The Longsword Heist

The Longsword Heist: A Sirius Gate Saga Short Story A retired warship. A desperate crew. A heist that will ignite a rebellion. Before he was branded a pirate by the corrupt Hamada Security Forces (HSF), Big Jones was a man from the asteroid mining colonies who witnessed his people exploited and impoverished by greedy brokers. He knew that to fight back, he needed a weapon. His target: an aging, heavily armed Longsword-class military cruiser parked at an HSF decommissioning shipyard. Scheduled to have her AI core sterilized and her hull scrapped the very next day, the ship is heavily guarded by automated drones, AI-driven destroyers, and station security. But Jones and his crew—including the brilliant navigator Ariel and the weapons expert Bumi—have a plan to strike from the shadows. When the heist goes sideways, Jones must bypass the shipyard's defenses and negotiate directly with the ship's dormant Level One AI, Sandré. He doesn't want just a machine; he wants a partner. If he fails, the HSF will ensure they never leave the scrapyard. If he succeeds, he will secure the flagship for a movement that will challenge the grip of the Proxima military and change the fate of the colonies forever. The Longsword Heist is a fast-paced prequel short story in the Sirius Gate Saga, revealing the origins of the infamous pirate crew and their legendary ship.