Chapter 461 461 Terminus Refilled
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Max had expected them to bring more with them, but perhaps they would transfer their personal belongings later. Or maybe it was custom that Mercenaries didn't keep more than that one duffle bag, given the cramped quarters of their old home.
Compared to that, these new Cutters were running a Skeleton Crew and would have to recruit more members as they went.
Being assigned to a brand new ship was an honor, no matter how low your position aboard was, so Max was certain that Commander Arnold wasn't going to get any complaints from those he transferred, even if they didn't have any spare hands around to allow them to take days off at the moment.
"Let's head to the far left vessel. If my guess is right, it should be called Pride of Emmaline, after my Daughter, the Captain." Commander Arnold replied.
The woman who had led the team inside didn't look any younger than the Commander, but with the variety of life-extending drugs and cosmetic surgeries available to even the most common of folk, that could just mean that they were both reaching the age where the drugs no longer worked as well and that they had multiple generations of offspring in the fleet.
When a long-lived Mercenary could reach two hundred years old, but they commonly began families in their teens, wanting to have children before they died in a very dangerous occupation, the Elders would have quite a lot of extended family.
Max led Commander Arnold inside, where Emmaline, the Captain of this vessel, was waiting for them while the rest of the crew had spread out to check every nook and cranny of the vessel.
"Welcome to the Pride of Emmaline" She welcomed them with a grand gesture.
"This is quite the vessel. Seeing the specs and the VR simulation doesn't do it justice. The Reavers deliberately obscured some details, I believe. Perhaps as a security measure against obtaining too much detail of a customer's vessel." Commander Arnold replied.
The Cargo bay looked cavernous to Max, being a full twenty meters longer than the hold on his own Cutters and still having Mecha hangars in front of it, near the center of the ship.
In this design, they could deploy from the top of the ship as well as the rear doors so that they could deploy even if the cargo hold were packed full. It left an enormous space for cargo, and the Mercenaries were eyeing it as a training ground and relaxation area.
They would take trade orders now that they had the perfect ship for it, but they were still Mercenaries at heart.
"The cargo bay is nothing. Come look at these new Mecha. You're going to have to order some for yourself." Emmaline told the Commander.
"We just ordered the full loadout special, which they offered to us with a discount, so I haven't seen any of the specifics yet, other than the ship, which had a full VR walkthrough available." Commander Arnold explained.
"In that case, I will make sure you have training simulators on board. These Mecha aren't like the ones you are used to, even if they have neural links instead of manual controls." Nico assured him.
Max hoped they were neural controls since pilots without a system would struggle to deal with the manual controls that Kepler Pilots excelled with. The fine control was better with the manual controls since distractions could distort the mental controls in combat, but if you didn't have an enhanced body, there was no way you could physically accomplish the task.
They stepped into the Mecha bay, where the new units were secured to their storage racks, row upon row, and both Mercenaries gasped in awe while most of the crew was simply standing in front of them, staring at the glorious war machines, painted in the Silver and black livery of the Exterminators.
"So this is how it feels to live life without the threat of an embargo. This one ship has almost as many Heavy Mecha as the rest of the fleet does. We are going to need a lot of training." Emmaline sighed.
Max looked around and saw a room to one side marked training. "That should be the VR simulators. I don't know which ones they installed, but we have very good ones available." Max informed them.
"These should be the Cygnus standard since they used the Cygnus neural link for all of these Mecha." Nico clarified, taking her hand off the closest Crusader.
"You got details of our delivery?" Commander Arnold asked.
"No, I have a technology-related System Function. With a single touch, I can learn an immense amount of data about a machine, and I am already familiar with these since they're nearly the same as the ones that we use on Terminus." Nico clarified.
"That's just cheating. But I am glad that someone knows how to use these things. We might have to send you messages later if we run into dead ends with our training." Captain Emmaline informed her.
"They installed the melee combat training module that I created, as well as a number of targeting simulations based on Commander Keres' missions, so you should learn how to operate them quickly enough. The true challenge will be in your deployment orders and commands, but a Mercenary Captain has their own style, and I am sure you can adapt to having a plethora of Heavy Mecha quickly enough." Nico shrugged.
"So Terminus was the beta test for these Mecha?" Commander Arnold asked.
