Chapter 441 441 Angry Mimes
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Nico immediately sent the drones that were observing the bridge of the Cruisers forward to place a vibration probe against the windows so that they could communicate directly.
As long as there was enough of an atmosphere on the other side, the probe could use the window as a speaker and microphone to communicate with those inside, a very convenient feature during orbital rescue missions.
[Holy Truth Admiral, this is Tarith Nico of the Terminus Trading Company. We have a request from your boarding pilot to begin surrender negotiations. Should they be successful, your crew will be spared, and a trial will be held regarding restitution for the incident involving Holy Truth Ships firing upon a Reaver vessel.] Nico informed both ships at the same time.
[You bitch, do you know what you have done? None can survive the wrath of the Holy One. You will not be spared for this.] The man known as Blue shouted at them.
The cameras showed that his crew was all looking embarrassed, and the crew of the other ship, who were treated to his response, thanks to the linked drones, were all shaking their heads in annoyance.
[Heretic, are you listening to me? Return power to my vessel, or we will annihilate you and your pathetic Trade Alliance.] Blue demanded.
[Yes, I hear your demands, and I have considered them very thoroughly.] Nico responded in a calm monotone that Max knew very well.
[Well? I am waiting.] Blue shouted.
[Power to bridge doors restored. Opening security locks.] Nico replied as a pulse of energy passed between the drone and the blast doors, sealing the team in the bridge.
The meter-thick doors silently slid open on their tracks, revealing an overjoyed Klux special forces team with prybars in their hands.
[Cardinal Red. Mister Blue has been taken into custody by the Klux Special Forces, as he declined the offer to surrender to the Reavers. You have been silent so far. What is the verdict of your crew?] Nico asked.
Max could see that the Commander of the first vessel to arrive was looking in horror toward the other vessel, where twenty burly soldiers were viciously beating the command staff of the other Cruiser.
[Lady Tarith, we request to discuss terms. As per Reaver law, we wish to ensure that our crew is not harmed until a council of Captains has tried us.] Cardinal Red requested.
Max signaled to Lord Joseph, who sent the order for his men to capture the remaining crew on Cardinal Red's Cruiser peacefully. With no power on the ship, they wouldn't know what was going on, so some would likely still fight, but being office staff, the chances were that most of them would not willingly get themselves shot.
[Mecha Squadrons, what is the situation with the prisoners?] Max asked the teams that were guarding the hallways on the Crusiers.
[No problems to report, Commander. Once the shouting and shooting started, they became especially well-behaved and even reported to our stations without requiring Klux forces to escort them.] The leader of the first team reported.
[Same here, Commander. They did warn us that their leader was a stubborn and prideful sort that might not accept being captured though.] The second team leader declared.
[Yes, we noticed. Nico unlocked the blast doors and let the Special Forces onto the bridge to give him an attitude adjustment. I think he will see things our way very soon.] Max replied, then began scanning through the Mecha cameras to verify the information that he had received.
It seemed to be correct, most of them didn't have any signs of rough handling on them, and they certainly weren't active-duty soldiers. Those who weren't far too old to be on active combat duty could never have passed a physical examination.
There also weren't many of them, barely enough to call it a skeleton crew. Only the second vessel had sent an attack team, and the numbers suggested that the first ship didn't even have the personnel.
After a few minutes, Max saw the Special Forces bringing the Command Staff to the Mecha checkpoint, dragging the ones that couldn't walk while the others applied white numbing cream from a first aid kit to their faces and ribs.
Even as badly beaten as they were, they did not look at all repentant. In fact, the sight of their peacefully captured crew was only making them more upset, and Max suspected that they were in for a second round of attitude adjustment in only a few minutes at the rate they were going.
Cardinal Red and his command staff had opened the blast doors and were being escorted to the Mecha teams as well, ready to be taken off their vessels as prisoners of the Terminus Trading Company.
[Shuttles, please prepare to depart for the captured Cruisers. The crew will be detained here aboard Terminus for the time being.] Max informed the hangars.
"We will turn them over to the transporter that I have called to come to get the new ships. I have no intention of waiting here for a gathering of five Captains to hold a council, so they can just go to Rae 5 instead." Max told Lord Joseph, who could only sigh in disappointment that he wouldn't get to deal with the crews under Klux law.
"You certainly have the space for them. I will give you that much. They would have looked good swinging from the courthouse gallows, though." The Justice Minister told Max with a resigned look on his face.
They didn't win many of these encounters with their hostile neighbor, so it would have been a huge public relations victory for them.
"I would say that you'll get a chance next time, but I suspect that there will be no next time unless it is in the next few days. After that, you will have Cygnus as a neighbor, and it won't be long before they are also a Trade Alliance Member, so you won't have to worry about these sorts of things again." Max consoled the Minister, hoping to get this all done and over with smoothly.
Chapter 442 442 Getting Answers
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Four shuttles managed to transfer the entire crew of the two vessels to a secure Hangar aboard Terminus, where they were restrained and placed in the former produce cooler as a group holding cell.
Max hadn't considered the need for a prison facility, so they didn't have any proper holding cell aboard the ship, an oversight he would have to rectify eventually, even if it was just for these sorts of rare incidents.
The Reavers didn't usually try enemy crews in court or capture ships unless the crew couldn't afford to pay the ransom to make reparations. If they did, they would have more ramshackle ships than they did people by now. But these weren't Pirates, they were proper military ships from a recognized nation, so it wouldn't be proper to treat them like Pirates.
The fact that their nation was about to fall didn't help the odds of them paying to get their ships back either.
Once they were all aboard Terminus, Max decided it was time to say his goodbyes to Lord Joseph and let the planetary leader return to his business while they finished making his order and got ready to send it to the surface.
"Lord Joseph, it has been a pleasure working with you. My men report that there were no casualties among our combined force and no damages to our Mecha at all. Your landing force did an exemplary job of dealing with the invaders.
But, now it is time for me to begin interrogating them about their intentions and working on an official agreement for their surrender."
Joseph gave him a pleased smile at the word "interrogating" and rose to his feet. He extended a hand for a formal handshake, then motioned for his entourage to head back to the station.
"Feel free to come by again. You are always welcome in Klux, and I suspect that you will receive a hero's welcome after the population gets a chance to sample the Replicators."
With that, he headed back to the station, and Max left for the hangar that the prisoners were being held in, which was on the far side of the ship, closest to the two Cruisers. Nico was already over there, having personally escorted the landing crew who had bounced off the Shielding of Terminus, and Max could sense from the Illithid's thoughts that he was there too and found her version of interrogation highly entertaining.
