The Temple Wraiths arrived in Four Points System on an unarmed transfer shuttle, escorted by two flights of newly purchased interceptors. When the white glare of gate emergence faded, their eyes were greeted by a lone space station orbiting a red giant. Like most NPC operated outposts, the heavily armed and fortified Four Points station offered a semblance of security in otherwise lawless space, which allowed players to dock ships without fear of their destruction. While player attacks remained possible, they required significant effort and gave a limited benefit at best.

As the shuttle approached, the immense scale of Four Points station became apparent. A pair of counter-rotating tori, two kilometers in diameter, straddled a central column five kilometers long. A multitude of ships crowded its length, with single seat craft parked in open hangars while larger ships drifted within mooring cages outside. One ship, docked beside a rotating torus strut, overshadowed all others in scale.

“There she is,” Legs said. “The Cardinal Aegis in all her glory, though I suppose we might rename her soon.”

“We have to repaint it too,” Sinn said. “The red and gold that Phalanx used are too flashy for the Wraiths.”

“So what color will it be?” April asked. “Ash blue and black like the org standard?”

Mayto asked from his interceptor.

Paws asked.

Mayto said.

“Why are you already caught up in specs Mayto?” Sinn asked. “This is our new flagship we're talking about! It still has to look good.”

Sinn, you know better than to step between Mayto and min-maxing, Aero thought.

“Uhh… guys?” April called out from the front row. “We're arriving soon.”

Mayto said.

Eight fighters turned towards the station's service area to fill their propellant reserves. The shuttle's destination was the docking bay neighboring the Aegis's mooring platform. From his view port, Aero watched the destroyer engulf his view and with its array of weaponry coming into focus. As the shuttle began its landing sequence, torpedo launchers, automated plasma turrets, laser guided missile pods all drifted by, each capable of shattering a fighter within seconds. I wonder how Legs felt approaching this thing as an enemy.

With a thud, the shuttle made contact with its docking port. The ship's airlock opened automatically with a hiss, and the Wraiths were greeted by a musty breeze.

“Eww…” April groaned, “why do NPC stations in lawless space always smell like someone puked in the air vents?”

“The region is supposed to be a wild west of space,” Legs explained, “with the stations being backwater hives of crime.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Sinn stood from his seat. “Let's get that ship moving.”

Outside their docking bay was a viewing platform which presented the destroyer in full view. Three gangways extended from the ship to the single corridor spanning the length of the mooring cage. Within the passage to the Aegis, a large NPC security force stood guard along the length of the passage. The captain of the guard saluted as the Wraiths approached.

“You really went all out with the security Legs,” Aero said. “How much did you spend hiring NPC guards?”

“I hired every available guard in this station, and it's not nearly enough,” Legs said. “You do know how Black Hole Legion lost their first medium ship right?”

“Oh, right,” Aero said. “I forgot about that.”

“I haven't heard the story,” April said.

“Black Hole Legion had used their brand new assault cruiser in a battle between dominion systems, and the commander decided to log off following the dominion war. So he parked the ship at an NPC station just like this one,” Legs said, “except the commander didn't hire security before he logged off. So overnight, a group of players broke into that ship's dock and flew away with it. They earned themselves a criminal record at NPC stations, but the value of a medium ship is far more than that.”

“That heist was legendary,” Sinn said. “Now orgs only dock medium ships at stations they own since security is crazy expensive for more than a few hours. Also, the station defenses must be strong enough to make attacks non-profitable even if you fly off with a ship that size.

“I didn't know we had a station big enough to dock a destroyer,” April said. “Where is it?”

“Oh shit,” Sinn stopped in his tracks. “We don't have one.”

“Where are you, you damn pirates?” Sinn murmured as he paced back and forth in the command center of the destroyer, now named Phantasm. “I have to get at least one good use out of this ship before we deal with it…”

“Did I say something bad?” April asked Aero. “I haven't seen him like this before.”

“No, it would've come up pretty soon anyways, “Aero replied.

The Phantasm, along with the other Wraiths ships, patrolled around a fleet of eight Argo-class freighters belonging to the trading org Opulence. All available Wraiths members joined on the job, hoping to see the destroyer in action. To their disappointment, no action occurred. The convoy crawled along its course, yet halfway to their destination, and despite flying through notoriously risky space, no pirates appeared.

Stevie said.

Mayto said.

Chase said.

Stevie said,

Myles said.

Paws asked.

Ice said.

“What's that reason Icepop?” Sinn asked. “If we don't take care of it then I'll never get to shoot a thing with this ship.”

Ice paused.

Sinn stopped his pacing. “FUCK! I should've thought about that too!”

Yup, Aero thought. No one in their right mind would attack a convoy guarded by a destroyer.

“Aero!” Sinn turned back and faced him. “We need to lure out some pirates. How far back can this ship stay behind without risking damage to the convoy?”

