UGT (Unified Galactic Time): 19th Revol (July) 280 a.G.A. (after Galactic Armistace) / 5:17 p.m.

  Location: IMS Patrolship Second Chance, Wehrmal system (red dwarf), (Outer-)Noran Principality, Kingdom of Ferron, Milky Way

  Four days after the Vale siblings had met Naori and agreed to work with her, the IMS Second Chance was back in the asteroid belt of the Wehrmal system and joining the other mining ships on their way back to Helior, the only habitable planet in the system and their home.

  Arin Vale watched them joining back up with the remaining mining ships both with excitement, but also with some trepidation, all the while remaining deep in thought. While no one actively cared for the Vale siblings, he was sure their absence for the last few days would've been noticed, even if just by the debt collectors they owed money to. And while he trusted in all the means Naori had equipped them with, based on her plan for them he got a feeling she underestimated how irrational human beings could be.

  Lysa Vale meanwhile sat at the auxiliary console to his right, her posture stiff despite the illusion of routine. She had been running diagnostics for the third time since they had rejoined the other mining ships, fingers moving automatically through checklists she had known since childhood. Every system reported nominal and every readout aligned perfectly with the ship’s old specifications, no matter where she, or any Ferron inspector, would look short of taking apart the technology itself. And that, more than anything else, made her feel uneasy.

  After they had agreed to work with her, Naori had worked incredibly quickly. In just a few days she had replaced nearly every system and technology within the IMS Second Chance, at least everything she could without making the changes obvious. Even the damage of a degraded hull with small dents and scars still looked exactly the same and gave the same readouts, even after Naori had replaced the entire coating!

  For everyone looking the IMS Second Chance was still just an old Patrolship refitted to work as a mining ship. But in truth, the IMS Second Chance had become a weapon that could easily fight above her own weight class if pushed.

  By Naori's explanation, the IMS Second Chance now sat somewhere between a Ferron Corvette and a Cutter in actual combat capability, though she had been quick to clarify that by Aetherian standards, it was still little more than a very clumsy Assaultfighter. Oversized, underpowered, and utterly inefficient, something that the Aetherian fleet had it still existed would've long since scrapped for resources. That comparison had not helped them feel better about their new allegiances, though ti had once more made clear that they had made the only correct choice.

  Arin leaned back slightly in the pilot’s chair, eyes flicking to the passive sensor overlays scrolling along the edge of the display. A display that, if he activated the hidden upgrades like right now, was scanning at faster-than-light speeds, a technology he wasn't aware if anyone else in the galaxy even had yet. He could easily overlook the entire system in almost real time.

  The closer they came to Helior, the more nervous the Vale siblings became, knowing they'd have to pass through the inspections and tax cuts to be allowed back on their small insignificant world. With a population that hovered just under eight million and had no rare resources or anything else of value for that matter, Ferron had long since abandoned investing into or even just properly governing the system. If you were born on Helior, the chances were good that you would never get to see another system, for there was little to no way to achieve success in this system.

  The inspectors were corrupt to the core. They would make up taxes if they didn't like you and enforce them, just as you could easily bribe them if you had the means for it. They first and foremost looked out for their own success, not for the 'safety of the colony in the name of the Kingdom of Ferron' or whatever else they claimed. Still, they would do their jobs in this case. because as negligent as they were, they would notice that they hadn't seen the IMS Second Chance in an entire week. They would be scrutinized in great detail. And Arin wasn't sure if Naori's technological upgrades, or all the incredibly valuable materials she had them bring to the planet, would truly go undetected and not seized by the inspectors.

  Of course, they had brought up their concerns to Naori before setting off. She, however, had been extremely confident, amused even at the idea. On the spot she had explained every single detail in the inspector’s standard inspection protocol that could be abused, everything she could do to hide her changes on the IMS Second Chance. She had assured them that every civilian inspection would not find anything. And should they do try to scan deeper... Well, Naori was sure they would be able to bribe their way through the inspection without a problem, though that would be a dangerous precedent to set. The moment the inspectors found out they could press money out of them; they would continue to try every single time.

  Both of them had been very surprised how willing Naori seemed to risk Aetherian technology to fall into another species hands, even if she thought the chances of that to be small. But that was only until they had heard just how paranoid the Aetherians could apparently be.

  Every Aetherian system aboard their ship was primed with layered self-destruction protocols. Not crude overloads or explosive failsafe, but cascading annihilation routines designed to erase the technology down to subatomic slag if compromised. Naori had described it calmly, clinically, as if she were talking about standard data hygiene rather than the complete vaporization of the ship they lived on. For if even just one of these programs activated, there would be nothing left of the ship in milliseconds.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Arin forced his hands to relax on the controls as Helior grew ever larger in the viewport. The mining convoy adjusted formation, traffic control beacons flickering to life as civilian authority channels began issuing approach vectors. Arin watched the queue counter tick down with forced calm, every decrement tightening the knot in his stomach. Lysa sat rigid beside him, eyes fixed on the sensor readouts rather than the viewport, as if staring directly at Helior might somehow invite disaster. The IMS Second Chance hummed around them, utterly ordinary in sound and response, betraying nothing of what lay beneath its skin. Still, the fear that the inspectors might find something off remained.

  Finally, the channel chimed. “IMS Second Chance, prepare for inspection boarding,” a flat voice ordered. “Maintain power-down state and await docking.”