She hadn't hit anyone yet or even tied them to a chair. Instead, she had begun by insulting and berating one of the officers until he cried and then began asking him questions in between threats. It was working far better than it had any right to, and even the Illithid was impressed by the efficiency.
When Max arrived, she was leading her first victim back to the holding cell and looking for corroboration of what they had been told.
"Alright, Holy Worms, who will volunteer next? Tweedle Dumbass already told me what I want to know. Now I want one of you to tell me if he was lying. All you need to do is tell the truth, and it will only hurt a little bit." She announced, dragging the first man forward to rejoin his crew.
The tear-soaked face really helped sell the story, and Max could sense that even if she had explained that she didn't hit him, nobody would believe her.
"Lady Tarith, I will go with you on behalf of my Crew." Cardinal Red announced, looking grim as if he was facing execution.
Max followed the two into the room across the hall and took a seat beside Nico across the table from Cardinal Red.
The Holy Truth leader was the first to speak, and he looked very sincere and contrite already, despite no pressure being applied. "Lady Tarith, I apologize on behalf of my crew member. If I had known that he would try something so outrageous, I would have personally had the men searched for weapons."
Max watched the replay of the incident in the Cardinal's mind and saw that the crewman, affectionately known as Tweedle Dumbass, had attempted to stab Nico as she walked through the crowd to pick out the first person to be interrogated. She had kicked the feet out from under him and caught him by the hair before he even hit the ground, so she could swiftly drag him out of the room while the others tried to process what happened.
Once they were in the room, Nico tossed him into a corner and began shouting at him. It seemed a bit too effective though, so Max looked deeper into her thoughts and found that she had electrified her hands so that the metallic walls would work as a taser, shocking the subject as she shouted at him.
It wasn't as gentle as Max had first thought, but it was surprisingly humane, considering the source.
"Apology accepted. How about we start with the easy questions? What would you do at home if we released you now that the Cygnus Fleet has arrived on your homeworld with no intentions to leave?" Nico asked.
Max checked the communications log quickly and saw that they had intercepted a message only a few minutes ago while he was walking to the holding cells from the Cygnus Fleet, announcing that the Holy Truth nation was now under their control.
Nico replayed the message for the Cardinal, then a second message informing all Holy Truth vessels that they were to return to the planet for the transfer of assets.
That was even faster than he had expected. Max had thought they would at least put up a few days' resistance, but it appeared that they folded within thirty minutes of the Cygnus fleet announcing their terms.
"Holy Light has fallen to Cygnus? No, that can't be right. It has only been a few hours since we left." Cardinal Red replied, confused.
Nico replayed the message, and a stream of horrified thoughts passed through the Cardinal's mind before Max saw a hypnotic suggestion take effect, and the man reached into his robes.
"None of that. Hands on the table." Max shouted, moving to grab him before he could do anything and pinning his arms to the metal table.
He had a small vial in his palm, which Nico took away, opened, and carefully sniffed, then analyzed with a scanner from her pocket.
"Dragon Fire Root poison. Potent enough to cause his cells to combust if he drank it. The Holy Truth clergy must have some sort of suicide pact." Nico informed Max.
Chapter 443 443 Sadly Predictable
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Max watched as the hope faded from the Cardinal's eyes, only to be replaced by horror at the action that the hypnotic suggestion was going to have him do. In his mind, the vial contained a Divine Will elixir that would keep the secrets of the Holy Truth safe from interrogators, but once he had heard the name of the poison, the suggestion was broken, and he realized that his superiors had brainwashed him into committing suicide if he was asked questions about the security of the Holy Truth.
This revelation was helped along by the Illithid, who had noticed the mental interference almost immediately, despite not being in the room with them. Their species was very sensitive to such things, and the thoughts of others were like background noise in a room to them. The dissonant noises of interference were immediately clear, like fingernails down a chalkboard or a bad remix of a familiar song.
The thought caused a revelation in Max's mind, and for the first time in a while, he received a message from the System.
[Innate Talent] Mind Reading has evolved.
[Innate Talent] Active Telepathy is active.
[System Compatibility Rank increased to Rank S]
Recalculating abilities.
That startled Max so much that he forgot he was in the middle of an interrogation. Fortunately, his hands didn't move, and Nico relieved the Cardinal of the poison before forcibly relieving him of his clothing to make sure he had no more hidden tricks.
"Impressive resolve. Now tell me why you came here with two empty vessels." She demanded.
"It was all we had. The Holy Truth ignored the will of the Oracle and sent their entire army to Kepler in the name of greed and wealth. Taxes and Tributes from the nations we sanction make up the majority of our revenue. Even in the face of such a crisis, we couldn't allow Klux to make an alliance with a powerful force like the Reavers.
They might not generate much, but even one percent of a planet's revenue is an enormous sum." The Cardinal barely whispered, as if compelled by the pair of red cybernetic eyes staring deeply into his own.
"You know what, I believe you. And not just because I hacked the mainframe of both your ships to read all of the communications logs." Nico informed the Cardinal, who looked so pale with fright that he might have already had a heart attack.
As she interrogated the man about what she had found in the logs and the other nations that they had under sanctions, Max's new Innate Talent began to settle into his mind, bringing to him the thoughts of everyone aboard the ship, all at various volumes, depending on the intensity of the determination or emotion behind them, and their distance from him.
The thoughts of the prisoners felt weaker than those of the Illithid or the Kepler forces, while the thoughts of the Innu were somewhat muted but made an annoyingly happy bubble in the lab area.
How they could be so happy all the time was beyond him. From their thoughts, they were in the middle of trying to redesign their ancient yacht to accommodate a higher-speed warp drive. It wasn't groundbreaking work. They were studying it from better-equipped models by the same manufacturer, not designing an entirely new hull, but the level of happiness that they were emitting was incredible.
[The Innu have very intense emotions. That is part of why their culture developed the Tech Nomads. They become obsessed with the things that they like and can't let go of them or even function in a role that doesn't involve their passion.] The Innu explained, and Max could sense its curiosity at the changes he was undergoing.
Max considered that for a moment. It made sense that they would become obsessive if this were the level of joy that they felt about even the simple things in life and ones that involved a large amount of physical labor at that.