“Uh… about two minutes if you want to be completely safe.”

“The freighters have shields, Aero. And pirates wouldn't destroy them anyways. We have to really lure them out and not let any escape.”

“Let me think a sec,” Aero said. Assuming they try to destroy our ships, and that their fleet is only big enough to take out an above average escort. I also have to assume that their skill isn't as high as ours. God that's a lot of assumptions.

“Well?” Sinn asked.

“I'd say twelve minutes,” Aero said, “but ten is more than enough for groups camping another gate to cross a system and engage the fleet. Please make sure the leader at Opulence is okay with it though…”

“Right.” Sinn faced the bridge crew. “Comms officer! Connect me to the Opulence fleet leader.”

“Yes sir!” the NPC said. “Request dispatched, awaiting handshake.”

A clean-shaven black man wearing a khaki suit appeared on the view screen. While his features appeared to be of a man in his early twenties, his posture exuded the aura of a veteran businessman. Opulence certainly lives up to its name, Aero thought.

“Good afternoon gentlemen, what can I do for you?”

“Hi Reece, we'd like to do some pirate hunting,” Sinn said. “Can you approve the Phantasm following ten minutes behind the convoy? That way we can lure out any raiders with plenty of safety margin, and if it works, news of the incident will spread and you can expect a reduction in future raid frequency when all the risk averse pirates are scared off.”

“Hmm…” Reece stroked his chin. “My boss would never approve of reducing the escort, but we've never had a destroyer backing us up before. Also, since the rest of your fleet is still about the same size as our usual guards, reducing the piracy rate would be very attractive…”

With a clap of his hands, the man smiled. “I'll allow it. Stand by for ten minutes at the next gate.”

“Thank you, Reece,” Sinn smiled in return. “That will be all.”

“Very well. Then I wish you good luck.” He ended the comm link with a wave of his hand.

Sinn pumped his fist. “Yes! Time to get some pirates! Helm! Stand by at the next gate for ten minutes before traversal!”

“Yes sir,” the helmsman replied. “Will stand by at Noblesse Gate for ten minutes before traversal. Arrival in two minutes.”

“Hey guys,” Sinn addressed the Wraiths. “Phantasm will be moving ten minutes behind you. Go lure some pirates out for us!”

Myles said.

“Yes,” Aero said, “just hold off any raiders until we get there.”

Once the convoy arrived at Noblesse Gate, Sinn, Aero, and April watched the fleet disappear into the void. The eight freighters were now guarded by three frigates and twelve interceptors. If they were unlucky, or lucky in Sinn's opinion, a large group of raiders would engage them after they emerged on the other side.

“So how do we handle docking this ship? Do you two have any ideas?” Sinn asked.

“You still don't want to sell this ship?” Aero asked. “As you've realized, paying for security at an NPC station will bankrupt the org.”

“Obviously not.”

“Do you know any orgs that would let you borrow dock space?” April asked.

“We don't,” Sinn sighed. “We can't keep it running with an AI crew either. Someone would gather a fleet to either hijack it or destroy it for salvageable parts.”

“Then we'll have to hide it somewhere until we can afford a station big enough,” Aero said.

“That sounds easy,” Sinn said. “Why don't we do that?”

“The only way to actually hide a ship in space is to shut it down completely and tuck it among a bunch of objects the same size. That means no power at all, including life support,” Aero said. “Otherwise, scanners will pick up any little power reading.”

“Doesn't that mean you can't keep a crew on board?” April asked.

“Yes,” Aero said. “Basically, the ship will be mothballed until you can afford to properly keep it.”

“That means we won't be using the Phantasm again for a while, but I really want to keep the ship…” Sinn sighed. “I guess there's no other choice”

“Mothballing the ship also carries a small risk of theft,” Aero said. “If someone discovers it, they can just waltz in and fly the ship away.”

“Then we need a really good hiding place,” Sinn said. “Time to sit and think I guess…”

Can we make our own hangar in the asteroids? No, that would take too much time. We can't land it on a planet like the frigates either, its too big for that.

The minutes ticked by as the three sat thinking. For that time, only the beeps of sensor outputs were heard on the bridge.

“How about a private system?” April asked. “When you discover a new system, you get a few months before the nav data becomes public, so only explorers might cross the area.”

“Is there any way we can keep explorers away too?” Aero asked.

“Hmm… if you go three or four jumps deep, chances that an explorer comes around goes way down. That's 'cause the value of private space isn't affected by how far it is from public space, but to sell data for a private system two jumps away from public space, they'd have to collect two systems worth of nav data and find someone wanting to buy two private systems at once.”

"Makes sense," Aero said. The effort to collect two gates worth of nav data is better spent for two gates bordering public space. That way, explorers can find data buyers more easily and maximize their profits for that effort.

“That's perfect!” Sinn jumped. “You're awesome April! We're going exploring tonight! You can guide us right?”