"From the very beginning of the design phase. We have been with them since they were drawings in a VR simulation." Max informed him.
"Then my little girl is in good hands." Commander Arnold chuckled.
"Aren't you going to upgrade your flagship? I had thought that the first order of business would be to upgrade your own vessel." Max asked.
"I have a custom Warp Drive coming. They agreed to ship it to our home base, where my flagship is currently in dry dock after a battle with the Magno. I might have lost the entire ship and crew that day if the Demons hadn't shown up." Commander Arnold told them quietly.
"Demons? I don't recall there being any Vampire forces in this region of space." Max asked, assuming that the Commander was using a common slur for the species.
"Oh, not them. Real Demons. Ten meters tall, as tough as Mecha, but they bleed when they are cut. They look almost like a human but with golden masks for faces and dreadlocks that have deadly spikes." Commander Arnold explained.
The Magno was a species of heat-loving six-legged aliens, sentient but even more violent than the Klem if that was possible. They killed everything that they came across until they were the only animal species left on the planets that they took over, then recreated the plant life to better suit their needs.
"I think you mean the Hunters. Did they look like this?" Nico asked and put up a still from the fight she had with their leader.
"Yes, that's them, but they seemed smaller than that one. And what is that fighting them? Is that some new Super Heavy Mecha that I've never seen before?" Commander Arnold asked.
"That is Shattered Pride, my personal Mecha. She is twenty meters tall, give or take, so yes, the leader is twice the size of the others. But those aren't their actual bodies. They are biomechanical combat suits. They must not have deemed you impressive enough to talk with, but if your new ships run into them, they might interact, so please warn your crews to be prepared and polite. They love a good fight, and you won't win if you pick one with them." Nico explained.
Chapter 462 462 Grand Tour
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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"Shattered Pride is an apt name. I don't think any of my teams would have any pride left to mention after a fight with that thing if it is as impressive as it looks." Commander Arnold laughed.
"She won the fight."
The Mercenary Commander, as well as the Captain, and every crew member in earshot all turned to stare at Nico in awe.
"You won a fight with one of them? And not just some random fight. It looks like a duel with their leader." Captain Emmaline asked.
"That's right. The two strongest females fight each other either in person or in Mecha as a way of judging whether you are worthy of their respect. I recommend that you fight in Mecha because they would tear a human apart in hand-to-hand combat."
The Captain looked Nico over for a second as if she wanted to ask if Nico wasn't, in fact, a human herself, but after realizing that she was entirely cybernetic, it made more sense. There was no vulnerable flesh or easily damaged muscle, only state-of-the-art technology with a human brain embedded in it.
"Even after conversion, you can still keep up to the Kepler Standards? Or do you use a neural link?" Commander Arnold asked.
The System was the great advantage of the Kepler military, and every foreign attempt to create super soldiers on that level had failed, whether it was cybernetic or biological.
"I am a little slower than I was, but I retained enough of my System Functions that it doesn't matter in combat," Nico informed him with a wink, letting the Commander know that she wasn't going to reveal that sort of personal information.
"We should check out the rest of the ship while the Captain works out a training schedule for her best pilots to learn the new Heavy Mecha. The Line Mecha is a bit more agile and more capable in close combat, so they all might need updated sword fighting training, but learning the Heavy Mecha will be a much larger change, especially the proper use of the Fast Attack Mecha." Max told the Mercenary leaders.
That was when he noticed that the Fast Attack Mecha were not the same as the ones aboard Terminus. They had the same chassis and the same jump pack, allowing for incredible mobility, but they didn't have the same signature weapons.
Instead, they were equipped with a sword and shield, with twin shoulder-mounted Plasma Shotguns, the same as he had previously mounted on Stalwart, the first Crusader Class Mecha that he had been assigned as a Pilot.
It would be devastating in close combat and not as difficult to use perfectly as the Disintegrators were. There was no focusing distance, output calibration, or frequency adjustment. A Plasma Shotgun only needed to be pointed in the general direction of the enemy and fired. Perfect for new Pilots.
Not that the Mercenaries were new, but in comparison, their skills were lacking. The VR Trainers that came with the ship might actually prove to be as much or more valuable to the Exterminators than the Replicators and Materials Printer that they had been so excited to receive.
