Izugo walks through the bridge door that opens before dem. Izugo looks around the bridge: it looks much more spacy than before. Most of the backup consoles and staff stations has been moved out or outright dismantled due to being unnecessary for the new, smaller and independent fleet. Bakuzo is standing behind the remaining admiral's console, waiting for the visitor. Behind dem, two huge black flags hang from the walls, slightly moved by the airflow from nearby AC exhaust. On the flags, there is the new symbol of Bakuzo corporation - a bleak sword before a brighter star.

- Do you like the flags? - says Bakuzo. - It's really fortunate that AC is blowing this way.
- Very imposing. However, you should attach the carpet to the floor, it's kinda ruining the look. - replies Izugo, straigtening a fold with der boot.
- Good point. Anyway, I called because wanted to give you the orders personally. I think it's a good practice. We have a tip on an abandoned cargo station orbiting former Suadaanan capital. Supposed to be lots of hardware, so I'm giving you the command of this mission. Nivo and der team will be answering to you. Orders are to take control of the station, assess the value and get the valuables ready for transport.
- Roger - says Izugo, turns around and leaves.

Izugo steps inside the marines' barracks and takes in the chaos. The marines are unpacking the equipment from freeworld-stamped boxes, changing clothes, working out and chatting. Air smells like printed paper, gun oil and sweat. Izugo winces at the noise. Upon noticing the door, Nivo jumps from the bench where de was peering into a box with a manual, and greets Izugo enthusiastically.

- Hey chief! I got the note. You can't imagine the stuff we cleared. Full boarding party set. Got the carbines, the shields, the hand cannons... The hull cutter, and even a nuclear charge.
- Sounds nice. Do we need all this, however? What's the intel?
- Eh, it's a sketchy source. Says there's "defender squad", "entrenched". Anyway, budget's good for anything and they can't possibly have any cannons, so we come right in. It's a cargo station, looks unmodified. - Nivo fishes in the pocket for the mobile and flicks an image of the station.
- I'd rather have this on screen.
- Sure, chief! We got this tactical node here. - Nivo grabs Izugo by shoulder and shoves their way through the marines across to a hastily installed deck in the corner. - I reckon you are better with it than us.

Izugo approaches the deck and figures out the interface. There's an optical view of the station, probably from a nearby well-known hijacked shared sensor. Izugo confirms the guess and finds a channel to radio the station. There is a vulnerable interface that lets dem access the internal systems.

- So, what's the plan, chief? - interrupts Nivo. - I think we should try out the hull cutter. It's really neat stuff, we fire it off, it cuts a hole, then we ram it, assault and spread out.
- I think there is a simpler way. - muses Izugo. - I have a connection and there are not many people inside. Cameras are dead but they look like civilians. No patrols, airlock is unguarded. We can just deploy in a boat and go through the front door.
- Well, if you order it so. - Nivo looks disappointed. - And you're sure there is nobody...
- There is supposed to be expensive equipment inside. No yahoo shit today.

When the signal is sent, Izugo runs through the marine carrier to the assigned assault boat. Nivo and the marines are already inside, prepared and silent.
- All set? - asks Izugo, strapping into the seat. - Everybody knows the protocol?
- Yes sah - replies Nivo.

The boat detaches from the carrier and starts towards the station. Most airlocks and ports visible are shining green, signalling readiness. Apparently the cargo systems are still working. Some signals are missing and a few parts are torn off by debris. Below, Ziitupot 0 is churning its great chunks.

- So what's the deal with this place? - One of the marines breaks the silence. - Trying to rip off Sol?
- Failed core motion establishment project - replies Izugo. - It was a great industrial world, but its core was rather sluggish. They tried to improve the wind protection, but apparently cut one edge too many... So yeah, kinda like Sol. What the fuck are you wearing, Nivo?
- That's the nuke - Nivo replies, barely held in the seat, huge backpack bulging. - Gonna need this, uh, if we need to scuttle.
- I didn't give such an order. That's an unnecessary risk.
- Sorry sah. It kinda falls under "default equipment"... - Nivo clearly is trying to find a reason to play with at least one of the new expensive and flashy toys.

The boat approaches the passenger airlock. Izugo fiddles with the mobile and confirms the station is ready for docking. Izugo motions to the point team, as the boat slows for the final approach, they hold up the shields and cover the exit.

The boat docks and doors slowly open. The point team peers over the shields.

- Nothing, sah. Some lights in the distance.
- Proceed in file of two.

The squad exits the boat and makes their way through the greeting corridor. It looks dusty, with scrawlings on the walls. Anything that stood out apparently was detached and sometimes left in place due to not looking valuable.

- I stepped in the fucking shit, Nivo! - cried out the chatty marine. - Are wipes in this assault package of yours?
- Shut the fuck up. - Nivo cuts dem off. - Keep quiet and watch out.

Finally the squad enters the main area. Huge hall with many cargo docks is sparsely lit by few lamps, apparently to let the station survive on solars without burning the fuel. On every dock, there is a huge yellow "STANDBY" light blinking every second. The hall is filled with crates and containers of every size. Marines point carbines in every direction.

- Where is the entrenched defense squad? - ponders Nivo. - This looks abandoned.

