A/N: Hey folks, not quite dead yet. Just busy and lacking inspiration. Now that the former has lessened, and the latter has returned, we can continue updating on a whoever often it is basis. Thanks for staying with me. It's a pretty short one, but I'll make it up to you on the next go around.

Ryuvia- Residential District- One Week Later

Kayto Shields had found himself in front of the shuttle terminal that would take him to the spaceport. The sun had yet to rise, and as such, the terminal was almost completely empty.

'It's been a long week, but I think that it's time to move on. I just hope Chigara will be able to hold her own. Shields, calm down. She's a capable girl.' he took a breath in the cold morning air as he heard a voice calling out behind him.

"Kayto!"

"And of course she would be here." Kayto turned around to see a flash of periwinkle hair before its owner grabbed him in a hug. "Chigara, what are you doing here? You should be getting some rest. Didn't your shift end a little bit ago? You should be resting."

She pouted. "Well, I couldn't get much sleep when I didn't see you when I got home. You told me that you'd let me know when you were leaving! You didn't even leave a note!"

He rubbed the back of his head. " I guess I should apologize for making you worry like that, but you knew I was leaving today long since we arrived. And I did leave a note. It just happened to be on your bed."

"If you say so. But… do you really have to leave? The shop could use some work, and you operated that construction mech pretty well a few days ago. I'm sure that they wouldn't mind"

"Chigara. You know that I can't stay too long. There are still things out there that I need to take care of."

"But I-"

Attention- The 0500 Shuttle to the Ryuvia Spaceport is Now Boarding. The 0500 Shuttle to the Ryuvia Spaceport is Now Boarding

Kayto picked up his bag, and ruffled Chigara's hair, much to her annoyance. "Hey, don't worry. As soon as I get settled, I'll make sure to call when I get there."

"Where are you going?"

"Probably Tydaria. They've got a good mining outpost there."

Kayto turned around and made his way down the long hallway to the shuttle.

"Hey Kayto?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me you'll be safe?"

"Sure thing Chigara. Sure thing."

As soon as Kayto boarded the shuttle, the doors closed and he let out a sigh. This was going to be a rough ride.

6 Months Later- Tydaria

Tydaria. The unofficial hub of the Neutral Rim. Here, the many ships of the Mining Union gathered here to process their cargo, refuel, and prepare to head out to the asteroid fields. The system itself was nothing too out of the ordinary, just laying on a junction of several warp routes. The planets were still rich in materials, but that did not explain the large network of orbital and deep space stations that made the area the hub that it was. Thankfully, that was explained by a rather large population that made their home to the system..

Mercenaries.

Well, the official term was "Freelancers," but everyone on the station knew otherwise. Usually, you had groups of people team up, form a larger organization, and eventually establish themselves as one of the many private defense corporations that made their home in system. Once you got there, you really started to make bank. High profile jobs worth millions of credits. These were the big ticket items that every Freelancer on Tydaria dreamt of. Hell, a job offering a couple thousand was more than good enough. After all, when you live in a one-bedroom apartment in a modified warehouse, it was your only way out. But business was unforgiving, with each individual putting everything on the line whenever they took a job. Some couldn't cut it and joined gangs or in some cases, one of the Pirate Groups that had their eyes on what sweet riches Tydaria had to offer. But for the newcomer, or those not unfortunate enough, they had to operate out of the various contracting groups that worked in tandem with corporations such as the Mining Union, taking a small portion as a fee, of course. And whatever was left, you made do.

"That's your pay." a gruff man said behind a reinforced glass panel, placing a small card on the table in front of him. "Two-hundred credits."

"Two hundred?!" Shouted the mercenary, a white haired individual, "The job was worth at least a couple thousand."

"Tydaria Contracting takes fifteen percent in fees, and the rest was deducted due to… damages." The other man gave out a sigh. "Look, Shields, Shogo Heavy Industries lost a freighter and two gunships on a job you were tasked to protect. You should be happy they're giving you something."

Kayto shook his head. "And I warned them that there was a minefield placed there by pirates last week. They should be going after the idiots who gave that area the all-clear!" at this point, several other Freelancers were staring at the exchange. Some were amused at the sight before them. Others simply sighed and shook their heads.

The man behind the desk held up his hands in resignation. "Hey, calm down. I'm just the messenger here. If you're so unhappy about it, take it up with someone else. Or even better, sign onto another job. I heard that one Mining Union rep, Brooks? Yeah, she put in a favorable review with your performance on that one job last month. Maybe you hit her up and see if she has one for you. I mean… if they finally forgive you about that one tanker incident."