Nico led the tour through the barracks, showing off the individual rooms for the crew, as well as the Replicator in the mess hall, which had been set up like a traditional cafeteria where they could order at the counter and pick up their food in only a few seconds as if it was prepared in advance, but always hot and fresh, unlike a buffet.
"The boys are going to get inflated egos if we treat them this well." Captain Emmaline laughed while gesturing to the diner in front of them.
"Just work them harder. That should keep them in place. The training run records for every simulation that Commander Keres and I set are all programmed into the simulations, so you can use those to keep them motivated." Nico told the older woman.
"You don't think they will overcome you?" The Captain asked dubiously.
"If they can get the Mecha to 105 percent of its designed capacity for an entire run's average, they will defeat us. But if they can't hit the rated maximum mechanical output of the Mecha, they don't stand a chance." Max offered an explanation.
"Exceed the rated output? Is that even possible? Even with a neural link, it's not possible to make the Mecha move that fast." She countered.
"It is with mechanical controls, as long as your dexterity and speed are at least five times the human standard, and your mental acuity can keep up," Max told her.
Commander Arnold shook his head in dismay. "That's not even human anymore. Now that Kepler has been shattered, perhaps we will not have to deal with that sort of monstrous talent anymore. I heard a rumor that the System you all use was only willing to activate for members of the Kepler Military and could have a strong backlash if the nanotechnology realized you were a traitor."
"It didn't do as much as hoped to the traitors, but then perhaps they actually thought that they were doing what they did in the best interests of the people, so the System let it slide.
Nobody really knows what parameters the System's AI is working with, only that it is linked through the entire population, and if you keep a Pilot isolated long enough, it will begin to give them survival-related skills, assuming that they are the last survivor of their unit." Max told the Commander.
That much was common knowledge among most nations and all Kepler soldiers, but to actually get a new survival skill could take years, and it usually didn't come until the next scheduled 50-point bracket. The System seemed unwilling to bend on that standard.
"And here are the Officer's quarters. This is the Captain's suite if you want to check it out before we move on." Nico diverted the conversation as they reached the next group of barracks.
The Captain's suite was identical to the one that Max had aboard Terminus but with a different interior decorator. This one was in cream and gray, with real silver trim. It was also only a single room with a decently sized common area, whereas the Officers' suite had a five-bedroom layout with a larger common area.
"I get my own kitchen with a Replicator and ensuite laundry? What else did they stuff in this ship?" Captain Emmaline asked.
"If you ask the Materials Printer, it can make you a butler bot so that you don't have to manually activate the self-cleaning functions or fetch your own food," Nico suggested.
"No, that's a step too far. My crew would lose respect for me if I started behaving more pampered than the average planetary governor." The Captain laughed, then led them back out of the suite to finish the tour.
All that was left was the bridge, which was a simple and standard area at the nose of the ship, and the maintenance bay, which they missed on their way through the Mecha bays since they went down the side with the majority of the dorms.
"Well, that is the basics of it. Let the other crews know what we covered so they don't miss an important function, but you can always contact Rae 5 or Terminus if you have any questions. We have the full design specs and software suite, so we can help with most issues." Max announced once they completed the loop, ending up back in Mecha Bay.
"Don't let us keep you then. We will be a while getting settled in since everyone is distracted by the Mecha, and they're still wandering around with their luggage." Captain Emmaline replied, waving goodbye to the pair of Reavers while she led Commander Arnold to inspect the new Heavy Mecha.
Chapter 463 463 Variety Pack
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Max headed back to Terminus with Nico and the Tech crews, who had finished the basic coding of the biometrics for all of the Command Staff of the new vessels, and prepared to receive their new crew members.
They should be ready to arrive in only a few more hours, and the maintenance teams reported that all of the rooms were ready for them to move in, including the possibility that they might receive a reinforced Regiment of infantry.
The chances of that seemed pretty low since Max had specified Kepler soldiers so that they could take full advantage of the new augmentic suits, but he really didn't know for sure how things had been going on the new Reaver homeworld or how many vessels full of refugees and trainees they had taken in since he left.
