《Path to Becoming the Greatest Space Mercenary》


 Chapter 1 - 1 Salvager Avery

    Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Salvager Avery"Nothing in this sector either."


    A young man with sandy blonde hair and sunken green eyes stared at the monitor in front of him and let out a deep sigh.


    He had been searching for the last twenty hours for any lost goods or wreckage floating around that could net him a tidy profit.


    Unfortunately, all he had come across was scrap metal too damaged to be worth taking up room in his spaceship''s modest cargo hold.


    "Just got to keep looking. I don''t have enough Krenin left to pay for docking fees at the trading colony. And I''ll be damned if I''ve got to hawk any more of my equipment." He muttered to himself.


    Grumbling as he did so, he reached over to a compartment off to his left and pulled out a small silver pouch with a cap sticking out of the top of it.


    With practiced movements he pulled the cap off with one hand and sucked the contents out of the pouch.


    The liquid inside tasted godawful, but he continued to drink until it was empty. He had plenty of experience draining these disgusting nutrients packs since they were about the cheapest way one could get their required calories for the day.


    After tossing the empty pouch into the waste compartment, Avery, the sorry captain of a rundown salvaging ship, took a deep breath and slapped his face with both hands to regain his focus.


    "I don''t really want to, but I guess checking near the Varnein Asteroid Belt is my best bet. The dozens of mining operations there have accidents all the time. Maybe I''ll get lucky and find some lost ore or damaged but valuable equipment."


    Avery, feeling his hopes rising, typed in the coordinates on his onboard computer and laid in a course to the Varnein Asteroid Belt.


    When he arrived, he found something wholly unexpected. Instead of the prosperous mining operation that was supposed to be working in this area, he found ship debris floating among the asteroids.


    "Sh*t." Avery cursed when he saw the scene in front of him through his view screen.


    While accidents might cause a few ships to end up destroyed, the widespread carnage before him could only be caused by either other people or a space monster. Neither of which Avery wanted to deal with.


    "Looks like it was definitely other people. The analysis shows signs of weapons fire."


    Most salvagers would have been ecstatic to see the scene before them, but not Avery.


    For as lucrative as a recently destroyed mining operation could be for someone like him, the risk often did not equal the reward.


    These ships had not just blown up on their own. Space pirates, or possibly a rival company''s private army, were the most likely culprits. Either of these groups would attempt to eliminate anyone they saw poking around at the sight of their attack. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "There are no other ships within sensor range, though. Perhaps whoever did this is already gone." Avery said hopefully.


    Normally he would have hightailed it out of the area the moment he saw the destruction in front of him, but currently he was pretty desperate for cash. The money in his account had dwindled over several unsuccessful days. Yet now a big score was floating around for the taking.


    "I''ll grab some stuff really quick and get out of here. If I''m lucky, I might even find a data box from one of the mining vessels. The information on it would be worth a lot to the authorities and the company that has jurisdiction over this area." Avery murmured while suppressing his fear. He did not like going into such dangerous situations, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He was in serious need of Krenin.


    Grabbing his ship''s controls, he maneuvered his way through the wreckage and asteroid field and began scanning the destroyed ships.


    To his dismay, the first half dozen were all too damaged to be of any value, and their data boxes had already been harvested by whoever had attacked them.


    Still, he could not give up yet and continued to search for anything that would allow him to net a profit.


    "Finally!"


    After scanning a more intact ship than the others he had passed by, Avery hit what a scavenger considered to be a jackpot. The artificial gravity module and drilling equipment were still operational. Both of these were quite valuable and would net him several thousands of Krenin.


    "The artificial gravity module is just the standard issue, but the drill''s pretty sweet. A Tahoshi Extract Mk Three. A nice high end mining drill that''s only two generations old. That''s definitely going to sell well."


    Avery wore a gleeful smile on his face now that he had found some loot worth all the effort he had put into searching the vast expanse of space.


    Pressing a couple of buttons on his control panel, he eased his ship close to the wreckage and set his propulsion system to keep pace with it as it slowly floated through the asteroid field.


    Once he was in position, he operated another panel to his right and released the collection drones he had onboard.


    His ship slightly shook as three panels opened up on the side of his ship, and a spherical robot popped out of each of them.


    Quickly coming to life, the three robots used their small thrusters to approach the ship Avery had his sights on and went to work separating the still functional artificial gravity module and mining drill.


    As he waited, Avery put on some music and joyfully whistled to the tune. After he got back and sold his salvage, he would not have to worry about money again for at least a couple more weeks.


    His good mood did not last long, sadly.


    Just as two of his collection drones were putting the artificial gravity module into his cargo hold, his ship''s sensors picked up four vessels that were swiftly approaching his position.

 Chapter 2 - 2 Chased

    Chapter 2: Chapter 2 ChasedPanic set in quickly as Avery assessed the data displayed on the monitor in front of him. He had done a thorough scan of the four incoming ships and found that two of them had bounties on them. Without a doubt, a small pack of space pirates were coming his way.


    Avery cursed rapidly as he hastily input several commands into his control console and took manual control over his ship.


    As much as it pained him to do so, he had to abandon the mining drill and one of his collection drones. Waiting around for either of them would cost him time he did not have. Every second brought the space pirates closer to him.


    "This is why I try to avoid places that are too good to be true. Damn it! I should have listened to my first instincts instead of getting greedy."


    Unfortunately, Avery''s regrets were not going to change the situation. He had begun salvaging the area despite knowing the risks, and now he was having to pay for it.


    Pushing his ship to its limits, he navigated through the asteroid field and attempted to lose his four pursuers.


    The space pirates, though, possessed faster ships than his and they were more familiar with this area than Avery was. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to him.


    "Hehe. Look what we have here boys. A little buzzard was slinking around trying to make off with some loot. But this is our score. We''ll have to teach him a lesson for taking what ain''t his."


    "Yeah, I can''t wait to hear his last scream as his ship explodes."


    "Wait, he''s riding in a piece of junk. Probably be easy to disable it and take him back to base. If he''s cute, I wouldn''t mind playing around with him for a bit."


    "Enough with your strange fetishes. Let''s just blow him away and get back to work. The boss will be livid if we take too long."


    Avery heard every word the space pirates said over wideband communications. Space pirates were known for using this method to taunt people and drive them further into despair. They especially got a sick kick out of it when people begged for mercy.


    Of course, Avery refused respond to their tormenting, and instead focused on how to get out of this situation alive.


    He knew that fighting was out of the question. Even if he was only up against a single ship, he would still be horribly outgunned. His vessel only had a single thirty-year-old, class one pulse laser as far as weapons went. It was as weak of a weapon as they came and only really useful for blasting away things his collection drones could not move on their own.


    Still, this was not the first time Avery had been chased by space pirates. He had a few tricks up his sleeves that he had used numerous times in the past to stay alive.


    First, he activated his long-range sensors to scan for any Alliance Police or mercenary vessels nearby. If he led the space pirates to either of these types, they would typically engage the pirates immediately. For the mercenaries they would want to collect the bounties, and the Federation Police were duty bound to clean up space pirates.


    "No dice huh." Avery muttered bitterly.


    His scans did not detect any other vessels in range. The only ones out here with him were the four space pirates that would soon have him in weapons range. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was a bit hesitant to deploy his other defensive measures since they were quite costly, but when an asteroid in front of him exploding from being hit by the pirates'' weapons, he knew now was not the time to worry about money.


    After hitting a few keys on his control panel, a compartment on the back of his ship slid open and several small orbs flew out of it.


    Each of these little orbs was a decoy beacon that would emit a signal that was nearly identical to his ship''s. It would make it far more difficult for the pirates to lock onto him with automatic targeting and give him a bit of breathing room while he looked for an escape route.


    Nevertheless, the decoys were far from foolproof. High-end scanners could see through them, and anyone that was an especially good shot could activate manual targeting instead and aim for his ship that way.


    Thankfully, these pirates did not have any advanced scanners nor were they expert marksmen. Most of their shots either hit the decoys or went wide when they attempted to target Avery''s ship directly.


    "Come on, there has to be something I can do."


    Avery was hastily checking his sensors'' data to find something that would get him out of his current mess. The decoy beacons had bought him a little time, but once they were all destroyed, he would be in trouble.


    Eventually he came across a certain celestial body that might be able to help him out.


    However, it was a good distance outside of the asteroid field and making his way towards it would leave him a sitting duck without out any cover in open space.


    Then there was the risk involved in the maneuver he was planning on performing. He had heard from a passing trader at a bar once about how they had used this trick to avoid some pirates, but it was pretty dangerous.


    "I''d rather die messing up then just waiting around to get shot down." Avery grumbled as he turned his ship towards his only real hope.


    Pushing his thruster to full speed, he shot out of the asteroid belt and made a beeline for a large comet that was passing nearby.


    It did not take long for the pirates to notice him fleeing, and they ignored the rest of his decoy beacons and shot after him.


    Avery carefully watched his radar for the pirates coming up behind him and continually glanced in front of him at the comet flying through open space. He needed to time things perfectly or his attempt to fool the pirates was not going to work.


    Yet before he was close enough to enact his plan, his ship''s computer blared with a warning before the entire vessel shook violently.


    "Damn it!" Avery yelled as he felt another blast hit his ship.


    The pirates had closed in on him again, and without any cover, he was an easy target for them to shoot at.


    With just two hits from their weapons, his weak shields had already been depleted by over sixty percent. He would likely only survive one or two more blasts at most before he was turned into space debris.


    "We''ve got him on the run now boys. Let''s hurry up and finish him off so we can get back to collecting the loot from our earlier raid."


    "Although, if he wants to surrender peacefully, I might just let him live as my pet for a while."


    "Dude! You seriously need to get your mind out of the gutter when we are out on a mission. This guy has annoyed me enough that I won''t be satisfied until I see his ship explode in a giant ball of fire."


    "Just shut up and blast him. I''m tired of playing tag with him."


    Again, the pirates sent their communications out for all to hear to shake up Avery. Unlike last time though, he really was starting to panic. He had been in tight situations before where his life was on the line, but this was definitely the closest to death he had found himself.


    Another laser blast hit his ship, and it rocked violently from the impact.


    Avery''s shields were completely spent now, and all he had left was the light armor around his hull that would almost certainly fail to protect him.


    "It will have to be close enough."


    Before another shot hit him, he deployed the rest of the decoy beacons he had onboard.


    This saved him from instant death as several lasers collided with the small robots and took the attacks meant for him.


    A moment later he heard complaints and all manner of rude remarks from the pirates, but he ignored them.


    "Here goes nothing."


    Pressing another button on the console, Avery launched a larger spherical device out of his ship and towards the pirates.


    Once it had flown through space for three seconds, it grew bright and erupted in a giant flash of light.


    "Gah! The bastard just used a flash mine!" One of the pirates angrily yelled over the comms.


    Now that the decoy beacons were masking his location from sensors and his flash bomb had made it impossible to get a visual on him, Avery gunned it towards the nearby comet.


    Getting in front of the giant mass of ice and rock, he swiftly deployed his landing gear and steered his ship onto the comet.


    This was a crazy dangerous maneuver as a single misstep would see him getting crushed or having his landing gear ripped off and flung away into open space.


    "Come on! Catch already!" Avery shouted as his landing gear skidded across the ice.


    Luckily, he eventually dug into the ice and his ship came to a stop. He had managed to successfully land on the comet and was hitching a ride with it.


    This was not the end of what he had to do, though. To prevent himself from being picked up by the pirates'' sensors, he had to completely power off his ship and activate the emergency cooling system to mask any signature that could be detected.


    Almost immediately he felt the biting chill as his life-support system was cut off. He could not leave a single system running if he hoped to lose the pirates.

 Chapter 3 - 3 Miracles Do Happen

    Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Miracles Do Happen"What the hell?! Where''d that little sh*t go?!"


    "I don''t know, he just disappeared. All that''s left are his decoy beacons."


    "Keep searching, he isn''t a ghost that can just vanish into thin air. He has to be out here somewhere."


    "Um, we''re in the middle of open space. There''s no air here, thin or otherwise."


    "Oh, shut up and find that stupid buzzard already!" S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The space pirates spread out and checked on all of their sensors for Avery''s ship, but the only sign of it was the decoy beacons left behind. It truly was as if he had just vanished.


    "Guess we must have turned him into space debris with a lucky shot while we were blinded. Let''s get back to work or else the boss will have our heads for slacking off." One of the pirates said after searching for around fifteen minutes without any success.


    Luckily, the other pirates agreed and the four of them turned around and headed back towards where the destroyed mining operation was located.


    Avery was not able to see their departure, however. His ship was completely powered down, leaving him no means of knowing what was going on outside other than looking through the view screen and assessing things with his own eyes.


    Nevertheless, he did not dare power up his ship and activate its sensors just yet. If the pirates were still in the vicinity, they would notice him the moment he turned his ship''s generator back on.


    "Better put on my hostile environment suit." Avery mumbled as he rubbed his arms with his hands for warmth.


    The temperature in the cockpit was dropping rapidly, and soon enough it would become cold enough to be a threat to his life if he did not do anything about it.


    Then there was his dwindling air supply. If the cold did not get him, suffocation would.


    Fortunately, he had a suit meant for use in space and other environments that a person could not survive in normally.


    This suit would both keep him warm and give him a steady supply of oxygen for an entire day. He figured if he waited around half that long the pirates would almost certainly have given up by then.


    Once he had the suit on, Avery let out a relived sigh as he was enveloped by its warmth.


    "Guess I''ll get some sleep. If they find me at this point, I''m going to end up dead anyway. I''ve used up pretty much all my tricks, so all I can do is wait and hope nothing else happens."


    The extreme fatigue of the long day and near-death run-in with space pirates left Avery with little strength left to stay awake.


    After setting an alarm for ten hours from now on his portable terminal, Avery let sleep overtake him. He knew if he forced himself to stay awake, all he would be awarded with was a never-ending sense of dread.


    ...


    "Beep! Beep! Beep!"


    Avery shot awake when he heard the blaring tone of his terminal over the comms within his environmental suit.


    He had slept without interruption for the full ten hours and felt quite a bit better than he had before.


    Still, sleeping in a not particularly comfortable suit strapped to the chair in his cockpit had left him sore all over.


    What he really wanted to do was get out of his environmental suit and take a hot bath, but that would not be possible for multiple reasons.


    "If they haven''t found me at this point, I should be in the clear." Avery said to reassure himself.


    Tentatively he reached over to his control panel and eventually worked up the nerve to power up his ship.


    Immediately once power had been restored, he turned his ships sensors on and checked for any other vessels that were around.


    "Thank my lucky stars." Avery sighed in relief when nothing showed up on his sensors.


    The comet''s path had taken him quite a distance away from where he had tangled with the space pirates, and for as far as his sensors could search, there was nothing else out here with him.


    Feeling elated to have survived, Avery powered on his thrusters and entered the command to retract his landing gear, but his ship did not budge.


    Certainly, it shook forcefully as it tried to bring in the landing gear and fly off, but it did not leave its current location.


    "No, no, no, no!"


    Avery could tell he was only moments away from ripping his ship apart and shut down the thrusters and stopped the command to retract the landing gear.


    He then ran a diagnostic program to see what was wrong, though he already had a pretty good idea.


    When the diagnostic had finished, it confirmed that his landing gear was locked in place. His escape plan to hitch a ride on the comet had worked but now his ship was solidly frozen to the mass of ice and rock.


    "I should have known something like this would happen. I may have gotten away, but now I''ve just got more trouble to deal with." Avery lamented.


    At the very least, this would be easier to deal with than space pirates.


    While the ship did not have enough power to break free of the ice that had frozen his landing gear to the comet, he had a laser pistol that should be able to get the job done.


    This meant that he would have to exit the ship and carefully clear away the ice without damaging his ship.


    "I suppose it''s a good thing I didn''t already take off my environmental suit." Avery grumbled as he grabbed his laser pistol.


    He did not really ever use this weapon other than for a form of protection when traversing less than safe areas on trading colonies. Just having the gun visible served as a deterrent, and so far, it had worked well to keep unsavory types off his back.


    Exhaling a deep sigh, Avery entered the air lock and attached a tether to his suit before depressurizing the room.


    Once there was not any air left, he opened the door and looked out into the abyss of space.


    ''Let''s make this quick.'' Avery thought as he felt a cold shiver up his spine.


    It was one thing to traverse the endless expanse within the confines of a ship, and another to walk out with only a thin suit to protect himself.


    With a bit of difficulty, he managed to set foot on the comet and get to work.


    Aiming his laser pistol carefully, Avery fired it in long bursts to cut away the ice that engulfed his landing gear.


    The work was long and monotonous, but eventually, he cleared away his front landing gear.


    Except, when he moved towards the back, he spotted something a couple kilometers away lodged into the comet.


    "I wonder if that''s some module from a station, or maybe some jettisoned cargo."


    While most of the object had been consumed by ice, a small portion of it was still uncovered.


    The surface was clearly something manufactured, and it appeared to be in decent condition despite having crashed into this comet at some point.


    Avery''s motivation to free his ship soared at the sight of potential loot.


    Things may have gone sour at the wrecked mining operation, but perhaps to balance that out, the universe was awarding Avery with some good luck.


    "Okay, that should be enough." Avery said, his excitement rising.


    He had blasted away most of the ice clinging to his landing gear, leaving only enough to keep it from being dislodged from the comet and flying off into space. The last thing he wanted to do was end up being yanked around by his ship while it was floating off into the distance.


    Climbing back onto his ship, Avery started up the thrusters and broke free from the remaining ice attached to his landing gear.


    There was a bit of shaking, but he finally escaped the surface of the comet and was flying under his ship''s own prolusion again.


    "Now, time to see what else ended up on this giant ice cube."


    Slowly, Avery linked his ship with the comet''s movement and lined up directly above the object that had caught his attention.


    He immediately started scanning it but received almost no useful information back. His sensors were not powerful enough to penetrate the ice, and whatever protections the object possessed.


    "I may have really stumbled across the jackpot. I wonder what is so valuable that someone went through the trouble of building this thing to block sensors."


    A gleeful grin on his face, Avery booted up the control panel for the single pulse laser equipped to his ship.


    Allowing the targeting program to do most of the work for him, Avery opened fire with his weapon.


    Large chunks of ice were blown away by the first blast and revealed a bit more of the object.


    Giddily he continued to blast away and uncover his lucky find.


    At one point his aim was a bit off and directly hit the object, but his weak pulse laser failed to so much a singe the outside of whatever this was.


    "Woah. That is some sturdy armor. I know my weapons pretty unimpressive, but still. What is this thing? Some sort of special vault for a top-of-the-line merchant vessel."


    Avery gulped when he realized just how sturdy the object he had found was. No matter what, even just the outer plating was likely worth more than everything he currently owned.


    Eventually he had cleared away enough ice to make out what he had found truly was. It was not a durable cargo vault as he had thought, but an intact ship.

 Chapter 4 - 4 A Lost Treasure

    Chapter 4: Chapter 4 A Lost Treasure"Fifty-two meters long, thirty-one meters wide, and nine meters high."


    Now that he had uncovered the majority of the ship, Avery''s sensors were finally able to give him some readings.


    Still, so far it had only come back with the ship''s dimensions.


    "It''s on the larger size for what''s classified as a small vessel. But I wonder what something like this is doing all the way out here. My sensors may be far from the best, but they should definitely be able to get more than simply its dimensions." Avery groaned.


    What he really wanted to know was if the ship had power, and more importantly, an active defense system. Getting blasted into space debris because he got a bit too careless and greedy was not on his list of things to do today.


    After a couple of minutes, he did finally find some useful information on the crashed vessel.


    Every ship had a unique signature it used for identification. If one did not, or it was using cloaking technology to hide its signature, it became an immediate target for every Alliance Officer and mercenary that came across its path. Nobody hid their ship''s signature unless they were up to no good.


    "SCXD-011."


    Avery read off the main component of the ship''s signature, which was followed by a far longer series of numbers.


    He knew that the SC stood for Storren Corp. which was one of the top three manufactures of high-end vessels within the Dramid Alliance where he resided.


    "Don''t know what the XD means, though. There aren''t any records of such a vessel on my computer."


    As a salvager, Avery had quite a bit of data on different types of ships downloaded and ready for easy access. To be successful at his job, he needed to be able to separate the trash from the treasure. Parts of certain ships were more valuable than others, and his cargo hold was not large enough to just pick up whatever he came across.


    Still, he did not have even the smallest mention of the ship embedded in the comet below him.


    "It''s almost certainly a military ship. No one else is going to go out of their way for such powerful plating that also disrupts sensors." Avery said, assured of his assertion.


    He had seen plenty of different vessels before, and this one looked most similar to cutting edge military fighters.


    The fact that he had no data on it, though, meant it was likely either considered a state secret, or an experimental ship that was not in service yet.


    "Well, whatever it is, it technically belongs to me."


    Salvaging laws in the Alliance became quite lax around seventy years ago. The draconian statutes of the past had seen all lost tech still belonging to its former owner. This made salvaging lost goods in space practically worthless. In the best case you would receive a small reward, or at worst, accused of being a thief.


    This led to only outlaws collecting the operational equipment left floating in space. Bolstering their power and numbers. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Eventually the Alliance realized how big the problem was growing and created new legislation to give whoever discovered salvage the rights to its contents. At the very least this lowered the amount of quality technology entering black markets, and returned it to circulation within the Alliance


    Nevertheless, even though the ship below Avery belonged to him by right, it did not matter if he could not move it.


    "The comet may not be moving particularly fast at only eight kilometers a second, but it''s still moved fairly far from the nearest station. Towing it would take months and open me up me up to all sorts of dangers." Avery murmured, trying to think of a solution.


    He would be unable to use his ships Hyperdrive to travel faster than light while pulling along another ship. There was also the matter of his dwindling resources. Forgot a couple of months, he needed to dock somewhere to refuel in the next few days or he would run out of pretty much everything necessary to keep himself and his ship running.


    In the end, he figured that his best option was to free it from the comet and tow it to some out of the way location that he could come back to.


    Having decided on his plan of action, Avery trained his pulse laser back on the ice and blasted it until the SCXD-011 was free.


    Once it began floating away into space, he launched cables out from his own ship that adhered to the other vessel and began dragging it away.


    Within around a half dozen hours, he had brought it to a nearby asteroid field.


    "I suppose I should see if I can get inside. There might be some valuables that I can sell to earn enough funds to rent a vessel that can bring this thing back to civilization."


    After retracting the cables, Avery lined up the two ship''s airlocks and began the docking process.


    There was a bit of shaking as the two vessels connected, but everything was seemingly going well.


    "Okay, now how do I get it open?" Avery said, staring at the closed hatch of the ship he had found.


    Normally, the door would have opened automatically after a successful docking, but the lost vessel appeared to not have any power.


    "Come on, there has to be a way to open it manually in case of emergencies. It''s a standard feature on most ships in the Alliance."


    Avery was starting to feel frustrated when he finally located the panel that allowed him to access the door''s manual controls.


    Unfortunately, the mechanism was iced over, and in his frustration, he pulled out his laser pistol and fired it on its lowest setting.


    Thankfully, he did not cause any damage to the controls, though, his actions had been pretty reckless.


    While mentally berating himself for his hastiness and carelessness, Avery grabbed ahold of the lever that would release the lock on the hatch and pulled with all of his might.


    A moment later the doors opened slightly with a loud whooshing sound from the change in air pressure.


    Naturally, Avery was still wearing his environmental suit, since it was likely that the was no breathable atmosphere inside the SCXD-011.


    ''Just one last obstacle.'' Avery thought, walking up to the airlock''s inner door and removing the panel that would give him access to the door''s manual functions.


    Luckily this one was not frozen and opened with ease.


    However, the moment he opened the door, Avery was in for a serious scare.


    Floating on the other side was a corpse that looked to be staring right at him.


    An unseemly yelped erupted from Avery''s mouth, and he hastily jumped back and pulled out his laser pistol.


    Of course, the body showed no reaction at all. Whoever they had once been, they were long gone now.


    "F*ck! I should have expected this. If the ship crashed but stayed intact, or course the crew would still be inside." Avery grumbled.


    Usually, he dealt with wreckage that was far from pristine condition. In the case of ships, the person or people that had been onboard were always long gone for one reason or another.


    This time, however, what he had found was in pristine condition. There was nowhere for the deceased crew to go. Their bodies had been locked inside this ship like it was a coffin.


    "One, two, three..."


    Avery counted the number of people and found that there were seven of them in total.


    Except as he looked more closely at them, it became apparent that this ship''s crash was not due to an accident.


    "They''ve all been shot but one of them." Avery mumbled, his face pale.


    Everyone of the ship''s crew members save for a single female officer had a hole in their bodies from a laser pistol set to lethal.


    With a little investigation, Avery thought he had a good idea of what had happened.


    One of the individuals was wearing an environmental suit and his gun was still gripped in his hand. Most likely he had shut down the ships power and attempted to kill everyone else onboard.


    Yet, it seemed that the man had failed. The single crewmember without any signs of external injury likely shot him before he could get to her. Sadly, with the ship''s systems disabled, she probably suffocated before she could get the power back on.


    "I wonder what could have led to this?"


    Avery could smell some sort of conspiracy surrounding this ship''s circumstances. It was almost enough for him to want to abandon his find all together and forget that he had ever seen it.


    However, he could not pass up on the score of a lifetime, no matter if it brought some trouble his way.


    "Let''s see if I can''t get the power back on."


    Continuing to roam around the ship''s cockpit with a bunch of dead bodies floating around was not something that Avery particularly wanted to do. If he could restore the ship''s systems, hopefully he could move them all to another room. Out of sight out of mind as the saying went.


    There was a possibility that some automatic defense system abord the ship would detain him, but he found that unlikely. If such a thing existed, it should have stopped the fighting among the crew that so obviously occurred.


    "This looks to be the main control. And this should start up the generator."


    Pressing a couple of keys, Avery hoped to restore life to the long dormant ship he had found.


    Of course, it could have run out of power, but if that was the case there was nothing Avery could do.


    Fortunately, the ship''s systems started up again, one after the other.


    First the artificial gravity and life support functions were restored, and the main computer began a routine diagnostic to assess the vessel''s condition after being shut down for so long.

 Chapter 5 - 5 SCXD-011

    Chapter 5: Chapter 5 SCXD-011As Avery waited patiently for the ship''s automatic diagnostic to complete, he glanced around the now lit interior of the vessel.


    At the front of the cockpit were two chairs meant for the pilot and copilot, and the right and left sides each had two chairs as well for supporters to man other systems like communications.


    "This is some pretty fine materials."


    Even through his environmental suit, Avery could feel that whatever the seats were made out of was both sturdy and comfortable.


    His interest continued to bounce all over the place, but eventually he was forced to deal with the seven bodies that had all fallen to the ground now that the artificial gravity had been restored.


    When he finally worked up the nerve to check on them in detail, he found that all of them had on Storren Corp. uniforms.


    He let out a sigh of relief at this. Had anyone onboard been an Alliance soldier, it would have caused him far more trouble.


    After checking everyone''s identification, Avery had a fairly good idea as to what had happened here.


    "I''d guess that this was an experimental vessel going on its first test flight. The single guy that tried to kill everyone else is probably some sort of industrial spy or agent of a foreign power that wanted to steal this ship." Avery muttered after considering what he had found.


    Of course, this was just his conjecture from what he could see. It was not like he was some sort of master detective that could make leaps of accurate deductions off of the smallest clues. He simply knew how the galaxy worked and figured that what he concluded was the most likely outcome.


    Companies and governments only played by the rules when it was to their benefit. If murder and theft got them ahead, they would do it without question if they thought they could get away with it.


    The real problem that Avery faced now was what to do with the seven corpses aboard this ship. He could simply jettison them out into space and be done with the matter if he wanted.


    But if he did that, it could cause problems when someone came looking for this ship. Even though as the one to find it abandoned in space it technically belonged to him, he doubted that Storren Corp. would simply ignore their missing vessel once they learned it had resurfaced.


    If he wanted to make sure everything was aboveboard, he would be best to hand over his and this ship''s data along with the bodies when he returned to the nearest space station.


    Avery knew that it was going to be a major hassle but letting go of a prize like this that only came around once in a lifetime would be the height of foolishness. Especially when he was barely making ends meet as it is.


    "Well, even if trying to keep the thing is more trouble than its worth, I''m sure I can get plenty of Krenin if I sell it back to Storren Corp."


    However, even as Avery said this, he did not really consider letting this vessel out of his grasp. It was something all those that traversed the open abyss of space dreamed of owning.


    While he was planning out his next move and storing the bodies in one of the crew bedrooms, SCXD-011 finally finished its diagnostic.


    The data appeared uniformly and in an easy to digest form on the main screen for Avery to read.


    Other than having only around a quarter of its max power left and a bit of damage to the outer plating, the ship appeared to be in perfect working order.


    Except there was one thing that was completely unexpected. All of the biometric data had been erased from the ship''s computer and was primed for anyone to register themselves.


    "Whew. That guy must have been pretty good to wipe such important information. This also serves as more evidence for my hypothesis. Someone was definitely trying to steal this vessel." Avery said, his face a mask of complicated emotions.


    Normally he would have been pretty limited in what he could do thanks to the security that SCXD-011 had. The systems he would have been able to access would have been restricted, and it would have been impossible for him to operate the propulsion system.


    Yet, if he registered himself as the new owner of the ship, everything it was capable of would be at his command. Both in law and practice he would be the experimental craft''s owner.


    After thinking it over for only a few moments, Avery began taking off his environmental suit so that he could register his biometric information and officially become the ship''s captain. This was something he could simply not pass up on.


    Once the computer had finished collecting his data, it saved him as its primary user. It now answered to him, and only him.


    "Now. I should be able to access a lot more information than before."


    Wanting to know everything he could about his new vessel, Avery pulled up SCXD-011''s logs.


    He found that the computer system was first turned on around two and a half years ago, measured by the rotation of the Dramid Alliance''s capital planet.


    Scrolling through the logs, he mostly found more diagnostics data and system updates.


    Finally, when he reached the end, the logs detailed the craft''s first test flight beyond the shipyard it had been built at. This had been one year and three months ago. Which was likely how long it had been drifting through space.


    Honestly, it was a miracle that I collided with a comet, and another miracle that Avery managed to find it. Nevertheless, in the vast expanse of space, one never knew what might happen.


    Once he finished skimming the experimental vessel''s history, Avery accessed information on what he really wanted to know.


    This was a top-of-the-line light fighter that had been meant for ace military pilots. It was bound to be chockfull of some of the highest quality technology in the galaxy. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 6 - 6 Armaments

    Chapter 6: Chapter 6 Armaments"That''s some serious fire power." Avery said with a long, impressed whistle.


    The first thing he had pulled up was SCXD-011''s weapons. It was a vessel meant for military use so naturally it had some powerful armaments onboard.


    First were its three heavy laser cannons concentrated on the front of ship. Each one of them was unbelievably powerful and outclassed the single pulse laser mounted on his other ship by lightyears. Honestly, even a single glancing blow from one of these weapons would take out the shields and obliterate the hunk of junk he had been flying in.


    On the upper side to the left and right of the cockpit were two high yield plasma launchers. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery found these to be a bit unusual for something that was supposed to be a military craft.


    Plasma launchers were undoubtedly strong, capable of burning through even tough shields and sturdy plating, but they were incomparably slow compared to lasers and had a short effective range, making them unpopular. Still, if someone knew how to use them well, a small vessel like this could theoretically even bring down a battleship. That was simply how devasting getting hit by such high-end plasma weapons was.


    "There''s also an auto turret on top of the stern as well as two scatter guns near the back for suppressing pursuers that get too close. Finally, a single torpedo launcher on the bottom of the ship."


    Looking at each of the weapons'' specifications, Avery found that they were all top class. This was the kind of stuff that most people could never even dream of getting their hands on.


    Once he had finished familiarizing himself with the weapons, he found the information on the shields and plating.


    Both were as high spec as the weapons and comparable to what a far larger craft would usually have. The shields alone were strong enough to deflect most lower to mid-range weapons without taking hardly any damage.


    The plating was also special in that it had jamming properties. Unless specific commands had been imputed to halt the dampening effect, most sensors would be able to figure out no more than the ship''s dimensions and its signature, just as Avery first had when he uncovered the vessel.


    There were several dozen more important aspects of the ship that Avery needed to familiarize himself with, but for now he stuck with finishing up with its propulsion systems. To truly come to know his new craft, he would likely need several days. Time he did not currently have.


    For now, he needed to return back to the colony he was residing at and take care of a mountain of tasks.


    "I''ve got to register the SCXD-011 as my own. Probably give it a new name as well since that''s a mouthful to say all the time. Also, there''s those pirates. I need to hand over what data I have on them and what happened to the mining operation to the authorities. They won''t pay me much, but I should get some Krenin for the information." Avery mumbled, listing out everything he would need to do upon returning home.


    It was going to be a pain for a while. Though, once things settled down, he would be able to fully utilize the state-of-the-art craft that had fallen into his hands.


    However, as he was just about ready to sync up both of his ships and depart, the long-range sensors began to flash.


    "Wonder what it is? I''m pretty far from just about everything of note in this sector."


    With a couple quick inputs, Avery pulled up detailed information on what the SCXD-011''s sensors had picked up.


    On the display he saw four ships traveling directly towards his location at high-speed. The computer quickly calculated that these unknown vessels were almost assuredly coming to him.


    "It''s those bastards again." Avery spat.


    He had already linked up his older ship''s system with the SCXD-011, and it immediately recognized the four incoming vessels as the pirates that had nearly killed him the day before.


    Avery was uncertain about what they could be doing out here. He had traveled a fair distance away from when they last encountered each other.


    "Hey, look who it is. We finally found that slippery little vulture."


    "Yep, and it looks like he''s meeting up with a little buzzard friend of his. Except, they seem even less impressive. That thing doesn''t even have any weapons systems."


    "It''s not too late for you to give up. If you get on all fours and oink for me, I''ll let you live."


    "Seriously dude. This is not the time. The boss already said if we didn''t find and waste this guy, that were going to be working in the worst part of the processing plant for the next year. Let''s just hurry up and blow these two away and get back into her good graces."


    Like before, the four pirates were using a wideband frequency for their conversation so that any and everyone could hear them.


    They certainly got a kick out of terrorizing people this way, but this time, Avery simply smirked. It was their turn to know what true horror is.


    "You pirate scum could not have showed up at a better time. I was just thinking that I needed some good targets to test out my new ship''s weapons. Try and make this a little bit interesting." Avery responded confidently.


    Up till now he had avoided interacting with these pirates since he needed his full focus on escape. Yet while the four outlaws did not know it yet, their roles as hunters were about to be painfully reversed.


    Thanks to the SCXD-011''s plating helping to block sensor data on it, the unaware pirates had no idea that it was armed to the teeth. From what they could tell, it was just an unimpressive craft with no way to defend itself.


    "Let''s see what this baby can really do." Avery said, accessing the shields and weapons systems and powering them up.

 Chapter 7 - 7 Like Fish in a Barrel

    Chapter 7: Chapter 7 Like Fish in a BarrelWith the controls of the advanced vessel held firmly in his hands, Avery gunned it towards the oncoming pirates. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Immediately the ship''s thrusters roared to life and sent him forward like a streak of light.


    Despite the SCXD-011 having exemplary inertial dampeners, the sudden acceleration still pushed Avery back up against the pilot''s seat.


    "It''s still better than when I really pushed my other ship, though." Avery said with a smirk on his face.


    He had dealt with greater g-force before and knew he could handle what he was currently under with ease.


    Seeing his advance, the four pirates slowed down and began to spread out to cut off any chance of escape and make it more difficult to target them. Trained soldiers they were not, but after living a life of crime that required them to gun down other spacecraft, they had developed at least some skill when it came to ship-on-ship combat.


    The moment Avery came into weapons range, the four pirates opened fire on him with their weapon systems.


    Three of them four had twin pulse lasers equipped that boasted decent fire power. Each one was around five times stronger than the old and weak weapon currently equipped to Avery''s original vessel.


    The final pirate''s ship was loaded out with three missile pods that fired relentlessly. These missiles flew far slower than the other pirates'' lasers, but they packed far more of a punch.


    Avery had never truly fought pirates before, always choosing to flee as he had the previous day. Still, he could tell that these four were likely fairly skilled for outlaws if the stories he had heard from mercenaries and Alliance Officers were to be believed.


    Even as he did his best to enact evasive maneuvers, Avery found around a third of the lasers hitting his shields. He was not an expert dogfighter by any means. This was honestly his first time really going on the offensive since he first journeyed out into space.


    Fortunately, the craft he was currently piloting was far and away better than what the pirates had. Their lasers had hardly damaged his shields, and the missiles which would have done more were easy enough to evade so long as Avery paid attention to avoiding them.


    Had he been flying his older ship; he already would have been consumed by the explosion of his vessel being destroyed. Yet things were different now. He had the means to take what was thrown at him, and dish it back tenfold.


    "Got you!"


    After maneuvering himself for several seconds while under fire, Avery finally managed to line up a shot on one of the pirates.


    He pulled the trigger and all three of the forward heavy laser cannons fired.


    The red beams traveled the distance to the pirate''s craft in practically an instant.


    At the last moment the man attempted to avoid the attack when his computer warned him that weapons had been locked on. But it was too late.


    Even as the ship sharply turned to the side, one of the cannon blasts hit the side of the vessel.


    A bright explosion lit the inky blackness of space as the pirate''s shields and armor failed to stop the laser.


    There was a single loud scream over the open comms for a single instant before silence once again returned.


    At once the remaining three pirates began shouting at each other for any information on what had happened.


    While they had thought he had been defenseless, the SCXD-011 was simply hiding its fangs.


    Without any warning, three panels had opened up and military grade heavy laser cannons normally only found on larger ships had popped out.


    The cobbled together pirate vessels stood no chance against the overwhelming firepower that Avery currently had.


    "F*ck, I''m out of here!"


    "Is he some kind of monster?!"


    "Keep it together you two!"


    Hearing the panicked voices of his three remaining tormentors, Avery could not help but chuckle lightly. The tables had turned quite quickly, and it was their turn to learn what the fear of death by unstoppable force was.


    Quickly two of the pirates scattered like roaches that had a light shined on them.


    However, this was a poor move. Now that they were no longer putting as much pressure on him, Avery was able to maneuver his ship more freely.


    Within just a couple of seconds he had another of the pirates in his sights and fired a volley from his laser cannons.


    The second pirate craft erupted into an even larger blast than the first thanks to all the missiles it had onboard.


    For as morbid as it was, the sight was strangely beautiful. As if a bright flower had suddenly bloomed in the infinite darkness of space.


    Of course, Avery did not spend more than a moment marveling at the massive explosion. He still had two more vermin to exterminate before he could celebrate.


    Turning his ship around, he chased after the farthest pirate that was trying to get away. His sensors had informed him that the craft was powering up its lightspeed drive.


    While not impossible, tracking someone once they went to lightspeed was typically a drawn-out process. It would be impractical to pursue them if this happened.


    "You''re not going to get away, however." Avery said as his targeting system locked onto the ship in front of him.


    With a quick input to fire the laser cannons, three balls of light zipped through space and tore through the third craft.


    It was all over in a mere moment just like the previous two. Most small ships simply could not hope to hold up to the fire power that the SCXD-011 possessed.


    Except, Avery did not have long to appreciate his feats. A loud alarm began blaring, and his console informed him that the last remaining hostile was on a collision course towards him.


    "Are they insane?!" Avery shouted in surprise.


    Instead of running away, the last pirate was flying towards him at full speed.


    They were firing their lasers haphazardly and showed no signs of slowing down.


    Avery had heard that sometimes pirates would kamikaze themselves in desperate situations, but he never expected it to happen to him here.


    Nevertheless, for the sole remaining pirate, this was about his only real option. If he counted to fight, he would die. If he somehow got away and returned to base, he would be subjected to a fate worse than death for his failures.


    All of his options led to a gruesome end, so he might as well go out on his own terms and take down the person that had brought him such misfortune.


    Swiftly Avery pulled on the controls to turn his ship around and fire, but it soon became apparent that he was not going to be fast enough. He was still inexperienced with his current vessel and lacked the training and experience to handle it.


    ''I''m not going to make it.''


    Realizing he would never get the front of the ship turned around in time, Avery instead activated one of the SCXD-011''s other weapons.


    So far, he had only used the laser cannons since they were both the easiest and cheapest to use. Lasers only needed energy from the vessel''s generator to be fired, but the rest of the craft''s weapons utilized limited ammo supplies that were costly to refill.


    This was not the time to worry about stuff like that, though. Avery needed to use everything at his disposal to avoid a collision.

 Chapter 8 - 8 Battle’s Conclusion and Ship’s Interior

    Chapter 8: Chapter 8 Battle¡¯s Conclusion and Ship¡¯s InteriorAvery hurriedly activated his craft''s left plasma launcher and aimed it towards the incoming pirate.


    If what he had read about the weapons specifications was correct, the unbelievably hot plasma should have been capable of practically disintegrating the entire enemy vessel.


    Except, the moment that Avery locked his weapon onto the ship, the pirate in control began moving erratically to avoid being hit.


    "Sh*t, Sh*t, Sh*t, Sh*t!" Avery rapidly cursed as he failed to line up the shot.


    He had never used plasma weaponry before and was finding out firsthand how difficult they were to aim. A large, stationary or slow-moving target was one thing, but a fast and nimble small craft was another.


    In the end panic took over and Avery began firing off balls of hot plasma rapidly and hoping one would score a hit.


    Several came close to catching the pirate''s ship, with one grazing its shields and instantly vaporizing them.


    Unfortunately, while the outer hull had started to glow red from the immense heat of the near hits, Avery failed to connect a single shot.


    The craft slipped by his bombardment and was only a moment away from impact. At this point all Avery could do was brace himself and hope to make it through.


    A thunderous roar followed by SCDX-011 shaking violently assaulted Avery.


    His entire view screen was consumed by a fiery explosion and loud alarms blared throughout the ship.


    Nevertheless, as he opened his eyes, Avery found that he was no worse for wear. The impact had rattled him up and he could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, but otherwise he was perfectly fine.


    A damage report soon popped up on the main console in front of Avery.


    Despite having another ship crash into him, the SCDX-011 withstood the blow remarkably well.


    The shields were down by thirty-four percent, and a few pieces of shrapnel had breached them and scratched the outer plating.


    For having another ship kamikaze into him, this was an unbelievably small amount of damage.


    "Storren Corp. really went all out with this one. It''s got the firepower and durability of a larger craft, while still retaining the maneuverability of a smaller one. I can''t even imagine how much something like this would cost."


    Avery was truly blown away by how high-end the SCXD-011 was. Even when he connected back to the computer onboard his other ship, he was unable to find any records of other vessels in the same size range with comparable specs.


    Still, now that he had a moment to think, Avery realized how poor his engagement with the pirates was.


    He had taken far too many hits, and allowing an enemy to crash into you would normally be a death sentence. He only got out alive due to the far higher quality of his spacecraft.


    "I''ll need to get in some practice later to make sure my performance isn''t that bad again. But for now, it''s time to head home."


    After collecting what he could from the four destroyed pirate vessels syncing up his two ships, Avery set in the coordinates for the trading colony that he was currently residing at and had lived all his life.


    Soon he could hear the distinctive whirring of the lightspeed drive powering up.


    Then there was a bright flash for a moment as the two ships accelerated and the stars twinkling through the cosmos became long lines on the view screen.


    With a great sigh of relief now that the dangers he had encountered were over and he was on his way back home, Avery stood up from his chair and headed out of the cockpit.


    Now that he was in lightspeed travel, he would be safe for the most part. If anything unexpected did happen, the ship''s computer would alert him.


    A giddiness in his step, Avery headed down the vessel''s main hallway and opened the first door he passed.


    Inside was one of the three rooms designated as crew quarters.


    Avery had been inside a different one of the crew''s rooms early when he placed the Storren Corp. employees'' corpses inside it. However, this one was different.


    Unlike the first one he had been in, which had been pretty barebones, only having two three tiered bunkbeds and some retractable drawers inside one of the walls. The room he had just entered was designated for the ship''s captain.


    From what Avery could tell the SCXD-011 was only spectacular when it came to military applications. Anything else was simply the most basic models possible.


    "This room''s at least a bit better than the other ones, though." Avery commented, looking inside.


    He was currently in the captain''s quarters.


    Instead of bunkbeds for multiple personnel, it had only a single large bed that was noticeably more comfortable.


    There was also a table and a desk, along with a small personal bathroom. Nothing lavish, but still far better than the crew quarters that were quite cramped and meant for six people. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I suppose that this is where I''ll be staying from now on."


    Back on the colony he was living in, Avery was renting a small studio apartment near where his parents lived.


    It was not cheap or expensive, though the only reason it was not the cheapest place in the colony was because it was in a relatively safe area.


    If he was going to have to pay to dock his new ship anyway, he might as well stay on it. The inside was far larger than his current residence, and just adding a few things would make it nicer as well.


    "I''ll be further away from mom and pops, but staying here has too many benefits." Avery muttered, a slightly sad expression forming on his face.


    "Enough of getting myself down. I need to inspect the other rooms while I''ve still got time."


    He was only about forty minutes away from the vicinity of the colony he was heading to. At that point he would drop out of lightspeed and need to head back to the cockpit so that he could contact the Port Authority. There was a lot of information he needed to give them. Both about the pirates and the SCXD-011.

 Chapter 9 - 9 Return

    Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Return"This is Yuson II''s Port Authority, your docking request has been approved. An investigator will be there to meet you when you land."


    Upon dropping out of lightspeed travel near the colony he lived in, Avery contacted the Port Authority to not only register his new ship, but also send over the data he had obtained from the pirates as well as the deadly situation that had occurred aboard the SCXD-011 a little over a year ago.


    Thankfully, he had lived on Yuson II ever since he had been born nineteen years ago. Being a local meant that there were plenty of records on him, and the Port Authority officer had recognized him from his frequent salvaging trips.


    Had he just been some unknown person that had shown up and said he found an abandoned ship with seven dead bodies on it, there was a good chance his docking request would have been denied until someone came over to check things out.


    There had been one issue that needed to be sorted out, though.


    Avery''s account was practically bled dry, and he at first did not have enough funds to pay for the docking fee and other services.


    To rectify this, he had sold off his old ship that used to belong to his father. With his need for quick cash and the upgrade he had just obtained, it did not make sense to keep ahold of the vessel any longer.


    It had some sentimental value, but that was it. In the face of Avery''s need for an fast infusion of Krenin, sentimentality was easily discarded.


    "I got forty-three thousand Krenin for the ship and all the equipment on it that I didn''t transfer over. That should keep me going for a while. Plus, I''ll be able to turn in the bounties of the two pirates I took down had. One had a four thousand Krenin Bounty, while the other had a five thousand three hundred bounty. A pretty tidy sum. Although, I did have to rink my life for it." Avery said, mentally going over his finances.


    He normally would not make more than a couple thousand Krenin a week from salvaging. Of course, the difference in danger between fighting space pirates and searching for lost items of value floating around was vastly different. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Once he had received specific instructions on where he could land, Avery input the data into the ship''s computer and let it chart the course. Only fools and showboats attempted to dock manually. An accident could cost several tens of thousands of Krenin, or possibly even more depending on the severity.


    The second his new vessel touched down in the hanger, Avery let out a sigh of relief. He had just gone through quite the harrowing series of ordeals, but he was now back home.


    Sadly, he could not relax for long. Within just a minute of his arrival, he received a message from the ship''s computer that someone had arrived outside the main hatch.


    When Avery booted up the exterior camera to see who it was, he saw a young woman in the uniform of the colony''s police standing there.


    She had long black hair and piercing purple eyes that Avery felt could see through anyone''s lies.


    Behind her were four other officers that were clearly her subordinates.


    "They must be the ones sent over to collect the bodies and ask me questions about them and this ship."


    Avery felt a knot in his stomach at the prospect of being interrogated by a professional investigator, but he knew that this was necessary. Getting everything cleared up quickly so that he could go about his business in peace was his best option.


    After inputting a few commands on the console in front of him, Avery got up and went to greet his guests from the colony''s authorities.


    "Avery Asteria, I presume?"


    "Yep, that''s me. You''re all from the colony''s police, correct?"


    "That we are. I''m Sergeant Jasmine Iralus, and behind me are officers, Bekker, Foss, Jorgensen, Overby. Would it be alright for us to enter this vessel and look into the matters that you brought to the Port Authority?"


    Avery nodded his head and welcomed the five members of the police force onto his ship. He wanted the seven bodies onboard taken off of his hands and any matters of the ownership of SCXD-011 taken care of promptly so that he could go about his business.


    Once onboard, the five officers followed Avery directly to where the seven bodies were stored.


    "The man in the environmental suit holding the gun is who I believe the one that led to the deaths of the other six are. Of course, I''m sure that you will be able to do a far better job investigating what really happened than what I can come up with." Avery said, directing the police to the likely culprit.


    Sergeant Jasmine told him that they would look into in any everything regarding this case, but that if the weapon the man was carrying matched the wounds on the victims, that Avery''s supposition was probably correct.


    "Now, could you allow us access to the ship''s main computer? We want to download the data directly from it. With such a delicate matter such as this, we want to make sure that everything stays aboveboard."


    Without any resistance, Avery agreed and gave the sergeant full access to the ship''s records. He had already transmitted all of this to the Port Authority, but while slight, there was a possibility that some of the information could have been faked.


    Obviously, Avery was far from skilled enough to do such a thing. Nevertheless, allowing the police access to the ship''s computer would only benefit him. It would serve as concrete proof that everything that he said was the truth.


    "Everything appears to be in order with what you already sent the Port Authority. The records from your previous ship have also been confirmed and proved that you found this unregistered Storren Corp. fighter craft abandoned in space. As such, it belongs to you, and we''ve confirmed that you had nothing to do with the murders that happened onboard over a year ago." Jasmine said after looking over the information she had collected.


    Avery felt put at ease to hear this. Some places might have tried to pin the deaths on him and take the SCXD-011 away.


    Fortunately, Sergeant Iralus and her subordinates appeared to be upright individuals intent on following the law without bending it in any way.


    Once he had finished signing a few things, the matter of the murders and his ownership of the ship were concluded. Neither were problems that he needed to worry about any longer.


    "Thank you for your cooperation. Here, take my contact information. Should anyone approach you about the murders or your possession of the ship, please contact me. I doubt that Storren Corp. will simply ignore a lost vessel of theirs reappearing. If they try to give you trouble, know that I, and the law are on your side. Don''t let them pressure you into something that you don''t want."


    With these last words of assurance, Sergeant Iralus and her officers took their leave along with the seven bodies.


    Now, Avery was left alone on his ship, with a new message on his terminal with Jasmine''s direct line attached.

 Chapter 10 - 10 Family Situation

    Chapter 10: Chapter 10 Family SituationOnce the colony police had left his ship, Avery quickly collected a few of his things and exited the vessel.


    While he had completed the most tedious tasks he needed to get done, there were still all manner of things that required his attention.


    The most important from his perspective was going to see his parents and telling them the good news.


    Money had been a problem for the three of them for around ten months now. But, with the SCXD-011, Avery believed that he could make a real fortune. Enough to pay off their debts and afford the treatment his father needed.


    With his terminal in hand, he plotted the fastest route to his parents'' apartment.


    It did not take long thanks to the many electromagnetic trams that crossed over most of the colony.


    Just a little under half an hour from when he left, Avery was standing in front of a towering apartment complex made out of a dull grey metal that extended all the way to the roof of the colony two hundred meters above.


    This was where his parents, and a great many other permanent residents of Yuson II lived.


    The apartments here were small and lacking in anything but the bare necessities, but it was safe and decent enough.


    Avery had seen some of the less fortunate people that lived in the fifth district. That area was basically the slums and a hub of vice for those that could not or did not want to fit in with the rest of society.


    He had no desire to end up in such a place, or see his parents forced to live there.


    "I should be able to turn our bad luck around now, though." Avery mumbled as the AI managing the building recognized his access code and allowed him inside.


    At the far end of the lobby, he entered an elevator that brought him up to the thirteenth floor where his parents'' apartment was.


    When Avery reached the nineth door, he placed his hand on a pad outside and it immediately began confirming his identity. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A quite ding announced that the scan was over, and the door slid open with a slight squeaking sound.


    The moment the door opened; Avery was hit with the familiar smell of home. He had lived here with his parents until just a little over a year ago, before he moved out to be on his own to apprentice at a ship maintenance and manufacturing company.


    "Avery, your back!"


    An excited woman''s voice resounded through the apartment as Avery stepped inside.


    His mother rushed out from the main room that served as both a living space and a kitchen to greet him.


    "Yeah, I am." Avery replied with a small voice.


    One look was all it took him to tell that his mother had been pushing herself.


    Her normally vibrant green eyes that were the same as Avery''s had heavy bags under them and were bloodshot. Her cheeks were also sunken, and her complexion looked far paler than usual.


    ''How many shifts must she have taken to look this exhausted.''


    Just like Avery, his mother was working hard to keep their family afloat. And the reason that both of them needed to push themselves so hard soon rolled out of the apartment''s primary bedroom.


    "Hey, pops. How are you feeling today?"


    "I''ve... had... worse." Avery''s father responded in between wheezes.


    Every time he saw the once strong man that had raised him in a wheelchair with an apparatus that allowed him to breath despite his damaged lungs, Avery felt a heavy lump in his throat.


    He tried to keep his expression neutral, but his eyes became pained, and his lips twisted into a frown.


    Whenever he thought about the unfair circumstances that had led to his father''s current condition, he could not help becoming furious.


    ''Now''s not the time to give into negative emotions. We''ve got a real chance now.''


    As Avery got his thoughts and feelings into order, his mother called out to him with a warm smile on her face in spite of the dour mood.


    "So, how was the far reaches of the system this time? Did you come across any unusual sights, or pick up some interesting items?


    Hearing his mother''s soothing voice helped Avery to calm down, and while a bit forced, he managed to return her smile.


    "Yeah. I came across quite the rare find this time."


    Avery then recounted the events leading up to discovering the SCXD-011 and what happened afterwards.


    Of course, he tried to downplay the danger he was in so that his parents would not worry, but it was fairly obvious that they realized how close he had been to losing his life.


    "I''m sorry that I sold your old ship without telling you pops, but I needed the money to pay for docking and registering the one I found."


    "It''s... fine. All... that... matters... is... that... you''re... safe." Avery''s father said, every word eliciting a pained wince.


    His father''s sentiment truly touched him. Avery knew how much restoring that old spacecraft meant to his father. It had been one of his greatest joys before the accident that had crippled him.


    "Okay, I understand that we have a great deal to discuss still, but how about some dinner first. I had just turned the autochef on before Avery returned. To celebrate Avery''s good fortune, I''ll use one of the quality food canisters."


    After saying this, Avery''s mother headed over to a counter on the far side of the room where a large metal box was sitting.


    This was their autochef, a device that specially prepared canisters could be inserted into to almost instantly create meals.


    Avery''s mother popped three into the machine, and within less than a minute, each of them had their own dinner.


    Smelling the food, Avery''s stomach began to growl loudly as if it just remembered what food was. This would be the first time he had anything other than a horribly tasting nutrient pack in the last two weeks.


    ''It''s also been around twenty-four hours since I last consumed anything. In all the excitement, I completely forgot about my hunger.'' Avery thought as he sat down at the small table in his parents'' apartment and enjoyed a decent meal with them.

 Chapter 11 - 11 A Parent’s Concern

    Chapter 11: Chapter 11 A Parent¡¯s Concern"That was great mom. Thanks for the food." Avery said, patting his belly with a satisfied grin


    "Oh, it was nothing. Now, I need to get ready for work. Would you mind cleaning up for me?"


    Avery gave his mother a smile in agreement and gathered up the dishes that they had used.


    Fortunately, all he needed to do was toss everything into the house''s multipurpose cleaning apparatus and let it do all of the hard work.


    When he had finished, Avery planned on saying goodbye for the day, but his father approached him before he could.


    "I''ve... something... to... tell... you."


    A curious expression on his face, Avery followed behind his father into the room that used to be his.


    However, the bed and other furniture he had when he used to live with his parents were gone. Replaced with multiple machines that helped to ease the burden of his father''s condition.


    Once the older man was hooked up to the largest device in the room, he exhaled a deep breath as it soothed his pain and further eased his breathing.


    "Ah, that''s better. Now I can talk to you more properly." Avery''s father said, his entire demeanor having changed now that he was no longer suffering so much.


    "So, what is it? I want to get out there and make some Krenin so that you and mom can get back to normal."


    "Are you really planning to use that ship you found to become a mercenary?"


    Avery raised an eyebrow at this question. He had already mentioned it to his parents, and while both of them had looked concerned, he did not think either of them would be against it.


    Successful space mercenaries that owned their own ships could make a lot of money quickly. Eliminating pirates, guarding mining vessels, escorting people from one station to another, and mapping unknown areas, were just some of the high paying jobs that mercenaries could take on. Though, all of them carried with them a high risk in return.


    "Yeah, I do. The regenerative treatments you need to restore your lungs and spine are expensive. Mom''s job and my salvaging work probably won''t ever earn enough to cover it. But now, I''ve got a real chance. The ship I lucked across is top of the line. I should be able to complete even tough commissions with it." Avery said passionately.


    His father still looked skeptical after hearing this. Mercenaries could make a lot, but they were also wagering their lives.


    It had already been difficult to not say anything when his son flew off into space as a salvager. Now, Avery planned on going out there to do far more dangerous jobs that could easily see him killed.


    "I don''t know if your mother or I could take it if we heard one day that you died out there. Won''t you reconsider? If the vessel you found is as good as you say, then selling it should be enough. There''s no need to risk yourself for my sake."


    "That''s true." Avery replied, his expression downcast.


    He understood where his father was coming from. Still, after getting a taste for traveling among the stars, he did not want to give it up.


    Practical as it was, he did not want to spend the rest of his life on the Yuson II.


    After he told this to his father, the older man lowered his head and let out a long sigh.


    When he looked back up, Avery saw a determined gleam in his father''s eyes. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "If you''re going to do this, you need to do so properly. I''m sure you''ve heard plenty of stories at those bars you''ve been going to, but being a mercenary is not easy. Most freshly registered mercs either end up dead or quitting within the first year. I think only a little over thirty percent make it longer than that. At least from what I last heard. To be successful, there''s a lot you need to learn. And throwing yourself directly into it is the hard way."


    Avery almost robotically nodded his head as he felt a lecture from his father coming on. He had been through similar situations several times in the past, and he figured that it would be best to just get through it.


    Except, this was not simply his father giving him advice this time. He did not know enough about being a mercenary to do more than caution his son. But he did know someone that could teach him the ropes.


    "I''ve got an old acquaintance who''s a retired mercenary. I believe that he was a five star when he was still active. If I reach out, he might be willing to give you some pointers. Though, I can''t promise anything."


    This came as a real surprise for Avery. He knew his father had some buddies he would meet up with from time to time, but he never imagined one was such an accomplished mercenary.


    In the Dramid Alliance, mercenaries were ranked by the number of stars they had. Newly registered mercs were considered zero stars, and the highest rank was seven.


    That meant that a five star mercenary was part of the upper ranks and truly accomplished.


    Around ninety five percent of all mercenaries were ranked zero to four stars. That meant anyone that advanced to being a five star was in the top five percent of all mercenaries.


    ''If I could learn the ins and outs of mercenary work from someone like that, it could really help me get ahead. I''d be a fool to pass up this chance.'' Avery thought after only a few moments of considering his father''s offer.


    "I''d be grateful if you contact your acquaintance. If I''m going to do this, I want to do it right. I''m sure having a pro teach me will make things a lot easier for me."


    "Good. If you had refused, I''d have done everything I could to convince you to stop. Knowing him, it won''t be easy. But your chances out there will be a lot better if you received some proper instruction first."


    Avery''s father then accessed the terminal integrated into his wheelchair and sent a message to his mercenary friend.


    For a few minutes the two waited in silence until a response arrived.

 Chapter 12 - 12 Encounter

    Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Encounter"He says that he''ll meet with you. Though, he won''t train you unless he feels like you''ve got potential. I don''t know how he''ll judge you, but you''ve got two days until he''s free. I''d use that time to brush up on what you can pertaining to mercenary work."


    Avery''s father forwarded him the message his acquaintance had sent, which had the time and location where they would meet in two days.


    "Thanks pops. This means a lot to me. I promise I won''t let you down. You''ll be well again soon." Avery said, giving his father a reassuring smile before leaving.


    When he came out into the main room, he found that his mother had already left for work. He had wanted to say goodbye to her as well, but he had spent too much time talking to his father.


    With his business at his parents now completed, Avery left the building and headed to his own nearby apartment.


    It was in a similar-looking building, albeit not quite as nice.


    Once he made it back to his small single room apartment, he immediately headed over to his desk and booted up his computer. He had a lot of work to get done in the next couple days and had no intention of wasting a single moment.


    ...


    "That''s about all I can do. It''s time to get going."


    It was finally the day of his meeting with his father''s older mercenary buddy.


    Avery had spent the last two days online studying what he could about being a mercenary.


    There was honestly a good deal of conflicting information out there since pretty much all mercenaries were free willed and stuck to their own ideas.


    This made sense, of course. Any competent mercenary would have enough skill to join the Alliance Police or the military if they wanted.


    But a lot of mercenaries were the type that hated to follow someone else''s orders all the time, and generally liked to travel amongst the stars as they pleased.


    Still, there was one major consensus among all the information Avery had found. And that was that mercenaries needed to be confident in a fight. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Luckily, Avery had a top-of-the-line spacecraft at his disposable, so experience was all he really lacked at this point. Something he was hoping the mercenary he was scheduled to meet could help with.


    Wearing a grin on his face, Avery exited his apartment and the building it was in.


    From there he found the nearest tram station and grabbed a ride on the colony''s public transportation system.


    His destination was within the fourth district. A bit of a rough area, but nothing too bad as long as one stuck to the main streets.


    One of Avery''s favorite bars happened to be around the meeting place that his father''s acquaintance had set, so he was at least somewhat familiar with the surroundings.


    "The road''s been blocked off. I wonder what''s going on?"


    When he was getting close to his destination, Avery found the street leading in the direction he was heading covered in barricades.


    He immediately pulled out his terminal to ascertain what had occurred, but there was not any information on the road closure.


    "That''s unusual. They normally update things like this pretty fast." Avery muttered, the map of the colony he had pulled up not showing the blockage.


    All he could conclude was that whatever was causing the problem had happened recently.


    Fortunately, with just a couple of inputs, he had his terminal plan a route around the road.


    It would see him through some smaller streets and back alleys, but he would still be able to arrive on time.


    Before leaving the main road, though, he shifted the jacket he was wearing to better expose the laser pistol sitting in a holster on his waist.


    Avery did not think that he would run into any trouble, but just in case some thugs sized him up, the exposed weapon would serve as a decent deterrent.


    After he felt he was ready, Avery followed the route that his terminal had set.


    With a bit of haste, he weaved through the smaller streets and alleys.


    A couple of times he crossed the path of some less than savory types, but they all made way for him when they saw he was armed. None of them wanted any real trouble.


    However, just two alleys before he would exit back onto the main road in front of the shop he was meant to meet the five star mercenary at, a large man blocked Avery''s path.


    At once Avery came to a stop and his right hand reflexively reached down towards his weapon.


    The tall man in front of him stood a head over him and was wearing a hooded cloak that obscured his entire body except for his mouth.


    "Avery Asteria, I''ve come on behalf of Storren Corp. to retrieve our lost ship."


    Hearing this instantly put Avery on edge. He had figured that a representative of Storren Corp. would come to meet with him eventually, but this felt like it was too soon and the setting out of place.


    ''If they had a location here that would be one thing. Except I know that the nearest Storren Corp. branch is over two weeks away from Yuson II. Unless this guy was already here or at another nearby colony, there''s no way he could get here this quickly.'' Avery thought, his mind racing to figure out what was happening.


    The fact that he had not received any sort of correspondence beforehand was also suspect. Instead, this man was simply ambushing him in a random alleyway.


    "I don''t have anything to talk about with you. Why don''t you try contacting me normally, and we can talk then."


    "That won''t do I''m afraid. My superiors are very intent on retrieving their lost property as soon as possible. If you simply cooperate, a hefty reward will be paid to you." The man said in a coercive tone.


    This was the last straw for Avery. It was clear to him that words were not going to help him out here. Storren Corp. had sent someone to intimidate him into giving up his rightful property, and he was not going to just stand around and take it.


    Without any warning, Avery unholstered his laser pistol and pointed it at the man. He had it on a lower setting that would only burn, but it would still hurt like hell and be enough to incapacitate most people.


    Yet, before he could pull the trigger, a red flash of light impacted his weapon and sent it flying out of his hand. Avery watched the gun fall to the ground as a look of shock warped his face.

 Chapter 13 - 13 (Spoiler, Title at the Bottom of the Chapter)

    Chapter 13: Chapter 13 (Spoiler, Title at the Bottom of the Chapter)Avery stood completely still for a moment as he processed what had just occurred.


    He had drawn his weapon as quickly as he could to launch a surprise attack on the man that had stopped him. However, his adversary had been even faster and aimed and fired his own laser pistol first.


    If Avery had one stroke of fortune, it was that the man had not shot to kill and instead disarmed him.


    Still, the situation was precarious. The hostile man shrouded in a dark cloak had his gun leveled at Avery. At any moment he could open fire.


    "Okay, fine. I get it. I''ll hand over the ship. Just don''t hurt me." Avery said frantically, trying to make himself sound as fearful as possible to lower the man''s guard.


    "Sorry, it''s too late for that now. Little punks like you only learn their lesson if it hurts."


    Avery watched the man''s lips twist into a sadistic smirk as he prepared to fire his weapon again.


    Just as the man started to press down on the trigger, Avery leapt backwards and threw himself onto the ground.


    An instant later, a red beam flew directly over his head. Had he reacted even a fraction of a second slower, he would have been nailed in the chest by the blast.


    Not waiting to assess the situation, Avery rolled over to the side and jumped back up to his feet.


    By some miracle his earlier leap had sent him far enough so that he was right next to a small street that intersected with the alley he was in.


    Quickly he dashed into it as the sound of another shot being fired reached his ears.


    A moment later, Avery felt a sharp pain in his left arm.


    The beam had only grazed him as he ducked into the other street, but it had still ripped through his clothes and left a nasty burn where it hit.


    Unfortunately, Avery could not take even a second to tend to the wound and kept running with all his might while ignoring the pain. If he could get out of the back alleys and onto the main road, the man would be unable to pursue him any longer without the authorities noticing.


    "Don''t think you''re going to get away from me, brat." Avery heard along with heavy steps behind him.


    Despite his large frame, he was deceptively fast. Avery had expected to be able to outrun the man, but that notion was far from reality.


    Realizing that he was not going to be able to get away by relying solely on speed, Avery jumped into the next path he crossed so that the man could no longer see him.


    An instant later, another laser shot flew by and lit the area up in a soft red glow.


    Just like the time he had been attacked by those pirates; Avery felt his heart racing. His mind searched for ways to escape his predicament as his enemy grew closer.


    ''There''s only one thing I can really do.''


    Looking over his shoulder, Avery waited for the man to round the corner and then jumped into another branching alleyway to get out of line of sigh.


    However, this time he did not keep running. Instead lying in wait for his pursuer.


    "I''ve got to do this. There''s no telling what will happen if I lose." Avery said, pulling out the knife strapped to his belt out.


    No matter how crude it was, this was the last weapon he had. Even in the age of laser weaponry, a sharp blade could still kill someone if it hit them in the right spot.


    Avery waited for the right moment to launch his counterattack. Every millisecond felt like an eternity as beads of sweat dripped down his face as he heightened his concertation.


    The moment the man came around the corner, Avery struck.


    He pushed off the ground hard with both of his feet and thrust his knife forward with every ounce of strength he could muster.


    Even though Avery had never used a blade in a fight before, it was a sharp blow. Any average person would have been unable to react in time to the well-timed surprise attack.


    Except, the man confronting Avery was far from ordinary.


    For only a brief moment did he have a look of shock on his face, before swiftly grabbing ahold of Avery''s arm and stopping him in his tracts.


    "I honestly didn''t think you''d stop and attack me. But you''ll need to do better than that." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With truly herculean strength, the enormous man lifted Avery up by his arm and slammed him into the nearby wall.


    Avery felt the air knocked out of his lungs from the impact. For a single second it was as if his mind was disconnected from his body, until a thunderous pain jolted him back to his senses.


    When he was finally able to get his bearings, he noticed that he had slid to the ground after being thrown.


    Panic setting in, he rushed back to his feet and faced the giant of a man that was a couple of meters away from him.


    "You managed to keep ahold of your knife. Do you still plan on fighting me?"


    His assailant''s words caused Avery to glance down towards his right hand. After being thrown, he did not even register that his last weapon was still in his grip. Truthfully, it was a miracle that he had not lost it.


    Still, there was little he could hope to do now.


    The man that had attacked him had him in his line of sight and there was nowhere else to run. A single shot from his laser pistol would be all it took to bring Avery down.


    ''I can''t give up, though.'' Avery thought, holding his knife even tighter.


    He glared back at his foe with a dauntless glint in his eyes. Even as terror welled up inside of him, he refused to back down.


    "That''s not bad. But you should know when you''re outmatched."


    Before Avery could hope to react, the man appeared in front of him in a display of astounding speed.


    A heavy boot then slammed into Avery''s stomach, and he felt spit and bile erupt from his mouth as he began coughing violently.


    His entire body felt faint from the pain and shock, and he collapsed back onto the ground as the man''s foot moved away and stopped supporting his weight.


    "You''ve still got the will to fight. But that won''t last much longer."


    Avery did not have any time to process the words he had just heard before the man''s foot came down on his right arm.


    A sickening crunching sound echoed through the alley as his arm was broken.


    The knife that Avery had so desperately held onto finally fell from his grip, and he began involuntary crying and weeing in agony.


    "You gave me more trouble than I thought you would, but it''s over now. Time for you to go to sleep."


    A long silver rod now in his hand, the giant of a man jabbed the weapon up against Avery''s back and sent a strong electric current through his body.


    No amount of grit was enough for him to withstand the jolt, and Avery''s conciseness quickly faded away.


    Chapter 13 A Painful Lesson

 Chapter 14 - 14 A Harsh Master

    Chapter 14: Chapter 14 A Harsh Master"Seems like your finally awake."


    Avery''s eyes slowly began to flutter open, and when he heard the voice of the one that had attacked him, his consensus fully came back to him.


    Adrenaline pumping and the belief that danger was imminent had him sit up and fully alert.


    He swiftly turned his head towards where the voice had come from and saw a large man sitting on a chair and staring at him.


    No longer was he covered by a large cloak and his features were clear to see. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The first thing that grabbed Avery''s attention was his bulging muscles. Not only was the man tall, he was almost unnaturally brawny.


    It did not take long for Avery''s gaze to move to the man''s head. It was there that he saw two small horns protruding out of the top of the man''s forehead. An indication that he was not fully human.


    "No, it couldn''t be." Avery said, a befuddled expression on his face.


    "Looks like you figured it out. Yep, I''m Robert''s, your father''s friend. Urs Orso, retired five star mercenary. You passed my test, if only barely. So, if you still want to try your hand at being a mercenary, I''ll be your instructor."


    Avery''s mind raced as the identity of the man that had ambushed him was revealed.


    Naturally, he had heard a description of Urs from his father, and the man sitting a little over two meters away from him was a perfect match.


    Yet, this realization did little to clear up Avery''s confusion. If the one that had attacked him was not working for Storren Corp., then why had he proclaimed that he was?


    Then there was how brutally he had come at Avery. That was going too far for a test. Avery had truly believed he was going to die or end up in some horrific torture facility.


    "You shot me, tossed me around, and broke my arm! And you still think I want to learn from you!" Avery shouted.


    He was livid. Anger had very nearly fully taken control of him, and he began furiously waving both of his arms.


    ''Wait! I can move my right arm, and it doesn''t hurt.''


    The surprise that his previously broken bones were miraculously fixed caused his rage to momentarily abate.


    Quickly he realized that not only his right arm, but all of his wounds had been healed.


    "Calmed down a bit? Yeah, I thrashed you some, but I didn''t hurt you too bad. I had plenty of opportunities to shot you square in the face or chest. That would have hurt a hell of a lot worse than the light injuries I gave you. Anyway, I administered a dose of medicine containing nanomachines that fixed you right up. You should be right as rain now."


    After hearing Urs'' explanation, Avery patted himself down and found that he was in perfect condition. In fact, the soreness and fatigue that had been accumulating from his long hours of salvaging over the last several months were gone as well. He felt better than he had in a long time.


    "Now that you''re no longer throwing a fit, how about we get down to business." Urs said. "If you don''t want to learn from me, that''s no skin off my back. I gave you that test to see if you had any potential. And when it comes to mettle at least, you''ve got what it takes. Though, you''re lacking in plenty of other areas. But I''ll leave the decision up to you. If you want, you can walk out that door and never see me again. Teaching you was just a way to help out a friend and kill some time."


    Having cooled off, Avery realized he had let his emotions take control and cloud his judgment. Urs was a retired high-ranking mercenary. Even if Avery was still pissed off about how the man decided to test him, it did not change the fact that this was his only shot to learn the ropes of being a mercenary from an expert.


    Should he refuse to learn from Urs, it would only be because of his wounded pride at being thoroughly beaten. However, pride was not going to help keep him safe out in space or on colonies where there were people trying to harm him.


    ''In the future, Storren Corp. or some other organization that wants my ship might stage a similar ambush. And if I fall then, I won''t be waking up in a bed with all of my injuries already fixed.''


    It was not lost on Avery how Urs was already trying to teach him. And it made him realize how much he still had to learn.


    "Forgive my earlier outburst. I let my anger get the better of me. Please show me how to become a proper mercenary." Avery said, bowing his head and swallowing whatever animosity he held towards Urs.


    A slight smile formed on Urs'' lips as Avery gave his response. He had not expected the young man he had thoroughly crushed to show such deference to him.


    "I''d half expected you to actually get up and leave. Glad to see that you''ve got some sense about you. Now, let''s go over where you went wrong on your way to meet me. There was plenty you could have done to prevent getting taken down by me."


    Urs proceeded to point out every mistake that Avery had made, the first of which was leaving the main roads.


    Had he simply taken a longer detour, he could have avoided heading into an unmonitored area. In that scenario, it would have been impossible for anyone to try and attack him without getting the authorities involved.


    "That won''t always be possible though, which is why you''ll need to shape up. Just having a laser pistol at your hip doesn''t guarantee your safety. You need to know how to use it better."


    After saying this, Urs explained how Avery should have approached his ambush. Trying to immediately draw his weapon against someone that had been waiting for him was foolish. He should have taken longer to assess the situation and think about what really mattered.


    Of course, hearing about all of his flaws and how rash he had been, only served to deflate Avery. In hindsight he should have tried to get away rather than escalating things.


    "Okay, I think that''s enough lecturing from me. You seem to understand what I''ve been getting at. I just want to impress upon you the danger that can come with this line of work. Out in space isn''t the only place you''ll face threats to your life. No matter how powerful your ship is, eventually you''ve got to leave it. Well, I did know some mercs that stayed holed up all the time, but they lived pretty sad lives. Always afraid that someone as going to shoot or stab them in the back if they took a single step outside their cockpit."


    Mercenaries often incurred animosity from the outlaws they hunted for cash. It was not unheard of for one to be found dead in an alley somewhere.


    "I get why you''re telling me about all of this, but could we change the subject. Just hearing about how ignorant I am and the horrors that await me aren''t really helping. I''ve already decided that I''m going to become a mercenary. I''d rather learn how to deal with what you''re telling me about than simply listen to warnings." Avery said.


    "I suppose you''re right. Well, let''s get out of here. Hands on experience will be better anyway. The Mercenary Association branch has some good training facilities and programs. It''s going to be tough, though. Think you can handle it?"


    Feeling his spirits lifting a bit, Avery nodded his head and gave Urs a confident grin. He knew that he had some arduous trials ahead of him, but he had no intention of stopping now. Fortune had handed him a vessel unlike any other, and he was determined to make himself worthy of it.

 Chapter 15 - 15 A Harsh Master (2)

    Chapter 15: Chapter 15 A Harsh Master (2)Urs led Avery directly to one of the simulation cockpits upon arriving at the Mercenary Association branch on Yuson II.


    There had been a few mercs and worker present, but not a single one of them tried to approach Urs. Instead, they acted like he did not exist and allowed him to do as he pleased despite havening someone that was clearly not a mercenary with him. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Is this allowed? I''m not a member of the association yet." Avery asked, worried that they might get in trouble for breaking some sort of rule.


    "Technically, it''s not. But nobody''s going to cause a fuss about it. Retired though I may be, I still retain my rank as a five star mercenary. There are certain privileges that come with being in the upper ranks."


    Avery could not help but feel a bit of trepidation at this response. While Urs might not get into any trouble, the same could not be said for him.


    Still, there was no point in fretting over what might or might not occur in the future. Avery was here to learn, so he was going to put his all into doing so.


    "Do you have your ship''s data saved on your terminal? We can reproduce its specifications with the devices here and I can see what you''re really working with."


    Urs had heard from Avery''s father that the boy had found an advanced vessel abandoned in space, but he did not know exactly what it was capable of. Before he could begin giving proper instructions, he needed this information.


    Fortunately, Avery did have the data with him, and after around a minute, he had registered it to the simulator''s computer.


    "What the hell?!" Urs said, as he went over the capabilities of the SCXD-011.


    For a smaller sized vessel, it had the highest firepower, defensive ability, and generator output he had ever seen. The only thing that was not far and away better than most other craft of the same size was maneuverability. However, even that was still close to the top end.


    "My old ship was a mid-sized one that I''d modified extensively, and even then, it didn''t have this level of firepower. How did Storren Corp. even make something like this?"


    For several seconds, Urs seemed to have completely forgotten about Avery and was fully engrossed in the SCXD-011''s specifications.


    "From what you''ve said, I''m guessing my vessel''s pretty good. But how would you say it compares to other mercenary craft you''ve seen?" Avery asked.


    "I haven''t been active for the last six years, so let me preference that what I know isn''t recent. Still, this ship is easily the best small sized craft I''ve ever seen or heard about. I can see why you would want to pursue a career as a mercenary with something like this in your possession."


    Urs had an almost envious glint in his eyes as he poured over the data on Avery''s vessel.


    However, he shook his head as if to dispel any negative thoughts budding in his head.


    Then he turned back towards Avery with the expression of a stern teacher.


    "Okay, I now know what you''re working with. It''s far and away more than I was expecting. So, I''ll need to change up what I was planning to teach you quite a bit. For now, I''m going to load up the four star rank advancement program. Your goal will be to avoid being hit more than three times and take out all the enemies in no less than seven minutes. Taking any more hits or time than that will be deemed a failure, and I''ll shut down the simulation. Then we''ll head to a private practice range where I''ll be personally teaching you how to fight, before starting the process over again."


    Avery stared at Urs dumbfounded by the severe training plan the retired mercenary was going to put him through.


    Without any buildup, he was going to be forced into the hardest training simulation available, and his goal was not to just win, but do so nearly flawlessly. And if he failed, Urs had pretty much stated that he was going to beat the crap out of him in mock combat exercises.


    It was almost enough to make Avery reconsider going forward with learning from this veteran mercenary.


    ''This is what it''s going to take though. I''ve got a bit of money thanks to selling my old ship, but it''s not going to last forever. I need to shape up and start earning Krenin through mercenary work soon.'' Avery thought, strengthening his resolve.


    Once he was ready, he sat down in the pilot''s seat within the simulation cockpit, and Urs booted up the program.


    Immediately, ten pirate ships flying in formation appeared on the screen. Each of them was packing strong weapons, and along with eight light fighter craft, there were two medium vessels.


    "Um, I don''t think most pirates have ships like these, or can maneuver like a military squadron." Avery commented.


    "That''s certainly true, but there''s always outliers. During my time as a merc, I fought against groups even stronger than this around a dozen times. They''re definitely out there. Space is vast after all. You never know what you might encounter." Urs responded with a hearty chuckle.


    He then pointed out that the pirates were about to engage with him and pulled Avery''s attention back onto the training program.


    It took less than a minute before Urs shut the simulation down.


    Avery had done his best to avoid the enemy fire, but it had been practically impossible with so many ships attacking from multiple angles.


    His shields had still been holding strong, and he had somehow taken out two of the pirate''s light craft. Nevertheless, he had failed to meet the criteria that Urs had set, and the match was deemed a loss on his part.


    "Now. Let''s go to one of the training rooms. Space battles aren''t the only area you need to improve on." Urs said, practically dragging a reluctant Avery out of the training cockpit.

 Chapter 16 - 16 Officially Becoming a Mercenary

    Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Officially Becoming a MercenaryOver the next two months, Avery fought through the intense training regimen that Urs had devised for him.


    Around two thirds of every one of his waking hours was spent either in space battle training simulations, at the gun range, or in sparing matches with Urs.


    The other third of his time was for cramming in all the information that he needed to know. Common sense among mercenaries, the types of places that space pirates liked to hide, and important laws pertaining to mercenaries were all subjects that Avery needed to familiarize himself with.


    Honestly, the last couple of months had been the most grueling time of Avery''s life. Other than eating and sleeping, all of his time was devoted to Urs'' training.


    Nevertheless, his efforts had brought with them results.


    Avery was now capable of beating the four star rank advancement program to Urs'' specifications around seven out of ten times. He had also gotten proficient enough with a laser pistol and other personal combat to keep the far more experienced mercenary at bay for anywhere between three to five minutes. Often more than enough time to get away to safety in the typical situation.


    Of course, there was still a great deal that Avery needed to learn, and his skills could use some more polishing, but the reserves of Krenin he had saved up were beginning to dwindle. He needed to get to work, or he was going to go broke.


    "Well, there''s still I lot I wanted to teach you, but I think that you''ll do fine now." Urs said as he finished up his final training session with Avery.


    For Avery''s part, he was splayed out on the floor breathing heavily. His physique had improved considerably thanks to the intensity of the training he had undergone, but it was still impossible for him to keep up with his teacher.


    "Those biological and cybernetic enchantments of yours are really unfair. No normal person could ever keep up with you." Avery complained in between deep breaths of air.


    "That''s exactly right. Which is why I recommend you get some once you''ve saved up enough money. Augmenting your reaction speed is the most important. You never know when something unexpected is going to happen, and being able to respond quickly is paramount."


    Avery nodded his head in agreement. He had already experienced hundreds of times how much quicker Urs could react than him.


    Still, the old mercenary had approved of Avery''s efforts. There was a lot for him left to learn, but he met the requirements to become a competent mercenary himself.


    Once the two of them bid their farewells for the day, Avery headed directly towards the reception counter in the association building.


    This was his first time doing so, as usually he simply followed Urs into one of the training rooms without interacting with anyone else.


    Naturally, everyone that worked in the building and several of the other mercenaries that frequented the location already recognized Avery. And seeing him alone and approaching the reception windows caught their attention.


    "I''d like to register as a mercenary."


    The man behind the counter Avery had approached turned his attention towards the young man and his cybernetic left eye narrowed as if scrutinizing the person in front of him.


    "Fill out this form." The man said curtly.


    He had passed over a terminal to Avery that was already pulled up to the information he needed to fill out.


    "I''m done."


    Already having learned what he would need to register from Urs, Avery merely synced up his own terminal to the one provided to him and transmitted the necessary information.


    Within just a couple of minutes the process had been completed and Avery was registered as a new zero star mercenary.


    "I believe that new mercs are allowed to go directly to two stars if they can prove their skills. I''d like to take that assessment." Avery said confidently.


    The man working the counter raised his eyebrows at this. Very few people used this rule since most freshly registered mercenaries were not privy to this information. It was something of an inside secret.


    "Okay, I''ve set things up for you in training cockpit three. First you''ll need to complete the one star program to an acceptable level, and then the two star program will start three minutes after beating the first. Should you complete them both, your rank will provisionally be increased. However, should you fail in practice to meet the expectations of your rank, the association reserves the right to lower it."


    Avery nodded his head at the man''s explanation and headed towards where the training cockpits were with familiarity.


    He had spent hundreds of hours back there with Urs, so the place was almost like a second home to him.


    After getting inside and activating the computer, the program started up and the large screen in front of him became almost indistinguishable from the expanse of space.


    "Yep, all the controls are aligned with my ship. Everything looks good to go." Avery said as he checked to make sure the data of his vessel was being recreated properly.


    A few moments later, his sensors detected a pair of hostiles incoming.


    "I see, so if you want to be a one star, you need to be able to handle at least two average space pirates."


    Having finished reading the details of his opponent''s crafts, Avery was far from impressed. Everything about the two small ships other than their maneuverability was far below what he was used to.


    With a couple of quick inputs onto the control panel in front of him, Avery shot forward and gunned the two simulated pirates down before they even had time to react. His vessel was far and away better than theirs, and now that he had far more experience controlling it under his belt, taking out a couple of inferior fighters was beyond easy.


    Then once three minutes had gone by, the two star rank advancement program booted up.


    This time Avery was up against four pirates that were slightly better equipped.


    "They''re about a tier below the four I took out a couple of months ago in terms of both weapons and tactics. I guess those guys were a bit stronger than most of their ilk." Avery commented after assessing the program''s hostile forces.


    From what he had learned from Urs, the average space pirate possessed old civilian ships that they had modified to be faster and have a bit of firepower. They were not flying around with vessels built for combat like mercenaries and Alliance Police were.


    That was only on average though. Occasionally stronger bands of pirates would show up that had decent ships at their disposal.


    "But these guys aren''t part of the exception."


    After having trained on the four star rank advancement program and some other even tougher ones that Urs had made, Avery was able to easily outmaneuver and shot down the four simulated pirates with ease.


    It was honestly so underwhelming that he almost found it disappointing.


    Still, it was over now and all he needed to do was return to the front and get his rank updated.


    However, as he was leaving the training cockpit, he found four mercenaries waiting for him. All of them were sizing him up and not a single one looked particularly friendly. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 17 - 17 First Mission

    Chapter 17: Chapter 17 First Mission"So, you''re the one that old Urs has been training. You don''t look all that tough." One of the four mercenaries ganging up on Avery said.


    He was a short man with a bald head, and surprisingly bright blue eyes that seemed to go against the tough exterior he was presenting.


    Still, Avery did not underestimate the man. He had on thick combat clothing and two quality laser pistols at his waist.


    The other three mercenaries, two men and one woman, looked equally well kitted out. It was obvious that they were not greenhorns.


    ''If I hadn''t been through truly hellish training over the last two months, I''m sure that I would find these four pretty intimidating. But compared to Urs, they hardly feel threatening.'' Avery thought.


    "Well, looks can be deceiving. If you want, I''ll show you each what I can do."


    Avery gave each of them a fearless smirk and waited for their responses. He had already been told by Urs that some mercenaries liked to haze new recruits and that the best way to deal with them was to simply hold your own, and if they continued anyways, to beat them in a practice battle.


    However, contrary to what Avery was expecting, the tense atmosphere quickly evaporated and the four mercenaries started laughing.


    "No, there''s no need for that. We already know that you''re pretty tough. Everyone''s been talking about the crazy sh*t Urs has been putting you through. Anyone that can last as long as you can with that guy, certainly has what it takes to be a merc. We just wanted to see how you''d react to us ganging up on you. Sorry about that." The sole woman of the group said, a good-natured smile on her face now in contrast the scowl she had earlier.


    It was upon hearing this that Avery realized he had been gotten. These senior mercenaries had never truly been hostile towards him, and had just been acting to get a rise out of him.


    Of course, he had responded in the correct way if they really were trying to question his abilities, but he should have seen through their ruse if he wanted to truly be successful.


    "I see. And here I was beginning to believe I''d have to defeat all of you to get you to recognize me." Avery said, shrugging his shoulders.


    "Nah, we were about to head out on a job. No time for that." The man in charge of the group, who had spike green hair and a deep scar down his face said. "Ah, you just qualified to become two star didn''t ya. Here, I''ll send you the details of the request we''ve accepted. There''s still a lot of openings for it, so if you want, feel free to join it."


    Avery quickly exchanged contact information with the more experienced mercenaries and their leader sent him the particulars pertaining to a multiweek mission accepting up to thirty two star or higher ranked mercenaries.


    "Make sure to read over it carefully before accepting. Though, I suppose you don''t need that advice from me, seeing as how Urs was training you."


    With that, the four of them took their leave.


    "I guess that I got through that okay." Avery said with a deep sigh once the other mercenaries had left.


    While they had switched their tunes quickly enough once he stood up to them and gave the traditional response, things could have gone very differently depending on how he reacted.


    He was certain that if he either shrunk away or got angry, that they would not have become friendly so easily.


    ''I really need to thank Urs again for everything he taught me.''


    While reaffirming his gratitude for his mentor''s teachings, Avery opened up the documents that four senior mercenaries had sent him and looked through them.


    To his surprise, it was actually a request for guards from the Dirluc Mining Company, the same group he found devastated by pirates not so long ago.


    "Makes sense. I''m sure after that they''ve got to keep up appearance and bring in extra security to make sure the same thing doesn''t happen again." Avery mussed. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiring several mid-ranking mercenaries was naturally costly and would eat into their profit margins. But if the company''s workers refused to head out to the asteroid belt, then they would be unable to make even a single Krenin.


    Avery, seeing as he already had some connection to this request, decided to take it.


    There was a good chance that it would be fairly boring, since he would just be patrolling a certain area with no guarantee of anything happening. Still, it would serve as a good mission that was not too difficult and also paid decently well.


    With his decision made, Avery headed back to the reception counter to finish up his advancement to a two star mercenary and register for a week of protection service for Dirluc Mining.


    When Avery approached the same man that had registered him, his apathetic demeanor was completely gone, and he was looking at Avery with a starry-eyed expression.


    "That was amazing! I''ve never seen anyone trounce the two star advancement programs so effortlessly before. You set a new record for this branch."


    Excitedly, the receptionist turned the screen of his monitor around so that Avery could see it.


    There, he found his name atop a long list detailing the time it took to defeat the four simulated pirates.


    Truthfully, he did not think what he accomplished was particularly impressive, and he only held the record by a fraction of a second. There were dozens of other names right below him that had similar clear times.


    Nevertheless, he was not going to say anything to lower the man''s enthusiasm. Doing so would serve no real purpose.


    "I''m glad you enjoyed my little performance. Now, could we complete my rank advancement. There''s a job I want to apply for that requires me to be a two star." Avery said, leading the man back towards his job.


    Thankfully the receptionist was a professional, and swiftly took care of the necessary procedures.


    "Okay, everything is set up. Dirluc Mining will be expecting you in the next three hours. Good luck on your first assignment."

 Chapter 18 - 18 First Mission (2)

    Chapter 18: Chapter 18 First Mission (2)Avery sat down in the pilot''s chair of his ship, and his lips turned up into a faint smile.


    He had spent most of his time in the training cockpit within the Mercenary Association branch and had only flown his true vessel a few times in the last couple of months. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The Association''s facilities did a good job recreating it, but there''s nothing like the real thing." Avery muttered as he booted up the generator and brought the ship to life.


    After running a quick diagnostic and checking that his energy and ammo stores were topped off, he sent a request to leave the station and waited for approval.


    Around two minutes later, he had the green light to go and activated the craft''s controls.


    He moved slowly at first out of the hangar until he found himself back out in the unending expanse of space.


    In every direction there was the gentle glow of stars. And off to his right, Avery could see a stunning, dark red nebula a few million kilometers away.


    For just a couple of minutes he simply marveled at the amazing sights just outside of Yuson II. He had seen them all dozens of times, but he still became enraptured whenever he gazed upon them.


    "This is one of the reasons I just can''t stop heading out into space."


    Once he had gotten his fill of the celestial scenery, Avery input the coordinates of Dirluc Mining''s operation in the Varnein Asteroid Belt into the onboard computer.


    The gentle hum of the lightspeed drive charging up filled his ears, and a moment later he shot forward and everything around him began to blur.


    Now safely on his way, Avery fiddled with his terminal and downloaded some music onto his ship''s computer. He found listening to some of his favorites tunes while he had down time traveling from one place to another calming.


    "I suppose I could also check reports of pirate activity in the sector." Avery mused.


    Urs had advised him to constantly be up to date on any criminal activity in the area. While there were a lot of different jobs for mercenaries to do, hunting down or protecting others from outlaws were the most common. So long as people had vices and a thirst for greed, there would always be those willing to commit the most heinous acts for their own benefit.


    Still, to Avery, space pirates were basically just flying piggybanks waiting to be smashed open. A lot of them had bounties on them, and he was privy to anything of value left on the vessels after he took them down.


    Within about thirty minutes, Avery finally arrived near the vicinity of the outpost set up by Dirluc Mining. This was where all of the raw ore was stored and processed before being shipped out all over the Alliance.


    Immediately upon exiting lightspeed, Avery received a transmission from the outpost.


    There were no pleasantries in it, and it simply detailed the sector he was to patrol and for how long.


    He swiftly sent a confirmation back to the base and set course for the area he was to monitor.


    "They really got back up and running quickly. Other than the increased security, you wouldn''t be able to tell that Dirluc Mining lost around a third of their workforce just a couple months ago."


    Naturally Avery had looked into the tragedy he had stumbled across.


    Nearly two hundred people lost their lives in the attack that day between the mining vessels and Dirluc Mining''s private security force.


    Several dozens of ships had been destroyed by the pirate raid, and other than the four that Avery took out, the rest of the outlaws got away.


    Of course, the Alliance Police got involved, but space pirates knew how to keep themselves scarce when the authorities were on their tails. They were the types that only picked fights they thought would be easy.


    "This is the Two Star Mercenary Avery Asteria, ship name, Dauntless. I''m here to provide security for this area." Avery transmitted to the nearby mining vessel.


    "Thanks, Dauntless. We appreciate having you around." The mining crew supervisor replied.


    Avery was informed that if he had mining equipment that he was also free to collect some ore of his own. A small side benefit offered by most mining companies that hired mercenaries. Though, Avery would be expected to drop everything to respond to any threats that appeared.


    Unfortunately, Avery''s ship, which he had decided to name Dauntless, didn''t have any mining tools equipped. It was kitted out solely for military use, and Avery lacked the funds to make any adjustments.


    So, while he was grateful for the offer, Avery had to decline. Instead, he set a patrol route around the mining vessel he was guarding and let the ship''s system handle the rest.


    "Now it''s just a waiting game. If nothing happens, I''ll get paid for my time without having to do much of anything. And if something does, I can expect a bonus in way of bounties and loot." Avery said, leaning back in his chair.


    To any observer it would have appeared that he was slacking off, but that was hardly the case.


    The Dauntless'' sensors would undoubtedly pick up any approaching craft or space monsters. No matter how alert he stayed, it was unlikely he would notice anything before his ship''s computer did. Being on edge the entire time would only wear him out.


    For the next sixteen hours, Avery simply kept to the area he was assigned and watched over the mining ships.


    During this time nothing in particular happened, and his shift for the day finally ended.


    This did not mean he could leave though, just that he was off duty for now. He now had eight hours to get some sleep and then he would be back on watch.


    When one mining vessel left, another soon took its place. At all times there were at least a few people in the same area as Avery.


    ''Well, I can leave things to the other mercs nearby. Time for some rest.'' Avery thought, crawling into the bed within the captain''s quarters.


    However, the moment his head hit his pillow, he received a message from the Dauntless'' computer. Apparently twenty-one unidentified objects were approaching at a high speed.

 Chapter 19 - 19 Dominance

    Chapter 19: Chapter 19 DominanceRushing back into the cockpit, Avery hastily sat back down in the pilot''s seat and pulled up the sensor readings.


    "Looks like its other vessel incoming. All of them small crafts. Their too far away to distinguish if they''re friendlies or not." Avery said while bringing the Dauntless'' generator up to full power and moving himself in between the mining vessels and the fast-approaching ships.


    It was a few moments after he started taking action that the other two mercenaries on patrol in the area noticed that something was up.


    Like Avery both of them were two stars, though they had significantly more experience than he did.


    With a few short messages the three of them coordinated themselves into the best defensive pattern they could.


    After that Avery sent a transmission to the incoming vessels.


    "This is the Avery Asteria, two star mercenary under contract to protect the mining ships in this area. Stop and identify yourselves. This sector is under the Jurisdiction of Dirluc Mining."


    Avery waited for a response for a few seconds, but nothing came.


    Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, it was not much longer before his sensors were able to read the signatures of the incoming crafts.


    Immediately he received an alert from the system that nearly all of the ships were pirates with bounties on their heads.


    Wearing a scowl on his face, Avery sent this information to the other mercenaries and the mining vessels.


    "Damn, twenty-one of them. That''s a lot for just three of us to deal with." One of the mercenaries said over the comms.


    "We''ll just have to make do until reinforcements arrive. I''ve already sent a transmission requesting aid." The other responded. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery could hear the edge in their voices.


    A two star mercenary was expected to be able to handily beat four average space pirates. However, it was typically difficult for them to take on more than six at a time. The fact that their enemies had seven for each of them meant that this would be an uphill battle for most two stars.


    "And these pirates are a bit better than average. Their weapons aren''t too impressive, but their shielding and platting have been upgraded." Avery observed.


    He still had the data from the four he had taken out a couple months ago and found that the majority of the group coming for them were slightly stronger.


    It was only little things on each of the vessels that made them a bit better, but when taking into account all twenty-one of the pirates, it made quite a difference.


    Having only around two minutes until intercept, Avery made a critical decision.


    "We won''t be able to protect everyone if we try to hold the line. There''s just too many of them. So, I''m going to go and scatter them. Pick off any stragglers that get away from me and try to go after the miners."


    "Wait! Are you crazy?! This isn''t the time to try and be a hero! You''re gonna get yourself killed!" One of the mercenaries shouted, trying to talk Avery out of his plan.


    However, his mind was already set. This was the only way to protect those they had been hired to watch over.


    The mining vessel had strong defenses, but no weapons. If the pirates reached them, they would be doomed.


    Without waiting for a chance for the other two mercenaries to talk him down, Avery set off through the asteroid field as fast as he could. It would not be long now until he was face to face with a squadron of space pirates.


    "Whoa! We got a crazy one here. Did he get so scared that he put in the wrong coordinates and came right towards us as he tried to run away."


    "Well, it''s definitely one of the three mercenaries guarding this section. But that ship doesn''t seem to even have any weapons. Maybe mercs aren''t what they used to be anymore."


    "Hehe. Let''s waste ''em and go crack open those little loot boxes up ahead. We got a ton of ore last time and were able to throw one hell of a party."


    The pirates began jeering and sending insults towards Avery as he approached.


    Nevertheless, their taunting did not last long once the first of the pirates came into weapons range.


    Having locked onto three different vessels, Avery pulled the trigger on his forward heavy laser cannons.


    Each of the three high-powered military grade weapons glowed brightly for just and instant, before firing off blasts of immense energy.


    Naturally the pirates noticed the incoming attacks, but it was already too late for the three that had been targeted.


    Two were instantly destroyed and erupted in massive fiery explosions. While the third that had a bit stronger shielding and armor just barely stayed intact. Though, it was completely disabled and the person inside likely would not last long without life-support.


    All at once the raucous wideband communications went silent. In one fell swoop, Avery had proven himself a force to be reckoned with.


    The remaining pirates scrambled to get into better positioning and surround the Dauntless.


    "To late for that." Avery said, using the ship''s controls with practiced hands to maneuver towards the weakest part of their formation.


    Beams, missiles, and other projectiles came flying towards him like a deluge of heavy rain, but not a single one hit him.


    Avery expertly flew through the asteroid field and deployed flares and chaffs to disrupt his opponents'' aim.


    Soon he had lined up another volley with his laser cannons and three more pirates met their ends.


    "Trying to get behind me won''t help if you''re that close."


    Five of the pirates had gone around to flank the Dauntless and fire at it from close range to make up for Avery''s tricky maneuvers and disruptive chaffs and flares.


    Except, now they were in range for his rear scatter guns which had been designed for their very purpose.


    Two spherical projectiles fired out of the scatter guns and traveled for a short distance before exploding.


    The fast-moving shrapnel composed of a metal meant to pierce force fields saturated the five pirate vessels and pierced straight through their defenses.


    In many ways it was a far more brutal attack than laser weaponry. Leaving the damaged ships with dozens of holes bored through them.


    One of the pirates even managed to survive, but from the screams coming from his comms, this was not some miraculous stroke of luck, but a horrible fate that would see him dying slowly and painfully.


    "Sh*t! He''s a monster!"


    "Let''s get out of here. This wasn''t what we were told to expect."


    After Avery eliminated half of their raiding party in less than a minute, the remaining ten pirates swiftly turned around and started to flee.


    Technically Avery could let them go at this point since his job was only to protect the mining vessels that were in the opposite direction.


    Yet, he would be remiss not to take down the rest of these pirates. Nine of them had bounties on their heads ranging from three to eighteen thousand Krenin. Taking all of them out would net him an even larger payout than what he was receiving for a week''s worth of security work.

 Chapter 20 - 20 Dominance (2)

    Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Dominance (2)Avery chased down the fleeing pirates and easily gunned another three down with his heavy laser cannons.


    One of the pirates, having forgotten to turn off his wideband communications screamed, "I don''t want to die. I don''t want to die." Over and over again.


    It was almost enough to make Avery feel a bit bad for them. Almost.


    Still, no matter how much space pirates screamed and wailed when they were about to get killed, it did not change the fact that they were scum willing to commit the worst atrocities imaginable for profit or pleasure.


    The one screaming for his life had a fourteen thousand Krenin bounty on his head. There was no way that he earned this without having killed dozens of people. Never once having shown them any mercy. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So, Avery was not going to hold back either. Trying to sympathize with these types only led to them getting away and harming more people.


    With only seven of them left, the remining space pirates really started to panic.


    The formation they had been flying in before completely broke apart, and each of them started going in separate directions. Hoping to be one of the lucky few to get away.


    A couple of them seemed to be heading back towards the direction of where the miners were to attempt to act as bait. However, Avery simply ignored them. The other two mercenaries still in the area would be able to deal with them, and Avery was sure that they would enjoy taking the easy bounties.


    "This is as good a time as any to test out the auto turret." Avery mused.


    So far it was the last weapon other than the torpedo launcher that he had not used yet outside of simulated training.


    The ammo was expensive since it fired anti-force rounds at a fast clip, and there was little satisfaction in using it since it worked completely autonomously without Avery needing to do anything but designate targets and let it fire.


    Of course, that meant it was more prone to being disrupted by items like decoy beacons and chaffs. Though the sensors onboard the Dauntless were more than good enough to see through whatever countermeasures most pirates might use.


    From the top of the ship towards the stern, the auto turret rose up and began swiveling around as the computer took aim.


    All of the pirates started moving more erratically and activating protective measures when their sensors picked up on the Dauntless'' latest weapon, but it was already too late.


    The electromagnetic launcher started firing off projectiles at a rapid pace towards the pirates.


    All of them did their best to dodge, and admittedly most of the shots missed since while they were moving fast, it was far slower than lasers which traveled at the speed of light.


    Nevertheless, it only took a single bullet hitting to punch straight through the pirates'' shields and cause major damage to their vessels.


    Then after a single hit, many more came and obliterated the disabled crafts.


    It did not even take half a minute for the auto turret to finish up the few remaining pirates and leave their ships riddled with holes.


    "Okay, I''ve marked all of the ones that I took out. I''d better head back and make sure that everything is okay before looting them all."


    With the threat eliminated, Avery turned his vessel around and flew towards where the mining vessel and other two mercenaries were holed up.


    When he arrived, he found the two pirates that had slipped away from him already destroyed and floating around as space debris.


    "Dude, I didn''t know you were that good. I almost didn''t believe my sensor logs when I read ''em. How the hell did you do that?"


    "Yeah, it''s hard to believe that you''re a two star like us. We''re no slouches, but you just took on twenty-one space pirates and trounced them without taking a hit."


    The other two mercenaries started raving about Avery''s show of power and expertise. What he had just displayed was certainly far above what the average mercenary of their rank could.


    Avery''s first thought was to be humble and downplay his achievements. He was not the most braggadocios person to begin with. Until recently he was pretty much at the bottom of the food chain out in space.


    Still, Urs had hammered into him that mercenaries needed to be boastful when they accomplished a real feat. Humbleness was often looked down upon more as arrogance.


    "Well, those pirates were nothing compared to the four star rank advancement program. They moved so slowly, and their weapons could hardly be considered a threat. It was obvious that I could take them down without breaking a sweat." Avery said.


    "Wait, I just remembered. Aren''t you the kid that Urs has been training. Wow, I guess that''s what instruction from a high ranker and a good ship can do."


    Instead of feeling envious, the other two mercenaries seemed to appreciate Avery''s efforts.


    While he was retired, Urs currently was the highest ranked mercenary in this system. He was practically a legend in this sector and a lot of younger mercenaries looked up to him. Though, no one ever seemed to want to approach him thanks to his massive frame and intimidating air about him.


    Just by having studied under him, Avery received a small portion of the recognition Urs had built up.


    After talking with other mercenaries for a few minutes and assuring the miners of their safety, Avery headed back towards the pirate ships he had downed to collect any valuable loot that was in the vessels'' cargo holds.


    "Looks like I destroyed a lot of the stuff, but there are some things worth grabbing.


    Avery mapped the best path to go to hit the wreckage of each craft and then let the computer do the rest.


    When he would pull up next to one of the pirates he had taken out, the Dauntless would stop and release a half dozen collection drones.


    "They certainly move a lot faster than the cheap ones I used when I was still a salvager." Avery said, marveling at the advanced drones going to work.


    It took him less than an hour to fill up his own cargo hold with all manner of items. From weapons that were still intact, to cases of sealed alcohol. Anything he could sell for a decent amount of Krenin was coming back with him to Yuson II.

 Chapter 21 - 21 Threads

    Chapter 21: Chapter 21 ThreadsOnce Avery made his way back to where the mining vessels he was assigned to protect and the other two mercenaries were keeping guard, he found out that their situation was not an isolated incident.


    Most of Dirluc Mining''s teams had been assaulted by a coordinated attack by space pirates at nearly the same time.


    This had kept reinforcements from converging on any one area and was the reason why no one ever showed up to help Avery and the two mercenaries with him.


    Fortunately, they had been able to repel the attack without any casualties, but the same could not be said for the other teams.


    Nearly a fifth of the mercenaries hired by Dirluc Mining had been killed, and without protection, the workers followed.


    Despite the majority of the pirates being destroyed or repulsed, it was still a major lose of forces and manpower.


    To the point that Dirluc Mining would need to suspend operations for a couple of days and reassign their mining personnel and the remining mercenaries under contract.


    "Where are all of these pirate scum coming from?" Avery muttered as he read the reports that had been sent out.


    Naturally, the mercenaries and private security that Dirluc Mining employed had skills and equipment several tiers above what the majority of pirates did.


    That meant that the outlaws'' only way to beat them was through sheer numbers.


    From what Avery was able to piece together, over six hundred space pirates had participated in the raid. That meant this was not the work of a small or even a medium sized group. It was practically an infestation.


    "It''s been about twenty-five years since there was pirate activity like this in this sector. There''s no way that it''s a coincidence."


    Avery put what Urs had taught him to good use and quickly sorted through the massive amount of data he had downloaded onto the Dauntless'' computer. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Normally he only focused on what was happening within the solar system and surrounding areas, but this time he was searching farther afield.


    Space pirates were typically simple creatures. They congregated in areas for only a few reasons.


    "Looks like my hunch was right. Three territories not too far from here recently cracked down and mostly eliminated the pirates that were causing them trouble. I''d bet the survivors all assembled near the Yuson System." Avery mused.


    Urs had told him that no matter how thorough a space pirate extermination was, a few always managed to slink away and cause trouble elsewhere. Sometimes this simply led to the problem moving elsewhere rather than truly being gone.


    Still, there would need to be some reason for them to have come this way. Space pirates often were not the sharpest bunch, but at least some of them needed to have a certain amount of intelligence to keep their operations from collapsing from the inside.


    While he continued to wait for his new orders from Dirluc Mining, Avery looked through every bit of information that he could to determine the recent influx of pirate activity.


    He figured that the current large group that had formed was almost certainly a merging of the ones from nearby systems that had been recently eliminated, and the ones that had already been around.


    Within the vicinity of Avery''s home were several mining operations taking advantage of the asteroid fields that were rich in valuable metals, as well as industries that collected the rare gases found in the surrounding nebules.


    Other than that, there was not a great deal of activity happening in the solar system as it lacked any habitable planets or attractions that would attract visitors. It was simply a place where resources people needed were collected. Nothing more, and nothing less.


    "This might explain it."


    As Avery sifted through the information he had, he came across an article talking about the movements of the Alliance''s forces within the system. If what he read was to be believed, around fifteen percent of the vessels and troops normally stationed within and around Yuson had left and no replacements had arrived to take their place yet.


    This left the entire sector with less protection than it normally had. And space pirates were very keen on locating places that were not as well guarded.


    Avery was hoping to figure out the reason why this relocation had occurred, but there was nothing but speculation. It was impossible for him or any of the other masses living in the Alliance to understand what the powers at be were up to.


    "Then there''s also the fact that Dirluc Mining has been targeted twice now by pretty brutal raids. From what I can tell, neither of the three other major operations have been though."


    Obviously, whenever pirates attacked there would be all manner of chatter about it. Most people wanted to steer clear of places where they might suddenly be killed or kidnapped.


    Except, try as he might to find something, the only incident''s involving space pirates pertained to Dirluc Mining, and merchant companies they usually did business with. All of it was enough to make someone believe that it was a targeted attack.


    "If I can figure this out though, I''m sure that plenty of others can as well. Still, knowing the right information can help keep you alive. I should definitely keep all of this in mind and look into it more when I return to Yuson II."


    It was around the time that Avery finished up his investigating that Dirluc Mining''s upper brass had finally come to a decision on what they should do.


    Usually, they had several teams out mining in the asteroid field that was under their jurisdiction to collect the different types of metals needed to fill the orders they had accepted. However, in light of the current circumstances, they were going to have to slow down their operation and keep all of the personnel concentrated in one location at a time.


    By doing this, they could keep all of their assets together and make it far easier to respond to any future attacks. There would no longer be any weaker forces to exploit.

 Chapter 22 - 22 Peers

    Chapter 22: Chapter 22 PeersThe remainder of the week Avery was contracted as security for Dirluc Mining went by without incident.


    There was not a single pirate that came within the vicinity of the large cluster of mining and mercenary vessels after the first attack.


