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Description

The Vault

      Dax's whole life had been working up to this one moment. The heist of all heists, a mobile space station turned bank that was notoriously impossible to find. So hard, in fact, that it had quietly slipped into myth. But how did you find something that didn't want to be found? You didn't. You waited for it to come to you.

      Reclining in his seat, Dax stared out of the ship's cockpit window in nervous disbelief. His crew, lead by his brother, Kaiden, had been in the station for just over an hour. Things had been going well until his clumsy oaf of a brother tripped an alarm and woke up the station's defences.  Now besieged by an endless stream of pre-war drones, the group had no choice but to make a hasty escape and grab whatever they could find on the way. Dax prayed to all the planets in the solar system that there was something of value amongst the loot.

      With a hiss, the airlock shot open and Kaiden, followed by five of the crew, rushed onto the ship carrying several boxes. Excited, Dax jumped up and joined them.

      "Don't leave me hanging, how rich are we?"

      The group exchanged nervous looks then handed over a long rectangular box. Opening it, Dax stared down at a thin polished wooden stick that was probably about the same length as he was.

      "And this is?"

      "Err," Kaiden said, fumbling through another of the boxes. "I think it's called an Oyster Bamboo fly rod?"

      Dax glanced at the stick, then back at his brother. "What the fuck are we going to do with this?"

    "You could beat someone round the head with it." Kaiden's girlfriend, Kazi mused. "It looks pretty fancy."

      There was more fumbling in the box, then Kaiden pulled out a strange dusty paper tablet and began to read. "It says here that it's a weapon used in the martial art of fishing."

      "Am I meant to know what that is?"

      "Well, you fight monsters that live in water," his brother said, holding up the ancient foldable tablet and showing a picture of a strange limbless creature with bulging eyes, a large gaping mouth and shiny armoured scales covering the length of its body. "Once you've defeated one, you cook and eat it."

      Dax wobbled on his legs and fought down the urge to vomit. "I think I'll stick to protein biscuits thanks."

      Kaiden shrugged and continued to read through the tablet as Dax turned and shuffled back to the cockpit in a sulk.

      Kazi sat next to him, resting her dirty boots on the dashboard. "I know this station thing meant everything to you, but it might not be a complete loss. That fish battle rod, or whatever you call it, is made entirely out of wood. When was the last time you've seen that, eh? I bet we can sell it for a crap ton back at Ceres Station."

      Dax eyed her suspiciously as the idea milled around in his head.

      "Or," Kaiden said, appearing next to them, "We could head to Titan and start a fishing business. It says here that in the 21st century, people used to use these rods to capture a shipload of fish and sell them at a market for extortionate prices. Fish became so rare by 2099 that a small fish called a baby Tuna was worth more than a house. Can you imagine?"

      Dax stared at the endless void and rubbed his hands together greedily. "Let's head to Titan. I think it's time we battled some fish!"

Description

The Vault

      Dax's whole life had been working up to this one moment. The heist of all heists, a mobile space station turned bank that was notoriously impossible to find. So hard, in fact, that it had quietly slipped into myth. But how did you find something that didn't want to be found? You didn't. You waited for it to come to you.

      Reclining in his seat, Dax stared out of the ship's cockpit window in nervous disbelief. His crew, lead by his brother, Kaiden, had been in the station for just over an hour. Things had been going well until his clumsy oaf of a brother tripped an alarm and woke up the station's defences.  Now besieged by an endless stream of pre-war drones, the group had no choice but to make a hasty escape and grab whatever they could find on the way. Dax prayed to all the planets in the solar system that there was something of value amongst the loot.

      With a hiss, the airlock shot open and Kaiden, followed by five of the crew, rushed onto the ship carrying several boxes. Excited, Dax jumped up and joined them.

      "Don't leave me hanging, how rich are we?"

      The group exchanged nervous looks then handed over a long rectangular box. Opening it, Dax stared down at a thin polished wooden stick that was probably about the same length as he was.

      "And this is?"

      "Err," Kaiden said, fumbling through another of the boxes. "I think it's called an Oyster Bamboo fly rod?"

      Dax glanced at the stick, then back at his brother. "What the fuck are we going to do with this?"

    "You could beat someone round the head with it." Kaiden's girlfriend, Kazi mused. "It looks pretty fancy."

      There was more fumbling in the box, then Kaiden pulled out a strange dusty paper tablet and began to read. "It says here that it's a weapon used in the martial art of fishing."

      "Am I meant to know what that is?"

      "Well, you fight monsters that live in water," his brother said, holding up the ancient foldable tablet and showing a picture of a strange limbless creature with bulging eyes, a large gaping mouth and shiny armoured scales covering the length of its body. "Once you've defeated one, you cook and eat it."

      Dax wobbled on his legs and fought down the urge to vomit. "I think I'll stick to protein biscuits thanks."

      Kaiden shrugged and continued to read through the tablet as Dax turned and shuffled back to the cockpit in a sulk.

      Kazi sat next to him, resting her dirty boots on the dashboard. "I know this station thing meant everything to you, but it might not be a complete loss. That fish battle rod, or whatever you call it, is made entirely out of wood. When was the last time you've seen that, eh? I bet we can sell it for a crap ton back at Ceres Station."

      Dax eyed her suspiciously as the idea milled around in his head.

      "Or," Kaiden said, appearing next to them, "We could head to Titan and start a fishing business. It says here that in the 21st century, people used to use these rods to capture a shipload of fish and sell them at a market for extortionate prices. Fish became so rare by 2099 that a small fish called a baby Tuna was worth more than a house. Can you imagine?"

      Dax stared at the endless void and rubbed his hands together greedily. "Let's head to Titan. I think it's time we battled some fish!"