smooth surfaces of the metal hallways.
That's not good! Who is this mysterious assassin?
Well I am now officially done with school for the year! Summer break awaits, which means lots of work and (the good part) writing! Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone! You all give my writing purpose!