    This could have been for many reasons, but the greatest was probably the impossibility of striking at the mining vessels now that they were all grouped up and surrounded by a force of over a hundred two and three star mercenaries.


    After two large scale raids against them, Dirluc Mining was not taking any chances. If the space pirates in the sector wanted at their workers and ores, they would have to bring several hundreds, if not over a thousand fighters to break through the experienced mercenaries protecting the mining ships.


    Of course, any such massive assault would only end up with the Alliance Police in the area intervening and assisting with taking out all the outlaws. There were simply no opportunities left for the pirates.


    "Well, that''s the end of my contract. I''m heading back to Yuson II to officially finish the job with the Association and sell off the loot I grabbed." Avery said over comms to some of the other mercenaries he had gotten acquainted with.


    He had become a bit friendly with the first two he had been stationed with, and they had been introducing him to some of their acquaintances that were among the security forces.


    Naturally, he also crossed paths with the four veterans that had greeted him back at the association branch on Yuson II and tipped him off to this job.


    It turned out they were all three star mercenaries and one of the top teams in the sector.


    "We''ve all got another week, but once we''re done, let''s meet up for some drinks. I want to hear more about what old Urs put you through." The leader of the four veterans said.


    The other associates he had been talking with likewise asked him to meet up with him later and they could all trade stories. With some of them completing their contracts today as well, it was likely that later would not be too far away.


    Having finished up his assignment, Avery set the coordinates to Yuson II into his ship''s computer and let it do the rest.


    Soon the lightspeed drive started to hum, and only a moment later he was zipping through space towards his home.


    "Now for my time as a salvager to pay off." Avery said, a smile on his face as he dropped out of lightspeed a couple thousand kilometers away from Yuson II.


    Normally new mercenaries lacked the necessary knowledge and connections to sell the items they procured from defeated pirates.


    Avery though, had built this foundation while still hawking whatever he could find floating abandoned in space.


    Certainly, the Mercenary Association would buy some types of items. Mostly weapons and shield generators. However, the price was always below the market so that they could turn a profit. They were not a charity after all.


    "Okay, that ought to do it."


    While he was waiting for permission to dock, Avery contacted the business and people he normally sold specific goods to and struck a deal with them. It was his first time dealing with so much at once, but the transactions had still mostly been routine.


    Selling all of this loot had netted him another twenty-four thousand Krenin. That, along with the six thousand a day he was being paid for his security work, and the combined total of the pirates'' bounties reaching two hundred two thousand, Avery had made himself quite a bit of cash.


    Truthfully, it was such a large amount he was honestly awestruck just thinking about it.


    Nevertheless, it was still far from enough.


    Not only would he need over a million to pay for his father''s restorative procedure, Urs had given him a list of expensive gear and augmentations he should prioritize obtaining.


    Then he also needed to save up some money in case his ship got damaged, and to pay for resupplying ammo and energy. The anti-force rounds his auto turret fired off were not cheap.


    "Well, it''s the first step towards my goals and proof that I can do it." Avery murmured; the determination that had filled his eyes still as strong as ever.


    When he received permission to land, Avery entered the information and let the ship''s auto docker do its thing.


    Just a couple minutes later, his landing gear set down on solid ground and he had returned to Yuson II.


    The first thing that Avery did was head straight to the Mercenary Association. It was time to collect all of the Krenin he had earned.


    With a bit of pep in his step, he walked into the sleek Association building and found that it was bustling. A lot of other mercenaries that had only signed up for a single week with Dirluc mining had just returned.


    Among them were the two that Avery had first worked with, and recognizing him, they came over to give their greetings.


    "Hey, what''s up. First time we finally get to meet face to face."


    "I bet you''re here to collect your reward as well. Once your done, how about going out to get some celebratory drinks with us."


    Avery smiled at the two of them and gave a positive response. He had been enjoying going to bars and listening to the stories of mercenaries and traveling merchants for a while now. It had been something to take his mind off his family''s situation from time to time.


    Now though, he would not just be a young salvager sitting off to the side and hardly being a part of the conversation, but another mercenary with his own tales to tell. Albeit only a couple considering his short career so far.


    Eventually he made it to the front of the line where the same receptionist that registered him was waiting. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ah, good to see you again. Looks like your first job went off without a hitch. The man said as he processed Avery''s data. "Whoa! You took out nineteen pirates on your own. That''s almost double what the previous best that came through today did. Guess all that training you did with Urs wasn''t for nothing."


    The man was visibly impressed by Avery''s feat. It was not often that a two star mercenary took down so many hostiles in one go.


    With a bit of exuberance, he completed the paperwork necessary for Avery''s job to be considered complete and deposited all the money he had earned into his account.


    With that, Avery''s stores of Krenin had ballooned hirer than it ever had before. He was sitting just a shade under three hundred thousand. A tidy sum considering he had only been working as a mercenary for a week.

 Chapter 23 - 23 Peers (2)

    Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Peers (2)"""Cheers!"""


    At a dive nearby the Mercenary Association branch, Avery and over a dozen other mercenaries were celebrating their payday with copious amounts of alcohol and fired snacks.


    "Tell us about that time you got some stupid pirates to open fire on each other."


    "How was that escort mission you took a couple months back? Anything exiting happen."


    "What?! You might be getting a commission to explore an uncharted region of space. Talk about lucky."


    Raucous conversations started up with no rhyme or reason, and some ended long before the topic came to a conclusion as the mercenaries moved on to something that garnered their interest more.


    Avery was happy just listening and occasionally getting in a question or comment.


    Eventually though, the mercenaries he had first been working with, Jackson and Ehdo, brought up Avery''s recent achievement.


    "When he first shot off towards the pirate raid party, I thought he was crazy. But this kid certainly has some skills. He took on all of them by himself and trounced all but two of them. Leaving Jackson and me to clean up the scraps." Ehdo said with a boisterous laugh.


    The other mercenaries and some of the nearby patrons that just happened to be in the bar all looked towards Avery with expectant gazes.


    He had to hold in a loud gulp as he suddenly became the center of attention. This was the first time Avery had so many intense eyes on him.


    Fortunately, this was nothing compared to the murderous look Urs had given him during their first meeting. After taking just a moment to steel his nerves, Avery did his best to recount the events in the most entertaining way possible.


    For some time, he detailed the encounter and how he had scattered the pirates with precise and overpowering attacks.


    Then he transitioned to the point where it seemed that his opponents would get him from behind, building up tension by leaving the conclusion up in the air for a bit.


    When he immediately switched up the narrative by revealing the powerful scatter guns located on his ship''s stern, he received a round of applause.


    All that was left after that was detailing the cleanup of the fleeing pirates and the loot he received from them.


    All the other mercenaries seemed to be impressed by him and talked up a storm about how he was basically a super rookie.


    Of course, Urs came up quite a bit. It was clear that the more experienced mercenaries were only as enamored with Avery as they were thanks to the retired veteran''s reputation.


    Still, Avery was more than happy to have admiration rather than envy.


    ''This is probably another reason that Urs practically flaunted me around the Association building. It made it so I''m not just some upstart that came out of nowhere, but the kid that survived being trained by highest ranking mercenary in the sector.'' Avery thought, taking a large swig of the cheap beer that had been served to him.


    The bar they were in certainly would not be winning any awards for the quality of its wares, but it certainly had the right atmosphere for a loud celebration.


    However, things quieted down almost immediately when two individuals walked in.


    All of the mercenaries turned towards them and seemed surprised.


    Naturally Avery''s gaze was also drawn towards the newcomers that had garnered so much attention.


    With only a single glance he could tell that the two of them were related. Likely brother and sister.


    Both of them had light brown hair and piercing golden eyes.


    Except, their most striking features were the pointed ears on their heads and the long tails coming out of their lower backs that were twitching around.


    At once the name of their race came to Avery''s head.


    They were certainly rare around these parts, since their home world was practically on the other side of the Dramid Alliance.


    "Felis Therianthrope." Avery murmured.


    As he said this the two of them seemed to have heard him and their eyes locked in on him.


    "That''s them, right?"


    "Yeah, no doubt about it. The rising stars that showed up on Yuson II around four months ago."


    "The Twin Fangs."


    All the other mercenaries began talking about the two Felis Therianthropes in hushed whispers.


    Avery seemed to be the only one out of the loop and had no idea who they were. Learning about the famous mercenaries currently in the sector was something he had not gotten around to yet.


    ''And they''re still looking at me.'' Avery thought, feeling a nervous sweat building up on his back.


    The keenness in their eyes was almost enough to make him look away, but Urs had urged him to never break eye contact when someone was sizing him up. Something these two were obviously doing.


    A few moments later, the girl whispered into her brother''s ear and the two of them approached Avery.


    When he looked to his right and left, all the other mercenaries around him suddenly seemed to have drifted away and left him alone.


    "You''re Avery Asteria, right?" The man asked.


    "Yeah, that''s me. Is there something you need from me?"


    Avery responded confidently despite the trepidation he was feeling. Whatever these two wanted with him, showing any weakness would only be to his detriment.


    "Frist, introductions, I''m Kaiden Woest, and this is my sister Kasandra. We''ve come here today to confirm something."


    After that, Kaiden pulled out his terminal and displayed the records for the pirates that were defeated during the recent raid on Dirluc Mining.


    Avery had seen it before back at the Association building, but he had hardly paid much attention.


    Now though, as he looked at it, he found that Kaiden was the one directly below him with twelve confirmed kills, while his sister was sitting in third place with eleven.


    His mind racing to figure out what the Woest siblings wanted from him, Avery nonchalantly answered that he had taken out those pirates with relative ease.


    "He doesn''t sound like he''s lying." Kasandra spoke up for the first time. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hearing this, her brother nodded his head and looked directly at Avery with the look of someone that had made up their mind.


    "We''ve been waiting for someone like you to show up here. Why don''t you become my subordinate? We''ll build the best team of mercenaries in this sector."

 Chapter 24 - 24 Major Assignment

    Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Major AssignmentFor several seconds Avery just stared back at Kaiden with a blank look on his face.


    When he and his sister came into the bar, he never expected that it was to try and recruit him.


    Nevertheless, despite having been caught off guard, Avery already knew what his answer was going to be.


    "Sorry, I don''t plan on working under anyone. Perhaps if you two wanted to become my followers, that''d be another story. But I doubt that''s the case."


    Kaiden scoffed at Avery''s counteroffer and Kasandra hardly offered any response at all. Neither of them took his words seriously and realized that he was not going to join them.


    "Well, whatever. I sought you out since you seem to be a promising rookie and I heard that Urs trained you, but I figured it be a long shot. If you change your mind, leave a message for us at the Association. See you around." Kaiden said, turning around and leaving with his sister in tow.


    Once they were gone, Avery released a sigh of relief that he had been holding in. He had been worried that his blatant rejection might be met with hostility, but the Twin Fangs, as he had heard them be called, seemed to be sensible.


    "You''re really something special Avery. I think that''s the first time those two have spoken to anyone other than when necessary for a job." Jackson said, looking impressed.


    All the other mercenaries began clamoring about how some of the top three star mercenaries in the sector had just tried to recruit Avery.


    "Are they really that impressive?" Avery eventually asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.


    "You really don''t know?! The two of them are pretty famous around here. They came onto the scene from out of nowhere and started collecting bounties from infamous pirates that had set up base around these parts. I''ve heard that they''re pretty skilled and that they''re flying identical medium sized vessels that have been heavily customized. There''s also been talk that the two of them are likely to rank up soon and take the top spot among mercenaries in the sector. We''ve got a lot of two and three stars, but there aren''t any four star or higher mercs currently active in this system."


    After listening to Ehdo''s explanation, Avery was feeling a bit intrigued by the two Woest siblings.


    Yet, as he took out his terminal to look up some information on them, someone else burst through the doors with an excited expression on his face.


    "Everyone, pull up the mission board! The Alliance Police just posted a big job!" The man shouted.


    With wide eyes, all the other mercenaries pulled out their terminals and navigated to the Mercenary Association''s site.


    On the front page, was an assignment put forward by the local Alliance Police tasked with keeping order in the Yuson System. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There were not any details of what the job entailed, but any and all mercenaries with their own ships, no matter the rank, were being accepted.


    "They''ve got to be arming up to finally exterminate the pirates that have invested the sector."


    "I''d say that''s likely. After those brazen raids on Dirluc Mining, they''ve got to do something to show that they can protect the people. Otherwise, the businesses and merchants keeping the colonies here afloat are going to pull out."


    "It''s been too long since I last participated in a raid. I can''t wait to get a big payday taking out those scum."


    All of the mercenaries in the bar were immediately alight with enthusiasm. While the details of the request remained unknown, they all figured that their guess was likely the case.


    The Alliance Police only did blanket recruitments when something big was going down that they needed a lot of manpower for.


    That normally meant an invasion from a hostile power, an outbreak of dangerous space monsters, or most often, the extermination of space pirates.


    ''It''s basically like a bonus stage in a video game. Though, there aren''t any respawns if something goes wrong.'' Avery thought, pulling up what information he could on similar missions that had been posted in the past.


    What he was most interested in was payment, and he was surprised to find that these types of jobs didn''t come with much in the way of a standard commission.


    It seemed that other than a small reward of three thousand Krenin for participating, hired mercenaries were normally paid depending on the number and types of vessels they took out. Of course, they also received any bounties and whatever was in the cargo holds of the pirate they took out.


    "This could be the opportunity I was looking for."


    If Avery was able to rack up a sizable number of kills, it would see him receiving a payday that dwarfed what he just earned as security for Dirluc Mining.


    Of course, there was the possibility of not taking out a single pirate. In that case he would not be paid much at all and going on the mission would be a waste of time.


    This faint worry did not last long, though. Avery was certain that with the Dauntless and Urs'' teachings, that he would do just fine in a large raid.


    "Okay, let''s all go register for this job, and then we can get back to celebrating." One of the mercenaries said, a bottle in his hand raised high.


    Everyone else cheered in approval at this, and Avery found himself following behind the others back to the Association building.


    For a lot of requests, it was unnecessary to register directly at the branch and could simply be done remotely, but for a mission directly from the Alliance Police like this, it was required to apply in person.


    When Avery and the group he had joined arrived, the building was several times more packed than before. Practically every mercenary residing on Yuson II had shown up to sign up for what was almost certainly going to be the most profitable job of the year.

 Chapter 25 - 25 Large-Scale Raid

    Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Large-Scale RaidAvery sat in the cockpit of his ship, nervously tapping at the screen of his terminal.


    Having signed up for the upcoming attack on the space pirates base, he was unable to take on any other work and was simply waiting for the Alliance Police to announce the start of the raid.


    However, while he had waited patiently for the first few days, a sudden dreadful piece of news had reached him.


    His father''s condition had begun to deteriorate, and he had been brought to the best hospital on Yuson II.


    Unfortunately, while he was currently being kept alive, without receiving the necessary regenerative treatments soon, he was going to die.


    "Mother''s not even able to stay by his side since she has to continue working, and even the Krenin I sent her won''t be anywhere near enough. So far, it''s just paying for the hospital bills. I need to at least earn enough to get the procedures started or my father''s going to die." Avery said, flutily searching for some sort of option.


    The only thing he could think of was to sell off his ship. It would certainly be valuable enough to pay for his father''s medical expenses.


    Yet, his mother had told him not to. Apparently, his father had made her promise not to let him do so. Not after he worked so hard to pursue a life among the stars. Even if it was the only way to keep him alive, Avery''s father did not want him to sacrifice his dream.


    That left him with only one real option. To earn a massive sum of money during the upcoming mission for the Alliance Police. If what he had heard from other mercenaries was true, the opportunity to make a substantial profit would be high. All he had to do was shoot down enough pirates.


    Still, before anything else, he had to wait for the Alliance Police to get their act together.


    Right before they had sent the request for personnel to the Mercenary Association, they had set up a blockade around the area where the space pirates were supposedly based.


    Naturally, it was somewhere away from the usual routes travelers would take and far from any of the mining operations being run in the system.


    From what Avery heard through the mercenary network; the pirates had built themselves a base on a small moon that orbited the tenth planet in the system.


    It was one of over a thousand moons that the enormous gas giant had caught in its gravity.


    "There certainly picked a tricky spot to get at."


    Avery was fully focused on learning everything he could about the future battlefield.


    The moon the pirates were supposedly on was fairly close to the planet compared to most of the others, and the orbit patterns of the multitude of other moons made it difficult to approach. Any larger vessels would have a hellish time trying to get close with any sort of expediency.


    This explained why the Alliance Police were trying to recruit every mercenary they could. Their fleet was comprised of sizable ships that focused more on firepower, and they lacked the necessary number of smaller fighters necessary to hunt down an eliminate all of the pirates.


    Certainly, they could take out the base on the moon, but the pirates would simply scatter like flies and eventually come back together somewhere else if the majority of them were not eliminated.


    That was where the mercenaries came in. Most of them had either small or medium craft that were fast and maneuverable. Perfect for chasing down their usual prey, which just so happened to be space pirates.


    It was when Avery''s nerves were just about to reach their limit that a message came in.


    In thirty minutes, the commander in charge of the mission was going to hold a briefing, and then they would set out to eliminate the pirates and their base.


    After impatiently waiting the designated amount of time, Avery received a transmission going out to every mercenary that had accepted the request to fight with the Alliance Police.


    As he opened it up, the image of a young man with short black hair and sharp grey eyes appeared.


    "Good day to all of you. I''m Deputy Chief Ikla. I''ll be heading up the operation to wipe out the outlaws that have been terrorizing this system."


    Without any other words of greeting, Deputy Chief Ikla began giving a broad overview of the assault plan and what position the mercenaries would be taking.


    "Our cruisers shall begin by opening fire upon the base and destroying it. At that point, as has been observed several times in the past, the pirates are likely to swarm out like a nest of disturbed insects. The police forces under my command will primarily be targeting their large and medium craft, while you mercenaries will be positioned at specific locations to intercept any that attempt to flee."


    At this point more data was sent to all of the mercenaries. It not only included which position they would be taking, but also the payout they would receive for taking out the pirates. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Along with the bounties and whatever cargo the pirates were carrying, every small vessel was worth nine thousand Krenin, medium ships were worth twenty-eight thousand, and on the off chance any mercenaries took out a large craft, they would receive a hundred thousand Krenin.


    Of course, none of the mercenaries realistically thought they would have any opportunity to take out any ships that were classified as large. If the pirates had any at their disposable, they would be few in number and the primary target of the Alliance Police once the base was dealt with.


    "I''ll need to take out around a hundred smaller ships, or a bit more than thirty medium sized ones if I want to make enough. No maybe a bit fewer if I consider cargo and bounties." Avery mumbled, doing some quick math in his head to figure how well he needed to perform to afford the treatment his father needed.

 Chapter 26 - 26 Large-Scale Raid (2)

    Chapter 26: Chapter 26 Large-Scale Raid (2)When Avery came out of lightspeed travel, his view screen displayed over a hundred ships under control of the Alliance Police encircling the Yuson System''s tenth planet.


    "That''s a lot of firepower they''ve got." Avery whistled.


    There were nine heavy cruisers, sixteen light cruisers, three dozen destroyers, and over fifty frigates.


    This constituted a large portion of the Alliance Police''s forces in the system and each of the vessels had been locked into a tight pattern to blockade the planet to prevent the space pirates from slipping away.


    Avery also noticed on his sensors a large number of wrecked spacecrafts. It seemed that some of the pirates had grown scared or impatient and attempted to make a break for it at some point.


    Of course, unless they left in mass, the Alliance Police would have more than enough weapons to take them down with ease.


    "They must be waiting for outside reinforcements, or some collaborators to open up a path of escape. Otherwise, their leaders probably would have already ordered an evacuation and attempted to escape in the chaos." Avery surmised.


    Still, it was likely too late for any outside help now. The main reason the Alliance Police had so far refrained from launching an assault was due to a lack of smaller fighters to hunt down the pirates as they fled or hid.


    Perhaps the frigates and destroyers might be able to navigate the numerous moons clustered together with some difficulties, but the light and heavy cruiser certainly would be nearly impossible to maneuver with any haste. Even the smallest light cruiser was over three hundred eighty meters long.


    After marveling at the sight of the gas giant and its moons that he had only seen from a distance before, Avery synced up the Dauntless'' navigation with the other mercenaries in his group and flew into position. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Soon, he had reached his destination and waited on standby behind one of the smaller moons. With all but the necessary systems offline to lower the odds of being detected.


    Now all Avery needed to do was wait for the Alliance Police to start off the battle by bombarding the base with their heavy weaponry.


    In the meantime, he began examining the other ships that his fellow mercenaries had.


    Most of them had vessels around or a bit smaller than the Dauntless, but a few had spacecrafts that would be classified on the smaller end of medium size.


    "Oh, so that''s what those two are flying."


    Not long after he began observing the other mercenaries, he noticed two nearly identical ships.


    Both were around sixty percent bigger than his dauntless and among some of the larger vessels that any of the mercenaries possessed.


    Avery had to hold back from scanning Kaiden and Kasandra''s ships, since it was generally considered rude to do so without a valid reason.


    Nevertheless, even from just his view screen, he could tell that the sleek silver vessels that almost looked like the fangs of some beast were likely a contributing factor to the moniker the two siblings had been given.


    "Without more data, I can''t be sure, but they look to be built for speed firepower. I bet it would be difficult to deal with them." Avery mused.


    As he was considering how he would fight the two of them in a hypothetical situation where they became hostile, a transmission was sent out that the bombardment was about to begin.


    A few seconds later, Avery''s sensors picked up large energy signatures from the heavy and light cruisers powering up their weapons.


    With a slight tilt of his ship so that he could see the nearest Alliance Vessel, Avery watched it open fire from his position.


    Several heavy bore lasers lit up the darkness of space as they fired through an opening in the many moons towards the base.


    Obviously, everything had been calculated beforehand to allow for the maximum amount of time to hit the pirates'' stronghold.


    It hardly took any time at all to punch through the base''s shielding and cause massive damage to its outer armor.


    By the time a different moon had once again blocked off the line of fire, the pirate''s outpost was already heavily damaged and on the brink of collapse.


    "Looks like they''re fleeing like expected." Avery heard some of the mercenaries say over short range comms.


    Once the pirates realized that they were under attack by the powerful military grade weaponry of the Alliance Police''s large vessels, a majority of them lost all semblance of composure and started making a break for it.


    Still, there were some that decided to stick around and use the vast number of moons for cover. Clinging to the hope that reinforcements from outside might come and break the blockade.


    "It doesn''t matter how well they try to hide at this point, however. It''s only a matter of time until they''re hunted down." Avery said, powering his ship up to full output to engage in combat.


    The first wave of pirates was about to pass by the moon and the other mercenaries in the same group as him. As soon as they did, they would all jump out and get the drop on them.


    """Let''s get ''em!""" Multiple mercenaries shouted at the same time.


    A hectic battle soon ensued as dozens of mercenaries ambushed the fleeing pirates.


    Avery shot into the fray without an ounce of worry and began picking out his targets. The g-force of the sudden acceleration pushing his back up against his seat.


    He needed to take out a large number of the enemies to earn a big payout to afford his father''s treatment. Now was not the time for caution.


    "Anyway, there might be more of them, but these guys aren''t anywhere close to as strong as the opponents in the four star rank advancement program." Avery said while wearing a fierce smile.


    Thanks to the Dauntless'' impressive thrusters, he was the first to engage the pirates, with the only ones trailing close behind being Kaiden and Kassandra.


    "Sh*t! We''ve got a mercenary in an unknown vessel coming in fast."


    "Don''t worry about it and waste ''em. There''s more behind it. Get rid of the idiot leading the charge quickly and then break through."


    The pirate''s communication went crazy when Avery first popped out from behind the moon, and all of them quickly began training their weapons on him.

 Chapter 27 - 27 Large-Scale Raid (3)

    Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Large-Scale Raid (3)Avery initiated evasive maneuvers as lasers, missiles, and bullets came flying at him from the pirate vessels.


    Naturally some of the attacks hit, but he carefully avoided the more dangerous ones and mostly soaked up weak laser fire with his shields. The Dauntless was plenty durable enough to take hundreds of blasts from such weak weapons that were hardly better than what his old ship had equipped.


    "Don''t think I''ll just be taking it." Avery said, locking onto three ships and opening fire.


    With a bright red flash, his three heavy laser cannons fired and scored direct hits.


    The three small spacecraft he had aimed at instantly lost their shields and were heavily damaged. To the point that they no longer functioned, and their pilots were dead.


    As Avery continued his approach, he one-sidedly blasted down the lead pirates before slipping into their sloppy formation.


    "K-kill him already!"


    "What the hell! He''s a monster!"


    "M-mommy!"


    The usual wideband communications the pirates used to taunt their victims instead rang out with cries of terror. Avery had easily plunged into them and already destroyed thirteen of their small civilian ships that they had turned into hodgepodge light fighters.


    However, Avery''s true targets were at the back of the pack. Five medium sized transports that had been equipped with missile pods. They were not only the biggest threats of the group, but also worth the most.


    Once Avery got into range, the five vessels unloaded with everything they had. Their crews had already seen that Avery''s ship and his skills were undoubtedly a cut above the average mercenary''s. He had done something as crazy as flying directly into the path of dozens of enemies without waiting for backup after all.


    "Deploy flares." Avery ordered the Dauntless'' computer.


    Even he would be in trouble if he took more than a couple direct hits from seeker missiles. They possessed quite a bit more power than the weak laser weaponry that most of the pirates had.


    Fortunately, they were relatively slow compared to most armaments and easily avoided or diverted with proper measure.


    Putting all of the skills he had cultivated under Urs to use, Avery passed through the hail of missiles with only taking one glancing blow to his shields.


    "Now it''s my turn."


    With a few quick maneuvers, Avery had two of the medium sized ships lined up with his plasma launchers.


    Using his primary laser cannons would have taken a couple volleys to break through their shields and plating, but that was not going to be an issue for the plasma launchers.


    The instant Avery pulled the trigger, two white hot balls of plasma fired out from either side of his ship and went flying towards the pirates.


    Obviously, they attempted to dodge, but the heavier medium sized ships loaded up with missiles lacked the necessary maneuverability to get out of the way in time.


    Their shields practically evaporated the moment the plasma hit, and their hull hardly lasted any longer.


    Two enormous explosions followed, as the stores of missiles onboard detonated when they were consumed by plasma.


    After taking the first two out, Avery set his sights on the last three.


    With a bit of effort, he brought two more down in short order, but the final remaining one had turned around and was flying away from him as fast as possible.


    It was when he was about to go after it, that two ships shot by in pursuit.


    Kaiden and Kassandra had locked onto the last remaining medium sized pirate ship and were intent on taking it out.


    Avery decided to forgo contesting them and instead intently watched while absentmindedly taking shots at a few of the remining pirates flying smaller crafts.


    The two of them flew in a tight formation and unloaded on the vessel with autocannons and pulse lasers.


    Just as Avery had suspected from casually observing them earlier, they fought with a quick and heavy hitting attack style.


    "For medium sized fighters, they''ve got some pretty good maneuverability. I wonder about their shields, armor, and cargo space though." Avery mused.


    For every spacecraft, some compromises had to be made. More powerful thrusters required a better and typically larger generator. With all of the high-powered weapons and above average speed and maneuverability, some sort of sacrifice to other parts of their ships had to have been made.


    Avery''s own Dauntless had a small cargo hold for its size to make room for its weapons and advanced systems. Also, every facility except the captain''s quarters and cockpit were small and utilitarian. They weren''t designed with comfort in mind. It was truly a military style vessel meant for hardened soldiers.


    Soon, the last of the pirates in the first wave had been eliminated. Thanks in part to Avery''s charge, not a single mercenary ship had been destroyed or damaged to the point of having to drop out of the battle. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A few minutes later, a transmission was sent out to all of the mercenaries.


    "Looks like the others cleaned up as well. All that''s left is hunting down and exterminating the ones trying to hide out."


    Every squad had successfully wiped out the pirates that had attempted to flee, and the few that had taken more dangerous routes through the moons that were not being covered by mercenaries, had ended up crashing or being wiped out by the Alliance Police''s blockade.


    While waiting for their next set of orders, Avery and the other mercenaries set about collecting the loot from the vessels they had taken out.


    "The four missile ships I took out exploded pretty spectacularly, but most of the smaller ones are still intact." Avery murmured as he plotted out the ideal course to collect his loot.


    In total he had managed to take out twenty-two pirate vessels. That was by far the most out of anyone in his group of mercenaries.


    Unfortunately, while this left him with the most to collect, his aforementioned small cargo hold filled up quickly. Forcing him to leave valuable weapons and intact systems behind for others to take.

 Chapter 28 - 28 Large-Scale Raid (4)

    Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Large-Scale Raid (4)Having received instructions to regroup outside the confines of the moons, Avery and the other mercenaries pulled out and waited within the vicinity of the nearest Alliance Police ship.


    With the pirate''s base in shambles and an estimated fifty-five percent of their vessels destroyed, those in charge were planning the optimal strategy to hunt down the remaining outlaws hiding out within the confines of the over a thousand moons.


    Of course, Avery did not have any input into this decision. He was simply a hired gun after all. So long as he was not told to do anything obviously suicidal, he was fine taking orders from the Alliance Police.


    After around a half hour, new orders arrived for the mercenaries. All of them were going to be split up into smaller hunting squads that had assigned routes through the moons.


    "Looks like this will take several hours, but they calculated a tight net. So long as everyone follows directions, we should be able to find nearly all of the pirates and take them out." Avery said as he analyzed the data that had been sent to him.


    He had been given a fairly long path that snaked through some of the most dangerous and easiest to hide in areas. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There were likely to be a lot of pirates hiding along his route. Something he was more than happy for since he wanted to pad out his payday a bit more. He had earned quite a bit already, but it fell short of what he needed.


    "Looks like Kaiden and Kasandra are in the same group as me again. And other three star mercs that performed well. I wonder if the alliance police made this squad out of those that took out the most pirates in the opening attack."


    While he had no way to prove it, Avery''s musings were indeed correct. He, along with the other top mercenaries had been put together to search through the areas that required the most skill to navigate, and where desperate pirates were likely to be hiding for their lives.


    There were fifteen of them in total. A decent strike force for taking down pirates, though, if they came across a particularly large band, it could spell trouble even for them.


    "Well, it should probably be fine. I''m going in with the best the Yuson System has to offer." Avery said, keeping calm and collected.


    He was the only two star among the bunch. The spot he had been given was simply because of his earlier display of power and skill.


    Within around twenty mintues, all of the hunting squads had assembled and set out on the courses they had been given. They could systematically search out the pirates and give them practically no room to escape.


    "Having such powerful sensors really is coming in handy."


    Before setting out, Avery and the other mercenaries in his squad had held a quick meeting to discuss the broad abilities of each of their vessels. Some focused on power, others speed, and a couple were bulky enough to be considered flying fortresses.


    However, among all of them, Avery had the most advanced and far-reaching sensors. This allowed him to score a spot at the front of the formation despite having the least amount of experience among all of the mercenaries. They were counting on him to sniff out their quarry.


    "There''s eleven up ahead trying to hide in a crater." Avery said, picking up a few minuscule signatures coming from the other side of the moon they were searching.


    The pirates hiding there had undoubtedly lowered the output of their generators to make it difficult to find them, but they had lacked the resolve to fully turn off their ships'' power and forgo life-support.


    Had they been able to do so, even Avery''s Dauntless would have been unable to notice them.


    When the fifteen of them came around the moon, they opened fire on the pirates and bombarded them from above.


    It was a massacre. Before they could even react, all of the vessels had been destroyed and their occupants eliminated.


    "I''m glad that we collectively decided to share the rewards and bounties this time. Fighting amongst each other would have been counterproductive."


    Now that the large free-for-all in the opening battle was over, it didn''t make much sense to continue competing with each other. Their prey now was more often than not going to be composed of small to medium sized groups that lacked the spine to fight back.


    Should all of them end up rushing to get kills, it would harm their coordination and leave them open to counterattacks. Something all of the experienced mercenaries Avery was flying with recognized.


    Of course, this lowered the chance for personal gain through extraordinary merits, but it was a small price to pay to not be at each other''s throats.


    For several more minutes, the squad Avery was a part of wiped out any pirates that they came across. Slowly tightening the noose around the necks of those that remained.


    Except, when they were only around a fourth finished with their route, Avery''s long-range sensors picked up several signatures approaching at lightspeed.


    At first, he wondered if they were more Alliance Police that had come to reinforce the blockade.


    Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that these newcomers were far from friendly.


    Ten large transport and twenty-five medium transport spacecraft dropped out of lightspeed near the weakest part of the Alliance Police''s blockade.


    All of these formerly civilian ships had been outfitted with as many weapons as they could hold, along with decent armor and shields.


    Individually, they palled in comparison to the military grade vessel the Alliance Police possessed, but as a group, they had enough firepower to even bring down the heavy cruiser flagship leading the mission.


    Immediately these powerful reinforcements for the pirates opened fire upon the destroyers and frigates blockading the area they had appeared in.


    Try as they might, the seven Alliance Police warships found themselves outnumbered and outgunned despite their superior weapons and defenses.


    To avoid being taken out, they were forced to retreat, and the previously flawless blockade had been broken.

 Chapter 29 - 29 Large-Scale Raid (5)

    Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Large-Scale Raid (5)The arrival of their reinforcements served as a signal to the remaining pirates skulking about the numerous moons.


    Practically all at once, the hundreds of remaining vessels came to life and barreled towards the gap in the Alliance Police''s blockade.


    "Sh*t. We''re in their path!" One of the mercenaries that was part of Avery''s squad shouted over the comms.


    Indeed, the majority of the pirates were rushing towards them like a river that had just burst free from a dam. The area that they had been searching through was almost directly in front of where the blockade had been broken.


    This left them nowhere to retreat to. Behind them were the pirates outside reinforcements, and closing in on them was a wave of desperate outlaws hellbent on escaping. Obviously, they would blow away any mercenaries that they came across.


    ''It''s not looking good. We can''t go back. Those large and medium transports ships that have been outfitted with tons of weapons will fry us. Ahead and to the sides are pirates making their way towards us. And I doubt we can expect help anytime soon from the Alliance Police or other mercs in all this pandemonium.'' Avery thought, analyzing his sensor data and trying to find the best way out of the mess. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As powerful as the Dauntless was, it was still only a single small ship. He would be blasted to pieces if he tried challenging the thirty-five large and medium crafts blocking their escape. Even if they were simply souped-up civilian transports.


    Perhaps if he tried using some of the other mercenaries in his squad as diversions, he could get away, but doing so would leave a bad taste in his mouth.


    "There''s no way we can try and get through the pirates'' reinforcements while the Alliance Police are regrouping. Our best bet is to stay and fight."


    Despite so many pirates closing in on them, Avery figured it would be easier to take them on. Most of the remaining ships that their enemies had were small and quick. Those more confident in their firepower had attempted to break through during the first battle.


    It was also likely that at least some of the pirates would not stop to fight them. While the help they had received from outside the system certainly constituted a powerful force, it would only take the Alliance Police a few minutes to rearrange the blockade and send in a suppression squad to eliminate the interlopers.


    In that time, the pirates needed to make their escape, or another chance would be unlikely to present itself.


    Fortunately, the other mercenaries accompanying Avery quickly grasped this as well. They were among the best in the Yuson System, and their ability to calm down despite the initial panic showed their experience.


    "As much as I hate to do it, we should let the pirates pass by without a fight if they don''t want to bring one to us. If we position ourselves here, we''ll have a moon to our backs and be off to the side of the route leading out. Should we get attacked, this will give us the best position to defend ourselves." Kaiden said, swiftly suggesting a plan of action.


    Without much time to deliberate, everyone agreed. He and his sister were famous in the system as rising star mercenaries. No one had the tenacity to argue with him in the current situation even if they had complaints.


    Of course, it was difficult for all of them to simply let the pirates pass them by. It was their job to take them out after all.


    Nevertheless, desperate times called for desperate measures.


    It was not long after they took up positions that the first wave of pirates reached them.


    Naturally, they already knew that the mercenaries were there, since all of them had their ships running at maximum power and their weapon systems armed and ready.


    This served as a threat to the pirates. If they wanted to attack them, then they should be prepared to be met with fierce resistance.


    "Looks like they''re going by." Avery said, discontent visible on his face.


    He was grateful to not have been pulled into a fight where he would be in serious danger, but it was difficult to watch the criminals they previously had on the ropes getting away.


    Still, not all of the pirates showed as much concern for their own self-preservation as the first group to fly by.


    A band of over sixty with another eighty not far behind soon came close.


    This time however, around eighty percent of the pirates broke off and headed directly towards where Avery and the members of his squad had positioned themselves. There was no way that they were going to pass up such a golden opportunity to get revenge on some of the mercenaries that had destroyed their cushy base and killed their comrades.


    Avery took a deep breath to calm himself. Panicking would only slow him down and make his decisions less precise.


    "I don''t particularly like using it, but now''s not the time to be holding back."


    The auto-turret he usually kept on standby sprang to life, and Avery had his heavy laser cannons, plasma launchers, and rear scatter guns primed and ready.


    A few moments later, the first pirates came into range, and he and the other mercenaries opened fire.


    Lasers and solid projectiles went flying from both sides like a heavy downpour.


    With their lesser quality ships, the pirates lost several of their members during the opening barrage.


    But those that were destroyed were quickly replaced as more closed in on the area.


    Soon there were simply too many for the mercenaries to keep up any semblance of a formation, and the battle devolved into a chaotic mess as the pirates swarmed the fifteen enemies standing against them.


    The current situation Avery found himself in matched or possibly even exceeded the stress he had felt when undergoing some of the truly nasty training programs Urs had put him through. Never before had he worked his minds and hands so fast to avoid enemy fire and attempt to shoot back.

 Chapter 30 - 30 Large-Scale Raid (6)

    Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Large-Scale Raid (6)Avery swiftly became an incarnation of death to the pirates trying to destroy him and is squad.


    He flew around with unbelievable maneuvers to avoid attacks aimed at him, and whenever one of his weapons fired, an enemy ship went down.


    Even medium class vessels with tougher armor and shielding could not survive his assaults for long. A single hit from his powerful plasma launchers was all it took to bring them down.


    It was not long before the pirates started deliberately or unconsciously avoiding him. Instead, they focused on the other mercenaries, that while putting up a strong resistance, did not have quite the same level of destructive ability as Avery''s Dauntless.


    Eventually, the first of their squad fell.


    A veteran three star mercenary that had survived many battles had his shields breached by an overwhelming barrage of attacks.


    His plating only kept him alive for another dozen seconds, before a laser connected with his main thruster and practically brought his vessel to a halt. With no defenses or maneuverability, the pirates focused on the wounded mercenary and finished him off.


    Avery ground his teeth together in anger and frustration as he watched the ally he had been fighting consumed by a violent explosion.


    He was doing everything he could to fight back, but things were slowly falling apart.


    Avery himself was still going strong thanks to the advanced weapons and defensive capabilities of his ship, but the others were being whittled down.


    Only a minute later did the next mercenary vessel get taken out. Bringing the battle to thirteen versus well over two hundred, as more and more pirates flew towards the area to join the fight.


    "Kas!"


    Over the comms, Avery heard Kaiden calling out to his sister as her ship was struck by two seeker missiles.


    Normally, the medium sized craft would be able to take such a hit and keep going without any difficulties, but throughout the battle her shields had been constantly worn down by laser fire.


    The two missiles were the final straw and the protective field around her ship collapsed.


    She focused on evasive maneuvers to avoid taking another hit, but like predators that had caught the scent of blood, the pirates locked onto a weakened member of the mercenary squad.


    Kaiden flew to her defense despite putting himself at risk.


    He passed practically within a few centimeters of the pirates to keep them off her, and his weapons systems were firing at maximum rate to destroy those trying to harm the only family he had left.


    Yet, it was not enough.


    His efforts, while valiant, were still only the work of one person. He could not help to keep a swarm of bloodthirsty pirates at bay for long


    A few dozen lasers connected with Kasandra''s ship and punched through its hull after chipping away at her plating.


    Smoke and flames erupted from the damaged part of the vessel, and it was only a matter of time until it lost structural integrity.


    Just before she met the same fate as her ship, though. Kasandra''s cockpit ejected from the rest of the craft, with her inside of it.


    Not but a moment later, a large explosion consumed the vessel.


    Miraculously, Kasandra''s last-ditch effort had kept her alive a little longer. Except, all that protected her now from the pirates'' weapons, and the vacuum of space, was a small, defenseless cockpit relying on backup power.


    Naturally, Kaiden attempted to rush to his sister''s aid, but the pirates he had been fighting would not let him go so easily. No matter how hard he tried, he would not reach her before she was finished off.


    "Damn it!" Avery shouted as he shot towards her.


    For just a single moment, he had hesitated to go to her aid, since it would expose him to a great deal of enemy fire and force him to eject all of his cargo.


    Still, after watching two people he had been fighting alongside die, he did not want to let another. Especially one whose face he knew, and had talked to, however briefly.


    As a couple of pirates took aim at Kasandra, Avery pulled in front of her and took the hits with his shields.


    At the same time, he sent out his collection drones to grab her cockpit and drag her into his now vacant cargo hold.


    As he waited, Avery was forced to maneuver the Dauntless into the path of every attack aimed at Kassandra.


    His shields were quickly being depleted by the concentrated fire, and just before they went out, he was forced to use one of his ship''s three emergency shield cells to instantly replenish the field around his ship.


    After what felt like hours, despite being only around fifteen seconds, he had Kasandra''s cockpit safely secured.


    Not sticking around for another moment, Avery brought his thrusters back up to full power and flew directly towards the swarm of pirates that had encroached on him while he was immobile.


    With weapons blazing, he took out over a dozen of them as he broke through.


    A surprise transmission from Kaiden came in not long after, but Avery simply ignored it. He was far too busy handling the hostiles all around him to waste any bit of concentration on responding to a non-essential message. Although, it did make him wonder about Kaiden''s priorities since he was just as embroiled in the hectic fight as Avery was.


    Around a minute later, Avery heard the cockpit''s door swish open. Without needing to turn around, he knew who had just arrived.


    "Thank you for-"


    "Gratitude later! Take the copilot''s chair next to me. I''m sure that you can handle communications, long-range sensors, rear weapons, and timing shield cell deployment." Avery said, cutting Kasandra off.


    At first, she just stood there in a stupor from receiving the sudden commands, before nodding her head and giving Avery an affirmative response. Even if she was unfamiliar with the Dauntless, she was an experienced mercenary and could assist Avery by handling less important tasks that had been keeping his focus split.


    S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 31 - 31 Large-Scale Raid (7)

    Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Large-Scale Raid (7)Thanks to Kasandra''s assistance, Avery was able to fully concentrate on the enemies in front of him.


    He put his all into simply flying and firing his weapons. Leaving everything else to his impromptu crewmate.


    Fortunately, Kasandra was a talented pilot in her own right and handled the tasks Avery had assigned her with aplomb.


    She kept in touch with the other mercenaries and helped stabilize their coordination, while also handling any pirates that tried to flank the Dauntless with its powerful scatter guns.


    The chaotic fight quickly slowed down, as the pirates willing to stay and fight lessened. Despite having been vastly outnumbered, the more skilled mercenaries had taken out a vastly greater number enemies than allies they had lost.


    This left the pirates'' moral low, and even those consumed by rage were having a difficult time finding a justification to keep fighting when they were likely going to end up dead.


    There was also the fact that the Alliance Police had regrouped and had just begun a concentrated assault on the ten large and twenty-five medium vessels that had arrived to support the pirates'' escape.


    In only a few minutes, the hole in the blockade would be mended, and the weaponized transport ships would either be forced to flee or be destroyed.


    "Don''t think you''re just going to run away after staring this fight."


    Feeling aggravated, Avery pursued the outlaws as they turned around and rushed towards their closing escape route.


    With his three heavy laser cannons he picked several of them off before the rest got away.


    A part of him wanted to chase after them farther, but if a large enough group turned around to fight him, he would be in trouble without the support of the other mercenaries in his squad.


    "Now that the battle is over, can I give you my thanks?"


    Turning to his side, Avery saw Kasandra facing him, with her head bowed.


    He was a bit taken aback by her expression of pure gratitude, as when he first met her, she had only worn a blank expression that exposed none of her emotions.


    "Well, I was just doing what I thought was right. It''s no big deal." Avery said, trying to brush things off.


    Of course, he was actually feeling a bit embarrassed being this close to Kasandra. Now that she was smiling at him, he could not help but notice how beautiful she was.


    "Don''t undersell yourself. The only person I know that would put themselves at risk like you just did is my brother. And that''s only because we''re family. You saved my life, and I truly am grateful. While I don''t have much now that my ship''s been destroyed, I promise I will do everything I can to repay you. I know you had to sacrifice all of your spoils to bring my cockpit into your cargo hold."


    "Speaking of your brother." Avery said to change the subject. "What did his transmission say? I ignored it when it first came in since the battle was still going on.


    "Oh, that. He was just being his usually worrisome self. I''ve already sent him a reply to let him know I''m okay. You shouldn''t worry about it."


    "Got it. Then I suppose I should probably try to dock with him. I''m sure that you''ll be more comfortable on his ship than staying on mine."


    However, as Avery was about to send a message to Kaiden, Kasandra stopped him. A reluctant expression on her face


    "Actually, if it wouldn''t be too much trouble. Could I stay here until we return to Yuson II. My brother''s ship is, um... less than ideal for anyone but him. He''s not very big on keeping it clean. We normally get along fine, but... I can''t stand staying there for more than a few minutes at a time." Kassandra said, looking a bit embarrassed about having to reveal such an unsavory fact about her brother.


    Naturally, Avery was surprised to hear this about Kaiden. The guy came off as a bit headstrong, but also a competent mercenary that was among the best in the system.


    "I mean, if you want to, go ahead. My ship is not particularly accommodating, but it''s got everything one needs. I''ll warn you now though, that the beds in the two crew rooms are pretty small. And don''t expect any fine cuisine. I''ve only got cheap food capsules and a basic autochef model onboard."


    "That should be fine. In fact, it''s better than what I had on my vessel. We had recently upgraded them and were saving money consuming nutrients packs. Any real food will be luxurious in comparison." Kasandra replied, her lips turned up into a dazzling smile.


    After that, Avery continued to receive irate transmissions for Kaiden demanding his sister back, despite the fact that she had already explained things to him.


    However, in between the sibling back and forth, new orders from the Alliance Police came in.


    "Are they serious!" Avery said, his voice coming out a lot colder than he had expected.


    The message stated that all able mercenaries were to leave the area within the maze of moons and assist with the attack on the pirates'' reinforcements. Apparently, they were lacking the necessary firepower to bring the modified transports down without further compromising the blockade.


    "And after we barely scraped by with our lives. Now we have to go back into the fray with large and medium vessels armed to the teeth without even being able to use the moons as cover."


    Nevertheless, as much as Avery complained, he still set off towards the battlefield. The Alliance Police were known to reward mercenaries that distinguished themselves.


    Avery was certain that between the bounties and rewards for taking down pirates, that he had already earned enough to pay for his father''s treatment. But even after that, there were so many other things that he needed money for. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Kassandra, are you up for helping me out a bit more?"


    "Of course. I''ve got to pay those bastards back for what they did to my ship. I''ll support you in whatever way you need."


    His lips forming into a faint smirk, Avery inputted the coordinates of the battle, and the Dauntless shot off to join the fray.

 Chapter 32 - 32 Large-Scale Raid (8)

    Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Large-Scale Raid (8)Once Avery reached the edge of the final moon along his path, he saw the Alliance Police and the pirates locked in a massive battle.


    Lasers and missiles were flying from both sides, and the wreckage of destroyed vessels littered the area.


    Currently, neither side appeared to be winning, but the pirates were slowly gaining the advantage thanks to the nearly two hundred small spacecraft that had joined the fray while trying to escape.


    Seeing this scene, Avery understood why the Alliance police were calling on the mercenaries for aid.


    "I guess we''re plunging back in." Avery said as he shot into the chaotic battle.


    Setting his sights on the pirates'' light fighters, he hunted them down with his powerful weaponry.


    It was not long before other mercenaries started to arrive and turn the tides.


    Without needing to worry about the smaller ships swarming them now, the Alliance Police''s frigates, destroyers, and cruisers were able to turn their full focus on the weaponized transport vessels that had arrived from outside of the system.


    At this point, it seemed that victory was assured. Some of the pirates had managed to get away during the brief period of time that the blockade was broken, but the majority of them were trapped by the current battle.


    Yet, in a desperate move, one of the large transports that was already nearly destroyed, turned towards the heavy cruiser positioned to block off any more pirates from escaping.


    With its thrusters blasting, the vessel was on a direct collision course with the cruiser.


    Immediately the Alliance Police aimed as many weapons as they could to stop the kamikaze attack.


    Unfortunately, they were only half successful. They were able to destroy most of the ship before impact, but its momentum carried large chunks of debris forwards.


    Several fiery balls of metal impacted the heavy cruiser. Causing it significant damage and to be pushed away from its position.


    This left an opening for the remining armed transport vessels and pirates to escape.


    At once they swarmed through this opening. The smaller and quicker fighters taking the lead.


    Then when they had gotten far enough away to activate their lightspeed drives, they disappeared into the vast expanse of space.


    "Avery! What are you doing?!" Kasandra shouted when she noticed the Dauntless speeding up and heading towards the tail end of the retreating pirates.


    "I''m not letting them get away so easily."


    A fire in his eyes, he dove towards the nearest medium sized vessel and blasted it with both of his plasma launchers.


    Unable to take the attacks, the transport lost its shields and took heavy enough damage to be disabled.


    After the first, Avery headed for a second, but by the time he had fired on it, the other pirates noticed his one-man assault.


    A barrage of lasers came towards him, and the powerful shields protecting his ship depleted at an astounding rate.


    Hastily, Kassandra activated one of the Dauntless'' shield cells, but that was only going to last a dozen more seconds under such heavy fire.


    "We need to pull back! There''s only one shield cell left!"


    "Okay. I''ve just got to give them one last parting gift."


    His sights set on the closest large sized ship; Avery pulled the trigger on the final weapon the Dauntless had at its disposal.


    The single torpedo tube on the bottom of the vessel came to life for the first time.


    Avery only had four torpedoes onboard, and he had refrained from using them so far for multiple reasons.


    They were prohibitively expensive; with the type he had costing around eight hundred thousand Krenin to replace. Plus, he would need to be at least a five star mercenary that the Alliance trusted to be allowed to buy more of them.


    These torpedoes were also only really useful against large craft that had decent shields and plating. Otherwise, they were massive overkill, and Avery had other options at his disposal.


    However, the time had finally come for him to put one to use.


    After firing it, Avery did not wait to see if the torpedo would hit the target. Instead, he turned around and pushed his thrusters to get him as far away as possible.


    Noticing the incoming projectile, the vessel it was aimed at focused its fire on the torpedo to stop it.


    "Come on, make it." Avery said, watching his sensors to see if he hit.


    Another issue with powerful torpedoes was how easily they were shot down. Everyone knew how much damage they could do, so unless they were fired at close range, they were more often than not blown apart before reaching their target.


    Except, fortune seemed to be on Avery''s side this time. His phasic torpedo managed to avoid more than a few glancing blows that its shield generator was able to soak up.


    For just a moment, when it reached the enemy''s shields, the torpedo seemed to slow down, before breaking through.


    The technology used in its construction allowed it to pass through even military grade shielding. The souped-up pirate transport never stood a chance.


    A bright flash of light erupted from the phasic torpedo when it finally connected, and the large ship was completely consumed.


    As the powerful explosion continued to expand, it even reached some of the other ships trying to escape and knocked them off course.


    Two more large transports, and five medium were unable to jump to light speed with the rest of the pirates'' rearguard.


    Naturally, the Alliance Police homed in on these stragglers and quickly bombarded them with concentrated fire. With the the bulk of the forces having fled, the few remaining ships that were already damaged went down without being able to put up much of a fight.


    "Whew. That was certainly exhilarating." Avery said while letting out a deep sigh.


    Kassandra next to him, was sitting up straight in her seat, with both her ears and tail stiff and frozen from how on edge she had been.


    Still, as much as she had thought him crazy in the moment, after the fact, she could see that his actions had indeed been heroic. He had managed to cause a massive blow to the pirates at the very end and kept a good portion of their forces from escaping, and undoubtably causing havoc in the future.


    S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 33 - 33 Operation’s Conclusion

    Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Operation¡¯s Conclusion"Lieutenant, casualty and damage reports." Deputy Chief Ikla said, sitting in the captain''s seat of the Alliance Police flagship.


    "Sir, thirty-one reported dead. Two heavy cruisers, five light cruisers, eight destroyers, and eleven frigates have sustained substantial damage. None of our ships have been lost, though."


    With a heavy sigh, Deputy Chief Ikla looked down at the console in front of him that had the comprehensive data of the battle displayed on it.


    Everything had been going well at the beginning, but the appearance of heavy reinforcements from outside of the system had caused the operation to be thrown into chaos.


    Naturally, they had been wary of pirates not locked in the blockade and collaborators that had dealings with the pirates interfering, but the forces they had at their disposal exceeded every reasonable calculation.


    "I''m only in charge of this sector. There''s not much I can do now that they''ve fled. All I can do is collect information and send it up the chain of command. Hopefully someone can figure out what''s going on." Deputy Chief Ikla murmured too quietly for any of his subordinates to hear.


    He could practically taste something more sinister going on than just pirate activity. Thirty-five fully armed ships did not appear out of nowhere. And their tactics and abilities were far superior to what any pirate would usually be capable of.


    Still, ruminating on it now would only eat away at him, so Ikla instead turned his attention to something else.


    The situation had called for the Alliance Police to put a heavier burden on their mercenary forces than anticipated, and one had stood out among all of them.


    "Lieutenant, I want all of the information you can give me on the two star mercenary, Avery Asteria."


    ...


    With the battle having come to a sudden end, Avery found himself waiting on standby for orders from the Alliance Police.


    Currently, he was sitting in the pilot''s chair and waiting for Kasandra to return.


    After being gone for around twenty minutes, he heard the cockpit''s doors open, and turned around to find his temporary crewmember with a small bag slung over one of her shoulders.


    "Okay, I''ve got my stuff from my cockpit. You can go ahead and eject it now."


    "Are you sure? It''s all that''s left of your ship." Avery said, wearing a concerned expression.


    "Yeah, it''s taking up all the space in your cargo hold. And I''m certain that with all of the vessels you took out, there''s plenty of valuable weapons and equipment you could put in there instead. I''d feel bad if you lost out on some Krenin for my sake."


    Avery could see a hint of sadness on Kasandra''s face. Now that the exhilaration of the battle had faded, the cold reality of her loss was starting to sink in.


    For a mercenary, their ship was pretty much their life. Without it, the jobs she could take and the money she could earn would be significantly reduced.


    Normally, she would have to start working on other people''s vessels, for only around three percent of the profits of any completed work. Or she could take on colony work, though those jobs paid significantly less than those geared to mercenaries with their own ships. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fortunately, she still had her brother to rely on. His ship had escaped the riad mostly undamaged.


    "Well, they''ll have to work something out amongst themselves." Avery whispered to himself. Remembering Kasandra''s reluctance to board Kaiden''s vessel.


    "Did you say something?"


    Kasandra''s feline ears twitched on top of her head, and she looked towards Avery expectantly.


    "Just that it''s about time that I show you around. Follow me and I''ll take you to the room you''ll be staying in."


    Getting up quickly, Avery ushered Kasandra to the nearest crew room.


    However, just before opening the door, he remembered that this was where he had stored the seven bodies that had been onboard when he found the Dauntless.


    Since then, he had not gone in there once, and naturally, this meant it had not been cleaned.


    He could not very well let the guest staying onboard his ship sleep in such a place. Especially Kasandra, since not only was she a young woman, but as a Felis Therianthrope, she had an acute sense of smell and might pick up on the lingering scent of death in the room.


    "Ah, sorry, not this one actually. Here, I think you''ll find this room a bit more accommodating." Avery said, walking a couple meters down the hallway and opening the door to the other crew quarters.


    Inside were six small bunks and not much else than a bit of storage space for personal belongings.


    "You weren''t kidding when you said it would be cramped." Kasandra said, her words coming out a bit harsher than she intended.


    Immediately, she realized her blunder and turned towards Avery with an apologetic expression.


    For around a minute she did everything she could to convince him that she was not ungrateful for the aid he had given her.


    "I understand. There''s no need to get into such a tizzy about it. The room really is small, and most of the space is taken up by the six beds. I plan on converting it into something more usable in the future, but it was originally meant for military officers. I''m sure that they wanted to cram as large of a crew on here as they could without sacrificing functionality."


    Once Avery had assured her that he was not upset or thought less of her for her comment, Kasandra calmed down.


    Then, after she placed what remained of her possessions in the room that would be hers for at least a little while, Avery showed her to the rest of the ship.


    "And here''s the dining hall slash kitchen. The autochef is on that cabinet, and the food capsules are in that drawer. Feel free to help yourself whenever you get hungry."


    At the mentioned food, a small growl could be heard coming from Kasandra''s stomach.


    Reflexively, she reached down to her stomach as if she could stop the noise with her hands and looked up at Avery with her cheeks tinged slightly pink from embarrassment.


    "I suppose we might as well eat now. Who knows how long it will be until the Alliance Police finally decide to get back to us."

 Chapter 34 - 34 Patrol Duty

    Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Patrol DutyFrom out of the autochef, Avery took two bowls of a mostly brown stew that had a hint of red in it.


    From all appearances, it looked like it was filled with chunks of meat and vegetables, but in reality, these were composed of cultivated algae and mushrooms.


    They had been genetically modified for nutrition, and thanks to the autochef adding certain spices and cooking it all to have a similar texture to the real thing, it was not half bad.


    Kasandra happily shoveled the food into her mouth, since she had been living off of only slightly better ''food'' than Avery had during his time as a salvager.


    "How is it?" Avery asked in between bites.


    "Bland, but delicious. Compared to what I''ve been having recently, it''s pretty much fine dining. Just, when I was younger, my family had an autochef from the silver series from Koken Industries. Now that thing could turn even the cheapest food capsules into something amazing." Kasandra replied. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery was a bit surprised to hear that at one time she had such a high end autochef. From what he knew, Koken Industries made luxury devices for the rich. And those from their silver series typically ran at about fifty thousand Krenin. Not something the average person could casually buy.


    Still, while he might have wanted to ask more about her, Avery refrained from doing so. It was taboo to ask a mercenary about their past. If she wanted to divulge more, that was one thing. But Kasandra seemed to have turned her attention back to her food and said nothing more on the matter.


    Eventually, as they were nearly finished eating, Avery received a notification on his terminal. The Alliance Police had finally decided on their next move.


    "Looks like we''re going to be sticking around here for a bit longer. They want us to continue to patrol the moons for the next five days to make sure that all the pirates are gone and catch any that might try to come back." Avery said, reading out the gist of the transmission to Kasandra.


    Of course, this was being treated as a separate request from the raid, and any mercenary that stayed on would be paid double the usual rate for their rank.


    For Avery, this was twelve thousand a day since the set price to hire a two star mercenary with their own ship was typically six thousand Krenin.


    "Why don''t you go ahead and register me as part of your crew. Since I''m a rank above you, my daily rate is higher. You''ll make a lot more that way." Kasandra suggested.


    "Are you sure? You''ll be expected to work then. Right now, you''re just my guest. If you want, you can just lounge about, or maybe even get passage back to Yuson II on one of the ships too damaged to continue."


    "No, it''s fine. I''d be bored out of my mind if I had nothing to do. And since I just lost my ship, I''ll take any money I can. I''m expecting my three percent."


    Seeing Kasandra exaggeratively rub her hands together like a greedy merchant while she said this caused Avery to unconsciously laugh.


    "You know, I had you pegged completely wrong the first time we met. I thought you were pretty cold and unfeeling, but I can say that''s definitely not the case now." Avery said, a jovial grin on his face.


    "Well, that''s how I usually am, actually. But seeing as how you''re my savoir, I felt that I should open up a bit, like how I normally act around my brother. Plus, I can tell from the sound of your heartbeat that you''re a genuinely good person. You didn''t rescue me for any ulterior motives. It was simply what you thought was right."


    Avery was taken in for a moment by Kasandra''s intense gaze, and only when a new message notification sounded, did he realize he had been staring at her as if in a trance.


    "We''ve been given our assignment. If you want, you can take a shower and rest for a bit. I''ll be in the cockpit." Avery said, before quickly tossing his dish into the dishwasher and fleeing the room.


    When he sat back down into the pilot''s seat, he input the information of his patrol route into the navigational computer.


    Only a few seconds later, he watched several ships entering lightspeed and seeming to vanish out into space. All but seven of the Alliance Police vessels were leaving to either get repaired or return to the trade routes and stations they usually protected. They could not stay in one location for long without compromising the security of the entire Yuson System.


    A number of mercenaries also left, either needing repairs, or having run too low on supplies to stay any longer.


    What had once been a vast army, had dwindled down to only around a fourth of what their forces had been.


    "Guess I might as well collect some loot while on patrol."


    The path Avery had been assigned passed by some of the pirates he had taken down, so whenever he was near them, he slowed down a bit and released his collection drones to grab the most valuable items.


    While he was doing this, he heard the cockpit doors whoosh open.


    "The shower was a bit small, but the water pressure and temperature were perfect. Your ship''s really something else." Kasandra said as she walked in, a towel in her hands as she dried off her still slightly moist hair.


    As Avery turned around to greet her, he suddenly stopped, and his eyes went wide.


    Before she had been wearing normal mercenary clothes. A thick faux leather jacket that was laser resistant and could stop most blades, along with a sturdy shirt and pair of pants.


    But after getting out of the shower, all she had on was a long shirt that did not quite reach down to her knees/


    Avery quickly turned back around when he saw her in this state. Mostly to hide how he was blushing.


    "Oh, I guess I got a bit too comfortable here. I suppose this isn''t my ship, so I should have a bit more modesty." Kasandra said playfully.


    She then left to put on more suitable clothes before returning, but the image of her with so little on was already lingering in Avery''s mind.

 Chapter 35 - 35 Patrol Duty (2)

    Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Patrol Duty (2)Four monotonous days had passed as Avery and Kasandra continued to monitor the area where the pirate''s base had been.


    So far, they had not personally found anything of interest, but other mercenaries had located and eliminated fifteen pirate stragglers that had still been hiding out.


    Right now, they were simply orbiting one of the outer moons. Keeping an eye out for any pirate activity.


    "Your move." Kasandra said.


    Wearing a nervous expression, Avery''s eyes darted around the gameboard displayed on his terminal to find any way out of the trap Kasandra had lured him into.


    To pass the time, they had been playing all manner of games. From strategy to cooperative platforming. With five days to kill, and a whole lot nothing going on, this was pretty much the only way they had to entrain themselves.


    Of course, the two of them were still in the cockpit, ready to react if anything did occur.


    "Ah!"


    Finally finding a move that he believed would put him on the path to victory, Avery input the commands into his device.


    Several of his pieces all moved at once, and he raised his head and looked at Kassandra with a smirk that said, "Try and get out of that."


    "That was a good move. But you''re still a bit too inexperienced to be getting the drop on me."


    In the next five turns, Avery watched as his entire fleet of ships were taken out by Kasandra''s. He put up a decent resistance, but it ended like all of their previous sessions of this particular game. In his complete and utter defeat.


    "Okay, I think I''m done with this one. How about we watch another holo-movie, or listen to some music?"


    "Hm, I think we''ve already watched everything we have collectively between us. I''d be fine with some music, though." sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Having decided on their next pastime, Avery stared to pull up the list of songs he had downloaded onto the Dauntless'' computer, when something in the viewscreen caught his eye.


    When he looked down at his sensor readings, he found that there was indeed something there, but it had no heat signature. And after the intense battle that had occurred just a few days prior, there was certainly a lot of wreckage floating around.


    Nevertheless, the object that had just floated in front of the Dauntless a couple hundred kilometers away had caught his eye for some reason. It looks like it might have been a very small, but intact ship.


    "Kassandra, you mind if I check something out?"


    "Sure, you don''t need my permission, this is your vessel after all." Kasandra replied with a wry grin.


    "I know, but you are a part of my crew. I figured I should get your input first."


    For some reason, Kasandra smiled brightly when he said this, but he did not have much time to wonder why and took after the object he had happened to see floating by.


    As he got closer, it became clear that what he had seen was indeed a spacecraft.


    It was just about as small as they came, only having a cockpit, and the bare minimum of systems to be space worthy. In terms of specs, it was overall worse than the old ship Avery had been flying around in.


    "Looks like they realized they''ve been noticed." Avery said, his sensors reading the craft coming to life.


    Immediately, its thruster fired at full power, and it attempted to make a break for open space.


    Avery was not going to let them go so easily, however. The price for ships taken out was still in effect. If he eliminated this tiny vessel, he would be looking at another nine thousand Krenin.


    Compared to what he had already earned, this was hardly that much. But a mercenary trying to rise through the ranks could never have enough money.


    "They''re a slippery little bastard."


    After three volleys from his laser cannons, Avery had still failed to take down his target.


    Whoever was piloting it was decently skilled, and the vessel being as small as it was made it particularly difficult to hit.


    Eventually one of Avery''s shots managed to graze the ship and take out its paltry shielding.


    A few plates of metal flew off from the hull, and the entire craft started to shake.


    "Please, wait! I''m not a pirate! Don''t kill me!" The person flying cried over wideband communications.


    "Well, you''re not a mercenary, salvager, or Alliance Police. And you''ve disabled your signature. Being in previously pirate invested space, the only conclusion I can draw is that you''re a scumbag pirate."


    Avery fired off a few more shots before his sensors finally picked up on the previously missing signature.


    To his surprise, as the man said, his vessel was not that of any outlaw.


    It actually was registered to Verdarca Mining. One of the major mining operations in the system, and a rival to Dirluc Mining.


    "The ship is not listed as being missing, so we can assume that this man is probably a legitimate employee using a company spacecraft. Still, the only reason he would be here was because he was making some sort of deal with the pirates." Kasandra said, weighing in her expertise on the matter.


    She then suggested that they take him captive and hand him over to the Alliance Police. They would likely want to question him.


    Thankfully, the man surrendered without continuing to run away. Apparently, he preferred possibly being sentenced to colluding with pirates, rather than being vaporized along with his ship.


    Eventually the single reaming light cruiser came by and picked up the man.


    "Thank you for apprehending him. We''ll make sure to still record this capture as having eliminated a small class pirate craft when calculating your pay."


    Once the cruiser had gone back to its position, Avery and Kasandra both leaned back in their chairs and let out sighs of relief.


    "So, what did you want to listen to?" Avery said, getting back to what they were doing before being interrupted.

 Chapter 36 - 36 A Big Step Forward

    Chapter 36: Chapter 36 A Big Step ForwardFinally, the last day off the patrol mission around the tenth planet in the Yuson System came to an end.


    While it was possible that some pirates had escaped detection and were still hiding out within the over a thousand moons around the immense gas giant, there was no doubt that the majority had either escaped during the brief window that the blockade had been broken, or they had been destroyed.


    At the end of it all, only twenty-three stragglers had been discovered. With all of them either apprehended or killed.


    "Okay, we''ve received word from the Alliance Police. The jobs over and we can head back home." Avery said, having just read the transmission that came through.


    Sitting next to him, Kasandra looked a bit conflicted by this news. As if she was happy to be finished with the monotonous work, but also like she was not yet ready to leave.


    Without any further delay, Avery set course for Yuson II and activated the Dauntless'' lightspeed drive.


    A soft hum filled the cockpit, and a moment later, the dots of light glimmering all throughout space seemed to elongate as they jumped to lightspeed.


    Of course, even going this fast, the journey to Yuson II was going to take nearly four hours. That was just how far the system''s tenth planet was from the space station Avery called home.


    "Well, I think I''m going to get some shut eye. Feel free to do whatever you want. We shouldn''t run into any trouble along the way, so don''t worry about keeping watch here."


    As every stood up to leave, Kasandra nearly spoke up to say something, but ultimately stayed quiet. And since his back was already turned, Avery did not notice.


    However, the hesitancy in her eyes faded not but five minutes after he left. Kasandra had made up her mind and was going to follow through with her desires.


    After Avery finished taking a quick shower, he flopped down onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling of the room as his mind raced.


    A lot of unexpected things happened during the raid.


    He had killed a lot more pirates than he had been expecting to, and even though he had not perfectly calculated his earnings yet, he knew that it was going to exceed what he needed to save his father.


    Then there was his rescue of Kasandra. Never had he thought he would end up with anyone onboard his ship. At least not for a long time. He had figured that he would stick with the solo mercenary lifestyle for a while, but now he felt like things would end up being pretty lonely now that he had gotten to experience what having someone he got along with hanging around was like.


    "Still, it''s not like she can stick with me. This was just temporary. She''s clearly got her own goals, and a partnership with her brother." Avery murmured, his expression pensive.


    For just a moment, he thought about taking Kaiden up on his offer, but ultimately shook his head in rejection. In his ideal future, he did not see himself being anyone''s subordinate.


    Despite his conflicting feelings, Avery let out a long sigh to clear his head and grabbed his terminal to turn off the lights in his room so that he could get a bit of sleep before returning to Yuson II.


    Yet, just as the room went dark, he heard the door open. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At first, he was confused, but quickly realized that there was only one possibility.


    "Kasandra, did you need someth-" Avery started to say before the words got lost in his throat.


    As he looked up to speak with Kasandra, his eyes went wide, and his expression warped into one of absolute shock.


    Standing in his doorway, the woman he had just been thinking about was in nothing but her underwear.


    She was wearing a confident grin, though, underneath her exterior, she was feeling extremely nervous.


    While Avery continued to stare in a stupor, she walked into the room and crawled onto his bed. Creeping closer to him until she was looming over him, with their faces only a few centimeters apart.


    At this point, Avery managed to regain some wherewithal, and said, "K-Kasandra! What are you doing?!"


    "Just what I''ve been waiting for you to do for the past few days. But I suppose that you''re just too nice of a guy to exploit the defenseless woman you rescued. Something most men in your situation would not have hesitated to do. So, no more hints or games. I''ve seen the way you look at me, so I know you find me attractive. This is what I want, if you want the same."


    Hearing her captivatingly sweet voice, and the alluring smell of the soap she must have used just before coming here, was almost enough to wash away Avery sense of reason.


    Right in front of him was a beautiful woman offering herself to him, and all of his instincts were telling him to take her.


    But there was a nagging bit of doubt in the back of his mind. Something he needed to clear up before going any further.


    "Why me?"


    This was the only question Avery had. In his mind, he was nothing particularly special. Sure, he had a good ship, but it was only one small craft. There were a lot of people far more successful, good looking, and all-around superior to him.


    Kassandra herself was a far more experienced mercenary. Certainly, he had learned from Urs, but that had been only over two months. That could not compare to the experience Kasandra and many others had gained over years of being active mercenaries.


    At this question, Kasandra''s lips turned up into a mocking smile, as if she found it funny that Avery could not recognize his own worth.


    "Well, to start, you saved my life. I already told you not many would do something like that. And even fewer would do so expecting nothing in return. Of course, that wasn''t all. You''re fun to be around, and considerate of others. Almost to an extreme degree. Plus, you''re not bad to look at." Kasandra said, a trill in her voice that a human could not hope to replicate.


    "Then, you''re also a skilled mercenary. Since I don''t want to give up on being one myself, that''s pretty much a hard requirement for any partner I chose. But a lot of male mercenaries are into gambling, drugs, or prostitutes. Since you don''t have such inclinations, it makes you quite the catch. Even if we only met by chance, you''re as close to my ideal match as I''m likely to ever find."


    With Kasandra having laid all of her feelings out in the open, Avery felt the last bit of reluctance he had fading away.


    He doubted if what he felt for her could be considered love, they had only known each other for a few days after all. But he could not deny the attraction and feelings he did have.


    For now, Avery embraced the woman that had offered herself up to him, and let his desires take over.

 Chapter 37 - 37 Sowers of Chaos

    Chapter 37: Chapter 37 Sowers of ChaosA young woman with pitch-black hair and non-descript features that were neither particularly beautiful nor ugly walked down a side alley from the busy main street of Yuson Prime. So well did she blend in that no one else seemed to pay her any mind even when looking directly at her.


    Soon, she reached the outside of an ornate building that served as a high-end restaurant for the few that knew about and could afford it.


    "I''m here for the Caos party." The woman said to the person manning the front of the restaurant.


    The young man let out a surprised grunt and nearly jumped backwards when he heard the voice.


    Despite having been looking at the entrance the entire time, he had not noticed her until she had addressed him.


    Still, he was a professional and quickly composed himself.


    After checking that she was indeed someone on the reservation list, he led her to a private backroom.


    Already waiting inside was a middle-aged bald human man. Though he was neither tall nor particularly muscular, he gave off the air of someone dangerous. Like a snake that was coiled up and ready to strike at any moment.


    When the woman sat down across from him, he turned towards the waiter that had escorted her, and with a pleasant smile ordered food for both of them.


    Then, once the staff member was gone, she pressed down on the broach affixed to her jacket and all incoming and outgoing noise around them became muffled.


    "Okay, we can speak without worry now. So, get to it. Why did you call me here? I''ve got my own sector to worry about."


    "Oh, come now Camila, aren''t we friends. Do I need a reason to invite you out for a nice dinner other than to enjoy you company." The man said, wearing a sardonic smile on his face. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At this, Camila stood up and was about to leave. She had no time for his games.


    "Fine, fine, fine. You win. This has to do with that little business that we''ve been jointly working on. I figured I''d update you on all the little details, and there are a couple matters that I can''t accomplish on my own without resorting to drastic measures."


    With a deep sigh, Camila turned around and sat back down to hear out what her college had to say.


    "Frist, our little arrangement with those pirates was mostly a success. Thanks to them, the Alliance is being forced to bring back the troops that recently left this system to shore up the border''s defense. I''ve made sure to propagate news stories about their disappearance, and that because of the lessened security, the Yuson System became a target for outlaws. Public opinion has stated to sway in favor of what we want.""


    "Obviously, that was one of the major goals of bringing those scum together here after I used them in other systems as means to elevate myself. Surely you have something else to tell me other than that, Adder."


    "Of course, and congratulations on your promotion to deputy chief." Adder said, absolutely no true sincerity in his expression.


    After that, he told her that some of the pirates that had been meant to escape got caught up in a surprise attack from one of the mercenaries at the last moment.


    This caused several goods that were supposed to make their way to him to end up in police custody.


    "I don''t happen to have the connections to get them back without drawing attention to myself, but it should be easy enough for you to do, eh, deputy chief."


    "I can''t make any promises. My promotion is new after all, there are still some eyes on me. I''ll do what I can, though not for you, but for our mission." Camila said, a disdainful gleam in her eyes as she accepted Adder''s request.


    Unfortunately, this was not the end of him brazenly trying to exploit the position she had recently obtained.


    He also slid over a data pad to her and waited for her to read it.


    "So, this is the mercenary that slightly disrupted our plan. Still, why bother me with this? He''s just a single insignificant mercenary. That''s hardly worth my time. Just hire an assassin if you want him dead."


    Camila showed almost no interest in the subject that Adder had just handed to her. She might have harbored some negative emotions towards the unexpected variable that had turned what should have been a near perfect success into only an adequate one. But it was from enough for her to waste any energy on something so small in the grand scheme of things.


    "If you would have just read the entirety of what I gave you, the relevance would have become apparent. The mercenary himself is of no consequence. Just some trash from the Yuson II colony that got his hands on an advanced vessel. One we failed to procure from Storren Crop. not too long ago."


    Hearing this reignited Camila''s interest, and she read through every bit of the report that Adder had given her.


    "SCXD-011 has reappeared. So, what do you want me to do about it?" Camila said, looking more intent to work with Adder than she had since sitting down across from him.


    "Well, as it turns out, our agent, along with the six other crew members that had been along for its first test flight in open space, were all found dead by the mercenary that located it. Now, the police downloaded logs that show he had nothing to do with the deaths, and that he legally found the spacecraft abandoned in space. But, with your position, that evidence could find itself distorted, or missing entirely. Perhaps the young man didn''t ''luck'' upon it, but had originally been a part of the plot, and only now came to gain his ill-gotten gains to make himself look innocent."


    Adder continued to spin multiple narratives that would twist the facts to make Avery look guilty, and in turn, have him lose possession of his ship.


    Normally, it would be impossible to do something like this, but if Camila was a bit heavy-handed and fabricated some evidence. it would be doable considering her position.


    "Still, even if we are successful, SCXD-011 will likely just end up going back to Storren Corp., since it technically would be their property if the one that found it turns out to be a criminal involved in stealing it. Unlike the items the pirates had, this will be too high profile for me to make off with."


    Nodding his head, Adder had to agree on this point.


    Nevertheless, he was already formulating all manner of plans to obtain the cutting-edge vessel that evaded them once before.


    "We could have some ''pirates'' intercept on the way back to Storren Corp. Headquarters, or even hatch another plan to steal if from them. We''ve still got a few agents among the company''s ranks. Just getting it away from the mercenary that currently has it will be enough to give us plenty of options."


    Naturally, they could also go after Avery directly, but that came with its own risks. Using such a method increased the likelihood that their prize ending up destroyed in the attempt, or possibly even escaping.


    "I''ll see what I can do about both of these matters. And don''t expect me to forget about this. You owe me at least two favors now." Camila said.


    Not long after their discussion ended, the waiter came back in with their orders and placed the elaborate dishes utilizing expensive ingredients in front of the two people that had been scheming against the Alliance.

 Chapter 38 - 38 Massive Payday

    Chapter 38: Chapter 38 Massive PaydayWhen Avery awoke, the first thing he saw was a bit of cloth hanging above his head.


    As the drowsiness faded from his eyes, he immediately recognized it as Kasandra''s bra, and the memories of what had occurred before he fell asleep came back to him. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I might have let myself get a little out of control there.''


    What Avery and Kasandra had lacked in experience, since this had been both of their first times, they more than made up for in enthusiasm and sheer stamina.


    Thanks to their chosen profession, their bodies were more trained than the average person''s, and Avery even suspected that his partner had undergone some bionic enchantments considering the vigor she had displayed.


    And as he thought about Kasandra, he could feel her next to him.


    After they had finished doing the deed, the two of them had lain down for a bit of shuteye before arriving at Yuson II.


    Now she was snuggled up with one of his arms, and he could hear and feel her purring softly as she clung to him. A very happy and satisfied smile on her face as she slept.


    Feeling her body heat that was a couple degrees higher than a human''s was almost soothing enough to drag Avery back into dreamland.


    Yet, as he glanced at his terminal to check the time, he found that they were only seven minutes out from reaching the vicinity of Yuson II.


    Of course, if Avery really wanted to continue sleeping, he very well could. It was not like there was some law that compelled him to dock the second he arrived.


    Still, seeing as how his reward from taking part in the pirate extermination and subsequent patrol mission was waiting for him, he could not hold in his anticipation any longer.


    Plus, his father was currently in the hospital waiting for the money necessary for his restorative treatments. And while he had told Avery in the past that it was not his responsibility, he naturally could not just abandon one of his parents to a terrible fate when there was something he could do about it.


    Feeling a bit hesitant since she looked so peaceful and content sleeping, Avery softly caressed Kasandra''s cheek with his right hand to wake her up.


    In a bit of a daze as she became partially conscious, she suddenly licked his fingers and nuzzled up against him. As if trying to compel him to go back to sleep with her.


    "Kasandra, we''ve nearly arrived. It''s time to get up." Avery said, placing his mouth close to her ears.


    This time, she fully awoke, and the pointy ears atop her head twitched.


    "I see. How long did we sleep?" She asked, sitting up and stretching her arms above her head.


    In doing so, the sheets and blankets covering her upper body fell down. Exposing her ample chest that swayed ever so slightly as she moved.


    Avery''s eyes were immediately drawn to them, and he could not help staring with an almost goofy look on his face.


    "Oh, did you want to go for another round?" Kasandra asked, wearing a coquettish smile and arching her back to emphasize her bust.


    Without thinking, Avery nearly gave into passion once again but stopped himself at the last moment.


    Remembering the current condition his father was in; he felt that now was hardly the time to allow his lust to take over.


    When they had finished the first time, just a little over an hour ago, there had been nothing he could do for his father, and he had been caught up in the moment.


    That was no longer the case. In just a couple minutes, he would be back at Yuson II and in a position to save his father''s life. In good conscience, he could not take any divergent paths from this goal. No matter how enticing Kasandra was. There would be time for such activities in the future.


    Once he told Kasandra all of this, she instantly understood. Even going so far as to ask if there was anything she could do to help despite having only just recently lost her ship and means to make money.


    "No, I should be fine. This was a more profitable job than I was expecting. I''ll definitely have more than enough to pay for the regenerative treatments he needs." Avery said assuredly.


    Having finished their discussion, the two of them quickly cleaned up and put on some fresh clothes, before heading to the cockpit.


    Upon dropping out of lightspeed, Avery swiftly put in a request to dock and was granted permission just a few minutes later.


    Thanks to the autodocking function, the Dauntless touched down in the hanger without issue, and the two of them disembarked.


    Their first destination was obviously the Mercenary Association branch. While Kasandra''s ship had been destroyed, she was still entitled to the money she earned before that unfortunate occurrence, and the bit she was owed from working as a member of Avery''s crew during the patrol mission.


    "Looks like it''s not too busy yet." Avery mused as they entered.


    He had been at the front of the pack of those returning to the station. So all the others that had finished up the same request had not yet arrived to collect their money.


    Seeing the same receptionist he had worked with in the past, Avery headed towards the man, while Kasandra went to a different empty booth.


    "Ah, your back! I''ve already heard about the crazy, reckless, and wild stunts you pulled. Flying directly into a horde of enemies to deliver a torpedo right into the heart of their formation. Now that''s the kind of stuff I love hearing about."


    Avery nearly flinched back at how enthusiastic the man was. Every time Avery came back, his personality seemed to change a bit. Growing more and more exhilarant as Avery''s achievements became more impressive.


    "Well, if you already know what I did, then I''m sure you realize what I''m here for."


    "Certainly. You want what you''re owed. Let me just check the numbers and confirm that everything is correct."


    A few keystrokes later, the receptionist pulled up Avery''s statistics for the raid.


    Seeing them, he let out a long whistle and transmitted the data to Avery''s terminal.


    "You took down a hundred and three pirates all total. Along with a few assists. With eighty-three small vessels, nineteen medium vessels, and a single large vessel, your pay for pirate elimination comes out to one million three hundred seventy-nine thousand Krenin."


    Hearing this number was almost enough to make Avery dizzy with excitement. He had already done some calculations in his head, but having someone from the association say it aloud made it feel more real.


    And while his pirate kills did constitute the largest part of his pay day, that was not all of it. With an average bounty of seven thousand three hundred Krenin, Avery was looking at a bit more than another seven hundred fifty thousand.


    His total pay for the job was going to push him past two million Krenin, and this was even before counting the extra pay from the patrol mission and the loot he had in his cargo hold.


    In one fell swoop, his total worth had ballooned to more than ten times what it had been before.

 Chapter 39 - 39 Family Squabble

    Chapter 39: Chapter 39 Family SquabbleOnce Avery had fished collecting his rewards, he could not help staring down at his terminal where the numbers in his bank account now read seven digits.


    For a normal person living on Yuson II, this would be an amount they would have to work for decades without spending a single Krenin to reach.


    Avery''s own mother, who worked herself harder than most, only brought in anywhere between five to six thousand Krenin a month.


    Of course, the three jobs she currently had did not entail risking her life or owning her own ship, but the difference in earnings was astounding.


    It almost wanted to make Avery laugh and cry at the same time, as he remembered his own struggles as a poor salvager flying a hardly space worthy vessel.


    "Well, I''ve got over two million Krenin now. It''s time I make the arrangements with the hospital my father''s in so that his lungs and spine can be restored." Avery said, contacting his mother so that he could transfer the money.


    Yet, as he was in the middle of doing so, Kaiden came walking in.


    He had come to collect his own pay, and his little sister.


    When his eyes met Avery''s, he gave him an almost murderous glare. Clearly, he was unhappy that Kasandra stayed with him during the patrol mission rather than boarding his ship.


    However, this opening bit of animosity was hardly anything in comparison to what soon came after it.


    Having received her own reward, Kasandra came back over to Avery''s side. Standing close enough to him to prove that they were fairly intimate.


    This seemed to snap something inside of Kaiden.


    Now that he was completely focused on the two of him, his acute sense of smell could pick it up. How his sister''s scent was all over Avery, and vice versa.


    "I''ll kill you!"


    Imagining the worst, Kaiden lunged at the man he believed had coerced his sister and defiled her.


    As one himself, he knew what most male mercenaries were like. If they had the chance to bed a beautiful woman, they would not hesitate to use a debt or some other means to pressure them. Since he had saved her life, it was not unreasonable to believe that Avery asked for certain favors in return. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''He''s fast!'' Avery thought as Kaiden closed in on him, an almost feral look on his face.


    Still, as impressive as his burst of speed was and the ferocity of his attack, he paled in comparison to Urs.


    Whenever Avery failed to meet expectations in the simulator, Urs would bring him to a training room for some sparing. Which really just entailed Avery getting beaten up while desperately trying to fight back.


    During that time, he had honed his ability to react to sudden danger.


    With reflexive movements, he reached down to his laser pistol at his waste.


    Avery already understood that he would hardly be a match for Kaiden in a hand-to-hand brawl. Judging from the strength that Kassandra possessed, it was likely that her brother had also received enhancements of some kind.


    ''I don''t really want to do this, but I''m not just going to let myself be attacked.'' Avery thought as he leveled his weapon at Kaiden''s chest.


    There was only a meter between them now, a feat accomplished by Kaiden''s impeccable speed. Except, that distance might as well have been a chasm. He was still too far away to reach Avery, and it would only take him a moment to pull down the trigger on his gun.


    "Rahhh!"


    Yet, before Avery could fire, something unexpected occurred.


    Kasandra had leapt at her brother to defend him.


    Not expecting the sudden attack from the one person he trusted more than anyone, Kaiden''s charge was broken, and he found himself slammed onto the floor and pinned there.


    "Kas, what are you doing?! Get off me so that I can kill the bastard that violated you!"


    Kaiden struggled to break free from his sister, but while he was a bit stronger than her, the position she had him in made it practically impossible for him to escape.


    "Avery did not do anything of the sort. I consented, and I won''t allow you to harm him just because you don''t accept it. We''re not kids anymore, and I don''t need you trying to protect me from every little thing. I''m twenty-four and can make my own decisions." Kasandra said, looking down at her brother with an aggression he had never seen before.


    This almost immediately deflated him. The fury Kaiden had been expressing just moments prior had completely disappeared. Replaced by an expression of confusion and despair.


    There had never been a time in their past that Kasandra had been so wholly gone against him. Naturally, they had gotten into some arguments in the past, but this was different. Kaiden felt that his sister was willing to cast off ties with him over this.


    Sensing that he had cooled off and was unlikely to become aggressive again, Kasandra got off her brother.


    All around them, a crowd of mercenaries were watching the scene, and she gave each of them death glares as if to tell them to mind their own business or get beat down.


    Even the toughest mercenaries present could tell that Kasandra meant bad news right now. Usually, she hardly seemed to care about anyone else and was cold and aloof. But right now, the aura she was emitting was downright murderous. Clearly, this scuffle with her brother had put her into just as foul a mood as he had been in.


    Avery for his part was doing his best to retain his cool, though there was a hint of fear in his eyes. It was then and there that he swore never to get on Kasandra''s bad side.


    When she finally turned back around to face him, he noticed that there was some trepidation in her eyes. Wondering if seeing her lose her composure had disillusioned him somehow.


    "Come on, let''s go back to the Dauntless. You''re still registered as part of my crew. So as long as you want to stay, your more than welcome onboard." Avery said, looking a bit embarrassed by what amounted to a true confession.


    Kasandra perked up immediately, and slightly nodded her head as her lips turned up into a bright smile.


    All the while, Kaiden''s expression had become aghast, as he watched his younger sister leave him behind.

 Chapter 40 - 40 Trouble Brewing

    Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Trouble BrewingOn the way back to his ship, Avery made sure to contact his mother and make arrangements for his father to finally have his lungs and spine restored.


    The quoted price was an outrageous one million three hundred thousand Krenin, but Avery sent over the money without any regrets. He had the necessary funds, and he would be willing to pay just about any price to save his father.


    "And there goes a bit more than half of what I just earned." Avery said with a pained grin.


    Even though he was fully willing to do so to save someone so important to him, watching the massive amount of Krenin vanish from his account still hurt. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sitting next to him on the electromagnetic tram, Kasandra moved a bit closer to Avery and patted him on the back.


    "I think you did the right thing. Money will come and go, but you''ve only got two parents. Cherish them while you still have them."


    Avery could hear a hint of both longing and regret in her voice.


    While Kasandra had not yet said anything on the matter, Avery had already picked up on the fact that she and her brother had lost their old home at some point.


    Whenever she brought up her past, there was always the slightest pained look in her eyes.


    Of course, Avery did not pry. If she ever wanted to tell him, he would listen. But until then, he would let her keep what she wanted to herself.


    It was not much longer until they reached their stop near the hanger Avery''s ship was docked in. Last month, he had cancelled the lease on his apartment to save money, so this was where he lived now.


    Surprisingly, as the Dauntless came into view, there was a familiar face waiting in front of it.


    "Sergeant Iralus? What are you doing here?" Avery asked, a baffled look on his face.


    It had been nearly three months now since he last saw her, but he naturally recognized the member of the colony''s police force that had dealt with the crime that happened onboard his ship and cleared him of any wrongdoing.


    "Avery Asteria, I''ve been waiting for you. There are a few matters that I need to discu-"


    As the sergeant was responding to Avery, she quickly noticed that he was not alone.


    Standing at an intimate distance from Avery was Kasandra, and Jasmine was momentarily stunned to see him with such a beautiful woman. Especially since she knew he had been single not long ago due to her investigation into him.


    "And who might this with you be?" Jasmine said with a strained smile.


    "Oh, uh, this is-"


    "Kasandra Woest. A three star mercenary. Avery here saved my life recently, so I decided to join his crew." Kasandra interjected, moving a bit closer to Avery and grabbing his arm.


    Avery was caught off guard by this, and the soft sensation pressing against him.


    Obviously, he was not so oblivious as to not understand what Kasandra was doing, but he thought that it was completely unnecessary. Sergeant Iralus was certainly pretty, but they had met only once before, and it had been strictly professional.


    "I see, that''s certainly unexpected." Jasmine said stiffly.


    Noticing the growing tension in the air, Avery tried to steer the conversation back towards whatever matters she had come to discuss.


    "Ah, yes, I''m here to see you on behalf of the Alliance Police to broach a few matters with you. Also, there is also something else not pertaining to my official position I need to tell you about."


    Sensing trouble on the horizon, Avery held back a deep sigh and offered to discuss things onboard his vessel.


    Avery led his guest into the dining room, since it was really the only place where multiple people could comfortably sit down and talk.


    "Would you like something to drink?" Avery offered to be polite.


    "Sure, some non-caffeinated tea if you have any." Jasmine replied.


    Quickly, Avery put a capsule into his autochef and input an order into it. Less than a minute later, it dispensed three cups filled with a yellow orange liquid that had a mildly sweet scent to it.


    After the three of them took a few sips of the tea, Jasmine got straight to business.


    "To start, the Alliance Police were most impressed with your heroism during the recent pirate extermination. Since you eliminated the most pirates by far and helped to stop some of the assault ships that entered from out of the system from escaping, they are thinking about bestowing you an official award. Though, only if you agree to it."


    Only a bit surprised, Avery nodded his head in understanding.


    He already knew that mercenaries that performed impressive feats could earn special recognition from the Alliance Police. In fact, he recalled that his mentor had received three before he retired.


    Still, the types of awards that could be given out had a large range. Some came with one-time Krenin Bonuses, while the very best had yearly rewards for life. An incentive to keep skilled mercenaries within the Alliance''s borders.


    "Do you know what sort of award they''re planning on giving me?" Avery asked, unable to restrain his curiosity.


    "I''m afraid not. The officer that contacted me said that the top brass was still deciding on it. What you did was quite impressive, and they are having to figure out exactly how far your merits went."


    "Got it. And not to be rude, but I''ve been wondering, why did they send you? I feel like this matter could have been handled remotely."


    "The reason is simple really. They asked me to do this because we''ve met once before. They figured that you would be more willing to speak with a familiar face. Plus, the award is the more minor of the subjects I''m here to bring to you."


    Jasmine then told Avery what else the Alliance Police wanted from him. Apparently, there was a certain mission they wanted him to undertake for them.

 Chapter 41 - 41 Trouble Brewing (2)

    Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Trouble Brewing (2)"The Prazan System, huh. There''s pretty much nothing out there. Why do the Alliance Police want me to go there?"


    After Jasmine told Avery about the mission she had been asked to present to him, he was naturally confused.


    Around twelve parsecs away was an uninhabited system that was devoid of just about everything.


    Long before people started traveling into the expanse of space, the Prazan star went supernova and all that was left now was a neutron star.


    Other than a rarely used hyperspace lane that only a few seasonal traders used to bring in luxury goods, it was completely unremarkable.


    "Well, the Alliance Police have an autonomous monitoring station set up in the system to make sure no pirates or opposing powers try to set up a base there. However, it didn''t send in its scheduled transmission a few days ago." Jasmine explained.


    "Okay, but why do they want to send me to check it out? It''s probably just a malfunction. Just send a technician to fix it. This is hardly mercenary work."


    "Naturally, the Alliance Police already did so, but the crew of the ship that left to investigate have also gone silent. Seeing as how there might be a hostile force at work, they want to send a mercenary that can handle themselves in a fight, if necessary."


    Avery accepted this reasoning, but still wondered why the police did not just send one of their own fighters.


    While she was not privy to all of the details, the Alliance Police were apparently in a bit of a bind over the recent pirate activity and failure to fully eradicate the outlaws.


    A number of their ships were still being repaired, and they did not have the capacity to spare any due to increased patrols to maintain the image of safety in the system.


    ''That''s probably a surface level explanation they gave to her, but I bet there''s more at play here. Still, I can''t very well refuse a direct request. Especially since there is going to be a lot less work in the system now that the pirates have been driven out.'' Avery thought, considering his options.


    He turned to Kasandra and asked her opinion on the matter, and she agreed that the request sounded fine as long as the pay was good.


    Obviously, mercenaries did not work for free or out of the goodness of their hearts. They required compensation of some kind for their services.


    "From what the officer that approached me to speak with you on this matter said, the request reward will be eighty thousand Krenin, along with reimbursement for any ammunition you use while on the job. And although this is not payment per se, Deputy Chief Ikla will apparently speak with the Mercenary Association and try to have you advanced to a three star mercenary should you complete this mission."


    Avery''s eyes grew wide when he heard this.


    Eighty thousand Krenin for such a simple job was practically unheard of, plus his expenses for ammunition were being covered.


    Then there was the rank up to consider. Normally it was necessary to successfully complete forty jobs and be a mercenary for at least a few months before the association would rank anyone up. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zero to two star mercenaries were considered the novice ranks by most. Only once an induvial reached three stars, were they considered an experienced mercenary.


    The pay for any request they accepted went up by a staggering amount. While a two star mercenary could expect to be paid six thousand Krenin a day for their services, a three star typically earned more than three times that amount.


    There were also other boons, such as access to better weapons and information, though Avery had little use for the former considering his ship was designed for high-end military use.


    ''Still, being offered something like that must mean the Alliance Police think there is some real danger to this mission. They''ve already presumably had some loses.''


    However, even while weighing his options, Avery already knew that he was be accepting the request.


    Mercenaries that did not take any risk usually ended up going bankrupt. When a profitable job with some extra benefits attached to it was presented, it would be stupid not to take it. Especially since it was coming from a reputable source like the Alliance Police. If Avery stopped trusting them, he might as well leave for one of the neighboring powers.


    "Okay, I''ll accept. Have it sent through the Association so its official, and I''ll get right to it."


    A slight smile and look of relief on her face, Jasmine pulled out her terminal and sent a message to her superior.


    Before she even had time to bring up the next topic she was here to discuss, Avery received a notification from the Mercenary Association about the job.


    After quickly looking it over to make sure everything was in line with what Jasmine had told him, he accepted.


    "Now, what is this unofficial subject you wanted to tell me?"


    For a few moments, Jasmine fidgeted and looked around nervously, before taking a deep breath to calm herself. She could get into some trouble if certain people found out about what she was going to divulge to Avery.


    "First, you did not hear any of this from me." Jasmine said, waiting for both Avery and Kasandra to give their assurances before continuing.


    As mercenaries, it was part of their job to keep secrets for their clients when necessary. So, they easily agreed not to say a word of what she was about to say to them.


    "Let me preference by saying that it''s not the branch of the Alliance Police operating in the Yuson System that''s done so, but an investigation into you as the perpetrator of the tragedy that happened on this ship has been opened."


    Avery was confused for a couple seconds after Jasmine said this. When they had first met, she grabbed all of the ship''s data and assured him that he would be cleared of any wrongdoing. Since nothing else came up about the issue in the past few months, he figured that everything was fine.


    "That doesn''t make any sense. When those people died was before I had every left this station for the first time. There''s obviously records of that. It would have been impossible for me to have anything to do with it." Avery said, understandably upset.


    "I know, and I don''t think it will go anywhere. It''s probably got something to do with the other matter I wanted to discuss. From what I''ve heard, some upper-level executives from Storren Corp. have recently come to Yuson II. I''m sure you don''t need me to tell you what they want."

 Chapter 42 - 42 Avoiding Problems by Going Off on a New Mission

    Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Avoiding Problems by Going Off on a New MissionJasmine gave Avery her own speculation on the situation.


    Likely, the top brass of Storren Corp. had used their position as one of the top three spacecraft manufacturers in the Alliance to influence someone of a high rank in the Alliance Police to open an investigation into Avery.


    The chances it would amount to anything would be low since he had done nothing wrong, but it did serve as another bargaining chip that they could use. Either by offering to make the trouble go away in return for the SCXD-011, or simply as harassment to attempt to make Avery believe that keeping it was more trouble than it was worth.


    Of course, Jasmine had no real basis for her reasoning. It was all just a suitable hypothesis she had come to from the limited amount of information she had.


    "I figured these types of problems would be coming for me eventually." Avery said with a deep sigh.


    It was inevitable that Storren Corp. would try to reclaim their lost piece of advanced technology.


    Since he had been piloting it for a few months now, Avery knew just how impressive his vessel really was.


    The resources and innovative skills necessary to bring about its creation were undeniably topnotch.


    Still, if he did not want to deal with them, there was nothing forcing him to do so. And he had just received a job that would allow him to make himself scarce from the station for a while.


    "Thanks for the information, Sergeant Iralus. We''ll get right on that request from the Alliance Police. Hopefully the problem in the Prazan System isn''t something too difficult to take care of."


    "You''re welcome. And I''ll take my leave now. I''ve got reports to write, and I''m sure that the officer that approached me will want an in-person report."


    With that, Jasmine exited the Dauntless and left Avery and Kasandra alone onboard.


    "Kasandra would mind taking care of recharging the ship''s power supply and replenishing its ammo. I want to contact my mother before we leave. Oh, and feel free to order whatever you might need as well. I know that you recently lost most of your possessions."


    With a smile and a slight nod of her head, Kasandra headed for the cockpit and made the arrangements.


    Once she was gone, Avery pulled out his terminal and called his mother.


    She picked up almost immediately and Avery could hear the nervousness in her voice when she spoke. Apparently, his father had just been taken away for the first procedure.


    Normally, there would be nothing to worry about, but Avery''s father''s condition had been left in a less than great state for a while. There was a small chance that the treatment would be unsuccessful.


    Still, it was supposedly within a range of less than one percent according to the doctor that had spoken to Avery''s mother, and he did what he could to reassure her.


    "I''d really like to be there myself, but I''ve been given a job to handle directly from the Alliance Police. Hopefully I''ll only be gone for a few days at most. I promise to be back soon, and we can celebrate dad''s recovery together." Avery said, putting as much confidence into his tone as he could.


    "Thank you. And be safe out there. I can''t wait to see you again. I love you, Avery, and I know your father does as well."


    Avery told his mother that he loved her as well, and as he heard her starting to cry, she ended the call.


    "Okay, time to get to work."


    Getting his emotions under control, Avery made his way to the cockpit and found Kasandra just finishing up putting in requests for the replenishment of the Dauntless'' energy and ammo.


    "Looks like we will be ready to go in a little under an hour. Want to download some new entertainment for when we have downtime?"


    "Sure, we went through just about everything we had during that patrol mission. I really underestimated how boring it can get sitting around when nothing is happening." Avery replied, a small grin forming as he sat down and the two of them found shared and individual interests to keep themselves busy when they had nothing better to do.


    Soon enough, the Dauntless was back to full power and stocked up on ammunition. It had cost around seven thousand Krenin to replenish everything, but that was just one of the expenses of being a mercenary.


    Once they were cleared for departure, Avery activated the ship''s thrusters and carefully brought it out of the hanger.


    It had not even been a day yet, and the two of them were already on their way towards their next adventure.


    "I figured I''d have time for a break after such a big job, but I guess not. I think this might be the shortest interval I''ve ever had during my time as a mercenary." Kasandra commented.


    Among mercenaries, she and her brother would actually be considered quite diligent compared to most, but even then, they often had at least a couple days off in between jobs to recuperate and figure out what they wanted to do next.


    Once they had gotten far enough away from Yuson II, Avery entered the coordinates of the hyperspace lane that would take them to the Prazan System.


    Fortunately, the trip was not very long, and less than ten minutes later, they had reached the part of the system where they were free to enter hyperspace.


    "Really, this is going to be your first time!" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, I''ve never left the system before, so I''ve only used light speed to get around. My old ship wasn''t really meant for far reaching interstellar travel, so I tried to keep at least relatively close to home."


    "Well, you''re in for a real treat then. If you think that light speed travel is impressive, you''re going to be blown away by going into hyperspace." Kasandra said excitedly.


    Feeling even more anticipation now that his companion had hyped it up, Avery entered the information to head to the Prazan System, and the Dauntless'' hyperdrive sprung to life and began powering up.

 Chapter 43 - 43 Disturbance in the Prazan System

    Chapter 43: Chapter 43 Disturbance in the Prazan SystemAvery watched as the space around him began to distort.


    The hyperdrive was forming an energy shell around the Dauntless that would allow it to move into hyperspace.


    Once it had finally fished, the ship''s surroundings completely changed in a manner vastly different to going to light speed.


    Looking outside of the view screen, Avery saw that all around them was what looked like a flowing stream of mostly blue and black, with the occasional bits of other flashing colors.


    "Looks like we''ve successfully entered the hyper lane." Kasandra said, reading out the information on the console while Avery looked at their surroundings in wonder.


    He hardly even heard what she said and gave no response. He was taken in by the beautiful sight before him.


    However, staring at it for too long started to give him a headache, and eventually he was forced to look away.


    "Ah, looks like you''re not lucky, same as me." Kasandra said, also making sure not to keep her eyes of the outside for too long as well.


    When Avery asked her to elaborate, she told him that around eighty percent of people would end up experiencing some discomfort if they looked at hyperspace for too long. And while some species were more or less prone to this problem, you would find certain members that it effected more heavily or those that had no problems at all.


    "My brother is one of those that can stare at it for hours without a problem. Some scientists have apparently tried to figure out why diffident individuals have varying reactions, but as far as I know, nothing concrete had been discovered."


    Avery felt a bit jealous to hear that there were some people out there that could watch the mesmerizing sight of hyperspace without issue. While he needed to look away after just a couple minutes.


    Still, this was only a minor inconvenience. Whenever he wanted, he could catch a quick glimpse of the strange space outside.


    At certain points the structure of the hyperspace lane would contract or expand. This was due to the celestial bodies nearby that occupied regular space. While hyperspace was a sort of separate dimension where it was possible to travel great distances in only a short amount of time, it could be influenced by large masses like planets and stars.


    "Looks like we just barely fit through this part. I can see why this hyper lane is almost never used." Kasandra commented.


    As hyperspace seemed to get smaller, the edges of the dauntless grew precariously close to it.


    Right now, they were passing through a system that had six stars in it. This constricted the hyper lane and made it traversable by only small classification ships. If anything larger tried to pass through, they would found themselves shunted back out into normal space.


    "I suppose this is anther reason that they wanted to send a mercenary." Avery said, a look of realization on his face.


    Naturally there were other ways to the Prazan System from the Yuson System, but they would require a more roundabout path and take much longer.


    Thanks to the current situation in Avery''s home system, the Alliance police were hardly in the position to be sending one of their vessels off on a several days long journey to check on a monitoring station in an area of space that was practically devoid of civilization or value.


    "We''re about to exit hyperspace. Be ready for anything. The repair crew that got sent out probably got destroyed or captured. There''s no telling what me might find when we arrive."


    Kasandra nodded and the relaxed demeanor she had displayed until now was replaced by a focused veteran mercenary of many battles. She may have been leaving the piloting and operation of the Dauntless'' main weapons to Avery, but she would do everything she could to support him.


    The moment they reentered normal space; it became apparent that something disastrous had indeed occurred here.


    "That''s definitely the monitoring station. And I''d be willing to bet that the maintenance ship is part of the wreckage." Avery said, a grim look on his face.


    Not too far from where they dropped out of hyperspace was a conspicuous field of drifting metal and plastic debris.


    This system was devoid of almost anything other than clouds of dust left behind by the planets that had once been here before the system''s star went supernova. Therefore, any bits of obviously manufactured material floating around most likely belonged to the one piece of technology that had been there.


    "Some of the plating seems to have scorch marks on it. Probably from lasers or some other type of energy weapon." Kasandra said, telling Avery what the sensor readings had picked up.


    While she was analyzing what information pertaining to the wreckage, Avery had his eyes out for whatever had caused it.


    The likeliest possibility was that space pirates that had escaped the recent raid were hiding out here, but it felt too eerily quiet for Avery''s liking.


    "Now this is odd. Doesn''t seem like any generators, batteries, or other electrical system exploded or were heavily damaged, but they''re all devoid of power."


    Both Avery and Kasandra found this to be truly strange. The level of damage to the station and the ship that had come to check on it when it stopped transmitting were completely torn apart. Normally this would only happen if they were consumed by a large explosion. Typically, when the main generator was hit and became unstable.


    "Whoever did this was certainly meticulous. It looks like they bored into the hull with something and ripped the station and vessel apart." Avery said, having magnified the view screen and was intently examining the damage.


    For a few moments, Kasandra shared Avery''s baffled look, before an old memory of something she had heard about from another mercenary found its way to the forefront of her mind.


    Immediately, her eyes went wide, and she started to tremble.


    "Avery, we need to get out of here right now! Set a course back for Yuson II! We have to inform the Alliance Police what is going on here before it''s too late!"


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 Chapter 44 - 44 Disturbance in the Prazan System (2)

    Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Disturbance in the Prazan System (2)Despite wanting to know exactly what was going on, Avery headed Kasandra''s words and immediately input the coordinates to reenter hyperspace and head back to the Yuson System.


    He trusted her instincts and experience as a mercenary, and knew that if she was this panicked, whatever had occurred here was undoubtedly serious.


    However, it was already too late. From the moment that the Dauntless had exited hyperspace, the entities that had destroyed the monitor station and the crew sent to fix it had already set their sights on them.


    Before Avery could finish preparing the jump into hyperspace, several dozens of signatures were picked up by the ship''s sensors.


    These were not other spacecraft though, as they were far too small, and the readings displayed a level of heat that would be impossible for any vessel unless it was on fire and moments away from exploding.


    "What the hell are those things?!" Avery shouted, naturally flustered by what he saw approaching.


    Flying at them from every direction were what looked like brightly glowing orange spheres.


    Each one was only around a meter to a meter and a half in diameter, but the sensors showed that they each contained about as much power as a blast from one of Avery''s heavy laser cannons.


    "They''re energy lifeforms. The small ones that are coming at us will try to ram the ship. Once they''ve broken through our shields, I don''t think I need to explain what will happen."


    Kasandra pointed towards the floating wreckage only a couple kilometers away and Avery got the idea. These energy lifeforms were the ones that had torn the station and repair crew''s ship apart.


    At the very least, learning what they were called helped to jog Avery''s memory.


    Urs had taught him about some of the most common threats out in space, and these creatures that were technically classified as a type of space monster were among them.


    Not much was known about their origins as they did not seem to appear from any one part of space, and they could suddenly show up in places where they had not been before.


    Currently, researchers best guess was that energy lifeforms normally lived in a completely separate dimension.


    Unfortunately, no way to communicate with them had been discovered, and without exception, they were instantly hostile to all other life forms.


    Avery was forced to cancel entering hyperspace as the calculations had not been finished and he needed to take control to initiate evasive maneuvers.


    The energy lifeforms may have been packing a lot of power in their small bodies, but they could still only fly so fast.


    "I''ve never fought these things before, but from what I''ve heard, they are practically immune to physical projectiles and heavily resistant to lasers. Powerful explosives and electromagnetic pulse weapons are about they only things that are really effective against them." Kasandra said, pulling out what knowledge she had about the monsters chasing after them.


    Sadly, it was of little help at this moment. The only explosives the Dauntless had were its merger supply of phasic torpedoes, and it lacked any electromagnetic pulse weapons since those were usually only effective for disabling ships. They were not the kind of thing most mercenaries used since they lacked firepower.


    With limited ways to fight back, Avery sent full power to the thrusters and executed a series of quick moves to just barely escape the encirclement.


    Even with the impeccable inertial dampeners onboard, the rapid acceleration and turns put a heavy burden on Avery and Kasandra''s bodies.


    Still, they were professional mercenaries and refused to allow a bit of discomfort to affect their performance.


    "I can''t send out a hyperspace message. Those things are putting out too much interference. The information decays before it can get past them." S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery clicked his tongue in frustration when he heard this. He had been hoping to call for backup from the Alliance Police or even other mercenaries better equipped to handle energy life forms.


    Of course, that would have meant playing this game of tag for likely over two hours at the shortest, but even that would have at least been some relief.


    Now, their only real chance of survival was to take out or escape from their pursers somehow. With either option being easier said than done.


    Having evaded being caught, Avery now had a trail of energy lifeforms chasing him.


    A couple of times he had attempted to fire his rear scatterguns at them, but to no avail. Even when the projectiles hit something, the immense heat being given off by the energy lifeforms vaporized the shrapnel. Just as Kasandra had told him, physical projectiles were practically useless.


    "Wait, one of them just disappeared." Avery said, noticing a reading on his shortrange sensors vanishing.