[I will show you a trick to filter the thoughts around you.] The Illithid offered and began to focus on a form of meditation technique that the Illithid could do with only a small portion of their thoughts, which would let them focus on the things they wanted to hear, or the people closest to them.
It wasn't hard, and with his enhanced [Perception] skill, Max managed to activate it in only a few minutes, focusing on Nico and the Cardinal, who had just finished spilling everything that he knew about the politics and military strength of the Holy Truth.
Max looked at the destroyed clothing on the floor with regret and called for someone to bring a prisoner's orange jumpsuit to the interrogation room so that the old man didn't have to sit around naked now that they were finished with their questions.
Nico had learned everything that they needed to know and that the first prisoner she interrogated wasn't lying to her, so they could safely assume that the interrogation process was finished.
"Commander Keres. Might this humble prisoner make a request?" The Cardinal asked after getting dressed in the gaudy orange coveralls.
"Certainly, though I can't guarantee that I will grant it." Max agreed.
"If the Holy Truth has really fallen to the Cygnus Fleet, can you relocate us to another planet when our sentence is over? Returning home would be too painful for the crew, and it would be a small mercy not to have to think too much about the horrors that have befallen their loved ones with barbarians in charge of the Holy land."
Despite the phrasing, the request was somewhat reasonable. Many prisoners wished to be released into a new life when they finished their sentences.
"I will transfer you to the freighter that is taking the vessels back to Rae 5, a Reaver-controlled system. You will be tried there, and once you have served your sentence, you may remain there and join the ranks of released convicts working on the planet.
Reavers are a forgiving sort, you might even get a spot back on another vessel with the navigational experience that you have, or you could work in one of the businesses on the planet. Ex Convicts might start at lower rates than those who are seen as more trustworthy, but it isn't too hard for them to find jobs." Max agreed.
Chapter 444 444 Bon Voyage
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"Wait, I have an idea. Since the attack was on Terminus, I will request for the Tarith Captains to hold the trial. It is one of their freighters coming here anyhow, and they can transfer the convicts to a mining colony for work release. Serve the time there, and you can directly join the staff. In fact, everyone on the colony started out the same way, with some crimes being larger than others." Nico suggested.
The Cardinal looked at her with veiled amusement. "Do you think that an old man like me would survive a mining colony?"
Nico tilted her head in a motion that reminded Max of a confused puppy, then answered directly. "It is an entire colony. There are more jobs than breaking rocks in the mines. They need someone to do paperwork, medics, nurses, equipment operators, and every other job that any other colony needs. Don't you have skills other than being a Cardinal?"
"In fact, I am a very skilled surgeon. I was the chief medical officer of a Destroyer Class ship before being elevated into the clergy. Cardinals in the Holy Truth are a political position, and I am also the Minister of Health. Or I was until this morning."
Nico nodded happily. "See, no need to work you to death in the mines. You can stay in a nice sterile room and make sure that nobody else is worked to death."
The Reavers were actually much more kind to their prisoners than most nations were, but openly saying that would come across as a lie, or a slight against their fierce reputation, so it was left unsaid for prisoners to discover once they were put to work.
Only those who were a danger to others were imprisoned constantly. Everyone else who committed a crime was either sentenced to unpaid work or a monetary fine based on a percentage of their wealth, with a minimum limit, so that crimes couldn't be shuffled off to the poorest among a group.
"Now, we will inform the rest of the group of their fate, and you are coming with us to do it," Max announced, helping the old man to his feet.
He marched the Cardinal back into the holding cell while Nico had the maintenance staff make and send over a full set of prisoner coveralls for the Holy Truth crew. They had all been brought in now, and the Mecha were all back aboard Terminus, except for two squads of Infernus Pattern fast attack Crusaders, which were keeping an eye on the disabled ships while they waited for the transporter to be ready.
[Sir, the Transport vessel is ready, and Mary Tarith is requesting that we open a portal for them to come directly to us. The target coordinates have been verified as safe.] Admiral Drake informed Max, who was overseeing the change of attire for the Holy Truth prisoners.
[Tell her to send a prison shuttle as well. Nico will inform her of the details.] Max replied, then input his authorization code so that the Portal could be activated.
The shimmering energy in the air formed a perfect circle that showed them the distant sight of the Rae 5 Moon Base and the planet itself. It looked like the ships would be going directly to Uncle Lu for a refit and not into storage around the fifth planet in the system, where many other disabled and obsolete vessels were currently in orbit awaiting refit or scrapping.
[Also, send a message to Uncle Lu, telling him that we were thinking of him when we saw these particular ships. He will know what I am talking about.] Max added.
The Transporter wasn't a large ship, more like a tugboat with an immensely powerful engine and little else except basic structure, so it had no problem entering the portal and dragging the two ships into position with its gravity beam.
Normally two such transporters would be needed, one per Cruiser, but since they didn't need to go to Warp, a single one would suffice today, sitting in between its two pieces of cargo and maneuvering them carefully on course for the Moon Base.
The Prisoner transport showed up a few minutes later, and Max realized that they had forgotten to tell Mary that the ships only had a skeleton crew aboard them. The immense orange vessel, the same color as the coveralls the prisoners wore, could move ten thousand prisoners at once, enough for even the largest of captured vessels, but they didn't even have two hundred captives to give it.
[Dock with bay door B8, and we will transfer the captives directly to your hold.] Max informed them as the ship turned to glide into position.
A double file of prison guards marched out as soon as the ship docked, and Nico began to giggle.
"What is so funny, little sister?" The lead guard asked.
"Don't call me sister. My mom is way cooler than yours. Cousin Darrell, meet Commander Keres. Commander, meet Tarith Darrell, one of my many cousins and the unfortunate son of the Tarith family. As the only member of the immediate family with a Gamma ranked system, he was given command of a prison ship and not a Reaver trading vessel." Nico introduced the pair.
"She makes it sound like such a disgrace, but it's an easy job, and I get to beat annoying people. It's not so bad, really. But miss Nico here was always a genius, and her disrespect knows no boundaries of age or distance." The prison ship Captain responded politely.
"You get used to her. Unfortunately, you have sent more guards than we have prisoners today. The two Cruisers barely had enough people aboard them to keep them running, and a single boarding crew between the two of them is the closest thing they had to defenses.
No need to go too hard on them. They only fired a single shot that we blocked with our shields so that it wouldn't hit the Klux station. A bit of time in the mines and a fresh start outside their home system, which has already fallen to the Cygnus fleet since they left this morning, is just what they need, I think." Max explained, ensuring that the prison ship was in on their plans.