  Arin exhaled slowly and acknowledged. Moments later, a squat inspection shuttle latched onto their hull with a dull metallic thud. Just half a minute later they heard heavy unhurried footsteps moving up to their control room.

  The inspector who stepped aboard looked exactly like Arin had feared. Middle-aged, uniform rumpled but clean, eyes sharp in a way that had nothing to do with professionalism. His gaze flicked over the cramped interior with open disdain, lingering just a second too long on the Vale siblings themselves. Instantly recognition sparked on both sides.

  “Well,” the inspector said, his mouth twisting into an infuriating smile. “If it isn’t the Vale brats. Should've known by the naive name alone. Of course it would be your IMS Second Chance."

  Arin felt Lysa tense beside him. Of course. Of all the inspectors in Helior’s orbit, it had to be one who worked for the same people who had bought up their parents’ debt and then tightened the screws when the payments stopped. People who had not appreciated the siblings vanishing off the books for a week. Inspector Norris would without a doubt make that hard for them.

  “A week ago, you and your ship simply disappeared,” Inspector Norris continued, pulling out his slate. “It had happened without notice and no tax or debt payments happening during that time. Not a good look for you.”

  “We were simply doing more in-depth mining on a find of ours,” Arin lied while doing his best to squash his nervousness.

  “Funny,” the inspector replied. “Because I have no document filed for a long-term leave from the two of you. So, either you two finally had a good find for once which I very much doubt, or you're hiding something. I want to see your ship manifests. All of them.”

  They complied. Cargo logs, system reports, their own certifications, they opened it all for Inspector Norris. He moved through them slowly and deliberately, his face unreadable. When he finally looked up, there was a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

  “I take it back, it seems you have indeed for struck it rich,” he said. “Hyperdense Iridium–Osmium Composite Ore? You find that in small traces at best and you have an entire storage full of it. That's a very valuable load indeed and something I didn't even know we had in the system."

  Arin nodded once. “As you can see Inspector Norris, we had a good reason to stay away longer.”

  Inspector Norris smiled thinly. "It seems that way. Unfortunately, you will lose most of it. Between the taxes, your absence fees, and your debt there won't be much left. So, I'm afraid your find will not be helpful for you.

  Lysa’s voice cut in, sharp despite her effort to stay composed. “We haven’t landed even yet! No debts are due until-!"

  “Until I say they’re due!” the inspector snapped. He stepped closer, boots thudding against the deck. “And frankly, given how suspicious your find is in the first place, I’m inclined to confiscate the entire shipment and your ship as well, pending investigation!”

  The words hung heavily in the air. He forced himself to breathe and made a show of thinking it over. “If you do that,” he said carefully, “you get one storage unit of rare materials. Once. And a scrap patrol ship. But we can offer you one better. You can have the entire storage unit, see everything else as our personal appreciation of your professionalism."

  Lysa turned to look at him, eyes wide just for a heartbeat before she understood and followed his lead. “We can bring in more,” she said. “Much more. This haul was just the beginning. We truly made a good find, so it's entirely possible for us to show some appreciation for your professionalism a few more times."

  Inspector Norris studied them in silence, weighing the words and debating if he should take their thinly veiled bribe. Arin could almost see the calculations ticking behind his eyes. “And you expect me to believe you?” he asked. "What guarantees to me you really have made such a large find?"

  Arin met his gaze without flinching. “That's a small risk for you, isn't it? But think of the potential gain and I dare say we've already offered some proof."

  Inspector Norris’ lips twitched. He glanced at the manifest again, then at the single storage unit they had deliberately left easy to find. He didn’t know, or rather he couldn’t know, that they had far more. Naori had just hidden everything else far better.

  “Very well. I'll be seizing this entire storage unit," he said with a theatrical sigh, already marking it on his slate. “For taxes. For fines. For… administrative handling.” His smile returned, uglier this time. “And to settle certain outstanding obligations with interested parties who will be very interested to talk to you about your findings and should contact you soon.”

  He looked up at them. “I won’t be impounding the ship. Today. But I hope for your sake that you actually found more than just this one shipment.”

  He turned and walked away from their control center without looking back. “Don’t make me regret this," he said as the hatch shut behind him. A minute later the Vale siblings could hear the inspector shuttle docking off and flying away from the IMS Second Chance.

  For a few minutes, neither sibling spoke. Then the convoy channel chimed again, granting them clearance to descend. Helior loomed large now, its atmosphere shimmering in bands of blue and gold. Arin slumped back in his seat, tension draining from his shoulders all at once. Lysa let out a shaky breath, rubbing her hands together as if to warm them.

  “She was right,” Lysa said quietly.

  Arin nodded, eyes still fixed on the viewport. “About all of it.”

  The inspector hadn’t found the Aetherian technology, he hadn't even looked for it. He hadn’t found the rest of their cargo either. He hadn’t even suspected that the IMS Second Chance was anything more than a lucky, slightly insolent mining ship. Naori’s plan had worked.

  As the IMS Second Chance followed the other mining ships that were already checked down toward the planet, Arin couldn’t shake the feeling that this had been the easy part. Now they were back on the planet where Naori's power was greatly diminished compared to space, and where Ferron's representatives and criminal elements reigned. But they were armed with some of the best equipment the Aetherian Empire had in their arsenal. While there was no going back, Aren also couldn't feel overly worried anymore.