Salvaged

The freight captain had made a bit of a fuss about diverting to Pesmenben III, something about costing him a delivery job that Maligaant was certain didn't exist.  None the less he'd paid the 5,000 credits the captain was demanding.  

The diversion was only gonna add a couple of days and gave him time to try and figure out who to contact.  He had finally decided to ask Praetor Mannix Michaels about it. At the very least Mannix could point him in the direction of who to speak with.

Arriving at the capital planet of the Triumvirate he decided it would be best to contact the Praetor first before attempting to do anything else.

"How are the new recruits working out, Master Sergeant?" the Praetor smiled over the display.

"Fantastic, sir! I will be forever in your debt for such a gift." Maligaant responded.

"Was there something else I could help you with? Your message said something about a confiscated ship." the Praetor asked, getting right to the point. "This ship ... might it be the same scrap heap you arrived here on sometime back, 'Bucket of Bolts'?"

"Yes sir. It is that very ship." he responded.

"It's not much of a ship.  It's former captain owed us a considerable sum of credits that he wasn't able to pay. So we took his ship as payment. However it was decided that since it would cost more to fix than it was worth we might as well simply scrap it for parts and materials."

"I see sir. I was wondering if there might be anyway I could buy the ship myself." Maligaant asked.

The Praetor's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked down at his desk, "I'm afraid there is more to it than that, Master Sergeant. You see we confiscated that captain's ship to also send a message.  A message to any other scruffy two bit traders and smugglers out there that might think stealing from the Triumvirate could be lucrative.  I'm afraid allowing you to buy back the ship for your ... shall we call him your friend, wouldn't send the message we were looking to send." the Praetor's face had become stern sending a very clear message to Maligaant.

"No sir. It would not, indeed, only I wonder ... If I were to purchase the ship for myself and not for him. I've actually been wanting to purchase just such a ship."

Mannix leaned closer to the display, "Oh? Well now that is not what I had expected."  his hand came to his face as he rubbed his chin for a moment. "If you agree that you will not give or sell it back to him or even lend it to him then I think we could allow you to purchase it. I will say this, the ship needs much work. It's name was truly a fitting name."

Nodding to the display, Maligaant said, "Thank you sir! If you send me the details I will arrange for the credit transfer immediately. And sir, you have my thanks!"

Mannix smiled, "No trouble at all, Master Sergeant. I'll contact the scrap yard and see to it myself." with that the Praetor disconnected.

A couple of hours later Maligaant was looking down into the holding pad at the 'Bucket of Bolts'.  Wow! She really wasn't much to look at. The yard foreman approached and handed him a datapad that he quickly swiped his Ident card across. "You know she's in bad shape but nothing that can't be fixed, if you have the credits that is." the foreman said with a grin.

Maligaant looked down at the foreman, "Talk to me." he let out in a low rumble.