    "Must have gotten lucky shot. Those things have small crystalline cores that from what I''ve heard are less than a centimeter in diameter. If you damage them enough, then they die apparently."


    Thanks to this new bit of knowledge, Avery felt more confident and aimed his scatterguns bullets to burst right before reaching the energy life forms.


    This proved to be more effective than trying to fire on them like he would a large group of ships, but he still only eliminated one every four or five shots this way.


    Having a limited supply of ammunition, Avery was going to run out long before he eliminated all of the energy lifeforms coming at him.


    ''Hitting their cores with the auto turret would take a miracle. That pretty much only leaves the laser cannons and plasma launchers. Neither will be all that effective, but it''s the only thing I can do.''


    After warning Kasarda that the ride was about to get rougher, Avery swiftly activated manual control over the attitude adjustment thrusters to pull off some tricks that Urs had shown him.


    Without much warning, the Dauntless spun all the way around so that its front was facing the energy lifeforms that had been chasing them.


    Though the quick maneuver left him feeling a bit nauseous, Avery pressed down on the trigger and fired his forward heavy laser cannons at their maximum rate of fire.

 Chapter 45 - 45 Fierce Struggle Against the Energy Lifeforms

    Chapter 45: Chapter 45 Fierce Struggle Against the Energy LifeformsRed beams of light streaked across the Dauntless'' viewscreen towards the swarm of glowing orange spheres flying at them.


    ''One, two, three, four, five, six.''


    Avery counted the number of blasts from his heavy laser cannons it took to bring down a single energy lifeform.


    The total ranged from three to six so far, with the ones that the sensors showed had greater power being able to take more hits.


    "Deploying chaffs."


    As Avery was about to be overrun, Kasandra pressed a button on her console and several small devices ejected from compartments on both sides of the Dauntless.


    Normally these chaffs were meant to disrupt enemy targeting systems, but in this instance, they were being used as a lure to break up the energy lifeform''s formation.


    They were naturally attracted to any electrical signals, and the chaffs made for an enticing meal.


    Of course, the Dauntless was putting out far more power, so the majority of the energy lifeforms continued after it, but at least a couple dozen broke off momentarily and gave Avery the room he needed to maneuver away.


    When he had made enough distance between them again, he swiftly spun his ship around again and opened fire.


    Several times they repeated this process until the flood of energy lifeforms began to diminish.


    During this entire battle, Avery felt truly grateful to have Kasandra around to support him. Without her assistance, his entire focus would have been taken up just trying to keep alive. He never would have been able to fight back.


    While he was keeping an eye on the shortrange sensors to keep ahead of the energy lifeforms and piloting the ship with everything he had, Kasarda was keeping an eye on their surroundings and plotting the path he needed to take to avoid being encircled.


    Then there was her excerpt timing in providing assistance by deploying chaffs and other items to distract their attackers. Everything she was doing allowed Avery to wholly contrate on flying and firing without needing to worry about anything else.


    After nearly twenty minutes of this game of deadly tag, there were only a few of the energy lifeforms left.


    Despite the immense burden that had been placed on both of them, Avery and Kasandra''s intense concertation had held up, and they were nearly out of their predicament. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet, the relief that they felt was short lived. An even greater threat was fast approaching.


    "I''ve got four more signals incoming. And they''re a lot bigger." Kasandra said, a grimace on her face.


    Once Avery had a moment to pull up a rear view on the console in front of him, he went pale from what he saw.


    Four more energy lifeforms that were well over a hundred times larger than the small ones that had been chasing them were speeding across the system towards the Dauntless.


    Feeling panic setting in, Avery somewhat recklessly attacked the few remaining small energy lifeforms to finish them off. Hoping that he would have enough time to plot a course into hyperspace and escape.


    Unfortunately, the medium sized energy lifeforms were not going to let him get away so easily.


    Unlike their smaller brethren that could only attack by ramming into things, they were capable of firing off pieces of their bodies as projectiles.


    Balls of orange light came flying towards him, and Avery was forced to interrupt the jump into hyperspace to dodge the attacks.


    "Great, and they''ve brought more little friends." Avery grumbled.


    Behind the four medium energy lifeforms, was another swarm of smaller ones. There were not quite as many as the first batch, but still plenty to be a sizable threat.


    As the smaller energy lifeforms chased Avery around and tried to bash into his shields, the medium sized ones unleashed a never-ending stream of fire towards him.


    At this point, avoiding every hit became impossible, and the Dauntless'' shields were slowly being whittled away.


    Still, Avery and Kasandra had not given up yet. Between the two of them, they were pulling out every trick that they had and firing off all of weapons the Dauntless possessed.


    Around ten minutes in, they were forced to use the first of their three shield cells to replenish their protection. That meant at the current rate, they had around another half hour before being destroyed.


    "The path''s open, go!"


    Naturally, Avery and Kasandra had not been flying around without a plan in mind. They had needed to thin out and lure the smaller ones away before making a charge towards the true threats.


    Diverting full power to the thrusters, Avery flipped the ship around and barreled towards the four medium sized energy lifeforms that had been one-sidedly bombarding them.


    To keep his momentum up, he was forced to hardly change his path, and several times took direct hits from energy blasts.


    The Dauntless'' shields depleted at an alarming rate, but this was all necessary to strike back against the oppressive monsters trying to tear them apart.


    "Here, you can eat this instead."


    With the torpedo launcher primed and ready, Avery fired off one of his three remaining phasic torpedoes.


    After it was launched, he immediately banked to the right and flew away as fast as possible to create some distance.


    An enormous explosion erupted from behind him just a couple moments later, and the four medium energy lifeforms, as well as most of the smaller ones that had been chasing the Dauntless, were engulfed.


    "Explosions really are effective against them." Avery marveled.


    It had taken a great deal of effort to bring the energy lifeforms down with the other weapon systems onboard, but just a single phasic torpedo had been enough to practically eliminate all of them.


    In less than a minute, Avery cleaned up the remaining smaller ones with his laser cannons, and for the moment, everything was still in the Prazan system again.


    "So, how mad do you think the Alliance Police are going to be when I ask them to reimburse me for that torpedo?"


    "Well, I imagine that someone in their accounting department is definitely going to end up hating you." Kasandra said with a slight laugh.


    This bit of levity helped to ease the stress that had built up from the intense life or death battle they had just survived.


    Except, their reprieve did not last for long.


    The Dauntless'' long-range sensors soon picked up a massive energy signature coming their way.


    Previously, it had been undetected due to having been positioned near the system''s neutron star, but now, the truly monstrous energy lifeform that had been controlling the others was making an appearance now that its minions had been destroyed.


    If there was any solace, it was the fact that this gigantic monster was still too far away to reach them.


    Not waiting another moment, Avery prepared the ship to enter hyperspace, and this time, they were able to get away before the true threat in the Prazan System could stop them.

 Chapter 46 - 46 Planning for a Likely Outcome

    Chapter 46: Chapter 46 Planning for a Likely OutcomeOnce the shimmering glow of hyperspace surrounded them, the tension that Avery and Kasandra had been feeling vanished in an instant. Both of them slummed back against their chairs as if a string that had been keeping them pulled taught had been cut.


    After a truly harrowing battle that easily could have turned deadly, they had managed to make their escape.


    "I don''t ever want to go through that again." Avery said as he released a heavy sigh.


    "Seconded." Kasandra replied, nodding her head in agreement. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With the recent pirate extermination, this marked the second time they had to fight off a horde of enemies while under heavy fire.


    Only this time, there had been no allies or backup to help them out. Things really had been quite dire for a bit.


    There was also the giant energy lifeform still skulking about the Prazan System to worry about. A creature like that could not just be allowed to stick around.


    Even if it was in an area of space that hardly saw any traffic, there was no telling what might happen in the future. It was possible it might eventually make its way to the Yuson System and cause havoc there.


    "Kasandra, how do you think the Alliance Police are going to respond? I don''t really know much about how they deal with those types of monsters." Avery asked, wanting to pick his companion''s brain since she had more experience than him.


    "I''ve never had to deal with energy lifeforms before, so what I know is all secondhand, but I imagine that they will try to form a strike team immediately to go and hunt down that big one we saw. I can''t be sure, but I think that one is classified as a queen. It can create more of those small and medium sized ones we fought by splitting off parts of its body. So even though we wiped out a lot of them, if it''s left alone, it will continue to propagate."


    Hearing this explanation only caused Avery''s expression to sour further. That monster was a ticking timebomb that could turn into a massive threat if given enough time.


    However, the only direct path from the Yuson System to the Prazan System was accessible to small craft. The Alliance police only had a few light fighters that had hyperdrives installed. Most of their limited smaller ships were docked in their heavy cruisers and were lacking certain systems that were taken care of by the mothership they typically resided in.


    "Do you think that they''re going to ask us to immediately turn back around to fight alongside whatever forces they can put together?"


    "I''d say the odds are likely. Especially considering how well we fought without even having effective weapons against energy lifeforms. When the Alliance Police can put together a strike squad, they''re probably going to want us to be a part of it."


    Avery had already figured that this would be the case. Since the Alliance Police had limited personnel within their own ranks that they could mobilize to deal with this threat quickly, it was obvious that they would seek more forces from the mercenaries currently in the Yuson System.


    Fortunately, there was still a sizeable amount hanging around after the large raid on the pirates. In a couple more weeks most of them would likely move on to places that had more work, but now, the majority of them were enjoying their recent influx of cash.


    ''I don''t want to fight those things again, but I''ll almost certainly have to.'' Avery thought, envisioning the request from the Alliance Police that was certain to come.


    Naturally, he had the right to refuse. He was an independent mercenary after all. However, doing so could end up coming back to bite him in the future.


    The Alliance Police were the organization that sent the most requests to the Mercenary Association, and typically the jobs they offered had the best terms and pay.


    Getting on their bad side by refusing a direct request was an easy way to lose out on a good source of Krenin.


    And Avery was under no illusion that anyone in the Yuson System possessed a better small vessel than he did. There was practically a one hundred percent chance he was going to be asked to join the assault force to take out the queen energy lifeform.


    Still, if he was asked directly, that meant he had more bargaining power. He could set better terms with the Alliance police for a bigger payday, and possibly some other benefits.


    "Kasandra, want to help me brainstorm what we should ask for?"


    An almost devious look on her face, she helped Avery come up with concessions that the Alliance Police would need to agree to if they wanted the two of them to head back and fight that monster.


    When the Dauntless finally exited hyperspace back into the Yuson System, Avery immediately sent a transmission to the Alliance Police.


    At first only a low-level grunt responded, but when he explained that he had just come back from investigating the Prazan System and sent the data of what he found over, he heard the man on the other side splutter and say that he needed to speak to his superior.


    As Avery closed in on Yuson II, he finally received a reply after waiting for a bit longer than fifteen minutes. It apparently had taken a while to get someone high enough rank on the line.


    "This is Deputy Chief Ikla. I just want to make sure first, that information you sent was not some sort of joke, right?"


    Avery was surprised to hear that it was the top officer in the system that had responded to his transmission, but after considering the gravity of the situation, it made some sense.


    "I''m afraid that it''s completely accurate. We saw it with our own eyes, and neither I nor my crewmember have the skills or a reason to falsify the data."


    "I see. Well, good work. Your pay for this mission will be fully processed in two days. And we''ll likely have another request for you soon. Stay on standby until then."

 Chapter 47 - 47 Regearing

    Chapter 47: Chapter 47 RegearingIt did not take long after Deputy Chief Ikla ended the transmission for another officer in the Alliance Police to contact Avery and request that he join an extermination squad that would be sent to eliminate the queen energy lifeform


    "I understand Lieutenant Franzia. However, my vessel is not particularly well suited to dealing with energy lifeforms. If I''m to join this mission to finish those creatures off, I''m going to require a few things."


    Avery listed off everything that he and Kasandra had come up with that they wanted if they were forced to go back into battle with the energy lifeforms.


    On the other side of the call, Lieutenant Franzia was clearly becoming more and more disgruntled, before eventually giving in to most of Avery''s demands with an audible huff.


    After the pirate raid and his recent foray into the Prazan System, it was clear that he was one of the strongest mercenaries in the sector, even if his tenure as one was short. With a possible crisis worse than the previous pirate infestation on the horizon, now was not the time to worry about small matters.


    "Very well, I''ll have everything prepared. Go to the military hanger and the items you''ve request will be installed."


    With a defeated sigh, Lieutenant Franzia cut the call.


    Both Avery and Kasandra wore bright smiles after their successful negations.


    "Another thirty thousand Krenin, plus bonuses for the number of energy lifeforms we take out. This is looking to be quite the payday." Avery said, pleased with how things had turned out.


    "Also, they''re going to loan us some more effective weapon systems, and once again pay for our ammunition. We''re really getting the royal treatment this time." Kasandra replied, her expression filled with excitement.


    Since they were going to be going back anyway, they figured they should make the most out of it. And with the Alliance police bring them a direct request, it allowed them to practically exploit their desperate client that needed their fighting capabilities.


    Of course, due to the concession that had been made, the Alliance Police were naturally going to be expecting impressive results in return. Should Avery and Kasandra fail to meet expectations, they would likely never again receive such valuable jobs from the Alliance Police again.


    A mercenary''s reputation was just as important as their ship, and this was Avery''s chance to cement himself as an ace fighter that even the force tasked maintained order throughout the Alliance could count on.


    After a few minutes, the Dauntless received permission to dock in the hanger normally only reserved for military vehicles.


    As part of the agreement with the Alliance Police, Avery''s vessel was going to be fitted with weapons better suited to fighting energy lifeforms.


    It was around this time, that Kasandra showed her terminal to Avery.


    She had been collecting information while they were waiting and found that an emergency mission for the attack on the queen energy lifeform had been posted on the Mercenary Association site.


    "Only twenty hours, huh. They really are trying to get this finished quickly." Avery remarked.


    "Well, this is the kind of problem that only gets worse the longer it has to fester. Give that queen enough time and her forces will become strong enough to overrun an entire system. I''ve heard tales of the past where truly enormous fleets with over a thousand cruisers were needed to wipe out a monstrous swarm of energy lifeforms that had been given years to multiply. It''s best to nip these things in the bud quickly."


    Should their initial assault fail, then the Alliance Police would be forced to send out their large vessels to surpass the energy lifeforms.


    With the Yuson System being the nearest inhabited area, the majority of the force would have to come from the Alliance Police stationed there. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This would leave another gap in the system''s security and let the pirates that had been driven out sneak back in. No doubt leading to a massive blow in public opinion and the industries in the sector downsizing or pulling out entirely for fear of future attacks. Hence why they were willing to agree to Avery and Kasandra''s terms.


    "Those military officers certainly work fast."


    From the view screen, Avery watched as multiple heavy machines moved about to remove some of the Dauntless'' current weapons systems and outfit it with new ones.


    Fortunately, Storren Corp. was one of the Alliance Police''s top contractors, and their vessels typically had a modular design that allowed for certain parts to easily be subbed in and out.


    Even being an experimental craft utilizing top quality technology, the Dauntless still followed the general design of the company. Allowing for a near seamless transition from one system to another.


    "I''ve just received word that they want us to run a diagnostic on the EMP blaster they just attached." Kasandra said, reading out the message that had been sent to her terminal.


    In place of the usual auto turret, a powerful electromagnetic pulse weapon, called the Aida EMP MK VII had been installed.


    This was a cutting-edge model, and only a few could be found in the entire system. Apparently, it was the only one that the Alliance Police here currently possessed.


    Once the diagnostic was complete and showed no problems, the next pair of weapon systems were affixed to the ship.


    This time, it was the two plasma launchers that were replaced. They were not particularly useful against the energy lifeforms as only direct hits to the monsters'' cores did any real damage. Considering their size and speed, actually landing a strike in the middle of a chaotic battle was practically impossible. Out of all the Dauntless'' usual weapons, these two had taken out the fewest hostiles.


    Instead, two missile pods were to take their place. This would both increase the cost and weight of ammunition, as well as take up nearly all of the cargo space, but it would be necessary firepower in the coming battle.


    "Okay, we''ve been given the green light to go out and test our new weapons on some targets that have been set up for us. Let''s go show them that their investment into us was the correct choice." Kasandra said, expertly handling communications.

 Chapter 48 - 48 Gathering for Battle

    Chapter 48: Chapter 48 Gathering for Battle"We''ve certainly got an eclectic bunch here."


    After testing out the new weapons systems on loan from the Alliance Police, Avery and Kasandra were waiting on standby as the strike team heading to the Prazan System was assembled.


    The majority of the force was made up of mercenaries looking to make another big payday. The recent pirate extermination had seen most of them fattening their wallets, and they were more than happy to go for a second round. Though, this time, they were up against energy lifeforms rather than criminals.


    Still, the Alliance Police were not just about to let a band of contracted fighters go off on their own without any direction. Large mercenary forces put together tended to lack coordination, and there were always a few willing to pull dangerous stunts to get in some extra kills or try and showoff.


    That was where the seven top pilots the Alliance Police had in this region came in.


    Each of them had been given the strongest small ships in the fleet and ordered to take command of the seven squads that the mercenaries had been assigned to.


    Of course, the military craft all shared a similar design and were easily discernable as being a part of the same organization, but the same could not be said for the mercenaries.


    Even vessels that had the same base model could look vastly different depending on how they had been customized.


    "Well, I''d say around sixty to seventy percent of mercs like colorful designs that stand out. People like us that are fine with subdued paint jobs are actually in the minority." Kasandra said, disinterestedly glancing at the rows of ships Avery was looking at through the view screen.


    A lot of them had bright hulls, and some even had large pieces of artwork painted on them. One in particular had the figure of a scantily clad woman on the side of his ship. No doubt that actually served to keep away anyone of the female persuasion.


    Soon there were only a few minutes left until the operation was to begin. At this point, all put a few stragglers that had signed up for the mission had arrived.


    "We''re just shy of two hundred. Do you think that will be enough?"


    "Let''s hope so. That queen may have seemed big, but from the past records I looked up, it''s actually on the smaller size. Apparently some that went unnoticed for long enough and had time to grow were able to reach the size of a small moon."


    Avery winced just imagining such a monstrosity. The one they had encountered had already been around half the size of Yuson II. A station that housed nearly six hundred thousand people. Yet it was basically an infant for its species.


    If it were not for the monitoring station that had been set up there, it likely would have stayed hidden away for years before bringing ruin to an untold number of systems.


    As Avery and Kasandra continued to chat, they eventually received a message from the officer in charge of their squad.


    "This is Captain Ais, leader of squad one and overall commander of this operation. Begin flight syncing and prepare to enter lightspeed travel in five minutes." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With their orders received, all of the mercenaries that had been lounging around powered their ships up and got ready to depart.


    Once everything was taken care of, Avery hesitantly looked towards his terminal.


    Since arriving, he had wanted to contact his mother to learn about how his father was doing.


    Yet, Avery had so far refrained from doing so. While it was unlikely, there was a chance that the operation would be unsuccessful and the man that had raised him would soon pass on.


    If he heard such bad news now, it would undoubtably affect his performance in the coming battle.


    Nevertheless, not knowing also brought with it its own worry.


    "I understand where you''re coming from, but I''d recommend waiting until we get back. You can share the good news of a successful job with both of your parents then. Just imagine your happy reunion in the near future and focus on making them proud by staying safe in the coming battle." Kasandra said, doing what she could to ease Avery''s nerves.


    Thankfully, having her next to him did help to calm him down. Having his mind off somewhere else when they were about to plunge into a fight with a horde of space monsters would only serve as a distraction.


    With a deep breath, Avery prepared himself for what was to come and initiated his light speed drive.


    A few seconds later, the Dauntless and the nearly two hundred other craft going off to hunt down the energy lifeforms turned into streaks of light.


    When they reached the entrance to the hyperspace lane, each squad entered one at a time in order. This meant that Avery was going first and would be part of the group that would need to secure their position upon arriving in the Prazan System.


    "And now we wait." Kasandra said, leaning back into her chair.


    They still had around fifty minutes of travel ahead of them before reaching their destination.


    "You''re certainly pretty relaxed considering what happened last time." Avery said, his demeanor a bit tense.


    "No reason to be on edge before the fight has even begun. Plus, I trust you and this ship to see us through. Last time we were completely on our own with less-than-ideal weapons to fight with. This is going to be a cakewalk compared to that."


    Avery felt a bit touched by her confidence in him and the Dauntless. She had only been a member of his crew for about a week now, yet the two of them had grown quite close. To the point that Avery was sometimes surprised.


    Not too long ago he was just a down on his luck salvager, and now he was an up-and-coming space mercenary with a beautiful and experienced copilot. Something he hardly could have imagined happening just a few months back.

 Chapter 49 - 49 Monster Hunting

    Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Monster HuntingThe moment squad one exited hyperspace, they fanned out and were on high alert for energy lifeforms.


    Avery had his eyes peeled on the view screen and a window showing the short-range radar, while Kasandra was handling communication as always and checking the Dauntless'' long-range sensors.


    It did not take long for the energy lifeforms to notice the twenty-eight spaceships that had just entered their domain.


    "We''ve got hostiles incoming. Time to go."


    "Whoo-hoo. Let''s blow ''em away and make some cash."


    "Hey, don''t break formation! We need to hold this area so that the others can exit hyperspace safely."


    As a few of the more gung-ho mercenaries started to accelerate towards the incoming energy lifeforms, Captain Ais barked orders to keep them in line. This was not a wild free-for-all. Precision and teamwork were going to be necessary to eradicate the monsters that had infested this system.


    Fortunately, the first wave of enemies was only around a hundred small energy lifeforms.


    Certainly, this would present a major threat to a single or couple of vessels, but with twenty-eight battle-hardened fighters at the ready, they were hardly a threat.


    "Time to test out what this ting can do." Avery said, powering up the Aida EMP Mk VII.


    The large blaster popped out of the top of the Dauntless where the Auto Turret usually was, and it quickly swiveled around as Avery practiced the controls.


    Finding it easy enough to aim and perfectly responsive, he opened fire on one of the incoming energy lifeforms. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery watched as a fast moving electrically charged ring flew from out of the weapon''s barrel.


    It was quite a bit slower than a shot from his laser cannons, but it still moved far faster than physical projectiles and plasma.


    When the disruptive ring of energy passed through the small energy lifeform, its spherical form immediately started to distort, before fully dissipating. With all that remined being a marbled sized crystalline core that could be considered the creature''s true form.


    "I''ve marked it on the map so that we can pick it up after the battle. When I was doing research on these things, I never imagined that their intact cores were so valuable." Kasandra said, her eyes gleaming with future profit.


    From what she had found online, cores from energy lifeforms were often used in high-end generators and other electrical systems.


    Of course, they were pretty rare, as the only way to obtain them was to kill the creature using an EMP weapon. Anything else would inevitably destroy their core and render it useless.


    Having the longest range and most effective means of attack among the entire force, Avery naturally took out the most energy lifeforms.


    Using the Aida EMP Mk VII alone, he eliminated thirteen of the around a hundred and scored himself quite the profit in cores and kill bonus.


    "Think that we''re living up to expectations?"


    "Probably, but the real fight hasn''t truly begun yet. That''s when we''re really going to prove ourselves." Kasandra replied, finally detecting the queen and having the viewscreen zoom in on it.


    Avery pursed his lips when he saw the monster and her entourage.


    There were now over three thousand small energy lifeforms, and almost a hundred of the medium ones.


    If there was any consolation, it was that the queen''s size shrunk considerably. To create so many subordinates, she had to split off pieces of herself. She was now around a tenth the size she had been just a day prior.


    "The last squad has arrived. We''re now going to split off in seven directions and split their forces. Everyone stay mobile and in formation as we pick them off. Make sure you don''t get surrounded." Captain Ais commanded.


    After that each induvial squad followed their leaders and spread out across the system. The energy lifeforms greatest assent was their ability to swarm in mass. Even a heavy cruiser would be unable to withstand a concentrated assault from every possible angle from so many energy lifeforms.


    Thankfully, their attack patterns were fairly simple. Going after the nearest and most potent source of energy.


    With each squad containing the same number of ships and flying closely together, the massive, thousands strong swarm spilt up and gave chase after each of them.


    "Deploy mines."


    Receiving the order from their squadron leader, the mercenaries at the back of the formation that had loaded their vessels with both explosive and EMP mines began shooting them out of the back of their ships.


    A series of bright flashes lit up the area as the first wave of energy lifeforms reached the hastily set minefield.


    Like moths to a flame, several of them charged directly at the floating explosives and rammed into them. Wholly unaware of what was to come.


    By the time the first energy lifeform broke through, their numbers had already been cut down to less than seventy percent.


    "This is almost too easy compared to how much trouble were had before." Avery said, his EMP blaster turned around firing rapidly at the pursuing space monsters.


    With every shot he took out at least one, and when a group was clustered close together, he could easily get four or five at once.


    "Don''t relax yet. The real threats haven''t made their appearance yet." Kasandra said, pointing out the twenty medium energy lifeforms closing in on them.


    Unlike the small ones, they had the ability to return fire. Several streaks of orange light flew off their bodies and towards the first squad.


    The tight formation they were in began to break apart as it became impossible to stick together when under such heavy fire.


    Avery took a couple shots at one of the medium energy lifeforms, but found that his EMP weapon was not able to take them down instantly like it did the smaller ones.


    Obviously, it did manage to inflict some significant damage, causing the surface of the creatures to ripple and break away from the main body.


    However, Avery calculated that it was going to take anywhere from five to nine shots to take them out depending on how much power the medium energy lifeforms possessed.


    "Kasandra, prep the missiles for launch. It''s time to see what our other new weapons can do against these things."

 Chapter 50 - 50 Monster Hunting (2)

    Chapter 50: Chapter 50 Monster Hunting (2)Once the first round of missiles was loaded, Avery let loose and fired all of them off in quick succession.


    "Target lock was successful." Kasandra said, reading the information from the console in front of her.


    These missiles had been given to them by the Alliance Police and were specifically programmed to seek out energy lifeforms.


    Their explosive yield was far weaker than a phasic torpedo, but that weapon was really overkill against anything except the queen. Avery had only used one last time because he was in a tight spot with nothing else available to him.


    Some of the missiles failed to reach their targets because they were either shot down or impacted a small energy lifeform before reaching the medium ones, but the barrage Avery had fired still proved enough to bring two down and heavily damage a third.


    With his EMP blaster, he fired a couple shots into the injured energy lifeform and brough an end to its resistance. While at the same time scoring another core to sell.


    "How are the other''s doing?" Avery asked as he performed a couple quick maneuvers to dodge some charging small energy lifeforms.


    "Nobody has been taking out, but some of them seem to be having some trouble. We should probably go and assist them." Kasandra said, keeping an eye on the overall battlefield.


    She swiftly directed Avery towards the mercenaries that were struggling, and he turned the Dauntless towards them.


    Before taking action, he had Kasandra called out to them to make sure that his help was accepted. It was one of the taboos of mercenary work to take another''s prey without permission. And even though they were in trouble, the energy lifeforms attacking were technically the targets of the already engaged mercenaries.


    "Dauntless, I''d be more than happy for your help. I can''t fight back with so many of these things on me."


    Having received permission to engage, Avery plunged in and started taking out the energy lifeforms with his EMP blaster.


    Of course, this saw a large portion of the hostile force changing their target to him, and he soon had a trail of them trying to encircle him.


    A few times the dangerous creatures that used themselves like battering rams smashed into the Dauntless'' shields, but it was nothing the powerful shield emitter onboard could not take.


    "Shields are holding steady at ninety-four percent. Don''t worry too much about avoiding them and focus on attacking." Kasandra said, assuring Avery that they were still perfectly safe.


    Continuing his somewhat reckless assault, Avery blew away as many energy lifeforms as he could, practically turning the tide of the battle on his own.


    Except, he was not the only exceptional fighter in squad one.


    Before he could make it to help some of the other struggling mercenaries, another vessel had already beaten him to the punch.


    "Now they''re pretty impressive. Still, I don''t remember seeing that ship during the pirate raid." Avery said, a bit of his attention drawn to the individual that was darting around the battlefield in a sleek black ship and taking out energy lifeforms nearly as quickly as he was.


    Thanks to the battle having slowed down a bit, Kasandra pulled up the information on the unfamiliar mercenary she also could not recall seeing in the Yuson System before.


    "Captain Ezra, call sign Specter. Seems he''s... a four star mercenary!" Kasandra said, surprised.


    As far as she and Avery knew, there were not any currently active four star or higher mercenaries in the system. That meant that this guy must have only recently arrived and been around by chance to take part in this attack.


    With the battle having slowed down a bit, Avery took a few moments to watch how the highest rank mercenary in their force fought.


    ''He''s good. Really good. He''s only got one EMP weapon that''s really effective, but he''s still taking them down with ease.''


    As Avery watched, he felt like this, Ezra, had a similar piloting style to his own. Perhaps this was just how higher-ranking mercenaries naturally developed considering he had learned a lot of how to fly in battle from Urs.


    "Can''t let him show us up considering how many concessions the Alliance Police made for us."


    Avery was feeling a bit competitive seeing some else fighting at a high level.


    Putting the entirety of his focus back on the battle at hand, he plunged into the enemy and used every trick and weapon at his disposal.


    Truthfully, he had allowed himself to get a bit heated and was trying to show off a bit, but no one could complain about his results.


    However, Captain Ezra seemed to be the competitive type himself and joined Avery in mowing down the energy lifeforms as quickly as he could.


    Thanks to their efforts, the first squad wrapped up their battle far faster than the others, who were still engaged with the bulk of their enemies.


    "Good job Dauntless, Specter. I''m glad that my superiors specially reached out to the two of you to join this mission." Captain Ais said, commending both of them over the squad''s communication.


    Now that their own battle was won, all of the scattered mercenaries formed up, and followed their squadron leader to assist with the others.


    Yet, it was around this time that the queen energy lifeform made its move.


    "Fire! Fire!"


    "What the hell is it doing?!"


    "Stay calm and in formation. We''re retreating to join up with another squad." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the queen approached the fourth squad, which had been having the most trouble fighting the energy lifeforms, some of the more undisciplined mercenaries moved to run away and save their own hides.


    The officer in charge tried to keep them together, but the moment the queen attacked, all semblance of control was immediately lost.


    Her form began to shift and contract, and what looked like several large glowing needles became visible on the surface of her glowing shell of energy.


    An instant later, these spikes shot out like tendrils towards the panicking mercenaries.


    All of them attempted to avoid the sudden onslaught, but more than half failed to.


    The needles made of energy punched through shields and hulls alike. With the only one surviving a direct hit being the Alliance Police Officer thanks to his vessel''s better defenses.

 Chapter 51 - 51 Monster Hunting (3)

    Chapter 51: Chapter 51 Monster Hunting (3)The horrid screams of the mercenaries whose ships had been ensnared resounded across the comms channels.


    Try as they might to escape, the queen energy lifeform mercilessly dragged their ships into herself.


    As soon as the last vessel was engulfed, the cries of terror ceased. Sixteen mercenaries had just met a very gruesome end at the hands of the powerful monstrosity.


    "What... what the hell was that?!" Kasandra shouted, losing her composure after witnessing something so horrific.


    She had naturally looked up information pertaining to energy lifeforms during their brief stay at Yuson II.


    However, she never saw any mention of past queen energy lifeforms deploying such a brutal attack. From what she had found, they typically focused on protecting themselves while their pawns attacked. And when they did go on the offensive, it was supposed to simply be by firing off parts of themselves, just the same as any medium and larger energy lifeforms.


    "We''re going in. Cover the survivors'' escape and watch out for that monster''s attacks." Captain Ais said, refocusing everyone''s attention to the matter at hand.


    What they had seen was shocking for sure, but it did not change their objective. They needed to eliminate the queen with as few losses as possible. And right now, that meant covering for the remains of squad four that were being overrun by the energy lifeforms they had been fighting.


    "Kasandra, focus on studying the sensor readings from right before the queen attacked. I want you to figure out how to predict when it''s going to use that move again." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her face still a bit pale, Kasandra nodded her head and got to work on what Avery wanted to know. If they could gain even a few seconds of foresight on their most dangerous enemies aberrant strike, it would allow them to stay ahead of the monstrosity and avoid ending up like the mercenaries it had just killed.


    Firing all of his weapon systems in quick succession, Avery dove into the thickest part of the energy lifeform swarm to save the members of squad four.


    As the chaotic fight continued, he felt like a permeant orange glow was going to be left in his vison even after everything had concluded.


    Over and over again, he aimed and took out more energy lifeforms with what seemed to be no end in sight.


    "Avery, I think it''s about to do it again." Kasandra warned.


    She was not completely certain that she had figured out the signs displayed on the sensors. Nevertheless, she still sent out a transmission to everyone to warn them.


    Fortunately, her intuition had been correct, and thanks to the early notice, everyone was able to move far enough away to be out of range as the queen energy lifeform tried to spear and reel them in.


    "Has it gotten smaller?"


    When he stole a glance at the mother of all of the energy lifeforms in the system, Avery would swear that her form seemed to have shrunk yet again.


    Only a few seconds later, Kasandra confirmed that this was indeed the case. The queen energy lifeform was around four percent smaller.


    "That move must take a lot out of it. I''m guessing last time it was able to partially replenish itself with the energy stores among the ships it consumed, but this time it didn''t get anything and exerted itself for nothing."


    While it was impossible to fully confirm in the heat of battle, Kasandra''s hypothesis was indeed correct. The queen energy lifeform was desperate and launching strikes that heavily ate away at its stores of power.


    Fierce though its assault was, using such a move would quickly deplete its life-force and leave it at death''s door without even taking a single hit.


    Still, the queen could not simply sit back and let its spawn do all the fighting for it. Not when so many powerful enemies had appeared to kill it not long after it arrived in this system.


    "It''s released some sort of low frequency wave. Whoa! All of the energy lifeforms are converging towards it.


    The usually mindless swarm that simply sought out the nearest energy source heeded their leader''s call to return. Likely they could not receive detailed orders, but moving to protect their queen was something that was only natural for such creatures.


    Naturally, the other squads that had been fighting the now fleeing energy lifeforms were in pursuit of their quarry, but squad one and the remains of squad four were about to be caught in a pincer attack. With the queen and her protectors in front of them, and the rest of the swarm coming in from every other direction.


    "It''s tough fighting against opponents willing to sacrifice themselves." Avery groaned as he weaved through energy lifeforms trying to ram him and fired a volley of blasts in return.


    So long as the queen survived, it did not matter how many of her spawn were lost. If it took even a hundred of them to bring down a single spacecraft, that was enough to make their sacrifices worth it.


    "Specter, I want you to make a path to escape. Dauntless cover our rear." Captain Ais said, trying to get squad one and four out of the encirclement closing in on them.


    A few of their ranks were unable to join the formation in time and were torn apart by the energy lifeforms.


    It was a disheartening and stomach-churning sight, but this too was part of being a mercenary.


    Firing missiles with abandon, Avery kept the small and medium energy lifeforms from closing in while his squad tried to escape and regroup with the other members of their strike force.


    "Avery, we''re going to run out of ammunition at this rate!"


    "I know. But the EMP blaster''s rate of fire isn''t fast enough to handle this many, and the laser cannons don''t do enough damage."


    Protecting the others as they retreated turned out to be a more difficult task than anticipated. Being the nearest energy source, every single one of the energy lifeforms chasing after squad one and four targeted the Dauntless.


    Of course, they were the only ones with the necessary firepower to have any hope of holding off so many enemies.


    At the very least, the four star mercenary Ezra was doing his part just as well and leading the charge through the energy lifeforms returning to their queen. If either side were to falter, they would start to be picked off one by one.


    Except, the small and medium energy lifeforms were not the only threat that Avery and Kasandra had to deal with.


    The proactive queen was closing in on them, and the readings from the Dauntless'' sensors showed that she was about to deploy her energy spike attack again.

 Chapter 52 - 52 Desperate Situation

    Chapter 52: Chapter 52 Desperate SituationFrantically, Avery fired the Dauntless'' thruster to put some space between him and the queen energy lifeform.


    If he took a direct hit from multiple of its energy spikes, then even his ship was going to end up looking like a pin cushion.


    Thankfully, with Kasandra''s earlier warning, and his concertation fully devoted to evasion, Avery was able to weave through the attack and avoid all but a glancing blow.


    Still, even just that was enough to take ten percent off the Dauntless'' shields. By far the biggest hit they had they had taken so far.


    "We''ve gotten too low. I''m deploying a shield cell." Kasandra called out.


    Over the course of the battle, they had taken several hits, and their main source of protection was beginning to get whittled down.


    With that last attack from the queen, it was enough to put them in the danger zone and in need of replenishing the shields.


    "There are eight medium energy lifeforms closing in. Watch out."


    Reacting to this warning just in time, Avery maneuvered the ship erratically as a barrage of energy blasts came flying towards them.


    Soon they were cut off from the rest of the retreating squad and left in the middle of the energy lifeform swarm by themselves.


    "I didn''t want to use them but load the first phasic torpedo and get the last one ready to fire immediately after. We''re blowing our way out of here." Avery ordered as he continued to dodge.


    Having Kasandra''s support was really helping him out in this moment. Even just the simple action of preparing his trump card would have left him too vulnerable in this instance. Without someone else to assist him, Avery would have been in serious trouble right now.


    When the first phasic torpedo was ready, Avery wasted no time firing it off towards the medium energy lifeforms attacking him.


    Currently, their ceaseless bombardment was the biggest threat. No matter how well Avery initiated evasive maneuvers, some of the blasts hit and drained the Dauntless'' shields.


    The torpedo struck true. Appearing to be swallowed by the middle energy lifeform, before exploding in a brilliant burst that consumed them all.


    "And this one is for you, your majesty." Avery said sardonically as he rapidly turned his ship around and launched his final phasic torpedo at the queen energy lifeform.


    It flew at a breakneck speed towards her, leaving a trail of light in its wake.


    Yet, the powerful projectile never reached its intended target.


    A mass of fast-moving small energy lifeforms intercepted the torpedo and blocked it with their own bodies.


    The enormous explosion still lit up the system like a sudden emergence or a new star, but it failed to reach the queen. Instead, taking out hundreds of her dwindling spawn.


    "Not the outcome I was hoping for, but it will have to do."


    Having created enough space for his own escape, Avery turned to follow the path that the first and fourth squads had used to break out of the energy lifeform''s encirclement.


    Before he got far, though, Kasandra received a worrying signal from the sensors and warned Avery about the approaching danger.


    Passing through the blast left behind by the phasic torpedo, the queen energy lifeform barreled directly for the Dauntless.


    She was intent on destroying the hateful creatures that had foiled her plans and led to the deaths of so many of the children she had pianistically spawned to protect herself.


    Avery pushed the thrusters while dodging a rain of energy spears flying towards him.


    He attempted to fire back with his EMP blaster and the last five missiles in the ammunition bay, but the queen simply had too much vitality to be brough down by a single small ship that no longer possessed its most powerful weapon.


    "Sh*t." Avery yelled as he was forced to twist his ship around to avoid slamming into a horde of small energy life forms that had moved to block his way.


    This momentary loss of speed proved to be the deciding factor in Avery''s made rush to escape.


    The queen, having doggedly pursued him, finally caught up. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Avery!" Kasandra shouted just moments before they were swallowed by the queen''s energy field.


    Instantly alarms started blaring, and Avery watched the gauge displaying the shield''s current strength going down at a disconcerting rate.


    If there was any consolation, it was that they had not died immediately. The Dauntless'' defenses were strong enough to keep them alive for at least a couple dozen seconds, even when fully engulfed by the strongest energy lifeform.


    All around them, the viewscreen displayed an endless orange glow. Their sensors could only pick up the tremendous energy surrounding them and had no way to detect anything outside.


    With only certain death awaiting them if they stayed put, Avery sent full power to the thrusters and tried to leave the confines of the queen''s energy field before it was too late.


    Yet, the space monster was not about to let them go so easily. Whichever way Avery tried to go; she followed to keep the Dauntless inside of her so that she could sap away its power.


    Soon, Kasandra had to deploy their second shield cell to prevent their imminent destruction. Leaving them only one left, and very little time to come up with a plan.


    "Kasandra, can you tell which direction the greatest source of energy is coming from?" Avery asked, his mind racing to figure a way out of this mess.


    "Probably, but why? We need to get out, not go deeper in." Kasandra responded, flustered.


    "Just do it! I don''t have time to explain."


    Biting her lower lip in frustration, Kasandra did as she was told. Before leaving on this mission, she had told Avery that she trusted him. And now was the time to prove it.


    Once the path was determined, Avery turned the Dauntless around and flew deeper into the queen energy lifeform.


    The pressure on their shields increased as they went, but it was simply something that they would have to deal with.


    "I''m deploying the final shield cell. I hope whatever its is your trying to do works."


    "So do I." Avery said, both fear and determination in his eyes.

 Chapter 53 Unyielding

    Avery found his target at the center of the queen energy lifeform.


    Its crystalline core, and true body, was about six meters in diameter and was giving off an enormous amount of power.


    The pressure being this close to the source of the powerful space monster¡¯s energy shell was straining the Dauntless¡¯ shields, and Avery could see them rapidly depleting on the console in front of him.


    "Let this work!"


    Pressing down on the trigger, Avery fired the Aida EMP Mk VII at its maximum rate directly towards the Queen¡¯s core.


    When the first shot hit, a horrid screech resounded from the creature.


    Avery winced at the sound that felt like it was being directed directly into his mind, and Kasandra folded her ears over her head and covered them with her hands.


    Still, despite how uncomfortable the screeching was and the sudden violent rocking of the ship, Avery never let up on firing. At this point, their only chance of survival was to kill the queen energy lifeform that had engulfed them.


    With one eye focused on his aim and the other on shield strength, Avery fought back with everything he had.


    ¡¯Only fifteen percent left!¡¯ He thought, the end coming closer and closer. Once the Dauntless¡¯ shields failed, the outer plating would only protect them for a few seconds at best. Then they would be vaporized.


    Yet, right as the shields dipped down below ten percent, the queen energy lifeform let out a truly anguished cry.


    A moment later, everything went silent, and the powerful energy field around them began to dissipate.


    The ever-present orange glow that had surrounded them slowly vanished, and Avery and Kasandra were able to see normal space around them again.


    "We¡¯re alive." Kasandra muttered in disbelief.


    "WERE ALIVE!"


    Reality setting in, she jumped out of her seat and threw her arms around Avery. Feeling an unfathomable sense of gratitude for having survived such a harrowing battle.


    However, things were not over just yet.


    While the queen had perished, the other energy lifeforms she had spawned were still alive, and hundreds of them dotted the Dauntless¡¯ view screen.


    Yet, as Avery and Kasandra got ready for a grueling fight with their shields barely holding out, something unusual caught their attention.


    Though the energy lifeforms were alive, they had become completely inert. Originally being part of the queen, they had lost all ability to function now that it was dead. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Dauntless, come in. Are you alright, and what happened?"


    Avery and Kasandra were brought out of their daze when they received a sudden transmission from Captain Ais.


    Without delay, they responded and sent over the data the Dauntless¡¯ sensors had recorded during their time inside the queen¡¯s energy shell.


    "What the hell! This is insane!"


    On the other end of the call, Captain Ais momentarily lost his composure when he skimmed the information he had received. It all seemed preposterous. After being consumed by the queen energy lifeform, Avery had miraculous killed it before being destroyed. A feat that was practically unbelievable.


    Nevertheless, it was impossible to dispute the results. Several mercenaries and even a couple of the Alliance Police officers had seen the Dauntless get engulfed.


    With the queen dead and Avery and Kasandra having survived, there was only one reasonable outcome.


    Unfortunately, this brough with it its own problems.


    A single mercenary ship with a crew of only two had singlehandedly brought down the queen energy lifeform. Something that no one in the Alliance Police had figured would be possible.


    Originally, they were supposed to bring it down with a concentrated bombardment from every vessel in the strike force after all of the other energy lifeforms were taken out.


    This would have made eliminating the final boss a joint effort. Keeping everyone¡¯s achievements relatively the same.


    Now, however, only two mercenaries could claim that honor, and since they used an EMP weapon to kill the monster, its rare and valuable core belonged solely to them.


    "And how are we going to count the remining ones that are floating around harmlessly? Will those be considered their kills as well?" Captain Ais grumbled, a headache coming on as he imagined all of the paperwork and reports to his superior he was going to have to do.


    In his distressed state, the top officer in charge of the entire mission had forgotten to mute the call with the Dauntless. Allowing Avery and Kasandra to hear everything he said.


    "I¡¯d recommend we throw a bone to the other mercenaries. We¡¯ve already earned enough already and don¡¯t want any unwanted resentment coming our way because we took too much of the pay."


    Avery nodded his head and agreed with Kasandra¡¯s advisement. While it was no fault of their own that they had eliminated so many energy lifeforms, some of the mercenaries might hold it against them for taking all the prey.


    "Captain, why don¡¯t you equally distribute the remaining energy lifeforms equally among the other mercs. Those with EMP weapons can then go around disrupting their energy shells and collecting the cores." Avery said to the still muttering officer.


    Captain Ais was naturally surprised to hear Avery¡¯s voice and soon realized his blunder.


    Still, he happily accepted the generous offer, and along with his officers, started ordering the wrap up of the battle.


    "Looks like we¡¯re going to be here a while." Avery muttered.


    "Yeah, we can¡¯t leave until we¡¯ve made sure the system is cleared, and repair craft come to fix the ships that are too damaged to enter hyperspace. No man left behind after all." Kasandra responded.


    The battle had been especially fierce, and the two of them were not the only ones to get into trouble.


    Around a fifth of their force had been destroyed, and dozens that had made it through did so with heavy damage to their vessels. Proof of how dangerous mercenary work truly was.


    At the very least, the Dauntless managed to pull through without too much trouble.


    Other than their dangerous low shield output, only the Aida EMP MK VII was a problem. Firing it so rapidly at the end had overheated it and warped some of the key components and left it unable to function.


    "They¡¯re going to take repair costs for it out of our pay, aren¡¯t they?" Avery said solemnly.


    "Yeah, I expect so. That weapon was only on loan to us." Kasandra shrugged her shoulders and agreed with Avery¡¯s assessment.


    Of course, using it in such a reckless way had been their only chance of success. Losing out on a small portion of their reward was an inconsequential price to pay considering the alternative.

 Chapter 54 Assistance from Behind the Scenes

    While Avery and Kasandra were still off in the Prazan System wrapping up the energy lifeform emergency, certain machinations were moving forward back on Yuson II.


    "Sir, what¡¯s the meaning of this?"


    Having stormed into her superior¡¯s office, Sergeant Jasmine Iralus was visibly upset. When she had been reviewing files on the case surrounding Avery and the ship he found, SCXD-011, the data had suddenly been restricted and subsequently erased.


    When she searched for where the orders for this had come from, she found that it led back to her captain.


    "Oh, had you still been working on that?" Captain Varnas said disinterestedly. "I suppose the order to have it expunged from our records came before the one meant for you."


    Jasmine was visibly confused, but Varnas elaborated and gave her the order she was soon to receive in person. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Sergeant Iralus, you are hereby ordered to cease investigation on case number 1384917 and turn over all relevant materials. I believe that you have the data you downloaded from the ships relating to the person of interest in this case on an external drive. From both the one he sold and the one he is currently in possession of."


    Nodding her head, Jasmine acknowledged that she had indeed created backups for the information pertaining to the deaths of seven Storren Corp. employees. One of which was most likely the murderer of the other six.


    She had taken particular interest in this case because she knew from the start that it was the type that could easily get twisted by outside influence. This went against Jasmine¡¯s personal code. She had become a police officer because she believed in upholding law and justice. Some even called her naive for these views.


    "Sir, this case was brought to us by a citizen of this station. It should wholly be in our jurisdiction to handle. Why is everything being erased like it never happened?"


    Captain Varnas sighed before responding.


    "Orders from above. Apparently, evidence that the crime originated in another sector has come to light, and the deputy chief in charge there is having the case transferred over. It¡¯s hardly a matter worth getting upset over. You¡¯ve got other more pressing things to work on. Let them handle that headache."


    "But sir-"


    "Enough Sergeant! You¡¯ve received your orders. Now I want those external drives handed over directly to me. You¡¯re to have nothing else to do with this matter. Am I clear?"


    "Understood." Jasmine responded bitterly.


    As she was about to leave, Captain Varnas called in another sergeant to essentially escort her to retrieve the drives. He knew that this business stunk just as much as Jasmine did, but he had been offered a recommendation for promotion if he eased the transfer of jurisdiction. Something he was not going to pass up on. Especially since disagreeing would make the enemy of a rising start deputy chief.


    When she left her superior¡¯s office, one of his most trusted lapdogs, Sergeant Reus Putain was waiting outside to meet her.


    "It¡¯s been too long, Jasmine. How have you been doing?"


    Fighting to keep her lips from twisting into a grimace, she replied, "I¡¯ve been well for the most part, Putain. And I believe that I asked you to stay professional when we are in the office and call me by my last name."


    "Oh, don¡¯t be like that, Jasmine. We¡¯ve known each other since basic training." Putain said, moving closer to Jasmine. Uncomfortably so in her opinion.


    While Reus was an exemplary sergeant who led his squad of officers well and often competed for the spot of most closed cases with Jasmine, he had a certain reputation.


    It was basically an open secret that he was extremely promiscuous. To the point that him sleeping with a certain lieutenant was rumored to be what had gotten him to his current position.


    Obviously, Jasmine was quite attractive and had been in his sights since they first met. Though she had never gone along with any of his advances. At the very least, he was not the type to try and coerce others with status or intimation, so he never took things too far. He prided himself on his looks and charms, so stooping to other methods to get what he wanted would go against his pride.


    Still, he liked to act overly familiar, as if he could wear her down. Likely because he had done so in the past.


    "I don¡¯t really need an escort to go and retrieve a few data drives from my quarters." Jasmine complained, hoping to get Reus to let her go the rest of the way on her own.


    "Sorry, captain¡¯s orders. Plus, I¡¯ve always wondered what your room looks like."


    Holding in a disgruntled sigh, Jasmine racked her brain for some way to prevent the worst from happening. She could see the writing on the wall. Avery was going to get blamed for a crime he did not commit. Just so that some greedy executive from Storren Corp. could get their hands back on the property they lost.


    However, what she did not know what that it was actually an entirely unrelated third party that initiated this set up. Of course, Storren Corp. were more than happy to go along if it meant retrieving their experimental vessel.


    ¡¯I promised him that I¡¯d make sure the law was followed. Nothing linking him to the crime came up in my investigation. He physically could not have taken part since he was on this station when the initial crime was committed. I can¡¯t let him be accused of something he didn¡¯t do.¡¯


    Eventually, Jasmine came up with a plan to help Avery out. It would be going against orders and technically illegal, but she felt that committing a far lesser evil to prevent a total miscarriage of justice was acceptable under the circumstances.


    Still, she needed to stall for time and get away from her chaperone for a couple of minutes.


    Fortunately, they passed by a certain facility that would allow her the perfect excuse. Although it would be a bit embarrassing. Especially considering who she was with.

 Chapter 55 Assistance from Behind the Scenes (2)

    "Putain, if you would wait for a few moments, there is something that I need to take care of." Jasmine said, coming to a stop.


    Her colleague looked confused momentarily, until he saw the direction she was looking.


    Off to their left was one of the many restrooms throughout the building.


    "Couldn¡¯t you wait just a little bit? I¡¯m sure you would prefer using the facility in your own room rather than a public one. Plus, I¡¯d like to finish up with the captain¡¯s orders already. There are other things I need to do today."


    "Actually, I would like to freshen up before arriving at my quarters." Jasmine responded, doing her best to not gag as she attempted to make it seem like she was interested in her fellow sergeant.


    Fortunately, even her bad acting was enough to shift his mindset from his orders to his preferred pastime. Particularly because it was Jasmine. Someone he had been trying to get with for years without any success.


    "Okay, take all the time you need. I doubt the captain will notice if we¡¯re gone for a bit longer."


    As Jasmine retreated into the women¡¯s restroom, Reus had a particularly unsettling grin on his face. It was clear he was thinking about only one thing thanks to only the slightest implication.


    "Ugh, just having to pretend even a little makes me feel sick. Hopefully this works out."


    The moment she was safely inside a private stall that was soundproofed, Jasmine pulled out her terminal and made a call to her closest friend.


    "Come on. Pick up already, Brooke."


    A few moments later, the line was connected, and a groggy voice came from the other side.


    "Jasmine, why are you calling me while I¡¯m trying to sleep? You know that I¡¯ve been working nights for the last month since my supervisor caught me watching surveillance footage of people tripping or spilling things on themselves. What¡¯s the problem with getting some laughs out of someone¡¯s minor misfortune anyway." Brooke said while yawning loudly.


    "I know, but this is important. I need you to go to my quarters and copy the information from a few external drives. And do it without leaving a trace if you can."


    Hearing the seriousness in her friend¡¯s voice, Brooke fully woke up. Like Jasmine, she worked for the Alliance Police, though she was an analyst, not an officer.


    "How long do I have?" Brooke asked, already getting up and putting on some clothes since she had been sleeping in her underwear.


    "A few minutes at most. Plus, you can¡¯t be caught inside. Putain is escorting me to retrieve the drives under the captain¡¯s orders."


    "Wait! You¡¯re going rogue?


    "Yes. The captain is willing to roll over and let someone who is innocent take the fall for something he they didn¡¯t do. Even if it¡¯s against orders, I¡¯m not going to let that happen."


    Jasmine then swiftly explained the entire situation to her friend.


    "Sounds like you¡¯re really serious about this. Never thought I¡¯d see the day you went against orders." Brooke said with a slight chuckle.


    She was no stranger to breaking minor rules. That¡¯s what had gotten her into her current trouble. And while she normally would not do something quite so serious, she was willing to do so for her best friend.


    "If we get fired for this, you¡¯d better help me fine a new job."


    "Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t get caught. I¡¯m counting on your exceptional technological skills to keep anyone from finding out."


    "Great. Thanks for saddling me with all the work." Brooke said sarcastically.


    "Hey, I¡¯ve got my own struggles to deal with. I¡¯m going to have to distract Putain to give as much time as I can."


    "Well, just don¡¯t do anything you¡¯ll regret."


    With that, Brooke ended the call and left her own quarters and rushed to Jasmine¡¯s.


    Sitting alone in the restroom, Jasmine racked her mind with ways to stall Putain.


    There was one obvious method that he would almost certainly be more than willing to jump on, but she had no intention of doing so. There were some lines she was not willing to cross even for her own sense of justice.


    Obviously, she could simply continue staying in the bathroom, but there was the possibility that Reus might get fed up with waiting and get another female officer to accompany him to her quarters. The captain obviously wanted this evidence and would be willing to go around her to get it if she was clearly trying to get in the way.


    This predicament almost made her wish that her residence was off base, though, if it was, then she never would have been able to bring evidence home with her. The only reason she could get away with it was because her room was still technically inside the building.


    Once she had spent what she figured was the longest acceptable time in the restroom, Jasmine exited the facility to find an annoyed looking Putain still waiting for her.


    Thankfully, she had made sure to apply a bit more makeup and put her hair up to make it seem like she had been, "freshening up" as she had initially said.


    This served as a decent enough distraction, and she could feel her colleague looking her up and down.


    "Well, shall we get back to it." Putain said in an insinuating manner.


    "Yes, let¡¯s go and retrieve those drives."


    Walking as slowly as she could without arousing suspicion, Jasmine led the way to her quarters.


    Along the way, whenever they crossed paths with anyone, she would make sure to stop for a few moments to greet and speak with them. These little interactions only lasted a dozen seconds at most, but every little bit of time she could give Brooke mattered.


    Eventually, they turned the corner of the hallway where Jasmine¡¯s room was located.


    Yet, their timing was extraordinarily poor.


    Brooke was just exiting the room, a suspiciously bulky bag filled with technical equipment over her shoulders.


    Having rounded the corner first, Jasmine quickly thought of a way to prevent Putain from seeing Brooke. If he did, there was no doubt he would become suspicious and the data she had copied would be confiscated.


    "Oops."


    The first thing that came to her mind was to pretend to drop her terminal.


    She then bent down in a truly awkward way that made a certain part of her body more prominent.


    Luckily, her distraction worked wonders. Putain¡¯s eyes were glued to her backside. Giving Brooke enough time to sneak out without being seen.


    Of course, she was still in the middle of a long hallway, but she simply turned around and made it look like she was simply walking this way to reach some other destination.


    "Oh, Brooke. What are you doing here?" Jasmine said, trying to make it sound as if seeing her here was completely unexpected.


    "I just woke up and was feeling a bit hungry. So, I¡¯m heading for the commissary to get a little snack." S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That actually sounds nice. If you don¡¯t mind waiting for me, I¡¯d like to go with you."


    The two girls happily made plans as if it was a coincidence that they had just crossed each other¡¯s paths.


    All the while, Putain¡¯s lips twisted into a frown when he realized any chance of something happening between him and Jasmine was no longer possible. Not that it ever actually had been.


    After that, Jasmine swiftly collected the data drive and handed it over.


    Once he had checked its contents to make sure that this was what Captain Varnas was looking for, and that there were no apparent signs it had been copied, he turned around and made his way back to his superior.


    "You sure it¡¯s alright to not go with him?" Brooke asked.


    "Yeah, the captain just wants those drives. It won¡¯t matter if I¡¯m there or not." Jasmine replied.


    With the information pertaining to Avery¡¯s case secured, the two of them headed to the commissary as planned. No point in possibly arousing suspicions. There was no need to do anything right at the moment.


    ¡­


    For the next few days, both Jasmine and Brooke went about their days without any break in their routine.


    Then finally, when they had some time off together, they traveled far from the police station they worked at, to a small hideaway of a local band of criminals that had recently been abandoned after they were arrested.


    "Looks like their systems are still up and running. I can upload the information here and make it impossible to be traced back to us." Brooke said confidently. "But are you sure you want to do this? There won¡¯t be going back once it¡¯s out there."


    While no concrete evidence would link Jasmine to the leaked data, there was little doubt she would be suspected.


    Still, after coming this far, backing down was hardly an option. If she did, facts were going to be twisted to suit Storren Corp.¡¯s desires. She was confident that they would be willing to see thousands of people rotting in prison under false charges if it saw the SCXD-011 returned to them.


    "Yeah, go ahead and do it. Once the evidence is spread online, it will serve as absolute proof that Avery Asteria couldn¡¯t have been involved. I gave my word that I¡¯d see the law upheld, and if this is the only way to do so, then so be it." Jasmine said, wearing a determined expression.


    Seeing how serious her friend was, Brooke uploaded the information to a few popular sites connected to Yuson II¡¯s internet. Before long, it would spread and become impossible to be completely erased. There would be no way to believably manufacture evidence against Avery now.

 Chapter 56 Finishing Up in the Prazan System

    "That¡¯s the last one."


    After fully sweeping through the Prazan System and the surrounding area to make sure that there were not any other energy lifeforms lurking around, Avery and Kasandra had gone around collecting their spoils.


    In total, they had eliminated four hundred seventy-nine energy lifeforms. With all but fourteen having been small ones.


    "It¡¯s too bad that we only got two of the thirteen medium sized cores." Kasandra said, looking over the list of cores they had recovered.


    "Well, we did obtain the queen¡¯s, and that thing is bound to be worth a lot. Plus, over three hundred small cores. I think we¡¯re going to be making it out of this with quite the earnings."


    While it had certainly been dangerous for a bit, there was no questioning the gains they had made.


    Each of the small energy lifeforms had been worth one thousand five hundred Krenin, and the medium ones twenty-five thousand.


    That put their kill bonus alone over a million Krenin. Plus, there was no doubt that the Alliance Police would figure out some sort of reward for them taking down the queen on their own.


    "You did have to use those phasic torpedoes though. Currently, you can¡¯t replenish them."


    Avery could only nod his head and purse his lips at this.


    The Alliance Police had agreed to once again reimburse him for any expended ammunition, but that did not mean they would replace them.


    During his first encounter with the energy lifeforms, he had needed to fire one, and naturally, the accounting department had been none too thrilled to hear that it was necessary to pay him back for such an expensive weapon.


    In the end, it had been decided that he would be paid the price the Alliance Police spent when buying phasic torpedoes in bulk. Which came out to around five hundred seventy thousand Krenin. A far lower value than their typical eight hundred thousand price tag when purchased individually.


    Of course, at this point, Avery was unable to replace them even if he had enough funds.


    Phasic torpedoes were not the kind of weapon the Dramid Alliance wanted ending up in the wrong hands. Only trusted five star and above mercenaries could buy them.


    "Well, those aren¡¯t the kinds of things that need to be fired very often. I¡¯m honestly surprised that I¡¯ve already gone through my entire supply. But I¡¯m sure that we can obtain more eventually." Avery said, looking to the future.


    It would certainly take some time, but he did aspire to join the ranks of the elites and become a five star mercenary himself. He possessed a good enough ship and training from a competent veteran already. What he lacked right now was simply time and experience.


    "At the rate you¡¯re going, yeah, I could see a promotion to five star not too far in the future. I mean, the Alliance Police have already been treating you like an upper rank already. They don¡¯t hand out personal requests with such good terms very often." Kasandra said, a hint of pride and envy in her eyes.


    She was ecstatic to be a part of Avery¡¯s crew and getting to join him as his renown grew, but a part of her wished that she had received such recognition when she was still piloting a vessel of her own.


    Still, she could not turn back the clock and was more than happy with her current situation. In fact, if given the chance to do it all over again, she honestly might not change a thing. It had been a long time since she was as happy as she was now.


    With all of the energy lifeforms¡¯ cores collected, Avery and Kasandra simply sat back and waited.


    Right now, repair vessels from the Alliance Police were working on getting the damaged ships back in working order.


    Unfortunately, the work was going slowly since only small class craft could reach the system quickly. Meaning no larger vessels with full repair facilities that smaller ships could dock in would be arriving for quite some time.


    At the very least, there were only a handful of mercenaries that needed such extensive help. Most of them would be ready to go again in a couple of days.


    "Since it seems like we¡¯ve got some time, do you mind if I go and try on some of the clothes I purchased before we got caught up in this mess?"


    "Oh, yeah. Sure, go ahead. I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be anything to worry about at this point." Avery replied, remembering that Kasandra had only been wearing three outfits, one of which were her pajamas, since ending up as part of his crew.


    Obviously, she had been keeping everything clean by washing the articles she was not wearing, but it was undoubtably tedious to have so few clothes. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When she had taken care of resupplying the Dauntless, however, she had ordered several personal items as well. Yet only now did she really have time to collect the items that had been sitting in the cargo hold.


    For around the next two hours, Avery simply amused himself with games and books he had downloaded on his terminal. The fast-paced excitement of battle had ended, and now he was simply waiting around with nothing much to do.


    Except, something far more interesting than anything he had on his terminal was about to walk in.


    As the doors to the cockpit opened, Avery naturally turned around to greet Kasandra but was left in stunned silence once again by her appearance.


    This time, though, it was nothing as tame as a long shirt that sat above her knees.


    Kasandra was wearing incredibly risqu¨¦ lingerie. Truthfully, it left little up to the imagination.


    "How do I look?" Kasandra asked, doing her best to act bold and hide the embarrassment she was feeling from doing something so daring.


    "Stunning." Was the only response Avery could give.


    This led to them both blushing heavily and fidgeting around somewhat awkwardly.


    Still, Avery forced himself to recover swiftly. So far, it had been Kasandra making all of the advances. On his pride as a man, he needed to take the lead now.


    Without saying anything else, he walked over and picked Kasandra up so that he was carrying her like a princess.


    With her so close, he could feel the heat from her body and the accelerated thumping of her heart.


    It was not long before the two of them were on Avery¡¯s bed and embracing each other. Allowing passion to take over once more.

 Chapter 57 Family’s Fate

    The Dauntless exited hyperspace along with the rest of the strike force that had been sent out to eliminate the energy lifeforms before they became a major threat.


    Their numbers were fewer than what they had initially set out with, but their mission had been successful.


    "You¡¯re all now free to go about your business as you please. The Alliance Police will make sure to have all of your rewards sent to the Mercenary Association within the next three days. And for those that went above and beyond to prove their valor, expect to receive special accolades." Captain Ais said to every mercenary that had been temporarily under his command.


    Now that their contract was over, all of the mercenaries headed off to their own desired station in the system.


    Most went to Yuson Prime or Yuson II, but a few headed off to smaller and less populated outposts scattered throughout the system.


    Avery naturally set a course for his home. The place he had been raised since he was born, and where his parents were waiting for him.


    "Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine. I¡¯m sure that good news is waiting for you." Kasandra said reassuringly. She had noticed that Avery was looking nervous.


    His father¡¯s life was up in the air. While incredibly unlikely there was a chance that the regenerative treatments failed, and he would soon pass away.


    "You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t let myself think the worst. Especially since I¡¯m the one that told my mother not to worry."


    After only a few minutes of light speed travel, they reached the vicinity of Yuson II and sent a docking request.


    However, as they were already within range of the station¡¯s internal communication network, Avery sent a transmission to his mother to inform her that he had returned.


    Not even a minute later, he found that she was calling him.


    "Avery, I¡¯m so glad to see you alive! I¡¯d heard that there were casualties in the battle with those space monsters you went to fight, and I was afraid something might have happened to you."


    Immediately his mother started going on about how worried she was about him. Wishing that he would send her a hyperspace transmission earlier so that she did not have to wonder whether he was okay or not.


    "I get it mom. I¡¯ll make sure to keep you updated in the future. I suppose a part of me still thinks like I need to be saving every Krenin I can. But the cost of a few hyperspace messages isn¡¯t too much for me now. I promise to keep in touch going forward." Avery said to pacify his concerned mother.


    Once he had gotten her to calm down, he finally brought up the topic of his father. From the way his mother was acting, he figured it went well, but he wanted to know for sure.


    "Oh, that¡¯s right. You left right as he was being treated. Well, it went perfectly. He¡¯s still resting in recovery, but the doctor said his lungs and spine will be as good as new. After a month of physical therapy, he should be able to walk again without any assistance."


    There were some tears in Avery¡¯s mother¡¯s eyes as she relayed the good news to him. Causing Avery¡¯s own eyes to get a bit watery. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sitting next to him, Kasandra lovingly rubbed him on the shoulder and gave him a bright smile. Sharing in the happiness of his own good fortune.


    "Ah, mom, that reminds me. I¡¯ve got someone I want you to meet. Once we¡¯ve docked, I¡¯ll introduce you to my first and only crewmember."


    Obviously, his mother was both surprised and excited to hear that her son had someone to rely on when he was out traversing space and fighting dangerous enemies.


    "It¡¯s been so long since we¡¯ve had any guests over. Oh, I¡¯m going to need to tidy up. And should I go out and buy some better food capsules."


    Avery¡¯s mother began to fret on the other end of the line as she started busily rushing around to prepare for Kasandra¡¯s arrival.


    Seeing that she was going to be making herself busy for a bit, Avery ended the call. It would not be too much longer until they were face to face again anyway.


    "She seems sweet. I can¡¯t wait to meet her. But are you going to just introduce me as a member of your crew, or something more." Kasandra said while pouting cutely.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Of course I plan on telling her about us. I simply wanted to do it in person than over a call. Things would have become far more chaotic had I."


    Nodding her head at Avery¡¯s response, Kasandra leaned over and gave him a slight kiss on the cheek.


    Not long after, they received permission to enter the colony¡¯s public hanger and allowed the ship¡¯s auto docker to bring them in.


    "Do you think this will be nice enough?"


    From the moment they had landed, Kasandra had put on several different outfits and asked for Avery¡¯s opinion on them.


    Naturally, he had told her that everything she had tried on so far looked nice, but she insisted that she had to make the right first impression with his mother.


    Eventually, she decided on a light blue blouse and white skirt. Though she still had a laser pistol attached to a belt at her waist which looked slightly out of place in her more casual clothing.


    After a quick trip on the electromagnetic tram and a short walk, the two of them were standing just outside the building his parents lived in.


    Using the panel outside, Avery registered Kasandra as his guests, and once the system finished a background check on her, they were allowed in.


    "This place is pretty nice, and it¡¯s got good security." Kasandra said approvingly.


    While they were inside, they had been forced to leave their weapons in a secure locker and only those that were approved could enter.


    "Yeah, its safe, but its pricey, and the rooms are a bit small. Still, it¡¯s not a bad place to live." Avery said as they entered the elevator.


    A short while later, they were let off on the thirteenth floor where his parents¡¯ apartment was located.


    With familiarity, Avery walked to the nineth door on the floor and placed his hand on the panel outside of it.


    As soon as it confirmed his identity, the door slid open with an audible whoosh. Revealing the inside of his parents¡¯ home.

 Chapter 58 A Mother’s Scrutiny

    The moment that Avery and Kasandra walked into the apartment, Avery¡¯s mother was waiting to greet them.


    But as she was opening her mouth to speak, she noticed Kasandra and the words stayed stuck in her throat.


    When Avery had mentioned a crewmember, this was not what she was expecting. Particularly because he had a beautiful girl standing beside him at an obviously intimate distance. Someone would have to be blind not to see what sort of relationship they had.


    "Mom, I¡¯d like to introduce you to Kasandra. She a fellow mercenary and member of my crew, as well as my girlfriend." Avery said, starting the conversation upon seeing that his mother had frozen up.


    Fortunately, this snapped her out of her daze, and she put on a somewhat forced smile.


    "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kasandra. I¡¯m Avery¡¯s mother, Serena."


    Kasandra returned the greeting as politely as she could manage, and the three of them moved from the small front entrance into the dining slash living area.


    However, before he could even sit down, his mother gave Avery a task.


    "Avery, would you mind heading to your old room and packing up the heavier medical equipment in there? Now that your father no longer needs them, we¡¯ll be returning them to the rental agency. No point in paying for an unnecessary expense after all."


    An eyebrow raised, finding the timing of this request to be a bit unusual, Avery nevertheless did as his mother asked.


    "Why don¡¯t I help as well. I may not look it, but I¡¯m pretty strong." Kasandra said, exaggeratedly flexing one of her biceps.


    Yet, as she moved to follow Avery, Serena stopped her.


    "Oh, no. I can¡¯t let you do that. You¡¯re a guest here. Just make yourself comfortable on the couch and I¡¯ll bring you something to drink. Then we can talk, woman to woman."


    Feeling the subtle pressure coming from Serena, Kasandra turned towards Avery with a pleading look in her eyes.


    Except, he turned around like he had not seen her plea for help and headed off towards his old room to do as he was told. If there was one person he could never win against, it was his mother. Just this once, he would be unable to protect Kasandra.


    Her face twisting into a look of betrayal, Kasandra could only watch as Avery left her behind.


    "Now, why don¡¯t you tell me how the two of you met?" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With an audible gulp, Kasandra began recounting her first encounter with Avery and how later he saved her life when she was mere moments away from death.


    Thankfully, the more she explained and the longer they talked, the more Serena warmed up to her.


    At first, Avery¡¯s mother was wondering if the young woman in her son¡¯s company might have seduced him as part of some plan to exploit him.


    Despite having only been active for a short while, Avery was already starting to build up a reputation as an up-and-coming mercenary that was bringing in a staggering amount of Krenin. To the point that some of Serena¡¯s less than cordial coworkers had been trying to probe her for his earnings.


    "The way you two met was like something out of a holonovel. Saved from dire parrel by a dashing hero. I can see why you would fall for my Avery."


    Kasandra was grateful that Avery¡¯s mother no longer seemed suspicious of her now, but she was still a little embarrassed by how she was gushing over how Avery rescued her.


    Of course, that single event was the beginning of how she started to develop feelings for him. What woman, who was not already in a committed relationship, would not try to pursue someone that risked themselves for no gain just to protect them.


    "Now, I don¡¯t think Avery¡¯s the kind of man to do so, but he¡¯s not pressuring you into something that you don¡¯t want to do right? I¡¯ve certainly heard rumors about some mercenaries extracting a certain payment from women that end up on their ships for one reason or another." Serena said, wanting to make sure that it was not her son taking advantage of Kasandra now that she knew he held a position of power over her.


    "Absolutely not! He¡¯s been a perfect gentleman. Truthfully, I¡¯m the one that made the first move."


    Kasandra¡¯s bashful confession brought a snicker out of Avery¡¯s mother. She had somewhat purposefully been trying to fluster Kasandra so that she could get a better read on the woman that had become her son¡¯s partner.


    Fortunately, she could easily recognize the signs of a woman in love. If Kasandra was the conniving type, she would have needed to be an exceptional actress to pull off such a fa?ade.


    It was not long after Serena had finished probing Kasandra¡¯s intention that Avery came back.


    "Okay mom, I¡¯ve packed everything up. Will I need to take it back rental company, or is someone going to pick it up?" Avery asked, wanting to get ahead of any assignment his mother might assign him next.


    "Well, it was going to be an extra charge to have a mover come and get them, so I¡¯d been planning on asking some of my friends for help, but if you¡¯re offering."


    With a sigh, Avery told his mother that he would be more than happy to pay for the equipment to be transported. He now had plenty of disposable income sitting in his account. It would likely only be a few hundred Krenin anyway.


    After that, Avery sat down and told her about his adventures as a mercenary with Kasandra at his side. She had heard about their meeting, but nothing afterwards so far.


    Naturally, this meant Avery had to broach how they had been dangerously close to dying. Even when he attempted to downplay how bad the situation had been, his mother could see right through him.


    "Well, I¡¯m glad that you made it back in one piece. And thank you for having my son¡¯s back. It sounds like your presence helped keep him alive." Serena said, bowing her head to Kasandra.


    "It¡¯s really not that big of a deal. My job is to support him. He saved my life and gave me a position aboard his ship. Even after losing my own vessel, I¡¯m still able to work as a mercenary thanks to him. Honestly, I¡¯ve still hardly been able to pay him back for what he¡¯s done for me." Kasandra said frantically, not knowing how to deal with Serena¡¯s pure gratitude.


    With the ice broken, the three of them slowly started to erase whatever awkwardness there was between them. Obviously, whenever any child introduced their lover to their parents for the first time there was going to be some amount of tension.


    As luck would have it, Kasandra had easily won Avery¡¯s mother over by being frank and honest.


    The three of them eventually moved over to the kitchen table for dinner, but it was around this time that a call came through from the hospital Avery¡¯s father was at. He had apparently just woken up, and since his condition was stable, he was ready to come home.

 Chapter 59 A Happy Outcome, and Trouble Calling

    At the hospital, Avery entered his father¡¯s room along with his mother. They had left Kasandra back at his parents¡¯ apartment to avoid adding any other worries. Once they returned home, Avery planned to introduce his father to her.


    "It¡¯s good to see you two. How do I look?" Robert said, currently sitting up in the hospital bed he had been resting in.


    He had clearly lost a bit of weight since undergoing the regenerative procedure, but this was to be expected.


    The more noticeable detail were the mechanical braces around his legs that ran up to his spine. This was an apparatus to help him walk until he had fully regained his strength.


    Seeing his father moving again, and with a genuine smile on his face, brought both Avery and his mother to tears again.


    It had been a little more than a year now since the accident at the spacecraft repair shop he used to work at. The company had foisted all responsibility onto Avery¡¯s father and left him without anything to show for all the long years he had worked for them other than a broken spine and damaged lungs.


    Now though, he was on the path to recovery. In only around a month, he was expected to be back to perfect health.


    "Whoa! Guess I¡¯m still a little wobbly"


    As Avery¡¯s father moved to stand up, he nearly lost his balance and needed to grab the edge of the bed to stabilize himself.


    Without hesitation, Avery moved over to his father and lent the man that had raised him his shoulder.


    "Thank you, son. For a while I truly thought that I was simply going to wither away. But you¡¯ve given me my life back. Truly, thank you." Robert whispered into Avery¡¯s ears so that Serena could not hear him.


    He was starting to tear up himself, and Avery was astounded since this was the first time he had seen his father cry. Even after the accident he had not wept, there had only been a look of despair in his eyes. The only thing that had kept him going this entire time was the support of his family and the desire not to let them down by giving up.


    After assisting his father with walking for a bit and getting one of the assistant robots to adjust the output of the braces supporting the man, the three of them left the hospital.


    Currently, Robert was unable to move particularly fast, but after a year of being paralyzed, any moment at all seemed like a miracle.


    However, the heartwarming reunion was interrupted by a sudden message Avery received.


    It was not a contact he recognized, but the sender was not some sort of telemarketer or scam artist. He had a filter to block out those, and even if they did make it through somehow, he could easily just ignore them.


    That was not something he could do with the sender of this transmission, though. It was from a certain corporation. One he knew would be reaching out to him eventually.


    ¡¯They must have gotten my contact information from the Mercenary Association. To think they would go so far as to issue a formal request just to meet with me.¡¯ Avery thought after he finished reading the message.


    Storren Corp. had even offered him fifty thousand Krenin as an advance payment. This was an outrageous sum just to schedule a meeting. There were no other requirements than that he show up.


    Still, this showed at least some amount of sincerity. It was far better than if they sicked a squad of goons on him or had representatives constantly stalking and badgering him to hand over his ship.


    Of course, if he refused, these might be the methods that they deployed next. He doubted that ignoring Storren Corp. would make them go away. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery figured that it would be best to settle things in a peaceful meeting rather than have one of the wealthiest enterprises in the Alliance coming after him.


    With a sigh, he accepted the request. Which even went so far as to allow him to pick the place and time of the meeting so long as it was within the next week.


    This was clearly a lot of concessions on Storren Corp.¡¯s end, but clearly, they were desperate to get him into a room and discuss things.


    When he had everything set up, Avery finally put away his terminal and turned his attention back towards his parents.


    Naturally, they had noticed his change in demeanor and were looking at him expectantly to explain.


    "I see, sounds like trouble. Though, we knew that this would be coming." Avery¡¯s mother said with a worried look on her face


    His father offered to provide whatever help he could, but Avery told him to focus on regaining his strength instead. He may still have been young, but he was an adult. He would handle this on his own and only ask for help if it became clear he could not.


    ¡¯A space mercenary has to be tough even when negotiating with the leaders of planets, or representatives of the Dramid Alliance Assembly. I can handle a few bigwigs from Storren Corp. without and problems.¡¯ Avery thought to psych himself up.


    As far as he knew, the law was on his side. The only way that anyone could take the Dauntless away from him was through force. And he was prepared to fight back using the skill Urs taught him if necessary.


    Upon returning to his parents¡¯ apartment, Avery introduced his stunned father to Kasandra.


    Thankfully there was not any tension or suspicion this time. Robert accepted Kasandra right away. He was unbelievably happy to see that his son had finally gotten himself a serious girlfriend, that was both talented and beautiful. Up to this point, he had never even introduced them to any of the fleeting relationships he had when he was still a student.


    Once enough time had passed and it was starting to get late, Avery and Kasandra took their leave. Though, Avery¡¯s mother did make them promise to come by again soon.


    "So, Kasandra, would you help me prep for the meeting with Storren Corp. and come with me for it?" Avery asked as they rode the elevator back down to the lobby. Obviously, he had already fully caught her up on the situation.


    "Of course, leave it to me. As your senior in the mercenary field, this is my time to shine. I hate to admit it, but you¡¯re probably already a better fighter than me when piloting a ship. I¡¯m not sure what sort of intense training you undertook, but it must have been brutal."


    Avery let out a dry laugh at this. His time under Urs¡¯ tutelage had been fruitful, but it had been monstrously demanding as well. Sometimes he still had nightmares about it.


    "I¡¯m glad to have you with me. I don¡¯t think Storren Corp. will try anything violent, but if they do, having you fighting alongside me will be reassuring."


    "Just leave it to me. I throttle anyone that tries to attack you." Kasandra said, a completely serious expression on her face. It was almost enough to make Avery feel sorry for anyone that tried to come after him.

 Chapter 60 Meeting with Storren Corp.

    The following day, Avery and Kasandra left the Dauntless and headed into the colony.


    Today they would be meeting with two executives from Storren Corp, about their lost vessel.


    Their initial message had seemed more favorable than not. Allowing Avery to set most of the terms of the meeting and even offering him a juicy reward as incentive. Had they wanted to settle things through pressure or force, they never would have reached out in the first place.


    "To think you could rent private rooms at the Mercenary Association. That¡¯s something Urs never taught me." Avery mused, standing in front of the sleek building that served as the association branch on Yuson II.


    While it was somewhat rare, there were times when specific mercenaries were requested, and they could meet face to face in an association building to hash things out.


    Normally, mercenaries just took whatever missions had been submitted, or if they were personally asked for, it was typically far easier just to communicate remotely.


    Nevertheless, there were sometimes when it was best to meet in person, and this was one of those instances.


    Kasandra had recently told Avery that she could usually tell when a person was lying by changes in their heartrate. Thanks in large part to her hypersensitive hearing and intense training she had undergone. Of course, this trick only worked on certain species, since some possessed truly alien circulatory systems.


    After she had mentioned this, Avery remembered that the only time she spoke during their first meeting was when she told her brother that he was not lying.


    It was definitely going to be a useful ability in the coming meeting.


    Upon entering the building, the two of them walked up to the reception counter, and after their identities were verified, they were given access to the room they had rented.


    Inside were some slightly higher than average quality chairs and couches, with one large table in the middle.


    Up against one side of the room was an autochef and several food and beverage capsules lined up in case of longer meetings that required refreshments.


    "Everything is clear. There don¡¯t seem to be any cameras or eavesdropping devices set up. We¡¯ll have complete privacy." Kasandra said, just having swept the entire room with a device designed to discover anything meant to spy on the room.


    It was not much longer afterwards that representatives from Storren Corp. arrived.


    There were eight of them in total. The two executives that would be the primary negotiators. Two assistants for each of them. And finally, a single bodyguard apiece.


    ¡¯I¡¯d figured that they¡¯d come with more escorts. Are they confident that the two fighters they have can beat us, or is it meant to express that they don¡¯t want to fight?¡¯ Avery thought, analyzing the situation. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Obviously, two upper-level members of Storren Corp. could afford a small army of bodyguards to protect them. Had they wanted to intimidate Avery and Kasandra, it would have made sense to bring more.


    "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, sir, madame." Avery said, addressing the two Storren Corp. executives. "I¡¯m the Avery Asteria, the two star mercenary you wished to meet with. And this is a member of my crew, Kasandra Woest, a three star mercenary."


    In contrast to his usually casual demeanor, Avery was approaching this meeting as politely as he could. Acting brash and unmannered would only be a detriment in this situation. Though, if they pushed him, he was ready to become aggressive just like any other mercenary.


    Fortunately, his courtesy seemed to catch the people from Storren Corp. off guard in a good way. For a moment, even the executives¡¯ masks slipped as they were shocked by how respectable Avery was.


    "I am Dorris Flaria, Chief Financial Officer with Storren Corp." The First Executive said, introducing herself.


    "And I am Ardesen Balamy, Chief Technology Officer with Storren Corp."


    Hearing about their positions within Storren Corp. nearly brought a look of surprise to Avery¡¯s face. These two were not just upper management, but two people that sat at the very top of one of the largest manufacturers of spacecraft in the Dramid Alliance. Within their respective branches of organization, these two were in charge.


    ¡¯I guess they wanted to send people that could negotiate without needing to constantly contact their superiors for approval over every little matter. That¡¯s just how badly they want the Dauntless- no, SCXD-011 back.¡¯


    Once they had finished up with their pleasantries, Marcus and Kasandra sat across from Dorris and Ardesen, while their assistants and bodyguards stood behind them.


    Kasandra took the lead in asking if they wanted anything to eat or drink before things got started, and the two executives politely accepted.


    While they waited in complete silence other than the autochef working in the background, Avery tried to assess the two people he would be negotiating with.


    Dorris was a tall and attractive middle-aged human woman with long orange hair. She wore a smile on her face, and Avery could not tell if it was fake or real. It was almost unsettling how utterly impossible it was to tell what she was thinking or feeling. Of the two executives, he felt certain that she was the shrewder.


    Ardesen on the other hand, was only around half of Avery¡¯s height. Though, he was not human but a Baccigan. A species of people that were known for their intellect.


    Like all members of his race, Ardesen possessed two pairs of arms that ended in hands that had three fingers that had twice as many joints as a human¡¯s, large eyes with multiple irises, and bright fur covering most of his body. With the color of his hair appearing yellow to Avery¡¯s eyes.


    ¡¯As the Chief of Technology, he almost certainly had a prominent role in the construction of my ship. Unlike how Dorris seems to be calculating how costly this endeavor is going to be, he seems more intent on successfully accomplishing his goals.¡¯ Avery thought, extracting what context he could about their positions on this matter considering their roles in Storren Corp.


    Finally, once they had all been served a drink and small snack that could be had at any time, the negotiations truly began.

 Chapter 61 Meeting with Storren Corp. (2)

    "As I¡¯m sure that you must know, the spacecraft you have come into possession of is a model of ours that we had been in the process of perfecting. It¡¯s still experimental, and thus the only one of its kind. We would like it returned to us." Dorris said, laying out their desire right from the start.


    Avery¡¯s only reply was a disgruntled frown. Naturally, no one would be happy if someone came up and told them to hand over their property just because it used to be theirs. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He did not interject yet, though. It was clear that the Chief of Finances at Storren Corp. had more to say.


    "As you found it lost in space after it was stolen from us, technically, the ship, known as SCXD-011, does belong to you under Alliance Law. Still, considering the circumstances, we were hoping that you would allow us to purchase the vessel from you. I¡¯ve been given the authority to offer you twenty million Krenin, or should you wish since you are a mercenary, thirty million in credit to purchase another craft from Storren Corp."


    Avery¡¯s eyes bulged wide when he heard the amount that was being offered to him for giving the Dauntless back to Storren Corp.


    Without a doubt, he figured that he would be offered quite a bit, but not twenty million in cold hard Krenin, or even more astounding, thirty million in credit that he could use to buy another ship or even ships considering how much he would receive.


    Thirty million was enough to purchase a fully kitted out top of the line medium class vessel and have a sizable chunk of money left over. It would probably even cover the cost of purchasing a heavy cruiser. Albeit only a base model with a few upgrades.


    This was a substantial amount to offer for only a single small vessel, and it showed Avery just how serious Storren Corp. was about having the SCXD-011 back in their possession.


    ¡¯I could buy myself a new ship and get one for Kasandra to pilot as well. That would give us a lot more flexibility in the jobs we accept.¡¯ Avery thought.


    For a fleeting moment, he considered taking the deal due to the staggering amount offered.


    Yet, no matter the price put upon it, he could not see himself parting with the Dauntless. It was not just a powerful piece of technology to him anymore. After surviving so many harrowing battles with it and using it to make the money he needed to save his father¡¯s life, Avery had become attached.


    The Dauntless was his vessel. And he was not going to let it go for any reason.


    "As generous as that offer is, I am afraid I can¡¯t give up my ship for any amount of money. As a mercenary, it¡¯s both my home and the means with which I make a living. I¡¯ve already entrusted my life to it several times, and it has not failed me yet. I see no need to take my chances on another vessel." Avery said, making his position clear.


    For just a moment after his unilateral decision, Dorris¡¯ mask cracked, and a flash of anger appeared on her face.


    However, being the executive of a major corporation that she was, she quickly put her artificial smile back on and attempted to continue negations.


    "I¡¯d ask that you please reconsider. If it is more money that you want, then there is room to increase the amount. Also, the SCXD-011 is an experimental craft. There might be flaws that have gone unnoticed that could put you and your crew at risk. You very well could explode in a fiery death the next time you take it out."


    At this, Ardesen let out a displeased grunt, while Kasandra tapped her foot against his twice with her own. The signal they had agreed upon beforehand to indicate a lie.


    It was clear that Dorris did not truly believe that there were any flaws with the Dauntless. And as Chief of Technology, Ardesen had almost certainly taken offense that Dorris had suggested as much.


    "I can understand why you would want to retrieve it, but that should not be particularly necessary. The SCXD-011 is a ship that your company designed. Surely you could just make another one?" Avery said, understandably confused by their desperation.


    "As it is an experimental craft, Storren Corp does not wish for any of our competitors to get ahold of it. That is why we honestly want it back."


    Again, Kasandra tapped Avery¡¯s foot twice. They had just been told another lie.


    At this point, Avery¡¯s mood had soured somewhat. Dorris was adamant that the ship be returned to Storren Corp., even though there were plenty of other ways to prevent the ship¡¯s data from leaking.


    It would be easy enough for Avery to sign a contract with Storren Corp. that compelled him to prioritize their facilities for any repairs or maintenance, and not to allow any of their competitors to examine the Dauntless. This would certainly cost them far less than thirty million Krenin.


    Avery tried to stay diplomatic and suggest alternatives that did not see him losing his ship, but Dorris always led the negations back to where she wanted, no matter how forceful she needed to be.


    Once Avery and Kasandra were just about fed up with her web of lies she had spun, and the ever increasing amount she was offering that had now gone up to thirty-eight million Krenin, Ardesen finally spoke up.


    "Oh, can it Dorris. It¡¯s pretty obvious that this mercenary is not going to sell us the ship, and the more insistent and untruthfully you get, the less likely any deal will be made. I think it¡¯s about time we tell them what¡¯s really going on. Unless you plan on going along with Strozen and want to concoct some scheme to steal it?"


    This sudden outburst from her fellow Chief left Dorris frozen with an aghast expression on her face. Ardesen had not only derailed her negotiations but also revealed that there was a faction within Storren Corp. that wanted to use less than savory means to pry the SCXD-011 away from Avery.

 Chapter 62 Meeting with Storren Corp. (3)

    Avery kept his expression composed even as he learned that there was indeed a plot brewing at Storren Corp. to forcibly take the Dauntless away from him.


    Naturally, he had already figured that this would be the case and honestly was grateful that Ardesen and Dorris reached out to him first.


    Getting into a fight with a major corporation would be a pain and limit his actions. He would have to pretty much always make sure to be within areas monitored by the Alliance Police to discourage any illegal actions against him.


    ¡¯And it seems that Ardesen is willing to compromise more than the Chief Financial Officer. Hopefully we can come to some sort of agreement.¡¯ Avery thought, as the two Storren Corp. executives started arguing.


    Eventually they settled down, remembering that Avery and Kasandra were in the room and watching their less than professional verbal sparring match.


    Fortunately, it seemed that Ardesen had come out on top and was going to explain the situation surrounding the SCXD-011 that only some of the top members of Storren Corp. knew.


    "Apologies for the outburst. If you would continue to lend me your ear, I¡¯d like to explain the circumstances behind the ship you found." Ardesen said, wearing a sincere expression.


    "You can go ahead, but before you start, nothing you say will get me to hand over the Dauntless."


    Nodding his head, Ardesen acknowledged the one point Avery was unwilling to budge on and began explaining the importance of the SCXD-011 and how detrimental its theft had been.


    "Four years ago, the governing body of the Dramid Alliance, the Alliance Assembly, decided that an upgrade to their main military force, the Alliance Police, was in order. As I¡¯m sure you know, they lack smaller warships and primarily rely on mercenaries to cover for this weakness. Still, there were many that wanted to rectify this inadequacy."


    "To do so, the top ten manufactures of spacecraft in the Alliance were brought an offer to enter their best vessels in a competition to see who will be given the contract to construct a new fleet of light fighters for the Alliance Police. As I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve surmised, the SCXD-011, the vessel you¡¯ve given the name Dauntless, was to be Storren Corp.¡¯s entry."


    After hearing these details, Avery finally understood why the Dauntless had been crafted using the absolute best technology and materials around.


    He had naturally checked its specs against other vessels in the same size category, and at the very least, none on the open market came close. Perhaps some upper ranking mercenaries out there had ordered custom ships that could compare, but otherwise, it was truly in a league of its own.


    Once Ardesen had given them the background information on the Dauntless¡¯ reason for being constructed, Avery looked towards Kasandra for confirmation.


    Unfortunately, unlike Dorris who was a human, she had not trained to pick up the changes in heart rate and breathing that typically indicated when someone was lying for his species.


    Nevertheless, there was still a way to confirm if what he said was the truth.


    Avery simply turned to Dorris and asked her to confirm what Ardesen had just said. And Thankfully, Kasandra did not detect any lies from her, so it was safe to assume they were being honest.


    "Okay, I understand now why my ship is so important your company, but could you have not just made another one?" Avery asked, getting to the true crux of the issue. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I¡¯m afraid not. The lead engineer and software designer were a part of the first test flight into open space to make sure the vessel was capable of long-term travel without any assistance. I¡¯m sure that they were both among the bodies that you found aboard it." Ardesen said, a pained look on his face. Without a doubt, those two had not only been his coworkers, but also his friends.


    When Avery was given their descriptions, he did recognize them from among the corpses that he found. It had been a memorable experience in a bad way, and he did not think he would ever be able to fully forget their faces.


    Ardesen then went on to tell them that the induvial that had killed the others onboard had also left a virus on Storren Corp.¡¯s central and backup computers that wiped out all of the data pertaining to SCXD-011¡¯s construction.


    This left them unable to recreate the powerful spacecraft after they lost the information pertaining to it and the core members of the design team that had died during the tragic event.


    "I had a small part to play in its creation, but my mind just doesn¡¯t work like Noome¡¯s and Chagory¡¯s did. Those two were real geniuses."


    There was a forlorn look in Ardesen¡¯s eyes as he brought up his dead colleagues.


    With all of the pertinent details now known to him, Avery understood why Storren Corp. was so desperate to retrieve the Dauntless. The competition between the best ship makers had not occurred yet, and winning it promised an immensely valuable contract with the Alliance Police. Likely worth billions of Krenin.


    "I think I get your position now, but nevertheless, I can¡¯t give my vessel to you. Though, I don¡¯t mind if you want to analyze it so that you can try and recreate it. Of course, for a price." Avery said, offering an alternative solution.


    However, this did not seem to brighten either of the Storren Corp. executives¡¯ expressions.


    "While we would certainly be grateful for that, the deadline to submit our ship is in only six months. There won¡¯t be enough time to analyze and construct another one before then." Dorris said, a bit of worry cracking through her professional mask.


    She once again tried to negotiate buying the ship, and even going so far as to promise to return it to Avery after a second one was made.


    Truly, these were advantageous terms, but Avery still had no intention of parting with the Dauntless for any extend period of time. It could be a year or more until a second version was constructed.


    "Avery, if you don¡¯t mind, could I make a suggestion?" Kasandra asked, interjecting on the deteriorating negotiations.


    With a nod of approval, Avery learned over, and Kasandra whispered her idea into his ear.


    Slowly, a grin began to form on his face as she told him the details. Perhaps her plan was just the kind of mutually beneficial option that they needed.

 Chapter 63 Coming to an Agreement

    "So, I believe that I understand your position. Storren. Corp wishes to show off their best product in the coming competition to receive a major contract from the Alliance Police. However, after the SCXD-011 prototype was stolen, you lost the data and the main personnel in charge of creating it. Now it¡¯s ended up in my possession, and even if you analyze it now, you won¡¯t have time to create another one in time." Avery said, summarizing the main points of the discussion they had.


    Dorris and Ardesen nodded their heads in agreement. Naturally, there was a bit more nuisance than just this, but it certainly covered Storren Corp.¡¯s main concerns.


    Seeing that they were all on the right page, Avery¡¯s lips turned up into a smile that would give even a greedy merchant a run for their money.


    "There really is a simple solution to your problems. All you need to do is hire me to be the test pilot during the competition. That way I still get to retain ownership of the Dauntless, and Storren. Corp still gets to show it off when the time comes. Should you win the contract, you¡¯ll have plenty of time to reproduce the craft by the time you need to fulfill the Alliance Police¡¯s order."


    Avery¡¯s suggestion left the two Storren Corp. executives baffled for a few moments, before they aggressively began discussing it amongst each other, and even getting their assistants involved to give them certain bits of information.


    From the parts of the conversation Avery could make out, it seemed that they were checking all of the requirements set by the Alliance Assembly for the competition.


    "It looks like it will be possible." Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes, but we¡¯ll have to go through a few loopholes. And some of the other executives won¡¯t be happy that we didn¡¯t get the ship back."


    "We can worry about that later. This honestly might have some unintended benefits as well."


    As Dorris and Ardesen continued to chat away, Avery and Kasandra waited silently. Still, it seemed that they would be able to come to an agreement.


    "We¡¯ve concluded that your proposal is likely to be acceptable. We¡¯ll use our authority to push it through at Storren Corp." Ardesen said, wearing a relived expression.


    Dorris on the other hand had put on her best negotiating face again and began discussing compensation with Avery.


    Obviously if they were going to be hiring him, he would be expecting to receive some sort of reward for his time and effort.


    Then there was also the price they would have to pay to analyze the Dauntless, and a necessary contract with Avery to prevent him from allowing any of their competitors access to the vessel. Plus, they would obviously prefer that he only receive maintenance and repairs at their facilities whenever possible.


    All of these measures would somewhat restrict Avery¡¯s freedoms, meaning that they were naturally going to be costly.


    Still, Storren Corp. had been willing to drop twenty million Krenin at the start of the negations, and thirty million in credit. That showed just how important this endeavor was to them.


    Fortunately, their Chief Financial Officer was present, so there was no need to wait for any higherups¡¯ approval.


    Dorris got right to work calculating what she believed everything was worth and swiftly pushed the tablet device she was working on over to Avery.


    "That¡¯s quite the amount." Avery said, having to force down his excitement when he saw the numbers.


    For everything, including his services piloting the SCXD-011 during the competition to win the Alliance Police contract, Dorris was offering him eight million Krenin. This was honestly a staggering payday. More than most people would make in a lifetime.


    Yet, Avery had honestly been considering another means of payment since the option of credit to purchase another ship from Storren Cop. had been brought up.


    There was only so much he could do as a solo mercenary with only a single ship.


    A lot of the top mercenaries formed squadrons around themselves and grew strong enough to take on bigger and more profitable jobs. They could serve as transports, haul cargo, protect large fleets of merchant ships, even sometimes be contracted to serve as extra security around colonies or especially high traffic hyperplanes.


    Plus, while Kasandra was an amazing copilot, she was more suitable to flying her own craft. That¡¯s what she had been doing for the last six years of her life after all. It was simply a truly awful bout of misfortune that had seen her losing her own vessel.


    "This is certainly an acceptable amount of money, but I was wondering if there was something else that we might be able to get as payment instead?"


    Avery then laid out his idea. Having a custom, top of the line ship made for Kasandra.


    Naturally, this came as a surprise to her. They had not discussed such a thing beforehand, and she had no clue that Avery had been thinking as such.


    "There¡¯s really no need to do that! I¡¯m perfectly happy being a member of your crew. That¡¯s far too much money to spend on me." Kasandra said, the cool and collected demeanor she had been displaying falling apart in an instant.


    She was obviously flustered by the proposal. Avery had just offered to purchase her something worth at least eight million Krenin after all. That was not the kind of money that even successful mercenaries could casually spend.


    "I don¡¯t see a problem. You¡¯re more than a capable enough pilot, and of course I¡¯d want you to have the best ship possible, so there¡¯s no point in cheeping out. Also, think of it as an investment. With two vessels, we could make twice as much money, if not more."


    Avery slowly won Kasandra over as he chipped away at her reservations. At this point, he could never see himself letting her go. So, it only made sense to put her talents to use and make her the first member of the mercenary force he planned on growing.

 Chapter 64 Coming to an Agreement (2)

    Once Avery had gotten Kasandra to agree to his generosity, the two of them began discussing the type of ship she wanted with the two Storren Corp. executives.


    With Ardesen present, being the Chief of Technology, their discussion was immensely fruitful. He knew the most about his company¡¯s capabilities and the materials that they could get ahold of.


    Of course, there were still limits. After a fierce negation with Dorris, they had agreed on a thirteen million Krenin credit limit to purchase the custom vessel for Kasandra. Anything more would come out of Avery¡¯s pocket.


    Nevertheless, there was a certain material that he currently had in abundance that he thought might be useful in the ship¡¯s construction.


    Avery offered up the energy lifeform cores currently sitting in his cargo hold to be used in the construction of a high-capacity generator, along with other necessary electronic components.


    When Ardesen heard that they had a queen¡¯s core in their possession, his eyes practically bulged out of his head, and he stood up in his chair in excitement.


    With a complete loss of composure, he begged Avery to sell it to them, and heavily pressured Dorris to approve of the sale.


    She eventually offered six and a half million Krenin for the core, but Avery declined. He would rather it be used in the construction of Kasandra¡¯s ship rather than sell it for money. It was far too rare a material to let go of.


    Unfortunately, Ardesen crushed Avery¡¯s idea with harsh reality. The queen¡¯s core was far too large to be used in the creation of a main generator for the medium class craft as they had been discussing. It was really only suitable for a heavy cruiser or larger.


    "Well, I suppose I¡¯ll hold onto it for now. When I¡¯ve got the funds and personnel to have such a ship made, I¡¯ll reach out to you." Avery said noncommittally.


    Except, Ardesen desperately wanted to get his hands on the core so that he could work with it and had a new contract written up. For a half million Krenin, Avery would refrain from selling the queen¡¯s core to any entity other than Storren Corp., or use it in the construction of any devices other than one designed by Storren Corp.


    Honestly it was an expensive and heavy-handed means just to get to work with a queen energy lifeform¡¯s core. And Avery was pretty sure that he heard the money was going to be coming out of Ardesen¡¯s personal budget, since the deal pretty much only benefited his own technical curiosity.


    Still, the man looked more than happy to spend the sum if it meant he got to work with such a rare material. It seemed that he was not the Chief Technology Officer just for show.


    "Okay, if you will sign here, we can make our deals official. And if you would sign here, we can transfer the two medium energy lifeform cores and one hundred of the small ones that will be used in the construction of Miss Kasandra¡¯s ship." Dorris said, passing over her tablet with the finished contracts on them.


    Avery carefully read over everything to make sure that it was in line with what they discussed before signing. Thankfully, it did not appear that Dorris had snuck in any shrewd clauses or extra items so, Avery added his signature and fingerprints to the documents to make them official.


    With that, he had finished up his business with Storren Corp., for now.


    Ardesen had said that they would get to work on Kasandra¡¯s ship as soon as possible, but for such a specific custom job using rare materials, it was going to take a while.


    "I¡¯ll try to have it finished by the time you make your way to Dramid System for the small classification vessel showing. That way, you can have something to look forward to other than the competition."


    It was not lost on Avery that this was likely another incentive for him to make sure to show up on time with the Dauntless. If he did not hold up to his end of the agreement, then he was not going to receive his payment.


    Of course, he had no intention of flaking out now. The competition would be a great way to get his name out there and get experience against other top ships and pilots. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡¯Then there¡¯s also the Alliance¡¯s home system. Obviously, an event of this magnitude will be taking place in a prominent location. So, what better than where the Dramid Alliance originated.¡¯ Avery thought, already imagining the amazing sights awaiting him.


    He had always dreamed of visiting the most notable worlds in the Alliance, and obviously, the planet that the first leader had originated from was at the top of the list.


    From what he knew, Dramid Prime was an ecumenopolis. From the surface, all the way into the crust was essentially one massive city that encompassed the entire world.


    "Kasandra, how far is it from here?" Avery asked, not exactly sure about the amount of time it would take them to reach their destination.


    "If we just headed directly there taking the fastest route, then two and a half months."


    Using her terminal, Kasandra quickly pulled up the information Avery asked for.


    "Oh, if you want to return with us, we can cut that time down by a significant amount. We¡¯re permitted to use Warp Portals after all." Dorris said, flashing a friendly smile.


    This certainly came as a surprise to Avery and Kasandra.


    Warp Portals were essentially massive passages that folded two points in space and punched a hole in them. They could allow for instantaneous travel of hundreds, or even thousands of light years. Though, this apparently took an immense amount of energy. Which was why they were few in number.


    Obviously, their access was heavily restricted. Only certain government officials, foreign dignitaries, the Alliance, Police, and a few others with special permission were allowed to use them. Common mercenaries were certainly not on this list, so obviously Kasandra did not include them in her calculations.


    However, as tempting as the offer was, Avery did not want to get too cozy with Storren Corp. He imagined that if he went with them, he would miss out on many opportunities to do more mercenary work between now and the competition.


    The Dramid System, being the center of the Alliance, would undoubtably have impeccable security. The only work available for mercenaries there would be guarding outgoing transport and merchant ships. Which would be counterproductive since the Dramid System was their ultimate destination.


    "I think that we¡¯ll stick to hyperplane travel. There are places I want to visit along the way, and I don¡¯t plan on just sitting around doing nothing for the next six months. There¡¯s always more work for mercenaries to do." Avery said, politely declining Dorris¡¯ offer.


    With that, it seemed that everything was ready to be wrapped up. But Avery had one more issue he wanted to discuss. Perhaps something he should have brought up earlier but had forgotten to as he got caught up in the negations.


    "Before you both leave. There is one other thing that I need to ask you about. A source of mine told me that an investigation into me as the culprit of the murders that occurred on my vessel has been opened by a branch of the Alliance Police in a different system. I just wanted to know if Storren Corp. had anything to do with that?"

 Chapter 65 Everything Settled

    Dorris and Ardesen looked uncomfortable as Avery brought up the investigation into him. Practically giving a silent confirmation that they knew about it.


    "Yes, as Storren Corp. is an invested party, we do know about it due to the Alliance Police reaching out to us. Naturally, we were more than willing to assist them in any way as is expected by law. But so far as I know, it was not Storren Corp. that initiated the investigation, but A Deputy Chief Camila from what I remember." Dorris said, maintaining a neutral expression.


    When he did not receive the signal for a lie from Kasandra, Avery turned towards her looking confused. But she merely shook her head. Dorris was telling them the truth without trying to hide anything.


    ¡¯If Storren Corp. isn¡¯t the one that used their influence to pressure the Alliance Police into heavily suspecting me as the culprit, then who did?¡¯ Avery thought, baffled by this turn of events. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had been convinced that this was a plot by Storren Corp. to have him connected to the murders that had occurred on the Dauntless before he found it. That would have him being arrested, and the vessel returned to them.


    However, there was no one else he figured would have a good enough reason to do such a thing. He had hardly been a mercenary for very long. It was doubtful anyone with enough sway to influence the Alliance Police would have any reason to have him arrested for a crime he did not commit.


    The only thing he could possibly convince was that this Deputy Chief Camila was at odds with Deputy Chief Ikla and wanted to humiliate him through Avery. After being hired by the Alliance police in the Yuson System twice, it would look poorly on the top officer if Avery was convicted of a serious crime.


    Yet, this seemed like a very shallow reason and did not line up with the timing of the investigation. Jasmine had told Avery about it before he had been hired by the Alliance Police the first time.


    With nothing else to go on, and a terrible headache coming on as he fruitlessly analyzed the issue, Avery decided to push it to the back of his mind for now. Nothing else had come of it so far, so he was not going to worry about something out of his control.


    Yet, while he was considering who might benefit from having him arrested, Kasandra had carefully picked up on the wording that Dorris had used.


    She also found it strange how willing these two top officers within Storren Corp. were to compromise if they had such a strong trump card up their sleeves. Not once had they even mentioned it during the negations when it might have been a powerful tool to convince Avery to part with his ship.


    When Kasandra brought this up, Dorris attempted to maintain her composure, but Kasandra could hear her heart rate slightly accelerate. A likely sign that she was hiding something.


    "Any investigation into Avery as the offender in this case has already been put to a stop. It¡¯s not clear how it happened, but a bunch of evidence from the Alliance Police leaked, and it served as more than enough proof that you can¡¯t be involved." Ardesen said, casually revealing the information Dorris had been hesitant to say.


    Avery attempted to inquire more about this situation from the Storren Corp. duo, but they were lacking in information on the subject themselves.


    They had been keeping up with any and all information pertaining to Avery, which is why they knew about the details of the case surrounding the Dauntless being leaked.


    All they could give him were the sites where the information had first appeared. Anything else they were just as in the dark about.


    ¡¯Wow, this is kind of a personal invasion of my privacy, but I guess if it helped to clear me.¡¯ Avery thought, reading through the leaked information.


    It detailed personal transmission logs, his whereabouts during and around when the crime originally occurred, records from his past and present ships, and several other bits of information to show that he had never left Yuson II nor had any contact with any criminal organizations before the SCXD-011 was stolen.


    To try and convict him with all of this evidence now public would be foolhardy to say the least.


    ¡¯Someone with the Alliance Police must have my back. Was it possibly Deputy Chief Ikla? He would have the authority to do something like this and he might feel he owes me since I helped out big time with the pirates and the energy lifeforms.¡¯


    Avery also considered that this might be Jasmine¡¯s doing, but he hoped not. She was only a sergeant and leaking confidential case notes and evidence like this could see her in big trouble. She would lose her job at least.


    They were just passing acquaintances after all, so he wanted to believe that she would not go out of her way to do something so reckless and end up in hot water because she tried to help him out.


    "If that¡¯s all, then we¡¯ll be going. There is a lot of work that I need to get done thanks to the deals that we¡¯ve made. It¡¯s going to be a major pain convincing the other company heads." Dorris said as she stood up and began walking towards the exit.


    "Ah, and make sure to get your ship ready. I¡¯m going to come by with a crew soon so that we can analyze it." Ardesen said before he left.


    Soon it was just Kasandra and Avery sitting alone.


    The moment she was certain that no one was in the vicinity and might interrupt them, Kasandra threw her entire body onto Avery and gave him an intimate kiss on the cheek.


    "I can¡¯t tell if you unbelievable sweet or incredibly stupid." She said jokingly.


    While she had agreed to it, she still could not believe he had dropped the equivalent of thirteen million Krenin on a new vessel for her. Plus, the two medium energy lifeform cores and a hundred of the small ones.


    The craft that Storren Corp. was going to build for her was going to utterly outstrip what she had been previously flying. Honestly, she felt like she had been transported into some sort of fictional story where she had her own shining knight looking after her.


    "It¡¯s not that big of a deal. With another ship we will constitute a more powerful force and make more money. You¡¯re a great copilot, but you deserve to be in control of your own ship again." Avery said bashfully as his cheeks flushed red.


    Kasandra had still not let go of him, and he could feel her body up against his. Of course, he had no intention of telling her to stop.


    "So, I take it that means you want me to stay with you for the long-haul."


    "Yeah, you¡¯re part of my crew and my lover. As long as you still want to be with me, then I want you around."


    Hearing this, Kasandra¡¯s smile bloomed into one so bright and dazzling that Avery could not look away.


    "Then I think I¡¯ll accept your proposal." Kasandra said mischievously.


    She then moved with such swiftness that Avery could hardly believe it and left him behind in the room.


    Completely flustered, he ran after her to try and clear things up, but the words got stuck in his throat as he did. It seemed that his partner in both work and life knew just how to keep him on his toes.

 Chapter 66 Promotion and Awards

    Once Avery reached the main lobby of the Mercenary Association building, he found Kasandra waiting for him with a giant grin on her face.


