Andrus donned the uniform of the dead mercenary "Vulpine Zero." He was the man's successor, whether or not he had the desire or the ability. He was a deserter, a fugitive, a parentless child lost in the sleaziest and most crime-ridden arm of the galaxy. All the same and indifferent to how he felt, the helmet emblazoned with a fox head sealed around the collar of his armor, and all the electronics came to life. He sat at the ship's helm. The flight controls moved toward his lap and he took the sticks. Its artificial intelligence, "Foxtrot" obeyed his commands. 

In the garage, the spacecraft Vulpine rumbled on its idling thrusters. Outside was the inner space of Ruetger's Outpost, a tangle of man-made steel structures and city. Closing in around the outpost were ISXC Inte...

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