"I think I'll just lay low for some time, you know? Let this all blow over and maybe see if there's something for Counter-Piracy. They again, there have been fewer of them lately."

"Yeah, right after you showed up. I wonder who would be the cause of it. I mean, it's not like anyone on this station took all of them, and traumatized them so much that the Pirate Lords decided it was better off relocating." The sarcasm was thick in that statement, some of the other bystanders sharing a laugh, along with one of them calling out "Nice going there Shields."

"Yeah, yeah. See you later Dwane." Kayto turned around and walked away, waving to the gruff man.

Not too long after, Shields had made his way towards the "apartment block" if one could call it that. Essentially, it was an old warehouse that had prefabricated housing units stacked on top of each other. Making his way past the entrance, he paid off his rent before making his way up the stairwell towards what could be considered his home.

"And… there goes another four hundred." he muttered, looking at the card. "How much do I have again? Maybe another thousand?"

Thankfully, the terminal, which acted as his only window to the outside world, started to beep. Kayto knew this sound well, the picture that displayed along with the caller information, he knew even more so. Without a second thought, he attempted to fix his hair and answered the call. Ah quantum entanglement. Sure it was pricey to connect the terminal to what was commonly referred to as "the Grid," but it sure was worth it to have a lag-free conversation, light years away, with this one individual..

"Kayto!" a cheery faced Chigara called out from the other side of the screen. "It's good to see you! Are you doing okay?"

The man smiled. Her mood had improved a lot since the two parted ways. Apparently, she made a friend a few weeks ago that she had yet to introduce. From what he had heard, they made quite the duo. Of course, Chigara spent most of her time keeping her friend out of trouble. "Yeah, I'm doing alright. How's life over in Ryuvia?"

"Oh you know… nothing special." the girl looked away from the camera. "I mean, work's work, nothing you can do about that. What about you? You hadn't answered last week or the week before."

"Oh you know… nothing special." he answered with a smirk, earning a pout. "Navigation and escort mostly. Just got back in fact. Speaking of which, I don't have a lot of time. Need to do some repairs on the Falchion."

"Be careful, you hear me? I asked around my work, and nobody has ever heard of using space-fighter in decades. Apparently, they're not as maneuverable as Ryders, so they become easy targets."

"Hey, It works. Besides, nobody expects something as small as the Falchion to be carrying as much munitions as it does. Anyways, how's that friend of yours doing?"

Chigara looked a bit irked at the change of subject, but let it go "Oh, Asaga? She's doing alright. We just hang out after my shift. She seems interested in what you do though. Apparently she wants to go and fight as a hero of justice." she stuck a pose before giggling at the absurdity of it all. "Before you go and say it, don't worry. To her, you're just an unnamed Tydarian Freelancer who I just happen to know."

"Thanks Chi. You know I appreciate it." Kayto gave her a smile. "Well, I need to get going. I forgot to take care of some stuff. Better get to it before the hangars become part of an uncontrolled fusion reaction."

The engineer frowned. "Kayto, you know that if you ever need to, you can always stay here in Ryuvia. With me…" she seemed to be a bit hopeful that he would take up that offer. She always was. "I'm sure the landlady wouldn't mind. And you could work in the shop."

"You know I can't do that Chigara. Too much to get done out here. And I don't want to intrude."

"But I worry about you out there. Be safe, okay? I care about you."

Kayto gave her a thumbs up as he terminated the call. Tiredly, he shut off the terminal and made his way back to the hangars.

"I know Chigara. I know."

Tydaria Hangar Bay- Deck 13

Despite each one being the size of a stadium, Tydaria's multitude of hangar bays were always filled with a cacophony of sound. Things were going on here. Ships being repaired, freelancers talking about the latest mission they were either going out to or just came back from, the occasional clatter or bang as a cheap piece of machinery catastrophically failed, engines starting up or shutting down as the constant flow of ships and material made their way in and out. Far above the main floor, Kayto Shields was underneath a rather small craft, working on his primary means of securing income, and the largest drain on said income, the Falchion. The thing didn't look like much. In fact, it looked like a salvaged piece of junk more than a combat capable craft. In reality, it wouldn't be that far from the truth. In all of its glory, the Falchion amounted to little more than a Cockpit, two engines, a reactor and enough space for a single weapons battery. Fortunately, its current user was also accustomed to modifying anything and everything he could get his hands on. The reactor was custom made as an alternate payment when an employer had a surplus of hardware, but not enough credits to pay for the job. The engines were maneuvering thrusters from some derelict vessel that he had found one day while on patrol. Hell, the hull itself was salvaged from a Junker who was going to scrap it for parts. He couldn't just let a perfectly usable hull be junked like that. It had functioning life support. Most of the time. Hey, that's what the helmet was for. And the supplemental Oxygen Tanks. But then again, he downgraded it and used the extra space for a smaller reactor.