    ¡¯Oh, whatever. We may not have been together very long, but I can tell we¡¯re a good match. As mercenary, it¡¯s best to live life fast since you never no what might happen.¡¯ Avery thought, coming to terms with what Kasandra had meant by "proposal".


    Except, before Avery could make his way back to her, a familiar voice called out to him.


    "Hey Avery, do you got a moment?"


    Turning towards the voice, Avery saw the receptionist he often used when dealing with association business waving at him.


    Wondering what could be up, he approached and found that the man looked ecstatic.


    "I heard you went wild and crazy again with those energy lifeforms. Boy, reading the logs and watching some video some of the other mercs captured sure was exhilarating. Since you showed up this job has been quite a bit more entertaining."


    "If you just want to gush about how delighted you are about my near death experience, then I¡¯m out of here." Avery said, turning to leave. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet before he could the receptionist stopped him.


    "No, I¡¯ve got some important, official Mercenary Association business to discuss with you. Unless, you don¡¯t want to know about your rank advancement?"


    Biting back a retort that the man should have led with this, Avery stayed and listened. He already knew that the Alliance Police were going to try and push him up to three star, but it being official was a big deal. It meant he would no longer be considered among the lower ranks and receive access to more profitable jobs.


    Except, what he was about to be told completely blew away his expectations.


    "Congratulations, you¡¯ve shot up two ranks at once and landed yourself a promotion to being a four star mercenary. That makes you the highest ranking active mercenary currently in the system."


    "Huh?" Was all Avery could say in response.


    He had a blank look on his face, and it was clear that he was wondering if he had just heard the receptionist correctly.


    Four star mercenaries were typically considered to be veterans that had successfully completed more than a hundred missions over several years, and earned the trust of not just the Association, but anyone that hired them.


    It was considered the highest rank most mercenaries would ever achieve. Only five percent of all mercenaries ever exceeded it, as it required exceptional achievements, not just consistent successes to be promoted further.


    "But I¡¯ve hardly been a proper mercenary for a month. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit too soon to be making me a four star. Plus, I never took the rank advancement test." Avery said, feeling underserving of the sudden promotion.


    "With the achievements you¡¯ve accomplished, it doesn¡¯t matter how long you¡¯ve been a merc. You crushed over a hundred pirates in the recent raid and even took out a queen energy lifeform by yourself. Then there was the recommendation from the Alliance Police. No way that the association could just let you stay as a two star or even three star after that. It¡¯d be rank fraud."


    "Also, what would be the point of sending you through the four star advancement program. We¡¯ve already got records of you trouncing it dozens of times. There¡¯s no reason to have you do it again when you¡¯ve only gotten more skilled."


    Avery could hardly refute what the man had just said. He had gotten lucky and found himself at the heart of two major incidents.


    With the skills he had developed under Urs and a bit of good fortune, he had already made a name for himself in the Yuson System. Practically every active mercenary already knew who he was.


    "Okay, I was just a little shocked for a bit there. I¡¯d planned on slowly rising through the ranks, but I suppose that there¡¯s no issue with getting there sooner. I¡¯ll certainly be able to make more money as a four star." Avery mused.


    "That¡¯s the spirit. I say being a true mercenary is always about aiming for more. Take the advancements and Krenin when you can get them without shame. You¡¯ve more than earned it."


    After a few formalities, Avery was officially brought up to the rank of four star mercenary. This gave him access and priority to a number of jobs that had been out of reach when he was still just a two star.


    "Now, let¡¯s get on to the second matter of business." The receptionist said.


    Without waiting for Avery to respond, the man informed him that he had been formally invited to an Alliance Police award ceremony that would be occurring in three days.


    There, those that had displayed meritorious actions during both the large-scale pirate raid and the energy lifeform incident were going to be acknowledged. And as Avery had played a pivotal role in both battles, he was expected to be the star of the event.


    "I¡¯ve heard from some of my sources that they¡¯re planning on giving you a big one. Something mercs and soldiers don¡¯t normally get unless they do something really spectacular. Usually dying in the process." The receptionist said with a smirk.


    Hearing this came as little surprise to Avery, though, he wondered just how prestigious the award he was going to receive would be.


    He had done a little bit of research on them, and some were pretty outrageous. Like granting certain privileges. For example, access to Alliance facilities that were normally reserved for the police or dignitaries. Plus, monetary rewards. Some came with a massive bonus and even a yearly stipend for life.


    ¡¯It¡¯s hard to objectively view my own achievements. I can¡¯t tell if I¡¯m overselling or underselling myself.¡¯ Avery thought, mentally listing out some of the awards he thought he was likely to receive.


    Once he had obtained the formal invitation and location of the award ceremony, Avery headed over to Kasandra who had been waiting patiently for him to finish.

 Chapter 67 Arrival at the Award Ceremony and New Member

    Over the next three days, Avery and Kasandra mostly lazed about inside of the Dauntless.


    After getting through two harrowing battles without much time for rest, they decided it was a good time for a break.


    During this time, the only thing they did that could be considered work was allowing Ardesen and his team onboard to scan the entire vessel.


    Fortunately, this only took a few hours, and then they were back to lounging around.


    Eventually, it was time for them to leave their slothful life behind and get back to business.


    The day of the award ceremony was upon them, and it would not do to miss it without a good reason. The last thing they wanted was to offend the Alliance Police who were trying to honor them.


    "Yep, it looks good on you."


    Coming out of his room, Avery was dressed up in more formal wear than he normally wore. It was still clothing marketed towards mercenaries, but it was closer to a military style uniform compared to the casual shirt, jacket, and pants he wore.


    As for Kasandra, since she was not receiving any accolades, she was dressed normally. Avery had tried to get her to put on a dress, but she did not want to draw attention to herself when she was not even receiving an award.


    "If you want, I¡¯d be more than happy to wear a dress for you tonight."


    Avery blushed when he heard this. It was easy to understand what Kasandra was insinuating.


    Still, he was certainly interested, and after just a moment of contemplation, he told her that he would be happy if she did so.


    After the two of them flirted with each other a bit more, they headed to the cockpit and started up the Dauntless.


    The site of the award ceremony was not located on Yuson II, but at the primary Alliance Police base on Yuson Prime.


    Thankfully, it was just a quick fifteen-minute flight using the light speed drive. The two most prominent stations in the system were not all that far from each other.


    "Is this really going to be you¡¯re first time there?" Kasandra asked when Avery mentioned how excited he was to visit the colony for the first time.


    "Well, I¡¯ve seen it before when I was still flying my other vessel as a scavenger, but I never landed. Didn¡¯t want to have to pay the costs."


    Back then Avery had been hurting for every Krenin. It made no sense to pay a docking fee just to tour a station he had no business at. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hm, Yuson Prime is a bit bigger than Yuson II, and it has more luxury goods and services for sale, but otherwise its about the same." Kasandra said, relaying her own experience there.


    Naturally, when she and her brother first arrived in this system, they based themselves at the largest and most prominent station. Still, it was a bit more expensive, so once they spent a good deal of their money to upgrade their ships, they had moved to Yuson II instead to cut costs.


    When they came out of light speed, the most prominent colony in the system was sitting there right before their eyes.


    It was shaped like an upside-down top and constantly rotating as a means to generate artificial gravity.


    "We¡¯ve been given approval to dock in hangar thirty-seven."


    "Got it. Activating the autodocking function."


    With permission to land, Avery let the Dauntless¡¯ onboard computer pull them in. When there was no need for complicated maneuvers and quick decisions, it was best to let the ship handle the flying.


    Once they had touched down in the hangar, the two of them promptly exited the vessel and followed the route that their terminals determined would be the fastest.


    As they walked, Avery looked around excitedly. This was his first time visiting another station. He had spent his entire life either on Yuson II or living on his ship.


    However, his excitement only lasted only for a short while. Just as Kasandra had said, Yuson Prime was incredibly similar to Yuson II.


    "Guess I shouldn¡¯t have expected any real difference considering how close they are to each other." Avery muttered dejectedly.


    "I mean, it¡¯s mostly the same, but there are some differences. How about after the award ceremony, we stop by an import market. They typically have rare items you can¡¯t get in normal stores. Perhaps we could pick up some fruits and vegetables from a habitable world. Maybe even some farm raised meat."


    Kasandra¡¯s suggestion helped to perk Avery up.


    Typically, most people ate food that came from food capsules, since it was generally both cheap and fast.


    With all the nutrition one needed carefully calculated and a decent to impeccable taste depending on the quality of one¡¯s autochef, it honestly fairly rare to splurge on raw cultivated foods.


    Still, there was something special about doing so. The carefully constructed meals from an autochef could look like the real thing, but it could never quite get it perfectly right.


    Avery walked with a bit more pep in his step, and the two of them discussed what they might want to buy as they approached the Alliance Police Headquarters.


    Like most of the other buildings on the station, it was constructed out of efficient materials and was only really designable from its interior.


    Upon entering, Avery and Kasandra were asked to hand over their weapons and were sent through a scanner to make sure they were not in possession of any hidden or cybernetic weapons.


    "Okay, you are both free to enter. Please follow the data on your terminal to the venue." The officer that had assisted them through security said.


    Heading deeper inside, they made their way towards the main assembly hall, which had been repurposed for today¡¯s award ceremony.


    However, leaning against a wall along the path was a certain individual that had been waiting for Kasandra and Avery to show up. When he noticed them, he immediately walked over.


    ¡¯At least he doesn¡¯t look so hostile this time.¡¯ Avery thought as he watched Kaiden approach them.


    Kasandra¡¯s brother still had a harsh expression on his face, but there was a defeated air about him. Perhaps being away from his younger sister for so long had taken a bigger toll than he was expecting.


    "Sorry." Kaiden said once he was at a comfortable distance to start a conversation.


    Except, Avery had no idea what was going on and wore a puzzled look on his face.


    "Hey, I¡¯m trying to apologize here. Don¡¯t look at me like you have no idea what I¡¯m talking about." Kaiden said in an aggressive tone.


    For a moment, he had gotten mad when Avery only stared at him in confusion when he was trying to be sincere.


    Yet a harsh look from Kasandra was all it took to cool him down again and get rid of any fierceness he had been displaying.


    "Do you really think I¡¯ll forgive you that easily just because you said ¡¯sorry.¡¯"


    While Avery did not want to be at odds with Kasandra¡¯s brother, the man had tried to kill him.


    Avery had let it go then since Kasandra beat Kaiden pretty badly when she defended him. But that did not mean he was just going to pardon his actions.


    "Gah, I¡¯m not any good at this!" Kaiden said, ruffling his hair in frustration. He was clearly the brash type without any good interpersonal skills. Likely, he had left such things to Kasandra, or she had felt compelled to do so after seeing how bad her brother was at it.


    Still, she would not help him out in this moment. She probably could have convinced Avery to go easy on her brother, but she felt that it was important that he genuinely showed his regret this time.


    Unable to get the right words out, Kaiden could only think to show how apologetic he was through actions.


    Unable to hide the grimace on his face, he nonetheless got down on his knees and lowered his head to Avery.


    "I¡¯m accepting you offer." Kaiden said brusquely


    Again, his blunt choice of words left Avery baffled and unable to decipher what Kaiden meant.


    "You said that you wouldn¡¯t follow me, but that you¡¯d accept me as your subordinate. Well, I¡¯m submitting."


    This caught Avery off guard more than anything else Kaiden had said so far.


    From their few brief interactions, Avery knew that Kasandra¡¯s brother was a proud man. To suck up his pride and choose to work under someone else was likely unbelievably difficult for him.


    ¡¯I originally said that as a joke, but if he¡¯s really willing to go this far.¡¯ Avery thought, seriously considering the idea.


    Kaiden was a talented three star mercenary that owned a powerful medium class ship. Adding him as a member would bolster Avery¡¯s forces and allow access to certain jobs that required larger vessels.


    Glancing towards Kasandra, Avery tried to read her expression, but she was wearing a completely blank face. Still, her silence spoke volumes. If she was really against her brother joining up with them, then she certainly would have said something. Surely, she wanted all of them to get along. Kaiden was her brother after all.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll let you join us as my subordinate. Now, get off the floor. You¡¯re causing a bit of a scene." Avery said, nodding his head towards the people passing by that were giving them strange looks.


    Hastily, Kaiden got back up onto his feet and ground his teeth together. Likely as a display of frustration from the embarrassment he was feeling.


    "Now, shouldn¡¯t you say you¡¯re sorry to Kasandra as well." Avery said sternly.


    When Kaiden had tried to attack him, he had not only slighted Avery, but his sister as well. He had essentially gone on a rampage because he could not accept her choice to be with Avery.


    "I¡¯ve already apologized to her." Kaiden responded somewhat meekly.


    Apparently, he had already sent a slew of messages to his sister expressive his remorsefulness and attempted to make up with her.


    "That¡¯s true, but I¡¯d like to hear you say some of the things that you wrote in person. It really pissed me off the way you acted. Did you really think I would be with someone I didn¡¯t like. And don¡¯t forget the messages you sent me first disparaging Avery."


    Kasandra¡¯s voice was cold and offered no escape for Kaiden. He was forced to recite several of the apologetic messages he had sent and even more. It was probably the most humbled he had ever been in his life. Something only his irate sister could accomplish.


    Of course, the two of them could not keep Kaiden groveling forever. They had an award ceremony to attend, and it would not do to be late.

 Chapter 68 Award Ceremony

    With things wrapped up with Kaiden, Avery along with the two Woest siblings headed for the entrance to the Alliance police award ceremony.


    At the entrance were several officers verifying invitations and leading people to their seats.


    When Avery handed over his terminal for verification, the young officer that looked fresh out of the academy went wide-eyed once he confirmed Avery¡¯s identity.


    He then stood up straighter and went compete rigid, as if his commanding officer had just caught him doing something against regulation.


    "Please follow me sir. I¡¯ll lead you and your guests to your seats." The young man said.


    "Oi! I¡¯m not here as anyone¡¯s quest. I¡¯m being recognized as well."


    Infuriated at being ignored, Kaiden called out to the officer and scowled at him.


    Swiftly, but with little interest, the young man scanned Kaiden¡¯s invitation and directed him to the general seating for mercenaries.


    However, when Avery tried to follow, the officer nervously stopped him.


    "Sir Asteria. We¡¯ve actually prepared an assigned seat for you and your crewmember. If you would please follow me."


    Shrugging his shoulders, Avery followed after the young man. He understood that his achievements were the best of any of the mercenaries here, so it made some sense that he was being singled out for special treatment.


    Still, he had not been expected to be brought to the very front of the hall where the highest-ranking Alliance Police members were sitting.


    There were commanders, subcommanders, and captains all lined up, and he was certain that an empty chair right in the middle was meant for Deputy Chief Ikla.


    "Here you are sir."


    Taking his seat, Avery took a deep breath to calm his nerves.


    Ceremonies like these were a part of being an upper ranking mercenary and he would just have to get used to them here. The greater his achievements, the more recognition he was going to receive.


    ¡¯Yep, there aren¡¯t any other mercenaries around us.¡¯ Avery thought, glancing from side to side.


    They were surrounded by top officers of the Alliance Police. With all of the other mercenaries being seated practically on the other side of the room.


    However, this did not stay that way for long.


    A giant of a man with dark red skin and two long horns protruding out of his head soon walked in and was brought over to the same area that Avery and Kasandra were at.


    With only a single look, it was clear that he was a mercenary and not a member of the Alliance Police.


    "Do you recognize him?" Avery asked Kasandra.


    She had been working as a mercenary longer than him and had gotten decently famous within the Yuson System. As far as other mercenaries active in the area, she knew a lot more than Avery did.


    "No, I¡¯ve never seen him before."


    Yet Kasandra had no idea who he was either. Still, it was easy to tell that he was not only strong but skilled as well. He carried himself with the confidence only those that were truly capable could.


    ¡¯If Kasandra doesn¡¯t recognize him, but he¡¯s being brought up to the front like us, then I think I might know who he is.¡¯ Avery thought, recalling the battle with the energy lifeforms.


    There had been one other prominent mercenary there that had really proven himself. Someone that was not a regular of the Yuson System but had just rolled in. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Four star mercenary Ezra. The small craft he piloted was named the Specter, and if Avery had not gotten lucky and killed the queen energy lifeform, he might have been the one to receive the highest accolades for that mission. That was simply how impeccable he had been.


    ¡¯It makes sense that they put him in a seat of honor as well. Without his skills and courage, the first squad and remains of the fourth squad probably would have ended up wiped out.¡¯


    While Avery had held up the rear, Ezra was the one who cut a path through the energy lifeforms when they were about to be overrun. Without him, things would have ended a lot worse.


    His presence her also made Avery wonder if this award ceremony was a contributing factor for why his rank was so abruptly advanced to four star. It might have seemed suspect if he was still a lower ranked mercenary but received a higher award than Ezra.


    Of course, this was just speculation on Avery¡¯s part. There was really no way of telling what politics were going on behind the scenes and driving people¡¯s decisions.


    "He¡¯s really sizing you up." Kasandra whispered to Avery.


    Since arriving, Ezra had kept an eye on Avery. Looking at him as if trying to appraise his worth.


    "I mean, I¡¯m curious about him as well. His skills certainly were something, and the ship he is piloting is undoubtably custom made and fitted with high quality equipment and weapons."


    Avery knew about a majority of the common base models ship manufacturers in the Alliance made thanks to his time as a salvager, but the data he had recorded on Ezra¡¯s vessel did not match up with anything he recognized. That meant his ship was probably one of a kind or had been assembled outside of the Alliance.


    "Well, if you want to approach him, I think there will likely be a chance after the ceremony. You¡¯re both four stars, so I think you could try to talk to him in a professional capacity."


    Nodding his head, Avery figured that this was a good idea. He certainly would not mind making the acquaintance of someone so skills. Plus, there was something familiar about Ezra that he just could not quite place and was hoping to get to the bottom of.


    That was going to have to wait though, as Deputy Chief Ikla had finally arrived and took his place at a podium set up at the front of the room on a raised platform.


    "Thank you all for coming. Every brave man and woman in this room recently proved themselves pivotal in one or both of the recent crisis that befell this system. As such, you¡¯ve been gathered here to have your efforts acknowledged. The Alliance Police are eternally grateful for your efforts, and while it is only a small token, what more can we do than provide awards to all of you for your valor."

 Chapter 69 Award Ceremony (2)

    After giving an opening speech for the ceremony, Deputy Chief Ikla left the podium and sat down in the chair surrounded by other high ranking Alliance Police Officers.


    Then, another official took his place and operated a large holoprojector set up at the front of the room to display a scale model of the space pirate raid.


    ¡¯Oh, so this is how the battle unfolded as a whole.¡¯ Avery thought, watching as the event was being replayed.


    For the most part it was being sped up from the actual events, but whenever one of the officers or merceries being honored at the ceremony had accomplished something noteworthy, the announcer would slow it down and in large the map to emphasize it.


    To his surprise, Avery got the spotlight treatment more than once. Three times to be exact.


    The first was during the opening attack when he charged in on his own and took down several small pirate craft and four medium ships.


    After that was his fight against the swarm that surged towards his squad, and his rescue of Kasandra. And finally, and most notably, when he plunged into the pirate¡¯s reinforcements and delivered a phasic torpedo to the back row of vessels.


    His first and second achievements received nothing more than some nods of approval, but there was audible murmuring during the third.


    "Is that guy insane?! Who flies straight into so many large and medium ships with only a small one. Even if they were retreating that¡¯s basically suicide."


    "Where¡¯d he even get a phasic torpedo. Those things cost an arm and leg, and you¡¯ve got to have special permission to purchase them."


    "I can¡¯t believe he survived that. Is he some kind of monster."


    Those that were not entirely familiar with Avery¡¯s impressive feat were the loudest, and the officer leading the ceremony had to ask that everyone quiet down.


    Once order was fully restored, the map swiftly changed to show another battlefield. This time, it was displaying the Prazan System and the fight against the energy lifeforms. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Since there had been a little under two hundred participants during this incident, more time was given to those that had played central roles.


    Naturally, the seven top Alliance Police pilots received special attention. They had been the leaders and the authority that had kept the mercenaries in formation


    ¡¯They¡¯re really talking up captain Ais. I suppose that he did give quick and efficient orders and got us through that battle with only minimal casualties considering the situation.¡¯ Avery thought as his squad leader¡¯s achievements were being announced.


    Of course, there were multiple mercenaries that had moments of glory as well, but most of the focus was on him and Ezra.


    The two of them had simply fought too well to be ignored. Even when other mercenaries or the officers were enlarged on the map and the current focus, you could see them in the background annihilating energy lifeforms faster than anyone else.


    However, attention was naturally shifted when Avery was swallowed by the queen energy lifeform.


    At this point a downcast mood came over the audience. As those not in the know believed that the valiant mercenary that had proven himself in both the pirate raid and energy lifeform incident was sure to have perished.


    Yet, their shock was palpable when Avery killed the powerful space monster and returned alive. Truthfully, it was a miracle. Not even the strongest capital ships could last very long when fully consumed by a queen energy lifeform.


    "Looks like you¡¯ve become the center of attention not only on the display, but in person as well." Kasandra whispered in Avery¡¯s ear.


    Having been seated in a prominent position, Alliance Police Officers and mercenaries alike were constantly glancing at Avery, while some simply stared at him in disbelief. Like he was some sort of cryptid that should not have existed.


    Most were looking at him with awe and approval, but some of the looks were less than friendly.


    Envy, hostility, and greed were just some of the negative emotions being thrown his way. At the very least, those that were doing so were few in number.


    After the two battles had been fully shown and the achievements of those that had displayed exceptional skill and valor were highlighted, it was time for the actual awards to be given out.


    Naturally, they started with the less prestigious accolades and went up.


    First came the Moon Cross of Merit.


    This award was for those that proven themselves to be competent and showed excellent skills during battle.


    They had not achieved anything of extreme notoriety, but they had been consistent and displayed above average ability.


    Most of the mercenaries present received this award for eliminating either a large number of pirates or energy lifeforms.


    ¡¯Doesn¡¯t look like Kaiden¡¯s getting called up. He did have a better showing than any of these guys.¡¯ Avery thought.


    A few more awards in the same vein were called up afterwards, before the next tier of awards was given out.


    This time it was Kaiden¡¯s turn to go.


    He received an Award Called the Planet Cross of Gallantry for his bravery fighting pirates and protecting his fellow mercenaries.


    Unlike the lower awards that had been given out first that came with only a bit of bump in one¡¯s reputation, this one came with a monetary reward.


    Kaiden would receive two hundred thousand Krenin and preference for jobs posted by the Alliance Police and other official government organizations.


    It may not have seemed like too much but, for a mercenary, their renown was immensely important.


    With this award, Kaiden would be more trusted and offered greater sums of money by most future clients. There was a major difference between a three star mercenary with or without such accolades.


    As the ceremony continued, the level of awards continued to rise, and the number of recipients dropped exponentially.


    Eventually, the only ones left were Ezra and Avery.


    Yet, before either of them was called up, Deputy Chief Ikla rose from his seat and took his position in front of the podium again. For the two of them, he was going to be personally presenting their awards.

 Chapter 70 Award Ceremony (3)

    "Now, today we have two individuals with us who fought more fiercely and bravely than any others. First, Four Star Mercenary, Captain Ezra. After only just having arrived in our humble system, he answered the call to defeat the energy lifeforms before they could grow into a menace that could threaten our home. During the battle, he dove into danger to protect his fellow mercenaries and the Alliance Police pilots helming the mission. Without his presence, many members of the first and fourth squads would have perished, and perhaps the battle as a whole would have been lost."


    Deputy Chief Ikla continued to praise Ezra for nearly a minute.


    The visiting four star mercenary certainly deserved the acknowledgement, and those present that he had rescued gazed at him in pride in their eyes. They were more than happy that the person that saved them was receiving the commendation he deserved.


    Once he had finished his speech, Deputy Chief Ikla called Ezra up to the stage and pulled out an ornate case that had been prepared ahead of time.


    "For your exceptional achievements in battle, as a Deputy Chief of the Alliance Police, I present you with the Ruby Star of Valor."


    Taking a gleaming badge that shone a resplendent red when catching the light out of the box, Deputy Chief Ikla pinned the award onto Ezra¡¯s coat with steady hands.


    There was a quick round of applause as for the first time in four years, the sixth highest recognition any mercenary or Alliance Police officer could obtain was awarded.


    It was very rare to receive one of the Star awards, as battlefield intense enough to acquire such accolades were few and far between. Then it was necessary to possess the skills necessary to be recognized.


    ¡¯I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he soon got advanced to five star. His rank up might even already be in the works and was only delayed so that it did not seem unusual that I got a higher award while being a lower rank.¡¯ Avery thought, knowing just how impressive the Ruby Star truly was.


    There were only a few dozen living individuals that had received the same award. Most that attained it ended up dying in the process.


    It also came with an astounding three million Krenin reward, and a yearly eighty thousand Krenin stipend for life. That might not have been all that much for a high ranking mercenary, but it was more than enough to live on comfortably without ever needing to work again. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing that Ezra had gotten a Ruby Star, Avery figured that he was likely to receive the next tier of award, which was the Diamond Star.


    The four awards above that were truly in a league of their own, and Avery figured that it would be impossible to receive them. They were only given out to individuals recognized as true champions of the Alliance.


    He had certainly achieved some notable feats, but his tenure as a mercenary was only around a month at this point. The top awards presented in the Dramid Alliance were for true veterans of many battles that achieved excellency again and again.


    Yet, Avery was certainly downplaying his own accomplishments. As he was soon to find out.


    "Finally, we have the one that turned the tide of battle in not only the pirate extermination, but the fight against the energy lifeforms." Deputy Chief Ikla said, turning his and everyone else¡¯s attention towards Avery.


    "Not only did he eliminate the most pirates of any mercenary, but he also prevented a large portion of the outside force that assisted the pirates in their escape from getting away. Thanks to this courageous feat, several large and medium vessels were destroyed, and we were able to recovery valuable data pertaining to the whereabouts and affiliation of those interlopers.


    Despite having already shown it earlier, Deputy Chief Ikla brought up the holomap again and had it display the moment Avery rushed in and halted a large part of the pirate forces from retreating.


    Seeing it again like this made Avery realize that he had probably been a bit too reckless. One wrong move and even the Dauntless could have been blown away.


    Still, he had taken a risk, and it had succeeded. Allowing him to take the most prominent position in this ceremony.


    Of course, the pirate raid was only the first of the battles he had fought in.


    The energy lifeform extermination was in many ways the more harrowing of the two.


    There had been no backup for the under two hundred small craft that had embarked on the mission. Leaving little room for error. To some it might have originally seemed like a suicide mission.


    "Like Captain Ezra, Captain Avery also fought valiantly to protect his comrades and eliminate the threat of the enemy lifeforms. He protected his squad and the survivors from the fourth squad that had incurred heavy losses and held the rear for them as they escaped encirclement of energy lifeforms. However, in doing so, he ended up swallowed by the queen. Something that normally would have spelled the end for any pilot. Except, Captain Avery not only survived but vanquished the monster and single handedly turned the tide of the battle. As such, it is my honor to present him with this award."


    Taking out another case from the podium, the Deputy Chief beckoned Avery to come up to the stage and receive it.


    The moment he opened the box, Avery was able to see what was inside before Ikla had announced it.


    ¡¯That can¡¯t be right.¡¯


    Unable to believe what he saw, Avery went stiff and stared at Deputy Chief Ikla with wide eyes.


    "In acknowledgement of your achievements in both the raid on the pirates that had been infesting the Yuson System, and the battle against the energy lifeforms, as a Deputy Chief of the Alliance Police, I hereby present you the Alliance Silver Cross of Heroism. Your actions helped to save hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives, and this is the least we can do to honor you."

 Chapter 71 Award Ceremony (4)

    ¡¯Is this real.¡¯ Avery thought as Deputy Chief Ikla pinned the award he was receiving onto his coat.


    An Alliance Cross of Heroism was the highest class of recognition anyone could receive for military achievements within the Dramid Alliance.


    They went from bronze to platinum, making the Silver Cross Avery was receiving the third greatest award any mercenary could ever obtain.


    This essentially was denoting him as a hero of the Alliance. Someone that had fought with their life on the line to save the general populace from terrible danger.


    And while Avery may have done so, his intentions had never been particularly pure. He had just been searching for a big payday. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Still, there was no denying the results. Especially in the case of the energy lifeforms. If not for him both investigating the Prazan System and eliminating the queen, the situation could have gone out of control and turned into a great disaster.


    The Yuson System might have been destroyed, and possibly many more before the Dramid Alliance could muster a force capable of taking down the energy lifeforms. That¡¯s just how significant of a threat a queen, juvenile or not, was.


    ¡¯Seven Million Krenin. Seven Million Krenin.¡¯


    The immense reward that came along with the award he was receiving continually went through Avery¡¯s mind.


    Of course, the large single monetary prize was only one part of the benefits the Silver Cross of Heroism brought with it.


    He would also be receiving a yearly stipend of two hundred fifty thousand Krenin. That was enough to live a fairly luxurious life as long as one was not too extravagant with their spending.


    Plus, there were several other perks. Such as preferential treatment and pay from the Alliance Police, plus access to Alliance Facilities. Including Warp Portals. Something an average citizen could never hope to use.


    Of course, since he had just been essentially given the status of a hero, great things would be expected of him in the future.


    "Avery, I¡¯ve already pinned the badge." Deputy Chief Ikla whispered since Avery had been unresponsive for a little too long.


    Realizing that he had frozen up in front of a crowd of onlookers, Avery snapped out of his stupor and gave Ikla a salute which was part of the etiquette of ceremonies like this.


    He placed his balled right fist in front of his heart and then held his right elbow with his left hand.


    This had been recognized as the official salute of the Alliance since it created a form closely resembling the official emblem of the Dramid Alliance.


    After that, Avery returned to his seat and Deputy Chief Ikla gave a few closing remarks before calling an end to the ceremony.


    With things having finished up, the higher-ranking officers were the first to leave.


    Once they were gone, mercenaries and lower ranking officers started to trickle out, or started strike up conversations with each other.


    "That was more excitement than I was expecting. I never thought I¡¯d to get something like this." Avery said, fiddling with the ornate badge pinned to his coat.


    "Well, how about we get out of here quickly and head over to the import shop as planned. If we stick around here much longer, you¡¯re probably going to get held up." Kasandra said, pointing towards the crowd of people that seemed interested in approaching Avery.


    None of them seemed to have worked up the nerve yet and were all waiting for someone else to be the first to gauge what sort of reaction to expect.


    Unfortunately, as Avery and Kasandra tried to make a hasty retreat, a single mercenary stood in their way.


    He was a tall and muscular man with short dark brown hair and a few visible scars on his hands and face. Clearly, he had seen a fair amount of combat.


    Avery swiftly recalled that he was one of the mercenaries to receive a mid-level award like Kaiden. Though his overall achievements probably fell a bit short of Kasandra¡¯s brother¡¯s.


    It was also worth noting that he was one of the few that had been giving Avery less than friendly looks during the ceremony.


    "What sort of scheme did you use to get your hands on phasic torpedoes? And what¡¯d you do to survive the queen energy lifeform? That shouldn¡¯t be possible. You must have tricked everyone else¡¯s sensors somehow and tampered with your data." The man said accusingly.


    He was obviously envious of Avery¡¯s achievements and the accolades he had received. Convincing himself that the only way this newbie could have accomplished such feats was by employing some sort of shady scam.


    Of course, had Avery actually done something of the sort, the Alliance Police never would have honored him in the first place. Let alone given him the Silver Cross of Heroism.


    Next to Avery, Kasandra glowered at the uncouth mercenary and was about to tell him off. Except she was beaten to the punch by someone unexpected.


    "I, nor him, have time for someone as insignificant as you. Leave, before I remove you."


    Already on edge, the man whipped around ready to shout at whoever had interrupted him, but the words got caught in his throat.


    Looming over him was Ezra. Being nearly two and a half meters tall and far bulkier than any human, the four star mercenary was more than intimating enough to silence the brash mercenary with only his presence.


    Sweat trickled down his face, and his angry expression morphed into one of terror. The man that had accosted Avery slowly stepped away until he was out of arms reach. Then he turned around and ran away as fast as he could.


    "Thanks for that. I was beginning to think that I would have to resort to violence to get rid of him. You saved me a lot of trouble there." Avery said, grateful that things had been easily resolved.


    "An unskilled loser like him would hardly be a match for you. After all, my uncle spoke highly of you."

 Chapter 72 Challenge

    Avery¡¯s expression shifted into one of recognition the moment that Ezra said "uncle."


    He had felt that the fellow four star mercenary was familiar in some way, and now it all made sense.


    It was not a striking resemblance, but he certainly possessed some features that were similar to Urs.


    ¡¯That explains the way he pilots his ship and the imposing aura. He¡¯s certainly a lot like his uncle in those regards.¡¯ Avery thought, swiftly appraising Ezra.


    Of course, there was one thing that had him curious. While Urs was half human half bahnen, his nephew was entirely of bahnen decent.


    Bahnens were a race of large humanoids that typically had shades of skin ranging from light orange to dark red.


    They also had straight horns that protruded out of their foreheads, which were quite prominent on Ezra.


    What they were most known for as a species was their strength, and a great deal of them went on to join professions where they could utilize their natural gifts.


    "I see, then you must be Urs¡¯ nephew. It is a pleasure to meet you. Your uncle is the one that taught me how to be a mercenary, and I¡¯m truly grateful for his teachings."


    Avery extended his hand for a handshake, and while his hands looked like those of a child¡¯s compared to Ezra¡¯s, the two of them showed recognition for each other and shook hands amicably.


    "Yes, it was almost uncanny to witness my uncles¡¯ style in your flying. I too was trained by him a few years ago, so I understand what you must have gone through better than anyone else." Ezra replied with a wry smile. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It would seem that Avery was not the first to be put through the hellish trials that Urs considered to be teaching. Though for anyone that could stick with it, the results were more than worth it.


    However, while Ezra had initially come off as friendly, his expression turned intense once again. Even more so than when he had scared away the mercenary harassing Avery.


    "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, it is time that I do what I came here for." Ezra said, a fierce glint in his eyes. "I¡¯d originally meant to recruit you as a junior that also studied under my uncle, but it¡¯s clear that you won¡¯t join me so easily. Your more capable than I was expecting, so instead, I propose a competition."


    For just a moment, Avery wore a dumbfounded expression on his face as Ezra explained why he was really here.


    At first, he figured that they were simply going to talk about their shared experiences and perhaps go out for a drink together.


    But he was wrong. Ezra had not come here to make friends. He was looking for a capable subordinate to join him.


    Of course, Avery was pretty much the same. Both Kasandra and Kaiden had joined him, and he planned on growing his small group into a formidable force in the future. Something that appeared to be Ezra¡¯s ambition as well.


    "I respect your skills, and appreciate that we learned from the same master, but I have no intention of following anyone else." Avery said, flat out refusing Ezra before he could finish speaking


    "Yes, I am well aware. Hence why I was proposing a competition. We¡¯ll decide which one of us is more capable of being a leader. Should you win, I¡¯ll happily follow you instead. Though, I¡¯m sure you understand what will happen if I prove victorious."


    At this, Avery froze up for a moment. He had only seen Ezra in battle once, but that was enough to tell how competent of a mercenary he was.


    Getting him as a subordinate would be a major boon. At that point, Avery would have a four star and two three star mercenaries following him. With three vessels between them, they would be a small but elite squadron.


    ¡¯Still, I don¡¯t know if I could beat him.¡¯ Avery thought, keeping his mind rational. He had a lot to gain, but everything to lose.


    Nevertheless, before he could reject Ezra again, the cunning veteran mercenary made the deal richer for Avery, and far more costly to refuse.


    "Now that I consider it further, we may be the same rank, but you just received a Silver Cross of Heroism. Despite my experience and Ruby Star, I believe that you are in a more commanding position. As such, should you win, I will not only become your subordinate, but also give you half of my current wealth. Adding the money that came along with the award I just received, my total assets are around seventeen million Krenin. While if I win, you still only need to join me." Ezra said, his voice loud enough that the curious onlookers that had been watching their interaction could hear him.


    At once, Avery realized what Ezra was trying to do. By making his challenge public, several mercenaries and Alliance Police Officers now knew about it.


    With the overwhelmingly favorable victory conditions presented to Avery, he would seem like a coward if he refused now.


    A mercenary¡¯s reputation was important, and while likely would not be too debilitating to him if he declined to compete, Avery did not want to be looked down upon now that he had earned a great deal of renown.


    ¡¯All I have to do is win.¡¯ Avery thought, glaring at Ezra with determination.


    From appearances alone, he looked small and insignificant. Ezra had about seventy centimeters on him, and the bulky muscles he possessed made it look like he could easily squash Avery like a grape.


    Still, being a successful mercenary was not about one¡¯s size. If it was, Avery never would have achieved the feats that had seen him earning a Silver Cross.


    "Fine. I¡¯ll take you on. I¡¯m assuming ship to ship combat?"


    Having received Avery¡¯s positive response, Ezra grinned widely before responding.


    "Yes, that is one part of the competition I wish to propose, but not all of it. While we might be able to fight a majority of the time from within our vessels, there are some instances when that is not possible. There are other aspects of being a mercenary, and we will see which of us is truly the more capable."

 Chapter 73 Preparing

    "Avery, are you sure agreeing to that was a good idea?" Kasandra asked as they made their way back to their ship.


    Instead of going to the import market as they had initially planned, the two of them were heading directly back to the Dauntless to figure out their next more.


    "I don¡¯t know, but I felt like it would have been a mistake to decline. If it had been anyone else, I could have just brushed them off, but not with Ezra, and certainly not with the way he made the challenge public." Avery responded with a sigh.


    He had ultimately agreed to Ezra¡¯s terms and accepted a competition to see which one of them was the better mercenary. Then whichever one of them lost would end up as the other¡¯s subordinate.


    Avery could tell that his opponent was completely serious, but also not looking down on him. It had been a proposal between equals. Which had only made Avery even more inclined to accept.


    ¡¯They really are alike, though Ezra probably a bit more polite than his uncle.¡¯


    Had it been Urs, that man might have just randomly attacked Avery on the streets or in space without really explaining anything. Just like their first meeting.


    So, in some ways, it was a relief that Ezra had not been quite as aggressive.


    ¡¯Still, I¡¯ve got to figure out which ones to choose.¡¯ Avery thought while glancing at his terminal.


    Other than ship to ship combat, Ezra had given Avery a list of other skills a mercenary should possess and was supposed to choose two more for them to compete in.


    These ranged from things like shooting, to general knowledge about laws pertaining to mercenaries.


    Naturally, combat ability was the most important aspect of the job, so Ezra had stressed that he needed to pick at least one more battle related challenge.


    Of course, Avery hardly believed he would have any chance against someone that had been a mercenary far longer than him when it came to anything pertaining to information. Urs had taught him a lot, but it was really just a crash course on the most important stuff. What they had mostly done was training.


    ¡¯Except the only thing I¡¯m confident I have a chance of winning is when we fight in our vessels. In the other areas, I don¡¯t think I can easily make up for my lack of experience.¡¯


    As Avery continued to ruminate on his match with Ezra that was scheduled for two weeks from now, he and Kasandra made it back to the Dauntless.


    "Okay, I¡¯ve pulled it up."


    In the Dauntless¡¯ cockpit, Kasandra accessed the ship¡¯s main computer and displayed the data their sensors had saved during the battle with the energy lifeforms.


    If Avery wanted to best Ezra, then he needed to prepare. And the best way to do so was to figure out how his fellow mercenary and student of Urs fought.


    During the incident, he had watched what Ezra could do for a bit, but that was a far cry from a detailed analysis.


    Fortunately, he had managed to gather a good deal of information on his opponent¡¯s ship since they had been fighting together. Though, the same was likely true for Ezra.


    ¡¯At the very least, I was using the missile pods and the EMP blaster the Alliance Police had loaned me at the time. So, he shouldn¡¯t have exact data on my plasma launchers and auto turret even if he knows about them.¡¯


    With Kasandra¡¯s help, Avery brainstormed strategies to combat Ezra¡¯s craft while also figuring out which of the other events to pick.


    In the end, there were only really two options Avery had any shot at.


    During his training with Urs, the primary focus had been on learning how to fire personal laser weaponry, practical combat, and battles between ships. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That meant that these were the categories Avery planned to challenge Ezra to.


    "He learned from Urs just the same as you. And he¡¯s had more time to practice and gain real experience. The Dauntless is probably a bit better than the vessel he¡¯s flying, so its higher specs can make up for any difference in skill, but you¡¯re going to need an edge in the other two competitions as well. I hate to say it, but I don¡¯t think you could beat him in a fair fight or test of marksmanship. Honestly, I¡¯m pretty sure someone like him would trounce me as well." Kasandra said, admitting how much of a disadvantage Avery was at.


    "Well, we¡¯ve got two weeks to train and come up with something. I survived the hell that Urs put me through, so I know that I can put up a good fight at least. He came at me like a real monster, and I had to learn to act fast or get pummeled." Avery said, a distant look in his eyes as he remembered some of his earlier sessions with his mentor.


    Urs was faster and stronger than him, and that still held true. A lot of successful mercenaries purchased bionic and cybernetic enhancements for their bodies, but Avery had not really had time to do so yet. He had trained hard, but he was only a normal human.


    "Kasandra, could you reserve some training rooms for us to use at the Mercenary Association. I need to practice with my laser pistol and probably pick up some other weapons to use. Also, contact your brother. I want the two of you to fight me in mock battles."


    "Avery, I don¡¯t know if I can-."


    Kasandra trailed off before she could finish telling Avery she did not want to hurt him. When she saw the determined glint in his eyes, she knew that she would have to abandon any reservations in order to help him. Even if that meant thoroughly thrashing him alongside her brother in practice duels.


    Once the two of them had things arranged for the next two weeks, Avery began searching his terminal for equipment that might give him the edge he needed.


    "Ah, this might work."

 Chapter 74 First Challenge

    Two weeks went by in a flash for Avery. He spent pretty much every waking moment training with Kasandra and Kaiden or figuring out strategies to give him an advantage over Ezra.


    It had been grueling work to say the least. At some points he thought that it was worse than what he had gone through during his time learning under Urs.


    Kaiden especially reveled in the chance to fight Avery and take out the frustrations he had built up him.


    While they had buried the hatchet so to speak, Avery had essentially taken away Kaiden¡¯s only family and closest friend when Kasandra decided to stick with him. Fortunately, with Kaiden joining up with them, the majority of their issues had been resolved. He had even given begrudging approval of Avery¡¯s relationship with his sister.


    "To think that Yuson Prime would have a facility like this."


    Avery had followed the directions on his terminal to the location that Ezra had sent him and found himself standing in front of a massive training facility.


    It was far larger than anything within the Mercenary Association branch on the colony and possessed some of the most sophisticated technology currently available for combat training.


    "Apparently, while it¡¯s privately owned, it¡¯s mostly used by the Alliance Police. Of course, some mercenaries take advantage of it as well. Like we are today." Kasandra said, reading off the information she had quickly looked up on her tablet.


    Kaiden simply stood next to her without saying anything. A characteristic scowl on his face.


    Still, Avery already knew that Kaiden was rooting for him. The man had gotten a bit drunk last night when they had a small party to raise their spirts and spilled his true feelings to Avery.


    With a deep breath, Avery calmed his nerves and took the lead into the building.


    Inside, he found that Ezra was already waiting for him.


    It only took a single glance to tell that the clothes he was wearing were lightweight, durable, and meant for battle. Honestly, seeing him again after two weeks only reinforced just how imposing Ezra really was. He looked like the spitting image of the kind of person in a holonovel that could charge into an army and fight his way through unscathed.


    "It is good to see you again, Avery. I imagine that you¡¯ve already had all of the gear you¡¯re planning to use sent over?" Ezra said.


    "Yeah, Kasandra took care of all that for me. It should be waiting in one of the building¡¯s storage areas."


    Since they were going to be both testing their shooting skills and abilities in combat, there was far too much equipment for either of them to comfortably haul around on their person.


    Thankfully, the colony¡¯s good¡¯s transport network was able to easily bring whatever items they needed to the building and have it ready and waiting for them.


    "And you have someone else with you today. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had the pleasure." Ezra said, turning his gaze towards Kaiden.


    In response, Kaiden simply glared at Ezra. He was naturally a bit peeved at the four star mercenary, since his sudden challenge to Avery had thrown things into disarray right after he had pledged to be Avery¡¯s subordinate. Now there was a possibility he might have to work under Ezra instead should Avery lose.


    "This is Kaiden, he¡¯s Kassandra¡¯s brother and a member of my squad." Avery said, performing the introduction since it was clear that Kaiden had no intention.


    "Well, he seems capable enough. I won¡¯t mind if he comes with us after I win."


    "Why are you talking like things are already decided?" Kaiden growled.


    "Because those that envision any chance of failure are bound to manifest it at some point. So long as I believe that I will win, then I am confident that my mind and body will not falter."


    Ezra responded to Kaiden¡¯s hostility calmly, and there was little that he could say against the words of wisdom that Ezra had just spoken.


    Of course, he was not belittling Avery. This was simply the philosophy that he lived by in order to always be at his best.


    "I can¡¯t see myself losing either. So, let¡¯s see which of us is truly the best." Avery said confidently.


    A slight smirk formed on Ezra¡¯s lips at this, and he ushered Avery along with Kasandra and Kaiden towards the facility that he had prepared for this competition.


    For this day, he had rented an entire floor with a massive augmented reality, also known as AR, training facility. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The room was capable of generating lifelike targets and enemies, which was perfect for the shooting challenge they would be doing first.


    "These are certainly more sophisticated that the stuff they have at the Mercenary Association training rooms." Avery mused as he put on the visor that would allow him to see the room¡¯s AR creations.


    "That¡¯s only natural. This facility has the most recent generation of technology, while association branches typically only buy surplus models that are three to four generations old. That¡¯s not to say that there equipment is bad, but I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll be able to tell the difference once we get started."


    Once he had given this explanation, Ezra accessed a panel on the far side of the wall and entered his access code into it.


    Around a half minute later, a panel in the wall opened up, and inside were two massive laser pistols.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t think I could hold one of those with both hands, let alone dual wield them.¡¯ Avery thought after seeing Ezra¡¯s weapons of choice.


    Calling his guns hand cannons felt like an apt despeciation. Each one of them had been custom made for Ezra, and it was obvious that they had incredible firepower for one handed weapons.


    Not to be outdone, Avery sent a request to retrieve his own weapons.


    Another thrifty seconds later, and the panel in front of him slid apart to reveal three new guns. All of which were top of the line and which Avery recently purchased just for this competition.

 Chapter 75 First Challenge (2)

    "Oh, those are from Darthing Industries! From the Graviton Series no less." Ezra said, impressed by Avery¡¯s weapons.


    He had a single laser pistol, a laser rifle, and a high-powered personal laser cannon.


    Each one had a sleek jet-black plating on their exterior that honestly gave them a bit of a sinister appearance. Still, when it came to performance, these were the best weapons Avery had been able to get his hands on.


    ¡¯It cost me two hundred ninety thousand Krenin for the lot, but it was well worth it.¡¯ Avery thought as he equipped the three guns.


    Compared to the cheap laser pistol he was using before, the one he had now was far stronger and efficient. Despite being able to fire more powerful blasts, it used only a bit more energy.


    Along with its greater range and higher rate of fire, it was simply an all-around better product.


    Then there was his laser rifle.


    It was a little more than eight-five centimeters long and had a high-performance scope to help aim long-range shots.


    Capable of single shot and rapid fire, it was versatile in how it could be used. Though at its highest intensity and fastest rate of fire, the Graviton Series laser rifle could quickly burn through its energy pack dangerously quick.


    Finally, his laser cannon.


    Truthfully, it was a bit unwieldly at around a meter and a half long, but its boasted incredible firepower considering it was a weapon that a single person could use.


    It was around as powerful as the pulse laser that Avery¡¯s old vessel possessed, and while that weapon was incredibly weak compared to other armaments for ships, having something that could do that much damage compacted into to the size of something meant for personal use was impressive.


    "Don¡¯t you think that might be a little overkill?" Ezra asked, looking at the laser cannon dubiously.


    Certainly, it had a lot of power, but it was large and would be difficult to wield.


    "You said that our targets would vary in size and durability, and that we would be going through different types of terrain. So, I figured that having weapons capable of handling any situation would be for the best. Are you sure that your guns are going to be enough?"


    While Ezra¡¯s laser pistols were large and custom made, Avery doubted that they could possess more than about seventy percent of the firepower of his laser rifle. There was simply only so much optimization that could be accomplished with weapons of that size.


    "There¡¯s no need to worry about that. These two happen to have some tricks of their own." Ezra responded with a chuckle.


    He and Avery then went to separate parts of the training room that had been sectioned off from each other. Before they activated the real course, each of them was going to practice for thirty minutes to get accustomed to the AR interface.


    ¡¯It¡¯s definitely a bit more realistic than what I¡¯ve gotten used to at the mercenary association. The interaction response time is also a little faster too. Though only by a fraction of a second.¡¯ Avery thought, as he pulled the trigger on his laser pistol.


    An instant later, he watched as the virtual target that only existed through the view of his visor had a hole blown through it.


    A detailed score then appeared to grade him on his aim and efficiency.


    He and Ezra were going to be running the same program simultaneously, and it was going to be assessing them based on a number of factors. Such as clear time, accuracy, and damage taken, since not all of their targets were going to be passive and would be able to fire back. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Once Avery had fished up with a few practice runs, he took a break in a private lounge with Kasandra and Kaiden.


    "So, how did everything feel? Do you still think you¡¯ll be able to use that laser cannon?" Kasandra asked as Avery downed a bottle of chilled water.


    "Yeah, the antigravity device and propulsion device work well. It kept up with me easily enough even while running around and taking sharp turns. Unless I have to go into some really narrow spaces, I don¡¯t suspect any problems."


    Avery¡¯s current setup was to have his laser pistol in a holster on his hip, and his laser rifle strapped to his back.


    Obviously, this left no room for his third weapon to comfortably rest on his person, so instead, it was set up to float around and was synced to his movements. That way whenever he needed to use its heavy firepower, he could simply reach behind him and grab it.


    There were some concerns of course. Any obstructions could have it knocked away, and Avery was limited to the speed at which it could move.


    Still, with only his normal physical abilities, it could keep up with him without trouble. If he had any cybernetic or bionic enhancements, that might not have been the case, however.


    "I still think you¡¯re crazy for bringing that thing with you. Anything without a shield generator or ultra dense reflective plating ain¡¯t going to be able to survive your laser rifle. It¡¯s overkill for just about anything." Kaiden said, giving his critical opinion.


    And he was certainly correct. If Avery fired his laser cannon at a person, they would not just be dead but completely vaporized. It was more meant for use against heavily armored vehicles or to lay waste to enemy structures.


    Nevertheless, Avery expected that the program Ezra had prepared was not going to be simple target practice. If it was, the outline never would have specified that there would be variable durability for enemies.


    There likely would not be too many opportunities to use the laser cannon, but Avery wanted it with him just in case.


    "Looks like break times over."


    The alarm on his terminal going off, Avery got up and made his way back to the training room. It was time to begin the first round of his competition with Ezra.

 Chapter 76 Shootout

    Avery watched as a countdown displayed by his visor started at ten and began making its way towards zero.


    The time for practice was over, and the real program was about to start.


    ¡¯I prepared as much as I could. Now all that¡¯s left is to do the best that I can.¡¯ Avery thought, his new laser pistol resting in his hands and ready to be fired at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Soon the countdown reached its end, and the first AR targets created by the simulation appeared.


    Immediately a dozen stationary ring targets showed up in Avery¡¯s field of vision. The first part of the program was going to be a simple test of one¡¯s aim.


    With reflexes Avery had honed during his time learning under Urs and the last two weeks of intense training he had undergone with Kassandra and Kaiden, he raised his gun up and opened fire on the targets.


    Red flashes of light erupted from his weapon¡¯s muzzle and flew towards the floating rings at an imperceptible speed.


    The intensity of the blasts had been brought down to their lowest settling and would hardly be able to harm small insects, but that was perfectly acceptable for this training environment that registered the hits as if they had been at full power. Otherwise, the walls would have ended up with melted holes in them.


    ¡¯A nearly perfect score. I suppose that¡¯s to be expected since this is like the warmup stage.¡¯ Avery thought once his score appeared in his visor.


    For each target he had only fired one shot and landed directly in the center of all but one of them. On the eighth one he was off by about half a centimeter, which was still acceptable to destroy the ring in one hit, but not quite a perfect shot.


    Of course, things were not going to remain as simple as firing on stationary targets for long.


    Around thirty seconds after completing the first round, another dozen targets appeared. With all of them moving around fairly quickly in set patterns.


    For just a few moments, Avery carefully studied the new targets¡¯ movements before opening fire.


    Again, he only needed one blast from his laser pistol for each one to bring them down. This time achieving a perfect score and hitting each one dead in the center.


    ¡¯I should have been a bit more careful with my aim during the first set. No point in moving too fast if it makes me a bit sloppy.¡¯


    Keeping himself focused, but not too on edge, Avery kept his eyes peeled for when the next targets appeared.


    This time could be considered to be more the real deal.


    Thirty-nine rings had suddenly surrounded him, and they were moving faster and in more unpredictable ways. It was almost a surprising increase in difficulty from the last one.


    Still, Avery remained calm and opened fire.


    He was unable to stay rooted in the same spot this time since the targets were all around him and flying around in whichever direction they well pleased. Other than the fact that they were not shooting back, it remained him of the drone attack simulations Urs had put him through.


    ¡¯Some of them are a bit tougher than the others.¡¯


    One of the targets Avery had hit dead in the center with his laser pistol only cracked and was not completely destroyed. It seemed that this was the first stage to introduce the variable durability.


    Fortunately, there was a perceptible minor difference between the tougher targets and the standard ones. So, whenever Avery found any that could survive a shot from his laser pistol, he instead whipped out his laser rifle and blasted it away without any resistance.


    Once the last of the floating rings were destroyed, a buzzer rang in Avery¡¯s ear to signal the end.


    "Looks like I¡¯ve got a five-minute break this time." Avery said with a deep sigh as he released the tension from his body.


    However, the time was not only to let him recover, but so that the room could reconfigure itself.


    Up to this point, he had been firing on targets in a completely open space, but that was about to completely change.


    Pillars of varying sizes protruded out of the ground, and panels along those pillars started arranging themselves so that the structures resembled buildings. The next part of the challenge would be taking place in a simulated urban environment.


    "A hundred twenty-eight, huh. I guess this where the difficulty really starts to ramp up." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the corner of his visor display was the number of remaining targets he needed to hunt down.


    Some were hidden within buildings, while others were floating around outside of them. This was going to be a far more time-consuming mission and require a bit more planning and luck.


    Using his terminal and the visor¡¯s built in sensors, Avery mapped out what he thought would be the best route through the course.


    He had managed to pinpoint some of the targets already, but a good seventy percent of them still remained undetected. Likely stationery or patrolling the inside of the simulated buildings.


    His laser rifle nestled under one arm, and his laser pistol in the other hand, Avery dashed through the course and began eliminating the targets as quickly and accurately as he could.


    Running into the first building, he caught sight of one target just rounding the corner down the hallway.


    Avery clicked his tongue in frustration when he saw this, since had he gotten there just a little faster, he could have blasted the thing from afar without needing to chase it down.


    A few minutes later, he had cleared the building and was snipping the outside targets with his laser rifle from the vantage point on the top floor.


    Thanks to the scope and its aim assist, Avery was able to accurately hit everything he aimed at with hardly any degree of error.


    ¡¯That¡¯s the last one I can get from here. Time to go into the next building.¡¯ Avery thought, grabbing the laser cannon floating behind him and jumping out of the window.


    While his heavy weapon¡¯s propulsion device that allowed it to float and follow him was unable to keep him airborne, it slowed his descent down enough to soften the landing.


    This maneuver certainly put some undue pressure on the device, but since he was being graded on speed, he was going to do whatever it took to cut down on time whenever possible.

 Chapter 77 Shootout (2)

    Not long after Avery finished up the first urban simulation program, he was already gearing up for the next one.


    The easy floating ring targets were now going to be a thing of the past. He would be fighting AR enemies that could fire back going forward.


    ¡¯Okay, it looks like the virtual personal shield generator is functioning properly.¡¯


    Starting from the next round, Avery would be treated as having a shield around him that could soak up a certain amount of enemy fire.


    He had thought about actually purchasing a personal shield generator for this competition, but he had been unable to find one with better specs than the models already offered by the program.


    Since he would definitely want something stronger in the future, he saw no reason to purchase something he would be planning on replacing.


    "Ten battle bots to start with. Doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ve got too much firepower, but if my shield gets depleted by a certain amount it will take points off my score." Avery mumbled as he observed his opponents while hiding in one of the buildings.


    Currently all of them were patrolling the area looking for him. They were not too fast though, and each of them had split up, so they were perfect for ambushing and taking out one at a time.


    When one passed by the building he was in, Avery jumped out and fired his laser pistol into it at close range.


    Its control center destroyed, the virtual battle bot fell over and stopped moving.


    Naturally, the other nine were linked to this one and instantly began closing in on its location to hunt down the perpetrator that had destroyed their ally.


    "This will help let them know I¡¯m here."


    Pointing his gun straight up, Avery fired off three shots and then dashed towards a building and ducked inside. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thanks to his conspicuous fire, the battle bots that were already on the way to investigate their destroyed brethren had all gathered in one place to take their target down with superior firepower.


    ¡¯They don¡¯t have the smartest AI do they.¡¯ Avery thought as he lined up a shot.


    For the first time, he was using his personal laser cannon. It would be massive overkill to take out his enemies one at a time, but with them all grouped up, he could eliminate them in one go.


    With the press of the trigger, a large green beam erupted from the muzzle and streaked across the battlefield towards the bots.


    A moment later, there was a bright flash, and Avery¡¯s targets were completely destroyed.


    Of course, the physical structures were fine since the weapon was set to a training output, but had it been used at full power, the surrounding buildings would have been toppled as well.


    "Yeah, that was probably overkill for those things. Maybe I got a little too hasty wanting to test it out." Avery mused, seeing his score appear in the corner of his visor.


    He had done pretty well since he had cleared the stage quickly and with only a few shots. But the program was actually sophisticated enough to dock points for collateral damage he would have inflicted with his weapons. Thankfully it was not too much, but he would need to watch out for this aspect of the challenge going forward.


    The next wave of enemies soon showed up and Avery went to work annihilating them.


    For the next two rounds, he was up against an increasing number of simple battle bots. They each only had one weak weapon, and their responses were a bit dull.


    However, things drastically changed once he had finished beating these easier programs.


    Soon he was facing a squad of more advanced battle bots that even had a single light military vehicle.


    ¡¯I¡¯m not sure where Ezra got such a comprehensive program from, but it certainly does put one through their paces. Not that a mercenary would ever really see battle like this very often.¡¯ Avery thought, planning out his strategy to take out the current wave of enemies.


    As a mercenary with his own ship, most of his fights would naturally be in space. Terrestrial or colony battles were pretty rare for someone like him. Though it was always best to be prepared. There was no telling when the unexpected might occur.


    Avery attempted to use his ambush tactics again, but the enemies this time were a bit smarter. He was able to take two out, but they quickly used their overwhelming forces to corner him.


    He found himself holed up in a building and taking shots at them when he could.


    Eventually, they stormed inside to hunt him down, but he was ready for this.


    Waiting around corners, wedging himself against the ceiling, and all around using whatever tactics he could to keep from being hit were on the table for Avery.


    He had no qualms about being sneaky or fighting dirty.


    Still, he had not been able to fully avoid enemy fire, and his shields were down to around two thirds of their max power.


    ¡¯All that¡¯s left now though are the few outside with the vehicle. Luckily, I¡¯ve got the perfect means to deal with that.¡¯


    For the second time, Avery ready his laser cannon to fire. He might lose a few points for collateral damage, but he felt that the time lost using his laser rifle to bring the remaining enemies down would be more detrimental.


    When he popped his head out of a window, the four remaining bots swiftly trained their weapons on him, but it was too late.


    They were fast, but Avery had already pulled the trigger on his weapon by the time they had turned around to fire on him.


    "Not bad. It seems like the program didn¡¯t deduct as many points this time thanks to the vehicle. Guess as long as it¡¯s not considered unnecessary force, the damages to the surroundings aren¡¯t considered as heavily." Avery mused as he read the breakdown of his score for this round.


    After that, things continued to ramp up until he was fighting a squadron of military grade battle bots that had a half dozen heavy armored vehicles.


    Honestly it was kind of preposterous to expect one person to be able to beat a force this powerful.


    Unfortunately, this was simply the nature of the program. When one stage was cleared, it ramped up to the next difficulty and continued until it was too overwhelming to be conquered.


    A wall that Avery was soon to hit with only himself and his three weapons to rely on.

 Chapter 78 End of the First Challenge

    Avery exited the training room with pursued lips and a look of dissatisfaction. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had tried his best, but eventually the simulated enemies had overwhelmed him, and he had been beaten.


    Once his "death" had been confirmed, the program shutdown and the room went back to its normal state.


    At the very least, upon exiting, he found Ezra already waiting in the viewing room along with Kasandra and Kaiden. This meant that Avery had lasted longer than him.


    Of course, that hardly meant anything. They were not being assessed based on the amount of time that they could survive. Otherwise, no one would ever leave the first stage that only had stationary targets that could not fight back.


    "A good showing. You¡¯re far more tenacious than I was expecting. My uncle really must have put you through some hellish training." Ezra said, genuinely complementing Avery.


    Still, it was clear to see from his expression that he was confident. Without a doubt he believed that he did better than Avery.


    "Yeah, Urs doesn¡¯t really know the meaning of the word restraint. I had to pick up certain tactics just to survive long enough to theoretically get away. I never once beat him in a fight." Avery replied while shrugging his shoulders.


    Ezra¡¯s smile became a bit strained as he remembered his own training with his uncle and admitted that he had never gotten one over on the man either.


    With both of them having finished the course, the computer calculated their cumulative scores and posted them onto the large monitor in the room.


    Each successive round was weighted more heavily than the last, since obviously it was more difficult to take down enemies that could fight back rather than simple targets.


    "I guess that we both couldn¡¯t get past the same stage." Avery commented, seeing that Ezra had been eliminated against the same group of simulated enemies.


    "Yes, that¡¯s a bit too much for most people to try and take on alone. At least with only guns to use as weapons."


    Naturally, if they had been using their ships or had access to armored vehicles of their own, they might have been able to do something against the enemies on the round that they both lost on, but that would have defeated the purpose of the exercise.


    This was ultimately a means to test their shooting ability under multiple different circumstances. At the end, it had certainly become a bit too much, but that was simply how the program operated.


    "I guess you¡¯ve beaten me on this one." Avery said, able to see at a glance that Ezra had received a higher score than him.


    His was about thirteen percent lower. A good showing, but low enough to not be considered close.


    Still, of all of the challenges, this was the one that Avery knew that he would be most likely to lose.


    He had trained hard, but there was simply a large gap between the amount of experience that each of them had.


    Ezra had been a mercenary for several years now, while he had only just started. Sure, he had pushed himself hard with greater than normal effort, and possessed a bit of natural talent, but that would only get him so far. Especially against someone that had worked just as hard as he had.


    "Let¡¯s take three hours for lunch, rest, and to review each other¡¯s runs through the program. Then we¡¯ll get to the next part of the competition."


    With that Ezra took his leave from the room.


    "I knew that this would be the likely outcome, but its still frustrating." Avery said, clenching his fists tightly.


    For the last two weeks he had trained like hell for this, but he had not even been able to get within ten percent of Ezra¡¯s score.


    It almost made him feel like his efforts had been worthless.


    "Are you going to start crying just cause you lost once? I decided to join you since I thought you were tough, but I suppose you¡¯re not as good as I or everyone else believed."


    Kaiden¡¯s biting words hit Avery hard. Perhaps he was right. Or maybe, he was just a loud-mouthed cat that needed to know his place.


    "Fine, why don¡¯t we go at it? I¡¯ll put you in your place again. Just like I did in training." Avery said, letting anger wash away his dissatisfaction.


    "Those are some big words considering you only beat me one out of every four times. You should curb your ego until you can take me at least fifty percent of the time."


    As the two counted to provoke each other, they made their way to the training room and started a match between each other.


    Watching all of this unfold, Kasandra could only release an exasperated sigh.


    After Avery and Kaiden had exhausted themselves fighting, the three of them finally headed off to get some food and review Ezra¡¯s battle data.


    "He really is proficient with those twin laser pistols." Avery said in between bites of a piece of pizza.


    He had just finished watching Ezra easily blast through the first three rounds of the training program with ease.


    Each time the targets appeared, he hardly glanced at them before landing pinpoint shots with both of his weapons at once.


    This was a feat that Avery could not hope to recreate with his current level of skill. He could match one of Ezra¡¯s weapons, but not both. To so seamlessly dual-wield guns like that was more than twice as difficult as using only one.


    Despite his immense size, he was deceptively fast as well.


    He moved more quickly than Avery, and his reaction speed was beyond what a normal person could ever hope to achieve. Without a doubt he had some high quality bionic or cybernetic enhancements. There had simply been no way that Avery could ever have beaten him. The fact that his score was as close as it was could be considered a feat worthy of praise.


    "Do you still think you can take him in a head-to-head fight after watching that?" Kasandra asked, a hint of concern in her expression.


    "Of course. While there¡¯s only so much you can do to improve shooting skills, there¡¯s plenty of ways to beat someone stronger than you in battle. Plus, I¡¯ve still got my secret weapon ready to level the playing field." Avery replied, his eyes still burning with determination despite having lost the first part of the competition.

 Chapter 79 The Ace Up Avery’s Sleeve

    After the break between the first competition and second competition came to an end, Kasandra and Kaiden went back to the enormous training room that Ezra had prepared for this day. While Avery headed off to grab the special equipment he had prepared to fight his overwhelmingly powerful opponent.


    When the two Woest siblings arrived, they found Ezra already waiting inside.


    Along with his two laser pistols, he now wore some durable body armor, and there was a long pole and small circular device with a handle attached to it affixed to Ezra¡¯s back.


    Clearly, this was his full combat gear, and he struck an imposing figure.


    "And where might Avery be? I highly doubt he chickened out simply for losing the first round." Ezra said jokingly to Kasandra and Kaiden.


    "He¡¯s busy getting his gear together. He¡¯ll be here shortly to beat you." Kasandra said defiantly.


    A wry smirk formed on Ezra¡¯s lips at this response. He could tell that she was confident in her partner¡¯s abilities.


    "Not to belittle him, but I believe that my chances of victory here are greater. Avery has excellent potential, and he has worked hard to improve himself, but he is still green. I¡¯m sure as veterans yourselves that you already know this."


    "That¡¯s all true, but you¡¯ve yet to see where Avery really shines. He¡¯s good at thinking on his feet and using anything at his disposal. Don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to beat him easily just because you¡¯re stronger and have more experience." Kasandra warned.


    Almost if on cue, Avery appeared out of a set of large double doors.


    When Ezra saw him, for the first time his composed expression slipped, and he stared in wide-eyed astonishment.


    With heavy steps that left loud bangs in their wake, Avery walked forward. Covered head to toe by a suit of heavy power armor.


    Its exterior was covered by thick plating, and it stood at a bit over three meters tall. While wearing it, Avery was the one towering over Ezra.


    "So, this is how you plan to combat me. It¡¯s not a bad idea, but I have beaten foes in power armor before."


    "I don¡¯t think that I will give me an automatic win, but it certainly does help to level the playing field. Before, all you would have needed to do was get up close to me and that would be it. Urs crushed me the same way hundreds of times. But that won¡¯t be the case now." Avery said, his smirk hidden behind the armor¡¯s helmet.


    Still, his tone allowed Ezra to tell what sort of expression his opponent was wearing.


    He had in fact planned on forcing his way into close combat with Avery and using his superior strength to incapacity his junior that had learned from the same mentor.


    Without another word, Ezra turned around and walked towards the entrance of the training room. It was time for them to fight it out and see who would come on top. There was no more need for words or posturing.


    Yet, before Avery could head towards his own starting position. Kasandra called him over and shooed her brother away so that he was out of earshot.


    "You¡¯d better win this. And when you do, I¡¯ll make sure to reward you tonight."


    Kasandra then whispered to Avery everything she planned to do, and he felt his face heating up and his motivation rising.


    "Well, I definitely can¡¯t lose now. Not with my beautiful girlfriend counting on me." Avery said, operating his power armor and heading into the training room.


    Once inside, he could see Ezra waiting at the opposite end.


    Only a few moments later, he received a message from the program asking if he was ready.


    After he confirmed that he was, the field began to change rapidly.


    For their battle it would be simulating an urban environment as it had during the later parts of the shooting challenge.


    Otherwise, it would have just ended up with them blasting each other from afar with long range weaponry. And since few battles were fought on fully open fields without any obstacles, it would hardly be considered an approximation of what a true fight would be if they did. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡¯It looks like the armor¡¯s weapons and system are all working at peak performance. Which they better considering how much this thing cost. Also, my laser rifle and laser cannon are fully charged and ready to go.¡¯ Avery thought, doing one last check on everything with his power armor¡¯s heads-up display.


    He was currently piloting a top-of-the-line power armor named the Sterkur MK VIII that was manufactured by Darthing Industries just like his weapons.


    To get it customized the way he wanted and fully upgraded with the absolute best armor, weapons, sensors, and shielding available, had cost a little over seven hundred thousand Krenin.


    That was enough to purchase a fully kitted out small ship good enough for a two star mercenary. Some older models of power armor that were still perfectly functional and quite strong could be bought for as little as twenty thousand Krenin. Going to show just how outrageous the price for the Sterkur was.


    To fight Ezra though, Avery needed the best, so he spared no expense on the piece of equipment that would both protect him and give him the strength necessary to beat his foe.


    When a timer counting down from thirty seconds appeared, Avery reached up and grabbed his laser rifle and laser cannon that were mounted on his back. Wielding one in each hand.


    Their stocks and triggers had been switched out in order to be used alongside his power armor. Fortunately, they had bene made by the same company, so they worked perfectly together.


    ¡¯I should have more firepower than him. If I can keep my distance and whittle him down, I can rely on my armor¡¯s shields and plating to protect me.¡¯


    Avery had turned the entire dynamic of the battle on its head by bringing in power armor. Still, Ezra had fought through several real battles in the past. There was no telling what he or the two weapons he had equipped besides his laser pistols were capable of.

 Chapter 80 Avery Vs Ezra

    Avery sent full power to the Sterkur¡¯s sensors the moment that the match started.


    In a battle like this, information was key, and figuring out Ezra¡¯s first move would allow him to not be surprised by his opponent.


    ¡¯He¡¯s moving cautiously to the west. Making sure to keep buildings between us as he closes in. But he must have some sort of cloaking device since I can¡¯t get a perfect read on where he is. Just his general location.¡¯ Avery thought, carefully analyzing the information he had gathered.


    Still, he knew the general vicinity of where Ezra was, and had no intention of letting him take the initiative.


    With a heavy step, he shot forward and charged towards his adversary¡¯s location.


    Using the Sterkur¡¯s immense offensive and defensive power, there was no need to hide around and try to make an opening. Rushing in and using the power armor¡¯s immense strength to finish things off quickly would be for the best.


    Of course, his approach was far from stealthy considering he was running around in a three-meter-tall suit of armor.


    Ezra could hear him coming long before they encountered each other.


    ¡¯Does he really think hiding¡¯s going to work.¡¯


    His opponent nowhere in sight, Avery used his armor¡¯s sensors to figure out the building that Ezra had hidden in.


    Then the instant he found it; he trained both his laser rifle and laser cannon on the structure and opened fire with abandon.


    While he was not doing any actually damage thanks to his weapons being set to fire at a low output for training, the program they were using was sophisticated enough to calculate the actual destruction.


    Should Ezra be determined to have been hit by a shot or if the building collapsed down on top of him, the match would be called in Avery¡¯s favor.


    Sadly, things were not going to be so easy.


    As Avery unloaded blast after blast into the building, Ezra ran through it and out the other side with unbelievable speed.


    Without missing a step, the moment he exited, he rushed around and took multiple shots at Avery before he could readjust his aim.


    "Got him."


    Avery completely ignored dodging and let his armor¡¯s shield soak up the lasers streaking toward him.


    Instead, he leveled his laser cannon in Ezra¡¯s direction and opened fire. Even if he were to duck around the corner, the radius of the blast would still hit him and cause some damage.


    Yet, to Avery¡¯s utter astonishment, his foe did not move to dodge but instead grabbed the small circular device with a handle from his back.


    "That¡¯s impossible!" Avery shouted in disbelief as he watched what happened next.


    The piece of equipment that Ezra was now wielding sprung to life and created a large shield of translucent golden light.


    Using this shield, he caught Avery¡¯s laser cannon blast and deflected it away from him. A truly inhuman feat possible only thanks to the increased reaction speed and strength Ezar had obtained from bionic enhancements.


    Even though it was only for a moment, Avery stood rooted in place, stunned by Ezra¡¯s display. During that brief window of time, his opponent fired off multiple shots with one of his hand cannons before dashing out of Avery¡¯s line of sight.


    "Damn, that really chipped away at my shields." Avery cursed, seeing the gauge representing the total energy his shield generator at around eighty-five percent now.


    He had been caught off guard by Ezra¡¯s rare armament. A piece of equipment capable of producing hard light energy.


    Avery knew only a little about hard light technology, but what he had heard was that it stupid expensive to produce and ate through energy at a tremendous rate.


    Still, even with these drawbacks, it was both durable and light, as Ezra had just demonstrated. He had been able to deflect Avery¡¯s laser cannon blast with it and then counterattack as if nothing substantial had happened.


    ¡¯I may just be essentially firing flashes of light on the current settings, but the program would have accurately calculated the damage. That means even if I had just launched a full power attack, he would have been able to reproduce what he just did. That¡¯s crazy.¡¯


    Lasers moved at the speed of light, meaning the only way to block them the way Ezra just had was by following the trajectory of the weapon, and moving slightly fast than a person could pull the trigger.


    That was pretty much superhuman, and it made it apparent just how skilled Ezra was.


    "He¡¯s also got that pole he hasn¡¯t used yet. I¡¯d bet a million Krenin it¡¯s a hard light weapon to go along with his shield." Avery surmised.


    With the physical capabilities Ezra had, it was easy to imagine that he was quite proficient in physical combat. Using a hard light shield and weapon, he really could go toe to toe with someone in power armor and come out on top.


    Still, Ezra was being cautious. Avery had more firepower and strength thanks to his Sterkur,


    However, the powerful but bulky armor left Avery lacking a bit in speed. He could move quickly in fast bursts going in a straight line, but he had yet to master the controls to the point of executing sharp turns and other dexterous maneuvers. But what could he do other than keep attacking.


    Bounding after Ezra, Avery kept his eyes on his sensors reading to locate his hiding foe.


    Fortunately, it did not take too long to find him. Sadly, it was only because several streaks of light from the veteran mercenary¡¯s laser pistols rained down on Avery.


    "Try this on for size."


    Activating one of his power armor¡¯s weapons systems, a compartment on the back opened up and reveled six tubes.


    Inside each one was a micro missile that went flying towards the building Ezra was holding up in.


    Except, without batting an eye of showing even a hint of surprise or fear, Ezra simply accurately took aim and shot the explosive projectiles down.


    Avery attempted to blast his opponent away with his laser rifle set to full auto, but Ezra had already ducked back into the building and was dashing down the hall towards the other end.


    ¡¯I need to bring him out into the open or get the drop on him somehow. At this rate he¡¯s just going to drain my shields and energy reserves until I can¡¯t fight back anymore.¡¯ S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Having lost track of Ezra again, Avery took a few moments to rack his brain for what his next move should be.


    If he just continued searching around and getting ambushed, then he would never break through his current predicament.


    Ezra was fighting with an abundance of caution. He was going into buildings Avery was unable to thanks to his power armor¡¯s size and using them to keep out of sight until he was ready to get the drop on Avery.


    By the time Avery had located him, it was already too late. He took several shots to his shields and Ezra ran away before he could get a solid attack off.


    ¡¯I thought that power armor would give me the edge, but he¡¯s got more experience handling situations like this than I expected. Maybe I should just start blasting every building and hope I get lucky.¡¯


    Avery could simulate buildings being leveled by his laser launcher if he attempted to do so. In fact, all of the structures he had blasted had already receded back into the floor to approximate their destruction.


    Nevertheless, Avery would exhaust his energy supply long before he could bring down every building. And there was a good chance that Ezra would make some kind of move while he was busy doing so.


    Eventually, Avery came up with a new plan of action. It was reckless as could be, but he figured that it had the best chance of working. It would either lead to his overwhelming defeat or give him the chance of victory that he was searching for.

 Chapter 81 Avery’s Gambit

    "Is he not coming?"


    Crouching behind a wall in one of the simulated buildings. Ezra calmly waited for Avery to show himself again.


    So far, their match had been a game of cat and mouse. Where Avery sought out Ezra and attempted to take him out with his overwhelming firepower, while Ezra used hit and run tactics to slowly whittle away at Avery¡¯s defenses.


    Of course, Ezra felt confident that even if he got into a head-to-head brawl, that he could beat Avery even with his power armor, but doing so was somewhat risky. Especially when he was uncertain of the weapons and tricks the Sterkur might possess.


    Still, Ezra could not just cower inside a building the entire time. If Avery was not going to come to him, then he would just have to continue sneaking around and get close enough to shoot another barrage of lasers before escaping again.


    Yet, just before Ezra moved from his current location, the sensors in the visor he was wearing detected the approach of a large mass.


    Avery¡¯s power armor came lumbering into view a few moments later.


    It began swiveling around searching for Ezra, whose location it could not quite pinpoint, but knew was nearby.


    "I figured that he would be smarter than this. Just doing the same thing over and over again won¡¯t yield any different results. He must be reaching his limits." Ezra murmured, somewhat disappointed in Avery.


    Piloting power armor took a decent mental toll on a person, and even if he had practiced extensively for two weeks, there was simply no way that Avery could have gotten used to controlling his secret weapon. No matter how sophisticated its support systems were.


    From what Ezra could see, the power armor¡¯s movements were already starting to become slower and less precise. Proof that Avery was no longer capable of using it to the best of his abilities.


    Deciding that it was about time to finish things off, Ezra held both of his laser pistols together and combined them.


    This was a gimmick that the twin weapons had to increase their firepower. Something he had deliberately avoided showing during the shooting competition.


    Many would consider such a function eccentric. If Ezra wanted a stronger weapon, it would really have been more practical to simply carry a high-powered laser rifle as well.


    But he had been taken by the prospect of having two weapons that could combine to become stronger. And it had truthfully helped him out in the past. It was too cumbersome to always carry a laser rifle around, but other than in restricted areas where weapons were not allowed, he always had his trusty twin laser pistols with him.


    When Avery¡¯s power armor faced away from the location he was hiding in, Ezra popped out and fired several blasts from his combined laser pistols.


    In this state the output of the lasers exceeded two times what the gun¡¯s usual power was.


    He watched the red beams dissipate against the shield around Avery¡¯s power armor, but that was to be expected. Right now, he was simply weakening his opponent¡¯s defenses so that he could deliver the finishing blow all at once later.


    A bit sluggishly compared to before, the power armor turned around and fired back.


    Ezra was slightly surprised to see two more laser emitters pop up out of the Sterkur¡¯s shoulders, but the extra blasts meant little if they failed to hit him.


    Without a moments delay, he took off running down the hall, his hard light shield activated on his back to absorb and possible stray fire that might have miraculously been able to hit him.


    ¡¯Perhaps just two or three more times and I will have brought his shields down enough to finish this in one blow. No matter how strong its plating is, that armor won¡¯t be able to block my hard light weapon once it no longer has shields.¡¯ Ezra thought, feeling the rhythmic bouncing of the long pole affixed to his back as he ran.


    Hard light weapons were essentially the sharpest material that could exist. It created a nearly unbreakable blade that was so thin it was almost two dimensional. Only certain super compressed alloys could block a strike from such a weapon, and it was impractical to use something like that in power armor plating. That would make it too heavy to move properly.


    Yet, As Ezra was envisioning his soon to be victory, something wholly unexpected occurred.


    In the corner of his eye, he saw a figure waiting down a hallway that intersected with the one he was running through.


    ¡¯Impossible!¡¯


    Turning his head, Ezra watched as Avery, no longer in his power armor, leveled his laser pistol at him.


    Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Ezra watched his opponent pull down on the trigger of his weapon.


    He had fallen right into a trap. One that he should have foreseen. Avery¡¯s power armor had not been moving so imprecisely because Avery was starting to feel fatigued. It was due to the fact that it was being operated remotely.


    Pushing his enhanced body to its limits, Ezra pulled his hard light shield in front of him just as the first streaks of red light flew out of the muzzle of Avery¡¯s laser pistol.


    However, he was not quite fast enough at this moment.


    The red beam slipped past him as he swung his shield around and struck him in the head.


    Normally this would have been the end. People could not survive taking a shot from a laser pistol to the head. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Except, Ezra had not truly been hit by the blast.


    "That was a good plan, but you should have accounted for the fact that I have a personal shield generator. Even I¡¯m under no illusion that I can block every laser fired at me with only my hard light shield." Ezra said, turning to face Avery.


    He then lowered his posture so that he was fully covered by his shield and charged.


    Before he had avoided engaging in close combat due to possibly being overwhelmed by Avery¡¯s power armor. But now that it was out of the equation, he was free to end this battle with his overwhelming physical abilities.

 Chapter 82 Avery’s Gambit (2)

    Avery ducked into a side hallway next to him as Ezra came barreling towards him.


    As he did, he saw a flash of light strike the wall behind where he had bene standing just a moment ago.


    While his opponent was closing in on him, there was no reason for him not to open fire with his combined laser pistols.


    To avoid being shot in the back, Avery ran down the escape route he had already planned in advance.


    It was full of sharp turns that made it difficult for Ezra to get a line of sight on him, or to use his greater physical capabilities to catch up quickly.


    ¡¯This is just like when Urs gave me that "test" before accepting to train me.¡¯ Avery thought as he fled.


    He was already used to someone stronger, faster, and more experienced than him chasing after him.


    Having Ezra hunting him down almost felt nostalgic, despite the fact that his training with Urs had only ended a couple months ago.


    When he knew he had no more leeway to run around the building, Avery jumped out of a window just as he had planned.


    The impact upon landing sent a jolt up his body, but he forced himself to keep moving despite the sharp pain. He had certainly felt worse before and he would be fine in just a few moments.


    Of course, Ezra followed suit without a hint of hesitancy.


    He had tried to line up a shot on Avery, but his target had slipped into an alley with another building blocking the way.


    Once his feet touched down on the ground, Ezra took off after Avery. In this game of cat and mouse, he was both stronger and faster. It was only a matter of time until he won.


    Yet, just as he was about to round the corner Avery had gone by, several lasers flew down the path in a wide spread.


    This stopped Ezra for a moment. Avery had clearly tried to time his suppression fire with the instant Ezra came into view, but he had been off by a fraction of a second.


    ¡¯Not like that will stop me.¡¯ Ezra thought, holding his hard light shield forward and preparing to force his way through Avery¡¯s blasts.


    However, as he rushed around the corner, he found an unpleasant surprise waiting for him.


    "Now I¡¯ve finally got you out in the open." Avery said, a smirk on his face as the open cockpit of his power armor closed around him.


    He had given it remote instructions to come and wait in this alley for his return. Then he had hopped back in and fired his laser pistol to give the illusion that he was trying to hit Ezra, when really, he only wanted to slow him down a bit.


    Now back in his Sterkur power armor, Avery activated the boost thrusters on its back and feet to go flying.


    At a dangerously high speed, his power armor shot forward. It was now Avery¡¯s turn to charge towards Ezra with immense might.


    Unable to get out of the way now that he was in the narrow alleyway that just barely fit Avery¡¯s power armor. All Ezra could do was hold his hard light shield forward and brace for impact.


    Had a normal person been hit by a high-speed tackle from a suit of heavy power armor, they would have been run over in an instant.


    But Ezra¡¯s species had naturally strong bodies and his bionic enchantments further boosted his already impressive physical abilities.


    While he was pushed back by Avery¡¯s charge, he kept himself upright and dug his heels into the ground.


    He could feel his muscles straining, but he nevertheless pushed back.


    Eventually he was slammed into the wall of a building behind him and pinned.


    The laser emitters on the Sterkur¡¯s shoulders flashed to life and began blasting away at Ezra¡¯s shield.


    As durable as hard light was, it still had its limits, and its energy source would be exhausted long before Avery¡¯s power armor ran out of power to fire its lasers.


    His back literally against the wall, Ezra grabbed his finally reaming weapon and activated it.


    A giant hard light halberd appeared from out of the pole he had been carrying, and he slammed it into the side of Avery¡¯s power armor.


    "Werrr! Werrr! Werrr!"


    Alarms started blaring inside Avery power armor as the single hit from Ezra massively depleted his remining shield capacity.


    "How about this!"


    Avery pulled back one of his arms and punched forward with his power armor clade fist.


    He slammed hard into Ezra¡¯s shield and the impact generator in his armor sent a wave of kinetic energy with it.


    The sturdy building Ezra was backed up against cracked as he was smashed into it with extreme force.


    Despite this only being a training match, Avery had unleashed the full force of his attack. Perhaps a bit overzealous considering they were not actually trying to kill each other.


    Still, even as his entire body was rattled, Ezra did not let up, he swung his weapon again and ate away at most of what remained of his shields. They would not hold up to another hit.


    "I didn¡¯t want to have to do this." Avery grumbled, opening the Sterkur¡¯s emergency exit and jumping through it.


    The moment he did, Ezra broke through his power armor¡¯s shield and his hard light halberd hit the outer plating.


    Fortunately, Ezra¡¯s weapon was currently set to emit a blunted blade, so it did not do any actual damage. Still, the program registered the Sterkur as having received a deep cut and the onboard computer lowered its capabilities to represent this simulated damage. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At the very least, the power armor had not been shutdown and still held Ezra in place. Allowing Avery to make his final move.


    "Personal shield generators are certainly useful, but they can¡¯t stop blasts at this close range." Avery said, his laser pistol pressed right up against Ezra¡¯s stomach.

 Chapter 83 End of the Second Challenge

    With his finger pressed down on the trigger, Avery sent unrelenting blasts into Ezra¡¯s stomach.


    Even after firing several times, he did not stop. Not until the program announced his victory.


    Fortunately, Ezra did not have any other tricks hidden up his sleeve, and the matched ended when he was determined to have been "killed" by Avery.


    It had been a close battle that had swung back and forth, but Avery had managed to eke out a victory thanks to his risky strategy. Had he made a single misstep, Ezra would have taken him out easily.


    "Now that you¡¯ve won. Would you mind getting this power armor off me?" Ezra said, interrupting Avery¡¯s internal celebration.


    Turning his attention back to his opponent, Avery saw him slumped up against the wall and no longer resisting.


    Nevertheless, the bulky Sterkur Power Armor still had its weight against him and was using its artificial muscles to hold the man down.


    Of course, Ezra could have broken free if he wanted to, but that would have entailed damaging Avery¡¯s power armor.


    "Sorry, just give me a moment."


    Pulling out his terminal, Avery sent a few commands to the Sterkur and it released Ezra and backed away a few meters.


    Once he was no longer pinned to a wall, Ezra pushed himself off and began rolling his shoulders and twisting his body around to assess his condition.


    "You got a little rough with me at the end there. Thankfully it seems that I¡¯ve only got a few strained muscles. I was worried for a moment that you might have broken some of my bones." Ezra said with a light chuckle.


    Despite having just lost, he did not seem to be particularly upset. He realized that he had been caught in Avery¡¯s trap and had been outplayed.


    This was a competition to see which one of them was more skilled, and while he had wanted to win, he was also satisfied to see how well his junior that had learned under the same mentor had performed. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I suppose that this puts us at one win apiece. We¡¯ll be deciding this in space with our ships."


    With those parting words, Ezra left the training room and began gathering their things. As planned, the two of them would leave the station in five hours and put their piloting skills to the test. Whichever one of them lost this time, would end up becoming the other¡¯s subordinate.


    From his terminal, Avery gave his power armor remote instructions to head back to the storge facility and then exited the room.


    "You did it!"


    As soon as Avery walked into the viewing room where the two Woest siblings had been watching the match, Kasandra leapt towards Avery and embraced him. He could feel both her happiness and relief as she held him.


    "Yeah, I managed to pull it off at the end. Even if I had to get a bit reckless. Still, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it without you. Both of you." Avery said, turning his head a bit and looking towards Kaiden.


    In response, the older Woest sibling simply scoffed and turned away, but Avery could tell from the slight rhythmic bouncing of his tail that he was happy to be appreciated.


    And Avery meant what he said. The two of him had helped him train extensively and come up with strategies to beat Ezra.


    Truthfully, it had been Kaiden that suggested he could jump out of the power armor to launch a coordinated attack with it. Though only as a reckless last resort.


    "I¡¯m a bit surprised. Ezra lost but he didn¡¯t seem disappointed in the least. It was as if he really didn¡¯t care about the results and was just enjoying himself." Kasandra commented, finding his behavior odd.


    "Yeah, I got that feeling to. And while I can¡¯t really be sure, I think I understand the reason." Avery said.


    He then told Kasandra and Kaiden what he was thinking and the two of them nodded in understanding. In some way, the three of them were exactly the same.


    "Still, you better not lose. I agreed to follow you, not anyone else. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll stick around if I have to start taking orders from him." Kaiden said brashly.


    "Oh, are you just going to abandon your little sister then? Weren¡¯t you a wreak when I left you alone for less than two weeks. Because I¡¯m sticking with Avery whether you¡¯re with us or not." Kasandra said teasingly.


    Kaiden¡¯s expression twisted into a deep scowl at this, and he huffed loudly before walking away. Of course, for Kasandra, it was obvious to tell what he would do in the end. Even if Avery lost, he would be coming with them.


    "Well, I have no intention of losing. I don¡¯t think it would be bad to work under Ezra, but I don¡¯t want to follow someone else."


    Determination in his eyes, Avery headed back to the Dauntless with Kassandra accompanying him. While Kaiden made his way to his on ship.


    Along the way, he took care of the procedures to have his gear returned to his vessel.


    By the time they got back, the power armor, laser rifle, and laser cannon had already been placed inside the cargo hold.


    "So, what do you want to do for the next few hours? Run some more simulations?" Kasandra asked.


    Avery thought about it for a moment but ultimately shook his head.


    "I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be anymore prepared with just a little bit more practice. I¡¯ve done what I can. Now all that¡¯s left is to let my efforts bring results. Also, I can¡¯t imagine losing to another small craft when piloting the Dauntless."


    Despite the importance of the upcoming battle, Avery did not feel any tension. He had managed to make it through what he considered the more difficult of the three challenges with one win and one lose. All that was left to do was to trounce Ezra out in space and prove which one of them had the better ship and piloting skills.

 Chapter 84 Start of the Final Match

    Avery piloted the Dauntless through a dense asteroid field as he made his way towards the coordinates that Ezra had given him.


    They were still in the Yuson system, but far enough away from any space stations or mining operations that their battle would not attract unwanted attention.


    "I wonder how he found this spot?" Kasandra said, looking out at the rocks of varying sizes floating by.


    "It wasn¡¯t on the map of the system I had downloaded, but when I searched a bit deeper for it, I found some old records from when companies were first prospecting the system. Apparently almost none of these asteroids have any valuable metals or minerals in them. Which is why no one really cares that it exists, and they won¡¯t be bothered if a few of them blow up." Avery replied.


    Truthfully, it was the perfect place for a duel between small class vessels. Not only would they need to worry about themselves, but also the obstacles floating all around them.


    A mercenary¡¯s typical prey was space pirates, and they almost always operated in areas similar to this that made it difficult for the Alliance Police¡¯s large vessels to approach. Meaning that this battle between Avery and Ezra would also serve as excellent practice for the future. Especially if they ran into the rare pirate that was both exceptionally skilled and possessed a quality vessel.


    "There he is. That ship of his really does blend in well with the asteroids. If it weren¡¯t for the sensors, I might have missed him." Kasandra commented.


    Ezra¡¯s ship, known as the Specter, had a dark gray coloration that fit its namesake. It really did seem like if one took their eyes off of it for a single moment, that it could disappear.


    "Glad to see that you¡¯re on time. Are you ready to get started?"


    "Yep. Send me the starting coordinates and we¡¯ll get into position." Avery responded.


    A transmission then came in and Kasandra helped navigate Avery a few hundred kilometers away.


    "And I just want to ask again, you¡¯re certain that its fine that Kasandra acts as a supporter during the match?"


    "Yes, that¡¯s fine. She¡¯s a part of your crew and normally assists you anyway. I see no reason why she would not be able to help you now."


    With Ezra approval, Avery nodded his head towards his partner and left her with the job of working the Dauntless¡¯ subsystems. This would allow him to focus fully on flying and shotting.


    "We¡¯ve received the countdown. One minute to go."


    After receiving a final transmission from Ezra, Kasandra displayed a timer on the Dauntless¡¯ main screen. Today, Avery would either prove himself competent enough for Ezra to join him, or he would become the subordinate of the veteran mercenary.


    "Setting generator to maximum output. Charging the weapon systems." Kasandra said as the clock ticked closer to the start of the match.


    The instant it hit zero, Avery pushed the thrusters and began flying through the asteroid field as quickly as he could manage.


    Soon he had a visual on the Specter and confirmed target lock on it.


    With the press of a button, three blasts of red light shot out from the Dauntless¡¯ heavy laser cannons and soared towards Ezra¡¯s ship.


    "He¡¯s certainly adept at using those asteroids." Avery grumbled as his shots missed.


    Ezra was darting around cover to avoid being hit while closing in. While his weapons were powerful, their effective range was shorter than Avery¡¯s.


    Both of them continued to close in on each other in order to bring a swift and decisive end to this dual.


    "Seekers incoming!"


    Once he was finally close enough, Ezra launched several seeker missiles from the single missile pod sitting on the top of his ship just behind the cockpit.


    Of course, Avery already knew he had this weapon equipped and Kasandra immediately deployed flares to give the missiles other heat signatures to lock onto.


    Using their momentary shift in concertation, Ezra lined up his primary weapons on the Dauntless and opened fire.


    He had two multicannons and two laser blasters. All of which fired at a tremendous rate.


    Unlike Avery¡¯s laser cannons that did immense damage with each attack, Ezra¡¯s weapons were more geared towards a consistent barrage that ate away at his opponent¡¯s shields until he broke through and could riddle his targets full of holes.


    "The targeting system can¡¯t lock on properly since he¡¯s deployed chaffs and decoy beacons."


    "I know. It¡¯s a pain but I¡¯ll have to aim manually."


    Ezra was naturally using a lot of the same tricks that Avery had up his sleeve. Both of them had released deceives to meddle with each other¡¯s targeting abilities.


    However, Ezra had the clear advantage since he was simply firing far more attacks than Avery was. Even if his shots lacked power in comparison.


    Nevertheless, Avery was hardly fazed by any of this. He already knew that this was going to be a tough battle.


    Back and forth, the two of them maneuvered around to line up shots on each other and slowly ate away at each other¡¯s shields.


    While Avery¡¯s laser cannons hit far less often, each shot was far more impactful.


    "He¡¯s charging up the unknown weapon on the bottom of his vessel. Keep your eye out for it." Kasandra warned.


    They had an abundance of data on Ezra¡¯s ship from their time fighting together against the energy lifeforms, but there had been one armament he had not used then. Now though, he was getting ready to reveal what his secret weapon could do. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite Avery¡¯s best efforts, Ezra eventually lined up a shot at them and fired his hidden ace.


    "Wait?! It¡¯ a railgun." Kasandra shouted as an electromagnetically propelled chunk of metal shaped like an arrowhead came flying towards them.


    Usually, a small craft would never have such a weapon since it used an obscene amount of energy to fire and required heavy and sizable ammunition.


    Yet, it was a lot like Avery¡¯s plasma launchers. A difficult to use, but immensely powerful weapon that could allow even a smaller vessel to deal serious damage to larger ones. Even just a single hit would be strong enough to punch through the Dauntless¡¯ shields.

 Chapter 85 Competition Finale

    Avery hastily began plotting a course to avoid the incoming projectile coming his way.


    While railguns did launch their attacks at a high speed, it was nothing compared to lasers that traveled at the speed of light.


    With the distance between them, Avery still had enough time to dodge.


    Yet, Ezra obviously knew the weaknesses of his own weapons best and his set up was meant to work together to cover for this.


    "We¡¯ve got seeker missiles incoming!"


    From multiple angles, missiles that Ezra had fired off and set on a delay suddenly turned and started heading towards the Dauntless. Effectively closing off any path of escape from the railgun¡¯s attack.


    There were only a mere couple of seconds before Avery was saturated by deadly attacks that even his ship would not be able to take unscathed.


    This combination showed just how skilled his opponent was. He could force people to move the way he wanted with his seeker missiles, multicannons, and laser blasters, and then finish them off with his railgun once he had them cornered.


    Still, Avery had been in tougher spots before.


    Getting eaten by the queen energy lifeform was far more harrowing, and some of the programs that Urs had forced him to fight saw him going up against entire fleets he never had any chance of winning against.


    Knowing that there was only one way out, Avery charged forward. Directly in the path of the speeding piece of metal coming his way.


    For all their power, railguns had several weaknesses to exploit. One being how easy it was for the trajectory of the projectile to be changed.


    Avery aimed all three of his heavy laser cannons at the projectile and blasted it out of the way.


    He only shifted its path a little, but this allowed him to slip by as it flew past him.


    Of course, the seeker missiles were still on his tail, but after escaping the encirclement, they were all lined up behind him as they gave chase.


    With a couple shots from the stern scatterguns all of the missiles were torn to shreds and exploded harmlessly.


    "Here he comes." Avery muttered seeing the Specter approaching from above.


    Ezra was not going to be deterred simply because his finishing move had been broken through.


    He immediately came after Avery again, with his multicannons and laser blasters firing at their maximum rate.


    Avery initiated evasive maneuvers, but it was impossible to completely dodge the spray of bullets and lasers coming his way.


    "Don¡¯t think I¡¯m not going to fight back."


    His heavy laser cannons locked on target, Avery pressed down on the trigger and three powerful balls of light shot through space towards the Specter.


    The two of them continued to trade blows with each other and slowly wore down each other¡¯s shields.


    Neither of them allowed the other to land a decisive blow agist the other. Whenever they were taking too much fire, they would use the abundance of asteroids as bulwarks to protect themselves.


    "He¡¯s certainly wary of us getting close. I guess he must have looked up the records from the pirate raid and learned about the Dauntless¡¯ plasma launchers."


    So far, Ezra had been doing his best to keep the battle at midrange where most of his weapons were most impactful.


    If he got closer, he would be more likely to score a hit with his railgun, but that would also put him in range of Avery¡¯s plasma launchers. A single direct hit from one would burn right through his shields.


    "Our laser cannons have a great range than any of his weapons. If we want, we can keep our distance we might be able to eventually bring him down." Kasandra suggested.


    However, Avery was not partial to this plan. It might work, but it was more likely that Ezra would just use the asteroids to block any of the long-range attacks and slowly close in.


    Avery could probably put them in a sort of stalemate that would only end when one of their ships ran out of power, but that was something that would probably never occur in a real battle. Which was what this duel was supposed to represent.


    "I suppose it¡¯s time to break out our secret weapon. Bet he was expecting that our usual auto turret was reinstalled."


    Flying out from behind the asteroid he had been using to take cover, Avery charged directly for the Specter.


    Seeing this, Ezra piloted his ship in reverse to keep some distance and opened fire with his four primary weapons.


    Atop the Dauntless, the compartment where the auto turret would normally be housed opened.


    Immediately Ezra deployed more chaffs and decoy beacons to nullify the weapons threat.


    However, he was surprised when it was not an auto turret that popped out, but the Aida EMP MK VII.


    Since it had been damaged to the point of needing extensive repairs, the Alliance police had instead sold the weapon to Avery. It was something they rarely needed, and a new one could be procured for only slightly more than the cost of the necessary repairs. When Avery had expressed interest in acquiring one, they had been more than happy to leave it with him for the right price.


    Firing his heavy laser cannons in a wide spread, Avery limited Ezra¡¯s moments. Much in the same way his opponent had done earlier with seeker missiles.


    Then when he had a shot lined up, he fired his EMP blaster and sent a glowing white ring of energy flying towards Ezra.


    This attack did not move quite as fast as a laser, nor did it do any actual damage, but it would disrupt the electronic systems within the Specter. And with enough hits, he would even be able to fully disable the ship.


    With his four weapons firing, Avery forced Ezra to pick and chose which hits to take. No matter how skilled a pilot he was, there were going to be times he was unable to evade.


    Of course, the same held true for Avery. His own shields were starting to reach their limits, and as per their agreement, neither side was allowed to use shield cells during this battle. That would have unnecessarily prolonged things.


    "That¡¯s the seventh time we¡¯ve hit him with the Aida. I¡¯m finally picking up some noticeable instability in his systems." Kasandra said, having been carefully monitoring the battle.


    "Got it. I guess it¡¯s all or nothing time."


    Zipping around the asteroid field, Avery made it seem that he was trying to create some distance between him and Ezra.


    He wanted his opponent to believe that he was afraid of his weakening shields and was going to attack from long-range with his heavy laser cannons.


    Naturally, since this was a strategy that both Avery and Kasandra had thought up, Ezra had considered it as well.


    "As expected, he¡¯s coming after us." Avery commented, seeing the Specter approaching on the radar.


    In the current climate of the battle, a drawn-out fight was not in Ezra¡¯s favor. His ship was beginning to react more slowly than usual thanks to Avery¡¯s EMP attacks, and if he took too many more, he would be unable to fight any longer.


    Due to prioritizing his shields, though, Ezra was confident that he could take a few more strikes from Avery¡¯s heavy laser cannons. Now was the time for him to finish this battle before his foe could reposition.


    "Just a little closer¡­ And now!"


    Once Ezra had closed in on them, Avery turned the Dauntless around and made a beeline for his opponent.


    Having already been lured in by Avery once before during their mock fight, Ezra had been on guard against such a tactic again and was quick to respond.


    Except, while he was ready, his vessel was not. The disruption to its systems by the EMP blasts slowed it down ever so slightly. And in this moment, that proved to be fatal.


    As a last-ditch effort, Ezra opened fire with all of his weapons other than his railgun. Avery had gotten too close for him to flee now without being shot down from behind, so his only option was to take out his adversary first. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Kasandra, I¡¯m giving you control of the laser cannons. Focus on shooting down the seeker missiles." Avery said, devoting his entire focus to piloting the Dauntless.


    With crazy maneuvers that caused intense g-force that exceed even what the ship¡¯s inertial dampeners could handle, Avery dodged what fire he could and closed in on the Specter.


    An alarm soon went off to signal that their shields had dropped below ten percent, but Avery did not stop. Now was his only chance to win.


    "Got you."


    As he flew by, Avery shifted his ship so that the top of it was facing the Specter and fired two white hot balls of plasma.


    Ezra hit his thrusters to try and dart ahead of the attacks, but he was slightly too slow.


    The forward plasma caught the rear of his ship and burst through his shields with ease.


    A bright glow consumed the Specter for a moment, and then the spacecraft ceased moving entirely.


    The program calculating damage had determined that Ezra¡¯s vessel had been destroyed and momentarily shut him down.


    "We were using training rounds, but it seems that the plasma still did some damage to his hull and thrusters." Kasandra said, pulling up the sensor reading on the Specter.


    Their weapons had all been weakened for this duel, but they still packed enough power to cause some damage. Had an unprotected person been hit by any of them, they still would have been instantly vaporized or torn apart.


    "Well, there¡¯s no way for me to dispute it, so its your win. You bested me in two out of three of the challenges I set. From now on I¡¯ll be following you, leader."


    Even though he had lost, the was not a hint of disappointment in Ezra¡¯s voice. In fact, his tone honestly seemed a bit joyful. After all, what he was really after was peers that he could consider companions. Whether he was in charge or not was hardly important to him. As long as the best was leading, that was all that mattered.


    "I¡¯ll be glad to have you joining my squad. That¡¯ll make you the fourth and give us our third ship. We¡¯ll be a true mercenary group now. Albeit a small one." Every responded, a bright smile on his face due to his victory.


    Ezra was skilled and experienced. As an aspiring mercenary that wanted to grow his force, there was no better member to join him.


    "Ah, and if you wouldn¡¯t mind helping your new subordinate out, I might need a tow back to the station. My vessels thrusters don¡¯t seem to be working properly right now and I¡¯m afraid that I might further damage things if I push them."


    "Sure, but it will cost you. When we get back, we¡¯re going to throw a party to celebrate my win. And you¡¯ll be covering the bill."

 Chapter 86 One Last Schooling

    Avery engaged the Dauntless¡¯ tractor beam around Ezra¡¯s ship and set a course to Yuson II.


    He had not been home since the award ceremony on Yuson Prime, and was ready to head back.


    ¡¯As much as I¡¯ve been trying not to think about it, we¡¯re going to be leaving this system soon. There¡¯s far less pirate activity after the large-scale raid, and while the energy lifeforms were unexpected, it¡¯s not like there are really any dangerous space monsters around here. A lot of the mercenary work has simply dried up.¡¯


    From the beginning, Avery had known he would need to leave his home system. Mercenaries needed to stay mobile and search out for regions that could offer high paying jobs. And that was especially true for Avery and the other members of his recently formed group.


    At their ranks, there were almost no worthwhile missions left in the system. It was a bit odd to say, but things were too peaceful for them.


    Still, while he was a bit forlorn to leave his family and the place he had grown up, his yearning to see more of the galaxy trumped those feelings.


    "We haven¡¯t left yet, and we can always come back later. I¡¯m sure your parents will be delighted to hear what sort of adventures you¡¯ve been up to whenever you return." Kasandra said, reaching over and placing her hand atop Avery¡¯s


    It seems that what he was thinking had shown on his face. As a mercenary that had once left behind her own home, Kasandra had experienced similar feelings.


    Having a warm hand over his own, Avery felt comfort in knowing that he was not going to be on his own. He would have likeminded companions with him.


    Soon enough, they had made their way back to Yuson II.


    Once they had docked a repair crew immediately descended upon Ezra¡¯s vessel and began working to repair its thrusters and plating.


    "Okay, time to go to a bar. I¡¯ve picked out a fancier one than usual that we can get a private room at. Oh, and Kasandra, did you get in touch with Kaiden?" S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, he¡¯ll be here shortly." Kasandra replied.


    "Please, go easy on my wallet. I¡¯m going to need to transfer eight and a half million Krenin to you after all." Ezra said, a bit of a vacant look in his eyes as he imagined half of his savings disappearing in an instant.


    However, the moment they left the hanger, they found an unexpected visitor waiting for them.


    "Uncle!? What are you doing here."


    Leaning against a wall and chewing on some jerky while he waited was Urs.


    To most people, he might just look like a jacked old man, but to the ones that had been taught by him, it was clear that he was still a force to reckoned with.


    "I heard that the two students I taught how to be mercenaries were duking it out amongst each other. Figured I come by and see what the results were. And to make sure there wasn¡¯t bad enough blood between ya that you started killing each other. Though, it looks like I was worried for nothing"


    Urs had been uncertain of the exact nature of their competition. He had simply heard from a friend that was part of the Alliance Police and had seen Ezra challenge Avery at the award ceremony.


    "Yeah, I was a bit surprised, but Ezra didn¡¯t have any ill intentions. We fought things out and I¡¯ll be taking charge of the mercenary group were building. Ezra will be joining us, so I think we¡¯re off to a pretty good start." Avery said proudly.


    "I see. Never thought the day would come that the brash kid that begged me to train him and showed no signs of ever working with anyone would seek out allies." Urs said, raising an eyebrow and turning towards his nephew.


    "I¡¯ve gone through a lot in the last six and a half years uncle. After all this time, I¡¯ve learned quite a bit about being a mercenary. And I know that I¡¯ve just about reached the limit of how far I can go on my own. I¡¯m sure that you know about that better than anyone. So, when I received a transmission from you that you were training someone else, I figured it was a sign. It was time for me to find comrades, and who better than someone that learned from the same mentor."


    Of course, Ezra had originally imagined easily recruiting Avery to his side as a veteran and more skilled mercenary. But that had all changed after the energy life from incident.


    Not only did Avery perform better than him, but he was also honored with the third highest award any mercenary could receive. It was clear that his experience did not make him undeniably superior, and that someone like Avery would never simply agree to follow him.


    That was why he had proposed a competition. Though, at a certain point, he no longer truly cared if he won or not.


    After he fully explained things to his uncle, Urs nodded his head in understanding.


    "I stayed solo throughout my career, but I get where the two of you are coming from. There are plenty of threats waiting out in space, and it¡¯s nice to have someone to watch your back. Sometimes I wish I¡¯d tried harder to build solid relationships myself." Urs said, a hint of regret in his eyes.


    Nevertheless, whatever momentary weakness he was showing quickly vanished.


    "Since you¡¯re both here, how about a final test from me. I could use a good workout and want to see how much you both have improved. I¡¯ve already got a room at the Mercenary Association branch ready. Follow me."


    Knowing that refusing was not an option, Avery and Ezra went with Urs while frantically sending requests to the stations transport network to have their equipment shipped to the association building.


    ¡­


    "Hm, not too bad, but you¡¯re not quite up to snuff yet. It¡¯ll be a few more years before either of you can beat me."


    In his power armor, Avery was lying flat on the ground.


    Urs had soundly beaten him, and the program had shutdown the suit when it was determined to have been "destroyed."


    As for Ezra, he was likewise face down on the ground. His body still convulsing from the heavy electric shock that he had been hit with.


    Even when working together, the two of them were unable to best their teacher. Urs had was simply too strong and had vastly more experience than them. He had torn them apart.


    "So, this is what someone that became a five star mercenary working solo is capable of." Kasandra said in awe, having watched the entire match.


    There was no other word to describe Urs other than strong. When he attacked, there was not a single move wasted, and even if it seemed like he was corned, he always had a way to turn things around.


    Leaving Avery and Ezra to pick themselves back up, Urs came into the room Kasandra had been viewing the battle from and grabbed a bottle of water out of his bag.


    "You¡¯re the girl that Avery recently took as part of his crew, right?"