Thirty minutes before the scheduled arrival time, Max opened the portal to the open area in the Capital city and watched as the scene of over a thousand assorted humans and demihumans appeared in front of him.
What Max knew as the Demihumans were the descendants of human colonists who had chosen to adapt themselves to their new world instead of adapting the world fully to themselves. Most had bestial traits or increased physical skills to make up for an aspect of the human body that was lacking in their new environment, but at the most basic level, they were still mostly human.
None of them lived anywhere near Kepler since their colonies were on the very edges of the Galaxy and far from the strongholds of humanity. Some of them even came from the far side of Klem territory, isolated and forgotten refuges of humanity that only the Reavers even remembered the existence of.
They had mostly come from Reaver vessels and Mercenary ships who had taken them on board as paying passengers. Anyone who would sign up for such a voyage was among the most adventurous, or the most desperate, of people, so they had the sort of personality that wouldn't mind working on a traveling vessel like Terminus.
The variety would also make their guests from the Alliance feel more at home when they came to visit, Max hoped. Like the Valkia, there were others with wings here, as well as many who could be called giants by human standards, but unlike the Alliance members, they all shared a common genetic base.
Max stepped through with Nico at his side, and the crowd burst into applause for their new employers. The sight was enough to crack Max's serious demeanor, with his Telepathy skill flooding his mind with positive thoughts and hope for the future.
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The jobs that almost all of these people were applying for weren't skilled trades, so very few of them would have much education, and even fewer would have any sort of trade skills, but Max could always train from within if they needed more professionals in the future.
That was how most Reaver Companies did it, but until this moment, Terminus hadn't had enough people to fill their staff, much less enough to be diverting them for extended onboard training.
"Welcome, everyone. As you have guessed, I am Commander Keres of the Terminus Trading Company, and this is Tarith Rage, my second in command. The planetary staffing society has given me a full write-up on every one of you, as well as a glowing review of your personalities and skills.
For your sake, I hope you can live up to the hype. Life aboard a working ship is not always easy, and it is almost never slow, so we will need you to adapt quickly and learn from the senior staff members.
Now, does anyone have any questions?"
Most remained silent, eager to get started before anyone could change their minds and send them back to the odd jobs pool, but one hand did shoot up in the air, a very large woman with small, round animal ears on her head.
"Is it true that you are running a Cruise Ship for tourists aboard your Flagship?" She asked.
[Darla. Demihuman, mixed with Ursa family traits for cold resistance and increased strength.] Nico informed him with a quick message.
So, she was part bear, which made the sheer size of her make sense. Max could also see that she was one of the skilled employees who had signed on for a Technician's position.
"Technician Darla is it? Yes, it is true that we are running a Cruise Ship, but we should mention that most of our guests are so-called extreme tourists from other Galaxies who view us as violent savages working our way toward civilization.
For that reason, everyone was thoroughly vetted for personality. We don't need to prove their worst suspicions right.
But it also means that there will be many new and unexpected issues and short-notice alterations to the ship. That is why we need skilled Technicians like yourself to keep up with the demand." Max explained.
"Oh, there was a thing like that back on my homeworld. People would go and see the primitive tribes and how they lived." One of the other new hires whispered to the person next to them, catching Max's attention with their thoughts.
It wasn't that far off the truth, at least for some of the species. The Illithid just thought that they were interesting, and the Innu were more interested in new technology than anything else, but the little access they had made to the Alliance's social media showed that Humanity was viewed more as a curiosity than a serious contender for membership by most.
"If there are no other urgent concerns, please step through the portal and find your division head. They will have signs posted on the bay wall to guide their new members to the correct locations." Max instructed.
He could meet them all later. It was too much to individually get to know thousands of people at once out here in a public park. That left him with only the infantry force to meet, and they should be here soon.
Chapter 464 464 Military Might
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Max had requested a fully assembled Regiment, which should come with its own Commanders, so he was eager to see what the Reavers could come up with on short notice.
The number of qualified infantry officers floating around the Galaxy without a home or duty was seriously limited, but they could have filled them with promoted Sergeants or possibly Reavers who enjoyed fighting since many of the Companies had Kepler-born members in their ranks.
He watched as the force made their way onto the parade grounds, led by a very familiar face from the past.