"We can do that. There are a lot of new mining colonies going up to provide supplies for the Mecha and Ship factories. You should come to visit again after your mission. There are eight facilities now, all run by an alliance of Companies, that are making Warp 10 capable cargo ships of the Cutter Class. It is quite a sight in orbit around the planets these days." Tarith Darrell suggested.
"We will, for sure. But first, we are going to head all the way to the end of Death Wind Territory and arrange deliveries. We have the portal now, so we can send for supplies as soon as we finish our deals from anywhere in the Galaxy." Max agreed.
"The Reavers will love you for it. It also looks like we have a cargo ship coming for the Klux already. They just sent me a message asking how long the Cruisers would be blocking the portal." Darrell laughed.Chapter 445 445 Trade Resumed
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"The transporters are always careful when maneuvering, aren't they? But I am not sure if the Klux even have their order started. We are still making half of their initial shipment of Replicators, and they only brought the factory online with the new Materials Printers half a day ago." Max explained.
"They can wait. The customer is far enough away that the difference in speed will make a huge difference, even without you opening a portal to them." Darrell dismissed the crawling pace of the transports as nothing to be concerned about since a one-ship wait for the portal was still much better than spending days making their way here in the traditional manner.
[Sir, the Replicators are finished, and the Shuttle is loaded. We can send it to the surface at any time.] The maintenance lab, which was in charge of making the customer's orders, informed Max.
[If the crew is trained enough to safely pilot the shuttle to the surface and back, let them go. Just give them some training materials so that they can learn what the ship is capable of.] Max replied, glad to be finished with their side of the trade deal.
Once the Cruisers were safely through and clear of the portal, a brand new Tarith Reaver Family trade vessel made its way through the portal, requesting clearance to dock with the station.
It was slightly larger than the Cutters but clearly based on the same design. It was sleek, with flowing lines and no hard edges, and wider in the back for extra cargo space, keeping the triangular top profile. This was one of the cargo-specific Warp 10 vessels that the Moon Base shipyards had just finished.
[Commander Keres, Miss Rage, it is a pleasure to see you again. This is Tarith Domond of the Reaver Vessel Blood Mist.] The other Captain greeted them.
"Did you just place the portal right beside the Tarith Family station so they would get the first chance at everything?" Max asked Nico before responding to the other Captain.
"I'm hurt. I wouldn't do something so underhanded. I put it right next to the Moonbase, and we just so happen to control the region around the main planet." Nico replied with false dignity.
[It is indeed a pleasure, Captain. Congratulations on the fine new vessel. She looks like a real money maker.] Max replied.
He had to search his memories to recall who the man was. He had only met him once at the General's wedding, and at that point, the man had been without a vessel of his own due to damages in the preceding battles.
The ship was impressively armed, though Max knew it only carried a single wing of Mecha as a defensive force. Any more would cut into their cargo capacity. The ship sported an Orbital Lance grade front Disruptor, accompanied by sixteen Ion Bombard Arrays mounted along the hull for 360-degree coverage.
Not many vessels would dare to take on such a monstrous attack craft, which sported more firepower than even the Cruisers of most nations. If anyone thought that the new Reaver trade ships would be traditional, lightly armed targets, they were in for an unpleasant shock.
Assuming that they could catch one to attack it, that was.
The newly built Klux factory lines had been busy since they were assembled, and the moment that the Blood Mist docked, they began loading crates into the hold. They didn't have enough stockpiled to load it with the large cranes and were using forklifts to bring in the crates as they came off the line, but it was more efficient than some of the poorly organized facilities where the Captain had loaded before.
At the very least, they had started loading as soon as he arrived instead of needing most of a day to organize the effort to get the cargo to his ship after his arrival.
[Do you need us to open a secondary portal for you to the customer?] Max asked once the portal to Rae 5 was closed, and their business was officially completed.
[No worries, they will still be a day or two to finish loading the entire hold at this rate. It would be great to have a portal of our own, but nothing smaller than a Colony Ship has the output to make that even remotely feasible.] Captain Domond told him with a hint of greed in his voice.
That was understandable. What merchant wouldn't want a vessel with fifty times as much cargo capacity and the ability to instantly move between star systems? Max had considered moving between potential allies that way but had decided that the chance to intercept signals along the way and pull in unexpected allies was more important while they were traveling through these more populated areas of space.
None of the systems should be unaware of what was going on in the region, and the chance that some of them might change their mind when they saw the mighty Colony Ship moving near their borders was too good to pass up.
The goal was to pull as much of humanity as possible into this alliance after all.
[Klux Station, Terminus will be departing in five minutes. Thank you for being so cooperative, and we wish you better days ahead.] Max informed their new allies.
[It was a pleasure doing business with you, Terminus. Good luck on your journey.] Lord Joseph answered, and Max could see that the signal originated from the new shuttle, which was on its first journey to the system's asteroid belt, looking for suitable source material for their production. That wasn't normally a job for a planetary leader, but Klux was an odd place, to begin with.
Right on schedule, Admiral Drake maneuvered Terminus away from the station, flashing their exterior lights in a farewell to their fellow Reavers, before taking the ship to Warp 5 and heading toward the edge of the Death Wind Territory.
Their first obstacle would be the border nations, which had kept the Death Wind Territory under sanctions for millennia. The Reavers intended to bypass them for now, but Max was hoping to make a deal along the way, so he wasn't willing to portal past their territory just yet.
Chapter 446 446 Maximum Gainz
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Two days after they left Klux, Max was in the gym, working on consolidating his strength after the changes in his System Compatibility, when a message that every human hoped for but never expected to see appeared in his vision.
[Safety threshold reached, Increase Canceled. Maximum Modifier Achieved.]
Max quickly checked his status to see what level he had reached that would be as good as his physical body could handle.
Keres Max
[Compatibility Determined] Rank s
[Primary Attribute] STR 2.5x modifier
[Secondary Bonuses] DEX 2x, SPD 2x, 0 Diminishing Returns
[STR] 3+200% CAP
[DEX] 3+104%
[SPD] 3+106%
[Innate Talent] Active Telepathy
[Additional Function Unit Optimization]
[Additional Function Multi Point Targeting]
[Additional Function Split Fire]
[Additional Function Perception 3]
[Additional Function Unified Force]
With a base strength of three points, plus a two hundred percent bonus, he would be at nine times the human standard, which seemed to be the maximum that his body could handle without risking damage to his own bones and muscles, which had reached the limit of what they could be modified to accomplish with his System.