    "Y-yes. He rescued me when my ship was destroyed, and I was left floating with only a defenseless cockpit around me. I¡¯d be long dead by now if not for him." Kasandra replied somewhat nervously due to how imposing Urs was.


    "That lines up with the records I¡¯ve read from the Alliance Police reports. But have you told him about yourself yet? About why you and your brother became mercenaries in the first place?"


    Kasandra¡¯s eyes went wide when Urs said this.


    While she did plan on telling him at some point, she had yet to divulge her past to Avery.


    They had been busy with little time to worry about such things, so she had not felt inclined to put another burden on him. At least not right now.


    "How did you find out about us? It shouldn¡¯t be possible to get information like that this far away." Kasandra said warily


    "Oh, seems I hit the nail on the head." Urs replied with a wry grin.


    Certainly, he had some suspicions, but he did not have any actual concrete information on Kasandra and Kaiden¡¯s past. All he had found on them were records stored by the Mercenary Association about their activities since they joined five years ago.


    Still, it seemed that his attempt at fishing for intel had worked.


    "What is it you¡¯re after? I thought that it was taboo to look into a fellow mercenary¡¯s past."


    "That¡¯s true, but I¡¯m retired. Just a former merc trying to look after the kids he trained. I figure that you¡¯ve got your own circumstances, but are they going to bring danger to Avery?"


    Kasandra winced and remained silent, but that was all the answer Urs needed. Something from her past could very well prove to be a threat to Avery in the future.


    "I¡¯m not going to tell you to leave him. But if I find out that he died because of you, and you survived, expect me to pay you a visit." Urs said, hitting Kasandra with the full force of a five star mercenary¡¯s intimidation.


    Gulping loudly, Kasandra looked pale after receiving Urs¡¯ warning.


    Only moments later, Avery and Ezra walked in with haggard expressions on their faces.


    "Is something going on here?" Avery asked, sensing the tension in the room.


    "N-no! Nothing is happening. We we¡¯re just chatting."


    Hastily, Kasandra replied to Avery and attempted to cover things up.


    "It is as the lady said. We were just talking. Perhaps I simply brought up a slightly too graphic story from my heyday as a merc." Urs said, releasing a boisterous laugh to expunge the tension.


    "Now, I believe that you all we¡¯re going to celebrate the forming of your band. Since I derailed your plans and took up your time, allow me to pay in my nephew¡¯s stead. It seems he¡¯s already lost enough money."


    At Urs¡¯ beckoning, the four of them headed to the bar they had a reserved room at and met up with Kaiden there.


    After that, they partied the rest of the day away. Enjoying a bout of revelry in between the excitement and dangers of mercenary work.

 Chapter 87 An Acquaintance in Peril

    "Whew. That¡¯s better."


    Avery walked out of the medical bay aboard the Dauntless while stretching his arms above his head.


    Last night he had partied hard with Kasandra, Kaiden, Ezra, and Urs.


    Not having had a drink for quite some time, Avery allowed himself to indulge a little too heavily and ended up stupidly drunk.


    This had not been a problem until he woke up after going to sleep. Thanks to hardly drinking any water and indulging in some vigorous activities with Kasandra once they returned to the ship, Avery had found himself with a killer hangover.


    Fortunately, the small medical bay built into his vessel had a restorative pod that he could crawl into to quickly remedy the minor affliction in only a few minutes.


    Now Avery felt fully refreshed. The alcohol purged from his system and his body rehydrated.


    "Kasandra had a decent amount last night as well. She¡¯s still asleep right now, but she should probably use the restorative pod when she wakes up." Avery mused, peeking into his room where Kasandra was still curled up in a ball on the bed.


    Pulling out his terminal, Avery checked the time since he had made plans to contact Kaiden and Ezra today to discuss their next move.


    "I¡¯ve still got about four hours until the designated time. Guess I should look at the galaxy map and pick some suggestions for where we go from here."


    Yet, as Avery was making his way to the cockpit to lounge in the pilot¡¯s chair, he received a proximity alert from the Dauntless¡¯ main computer. Someone was waiting by the entrance.


    Pulling up the exterior view from the camera, Avery was a bit surprised to see who it was.


    "She¡¯s not wearing her uniform this time. A courtesy visit maybe? But why does she look so frantic and sleep deprived?"


    Waiting just outside the Dauntless was Jasmine Iralus. She had been onboard Avery¡¯s ship a couple of times before, but that was always for work as an officer of the police.


    As Avery was about to go greet her, Kasandra suddenly came out of his room. She yawned for a brief moment before heading over towards him.


    "I got the notification as well. Seems we have a guest." Kasandra said, holding up her terminal that had the video display from the exterior cameras.


    Had Jasmine been acting normally, she would not have forced herself to get up. But the usually calm and collected sergeant looked panicked and rundown. Obviously, something had happened to her.


    When Avery finally opened the ship¡¯s main hatch, a hopeful look appeared on Jasmine¡¯s face for a brief moment, before she did her best to compose herself.


    "I¡¯m sorry to intrude, but do you think you could let me onboard for a moment? There¡¯s something I wish to speak with you about."


    "Well, before that. Is this for Alliance Police business, or soemthi-"


    "Avery, just go ahead and let her in."


    Kasandra¡¯s eyes were narrowed, and she was glaring at the entrance to the hangar. For just a single instant, she was certain that she saw someone hiding behind it.


    Then when she focused, she could hear the faint heartbeats of four individuals.


    "Okay. Welcome aboard, Sergeant Iralus. Or since you¡¯re not in uniform right now, should we just call you Jasmine?" Avery said, picking up on the seriousness of Kasandra¡¯s tone and standing aside so that their guest could enter the vessel.


    With noticeable hastiness, Jasmine walked onboard, and only when the hatch had shut behind her, did she allow herself to feel relieved and respond to Avery.


    "Jasmine is fine. I¡¯m not on duty now. Or will I be ever again." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After she said this, Avery and Kasandra were able to tell immediately that she was on the verge of breaking down. As if admitting the reality of her situation was the final bit of weight she could no longer handle.


    "Let¡¯s go somewhere better to talk at length." Avery said, ushering his clearly emotionally unstable guest to the Dauntless¡¯ small dining area.


    Once there, he sat down across from her while Kasandra used the auto cooker to make some tea and snacks.


    The two of them waited for Jasmine to drink and eat a bit and calm down before beginning the discussion.


    "So, what did you mean by what you said? Did you get fired?" Kasandra asked.


    In response, Jasmine shook her head and said, "No. I-I resigned."


    Cleary she was shaken up still, but naturally there must have been a reason for her to quit her well paying job that came with a decent number of benefits. There were plenty of people that would kill to have a shot at being a police sergeant.


    "If it¡¯s hard to talk about, just a take a few more minutes to collect yourself. We do need to know what¡¯s going on, but don¡¯t feel like you need to force it out immediately. You¡¯re safe here. So just relax for a little while longer."


    Hearing Avery¡¯s words appeared to help Jasmine calm down, and the tension in her body slowly faded away.


    Once she was ready, she finally explained how she had ended up leaving the police.


    "It was about a week and a half ago. My captain called me into his office and gave me a new assignment. I was going to be promoted to lieutenant and transferred to Yuson IX (9)."


    Learning this was enough to make both Avery and Jasmine go wide-eyed.


    Yuson IX was a prison colony where captured space pirates and other outlaws that had committed some of the worst crimes imaginable were sent.


    There they would work in the grueling ore processing plants to pay off their debt to society. It was not the kind of place that anyone wanted to ever end up at.


    Of course, Jasmine would have been sent there as an officer, which would be significantly better than being a prisoner. But it was certainly a harrowing assignment. Giving her a prometon along with it would hardly make up for the environment she was being sent to.


    "And I would have accepted it as my duty, but the way my superior looked at me. I¡¯d seen that same look in his eyes before. When he was sending officers out on a mission he knew some of them would not be coming back from. In his eyes, I was already dead." Jasmine said, her breathing becoming labored and erratic.


    Just remembering that awful day was starting to make her panic. She realized that she was being punished for leaking the case files on Avery. Even if there was no hard evidence she had anything to do with it, someone powerful suspected her. And she was going to be made into an example


    It was rare, but sometimes prisoners rioted. Even more uncommon, sometimes officers died during these riots.


    Jasmine was smart enough to realize what was going on. Her transfer and promotion were a death sentence.


    That had really only left her one option. To resign.


    She hated to do so since she had become an officer to uphold the rule of law. She believed in being just and maintaining the order and fairness of the Alliance.


    "I was ready to die in the line of duty, but not like that." Jasmine said, tears flowing down her face and clenching both of her fists on top of the table.


    After listening to Jasmine, Avery understood what sort of predicament she was in.


    "And it didn¡¯t end with you just losing you job. You¡¯re being followed, right?" Kasandra asked.


    For a moment, Jasmine looked stunned to hear this, but she quickly nodded in agreement.


    In fact, she looked reassured that someone else had confirmed it.


    "Seems they got a bit sloppy when we opened up the Dauntless¡¯ hatch."


    Avery pulled out his terminal and played a short recording from his vessel¡¯s exterior cameras.


    It was only for a single frame, but the edge of a person¡¯s face could be seen momentarily peeking through the hangar doorway when Avery and Kasandra came out to greet Jasmine.


    "I told them I wasn¡¯t paranoid or delusional!" Jasmine shouted.


    Once Avery got her to calm down, she explained that she had tried to contact the police that she thought she was being stalked and that her room had been broken into, but they brushed her off.


    She went so far as to personally call her former subordinates, but they had been reprimanded when they attempted to help her. It appeared that someone powerful had set their sights on her.


    "This seems a bit extreme just for being suspected of leaking some information on a single case. Do you know who would go to this much trouble to harm you? This just seems like a lot of effort for something so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.


    If Avery had not made a deal with Storren Corp. already, he might have suspected them. But there was hardly any reason to go out of their way to make Jasmine¡¯s life miserable for tanking any shame investigation into Avery. They had already mostly gotten what they were after.


    As for other enemies he might have that wanted to see him locked up for a crime he did not commit, the only ones he could think of were the pirates that had survived the large-scale extermination. Except there was no way any of them had the influence to pull something like this off.


    "There¡¯s really only one person I can think of. Deputy Chief Camila Svikari. She¡¯s the one that originally pushed for the investigation into you as the prime suspect for the murders aboard this ship."

 Chapter 88 An Unexpected Addition

    ¡¯Deputy Chief Camila. That¡¯s the same person that the Storren Corp. execs told me about. What¡¯s her stake in this, and why would she go out of her way to target Jasmine?¡¯


    Avery could hardly fathom why an upper-ranked officer in the Alliance Police that was stationed in a completely different sector would have it out for him.


    The only reasons he could think of were wild and outlandish. Practically conspiracy theories.


    ¡¯This is certainly annoying, but as long as I the systems she has jurisdiction over, it should be fine. She¡¯ll only have so much sway in other places. Plus, thanks to my Silver Cross of Heroism, I¡¯m pretty highly regarded now. No one in the Alliance Police will want to come at me directly unless they¡¯ve got some damning evidence I committed a major crime.¡¯ Avery thought.


    He figured that there was no use poking a hornet¡¯s nest without a real reason. All he had was suspicion that a certain deputy chief was targeting him, nothing more. Acting on these suspicions would only lead to trouble.


    Still, there was Jasmine to worry about. Avery was uncertain if the harassment she had been receiving would be the end of it. There was always the possibility she might end up dead in a dark alley within the colony someday.


    "You¡¯ve told us your situation, but what are you expecting us to do about it? If you hired us as security, we could probably get rid of the guys following you, but that might not be the end of it. And we can¡¯t stay here and protect you forever. We¡¯re mercenaries. When the profitable jobs dry up in one place, we need to move onto the next." Kasandra said bluntly.


    While she was grateful for Jasmine helping Avery by preventing any sort of false accusation of him being in league with the group that attempted to steal the SCXD-011, that was not enough of a reason for them to drop everything and protect her for the rest of their lives.


    For several seconds, Jasmine remined silent. She was panicking and racking her mind for some way out of the unfortunate circumstances that had befallen her.


    Eventually, she came to one conclusion. She had desperately come here since she felt she had no one else to rely on. If that was the case, then she might as well leave.


    "Please take me with you. I¡¯ve lost my reason for being here, and I don¡¯t want to stay if things will just continue as they have. I¡¯m sure that I can be helpful. I know a lot about Alliance Law, and I¡¯m decent in a fight thanks to my training as an officer. I¡¯m begging you, let me join your crew."


    Jasmine bowed her head so deeply that she nearly hit herself on the table they were sitting around.


    To say the least, Avery and Kasandra were surprised. They never expected her to ask to join them. Being a mercenary was not for the light of heart.


    The job entailed killing other people. Often ruthlessly. That was how they made their money.


    ¡¯Well, she was a member of the police, so I¡¯m sure she already put whatever qualms she had about killing behind her. Still, being a mercenary is vastly different from being a part of the Alliance Police.¡¯


    However, despite Avery and Kasandra warning her about the dangers and difficulties of being a mercenary, Jasmine still looked determined.


    "I joined the police in the first place because I wanted to uphold the law and make the Alliance a better place for people. If I can¡¯t do that anymore, I can at least help you eliminate space pirates. That¡¯s a large part of what being a mercenary is about, right?" Jasmine said, a righteous fire still burning in her eyes despite how haggard she was.


    "What you said is true, but that¡¯s not all mercenary work is. Sometimes we might to morally questionable things for money. We¡¯re not heroes of justice or anything. Our goal is simply to make a sizable profit wherever we can."


    Kasandra attempted to curb Jasmine¡¯s expectations, but in response, the other woman simply said," Then I¡¯ll be the group¡¯s conscience and keep us on the straight and narrow. I don¡¯t know the exact amount, but the two of you just earned a great deal recently fighting pirates and energy lifeforms. Both major threats to the Alliance and its citizens. I¡¯m sure that we can find plenty of opportunities to help people and make money."


    "Okay, just calm down. As the captain of this ship, I¡¯m the one that ultimately gets to decide whether you join or not. I¡¯m certainly indebted to you since you put your life on the line to help me. If you just want us to take you somewhere else, that¡¯s easy enough, but joining the crew might be difficult. I have Kasandra onboard already after all." Avery said looking towards his partner.


    He was uncertain how she would feel about another woman being on the ship. Even if he had no intention of doing anything.


    "It¡¯s fine if she joins us." Kasandra said with a sigh. "This ship is certainly sophisticated enough that another set of eyes and hands could be helpful during battle. And I won¡¯t deny that her being a former member of the police isn¡¯t useful. So, if you don¡¯t mind letting her, I think she¡¯ll make a decent addition to the crew. But are you ready for what this entails, Jasmine? You know what it will mean for you to join Avery¡¯s crew, right?"


    Both Avery and Jasmine wore the same confused expression for a moment, before Jasmine suddenly looked away and her face turned red. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery was still out of the loop but decided to pay whatever was going on little mind. He figured that it was something personal that only women needed to worry about and there was no need for him to get involved.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll let them work it out amongst themselves. That¡¯s what my instincts are telling me is best.¡¯ Avery thought, letting the two of them talk while he engrossed himself in the cup of tea in front of him.


    Once they seemed to be finished, Avery officially welcomed Jasmine aboard as a supporter.


    "I suppose that you¡¯ll need a room from now on then. We¡¯ve still got one open so you can hav-"


    Avery stopped midsentence as he remembered why no one was using the currently unoccupied room. It was where he had stored the seven corpses that had been aboard the vessel when he found it. And since Jasmine was the one that had come out to take them as a member of the police, obviously she knew about this as well.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve dealt with worse than what occurred here before. As long as the room has been cleaned, it will be fine by me." Jasmine said, noticing Avery¡¯s hesitancy.


    Yet he merely shook his head and turned towards Kasandra with pleading eyes.


    "Kasandra, would you let her bunk with you for a couple of days. We were planning on getting the two rooms refurbished to be more accommodating soon anyway. I¡¯d kind of feel bad to make her sleep in there."


    "Sure, that¡¯s fine. I bet you¡¯ll feel more comfortable with someone nearby anyway. You haven¡¯t been getting much sleep lately, have you?"


    With heavy bags under her eyes, it was apparent to anyone that saw her that Jasmine was sleep deprived.


    Naturally, knowing that you were being followed around and suspecting that someone had broken into your apartment would put anyone on edge.


    "Yeah, it¡¯s been over a week since I got a full night¡¯s sleep. For the last couple days, I haven¡¯t been able to fall asleep at all unless I kept my hand on a laser pistol beneath my pillow." Jasmine confessed, a notable exhaustion overtaking her now that things had been settled.


    "Well, we¡¯ve got a meeting with the other members of our group coming up in a few hours. Why don¡¯t you get some rest until then, or if you feel like you need more, you can sleep longer. You don¡¯t need to worry about anyone following you anymore. My ship is as secure as can be, and I promise you that no one will be sneaking onboard."


    After receiving Avery¡¯s reassurance, Jasmine felt truly at ease for the first time since she left the Alliance Police.


    "Thank you." Jasmine whispered in a faint and bashful voice before following Kasandra to the room that they would temporarily be sharing.


    Now that things regarding his newest crew member were wrapped up, Avery headed to the cockpit as he originally planned and pulled out his terminal to search the galaxy map for suitable locations for his band of mercenaries to head too next.


    ¡¯Well, it can be any of these systems anymore.¡¯ Avery thought, eliminating any areas that the deputy chief that had it out for him had jurisdiction of.


    He then checked the Mercenary Association site for any guard request for traveling merchants. If they were going to be heading somewhere anyway, they might as well get paid along the way.

 Chapter 89 Path Going Forward

    "So, it¡¯s decided. We¡¯ll be taking the escort mission to the Phregon System."


    After hashing out the details of their upcoming journey, Avery, Kasandra, Kaiden, and Ezra had all agreed on their destination.


    A planet in the Phregon System was currently undergoing terraforming, and as such, many merchant vessels were constantly flocking there to deliver goods for the budding world.


    In three days, a fleet of cargo ships that were carrying millions of tons of refined metals was heading there from the Yuson System.


    With such valuable cargo, the merchants naturally wanted more protection and had sent a high paying request to the Mercenary Association for guards ranked three star of higher.


    Of all the available jobs currently being offered, this one offered the best money. And the fact that it would bring them a bit closer to the capital system was another bonus. Since Avery needed to make an appearance there in about five months to keep up his end of the deal with Storren Corp.


    "To think that they¡¯d pay us collectively two hundred seventy-five thousand a day. For a twenty-two-day trip, that¡¯s quite the chunk of money." Avery said, looking over the already accepted contract one more time.


    Due to him and Ezra being the only four star mercenaries in the system, their group had received a hefty increase in pay.


    Merchants carrying goods worth hundreds of millions Krenin obviously wanted strong guards, and they were willing to offer a bit extra to get them.


    Of course, this meant that they would be expecting them to perform well. Pirates were always looking for big scores, and the resources being brought into systems with a planet undergoing terraforming were always a juicy prospect for them.


    "I¡¯m just glad that Kaiden accepted the proposed split. I was worried for a bit that he might throw a fuss since he was getting the lowest cut." Kasandra commented.


    After some deliberation, it had been decided that Avery would be getting one hundred five thousand Krenin per day since he was the leader of their group. Ezra would get ninety-five thousand. And Kaiden would receive seventy-five thousand since he was still a three star mercenary and the lowest ranking member of their squad.


    Kasandra was still receiving her three percent from Avery¡¯s cut, and the two of them had decided that Jasmine would be getting one and a half percent based on the skills she possessed.


    While these amounts might not seem like much compared to the overall pay, it was still fair compensation considering Avery was the sole owner of the Dauntless. Also, they would still be making more than most colonists working an average job.


    "Speaking of Jasmine, are you sure it was the right move not to introduce her?" Avery asked.


    Having been exhausted, she had slept through the meeting. Right now, she was still off in dreamland.


    "Yeah, it would have only served as a distraction to what our main objective was today. We can just tell the others about her later. It¡¯s not like the addition of crew members to your ship is all that big of a deal for them."


    Avery nodded in understanding. Unless one of them added a secret mortal enemy of one of theirs to their crew, he doubted any of them would bother caring much. It was ultimately their decision to allow people aboard their own vessels.


    "I suppose the real problem then is getting Jasmine registered as a mercenary." Avery said, turning his head and looking in the direction where the latest member of his crew was resting.


    When he had added Kasandra to his crew, it had been a fairly easy process since she was already a mercenary.


    However, Jasmine would need to go to a branch and be registered in person. That meant leaving the safety of the ship.


    The people that had been following her likely had not given up simply because she found a place of refuge. Once she showed herself again, they would be back on her immediately.


    "We could try going to Yuson Prime."


    Kasandra¡¯s suggestion was certainly reasonable, but there was a possibility that whoever was after Jasmine might have agents on Yuson Prime as well. And if they were going to be dealing with her stalkers anyway, Avery would prefer to do so on his home station where he was more familiar with the surroundings.


    Once the two of them had come to a conclusion on what to do about Jasmine¡¯s registration, they went to work taking care of preparations for their coming departure.


    They needed to be fully stocked up on food and water. Make sure that the Dauntless¡¯ ammo supply was topped off and have the vessel undergo maintenance. Even a high-quality spacecraft would break down eventually if it was not properly maintained.


    "When Jasmine wakes up, we¡¯ll also need to figure out what to do about her personal effects. She came here with only a small bag and the clothes on her back." Avery said.


    Jasmine¡¯s situation remined him a bit of Kasandra¡¯s. Both had ended up on his ship with very little in the way of possessions.


    "We should defiantly pay your parents a visit before leaving too. They would probably be heartbroken if their son just up and left without saying goodbye" Kasandra pointed out.


    Avery had already been thinking about this himself but had found it difficult to find the time when so much kept ending up on his plate. First was the competition with Ezra, and now the situation with Jasmine. Unexpected things continued to occur and require his attention.


    Nevertheless, he knew he needed to see his parents at least one more time before leaving.


    ¡¯They¡¯ve been keeping me updated, but I¡¯d like to see dad¡¯s progress recovering, and I need to settle a few things with them as well. Ugh, and I should probably introduce Jasmine to them since she¡¯s going to be joining my crew.¡¯


    With his thoughts racing, Avery put together a list of everything he needed to accomplish before leaving Yuson II for the foreseeable future.


    Eventually, Jasmine woke up and came to the cockpit where Avery and Kasandra were busy preparing for their trip.


    "I¡¯m sorry that I missed out on the meeting. I had meant to get up." Jasmine said apologetically.


    "Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. I already said it was fine for you to sleep in. I¡¯m just glad that you were finally able to get some rest." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery made sure to assuage her worries and then told her about the decisions they had come to.


    "I see." Was Jasmine¡¯s only response.


    There was a clear tension in her expression. Clearly, she did not want to leave the Dauntless for fear of the people that had been following her.


    "I understand your hesitancy, but there¡¯s no real reason to worry. Avery and I will be with you the entire time. And our captain¡¯s quite adept at helping out damsels in distress." Kasandra said while glancing over at Avery with a wry smile.


    Jasmine chuckled a bit at this, and her demeanor visibly relaxed.


    After that, the three of them got their things together and headed out. Their first stop was the mercenary association, and following that, they would head to Jasmine¡¯s apartment to pick up some of her things.


    "Are they still nearby?" Avery whispered to Kasandra once they stepped out into the hangar.


    "Not from what I can tell. They¡¯d seem suspicious if they waited around out in the open for a prolonged amount of time. If I were them, I¡¯d set up watch from somewhere outside the hangar, or if possible, get my own ship in here and keep an eye out from there."


    Avery was in agreement with Kasandra. He could not be certain, but he was fairly sure that they were not being watched right now. Probably whoever had been stalking Jasmine had been forced to wait outside of the hangar.


    ¡¯I¡¯d bet that they¡¯re also keeping a lookout for in case we leave. All they¡¯d need to do is post a single ship outside the station and monitor outgoing traffic.¡¯ Avery though, considering what their adversaries would be doing.


    Nevertheless, there was hardly much need to be concerned. So long as they stayed within safer areas within the colony, the people after Jasmine would be unable to make a move. And once they left the station and joined the merchants they would be escorting, it would require a military fleet to take them down. Something he highly doubted would happen.


    Without incident, the three of them made it to the Mercenary Association branch.


    Heads turned toward their group, and some of the men glared at Avery with jealousy. He did have two attractive women standing on either side of him after all.


    "Oh my, aren¡¯t you popular." The same receptionist Avery had worked with time and time again said when he saw Kasandra and Jasmine next to him.


    "It¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m just here so that she can register as a mercenary and join my crew." Avery said with a sigh and motioning towards Jasmine.


    "Sure, sure. I believe you"


    The clearly sarcastic tone of the receptionist¡¯s answer wore on Avery¡¯s nerves, but he simply ignored it. Trying to argue any further would only make things more aggravating.


    Fortunately, it was easy enough to get Kasandra registered as a new zero star mercenary and member of Avery¡¯s crew.


    "Okay, everything is squared away, and your account is set up to receive automatic payments. Enjoy your new life as a mercenary, and make sure to get along with your senior." The receptionist said, glancing towards Kasandra.


    With Jasmine now an official member of Avery¡¯s crew, the three of them exited the building and made their way towards her apartment to collect her things. And if the people stalking her made a move, they were ready to deal with them.

 Chapter 90 Dealing with Jasmine’s Situation

    Along the way to Jasmine¡¯s apartment, Avery kept a careful watch around them, while Kasandra¡¯s ears were periodically adjusting and twitching as she listened for pursuers.


    When the building they were headed to came into sight, her feline ears perked up and angled backwards. It was clear that she had finally picked up on something.


    "Did you find something?" Avery asked.


    "Yeah. It took a while to be sure, but four individuals have been keeping in step with us since we left the Mercenary Association. It¡¯s unlikely that we¡¯re just going the same direction. Whenever we speed up or slow down, their pace always changes to match ours."


    Jasmine looked genuinely impressed by Kasandra¡¯s hearing ability, but a moment later the dread she had been feeling since she realized people were following her started to come back.


    Instinctively, her right hand slid towards the laser pistol resting on her hip.


    Yet before she could grab it, Avery took her hand and said in a soothing voice, "There¡¯s nothing to worry about. Kasandra and I are with you now. We¡¯ll just continue up to your room, and hopefully nothing happens."


    Thanks to Avery, Jasmine was able to calm down.


    She felt the tension inside of her slowly relaxing, and she did not even realize that Avery was still holding her hand until they were right in front of the apartment complex she had been living in since she resigned.


    In a bit of a fluster, she pulled her hand away, and to hide her embarrassment, she hastily entered her passcode and registered Avery and Kasandra as her guests.


    ¡¯The security here isn¡¯t quite as good as where my parents live, but it¡¯s not bad. Only people with an access code should be able to get in. Which means that the people stalking Jasmine must have rented a room in this building just to get to her.¡¯


    Avery was almost tempted to wait in the front lobby and keep an eye out for anyone that entered after them.


    However, he figured that this would likely only make Jasmine more uneasy. She would be worried about him and having less security around.


    With the shrug of his shoulders, Avery stayed with his two companions, and they ascended to the building¡¯s twenty-second floor where Jasmine¡¯s room was located.


    They then walked all the way to the end of a hall and Jasmine opened up the door to her room.


    Inside was a simple studio, similar to what Avery used to live in before he found the Dauntless.


    "Grab whatever you want to take with you. We won¡¯t be coming back here again." Avery said as Jasmine stood there in a stupor.


    This would be the end of the life he had been living for the last seven years. Nevertheless, she had picked up everything and abandoned her old life once before. She would be able to do it again.


    Once she got to it, Jasmine quickly began stuffing bags with clothing, blankets, small plush toys she had since she was a child, and other personal items.


    "They¡¯ve just come up the stairs. Only three of them this time, but I¡¯m certain that they¡¯re part of the group that has been following us." Kasandra whispered into Avery¡¯s ear.


    He had been leaning against the doorway into Jasmine¡¯s room and keeping an eye on her, but now he glanced out into the hallway in the direction Kasandra had indicated. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Since there were cameras and weapons detectors all throughout the building, Avery doubt that the people after Jasmine would do anything overt, but that didn¡¯t mean that they were not a threat.


    ¡¯If they¡¯ve been ordered to kill her, then they might get desperate if they realize she is about to slip out of their grasp. I¡¯d probably try poisoning her food or water if possible, or if necessary, walk by and pretend to bump into her to apply a poison that can be absorbed through the skin.¡¯ Avery thought.


    There were all manner of nasty methods people had come up with to kill each other, and Avery did not put it past those stalking Jasmine to employ one of them.


    Not wanting to stay on the defensive, Avery walked down the hall towards where the three individuals were waiting.


    He figured that they must be in possession of some means of keeping track of them, so he went slowly at first and stopped for a few moments just before reaching the point he figured he would spook them.


    Then he broke out into a sprint and pulled his terminal out.


    When he reached the stairwell, he found two men and one woman attempting to act nonchalant. As if they were simply normal residents descending the stairs.


    Of course, hardly anyone would walk up or down more than twenty flights unless there was an emergency, or they were trying to get some exercise in.


    "Gotcha." Avery said, taking a picture of their faces with his terminal¡¯s camera.


    This elicited stunned reactions from the three of them. Being seen was fine if they were not figured out, but there were plenty of ways to identify someone with an image of their face.


    ¡¯They tried to remain collected, but the normal response to what I just did would have been confusion. It¡¯s plain to see that they understood why I just took that picture of them.¡¯ Avery thought with a smirk.


    The more hotheaded of the two men grew visibly angry and started to reach towards a weapon obviously concealed in his jacket, but the other two with him stopped him before he could do something supremely stupid.


    "If you three don¡¯t want any trouble, then gather up your other companion and scram. I assume that they are waiting in the lobby in case we slipped past you somehow. Should I ever see you following me or any of my crew members again, I¡¯ll do everything I can to make your lives a living hell. Of course, if you want to meet us out in space, I¡¯ll be happy to blow you away with my ship."


    Frustrated expressions on their faces, the three individuals Avery had just threatened turned around and started rushing down the stairs. They were supposed to do their job unnoticed. Now that they had been found out, there was nothing else they could realistically do but run away with their tails tucked between their legs.


    "Whew. I was afraid for a moment that I was about to get into a shootout with them." Avery muttered with a relived sigh.


    Fortunately, he had managed to end things about as peacefully as possible. And when he returned to Jasmine¡¯s room, she was still packing up her things and had not noticed his momentary absence.


    Avery was glad that she had not seen him leave and grown worried. Still, he felt that since the opportunity had presented itself, he might as well get rid of the group that had been stalking them.


    "That was fast. I¡¯m assuming you didn¡¯t kill all of them?"


    "Obviously. Doing something like that really would get me on the wrong side of the law. I just scared and blackmailed them a little." Avery said, showing the picture he had taken to Kasandra.


    She nodded in understanding. For spies, having their identities revealed to their targets was an absolute failure. Unless they did something drastic to kill Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine, their only option was to retreat.


    "Only one of them looked impulsive enough to do something like that. The other two were calmer, so I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need to worry about them any longer."


    Of course, the two of them would still stay alert, but the chances of something occurring had greatly diminished. It was doubtful that Jasmine was a target worth going to extreme measures for.


    "I¡¯ve finished packing. You don¡¯t think this is too much, do you?" Jasmine asked bashfully, looking at the six large bags she had packed.


    "It¡¯ll be a bit of a tight fit for now, but once we remodel your room, I¡¯m sure there will be enough space. If not, you can store some of your stuff in the cargo hold."


    Avery then hoisted two of the bags over his shoulders and grabbed another two under his arms to carry them for her.


    "Um, won¡¯t it be difficult to fight if the people after me make some sort of move?" Jasmine asked.


    "I wouldn¡¯t worry about them any longer. While you were packing, I convinced them to leave us alone."


    Jasmine was confused for a moment, but when Kasarda smiled and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, the reality of the situation started to sink in.


    "Thank you. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll be able to repay you for all the help you¡¯ve given me."


    "Well, just do your job aboard my ship to the best of your ability. You got into this mess because you helped me out, so it¡¯s only right that I return the favor. Now let¡¯s go. It¡¯s about time that the two of you picked designs for your rooms so that we can make them more comfortable. I¡¯d feel bad if you both had to keep sleeping in those cramped military style bunks."


    With Jasmine¡¯s possessions collected, the three of them made their way back to the Dauntless.


    Along the way, both Avery and Kasandra kept on guard for the group that had been following them.


    It seemed that they took Avery¡¯s warning to heart though and were nowhere to be found. At the very least, they would not be stalking Jasmine any longer.

 Chapter 91 Another Big Step

    "I can hardly believe it¡¯s the same space." Avery said in awe.


    It was the day after they gathered Jasmine things from her apartment, and an interior designer with a half dozen construction bots had come through and fully refurbished the two crew rooms to Kasandra and Jasmine¡¯s specifications.


    The process had cost a sizable amount since it was a rush job and the furniture being provided was of high quality, but it was more than worth the price in Avery¡¯s eyes.


    Both previously cramped rooms, each meant to house six people, now had only a single bed in them and items suited to their occupants¡¯ tastes.


    Avery first inspected Kasandra¡¯s room, and she had her chest puffed out proudly as she showed him around.


    The first word that came to Avery¡¯s mind was elegant.


    Made of a synthetic wood, her bed frame was expertly crafted and had cylindrical posts that resembled pillars going towards the ceiling.


    Thin dark blue fabric hung down for the posts as a canopy around the bed.


    Her bedspread was from silk procured from a gigantic Othuhiri Silkworm. A material known for its immense softness and comfort. There were some urban legends that the material felt so good that people had died in their beds because they refused to leave them.


    Along one wall was a large wardrobe in the same style as the bed that had Kasandra¡¯s bodily data stored within its computer and could assist her in picking out what outfits she wanted based on her current mood.


    On either side of the bed were two nightstands. One which had a small drawer connected to the ship¡¯s waste disposal system that Kasandra could use to dispose of any trash.


    Finally, she had set up a multiuse desk and makeup stand in one corner of the room.


    This was the only item that did not match the rest of her furniture, as it had an outer metal plating and could easily configure itself into over a dozen designs depending on what she needed at the time.


    ¡¯She¡¯s also got some celestial and terrestrial pictures on the walls. I believe that one is a forest from some planet.¡¯ Avery thought, glancing around at the pictures Kasandra had put up.


    His overall impression was that this was the room of someone that had not been living out in space their entire life.


    The use of synthetic wood in the furniture and all of the pictures led Avery to believe that Kasandra might have lived on a lush planet at one time.


    ¡¯I¡¯ve already put together that she was a rich girl at one point, but judging by her tastes here, her family must have been quite well off.¡¯


    Avery was unsure of why she left her home. It could have simply been a desire for adventure, or perhaps her family fell on hard times and could no longer afford to live where they had been before. Kasandra had not yet divulged the details of her past to him, and Avery had no intention of asking. She would tell him when she was ready.


    Once Avery finished the tour of Kasandra¡¯s room, the three of them headed towards Jasmine¡¯s newly refurbished room.


    She was not quite as confident in her choices as Kasandra had been, though. And hesitantly stood in front of the door for a few moments before opening it up.


    Inside Avery saw that the d¨¦cor she had chosen was more brightly colored and cute.


    Honestly it was a bit surprising since when Avery first met her, she came off a serious police sergeant that showed no vulnerabilities. Of course, after getting to know her a bit better over the last couple of days, he felt that her room suited her.


    "I see you like Othuhiri Silk as well." Avery commented, brushing his hand over the top blanket after receiving Jasmine¡¯s permission.


    Unlike Kasandra, who needed an entirely knew bedspread, Jasmine had packed up her own from her apartment and brought it here. Which honesty saved Avery a small fortune. Though he wondered if a sergeant¡¯s salary was really enough to afford such luxurious goods.


    "Yes. I¡¯ve been using it since I was child, and it was like hell when I was sleeping on synthetic fiber sheets during my basic training."


    Jasmine had a far-off look in her eyes as she remembered her earlier days. Just having joined the Alliance Police Academy.


    Avery on the other hand, picked up something about Jasmine¡¯s past. If she had been using such high-quality fabric for so long, she likely also came from a wealthy family.


    ¡¯Their fathers aren¡¯t going to come after me with private militaries demanding their daughters back at some point, are they?¡¯ Avery thought, imagining what he considered the worst-case scenario to be.


    "Oh, do you like Nianni Taador as well?" Kasandra asked, noticing a poster that Jasmine had put up.


    "Yeah, who doesn¡¯t. Her music is truly spectacular. I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ve come across anyone that¡¯s had anything bad to say about her songs, even if they aren¡¯t a fan of her."


    When the two girls looked towards him for his opinion, Avery nodded his head in agreement. He had a bit of Nianni¡¯s music downloaded onto the ship¡¯s computer already. She was currently the most popular singer in the Dramid Alliance, and for good reason. Her voice mysteriously seemed to resonate with most people.


    For a few minutes, the three of them stood around discussing their favorite music genres and artists, before Avery led Jasmine and Kasandra to a surprise he had waiting for them. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Our remolded dining room. With far more comfortable seats, a table that can expand and shrink depending on what we want, and the crowning jewel of any modern kitchen."


    Where the Dauntless¡¯ old autochef had been before, now stood a brand new one from Koken industries silver series.


    It was the latest model and one of the best autochef¡¯s currently in circulation within the Alliance. It had cost Avery sixty-two thousand Krenin to purchase, but he felt that it was a necessary expense since they were about to embark on a long journey.


    A crew eating delicious food would certainly be in better shape than one that was not. Morale was important after all.


    Seeing how this was the newer model of the type she had when she was younger, Kasandra gleefully grabbed a food capsule and shoved it into the machine.


    Soon four steaming buns popped out on a shining plate.


    "Those certainly smell good. What are they?" Avery asked, taking an interest in the snack Kasandra had just made.


    "They¡¯re called Ariac Buns. A traditional dish from my species¡¯ home planet. Obviously, the ingredients aren¡¯t exactly the same as when it is made from scratch, but they still taste amazing when whipped up by such a high-quality autochef."


    Kasandra then took one of the buns and took a large bite out of it.


    The inside was filled with some sort of greenish paste, and Avery could smell a sweet scent coming from it.


    There was a truly blissful look on Kasandra¡¯s face, and she hastily grabbed a second one after she finished her first.


    Once she noticed Avery and Kasandra looking hungrily at the remining to buns, she offered them each one. Wanting to get their opinions on her favorite treat from when she was younger.


    "It¡¯s really good. Though, I¡¯ve never had anything like it before." Avery said after the first bite.


    The outside was made from some sort of grain product and was extremely soft and melted in the mouth.


    The filling was incredibly sweet, but only at first. It quickly mellowed out the longer it sat in one¡¯s mouth and left a faint aftertaste that was pleasant.


    "Now, what about your room, Avery? I saw the designer and her helper bots go in their for a few minutes." Kasandra said. As perceptive as ever


    "I just had the mattress and bedding upgraded."


    Avery had sprung for a self-cleaning mattress, as well as sheets and blankets made from Othuhiri Silk. After feeling the material once, he was afraid that Kasandra would never visit his room again if he did not.


    "Well, I think you¡¯ll have to break those in later. Expect a someone to pay you a visit latter tonight." Kasandra whispered coquettishly into Avery¡¯s ear.


    Feeling his face starting to heat up, Avery turned his head away so that neither girl could see him.


    If Jasmine had not been there as well, he might have immediately picked Kasandra up and brought her to bed right that moment.


    Still, with the remodel of the Dauntless¡¯ interior completed, they each went to their own separate rooms to relax for the rest of the day. Tomorrow they would be going to see Avery¡¯s parents one last time, and after that, it would be off to the Phregon System to serve as guards for the fleet of cargo vessels.


    Late into the evening, as Avery had expected, the door to his room slid open.


    When he looked up, he figured he would see Kasandra, but instead it was Jasmine standing in the doorway.


    Vastly different from the usual attire she wore, her current clothing, if it could really be called that, was far more revealing.


    She was wearing a purple see-through negligee that did nothing to hide the underwear beneath it.


    As Avery was about to lose his composure, a notification from his terminal caught his attention.


    He glanced over at it and saw that it was from Kasandra.


    ¡¯Man up and take responsibility.¡¯


    As he read this short and blunt message, he realized that Kasandra¡¯s earlier words had been hinting at this.


    ¡¯They¡¯ve been conspiring against me.¡¯ Avery thought, as Jasmine hesitantly walked into his room.


    After every couple of steps, she seemed to instinctively move her arms to try and cover herself, but knowing what she came here to do, she stopped part way each time. Allowing Avery to keep looking at her entire body as she approached.


    "J- Jasmine! You know you don¡¯t have to do this."


    Avery voice cracked a bit, and he was clearly in a fluster. He had not allowed her to join his crew because he expected something like this in return.


    "I- I know." Jasmine said, just as nervous as Avery was. "But if it¡¯s with you, I don¡¯t mind. In fact, I want to do it. I already know that you¡¯re a considerate person. I just want you to reassure me. If we have this kind of relationship, you won¡¯t abandon me."


    At this point, Jasmine had gotten onto Avery¡¯s bed. Giving him a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    "If you¡¯re worried about Kasandra, she already gave me permission. Or is it just that you like girls that are prettier, like her?"


    "No that¡¯s not it. You¡¯re incredibly beautiful. I- I just don-"


    Seeing a fearful but steamy gaze that Jasmine was staring at him with, the words Avery wanted to say got caught in his mouth.


    The message that Kasandra had sent him that was still displayed on his terminal caught his eye.


    "Okay." Avery said, sitting up and pulling Jasmine into his embrace.


    After that there were no more words between the two of them. Both of them simply giving into their desires.

 Chapter 92 Saying Goodbye

    Upon waking up, Avery felt more refreshed than usual. And not simply because of his new high-quality bedding.


    Nestled up next to him, Jasmine was softly snoring. She was in a truly deep sleep still and looked quite peaceful.


    It brought a smile to Avery¡¯s face and seeing her like this made him glad that he allowed her onboard his ship. She had helped him several times since he lucked into finding the Dauntless, and he was certain that she would continue to do so.


    ¡¯My mom¡¯s probably going to kill me though.¡¯ Avery thought, dreading meeting with his parents later in the day.


    Just recently he had introduced Kasandra to them as his girlfriend, and now he was bringing another girl along that he had relations with.


    There were no strict laws in the Alliance against having more than one romantic partner and plenty of men and women did. Especially certain races that had a long-standing culture of doing so.


    Nevertheless, Avery knew that his parents and his grandparents on both sides had monogamistic marriages. It was not some sort of rule, but simply how his family viewed things.


    ¡¯Maybe I should have thought about it more. But no. There¡¯s simply no way I could have refused Jasmine. Not when she came at me so desperately. And Kasandra even told me to man up and take responsibility."


    Avery never expected to end up with two beautiful women as his crewmembers and lovers, but if they both accepted the situation, he hardly had any objections. He was a young man after all, and there was no way he would refuse them if it was what they wanted.


    Carefully he reached over to his terminal and began aimlessly looking through articles on the station¡¯s network.


    To his surprise, he found some news stories about himself. It seemed he had become quite the hot topic after being awarded the Alliance Silver Cross of Heroism. He was basically a local hero now.


    After nearly another hour and a half, Jasmine finally began to rouse.


    The moment her eyes fluttered open and she fully regained consciousness, she found Avery looking down at her.


    Immediately her face went red as the events of the prior evening resurfaced in her mind.


    As if to hide her embarrassment, she pulled a blanket over her face. She felt she had lost her composure and had made sounds and expressions last night that were disgraceful. Avery had started off gently and used his experience with Kasandra to make sure it had been an enjoyable experience for Jasmine.


    "It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of. It¡¯s perfectly normal to lose one¡¯s self during the act. I honestly got a bit too wild towards the end myself." Avery said to comfort his embarrassed lover.


    Truthfully, he found Jasmine¡¯s bashfulness now cute. Especially in contrast to how she had been last night. Once he had gotten started, she often matched his pace and was hardly willing to let go for a moment. The embrace of someone she trusted had been immensely comforting after what she just went through.


    Once he coaxed her out from under the blanket, Avery bent over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. If he was going to be taking her as a lover, then he was going to go all out and show her the same affection he gave Kasandra.


    "From now on your mine. So don¡¯t worry. I will do anything to protect you. Even if the entire Alliance turned against you, I would fight to keep you safe." Avery said reassuringly.


    Hearing his heartfelt words, any lingering trepidation she had about possibly being kicked off the ship were dashed away. Her life may have taken some harrowing and unexpected twists and turns, but she could not deny that she was a bit happy with where she ended up.


    The two them then took turns showering, and Jasmine headed back over to her room to put on some actual clothing.


    When Avery headed to the dining room to get some breakfast, he found Kasandra already there. Eating some more of the buns she made the day before.


    "So did you enjoy yourself last night?" Kasandra asked, wearing an impish grin.


    "Yeah, I did. But it was certainly unexpected. Someone else had been leading me to believe that they were going to be stopping by."


    Avery sat down and placed a food capsule into the autochef.


    While he waited for the machine to prepare him his precisely calculated breakfast, he began asking Kasandra the list of questions that had been stirring around inside his head.


    "No, it doesn¡¯t bother me that you¡¯ve got more than one woman. My father actually had four wives, and a man having at least two partners is fairly common among my species. And I went ahead and encouraged Jasmine and set things up because I knew it would be for the best. You have a bad habit of saving young women in distress and stealing their hearts. It was obvious she was already starting to fall for you, and the longer she stayed on this ship, the more likely her feelings would grow. It was best to get this out of the way early to avoid any awkwardness and tension in the future."


    Kasandra¡¯s explanation made logical sense, and Avery did not get the feeling that she was trying to hide how she really felt. She had practically sent Jasmine barreling towards him. Still, this made him wonder why she acted so territorially when she first met the former sergeant.


    "Oh, that. It was more that I was afraid of a honeytrap. Sometimes the Alliance Police throw pretty young officers at promising mercenaries to try and recruit them. They actually tried that trick with Kaiden once. But now that she¡¯s part of your crew, it¡¯s pretty much accepted that she¡¯s your mistress. The same as with me." Kasandra said, explaining a bit of mercenary culture he was unaware of.


    Even if he had never actually done anything with Jasmine, everyone still would have seen her as one of his partners.


    After he had finished discussing things with Kasandra, Jasmine made her way into the dining room. Trying her best to keep a composed expression, though there was a faint redness to her cheeks still. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The three of them ate breakfast, and while at first they were silent and there was a bit of awkwardness in the air, they all started opening up quickly and were talking normally by the end of the meal.


    Once they were finished, it was time to head off to visit Avery¡¯s patents. He would be introducing Jasmine to them and saying goodbye for now.


    ¡­


    "Avery. Follow me to your old room. We have something we need to discuss." Serena said, a menacing smile on her face.


    With the expression of someone who was about to be executed, Avery did as his mother told.


    From out in the main living area, Kasandra, Jasmine, and Avery¡¯s father could hear the shouting coming from the other end of the apartment. Avery¡¯s mother was using some choice words to describe her son right now. Such as philanderer and scum.


    It was apparent that she was far from thrilled about Avery¡¯s sudden increase in lovers. Particularly since he had only introduced Kasandra to her a short while ago.


    "I¡¯d better go intervene." Avery¡¯s father sighed, standing up and bracing himself with a cane. The look he was wearing was as serious as if he was about to march off to war.


    Thanks to his father¡¯s assistance, Avery was able to calm his mother down enough to explain things. He told her about Jasmine¡¯s circumstances, and how Kasandra had given her approval.


    Serana still did not seem pleased with the situation, but she was at least a bit more accepting of it. She would have a hard time telling him to abandon people he knew when they were in need.


    "I¡¯d like to apologize for my earlier display." Avery¡¯s mother said, slightly bowing her head to Kasandra and Jasmine when she returned to the main room.


    Avery and his father looked worn out. Serana¡¯s wrath was a difficult thing to rein in.


    Fortunately, she did not hold anything against either Kasandra or Jasmine and was friendly towards both of them.


    She wanted to know a bit more about Avery¡¯s latest companion and began asking all kinds of questions about Jasmine. Though she eventually asked something that caught everyone off guard.


    "So, when can I expect some grandchildren?"


    Avery started choking on the water he had been drinking when he heard this, and both Kasandra and Jasmine looked incredibly flustered by it.


    Kasandra had only been with Avery for around a month now, and Jasmine had only started a relationship with him the night before. Obviously, it was far too soon to be thinking about having kids.


    Of course, it was fairly obvious that Serena had said this as a bit of payback towards her son for suddenly springing a second girlfriend on them right before he was about to leave. She had even waited for when he was taking a sip of water.


    "M- mom! This is Cleary not the time or place for that!"


    "Oh, but I¡¯m not going to be around forever. And my son has brought home two beautiful girls. So of course I would be wondering about something like that." Serana said innocently.


    "Dear. This is the last time we will be seeing Avery for a while. I think it would be best if we kept things cordial."


    Thanks to Avery¡¯s father, his mother stopped trying to tease him. However, it was hard for things to get back to normal after what had been brought up.


    Several hours quickly went by, and the five of them had lunch together. Already Avery found the autochef that his parents had lacking after getting a taste of the immaculate meals his new silver series autochef could produce.


    Eventually their time together was coming to an end. Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine needed to head back and prepare to launch. It would be a hard hit to their reputation as mercenaries if they were late for their escort mission.


    "Make sure you send transmission¡¯s back home frequently. If we don¡¯t hear from you for a while, I might just fly out into space myself to come find you." Avery¡¯s mother warned.


    "I got it. I¡¯ll make sure to contact you whenever I can and get you updated on where we are."


    Just as Avery was about to leave, he opened his terminal and sent something to both of his parents.


    "This is a parting gift from me. As part of receiving the Silver Cross, I receive a yearly stipend from the Alliance. Since I¡¯m leaving, I wanted to make sure that you both don¡¯t need to worry about money from now on." Avery said.


    Instead of having the funds sent to his account, he was having it redirected to his parents. Now they would receive two hundred fifty thousand Krenin a year without having to do anything. This would serve to let them live more relaxed lives and give them a safety net in case something unexpected happened again.


    Brought to tears by the gratitude they felt towards their son, both his mother and father pulled him into their embrace and thanked him for all he had done for them.


    "Just doing what I can for the people that raised me with love and care." Avery said, trying and failing to fight back his own tears.


    When the three of them had finally finished their heartwarming farewell, Avery headed back towards the hangar where the Dauntless was docked, with Kasandra and Jasmine right alongside him.


    As he was walking away, he resisted the urge to look back. He had already said everything he needed to. His path now was ahead of him. To see through his dream to travel across the stars and build himself up as a top mercenary.

 Chapter 93 Heading Off

    "We¡¯ve been cleared to leave." Jasmine said from the support station to the left and slightly behind Avery.


    Since Kasandra was going to be receiving her own vessel in a few months, Jasmine was currently training to take her role.


    "Got it. Then let¡¯s head on out. Can¡¯t leave Kaiden and Ezra waiting for us too long."


    Avery started up the Dauntless and as its thrusters roared to life, he pulled out of the hangar the ship had been docked at.


    The moment Avery left the confines of the station, the familiar black expanse of space, dotted with the glimmering lights of stars and other celestial bodies, was there to greet him.


    As always it was awe inspiring, but this time it was even more so than usual. For this was going to be the last time for likely several years that Avery would see the space outside of his home station.


    Looking at the view of the stern camera, he took one last long look at Yuson II before imputing the coordinates for Yuson Prime where the merchant fleet his mercenary group would be protecting was waiting.


    A familiar hum resounded through the ship, and a few moments later all the light on the view screen seemed to elongate as the Dauntless jumped to light speed.


    "This is my first time seeing light speed from a small vessel. It¡¯s quite something." Jasmine commented, enamored by the new experience.


    She had been on passenger and Alliance Police spacecraft before, but those had all been large vessels and she had not been allowed on the bridge. She had never been able to see what the outside looked like before when traveling at light speed.


    "Just wait until we enter hyperspace in a little while. Now that¡¯s a really impressive sight." Avery said pridefully.


    "Why are you acting like an expert when you only recently traveled through hyperspace for the first time. You¡¯ve barely any more experience than Jasmine."


    Kasandra¡¯s teasing reply got a few chuckles out of Jasmine, and Avery could hardly be upset with her for pointing out the truth.


    Just a few minutes later, the Dauntless exited light speed and Yuson Prime came into view.


    This station normally had the most traffic in the system, but today there were even more ships than usual within the vicinity.


    Around forty large cargo ships belonging to the Moonrise merchant company were either docked or floating within a few dozen kilometers of the station.


    "Wow those are massive. I think some of them might even be bigger than the Alliance Police¡¯s heavy cruisers." Avery said in amazement.


    Moonrise¡¯s flagship was over a kilometer and a half long. Making it the largest vessel in the system.


    By itself it was capable of carrying several millions of tons of goods. It was a true behemoth of a cargo ship and currently being fully loaded with refined metals produced by the several mining companies based in the Yuson System.


    "It certainly is large, but you can¡¯t compare it to a warship. It doesn¡¯t have any weapons, and its shields and plating are only a bit stronger than on an average civilian ship. That thing is built solely for transporting goods." Kasandra commented.


    Taking this into account, it did seem a bit less impressive. Still, it was a behemoth of a ship. There was no doubt that it could fit thirty or more of the Dauntless inside of it.


    Along with the merchant fleet was several bands of mercenaries that were unfamiliar to Avery or Kasandra. Most likely the guards the had accompanied Moonrise¡¯s vessels on their way here.


    Checking the signature data, Avery found that they were all three star mercenaries and part of eight different groups.


    "It looks like they are all solid mercenaries. A mostly successful record for each of the groups." Jasmine said, having pulled up the information from the signatures that the Dauntless¡¯ sensors had recorded. When working with unfamiliar individuals, it was best to gather what information was out there.


    Not even a minute later, they received a transmission from Kaiden and Ezra. The two of them had been waiting for Avery and his two crew members¡¯ arrival.


    "Glad to see that all of you made it. I received a message from the merchants¡¯ leader earlier, and I expect he¡¯ll contact you soon as well." Ezra informed them.


    Kaiden had less to say, and only glared at Avery and told him to do right by his sister. Fortunately, Kasandra had already contacted him and updated him on the situation with Jasmine, otherwise he would have been liable to go ballistic.


    There was still about a half hour until the agreed upon departure time, so Avery moved his vessel closer to Ezra¡¯s and Kaiden¡¯s and the three of them, mainly Avery and Ezra, shared what information they had.


    "Oh, looks like you were right. The fleet leader is contacting me. Let me put you two on hold for now." Avery said, putting Ezra and Kaiden¡¯s transmissions into the background and accepting the incoming one.


    "This is four star mercenary, Avery Asteria, callsign Dauntless. What can I do for you?"


    "I¡¯m the one in charge of the merchant fleet, Svantur Fendar. Seeing as how you¡¯re the famed recipient of the Alliance Silver Cross of Heroism, I felt that it was my duty to speak with you directly."


    Svantur started off with a bit of flattery and explained the full makeup of the vessels under his command as well as the other guards that had been hired.


    Eventually though, he broached what he was truly after.


    He wanted Avery¡¯s team to guard the flagship that would be at the front of the fleet, and that he would be on and had the most valuable cargo stored within it.


    Naturally, Avery agreed since it was a request from his employer, but he was a bit nervous since this was his first escort mission.


    The most dangerous positions would typically be at the front or back. This is where most attacks would come from.


    "I get why he wanted us there, but this is my first time escorting anyone. I¡¯m most used to fighting other ships. Urs hardly touched on guard jobs." Avery muttered once the call ended.


    When it came to ship-to-ship combat, he was fairly confident in his skills. But protecting others while in transit was something new. He had protected mining ships before, but there was far more backup around and defensible positions everywhere. That would not be the case this time.


    "There¡¯s probably nothing to worry about. This group is too large for anyone average outlaws to even think about attacking it. We¡¯ll probably have an uneventful journey and make it to our destination without issue." Kasandra said, recalling her own past experiences with similar jobs.


    Only about one out of twenty merchant caravans were ever attacked. Of course, those that had a large number of strong guards reduced that chance even further. It was really only traders that hired incompetent guards or none at all that ended up raided.


    "But that only accounts for space pirates. We could run into monsters like energy life forms as well."


    Kasandra shrugged her shoulders and had no rebuttal for this. People could hardly understand why most creatures classified as space monsters did what they did. They were not as targeted or malicious as other people were, but when they attacked, it was typically brutal.


    Once the last of the Moonrise cargo ships was fully stocked, the entire fleet got into formation, a and the hired mercenaries surrounded them as protection.


    At the very front of the line, Avery, Ezra, and Kaiden held what many considered to be a coveted position. If any pirates did attack, their loot and bounties were up for the taking. Whoever took them down received the rewards.


    "We¡¯ve received a sync request from the lead vessel." Jasmine said.


    Avery nodded his head, and his newest crew member sent a confirmation, and the Dauntless¡¯ computer was linked to the flagship. Now they would travel together as a group when going to light speed and entering hyperspace.


    After a couple minutes, all of the cargo vessels and mercenaries were synced up and ready to go. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A countdown soon came out to all ships, and the light speed drive began to charge up.


    All at once, the impressive number of vessels seemed to elongate and disappear. They had successfully entered light speed.


    "Every time I look at our route, I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s a bit of a roundabout way to get to our destination." Avery said, studying the path laid out on the galaxy map displayed on the console in front of him.


    "Well, there are only so many hyperplanes large enough to accommodate something as big as Moonrise¡¯s flagship. Still, there are a couple faster ways we could have gone."


    Kasandra and Avery intently looked over the map. Their journey could have been cut down by four days if they had gone with a different route.


    The only conclusion that they could come up with was that the merchants believed this way was safer. Unfortunately, they did not have much data on far off routes that they would not be traveling through.


    "Oh, looks like we¡¯ve finally reached the first hyperplane. You¡¯re going to be in for a treat when you see this Jasmine."


    The three of them kept their eyes on the viewscreen as they waited for the synchronized entry with the merchant flagship.


    It was not too much longer before they received a half-minute warning before the jump into hyperspace.


    When they were finally given the signal, an energy field formed around the Dauntless, and a moment later it moved forward and entered what appeared to be a massive glowing tunnel that was primarily dark blue and black.

 Chapter 94 A Peaceful Journey?

    Traveling from hyperplane to hyper lane, eighteen days passed without incident.


    A few times some scout ships that obviously belonged to pirates made an appearance on long range sensors, but they quickly disappeared when they noticed the size of the Moonrise merchant fleet and the number of guards protecting them.


    Avery made sure to take advantage of these peaceful days to strengthen his bond with Kasandra and Jasmine.


    At first there had been a bit of uneasiness between them, but that had completely faded by this point. When people were stuck together on a small ship for an extended period of time, they either grew closer, or learned that they hated each other. Lucky it was the former in this case.


    Both Kasandra and Jasmine were getting along swimmingly now. Like they were sisters. And they certainly had no problems showing their affection for Avery either.


    While they needed to be somewhat alert when exiting and entering new hyper lanes, there was no reason to be on guard when traveling through one.


    Instead, they lazed about reading, playing games, or enjoying some quality time in bed.


    "Looks like I win again." Jasmine said, revealing her hand to Avery and Kasandra.


    They were currently playing a traditional card game popular throughout the Alliance.


    Avery had by far the least experience with it, and while Kasandra was familiar with the game and had played it quite a bit, neither of them could hold a candle to the experience Jasmine had.


    Around seven times out of ten she beat them. With Kasandra winning about every two and a half times. And Avery only coming out on top around once every twenty games. Almost always by sheer luck.


    "This really has been fun. It¡¯s almost like a vacation really. When I still worked for the Alliance Police. I never had this much time to goof-off."


    Jasmine was far more relaxed than before. She no longer had any pressure to worry about from the station she once held. And at least for now, she was satisfied that they were doing good work by protecting one of the most reputable merchant companies that operated within the Alliance.


    Right now, there was really nothing for them to do but answer the occasional communication. This was simply the nature of mercenary work. A lot of the time it was just sitting around, waiting for the next big moment to arrive. Something that was soon to happen to the Moonrise fleet.


    "We¡¯ll be dropping out of hyperspace into interstellar space in one minute." Kasandra said, alert at the copilot¡¯s station.


    The hyper lane they were in continued going farther, but in a direction away from their destination. They would need to exit it, and travel at light speed for around seven hours to reach the next hyper lane that would bring them directly to the Phregon System.


    "Reentering normal space in three, two, one."


    Immediately upon dropping out of hyperdrive, the Dauntless¡¯ sensors started blaring warnings.


    A minefield had been set up outside of the hyper lane exit and was waiting to surprise anyone that came through the area.


    "Sh*t!" Avery cursed as he hastily maneuvered the Dauntless to avoid a mine that was right in front of him.


    Thankfully his ship¡¯s impeccable thrusters and reaction speed to commands was enough for him to avoid triggering the mine, but the same could not be said for the Moonrise flagship.


    The moment it entered the area from hyperspace, it detonated several mines that engulfed it in a fiery explosion.


    Its shields were just barely able to hold out, but when the other massive cargo ships started to come out of the hyperspace exit, it was forced to move or be crushed.


    "Kaiden, Ezra, start destroying the mines outside the proximity of the flagship and clear a path for it. I¡¯ll disable the ones closest to it." Avery said, instantly sending out his orders the moment he recovered from the unexpected situation.


    Activating his EMP blaster, he quickly went to work disabling the mines that would cause collateral damage if they were destroyed. Fortunately, they were the type that used electronic sensors to perceive whenever something got with in range, rather than having a pressure based mechanism that went off whenever it came in contact with anything. Though the latter type was more archaic and hardly used anymore.


    With Avery¡¯s, Ezra¡¯s, and Kaiden¡¯s assistance, the flagship was able to navigate the minefield without fully losing its shields.


    Some of the other merchants and mercenary vessel were not so lucky, but at the very least none of them were destroyed. Only taking some light damage to their plating and outer systems.


    "Setting up a minefield outside the exit of a public hyper lane is highly illegal. How did the Alliance Police patrolling this sector miss something like this?" Jasmine said in a huff.


    "It¡¯s not too extensive, so I¡¯m guessing it was set up fairly recently. And I don¡¯t think they care about Alliance law." Avery responded, zooming in on the approaching vessel with the main viewscreen.


    Now that they had been weakened, the ones that had set up the minefield were coming to finish off their prey.


    Around sixty vessels from small to large classification were approaching them. They had been sitting in wait just outside of normal sensor range and bidding their time while the minefield softened up the merchant fleet.


    "They don¡¯t have any signatures¡­ and none of those ships are of Alliance make." Jasmine said in astonishment as she analyzed the scan data of the incoming hostiles. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not having signatures was one thing, but the vessels themselves being foreign to the Alliance was another.


    While Avery did not have any data on these ships, Ezra fortunately did.


    "Those are all military fighters from the Reswen Theocracy. They¡¯re all four or five generations old, but they¡¯re still warships equipped with high output weapons."


    Ezra quickly transferred what data he had on these craft over to both Avery and Kaiden.


    The Reswen Theocracy was one of the larger powers that bordered the Dramid Alliance. Right now, the two had a tenuous peace, but they had been at war multiple times in the past. Perhaps this was the start of a return to hostilities.

 Chapter 95 Gutsy Maneuvers

    With no time to worry about their enemy¡¯s affiliation, Avery contacted the leaders of the other mercenary squads and moved into an interception formation with Ezra and Kaiden.


    With the bulk of the merchant ships caught in a minefield, sticking close to protect them was going to be ineffective. The only way to prevent further damage was to engage with the fast-approaching enemy and take them down first.


    "This is going to be one hell of a fight." Avery mumbled.


    Even if they were older models, they were dealing with vessels once adopted by the military of a major power in this part of the galaxy. Each of them was going to be far more firepower than the average outlaw.


    There were no jeering comments, or commands that came from the approaching enemies. They simply had their weapons charged and were waiting to get in range to annihilate their targets.


    It was fairly obvious that these attackers were not pirates, but they also did not seem like trained military personnel either.


    After seeing the way the Alliance Police conducted themselves during the large scale pirate raid, all Avery could think was that these individuals were sloppy. Their craft were not lined up in any sort of formation and were simply charging ahead and planning to use their firepower to overwhelm the Moonrise fleet.


    "Their cruisers have locked onto us." Kasandra said, the Dauntless¡¯ alarm alerting them to the weapons trained on them.


    Large bore lasers cut through the space between them and appeared to be flying towards the Dauntless.


    However, by a narrow margin, Avery avoided the powerful blasts thanks to the chaffs and decoy beacons that Jasmine had deployed just moments prior.


    Right behind Avery were Ezra and Kaiden and following close behind were around eighty percent of the mercenaries that had been hired to protect the fleet.


    Seeing that their opponents had longer range weapons with immense power, they all knew their best bet was to jump into the fray quickly and bring the battle up close and personal. It would be more difficult for the large and medium sized ships the enemy possessed to attack due to fear of hitting their comrades.


    Avery was the first to enter close range, and dozens of cannons all aimed towards him to take him out.


    Despite his best efforts, the Dauntless¡¯ shields were dropping at a steady pace, but he was not going to be on the receiving end of fire without fighting back.


    He aimed his three main laser cannons on one of the small vessels and pulled the trigger.


    There was a bright flash, and his target took major damage to its shields, but that was all. These former military vessels were a lot tougher than any souped-up civilian ship.


    Still, Avery was used to fighting in similar conditions to this in simulations, and his duel with Ezra had been tougher in his opinion. The people they were fighting right now had powerful vessels, but they hardly knew how to use them.


    With fast and crazy maneuvers, he darted in between the large and medium sized vessels and continuously fired his plasma launcher to rapidly deplete their defenses. And when any smaller pursuit ships tried to flank him, he unleashed a punishing barrage from his stern scatterguns.


    "Whoa! Looks like Ezra¡¯s going a bit wild himself." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery watched as one of the enemy cruisers¡¯ thrusters suddenly exploded after taking a direct hit from the Specter¡¯s railgun. In terms of pure force, it beat every other weapon currently on the battlefield. Even the Dauntless¡¯ plasma launchers were not quite as devastating with only a single shot.


    Not to be outdone though, Avery pushed himself even harder.


    At some point he could swear he heard someone screaming to his left, but other than information pertaining to the current battle, he tuned everything else out.


    As the skirmish became more chaotic, some of the enemy craft broke away and headed towards the mostly defenseless cargo ships.


    Their goal had never been to tangle with a bunch of mercenaries, but to eliminate the Moonrise merchant company.


    The reaming guards that had stayed behind moved to engage, but they found it difficult to keep the larger military vessels from advancing.


    "Guess, we¡¯re going to their rescue. Kasandra inform the others and cover our escape." Avery said, swiftly turning the Dauntless around and gunning it towards the enemies threatening the merchants.


    Obviously, the cruisers he had been kiting around turned their weapons on him the moment he tried to break away, but at the same time Ezra and Kaiden unleashed a barrage of attacks to cover for their leader as he went to the rescue of the ones paying them.


    As they approached, Avery noticed the Dauntless¡¯ shields getting dangerously low. Yet before he even needed to say anything, Kasandra used one of their shield cells to instantly restore their primary protection. She was a reliable partner as ever.


    Getting into close range, Avery rapidly fired his plasma launchers and caused havoc within the enemy ranks.


    He almost immediately became their primary target and gave the other mercenaries some breathing room.


    Lasers and bullets streaked through space all around him, and the frequency of alarms signaling a hit became almost like a melody with how often it went off. Avery avoided what he could, but there was only so much he could do against so many hostile ships.


    "Avery, I don¡¯t mean to distract you, but we¡¯re not going to last much longer like this." Kasandra said, her tone on edge.


    She was doing what she could to assist him. Still, no matter how impeccable the Dauntless was, it had its limits and was close to reaching them.


    "Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ve got this."


    After flying around in a seemingly random pattern, Avery eventually came to a stop below one of the large enemy craft.


    Several weapons tried to lock onto him and blow him to pieces, expect, not a single one could aim a shot at him.


    Avery had systematically destroyed or damaged any weapon systems that would be able to hit him from this angle without first destroying the vessel he was hiding under.


    Naturally the light cruiser attempted to move away, but Avery kept to it closely. It was impossible for the much large ship to outmaneuver him, especially since its prolusion systems had already received damage.


    From his safe spot, Avery fired potshots at any craft that were in his line of sight. Causing major damage to them as they tried to reposition.


    Soon they would have him back in range of their weapons and would be able to finally blow him away. Or that would have been the case if he was fighting alone.


    "They really aren¡¯t the brightest bunch. Devoting so much attention to one enemy when there are so many more around them." Avery said while exaggeratedly shaking his head.


    Having regrouped, the other mercenary came in fast and laid down heavy fire on the enemy vessels one by one.


    The concerted bombardment did major damage even to the largest and heavily shielded cruiser the enemy had deployed to eliminate the Moonrise cargo ships.


    No longer the center of attention, Avery trained his plasma cannons on the craft he was hiding under and breached its hull with balls of white-hot plasma.


    He dove down to avoid the ensuing explosion of the ship¡¯s main generator and joined in with the other mercenaries in routing their opponents.

 Chapter 96 Infiltration

    Avery and the other mercenaries continued to fight until the group that had ambushed them fled in retreat.


    They had managed to take down around seventy percent of their adversaries before the rest ran away in defeat.


    It was a victory, but not one without losses.


    Twenty-six mercenaries had fallen and three of the Moonrise cargo ships had been destroyed. Allowing even some of their client¡¯s personnel and property to be lost was a major blow to the guards that had survived.


    "Don¡¯t let this get you down Avery. Without us here, things likely would have gone a lot worse." Kasandra said, rubbing his back reassuringly.


    Avery had put himself in immense danger to strike heavy blows against their attackers and take a great deal of the fire away from the other mercenaries.


    He was the first to plunge into the enemies and constantly kept himself as the center of attention.


    There was a good chance that all of the merchants and other mercenaries might have died if he, Ezra, and Kaiden had not been around.


    In terms of contributions to the battle, there was no one else comparable to them.


    Before Avery had time to ruminate on the situation further, he received a transmission form the Moonrise Flagship.


    "I¡¯m relived to see that the award you received was not because your abilities were exaggerated. And the other two members of your group fought admirably as well. Truly I must thank you for protecting myself, my employees, and our cargo."


    Svantur expressed his gratitude to Avery wholeheartedly. As a merchant that had seen a few other battles in his day, he understood well that Avery¡¯s mercenary group was the primary reason that they had not only survived but come out victorious.


    The loss of three cargo ships and more than two dozen mercenaries was tragic, but it honestly could have been much worse considering the strength of their opponents.


    Sixty military vessels, old or not, were a force to be reckoned with.


    Without someone brazen enough to charge directly into the enemy forces first, the other mercenaries might not have had the courage to do so. Avery did more than just perform spectacularly; he inspired the other guards to do so as well.


    "Also, it seems that your daring is needed once more. Some of the mercenary leaders want to board the three disabled vessels and capture any survivors for interrogation. Of course, they are all hoping that you¡¯ll lead the charge on the largest vessel, as am I. Naturally, you¡¯ll receive a bonus for this and your hard work protecting our fleet during the battle." Svantur said, making sure to emphasize the extra pay Avery would receive.


    Avery was hesitant to risk the members of his crew by fighting his way onto an enemy ship, but he could hardly back down in this situation.


    ¡¯I suppose that it will be a good way to recoup some of the costs of the power armor I bought to fight Ezra.¡¯


    After agreeing to the request, Avery sent a transmission to Ezra and Kaiden. They were all going to infiltrate the single disabled cruiser, which just so happened to be the one Ezra had fired his railgun at and destroyed its main thrusters.


    "Are you two ready to-"


    As Avery turned around to speak to Jasmine, he found her completely stiff and her face pale.


    He had certainly executed some dangerous strategies and come under heavy fire more than once, but since she had been a police sergeant before, Avery had not even considered how this type of battle might affect his newest crewmember.


    However, she had been trained to work on colonies, not warships. There had been times she had been shot at before, both in training and while on the job, but nothing like this. Lasers, multi-cannons, missiles, and all other manner of destructive weapons had been firing at them without end. Even for someone with her background, it had been too much to handle for her first battle in space.


    "Kasandra, would you mind taking Jasmine to her room, and then meeting me at the airlock?"


    At first, he had planned to bring Jasmine with them, but it was clear she was in no state to go charging onto an enemy vessel.


    Thankfully, with Kasandra¡¯s help, she was able to get up and walk to her room, but the entire time she had a far away gaze. As if she was trying to disassociate from reality.


    While Jasmine was being taken care of, Avery made his way over to the unmoving cruiser and docked with one of its air locks. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ezra and Kaiden had already done the same, and once he had his power armor put on and equipped with his weapons, he breached the ship.


    "Hear anything?" Avery asked Kasandra.


    She was wearing a protective suit and mask with its own oxygen supply, but her ears were exposed so that she could use her heighted senses to pick up on any movement.


    "Just my brother and Ezra entering as well. It doesn¡¯t sound like anyone is coming our way. We should meet up with them first and then proceed."


    Nodding his head, Avery opened up communications with the other two members of his team, and the four of them quickly came together to explore the ship and apprehend anyone they found.


    "Am I the only one that feels that they¡¯re response has been too tepid, considering how viciously they attacked before?" Ezra said, looking around warily as he examined the scanner data displayed on the visor in front of them.


    So far, they had just been walking down empty halls without encountering a single person or security drone. Everything was eerily quiet. Like there had never been a crew to begin with.


    The idea that these ships had been pre-programmed with instructions came to mind, but that possibility was quickly dismissed.


    During the fight, they had moved too erratically to have been controlled by a computer. They would have been using set formations that were easily discernible if that was the case.


    Eventually they did manage to find the crew within the mess hall. Yet there were no enemies to be worried about. Every single one of them was dead.

 Chapter 97 Some Answers but More Questions

    The sight before him nearly made Avery lose the contents of his stomach. And he was not the only one. Veteran mercenaries they may have been, but even Kasandra, Kaiden, and Ezra looked sick after just a single glance into the enemy cruiser¡¯s mess hall.


    Everything was covered in viscera, and a thin pool of blood had formed on the floor.


    It was obvious that the people that had been here blew themselves up. Instead of being captured, they had taken their own lives and erased almost any means of identifying them.


    Unless some of them had their DNA stored in some database, no one would be able to figure out who they once were. And even that would be a massive undertaking considering the carnage.


    Once his power suit¡¯s sensors had confirmed that there were not any life signs in the room, Avery closed the door and looked away. He had seen some pretty gruesome stuff before, but this took the cake by far. At the moment, he felt like he would never be able to eat anything again.


    "W-we should probably search the rest of the ship before concluding it¡¯s empty. The leaders may have done this to try and trick people into believing that there are no survivors." Ezra said, being the first to regain his wherewithal. Though he was clearly still shaken by what they had seen.


    To try and put the horrid scene out of their minds, Avery, Kasandra, Kaiden, and Ezra, fully focused on exploring the cruiser. It was a large vessel with tons of rooms and required an extensive amount of time for them to go through the entire thing.


    Nevertheless, by the time they had finished scouring the last area, not a single soul had been found.


    The data logs had also been erased, leaving practically nothing aboard to tell them who the people that had attacked them were.


    "So, were they part of the Reswen Theocracy¡¯s military?" Avery muttered to himself. More pondering out loud rather than expecting an answer.


    Except, Ezra merely shook his head doubtfully.


    "I don¡¯t think so. It wouldn¡¯t make sese for them to deploy vessels this old on a mission in enemy territory. Plus, we¡¯re pretty far into the Alliance, and a merchant fleet headed towards a planet being terraformed is hardly a high priority target for an enemy military. Then there¡¯s that mass suicide we saw. True believers within the Theocracy live to serve their nine gods. Taking their own lives is considered taboo."


    "You certainly seem to know a lot about these guys." Kaiden growled accusatorially


    "A few years ago, for around nine months, I did some work culling space monsters near the border between the Dramid Alliance and Reswen Theocracy. I met all sorts of people back then. Some were devotees to their religion and were willing to spout off their teachings to anyone."


    Ezra told them what else he knew about the Theocracy and his reasons why he did not think that anyone from their military had been involved in this attack.


    What he said made sense, though, people were not always logical, so it was really only his supposition for now. The incident needed to be investigated further, and people needed to warned. There were still some of the fanatics that had attacked them out there.


    Fortunately, recent navigation data was able to be downloaded from one of the other seized vessels.


    Their crew as well had committed mass suicide, but the recovery of at least something would help the authorities identify and track down these people.


    "Still, what could they have set up this attack for? We¡¯re in the middle of interstellar space without anything notable around. The only thing of note in the area is a couple of hyper lanes?" Kasandra said, having pulled up the galaxy map on her terminal.


    If they had been pirates, their goals would have been obvious. A fleet transporting refined metals was basically a jackpot for them since it was difficult for people with bounties to exchange Krenin for services or items. They most bartered using valuable goods.


    Except the ones that had gone after the Moonrise fleet were clearly just trying to destroy the cargo vessels.


    "I mean we can speculate, but the most likely option is that this was a targeted attack on our employer. For what reason though, I can only guess." Ezra said, tapping into his years of experience.


    He had seen quite a few scuffles during his time working as a mercenary, but nothing quite like this.


    "Well, we aren¡¯t world class investigators. Let¡¯s just do our job, get paid, and keep a watchful eye out for more of these types."


    Avery brought an end to their hypothesizing and led his team back to their ships. They had completed the search of the enemy craft and could leave the rest Svantur and his subordinates.


    In the end, it was decided that they would tow the three disabled vessels with them to the Phregon System. There they could sell the vessels to the authorities and let them deal with it.


    "I suppose that they¡¯re merchants to the end." Kasandra commented.


    "Yeah, but at least we¡¯ll be getting a big bonus since we played a large role in bringing them down. How much do you think those ships are worth anyway?"


    Kasandra pulled up the captured vessels¡¯ specs and did her best to estimate their value. Had they been of Alliance make, she would have had an easier time, but since they came from a foreign power, all she could do was guess.


    "They¡¯re old and damaged, but they¡¯re still military craft. I¡¯d say that the three of them together will go for somewhere around twenty million. Maybe." Kasandra said uncertainly.


    It would really depend on how much the Alliance Police valued the fact that they for from a foreign military and held some clues to a group that attacked Alliance citizens.


    As Avery and Kasandra were discussing what sort of reward they could be expecting, in large part to distract themselves from the ghastly scene they had witnessed, Jasmine returned to the cockpit.


    She still looked a bit distressed from the earlier battle, but she had managed to collect herself enough to return to her post as the Dauntless¡¯ supporter.


    S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 98 The Phregon System

    "I¡¯m sorry that I lost my composure during battle. I promise it won¡¯t happen again."


    Jasmine bowed her head deeply and profusely apologized to Avery and Kasandra.


    She had frozen up during the fight with the extremists when she should have been doing her job as a supporter. Kasandra had made sure to cover the work she was supposed to be doing so that Avery would not be distracted, but that was no excuse for her failure.


    "Go ahead and raise your head. It¡¯s hardly a matter worth fretting over. I should have warned you about what I was planning on doing first. Since you used to be a member of the police, I didn¡¯t consider what it would be like for you to experience such a deadly battle for your first time with ship-to-ship combat. That¡¯s my fault. Having missiles and lasers large enough to engulf your whole ship flying at you isn¡¯t something easy to get used to." Avery said to alleviate any guilt that Jasmine was feeling.


    He remembered well the first time Urs put him through a similar simulation. Except he had been all alone then with no backup.


    And while simulations were not nearly as harrowing as the real deal, it had helped Avery to get used to the pressure. Especially when failure meant going a few rounds with his mentor in the combat practice rooms. Something that hardly ever went well for him and usually had him needing to pay a visit to the onsite medical station.


    The recent pirate and energy lifeform battles had also helped him to build confidence. He knew his own capabilities as well as the Dauntless¡¯. Only when he was positive it was something he could handle did he dive into battle.


    "So don¡¯t worry about it. Take your time and get used to your new environment. And while I can¡¯t say that we won¡¯t get into more fights of a similar level, something like that is pretty rare."


    Thanks to Avery¡¯s words of encouragement, Jasmine managed to calm down a bit more. She was still a bit used to her previous work environment and expected a reprimand for her failure.


    Of course, had she done something that really put their lives in danger, Avery might have been a bit upset, but there was no reason to be in this situation. Jasmine was still learning her role, and Kasandra was around to pick up the slack if necessary. Mistakes were bound to happen and Avery wanted her to know that that was okay.


    "If I might ask. What happened aboard the enemy vessel?"


    ""You don¡¯t want to know!"" Both Avery and Kasandra said forcefully in unison. The image of the blood and viscera splattered mess hall coming to the forefront of their minds.


    Now they both looked paler than Jasmine was, and she began fretting over their deteriorating conditions.


    ¡­


    In stark contrast to the deadly battle they had fought, the next four days of travel went by uneventfully.


    The damaged Moonrise fleet and their remaining mercenary guards traveled with extra caution, but it was apparently unnecessary.


    No other enemies tried to ambush them, and they reached their destination without further issue.


    "Long range sensors aren¡¯t picking up anything out of the ordinary. And no distress signals have been detected. Everything seems to be normal." Jasmine said, diligently relaying the information displayed on the console in front of her.


    Ever since her slipup during the previous battle, she had been pushing herself as hard as she could to act as a sufficient supporter for Avery and Kasandra.


    To make sure that the fleet avoided any additional unforeseen circumstances, Avery had exited the hyper lane first to make sure that there were not any threats lying in wait.


    Fortunately, the Phregon System was free of immediate danger. Likely thanks to the heavy Alliance Police presence due to the planet being terraformed.


    "Okay, go ahead and send the all clear message to Svantur."


    Avery watched as Jasmine crafted a short message and transmitted it using the Dauntless¡¯ hyperspace transmitter.


    After that, all they needed to do was wait for three minutes and the other would arrive.


    Except, during that brief window of time, an Alliance Police vessel came by on patrol.


    "This is the Alliance Police, Phregon System unit seven patrol ship Helios. Identify yourself."


    Receiving the sudden command was a bit surprising since the Alliance police were typically a bit more cordial, but Jasmine quickly responded and sent the requested information over.


    "My apologies for the heavy handedness of our request. We¡¯ve been having a lot of difficult people coming through thanks to the planet being terraformed." The captain of the Alliance Police said after confirming Avery¡¯s identity.


    "It¡¯s no problem. You¡¯re just doing your job. But by "difficult people", do you mean the ones flying around in old military vessels from the Reswen Theocracy and attacking merchants?"


    Avery was naturally wondering if similar attacks had occurred, but his mention of it came as a complete surprise to the Alliance Police captain.


    "No, nothing as serious as that. Just some protesters from environmental activities groups making a nuisance of themselves. Could you elaborate on what occurred?"


    Before Avery could comply and send the data recorded on the Dauntless¡¯ computer, the cargo ships of the Moonrise merchant company and mercenaries accompanying them came out of hyperspace.


    Obviously, this caused quite the shock for the Alliance Police captain, and he soon entered lengthy talks with Svantur.


    At the very least, this kept Avery from having to explain everything, so he simply sat back and let the two leaders work things out amongst themselves.


    It was not long before more Alliance ships showed up and hauled away the three Reswen Theocracy vessel that had been captured. Though not until Svantur negotiated a tidy sum for them.


    With a police escort, the Moonrise fleet was brought to the largest trading colony within the system, Phregon III.


    "That¡¯s one hell of a station." Avery said as he let out an impressed whistle.


    Compared to his home of Yuson II, and even Yuson Prime, Phregon III was far larger. Capable of housing over six million people.


    Currently there were hundreds of vessels docked to deliver goods for the budding world that was soon to be habitable.


    Yet there were some individuals that were clearly not here to assist with or celebrate the addition of a new world within the Alliance.


    "They¡¯re certainly putting on quite the show." Kasandra commented, looking towards a group of ships that had large glowing signs on their hulls.


    These signs had things along the lines of "People weren¡¯t meant to live on this planet" and "Don¡¯t destroy lives for your own greed."


    It was fairly obvious that these were some of the environmental activists that the Alliance Police captain had mentioned earlier.


    "I wonder what they are even getting worked up about. Isn¡¯t terraforming just taking a planet that wasn¡¯t suitable for life and adapting its atmosphere and geography so people can live there. Do these people have a screw loose or something?" Avery said, visibly confused why anyone would protest the creation of a new habitable world.


    "Avery, what you said is mostly true, but not in this case."


    Jasmine explained that the planet currently being terraformed in the Phregon System already had some forms of life on it.


    The place was apparently a frozen wasteland that even in the tropical zone during summer, it never rose above negative ten degrees. Still, life found a way, and there were a couple thousand unique species of flora and fauna that had been identified on the world.


    "Still, as per Alliance law, several biodomes will be established to protect a portion of the original habitats and the species that call the planet home. Plus, at least one of each will need to be stored in an enclosure on an orbital colony to make sure that they never go extinct. There¡¯s hardly much reason to protest." Jasmine said exasperatedly.


    Habitable worlds, natural or terraformed, were far too rare for people to simply give up on them for reasons like preserving a planet¡¯s natural state.


    Even within all of the Dramid Alliance¡¯s vast territory, there were only sixteen worlds that were naturally habitable, and another fifty-seven that had been terraformed. It was incredibly rare to meet the necessary requirements for the majority of intelligent species to be able to survive on a planet.


    While Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine were busy discussing the ethics of terraforming a planet that already had living creatures on it, they received a communication for the Moonrise flagship.


    "I want to thank all of the brave mercenaries that fought valiantly to protect the fleet under my command. I know many of you lost comrades during this journey, and while it is not much, offering fair compensation is all we can really do to repay all of you. Including a large bonus from the vessels we sold to the Alliance Police, all of you will be receiving an additional reward that takes your contributions into account." Svantur said over shared comms.


    For some of the mercenaries this hardly made the sting of losing their friends better, but for Avery and his group, it was more than welcome. Despite having taken a central role in the battle, none of them had been so much as injured. The extra money simply made this job sweeter for them.


    With that, all of the mercenaries had completed their contracts to protect the Moonrise fleet on its journey from the Yuson System to Phregon System.


    "Jasmine, send a docking request. We need to go pay the Mercenary Association branch a visit and pick up our pay for a job completed."


    S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 99 Machinations in the Shadows

    An enormous man by human standards was sitting in an opulent office was reading a report he had just received on his own personal tablet.


    Yet the more pages he got through, the angrier he became.


    Eventually, his fury grew to the point that he crushed the tablet in his hands and slammed his balled-up fists into his desk. Causing dents in the top despite it being made out of a sturdy metal.


    "How did those idiots lose so many of the ships I provided for them? Do they not realize how difficult it was to smuggle military grade vessels out of the Theocracy and into the Alliance? Is this what I get for using extremists?"


    The veins on the man¡¯s forehead began to bulge and his dark brown eyes became bloodshot.


    There had been a few hiccups in his plans so far, but the loss of so many pawns at this stage was detrimental.


    His man on the inside that was influencing the radical group he had armed had fortunately survived, but they only had about thirty percent of their forces remaining. And some of their ships were badly damaged.


    It would be difficult to count on them to continue wiping out merchant and passenger fleets coming to the Phregon System.


    Looking out of the large, reinforced window in the room, he stared down at Drahanus, the fifth planet in the Phregon System and the world that was currently undergoing terraforming.


    He was one of the chief investors in the current project to make the world habitable and had been consolidating his power to become essentially the ruler of it. To do so, he had been mobilizing his forces and assisting less than savory organizations with chipping away at his rivals¡¯ power.


    However, one of his chief competitors had worked out a deal with the Moonrise merchant company and was bringing in a massive shipment of refined metals from the Yuson System.


    It was absolutely necessary to stop them, so he had some of his subordinates entice the radicals he had been secretly funding to attack them.


    Originally this should have seen the merchants wiped out, or at least fleeing for their lives. But instead, all but three of the cargo vessels had survived and recently arrived to deliver their goods.


    The outcome was not far from the worst possible. And the only explanation that he had received for this failure was that the mercenary guards were more competent than anticipated. This was a load of crap as far as he was concerned.


    "Lord Iniquus, we¡¯ve brought Vi¡¯ivando to you as your ordered." A lanky man with a deep scar running down his face all the way to his chest said.


    Behind him were a man and woman wearing fully body armor and equipped with high output laser rifles.


    In between these two guards was a much smaller man that had noticeable cuts and bruises all over his body. Though his head and hands seemed to have escaped any of the abuse.


    Vi¡¯ivando was not human, but instead a member of the Baccigan species. The same as Ardesen, the Chief Technology Officer of Storren Corp.


    "I¡¯ve already told you that I won¡¯t make that dastardly emitter for you. I don¡¯t care how many times you cut, hit, or shoot me with lasers. I won¡¯t have a hand in creating something that will cause untold damage." Vi¡¯ivando said before Iniquus could ask him anything.


    For his outburst, all the stubborn Baccigan received was a swift hit in the back from the butt of one of his guard¡¯s laser rifles.


    The already battered man collapsed to his knees and grunted in pain, but the defiant look in his eyes never vanished.


    "You misunderstand me Vi¡¯ivando. I had you brought here to deliver good news. Your missing nephew¡¯s whereabouts have finally been located. From what my agents told me; they will find him within forty-right hours."


    It was for only a fleeting moment, but Vi¡¯ivando looked relieved to have learned about his nephew¡¯s safety.


    Yet any happiness he was experiencing due to learning this faded quickly when he remembered who had found the last remaining member of his family.


    "D-don¡¯t you dare do anything to him!" Vi¡¯ivando shouted.


    "Oh, I can¡¯t imagine what you¡¯re thinking might happen. We¡¯re just going to invite him here so that the two of you can reunite. Though, my agents are a bit upset about how uncooperative you¡¯ve been. Hopefully they don¡¯t take out any frustrations on your nephew."


    Iniquus was certainly playing things up for his "guest". But physical torture had been unable to break the man so far, and he could not risk using drugs or submission implants since he needed Vi¡¯ivando¡¯s engineering expertise. Muddling his mind to make him more compliant would defeat the purpose.


    Fortunately, a new method to coerce the genius engineer had presented itself.


    "How do I know you aren¡¯t lying?"


    At this question, Iniquus pressed a few keys into his terminal, and a holoscreen displayed a large image in the middle of the room.


    What could be seen was a mostly covered figure with a hood over their head. Nearly all of their body was covered and even with the species¡¯ distinct features, it was difficult to identify the individual as a Baccigan.


    Yet as the recording continued to play, for a single second around half of the figure¡¯s face became visible.


    At once Vi¡¯ivando recognized his nephew. He would never forget the kid that ended up in his care after his sister and her husband died in a pirate attack.


    "So, why don¡¯t you take some time to think about whether you want to work with me or not. Let¡¯s say twenty-four hours. So long as you get started by then, I¡¯ll have time to contact my agents and tell them how cooperative you¡¯ve become." Iniquus said, waving his hands to the guards to take the pitiful man away.


    This left him only with his aide.


    "Who¡¯s the closest one I can call on for assistance? I hate to share any of the glory with the others, but even if Vi¡¯ivando starts working on the emitter, I want some more insurance." S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I do believe that Mr. Adder¡¯s sphere of influence is nearest. While Ms. Camila, Ms. Jahat, and Mr. Casimir are the others within proximity of your own territory."


    Iniquus let out a deep sigh as he heard who his perspective supporters might be. All four of them were difficult to deal with and people he hardly wished to associate with. Still, they all shared the same cause, so he would probably receive aid if he asked for it. With strings attached of course.


    "It will have to be Adder. I hate to ask that snake for a favor, but time is of the essence." Iniquus grumbled.


    He then had his aide craft coded with a message and sent it off to his compatriot.


    Taking control of the newly terraformed world and the Phregon System was of vital importance to their goals The methods did not matter so long as Iniquus was not implicated in anything that occurred. Even if over six million people had to die, he was more than willing to do so if it furthered his aims.

 Chapter 100 Phregon III’s Mercenary Association

    "Whew, that certainly took a while." Avery said, stretching his hands above his head as he exited the Dauntless.


    Thanks to the immense amount of traffic that Phregon III was currently receiving, it had taken nearly two hours for Avery, Ezra, and Kaiden¡¯s docking request to be approved.


    Still, they had finally managed to get their ships into open spaces within the hangers and land on the massive trading colony.


    Their first stop was naturally the Mercenary Association branch. It was customary for mercenaries to check in whenever they arrived at a new place in case they needed to be called upon for an emergency. Similar to how Ezra had been asked to join the energy lifeform hunt. This was especially true for any four star or higher-ranking mercenary since there were so few of them.


    When Avery entered the large association building that was easily five times the size of the one he was used to on Yuson II, several curious gazes turned his way.


    He had his entire team with him, so most of the stares went towards Ezra, Kasandra, or Jasmine for obvious reasons.


    Naturally, any halfway decent mercenary was able to tell that Avery¡¯s group was an imposing force not to be messed with.


    ¡¯It seems that having Kaiden and Ezra along makes a big difference in the impression we make. When I went to the association branch on Yuson II with just Kasandra and Jasmine, I got quite a few envious and hostile looks.¡¯ Avery thought as he approached an open reception counter.


    Behind it was a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. She was wearing the usual uniform of a Mercenary Association employee and appeared to be diligent in her duties.


    As Avery approached, she put on a bright smile and addressed him.


    "I assume that your mercenaries that just arrived. How can I help you?"


    "We¡¯re here to collect our rewards and check-in since we¡¯ll be stay for at least a few days." Avery said, handing over his terminal that had his electronic identification pulled up already.


    After scanning it, she returned the device to Avery.


    She then looked at the information that was displayed on the monitor in front of her, and her eyes went wide.


    "It¡¯s not often that we get such renowned individual such as you, Captain Avery. And I assume that the large fellow behind you is Captain Ezra?"


    Since they were all registered as one mercenary group, the receptionist took Ezra¡¯s and Kaiden¡¯s terminals and scanned their information as well.


    With practiced hands she entered keystrokes into the computer in front of her and processed their recently completed request.


    "Everything has been confirmed, so the payment should have been sent to your accounts."


    Immediately the five of them checked their terminals to make sure that the money had arrived, and because they were curious about how much the bonus that Svantur had promised would be.


    Avery found that he had received an extra two million Krenin on top of what he earned for the twenty-two days of guard duty.


    This nearly doubled the job¡¯s pay and saw his account fattening up a bit more. Though he was still far from having enough to purchase what he was currently after and would bring his mercenary group up to the next level.


    ¡¯That brings the total amount up to four million three hundred ten thousand. With Kasandra getting around a hundred twenty-nine thousand from that, and Jasmine receiving a bit more than sixty-four thousand.¡¯ Avery thought, quickly running the math in his head.


    While it may have seemed that he was getting a disproportional amount of the money, it simply came down to his ownership of the Dauntless.


    Of course, neither Kasandra nor Jasmine thought that they were being treated unfairly, and in fact, one of them was immensely surprised.


    "I used to earn only nine and a half thousand Krenin a month! How did I end up getting nearly seven times that in just twenty-two days?!" Jasmine shouted, a shocked expression on her face.


    As a sergeant in the Alliance Police, her pay had been quite good compared to the average colony job. It was not going to fund living in the lap of luxury, but it was more than enough for any and all essentials while being able to save up a decent amount.


    Yet in less than a month, she had earned more than what she used to get in half a year.


    "This is just something that you¡¯ll need to get used to as a mercenary. We have the potential to earn a lot of money since we¡¯re often taking on big risks. Though, it¡¯s in large part thanks to Avery and Ezra¡¯s prestige that we we¡¯re able to earn this much." Jasmine explained.


    Most mercenary groups would have a hard time getting paid the same amount that they had. Their group had two four star mercenaries in it, and Avery had received the Silver Cross while Ezra had received a Ruby Star. These prestigious awards made them more trustworthy and desirable for any potential clients.


    Once Jasmine had calmed down, Avery turned his attention back towards the receptionist for his next request.


    "Since we just finished one escort mission, we¡¯re looking for another. Preferably one that will take us to the Dramid System or at least in the right direction."


    "I see. Heading to the capital. I suppose that every great mercenary wants to go there at some point."


    Swiftly the receptionist searched through the branch¡¯s job list, but she eventually frowned when nothing fitting Avery¡¯s parameters came up anytime soon.


    "In about two and a half weeks, a small fleet of sixteen passenger ships will be arriving to drop off perspective colonists planning to live on the newly terraformed world. Their normal route will see them heading back to the Parous System which is less than ten light years from the Dramid System. I can¡¯t say for certain yet, but this company has always requested guards from us whenever they stop by to drop off passengers. It¡¯s a bit of a long wait, but that¡¯s the only option I can offer you at this moment." The receptionist said apologetically.


    A frown formed on Avery¡¯s lips when he heard this. He had been planning to stick around in the Phregon System for five days at most.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not like we need to pick up any work here. It would be easy enough to just head straight over to the Dramid System or stop somewhere on the way and look for something that would bring us to the capital.¡¯


    However, before Avery could make up his mind with what to do, the receptionist made him another offer.


    "If you not in too much of a hurry, we would very much appreciate it if you stuck around. There has been an increase in pirate activity thanks to all the good and people being brought into the system, and any help we can get would be appreciated. Of course, seeing as how your group has two four stars and you¡¯ve both been given prestigious awards, the Phregon III association branch will make sure to prioritize you when considering high paying jobs."


    While the receptionist was doing her best to remain professional, Avery could see a hint of desperation in her eyes.


    She may have been making it sound like she was giving him a good offer, but what it really amounted to was that there were not enough upper ranking mercenaries around.


    Just like mercenaries needed to manage their reputations, so did individual branches of the association. The stronger the mercenaries active within a system, the more favorably people would see the Mercenary Association. Well, so long as the mercenary in question was not one to cause trouble themselves.


    Avery¡¯s group may not have been the best in the Alliance, but that did not change the fact that they were experiential compared to average mercenaries. Any system would be happy to have them working in the area.


    "I can¡¯t make any promises now but send us a list of available jobs and I¡¯ll discuss things with my team." Avery responded.


    The receptionist brightened up when she heard this, and she hastily composed a list of the most appealing requests that were asking for a four star or higher ranked mercenary. Something that very few people in the Phregon System could currently fulfill.


    With their business finished, the five of them exited the building and headed to a nearby restaurant.


    "You sure that you want to treat us all at such a fancy place?" Ezra asked after looking at the prices on the menu.


    Avery had picked out one of the finest establishments on the station. They were even serving dishes that incorporated some of the local flora and fauna collected from Drahanus before the terraforming process began. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, it¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ve been couped up for the last twenty-two days, so I figured we could let loose and enjoy ourselves a bit. Plus, after what we just got paid, a single fancy meal will hardly break the bank." Avery said jovially.


    For now, their small mercenary group enjoyed a moment of rest and leisure. Unaware of the plots in the background of the Phregon System that they were soon to be embroiled in.

 Chapter 101 Working Diligently

    For three days, Avery and his team leisurely spent their time on Phregon III.


    They indulged in popular recreational facilities on the station and stocked up on luxury foods and goods.


    Overall, it had been a lazy and easygoing few days, but they needed the time to unwind. Mercenary work came with extreme danger, and staying on edge the entire time wore down on people. Without proper rest, anyone would eventually reach their limits.


    Still, after being cooped up for the previous twenty-two days, the five of them went a bit crazy with their spending. All total; they collectively spent a bit over ninety thousand Krenin. An amount that would take the average person two to three years to make.


    This was simply how mercenaries lived though. And Avery¡¯s team honestly would be considered more restrained than most of the people that had taken up the same profession.


    Nevertheless, after a nice break, it was time to get back to work.


    The five of them had agreed that it would be best to stick around until the passenger ship fleet arrived and pick up work in the Phregon System.


    Hurrying to the Dramid System would only cut into their potential earnings. The closer they got to the capital system, the more secure the area became. Leaving far fewer mercenary requests to pick up.


    Between them and their ultimate destination, it was unlikely that they would find another system with as many available jobs as the Phregon System. It simply made more sense to stick around and rake in what Krenin they could before leaving.


    To that end, they had searched through the jobs the association receptionist had sent them and picked out a mission patrolling the outer edge of the system where there were several hyper lane exits and entrances, as well as a large asteroid field nearby.


    Pirates had set up shop in the maze of asteroids, and no matter how many times the Alliance Police chased them off, more always came back to prey on the multitude of vessels entering and leaving the system.


    It had gotten to the point where there needed to be a constant presence of mercenaries out there to prey on the pirates instead. Unfortunately, there never seemed to be enough around to deal with the outlaws, so the association and Alliance Police were happy to have Avery and his group around.


    This had not been the highest paying job that they could take, offering only one hundred fifty thousand a day as base pay for all of them, but it had the most potential for earnings. They would still be receiving whatever bounties the pirates had on them, along with being able to take any valuables from the ships they brought down.


    Since Avery, Ezra, and Kaiden were all skilled and had strong vessels, taking this job was a no brainer. They were able to keep the system safe and make money while doing it.


    "We¡¯ve got some unidentified craft approaching. Seems that there¡¯s thirty-one of them. Probably pirates."


    Once Avery heard Jasmine¡¯s assessment, he pulled up the radar and watched the supposed pirates¡¯ movements.


    Currently, the Dauntless was running at absolute minimum generator output to remain hidden to sensors. It would be difficult to tell whether the ship was another asteroid or just random space debris.


    Ezra and Kaiden were in the area as well and doing the same thing. They had picked what they believed the most likely area pirates would appear based on data the Mercenary Association had that they had reviewed.


    Their diligence appeared to be paying off this time, and the three of them waited to see if any more pirates would come along and what they were doing out here.


    Soon the answer to their second question became apparent.


    Several warp out signals from hyperspace soon reached them, and only a few moments later seven cargo ships and their five escorts appeared.


    ¡¯It¡¯s almost as if the pirates knew that these folks would be arriving here around this time.¡¯ Avery thought, suspicious of the too well timing.


    Pirates often had informants that they paid off on colonies that gathered information on Alliance Police movements and valuable shipments that they could intercept. But that begged the question, who had given this group the intel on these cargo ships?


    Right before the battle was about to begin, both Avery and Kaiden powered up their vessels to maximum output.


    Obviously, the pirates noticed their sudden appearance on sensors, but it was already too late for them.


    The Dauntless came flying out of the asteroid field at a breakneck pace, while Kaiden¡¯s ship was not far behind.


    "We¡¯ve got two bogies inbound. Squad two, attack pattern gamma. Tear them apart quickly and come back to gather the loot."


    Receiving their commander¡¯s orders, ten of the pirates peeled away from the group and flew towards Avery and Kaiden in a tight formation.


    "Looks like they¡¯ve got a competent commander." Avery commented after seeing the way the pirates reacted.


    "Their ships and weapons aren¡¯t anything to scoff at either. I¡¯d say each of them has equipment on par with lower end two star mercenaries." Kasandra said, giving Avery her impression of their foes once she scanned them.


    They were certainly up against a better than average pirate group, but that was hardly a concern for them.


    Avery used his thrusters to charge straight ahead and threw in a few sharp jerking movements to make it more difficult to hit the Dauntless.


    Lasers and missiles came flying at him, though, he hardly seemed perturbed by this. Compared to the true military warships they had fought a week ago, these pirates were nothing.


    "He¡¯s not going to stop!"


    "The bustard¡¯s crazy!"


    "Holy sh*t he¡¯s coming right at me!"


    Without stopping, Avery kept the Dauntless heading directly for the pirates.


    He was on pretty much a direct impact course with one of them and forced that individual to break out of formation or be crashed into.


    Of course, Avery was prepared to maneuver out of the way if the guy actually had the guts to answer his bluff, but the pirate that valued his life above all else naturally moved out of the way.


    As he passed by, Avery fired off his heavy laser cannons and plasma launchers. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He scored direct hits with all of his weapons, yet surprisingly, the pirates¡¯ shields held up against his powerful lasers that were some of the best in the entire Alliance.


    Nevertheless, the burning plasma cut through them with ease, and Kasandra fired the stern scatterguns as they went by to inflict some more damage to eight remaining pirates.


    "Turn around and get him!" One of the outlaws shouted over wideband comms.


    Hearing this, Avery muttered, "Idiots."


    While they were rushing to attack him, Kaiden finally caught up and let loose with his own weapons.


    His medium sized vessels had more hardpoints to install weapons, and he had certainly made the most of it.


    Six pulse lasers fired in rapid succession, and four multicannons roared to life and let loose a barrage of projectiles.


    The concentrated blast of lasers evaporated one of the pirate¡¯s already weakened shields and broke through with ease. Then the multicannons¡¯ fire shredded the vessel¡¯s cockpit and killed the pilot inside.


    This was Kaiden¡¯s fighting style. Burst down his enemies¡¯ shields with powerful lasers and then finish them off with a hail of high-powered bullets.


    Working together, Avery and Kaiden finished off the ten that had intercepted them. Their shields had suffered some minor damage, but overall, it was a flawless victory.


    When they turned their attention back to the remining pirates and the small convoy they were attacking, things were not looking too good.


    The five mercenary guards that had been hired to protect the cargo vessels had fled. A decision that had saved their lives at the cost of abandoning their clients.


    "They¡¯re thrusters have been disabled, and it looks like the pirates are preparing to board." Jasmine said, both disgust and worry in her tone.


    Noticing that Avery and Kaiden had taken out their detached force, the pirate commander directly contacted them.


    "Stop right there or we¡¯ll blow these merchants away. If you just let us take the cargo peacefully, we won¡¯t kill anyone."


    "Yeah right. Do your worst." Avery responded, opening fire with his heavy laser cannons.


    Kaiden followed suit with a full volley from his own weapons. If there was one thing every good mercenary knew, it was to never negotiate with pirates. Lying came as easily to them as breathing.


    Even after their noncompliance, the pirates still did not make good on their threats. If they destroyed the cargo ships, then they would lose most of the goods that they were trying to steal. An objectively horrible decision considering how much this raid had already cost them.


    Starting to feel desperate, the commander sent a message to the reserve forces he had hiding nearby. Another seventeen fighters would soon be on their way.


    In the meantime, he kept his motley band together and issued orders the best he could.


    "Looks like trying to act like heroes is just going to have you both end up dead."


    "I can¡¯t wait to integrate those advanced weapons system into my vessels."


    "Hey, I get first dibs on the lasers. I don¡¯t care about the rest."


    Before the battle was even over, the pirates started making plans for their victory. Believing that the addition of another seventeen of their comrades would be enough to easily overpower just two ships.


    However, the reserve force soon met quite the obstacle.


    Ezra had been lying in wait for this exact scenario and ambushed the group of pirates weaving through the asteroid field.


    Using the Specter¡¯s powerful weapons and impressive maneuverability, he darted around the asteroids and systematically eliminated his targets without taking a single hit.


    The difference in skills and ship specs was too great. Despite outnumbering them more than ten to one, the pirates were the ones losing.


    "Damn it Retreat! Retreat!" The Pirate commander called out.


    He had already lost slightly more than half of his forces, and it was clear how the tide of battle was going.


    "Yeah, we¡¯re not letting a juicy twenty-nine thousand Krenin bounty get away." Avery said, a vicious grin forming on his face.


    To go along with these pirates better than average equipment and skills, was proportionately high bounties. They had been making a major nuisance of themselves, so the Alliance Police had upped the price on their heads to entice mercenaries to go after them.


    In the end, Avery and his team managed to clean up every one of the pirates, and in the process saved the seven cargo vessels.


    The leader of the merchants quickly contacted Avery to thank him and ask for assistance. Their thrusters had been disabled by the pirates, and they needed protection until someone came to tow them to Phregon III.

 Chapter 102 Working Diligently (2)

    "We¡¯d be happy to stick around and guard you, but our services aren¡¯t for free. We¡¯re mercenaries after all." Avery replied to the small convoy¡¯s leader.


    He did not receive a particularly enthusiastic response and the woman on the other end told him that she needed to confer with the other captain¡¯s first. The damage to their vessels from the pirates was already going to be costly to repair. Losing too much more money might put them in the red.


    "Are you sure we can¡¯t just help them out? That¡¯d be the right thing to do." Jasmine said, her sense of justice from when she was still a member of the police as strong as ever.


    "That would certainly be nice, but it¡¯s not good for a mercenary to give their services out for free. We fight for money, plain and simple. If we went around trying to help everyone we found in an unfortunate situation, we would just exhaust ourselves and our resources."


    Kasandra¡¯s blunt but logical refusal was difficult for Jasmine to argue against. Still, this was Avery¡¯s ship, so she looked to see if he had a different opinion.


    "I¡¯m sorry Jasmine, but I mostly agree with Kasandra. Still, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d abandon someone if they were in danger right before my eyes. I may not be trying to be a hero, but that doesn¡¯t mean that there isn¡¯t a time and place for heroics."


    To try and appease his kindhearted crew member and lover, Avery thought up another way to get compensation from the cargo ships they had saved from pirates. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Eventually he came upon a good idea when he glanced at the destroyed vessels the outlaws had been piloting.


    The one major flaw with his, Ezra, and Kaiden¡¯s vessels was their lack of cargo space. Something had to be sacrificed for their powerful weapons and high maneuverability.


    Even when they downed a bunch of pirates, they were forced to leave most of the salvageable equipment behind.


    Before the merchant captains finished working things out amongst themselves, Avery contacted them and presented them with his offer.


    Of course, if all of their cargo holds were full it was going to be a moot point. But as luck would have it, they had dropped off goods in another system prior to this one and had about twenty percent of their available cargo space open.


    "Got it. Then in leu of payment, if you¡¯ll store and sell some of the goods and equipment from the pirates we took down for us, we¡¯ll consider that payment enough."


    Avery received heartfelt thanks from the merchants for this generous offer and told him that they would be more than happy to repay the favor in the future.


    With that deal worked out, Avery, Ezra, and Kaiden got to work using their collection drones to pick up the still intact weapon system, shield generators, air filters, and other valuable goods from among the wreckage.


    Since these pirates were packing better than average gear, it was certainly more valuable than what they normally might get. They would be looking at an extra few hundred thousand Krenin at least.


    Eventually, some Alliance Police vessels came by to investigate and tow the merchant convoy back to Phregon III.


    Their commander thanked Avery for his service and happily accepted some of the data caches that they had harvested from the pirates. With any luck, they might be able to locate a nearby outpost and eliminate it with the information


    However, the series of events was not going to turn out well for everyone. The five mercenaries that had abandoned their clients were going to take a big hit paying for breach of contract and a drop in their reputation.


    In the worst case, they might even be kicked out of the Mercenary Association. Though this was often only used as a last resort, since former mercenaries that could no longer find work often became pirates themselves.


    "Well, that was certainly worthwhile, but it¡¯s not time to rest on our laurels yet. We¡¯ve still got a job to do, and far too much space to cover." Avery said, piloting the Dauntless back into the asteroid field so that they could continue with their mission patrolling the area.