"Colonel Cortez. I watched with my own eyes as you retired. What brings you so far from home in your golden years?" Max asked as the Infantry Commander who had led the Kepler 111th aboard Abraham Kepler when Max was deployed for his very first mission came to a stop in front of him.
"Oh, how times change. The last time I saw you, you were a wet behind the ears Academy Cadet in a Crusader that still had the new oil smell to it. Kepler 111 is no more. The foreign invaders virus bombed us when they realized that the might of the Kepler Fleet was coming for them in the last battles of the revolution.
Most of us were already in orbit, fighting against their fleet. My team and I commandeered a fast attack vessel that I would call a Cutter if I were feeling generous. More like a shuttle with guns and a warp drive, but it got us out of the system after the Titan Class Mecha showed up and wiped them out.
We thought about picking a new home among the Kepler Free Territories, but you know how it is. We are all retired soldiers, we served our time, and none of the boys wanted to keep at it forever, so we came here.
But, all we know is soldiering, so here we are again." Colonel Cortez elaborated.
"Well, I have some good news for you. We don't need an infantry Regiment as the Kepler Military uses them. We need a force for boarding actions where the Mecha can't gain access due to their size, and we have a new generation of powered armor for all of you." Max offered.
"I thought that might be the case when they told me it was a Reaver Colony Ship that needed an infantry force, but imagine my shock when I saw you on the recruitment sheets. You can hide behind a mask, but you can't hide from soldiers who have spent time in the trenches with you by just covering your face.
Max laughed at that and took off the golden mask that he wore to public engagements, letting the Colonel see him in person for the first time since the retirement ceremony.
"It has only been a few years, and you've grown up so much. No more fresh-faced kid. Should I know the little cyborg beside you? Perhaps another of the Pilots from your wing?" The Colonel asked.
"That would be Tarith Nico, formerly of Tarith's Rage. There were some issues while fighting the Narsians, and she got a small cosmetic upgrade." Max explained, bringing a double take from the Colonel.
"Well, I'll be damned. It's good to see you again. My apologies for not recognizing you. I had thought you were a distant relative from the Tarith Family. There are quite a few here on the planet, after all."
Nico nodded. "That was the point of changing only my given name for public use. We didn't want to sever the link to the Tarith Reavers at first, but the Rebels were still calling us war criminals and even allied with the Tapani to hunt us down, so hiding in plain sight seemed like the best option."
Two more men walked up as they chatted, both wearing Captain's bars and Reaver fashion.
"We were short on experienced Commanders, so I took the liberty to recruit from the Reaver's vessels. These two needed a place to go but couldn't land a command position elsewhere due to Political concerns. Both their families are currently under censure, but I can personally attest to their character.
Meet Aaron and John, who prefer to go by their bare names only."
Max could see that they were Kepler citizens, with blonde hair and blue eyes much like his own, which were uncommon in the Empire, but sharply angular and distinctly Kepler facial features.
"Good to meet you all. I won't ask about your past unless it is relevant, and honestly, I don't care as long as you are loyal and hardworking.
I trust the Colonel, and I will take his word that you are worth trusting as well. It looks like we have three Battalions of infantry, which is better than I had honestly expected, so let me show you all to your barracks.
They might not be as fancy as the Pilots get, but you lot are likely used to that, and you will still have full access to the Cruise Ship amenities in your downtime. I will set up training schedules and courses to get used to the tactics and equipment that Terminus employs once we are on our way to the next stop.
But first, let me address the men."
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Max stepped past the three officers and saw the moment that the survivors from Kepler 111 recognized him, sharing the information with the soldiers from other locations and deployments.
Almost all of them were from Kepler 111, but other than a few hundred veterans, they were mostly children, likely rescued from the Academy or hastily deployed to defend their planet against assault, leaving them in orbit when the planet died.
"It is good to see so many familiar faces among the new ones. For those that haven't been informed yet, I am Commander Keres of the Terminus Trading Company, a former Kepler Military Crusader Class Pilot with an Alpha Ranked System Compatibility.
Why do I tell you this? Because it is important that you all know that we are coming from the same place. Some of you spilled the same blood in the same mud that I did in the past, and it will be an honor to do it again if the time comes.