Nine times the standard for a full-grown man was no laughing matter. Max could bench press nearly two tonnes and easily jump on the roof of a Crusader Class Mecha. By the logic of most species and any unaugmented human, he was practically a superhero, but it seemed that this was as far as the System would take his strength.
"I guess I need to work on agility and speed, then." Max sighed to himself as he saw the data. If he couldn't increase strength, he could still work on the other aspects.
He briefly wondered how many people in history had actually managed to Cap out an S Ranked System, but it didn't seem to be any different than the cap for Rank A since he was only a few points away even before he gained Active Telepathy.
That meant that the limit was most likely based on his bone and muscle structure being incompatible with any more upgrades since he gained an upgraded Innate Talent with the last upgrade and not a durability rework of his entire body.
[Nico, I don't suppose you have a way to increase the body's durability without replacing anything, do you? I have hit my strength Cap.] Max asked Telepathically.
[There is a Max in my head? Oh, this is going to be fun. When did you upgrade your skill?] Nico responded.
[Just a few days ago. Now, do you know a way to improve my durability, or am I stuck at this level for a while?] Max tried again.
[I have an idea, but we haven't started human trials yet. The Valkia are incredibly durable, and I think we can convince that their bone structure is an acceptable upgrade for human beings. We are somewhat limited by the sensibilities of the System, as it won't accept modifications that it deems inhuman, as they are incompatible with its goals of improving humanity.
A slight change in bone composition should be enough to let you gain a bit more strength, but why do you need it? Seriously, I'm not that heavy.] Nico's thoughts were interspersed with scenes of combat, grappling, and "Grappling" in a more intimate sense.
She had a point, he didn't actually need to keep increasing his strength, but he wanted to. It was the principle of it. He was still a young man. Reaching his limits so soon would be a real shame.
[Alright, we can start on that later. What else has your team come up with?] Max asked.
[We improved the suits a little bit. We now have a version two Pilot Suit, which still has half the augmentic increase, but no added armor plating. Some of the testers had expressed concerns about the fact that it is so form-fitting, so we added a standby mode, where it would hang loosely like a standard suit unless extreme gravitational forces were applied or the pilot chose to activate it.]
[You could have just added a bit of bulge to the design at the groin, and they would have stopped complaining.] Max pointed out.
[False advertising. We don't pad the chests for the ladies.]
[Alright, get back to work. I am still waiting to see what you were trying to do with your own modifications.] Max told her, then focused on his workout again, heading to the agility trainers.
He didn't spend much time on them, only making them an incidental part of his workout, but today he split his time evenly between agility and speed training, which shocked the others in the Gym.
"Commander, are you preparing for a marathon or something? Where are the weights?" One of the Pilots, a fellow Gym Rat that was affectionately known as Beefcake by his Battalion, asked with great confusion.
"I capped out my strength. The system says I can't go over the equivalent of 9 basis points without risk of physical damage that exceeds safety thresholds." Max told him, not holding back on taunting the man who had put immense effort into increasing his strength.
"How is that even possible? I have a hundred and fifty bonus points and a two-point strength base. Nine points total is a monster, not a human." Beefcake complained, flexing his biceps with a rueful look.
Five times the human standard was already impressive. Compared to those without a System, Beefcake was a walking disaster, and it hadn't occurred to him that anyone could be so far ahead of him.
"A lucky upgrade brought me to a three-point base," Max explained, and the big man nodded in understanding.
"Fate truly favors you, Commander. Not only are you strong, but I have seen that you're also pretty fast since you can pretty much keep up with Major Nico. It's like the two of you stole all the bonuses for an entire planet." Beefcake chuckled.
"You aren't wrong. Most planets in old Kepler couldn't keep up the Systems of those who were born on Kepler Terminus, to begin with, and we both lucked out with great innate talents." Max agreed.
"What is her Innate Talent anyhow? Something to do with Combat Perception, right?" One of the other Pilots in the Gym asked.
"No, she can innately control technology."
Max's response made everyone look at him with shock. "I thought she was just smart and loved to hack computers. You're saying that is her Innate Talent, and the combat ability is just her own skill? Or does she have combat System Functions?"
"Her System Skills are Mecha Repair related. Originally, Central Command wanted to put her in charge of the Regiment's maintenance corps. It was only because the Thunder Pattern Super Heavy units got to have a Technician that she wasn't your Maintenance Chief." Max told them.
Beefcake frowned, with a hint of terror in his mind. "Can you imagine getting reamed out by her as maintenance chief? Not only is she scary in person, she knows everything. Like, everything. Even the things you don't know about your own performance."
He wasn't wrong. The amount of performance data that she could compile from a combat record was terrifying.
"See, I'm not the only one with good luck. You all got lucky as well." Max told them, then returned to his workout.
Chapter 447 447 Emergency Call
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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A few days later, just before they were set to approach the Border Nations, Terminus received a message from an Alliance Vessel in the outer reaches of Death Wind Territory. An unexpected failure of their Warp Drive had caused an explosion and thrown them off course.
They knew where they were, and they knew that access to this Galaxy was supposed to be restricted due to high danger, so they sent a message for immediate retrieval.
As the only Alliance vessel in the Galaxy, Terminus was responsible for going to help them out. The vessel was the Exploration Vessel Gaia, a Cutter Class scientific ship from the far side of the Alliance. According to the data that had come with the message, they were over a hundred Alliance Standard Units from home, putting their home Galaxy out of humanity's observed universe.
Now that they knew where it was, they might be able to search for and find it, but until this point, it was not a star listed on any Kepler map. The only data that Terminus had about it came from the Alliance.
[Exploration Vessel Gaia, this is the Human Vessel Terminus, we are on our way to your location. We will open a portal in ten minutes.] Max informed them, then began planning a new route through the Galaxy and back toward Rae 5 from the outer ring inward.
The portal took shape six minutes later, and Admiral Drake led the ship through to the location indicated by the Alliance ship, only to find that they weren't the first ones there. A group of Pirates had just dropped out of warp and began firing on the disabled ship, hoping to capture it and plunder the technology, bringing them to the peak of human development.
Or so they thought.
"Cutters, launch now. Rescue the Gaia, and eliminate the Pirates." Max ordered.
Seconds later, the Cutters were flying out the bay doors, their secondary weapons already firing. The impacts were making the shields on the Pirate ships flicker, and both vessels immediately turned to flee.
