The lights shifted in the hall, dimming just enough to pull every eye toward the stage as the next lot was announced. The screens flickered, then lit up with schematics of a massive, broken-down vessel. The feed rotated slowly, showing scorched hull plating, torn weapon pods, shattered wings, and half an engine core still pulsing faintly.
The auctioneer's voice thundered, dripping with hype. "Lot 301 — a complete salvage package, stripped and curated from an unknown-class derelict recovered near the void breach. This includes: plasma-coated hull fragments, starship-grade weaponry, dual-phase reactors, propulsion engines, high-density armor plating, internal core circuits, auxiliary power grids, medical pods, navigation systems, AI fragments, and more. All catalogued, all transferable. Starting bid: five hundred million credits!"
The reaction was instant. The room broke into gasps, murmurs, and greedy chatter.