You will become the boarding action team for Terminus, and we have prepared state-of-the-art Mobile Suits for you to fight in.
But more importantly, you are now members of the Terminus Trading Company, with all the benefits that come with the title.
Welcome to the family. Your Commanders will lead you to your new barracks right away, and we will begin your orientation tomorrow. Now, let's get a move on so that the city can have its park back." Max ordered.
Chapter 465 465 Crew Orientation
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Max gave the infantry a few hours to get settled in while he went to check up on the other workers, who were currently in the middle of orientation with their section managers. So far, they all seemed eager to get started, and there weren't any major issues that the managers hadn't managed to solve, but Max was sure that there would be at least one or two.
Many of the workers were bound to have strong personalities, and some would be convinced that they would be much better managers than the one that they were under, which was guaranteed to lead to conflicts in the future, but that was an essential part of any Reaver ship.
Weak minds wouldn't hold up to the stress, but strong ones were bound to have conflicts.
The first incident that he came across was with a particularly snobbish woman who was completely convinced that she deserved to be the hospitality manager for the cruise ship, in charge of setting all schedules and the individual requests of the VIP clients.
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They only had a few of them right now, and they hadn't chosen to leave their soil-filled room since they arrived, though Max had seen that they had toured the entire ship with the virtual simulation, letting the cameras show them everything available, but without taking their roots out of the soil.
"Do you not know who my father is? I was born to lead, not work a schedule set by a peasant like yourself." The woman was demanding, and Max looked over to see who their manager was.
It turned out to be a slender Reaver woman in a Terminus Hospitality Staff uniform vest with no shirt underneath, wearing the mark of the Tarith Family burned into her arm as a brand.
It was a mark of devotion that many of the adopted members would choose to prove their lifelong devotion, as the scars couldn't be easily covered as a tattoo could, and no Reaver surgeon would be willing to remove it for them.
"Your father is a middle manager under the backwater planetary governor of a nation that no longer exists. Mine is the Commander of the Destroyer Class Reaver vessel Memories of War. Now, sit down and shut up before I put you on latrine duty so long that you will space yourself just to get rid of the smell." The manager replied in an even voice, making Max laugh.
That caught the attention of the group, and the new hire's attitude immediately changed, and a sultry look came to her face as she adopted a provocative pose, thrusting her chest out to accent the prodigious but clearly artificial size. "Commander Keres, surely you understand. A Noble Lady shouldn't be exposed to such demeaning roles."
"Imperial Lady Tarith Rage, the heir to the Kepler Terminus branch of the Tarith Family and second in command of the Terminus Trading Company, is currently in the Mecha Maintenace bays, rebuilding the hydraulic cylinders on an experimental unit that our development team is working on. Perhaps you would prefer to join her if the tasks of a Hostess are too demeaning for a Debutante of your background?" Max asked.
The thought of an Imperial Lady ever getting her hands dirty, much less one with the status of Second In Command, was enough to shock not only the snobbish noble into silence but most of the room as well.
The only exception was the adopted daughter of the Tarith family, which was managing this group.
"Yes, I agree. I think that a few weeks of orientation as Miss Rage's lady's maid would do a world of good as a remedial class on the proper decorum of a Reaver noble."
Assuming that she survived, it would certainly be an eye-opener.
Max checked the employee data to see who the woman was and verified that the manager was correct. She was indeed the youngest daughter of an upper-crust bureaucrat, and her home planet was now part of the Cygnus Empire. The employee vetting notations said that her best career options would be as a prostitute or a lounge server, and the hiring company had recommended her as a Hostess to work the reception areas of the Cruise Ship.
"Unfortunately, she is quite busy, and doesn't have time to train a new assistant, so we will have to work with the assignments as they are. Service and customer satisfaction are key to the reputation of the Terminus Trade Company as a family and organization. Since it was missed during your debutante training, I am reassigning you for the next two-week rotation, Miss Lala.
You will work as the floor manager for the Broken Blaster Lounge until the end of the rotation. Your reviews from the bar manager and customers will determine the progress of your training and your future assignments."
She looked somewhat mollified at the word Floor Manager, but the Broken Blaster was a rough-and-tumble sort of Reaver bar in the crew area, not the cruise ship, where the majority of the non-training room-related injuries aboard the ship began.