Two blinding flashes lit up the vacuum of space, followed by a field of debris as the Pirate vessels exploded under the force of the Disruptors.
[Sorry about that, Gaia. As I am sure the Alliance warned everyone, there are still Pirates and other hostile forces active in this Galaxy. Terminus has certified status as a trusted force, verified by the Valkia and Giants. You are safe with us.] Max greeted the vessel which had sent the distress call.
A video link opened between the two vessels, and Max found himself in the odd position of looking at a forest without anyone visible in the scene.
[We cannot thank you enough, Terminus. We are the Shin, a flora-type species, as you can see. Like the Illithid aboard your ship, our communications are primarily mental, but we also have a well-developed physical language that might be difficult for you to learn and impossible for you to replicate without hundreds more limbs.]
They were speaking the Alliance standard language, which Max was well used to after dealing with the Illithid for so long, so understanding them was no problem when they were speaking telepathically.
[You can call me Commander Keres. I am also capable of a limited version of the mental communication that the Illithid use, though that is very rare among our people. Most will answer you verbally if you can understand that or through technology if you cannot.
We will bring your vessel aboard ours for repairs, and you are welcome to enjoy the facilities we have available. How is your mobility?]
[We have gravity control technology, so we can be quite agile for flora-type species. Do you have hydroponic facilities? Perhaps even something as luxurious as real dirt gardens?] The Shin leader asked.
[We have both. We also have shared water features that the Innu and similar species enjoy. Do you require oversized accommodations?] Max asked, not having any data on their size.
[Our species is under two meters tall. The sizing of your accommodations should be fine, though we prefer to be in communal areas to rest. Separation from others is stressful for our root systems.]
Max considered a moment and had the Cruise Ship maintenance crews add a large portion of dirt flowerbeds to the public walkways in the central column, the open area at the core of the Cruise Ship area. That should meet the Shin's needs for communal activities.
Terminus pulled the disabled vessel aboard with a gravity beam, revealing the extensive structural damage to the hull from the explosion of the Warp Drives, though the Pirates hadn't managed to breach their shielding, despite the damaged state of the vessel.
Once they were in place inside the hangar, a group of ten small coniferous trees came out to greet Max, looking a lot like Bonsai trees but with various colors of needles.
"Welcome to the Cruise Ship portion of the Colony Ship Terminus, a human trading vessel. If you would like to accompany me, one of our technicians can work with your engineer to help repair your vessel. We have extensive refit facilities here and can work as a dry dock facility for smaller vessels such as your own." Max explained.
[Who would have thought that we could find a dry dock out here in the middle of nowhere? The Alliance really has spread out recently. Thank you for your hospitality, and we are looking forward to seeing what an isolated species of mammals have created for the first Flora Species that they are recorded to have met.] The Captain responded.
They floated behind Max as he walked, their bodies mostly motionless, but Max could see the rustling of their branches, indicating that they were speaking to each other in their silent language. How they perceived each other or the world around them was a mystery to Max since they had no eyes, but they didn't seem to have any difficulty navigating the hallways or interpreting the motions of their neighbors.
"I believe that we can start here. We have created gardens on all twenty levels in the central common areas. The gaps in between the walkways can be used to traverse the ship with gravity-controlled flight if you like. Only common courtesy limits flight in the Cruise Ship area.
At this kiosk is a map of the facilities, and we have prepared a large meeting room for your group, as you stated that you preferred to be together."
Max led the way to the meeting room on the main level, where the floors had been reformed to bare concrete and covered in thick black loam, with clusters of various plants placed around the room to make it less barren. There were watering spouts hanging from the roof, almost reaching the soil, which could be touch-activated, but none of the staff really knew what these new arrivals would like.
"We honestly had no idea what you would prefer in your accommodation, so we can reform the room if it isn't suitable," Max informed them politely.
"No, this is amazing. So many species don't have soil floors available. They grow entirely by hydroponics, so real soil is a true luxury. Even on our ship, only one room has soil, and it isn't nearly this rich." The Captain, a bonsai tree with immaculately manicured branches and blue needles, informed Max.
Chapter 448 448 Repair Plans
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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"We used species of flora that are foodstuffs or visually pleasing to the Humans, which you can relocate if you don't like them. We can also bring more if you like. There are gardens like this, with the same plants and soil in the common areas in the center of the ship.
The other species enjoy the scent and sight of flowers, so we put a large number of them aboard the ship."
One of the Shin darted forward and snuggled its roots deep into the soil, finding that it was only half a meter thick, then reached a root up to tap the hanging hose, making it spray water over the area.
[Look, water sprinklers. Do you think we can raise them, so I can make it rain on my canopy? That would be amazing.] They asked.
"Just control the panel at the door. It is in Alliance Common at the moment. You can adjust the height of all the hoses as you prefer." Max informed the happy plants.
One after another, they settled into the soil, and Max could have sworn he heard a sigh from their branches, though the noise might have been mental.
"We will explore later. For now, resting here is perfect. We will take good care of your plants." The Captian informed Max, then stretched out a branch to tap the controls and lift the sprinklers to make a gentle rainfall in the room.
The drains would take care of the moisture. It wasn't hard for the staff to remodel Terminus on short order, as long as it was only a few rooms, so the water shouldn't be an issue, even in the long term.
"What do you need for nutrition? I can create whatever you require." Max asked.
[We are a slow-growing species. The nutrients in this soil are enough for us to stay here for a decade. I don't think we will need that long to repair our vessel, though it might take that long to convince the crew to leave this room.] The joke was clear in the Captain's tone, so Max gave a polite bow and left them to their own devices.
He had heard before that humans and similar species were uncommon and much more active than most species, so he wouldn't rush their guests around at a human pace.
Max walked back to the hangar where they docked so he could talk to the engineer and see what they needed for their repairs. Nico and the Innu were already there, discussing the incident with the Engineer, whose thoughts seemed rather star-struck.
It seemed that he watched the live streams from their particular group of Tech Nomads long before they landed here on Terminus. He hadn't expected to ever see them in person since they were only passing by the region on their way between Alliance galaxies. When the accident occurred, they had no choice but to divert here, as it was the closest star system.
The Tech Nomad video channels were very popular in the Alliance, even if this particular group only got tens of millions of views per video out of trillions of watchers. Thinking about the potential of increasing market share on a scale as large as the Alliance was a mind-boggling concept to Max. If even a single percent of the viewers were fans of your channels, you could earn enough to straight purchase and terraform your own planet after only a year or two of streams.