"And… there!" Kayto exclaimed as he finished replacing a panel. "It's ready." Several other mechanics nearby backed away slowly when they recognized what it was. Although the Falchion was fast and maneuverable, that wasn't what made it the terror to pirates in the sector. After all, a Ryder could outmaneuver it in a dogfight. It wasn't all that armored either. What made it an absolute nightmare was the single weapon mounted. It required its own reactor to power, but it was worth it. If there was one thing that Shields knew, it was lasers. And this was one that pleased him greatly.

"Did he just…" one mechanic whispered to another

"I know Shields didn't care about comfort, but this is ridiculous. Now it is just a gun with engines and a cockpit."

Kayto sighed as he looked at his craft. "I'll just have to invest in another hull. There goes most of my next paycheck." he admitted to no one in particular.

In front of him, was a large cylindrical device covered in light armor flanked by two equally large engines. Behind it was a small protrusion that revealed the location of the cockpit. The Falchion was in fact, now armed with a single laser emitter. It wasn't for taking out enemy Ryders, oh no. Shields never shot at the rank and file. That was what the rest of the escort was for. He always aimed for the high-priority targets first, and this was meant to reflect that. This was one that was meant to be used by capital ships against other ships of the line.

Granted, it was nothing like the main gun on a battleship, or the Vanguard Cannons that Cera used, and it wouldn't do much against anything larger than a cruiser on its own. But for pirate frigates and the occasional light cruiser, it was almost overkill. Using it on Ryders on the other hand, was almost cruel. Like hitting puppies with a flaming hockey stick, it was just something that you didn't do.

"Shields, you've outdone yourself." Another freelancer said as he clapped him on the back. Kayto had staggered from the impact as the burly man laughed. "As if the pirates were scared enough with you getting into knife fighting range and strafing them with that heavy cannon, you decided it would be a good idea to snipe them from range! I almost feel sorry for the poor bastards. Now where do you plan on putting, you know, the pilot?"

"Still where it always was." he pointed to the small protrusion behind the ship's main gun. "I didn't get rid of everything. Even I have limits."

The freelancer walked up to the Falchion and looked inside. "Apparently getting rid of things like an ejection seat, a pressurized cockpit, and fire suppression don't cross the line." he shook his head. "Only you."

"I've either never used them, or if I needed to use them, I'd be dead anyways." Kayto shooed the freelancer from the ship. "Now, what brings you here to this part of the hangar? Normally people would rather recruit a Ryder pilot."

"And you think that I want to recruit you for a job?"

"You didn't say you weren't going to."

The freelancer laughed once again before his face took on a more serious look. "The Mining Union wants an escort for some valuable material. The route goes right through the territory of several pirate groups. Combat is almost expected."

"And just like I asked earlier. Why me?"

"You ever hear of the group called The Cosmos?"

Kayto let our a low whistle "Yeah. One of those 'Private Security Organizations'." he said in air quotes. "Lots of frigates and a few cruisers, I heard that they also acquired some Ryders pretty recently. I'm starting to understand why you want me in this."

"That's not all. There's this rumor going around that one of their lieutenants has a real serious piece of hardware. Some type of heavy weapons Ryder."

"And you want me to deal with it?"

The Freelancer shook his head, "No. That one's mine" He pointed to himself with his thumb. "My team will be engaging the other ryders, but with me being occupied, we don't have anyone with enough firepower to take on their ships. Hell, even I'm not certain we can go up against a cruiser if we encounter one, but that's where you come in."

"Anything else that I should know?"

"We'll be entering an area contested by the local planetary governments and PACT."

Kayto straightened up. "I'm in"

That had the freelancer off guard. "What? I hadn't even brought up payment. You're not going to negotiate or anything?"

"Give me ten percent of the cut, and we'll call it good. Now when do we head out?"

"Tomorrow at 0630." With that, the freelancer extended his hand. "The name's Barnabas by the way. Figure that you'd like to know the name of the guy that hired you. Now hand me your datapad and I'll give you the coordinates of the rendezvous point."

"Sounds good to me."