Stranded: Unfrequented

Chapter 1: The Out-Fields

Part 1 of Spring Trilogy.

The Shifter rotated through the debris fields. Everything had settled into regular orbital paths centuries ago even if no one knew the exact time frame. Hundreds, potentially thousands of ships rested in the Out-Fields, wrapped in tight orbital rings around the star. Their purpose was shrouded in the past that had all but been lost, remembered only in the rotting carcasses of that past.  

The Out-Fields were a popular scavenging location where all manner of equipment, supplies, and materials were collected by those who braved the dead of space far from the safety of home. There wasn't any waystation and certainly no emergency services if anyone became mired in the dead hulks, leaving only the most dedicated to venture beyond. The inner fields had been picked clean and were only useful for metals and alloys, which could still net a living, even if a meager one.

Beyond several tight orbits were the prize locations that contained enough treasure to make anyone a king, but had claimed just as many intrepid scavengers attempting to navigate the web of debris. There could be loot awaiting discoveries here that had never before been touched by any of those from Promethean. That lure had brought new ship corpses to settle into the orbital circles filled with the hopeful dead from home.

The Shifter drifted between rings, expelling only so much energy as was necessary to ensure their path didn't collide with any of the larger remains. Though the scavenger vessel looked somehow worse than a number of the intact derelicts, unlike those in the Out-Fields, there was still the living manning the decks. They were members of the brave and potentially foolish that fed Promethean a constant supply of artifacts from the remains of civilization.

"Lot of choices, Maenar." Ref Andra sat in a specially designed harness-seat designed specifically for smaller members of the Obsolus. She had multiple screens hovering in front of her, supported by arm-like cranes that displayed everything about the Shifter and every derelict they set their sights on. "There are a couple out here I've never seen before."

Situous Rather was in the middle around the smaller harness-seats. He looked from one to another, jumping across ships the way one might a selection of precious gems. The big score was always at the forefront of his mind, driving him further and further out, even as the Shifter disintegrated around him. There were treasures out here that could make them all rich if only he could find the perfect graveyard in which to desecrate the dead.

"What about that big one?" the Maenar asked. Rather saw there was a gaping hole right through the middle, the result of an energy weapon from wars nobody remembered anymore. "That has to have a belly full of valuables."

"Or they all leaked out after... whatever caused that hole." Ref Andra kept him steadied and focused when he just wanted to run to the first find he made. The diminutive Ghirp's tall ears moved from side to side as she caught sounds from his mouth and the beeping of the Shifter warning about debris.

"Right." Maenar Situous Rather moved the sensor eye to the next ship and then proceeded through a series of them. This section of the ring had collected a considerable amount of ships, mostly unknown configurations, but all of them had seen massive damage. "I don't like our odds on any of these."

There was a JerraCor transport. Long with pods sticking out in all four directions that could carry both supplies and be fitted with internal lighting systems that grew hydroponics. Another nearby was one of the Xeno ships, with their strange curving and trepidation of right-angles or standard airlocks. Getting into them required effort, and it was never an easy proposition. Fortunately, the Xenos seemed to use the same equipment as everyone else, making their innards useful.