    ¡­


    After two weeks of hunting space pirates and protecting the vessels the outlaws were going after, the contract Avery¡¯s group had signed came to an end.


    During this period, the five of them took out what felt like an endlessly spawning wave of pirates.


    No matter how many they eliminated, more seemed to take their place the very next day. Too many of these outlaws had been drawn in by the heavy traffic of valuable goods coming to the Phregon System. They were like certain animals that were attracted to shiny objects and could not resist their instincts even when they knew there was danger afoot.


    "So, what was our total kill count?" Avery asked while they were heading back to Phregon III.


    "Looks like between you, Ezra, and my brother, we took out three hundred seventy-eight. As for individual kill counts, Ezra got the most by a slight margin at one hundred thirty, we took out one hundred twenty-seven, and Kaiden eliminated one hundred twenty-one."


    While there was some variance, the three of them had gotten around the same number of kills. Proof that they were able to work well together and possessed similar levels of skill.


    ¡¯I¡¯m glad that I decided to split our pay based on a percentage. We¡¯re all the type to go crazy to get more kills ourselves if it meant more money.¡¯ Avery thought, a wry smile forming on his face.


    Had each of them only been receiving the bounties from the pirates they personally took down, it was obvious what would happen. They would end up fighting each other rather than cooperating.


    Of course, there were downsides to the way they were distributing pay. If one of them slacked off, they would still be getting the same percentage. Fortunately, none of them were the type to do so. In some ways, they were still competing with each other to prove who was the best.


    Avery, Ezra, and Kaiden all had strong personalities. Each of them wanted to prove themselves to the others. They worked together but were also rivals. Avery knew that if he let his skills slip, one of them would take the position of leader from him by force if they felt it was necessary.

 Chapter 103 Encountering Trouble

    "Damn it! Where did that brat go?"


    "I told you not to give him that tablet."


    "How was I supposed to know he could use it to break out! It didn¡¯t even have the capability to access any networks. Just some games and books downloaded onto it to distract and shut him up." S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You should have known better. Baccigans are crafty. Give them some parts and they cobble together whatever they need. You might as well have just handed him an access key."


    Hiding behind a container in a back alley, a small, six-armed humanoid listened to the grumblings of his pursuers.


    Around ten days ago he had been caught while hiding out on a small outpost in the Xoatis System.


    His captors had shoved him onto a ship and brought him to a new station where he had been detained.


    It was only a little later that he learned the reason for his kidnapping. These people were using him as leverage to force his uncle to work for them.


    They had been treating him decently well, but only for his uncle¡¯s cooperation in whatever nefarious plans they had brewing. And at the end of the day, he was still a prisoner.


    After a couple days of wearing down on one of the guards, he had managed to get his hands on a usable piece of technology that he took apart for components and used to override the security system keeping him locked up.


    Unfortunately, his escape was noticed quickly, and his short legs in comparison to the humans hunting him down could not take him very far with any expediency.


    To make matters worse, he was in a warehouse district that rarely saw any human traffic. So far, he had been unable to find anyone to ask for help. The only other people around were the guards that wanted to catch him.


    Still, he could not allow himself to be recaptured now. For his uncle, and for his own sake.


    ¡­


    Upon returning to Phregon III, Avery and his team headed towards the nearest Alliance Police station to collect the rewards for the bounties on the pirates they had eliminated.


    With an average of thirteen thousand two hundred Krenin, they were looking at a payout of just shy of five million. Along with the base pay of one hundred fifty thousand a day, plus whatever the equipment the merchant vessels had carried for them sold for, they were looking at more than decent earnings.


    "I guess just staying somewhere and hunting down pirates really is the best way to make money. We earned far more in the last two weeks than we did escorting the Moonrise fleet for twenty-two days." Jasmine commented, comparing the two most recent jobs their group had completed.


    "That¡¯s certainly the case this time, but guard missions are a lot more stable. Only in places like this where there¡¯s tons of pirate activity can you expect to make that much hunting them." Ezra said, looking back at the years of experience he had. There were always varying conditions making one job more profitable than another, and it was difficult to predict when things might change.


    As the five of them discussed what they were planning to buy with their money, they found themselves walking close to the station¡¯s warehouse district. Due to some emergency shut down of the magnetic tram transport system, it had been necessary for them to walk and this was the fastest way.


    There were a few other people taking this detour as well, and everything seemed to be normal. At least until a small, hooded figure ran out onto the street in a hurry.


    A moment later, two large men appeared from the same direction and grabbed the Baccigan as he fell over from exhaustion.


    This all happened right in front of Avery and his crew.


    Normally this might have caused a bit of a fuss, but the two men were wearing what looked like Alliance Police uniforms. To everyone watching, it merely looked like two officers apprehending someone that was probably a criminal. Everyone except one.


    "Is there some sort of problem?" Jasmine said, stepping forward and interrupting the two men.


    "Official police business. Step aside." They both said, trying to hurriedly drag their captive away.


    One of them had picked him up and had his mouth over the Baccigan¡¯s mouth to prevent him from speaking.


    "Doesn¡¯t protocol dictate that you should wait for a vehicle to transport any suspicious individuals? And why are you heading back into the warehouse district? The nearest station is that way."


    Having their inconsistencies with actual members of the Alliance Police pointed out, the two men became more aggressive and started threatening Jasmine with arrest if she did not get out of their way.


    Unfortunately, they had no idea who they were dealing with.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll move aside if you show me your badges." Jasmine said, unimpressed by their display so far.


    With frustrated expressions on their faces, the two men pulled out their badges and showed them off.


    They certainly looked official, and so did their uniforms. Very few people would be able to notice what was wrong on sight. However, Jasmine could.


    "I¡¯m really not sure where you obtained these. Those are real uniforms and badges, but they¡¯re all from a decade ago and were decommissioned. The changes to the current unforms and badges might not be drastic, and you¡¯d probably fool most people with these. But not someone that used to wear the uniform every day and had to carry a badge with them at nearly all times."


    When Jasmine suggested that they call the actual police, that was the last straw for the two men.


    They both swiftly reached for their laser pistols and planned to eliminate anyone that got in their way. There was no way they would be able to talk their way out of this situation if the real Alliance Police arrived.


    Yet, the instant they moved to draw their weapons, several red streaks of light blasted them.


    Avery, Kasandra, Jasmine, Ezra, and Kaiden had all drawn their guns first. They had been preparing for things to turn violent from the moment the two men had appeared.

 Chapter 104 Encountering Trouble (2)

    "Those are police uniforms for you." Avery marveled.


    Despite each of the fake officers having been shot three times each, they had managed to stay on their feet and not drop their weapons.


    The uniforms they were wearing were a decade out of date, but they still incorporated laser resistant fibers that had blocked most of the damage from Avery and his companion¡¯s fire. Though that was also because their laser pistols were set to non-lethal outputs.


    Still, despite the two men¡¯s resilience, the fight was already decided. Avery and Kaiden had their guns leveled directly at the two police impersonators¡¯ faces. Even a weaker blast would cause immense pain and serious damage that would require extensive treatment.


    "I¡¯d drop those if I were you?" Ezra said, unleashing the full intimidation of his large size and battle experience.


    Most normal people would buckle under such immense pressure, but the two men were professionals.


    "Since you¡¯ve stuck you neck out for him, I¡¯m sure you want to save this Baccigan. If you don¡¯t lower your weapons and let us go, I¡¯ll snap his neck."


    With no other way out, the man holding Vi¡¯ivando¡¯s nephew tighten his grip around his captive¡¯s neck and used him as a hostage.


    This might have deterred some people, yet Avery simply glanced towards Kaiden and nodded his head.


    An instant laser, a single red beam flashed and the already beaten idiot making threats was struck directly in the face by a searing laser.


    Needless to say, he could no longer keep his grip on his captive¡¯s throat and let go.


    Vi¡¯ivando¡¯s nephew immediately began falling to the ground, but Ezra moved unbelievably swiftly and caught the poor guy before he ate a painful fall.


    The remining fake officer kept completely still and had a nervous sweat pouring down his brow.


    Avery still had his laser pistoled pointed at the guy¡¯s face, and his partner screaming and writhing on the ground next to him served as a perfect example of what fate awaited him if he resisted further.


    With no other choice, the man dropped his weapon and put his hands up. If he was beaten anyway, there was no reason to continue fighting back if it just meant more pain for him.


    "Seems that the guy they were chasing is passed out." Ezra said, holding the Baccigan in his hands.


    It was a bit surreal to see someone of a large race holding a member of one of the smallest species in the Alliance in his hands. The poor kid that had been being chased around fit in Ezra¡¯s palm like a plush toy.


    Only a few seconds later did Avery and his companions here the sound of sirens approaching. There had been several other people walking on the same road as them, and while everyone had run off when lasers started flying, someone must have contacted the police.


    Soon a floating vehicle that had an ovular shape that had green and yellow flashing lights on its exterior came flying into the area.


    The moment it landed, six officers wearing body armor and wielding laser rifles jumped out.


    Since the cavalry had arrived, Avery and his team put their weapons away and let them take over.


    There was an extreme air of hostility coming from the officers due to what appeared to be a group of five armed mercenaries attacking their colleagues.


    Attempting to capitalize on this, the remaining kidnapper shouted out, "Arrest them. They¡¯ve assaulted two officers and were helping a criminal to escape."


    Avery rolled his eyes at this and slowly turned towards the police that had moved to surround them.


    Pinned on his jacket was the Alliance Silver Cross of Heroism. Something that immediately caught the eye of the officer in charge.


    "I understand what this situation looks like. But these two men are imposters. As a recipient of the Silver Cross, I would never knowingly attack true members of the Alliance Police. If you just allow us to explain, we¡¯ll clear everything up." Avery said confidently.


    "No! Don¡¯t listen to them. They¡¯re just trying to confuse all of you."


    Frantically the man tried to get the officers to detain Avery, Kasandra, Jasmine, Ezra, and Kaiden without giving them a chance to speak.


    And this might have worked if it were not for the prestigious awards that both Avery and Ezra had prominently displayed. The police here knew just how difficult it was to obtain such accolades, and that the Alliance did not give them out to those that were untrustworthy.


    "If you just look more closely at their uniforms and badges, I¡¯m sure the discrepancies will become apparent." Jasmine interjected.


    With the nod of his head, the officer in charge sent over three of his men to check on the two guys.


    It did not take long for them to realize that what Jasmine had told them was correct.


    The two supposed officers possessed old uniforms and badges that were no longer in circulation. Without a doubt they were imposters.


    "Restrain them. We can¡¯t abide by people impersonating members of the police."


    Immediately the two men were put in handcuffs and dragged over to the police vehicle and put into the holding cell onboard it. They would be going away for a long time for their crimes.


    "This might be inconvenient for you, but would you mind accompanying us back to the station so that we can take your statements?" The sergeant in charge asked.


    Obviously, this was a request that they could hardly refuse. Doing so would simply antagonize the police that had just come and wrapped things up. Plus, they were headed to the station anyway to receive the rewards for the bounties they had collected.


    Nodding his head, Avery agreed, and he and his team waited for around a minute for another police vehicle to come and pick them up.


    On the way to the station, Sergeant Farash asked them about the situation.


    "We don¡¯t know why, but they were after him." Avery said, looking towards the still unconscious Baccigan sat up in one of the seats. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see. I suppose that we¡¯ll need to wait until he wakes up. For now, at least, those two men will be charged with impersonating members of the Alliance Police. Once we get the full story, we¡¯ll tact on whatever other crimes they committed."

 Chapter 105 Encountering Trouble (3)

    "Incompetent morons!"


    The news of his men losing Vi¡¯ivando¡¯s nephew and subsequently being captured by the Alliance Police when trying to recover their captive had just reached Iniquus.


    His already dented desk received two additional hits that dug deeper into the metal than usual. Of all the frustrating things to occur, this one was the last straw.


    Angrily he called his aide into the room and began discussing plans of recourse. To keep Vi¡¯ivando compliant, he had agreed to allow the man to have a fifteen-minute holo-call with his nephew each day.


    Originally this had been a small price to pay to have the expert engineer work on what he wanted, but now it was coming back to bite him.


    "We were so close to being ready too. And now this happens at the worst possible moment." Iniquus said, slamming his fists into his desk once more.


    His aide, remaining calm in the face of his master¡¯s outburst, simply continued with the conversation.


    "I¡¯ve already located which station our men and Vi¡¯ivando¡¯s nephew are at. Unfortunately, breaking into an Alliance Police station would be impractical."


    "Obviously I know that already." Iniquus grumbled. "Even if I sent all of my agents and they were successful, the attack would be linked back to me."


    Feeling backed into a corner, Iniquus¡¯ mind raced with what to do. In order to keep his public image clean, he was unable to do anything too overtly. There would be no point in eliminating all of his competition for top dog of the system if he ended up arrested by the Alliance Police in the process.


    "It¡¯s a bit early but have Dusad rile up those extremists to act. The Alliance Police will be far too busy dealing with them to notice a small break-in at one of their stations. Make sure to retrieve Vi¡¯ivando¡¯s nephew and collect the imbeciles that let him escape."


    Bowing his head, Iniquus¡¯ aide went to work on enacting his master¡¯s orders.


    ¡­


    At the police station, Avery, Jasmine, Ezra, and Kaiden gave their statements on what happened to Sergeant Farash. While they did this, Kasandra had gone off to receive the rewards for the bounties they had collected.


    Around the time that they were finishing up, the Baccigan they had rescued finally woke up.


    "What?! Where am I!?"


    Confused by his surroundings and not recognizing the people around him, Vi¡¯ivando¡¯s nephew was naturally confused.


    He immediately began searching for an escape route since he assumed he had been recaptured, but before he could get up and run away, Ezra put a large hand on his upper right shoulder. Both to reassure him and keep him in place.


    "There¡¯s no need to be afraid any longer. We¡¯re not with the people that were chasing you. You¡¯re at a police station now, and this good man is here to help you."


    Following where Ezra was pointing, Girto saw Sergeant Farash smiling at him.


    "I know that you must have been through a lot but know that those men after you were not really Alliance Police. These fine mercenaries helped to stop them, and they¡¯ve already been apprehended. Now if you¡¯re feeling up to it, I¡¯d like to hear your side of the story."


    For a few seconds Grito merely sat in silence, a terrified expression on his face.


    Eventually, he worked up the confidence to speak. He knew that some seriously bad people were after him and were holding his uncle, and that they might harm the only member of family he had left if they felt backed into a corner. Yet, as things were, he could only see Vi¡¯ivando being disposed of once the people using him got what they wanted. This was his only chance to ask for help.


    "My uncle. They have my uncle as well." Grito said frantically.


    Sergeant Farash tried to get him to calm down, but now that the floodgates were open, the young Baccigan started telling them everything he knew about the people holding him and his uncle captive.


    "Okay, I get that you¡¯re worried, but please calm down. Before anything else, it would be best if I knew who you are. We still don¡¯t have your name yet."


    Grito looked hesitant to reveal who he was. He had been in hiding for a reason, and it did not have anything to do with the current situation he and his uncle were wrapped up in.


    Still, when weighting the dangers of each circumstance, he figured that the current one was more pressing.


    "I¡¯m Grito Einarr. My uncle is Vi¡¯ivando Indrart. I don¡¯t know who was holding us, but I can lead you to where I was imprisoned."


    Nodding his head, Sergeant Farash quickly typed the two names into the tablet in front of him.


    At most he had been expecting a missing person report on one or both of the Baccigans, but what appeared from the Alliance Police database instead was a bright red alert.


    Needing to do a double take, Farash looked down at the picture prominently displayed on his tablet and the person in front of him.


    For absolute confirmation, he held the device up and scanned Grito with the camera and it affirmed a one hundred percent match.


    Of course, Avery and his companions noticed that something was amiss, and the nervous look on Grito¡¯s face let them know he was aware of what the problem was as well.


    "I honestly have no idea how you got all the way out here, but I¡¯ll be needing to take you into custody, Grito Einarr." Sergeant Farash said. His friendly attitude from earlier having vanished now.


    "Would you mind filling us in on what¡¯s going on? We¡¯re already involved so we¡¯d like to know if there is any trouble we need to worry about." Avery asked.


    "Sorry, this is a confidential matter. I¡¯d like to thank you for your assistance in all this. But I¡¯ll need you to leave now." S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing that whatever was going on was trouble, Avery, Jasmine, Kaiden, and Ezra got up to leave.


    However, before they could go the only other person that knew what was really going on spoke up.


    "I know I shouldn¡¯t have run, but they were going to kill me. I promise I¡¯ll testify against the Odium Syndicate like I was supposed to. Just please help me save my uncle."

 Chapter 106 Attack on Phregon III

    While Avery and Kaiden had no awareness of the significance of what Grito had just said, the expressions on Jasmine and Ezra¡¯s faces were dead giveaways that they knew about whatever this Odium Syndicate was.


    As for Sergeant Farash, he was noticeably displeased that Grito had revealed this bit of sensitive information to an uninvolved party.


    "Is there something important I should know about this Odium Syndicate?" Avery whispered into Jasmine¡¯s ear.


    "Yeah, they¡¯re an illegal organization that operates in the alliance¡¯s third quadrant. I don¡¯t know too much about them since they don¡¯t have any influence around the Yuson System, but apparently, they bring in some highly addictive drugs from the Zatis Consortium."


    Digging deep into his memories, Avery pictured the large star charts he had been forced to memorize when he was still a student and could vaguely recall the Zatis Consortium.


    They were essentially a governing body of multiple corporations that controlled a vast amount of territory and shared a border with the Dramid Alliance.


    The two powers had never really gotten along, as the Zatis Consortium was always trying to annex parts of alliance space as their own.


    "I¡¯d ask that you not share this information with anyone else" Sergeant Farash said, his tone disgruntled.


    Obviously, it was best that information like this did not get out.


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    However, there was hardly any time to worry about this development before something far more pressing occurred.


    Sirens started blaring throughout the station, and the previously composed police officers throughout the building became visibly panicked.


    "Jasmine! What does this alarm mean?!"


    Seeing the normally calm and collected police whipped up into a frenzy, Avery immediately sought out information on it from the best source he had.


    "This is an alert for-"


    Before Jasmine could finish explaining what was going on to Avery, a thunderous boom reached their ears, and a few seconds later, the entire building shook violently.


    For all those that were no strangers to combat, it was clear what this was. Within the vicinity a large explosion had just gone off and caused untold damage to the colony.


    Fortunately, it did not seem that the colony¡¯s outer walls had been breached since the police station¡¯s emergency shutters had not activated, but this was undoubtedly an unprecedented emergency.


    "All of you! Head to the basement shelter!" Sergeant Farash said commandingly.


    Looking at where he was pointing, Avery could see that civilian members of the station¡¯s staff had formed a line and were hastily moving in a single direction.


    Still, neither Avery nor any of his other companions moved to join those that were fleeing to safety. They were mercenaries. Conflict was their bread and butter. Hiding in safety while this incident was settled was not their style.


    Immediately the four of them pulled out their terminals and stared searching for information.


    "Seems that were dealing with some sort of coordinated terrorist attack." Kaiden said, pulling up news reports that were coming in by the second.


    "The Mercenary Association already has several requests for protection jobs. It seems a lot of high-profile businesses involved with the planet in this system being terraformed are being attacked." Ezra said, having gone straight to the association sight.


    While they did this, Avery brought up the colony¡¯s map and marked the locations that were currently known to have turned into battlefields. If they were going to join the fight, they first needed to head back to the hangar that their ships were docked at and grab their gear.


    Sergeant Farash futilely yelled at them to evacuate, before having to rush off to join his unit. There were so many incidents going on right now that practically every officer on the colony needed to be deployed. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Okay. Let¡¯s go meet up with Kasandra at the front and head out."


    Taking the lead, Avery pushed his way through the throngs of people running around and headed towards the reception desk where Kasandra had been collecting the money for the bounties they had taken down.


    When the four of them arrived in the room that was equally as bustling as where they had been before, they found Kasandra standing off in a corner with her right hand placed over her laser pistol.


    "So, what¡¯s the plan?"


    Swiftly, Avery explained that they would head back to their vessels and gear up before heading out to take the closest high paying missions being offered by the Mercenary Association. They normally operated in space, fighting from their ships, but that did not mean they were not equipped to fight in person as well.


    Crass though it may have been, a crisis like this had the potential to be worth a lot of money for skilled mercenaries.


    Once they had plotted out the optimal route, Avery¡¯s team left the police station and rushed back towards the hangar.


    Along the way, they saw dozens of police vehicles flying around and heard the occasional explosion, but nothing was happening in their immediate vicinity.


    Everything was going well, until Kaiden noticed the minor inconsistency that had subconsciously been bothering all of them.


    Caught up in the rapidly developing situation, it was not until they had traveled a fair distance that Kaiden looked behind them and saw that their group had picked up a sixth member.


    Instead of staying at the police station like he should have, Grito was trailing behind them. Having avoided detection up to this point thanks to his naturally small size and the haste with which everyone had been moving.


    "Oi! What are you doing following us around?" Kaiden said, whipping around and glaring at the small Baccigan that had been tailing them.


    Grito withered in front of such an intense look, and his body began visibly shaking in fear.


    Still, despite how terrified he was of the Kaiden and the situation, he worked up the courage to say what was on his mind.


    "I-if you all are mercenaries. You¡¯ll rescue my uncle if I pay you, right?"


    This sudden request came as a shock to Avery and his group. Certainly, they remembered Grito begging Sergeant Farash to do this, but they never expected to receive such an offer themselves.


    Yet, as Avery was about to respond as leader of their squad, the sound of something whistling through the air caught his attention.


    Naturally, Kaiden and Kasandra with their impeccable hearing heard it as well, and they both jumped into action.


    Kaiden dashed forward and scooped Grito up while Kasandra turned towards the sound with her laser pistol at the ready.


    Not a moment after Kaiden had grabbed Grito, a large capture net slammed into the ground where the unsuspecting Baccigan had been standing.


    Kasandra was the first to start opening fire on the would-be kidnappers lying in wait on top of a nearby building.


    Avery and Ezra quickly followed suit, and the three of them had the people after Grito pinned down.


    "Okay, we¡¯ll discus payment later. For now, were going back to our ships." Avery said, indicating for Ezra to take Grito as they made a break for it.


    Disregarding caution for speed, their group of six ran towards the hangar while occasionally fighting off groups of armored individuals that were clearly after Grito.


    Fortunately, they made it back to the hangar in one piece, and all of them first headed towards the Dauntless to discuss their next move.

 Chapter 107 Hashing Things Out

    "Jasmine, can I leave picking out jobs to you?"


    While Avery discussed things with Grito, he tasked Jasmine with picking through the ever increasing of protection requests coming into the Mercenary Association.


    All of them were urgent and most were offering high rewards, but there was no point in being hasty. Taking a few minutes to collect information and get a full read on the situation would only help in the long run. Stay updated through FreeNovelFire


    "Okay, Grito, do you mind telling us what is going on? You want us to rescue your uncle, but clearly something more is going on. Those guys after you on the way here weren¡¯t common thugs." Avery said, his expression stern.


    On the way to the hangar a few groups of clearly well-trained individuals had ambushed them.


    They were lucky in that it seemed that these people were caught off guard by Grito being with them, but had they been properly prepared for this unexpected situation, things could have turned sour quickly.


    There was also the fact that the current terrorist attack was suspiciously coinciding with the young Baccigan¡¯s escape. The two men that had been trying to recapture him were in possession of out-of-date police uniforms and badges. Not something the average crook could get ahold of. It might have all been a coincidence, but Avery¡¯s instincts were telling him otherwise.


    Unfortunately, Grito hardly knew what the situation surrounding his uncle was either.


    "After learning about the hit placed on me by the Odium Syndicate, I found out they were targeting my uncle as well. We both went into hiding after that. He used to be a professor of engineering at a big institution in the capital. When those men came for me, I thought it was the syndicate, but they¡¯re not related as far as I can tell. Otherwise, I¡¯d already be dead. Whoever abducted us is having us is having my uncle build something for them. I don¡¯t know what though."


    Avery wanted to shake his head and sigh at how many conspiracies Grito and his uncle seemed to have been wrapped up in, and the lack of information Grito had. It seemed that unlike with the Odium Syndicate, he was the one caught in the middle of his uncle¡¯s trouble this time.


    However, this meant that Grito had very little to go on. Like who was holding his uncle or where to find him.


    "But I think I know a way to track them. They let me talk to my uncle once a day to prove that I was still alive and in good health so that he would keep working. If you take me back to where I was being held, I should be able to trace the calls." Grito said, his tone becoming desperate.


    He could already see that he was losing Avery¡¯s interest. No one was going to go off blindly on a rescue mission when they had no idea where their target was or who they were up against.


    "This is starting to sound like a major pain. I want to help, but we¡¯ve got other work to do." Avery said, looking towards Jasmine.


    She nodded and showed him a list of requests she had picked out. While they talked, the battles all over the colony raged on. Waiting too long would see things being wrapped up before they could join.


    "Thirty million Krenin! I can pay you that much as long as you save my uncle!"


    Hearing this number immediately caught Avery¡¯s, Ezra¡¯s, and Kaiden¡¯s attention. That much money was quite a bit even for them. It would take them collectively between two and three months to make that much even if they worked the most profitable jobs they could find nonstop.


    "Do you really have that much?" Ezra asked skeptically.


    Grito gulped under his intense gaze, and said, "Not in Krenin. But I have some things stashed away in a few places that when sold would total around that amount. If you help me out now, I promise to give it all to you guys."


    The lucrative job they were being offered suddenly seemed a lot more dicey. Avery did not want to risk his life and the lives of his team for a promise of goods that may or may not exist.


    "Where did you even get these things, huh? Are they stollen or contraband?" Kaiden said, grilling Grito.


    "Um, none of its illegal. But it did, um¡­ used to belong to the Odium Syndicate."


    Grito swiftly explained that he used to work for the criminal organization as a technician after his parents died. He helped fix ships, created cloaking devices to prevent their smugglers¡¯ cargo bays from being scanned, and other jobs in the same vein. He was pretty much just their go to guy for anything related to technology .


    Once he finally worked up the nerve to leave though, he absconded with a bunch of equipment and a ship and went to the Alliance Police. In exchange for clemency, he offered to testify against the members of the organization he knew about.


    Of course, this meant that the items Grito was offering were stolen, but since they had been owned by a criminal enterprise, it was doubtful any report was going to be filed about the theft. An illegal drug syndicate was hardly the type to go to the police after all.


    Still, this definitely was starting to dip into a gray area. Accepting the equipment Grito had taken as payment might lead to the Odium Syndicate coming after them. This was certainly a risky venture.


    "Okay, what do you guys think?" Avery asked, wanting to get the opinion of his group members before making a decision.


    "I¡¯m against it. They¡¯re no guarantee of payment, and we¡¯d have to go out of our way to collect the items that are hidden throughout multiple systems."


    With Ezra dissent, Avery looked towards Kaiden for his answer.


    "Gah, let¡¯s just help him out. It feels dangerous but I think that there¡¯s a possibility for more value in this than expected. Whoever is pulling the strings here has to be up to no good. We might come across some high bounties along the way and make even more money."


    Avery was a bit surprised by Kaiden¡¯s softhearted answer since he had been expecting him to turn down the request as well.


    ¡¯It¡¯s almost as if he seems sympathetic.¡¯ Avery thought, carefully analyzing Kaiden¡¯s tone and expression. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He then glanced towards Kasandra and could see a similar look of concern on her face. He was still unsure of what had occurred with their family in the past, but the longer he spent with them, the more he felt that it had not been a pleasant parting for them.


    When he asked Kassandra about what she thought about the situation, she conveyed her desire to help Grito as well.


    Jasmine was already looking at him expectantly, obviously wanting to help out the unfortunate guy that just wanted to save the last family member he had left.


    "Fine, it seems that we¡¯ll be helping you out. But first we need to wait until order is restored to the colony. To that end, let¡¯s go help the police clean up some terrorists."

 Chapter 108 Causing Havoc

    "Damn it! What are the police doing?! Shouldn¡¯t they be here already!?"


    "Last time I called they said they¡¯d be here as soon as they could. But I can¡¯t get through now. Every transmission I send gets dropped almost immediately."


    Two security personnel from a company called Stortbui Chemicals were complaining about the lack of police assistance as they were pinned down by laser fire from a group of heavily armed terrorists.


    They had put up a decent fight so far and prevented the criminals from breaching the building, but it was only a matter of time now before their defenses faltered.


    Stortbui Chemicals¡¯ security simply was not equipped to deal with such a threat. Their job was to look out for thieves or detain the occasional irate customer or trespasser. Anything bigger was supposed to be a job for the colony police to handle. But with so many attacks occurring simultaneously, places that were holding out better or had fewer attackers were a lower priority.


    "Sh*t! Run! Run!"


    Glancing out of the window, one of the security officers noticed that the terrorists had just finished setting up a laser cannon turret.


    The building they were in was sturdy, but it was not going to be able to hold up to a direct blast from such a powerful weapon.


    By some miracle the two of them got clear before a bright flash of light impacted where they had been just moments ago.


    The ensuing explosion knocked them off their feet and they felt shards of rubble hitting them as they smashed into the floor.


    If there was any consolation, it was that their body armor had protected them from the worst of it, but now that the building had been breached, it was only a matter of time before the terrorists broke in and slaughtered everyone inside.


    "I guess this is the end."


    "Yeah, but I¡¯ll be damned if we don¡¯t take some of them with us."


    Pulling themselves up to their feet, the two guards prepared for their final stand.


    Yet the assailants that should have been storming the building were standing around, with their attention diverted elsewhere.


    Cautiously, one of the security officers poked his head out to see what was going on.


    He had to squint to make it out, but in the distance, he saw a metal giant running down the street.


    "No wait! That¡¯s someone in power armor."


    At first the man thought that this might be reinforcement for the terrorist, but when they began scrambling and pointing their weapons towards the approaching figure, it became clear that this was not the case.


    It seemed like they would get their laser cannon turned around and blow the person in power armor away, but right before they could get off a shot, a rain of micro missiles fell down on their position.


    Large explosions consumed the heart of the terrorist¡¯s formation, and those that remained scattered in confusion.


    Once he had regained his wits after the shocking development, the security guard realized that this was his time to strike back and aimed his pistol at the fleeing terrorists.


    Except, before he could get a shot off, he watched a laser streak down from above and piece straight through the head of the individuals he was aiming at.


    A moment later, more lasers seemed to fall from the sky.


    Looking up, the guard saw two people atop a building across the road holding laser rifles. For a moment, he thought they were humans, but as he focused on them a bit more, he noticed that among their light brown hair were two twitching feline ears.


    The two of them were snipping any of the terrorists that either tried to flee or enter the building.


    Eventually the remining group of attackers formed up around a shield generator they hastily set up and started to return fire.


    However, the two individuals that had been on the roof had already moved by then, and the person in power armor was able to deflect the blasts with his own shields as he rapidly approached.


    With most of their focus on the guy in power armor, the terrorist failed to notice the massive red figure swiftly approaching them from out of a nearby alley. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    By the time any of them turned to attack the man, he was already too close.


    The few lasers that were fired off at him were easily blocked by the hard light shield he wielded.


    Then with a hard light halberd in his other hand, the hulking Bahnen swung at the forcefield protecting the terrorists.


    It managed to hold up from the blow, and the man quickly retreated when over a dozen weapons were aimed at him.


    Unfortunately, for the terrorist, they had forgotten about what was likely the largest threat.


    The person in power armor who they thought was still far enough away to ignore for now was incoming at a breakneck speed.


    Thrusters were propelling the power armor through the air, and before the people cowering within their protective shield could turn around, the bulky suit of armor impacted like a cannonball.


    Already weakened from earlier attacks, the forcefield reached its limit and dissipated in a bright flash of light.


    After that, it became like hell for the terrorists.


    The man in power armor and the Bahnen using hard light weaponry tore them apart at close range. While any that tried to run away were shot down by the two brown-haired siblings that seemed to appear and disappear as if they were phantoms.


    Before long, the mob of terrorists that had been close to infiltrating Stortbui Chemicals¡¯ building and killing everyone inside were completely annihilated. Four individuals had crushed the entire group that the company¡¯s security force could hardly keep at bay.


    "They¡¯re not Alliance Police. So, who are they?" The security officer that had watched the entire battle unfold muttered to himself.


    The answer to his question came but a moment later.


    Your next chapter is on NovelFire.C?m


    "Hey, I just got word that some mercenaries accepted the job our chief posted and are here to back us up."


    Turning towards his patterner, the man let out a sigh of relief and pointed towards the now quiet battlefield.


    "More than acting as backup, they took care of everything for us. I didn¡¯t know there were any mercenaries that strong here. Just who are these guys?"


    "Hm, the chief told me that their led by a four star mercenary named Avery. They must be the real deal if they handled all those terrorists like it was nothing."


    As the two guards looked out at their saviors, they saw the group of four heading off in the direction of another battle now that their job here was complete.

 Chapter 109 Causing Havoc (2)

    Having completed their first job suppressing the terrorist force attacking Phregon III, Avery and his team moved on to the next one.


    "Avery, I thought we agreed that you wouldn¡¯t use micro missiles unless it was an emergency. Those things are expensive to replace, and you can only store eighteen in your armor at a time."


    Kasandra¡¯s voice came blaring through the comms within Avery¡¯s power armor¡¯s helmet.


    When he had seen that the people of Stortbui Chemicals were in trouble, he had disregarded everything and sent out a full volley of six micro missiles to break up the terrorist forces.


    In hindsight it had probably been overkill. Even just two of the missiles likely would have been enough to accomplish what he wanted.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll be more careful going forward. So, what¡¯s the name of the company were heading to this time?" Avery said, quickly changing the subject.


    "Zwarr Construction. They¡¯ve got a contract to build multiple cities once the terraforming process is completed. Seems that these environmental extremists turned terrorists are really going after them." Ezra responded.


    There were apparently more than five times the number of assailants this time compared to those that were attacking Stortbui Chemicals. Plus, there were over a dozen wearing power armor.


    So far, the security personnel and employs had managed to hold out by using their heavy construction machinery as a bulwark to fight back, but there was only so long that they could last.


    As a stroke of bad luck though, their staunch resistance was the main reason the Alliance Police had not sent any assistance yet.


    When Avery and his team arrived, they found a fierce battle raging between the terrorist and construction bots ranging from large to small that were being controlled by the employees of Zwarr Construction. Find your adventure at NovelFire.C?m


    Of course, as durable as they were, the construction bots were lacking in any sort of real armaments. Some of them had saw blades and others could fire large bolts, but they were far from capable of mounting a true offensive against a group that had members wearing power armor.


    The only thing keeping the terrorists from completely overwhelming their target was their inexperienced. It was obvious to anyone that knew how to fight that these individuals hardly knew how to use the weapons they had been given.


    "Kasandra, Kaiden, give us some cover from up there. Ezra, follow me. There may be more of them this time, but we¡¯ll dismantle them just like before." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Avery was confident that his team¡¯s skills and equipment vastly outstripped their opponents. So long as they kept the battle¡¯s momentum on their side, they were sure to win.


    Abandoning all stealth, Avery bounded towards the terrorist¡¯ formation, with Ezra right behind him.


    Obviously, the nearly two hundred individuals noticed the massive suit of power armor rushing towards them swiftly positioned some of their forces to intercept.


    Naturally, Avery did not just take the shots coming his way. With his laser rifle in one hand and laser cannon in the other, he opened fire without any restraint.


    Flashes of light illuminated the road as Avery and the terrorists traded fire.


    Several times Avery would push off against the ground with fast movements whenever he saw a more powerful weapon being aimed his way. As strong as the shields protecting his armor were, he had no desire to test how many laser cannon hits it could take.


    Noticing this, another group of terrorists turned to face Avery.


    All of them had rocket launchers over their shoulders, and they showed no restraint as they fired the explosive projectiles at Avery.


    His previously dormant laser emitters popped out of the power armor¡¯s shoulders and intercepted the dangerous weapons. Even Avery¡¯s high-end power armor would be unable to take more than three hits from such dangerous explosives.


    "Okay, a frontal assault might be a bit too much this time. Ezra, were taking cover." Avery said, realizing their current course of action would likely be unsuccessful.


    The two of them ran into a side road as several devastating blasts consumed the road they had been fighting on.


    Fortunately, they got away without issue, and Avery¡¯s plan was already working.


    His suit¡¯s sensors detected several heat signatures approaching them. The terrorist had broken up their forces and sent eight of their power armor users along with fifteen others to finish Avery and Ezra off.


    "They¡¯re underestimating us if they think this will be enough to beat us." Ezra said, smirking as he holstered his laser pistols and pulled out his hard light halberd and shield.


    At long range they were simply outgunned by their enemies¡¯ numbers, but since a squad was closing in on them, it was the perfect opportunity to fight at close range where Avery and Ezra¡¯s weapons could really shine.


    The moment the first enemy wearing power armor came into view, Avery activated his thrusters and charged the unfortunate man.


    His armor¡¯s impact generator charged up, he threw a heavy punch with his right arm and broke through the lead terrorist¡¯ defenses with a single hit.


    Metal crumpled as the far cheaper medium power armor was unable to hold up to the full power strike from Avery¡¯s Sterkur MK VIII.


    Seeing Avery suddenly appear and take out their leader in a single hit, the other terrorists were frozen in shock for a couple seconds. They were supposed to be the ones doing the ambushing, not the other way around.


    Of course, Avery was hardly going to give them time to regain their bearings and dove into the middle of the front line composed of those wearing power armor.


    His suit was far large and stronger than any of theirs, and Avery was able to completely bully them with his Sterkur¡¯s strength.


    One guy wearing light power armor tried to rush Avery and attack one of his joints but instead found himself knocked to the ground by a heavy swing of Avery¡¯s laser launcher which he was wielding like a club.


    Then without mercy, Avery stomped down on the man and crushed him like a tin can.


    After losing half of their numbers, the terrorists finally started using their great agility to surround and slowly whittle down Avery. While Avery¡¯s power armor was far stronger and more durable, it did lack in quickness. Other than momentarily bursts of speed using its thrusters, the Sterkur was fairly slow.


    Still, Avery knew about this weakness and already had a countermeasure in place.


    Now that they were no longer grouped up and their attention was wholly on Avery, Ezra leapt out like a red blur and started hacking the terrorists in power armor to pieces.


    Their shields and planting could not even withstand a single hit from his hard light weapon. Its sharpness was unparalleled in the galaxy and there were few things it could not cut through.


    Once Ezra had dealt with most of the remining power armored individuals, Avery was free to take care of the others.


    They were equipped with laser rifles, but their weapons¡¯ output was not nearly strong enough to break through the Sterkur MK VIII¡¯s shields.


    With one shot from his laser cannon, Avery vaporized most of them. Leaving behind only bits of their body armor and weapons.


    As a last ditch effort, one of the terrorist pulled out a plasma grenade and was going to set it off despite the fact that he would surely be caught up in it as well.


    Yet right before he could throw it, two streaks of light descended upon him. The first overloaded his personal shield generator, and the second blasted his entire arm off.


    Assaulted by immense pain, he completely forgot about the weapon he had already armed until it went off right in his face.


    White hot plasma flooded the small side road they had been fighting on, and the rest of the terrorists¡¯ detached force was eliminated by one of their own weapons.


    Thankfully, Avery and Ezra had already gotten far enough away to avoid the brunt of the plasma grenade¡¯s blast radius, and only a small amount reached Avery¡¯s power armor and was blocked by its shields.


    "Thanks for the assist you two. I wasn¡¯t expecting any of them to have something so dangerous." Avery said, turning his head up and looking at Kasandra and Kaiden preached on the roof of a nearby building.


    Both of them gave Avery a quick nod of acknowledgement before jumping from one rooftop to another. Getting into position to take on the rest of the terrorist force assaulting Zwarr Construction.


    "I suppose that we should make our way over as well. Though before that, how is your power armor doing?" Ezra asked, a hint of concern in his eyes.


    "No need to worry. I¡¯ve still got over eighty percent power, and my shields are holding strong. I might need a quick break after this, but I¡¯m still good to go for another round." Avery responded confidently.


    With that the two of them took off down the street to rejoin the main battle. It was time to put an end to this and finish the job they were being paid for.

 Chapter 110 Causing Havoc (3)

    "Sometimes I think the guy you fell for is crazy. What do you even see in him anyway?" Kaiden said as he and Kasandra waited on a rooftop with the terrorists attacking Zwarr Construction in sight.


    "Well, I like to think that he¡¯s just bold. Plus, he can be quite considerate and caring. Unlike someone I know. Now less talking and keep your aim steady. Things are about to get hectic." Kasandra replied irritably.


    From her rifle¡¯s scope, she watched Avery as he prepared to charge the terrorists¡¯ position. They had set up shield generators and had power armored soldiers along the perimeter laying down heavy fire upon the security guards and employees of Zwarr Construction.


    It would be difficult to breach their defenses with only four people, but Avery had thought up something a bit wild to make up for their lack of numbers.


    "I just hope the colony doesn¡¯t make a fuss about his later." Kaiden grumbled.


    From down on the street below, Avery had just lifted up an abandoned emergency fire rescue vehicle that had been dispatched before learning that the cause of automated alarm they received was due to a terrorist attack.


    There were a few scorch marks on it from laser fire, but overall, it was still in good condition.


    Being meant for fire suppression, the vehicle had decently dense plating. Avery¡¯s plan was to use it as both a shield and battering ram.


    When he was ready and had gotten used to moving with it thanks to his power suit¡¯s immense strength, he walked out onto the main road and prepared to charge.


    Immediately the terrorists noticed him. Many had baffled looks on their face, not understanding what they were looking at right away.


    At first it appeared like the emergency vehicle was floating and moving in an uncanny manner, but eventually they noticed the suit of heavy power armor lifting it up.


    By the time they had already tuned and started firing, Avery had taken off.


    He was completely disregarding any fine control over his movements and was simply bounding forward as fast as he could.


    Each of his steps left cracks in their wake, and he could hear the Sterkur¡¯s artificial muscles groaning in protest as he pushed them to their limit.


    Several powerful lasers blasted away at the vehicle as he approached, and it all seemed that it would be over when over twenty rockets were fired at him. Surely his power armor would not be able to hold up to this much.


    Yet before the explosive projectiles could reach him, several streaks of light intercepted them.


    From up above, Kasandra and Kaiden provided cover fire for Avery, while Ezra was doing so as well from the ground.


    Thanks to the three of them, not a single missile reached Avery, and his armor and the vehicle he was using as a shield held out until the end.


    When he was around a hundred meters away from the terrorists¡¯ position, Avery activated his Sterkur¡¯s thrusters and went flying.


    Without knowing if it would truly be enough to break through, he slammed the emergency vehicle directly into the protective forefield.


    For around a second, he felt like he was going to be pushed back and put in a precarious position, but in the end, the shield was unable to hold up to the immense kinetic energy smashing into it.


    All at once, the forcefield dissipated and Avery went flying into the heart of the terrorists¡¯ formation with a most destroyed vehicle as a battering ram.


    The scene that followed was undoubtedly messy.


    Bodies went flying and blood scattered everywhere. Avery had shown no mercy for the people attacking Phregon III.


    Once he finally came to a stop, the few terrorists that still had any wherewithal aimed their weapons towards him and opened fire.


    "Whoops."


    Watching the gauge in his helmet¡¯s HUD representing his shield capacity rapidly depleting, Avery brought what remained of the fire suppression vehicle around to protect himself.


    At this point it could only be considered a chuck of metal, and when he felt it was a moment away from giving out, he tossed it towards the people firing at him.


    A laser cannon blast tore it apart midflight, but that possibly just made it more deadly.


    Pieces of hot shrapnel went flying in every direction, and the less armored terrorists found themselves sliced up and burned.


    Before they had a chance to regroup, Avery grabbed his laser rifle and laser cannon and opened fire.


    Beams of light cut through the area, and anyone that continued to resist found themselves being blasted apart.


    Whenever the terrorists finally got together to aim at Avery and take him down with concentrated fire, shots from above and to the side ripped them apart.


    While their strategy was practically the same as always, it worked all too well against untrained terrorists that lacked pretty much any training and relied solely on their numbers.


    Avery in his bulky power armor served as a distraction, and Kasandra, Kaiden, and Ezra used their free rein to mow their enemies down with rapid fire shots. Find more to read at NovelFire.C?m


    It was not long until the surviving terrorist tried to flee. Unfortunately for them, it was far too late for that.


    From above they were stuck down by the Woest siblings and trying to hide in between narrow buildings only saw them being blasted from afar by Avery and Ezra. Soon they had been completely wiped out.


    After it became clear that the threat had been eliminated, several upper ranking members of Zwarr construction came out to greet Avery and his team.


    "On behalf of everyone here, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for protecting all of us." The supervisor in charge said as he bowed his head deeply in a show of gratitude. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Next to him was the head of security as well as the construction foreman. They were currently the top three present on site.


    "Just doing our job. Your company paid us a lot to come here. And since it seems like there are still a few battles left, we need to get going. We¡¯ve got another contract waiting on us."


    Except, as Avery tried to excuse himself and move onto the next fight, he received an emergency call from Jasmine.


    She had been left aboard the Dauntless to look after Grito and coordinate the jobs that they were doing.


    Obviously, she had wanted to come along and fight since she had her training as a member of the Alliance Police, but Avery had refused since someone needed to stay with their guest and currently the only combat gear she possessed was a single laser pistol. In this situation, that would hardly be enough.


    "What is it, Jasmine? We were just about to move on. Did a more profitable job pop up?" Avery asked, curious about the sudden call.


    "No, nothing profitable. I fact, it¡¯s uh, pretty bad. A minute ago, some extremely heavily armed people started flooding into the hangar. Multiple security drones came to stop them, but they¡¯ve all been wiped out. Now they¡¯re setting up several laser cannons and aiming directly at the Dauntless. What should I do about this?"

 Chapter 111 Jasmine’s Predicament

    Going back in time a bit, Jasmine was having to deal with the Dauntless¡¯ rambunctious guest. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Such fine craftsmanship. It¡¯s made of some sort of polymer, but I don¡¯t recognize it. Oh, and the circuitry is beyond impressive. I wonder what sort of conductors they used for these wires. I¡¯ve never seen a transistor quite like this one. The people that designed this must have been geniuses with nearly unlimited resources. If only I could have gotten such a position."


    When she came back to the cockpit after a quick trip to the restroom, Jasmine found Grito on the floor, having removed the panel covering one of the Dauntless¡¯ consoles. Continue reading at NovelFire.C?m


    The immense concern he had shown for his uncle just minutes ago seemed to have been completely forgotten. Instead, Grito was now engrossed in the technological marvel before him.


    Obviously, for a technician that used to work on all manner of vessels, the Dauntless was basically the holy grail for the young Baccigan. He wanted nothing more than to take it apart and find out what made it tick.


    "W-what the hell are you doing?!" Jasmine shouted, both confused and furious.


    "Ah, your back. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have any proper tool around her somewhere, would you? I managed to get this panel off using an old trick I picked up taking apart some older Storren Corp. ships, but I can¡¯t really go any further like this."


    With no regard for where he was, Grito allowed his fascination to completely take over.


    Jasmine had to hold herself back from shouting again and instead went to work on fixing the issue.


    "Hey! Stop that!" Grito shouted as he was suddenly lifted off the ground.


    Remorselessly, Jasmine carried Grito over to one of the sub operator chairs and strapped him with the seatbelt.


    With a keystrokes on the main panel, she locked her guest in place and prevented him from leaving his seat.


    "This is unlawful detainment. I demand to be let go."


    Grito struggled to break free, but he was not going anywhere unless someone with permission to access the ship¡¯s controls let him.


    "Have you already forgotten where you are and what kind of situation you¡¯re in? People are after you, your uncle is in trouble, and the Alliance Police are going to come looking for you once the current crisis is dealt with. So why are you tearing apart the vessel of the people that have agreed to help you?" Jasmine said, utterly exasperated.


    This defaulted the excited Baccigan, and Grito lowered his head in frustration.


    "I¡¯m sorry. I know I got out of hand there. I just found something to distract myself and got too into it. I really want to find my uncle right now, but I know there is nothing I can do but wait. It¡¯s just aggravating."


    Getting a glimpse at Grito¡¯s true feelings, Jasmine could not help feeling bad for the guy. His entire life had been upended when his parents died, and when he tried to break ties with the criminal organization he had found himself in, it had not only put his life at risk, but also his uncle¡¯s.


    Now they were involved in whatever mess was occurring in the Phregon System. With both of them having been held hostage, and his uncle being forced to work on some sort of ghastly device.


    "Fine. I let you out but promise me you won¡¯t take anything else apart. You can look around, just don¡¯t touch anythi-"


    Before Jasmine could finish what she was saying, the Dauntless¡¯ computer sounded a warning alarm. Something had triggered its proximity alarm.


    Pulling up the outside feed on the main viewscreen, Jasmine went wide eyed as she watched a group of heavily armed and trained soldiers infiltrating the hangar.


    The security bots meant to maintain order came out in force, but all of them were unceremoniously mowed down by the assailants.


    Normally this would have been when the Alliance Police would be called in and an entire platoon would be dispatched. Except they were all otherwise occupied dealing with the mass terrorist attack all over Phregon III.


    "It¡¯s not my imagination that they¡¯re setting weapons aimed at us, is it?" Jasmine murmured with a look of shock and horror on her face.


    Immediately she raised the ship¡¯s shields to max output and called Avery for advice on how to handle this situation. Nothing like this had ever happened during her tenure as a police officer.


    When she got through to him, he was just as surprised as she was about how things had developed.


    "Are there any laws against opening fire on them. I don¡¯t care what sort of equipment they¡¯ve got with them, personnel without any sort of military vehicle to protect them aren¡¯t going to be able to hold up to the Dauntless¡¯ laser cannons."


    Avery¡¯s suggestion was certainly brutal, but it would be effective.


    Unfortunately, Jasmine had to advise against the idea.


    Firing high powered ship-based weapons on a colony was highly illegal. They would certainly receive a response similar as the terrorist. That was just how dangerous their weapons were.


    Even in the current extenuating circumstances, they were bound to get into major trouble. Likely having to pay a hefty fine at least.


    "Okay. Send an emergency request to leave the colony and head out into space. We¡¯ll come by and take them out and you can come pick me and Kasandra up once things are clear." Avery said.


    With that, the call was ended and, on her terminal, Jasmine watched as Avery and the others started quickly making their way back.


    She then felt the Dauntless rock as the attackers outside opened fire. They had set up seven medium laser cannons and were attempting to breach the ship¡¯s shields.


    Still, their weapons were hardly meant to fight against a top-of-the-line military vessel like the Dauntless. It would take them a couple of minutes of uninterrupted bombardment just to exhaust the first shield cell.


    "Looks like you¡¯re going to have to stay strapped in, Grito. We¡¯re going for a quick jaunt out of the colony."

 Chapter 112 Jasmine’s Predicament (2)

    Once Jasmine¡¯s request to leave had been accepted, she activated the Dauntless¡¯ auto flight protocol, and the ship followed the predetermined path out of the hangar.


    Naturally, the people trying to break in and retrieve Grito tried everything they could to stop her. However, their best efforts were ineffective. To bring down a high-end military vessel like the Dauntless, they would have required far better equipment than what they had scrambled together.


    Originally the plan had been to sneak into the police station and nab their target, it was wholly unexpected that he would somehow end up tagging along with mercenaries.


    "Okay, we should be safe out here." Jasmine said with a sigh after leaving the colony.


    Parking the Dauntless around a hundred kilometers away from Phregon III, Jasmine finally felt at easy.


    When she looked out of the viewscreen, she could see that thousands of other ships were waiting out in space for the terrorist attack to be contained. There had been no telling if the hangars might become a target at some point, so those that could leave did so almost immediately. Practically the only ones that had stayed were mercenaries or police.


    "I hate to say it Grito, but whoever is after you has a lot of money and power."


    While their gear had not been the most up to date military equipment, the assailants that had attacked the Dauntless possessed older models that were still quite powerful.


    Their training was not bad either. Jasmine had not witnessed a semblance of disorder among their ranks, and even when she suddenly started up the Dauntless, they never stopped firing. There was no doubt in her mind that those had been someone¡¯s private soldiers.


    ¡¯That begs the question, who in the Phregon System could mobilize such a force?¡¯


    Jasmine could only speculate, but her instincts as a former officer were telling her she was probably on the right track.


    Except, before she could think about it further and start creating a list of possible suspects, the Dauntless¡¯ computer sounded another alert.


    This one she recognized well, since it activated whenever the ship¡¯s sensors detected a spacecraft with a bounty on it.


    Normally this would be inconceivable this close to a station that was heavily guarded by the Alliance Police. Wanted individuals knew to avoid places like this unless they wanted to be killed or captured.


    Yet, as Jasmine looked into the alert more closely, she noticed dozens, no, hundreds of vessels with bounties on them. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As others began to notice the sudden incursion, merchant and civilian ships scrambled to get away, while mercenaries either prepared for a fight or fled as well.


    "No way, why are they here?!" Jasmine shouted when she recognized some of the attackers.


    The group using old military vessels from the Reswen Theocracy was among the raiders that had just dropped out of light speed.


    After being mostly destroyed by Avery¡¯s group and the other mercenaries escorting the Moonrise merchant fleet, the ones that had gotten away had bounties placed on them courtesy of the data Svantur gave to the Alliance Police.


    However, they were far from the only ones initiating an assault on Phregon III. All manner of pirates that had been skulking out on the edge of the system to attack unsuspecting cargo and passenger ships had arrived in mass as well.


    In fact, while Jasmine did not recognize them, had Avery, Kasandra, or Kaiden been around, they would have instantly spotted a group of large and medium transport that had been modified with powerful weapons and armor plating.


    These were the same vessels that had appeared during the pirate raid in the Yuson System. Making a public appearance for the first time since the previous incident.


    Seeing all of this was overwhelming for Jasmine. Avery had made sure to teach her the Dauntless¡¯ basic controls, and she had spent a bit of time practicing with the flight simulation mode during their time traveling through hyperspace, but she was far from confident enough to fight against a massive horde of outlaws.


    "A-Avery, another situation has come up."


    Jasmine immediately contacted Avery and caught him up on what was happening. However, as she was doing so, several of the attackers made a beeline for the Dauntless. Completely ignoring the other vessels around.


    In a panic, she started jerking around the controls.


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    The Dauntless moved like wild, and though she was unable to fire back in this situation, it did make it difficult for those targeting the ship to hit it.


    "Just do your best to stay alive. Once we reach the hangar, we¡¯ll come out on Kaiden and Ezra¡¯s ships to help." Avery said, doing his best to reassure his panicked crewmember.


    "Got it. Just please hurry, I don¡¯t know how long I can keep this up."


    Lacking the skills to fly and fight at the same time, Jasmine diverted full power to the Dauntless¡¯ thruster and attempted to outrun those pursuing her.


    Fortunately, the ship was exceptionally fast and could keep ahead of most of the outlaws swarming the area.


    To further impede them, she constantly flew closer to Alliance Police vessels that mercilessly targeted the pirates and shot them down.


    As time went on, more Alliance Police ships that had docked in Phregon III to provide support troops started to come out of the hangars and join the fight.


    While the attackers had picked an opportune moment to invade, it was still only a matter of time before the overwhelming might of the military tasked with protecting this system drove them away.


    But before that could happen though, several of the large and medium transports outfitted with weapons suddenly turned towards the Dauntless.


    Up to this point, they had shown no interest in getting into the thick of the battle and had merely been causing chaos at the edge of their weapon range.


    Yet now they were coming for Jasmine with their entire force.


    As she fled, the alarm indicating a hit blared loudly through the cockpit. The vessels after the Dauntless were even activating tractor beams and trying to drag the ship into their cargo holds. Fortunately, so long as the shields were active it would be impossible to do so.


    "Grito, what the hell is your uncle building that is so damn important that capturing you is worth this much effort?" Jasmine screamed, the frustration of everything finally overwhelming her.


    She had endured a lot as a member of the police, but never anything like this. Having been a colony officer fighting against dozens of far larger ships had never been something she would experience.


    Just as she was about to need to activate the Dauntless¡¯ first shield cell, refinements finally arrived.


    Kaiden¡¯s and Ezra¡¯s ships came speeding out of Phregon III¡¯s hangar and immediately moved to intercept the vessels swarming Jasmine.


    "You held out well Jasmine. We¡¯ll take over from here."


    Hearing Avery¡¯s reassuring voice over the comms, Jasmine felt the immense pressure she was under lighten up a bit. She knew that she would be able to rely on her companions to get her out of this sticky situation.


    Except, what Avery said next only caused her panic to come back and increase twofold.


    "I¡¯m going to need you to open the cargo bay doors for me. I¡¯ll be coming over there shortly to take over the controls."

 Chapter 113 Counterattack

    Avery ran down the fastest route towards the hangar where Ezra¡¯ and Kaiden¡¯s ships were docked.


    Jasmine had just contacted him that a group of people were attacking the Dauntless. Almost certainly to get to Grito.


    Fortunately, she managed to escape out into space, but it was not long before a massive group of vessels came to attack.


    For some reason they were obsessed with taking out the Dauntless, and Jasmine was currently flying for her life.


    When Avery finally reached the hangar, he found the group that had been attacking his ship packing up their weapons and getting ready to flee.


    Of course, after what they had just done, he was not going to let them go.


    Without any semblance of hesitation, he jumped into their ranks and started tearing them apart with his power armor.


    To anyone watching him, it was clear that he was going on a rampage without any concern for his own safety.


    Having his ship and one of his girls targeted had undoubtably pissed him off. Now he was taking out his anger on the perpetrators.


    Still, they were a group of private soldiers, and once they had gotten over the sudden surprise of a hulking suit of power armor jumping into their midst, they began to fight back.


    Avery shields had already taken a beating from the back-to-back fight against terrorists, so under a concentrated bombardment he was not going to last long.


    Thankfully, he had reliable backup to bail him out of the situation he had thrown himself into.


    From the hangar¡¯s entrance, Kasandra and Kaiden provided ranged support, while Ezra leapt into the fray himself.


    The battle was hard-fought, but eventually, the private soldiers were forced to retreat after losing far too many of their members. If they had stayed, perhaps they might have eventually won, but the costs simply would have been too great. And with their target having already escaped, there was really no reason to stay.


    Avery growled as the ones that had attacked his ship got away but pursuing them would take up valuable time they did not have right now.


    Currently Jasmine was under attack outside the colony, and they needed to join her to provide support.


    "This guy is still alive. Should we bring him with us?" Kasandra said, her ears twitching as she confirmed the heartbeat of one of the private soldiers they had just fought.


    He had some broken bones since he took a punch from Avery¡¯s Sterkur power armor, but miraculously he had managed to survive.


    "Yeah, we can interrogate him later." Avery replied, picking the man up without any delicacy.


    After that, he and Kasandra followed Kaiden to his ship. It was larger than Ezra¡¯s so it would be able to accommodate extra people better.


    The moment Avery got onboard, he noticed Kasandra wince and scutch up her nose.


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    Just as she had told him when he rescued her, Kaiden¡¯s ship was far from clean. Food containers were scattered throughout the ship, and there was a noticeable scent of smoke lingering in the air.


    Honestly, Avery now understood why Kaiden¡¯s sister had refused to board his vessel after losing her own and stayed with a stranger instead.


    ¡¯Still, I guess I should be grateful he¡¯s a bit of a slob. Otherwise, I might not have ended up with such a wonderful crew member and girlfriend.¡¯


    While Avery was thinking this, he dragged their captive into the vessel¡¯s medical room and tossed the man into a medical pod.


    This would make sure that he stayed alive but also sedated. There would be no chance of him randomly waking up and trying to attack them while they were busy.


    As Kaiden started up his ship, Avery made his way towards the cargo bay and contacted both Kasandra and Kaiden.


    "When we get out there, I¡¯m planning on jumping over to the Dauntless. Try and mauver as close to it as possible for me."


    "Are you insane?! That power armor you¡¯re wearing isn¡¯t meant for use in space. You¡¯re going to get yourself killed!" Kaiden shouted in response.


    "I¡¯ve got to agree this time, Avery. You¡¯ve done some reckless stuff, but this is completely foolhardy. Don¡¯t die just to pull off a stupid stunt."


    However, while Kasandra and Kaiden tried to convince Avery not to go through with his plan, he remained obstinate.


    "Jasmine can¡¯t pilot the Dauntless well enough to get through something like this. I need to get over there and take control. I¡¯ll only be out in the open for a few seconds. The Sterkur can handle that much so long as I seal it and use the internal air storage. With its thrusters, I¡¯ll coast into the cargo hold without a problem. I¡¯m the leader of our group so just trust me. I can handle this."


    Having given their warnings and expressed their dissent, Kasandra and Kaiden could only sigh and go along with what Avery wanted. They had chosen to follow him, and continuing to argue would only be a waste of time. All they could do was hope that things worked out.


    When they finally left the Phregon III hanger, the three of them saw some suspiciously familiar vessels chasing after the Dauntless. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What the hell are they doing here?" Avery mumbled, his helmet¡¯s HUD currently linked to Kaiden¡¯s ship¡¯s viewscreen.


    He obviously recognized the vessels that had assisted the pirates based in the Yuson System to escape from the Alliance Police¡¯s blockade.


    At first, he wondered if they had tracked him down for some kind of revenge, but that seemed unlikely.


    If they were going to do that, attacking while he was in transit between population centers made more sense.


    "Whatever. I can think about this later. It¡¯s time to fill Jasmine in on my plan."


    Connecting to the Dauntless, Avery reassured Jasmine and told her that he would be joining her soon.


    She sounded a bit flustered when she responded to his order to open the ship¡¯s cargo bay doors, but she did as she was commanded to.


    Now all Avery needed to do was successfully jump from one vessel to another. Something that most would certainly consider crazy.

 Chapter 114 Counterattack (2)

    "I talked a big game. Now it¡¯s time to back it up."


    As Kaiden maneuvered his vessel closer to the Dauntless, Avery prepared for his midflight jump.


    He was certain that his power suit could handle the hostile environment of open space for at least a few minutes. So long as he did not miss the timing, he was confident he could make it aboard his own ship.


    Still, this was the first time he was doing something like this, and it was during a chaotic battle. The chances that something might go wrong were high.


    ¡¯I¡¯m the leader though, so I¡¯ve got to be the one to take on the biggest burdens. Always at the front and proving I can handle anything.¡¯ Avery thought, steeling his nerves.


    Ever since he started recruiting members into his group, he had begun to make it a habit to push himself to his limits. With such amazing people following him, he felt that it was necessary to constantly prove his worth.


    That meant he had to be bold. Sometimes bordering on reckless. And this time, he had certainly gone over that line.


    Nevertheless, Avery felt that this was something he had to do, and when Kaiden depressurized the cargo hold and opened the doors, he jumped out without a second thought.


    For just a moment, Jasmine had fully stopped the Dauntless. This allowed Avery a straight shot to it, and he quickly activated his thrusters and flew through open space.


    Projectiles flew all around him, and if the wrong one landed a direct hit, his Sterkur MK VIII would bust open like a tin can.


    Thankfully, Ezra and Kaiden were providing fierce cover fire and doing everything that they could to protect Avery and the Dauntless while he made his perilous journey.


    Everything seemed to be going well, Avery was only a mere ten meters away and he would reach his destination.


    Yet just before he could safely enter the cargo bay, a stray blast clipped the edge of his suit and sent him veering off course.


    By some miracle his shields held up, otherwise he would have died right then and there.


    Due to having matched the same frequency as the Dauntless¡¯ shields, he was able to slip through them as he passed by. And in a last desperate attempt to stop him, he scraped his hands against the vessels plating.


    Just before being flung out into space, Avery managed to take ahold of the slightly protruding plasma cannon on the right side of the cockpit.


    From there, he gripped it like his life depended on it. For it most certainly did.


    ""AVERY!""


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    Two shouts overlapped from his comms as both Kasandra and Jasmine called out to him with more panic in their voices than he had ever heard. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I¡¯m still fine. Jasmine, send out the collection drones to pull me in. I¡¯m not sure how much longer I can hang on here." Avery replied, doing his best to keep his tone steady so everyone else remained calm


    However, a bit of fear had crept into his voice. There were few in the galaxy that would not experience some amount of terror in the same circumstances Avery found himself in.


    Fortunately, Jasmine worked quickly, and the Dauntless¡¯ collection drones flew out and brought him into the cargo bay.


    Once the doors had finally shut, Avery allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not over yet though. The real battle is still going on.¡¯


    Having no time to waste, Avery disengaged his power armor and exited it.


    With haste, he ran into the cockpit and found Jasmine frantically flying around as lasers and missiles chased them around.


    "I¡¯ll be taking over now. You did well to keep things together while I was gone." Avery said, sitting down in the copilot¡¯s seat since Jamine was where he normally sat.


    Being the registered owner of the Dauntless, Avery seamlessly transferred control over the vessel to the console in front of him.


    While he could not see it, there was a visible expression of relief on Jasmine¡¯s face now that she no longer needed to pilot the ship.


    For all of the people chasing after the Dauntless, to them it seemed like the pilot had suddenly undergone a massive shift in skill. The difference between Avery¡¯s and Jasmine¡¯s abilities was vast, and he was about to prove that he had made this prized vessel his own.


    "I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve all had a grand time bullying my newest crew member, but let¡¯s see how you fare now that I¡¯m here." Avery said vindictively over wideband communications.


    Instantly he went to work on culling the smaller pirate ships chasing after him. Now that the Dauntless was firing back, the once confident hunters found themselves being blow away left and right.


    Eventually, Avery set his sights on the Reswen Theocracy warships. Normally it would be impossible to retrieve them even if they ended up disabled, but this close to a large trading colony, it would be possible to take out engines and weapons, then sell the vessels afterwards.


    Certainly, this was greedy and required quite a bit more effort than just destroying them, but Avery wanted to make sure that he received a lot out of this battle considering how much trouble it had already caused him already.


    Despite so many people after him, Avery used his enemies¡¯ numbers to his advantage.


    He would often fly close to one of the ships and force their allies to either risk hitting them or stop attacking the Dauntless.


    Had it just been him, Ezra, and Kaiden, the three of them likely would have been overwhelmed at some point by the sheer numbers, but they had plenty of help in the form of other mercenaries and the Alliance Police.


    In fact, the longer the conflict went on, the more the invaders¡¯ forces dwindled, and a greater number of Alliance Police vessels joined the fray from Phregon III.


    Before long, the first of the attackers began to retreat.


    Sensing the change in the tide of battle, the large and medium transports that were still in working order hastily fled.


    They were different from the greedy pirates or the environmental extremists using Reswen Theocracy Ships.


    This battle was not their own, and they had only come to assist on their leader¡¯s orders.


    Except, they had also been told to prioritize their own survival if it looked like things were taking a turn for the worse.


    With the loss of such a powerful force, the opportunistic outlaws that had come to raid the ships waiting outside the colony turned and ran as well. Scoring a bunch of loot meant nothing if they ended up dying in the process.


    Of course, most of the mercenaries that had been taking part in the battle chased down the pirates that were essentially flying piggybanks waiting to be cracked open for them.


    At the end of it all, the only attackers that stayed to fight to the bitter end were the extremists. Their zealousness for their cause could nearly be considered insanity, and they were willing to die for it.


    Even if their defiance here did not stop the terraforming process that they were so against, it would certainly delay the project by several months or even years.


    So many companies involved had lost personnel and equipment, and many investors would pull out in fear of a similar event occurring in the future.


    Still, the final bit of resistance was soon put to an end. The Alliance Police had surrounded the heavy cruiser warship that was all that remained of the environmental extremists¡¯ fighters and a concentrated bombardment brought it down. Bringing the attack to an end.

 Chapter 115 Admonishment

    Avery checked over the Dauntless¡¯ logs as the cleanup of the battle outside Phregon III began.


    Both the attackers outside and within had been quelled by this point, and things were slowly heading back towards stability.


    ¡¯The plating got hit a couple of times.¡¯ Avery thought, grimacing.


    In the heat of the hectic fight, he had been a bit slow in using a shield cell and a few shots had slipped through with the Dauntless¡¯ primary defense was down.


    Fortunately, the ship¡¯s armor had been able to hold up against the direct hits, but the damage was not insignificant. He would need to get the plating repaired and have the ship undergo extensive maintenance to make sure everything was in peak condition.


    At the very least, between him, Ezra, and Kaiden, they had captured five of the Reswen Theocracy warships.


    Among them were three corvettes which were between a hundred twenty to a hundred sixty meters in length. Each one being more than three times the size of the Dauntless. Still, these were the smallest classification or military warships.


    As for the other two, they had secured one frigate and one light cruiser. With the frigate being two hundred thirty meters long and the light cruiser being a bit over four hundred.


    All of them were fairly impressive ships, and they now belonged to Avery and his team since they had previously been operated by criminals, and they were the ones to take them down.


    "They¡¯re a bit dinged up and we¡¯ll need to pay to have them towed and docked, but I think we can expect to make at least twenty-five million Krenin off them." Avery mused out loud, comparing the prices that the previous vessels of a similar type that the Svantur had sold.


    While he was doing this, Jasmine informed him that they had been cleared for docking. Just in case some other terrorists hiding out made their move, the colony¡¯s authorities wanted more mercenaries around to offer their services and were more than happy to expedite the process of entering the hangar for Avery¡¯s group.


    Once they had all landed, Kasandra, Kaiden, and Ezra all made their way over to the Dauntless so that they could discuss their next move. Now that the terrorist attacks had ended, it was time to get onto their next job. Finding and rescuing Grito¡¯s uncle.


    Except, before they could get down to business, Kasandra stormed into the cockpit.


    From the look on her face, Avery understood that she was angry, but he did not know why. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, the answer to this came but moments later when he received a swift and heavy slap to the face.


    The loud sound resounded through the ship, and Avery had to use all of his willpower to stop himself from doubling over in pain. Kasandra had not held back one bit, and her biotic enchantments gave her far greater than normal strength.


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    Seeming to have released all of her anger with that single slap, Kasandra wrapped Avery in her arms as she began crying.


    His unbelievably risky maneuver jumping from Kaiden¡¯s vessel to the Dauntless had nearly ended in disaster. For a few moments, Kasandra had truly believed she was going to lose Avery. That his need to always be at the forefront of every conflict was going to finally get him killed.


    Watching someone that they loved nearly die would put an emotional strain on anybody. And Kasandra could hardly control herself after reuniting with Avery.


    As for Ezra and Kaiden, they arrived a few moments later. Stern expressions on both of their faces as well.


    Ezra took the lead in chastising Avery for his recklessness. They understood that he had done so to help Jasmine, but things were not quite so dire that it should have been necessary. Using their ships, the two of them could have kept the attackers after the Dauntless at bay long enough for the Alliance Police to coordinate their forces and take control of the situation.


    Avery bit his lower lip in frustration, wanting to defend his actions as he was attacked on all sides.


    Everything had worked out in the end, so it should not have been a problem.


    ¡¯No, I just don¡¯t want to admit that I was wrong. I know I¡¯ve been acting rash.¡¯


    If he looked at it objectively, some of his strategies had put him in far too much risk. Charging into large groups of enemies alone, swinging around an emergency vehicle that exceeded the recommended amount of weight his power armor could lift, and most recently jumping from one ship to another during the midst of combat.


    There was a fine line between heroics and foolishness, and he had finally crossed it earlier today.


    He had managed to recover this time, but what about in the future. If he kept taking such high risks, eventually he was going to fail.


    The others had gone along with him so far, since Avery¡¯s plans were always sound enough and left enough room for him to retreat if needed, but that was not the case this time. He was just plain lucky to not have died. Had the laser that hit him been more than a graze, or had he failed to catch himself on the Dauntless¡¯ hull, things would have ended far worse.


    "Okay, I get it. No more stunts like that from me. I¡¯ll make sure to listen to all of you in the future, and if the majority of you disagree, I¡¯ll accept your decision." Avery eventually said. Conceding that he was wrong.


    Kasandra and Kaiden both warning him was still fresh in his mind. Neither of them had wanted him to do something so risky, but he had used his authority as leader of their group to force their hands.


    With Avery having admitted his fault, the others quickly eased up and got back to the topic at hand.


    They currently had two sources of information to pursue to find out about Grito¡¯s uncle. The facility the young Baccigan had been held at, and the prisoner they had captured.

 Chapter 116 Two Avenues of Investigation

    After discussing it amongst themselves, Avery¡¯s group eventually decided to leave interrogating their prisoner to Kaiden, while the rest of them would follow Grito to where he had been held in the colony¡¯s warehouse district.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t think my power armor will be all that useful for this mission. Plus, it definitely needs to be repaired before I use it again. I put far too much pressure on it this time.¡¯ Avery thought while collecting his gear.


    Certainly, his Sterkur MK VIII was strong, but it was completely lacking subtlety. In the best-case scenario, they would sneak into the facility and retrieve the information they were after without being noticed.


    "You¡¯re sure you remember the way?" Avery asked Grito as they exited the Dauntless.


    "Yes, Baccigan¡¯s have impeccable memory, and to escape, my mind was racing and fully focused. So long as we return to the street where you helped me, I can easily retrace the path."


    Grito was undoubtably confident, and now that they were finally getting around to going after his uncle, he was practically buzzing with anticipation. He had been through a lot, but now there was finally a bit of hope that things would turn around.


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    As their group moved down the streets of the colony, the devastation left in the wake of the terrorist attacks made itself abundantly clear. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hundreds of emergency vehicles could be seen flying around, several roads were closed off, and large construction equipment was already getting to work clearing away the rubble.


    Since the founding of this colony, there had never been a disaster anywhere close to this one, and it would likely later be listed as one of the worst attacks on a colony in the history of the Dramid Alliance outside of war time.


    With a heavy police presence outside and several routes cut off, it proved time consuming for Avery and his team to reach their first destination.


    Multiple times it had been necessary to take long detours around zones of destruction, and towards the end, they had been forced to sneak through a restricted area to get where they wanted to be.


    Nevertheless, they made it to the now deserted street where Avery and his group had saved Grito from the two fake Alliance Police officers.


    "It should be this way." Girto said, leading them into the warehouse district.


    The five of them moved cautiously despite the fact that no one seemed to be around.


    While the area had particularly low foot traffic as mostly drones gathered and delivered goods, the possibility of running into more people affiliated with those after Grito was not nonexistent.


    "Stop, I can hear heartbeats ahead." Kasandra said as they neared the place Grito had been held prisoner.


    Everyone came to a halt at her warning, and a moment later Kasandra pulled out what looked like a small metal sphere.


    From her terminal she activated the tiny surveillance drone, and had it slowly roll around the corner so that she could have a visual on their target.


    "Looks like there are just two of them."


    Avery, Ezra, Jasmine, and Grito crowded around Kasandra and peered down at the display on her terminal. Outside of the warehouse were two guards equipped with laser rifles and body armor.


    Normally, security in this area was left up to drones, but sometimes people had things stored away that they absolutely wanted some personnel around to protect. In this case though, it was not any sort of goods, but actually a secret base set up to detain Grito.


    "Was the entrance guarded when you escaped from here?" Avery asked.


    "I don¡¯t know, but probably. I crawled through an airduct to get out."


    Taking a good look at how small Grito was compared to him or most of the other species resigning within the Alliance, Avery could see a Baccigan being able to do something like that.


    However, that would hardly be a viable method for the rest of them. Especially Ezra, considering he was well over two meters tall and extremely broad with bulging muscles.


    If Avery was comfortable sending Grito in alone, it would be easily enough for their small client to slip back through the way he came out before, but that would be far too risky.


    Should something happened to Grito inside, Avery and his team would either have to abandon him or break into the place by force. Neither of which were particularly appealing prospects.


    Yet, even as Kasandra scanned the entire outside with her small surveillance drone, no other way in was found. It was the guarded front door or an air vent.


    "If we take them down quickly and silently, we might be able to get in withou-"


    "Avery, I have a suggestion." Kasandra suddenly said, interrupting him.


    Turning towards her, Avery saw the confident gleam in her eyes and nodded his head for her to continue.


    "I believe I can fit through the vent as well. Being a Felis Therianthrope, my body is far more flexible than a human¡¯s. I should be able to crawl through the largest vent without too much trouble. Also with my heightened hearing, I can help Grito avoid anyone on the inside and we can collect the information that we¡¯re after. You can trust me to do this."


    Seeing how determined she was, Avery wanted to give his permission, but a part of him was still skeptical.


    Kasandra had two very noticeable features that protruding out of her chest. While the rest of her body might not be a problem, Avery was worried that her breasts might be a tad too large to fit.


    Naturally, Kasandra noticed where his gaze was going. Had anyone else been looking at her like that, she would have glared at and hit them.


    "I know that we¡¯re young, but I don¡¯t really think now is a good time to do something like that. Maybe once we finish up with his job though." Kasandra said teasingly.


    Hearing this caused Avery¡¯s cheeks to grow red, and for some reason, Jasmine stepped into view and stood next to Kasandra while holding her arms under her own chest to emphasize her bust. As if she had suddenly felt competitive.


    "You are a lucky man indeed." Ezra said, a smirk on his face.


    For some reason Avery¡¯s team had decided to poke fun at him in this moment.


    Nevertheless, despite how embarrassed he was feeling, he just went along with it. This was obviously a means to bring some levity to the situation after all they had been through today.


    "Okay, I¡¯ll believe in you. Escort Grito inside and find out where his uncle is being kept. But at the first sign of trouble, call us for backup and get out of there."


    With their plan set, Kasandra and Grito stealthy moved towards the vent on the far side of the building away from the two guards posted out front.


    This left Avery, Ezra, and Jasmine waiting on standby, but sometimes only the right people for a job could be involved.


    "I¡¯m surprised that you were able to climb down from up there." Kasandra whispered when they reached the backside of the warehouse.


    The air vent Grito had escaped from was over five meters up the wall. For most people that was already quite high, but for a Baccigan it would seem like an even greater distance. A fall from there likely would have killed Grito.


    "Well, it just so happens that our species happens to be exceptionally good climbers. Most don¡¯t know this though, since with technological advancements, there is hardly a need for us to be scaling things anymore like our ancestors of old did on our home world."


    With his six arms, Grito grabbed onto the wall and started climbing up it as if gravity had no hold on him. Similar to certain lizards, his fingers had cling pads that allowed him to affix to most surfaces.


    Once Grito had opened the vent and entered inside of it, Kasandra followed after him.


    Unlike her little companion, she did not climb up the wall but instead bent down low and used her legs like springs to jump.


    Thanks to her enhanced physique and the natural agility of her species, she was able to clear the five-meter jump with ease.


    As she reached the full height of her leap, she grabbed the edge of the open vent and pulled herself inside.


    Immediately she felt how tight it was, but forcing her joints to compress to the absolute limit, she was able to wedge herself inside and slowly crawl through it like a worm.


    ¡¯I know I told Avery it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but this really is uncomfortable.¡¯ Kasandra thought, feeling her chest being forcefully compressed against her body.


    Thankfully it was not to the point of being unbearable and she continued to crawl through the vent.


    Eventually she caught up with Grito, who had stopped and was messing with some wires he had pulled out of a panel. Unlike Kasandra, he was hardly cramped in this confined space and was able to move about with hardly any restriction.


    "There we go. I¡¯ve managed to get into the building¡¯s security network and looped the cameras to continue playing old footage. I¡¯ve also deactivated a few alarms. Thankfully there weren¡¯t any in here."


    Of course, since Grito had escaped this place before, he was already intimate with its security measures. This second time around, with some proper tools he had received from Kaiden¡¯s ship, it was shockingly easy for him to disable core systems of the facility meant to keep it safe.

 Chapter 117 Two Avenues of Investigation (2)

    While Avery, Kasandra, Jasmine, Ezra, and Grito were off infiltrating the enemy¡¯s base, Kaiden was left on his ship with prisoner they had captured.


    There was no absolute guarantee that this man was working with the people that had abducted Grito and his uncle, but it did seem to be highly likely.


    From the group¡¯s gear and training, it was obvious that those that had gone after the Dauntless were someone¡¯s private soldiers. The most logical reason for the fierce attack was that they wanted to recapture Grito.


    "Okay, time to wake up." S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Standing in front of the medical pod aboard his vessel, Kaiden accessed the control panel and swiftly entered a set of commands.


    A couple moments later, a jet injector administered a stimulant to the man to counteract the sedative that had been keeping him unconscious.


    When the man¡¯s consciousness finally returned, his eyes shot open, and the first thing he saw was Kaiden glaring at.


    "You¡¯re going talk, or you¡¯re going to experience hell. Pick which one you want." Kaiden said as he slammed his arm against the glass and brought his face as close as he could.


    His tone was ice cold and the expression he was wearing was evidence enough that he was absolutely serious.


    Even being a trained soldier, the man held within the medical pod felt an intense terror. In this moment, Kaiden appeared almost like a demon to him.


    Nevertheless, even as fear welled up inside him, the soldier remained tight lipped and said nothing. He could not speak, or the consequences would be dire.


    "I see. Well, this should get you talking soon enough."


    Kaiden¡¯s intimating demeanor did a complete one eighty and he suddenly seemed completely relaxed. As if the hostility he had been exuding had never existed to begin with.


    Had he actually wanted to torture the guy, it would have been easy enough. But there were better and smatter ways to make people talk.


    "This is a real pain, since I didn¡¯t want to have to use this stuff. It¡¯s all high quality and from my personal stash." Kaiden said with a sigh.


    From out of a hidden compartment in the room, Kaiden pulled out a well-crafted but completely nondescript bottle.


    Sloshing around inside of it was a silver-colored liquid, that if anyone got a whiff of, would know it was highly alcoholic immediately.


    "This is a wine that uses the yevesa fruit as a base. I wonder if you know about it?"


    Kaiden shook the bottle in front of the man¡¯s face and gave him the most sinister grin he had ever seen.


    Of course, he had heard of the infamous drink before. It was actually illegal in Alliance since the fruit that was the wine¡¯s main indigent had strong psychedelic properties. A small amount was fine and allowed most people to enjoy a very blissful buzz, which was why it was sought after despite being outlawed.


    However, too much and a person could completely lose control of their faculties. They would start seeing things and be far more susceptible to suggestions. With all of their inhibitions wiped away, it was said that anyone that had enough of the drink would happily spill even their most closely guarded secrets.


    In response to this blatant threat, the man closed his mouth shut and prepared to resist.


    "Did you really believe that I was going to try and force you to drink this. Do you not realize where you are? There are much easier ways to administer this." Kaiden said vindictively.


    While this was not its intended purpose, Kaiden filled a certain compartment meant for medicine with around half of the contents that remined in the bottle. He figured that this would be more than enough.


    After that, he entered a few commands into the console and activated the pod¡¯s vaporized medicine administration process.


    Immediately the sealed space filled up with a thick alcoholic vapor.


    Unable to hold his breathe for long, the man naturally drew the substance into his body.


    Quickly, his consciousness began to slip, and he entered a sort of hypnotic state. Reality seemed to disappear, and he felt a bubbly sense of euphoria that put a stupid looking smile on his face despite the circumstances he found himself in.


    "Okay, friend. I seem to have forgotten your name. Would you mind telling it to me again?" Kaiden said, acting overly familiar to make the man seem as if they were already acquainted.


    "Huh? O-oh yeah! Wh-what we¡¯re we doing again?"


    Not getting the response he wanted immediately, Kaiden had to hold in a growl and continued to probe the man with friendly conversation.


    It took a while to get exactly what he wanted since the person he was integrating was somewhat delirious, but Kaiden eventually found out his name.


    "Now, let¡¯s see what sort of information I can pull up you, Erantur Oert."


    Kaiden swiftly pulled out his terminal and searched up the man¡¯s name. Yet what he found was shocking.


    The man before him was a two star mercenary, but one that had gone missing four years ago. After not checking in with association or having any electronic records within the Dramid Alliance since, he had been presumed dead.


    Once Kaiden skimmed through some of the information he was able to find on his captive, he got back to probing him for information.


    "So, you¡¯re a fellow merc. No wonder we got along so well. Now tell me about your work."


    Slowly Kaiden dug into Erantur¡¯s past and started to piece things together.


    He eventually got to the topic of the last job the man had done and learned that it had been off the books. A job not vetted by the association.


    Naturally such work could be highly lucrative, but it was almost always something that was illegal.


    Nevertheless, mercenaries hard up for cash were not typically particularly picky about the jobs they took.


    "And that last job you took. It somehow led to you working for your current employer?"


    "Yes, that¡¯s right. My master, Lord Ini-"


    Just as Erantur was about to spill the information that Kaiden wanted, he suddenly started screaming and thrashing about violently.


    Seeing this, Kaiden panicked for a moment, absolutely baffled by what was going on. He had bene monitoring the man¡¯s vitals with the medical pod and there had been nothing out of the ordinary.


    Now however, Erantur¡¯s heartrate had skyrocketed, and some sort of foreign electrical impulse was activating every pain receptor in his body all at once.


    Kaiden frantically tried to stabilize the man¡¯s condition, but no matter what he did, the electrical impulses only grew stronger to counteract it.


    Eventually, his captive stopped moving entirely and the signal from his heart came to a complete stop. Whatever had just happened had killed Erantur.


    Clenching his teeth so hard that they started to creak, Kaiden slammed his fists into the glass of the medical pod¡¯s lid.


    He had been keeping his usual fiery temper contained and pretending to be cordial to get the information he wanted, but now the captive he had worked so hard on was dead.


    All his frustration came up at once, and Kaiden could not hold his anger in.


    He smashed quite a few things in the medical bay, before eventually taking a small swing of the yevesa wine to calm down.


    "Damn it, how could he have died while he was inside friggin medical pod? Was this thing defective?" Kaiden grumbled as he ran a diagnostic.


    Yet, everything seemed to be fine, so the only other possible answer was something internal.


    Still, a scan of Erantur¡¯s body did not show any sort of foreign device or substance in his body.


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    For a moment, Kaiden was stumped. But he then came upon the idea of tracing the electrical impulses back to their source.


    He found it to be the brain, which obviously already managed the natural electrical impulses within the body. Making it difficult to determine the cause of the anomaly.


    Nonetheless, there had been nothing natural about Erantur¡¯s death, so despite not wanting to, Kaiden opened the pod and cut into the man¡¯s head.


    "Whoever put this in him must be a sick son of a b*tch."


    Planted deep inside the man¡¯s brain was some sort of implant. It had been carefully made not to show up on normal scans which was why Kaiden¡¯s medical pod had been unable to locate it.


    Unfortunately, just having the device did not give Kaiden any real information. He was not some technological genius. To him it just looked like a piece of advanced technology.


    "Maybe that Baccigan, Grito can figure something out about it when he gets back. At the very least, I do know that this is what killed him. And it did so when he was about to reveal who he worked for." Kaiden said, going back into his memory and careful replaying what Erantur said.


    He had started to panic when the man¡¯s condition destabilized, but right before then, he could remember him saying the beginning of his maser¡¯s name.


    "It¡¯s someone whose name starts with Ini-. Guess I¡¯ll search around to see if anyone fits the bill."

 Chapter 118 Two Avenues of Investigation (3)

    "I¡¯m never suggesting I do something like this again."


    Having finally exited the air vent, Kasandra quickly stretched out her body after having been in immensely cramped quarters.


    Even as flexible as she was, it had been painful and uncomfortable to crawl though something clearly not large enough for someone her size. And had a human attempted the same thing, they probably would have gotten stuck at the entrance.


    Still, her plan had been successful. She and Grito were now inside the enemy base without any of the guards being aware of their presence.


    "It doesn¡¯t sound like anyone is nearby. Can you take us to the room where you made daily calls to your uncle?" Kasandra asked, looking down at her much smaller companion.


    Grtio nodded his head and began retracing the way he had traveled every day since he had been captured. The short time he was able to speak with his uncle during his confinement was the only small bit of solace available to him here. He had long since memorized the route to the communications room.


    Along the way, Kasandra had them hide off down a side hall for a bit as a pair of two guards walked by, but other than that, they were able to reach their destination without any issues.


    "Looks like there is a single person inside." Kasandra whispered to Grito after carefully putting one of her ears against the door.


    "What¡¯ll we do?" Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


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    Grito already had some tools out so that he could bypass the door¡¯s electronic lock, but he was far from an expert at situations like this. He was unsure of what the correct move was.


    It was possible that the person inside might leave eventually, and they could sneak in then.


    However, while Kasandra considered this option, she felt like staying here for any longer than necessary would increase their chances of getting found out.


    "On my mark open the door. I¡¯ll take care of the person inside." Kasandra said, pulling her laser pistol out of its holster.


    Eyes wide, Grito realized what she was planning to do and hesitated for a moment. He certainly could not call himself an upstanding citizen of the Dramid Alliance since he had helped the Odium Syndicate smuggle drugs since he was young, but never had he been directly involved in killing someone. If he opened this door like she wanted, he knew that Kasandra was going to eliminate the person on the other side.


    As Grito hesitated to do as she ordered, Kasandra looked down at him and noticed the terror in his eyes.


    For a moment, she flashed back to her own past, remembering the worst day of her life.


    "Fine. I won¡¯t kill them. But I still need you to open the door." Kasandra said with a sigh, holstering her weapon.


    She then told Grito her new plan and the young Baccigan felt a heavy weight fall off his shoulders now that he was not going to be an accessory to killing someone.


    Once everything was set up, Grito opened the door and went completely still.


    "Huh?" The guard inside said with visible confusion.


    He looked around for anyone and called out when he did not see another person, but there was no response.


    Before getting up to check on it, he made sure that none of the other guards had noted anything suspicious in their shared log.


    "Must just be a malfunction. Stupid place is pretty old."


    The guard got up and ahead over to the door to assess the problem and close it if possible.


    Yet the moment he peeked his head outside, Kasandra struck.


    With blinding agility, she hooked her right arm around the man¡¯s neck and got behind him.


    He was certainly larger than her, but she had caught him by surprise and the bionic enhancements she had received made her a bit stronger.


    "No, none of that."


    Kasandra noticed the man trying to press a button on the terminal attached to his wrist and used her other arm to hold him back.


    For a couple of minutes, the two of them struggled, but in the end, the guard passed out after the blood flow to his brain had been cut off for too long.


    After she felt him go completely limp, Kasandra carefully dropped the man to the ground and dragged him back into the room.


    "Okay Grito, get to work." Kasandra said, pointing at the monitor in front of them.


    It did not take long for the tech savvy Baccigan to gain access to the communications network within the base and pull up the transmission logs.


    "They bounced it around quite a bit to make it difficult to track, but it still won¡¯t be enough to stop me."


    With all six of his hands moving concurrently, Grito input commands into the computer faster than Kasandra had ever seen before.


    "You¡¯re pretty amazing when it comes to your field of expertise." Kasandra said, voicing the surprise and awe she was feeling watching Grtio work.


    "We¡¯ve all got things that we¡¯re good at. This is about the only thing I can do though. So, I¡¯m really thankful for your group¡¯s help. I couldn¡¯t be certain that the Alliance Police would actually do anything."


    "Yeah, they would have had a difficult time all things considering. Especially with those attacks that just occurred." Kasandra said, nodding her head in agreement.


    The Alliance Police had far more rules and regulations to follow than mercenaries did. To gain access to this place, they would have needed to get a warrant and go through all manner of other red tape.


    Of course, what Kasandra and Grito were doing right now was not strictly legal, but the people here had far more to lose than them if the police truly got involved than they did. It was highly unlikely that anyone involved in abducting Grito and his uncle were going to call the authorities on them.


    "And while agree that everyone has their own specialties, sometimes you¡¯re going to have to do things that are out of you¡¯re comfort zone. There might come a time very soon when you don¡¯t have the luxury of mercy. Just keep that in mind." Kasandra said, looking towards the unconscious guard and speaking from experience.


    Grito followed her eyes and gulped when he realized what she meant. He hoped that that day never came.

 Chapter 119 A Risky Distraction

    Once Grtio had finally found the location of where his uncle was, he saved it to an external drive to be analyzed later. This was hardly the place to continue looking into things since at any moment the enemy could discover them.


    "Okay, let¡¯s get out of here." Kasandra said, leading the way back to the vent that they had come in through.


    Yet unbeknownst to them, a major problem was currently occurring just outside of the warehouse.


    ¡­


    "This isn¡¯t good." Avery muttered.


    Several people wearing combat gear and armed with near military grade weaponry had just entered the area and were carefully heading towards the warehouse Kasandra and Grito had snuck into.


    With only a glance, Avery recognized them as the group that had attacked the Dauntless while it was in the hangar.


    It seemed that after the battle, they had slowly and carefully made their way back to their base.


    "A lot of them appear to still be injured, but this could be bad." Ezra said, observing their enemies¡¯ movements.


    Most of the force was heading inside, which was a problem on its own, but some of them were spreading out around the entire perimeter of the building. Before long they would have people stationed around the vent Kasandra and Grito had used to slip into the warehouse.


    Avery brought his terminal up to his mouth, but he hesitated to call them. If their communication got intercepted, it would be all over.


    "There¡¯s no point in worrying now. They need to know."


    At Jasmine¡¯s insistence, Avery finally made the call to Kasandra. If everything fell apart because of this, they would just need to improvise.


    "Avery, what¡¯s going on? I thought we were supposed to maintain radio silence expect for an emergency?" Kasandra said, her voice a bit strained from being cramped inside of an airduct.


    "Yeah, and we¡¯ve got one. The remnants of the guys we fought in the hangar have just arrived here. Most of them headed inside, but they¡¯ve spread out to guard the entire exterior of the building now. You won¡¯t be able to get out without being noticed."


    On the other side of the call Avery heard frustrated grumbling and a heavy sigh.


    "Got it, but what should we do then? I don¡¯t think that they¡¯re going to find us here, so we could wait it out until it¡¯s clear." Kasandra suggested.


    However, Avery was less than enthused about such a plan. Not only was Kasandra straining herself right now, but there was no guarantee that a window of opportunity was going to present itself soon. The longer she and Grito stayed holed up in the airduct, the more they were going to wear themselves out. And it was only a matter of time until the guy they knocked out was discovered or woke up on his own.


    "We¡¯ll try and figure out a distraction on our end. Head right up to the vent¡¯s exit and wait for the people watching the area to leave."


    With that Avery hung up and started racking his brain for a way to distract the guards without causing a large commotion.


    Obviously they could simply attack the front of the building to draw the people from the back away, but that could easily blow up in their face.


    The Alliance Police might still have been busy with cleaning up the aftermath of the terrorist attack, but they certainly had enough leeway now to respond to a firefight breaking out. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡¯I also don¡¯t have my power armor right now. I really want to avoid getting into a fight if at all possible.¡¯ Avery thought, trying to come up with some sort of plan.


    "Avery, I might have an idea." Jasmine said, her cheeks tinged red.


    She then suggested something to him that a pair of her coworkers had once done to distract a pair of criminals guarding a building the police wanted to raid.


    Bashfully, she whispered the plan into his ear, and his own face started to heat up.


    Doing something like that in public would certainly get someone¡¯s attention.


    "They might recognize us though. If they start shooting, we¡¯re going to be in trouble."


    "We¡¯ve both got personal shield generators on us, so a few blasts won¡¯t be a problem. Plus, you fought in your power armor the entire time and I was inside the Dauntless. So, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll know what the two of us look like. Probably."


    Avery rubbed his eyes and sighed as he considered Jasmine¡¯s plan. It was a big gamble, but if it worked, then it would serve as a good enough distraction.


    Nevertheless, they would be putting themselves at risk, so Avery asked Ezra to be ready to jump in if things turned sour.


    "Now we need to look the roles that we¡¯ll be playing."


    Despite how embarrassed she looked, Jasmine nevertheless started taking her pants off.


    While Avery felt it was absurd, Jasmine¡¯s plan was to pretend to be oblivious lovers that just so happened to wander into the area.


    This would certainly catch the guards¡¯ attention, Avery just hoped not in the wrong way.


    As he was unbuttoning his shirt, Jasmine suddenly came up to him and started sucking on his neck.


    "It will be more convincing if we have some visible marks. Now you do me." Jasmine said, pulling aside her hair and exposed her neck. Enjoy new adventures at NovelFire.C?m


    This was not the first time they had done something like this, but it certainly felt embarrassing doing it out in the open. Almost to the point that Avery wanted to suggest that they just go in guns blazing instead.


    "Did members of the police really do something like this? And it worked?"


    "Yeah, you¡¯d be surprised at how easily people get distracted by something like this. Well so long as they¡¯re humanoid. I don¡¯t think a bunch of Baccigans would particularly care." Jasmine said, laughing to disperse some of her nervousness.


    Already having come this far, Avery simply sighed again and continued to dishevel his and Jasmine¡¯s appearance. All the while hoping that this plan would actually succeed.

 Chapter 120 120 A Risky Distraction (2)

    "Hehe. If you had a place like that out here, we should have come earlier."


    "Yeah, you''re right. But I just had to make sure that you were into that kind of thing first. I''ve brought a couple other girls with me before, but they all ran away screaming when they got inside."


    "Oh, they must have been prudes then. That means I wasn''t the first one though. I''m starting to feel upset." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Sorry babydoll. Don''t worry, I''ll make it up to you. How about I buy you some expensive clothes."


    "Yippee. You''re the best."


    The guards standing watch outside of the warehouse that Grito had once been held in suddenly heard loud and obnoxious voices approaching them.


    From the content of the conversation, it was easy enough for them to imagine the type of people talking. And the moment that the two came into view, it all but confirmed their suspicions.


    A man and woman, both wearing the absolute bare minimum to avoid breaking public decency laws came around the corner.


    With just a single glance, it was clear that they had been indulging in certain activities before making their way here.


    The guards could see red marks on both of their necks, and what clothing items they had on seemed to be drenched in sweat.


    "Who the hell does something like that in the midst of a terrorist attack?" One of the guards muttered in bafflement.


    Of course, their boss was the one that had instigated the entire incident, but that was beside the point. All of them were astonished to see people so oblivious to the state of the colony.


    "You two, stop right there. This area is restricted." The leader of the four guards watching the back of their base said.


    "Huh, what you talking about?" The guy of the pair said in an abrasive manner.


    "This warehouse is the property of our lord. We have valuable items currently stored inside and are tasked with protecting them. I don''t know where you''re coming from or where you''re going but find another route."


    "We don''t care about your stuff or whatever. We''re just heading home. The road is public property, so just continue protecting the building and let us go by." The woman said, a disgruntled look on her face.


    What she said was true, the guards had no right over the street, and normally they would not have been so cautious. However, they had made quite commotion in one of the hangars and it was only a matter of time before the authorities came looking for them. Right now, they were waiting at this base for an extraction team to come and take them off the colony while the police were still busy with the aftermath of the recent attack.


    "You two don''t seem to know this, but a terrorist incident recently occurred throughout the entire colony. In light of that, we are being extra cautious. I''ll ask again nicely, please go another way."


    This time the guard put a bit more force into his force and shook the laser rifle on his back. He had been trying to end things cordially since causing a scene could lead to trouble, but his patience would only go so far.


    "Woah, are you really threatening us?" The blonde-haired man said, in exasperated shock. "Although, I could get into that. I''m sure that my girl wouldn''t mind having a few more playmates. How about you guys join us the next time."


    "Shouldn''t you get my permission for something like that before saying it. Though, I admit that it might be interesting."


    For a moment the lead guard could swear that he saw the two people before him glancing behind him, but the instant he felt that something was amiss and was about to turn around, the man grabbed the woman and brought her into his embrace.


    He held his arm up under her breasts and empathized them. This caught all of the guard''s attention. Obviously, from the moment they first saw the pair, it was clear that the woman was beautiful. And the scene in front of them was certainly eye-catching.


    "Why don''t we share contact information, and I''ll message all of you when it''s time to have some fun. Then we can just go about our way for now. There''s no point in being so uptight."


    "We are not here for your games. This is the last time I''ll ask. Vacate the area."


    Finally fed up, the guards pulled out their weapons and pointed them at the debaucherous pair that had wandered into the area.


    "Okay, okay. But it''s your loss. Let''s go."


    The guards watched as the two of them went back the way that they came. It seemed that the strange encounter was finally over.


    Still, the lead guard could not help but feel that something was suspicious about what had just occurred.


    "The timing feels almost too perfect. Right after everything that has happened today, they show up and cause a minor disturbance."


    His instincts telling him that something was wrong, the man turned around and followed where he saw the two people glance earlier.


    There he saw a vent around five meter up the building''s back wall. It did not appear to be anything special, and there was nothing out of place as far as he could tell.


    Yet, only a few minutes later did he receive a transmission from inside the base that one of their members had been found unconscious and that there was evidence that the commination system had been hacked.


    "No, it couldn''t be." He murmured in abject terror.


    Following up on his concerns, he had one of his men check the vent and they found signs that it had been recently tampered with.


    There were also some brown and orange hairs found at the entrance that most certainly should have been there.


    All at once, each of the guards understood what had happened. The infiltrators had already made an escape, and the pair that had seemingly appeared at random had been a distraction.


    "We need to go after them at once."


    "But sir, it''s already been over twenty minutes since they left. There''s no telling where they might be now."


    "Also, the extraction team will be here soon. If we''re missing when they arrive, it won''t end well for us."


    "You fools! Once our lord learns about our blunders, we''re as good as dead anyway. If we catch those people quickly and bring them to him, we just might be able to save ourselves. Now go, quickly."


    With that, the four guards that had failed in their duty ran off after the two that had so thoroughly distracted them. Unfortunately, they never were able to find them.

 Chapter 121 121 Consolidating Information

    After Avery and Jasmine had gotten a good distance away from the warehouse, the two of them stopped and waited for the others to meet up with them.


    Both of them were breathing heavily and looked sick because of the act they had just put on. While they had not incurred any physical damage, it had certainly brough them no small amount of mental distress.


    They had needed to act like they were absolutely depraved to sell the act. In the heat of the moment right when Kasandra and Grito were coming out of the vent, Avery realized that the guard that had approached them was getting suspicious and he had done something horrible to Jasmine.


    She had played along, but just remembering it made him feel like throwing up.


    "Never again. I''d rather just start shooting than have to do something like that another time." Avery said, his expression one of utter disgust.


    "I know it was my idea, but I think I agree. That was far worse than I thought it would be."


    Jasmine looked completely ashamed of herself. Sure, their tactic had been effective, but it had required doing something that crossed over the line of what she was comfortable with. She was far from being some chaste maiden but showing off her body to so many people like that was beyond unsettling. And the way Avery had been forced to act sickened her. It was far removed from how he normally was and the man she fell in love with.


    "I don''t know, I thought that it was pretty funny. When I first saw the two of you, I almost burst out laughing and gave myself away."


    Kasandra wore a big smirk as she rounded the corner and met back up with Avery and Jasmine. She had seen their entire distraction, and it was certainly amusing to have watched the two of them acting completely different from normal.


    "How about next time you take my role then." Jasmine responded bitterly.


    "Oh no, I don''t think I can replace Avery''s babydoll."


    Kasandra''s snarky reply had both Avery and Jasmine''s face burning bright red as they were forced to relieve what they had just done.


    Still, their back and forth bickering at the very least helped Avery and Jasmine to forget how disgusted they had been feeling. Being a bit angry and frustrated at being teased was a lot easier to deal with.


    "I get that the three of you are close but now is not the time for this. You can flirt later. We need to get going." Ezra said, walking into view.


    "Yeah, you''re right. But why is Grito hanging off your back?"


    Avery was perplexed to see a small head popping up over Ezra''s shoulder. For some reason, Grito was clinging to him.


    "We need to hurry and get out of here, and as I''m sure you know, he''s not able to keep up with us when we''re really moving."


    "Plus, I have a far better vantage point from up here. I can keep a look out for any pursuers." Grito added.


    Deciding to simply accept the explanations given to him, Avery took the lead and started heading back to the hangar where their ships were waiting. It was time for them to meet back up with Kaiden and go through what they had found.


    ¡­


    "He''s really dead."


    "Yeah. The sick bastard he works for put this in his head." Kaiden said, pulling out a clear container that held some sort of device in it."


    After getting back to the hangar, their group of six met back on the Dauntless to discuss things.


    Unfortunately, Kaiden''s news came as a shock to all of them and was far from good.


    The prisoner they had taken ended up dying because he was about to spill intel on his boss. It was certainly a twisted way to keep people in line, but it had been effective.


    Just before Kaiden was able to figure out who those private soldiers worked for, the man had been racked with immense pain and died soon after.


    "This is just great. But at least we got the communication information from their base. With it we should be able to trace it back to where Grito''s uncle is being held."


    "Hey, just because the guy died before telling me who his boss is, doesn''t mean that I didn''t get any useful information." Kaiden interjected.


    Quickly he relayed what he had learned, and it was both shocking and infuriating.


    "So, their boss, lord, or whatever they call him, gives mercenaries off the books jobs and then kidnaps them. That''s just down right¡­"


    Avery became so furious he could not even get the words out.


    He was angry at the person behind everything and himself. The people that they had been fighting and even killed some of were being forced to do the bidding of a figure that had abducted and enslaved them.


    Then there was the fact that these people were their peers. Mercenaries just like them that had rotten luck and ended up tricked.


    "To think that someone would do something like this." Jasmine said, an aghast expression on her face.


    "It certainly is heinous, but I understand why it was done. Mercenaries go missing all the time, so no one is going to heavily investigate a few disciplines. A lot of them have decent skills and don''t need much training to become soldiers as well. For someone without any morals, its an easy way to build up their forces."


    "Ezra, why are you saying something like that?" Avery said, his rage apparent.


    He felt that Ezra sounded a bit too nonchalant as he was explaining things. They were mercenaries themselves. People like them were being targeted and forced to act as slave soldiers.


    "I was just coming at it from a rational point of view. But don''t get me wrong, I find it despicable as well. I''m pissed off just like the rest of you. If I had my hands on the person behind this, I''d rip them apart right now."


    S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 122 122 Consolidating Information (2)

    Once Avery and his companions had managed to calm down after learning that the private soldiers they had been fighting were actually kidnapped mercenaries that had implants in their heads forcing their subservience, they listened to the rest of what Kaiden had learned.


    "So, we''re looking for someone whose name begins with Ini-. That''s not much but it''s something at least. Jasmine, would you look into influential or wealthy people currently operating in or have some sort of stake in the Phregon System. Maybe we''ll get lucky and come up with a decent suspect list." Avery said.


    While Jasmine began her investigation to identify a potential mastermind orchestrating the attacks and kidnappings within the system, Grito connected the data drive containing the communication information obtained from the enemy''s base to the Dauntless'' main computer.


    From there, they traced the calls to their source and found that it originated from an orbital station around Drahanus, the planet that was currently undergoing terraforming. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Well, we know where he is now, but that''s not going to be an easy place to break into." Ezra said, staring intently at the screen.


    Not only was the station in question built like a fortress, but it was also in an area with far too many eyes on it.


    Right now, Drahanus was basically the center of the system. There were hundreds of ships coming to and going from the planet every day, and already there were nearly a hundred stations in orbit of it or floating in nearby space.


    Security was incredibly strict, with the Alliance police having a heavy presence, along with private security and mercenaries.


    If Avery''s group tried to attack the station, it would not be long before they were swarmed and overwhelmed.


    "Do we know who is in charge of that station?" Avery asked, looking towards Kasandra and seeing her already typing away on her terminal.


    However, the deeper she dug, the more frustrated she looked.


    Eventually she put her terminal down and threw her hands up into the air in defeat.


    "I give up. All the information I can find on that place is worthless."


    Grumbling as she did so, Kasandra explained that the orbital station holding Grito''s uncle was apparently owned by a company called Br¨¦ige Pharmaceuticals.


    Yet, when she looked into the holdings of the company, even going so far as to pay for the information on a site that collected valuable intel for mercenaries, the only asset she found that truly existed was this single orbital station.


    "It''s a shell company as far as I can tell. They don''t have any physical offices, their website doesn''t have any way to interact with the business and it is basically just a brochure, and all the contact methods are completely automated and just send you around in circles. I''ve also looked up the employees that are on public record, but none of them are important in any way as far as I can tell. A few are even paid actors. With some more time and a lot of hard work I might be able to get more, but that''s all I can do for right now." Kasandra said, huffing in aggravation about how little she had been able to find.


    This was certainly not ideal. If they knew who they were up against it would give them some options, but currently they were basically going in blind. And it was only a matter of time before their enemy figured out who they were.


    "I guess until Jasmine is done, the only other lead we have is this."


    Avery picked up the device that had been implanted in Erantur Oert''s brain.


    Normally if they wanted to have something like this analyzed, they would need to commission an expert, but fortunately, their client just so happened to be quite competent in the field of technology.


    "Do you think you can figure anything out with this Grito?" Avery asked, dangling the device in front of the Baccigan''s face.


    "It looks pretty intricate, and I certainly don''t see any similarities to other similar brain implants that are more benign. Nevertheless, I''m always up for a challenge. I should at least be able to take it apart and figure out generally how it works."


    Grito appeared confident and ecstatic as he took the container holding the device from Avery.


    He then sauntered towards the ship''s medical bay, since it had the best environment for him to work in. With Kaiden right behind him to make sure he did not get into any trouble.


    "I wish we could get the Alliance Police involved. That would make this a whole lot easier." Kasandra muttered.


    "That certainly would, but it seems unlikely. Any evidence we have is circumstantial at best and was obtained through unlawful means. The only thing we have connecting that orbital station to Grito and his uncle''s abductions is Grito''s word."


    Unfortunately, what Ezra said was true. They had logs showing when certain transmissions occurred, but they only knew that this was when Grito was talking to his uncle because that was what their client told them. Even if they had obtained the information legally, it was far from enough to sway the Alliance Police to raid an orbital station of a seemingly reputable company.


    "It''s tough not being on the right side of the law, even if what we''re trying to do is generally considered good." Avery muttered, frustration evident on his face.


    In response, Kasandra and Ezra sighed and nodded their heads. During their times as mercenaries, they had accepted a few jobs that were similarly in a gray area. These types were always the hardest to complete.


    At the very least, a small ray of hope soon presented itself.


    Jasmine had diligently dug up information on individuals that had a name that began with Ini- and were connected to the Phregon System.


    "Including, first, last, and middle names, I''ve put together a list with a little under thirty possible people of interest on it. I wish I could do better, but there''s really just too many high-profile individuals involved in this project. I suppose that''s just how big of a deal terraforming a planet is."


    "Don''t worry about it, this will help immensely. Our suspect pool went from thousands to under thirty thanks to you. Now all we need to do is figure out who on this list is the mastermind behind everything." Avery said, scrolling through the names and searching for the culprit among them.