“Uh… Sorry Sinn,” April apologized. “I'm meeting with a study group tonight. We have a chemistry exam on Monday.”

“Oh… How about tomorrow?”

“Hmm… maybe at night if I think I'm ready for the exam,” she said. “Oh! I'll give you guys some guides on gate diving before I go. Then you guys can prepare while I'm not around.”

“Yeah, let's do that,” Sinn agreed.

“That sounds good,” Aero said.

“Sir! Ten minutes have passed. We are now entering Noblesse Gate!” the helmsman announced.

“Time to see if any pirates took the bait,” Sinn said.

“Wouldn't surprise me,” Aero said.

The gate's black void engulfed the Phantasm. From their view screen, a familiar vortex emerged as the destroyer shot through the tunnel.

“Sensors, get a full system scan on arrival,” Sinn commanded. “Comms, expect a data link from Myles, call sign Temple Two.”

“Yes sir, preparing to scan.”

“Standing by for data link.”

“Gunner, charge primary guns and prepare laser targeting systems.” Sinn grinned and shivered with excitement.

“Primary guns charging, laser targeting ready.”

“Helm! Move to the Opulence convoy at full speed once located.” Sinn said.

“Yes sir.”

The view screen glowed white marking the end of their traversal.

Myles greeted them on arrival.

“Great! Make sure they don't run!” Sinn said.

“Receiving data link, confirmed enemy contact!” the comms officer reported.

“Scan complete sir!” the sensor operator said. “Opulence fleet located. Distance fifty klicks. Enemy contact count twenty surrounding friendly forces. Four Shen-Jian class frigates, twelve Wasp class interceptors, and four Hai-Dao class interceptors.”

“Good work everyone,” Aero said. “Keeping the action close to the gate makes things really easy for us. Now stay alive and watch the fireworks.”

Once they noticed the Phantasm, the red fleet began maneuvers to retreat, but they sat well within range of the Phantasm's guns.

Sinn stood before the view screen shouting. “Gunner! Target the nearest frigate with primary guns.”

“Primary guns on target. Ready to fire.”

“Fire!”

Six beams of violet light shot from the Phantasm's three turrets. Designed for use against other medium ships, the cannon fire overwhelmed the frigate's defenses, and the hapless ship vanished in a burst of flame.

“Yes! Yes! That was amazing!” Sinn jumped with glee.

The remaining pirate frigates completed their turn and pushed their engines to full throttle. The red fighters broke from their engagements and aligned themselves towards the far off gate.

“Helm! Keep that distance down,” Sinn pointed at the view screen. “Gunner! Use anti-fighter missiles! Shoot them all down!”

A storm of missiles burst from the Phantasm's missile pods. Innumerable missile trails streaked towards the retreating fighters.

Oh God… How many missiles did you just launch against those sixteen fighters?

Despite their strafing and rolling, two missiles approached for each the interceptors dodged. Fighter after fighter collapsed under the rain of steel.

“Awesome! Now use torpedoes next! Target the next two frigates!” He waved his hand forwards, urging the assault onwards. “Launch IDTs! Launch APTs! Launch MPTs! Launch! Launch! Launch!”

“Uhh… Sinn?” Aero asked.

Ten torpedoes, each twelve meters long, flew at each of the targeted frigates. Their close in weapons systems destroyed about four each before the Phantasm's torpedoes shattered their shields, ruptured their hulls, and devoured them in flames.

“BOW BEFORE YOUR NEW GOD!”

“Sinn…”

A single frigate remained of the pirate fleet, still a hundred klicks away.

“FIRE PLASMA CANNONS AGAIN!”

Ugh, it's too late anyways…

The beams of violet light pierced the final frigate. With a blossom of light, the pirate fleet's final remnants vanished.

Jake shouted over the comms.

Mayto exclaimed.

Myles said.

Exuberant calls flooded their radio channel. Even the Opulence freighter captains chimed in. Sinn stood and basked in his newfound glory, arms outwards and gaze up towards the heavens.

“Well… I hate to rain on your parade guys…” Aero paused, “but how much do you think those missiles and torpedoes cost?”

Stevie said

Sinn's ammunition cost totaled ten million credits and cut the org profits from the three-hour job down to five million. Added fuel costs for the ships cut those profits even lower.

“Sorry people, but we really can't afford to use this destroyer now,” Aero said.

An outpouring of disappointment cascaded through the radio. Pilots and officers alike lamented the orgs inability to use the unmistakable powerhouse of a ship. With a sigh, Aero took a seat and looked to Sinn.

“Aero's right guys,” Sinn said. “We won't be using the Phantasm again until we can afford its upkeep. That said, flying it was awesome! So don't be disappointed, we just have another reason to build that dominion now.”

Aero smiled. It looks like these guys will work at that dominion even faster than before. This will definitely be a fun ride.