Of course, here in this Galaxy, there were so many undeveloped regions that they could simply claim and terraform one with the technology and resources at their current disposal, but it was much different when it was one in an already inhabited system or close to one.
"How bad is it?" Max asked as he approached the damaged Exploration Vessel.
"A few damaged main spars, some hull sections are scrap, and the Warp Drive is totally destroyed. At best guess, it will take us at least a month just to do the work, and I'm not sure if Terminus has the materials we will need." One of the Innu replied absently as she examined the forward sections of the main structure, which seemed to be intact to Max.
"Let me know what you need, and we will get it if we don't already have it. We have a pretty good selection of shipbuilding materials, at least for our own vessels."
That got the Innu excited. "You mean we could use your military-grade materials to rebuild the Exploration Vessel? Don't you guard those really closely?"
"We can always stop and get more ore from any random system, and our technology is good enough to make it into usable alloys. It might not be the peak of Alliance technology, but it is enough that we can repair anything that we own." Nico explained.
"This is going to get so many views. I mean, it will expose your alloys to the Alliance members, if that's alright but other than that, it shouldn't be an issue." The Innu Technician cheered.
"The Alloys are nothing special since the Exploration Vessel doesn't need armor, just structural components and hull plating. Every ship in the Alliance has equivalent materials, so it shouldn't be a big shock even if ours are a different composition." Nico dismissed her concerns.
The alloys for ship frames were quite basic since the Kepler design philosophy used ablative armor plating that could be replaced when it was damaged without compromising the hull. The structural material for Warp 10 capable vessels was a new alloy for humanity, just developed for their new generation of high-speed vessels, but it was still no better than what they were working with on the Shin Exploration Vessel, which was a state of the art Civilian exploration vessel and only recently completed.
"You can input their alloys into the Materials Printers as well and rebuild it just as it was the first time. I don't know what you will do with the Warp Drive though unless you have the schematics or you are going to replace it with one of our designs." Max told the excited group of tech nerds.
"We will use a new hybrid drive. Compiling what we know of human Warp Technology and the new designs that we have been working on, we can make one custom fit to this hull." The Innu told Max, so excited that she was practically vibrating.
"Well then, have fun with that. I will try not to distract you too much since this is paid work, as well as material for your video stream. I will only need to pull you away if a new trade partner requires something custom made." Max told them and then retreated from the onslaught of hyper-excited thoughts.
Chapter 449 449 Death Wind Territory
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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With the rescue mission complete, Max turned his attention to the trade deals that needed to be made in the outer reaches of the Death Wind Territory. Normally, these would be among the last to join the Alliance, but many of them were already on good terms with the Reavers since they were the only group willing to run the embargo placed around the Mercenary-run territory and bring them essential supplies.
The closest base to them belonged to the Black Wolves, a Mercenary Company with long-term ties to the Loutian Clan, a Reaver Family like the Tarith Family. They were trusted allies of the Reavers and were on the shortlist for the alliance, so Max sent a message to their homeworld immediately.
[Black Wolves Command, this is Commander Keres of the Terminus Trading Company, here to discuss the terms of a potential Trade Agreement with the Reavers.] Max's simple message was enough to get the point across, and the fact that it was sure to be intercepted by other Mercenary groups meant that it was best to avoid any chance of misunderstanding.
[The Terminus Trading Company? How did you get all the way out here to the fringes of the galaxy?] The Black Wolves replied, not trusting a random message, even with the appropriate codes, given the strange situation.
[We had a mission to do for the Alliance, and we came here by Portal.] Max told them.
That brought long minutes of radio silence before the Black Wolves replied with a simple set of coordinates for their Space Station.
Terminus set out for the indicated location as soon as the message was received, not wanting to attract more attention from Pirates after they destroyed two vessels and took what they would view as their rightful prize, the disabled Alliance vessel.
Two Cruisers met them at the border of Black Wolf's home star system and guided them in, as the station was hidden behind a complex array of shields and traps. Even knowing where it was would not guarantee that you could get to it safely without an escort.
Max realized along the way that the sensors on Terminus could see through most of the tricks and signal jamming technologies, which made the journey much less perilous for them, but out of courtesy, they closely followed their guide toward the final destination, an immense Space Station surrounding the moon of an inner planet.
The close proximity to the star was used to harness solar energy for their purposes since it was very difficult to get ahold of specialty parts for other forms of reactors, a result of the concerted effort to destroy any Mercenary Company which managed to obtain manufacturing technology that wasn't approved by the powers closer to the center of the Galaxy.
That would normally pose a problem for Max's plan to spread the Materials Printers and Replicators, but they already had the Crystal Matrix power plants used for the Warp Drives and the organic power packs, so Max was sure that he could have the staff create something to provide them sufficient output to keep replicators running.
The solar array was quite impressive, though, and being so close to the star, they would be harvesting an immense amount of energy, so it might not be necessary at all. Their ships could power the Replicators without issue, it was only the Space Station or any planetary settlement that they were in charge of that Max was concerned about.
[Welcome to the Black Wolves home, Commander Keres. Please dock at the closest available pier, and we will send a team to welcome you.] The Station greeted them.
The station fully encircled a small moon, and Max wondered if they had built it themselves or if a failed colonization attempt had left it behind. Many outer arm stars had been colonized and abandoned in the past due to violent fighting between colonies or various crises.
Admiral Drake docked them at the station, using a bay that was almost perfectly fitted to their cargo doors, a small luxury that anyone moving goods between the two would appreciate. Then, they waited.
The Mercenaries knew where they were, but getting here from the far side of the moon, or wherever they were currently, could take some time.
That time ended up being less than thirty minutes, so they must have been led to a point close to where the staff was already waiting for them. The Black Wolves sent a ten-person team, including one man who bore the badge of a Mercenary Company Captain, indicating that he either controlled a ship of their fleet, or the station itself, an honor that Max hadn't expected, given the short notice.
"So, it is true that your Colony Ship can open portals across the Galaxy. We heard it from the informants, but we truly didn't believe it until we got confirmation that you had just been in Klux and sent back two Holy Truth Cruisers mere days ago.
Here you are, so what is it that the Reavers are proposing, a set fee to run the blockade?"
The man was completely practical and was speaking for himself instead of letting his second in command do it, so Max had to answer instead of leaving the annoying part to Nico this time.