 Chapter 123 123 Consolidating Information (3)

    "Ugh! We''re not getting anywhere!"


    Avery slammed his terminal down on the console in front of him and then exhaled deeply in frustration.


    For around the last hour and a half they had been trying to figure out which one of the names Jasmine had found was connected to the tangled web of plots centered around the Phregon System.


    Terrorist, pirates, slave soldiers, and a pair of kidnapped Baccigans. They were all pieces of the same puzzle, but trying to fit them together and figure out the whole picture seemed to be impossible.


    The person that was controlling everything had covered their tracks well.


    "How many from the list are we confident aren''t involved?" Avery asked, hoping that Kasandra, Jasmine, and Ezra might have made some progress.


    "We''ve eliminated four. All of them own companies that were hit hard by the terrorist or lost several trading ships to pirates and other unknown assailants. It would be unlikely that they would cause this much harm to themselves just to seem innocent." Kasandra replied.


    That was certainly a start, but it still left them with twenty-four individuals to look into. At this point if they went after one of them, it would not even be a gamble but a shot in the dark.


    "What about Grito and Kaiden? Have they found anything yet?" Ezra asked Kasandra.


    "I''ve messaged my brother a few times, but he always just responds with ''we''re working on it''. I guess that implant must be a pretty complex piece of technology. We might need to find someone else to analyze it if Grito can''t handle it."


    Despite having gotten this far, it appeared that Avery''s group had hit a wall. That is, until Jasmine brought back up an avenue that they had all already dismissed.


    "What about trying to find a connection between Br¨¦ige Pharmaceuticals and the people on our list? Before we did not know what we we''re looking for, but trying to connect one out of twenty four people to the shell company should be a lot easier than aimlessly looking around for information."


    Having made no headway in a while, Avery, Kasandra, and Ezra shrugged their shoulders and got to work looking into Jasmine''s suggestion. If they found someone even loosely involved with Br¨¦ige Pharmaceuticals, that would probably be the person they were looking for.


    However, as they dug into it, they found that seven individuals on the list had a connection to the shell company. Either through a relationship with one of the employees or by investing money.


    "There are more of them than I was expecting. Still, we''ve narrowed it down quite a bit now. We just need one last thing to figure out which one of these people is the one we''re after." Avery said, intently staring at the shortened list.


    As they hit this slump in their investigation, Grito and Kaiden finally returned. With Grito wearing a massive grin on his face.


    "This implant is as intricate as it is diabolical, but I finally managed to figure out how it works."


    Grito slammed the implant that was back in its container in front of Avery. His expression was smug, and it looked like he was practically asking for praise.


    "Good work! So, what did you figure out about it?"


    Happily, Girto listed off the functions of the implant.


    Unlike normal medical devices of a similar nature, this one was purely designed to control the person it had been put into.


    It was capable of acting as a locater beacon, as well as completely shutting down a person''s brain. And in the most severe case, it could kill the person it was implanted into. Something Kaiden had witnessed firsthand.


    "How does it even know when to do that though?" Ezra asked, wondering how the implant activated.


    "From what I could find, it reads brain activity and listens to speech. If certain thoughts or words are formed, it turns on and delivers a punishment based on the severity of the infraction. I''m guessing that revealing the identity of the person that had this thing implanted automatically activates the elimination function. If it weren''t for the strong alcohol in the guy''s system dulling his mind, he probably would have died before he could utter even a single syllable."


    The more that they learned about it, the less humane this implant sounded. Once it was installed into someone, even thoughts of rebellion would be met with intense pain. Eventually the person would completely lose their will to fight back and become loyal soldiers just to avoid the agony that came with resistance.


    "You said that it also works as a beacon. Does that mean that they know where we are right now?" Kasandra asked, looking concerned.


    "Well, I disabled that function now, but it was active for a while. If I were to bet on it, I would say yes. But that hardly matters. They already know what ship I''m on, so they could have easily tracked us down anyway."


    While it was disconcerting to think that their enemies knew exactly where they were, there was nothing they could really do about. As Grito had said, the private soldiers had already identified the Dauntless. It would not be impossible to keep track of it while it was docked on Phregon III. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Let''s not worry about something that we can''t control." Ezra said. "Now Grito, did you figure out anything that might lead us to the identity of the one that created that implant?"


    "Maybe. Most of the components are made with techniques I''m unfamiliar with. Probably by an engineer that works solely for the person using these things. Nevertheless, the diodes and resistors used in its construction come from a major electronics company. Seeing as how they are custom made for this implant; they must have been a special order."


    With this small detail, Jasmine refined their search and checked to see if any of the seven they had narrowed it down to were connected to the company that Grtio had told them about. And as luck would have it, this served as the last bit of intel they needed. After narrowing things down, only one name remained.

 Chapter 124 124 The One Pulling the String

    "Count Iniquus Dannoso. If we put together everything we''ve gathered, he seems to be the most likely candidate for the one pulling the strings around all the incidents happening here."


    Avery traced the final remaining name on the list Jasmine had put together.


    This man was the only one with a solid connection to the planet being terraformed in the Phregon System, possessed a name starting with Ini-, had a discernable association with the person named as CEO of the shell corporation, Br¨¦ige Pharmaceuticals, and had a strong business relationship with the company Grtio had identified as providing the diodes and resistors used in the manufacturing of the implant found within Erantur Oert''s head.


    There was a possibility that they might be wrong, but at the very least, all the evidence that the six of them had collected pointed to this man.


    "Now that we''ve finally got a target. Let''s dig up everything we can on him. Though, I do wonder why he had people addressing him with his middle name?" Avery said.


    As he did, everyone except Grito looked at him in confusion. It took them a few moments to realize that Avery really did not know something that they figured he would. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Uh, Avery, count is not his first name. It''s his title. He belongs to one of three planets within the Alliance that still practice feudalism. Shouldn''t you have learned about this in school?" Jasmine said, looking perplexed.


    Hearing this, Avery froze for a second and tried to think back on his days as a student. He certainly distinctly remembered having a class that covered all of the planets in the Alliance, but he also hardly paid attention to their political structures.


    He had been far more interested and competent in math and science, and the only thing he really cared about when learning about planets was geography. Namely amazing scenery which could never be found on a station like his home of Yuson II.


    "Yeah, I remember. It''s just been a bit, and I wasn''t really thinking about something like that." Avery said, a hint of embarrassment on his face.


    Quickly, he looked up the political structure of the planet Iniquus was a part of and familiarized himself with it.


    ''Ah, so he''s basically some sort of privileged class that owns a bunch of land on his planet. His title doesn''t mean anything anywhere else though. Of course, having ownership of a large terrestrial territory gives him immense wealth. And a lot of the time, there''s nothing more powerful than money.''


    Iniquus certainly had the financial ability to fund and manipulate the pirates and terrorists that had caused chaos in and around the Phregon System.


    While Avery and his team made good money as mercenaries, someone that controlled around three million square kilometers of terrestrial land made several magnitudes more. Controlling a force of private soldiers, abducting Grito and his uncle, and smuggling in foreign warships to give to extremists was certainly within his means.


    And he had managed to do all of this without getting sniffed out by the Alliance Police. The only reason Avery and his group had managed to connect the man to everything going on was because they got lucky. Their information was also only speculative and hardly served as concrete proof.


    "Now that we know who our enemy is, we can begin coming up with some strategies, but this is still going to be difficult. It''ll be nigh impossible to sneak aboard the station and rescue Grito''s uncle." Ezra said, a pensive look on his face.


    If all they wanted to do was interrupt Iniquus plans, they could probably do so by anticipating his next moves and intervening. But so long as no damning evidence presented itself, it would be impractical to retrieve Grtio''s uncle from the orbital station. They had no grounds to infiltrate the place.


    Should Avery''s group try to force their way in, they would be the ones labeled as criminals.


    "It''s regrettable, but this might be as far as we can go. We''re only a small group of five mercenaries. Without the authorities backing us up, there''s not much more we can do."


    Kasandra''s words hit Grito hard, and the bit of hope he had started to dimmish quickly. These people were his only option to rescue his uncle, but if they gave up, it would be over. Even if the Alliance Police listened to him and opened an investigation, it was likely that the people holding his uncle captive would destroy any evidence and move him elsewhere before the police found anything.


    "We''re mercs, so at the end of the day, we''ve got to know when to cut our losses. Though, I think we''ve already invested too much into this job to pull out with nothing to show for it. Thirty million Krenin is a lot, so we can''t just let it go this easily." Kaiden said, seeming to come to Grito''s defense.


    Yet, as the young Baccigan looked towards what he thought might be his last ray of hope, he saw Kaiden''s lips twisted up into an undoubtably sinister smile.


    "Judging from all the trouble they''ve gone through to recapture Grito, I bet he''s worth at least as much as he offered us to this Iniquus guy. Now that we know who we''re dealing with, we can try and negotiate."


    Kaiden''s words crushed the last remining bit faith Grito had. As he looked around at the people he had thought were his allies, all of them suddenly looked like vicious predators ready to rip him apart.


    His eyes filled with despair and horror, and he turned towards the cockpit''s exit and thought about bolting.


    "That''s a pretty sick joke Kaiden! How could you say something like that. Can''t you see that you that you''ve terrified him?" Jasmine said, her feelings of righteousness not allowing her to even entertain the idea of selling Grtio out.


    After that the two of them got into a heated argument, Avery needed to slap his hands together loudly and glare at the both of them to restore order.


    "Both of you, stop. This isn''t the time to be quarreling amongst each other." Avery said, his expression stern. "Jasmine, I understand where you are coming from, but let Kaiden continue. I want to listen to what he has planned until the end.

 Chapter 125 125 Explosive Anger

    "Aargh!" S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Iniquus had just received multiple unfavorable reports from the team he had sent out to recapture Grito.


    Not only had they failed to bring in the young Baccigan, but it had recently been discovered that the base on Phregon III had been infiltrated and an unknown amount of data downloaded from its communication system.


    Normally when he was frustrated by less than good news, Iniquus had a bad habit of hitting his desk and leaving dents in its durable metal frame.


    This time, however, his fury had exploded past the point where he could control himself, and he picked his desk up over his head and threw it against the room''s far wall with every ounce of strength his physically enhanced body was capable of.


    A resounding slam echoed through the room as the desk impacted against the reinforced wall and crumpled like foil.


    Computers, tablets, and data drives all went flying from the desk. Most ending up smashed beyond repair.


    "How could this have happened?! Where did I go wrong?!" Iniquus shouted, his destructive outburst doing little to quell his rage.


    He had mobilized just about all of the forces at his disposal within the Phregon system, even going so far as to request assistance from another member of his organization, and he had still failed to achieve the results he wanted.


    The terrorist attack on Phregon III had caused damage to his rivals as planned, but since he had been forced to start before all of the preparations were completed to create a distraction to retrieve Grito, the destruction had fallen far short of initial projections.


    And he would have considered this a necessary lose, if the teams meant to recapture Grito had been successful.


    Now, without Vi''ivando''s nephew as a bargaining chip, the stubborn genius engineer would stop working on the emitter that was necessary for a future mission Iniquus had accepted.


    Vi''ivando had already proven himself strong-willed enough to resist a great deal of pain, and more coercive methods risked leaving his mind damaged. There was no point in breaking someone if they could no longer complete the task they were needed for.


    "If only he was as easy to control as those mercenaries. But I know he would choose death over continuing to work on the emitter. The only thing he cares about more than himself is that damned nephew of his."


    Iniquus was beginning to regret keeping the Grito on Phregon III. It would have been easy enough to bring him to the orbital station he was currently using as a base.


    Of course, there had been some risk in doing so. Baccigans were a crafty lot, and none more so than Vi''ivando.


    To build the device Iniquus wanted, Vi''ivando had been given a lab that utilized some of the most advanced technology currently available in the Dramid Alliance. While he was being constantly monitored, Iniquus did not put it past his "guest" to try and escape if he thought it was possible to secure his nephew. Hence why he had kept them in separate locations to prevent this possibility.


    As Iniquus'' anger was about to boil over again, his close aide that had been keeping him up to date on the current situation walked into the room.


    "This had better be good news or you should turn back around and leave." Iniquus said, his voice oozing with rage.


    "You certainly are like your father. He was prone to bouts of anger as well when he was your age." The old aide said, his face devoid of any fear. "Fortunately, as it so happens, I do come bearing some pertinent information. The full details about the band of mercenaries that have been making a nuisance of themselves."


    Grateful to finally be receiving at least something beside reports of failure, Iniquus grabbed the tablet his aide was holding out to him and began reading through it.


    "So, it''s the same group that spearheaded the defense of the Moonrise fleet. They''ve been getting in my way since before they even arrived in the Phregon System." Iniquus growled.


    However, as he continued to read, he found that he was not the only one that had had his plans thwarted by these mercenaries.


    Both Adder and Camila had taken losses from their involvement.


    "Still, this does present a new opportunity. The SCXD-011 is quite the prize that has slipped from my colleagues'' hands multiple times now. Should I acquire it, my setbacks will be overshadowed."


    Iniquus greedily looked at the data of the ship that the organization had painstakingly tried to obtain. Being a vessel that Storren Corp. had put an immense number of resources into creating, there was no doubt that it contained all manner of advanced systems and technology.


    Seeing as how it had managed to stand up to and trounce several far larger warships on two occasions, the craft had already proven itself to be exceptional.


    "That may be true my lord, but our forces are depleted and our position unfavorable. I believe that it might be best to take Vi''ivando and the uncompleted device and return home. As for recapturing Grito and dealing with these mercenaries, that can be done after regathering your forces. It may not be to the degree desired, but your position in this system is already secured now that all of your competitors have been dealt a heavy blow. Now is the time for caution" The aide said, giving his experienced advice.


    "Your reasoning does have merit, and I appreciate your service that has extend for two generation of my family. But I cannot run away in disgrace after so many failures. This is my chance to cement myself as a true force in the organization, just as my father before me was. We''ve still have enough forces to ''persuade'' these mercenaries to see things our way. Now that we know who exactly we are dealing with. I don''t expect to be outdone by simple mercenaries when they no longer have the element of surprise."


    Thinking that he could easily outsmart Avery and his team, Iniquus began formulating a plan to obtain both Grito and the SCXD-011.


    Except, as he was getting ready, the very people he was conspiring against contacted him to make a deal.

 Chapter 126 126 A Deal Between Backstabbers

    Iniquus stood still in shock after hearing what his aide had just said, but a moment later he began chuckling to himself.


    "I see, they must have used the communication data they stole to figure out where we are. Still, I have the upper hand since they don''t know who they are dealing with." Iniquus said, a confident smile slowly appearing on his face.


    He had covered his tracks well to make sure that it would be nearly impossible to trace him as the true owner of the orbital station he was using as a base. Any records that could be found listed it as property of a shell company he had his subordinates create to hide his involvement.


    Perhaps if the Alliance Police opened an investigation and used their vast resources and information network they could have figured it out, but he never believed that a group of mercenaries could have discovered this information in less than a single day.


    Yet, what his aide told him next immediately crushed the assurance that Iniquus had. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My Lord, I''m afraid to say that the transmission the mercenaries sent is asking for you personally. I''m usure of how they''ve done it, but they do know that you are the one truly in charge of this station."


    Iniquus'' first reaction was disbelief, followed by anger. The advantage that he thought he possessed had immediately disappeared.


    "That shouldn''t be possible! How could a band of imbecilic mercenaries learn about me?"


    For several years, Iniquus had been seamlessly tricking mercenaries. Dangling the bait of high paying jobs to lure them into his web and ensnare them.


    They certainly had skills when it came to fighting, but he had never pegged any of them as significantly intelligent. Suddenly being bested by people he had looked down on immensely hurt his pride.


    "As I feared, things do not appear to be going well for us. My lord, I implore you again to consider retreating for now. Any advantage that we may have had is slipping away. These mercenaries have already proven to be formidable. I believe that interacting with them further will only lead to more damage to your plans and position."


    "Silence. If I want your input, I shall ask for it. Even if those mercenaries have found me out, it''s clear that they are contacting me because they fear my power. Now that they know who they are dealing with, they would rather hand over Grito and try to escape." Iniquus said, a devilish grin forming on his face as a plan formed in his mind.


    All he needed to do was lure the mercenaries to his base and do as he had done several times before. He would pretend to be willing to deal with them, and then when their guard was down, he would incapacitate them and have the special submission implant he used to control his troops placed into their heads.


    Once that was done, he would have five new skilled soldiers at his disposal, and Vi''ivando''s nephew back in his custody.


    Everything would then be back on track, and he would receive the SCXD-011 as a bonus.


    "Contact them back with a secure line. Make sure that it is impossible to trace and record. Figure out what sort of bargain they wish to present and only bring it to me when you have learned everything. I must retain my authority by only appearing to finalize things." Iniquus said, giving his commands to his aide and leaving the room to rest in his parlor until the time was right.


    After his master had left, the aide sighed deeply and shook his head. He understood his lord''s reasons for trying to dig himself out of the hole he had found himself in, but he felt the continuing would only lead to an even greater failure in the end.


    "All I need to do is follow my orders." The aide said, a look of grim determination on his face.


    Without wasting any time, he prepared to send another transmission to Avery and his team.


    For a few moments he waited for the call to be connected, before the faces of the mercenaries that had so thoroughly hindered his lord''s plans appeared on the holoscreen.


    "I was wondering if you were going to keep us waiting all da-. Wait! You''re not Count Iniquus Dannoso. Who are you?"


    Iniquus'' aide could see the expression of confusion the blonde-haired young man on the other side of the screen wore.


    He was certainly young, but the aide already knew that this man was Avery Asteria, and the leader of this group of mercenaries.


    "It is as you say. I am not Lord Iniquus, simply his humble servant. As my name is unimportant, I will spare telling it to you. I''ve been given the duty of discussing the matter you wish to convey."


    "Yeah, that''s not going to work. Bring us to your boss. We don''t want to discuss something this sensitive with someone that can''t actually make decisions."


    "I''m afraid that I cannot go against my lord''s instructions. Should you have a problem with this, I recommend that you end this call and forget about whatever it is you are trying to do."


    The aide hid his feelings well behind a mask, but truthfully, he was hoping that Avery would terminate the transmission and have no further contact. He felt that this would be for the best.


    Yet, the mercenaries had their own objectives, and they were not about to give up on them so easily.


    "Fine. If that''s the way this has to be, then we will do it your way." Avery said with a heavy sigh. "First, we know that your Lord Iniquus is the one that sent his private soldiers after us to retrieve something you guys lost."


    On the holoscreen, a new figure that had not been there before suddenly came into view.


    Grito, tied to a chair and gaged, was now fully on display for the aide to see.

 Chapter 127 127 A Deal Between Backstabbers (2)

    "Yes, that is indeed someone that we ''lost''. Though, I do have to wonder about your change of heart. We''re you not helping this Baccigan?"


    "Yeah, we accepted an unofficial job from him, but it has become more trouble than its worth. He offered us thirty million Krenin, but that''s not really enough for us to continue fighting against you guys. So, my group decided it would be better to make a deal and be done with all of this."


    Iniquus'' aide carefully watched Avery and attempted to discern if there were any lies in what the young mercenary had said.


    Still nothing stood out. However, his instincts were telling him that Avery was not being entirely honest. About what though, he could not be certain.


    "I see. Well, I do believe that a transfer of thirty million Krenin would be possible. And all you would need to do is return Grtio to us and leave the system and never come back. I assume that is a fair deal." The aide said, believing that he would receive immediate acceptance. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Merceries were ever the greedy bunch, and most would typically jump at the chance to receive such easy money. Even if the deal was a bit unsavory and possibly a trap.


    Yet, this time he was not dealing with the average band of mercenaries.


    "Yes, I''m sure that sounds fair for you, but we''re here negotiating for your benefit more than our own. Thirty million is not going to be close to enough. Considering all that your boss did to try and get Grito back, I know he''s worth a lot more to you than that."


    Avery''s lips twisted into a devilish grin as he named his price.


    "Three hundred million. That''s what it is going to cost you to get Grito back and get us out of your hair. Seeing as how you were able to supply extremists with sixty warships from the Reswen Theocracy, that should be easy enough for your boss."


    For the first time, Iniquus'' aide''s mask slipped when he heard this absurd sum.


    Thirty million was already quite a bit on its own, but to be asked for ten times that amount was beyond preposterous and had entered the territory of insulting.


    "Are you making a mockery of my lord? How did you go from wanting thirty million from Mr. Grito to attempting to extort three hundred million? Surely you must realize how ludicrous that sounds." The aide said, having to control himself less his anger slip into his voice.


    "Ah, that''s simple, it''s because you have given us ten times the amount of trouble. That three hundred million will not only go towards us give Grito to you and leaving the system, but also as hush money and reparations. Your goons attacked my ship, and the terrorists you were backing nearly killed me and my crew on more than one occasions. Frankly, three hundred million is a bargain."


    Hearing all of this was the last straw for the aide.


    "Your insolent¡­ Do you not understand who you are dealing with? You''ve survived so far due to luck. Do not let that go to your head."


    Avery merely chuckled at this display of anger. It would appear that him fearing Count Iniquus'' power was not the reason he wished to make a deal.


    "Yeah, I know exactly who I''m dealing with. That''s why I''m requesting an amount that I know your boss can afford. He''s a big shot on some planet and manages a lot of land. Surely three hundred million Krenin is chump change for him."


    This caused the aide to grind his teeth inf frustration. Three hundred million Krenin was a massive sum even for his lord. Even more so now than ever.


    A great deal of capital went into the meticulous plan to increase Iniquus'' power in the Phregon System. His finances were far from great at the moment.


    "You''ve overestimated Grito''s worth. Since he offered you thirty, I believe that raising the amount to forty will be acceptable. But you shall not see any more than that and refusing will be at your own peril."


    "Stop grandstanding. You don''t have to means to attack us anymore." Avery said confidently. "The Alliance Police are still on high alert, and I doubt there are any large groups of pirates or terrorists to incite another incident. If your boss sends his private troops after us again, the law will come down on you guys hard. Plus, we''ve got enough evidence to at least make the police suspicious of you. I wonder how well whatever else you''re planning will go if the Alliance Police are scrutinizing your every move."


    Understanding that this was no mere threat, the aide continued to negotiate with Avery until the two of them had arrived at acceptable terms.


    Of course, before anything could be finalized, Iniquus himself had to weigh in on things. And the aide already knew that his lord was going to agree. He never planned on letting these mercenaries get away to beginning with.


    "Very well, eighty million upfront and another eighty once you''ve delivered Grito and left the system. Now get ready to bring my ''dear friend''s'' nephew here." Iniquus said in a commanding tone once the deal had been brought to him.


    He then quickly transferred the money over to the account that Avery had specified and ended the transmission.


    "Are you sure it was alright to give up such an amount so easily, my lord?" The aide asked, still wishing to have retreated.


    "It is of no concern. It will all be returned to me once those mercenaries have submitted anyway. Now, we must begin our own preparations. They will not escape me this time."


    With that, Iniquus waved off his aide to get things ready for Avery''s and Grito''s arrival.


    "I need to face reality here. It might already be too late. If Lord Iniquus will not heed my words. I must take matters into my own hands."


    While following Iniquus'' orders, the aide also worked on some preparations of his own. For the second time in his life, he was going to go against his lord.

 Chapter 128 128 Final Preparations

    Avery checked the balance on the new account he recently opened and watched as the number rose from zero to eighty million in an instant.


    A smile formed on his face, and he held out his terminal and showed it to the rest of his team so that they could see.


    "Looks like the idiot actually paid up. We''re eighty million Krenin richer now." Avery said, his tone giddy.


    "I''m still not sure if I like this, but since that man is a horrid criminal, I suppose I won''t say anymore."


    Jasmine was the only one that had argued against extorting Iniquus, while the others were more than happy to drain money from the person that had orchestrated several events that threatened their lives. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Well, there was one other person that had been less than thrilled, but that was less to do with any ethical dilemma and more because of the role he had been forced to play.


    "Couldn''t you have made the binding a little looser. And why did I have to be gagged. I thought I was going to suffocate because I could hardly breath." Grito complained while Kaiden untied him.


    To sell the illusion that they were betraying him, Avery and his crew had needed to restrain their little Baccigan friend. Of course, the gag had probably been unnecessary, but it was just extra insurance to make sure Grtio did not say anything that would give them away.


    "Hey, just think of it as a necessary inconvenience to save your uncle. The only way we could get onto the station is if we were invited there. Sneaking on would be difficult, and attacking the place would only get us branded as criminals. This was the best way."


    To further pacify Grito, Avery gave him some expensive snacks and told him that he could thoroughly examine the Dauntless later as long as he did not damage anything.


    "Now, once you''re done eating that, you''ll need to get to work. If you don''t finish making that item before its time for us to deliver you to Iniquus, we won''t be able to proceed." Avery said.


    "I know. I already have a good idea on how to construct it. But I''ll need to use the implant and take apart some equipment in your medical bay for parts. Are you certain that is fine?"


    Avery nodded his head and gave his affirmation. The item Grtio was going to make would be integral towards their success.


    Once Grtio, along with Kaiden acting as his chaperone left the cockpit, Avery continued to discuss and refine his strategy with Kasandra, Jasmine, and Ezra.


    "You know that you don''t have to be the one to take on the most dangerous role. Ezra, Kaiden, or I could do it as well." Kasandra said, her face fret with worry.


    It had not been long since Avery had nearly died jumping from Kaiden''s ship over to the Dauntless during the middle of an intense space battle.


    They had talked to him about it and addressed his problem of always putting the greatest risks on himself. Yet once again, he was volunteering himself for the most dangerous role.


    "I understand where your concern is coming from, but it has to be me. As the leader of this group, I negotiated the deal and already agreed to be the one to bring Grtio over. Plus, they''ll probably underestimate me the most. My time as a mercenary hasn''t been particularly lengthy. I''m sure that they''ve looked into me by now. They''ll just think that I''m some lucky kid that got his hands on a powerful ship and can''t do anything without it. I can tell that Iniquus is the kind of man that thinks he is superior and looks down on others."


    As much as Kasandra did not like it on an emotional level, she knew that what Avery was saying made sense. Also, this mission might have been dangerous, but it was nothing compared to a perilous jump between ships in the vacuum of space while ships were shooting lasers at each other.


    "It true that the plan is well thought out and likely to work. Still, it is unclear what can happen in the heat of battle. So, just in case, I want you to take this." Ezra said, pulling out his hardlight shield emitter and handing it over to Avery.


    "Are you sure? Your role in this isn''t going to be free of danger."


    Avery was understandably confused and concerned about why Ezra was giving him something so important.


    "It''s not a big deal. I still have a personal shield generator on me and I don''t intend on fighting defensively. We''re going to be up against the clock, so I''ll break through whatever gets in my way."


    The confident smile on Ezra''s face extinguished the last bit of worry Avery had, and he happily accepted the extra tool he could use if things became dire.


    Fortunately, this exchange did help to assuage some of Kasandra''s concerns and the four of them got back to business.


    Around two more hours passed before a transmission from Iniquus'' aide came through. They were now ready to receive Grtio.


    "Guess it''s time. Let''s get ready to go."


    With all their preparations completed, and a solid plan set, Avery sent a request to disembark the station.


    His usually full cockpit was not devoid of anyone other than Grtio. Neither Kasandra nor Jasmine were in their usual seats. As per their agreement, only Avery was allowed to accompany Grtio and could be the only other life sign onboard the ship.


    Of course, that did not mean he was going without any back up.


    Ezra and Kaiden''s vessels followed right behind him. Ready to unleash the full force of their weapons on Iniquus'' orbital station if things went awry. Though hopefully such drastic measures would not be needed.


    "I get that you''re worried but try to keep your composure. It won''t be too much longer now. I promise that we''re going to free your uncle." Avery said as he watched Grtio fidgeting in the chair next to him.


    Fortunately, the young Baccigan was able to calm down a bit by the time they had docked. He had his own role to play in this rescue, and his first job was to be bound again and pretend to be a defeated prisoner.

 Chapter 129 129 How the Tables Turn

    Once it had been confirmed that there were only two lifeforms, one human and the other Baccigan aboard the Dauntless, the airlock leading onto Iniquus'' orbital station opened.


    On the other side, Avery saw two dozen guards lined up in two rows ready to escort him.


    All of them were armed to the teeth with high quality laser rifles and wearing laser resistant combat armor.


    Most of them had blank neutral expressions on their faces, but the two at the front were clearly glaring at Avery. His presence here was obviously not welcome.


    ''I suppose that''s to be expected since my group killed some of their comrades and thwarted their boss'' plans.'' Avery thought, glancing at each of the soldiers and assessing their capabilities.


    Eventually the man he had spoken to before that had identified himself as Iniquus'' aide appeared and addressed Avery.


    "It seems that you''re upholding our agreement well. But are those weapons necessary."


    The aide eyed the laser pistol at Avery''s hip and the laser rifle slung across his back.


    "Yeah, I think so. Just in case. You weren''t planning on having all of your guards disarm, were you?" Avery said, his lips turned up into a wry smile as he looked at the two dozen guards, wondering if they would actually discard their own weapons.


    "I see your point. Very well then. We did not specify you arriving unarmed in our agreement. Just don''t make any sudden moves. Our troops are ready to react to any perceived threats."


    With an apparent nonchalance, the aide gave Avery approval to bring his weapons. He was massively outnumbered anyway, and if everything went accruing to plan, then he would never get the chance to use them in the first place. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lightly kicking Grtio to urge him forward, Avery and his supposed captive followed behind the aide as the man led them to his master.


    Twenty-two of the two dozen guards walked alongside them, while a single pair stayed behind to guard the airlock the Dauntless was currently docked at.


    ''Ever the cautions bunch aren''t they.'' Avery thought, observing the movement of the enemy troops.


    Of course, after everything Avery and his companions had done to impede Iniquus'' plans, it was no wonder he was being so cautious.


    After a long walk down several corridors, their group finally stopped in front of a large door that presumably had the master of the station waiting behind it.


    ''I''d bet all my money that the path they took us is not the fastest way here. So, they want to disorient me as well.''


    Considering all of the turns they had taken; Avery was confident that he had been led around the station to prevent his escape. Naturally, he already figured that his enemies had no intention of letting him go. And he was absolutely correct in this notion.


    Eventually the large door in front of Avery opened up and revealed a large lounge that could only be considered opulent.


    All of the furniture inside was top class, and there was a large aquarium running along the back and side walls filled with alien aquatic life Avery had never seen before.


    It was certainly beautiful and went to show just how much money and power the owner of the station possessed


    Had he not been in the heart of enemy territory, Avery likely would have acted like a country bumkin and plastered his face against the glass and intently watched the creatures swimming around in the large tank for hours.


    Instead, he kept a confident smile on his face as he approached the single man sitting on an ornate sofa in the middle of the room.


    Another sixteen guards were in attendance, standing around the edges of the room. Bringing the total number of enemy combatants up to thirty-eight.


    "As requested, I''ve brought Grtio with me. I''d like the rest of my money now." Avery said once he was standing not too far away from Iniquus.


    "Straight to business I see. Are you sure that you would not like to sit and enjoy some refreshments with me first? I''d like to build up a relationship with a famous four star mercenary that is the most recent recipient of the illustrious Silver Cross of Heroism."


    Despite how friendly Iniquus was acting, Avery could tell by the look in the large man''s eyes that he did not see another human being in front of him. Avery was just another insignificant pawn waiting to be subjugated from his point of view.


    "As much as I appreciate the offer, I don''t want to stick around any longer than I have to. I''ll hand over Grtio after I receive the payment and then be on my way."


    "Oh, I''m afraid that that won''t do. You won''t be leaving here for a while. Just like all the other mercenaries I''ve met up to this point, you''ve been easily lured in by the promise of money. How predictable."


    No longer caring to keep up any sort of cordial fa?ade, Iniquus motioned to the soldiers in the room and all of them pointed their weapons at Avery.


    "You''re outnumbered and outmatched. I''d recommend giving up if you don''t want to experience any pain. You''ll soon be joining their ranks, so I would hate for your future comrades to have to hurt you." Iniquus said mockingly.


    From his expression it was easy to tell that he actually wanted Avery to resist. To end up beaten down and crushed for his amusement.


    "So, you''ve decided to reveal your true colors. Though, I already knew that you were this kind of guy, but you might be even sicker than I thought."


    Avery was hardly surprised by this sudden betrayal This had always been how he expected things to go down. In fact, he figured that Iniquus would try to threaten him right from the beginning rather than trying to act nice at all. Of course, he figured that the food and drink, as well as the conspicuous chair he had been offered were all traps.


    "Unfortunately, you''ve made one grave error." Avery said, hardly fazed by the weapons pointed at him.


    "Oh, and what might that be? Your friends waiting outside in their ships? Even if they do attack, it will be impossible to breach this station''s defenses before the Alliance Police arrive and arrest them. And by the time they come looking for you, you''ll already be subservient to me."


    Iniquus was undoubtably confident and had no problems gloating with Avery and listening to what he believed to be groundless confidence. This would all just make his downfall all the sweater in the end.


    Yet Avery was not bluffing. He had come prepared for this exact situation and was ready to point out the greatest flaw in Iniquus'' plan.


    "No, my companions certainly are going to be of help, but they will not be the reason for your defeat. It will be due to your conceit. Loyalty isn''t something that can come from being controlled."


    As soon as Avery said, this, the bindings that should have been keeping Grito restrained released.


    Grito then activated a device that had been concealed on his body.


    Most of the guards that had their weapons trained on the pair were moments away from opening fire when an unbearable pain assaulted them. The implants in their heads had suddenly activated and were going out of control.


    Within just a few seconds, all but four of Iniquus'' guards had fallen to the floor uncurious. They were the only ones that were following him of their own accord. While the others had all been kidnapped mercenaries. Mercenaries whose implants had just been disabled.

 Chapter 130 130 How the Tables Turn (2)

    "Okay, it''s been ten minutes, time to go."


    After a timer he had set ended, Ezra accessed the lock on the panel above his head and disengaged it.


    A moment later there was a quite mechanical noise, and the panel slowly opened.


    Peeking his head out, Ezra made sure the coast was clear and then beckoned to the others.


    Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden all crawled out of the cramped space and began stretching.


    "Remind me to never agree to doing that again." Kaiden grumbled.


    "I don''t know why you''re complaining now. You agreed to it, and this was your plan to begin with. Would you really have rather waited on your ship and sat things out?"


    Kaiden frowned at his siter''s rebuttal, but he had nothing else to say. It had been his idea to pretend to betray Grtio so that they could sneak aboard Iniquus'' orbital station. He just had not thought about the logistics of cramming themselves into the Dauntless'' smuggling compartment.


    Of course, this had not been the intended purpose of the small room. Originally it was something akin to a final defense that the crew could use to hide in and plan a counterattack on the off chance the vessel was ever boarded.


    Still, this meant that the area was impeccably well shielded from all manner of sensors and had allowed Kasandra, Jasmine, Ezra, and Kaiden to avoid being detected when Iniquus'' men had scanned for lifeforms.


    "Okay, enough sibling bickering, let''s get ready quickly. If things have gone to plan, most of the station''s guards will be focused on Avery and Grtio right now. We need to use this time to go and rescue Vi''ivando." Ezra said.


    He was the one in charge of leading the rescue mission and was already needed to get the others to stay focused.


    Fortunately, they were all competent professionals, and in under two minutes, they had equipped their gear and were ready to go.


    Naturally, the airlock connecting the Dauntless to the station was locked, and Kasandra could hear two people on the other side that were likely guards.


    If Grtio were with them, he easily could have accessed the doors and messed around with its circuitry until it opened, but no one present had such a skill set. Instead, they would be solving this issue in a more violent manner. As was normal for mercenaries.


    "Kasandra, Kaiden, once I make and opening, jump through and deal with the guards. Jasmine, stay behind me and provide cover fire if necessary."


    Once everyone had nodded at Ezra''s commands, he pulled out his hard light halberd and visualized the shape he wanted to cut.


    Then, in just a single second, he swung his weapon forward and cut a triangular pattern in the door of the airlock and kicked the now dislodged scrap metal out of the way.


    Following up, Kaiden went in first followed by Kasandra.


    The two of them viciously attacked the two stunned guards on the other side and easily incapacitated them.


    "Wrrrr! Wrrrr! Wrrrr!"


    Nearly immediately after Ezra cut through the door, an alarm signaling a breach in the station''s integrity started blaring.


    This naturally gave away Ezra, Kasandra, Jasmine''s, and Kaiden''s infiltration, but that was to be expected. Truthfully, the added chaos would be good for them in the long run. It was likely that Avery was already in the midst of springing the trap Grtio had prepared, and any extra confusion would help him out.


    "Check every room quickly. We need to find our target as soon as possible."


    The four of them rushed through the station, and every door they came to they opened up.


    Most were unlocked, but those that were sealed were forcefully breached.


    A few times they ran into guards that were either sleeping or eating, but these people were unprepared for intruders and were easily taken down.


    Nevertheless, Ezra, Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden were unable to avoid the station''s defender''s forever. As they had planned, most were with Iniquus to intimidate and suppress Avery, but the station had not been left undefended. A well-armed group of nine soon found the four intruders and opened fire on them.


    Pinned down in a hallway intersection, Ezra''s team was unable to break through simply because they had fewer weapons firing at once.


    "Throw a concussion grenade and then cover me. I''ll push my way through and break their formation." Ezra said, putting away his twin laser pistols and pulling out his hard light weapon.


    It was certainly reckless, but since he had been given the position of commander, Kasandra, Kaiden, and Jasmine followed his orders. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jasmine pulled out a concussion grenade that was one of many weapons she had on her person.


    The moment she threw it; the trained soldiers that saw the object was flying towards recognized it instantly.


    Still, in these cramped quarters, they found it impossible to get out of the way in time.


    A bright flash and deafening roar followed as the device activated, and while they were wearing helmets that were meant to block out dangerous levels of light and sound, the grenade Jasmine had used was a high-end military grade product and still disoriented them for a few moments.


    In that time, Ezra closed the distance while Kasandra and Kaiden fired with their laser rifle.


    While they were holding off on using lethal attacks, that did not mean that they were going easy on their opponents.


    Ezra swung his halberd around with precision and sliced through the soldiers'' tendons in their arms and legs so that they could no longer move.


    At the same time, Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden fired lasers that were one step away from being fatal. Each shot severely burned the target and would require extensive medical care to heal.


    They were up against former mercenaries though, and despite not truly wishing to work for Iniquus, they fought as hard as they could. To do otherwise would be seen as an act of resistance against their master and activate the implant in their heads.

 Chapter 131 131 A Lost Friend as a Current Enemy

    Ezra, Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden continued to fight with the enslaved mercenaries until they were down to only the three most skilled.


    It was obvious by how well of a fight they put up that they had been quite impressive combatants before Iniquus had gotten his claws into them.


    Of course, Avery''s team members were no slouches themselves. Ezra, Kasandra, and Kaiden each had several years of experience as mercenaries, and Jasmine had gotten into her fair share of fire fights while she was still a member of the Alliance Police.


    Eventually, only a single woman remained from the group of nine that had come to stop Ezra''s team.


    She was by far the most competent and was expertly holding her own against them. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Still, now that she was all alone, it was only a matter of time until she fell. Or at least, that was what all of them were thinking.


    When an opening presented itself, she tossed away the laser rifle she had been wielding and leapt forward.


    With unbelievably swift movements, she grabbed what appeared to be a small baton hanging on her belt which extended into a hard light spear.


    This caught everyone off guard, and Kasandra''s face was nearly skewered by a swift thrust of the weapon.


    Fortunately, at the last moment, Ezra blocked the block with his hard light halberd and pushed the attacker back.


    "It can''t be." Ezra mumbled under his breath.


    He then fiercely attacked the woman, but she was able to match him blow for blow. It was a truly astonishing sight for the others as Ezra certainly had the best close combat skills out of all of them. For this woman to be his equal, that meant she had to be extraordinarily skilled.


    "I don''t think it''s going to be easy to beat her. I want the three of you to continue the search without me. I''ll hold her here."


    Ezra''s sudden command to leave him left Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden baffled. He was supposed to be the leader of their team, but he was telling them to abandon him while he was fighting such a dangerous person.


    "Ezra, we can''t do that. Let''s just focus on taking her down together. She won''t last for long if we all concentrate our fire." Kasandra said, aiming her weapon at the women and firing a shot at her.


    Yet, the laser never made contact with its target. As if she could see the future, the woman slashed with her spear with perfect timing and deflected the blast with her hard light weapon.


    In the same movement, she also pulled out a laser pistol at her hip and prepared to return fire. It was all incredibly quick, and Kasandra went wide eyed as she prepared to dodge out of the way.


    However, before the woman could get off a shot, Ezra pressured her with his halberd and put her back on the defensive.


    "I understand your feelings, but she is not someone that can be beaten so easily. These corridors are too tight to surround her, so our number advantage won''t really help. Just go already. I promise to win."


    This time, Ezra''s tone was more forceful, and Kasandra could hardly continue arguing with him. As much as she wanted to stay and help, spending too much time fighting a single person would only prevent them from completing their objective.


    There was also something else that she had picked up on. Ezra was almost certainly acquainted with this person. She could hear extreme anger in his tone. Something that was uncharacteristic of him since he usually kept his calm.


    "Okay. We''re going." Kasandra said, leading her brother and Jasmine down a different hall and continuing the search for Grito''s uncle.


    The woman obviously tried to stop them, but she had her hands full fighting off Ezra. A single direct hit from his hard light weapon would spell the end of her after all.


    For nearly two minutes, both of them fought against each other fiercely, going blow for blow, until Ezra finally managed to connect an attack.


    He did not hit his opponent''s body though, but instead, his halberd cleaved through the protective helmet that had been covering the woman''s face.


    Shoulder length green hair fell down as the helmet fell apart, and a pair of piercing gray eyes were staring back at Ezra.


    Immediately, Ezra recognized her. Until now he could not be certain, but now that her face was exposed, he was.


    "Olivia, I thought that you had died. Though, it seems that a fate worse than death has befallen you." Ezra said, his expression pained to see a friend in such a state.


    It had been nearly three years ago now, but the two of them had worked closely together on a job that had lasted over four months. They had promised to keep in touch with each other and work together again in the future if their paths crossed. Except, around a year ago, Olvia just seemed to have vanish. Everyone had merely assumed she had perished somewhere out in space. An occupational hazard of being a mercenary. Yet this appeared to not be the case after all.


    Despite the strong emotions Ezra was feeling, Olivia did not say anything, and her gaze remained cold. To survive as one of Iniquus'' slave soldiers, she had long ago buried her emotions and learned to follow orders to the letter. Doing anything else was met with unbearable pain that even a seasoned mercery was unable to withstand. Her only option had been to submit.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll stop you here and have that implant in your head removed. So don''t hold anything back and fight me. I''ll win anyway and bring you back."


    There was an even greater determination in Ezra''s eyes now than there had been before. No longer was he fighting just to rescue a client''s uncle and help out some other mercenaries that had been ensnared by Iniquus. What he was doing now was to rescue a friend.

 Chapter 132 132 Avery Vs Iniquus

    Avery capitalized on the sudden confusion caused by the mercenaries Iniquus had enslaved collapsing and took aim at his four remaining guards.


    These individuals were the leaders of his personal army, and all of them came from his home world and were extremely loyal to him without the need of an implant to force their submission.


    A stream of rapidly fired blasts shot out of Avery''s high-end laser rifle and hammered into the four guards'' personal shield generators.


    Naturally, the four well trained combatants got over their shock quickly and prepared to return fire.


    However, before they could press down on their triggers, Avery kicked up the table between him and Iniquus to use it as a shield.


    For a few moments, he and the guards traded fire, but that was a major mistake on their parts.


    All of them had their undivided attention on him and had completely taken their eyes off of Grtio. A soon to be costly mistake.


    Using four of his six arms, Grtio rolled spherical devices towards each of the unsuspecting guards.


    Their shield generators were programed to only react to projectiles moving at a certain speed or faster, otherwise they would prevent the person they were protecting from being able to move.


    As such, the devices Grtio had just sent their way passed through the force fields with ease and activated.


    Four simultaneous bright flashes erupted around Iniquus'' loyal guards.


    Strong electrical currents arced out of the shock grenades and caused their muscles to seize up and their heads to go fuzzy.


    Thanks to their body armor and cybernetic enchantments, they managed to stay conscious, but none of them would be moving for at least a few minutes.


    It was about this time that a loud alarm started blaring through the station. A sign that Avery''s companions had infiltrated the place.


    "Looks like that''s our win. I''d recommend that you surrender if you want to avoid any pain." Avery said, pointing his weapon directly at Iniquus and throwing the man''s earlier words back at him.


    Iniquus may have looked calm on the surface, but that was simply because he was seething with so much rage he was unable to even think.


    The rat he thought he had easily lured in and trap had pulled off a miraculous reversal. All of his guards were out of commission, and he was completely alone. He could naturally call for more of his soldiers, but with the capabilities of the device Grtio had unknown, there was a good chance that he would simply be calling them in to be taken out without being able to put up a fight.


    "Never in my life have I been so humiliated. Even if I have you ripped apart and put back together over and over again to experience an unending agonizing existence, I don''t know if that will be enough to quell the fury I am feeling right n-"


    Before Iniquus could finish his rant, Avery pulled down the trigger on his laser rifle and sent a powerful blast flying forward towards Iniquus. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was the strongest attack the weapon could produce, and he figured that it would be able to pierce through any shield the man had protecting him. Avery had used nonlethal attacks against everyone else, but for Iniquus, he hardly cared if the man lived or died.


    Yet to Avery''s surprise, the powerful blast from his weapon failed to connect. A shimmering shield that had been invisible up until now absorbed the attack and completely dissipated it. Leaving Iniquus without a scratch on him.


    ''I guess I should have expected him to prepare some protection in advance considering he was meeting with someone he perceives as an enemy. I just did not think his defenses would be this solid.'' Avery thought, seeing how ineffective his laser rifle had been.


    In the next moment, he was even more surprised though.


    While Iniquus appeared to be unarmed, he did in fact have quite the hidden trump card literally hidden up his sleeves.


    A metallic gauntlet swiftly appeared and encased Iniquus'' outstretched right hand.


    In the center of it was a powerful laser emitter that he pointed directly at Avery.


    There was a sudden bright flash of green light followed by a cacophonous explosion as the laser stuck.


    Grtio watched in horror as Avery seemed to be blown apart, and he thought what he was left of the leader of the mercenaries assisting him get blown back against the wall behind him.


    "Damn that hurt. I really wasn''t expecting something like that." Avery grumbled as he walked out of the smoke caused by the explosion.


    Despite having been hit by such a powerful blast, he was mostly unscathed. He had a few scorch marks on his clothing and certainly his back was a little sore from the impact, but he was fine otherwise.


    When he had noticed the imminent strike about to hit him, he had forgone evasion and pulled out Ezra''s hard light shield. Fortunately, the loaned piece of gear had been able to protect him. Going to show just how durable hard light equipment was.


    "You know, I really did not peg you as the kind of guy to get his hands dirty. I figured that you were more the behind-the-scenes kind of megalomanic that likes to order people around because you can''t do anything yourself." Avery jeered.


    He had been caught by surprise, but he was not going to let that sway his confidence.


    "I had been wondering where I was going to start when taking you apart, but now I know that that tongue of yours needs to go. I wonder if you will continue to make jokes once I''m done with you."


    Iniquus had finally stood up from his seat and had a look of murder in his eyes. The object of his disdain was right in front of him, and there would be nothing that stopped him from enacting his revenge for all that had occurred.


    With speed that could only come from biotic or cybernetic enhancements, Iniquus leapt forward like a feral animal that had found its prey after several days of searching. He had fully given into his rage and was going to tear Avery apart if it was the last thing he did.

 Chapter 133 133 Ezra Vs Olivia

    Ezra began his renewed battle against Oliva with fierce attacks that could easily bring down an unskilled opponent in a single blow.


    Yet, Ezra''s old friend and Iniquus'' current thrall was an equally skilled fighter and truthfully had even more experience wielding a hard light weapon than Ezra did.


    While Oliva did not possess even half of the raw physical strength Ezra did, she was quick, and her strikes possessed a deadly pression.


    Using her spear, she would intercept Ezra''s weapon and deflect it with the perfect angle and minimal force.


    Then with a quick thrust, she would jab forward at the most difficult to defend spot in the moment and force Ezra off balance.


    ''She''s no less skilled than she was before. Honestly, considering her current condition, it is a miracle that her abilities have not degraded. Still, I can tell that during his time, she had been unable to get better.'' Ezra thought as they traded blows.


    He had only continued to improve himself during the past year, while his friend had become stagnant. Nevertheless, this merely brought them up close to the same level. Before, Ezra had been slightly inferior when it came to fighting with close range weapons


    If anyone had been watching the two of them would have appeared like two storms clashing against each other. With Ezra being larger and stronger, while Olivia was faster.


    Eventually, Ezra was able to predict the way Oliva was going to parry his blow and swiftly pulled back and jabbed the butt of his halberd forward.


    With skills and agility that seemed inhuman, Oliva twisted her own weapon around to block the incoming blow and just barely managed to get her spear into position in time.


    Still, unlike her earlier blocks, this time she was forced to receive the full brunt of Ezra''s strength and was blown back.


    Her feet were forced off the ground and she went flying through the corridor for several meters before doing a somersault and landing.


    The moment she landed though, her posturer and footing were unstable, and Ezra had already rushed forward to capitalize on his advantage. Now that he had the upper hand, Ezra was going to continue pushing until he had won.


    Or at least, that was what he had envisioned.


    In his haste to pursue Olivia, he had failed to keep any focus on his surroundings. He had been far too intent on the adversary in front of him and had not even realized that he was walking into a trap.


    As soon as he passed by a corridor that intersected with the hallway he was fighting Oliva in, three more of Iniquus'' troops appeared and opened fire on him.


    They had been waiting for this moment, and the red behemoth that had been rampaging through the station suddenly found himself pelted by laser fire.


    This was normally when Ezra would have used his shield to absorb the blows and charge in, but that was currently not possible. He had lent the defensive piece of equipment to Avery, and now that decision was coming back to bite him.


    His personal shield generator was able to protect him from the laser fire, but its energy was being rapidly drained.


    The moment Ezra tried to jump backwards to get out of range, however, Oliva took her chance and struck.


    "Gahhh!"


    Forcing his body to move, Ezra just barely managed to swing his halberd around in time to intercept the blade coming for his chest.


    Unfortunately, he was unable to fully avoid injury.


    Oliva''s spear''s trajectory had been diverted, but its sharp hard light blade had sliced across Ezra''s left arm and left a massive gash in it.


    Dark purple blood gushed out of the wound, and Ezra winced in pain.


    Of course, he did not let his guard down simply because of the injury, and with wide swings of his own weapon, kept Oliva back as she tried to pressure him and deliver a finishing blow.


    ''I can still move it, but my left arm''s less response now. She certainly severed some nerves and muscles with that strike. This is really not going to be easy.'' Ezra thought as he fought defensively.


    Without giving him any time to recover, Oliva continuously pressured him and forced him back.


    The three other enslaved soldiers did not join her, as the space was too narrow for them to effectively assist from behind without the possibility of accidently shooting Oliva.


    This same problem was one of the main reasons that Ezra had sent Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden away. Except, unlike them, their opponents knew the layout of this station, and it was certain that the three individuals that had caught Ezra off guard were making their way to a new position so that they could attack him from another angle and create an opening for Oliva to strike again.


    Continuing to fight a defensive battle, Ezra anticipated where the other three were going to appear. His shield generator was low on power now, and another heavy barrage could see it breached, and his protection brought down. If that happened, his chances of victory would slip close to zero.


    ''It must be there.''


    Feeling that Oliva had suddenly started putting a bit more pressure on him, Ezra surmised that her backup was waiting around the next intersection.


    In contrast to his passive fighting since he was put on the backfoot, Ezra swung his halberd in a wide arc and sliced into the ceiling above him.


    This shattered a light fixture above him and caused a bright flash of light followed by debris falling.


    For only a single moment, this caused Oliva to back off, but that was enough for Ezra.


    He turned around and rushed into the intersecting corridor where he figured the three guards were waiting for him. And as he had guessed, there they were.


    Spinning his hard light weapon around extremely quickly, he deflected their laser fire and jumped into their midst. With a few calculated strikes, he was able to cut into their arms and legs and disable the three. Bringing the fight back to one on one.


    But in the next instant, Ezra felt a premonition of dread and swiftly drew one of the laser pistols at his hip and fired behind him.


    This managed to force Oliva to duck out of the as she was moments away from thrusting her spear through Ezra''s head.


    However, despite avoiding having his head skewered, Ezra had not been able to fully deter his opponent''s advance.


    Olivia had needed to lower her stance, but she was able to jab her weapon forward and pierce straight through Ezra''s flesh. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With his back still to her, Ezra watched as the glowing tip of the hard light spear protruded out of his stomach.

 Chapter 134 134 On the Trail

    Having left Ezra behind, Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden rushed through the station in search of Grito''s uncle, Vi''ivando.


    Door after door, they checked every room they came across for their target.


    If they had had more time, it might have been possible to find the plans for this station''s construction, but they had been on a tight schedule. Forcing them to have to resort to the inefficient method of simply searching everywhere.


    Of course, they were not able to avoid some skirmishes with some of the guards running around trying to quell the chaos that their infiltration had caused.


    Thankfully, they did not come across anyone anywhere near as skilled as the woman Ezra had stayed behind to fight. Every fight had been relatively easy and finished within no longer than a minute.


    "Damn, nothing in this section either. This would be so much easier if we could just interrogate one of these guys." Kaiden growled, glaring down at an unconscious guard a few meters away.


    Due to the implants in their heads, trying to question them was a fruitless endeavor. The only reason Kaiden had been able to get anything out of the man that they had captured previously was because he got Erantur inebriated to the point that his inhibitions had vanished.


    Right now, they had neither the time nor equipment needed to do so with the guards they had taken down. Forcing them to simply search aimlessly.


    "Still no luck getting into the station''s network?" Kasandra asked, glancing towards Jasmine who was trying to access a maintenance console and pull up the station''s map.


    "Sorry, the security is sophisticated. I can''t get in easily. Maybe if I had an hour I could do it, but this is not my area of expertise."


    Jasmine merely shook her head and gave Kasandra an unfavorable answer.


    She had undergone training for all manners of situations while part of the Alliance Police, so she knew a bit about hacking into criminal networks, but it was never something she particularly mastered. Plus, the hardware and software that criminals typically used was light years worse than what Iniquus had installed on this station.


    "Okay, let''s put our heads together. So far, we''ve mostly encountered storage areas, crew quarters, restrooms, and mess halls. Do we really think that Grtio''s uncle is likely to be in this area?" Kasandra said, trying to get them focused on a new line of reasoning.


    "Doubt it. No way that their prisoner would be kept in the same place as everyone else. He''s probably in a more isolated area." Jasmine said, leaning on her own experience.


    "That''s what I was thinking as well. We also know that Iniquus wanted Grtio''s uncle to build something for him. So, he''s probably working in a specialized facility."


    As the three of them continued to run and search, Kaiden had a sudden idea.


    "A place that a genius engineer is working undoubtably needs a lot of power to operate. It would probably be close to the station''s reactor, and we can follow the energy transmissions to where they are stronger. It might not work, but it beats doing this."


    There were naturally some holes in Kaiden''s plan, but Kasandra and Jasmine did see the merit in it.


    So instead of searching ever room they came across, they opened up a panel and used their terminals to detect the flow of energy going through the station and followed it back to its source.


    This strategy worked out a lot better than their earlier wandering and had them proceeding to clearly more advanced parts of the station.


    Of course, they ran into more skilled soldiers the further they went, but truthfully, there were not too many troops left at Iniquus'' disposal.


    A lot of them had died when first assaulting the Dauntless or were still stuck on Phregon III. The majority of the rest of Iniquus'' most skilled fighters had accompanied him when confronting Avery. And by this point, all of them were incapacitated.


    "I think we might have found what we''re looking for. Five guards are standing outside of a room at the end of that hall and don''t seem to be reacting to the alarm at all. That means that whatever is in there must be more important than reacting the our infiltration." Kasandra said, using her tiny reconnaissance drone to spy on their enemies.


    After a quick strategy meeting, Jasmine pulled out two concussion grenades on her belt.


    At Kasandra''s signal, she ducked around the corner and tossed the two devices towards the five guards.


    They immediately noticed the foreign objects bounding towards them, but it was already too late.


    A bright flash and cacophonous noise erupted as the grenades went off, and the five individuals were momentarily stunned.


    Using this opening, Kasandra and Kaiden rushed in while firing off shots with their weapons.


    The rest of the battle went about as expected.


    By the time the two Woest siblings had engaged in close combat, they had already each taken out one of the guards with their guns.


    With swift and powerful strikes, they brought down the reaming three that were still disoriented and not the best at hand-to-hand fighting in the first place. They relied more on their powerful gear and weapons to win rather than their skills.


    "Now what''s behind this clearly conspicuous door." Kaiden said, pulling out a laser cutter and creating a new entrance. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While it normally only took a few seconds to slice through the average door, this one took Kaiden nearly three minutes using the laser cutter at maximum output to break into.


    It was far thicker and made out of a denser metal that was more resistant to tools such as the one Kaiden was using. If the model they had was not top of line, then they probably never would have been able to breach the thick plating.


    Once they were finally in though, they found a large facility filled with dozens of different types of high-tech equipment. Had anyone said that this was a lab within one of the premier research institutes within the Alliance, Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden would have believed them.

 Chapter 135 135 Avery’s Desperate Struggle

    ''I might be in trouble here.''


    Avery ducked out of the way of a heavy blow from Iniquus and received another with Ezra''s hard light shield.


    He had figured that Iniquus might have some combat ability considering the man''s massive build, but he never expected him to be this capable.


    Compared to Urs and Ezra, his blows were a little weak, but he still possessed a similar raw power and intimidating presence thanks to his size.


    There was also no doubt that he had received augmentations of some kind to further strengthen his body and speed up his reaction speed and agility.


    Avery was completely on the defensive, and if not for his intense matches with both Urs and Ezra in the past, he probably would have been beaten in only a few moves.


    Fortunately, he had the most experience dealing with this type of opponent, and the added protection gained from a hard light shield was letting him stay in the fight.


    Still, without much cover to hide behind and pretty much no room to counterattack, it was only a matter of time until Avery exhausted himself and was caught.


    "Stop scurrying around you rat!" Iniquus shouted in frustration as he slammed one of his gauntleted hands into the floor where Avery had been just a moment before.


    Any semblance of class he had been exuding before had been fully replaced by a hulking berserker going on a rampage. Avery had so thoroughly enraged him that the only thing Iniquus saw was the target he wanted to tear apart.


    ''Sh*t.''


    As Avery was running around and trying to keep his distance, Iniquus suddenly held up one of his hands and a familiar glow started to come out of the center of the gauntlet.


    Avery was uncertain of the exact configuration of this weapon, but he did know that it fired a powerful explosive laser that he could barely withstand even using Ezra''s hard light shield to protect himself.


    Obviously, this attack used up a significant amount of energy, otherwise Iniquus would simply constantly be blasting away until Avery fell.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that the interval between the first and second shot had just ended, and Avery was once again on the receiving end of the powerful strike.


    Bracing himself, he waited for the heavy impact, but it never came.


    Iniquus had cancelled the shot midway through and was rushing towards Avery now that he had firmly planted his feet on the ground.


    ''Not sure if this will work, but it''s my only option.''


    Avery needed to be light on his feet and always anticipating Iniquus'' next move to stay ahead of the far stronger and faster adversary he was currently facing.


    Yet, he had just fallen for what he should have realized was an obvious bluff and been forced into an unfavorable position.


    Iniquus already knew that Avery could block his ranged blast with his hard light shield, so it made no sense to use something that took a good deal of time to charge up when his opponent was ready to receive it.


    Of course, Avery had a few tricks of his own and took a large step backwards and slammed his hard light shield into the ground in front of him.


    "I''ve finally got you. Don''t think that you''ll be able to hide behind that thing." Iniquus yelled, his lips twisted up into a sadistic grin as he imagined finally getting his hands ahold of Avery.


    Except, he had missed one minor detail. When Avery taken a step back, a small spherical object had fallen loose from his belt and was currently situated right in front of him.


    This just so happened to be a laser grenade that was primed and ready to go off.


    When Iniquus was just a single step away from Avery, a bright red flash engulfed them both.


    Avery pushed himself up against his shield as closely as he could get and felt his feet sliding back by the impact.


    ''Fu*k this hurt!''


    Avery screamed in his head as he felt the searing light pass by him.


    Thanks to his combat clothing and personal shield generator, he was able to avoid the worst of the blast, but his exposed skin did end up a little seared.


    Nevertheless, he managed to hold out against his own weapon set off at close range. The hard light shield he had received from Ezra took the brunt of it, and his other protections kept him from ending up fried.


    Once the bright light had faded, the question that remained was whether Iniquus had survived or not.


    Avery knew that the man possessed a strong personal shield generator of his own, but it preposterous that it could have fully blocked such an attack when Iniquus had been right on top of the grenade when it went off.


    However, contrary to Avery''s expectations, Iniquus was not even injured by the attack.


    An unexpected green energy field being emitted from his gauntlets had surrounded his body, and it seemed that this had somehow managed to completely protect him. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I don''t know what sort of tech he is using, but I wish I had it about now.'' Avery thought, feeling his body''s exhaustion.


    What he did not know though was that he had also just pushed Iniquus to his limit.


    To create the shield protecting him, he had needed to overload the gauntlets he was wearing and the generators providing their power.


    After this point, they would just be lumps of metal around his hands without any special properties to speak of.


    His shield generator had also taken a heavy hit and was currently down while it attempted to gather enough power to remake the force field it could emit.


    All in all, they were both about in equal positions after Avery''s dangerous gambit.


    ''Let''s see how he deals with his now.''


    Avery swiftly drew his laser pistol and started firing.


    Without his shield generator active, every shot would prove lethal if it hit, and Iniquus was forced to use his speed and quick reaction time to read the trajectory of Avery''s shots and avoid them by a hair''s breadth.

 Chapter 136 136 Ezra’s Determination

    A searing pain shot through Ezra''s body as he looked down at the weapon jutting out of his torso.


    Like a leaky pipe, purple blood began flowing out of the wound, and should the spear be removed, the flow of blood would become more akin to a gushing fountain.


    This was a truly grievous wound, even for someone like Ezra. He could feel that some of his internal organs were damaged, and that it was only a matter of time before the injury became fatal if he did not receive treatment.


    Still, as Oliva tried to retract her spear and deliver a finishing blow, Ezra reached down and grabbed the shaft that was sticking out of him.


    Summoning all of his willpower and strength, he kept the hard light spear in place even as he felt it jerking around his insides and causing more damage.


    The agony was nearly paralyzing, but he could not give up. To stop now would mean death for him, and the continued enslavement of his friend.


    With his free arm, he twisted around and threw his elbow at Oliva. Hitting her square in the chin as she struggled to retrieve her weapon.


    There was a sickening cracking sound from the hit, and when Ezra finally turned all the way around to face her, he saw that her jaw was broken and out of place.


    This certainly ruined her pretty face, and while Ezra might have normally found this to be a shame, such a matter was not of concern right now.


    As if he was some sort of wounded animal lashing out, Ezra threw himself at Oliva as she was staggering to stay on her feet.


    With a devastating punch he smashed his fist into her torso and sent her flying across the corridor.


    For several meters she limply flew through the air until slamming hard against the reinforced metal wall behind her.


    Ezra could see red blood pooling below her as she slumped over on the ground unmoving. The heavy impact had cracked open her head and she was now bleeding profusely.


    Seeing that his enemy was down, Ezra gritted his teeth and pulled out the spear jammed into his gut.


    The sight was far from pretty as blood poured out of him, but he was prepared for this.


    From out of a small pack tightly held against his back, he pulled out an emergency medical pad that he used to seal the wound and administered an injection of recovery nano machines that entered his blood stream and immediately went to work on fixing the damage he had taken.


    It was just as he was finishing his emergency treatment that Ezra''s instincts started blaring that something was wrong.


    He had fought through countless battles, and he knew to trust his senses even if he was unsure of where his anticipation was coming from.


    At the last movement he turned his head to the side as a bright beam passed by him. Slightly grazing his cheek and leaving a nasty burn in its wake.


    Despite having been momentarily knocked unconscious, Olivia had just regained her bearing and immediately restarted her attack.


    In her right hand she held a laser pistol, and was with great effort pulling herself up off the floor so that she could continue the battle.


    "I really just wish you would have stayed down." Ezra said, breathing heavily.


    Of course, Oliva would have preferred this outcome as well. If she had remained unconscious, there would not have been a chance of the submission implant activating. Sadly, so long as she was awake, she would be compelled to fight. With refusal to do so only bringing her death. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For a few seconds, the two of them merely stared each other down, waiting for the first move to be made.


    Eventually, Oliva pulled down the trigger on her weapon and fired a shot. If she took too long, the implant in her head might register it as resistance to obey orders.


    Ezra had been waiting for this moment, however.


    With nearly imperceptible movements, he swung his halberd and blocked the laser coming his way.


    This was a difficult technique that required the ability to read weapon trajectories and anticipate when the laser would be fired, but Ezra was confident in his skills.


    Over and over again, he batted aside Oliva''s laser fire. She was in too rough of a shape to move fast, so all she could do was continue to shoot and try to bring Ezra down.


    Naturally, some of her blasts managed to land, as she swiftly and calculatedly aimed and fired her weapon.


    Nevertheless, Ezra endured the pain as he was struck by the searing beams. Only blocking the ones that would prove fatal or debilitating.


    By the time he closed in on Oliva, the edges of his sides, shoulders, and limbs were covered in horrid burns.


    "It''s over now."


    With a flash of his weapon, Ezra sliced through his opponent''s laser pistol.


    Now inoperable. Oliva threw the gun away and swiftly drew a combat knife from her belt and lunged forward.


    Even considering her injuries, it was a sharp strike that would have been able to bring down plenty of experienced fighters.


    Yet to Ezra, it appeared to only be a last desperate blow.


    With his left hand he grabbed Oliva''s arm and slammed it back into the wall behind her. Shattering her bones and forcing her to drop her last weapon.


    Struggling to the end, she kicked Ezra where her spear had impaled him earlier. He winced as a new round of pain assaulted him, but he did not let go now that he had his enemy in his grasp.


    "Just go to sleep until this is all over." Ezra said, slamming her head against the sturdy wall behind her and rendering her unconscious.


    The moment he had won, Ezra slumped to the ground, feeling the strength leaving his body. It had been a long time since he had last experienced such an intense battle.

 Chapter 137 137 Vi’ivando’s Predicament

    "What is taking so long?! Hurry up and collect all of the data! Lord Iniquus wants this material off the station as quickly as possible!"


    Not long after breaking into the orbital station''s lab, Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden heard a familiar voice yelling.


    As they stealthy approached and hid behind some of the larger equipment in the room, they saw the man that had identified himself as Iniquus'' aide shouting at a group of guards and lab assistants that had been helping Vi''ivando with his work.


    Once he had finished escorting Avery to where Iniquus was waiting, the man had slipped out before the battle had begun and made his way over here to secure the unfished emitter Vi''ivando was working on, and all of the data pertaining to the project.


    As for the imprisoned engineer, he was currently tied up and being restrained by one of the guards that had been tasked with watching over him.


    "I guess that is probably Grito''s uncle." Kasandra muttered quietly.


    "Well, I don''t see any other Baccigans around. So yeah, I''d put money on that." Kaiden replied snarkily.


    If not for the situation, the two of them probably would have gotten into a sibling spat right now, but Kasandra did not engage with her brother and continued to focus on the task at hand.


    There were over twenty people present, with at least thirteen of them being combatants judging from their attire and equipment. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As for the others, six looked like researchers, while one was Iniquus'' aide, and the last person was Vi''ivando himself.


    "This is going to be difficult. I''m not sure if we can handle that many without potentially harming Grito''s uncle."


    Jasmine''s concerns were certainly valid, and the main reason neither Kasandra nor Kaiden had jumped in already.


    If they started things off with a few grenades they could throw their enemies into confusion, but doing so would certainly get Vi''ivando caught in the crossfire.


    As for just shooting, they would only be able to take a few out before the others responded and used their number advantage to overpower them.


    Of course, Kasandra and Kaiden were quite adept at fighting up close, but that would also put their target for rescue at danger. While dodging laser blasts it was near impossible to worry about if there was someone behind you.


    "Maybe we can use that to our advantage." Kaiden said, pointing towards a piece of equipment in the room.


    Looking at where Kaiden was pointing, Kasandra and Jasmine saw a large mechanical device akin to a giant hand used for handling heavy materials, or items that were too dangerous for people to get close to.


    Quietly and quickly, the three of them came up with a plan while Iniquus'' aide was still distracted gathering up the items related to whatever Vi''ivando had been building.


    While Kasandra and Kaiden took up positions with the best angles on the armed guards, Jasmine snuck over to the machine that was going to aid them.


    Fortunately, it did was still active and was only in idle mode and did not need a passcode to engage.


    "Okay. The controls seem pretty straight forward. I can do this." Jasmine whispered to encourage herself.


    Once she started the device up, she input a series of commands, and it suddenly came to life.


    Needless to say, such a large piece of equipment that should have been inactive caught the attention of everyone in the room.


    However, before anyone could figure out what was happening, Jasmine swung the large mechanical arm around and slammed it into the guard restraining Grito''s uncle.


    The powerful force behind the blow sent the man flying and left the prisoner he was in charge of sprawled out on the floor.


    Jasmine felt bad for the rough treatment but would have to apologize later.


    Using the device, she picked Vi''ivando up and input the command to bring him back over towards the machine''s control area.


    "Stop that bloody thing!" Iniquus'' aide shouted as their important captive was whisked away.


    Except, this was only the first part of the plan. Now that there was no risk of harming Grito''s uncle, Kasandra and Kaiden lobbed several concussion and stun grenades at the guards, assistants, and Iniquus'' aide.


    Bright flashes of light, loud bursts of sound, and electrical discharges assaulted the captors, and many of them fell immediately to the assault.


    Still, some of the guards escaped being incapacitated and began fighting back.


    Lasers started flying across the room as Kasandra and Kaiden engaged those still standing.


    In an unfortunate twist, a stray blast hit the extended arm pulling Vi''ivando in, and the machine malfunctioned and dropped the bound Baccigan.


    Jasmine got up to go and grab him herself, but one of the guards took notice of her and pinned her down with laser fire.


    While the confusion of battle had everyone''s attention, Iniquus'' aide came out of his daze, and noticed Vi''ivando face down on the floor around a dozen meters away.


    He had the incomplete emitter already transferred to an escape ship, and a majority of the documents were stored on a data drive he had. All he needed was to secure Vi''ivando and make his escape.


    With near idiotic daring, he ran with his head hunched over and made his way over to his target as streaks of light flew around the room.


    "Stop, you''re not going anywhere with him!" Jasmine shouted when she noticed the man trying to pick up Vi''ivando.


    She was able to fire a single shot which grazed the man, but she was forced to duck back behind the machine she was using for cover as some of the guards concentrated their fire on her.


    After that, she watched the aide drag Vi''ivando out of the room as the fierce fire fight continued.


    "We need to finish this up quickly or that man is going to get away with Grito''s uncle." Jasmine said into the communications earpieces that connected her to Kasandra and Kaiden.


    Having a fire lit under them, the two Woest siblings fought hard and took greater risks to bring down their opponents. And within less than a minute, Kasandra Jasmine, and Kaiden were the only ones left standing.

 Chapter 138 138 Grito’s Moral Dilemma

    Avery peppered Iniquus with blasts from his laser pistol as the man darted around with speed that seemed impossible for his large size.


    Whenever one of Avery shots was about to hit him, he brought up his now inoperable gauntlets and used them to deflect the beams.


    ''Those must be made out of some incredibly dense and reflective metal. I''ve got my pistol set to its maximum output, but I can''t break through.'' Avery thought, sweat pouring down his forehead as he felt the pressure on him increasing.


    Eventually he lost focus for just a moment, and the pressure he was putting on Iniquus lessened slightly.


    Taking this opportunity, the man grabbed one of the weapons from his fallen troops and began returning fire at Avery.


    Hastily pulling Ezra''s hard light shield in front of him, Avery absorbed the blasts coming his way and returned fire.


    Still, his one-sided offensive had now come to an end, and he and Iniquus were locked in a deadly struggle.


    While all of this was going on, Grito was crawling around on the floor, trying to keep out of the way.


    He had assisted Avery in the beginning, but he saw no opportunities to get involved in the current battle, and even there were any, he was too freighted to do so.


    ''If I show myself, I know that I''ll be shot. I just have to hope that Avery comes out on top, or his friends show up soon.''


    Grtio continued to cower and watch how things would play out.


    Yet the longer he stood idly by, the worse the situation became.


    Avery was injured, and the longer the fight went on, the more tired he became. In a fight against someone with physical augmentations, it was commendable that he had lasted this long, but his stamina simply could not keep up.


    With incredible agility, Iniquus was running around and blasting at Avery from multiple angles, while Avery found himself having to stay on the defensive and use his hard light shield to protect himself.


    The only saving grace was that Iniquus was keeping his distance. He still remembered the earlier trick Avery had pulled with a laser grenade and had no intention of finding himself standing over another one. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the fight raged on, the hard light shield protecting Avery showed signs of instability. It was certainly a powerful piece of equipment and could withstand almost any sort of attack, but it demanded an equal cost in return.


    Hard light items drain an immense amount of energy, and after absorbing so many blows, the shield Ezra had loaned Avery was about to reach its limits.


    Once the energy field keeping the device engaged faded, Avery found himself without any protection.


    He put up a good fight after this, even managing to land a couple of shots on Iniquus, but ultimately, he was unable to stop the monstrous man''s advance and had a foot slammed into his stomach.


    Avery went flying backwards from the impact and slid across the ground as he coughed and wheezed for air.


    "Didn''t you say something about surrendering if I didn''t want to feel any pain. It seems that you weren''t able to back those words up." Iniquus said as he slowly lumbered towards Avery.


    In a final desperate move, he tried to pull another grenade from his belt, but the moment he reached for the weapon, he felt a heavy impact on his arm.


    Iniquus had rushed up to him like a blur and stomped down on him. Crushing his radius and ulna bones.


    "Aghhhh!"


    Avery screamed in pain as his bones were shattered and he felt his vison blacked out for a moment.


    Unfortunately, an even greater wave of pain followed that brought him back to reality.


    Iniquus began digging his foot in and aggravating the serve injury he had just caused.


    "After I''m done with you. I''m going to have the rest of my soldiers gather up your little friends and present you to them broken. Then I''ll torture all of them in front of you until their voices have gone hoarse from the screaming. Once that''s finished, I''ll figure out what to do with you depending on how my mood has improved." Iniquus said, a sinter grin on his face.


    He then grabbed Avery''s face and forced his mouth open. As he said, he was going to rip out his tongue first.


    Naturally, Avery was not going to go down without putting up some level of resistance. And while it was a low blow, he managed to get one of his legs free and slammed his knee into one of the most sensitive areas on a man''s body.


    The was no doubt that Iniquus really felt this, and Avery nearly managed to squirm away when he felt a cold metal hand grab his leg.


    An appalling crunching sound followed as Iniquus snapped Avery''s leg. The one he had just used to knee the man in his privates.


    Avery grunted in pain and used his other leg to kick the man in the face, breaking his nose.


    Their battle had completely devolved from before. No longer were they fighting with any high-tech weapons and equipment.


    Regrettably, Avery was at a clear disadvantage. Unlike Iniquus'' enhanced body, he was just a normal person with a well-trained physique. Considering his two broken limbs and heavy exhaustion, it was not going to be long before he could no longer offer any resistance.


    Grtio had been watching this entire fight unfold. And he knew that he needed to do something to help but was hesitating. In front of him was a laser pistol used by one of the guards working for Iniquus. Yet he could not bring himself to use it


    He had never killed anyone before, and he knew that was what he would need to do in this moment.


    ''I can''t do it.'' Grito thought as he had been reaching out for the gun, his hands shaking.


    Then, he met Avery''s eyes as Iniquus pinned him down again. This time he had no avenue to counterattack. His strength was used up.


    Seeing this and remembering all of the help he had received as well as his own fate should Avery lose, Grtio scooped up the weapon and aimed it at Iniquus.


    With his eyes closed, he pulled the trigger. Unable to watch what happened next.

 Chapter 139 139 Jasmine’s Ultimatum

    Once the three of them had wrapped up the battle in the lab, Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden rushed out in pursuit of Iniquus'' aide.


    "Damn it, which way did he go." Kaiden growled when they made it to the first intersection in the corridor.


    They were not too far behind, and the man they were after was injured, so he should not have been able to get to far.


    Nevertheless, he had managed to get out of line of sight, and there was no telling which way he might have gone.


    Kasandra carefully listened with her acute hearing, but there were too many sounds echoing through the station for her to pinpoint their target.


    "I hate to suggest this, but we might need to split up." Jasmine said, glancing down the three paths before them. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If they all went in a different direction, their chances of finding Iniquus'' aide and Vi''ivando would drastically increase.


    Naturally, Kasandra and Kaiden were hesitant to do so though.


    They were currently in the middle of enemy territory, and going alone would make them significantly more vulnerable.


    Still, time was ticking, and every second they wasted brought Grito''s uncle father away from them.


    "Okay fine. But if any of us run into any enemies, we need to prioritize escape and head back towards the Dauntless. There''s no point in dying just to complete this mission." Kasandra said reluctantly.


    After that, they each chose a different path and started hurrying down it. Hoping to catch up with Iniquus'' aide and rescue Vi''ivando.


    Jasmine ran as fast as she could keeping and eye out for the man she had seen drag Grtio''s uncle away.


    By some stroke of luck, as she was passing through a corridor and searching around, she caught a glimpse of something taking a turn at the end of the hallway she had just entered.


    Intently, she took off after the person.


    However, just as she rounded the corner herself, she saw a bright flash of light coming directly towards her.


    The laser bounced off her personal shield generator, but her reflexes still kicked in and she leapt backwards so that she was out of line of sight.


    "You''re not going to be able to get away. Just release Vi''ivando and surrender. When the Alliance Police come by, I''ll tell them that you cooperated."


    Jasmine had said similar lines many times when she had still been an officer.


    Except, she did not truly believe that Iniquus'' aide would come quietly. She could count the number of times people had actually surrendered in such a situation on one hand.


    And as she surmised, this was not going to be one of those rare occurrences.


    There was no response from the man, and Jasmine could hear him continuing to walk away.


    Steeling her nerves, she held her laser pistol close to her body in both hands.


    When she was ready, she dashed back out into the intersecting corridor and held her weapon up so that she could open fire at a moment''s notice.


    Except, instead of having his own gun pointed towards her, Iniquus'' aide had it pressed up against Vi''ivando''s head, who he was holding in front of himself like a shield.


    "Stop right there if you don''t want me to fry his brains." The man said coldly.


    He never ceased walking backwards even as he threatened Jasmine. His eyes though, never left her. He was ready to follow through with his threat if he saw her make any hostile movements.


    "Okay, let''s just try and calm things down and not do something either of us might regret."


    Jasmine lowered her weapon and held out her hands to try and defuse the situation.


    Nevertheless, Iniquus'' aide showed no signs of dropping his guard and kept moving. He had a destination he was going towards and would not stop for anything. The longer he took, the more likely it was that someone else might come along and stop him.


    ''I was hoping he would try pointing his weapon at me, but it doesn''t appear that he wants to try and fight this out. I''m guessing he''s not confident in his shooting skills.'' Jasmine thought as she kept in step with the man.


    She was ready to act if she saw an opening, but she knew that initiating a fight would only lead to the target she was trying to rescue dying.


    So long as she kept in pursuit, there was a decent chance that one of her allies might find them and take Iniquus'' aide out while his focus was on her.


    Unluckily, even after a few minutes, no one else came across them, and they were only a few meters away from an airlock that a ship was docked at.


    Knowing where they were, it became clear to Jasmine what Iniquus'' aide''s plan was. He was going to take Vi''ivando and whatever sort of deceive the man was building off the station.


    "I thought that you were Count Iniquus'' loyal aide. Are you sure that you can just abandon him like this?"


    "As much as it saddens me to do so, yes. I have been by his side since his birth, and I loyally followed his father as well. However, my true duty comes before that. I urged him to retreat, but he refused. So, I must take matters into my own hands."


    Despite having been silent up to this point, when faced with his betrayal, Iniquus'' aide suddenly felt the need to defend himself.


    His answer did bring more questions to Jasmine''s mind though.


    "I guess that means that you really work for someone else. So, you''re just a backstabbing rat."


    "Do not think that you can provoke me. I have always been working towards a single desired goal. One which both the previous Count Dannoso and Lord Iniquus share. Sadly, my lord has lost sight of our purpose. His anger has clouded his judgment, but this matter is too important to abandon. Now I have enjoyed out little chat, but I must be going now."


    The airlock behind Iniquus'' former aide opened up and revealed the interior of the ship waiting for him.


    At this point, Jasmine could not hold back any long and raised her weapon back up.


    "Oh, did you want me to kill him? If not, then put that thing down." Vi''ivando''s captor said threateningly.


    "I''m afraid I can''t do that. You are not leaving with him. There is no telling what will happen if I let you take him and get away. So, you''ve forced my hand. If you take another step or shot him, I''ll put you down."


    Grinding his teeth in frustration, Iniquus'' former aide could tell that Jasmine was deadly serious by the look in her eyes. She was ready to sacrifice Vi''ivando if it meant stopping him.


    "You''re quite callous. I thought that you had braved the dangers of infiltrating this station to try and rescue this man. But now you''re willing to let him die so easily?"


    "No, I''m not. If there was anything I could do to save him, I would. But if you take him onto that ship, he might as well be as good as dead. So, hurry and make your decision. Will you surrender, or die with him?"

 Chapter 140 140 A Harrowing Victory

    Avery was pinned down, broken, and moments away from having his tongue ripped out.


    The battle had been arduous, and he had done his best, but in the end, he had lost to Iniquus'' superior prowess.


    There had been no doubt in Avery''s mind that he was more skilled, but he simply could not overcome his enemy''s enhanced physical abilities.


    At the very end, his gaze had drifted towards Grtio, and he saw the young Baccigan struggling to grab the weapon laying in front of him.


    When he had finally picked it up, Avery thought that perhaps he might be saved.


    Yet, when he watched Grtio close his eyes, he had figured that it was over. He had fought the good fight, but he just had not been good enough.


    Then there was a bright flash of light.


    In a move not even an amateur would do, Grito had discharged the weapon he was holding without looking.


    Nevertheless, by either some miracle or design, the beam struck Iniquus directly in his head and went through one side and out the other.


    His brain was damaged well beyond being able to function, and Iniquus suddenly went limp and fell over. No matter how durable he was from the body augmentation he had received, no human could survive being shot in the head by a laser weapon set to maximum output.


    ''Fu*k he''s heavy!'' Avery thought as he tried to use his one good arm to push away the limp body that had just collapsed on him.


    Eventually, he was able to squirm his way out, but the experience had been far from pleasant. In fact, it may have been the most grueling thing he had ever done. On account of his broken leg and arm.


    "Grtio¡­ could you-"


    Avery was about to ask Grito for assistance patching himself up, but stopped part way through when he noticed Grito had dropped the gun he had just fired and had a vacant look in his eyes.


    It was pretty obvious that the weight of what he had just done was crashing down on him all at once. This was the first time he had killed someone. A line he never wanted to cross.


    Seeing as how he was not going to be getting any help, Avery bit down on the collar of his coat as he forced himself to move. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had some emergency medical supplies in a pouch on his belt, but it was unfortunately on the side with his broken arm. Forcing him to reach all the way over with his good arm despite the immense pain he was in.


    After a bit of a struggle, he pulled out some fast-acting pain relief pills and took them.


    When the pain began to subside from the anesthetic agent being released into his body, he pulled out an injector filled with recovery nano machine and jammed it into his broken arm and leg.


    Despite the pain relivers he had taken, a new wave of agony assaulted Avery as he felt his bones being knitted back together.


    It was excruciating to say the least, but he fought through it for around a minute before all he could feel was dull soreness.


    Slowly he stood back up and used his laser rifle as a crutch. The worst of the damage had been healed, but he would need some more extensive recovery in a medical pod to get back to peak condition.


    During this entire time, Grito had not moved a millimeter. He just continued to stand completely still, unable to comprehend what he had done.


    "I get that it''s difficult for you. Taking a life is not an easy thing to do. For some it even feels impossible. But you did save me, Grtio. So, thank you for that."


    "Don''t thank me for this! I just killed someone! I''ve done so many awful things, but I swore I would never cross that line!" Griot yelled, throwing his frustration at Avery.


    "Yes, it''s true that you killed Iniquus, but sometimes that is the only option. Had you not acted, he would have torn me apart. Then he probably would have set his sights on you. And all of these people that he abducted and enslaved would have continued to be pawns for him to use and throw away. So don''t think about the single life you took, but about all of the ones you saved."


    Avery knew that while his words were true, they were still cheap. Grtio was essentially going through and emotional crisis right now, but he did not have the time to let him work through it. Just because the ringleader was dead, it did not mean that their work was over. There was still a lot of cleaning up to do, and enemies that needed to be dealt with.


    "We still need to find your uncle. That''s what you hired us for, so you need to see it through to the end. Now pull yourself up for a bit longer. If you want, you can collapse later, but this is neither the time nor place to do so."


    Reminded of the reason that they were here, Grito pulled himself together. He and his uncle had been abducted by these people, and when it seemed like there was no one to help rescue his only family, Avery and his team had agreed to put themselves in danger for him.


    Of course, they were not doing this for free, but Grito would have been hard pressed to find any other merceries willing to go against someone with as much power as Iniquus. And even if he had, there would have been almost no chance that they would have succeeded.


    "Kasandra, Kaiden, what''s going on?"


    With his own fight wrapped up, Avery had attempted to contact everyone else, but only Kasandra and Kaiden had picked up. Both Ezra and Jasmine had remained silent.


    The two Woest siblings hastily explained what had occurred to split them up, and Avery grimaced by what he heard. If Ezra and Jasmine could not answer his call, that meant that they were either locked in battle, or possibly worse.

 Chapter 141 141 Breach

    Jasmine continued her standoff with the aide that had betrayed Iniquus.


    Her entire focus was on keeping her weapon level and ready to fire at a moment''s notice. So even when she heard Avery and the others trying to contact her, she did not let her concertation waver.


    If she could not save Vi''ivando, she needed to at least ensure the mutual destruction of the man dragging him away. That was what her gut was telling her.


    ''I can already tell from the fear in his eyes that he''s not the type to so easily give up his life. Right now, he''s just trying to figure a way to weasel his way out of this and still get away with Grtio''s uncle. But time is on my side. I know that Avery won his fight, and Kasandra and Kaiden will be here soon. The longer this takes, the more it will be to my advantage.'' Jasmine thought, trying to keep herself calm.


    Holding a weapon on someone for an extend period of time was nerve-wracking, and allowing herself to slip up for even a moment could mean the worst-case scenario.


    As time went by though, Iniquus'' former aide finally began to feel the pressure. He had tried to come up with something to turn the situation around, but the only thing that might help was one of Iniquus'' guards coming along and distracting the woman holding him at gunpoint.


    Except, the more time went by, the less likely that anyone would come to assist him.


    "Fine it seems that I must concede here. Nothing will be gained if I lose both Vi''ivando and my life."


    Despite it sounding like the man was giving up, Jasmine could tell from the look in his eyes that he was not going to go quietly.


    Then, in the next moment, he threw Vi''ivando away and hurried into the ship waiting for him.


    Immediately Jasmine leapt forward and grabbed Grtio''s uncle who was about to receive a nasty fall and fired off wildly in the direction of the fleeing man.


    Regrettably, none of her shots hit, and the door to the ship he was on closed and blocked the rest of her blasts.


    Jasmine''s eyes went wide as she realized what was going to happen next, and she attempted to rush out of the corridor before it occurred.


    Yet, she was too late. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The ship Iniquus'' former aide had boarded ripped away from the station and damaged the airlock door in the process.


    There were typically safety mechanisms in place in case of dangerous situations like this, but they had been disabled remotely thanks to the spiteful man that was running away. If he could not have Vi''ivando, he would see him sucked out into the vacuum of space. Along with the hateful girl that had gotten in his way.


    As the air began being pulled out of the station, Jasmine felt the suction reach her and she was pulled off her feet.


    She felt her muscles straining as she grabbed onto the edge of a doorframe and held onto Vi''ivando.


    "If I can just get inside." Jasmine growled as she tried to pull herself up.


    It was sheer dumb luck that she had been near a storage room right before the station was breached.


    While the vanishing oxygen supply might eventually become a worry, she needed to find some refuge to avoid being dragged out into space. She would last all of a few seconds should she end up floating out into space.


    Sadly, her luck only extended to having something to brace herself with. The room was locked, and in her current condition, it was impossible to use the tools necessary to get it open.


    Feeling her strength and stamina sapped away, along with the air becoming thinner, Jasmine did not know how long she could hang on.


    Of course, keeping ahold of the unconscious and bound Vi''ivando was also difficult. It forced her to only grip the doorway with a single hand and was tiring her out more quickly than if she could use both.


    For a moment, she considered letting him go but shook her head at such a selfish thought. It went against her own personal ethics and would leave a bad taste in her mouth. Doing so would essentially mean that she had lost against the man who had once been Iniquus'' aide.


    "Jasmine!"


    Just as her grip was beginning to loosen and she thought she might be sucked out of the station. Jasmine heard a familiar voice calling for her.


    Looking down the corridor she was in, she saw Kasandra and Kaiden peeking around the edge of the nearest intersecting hallway. Both of them bracing themselves to avoid being dragged away.


    Their presence reinvigorated Jasmine''s spirit and her strength that had been fading came back in a powerful burst of motivation.


    Nevertheless, she could not exert herself for much longer or she really would falter.


    "Grab on! We''ll pull you in!" Kasandra shouted, throwing a long piece of cable down the corridor.


    Normally it would have limply fallen to the ground, but the suction from the breach left it dangling in the air within Jasmine''s reach.


    Trusting in her companions, she grabbed ahold of the lifeline and wrapped it around herself and Vi''ivando. And in doing so let go of the doorway she had been holding onto.


    Naturally, this had her begin pulled backwards, but she held onto the cable and felt Kasandra and Kaiden anchoring her.


    Slowly and with immense effort, the two of them pulled her and Grito''s uncle down the passage until they made it to the intersection and were able to reach relative safety.


    There was still some suction from the air being pulled out of the area, but it was far weaker thank to not being in a straight line with the breach.


    "Glad to see that you''re alive and retrieved our target. But I''m afraid that now''s not the time to be resting. We need to seal this corridor, or the entire station might depressurize."


    Jasmine nodded her head and gritted her teeth. Through sheer willpower she forced herself up and got to work helping Kasandra and Kaiden manually engage the emergency bulkhead that should have automatically deployed to contain the breach.

 Chapter 142 142 Wrapping Up

    "Glad to hear that you''re all okay. I''m going to be going around with Grito and disabling the implants in anyone we come across while looking for Ezra. I want the three of you to stick together and go back to the Dauntless to drop Vi''ivando off. Then if I haven''t found Ezra by then, I want all of you to help me with the search."


    Avery ended the call with Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden and let out a deep sigh of relief.


    The three of them were doing fine and had managed to secure Grito''s uncle. One of their main objectives from infiltrating this station.


    He had heard that they ran into a bit of trouble with the man that had previously been Iniquus'' aide, but things had worked out in the end. The three of them had sealed up the breached corridor that could have caused major issues for the station if left unchecked.


    "I''m sure you already heard the good news, but it seems that my team members managed to rescue your uncle. Now, let''s go make sure that when everyone wakes up, they won''t immediately go back to trying to kill us." Avery said, smiling reassuringly at Grito.


    Thankfully, his mental state seemed to be settled for now, and Grito assisted Avery as he wanted.


    Whenever they came across someone that either Ezra, Kasandra, Jasmine, or Kaiden had incapacitated, they used the disruption device Grtio had made to disable the implants hidden within their heads.


    "Ezra!"


    Eventually they found themselves at the scene of the fierce battle between Ezra and his old friend Oliva.


    The area was in shambles, with the walls, ceiling, and floors sliced up from their hard light weapons.


    When Avery made it over to his fallen comrade, he immediately checked to see if he was alive.


    "Whew. Don''t scare me like that." Avery muttered after confirming that Ezra still had a pulse and his heart was beating.


    He was banged up and unconscious, but he was alive and there was no threat that he might die. The medical nanomachines had fixed up a majority of his injuries and he was merely exhausted from the intense exertion and blood loss.


    As for his opponent, she was in pretty rough shape. Ezra had done his best not to kill her, but that did not mean he had gone easy on her.


    Oliva''s wounds were awful to say the least, and she really might breathe her last soon if she did not receive immediate assistance.


    "Grito, have you already disabled the implants of the people in this area?" Avery asked.


    "Yes, there should be no worry of them being under those infernal things control when they wake up."


    Having this confirmation, Avery administered a dose of medical nanomachines to the woman that fought against Ezra. This would ensure that she did not die from her injuries.


    After that, he injected Ezra with a stimulant and slapped him in the face a couple of times until he woke up.


    "Sorry, I''m going to have to be cutting your nap short. We''ve still got work to do." Avery said with a wry smile as Ezra''s eyes fluttered open.


    "Couldn''t you have woken me up a bit more gentl- Wait! Olivia!"


    Noticing that his friend was no longer in front of him where she had been when he lost consciousness, Ezra began frantically searching for her.


    "If you''re talking about the woman that beat you up, she''s over there. I figured she would be a bit more comfortable lying down rather than slumped up against a wall she had bled all over." Avery said, pointing towards where he had moved her.


    Ezra immediately looked relieved, and this was more than enough for Avery to understand that there was some sort of history between the two.


    While Ezra took a few moments to recover, Avery contacted Kasandra, Jasmine, and Kaiden to update them Ezra''s situation.


    It was good news to learn that all of them had pulled through, though they had not quite made it out unscathed.


    Nevertheless, this mission had been a resounding victory considering what they had been up against. Now there were only a few things left for them to take care of.


    "Have you had enough of a break, Ezra? Otherwise, we''ll need to leave you behind." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Of course, I''m good to go. I feel good enough to lift a Harnalix." Ezra said, standing up and holding his arms over his head.


    "A har- what?"


    "Ah, I suppose you would not know about something like that. It''s a large creature from my home world. I''ll tell you more about it later."


    With the two of them in a good enough mood to be joking around with each other, they set off and continued freeing the station''s soldiers from the implant that had been enslaving them.


    However, this was not their main goal in heading deeper into the station. What they were truly after was information.


    Soon they made it to the stations main computer room, and Grtio got to work on cracking the system. To further justify their assault on the station, it was paramount that they gathered as much evidence of Iniquus'' wrongdoings as they could.


    Naturally, a lot of sensitive information was being stored on external drives as well, but once they had a map of the place, Avery sent Kasandra and Kaiden to collect any drives and devices that were stashed away in Iniquus'' quarters and office.


    The security on Iniquus'' personal devices was difficult to crack even for Grito, but he eventually got in.


    "Looks like a lot of transmission data has been erased. I don''t think I''ll be able to get it back. Still, there''s plenty of incriminating evidence here." Grito said once he had complied all of the information pertaining to Iniquus'' crimes.


    There were tons of illicit payment records to pirates, as well as records of purchasing the warships from the Reswen Theocracy that the terrorist had been using.


    "Well, I think we''re ready. Let''s contact the Alliance Police and have them clean up the rest of this mess."

 Chapter 143 143 A Deputy Chief’s Woes

    While he was busy eating dinner in his office and going over the mountain of reports on his desk, courtesy of the terrorist attack earlier that, Deputy Chief Bryrid Wendon, the top officer in charge of the Alliance Police stationed in the Phregon System, received an emergency call from one of his subordinates.


    "What could it possibly be this time lieutenant? I''m already up to my nose in reading and writing reports." Deputy Chief Bryrid said with a tired sigh.


    "Sorry sir, but we just got a transmission from some mercenaries that-"


    "Just stop. I don''t care about a couple of money grubbing mercs. Tell them that whatever payment they are trying to get will be sent to their accounts when this mess is contained. Just because their job is over once the fighting stops doesn''t mean that everyone else''s is. They can wait a few days for their payment." Deputy Chief Byrid said, interrupting his subordinate with an exasperated huff.


    Hundreds of mercenaries had joined the battle against the terrorists both in the station, and against the ones that had attacked outside with foreign warships and a swarm of pirates.


    A lot of them were already trying to get their rewards for any bounties or emergency requests from the Alliance Police that they had taken.


    It was pretty obvious that they just wanted to get their money and go. The whole system and Phregon III especially were massive messes right now and there was no telling what else might occur. Those that did not want to get caught up in anything else had no desire to stick around.


    Of course, Deputy Chief Byrid and the rest of the officers under his command had far more important matters to deal with. But the mercenaries did not seem to care and were only whining about getting their money.


    However, even after Byrid cut off the call in frustration, the captain in charge of the lieutenant that just contacted him sent another emergency transmission.


    "Seriously, if these mercenaries are making that much of a nuisance of themselves, just arrest them. With all that is going on, I doubt that there will be much pushback."


    "Sir! This has nothing to do with money. The mercenaries that contacted us have discovered the one behind the terrorist attack." The Alliance police captain said frantically.


    Byrid went wide eyes and silent when he heard this.


    The ones that had been behind the recent incident were a group of well-known environmental extremists, but they hardly had the resources to obtain the weapons and vessels they had used on their own.


    It was obvious that someone must have been backing them, but everyone that they had managed to capture alive did not know anything and there was no concrete evidence to be found.


    ''I''ve already started to receive criticism from the media for not being able to stop the attack before it happened, and if the benefactor behind the terrorists went unfound, there''s a good chance I would be transferred to a remote region or possibly even demoted. But if I have someone big that I can turn in, that changes things. I should be able to save at least a bit of face.''


    Deputy Chief Byrid immediately looked over the materials the captain sent him, but he soon wished that he had not. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The mercenaries had sent them serval files detailing the crimes of one of the most powerful men currently in the system and large investor in the planet undergoing terraforming.


    Being the important public figure that he was, Byrid had met with Iniquus on several occasions, and even thanked the man for his support at a major event.


    However, should everything he just read come out, it could see his reputation tarnished, along with anyone else that had associated with Iniquus.


    "Sir, the mercenaries are asking to speak directly to you now. Also, they want us to send a ship over to assist with transporting victims. Apparently, there are several dozens of presumed lost mercenaries that had been forced into servitude with an illegal implant."


    Byrid felt a headache coming on, but he told the captain to send a relief vessel and accepted the call with the mercenaries. He wanted to figure out exactly what had happened and learn what the mercenaries were after.


    "Ah, finally. I was wondering if we were ever going to get in contact with the person in charge."


    Once the call had been connected Byrid saw a young man with blonde hair sitting in the cockpit of a clearly high-end military style vessel.


    Beside him on one side was a behemoth of a man with red skin and horns protruding his head, and on the other was a light brown-haired woman with feline ears sticking up out of the top of her head.


    "I''m assuming that you''re the group of mercenaries that wanted to speak with me." Byrid said, trying to exude an air of authority.


    "That correct. I''m the leader of our team, four star mercenary and recipient of the Alliance Silver Cross of Heroism, Avery Asteria. Now how about we get down to business. There is a lot for us to discuss regarding this matter."


    At first, Byrid thought that the mercenaries he would be dealing with would be easy to manipulate. He would pay them off with a bit of Krenin and take all of the glory for successfully sniffing out the culprit behind the terrorist attack that had shaken the system.


    Yet, the moment that Avery introduced himself, Byrid knew that these people were going to take him for all he was worth.


    Having received a Silver Cross, Avery held a certain degree of influence since he was considered a champion of the Dramid Alliance.


    Byrid could not afford to try and push them around with his as a Deputy Chief since it could easily backfire on him.


    As for trying to use Avery''s youth and inexperience against him, this failed as well.


    The two veteran mercenaries next to Avery helped to guide him whenever he was about to agree to something that would only serve to benefit Byrid. And another woman that knew the laws and regulations of the Alliance Police far too well would chime in whenever he tried to cite codes that most mercenaries were ignorant of.


    In the end, Deputy Chief Byrid was forced to agree to every demand the mercenaries made of him. And in return, he would at least be able to take some of the credit for uncovering Iniquus'' crimes and putting a stop to the man.

 Chapter 144 144 The Emitter

    "Well, I suppose that will do it."


    Avery yawned widely and stretched his arms over his head after finishing negotiating with Deputy Chief Byrid.


    Now that everything that immediately needed to be done regarding the day''s events was over, the built op exhaustion of everything he and his team went through was crashing down on him. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They had been through several battles throughout the day, and the last one had seen Avery pretty heavily injured.


    With nothing else pressing to address, it felt nearly impossible to keep his eyelids open any longer.


    However, before Avery could get some rest, Kasandra and Jasmine insisted that he use the Dauntless'' recovery pod. The emergency treatment he had administered had fixed his broken bones for the most part, but there was still a dull ache in his arm and leg.


    There was a possibility that the medical nanomachines had not fully completed the job or that his bones were not put back quite in the right place. It was best that he received more extensive treatment just in case.


    "I should probably do the same." Ezra said, standing up. His hand over his stomach where he had been impaled.


    After saying this, he headed over to the Dauntless'' airlock and opened the way to his vessel.


    Currently all three of their ships were docked together so that they could move between them for anything that they might need.


    This was normally pretty dangerous and something that they would avoid doing since it meant that they could not react to any incoming threats, but they were currently surrounded by Alliance Police and any enemies that they might have had in the system were already beaten.


    With that, the five members of Avery''s team went their separate ways to recover after the harrowing series of battles that had brought them to where they were.


    As for Grtio, he refused to leave his uncle''s side and was waiting in Avery''s room where Vi''ivando was resting.


    This left Avery going to sleep in Kasandra''s room. With Jasmine joining in as well, making the bed a bit cramped, but comforting nonetheless. Having the warmth of his two lovers by his side helped to soothe Avery and he with both of them nuzzled up against him.


    ¡­


    "Sorry to have to wake you. But it seems that there''s something that we need to address."


    Feeling a soft hand shaking his shoulder, Avery opened his eyes and saw Kasandra sitting over him.


    She had her terminal in her other hand and was reading a message that she had just received. While Avery and Jasmine had slept through the noise of the notification, Kasandra''s heightened hearing had picked it up.


    "Is it that Alliance Police?" Avery asked rubbing his eyes and then checking his own terminal for the time.


    It had been about two and a half hours since they all fell asleep. Not enough to have fully rested, but it would have to do for now.


    "No, it''s from Grtio. It seems that his uncle has woken up and wants to talk to us. Apparently, it''s important."


    Carefully, Avery got up so as to not wake Jasmine. He figured that it would be better for her to continue to sleep. She could be filled in on the situation later.


    Once they entered Avery''s room, they found Vi''ivando sitting up in bed with Grito by his side.


    "Are you the leader of the mercenaries that rescued my nephew and I?"


    "Yeah, that''s me. And this is my crew member, Kasandra. So, what did you want to talk about?" Aver replied, pulling up chairs for him and Kasandra to sit down so that they were closer to eye level with Grito and Vi''ivando.


    "Grtio was not completely sure, as you did not disclose this information to him, but what of the device I had been working on? I need to know if you have it and what sort of condition it''s in."


    Avery frowned when he heard this and tried to tell Vi''ivando not to worry about that right now and get some more rest, but the older Baccigan was stubborn and demanded an answer. He had to know.


    "Fine, but I don''t think what we have to tell you will help any. Whatever it is that Iniquus forced you to make was taken off the station by the old man that was acting as his aide. At the end, he betrayed Iniquus and tried to abscond with you and the device. Thanks to another member of my crew, we managed to rescue you, but that man got away with what you were working on and the data pertaining to it."


    Vi''ivando clenched his six hands tightly and bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed after he heard Avery''s explanation.


    "Uncle!"


    Noticing the blood dripping down his face, Grito was naturally concerned.


    However, Vi''ivando was feeling more frustrated and ashamed than he ever had in his entire life. The heinous emitter he had helped to create was out there. In the hands of someone undoubtedly aiming to use it for less than virtuous reasons.


    "It''s not complete though, right? If it was, that man would not have worried about taking you with him and would have just killed you instead." Avery said, wanting to get back to discussing Vi''ivando''s creation.


    "Yes, it''s as you surmised. I''d only finished building the shell and some of the components. It was still aways off from being operational, and there were plenty of tests that needed to be performed to make sure it would work as intended. Still, that thing is far too perilous. If they fine another engineer of a high caliber, it is possible that it could be completed."


    Just having the incomplete emitter and Vi''ivando''s research would be enough that whatever organization had the device might be able to find someone else capable of finishing it. Someone with less morals than Vi''ivando who only worked for Iniquus'' because the only member left of his family was being threatened.


    "From the way that you''ve talked about it, whatever you were making for Iniquus must be incredibly dangerous. But you have still not told us what exactly you were working on." Kasandra said, wanting to know what they were up against.


    Vi''ivando lowered his head in shame and his expression grew darker as he answered.


    "It''s a solar flare emitter."


    When they heard this, both Avery and Kasandra tilted their heads in confusion.


    They naturally knew about solar flares, and while they had been a problem in the past, modern shielding was capable of blocking any of the adverse effects that used to occur.


    Yet, when they brought this up, Vi''ivando merely grunted and shook his head.


    "That'' true for most solar flares, but there are some large enough to still take out a station''s power grid for a little while. They''re really rare, but they still happen every now and then. But with the device that I designed, it will be possible to artificially create solar flares that are completely unnatural in their size and magnitude. If the emitter works as designed, it could even knock out every electronic device on a planet. And it has a nasty side effect."


    With a grave look on his face, Vi''ivando explained broadly how the device worked.


    It would be launched into a star and would sit just below the surface where it was practically undetectable. From there it would disrupt the star and cause solar flares. Even being able to direct them to a certain degree.


    Except, the more it was used, the less stable the star became. Eventually it might even cause it to fully collapse.


    "I''m sure you can understand the true threat that something like that presents. Entire systems could be destroyed because of it. And I''m the one that perfected the design and helped to create it."


    Knowing what they were up against now, Kasandra and Avery both gulped in unison.


    What Vi''ivando had descried was not just a powerful weapon, but essential a doomsday device.


    A system''s star was its heart. They had both witnessed what happened when that heart collapsed.


    The Prazan System where they had fought the energy lifeforms had lost its own star when it went supernova. And the completely barren area devoid of just about anything came to mind.


    Should the emitter Vi''ivando had described ever become functional, it was possible that dozens of habited systems in the Alliance could end up the exact same way.


    "The device is not operable yet, though. And there is no guarantee that anyone else will be able to complete it, correct?" Avery asked.


    "Yes, it''s still far from functioning. As for people that could finish it, I can think of a few peers of mine that might be able to. But there are not many, and I do not believe any of them would do so unless coerced like I was. Nevertheless, I don''t know every expert in the field."


    Vi''ivando''s reply was of little comfort. Still, at least for now, they did not need to worry about some doomsday device going off. It would take time and resources to complete it.


    That meant that there was time to prepare. Now that they knew what they were up against.


    "Of course, we''re just a small group of mercenaries. This is hardly a matter for us to be getting involved in." Kasandra said.


    "Yeah, I''m in agreement with you. This is a bit too big for us. That means that it''s best if we send it up the ladder and pass it on to someone whose job it is to worry about such things. Fortunately, we just finished talks with such a person not to long ago. I''m sure that he would be willing to hear us out again."


    As Avery and Kasandra had this conversation, Deputy Chief Byrid felt a shiver up his spine. Soon he was about to receive even more headache inducing work courtesy of a certain band of mercenaries.

 Chapter 145 145 Recruitment Effort

    Five days after the battle against the terrorists, pirates, and Iniquus, things had finally begun to settle down in the Phregon System.


    The situation had certainly been hectic, and recovering from the damage that had been done was far from easy for the people that lived in the system, and especially those that called Phregon III their home. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Many scars of the battle were still present within the colony, and the many people that lost others they cared about would have to carry the pain of that fateful day with them for the rest of their lives.


    Still, life was gradually getting back to normal for everyone, and Avery and his companions were figuring out their next move now that they were not busy with the aftermath of the attack.


    Of course, there was one major issue left to deal with. And that was what to do with Grito and Vi''ivando.


    Avery had been letting them stay on the Dauntless, but there was still the matter of Grito being wanted by the Alliance Police.


    As part of the deal that they had made with Deputy Chief Byrid, Grito was not going to be charged for any of his crimes. Though only if he appeared and testified as he was supposed to.


    With things finally starting to settle down, Avery had recently received a message from the Alliance Police asking him to hand over Grito. The crisis was over, so it was time for things to return to normal.


    Nevertheless, Avery had been toiling around with an idea ever since he saw how useful Grito''s skillset was. Without too much time left, he decided that now was the moment to bring up his proposal.


    In the Dauntless'' dining room, Avery met with Grito, just the two of them.


    "You said that you had something important to discuss with me. What is it?"


    "It seems that the Alliance Police want you now. They''re ready to send you off to whatever court you''re supposed to be testifying in. Not that they''ve told me anything about it. They''ve been pretty tight lipped about the whole thing." Avery said shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.


    "I see, then that must mean that you''ve come to tell me that it''s time for me and my uncle to leave. Ah, but you must also want the coordinates for the places where I stashed the goods I promised you. If you give me a little bit of time, I''ll put it all onto a data drive before leaving."


    Grito began to get up and head out of the room, but Avery stopped him before he could go.


    "I suppose I did not get my intentions across properly. While I do want the payment you promised, it''s not really important right now. We did get eighty million Krenin from Iniquus, and thanks to working things out with Deputy Chief Byrid, we''ll be able to keep it all. We''re not hurting for money at the moment. What I really wanted to ask was if you wanted to join my team?"


    Hearing this, Grito went wide-eyed with shock. It never even crossed his mind that Avery might try to recruit him.


    "B-but I''m not cut out to be a mercenary. I''m no good in a fight, and I don''t ever want to have to kill anyone again. Plus, the Odium Syndicate is still after me. If I''m with you, it will put you and all of your companions in danger."


    "Those are all insignificant matter to me. What I want you for is your technical expertise. It''s pretty hard to get someone as skilled as you to work exclusively for a small band of mercenaries. I''d be remiss at this chance to recruit you. Also, as you said, you''ve got some dangerous enemies after you. But if you join my team, we''ll be able to keep you safe."