- FIRE IN THE HOLE!!! - suddenly somebody cries out in acoustics. A grenade flies out from behind a container, is promptly shot by a marine and explodes in midair. Marines wince under the shrapnel and fan out, surrounding the source. Nivo and a shielded marine cover Izugo and slowly retreat into a corner.

Soon, the fire and grunts stop.

- The area looks safe. - says a marine. - You can come over.

Nivo leads Izugo and the shielder on, watching out for threats. Yellow lights keep blinking overhead.

Behind the container there is a sad scene. Apparent grenade thrower lies slumped against a wall, wearing a cargo vest with few more antique grenades. The rest of entrenched defenders are kneeling nearby, held at a gunpoint, some are too weak to kneel. Some ancient small arms and hand tools are lying around, thrown by them when surrendering.

- Stupid motherfuckers - the cheery marine pipes up again, holding up the carbine in one hand. - Old pirates, shooting up here, can't even manage their power consumption properly. - de casually aims for the giant "dock 2 STANDBY" light overhead and shoots it just as it blinks on. The light shatters as it goes dark one last time.

Izugo keeps der eyes on the marine as de approaches the locals. Rather old, for a pirate, people, covered in sores, tumors and missing some parts, dressed in soiled and torn combat void suits. They eye their captors with hatred.

- Execute them. Nobody will want these. - Izugo orders, then turns around. - And execute this cheery fucker.
- Sorry pal, you knew the protocols. No chatting. - Nivo quickly pulls out a handgun and shoots the astonished marine in the neck joint point blank. The marine still looks like as de is going to defend demself with a witty speech as de falls back with blood streaming down the void suit.

The rest of the marines silently execute the captives and one starts to drag the dead marine's body back to the airlock.

- Any more lifesigns around, sah? - Nivo asks.
- Doesn't look so. - Izugo checks the mobile. - Let's see about the loot.

Izugo turns attention to a blood-spattered container behind the pirate corpses.

- Should we call for a cargo shuttle? - Nivo asks. - These don't look like they ever got unpacked. Weird, what were they doing here...
Izugo scans the other containers. All of them are bearing the same logo, the crown upon a lush planet, the sign of the former kingdom of Suadaanan. Izugo walks across the cargo hall to a container bearing the signs of a crude intrusion. Nivo looks around and waves one marine to escort Izugo, then follows demself in a relaxed fashion.

- It looks like they were not interested in the station itself. There is no food, no fuel, this was getting ready to accept the shipments when the planet got cracked... - Izugo approaches the gash in the side of a container and peers inside. - Heavy duty shipping machinery. Logistic and financial terminals, loaders, packagers, scanners. And these lowlifes are not shipping anything.

- Sounds expensive! And there are what, hundred of these containers around here? - Nivo looks around excitedly. - Stupid bums, they could've sold these for a pretty coin.

- That's the issue. These can't be sold. These were specially ordered to serve Ziitupot 0, in comtemporary galactic logistics. This is... was, a top grade equipment. - Izugo wipes the dust and grime from the display of a logistic terminal, exposed from a torn packaging. The terminal lights up and starts to boot. Izugo winces and steps back, then turns away from the screen. - Ziitupot was getting by on ships landing in their spaceport to load goods, and this would've been their ticket to being the sector's powerhouse, direct access to trading. However, since then, the whole network was restructured. There needs to be predictive software, processing hardware for it, microloaders, speed packagers, modern protocols... Often, much more inefficient junk.

- Uh, what about the recycling? - Nivo is taken aback. - There's, like, tons of metal here... rares? Sell these to some natives.

- It's all junk. It costs more to transport or process all of this then the costs. Even the savages knew this... - Izugo scans a couple of nearby containers with the mobile and shakes der head. - They probably sent their shipfriends the photos of the insides of the container.

Izugo looks at the orange lights blinking overhead. The readiness for something that never comes, de thinks.

- Are we ready to leave, Nivo? This tip was a load of junk. We should not waste any more fuel on that?

Nivo glances at the status watch.

- Looks so. - de orders the marines to retreat. Marines, some grabbing souveniers, or cleaning the organic fluids off their suits, on the way, head over to the airlock.

- One more thing. - Izugo grabs Nivo's backpack as Nivo turns to follow them. - I need this.

- What?! Didn't you say there is nothing of value here? Let somebody else waste their time with this junkyard! - Nivo steps back.

- This station needs to die. It can't exist another hundred years. - Izugo's mind is flooded by visions of all the machines, in their packages, some activating, forever waiting for orders, ready to ship, deliver, satisfy, package, print package labels, convince, entertain, follow... - That's an order, marine.

- I've got superior orders from the admiral, to conserve the resources. That's a clear waste, do you know how much these nukes cost?

- I will pay for it myself. - iron grip of Izugo is maintained.

- What the hell... - Nivo presses down on the releasing buttons of the backpack and hands the nuke to Izugo. - You know how to operate this, do you?

- Yes. - Izugo fiddles with the familiar interface. - I'll set this to explode on timer, the failsafe. Not returning here if some moron crawls from the woodwork and decides to defuse. Five minutes.

- Geez... All right, let's go! - Izugo, Nivo, and the marine rush to the airlock, past the containers, corpses and the blinking light.

In the marine carrier, Izugo looks at the screen showing the cargo station. In a minute, it silently blooms in a white explosion, as white as a screen can show. The camera is hit by debris and shuts down. Izugo takes off the helmet and at long last rubs the stinging eyes.