"We propose a Free Trade agreement among all members and a mutual defense pact, with terms of nonaggression. You can infight all you want, but the agreement states that no member will be the aggressor between nations and that they will assist allies if another nation does move against them." Max explained, then sent them the official agreement for them to look over.
"Have a seat and take your time to read through it. We have time." Max offered, gesturing to the same round table that they used for the last negotiation.
The decorations in the room had been replaced, as the last set of equipment had been transferred on Klux, but there was a new Materials Printer and a Replicator in the room, as well as one of the more heavily armed shuttles that Nico had developed for moving infantry teams around.
The Mercenaries would love those. They frequently entered hostile environments on foot to search for treasures and valuable materials, as well as the frequently requested bodyguard duties and boarding actions that Mercenaries were famous for.
Chapter 450 450 But Will It Kill?
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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The Mercenaries all looked at the staff with great interest when they produced Rum and snacks from the Replicator and placed them in the middle of the table.
Max was the first to move, pouring a dozen glasses of Rum, which emptied the bottle, and then taking a cream puff from the tray and popping it into his mouth.
"There's just something about the taste of Replicated whipped cream, you know? It's not the same as the reconstituted powder stuff that we used to keep in our pantry." Max told them between sips of his drink.
"We use the Replicator for almost all our meals now, it's just better than keeping a full pantry, but we do grow some of our own fresh food aboard the ship. The Rum, though, that is the best part." Max laughed as the Mercenaries were still looking nervous about the offering.
"If you want to call for a Cyborg, we can wait," Nico suggested.
"Bah, the Reavers wouldn't kill someone like me with poison in the first place." One of the guards laughed, then downed the Rum and popped a pastry in his mouth.
His eyes immediately began to water, and he let out a soft wheeze and tapped the table. His allies all began to reach for weapons before he waved them off with a growing smile on his face.
"Damn, I forgot what good Rum is like. We make ale here on the station, and it might as well be water in comparison," he explained.
"And here I thought you were just confident in your drinking ability." Max chuckled, realizing what had happened.
Now that the initial test was out of the way everyone else gave the food a sample, with most going for the sweets but a few going for the meat and crackers.
"It tastes fresh, like we are in an agricultural world, and picked it all up at the market. That's incredible. We don't have an inhabitable world of our own, the Company isn't large enough to defend one all the way out here, but with this, we can live like kings." The Mercenary Captain sighed.
"What do you have to input to make things like this?" The first man to drink asked, looking at the Replicator in the corner of the room.
"Any form of biomass will work. We use algae from our hydroponic labs, but you could use anything you have in abundance. Hell, you could use chopped-up Klem if you were brave enough." Max told them with a smile.
They all shuddered at the thought, and Nico rolled her eyes. "It's recombined. I don't get why everyone treats it like eating bugs."
A young woman from the Mercenary team laughed at her expression, then did a double take as she realized that Nico was a full conversion and not just a Reaver with artificial eyes.
"You might have forgotten about the necessity of food, and I don't know how long it has been since you were fully human, but even the thought of Klem inside me is enough to be repulsive."
The man sitting next to her smirked at that and decided to taunt his teammate. "Like a bit of cooked Klem would be the most disgusting thing you've had inside you."
The young woman slapped him directly off his chair to the uproarious laughter of the rest of her team, as well as the Reavers, who were close enough to hear his comment.
"It's good to see a team that gets along so well. The last group we visited was a bit uptight and rigid. The last two, if you count the idiots of the Holy Truth." Nico laughed.
"You get used to them. We are the station crew, so we don't get out much. We just sort and repair and repair some more. We've got more Mechanics on the station than anything else, and some days it's still not enough to keep things running as smoothly as I would like." The Captain, who seemed to be the Base Commander, answered.
"Well, we've got top class Materials Printers for everyone who signs the treaty, a Reaver-developed technology that every Trade Group member will have access to. It should make life easier for your staff if they can toss the damaged part into the printer and have it repaired.
The Replicator is mostly a quality of life improvement, and it has been pretty popular, but the Materials Printers are more practical." Max told them.
"You aren't afraid of the Embargo?"
Max shook his head at that. "They will either join the Trade Group, or they will be wiped out the first time they attack a member. There won't be an embargo for long, and the Reavers are hoping that this part of space can be developed to a higher state than it is now, so we don't have patches of humanity living in the technological dark ages while others are already pushing Warp 10 trade vessels and unconcerned about food supplies."
"Then what do you need the Mercenary Companies for? We're not national powers." The station Commander pointed out.
"You're not. But you are skilled fighters and trade groups. You might deal in the gray market, but with some new vessels and an agreement that will eliminate competition with the Reavers, you can take trade missions all over the human territory."
They spent a long time thinking about that and talking among themselves while the staff brought out more bottles of Rum and, eventually, a full meal.
Max could read in their thoughts that they were in contact with the Mercenary Company's real bosses, so he didn't interrupt their quiet conversations. Each of them was linked to a Ship Captain of the fleet, and they were discussing it on behalf of their representative faction.
"Everyone has seen and read the agreement, but we are waiting for two more Captains who can't be contacted right now. The Black Wolf rules say that all alliances must be unanimous, and without the last two votes, we can't make a decision right away." The Station Captain explained.
"That's fine. We have both time and patience. Would you like to spend the evening on the Cruise Ship portion of Terminus? All we ask is that you behave and don't harass the alien guests." Max offered.
"You have aliens aboard?" The Captain asked.
"As Customers, Guests and Employees, yes. All of them are from the Alliance, the so-called Ghost Ships, as many of the Mercenaries call them." Nico replied before Max could and then called in one of the Innu Technicians.
"Well, I'll be damned. You really do. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss." The Captain greeted the Technician.
"Do you bring new things? Or do you need old things fixed?" The Technician asked, not aware of why she was called in.
"They are going to go to the Cruise Ship, and we didn't want to startle them too much," Nico explained.
"Oh, so you don't need me to recalibrate his Laser Pistol? It's down over thirty percent in output due to the damaged reflector." The Technician asked sadly.
"Not today. But we can offer him a new one if it makes you feel better."
"Please do. Poorly maintained equipment hurts the soul." The slender woman with pink skin agreed, her hair tentacles wiggling in frustration.
"The Innu can commune with Technology. She meant it when she said it was mentally painful to see a piece of gear in poor repair. It annoys them as much as if you were wearing your coat one button out of even." Nico explained as the Technician left the room in frustration.
The Station Captain was rendered nearly speechless.
"Oh, I see."