The sun rose on Ferriday as a new dawn broke its clouds, Declan leaned back in his comfortable office chair in the hotel, gazing out at the bustling cityscape of Ferriday visible through the panoramic windows. Jason Kaido, now his aide and bodyguard, stood nearby, ready to discuss their next moves. "Jason, we've made quite the acquisition with the Vagabond," Declan said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

  "But now, we are in need of one more ship, and it should be a corvette cruiser something that could act as a transport and if needed something else”. Declan spoke as he swiped the listings that sat in such a category. “Sir may I suggest” Jason sent over his pick via his Ocular augment.

  Declan read over the information and guffawed at it; He knew of this ship it was on its way to becoming a damn legend back a few years until it suddenly dropped off the radar of the galactic news. “Jason… Do you know what kind of ship this is” He had to question, Jason nodded “Tsk… I will send the bid over; you go and make sure I am in the right area” Declan ordered but Jason didn’t move. There was hesitation and Declan picked up on it.

  “Sir I am your guard, I can’t just leave you; I would much prefer to contact the auction house and bid over the hollow” Jason straighten at his statement and for a moment Declan was about to object but on second thought he relented, they both felt the threat yesterday. “I understand, get it set up; It seems I need to get used to having an extra pair of hands now huh” Jason chose not to comment on that and went to work contacting the auction house.

  “Sir the bid is currently at 100,000,” Jason said as he pulled up the hollow showing of the auction house, there were a lot fewer people in the house today, if they knew what this ship was it would have been the other way around. “350,000 Jason” Declan said increasing the bid by a wildly large amount. Jason stared at the back of the man’s head and almost said something ungentlemanly “Your bid is in sir” replied shortly after.

  Declan watched as the auctioneer announced his sudden bid and then as he counted down on it, in moments the bidding ended, and he was now the owner of one of M.I ships made for its operatives in deep space. “Tell them I’m sending the payment over now” Declan voiced and Jason obliged; “Our priority should be ensuring a smooth and discreet departure. I've already arranged for a secure hangar for the Vagabond, I’ll add the Brismark, so to keep them away from prying eyes. We can leave at a moment's notice."

  "Excellent," Declan replied. "We'll need to stay low-profile and avoid any confrontations. Ferriday's history with pirates and the allotted idiots in the system may keep the confederacy busy but they do let some slip through the cracks, so we need to be careful in our departure.

  Jason went quiet for a moment staring intently at his hollow screen, "Sir" he spoke with tension to his tone. "One of my contacts has just been contacted to find out who bought the Vagabond" Declan looked over with a raised eyebrow, "What's the odds it's our friend the collector," Declan asked as he thought back to the interaction yesterday.

  Jason straightened up "I will find out sir" Dclan nodded at that and pulled his glass to sip the drink that was cooling. "Say Kaido, You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my Military augments back online; would you?" This question had been plaguing him for a while now and with unknown enemies littered around it was time to get back to his proper status.

  "Your augments sir, The confederacy allowed you to keep them..." Jason paused his sentence and looked intently at his new boss, Declan didn't turn nor did he answer he just looked straight out of the windows. "Maybe but in the meantime sir I'll handle the logistics of our departure and ensure our passage is seamless. The last thing we need is any complications”.

  Declan gazed at the ex-spy for a moment and in a moment of kindness he said “Ohh and in case I forgotten, Welcome to Vanhaven Industries; Mr. Jason Kaido” Declan finished with a head nod as he settle back into his seat leaving Jason to his devices.

  …

  As Natalie's commlink chimed, she hesitated for a moment before answering, her heart fluttering with uncertainty. She had spent the past two days on Ferriday, exploring the city and immersing herself in the sights and sounds of this new planet to her, it wasn’t every day you could leave the Gliese system. Yet, amidst the wonder and distraction, her thoughts kept circling back to Declan Vanyork and the unexpected turn of her life and the lives of her family.

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  With a deep breath, Natalie accepted the call, and Declan's voice greeted her warmly, "Natalie, it's time for us to return to Gliese. I've concluded my business here on Ferriday, and I believe it's best for both of us to head back."

  His words were calm and decisive, and Natalie couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief “He wasn’t planning to leave me here”. She knew she needed to return, not just to Gliese, but to the path she had set them all upon. Her family's mining history and her connection to the Vanyork legacy were now intertwined, and she couldn't ignore the significance of that.

  "I understand," Natalie replied, her voice steady as she collected her thoughts. "I'll meet you at the hangar ports. Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Declan. I know I made the right choice."

  Arriving at the hangar ports, she spotted Declan waiting near the sleek and imposing form of a battleship. Declan looked every bit the confident and driven leader she had seen before, and Natalie couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for him “I wish I could lead my family like him”.

  "Ready to go?" Declan asked with a warm smile, gesturing towards the starship.

  Natalie nodded a mixture of excitement and determination in her eyes. "Yes, let's go back to Gliese. There's work to be done, and I'm eager to be a part of it."

  …

  It’s been about 2 days since the trio departed Ferriday system and The Vagabond had been cutting through space steadily without any issues on its automated systems. Declan sat in his newly minted office going over the data and information Delacroix had sent him.

  Vanhaven Industries had made a splash with the local folks, The hiring of 200 employees shocked the people awake and the Vanyork name fell onto their lips. Each manager had successfully recruited a 20-member team and the company has been consolidating the tree all assets and information from the recent company purchases well. “Young lord Mr. Sullivan has floated up the need for rebranding each of those companies and he has put forth a few proposals” Declan read the message and pulled up the file to see what Sullivan had sent”.

  “Hmm that’s not bad at all Sullivan, for one thing, he’s planning to keep the companies uniformed, I’ll approve this when I get back”.

  …

  Sinai Ryco went over her data for the 3rd time today, Vanhaven Industries funded and operated by the Vanyork family had just made a splash with the local rabble. Report: As requested the business Vanhaven Industries have recently acquired 3 businesses totaling an estimated 720,000 credits. By inquiries made to the D.G.B., we have found that the money made to purchase these could be tracked back to a legal confederacy account.

  She wasn’t expecting the young Vanyork to be moving this fast from creating a Company and buying others to prop himself up, “Something just doesn’t feel right. She got her data ready it was time for her daily report to the chancellor and she was not known to be late. The news of the growing influence of the Vanyork name among his subjects had reached his ears, causing a dark cloud to descend upon his already troubled mind. With the weight of the council's demands pressing upon him, the Chancellor's patience had worn thin.

  As he paced back and forth, his mind consumed by the impending sale of the final planet's rights, Chancellor Darkrune's face twisted with frustration. The council's pressure was relentless, urging him to expedite the process and relinquish the control he had held over the planet for so long. But he was not one to easily bend to external influences, especially when it threatened his authority. a threat to the Chancellor's grip on power, and he despised the idea of losing control. His dark eyes narrowed, filled with a mix of anger and determination. He knew he had to find a way to suppress the rising tide of the Vanyork influence before it grew stronger and threatened his rule.

  With a firm resolve, Chancellor Veridian Darkrune made a silent vow to himself. He would do whatever it took to maintain his authority, even if it meant resorting to drastic measures. The path ahead was treacherous, and he would have to navigate it with cunning and ruthlessness.

  As the Chancellor gazed out of his office window, his gaze fell upon the city below, his subjects unknowingly caught in the web of his power. The wheels of his mind began to turn, devising a plan to counter the rising tide of the Vanyork name and assert his dominance once more.

  In the depths of his dark and brooding mind, Chancellor Veridian Darkrune plotted his next move. The stage was set “A balance must be kept, or chaos will rule”.