    Avery''s proposition was certainly tempting to Grito. Even if he successfully gave his testimony and was completely pardoned of his crimes working for the Odium Syndicate, he would not have any prospects for the future.


    The Alliance Police might be willing to move him to some sort of safe location, but his life as an engineer would be over. His passion was tinkering with and improving or creating new devices. But to avoid standing out to not draw the attention of the odium syndicate, he would be unable to do so in any large capacity in the future.


    However, joining a team of mercenaries brought with it its own set of dangers. Grito had already experienced some of the harrowing battles that Avery and his group would continue to experience.


    "Thank you for the offer, but I think it would be best that I decline. It''s too dangerous a job for me, and there''s really not any room for me on your ship. I''m grateful for you lending my uncle and I your room while we stayed here, but it''s not like we can do so indefinitely. We''ve got our own situations and need to push through on our own. We can''t burden you any longer."


    After Grito gave his refusal, Avery let out a long, exaggerated sigh, as if he could not be more disappointed.


    "What a shame. And here I had a ship with a top-of-the-line lab prepared for you. To think that it will go to waste now. Oh, what shall I do?" Avery said overdramatically.


    Obviously, he was trying to draw Grito in, but the curious young Baccigan could not help but take the bait.


    "How did you even get you hands on such a vessel? And why would you have something like that made before even approaching me?"


    "Surely you remember the Reswen Theocracy warships that the extremists were using. If you recall, we disabled five of them. Four of them have already been sold, but I decided to keep one of the corvettes and have it repaired. It might be over eighty years old, but it''s still a solid craft that was once used by a major power''s military."


    "As for the technical equipment, when Kasandra and Jasmine told me about the lab Vi''ivando was being forced to work in, I thought it would be a shame for everything to end up sitting in some Alliance Police warehouse as evidence. So, I negotiated to have it all given to me. Though, since you''ve already made up your mind not to join us, I''ll have to figure out some other use for it."


    Avery continued to feign overempathized despondency. Though, he was naturally trying to tempt Grito.


    A sturdy warship filled with some of the most advanced equipment in the Alliance was certainly something that most engineers would kill to have access to. And Grito could not help but feel enticed.


    Yet, he merely shook his head in the end, and his expression became clouded.


    "I''m sure that you''ll be able to find someone else more skilled than I am. It''s not like I have a formal education. I just picked things up while working for the Odium Syndicate. Surely some bright graduating student from some esteemed institution will take you up on that offer."


    While Grito had briefly envisioned what it might be like joining up with Avery, a flash of a far gimmer future also came to his mind. One where the Odium Syndicate slaughtered them all because of him. The offer may have been great for someone like him, but he could not bring himself to put people that had helped him so much already at even greater risk.


    "I see. If that''s how you feel I can''t very well force you." Avery said, his demeanor going back to normal.


    He really did think that it was a shame that Grito would not join his team, but there was nothing more that he could do to try and sway him.


    Yet, just as Avery was about to give up, an unexpected induvial intruded.


    "I hope you don''t mind if I join in on this. It may not be my place, but the future of my nephew is being discussed."


    Vi''ivando suddenly entered the locked room, and Avery caught a glance of the door''s access panel hanging loosely to the side by the cables that attached it to the ship.


    It was pretty obvious that Vi''ivando had overridden the lock so that he could force his way in.


    ''Am I going to need to upgrade the Dauntless'' security?'' Avery thought, surprised by Vi''ivando''s ability.


    He may have only disabled a lock, but the Dauntless'' systems were some of the newest and most advanced in the Alliance. Breaking into them would not be an easy feat.


    Still, this was a matter to worry about for another time, and seeing as he was already here, Avery beckoned Vi''ivando to join them.


    The older Baccigan quickly got caught up on the conversation and began stroking his chin in contemplation.


    "Grito, I think that you should take Avery up on his offer." Vi''ivando eventually said.


    Naturally, his nephew was confused by the sudden support for joining Avery. Surely as the person that had been put in the most danger by him gaining the Odium Syndicate''s ire, he should know what this meant.


    "Uncle, I just can''t. As mercenaries they already live such dangerous lives. I can''t be responsible for adding even more." Grito objected.


    "I''m sure that they already know the risks. Avery here wouldn''t have asked you to join him otherwise. And think about it. This is a big chance for you. I may have been forced to work for Iniquus against my will, but the equipment he provided was certainly topnotch. In my opinion, you''d be a fool to pass up on this opportunity."

 Chapter 146 146 Recruitment Effort (2)

    Both Avery and Grito were shocked to see Vi''ivando pressing so hard for his nephew to join Avery''s band of mercenaries.


    Normally you would expect such a close family member to be supportive of their kin''s feelings and decisions, but Vi''ivando had gone so far as to call Grito a fool for passing up on this opportunity.


    ''I suppose he believes that this is best for his nephew. While it would make the Odium Syndicate our enemy, that would mean that Grito had strong allies to defend him. The Alliance Police already failed to protect him once and forced him to flee due to threats on his life. If Grito wants any semblance of a normal life going forward, he absolutely needs protection.'' Avery thought, speculating on what Vi''ivando was thinking.


    Of course, he was all for Grito joining him. He had seen the young Baccigan''s skills up close and knew that Grito was inventive. He was perfect for keeping their ships running in good order and possibly even improving some of their systems.


    "I can understand why you don''t want to put me or my team at risk, but there''s really nothing to worry about. We''re more than ready to face whatever the Odium Syndicate throws at us to get to you. Plus, if they come at us, that just means more money for us. I''m sure the Alliance Police would be happy to pay for getting rid of such an organization''s members, and any ships they send at us will be ours to strip for parts and equipment once we take them down. There won''t be any problems and none of us will resent you if we get into trouble a little more often because of you."


    After Avery gave his final push, Grito sat in silence thinking about the offer presented to him and his uncle''s words.


    As he tried to go through the pros and cons of the situation, it was mostly benefits. The only major issue was the Odium Syndicate that wanted him dead, but Avery had already assured him that this would not be a problem. Continuing to refuse because of it would only be an excuse.


    "Do I really deserver something like this?" Grito mumbled to himself. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Deep down he was guilty for everything he had done. For several years he had helped a group of drug smugglers poison people in the Dramid Alliance. He may not have been directly involved with any of the organization''s illicit operations, but he had certainly helped to facilitate them.


    "That''s something you''ll have to decide for yourself. Of course, if you don''t feel that it''s the path for you, it''s not like I''m going to force you to stick with me. You''d be free to leave when you want." Avery said, having heard Grito''s mutterings.


    When he looked up at his uncle''s and Avery''s faces, all he saw was reassurance in their expressions. As reluctant as he had been, they were still both hoping that he would join up with Avery.


    "Fine, I''ll do it. I''ll become your team''s engineer. I promise that I won''t let you down."


    With Grito''s affirmation, Avery smiled and welcomed the newest member of his team.


    "Now that that matter is settled, there is something else that I wanted to discuss with you." Vi''ivando said, looking intently at Avery.


    "Sure, what is it."


    Avery sat up straighter in his chair and waited for Vi''ivando to divulge what he wanted to say.


    "Well, the Odium Syndicate has put a target on my back as well. Plus, I''m certain that Iniquus was not working alone, and he''s still got some coconspirators out there. I don''t want to get caught up in another mess, so I was hoping that you''d take me somewhere. Right now, I don''t think I can trust any public transports, but staying here won''t be good for me either."


    Vi''ivando disclosed that he was hoping to head to the capital system where he had some acquaintances that could help protect him. He had not wanted to do this before since it meant taking a job at a private company that would tie him down, but their security was excellent, and he would be far safer there than when he was working at an educational and research institute.


    "Of course, I''m willing to work to pay my way while I''m with you. I can teach Grito some of the secrets I know and assist with maintaining and upgrading your ships. Not to brag, but I am one of the best engineers in the Dramid Alliance." Vi''ivando said, wearing a self-assured smile on his face.


    Naturally, Avery was more than happy to have him along. He was already set to head to the capital system soon to fulfill his end of the contract he signed with Storeen Corp. Bringing along another person was hardly an issue. In fact, getting an expert like Vi''ivando even for just a short while would be extraordinary.


    "Yeah, you''re free to stay with us for as long as you like. I''ve got business in the capital already, so we were planning on heading there soon anyway. I''d guess we''ll deal with Grito testifying first and then head over to the capital system. Is that fine with you?"


    Nodding his head, Vi''ivando agreed. Bringing the expert Baccigan engineer Avery had access to from one to two. Albeit temporarily.


    However, there was still one question that was on Grito and Vi''ivando''s minds. The Reswen Theocracy vessel he had kept and outfitted with the equipment from Iniquus'' station, who was going to be piloting it?


    "I''m sure that one of us could figure out the controls and use the navigational computer to set flight paths, but neither of us have the skills to pilot during combat. We''re wondering what the plan would be in such situations?" Vi''ivando said, rightly curious about his and his nephew''s safety in the event of a battle.


    With Avery leading a mercenary group, fighting was a large part of their job. Something that Vi''ivando and Grito were hardly well-versed in.


    "Ah, I suppose I should have brought that up earlier. I tunnel visioned on recruiting Grito and forgot to explain more about the ships the two of you will be on. Fortunately, a skilled mercenary and pilot recently joined us. Or well, what she really wants is to follow Ezra."


    Once the mercenaries that Iniquus had abducted been seen at a medical station and had their implants removed, and then were questioned by the Alliance Police, they had been free to go.


    As reparations they would all be receiving a portion of Iniquus'' seized assets, but there were some that wanted to get right back to work now that they were in control of their lives again.


    One of which just so happened to be Oliva.


    When she reached out to Ezra, she asked if she could join him on his ship, but Avery decided to offer her the role of captain of the Reswen Theocracy corvette.


    Fortunately, she had accepted, and with her acting as an intermediary, some of the other skilled mercenaries that Iniquus had forced to become his private soldiers had joined as crew members. A lot of them were happy to have a quick chance to get back on their feet and felt that they could help pay back Avery and his team since they were the ones that had saved them.


    "So there will be another eleven people aboard that will be dealing with the piloting, restocking of goods, and other miscellaneous tasks necessary to keep the ship running. All you two will need to worry about is your engineering work. And as for when we get into battles, the corvette will be outfitted with long range weapons to keep it out of the fray for the most part and act more as a support gunship. Things would have to go pretty bad for both of you to be in danger." Avery said, explaining the position they would have on the vessel and what its status would be during fights.


    "There will always be risks with any mercenaries. But I already know that you guys have good ships and aren''t idiots. From what you''ve told us, I don''t think there will be a problem." Vi''ivando said, nodding his head.


    Grito was in agreement as well. There were always dangers when traveling the massive expanse of space but being on a former military warship with an additional three first rate mercenaries to protect it was not bad. He had seen Avery and his team fight already, so he knew just how competent they were.


    "I''m glad that you''re in agreement. Now let''s get the formal proceedings of welcoming Grito to my team finished. Then we can go to the Alliance Police with a new proposition. I obviously can''t just let them take a member of my group away for an extended period of time. Especially when a dangerous group is after him. They''ll have to let us tag along to so that we can make sure you stay safe."

 Chapter 147 147 Next Target Location

    Though he had to be a bit forceful and coercive, Avery managed to convince Deputy Chief Byrid to allow his team to accompany Grito to the court he would be testifying in against the Odium Syndicate. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fortunately, the top officer of the Alliance police in the sector was able to see reason. Grito had run away once before because the organization he was supposed to give evidence against had managed to deliver death threats even while he was supposed to be under the Alliance police''s protection.


    However, having a group of strong mercenaries looking after him and offering added protection meant that it was far less likely that the Odium Syndicate would be able to get to Grito again. Plus, Avery and his team would be doing so for free since Grito was now officially their group''s engineer.


    Overall, it was a mutually beneficial deal for everyone. Except, when Avery finally received the details about where they were going and shared it with everyone, one particular member of his crew was less than enthused.


    "We''re going to the Cocarro System?!" Jasmine said, her voice louder and more high-pitched than normal.


    For a moment there was panic on her face, but she swiftly got herself under control and her expression became more neutral.


    Of course, everyone noticed her sudden agitation.


    "Yeah, the court Grito is testifying in is on a planet called Azade. From what I''ve already looked up about it, it seems to be quite a beautiful and lush natural world. Do you know anything about it?"


    "Nope! Nothing!" Jasmine replied far too quickly and then excused herself for a bit.


    Everyone stared as she left, and if it was not obvious before that something was up with her, it certainly was now.


    "Does anyone know what that was about?" Ezra asked, looking towards Avery and Kasandra.


    Out of everyone in their group, the two of them knew Jasmine the best.


    Nevertheless, they had no idea why the mention of this system and planet had upset Jasmine so much.


    "Sorry, she doesn''t talk much about her past. And what she has told me is mostly about her time at one of the Alliance Police''s training academies. She hasn''t mentioned to me anything further back than that." Avery said, shrugging his shoulders.


    Kasandra on the other hand frowned, and as if searching through her memories, recalled something Jasmine had told only to her.


    The two of them had gotten quite close during the trip from the Yuson System to the Phregon System, and they had naturally talked with each other about certain things that they had not even mentioned to Avery.


    "I might have some ideas, but I don''t think it would be right for me to share. Jasmine will tell us if and when she is ready."


    Most of them were fine with this answer, but since he was the one that brought it up, Ezra pushed for the answer he was looking for.


    "We''re all entitled to our privacy, but if this is something that could affect our mission, it''s best that we need know about it."


    "I get that, but I don''t know much either, and it''s not up to me to decide if I should tell all of you." Kasandra responded, shaking her head.


    Ezra still did not give up after that though, and Avery felt that he was going to need to interject, when someone else beat him to it.


    "That''s enough Ezra. Every woman had a few secrets that she wants to keep. It''s not any of our place to force something about Jasmine out of Kasandra." Oliva said, speaking up for the first time.


    She was new to the group so she had kept quiet up until this point, but seeing as how Ezra was being a bit forceful about this issue, she had felt it necessary to step in.


    Thankfully, her words seemed to get to him better than Kasandra''s and he dropped the issue immediately.


    ''Whipped already." Avery thought, barely able to keep in a chuckle.


    He already knew that the two of them had a bit of a history together, and since Ezra fought her and rescued her from Iniquus'' clutches, the two of them had gotten much closer.


    "Well, now that that matter is settled. I did want to ask you what you thought about the ship you''ll be in charge of Oliva. I know it quite a bit different from what you were using before."


    "Hm, there are still a few things I need to get used to, but I don''t think it will be a problem. It''s a good vessel despite its age. I''m just happy that you gave me this chance. Also, I know I already thanked you, but truthfully, I''m grateful to all of you. Thank you for allowing me to gain control of my life again."


    Oliva bowed her head towards Avery, and though only briefly, a few tears did fall from her face.


    She had spent a year as Iniquus'' puppet. Unable to do anything but follow the man''s orders. During that time, she had been forced to commit all sorts of atrocities, and the experience had left a deep scar in her mind and heart. Frankly, she had not had any hope that she would ever be freed. So, her current situation seemed like a sweet dream compared to the hell she had been living in.


    "We were just doing our job. But I''m glad that we were able to help you and the others. We couldn''t let him keep getting away with doing that to our peers." Avery said.


    He then told her that she did not have to push herself if she did not want to. That it would be possible for Kasandra to take her role until she was ready if she needed more time to work through the trauma that had built up during her time working for Iniquus.


    "I appreciate the sentiment, but I want to get back to a normal life as soon as possible and put everything behind me. Getting back to work is a good way to do so, and I''m honestly incredibly grateful that you''ve given me this opportunity. It''s not everyday that an offer to be the captain of such a vessel drops into your lap." Oliva replied, a pleased smile on her face.


    "Okay, then I''ll leave it to you. But if anything comes up that you need to talk about, feel free to reach out to any of us."


    With that, Avery told everyone that they were free to do as they wanted for the next two days. After that, they were going to be leaving with an Alliance police escort to the Cocarro System.


    "Whew. Sometimes being a leader is a lot hard than I imagined it would be." Avery said, opening up a cold drink and taking a large gulp.


    "That''s what happens when you''re so ambitious. I mean you more than doubled the number of personnel our group has all at once and put a whole new ship together for the new recruits. Plus, you''ve been dealing with the Alliance Police regarding the situation with Grito. Honestly, I think you''ve been working yourself a bit too hard."


    Kasandra sat right next to Avery and opened up a drink of her own as she leaned against him. For the first time in a while, it was just the two of them.


    For a bit over an hour the two of them simply relaxed and flirted with each other. Until Jasmine, who had been getting her thoughts in order, came back.


    "Sorry about running out earlier. That was unprofessional of me."


    "No need to worry about that. It''s just the three of us here now, so don''t be so stiff. Come and take a load off with us." Avery said, a comforting smile on his face as he patted the empty seat to his left and beckoned Jasmine to sit next to him.


    Her cheeks tinged a bit red, she did as Avery wanted and sat next to him.


    "Avery, I''m sure that you realized that-"


    "It''s fine. You don''t need to feel like you have to tell me about it. I''m not going to push for answers just because I''m a little curious. If you want to talk about it, that''s fine. But if you''re just doing it out of obligation, then please don''t. Obviously, I''d love to know more about you, but not if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Unless you think whatever your connection to the Cocarro System you have is going to put us in mortal danger, feel free to keep it to yourself."


    Jasmine felt touched by Avery consideration. When most people saw someone trying to hold onto a secret, they naturally wanted to know and would push their target until they found out what the other person had been hiding.


    "Okay. Then, I think I want to keep it to myself for a bit longer. But I promise I''ll tell at least you and Kasandra soon."


    After all the serious discussions were finished, Avery and his two girls spent the rest of the day simply goofing off and enjoying some leisurely time together. At least until it was nearly time for bed, and the three of them all went to Avery''s room to indulge in passion now that they were finally the only ones on the ship.

 Chapter 148 148 Leaving the Phregon System

    "Please always keep in flight sync mode with us unless there is an emergency. We don''t want any misunderstandings to occur."


    The one that had just given this warning to Avery and his team was Commander Berk Barkeley of the Alliance Police.


    He was the man in charge of the escort that would be accompanying them to the Cocarro System so that Grito could testify against the Odium Syndicate.


    For someone of his rank, he was fairly young, and his sharp eyes and short raven black hair gave him the appearance of a no-nonsense officer. And the impression he gave off was spot on.


    Having been assigned this mission, he was acting not only as protection against any outside threats but was also there to make sure that Grito was delivered to the court. After having already run away once, he did present a flight risk so far as the Alliance Police was concerned.


    "Well, he certainly seems like a pleasant guy." Kasandra said sarcastically once the transmission was cut off.


    "At least he didn''t outright threaten us, but the implication was clear." Avery replied with a sigh.


    The Alliance Police commander had made sure to get his intentions across. If he thought that Avery''s band of mercenaries was going to jeopardize his mission, then he would treat them as enemies.


    Of course, they had no plans to run away with Grito. Getting his record clean would only serve as a benefit for them. Obviously, it would be nearly impossible to continue working as a mercenary if the Alliance Police was after them because they absconded with an important witness.


    "I''m still a bit surprised that they were able to allocate this many ships just to guard us. Considering everything that just happened here." Jasmine said, glancing between the Alliance Police vessels that would be coming along with them.


    In the lead, and the craft that Commander Berk was in charge of, was a light cruiser. One that was the newest model operated by the Alliance Police.


    At over four hundred meters long, it was quite the behemoth of a ship compared to anything Avery''s group possessed.


    Then as further accompaniment, there were six corvettes that had taken up position around Avery''s group.


    With two on each side, and one above and below. In some ways it looked like they were captives of the Alliance police considering that they were surrounded.


    "They must really want whatever information Grito has on this Odium Syndicate. Are they really that much trouble?"


    Avery''s question had really just been him musing out loud, but Jasmine swiftly gave him an answer.


    "Definitely. They mostly just deal with bringing in and disrupting illegal drugs and they''ve learned how to stay off of the Alliance Police''s radar. And since they''re not based in the Dramid Alliance, it''s pretty much impossible to put a stop to them. Especially since the Zatis Consortium where they are believed to be manufacturing the highly addictive drugs they distribute, is far from friendly with Alliance."


    In truth, there were many within the Dramid Alliance that believed that the Odium Syndicate was actually being sponsored by one of the leading corporations within the Zatis Consortium.


    Getting an enemy population hooked on highly addictive and dangerous drugs was far from a new strategy, but it still could be quite effective.


    "We''ve just received another transmission. Seems that we''ll be departing in five minutes." Kasandra said while Avery and Jasmine were discussing the Odium Syndicate and Zatis Consortium.


    Seeing as how they were about to head out, Avery contacted the other members of his team and made sure that everything was alright with them.


    Fortunately, nothing was out of the ordinary this soon into their journey, and they were all ready to get going.


    "Looks like they''ve finally sent us the flight plan." Avery grumbled.


    As if they might be spies of some kind, the Alliance Police had kept the details of which way they would be traveling to the Cocarro System a secret.


    Only now that they were a few minutes out were they allowed this information, and the Alliance Police vessels around them had equipment set up to intercept any transmissions Avery''s team sent. Just in case.


    This was quite a bit of security considering that they were merely bringing along one witness, but that just went to show how important Grito was to this matter, and how much of a nuisance the Odium Syndicate had made itself.


    "I was wondering how we were going to arrive in only eleven days. But were using a warp portal."


    Seeing as how the Cocarro System was practically on the other side of the Alliance, a typical journey using hyperspace lanes would have taken around four months without stopping other than for refueling and resupplying.


    But by using a warp portal, they were going to be able to cut that time down to less than ten percent.


    "This will be my first time using one. It''s not something the average mercenary can ever experience. Though I guess we do have access to them considering the Silver Cross you received, Avery." Kasandra said, a hint of excitement in her voice. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I wouldn''t get your hopes up about them. While the structures supporting the portal are impressive, the process of going through them isn''t really all that."


    Jasmine''s nonchalant response had Avery and Kasandra turning their heads towards her with looks of surprise on their faces. They had assumed this would be the first time for her as well, but from her words, it was clear that she had traveled through a warp portal before.


    "When did you ever have the opportunity to use one?" Avery asked curiously.


    Seemingly caught off guard by this question, Jasmine floundered around a bit before answering.


    "Um, it was during my transfer to the Yuson System. The academy I trained at was quite far away, so the Alliance Police Vessel transporting me went through one."


    To anyone that had been watching her, it was obvious that Jasmine had just made this up on the fly as a somewhat plausible excuse.


    ''The longer I spend with her, the more I believe she actually is some well-to-do young lady that ran away from home to join the Alliance Police. And judging by her reaction to the Cocarro System, we must be heading towards her past. I just hope it doesn''t bring up any trouble.''


    Still, Avery had let Jasmine join his crew, and after everything that they had done and been through together, he was not about to give her up. He doubted that she wanted to return to whatever life she had before, so he would make sure that she stuck with him so long as that was what she wanted.


    "Well, enough about that. It seems that it''s time for us to go. We don''t want to do anything out of line and gain the ire of Commander Berk." Avery said facetiously.


    After receiving the message that they were cleared for departure, Avery synced up the Dauntless'' navigation system with the light cruiser in the lead and then let the ship''s computer do the rest.


    A moment later, their group shot away from Phregon III, and once they were far enough away, they all simultaneously activated their light speed drives.


    Another fifteen minutes went by uneventfully until they all dropped out of light speed. They had reached the entrance to the first hyper lane they would be using.


    Once the last safety checks were finished, Commander Berk''s ship went first, and all of the rest entered a few at a time.


    "Okay, now we don''t need to be on edge. We''ve got about nine hours to relax." Avery said, stretching out his arms.


    Now that they were in hyperspace, the possibility of any threat was practically zero. Until they exited to transfer to the next hyper lane, they were safe.


    "I think that it might be a bit too soon to let our guard down. We should study the route we''re traveling and pick out the most likely spots that might be used for an ambush. Or do you think that Odium Syndicate isn''t going to try something just because we have a police escort?"


    Letting out a long exhale, Avery saw the logic in Kasandra''s words and sat down with his two crew members and girlfriends to look over the map.


    For the next few hours, they discussed strategy, but once they were satisfied with their preparations, the three of them took a load off and simply lounged around.


    The leisure time did not last for long though, as once it was time to reenter normal space, they needed to stand ready in the cockpit just in case something happened. Since the hyper lane they were about to leave was basically in the middle of nowhere. The perfect spot for an ambush.


    "You guys are seeing this too, right?" Avery asked once they returned to normal space.


    Kasandra and Jasmine nodded their heads in response. Their eyes wide as they stared at what was displayed on the view screen. There certainly had been something unexpected waiting for them.

 Chapter 149 149 An Amazing but Unsettling Sight

    Avery and his crew were stunned by what they were seeing in front of them. In fact, even the Alliance Police escorting them were astonished and lost for words.


    "Neither of you released a hallucinogenic substance or messed with the viewscreen display, right?" Avery eventually asked, unsure if what he was witnessing was even real.


    "I certainly didn''t."


    "Neither did I. Though, I''m starting to wonder."


    With it being highly unlikely what their eyes were seeing was some sort of illusion, Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine could on continue to stare in disbelief.


    In front of them was a seemingly unending wave of giant space beasts.


    All of the creatures looked relatively the same, being of the same species.


    They had long, thin bodies that were mostly dark green in coloration with hints of dark purple.


    Protruding out of their sides at eight points were tendril like flippers that rhythmically flapped to allow the beasts to propel themselves forward.


    The end of their body ended in a tail that had fins that extend up and down and appeared to be used for steering.


    However, the most distinct part of these creatures'' bodies was their heads. It was wider than the rest of their bodies and opened up like a large funnel. As if always being open to draw things in like certain types of filter feeding fauna that lived underwater.


    "Truthfully, I never thought that I see something like this." Avery murmured as he watched the scene in front of him in awe.


    Each of the creatures were slightly glowing, and with even the smallest being around one hundred seventy meters long, the tens of thousands floating through space in a tight formation was a sight to behold.


    Still, amazing as it was, these creatures were blocking the way forward. The gaps between them were too small for their groups larger vessels to fit through, and Avery had no intention of trying to maneuver the Dauntless through them even if it was theoretically possible.


    And while they were certainly impressive to look at, Avery was uncertain if whatever species these beasts were tended to be hostile. If the whole group suddenly turned and attacked, he knew for a fact that it would be impossible to fight them off. The sheer number of them was far too great to handle. Avery imagined that it would take a fleet of hundreds of warships to confidently take them on.


    "Do either of you know what those things are?" Avery asked now that he was starting to come out of his daze.


    "Oh, you don''t know. They''re pretty famous."


    Kasandra''s response made Avery more aware that he had been living out in what was essentially the sticks of the Alliance. When he looked towards Jasmine, she also nodded and divulged that she knew about these beasts as well.


    "They are called strexnoids. Typically benign creatures that mostly live mostly live out in space, but can sometimes be found on certain planets that have the right atmosphere. From what I know, they''re capable of surviving off the gases in most types of nebulas and can store what they needed for to last for up to several years inside their bodies. If I had to wager a guess, we''ve run into a sizable collective that''s currently migrating." Jasmine said.


    This bit of information as certainly interesting, but that did not change the fact that the strexnoids were currently in their way.


    For as far as they could see in any direction in front of them, there was a wall of the creatures that they could not hope to get through.


    "Could we force our way through? If they''re harmless, lasers set to low output shouldn''t cause in major harm but should be enough to scare them away." Avery suggested.


    "What Jasmine said about them being usually benign is true, but there are plenty of records of ships antagonizing them and being ripped apart. Their large bodies aren''t for show, and as a species, they are very protective of each other. Attacking one of them means angering all of them."


    With his suggestion immediately shot down, Avery raised his hands in defeat. The only option seemed to be to wait until the beasts went on their merry way and left the area.


    However, as time continued to pass, Avery found the lack of communication from the Alliance Police to be unusual.


    From what he had figured out, he figured that Commander Berk was the kind of guy that loved barking orders at people. The fact that so far he had remained silent was suspect.


    "Those things aren''t interfering with communication, right?"


    A puzzled looked on her face, Jasmine did not think she had heard about strexnoids having such an ability. Swiftly she checked the Dauntless'' communications system, but there did not seem to be any problems. The Alliance Police''s silence appeared to be intentional.


    Just to make sure, Avery had Jasmine contact Ezra, Kaiden, and Oliva, but the three of them responded promptly and had likewise not heard anything from their escorts.


    Just before he was about to call the leader Alliance Police escort, a transmission came in from Commander Berk. As if the man was physic and sensed that Avery was about to call.


    "I was wondering when you were going to contact us. Is something wrong?" Avery asked, clearly able to see the look of distress on Berk''s face. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes, there is. I''m afraid that we''re going to have to put the current mission on hold until we investigate what is going on here. Please stick with us and refrain from sending any further transmissions."


    Berk'' curt and far from informative reply left Avery frustrated. It was obvious the man had no intention of sharing what was going on.


    "Sorry, but that''s not going to cut it. I''ve got to think about the safety of my team and myself. Just following you because that''s what you said we need to do is not good enough for me. Right now, my priority is brining Grito to the Cocarro System. Whatever Alliance Police secret that is bothering you has nothing to do with me. If you want to part ways with us, that''s fine by me. I''ll just make sure to tell the officer in charge of the Cocarro System that you abandoned your duty." Avery said, threateningly.


    He was already sick of Berk''s attitude and was not going to stand for being ordered around unreasonably. His team were not soldiers under the man''s command, and currently they did not even have a formal contract to be working under him. It was more of a loose agreement made with Deputy Chief Byrid. Berk''s direct superior.


    When Avery brought this up, Berk insisted that his orders were to keep their group with him at all times. While something more pressing had come up that took presence, that did not mean he was going to abandon his other mission.


    Of course, Avery hardly cared about whatever matter was more important and insisted that he be told what was going on, or he was going to leave.


    "Do you just think that I''ll let you go? Remember, I''ve been authorized to use force to secure the witness if necessary."


    "Do what you think you have to. I''ll do the same. But I''m not leading my team into danger if I don''t know what it is. If you want to try and stop us, I can guarantee it won''t work out for you." Avery said without a hint of uncertainty in his expression.


    Commander Berk growled in anger since a mercenary he looked down on was disobeying him, but he knew that getting into an actual fight would be a waste of time. He believed that the forces under his command would win, but he could not risk the possibility of Grito being killed.


    As for Avery, if it came to blows, he had no intention of standing his ground. He would order his team to flee and make as big of a mess as necessary to get away.


    "Very well. The information I''m about to divulge is not overly classified and plenty know about it anyway."


    Having given into Avery''s demands, Berk explained the situation and why it was of such importance.


    The authorities of the Dramid Alliance tracked the migration patterns of every known group of strexnoids within their territory.


    As massive creatures that traveled in large groups through space, it was important that any major trade route avoided them, less they run into the same problem that Avery''s and Berk''s teams had today.


    However, this was not main reason that Alliance tracked these beasts'' movements.


    Apparently, the waste that they produced when ingesting certain gases could be used as a material in synthesizing a potent fuel source. This made it an invaluable resource for the Alliance.


    "When my subordinates scanned this group, we found that it is not one that is currently being tracked. Meaning that its either a new group that had migrated to this area from somewhere outside of the Alliance, or its one that was already here but has been divert from its normal path and had all of the trackers that should have been monitoring them destroyed."

 Chapter 150 150 Hashing Out Terms

    Now that he understood what was going on, Avery was more willing to cooperate with Commander Berk.


    Still, the situation really had nothing to do with him or his team, so he decided to request a compelling reason for them to go along.


    "You want the Alliance Police to pay you for joining us on this investigation?" Commander Berk said, an incredulous look on his face.


    He had already explained the severity of the situation. Figuring that this would be enough compromise already. Yet, here Avery was asking for compensation as well.


    "Yes, I do tend to want to be paid for my work. Since Grito is part of my group, it was in our best interest to clear up his legal responsibilities, so obviously we weren''t going to charge the Alliance Police for us delivering him to the Cocarro System. This is another matter, however. If you want us to come along and lend our strength to your investigation, then it only makes sense that we receive some sort of reward."


    Berk was utterly astonished by how shameless he thought Avery was being. Here was a possible crisis in the waiting right in front of them, and he cared more about money than getting to the bottom of it.


    Of course, this simply came down to a difference in perspective and priorities.


    From Berk''s point of view, the discover of an unmonitored collective of strexnoids was something that required immediate attention. As a member of the Alliance Police, it was simply something he could not overlook.


    As for Avery though, this was trouble he would rather not get involved with. He was not heartless and would help people out if he saw them in trouble, but he was not going to go out of his way to prevent a possible future problem when there was no incentive too. Right now, the strexnoids were merely flying through space harmlessly. They might have caused a bit of trouble by blocking the route they were supposed to be taking, but this was only a minor inconvenience that would resolve itself eventually.


    "Do you not understand the gravity of the situation?" Berk said, his tone harsh.


    "Afraid not. This might be urgent for the Alliance Police, but not for me. But seeing as how your boss, Deputy Chief Byrid, helped us out a bit, I''d be willing to give you a discount on our fee."


    Avery then transmitted the price it would cost to retain his team for day.


    When Berk saw the number being displayed, his eyes went wide in shock.


    Avery was asking for three hundred thousand Krenin for every day they assisted with the investigation.


    This was more than Berk made in a year despite his rank within the Alliance Police.


    There were naturally some major differences between his position and Avery''s though.


    While Berk may have been the one leading a squad of Alliance Police vessels, he did not have any ownership of them. He was merely using the equipment provided to him by the Dramid Alliance to fulfill his job.


    On the other hand, Avery and the members of his team collectively possessed four ships between them. With Avery, Ezra, and Kaiden each being the sole owners of their own vessels, while the corvette that Olivia was captaining was equally owned between the three of them since they collectively captured it as a team.


    "That''s honestly a pretty fair deal I''m offering. We were getting paid two hundred seventy-five thousand a day by the Moonrise merchant company before we added our new corvette and its crew of expert mercenaries to our retinue. Honestly, three hundred thousand a day for our services is a good price considering that this is technically an emergency request." Avery said with all seriousness.


    Truthfully, Berk wished that he could simply tell Avery off and be done with the man, but that was not a possibility considering his orders. If they continued to bicker, it would only waste more time. It was imperative that Berk figure out soon if this group of strexnoids were coming from somewhere else, or if they were native to the Dramid Alliance''s territory and why the monitoring tags that should have been transmitting signals were not.


    Taking the man''s silence as he thought to be a sign of hesitancy, Avery offered up another suggestion that he figured would be viable.


    "It''s only about a ten-hour trip from Phregon III to here. Why not send a hyperspace message back and ask for another team to be sent out to take over investigation the strexnoids? Then we can continue on and leave this for someone else to deal with."


    Avery figured that this idea had some merit, but Berk had already thought of this and merely shook his head.


    The Phregon System was still reeling from the terrorist attack and the other major problems that Iniquus had instigated. Berk''s squad that had been sent as escorts to see Grito to the Cocarro System were the only ones that could currently move freely. All the other Alliance Police personnel were too busy maintaining order and resorting the Phregon System. Sending out any other officers and ships would put the system''s stability at risk.


    Obviously, Berk could try requesting aid from other nearby systems, but that would probably take several days to arrange, if not longer. At that point he would just be better off conducting the investigation himself.


    "Very well, I shall acquiesce to your demands since it seems that I have no other choice. I will have one of my officers write up a quick contract and send it over. Read it over and sign it quickly so that we can get on with the investigation. I fear that things will only get worse the longer we wait." Berk said, the expression on his face less than enthused about the situation.


    Nevertheless, within just a few minutes, a simple contract detailing the request and compensation came through.


    Being the most familiar with Alliance Police procedure, Jasmine read through it just to make sure that it was on the up and up.


    "It looks good to me. We simply have to assist the Alliance Police squadron under Commander Berk''s command with his investigation of the strexnoids. For ever day the investigation continues, our group will receive three hundred thousand Krenin."


    With Jasmine''s seal of approval, Avery signed the contract and transmitted it back to Berk''s command ship.


    Seeing how this was work for the Alliance Police, the contract was sure to be upheld. The only thing that Avery found a bit disconcerting was the lack of time limit. Technically. if Berk wanted, he could continue this investigation indefinitely, and Avery''s team would have to follow.


    Fortunately, he doubted that this would be an issue considering Berk eventually needed to see Grito delivered to the court located in the Cocarro System. There was also the possibility of breaking the agreement, but that was a last resort.


    "Now that we are on the same page and have things settled, we''re going to need to split up into smaller teams and search the strexnoid collective. There should be some individuals that had tags on them, and even if they''ve been disabled or destroyed, we should be able to find signs of their existence. If none are found, then we can assume that this is an entirely new group that has wandered into the Alliance from elsewhere."


    After that, Berk started creating search parties, but Avery had to object.


    The Alliance Police commander had wanted the Reswen Theocracy corvette that Grito was on to go with his vessel, while the rest of Avery''s team would make their own group.


    "That''s not going to work. I''m sticking with our latest members. They''ve only just joined my team, and it is my duty as a leader to look out for them. I''m sure you can understand." Avery said somewhat forcefully.


    Seeing as he was unwilling to budge, Commander Berk agreed that Avery''s Dauntless could accompany his light cruiser along with the vessel that Grito was on and Olivia was in charge of.


    Ezra had some complaints of his own, since he wanted to stick with Olivia, if at all possible, but Avery convinced him that he would make sure to take care of things.


    Finally, the make-up of four different groups had been decided.


    As already decided, the ships Avery and Oliva captained would be accompanying Commander Berk''s light cruiser.


    Ezra and Kaiden would be going along with one of the Alliance Police corvettes, while the remaining five would split into a group of two and three.


    Each of the teams were then assigned a different section of the strexnoid collective to search, and they went their separate ways.


    "I figured that we would be heading towards the front." Avery said as he followed behind the Alliance Police light cruiser.


    "Well, it''s where an anomaly is most likely to exist if there is one. I''m sure that Berk doesn''t want to leave it to anyone else." Kasandra replied.


    It was difficult to tell if this was because of a sense of duty or if he only wanted the glory. But there was little use in speculating now. All Avery could do was follow along and trust in his skills if something happened. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 151 151 Mimic

    Following behind Commander Berk''s vessel, the Dauntless sped by the seemingly never-ending group of strexnoids.


    "How many of these things are there?" Avery grumbled.


    For as far as the eye could see and his ship''s sensors could detect, there we simply more strexnoids.


    Even though they had been flying at high speed for over forty minutes, they still were nowhere near the front of the collective.


    Had they activated their light speed drives, it would have been easy enough to clear the distance quickly, but it was necessary to scan the entire group for any signs of a malfunctioning or disabled tracker.


    "It certainly is boring. And we can''t even relax since we constantly have to be watching the sensor readings in case we pick something up." Kasandra said, her ears lying down flat and her expression bored.


    "Well, this isn''t the deadly fast paced battles we normally get into, but I think it''s fine to have some slow and uninteresting work once in a while. This is better than some of the duties I had while I was part of the Alliance Police. At least we can still talk to each other. I once had to keep watch on a building for a target for seventy-eight hours. I wasn''t allowed to do much of anything to make sure I didn''t give myself away."


    As Jasmine continued to regal Avery and Kasandra of some of the worst jobs she had endured as a member of the Alliance Police, it definitely made their current situation seem far better in comparison.


    "Beep. Beep."


    Eventually Avery noticed an alert coming from the Dauntless'' sensors and pulled up the details what had caught the system''s attention.


    It was not one of the tags that they were searching for, but a different anomalous reading.


    "That one is nearly four degrees colder than any of the others."


    After checking the findings the sensors had flagged, Avery found that a single strexnoid that was near the center of the collective was slightly colder than all of the rest.


    Naturally, there were some variations in body temperature between each induvial, but not at such a high level of discrepancy.


    Normally such a temperature fluctuation from normal in a living creature that had a constant body temperature would mean either sickness or some other dangerous disorder.


    While the cause of the discrepancy was likely just that one strexnoid had picked up some sort of disease or possibly was really old and soon to die, Avery still wanted to check it out since the situation was so unusual.


    "You want to stop and investigate one of the strexnoids just because it''s a bit colder than the others?" Berk asked, an exasperated look on his face when Avery told him about the reason he had called.


    "Yeah, if we''re looking for any anomalies, this is the only one we''ve come across so far. Maybe there''s some sort of plague that''s just starting to go around and that''s the cause of the change in their migration pattern. I think that it''s worth looking into."


    At this, Berk sighed but ultimately gave Avery permission. He figured that the lower temperature of one individual was likely just because of how cold space was. It was near absolute zero outside, and since they were currently far away from any stars, it was even colder than it would be in a solar system.


    Nevertheless, strexnoids did typically maintain a constant body temperature, so even if nothing really came of it, Berk figured that some scientist somewhere would be happy to have the data.


    "There''s too much interference from all the other ones around it. We''re going to need to get closer if we want to get more detailed information on it." Jasmine said after trying to focus the sensors on the single colder individual.


    They were only about ten kilometers away from this target which would usually be more than closer enough for an in-depth sensor reading, but there was simply too much mass in between them acting as interference.


    "Do you think that we can get one of our collection drones through?" Avery asked hopefully.


    Unfortunately, Jasmine merely shook her head, and Kasandra patted Avery on the shoulder to console him.


    "You''ve got this. We believe in you." Kasandra said with his lips turned up into a wry grin.


    Obviously, it was not going to be either of their problems. Avery was the one that needed to fly in between the small gaps between the strexnoids to reach the anomalous one in the center.


    "Both of you understand that if something goes wrong, you''re in here too. Don''t act like this isn''t a problem for you two as well."


    However, despite Avery''s warning, neither Kasandra nor Jasmine were particularly worried and continued to joke around with Avery.


    While it would be difficult to maneuver through the strexnoids, it was not like there was any particular danger involved.


    The Dauntless'' shields would easily protect them even if they bumped into the creatures a few times, and on the off-chance Avery somehow earned their ire, there was no reason for them to stick around. The ship they were on was far faster than any strexnoid, and it would be more than easy enough to run away if the situation called for it.


    "Fine, I''ll show what I''m capable of. This is nothing compared to some of the simulations Urs put me through. I had to maneuver through asteroids that moved erratically and barely had enough space for the Dauntless to pass through. This will be easy." Avery said defiantly.


    Of course, he was truthfully a bit worried about what he was about to do. While the strexnoids typically stayed in a set place and moved rhythmically, sometimes they became erratic and would charge positions at random.


    Once he was ready and had plotted what should be the path that had the most room to maneuver, Avery dove into the mass of giant space beasts.


    Some of the strexnoids seemed slightly startled by his appearance, but most of them paid him no mind.


    In terms of size, the Dauntless was not even a sixth as large as the smallest strexnoids. As far as they were concerned, the ''creature'' that had just flown into their midst did not appear to be any sort of threat. And so long as it did not prove otherwise, they all mostly ignored Avery''s vessel.


    At first, Avery found it easy to cut in between the strexnoids. There was ample room to fly and none of them were doing anything other than moving forward.


    Yet, as he got closer to the target, the density of strexnoids increased and they were switching places with each other more often and the gaps between them were constantly changing.


    "This is weird. It''s like they all want to gather around the cold one for some reason." Avery muttered as he tried to get closer.


    He had not really thought about it when he was still outside of the group, but now that he had gone in, it was apparent that there was something else going on.


    Too many of the strexnoids had crowded around, and most of them were the larger individuals of the group.


    "Maybe the colder one is a female in heat or something. Though, I guess for strexnoids, it would be in cold. You know, since this one''s body temperature has dropped." Kasandra said jokingly to ease Avery''s tension.


    Except, that explanation hardly made sense since there was a pretty even ratio of male and females around it.


    Perhaps if they had a specialist in the species, it would be possible to figure out this behavior, but for Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine, none of them had no clue.


    "Looks like there''s finally an opening. It''s not much, but I''m taking it."


    After waiting around for a couple of minutes, a few of the larger strexnoids moved apart and Avery was able to plunge the Dauntless in.


    His fast movements and direct path towards the colder strexnoid seemed to catch the attention of the others.


    While Avery was not certain, he felt like their demeanors became more defensive, and he could tell from the view screen that more of them had their eyes locked on the Dauntless.


    Thankfully, they did not become immediately aggressive, but it was possible that one wrong move could set them off.


    "Well, we''re finally close enough to actually see the one we''re after." Avery said, locking the view screen on the anomalous strexnoid and zooming in.


    At once it became apparent that this was the smallest of any of the beasts in this collective.


    While it was still much larger than the Dauntless, it was only around a hundred thirty meters long. While the previous smallest they had recorded was slightly above one hundred seventy meters in length.


    "Do it''s movements look a little strange to you too?"


    Kasandra, with her keen eyesight, noticed something that Avery and Jasmine did not.


    When it was pointed out to them though, it became clear. While the strexnoid was moving its tendril-like fins the same as the others, it was a bit stiffer and their was never any variation.


    "Your right, it''s uncanny. If we hadn''t been watching these things for so long already it might not have been easy to distinguish, but there''s undoubtedly a difference."


    The strangeness of the colder individual only became more pronounced as the Dauntless scanned it.


    The reading came back jumbled, with completely incoherent information.


    "Send out one of the collection drones. There''s something fishy about it."


    Nodding her head, Jasmine did as Avery asked, and a small spherical drone popped out of a compartment on the Dauntless'' side.


    It took only a few seconds for it to fly over towards the suspicious strexnoid, and at Avery''s command, it punctured its skin and took a sample.


    The data that it quickly sent back was shocking to say the least.


    The material that had been collected was not organic, but a synthetic compound meant to imitate the appearance of a strexnoids'' skin. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 152 152 Mimic (2)

    Avery looked at the small, colder strexnoid dubiously after finding out that what appeared to be its skin was actually some sort of synthetic material only meant to imitate the appearance of an actual strexnoid.


    The slightly less organic movements and lower body temperature also made quite a bit more sense now. Whatever this thing was, it was certainly not a living creature as it was trying to appear to be.


    "My best guess is that it''s an automated robot made to look like a strexnoid. But it''s hard to tell since it had been constructed with superb cloaking technology. I can''t tell anything definitive with our sensors, so it might even be a manned vessel." Kasandra said, giving her input.


    Thinking about a bunch of people being aboard that thing made Avery crack a smile and chuckle a bit.


    At this point they would probably be sweating buckets since their little scheme had just been found out.


    Still, judging by the fact that there was no change in its movements to suggest that someone was controlling it, Avery figured that it being an autonomous machine would make more sense. Adding people to the equation would have simply made whatever was going on more complicated.


    "The question is, what is that thing''s purpose? And should we just destroy it so that we can analyze its components?"


    Jasmine made some good points, and while busting open the fake strexnoid would allow them some insight into its workings, Avery had a bad feeling about doing so.


    "I don''t think attacking it would be a good idea. The other strexnoids have surrounded that fake protectively. I''m guessing it''s somehow imitating one of their own kind somehow. Judging by its size, it could even be trying to pass itself off as an infant. Which would explain why the larger ones of the collective are keeping close by to defend it." Avery surmised.


    Of course, there were still a multitude of mysteries surrounding this fake strexnoid. Such as how it had been able to trick all of the others, what its purpose really was, and who had made such a thing.


    Avery wanted to try and collect some more information, but from the movements and postures of the strexnoids around them, he felt that they were quickly overstaying their welcome.


    In their current position, if all of the giant behemoths surrounding them decided to use their large frames as battering rams, the Dauntless could easily see itself being crushed.


    "We''ve got enough data for now to identify that at least something abnormal is going on. Let''s meet back up with Oliva and Commander Berk and share what we''ve found. This is ultimately an investigation for the Alliance Police, so we should let the man in charge decide what to do next."


    Having decided to pass the buck off to Berk, Avery plotted a course out of the innumerous group of strexnoids.


    A few minutes later, he found himself outside of migrating beasts'' tight formation and back in open space.


    Not too far away, the Alliance police light cruiser Commander Berk was in charge of and Oliva''s corvette were keeping pace with the strexnoids.


    Avery swiftly directed the Dauntless over to them and then transmitted the data that he had collected.


    While there was no immediate response from the Alliance Police, Oliva got back to Avery fairly quickly. Apparently, she had sent the data right off to Vi''ivando and Grito since they were simply more knowledgeable in general.


    It did not take long for the two of them to make sense of the sensors reading and analyze what had been found.


    "I can see why you weren''t able to make heads or tails of the information you were getting. That thing''s been outfitted with a device that sends out a bunch of different readings that confuses sensors. Fortunately, that incredibly high-end ship of yours is outfitted with some impressive systems. Once Grito and I sifted through the unnecessary information, we were able to isolate what you want." Vi''ivando said, sending over what he and his nephew had worked out. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now that the sensors readings had been compressed into a concise form, Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine were able to properly examine them.


    The fake strexnoid they had encountered was most certainly a machine of some kind.


    Now that the information was unjumbled, it was clear that it was releasing emissions from a prolusion device and that the tendrils attached to the thing were only there to mimic a regular strexnoid rather than having an actual purpose.


    It was also releasing some sort of gas that was not related to any function that Vi''ivando or Grito could discern.


    "That might be how it''s manipulating the other strexnoids." Jasmine suggested. "From what I remember, they can emit certain pheromones to communicate. Perhaps the person that made that fake has created a synthetic version that the real strexnoids recognize."


    Certainly, this was only a guess, but Avery could see the possibility being correct.


    The fake strexnoid was certainly small and if it was releasing an imitation of a pheromone that an injured or distressed child of the species might, that would explain the protective nature of the larger strexnoids.


    "Good work to you two. Having both of you around for stuff like this is a real help."


    "J-just doing our job. You helped us out so much already that this is the least we can do. Also, we''re working on some other stuff to help you out. It''s all still in the conceptual phase right now, but I promise that it will be worthwhile. I won''t make you regret letting me join you." Grito said, a bit of nervousness in his demeanor.


    Avery could tell that his team''s new engineer was worried about being able to prove himself useful. But Avery had now doubts that Grito''s skills would come in handy, and that under his uncle''s direction, he would continue to grow.


    Once Avery, along with Kasandra and Jasmine''s assistance, complied the information along with their hunches, they sent it off to Commander Berk. He had still yet to contact them, but that was par for the course. He was not one for giving intermediate updates and only told them anything when he wanted to or was forced to.


    Eventually though, the Dauntless received a transmission from the cruiser.


    "I suppose that the results must speak for themselves. Good work on discovering that machinal mimic. You''ve actually managed to complete some work befitting that three hundred thousand Krenin you''re being paid." Commander Berk said, his expression a bit reluctant and his tone slightly bitter.


    Had he been by himself, he would have passed by the anomalous temperature reading of the fake strexnoid. It had hardly seemed like investigating at first, and he figured that heading to the front of the collective was the best way to get results and would have hurried along.


    Now though, it was obvious that some force was at play with this group of strexnoids. Though whether these beasts were native to the Dramid Alliance territory or from outside of it was still unclear.


    "This is certainly already enough to mobilize a larger force but let us continue looking. I want to determine if these strexnoids have been tagged, and if there are anymore of those mimics hiding among their ranks."


    At Commander Berk''s direction, they continued searching the strexnoid collective for more information.


    Eventually, they did come across an individual that had been tagged with a tracker by government funded researchers.


    Yet, the device was not transmitter and had been covered up by a thin film meant to camouflage it so that it would be nearly impossible to detect. Had they not been specifically searching for the tag and using top-of-the-line sensors, it would have been easy to miss it.


    "Well, that wraps up one mystery. This group of strexnoids is definitely native to the Alliance. But whose changed their migration path, and why are they doing this?" Avery mused aloud.


    Kasandra and Jasmine gave some theories of their own, but seeing as they were still lacking information, this exercise soon developed into a game where they came up with the most outlandish reasons that someone would want to do this. Eventually reaching the lofty and incomprehensible goal of galactic domination.


    As the three of them passed the time this way, they finally reached a point where their sensors were able to detect the front of the collective. And directly in the lead was another of the mimic, discernable by its slightly lower temperature.


    This one, however, was quite a bit larger than the first one they had come across. Obviously, these giant space beasts were not going to be led by a child, so whatever organization had cooked up this plan had made a convincing replacement for an adult specimen as well.


    Now that they knew what to look for, Avery focused in on any emission the new fake was releasing, and found that it like it''s smaller counterpart, it was sending out a series of gases to manipulate the strexnoids as well.

 Chapter 153 153 Luring Out the Culprit

    "Well, I guess that this proves it. Someone is trying to lead this group of strexnoids away from their usual migration path."


    With another fake at the front of the collective, it was pretty obvious what was going on.


    This also served to help reveal the purpose of the imitation infant farther back in the group.


    It was there to draw in the other larger strexnoids that would usually be out front leading. As the biggest and strongest of the collective they were prioritizing defending what they perceived to be a distressed child.


    "I bet that if we checked the entire group, we would find more of those fake baby strexnoids." Kasandra said with certainty.


    Avery was inclined to agree and transmitted the information they had complied on the mimic strexnoids to Ezra and Kaiden so that they knew what to look out for in the areas that they were searching.


    Having accomplished what they currently could, Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine waited around for Commander Berk''s decision.


    He was still mulling over whether to destroy the fake strexnoid leading this collective, or to wait and see what would happen. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, trying to figure out the ultimate destination of whatever entity had diverted these space beasts from their regular migration path could take quite a bit of time.


    Strexnoids did move at a decent pace, but they were far slower than any space faring vessel in the Alliance. It could be years before anything came of the investigation this way.


    Time that Commander Berk certainly did not have. Grtio was due to appear in court in less than three weeks. If he failed to deliver such a critical witness, it would be a major black mark against him and bring a grinding halt to his career within the Alliance Police.


    Destroying the fake strexnoid in the lead and escaping before the others rampaged was another option, but then the induvial or group behind this plot would most likely go undiscovered. Once they realized that the Alliance Police had caught on, they would not come anywhere near the strexnoids.


    "What is the right choice here?" Berk mumbled while tapping the arm of the chair he was sitting in.


    As if having heard his question, a call from the Dauntless came in at that very moment.


    "That''s quite the pensive look you''re wearing." Avery said. "I might have a suggestion for you."


    "And what might that be? I''d love to hear the infinite wisdom of an esteemed mercenary such as yourself." Berk responded with contempt.


    However, once Avery detailed what his plan was, Commander Berk could hardly disregard it.


    "Too much effort, and too many resources have been put into this scheme. So, while it is mostly automated, I bet that the people that have set all of this up have ways to monitor the situation and probably drop by at least on occasion. If we give them a good reason to show themselves, I bet that they will."


    Avery''s idea was really rather simple.


    All they needed to do was reactive one of the tracking tags that had been on one of the strexnoids.


    The mechanical mimics were probably set up to detect such anomalies and alert the organization that had created them.


    After that, someone would come by to check on the issue before it caught the attention of someone else.


    "That might work, but if we are detected, the people that came to check on the tracker will just run away. If we can catch them then its fine, but there is no guarantee they won''t get away." Berk said, bringing up one of a few flaws he could poke in Avery''s plan.


    "Yeah, that is a risk, but we can mitigate it by staying out of sensor range. If we left a stealth probe among the strexnoids to inform us when someone shows up, we could arrive by light speed and catch our target off guard.


    While Berk did think that there were some merits to this plan, a quick check of his vessel''s equipment along with the other Alliance Police ships under his command showed that none of them had any stealth probes that could avoid detection. It was not a standard piece of equipment that they would need.


    Nevertheless, Avery had already spoken with Grito and Vi''ivando and the two of them were confident that they could modify a type six probe that was the most common model employed by the Alliance Police.


    "Fine, go ahead and get started on it. I''ll have the probe sent over so that the work can begin immediately. In the meantime, I''ll still be considering other options."


    With that Berk cut off the communications.


    "You know that you look pretty smug right now. Especially since that was my idea." Jasmine said, her cheeks puffed up in an exaggerated pout.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure that you get the credit for it. Without your knowledge of Alliance police probes, we won''t have been able to get that proposal together. Now I think that we''ve got some time to lounge about now. What do you two want to do now?"


    ¡­


    After around half a day Commander Berk decided to go with the plan Avery had presented to him. He could not come up with anything better that did not have major risks.


    There were obviously still problems that could occur with this course of action. If the group that had put together this operation to move the strexnoids were especially cautious, just the tracker becoming active might be enough for them to abandon the entire thing.


    Though, this would constitute a heavy loss. Researching and manufacturing the mimic strexnoids no doubt cost an enormous amount of money. To give it all up at the first sign of trouble would probably be difficult to swallow for most.


    "Okay, we''re moving out. Stay in the designated positions and only communicate with secure channels, and only if absolutely necessary." Commander Berk said before everyone went their separate ways.


    There was no telling from which direction their quarry was going to appear from, so all of them spread out to cover as much distance as possible.


    Naturally, they needed to be wary of being picked up by their target first, which was why all of them were going to be hiding in areas nearby that were covered in space debris in low output mode to prevent being detected.


    Then once the stealth probe picked up any suspicious vessel and transmitted it, they would surround the craft and capture it. From there it would be an easy enough matter to extract the information the Alliance police wanted.


    "We''ve only got five days though. What''s Berk''s plan if no one shows up by then?" Jasmine asked once the Dauntless was in its designated position.


    "I''m afraid he didn''t tell me." Avery replied with the shrug of his shoulders.


    Five days was the longest they could stick around here and still make it to the Coccaro system in time for Grito''s court date. And seeing as how the delivery of his testimony had already been delayed once before, being late was not an option.


    Perhaps Berk had already contacted the Phregon System and had worked out how to send another squad, or maybe he planned on leaving a few of the corvettes under his command behind to keep track of the situation.


    Fortunately, on the fourth day, when everyone was starting to worry that no one was going to show up, the stealth probe sent back a simple signal that was difficult to detect without having a commutation system ready to pick up the exact frequency.


    "It looks like someone took the bait. Let''s go see what we caught." Avery said, powering up the Dauntless and preparing to activate the light speed drive.


    There was a familiar hum in the cockpit and space seemed to stretch around them for a moment as they jumped to light speed.


    Within less than two dozen seconds, the Dauntless had reached the vicinity of the strexnoid collective and Avery disengaged the light speed drive.


    "Looks like we''re the first ones to arrive. Oh, and they''re starting to panic." Avery said.


    The small sized craft that was currently working to deactivate the tracker and cover it up again started moving erratically just moments after the Dauntless entered the area. Understandably, the person piloting the ship was shocked by the appearance of someone else.


    Except the panic that they were experiencing soon turned to dread.


    Within just a couple seconds, Commander Berk''s light cruiser arrived.


    Following that, the rest of Avery''s team and the six Alliance Police corvette showed up quickly. Within less than two dozen seconds, their entire force had the unidentified small ship surrounded.


    "They''re trying to make a break for it." Kasandra said, noticing the vessel powering up its engine.


    With the Dauntless being the farthest from an of the Alliance Police vessels, the small ship decided that getting past it would be the easiest path of escape.


    Of course, this was a bad choice, as Avery simply disabled the craft''s engines with his laser cannons and left it dead in space.

 Chapter 154 154 Fly Caught in a Web

    "This has got to be the most boring job in the company."


    A young human man in his mid-twenties tapped away at his terminal while sitting in the cramped cockpit of a small ship that had been provided to him.


    He was playing a game that he had already beaten over a dozen times in order to pass the time during a four-month stay out in the middle of nowhere.


    Since he had gotten his current job, this was already the fifth time he had been given this post.


    "Yeah, it''s not exactly exciting, but we''re getting paid well to do practically nothing but wait around. Just think about it as building up a nest egg to have fun with later." The young man''s only companion aboard said.


    She was one year older than him and had long light blue hair and striking red eyes.


    By most people''s standards she would be considered pretty, but there was no attraction between either of them at all. They were cousins after all and had been raised together in the same household and were basically like siblings. Of course, this was why they had been paired together in the first place.


    "Sure, but when is that going to be. I''m always exhausted when we get back, and by the time I''ve finally gotten readjusted to colony life, we''re sent right back out. Plus, it''s not like we can be completely relaxed. What we''re doing out here isn''t exactly legal, Sasha."


    "Oh, you worry too much, Dustin." Sasha said, passing her cousin a bottle of a drink that had a high caffeine content.


    With a long sigh, Dustin popped the top off the beverage and took a long swing. He had not needed something this strong to keep focused when he first started this job, but now he would nod off if he did not stay caffeinated through his shift.


    "I really wish that we could just nap when we want to. It sucks that our sleep is being monito-"


    As Dustin was complaining about his job for the thousandth time, a notification suddenly popped up on the console in front of him.


    His eyes went wide-eyed as he saw this, and for a few moments he merely sat there frozen in shock.


    "Hurry up and read it already. This is the whole reason we''re out here." Sasha said frantically.


    In all of their time doing this job, this was the first time they had ever received a non-scheduled alert.


    Still, this was their job and after the initial surprise had worn off, Dustin accessed the transmission that had just come in and used the cipher provided to decode the message that had started out as incomprehensible gibberish.


    "This isn''t good."


    When Sasha heard Dustin''s mumbling, she leaned over and read the details of the message herself.


    It seemed that the unmanned vessels that their company had created to mimic strexnoids had detected a few anomalies and sent out a transmission to them.


    "Somes ships were poking around but they have already left. Gah, and not much longer after that, one of the tracking tags became active. Talk bout a series of unlucky event." Sasha grumbled.


    "Why did something like this have to happen on our watch?"


    Dustin was a bit dismayed, but he began following the necessary producers his superior had drilled into him.


    The first thing was to craft a message and send it off to headquarters. Though, the distance that the hyperspace transmission had to travel would take several days to reach its destination, and an equal length of time to get a response.


    "Do you think that what our company''s doing has been discovered?" Dustin asked once he had finished sending out the required message.


    "Hm, I don''t think so. Since they''re fully automated and most of the equipment and processing power is focused towards imitating a strexnoid, the information we received isn''t all that detailed, but it just seems like those ships were looking for a way around and promptly left after only a few hours. The tag didn''t become active until a bit later, so I think that the two situations are unrelated. Two strexnoids probably just rubbed against each other and one of them is equipped with a tracking tag and the camouflage cloth got knocked off. This isn''t the first time something like that has happened. The other team working this job encountered something like that before."


    While Dustin was a bundle of nerves thinking that the scheme the company they worked for had been found out, Sasha was far more relaxed.


    As far as she was concerned, all they needed to do was stick to protocol.


    "We just have to wait for four days, and if no other transmissions come in, then we go and check out the problem and fix it if we can. Seeing as how it''s merely an active tracker, I don''t think it will be a problem. The strexnoid collective isn''t in a particularly high traffic area, and the only hyper lane anywhere in the area is connected to the Phregon System. From the news broadcast we picked up a couple of days ago, it appears that that system is in a state of near turmoil right now. I doubt anyone coming from there is going to care about some benign space beasts."


    After being reassured, Dustin calmed down. Sasha was right. They only had to stick to the guidelines presented to them. After the appearance of any ships, they were supposed to wait for four days to receive word if there was any more activity. If nothing occurred, then it was safe to assume that the vessels that had been within the vicinity of the strexnoids had moved on.


    Over the next four days, the two of them were more alert than normal, but as expected, no other reports of ships showing up arrived, and one of the mimic strexnoids sent them an all clear signal.


    "Okay, let''s go deal with that tracking tag before it becomes a problem." Sasha said, activating their craft''s engine and powering up the light speed drive.


    A couple of hours later, they arrived within the vicinity of the strexnoid collective.


    Naturally, the giant space beasts noticed the small vessel but paid it no mind. However, there was something else that had picked up on Dustin and Sasha''s arrival that went completely undetected. Had they noticed the small, camouflaged probe amongst the strexnoids, they would have immediately plotted a course out of the area and ran way at full speed.


    "Looks like it''s that one. Let'' hurry up and repair the camouflage and get out of here."


    While Sasha piloted the ship, Dustin accessed the controls for the multipurpose drones stored in the cargo bay and activated the program to disable the tracker tag and replace the camouflage cloth.


    Yet, right as they synced up their flight path with the strexnoid with the tag, an unknown vessel dropped out of light speed.


    "What the hell!?" Sasha shouted, jerking on the ship''s controls because of the sudden surprise.


    Panic started to set in for the two of them, but it was only a few moments later that an Alliance Police light cruiser arrived.


    It was at this point that Dustin and Sasha knew they were in deep sh*t.


    No doubt a trap had been laid for them.


    "We need to get the fu*k out of here Sasha!" Dustin screamed.


    "You don''t think I know that?!" Sasha shouted back. "But where do we go. They''ve got a light cruiser and six corvettes. Plus, those other three ships. We don''t stand a chance."


    The two were naturally frantic considering the situation. They had just been caught doing something unquestionably against the law, and the police were ready and waiting to catch them in the act.


    "Go towards that one. The craft that dropped out of light speed first. I''m not picking up any weapons readings from it. That thing''s probably a fast and sturdy scout ship. We can slip by it and jump to light speed. If we can make it to the nearest hyper lane hub, we should be able to slip away."


    Sasha did what Dustin suggested and hastily brought their vessel''s thrusters up to maximum output and gripped the controls tighter than she ever had before.


    At first everything seemed to be going well, they blew past what they assumed to be a scout ship, and the way out seemed so close.


    Yet, just as they thought that they might get away, the craft that they had just left behind whipped around to chase after them and three panels on the front of the ship opened up to reveal military grade heavy laser cannons.


    Both Dustin and Sasha screamed as alarms blared in the cockpit when a weapons lock was detected.


    Sasha did her best to avoid the red flashes flying towards them, but it was all in vain. She was not an expert pilot by any metric and had no combat experience whatsoever.


    The vessel that they had been provided with was decently sturdy with strong shield and reflective plating, but these defenses did little to stop the blasts hitting them.


    It was all over in just a few seconds. A few volleys had knocked out their shields and a final one destroyed their thrusters and left them without any means to propel their vessel.


    Still, Dustin and Sasha had truly believed that they were going to die for a moment. Seeing that the ship attacking them had stopped now that their thrusters were disabled, the two of them were momentarily relieved and thankful to be alive.


    However, the full gravity of their situation soon came crashing down on them. They had just been caught by the Alliance Police in the midst of an obvious crime.


    "We''re screwed, aren''t we?" Dustin said, a dismayed look on his face. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In response, Sasha merely nodded her head while her eyes were filled with fear. They were definitely going to be losing their jobs and receiving a hefty fine at the very least. And the possibility of jail time in a far from accommodating prison was incredibly likely. Neither of their futures were looking especially great.

 Chapter 155 155 Getting Some Answers

    "Now let''s just hope the people onboard aren''t so dedicated to their cause that they kill themselves before we can interrogate them."


    After dealing with the environmental extremists turned terrorist and Iniquus'' enslaved private soldiers, Avery''s team had a terrible record with getting information out of prisoners alive.


    And while Kasandra''s comment had been morbid, similar thoughts had been going through Avery''s and Jasmine''s minds.


    "I don''t think that will be a problem this time. The way that the pilot was moving leads me to believe that they want to live. Though, that''s just what my intuition is telling me. I could be wrong." Avery said, trepidation in his eyes.


    What these people had been doing was illegal, and being caught was going to see them getting caught up in some major trouble. There were certainly some people out that might think ending their lives now would be for the better.


    Fortunately, it quickly became apparent that the two people aboard the small craft wanted to live.


    Within less than a minute, they sent a transmission to Avery declaring their surrender. Apparently, they were afraid of being blown up if they did not. Avery had pretty miraculously attacked them with the Dauntless'' heavy laser cannons, and it seemed that they were a bit traumatized by the violent experience.


    "Well, they''re definitely not hardened agents." Jasmine surmised from the content of the message they had received.


    "It could be some sort of ploy. Let''s not let our guards down yet." Kasandra responded.


    Nevertheless, any added caution had been unnecessary.


    Commander Berk''s light cruiser swiftly pulled up and brought the disabled vessel into its small hangar that typically held a few shuttle craft for away missions or in case of emergency evacuations.


    However, other than the captured ship, Avery'' piloted the Dauntless into the hangar as well. He did not have much of a vested interest in what was going on with the strexnoid collective and these people, but as a mercenary, having information no one else had could be a substantial boon and he was not going to let this chance go by.


    "I already allowed you onboard my ship, so why would I agree to let your crew lead the interrogation?" Berk asked when Avery met him in person and brought up this request.


    "It''s simple really. We already terrified them by firing on their vessel, and I bet that they''d be more inclined to spill their guts to a band of ''lawless'' mercenaries. And more pertinently, Jasmine here used to be a sergeant in the Alliance Police and worked on a colony. She probably has more experience interrogating suspects than any of the people under you."


    Avery''s suggestion certainly had merit, and he could not deny that he and the members of his crew did lack interrogation experience.


    Since he commanded a squad of ships, Berk''s job was more to maintain order around colonies and high traffic routes within the Phregon System. Space pirates rarely surrendered, and when they did, Berk typically handed them over to the relevant department on the nearest colony so he could quickly return to patrolling.


    Jasmine on the other hand, spent her time arresting suspects on Yuson II and had plenty of experience forcing them to cough up their secrets.


    Of course, there were methods that could force someone to talk, but those were typically not employed on moral and legal grounds. To uphold the justice they sought to protect, the Alliance Police needed to maintain an image of integrity.


    Using things like truth serums, torture, or implanting subservience devices similar to what Iniquus had used were last resorts. Something to only be employed when there was an imminent threat. Something that did not apply to the current situation.


    "Very well, but I''ll be monitoring the entire thing and if I order you to pull out, you will do so without any opposition." Berk said sternly.


    "Sure, that is more than acceptable. I promise that we''ll get some results. Oh, and it was good to finally meet you in person."


    With the conversation over, Avery followed the officer that had been assigned to watch and guide them while they were aboard the Alliance Police cruiser. They were now being taken to the brig to speak with the two individuals that had been captured.


    As for Commander Berk, he scowled as the trio left. He was not particularly happy with letting mercenaries do so much, but the results spoke for themselves. Avery and his team were inventive and had discovered the anomalies within the strexnoid collective. Then they had come up with and executed a plan that had brought about the capture of those involved.


    "Perhaps the Alliance Police has been thinking with its cannons too often." Berk mumbled to himself.


    In terms of firepower, just the squad that he commanded far out gunned Avery''s team. It was simply a difference in size.


    Yet, that small band of mercenaries had resolved multiple issues that should have been beyond them with their grit and wits.


    As much as he did not like them, Berk now had a grudging respect for Avery and his group.


    ¡­


    "What are we going to do Dustin?! I''m not built for prison."


    "J-just calm down Sasha. We can get through this. All they caught us doing was tampering with a tacker tag. I don''t think that''s going to be considered a major crime. If we''re polite, apologetic, and don''t say anything unnecessary, we should be able to get through this. Let''s aim for a warning and a fine." Dustin said, a hopeful look in his eyes behind the expression of fear on his face.


    "Do you really think it will be that easy? We also ran away from the Alliance Police when they showed up. No doubt that''s going to be added to the list of whatever charges they''ll bring against us." Sasha said pessimistically.


    However this was going down, she did not see it ending well for them.


    After being brought into a holding cell abord the Alliance Police light cruiser, the two of them had been left entirely alone. Allowing their worries to grow as the minutes of uncertainty went by.


    Eventually, a group of four entered the brig. Yet curiously, only one of them was wearing the uniform of the Alliance Police. The others all had on clothes more akin to what mercenaries would wear.


    "Thanks for bringing us here. We''ll take care of the rest."


    Once Avery had dismissed the Alliance Policer officer, it was just him and Kasandra and Jasmine left in the brig.


    Dustin and Sasha naturally watched what was going on, a hint of confusion on both of their faces. This was clearly an Alliance Police vessel, but three people that were certainly not part of the organization had been brought to the brig and left alone with them.


    "So, you''re the two that we''re flying that small craft that tried to slip past us. You''re not what I was expecting. I figured you would both be a bit more intimidating considering what you were doing here. You two look more harmless than baby birds. Hardly the type of hardened crimials that normally do stuff like this." Avery said, his lips twisted into a scowl.


    "Wait! We weren''t doing anything that bad! And who are you people anyway?! You don''t look like Alliance Police." Dustin said frantically.


    "Ah, yes, I suppose that you would be confused about that. We''re mercenaries being employed by the Alliance Police. And since we''re the ones that took you criminals down, we get first crack at you."


    Both Dustin and Sasha were bewildered by this development, but their current panic prevented them from thinking carefully about what Avery had just said.


    Naturally, there was no such rule that allowed mercenaries that captured criminals to interrogate them before the Alliance Police.


    Had Commander Berk not allowed it, neither Avery nor any member of his team would have ever seen Dustin and Sasha.


    Still, the two of them were not in the right state of mind to think about this. The unexpected development and harsh accusations had already muddled their thoughts.


    ''I''ll have to thank Jasmine later for those tips she gave me. These two are obviously panicked now.'' Avery thought.


    Before the two of them could get their fear under control, Avery continued his questioning. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Now, why don''t you make things easy on yourselves and tell us who you are. We''re going to need names to assign all of these charges too." Avery said, lightly slapping his tablet into one of his hands.


    There was not an actual list of charges displayed on the device, but Dustin and Sasha did not know this.


    At first the two were tight lipped, but a bit of prodding and a promise of leniency from Avery if they cooperated got them to loosen their tongues.


    "I''m Dustin Caddel."


    "And I''m Sasha Caddel."


    Having gotten his first bit of information about the two, Avery swiftly typed it into his tablet and continued with the integration.


    "I see. So, you two are a married couple. I suppose that that the only person that a criminal can be with is another criminal."


    ""We''re not married!"" Dustin and Sasha said in unison.


    Of course, Avery already knew this. He could tell by their demeanors that there was no sort of romantic relationship between them. All he wanted to do was rile them up. And considering how flustered they had both just become, he had certainly done a good job.


    "I see, so your cousins. Then crime must be a family business." Avery said as if it was fact.


    "W-we''re not criminals! All we were doing was doing the job our company assigned to us!" Dustin yelled defensively.


    At this, Avery had to hold back a smile. These two were clearly not career criminals that had no semblance of remorse for the actions they had committed. The more Avery accused them of being such people though, the more that they felt inclined to defend themselves. Leading them to reveal the information he was looking for as they did so.

 Chapter 156 156 Getting Some Answers (2)

    "I see. So, you two are just run of the mil employees that were following orders." Avery said in an exaggerated manner to emphasize his disbelief.


    Dustin and Sasha naturally picked up on what Avery was insinuating and tried to convince him otherwise.


    "Fine, I''ll believe you. But I''ll need to know exactly who it is that you''re working for. What you two were doing is far worse than you know. Otherwise, the Alliance Police would not have sent out seven vessels and hired my mercenary team to investigate the matter."


    Finally getting to the crux of the matter, Avery thought that he had Dustin and Sasha on the hook.


    Yet now that he was trying to get them to expose their employer, the two had become silent once again.


    ''Is it loyalty or fear that''s keeping them quiet. Well, it''s probably a little of both. Still, I don''t think I''m going to be getting anything else out of them easily.'' Avery thought, reading the two captives'' expressions and body language.


    With a sigh, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.


    Avery had done what he could to get Dustin and Sasha to talk, but his act following the tips that Jasmine had given him was not likely to work any more now that he had lost his momentum. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had gotten into both of their heads and kept them talking by constantly making inaccurate claims and pretending not to believe them. This brought about a natural response to defend themselves, but it seemed that this was as far as he could go with it.


    Had he tried to ease into the big question he wanted an answer to, he might have continued to obtain more intel on the two. Unfortunately, Avery was inexperienced at interrogation and had gotten this far simply off of confidence and Jasmine''s advice.


    However, while Avery had given up on getting the information himself, he still had another plan to fall back on.


    Since he had hit a wall, it was time to pass things over to the expert that had coached him before this meeting in the first place.


    "I get it. You don''t want to rat out your coworkers and bosses. That''s fine. I''ll just let my associate here deal with the rest." Avery said, taking a step back and indicating for Jasmine to come forward and crush them.


    With a professional smile on her face that was devoid of any actual emotion, Jasmine stepped up and swiftly typed onto her tablet as she pulled up some information.


    "In pursuant with the Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 113B section 2332¡­"


    Without any warning or build up, Jasmine started spouting legal jargon about Dramid Alliance law.


    Most of this went over Dustin''s and Sasha''s heads, but Jasmine made sure to mention penalties and potential charges every now and then to let the two know exactly how much trouble they could be in.


    Of course, a lot of what Jasmine was mentioning would be difficult if not impossible to get to stick. Some of the potential charges were wildly outlandish. Like claiming that Dustin and Sasha were in some way connected to the terrorists that had recently attacked the Phregon System.


    Obviously, Avery, Jasmine, and Kasandra knew that these two did not have any involvement in that mess, but the more serious the charges stacked against them, the more terrified Dustin and Sasha became.


    ''Jasmine''s really selling it.'' Avery thought as he watched her work.


    At a certain point he felt that the two prisoners, and Jasmine herself, had forgotten that she was not actually a member of the Alliance Police.


    Eventually, one of the two broke. Being told that there was a possibility of life in prison on one of the high security prison colonies where only the worst of the worst were sent was too much to handle. Especially when Jasmine and Avery before her had stressed that cooperation would bring leniency. There was no point in throwing the book at grunts if you could bring in their bosses who were the real perpetrators.


    "Please wait! We really were just following orders from our superiors. We had no idea this was such a big deal." Dustin said frantically.


    For a moment, Jasmine paused and raised one of her eyebrows to indicate that she was listening and waiting for more.


    Yet, Dustin still seemed a bit hesitant, and when he did not keep speaking immediately, Jasmine continued quoting the Dramid Alliance''s criminal code.


    "Okay, just stop. We are working for-"


    Before Dustin could give up the company that they worked for, Sasha lunged at him and covered his mouth with her hands.


    "Are you stupid! We''ll be in a lot more trouble than just being fired if they find out we talked. If we just wait, I''m sure that an advocate will be sent to help us. Everything they''ve said sounds bad, but we won''t be charged with anything until we''ve had our chance to defend ourselves in court."


    "Yes, that''s true. But the two of you are clearly scapegoats. I wouldn''t expect any support from the people you work for. Considering your crimes and how unwilling to cooperate you''ve both been, I would not be surprised if the maximum penalty was given to both of you. I was not exaggerating when I said how serious this matter is. If you don''t give us something to work with, then I can assure you that your futures will not be bright. You may never see the light of the stars again." Jasmine said with an intense seriousness.


    Both Dustin and Sasha gulped loudly at this, but they did not become immediately forthcoming.


    "A pity. I did not want it to come to this, but I suppose we can only make a deal with one of you."


    Seeing that Sasha was the problem, Jasmine decided to separate the two of them and only speak with Dustin. He seemed ready to spill his secrets.


    Avery and Kasandra were taken aback when Jasmine told them what they were doing, since they would need to deactivate the forcefield and retract the cell''s bars to move Sasha. Something that they could not do without the access code.


    Fortunately, it appeared that Commander Berk was still willing to let them take the lead here, and the officer that had escorted them swiftly reentered the room and disengaged the cell''s restraints.


    Once Sasha had been moved to another cell, Jasmine turned her full attention back towards Dustin.


    "Now, you were about to tell me who you work for when you were so rudely interrupted. Please, continue."


    Dustin was a bit more hesitant now after what had just happened with Sasha. He did understand the merit of her actions, and he felt conflicted trying to save himself and abandon her.


    "W-what exactly will I get for helping you?"


    Before he talked, Dustin wanted some guarantees about his treatment afterwards. If he was hardly going to receive any benefits for giving up his place of work, then it would be better to count on them helping him out in court.


    "Well, that depends on what you can give us. However, if you have concrete evidence of your superiors'' wrong doings and will testify against them, then I can assure you that you won''t serve any prison time. You''ll merely need to pay the appropriate fine and be put on probation. A light punishment considering the immense harm what you''ve been doing had on the Dramid Alliance." Jasmine said without any hesitancy.


    Avery wondered how she could make such a promise when allowing a deal like that was completely up to Commander Berk. Nevertheless, as no one came in to interrupt them, the only thing that could mean was that Berk accepted Jasmine''s proposal. Perhaps this was just standard Alliance Police practice that Avery was unaware of.


    Dustin looked just about ready to cough everything up, but there was still a hint of worry in his eyes. Not for himself, but for his cousin. He did not want to abandon Sasha.


    "There are transmission records on our ship that will serve as evidence. But they''re encoded and set to be erased if accessed without authorization. Before I give those over to you though, please let me try and convince Sasha. She can receive the same deal too, right?"


    "Yes, it is not too late quite yet. Having both of your cooperation would help, so, please try and bring her onboard quickly. A deal that will allow you both to escape seeing the inside of a prison is fleeting."


    Once again, the Alliance Police officer came in and Sasha was brought back into the cell with Dustin.


    For several minutes, the two of them had a heated argument, but eventually it seemed that Dustin was able to wear his cousin down. If he was going to talk, there was really no point in her keeping her silence.


    "Before we do this, what assurances do we have that this amazing deal will actually be kept? Right now, all we have is your word, and if I recall correctly, none of you are even Alliance Police, but mercenaries they''ve employed." Sasha said skeptically.


    "Personally, we can''t give you any guarantees. However, while I am a mercenary now, I used to be a member of the Alliance Police and was entreated with making this deal. I''m sure that we can have an official document detailing the deal you''ll be making and the leniency you''ll be receiving because of it."


    Jasmine then glanced towards the camera monitoring the room. It was now up to Commander Berk to decide whether he would accept or not.

 Chapter 157 157 Getting Some Answers (3)

    After nearly half an hour, Commander Berk''s direct adjutant, Lieutenant Laletta, came into the brig holding a tablet in her hands.


    "This is the deal the commander is willing to offer." The lieutenant said curtly as she passed the device over to Jasmine.


    Once she had finished reading it over, Jasmine nodded her head and thanked Laletta and told her to thank Commander Berk as well.


    "It seems that fortune is on your side. The officer in charge of this squad of Alliance Police vessels has mostly agreed to the terms that we discussed. You two can read it over yourselves and decide whether or not you want to accept."


    Jasmine had the forcefield blocking the cell Dustin and Sasha were in disabled and handed them the tablet through the bars.


    As she did so, Avery and Kasandra both inched their hands closer to their laser pistols and were ready to fire if necessary.


    It seemed unlikely that Dustin or Sasha would try something, or that Jasmine would actually get caught off guard if they did, but the two of them wanted to be ready just in case.


    Thankfully, the handoff went without issue, and Dustin and Sasha carefully began reading through the plea deal that had been offered to them.


    Everything was as expected until they got near the end. There they found a difference in the terms from what Jasmine had offered them.


    At the end of the day though, she did not possess any authority over the Alliance Police. The fact that Commander Berk had allowed them to do as much as they had without any interference was already a show of how they had earned the man''s begrudging respect, and how much he valued Jasmine''s expertise as a former member of the Alliance Police.


    "I thought you said we would be avoiding any jail time." Dustin said accusingly as he held up the tablet and pointed to the relevant section.


    "Yes, but we''re only here as representatives. The actual agreement is between the two of you and the highest-ranking officer that commands this ship. Also, what''s mentioned there is not really a prison sentence. You''ll merely be held in a detention center for a few months while evidence is gathered, and your bosses are charged. It will just be the two of you there and it''s not like all of your freedoms will be restricted. Think of it more as protective custody."


    While Jasmine''s explanation made sense, that did not change the fact that Dustin and Sasha were disheartened by it. The two of them wanted to quickly put this whole mess behind them, but that was certainly not going to be happening now. They would not be prisoners per se, but they would still be locked up.


    Still, the alternative was being charged with the crimes they had committed and ending up in a far worse situation. The only loyalty they had to the company they worked for was the money that they were being paid, and it was quite obvious that now that they had been caught that their superiors would cut them loose like a lizard sacrificing its own tail.


    "What choice do we have, Dustin. We knew that what we were doing wasn''t exactly aboveboard even if it didn''t cause any real harm to anyone. We got caught, so now we have to face the consequences." Sasha said with a resigned sigh.


    She had been the biggest proponent against making a deal before, but it seemed she had changed her mind at this point.


    With that, the two of them finished reading over the document and agreed to the written terms.


    Once they had signed it and provided their biometric data, the agreement became legally binding. The two of them had now officially betrayed the company that they worked for and sided with the Alliance Police.


    "Now, I think it''s about time that you tell us who you''re working for."


    Under the pressure that Avery was exuding, Dustin and Sasha flinched for a moment but nodded their heads in resignation.


    "We''re employees of Snyder Heavy Industries. The two of us have been with them for a few years, but we''re really just grunts barely above the bottom rung." Dustin said, finally spilling the secret of who their employer was.


    Truthfully, it was a bit of a surprise to hear.


    Snyder Heavy Industries was a prominent company within the Alliance and manufactured all manner of large machinery for multiple different fields.


    Their mining technology was purported to be second to none, and they were not slouches when it came to other technologies.


    In fact, the shipbuilding part of the company was among the top ten in the Dramid Alliance. Just like Storren Corp. they were going to be taking place in the competition to win the contract with the Alliance Police to build a new line of small vessels.


    "That'' quite the reveal. And I assume that you have evidence to back up that claim?" Kasandra said, speaking up for the first time. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, we do. We''ve got our company ID badges, messages from our suppliers, and while our vessel isn''t registered as property of Snyder Heavy Industries, you''ll find that all of its major components were manufactured by our company. Heck, you can also check our bank statements and see that we''ve been getting our salary from them."


    After Sasha''s confident explanation, there was little doubt that she was telling the truth. If she was lying, the Alliance Police would be able to find out pretty quickly.


    Now that they had done their part, this was normally when Avery would have pulled out and let Commander Berk handle the rest.


    However, now that he knew which company was involved in the scheme to change the migration pattern of a strexnoid collective, there were some ideas brewing in his head.


    ''Yeah, that could work. I could see them going for that.'' Avery thought, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind.


    As he was formulating a scheme of his own, several members of the Alliance Police, under the direction of Lieutenant Laletta, came in to bring Dustin and Sasha back to their ship. The two of them were going to help gather the evidence that was supposedly aboard the vessel.


    Before they left though, Avery suggested that his team should accompany them. Specially that it would be advantageous for Grito and Vi''ivando to go along since they were technological experts and might be able to find things out about Dustin and Sasha''s craft that even they did not know about.


    "I''ll need to ask the commander first." Laletta said, pulling out her terminal and calling Commander Berk.


    Their discussion was brief, and before it was even over, Avery could tell that his proposal had been accepted. With everything his team had done up to this point, they had managed to earn a bit of trust despite Berk''s previous dismissal of them.


    "The commander has agreed. He sees the merit in having those two Baccigans around. If only so that they can make sure that those two don''t try anything once their back aboard their ship." Laletta said, looking at Dustin and Sasha distrustfully.


    In her eyes they were still just criminals that might try and stab the Alliance police in the back at any moment. Clearly, they only cared about their own self-preservation


    "Got it. I''ll contact them. Please prepare a place for them to dock. I don''t think that our corvette is going to fit in the hangar considering its already nearly full."


    With a curt nod, Lieutenant Laletta began preparing for Avery''s team''s corvette to arrive.


    While she was taking care of that, Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine stepped out of the room to contact Grito and Vi''ivando. Avery needed to make sure that what he told them was not heard by any of the Alliance Police members.


    "I''m not sure if I can condone this." Jasmine said, a conflicted expression on her face after reading the message that Avery had sent.


    "I understand, but it''s not like this will hurt anyone. Plus, we''ll probably be able to get some nice benefits from the information."


    "This could jeopardize the Alliance Police''s investigation though." Jasmine countered.


    "Only if we send it off before their investigation starts. All we need to do is slip in between the window after the proceedings begin but before it becomes public."


    It took a bit of convincing, but Avery was eventually able to argue his point to Jasmine and get her to accept what he planned to do. They had worked hard to capture and get information out of Dustin and Sasha, so it only made sense that they receive some extra benefits for the effort they had put in.


    A few moments later, the Alliance police light cruiser shook slightly. A sign that the corvette that Grito and Vi''ivando were aboard had just docked. It was time to head over to the captured vessel and collect what evidence it held.

 Chapter 158 158 Collecting Evidence

    At Lieutenant Laletta''s direction, Avery, Kassandra, and Jasmine made their way over to the light cruiser''s hangar.


    When they arrived, they already found Grito and Vi''ivando wait for them with an escort of four Alliance Police officers that were going to be assisting with the collection of evidence.


    "Yep, definitely Snyder Heavy Industries work. The frame is a bit different, but this is clearly just a modified version of their current Borz model."


    "A good assessment, but there is also the possibility that this is a merger of designs between the Borz model and Farkas model. There are elements from both of the mass-produced frames sold by Snyder Heavy Industries."


    Being the knowledgeable enthusiasts that they were, Grito and Vi''ivando were already discussing the ship Dustin and Sasha had been piloting.


    From their words it was clear that this was not a typical craft that they made and was something specially put together only for the company to use.


    "Ah, the owners. Let''s get their input." Vi''ivando said once he spotted Dustin and Sasha.


    As if he and Grito had completely forgotten the actual reason that they were here, the two of them began questioning the confused Dustin and Sasha about their vessel.


    "I get that you''re both curious about an unfamiliar ship, but we do have other priorities to attend to first." Avery said, chiding the nephew and uncle pair.


    The two quickly apologized, and then once order had been restored, Lieutenant Laletta chose the people that would enter Dustin and Sasha''s ship.


    Due to its size, not everyone could board. So, the two original occupants, four members of the Alliance Police including Lieutenant Laletta, and Avery along with Grito and Vi''ivando were going to be the first group to enter and collect what evidence there was to find.


    Once onboard, the two Baccigan engineers seemed to forget Avery''s earlier reprimand almost immediately, as they took out their tools and looked ready to open the nearest panel and start rummaging through the vessel''s systems.


    "Can''t you two control yourselves for just a few minutes. Come on, we''re going to the cockpit to access the main computer. The whole reason that you two are here is to monitor the situation and make sure that nothing goes awry." Avery said, dragging the two members of his team along.


    In the cockpit normally meant for just two people, things became a bit cramped for their group, but the Alliance police officers still stayed at attention with their weapons ready just in case. They were not going to take any risks with Dustin and Sasha.


    Fortunately, everything seemed to be going well. Dustin and Sasha were cooperative and had pulled up their message logs and were just about to download them onto external data drives.


    "Stop! Don''t hit any other keys."


    At Grito''s warning, Lieutenant Laletta and her subordinates tensed up and pointed their weapons at Dustin and Sasha. They had not seen whatever Grito had, but they trusted his judgment since their commander did as well.


    However, the two employees of Snyder Heavy Industries merely looked confused and terrified by this development. As far as they knew, they had not done anything wrong.


    "Lower your weapons. These two weren''t trying anything." Vi''ivando said, diffusing the situation.


    He then explained that a degradation virus embedded along with the data logs that would wipe the main computer''s memory if anything was downloaded off of it. No doubt a failsafe installed by Snyder Heavy Industries in case of the current situation Dustin and Sasha found themselves in.


    Without any tangible evidence from their ship, it would really just be their word against the upper brass of Snyder Heavy Industries. No doubt the company would lay all of the blame on them and state that it was Dustin and Sasha''s own personal directive to divert the migration path of a strexnoid collective.


    "Marlow, check the program and identify it as well."


    At Lieutenant Laletta''s command, the chief engineer of Commander Berk''s light cruiser joined Vi''ivando and Grito and examined the well-hidden program set to release a virus if certain conditions were met.


    He had been monitoring everything like the two Baccigans, but until it was pointed out to him, Marlow had missed the virus. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What they said is correct Lieutenant. There''s a sophisticated degradation virus that will delete everything if we try and download anything."


    "Can you remove it?"


    Marlow merely shook his head at this question. He was fairly confident in his skills, but the program that would release the virus was intertwined with every data log. It would wipe everything the moment that they tried to download anything.


    Of course, this did not make it impossible to use the information as evidence. It was still all stored on the vessel. Though bringing an entire ship into a courtroom would be burdensome to say the least. Also, there was no way of telling if Snyder Heavy Industries could remotely activate the virus and wipe the main computer once it was presented as evidence.


    "What about you two?" Lieutenant Laletta said to Grtio and Vi''ivando.


    "Sorry, but trying to remove the virus will simply activate it. It''s a sophisticated piece of software. Maybe if we had the original designer''s notes we could do it, but I''m afraid it would take quite some time to properly analyze it, and there''s a possibility that we might activate it on accident during the process."


    Seeing that they had hit a wall, Laletta was about to contact Commander Berk and update him on the bad news when Grito came up with a suggestion of his own.


    "While we might not be able to get rid of it right now, it should be possible to trick the virus. We just need to give it a new target and make it think that it''s erasing the ship''s main computer while we download the relevant information."


    At this suggestion, Officer Marlow''s face lit up, and he latched onto the idea as well.


    Almost immediately the three experts began discussing amongst themselves. Spitting out technical terms that no one else onboard could understand.


    Eventually they seemed to come to a consensus on how to go forward.


    "And you''re certain that this will work, Marlow?" Lieutenant Laletta asked.


    "It should ma''am. I couldn''t have gotten this far on my own, but those two really know their stuff. They''re practically geniuses."


    With the endorsement of the best Alliance Police engineer around, Lieutenant Laletta agreed to the proposed plan and sent out orders to collect the necessary equipment that would be needed.


    A few hours later, the cockpit of Dustin and Sasha''s vessel was nearly filled up by a large computer that Grito, Vi''ivando, and Marlow had assembled.


    Their plan was fairly simple. They were going to clone the entire vessel''s main computer onto the one they had just assembled.


    Naturally, this would activate the degradation virus, but they had already accounted for this.


    On the clone computer was nearly forty zettabytes worth of junk data.


    No matter how fast the virus worked, it would take it at least a few minutes for it to destroy all of that information. In that time, all they needed to do was download the relevant data again to a separate external drive.


    "Well, it''s a bit more complicated than that. But that is the gist of it." Vi''ivando said after Avery reiterated a simplified version of his understanding of the process.


    After a few more checks, the three engineers were ready to begin.


    "You go ahead and do the honors Marlow. This is Alliance Police business after all, and we''re outsiders here." Grito said.


    With a smile on his face, happy to have been able to work with two inspired minds in the same field as him, Marlow cloned the ship''s entire computer onto the newly assembled one.


    Immediately both systems started to collapse, but the clone had far too much data on it for the virus to chew through quickly. Before it touched even a single file of what they wanted, all of the ship''s records were transferred to an external drive and its connection was cut before the virus could reach it.


    "It was a success lieutenant. We have the logs from Snyder Heavy Industries, as well as the cypher to unencrypt them. We still need to go through everything and catalog it, but if there''s any damning evidence that was on this vessel''s computer, we''ve got it." Marlow said, a triumphant expression on his face.


    "Good. Now let''s get out of here. We''re going to strip this place apart. We''ll trace any part of this ship back to Snyder Heavy Industries if we can."


    Having obtained the data that they wanted, everyone disembarked from the ship. Though, Grito and Vi''ivando had reluctant looks on their faces since they wanted to be part of the disassembly process. This was a whole new craft they had never seen before.


    "So, did you make a copy for us?" Avery asked once they were back aboard the Dauntless.


    "Of course. We did it before the Alliance Police had even identified the relevant files." Grito said, pulling out a data drive he had stashed away.


    "Wait! So that whole thing that you did with the clone computer was unnecessary!?" Kasandra said, baffled.


    "Yes, it was just a bit of fanfare. A show to put on for the Alliance Police. Of course, the method worked without a hitch, but there are easier ways to work around that virus. Now, had it been a bit more complex that might have been our best option. But I already have an anti-malware program I designed that can take care of a virus on that level. Honestly, the Alliance Police need an upgrade. Though, I suppose it''s not like their best are working here. Some of their engineers in the capital are as sharp as me." Vi''ivando said his chest puffed up proudly.


    "Well, all that matters is that we got the information. Obviously, I understand how amazing the two of you are. Grtio, you can expect a bonus for this. Vi''ivando, you''re being paid in secure transport, but if there''s anything you want, I''ll get it for you so long as it''s a reasonable request."


    Avery was satisfied that they had secured the evidence for themselves as well. He had plans to turn quite the profit with the information after all.

 Chapter 159 159 A Caught Watcher

    With the data and witnesses that would serve as evidence of Snyder Heavy Industries crimes secured, Commander Berk ordered the resumption of their journey to the Coccaro System.


    However, he did leave behind two of the corvettes that were part of his squad to monitor the strexnoid collective and keep in contact with other branches of the Alliance Police to organize a force to eliminate the mechanical mimics currently leading the space beasts away from their usual migration path.


    Berk wished that he could do this job himself and claim all of the credit for it to add another achievement to his resume, but it was simply a matter he did not have enough strength to deal with.


    While the strexnoids recognized the fakes as their own, attacking them would earn the wrath of the entire collective. Even if he added Avery''s team to his forces, they would never stand a chance against tens of thousands of giant beasts.


    As for Avery, he was more than happy to be on his way. Though there was still a bit of time until he needed to head to the capital system to uphold his agreement with Storren Corp., there was no telling how long the trial Grito would be involved in would last. In the worst-case scenario, Avery might have to leave behind his recently recruited engineer. Something he did not want to do if at all possible.


    "We''ve finished setting in a course for the next hyper lane entrance. Preparing for flight sync and the jump to light speed." Jasmine said, tapping away at the console in front of her.


    A couple minutes later, the nine vessels that were moving on all began to move in unison.


    With Commander Berk''s light cruiser in the lead, their group simultaneously jumped to light speed and headed on their way.


    Around three hours later, they finally reached the next hyper lane entrance they would be taking.


    After a short time to prepare and calculate their entry, all of them slipped into hyperspace.


    "And¡­ it''s time for a break." Avery said languidly as he stretched his arms over his head.


    Over the last few days, they had needed to stay alert for whenever the perpetrator behind the fake strexnoids would appear.


    Fortunately, now that that incident was resolved with the capture of Dustin and Sasha, things could go back to normal.


    "We''ve got two days in this hyper lane before needing to exit. So, that gives us plenty of time." Kasandra said, her lips turned up into a suggestive smile.


    Before he knew it, both Kasandra and Jasmine had stood up and were standing next to him.


    Each of them grabbed one of his arms and pulled him out of the pilot''s chair and dragged him towards the bathroom so that they could get cleaned up together. It had been several days since the last time that they were able to be intimate together.


    Now that there was a bit of downtime, the three of them were going to make the most of it.


    ¡­


    The next several days went by smoothly without any issue.


    Their first destination was a highly populated system that had one of the few warp portals scattered throughout Alliance territory. Once they reached it, they would be able to travel tens of thousands of light years in an instant and arrive within less than a day''s travel from the Coccaro System.


    However, as they exited a hyper lane on the edge of a system five away from the warp portal, something disconcerting occurred.


    "I''m picking up some sort of signal from the sensors. But it''s gargled. I can''t get a lock on its location. It''s like it exists and it doesn''t at the same time."


    As Jasmine tried to pinpoint the signal, the Dauntless'' sensors picked up that some sort of transmission had just been sent. Likely from whatever was giving off a faint energy signature that Jasmine had noticed but could not find.


    Vexingly, when Avery contacted Ezra, Kaiden, and Olivia, none of their ships'' sensors could even determine that the object existed. Their sensors simply were not on the same level as the Dauntless''.


    "Contact Commander Berk and tell him about it." Avery ordered. "Then, narrow the sensor''s range and only focus on what is creating the signal. Also, send what data we''ve collected to the others and the Alliance Police. I''ve got a bad feeling about this and want to figure out what''s hiding around here."


    Kasandra and Jasmine quickly got to work doing as Avery asked while he enhanced the main viewscreen''s resolution and pulled up the feeds from the other exterior cameras.


    He glanced around at the display all around him looking for signs of some sort of foreign object. And not just some space debris, but an intact ship or other device.


    ''It''s got to be small whatever it is if it''s evaded detection so far.''


    At some point, the sensors narrowed the range of the object down, and as Avery carefully examined the area, he caught a glimpse of a shimmer.


    "Jasmine focus the sensors on these coordinates." Avery said, quickly transmitting the data to her.


    While she worked on this, he kept his eyes glued on the shimmer. It was only perceptible sometimes, whenever it passed by an object that was producing light.


    Slowly a picture started to form in Avery''s head. He had some ideas about what this thing might be, and the longer he stared at it, the more confident he became in his assessment.


    "I''ve finally got a lock on its signature. Pulling up the scan data now."


    With a few keystrokes, Jasmine displayed the information pertaining to the object on the main view screen.


    As Avery had surmised, it was a stealth probe.


    However, this one was vastly different from the cobbled together one that Grito and Vi''ivando had made using a standard Alliance Police probe as a base.


    The probe that had been waiting near the hyper lane exit was a custom job not on the market.


    They were not illegal per se, but any that were produced in the Dramid Alliance were required to be programed to identify themselves to Alliance Police vessels. Also, they were not supposed to be able to avoid their sensors. But this one certainly had. Neither Commander Berk''s light cruiser nor any of the corvettes under his commander had picked up this probe.


    In fact, now that Jasmine had gotten a lock on the deceive with the Dauntless'' sensors, it became apparent that this thing was specifical designed with avoiding the Alliance Police in mind. Its cloaking technology was most adept at evading the standard sensor readout used by the Alliance Police.


    "I guess we''re lucky that Storren Corp. decided to upgrade the Dauntless'' sensors from what the Alliance Police usually use." Kasandra commented.


    Both Avery and Jasmine nodded their heads in agreement and continued to monitor the probe.


    It did not seem to have figured out that it had been noticed, or perhaps it had not been programed to care, as it was still observing Avery''s team and Berk''s squad.


    Eventually, by using the data from the Dauntless, the other vessels were able to detect the probe, and they slowly surrounded it as they observed the device.


    "Well, there are near infinite reasons why something like this might be here, but I''m pretty sure that it was waiting for us."


    Avery was fairly confident in this assertion.


    A stealth probe clearly not of Alliance make, designed with the intent of avoiding detection from the Alliance police. This stunk of the Odium Syndicate and was almost certainly their work.


    No doubt such an organization had spies planted throughout the Dramid Alliance, and some would without question be in the Alliance Police.


    They probably knew about Grito resurfacing and being brought back to the Coccaro System for the trial already.


    Still, trying to deal with him once he arrived would be more difficult. If he perished while enroute it would be far less of a challenge and leave a certain ambiguity as to what really happened.


    Ships traversing space went missing all the time, and even those under Alliance Police protection were not exempt from this tragic occurrence.


    "We''ve received permission from Commander Berk. We''re free to capture that probe." Jasmine said, reading the transmission that had just come through.


    Obviously, they could not just leave the foreign probe here. It had likely already transmitted their location to someone, and likely was programmed to follow them and constantly send signals back to its owner.


    Of course, it would be easy enough to destroy the probe, but then they would be unable to learn anything else about it. The best course of action was to disable it and let Grito and Vi''ivando analyze it.


    Fortunately, the Dauntless was currently equipped with the perfect weapon to deal with this situation.


    "Aida EMP MK VII is locked on and ready to fire."


    "Got it. Firing now."


    Avery pressed down on the trigger, and powerful EMP blasters equipped where the Dauntless'' auto turret had once been, launched a ring of crackling energy. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally, the probe seemed to assess that it was in danger and attempted to fly out of the way of the attack coming its way.


    Sadly for the camouflaged probe, it was a bit too late on the uptake. It could not hope to move fast enough to avoid Avery''s shot after it was fired.


    The ring of energy scored a direct hit on the probe, and it moved erratically for a moment before all of its systems shut down.


    No longer were the reflective panels on its exterior displaying images of its surroundings and it had come fully into view. Inert and ready to be collected without any resistance.

 Chapter 160 160 Predator and Prey

    With the stealth probe secured and safely delivered to Grito''s and Vi''ivando''s lab, Avery and the other members of his team were locked in a discussion with Commander Berk about what their next move should be.


    In stark contrast to his attitude from before. Commander berk was far more open to listening to Avery and his team now.


    While they might have been mercenaries, they were not the usual rowdy bunch that Berk was used to dealing with and possessed quick wits and useful insights.


    After the results that their ingenuity had brought with the earlier incident, he had grown to respect them enough to accept their input.


    "I''m not so sure that I wish to put the members of my squad in danger like that. Now that we know that our position has been compromised, I believe that it would be safest to devise another route and take a couple more days to reach the system the warp portal is in." Commander Berk said, a reluctant frown on his face after hearing Avery''s team''s suggestion.


    This time it was Ezra that had come up with their plan of action, and Avery had given him the go ahead to present it. He had not thought up anything better and figured that it was fine to lean on his most experienced member''s insights from time to time.


    Of course, there were some risks involved as Commander Berk had pointed out, but Avery felt that it was better to take an instigated risk rather than wait and respond to whatever their enemy might do. If they had the opportunity to control the flow of battle, it was better that they took it.


    "I cannot deny that our lives will be on the line. Still, I don''t think that switching the path we take will help in any way. Our opponents know where our destination is. Most likely they have prepared for us to arrive from any direction. If I were them, I would have more stealth probes waiting by every hyper lane exit we could feasibly use. Then concentrate my forces in a central location to be able to strike no matter which way my target came from." Ezra said.


    Naturally, Commander Berk had thought of this himself already. Which was why he was still entertaining the idea of following the suggestion that Ezra had come up with.


    There was also the option of going a completely different route. As Ezra said, their enemy''s forces were most likely collected around the system housing the warp portal.


    If they abandoned this warp portal and headed to the next nearest, they could probably circumvent encounter any hostiles.


    However, that would put them far behind schedule. The second closest warp portal to their current position was more than three weeks away. If they took that long of a detour, they would miss the currently scheduled court date.


    This would cause immense trouble for everyone involved, and Berk could say goodbye to any prospects of a prometon anytime soon.


    "If we were still on our original schedule, it would be likely that our foes would not have had time to amass enough power to challenge us and we could have approached the warp portal without worry. But that is no longer the case. We must assume that they''ve had ample time to prepare for our arrival. Plus, we are now down two vessels from what we originally set out with."


    Ezra''s tone and expression held not criticism. He merely was stating facts.


    Still, Commander Berk was well aware that his decision to use several days dealing with the strexnoid collective issue was a core reason that they were in their current predicament.


    There was a possibility that the Odium Syndicate did not have enough forces to challenge them and that the probes had been placed merely for the purpose of monitoring their progress. Though, it would be foolish to assume that no attack was coming.


    The Odium Syndicate was more than happy to use violence to get their ways, and the Alliance Police had plenty of records of their past transgressions. There was little doubt that they would do everything they could to stop Grito from testifying and bringing damning evidence against their influential members within the Dramid Alliance.


    Eventually Commander Berk was convinced to go along with the plan Ezra had come up with. Except, everything still predicated on Grito and Vi''ivando''s work with the captured probe. If they were unable to get into it, moving forward with would be too dangerous.


    "Don''t worry about it. You''ve already seen those two at work. Without a doubt, they will be able to do what we need." Ezra said confidently.


    With their course of action set, Commander Berk began making preparations on his end, while Avery''s team did the same on theirs.


    ¡­


    "Sir, we''ve received a transmission from one of the probes."


    Sitting in the captain''s chair on the bridge of a large vessel, A man with dark red hair and sinister looking black eyes took the report his subordinate had just handed him.


    "Good, it is just as we expected. It seems that they''re taking the shortest path to the warp portal. What about the probe though, is it continuing to monitor their position?"


    "Yes, it is currently tailing them and appears to have remained unnoticed. We are receiving constant update on their whereabouts."


    A smile formed on the man''s face when he heard the good news. Everything was going according to plan.


    "Prepare to disembark. We need to meet them before they get close enough to the warp portal to call for reinforcements."


    At their leader''s command, the crew aboard the craft he was in charge of started preparing to leave their current position.


    Within the vicinity were around another half dozen medium ships and ten smaller ships also preparing to move out.


    This was the assassination team that the Odium Syndicate had dispatched to eliminate Grito.


    The traitorous Baccigan had been a major thorn in their side. He knew too much and supposedly had collected hundreds of electronic records that would expose the crimes on some of the Odium Syndicates top members.


    They had managed to scare him into hiding once before with death threats, but now the pest had resurfaced. And this time the Odium Syndicate had no intention of letting him get away.


    Nevertheless, the ships that they had were likely to be insufficient to fight off the Alliance Police escorts and mercenary group Grito had supposedly joined.


    To make up for this deficit in power, the assassination team had been provided with nearly seventy suicide drones. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They were small autonomous craft equipped with fast propulsion systems and a single near military grade laser cannon.


    In terms of shields and armor these drones were as weak as they came. Likely not able to survive a single shot from any of the Alliance Police''s weapons.


    For what they lacked in defense though, they made up for in power and speed.


    Along with the single powerful weapon each one was equipped with, there was also a high yield explosive planted alongside the drones'' generator.


    The core strategy of using these suicide drones was simple.


    Have them surround a ship and blast it with lasers and then dive in and explode when the target''s shields had been exhausted.


    With the drones that had been provided, the leader of this assassination team was confident that he could bring down an Alliance Police heavy cruiser without any difficulty.


    "Sir, the probe just sent another transmission. Our quarry has chaged course. It seems that they are now heading for a hyper lane entrance in this sector."


    The leader took the tablet his aide presented to him and scrutinized the sudden shift in the target''s movement.


    At first, they had been following the expected shortest route, but now they were headed in an out of the way direction.


    It was suspect, but not entirely unexpected. The Alliance Police had to know that the Odium Syndicate wanted to stop Grito from reaching the Cocarro System, and doing so before they reached a warp portal was paramount.


    There would not be another chance to ambush them out in space should they fail now. The short distance between the warp portal on the other side of the Alliance and the Cocarro System was heavily monitored by the Alliance Police. Staging an attack there was practically impossible.


    "Can we head them off before they reach the hyper lane?" The leader asked his subordinate that was in charge of navigation.


    "It appears to be possible sir. But we''ll only be a minute ahead of the at most. We''re nearly the same distance from it as them."


    The assassination team leader contemplated what to do for a moment, but he did not have much time to do so.


    Every second saw them farther behind. If they missed this window, it would be difficult to catch back up with Grito and his escorts. And even when they did, it would put them a bit too close to Alliance Police monitored space for the leader''s liking.


    "Prepare to change course. We''ll beat them to the hyper lane entrance and prepare to strike as soon as they arrive. We''ve been paid a lot of money for this job, so let''s show the higherups what we can do."


    With high morale, the assassination team chaged course and sped at full speed to cut off Avery''s team and Berk''s squad. Not knowing that the probe sending them information had turned traitor thanks to some tinkering from Grito and Vi''ivando, and that they were flying right into a deadly trap.