If there wasn't a bar fight there on any given night, it was usually because the entire ship was on standby, and the Reavers were all at combat positions.
If she could survive two weeks on the floor there, in a short pleated uniform skirt, dealing with drunken crew members, she could handle almost any other hostess position.
Max expected that she would beg to be reassigned within a few days, and by the end of the first week, she wouldn't care what position she was moved to.
"You, with the auto mop. Juan, isn't it? Would you kindly take the lovely Lala to her new duty station at the Broken Blaster? The evening shift change is coming, and she needs to get into uniform and get oriented before the staff starts arriving." Max called out to one of the maintenance staff.
"You're sure? The crew will eat her alive, and maybe not just in the good ways." The old Reaver laughed, then stowed the cleaning device in his cart and extended a cleaner sanitized hand to the buxom young noble and ducked his head in apology.
"My apologies for questioning your orders, Commander. Right this way, please, Lady Lala. I am certain that the crew will treat you very well as the new Floor Manager."
The fact that the other senior staff managed not to laugh until she was out of earshot was a minor miracle.
Chapter 466 466 Unsettled Borders
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Max left the bemused staff behind for the manager to finish her orientation and checked the rest of the ship, making time to stop and check in on the Shin.
There was a chance that they were just shy around so many bipedal mammals and were afraid to leave their rooms, despite the fact they could move quite well with their gravity control technology, and Max wanted to make sure they were having a good time.
Just as he approached, the door opened, and a room service deliveryman stepped out, bowing politely to Max.
"They have everything that they requested, and they have just put on a holographic video of a historical space battle, playing on the holographic projectors of the whole room." The crew member explained without Max having to ask.
That would make it look like they were either looking out from a ship or at a very close range on a planetary surface as the battle played on every wall and the roof, an immersive experience that Max hadn't expected them to be interested in.
Perhaps it was like watching horror movies in their culture.
Terminus certainly had enough footage of various battles taken from the historical archives for training purposes.
Max sent them a notification that they might enjoy the battle of Tanna, a jungle world that had a decade-long, Mecha-based civil war, whose footage was the basis for most nations' jungle piloting training.
[Thank you, Commander. We will watch your recommended Film right after this one. Of all the things we expected Humans to be able to provide, we never expected that you would have such an incredible variety of hyperrealistic horror films. It's like the camera crew was really there when the actions took place.] The Shin leader responded, and Max didn't have the heart to tell them that it was because they were watching actual War footage.
At least the Shin guests were easy to please.
Max was finishing his rounds when the long-range scanners detected a group of warships in the pattern commonly used by the neighboring Border Nations approaching at low warp, giving themselves a bit more time to maneuver if they detected traps or an ambush.
[All Combat Staff to your positions. Infantry, finish your orientation with the new equipment first. Incoming hostile vessels, with a chance of battle greater than fifty percent.] Max sent out to the inbox of every Pilot and member of the fighting staff.
???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.????????????
Terminus was still at the dock, and the Exterminators were still transferring equipment to their new Cutters, so the chance that the Border Fleet wouldn't notice something was out of the ordinary within the next few minutes was very low. The question was, what would they do about it?
The few Mercenary groups that were still gathered around the Station began to fall into defensive positions, and the main guns of the mighty structure powered up to greet the unwelcome visitors, who were far from their own territory.
[Terminus Trading Company, we have reason to believe that you are providing weapons to a sanctioned group. Please stand down and prepare an explanation of your actions.] The Border Fleet broadcast before coming to a stop at the edge of the Solar System.
They were ready for this, and the other Border Nations had already made their position on bringing the Mercenaries into the fold quite clear, but so far, it hadn't come to open violence.
[The relevant Mercenary Groups are now part of the Reaver Trade Alliance, which is not on the embargoed entities list. Our deals are fair and equitable for the purpose of increasing quality of life.
The Trade Group is open to all who are willing to abide by its terms and conditions. Would you be open to receiving an information package?] The Admiral responded with the canned response that they had prepared for exactly this scenario.
[Cut the crap, Terminus. Selling weapons and manufacturing equipment to the Mercenaries is strictly prohibited, and you know it. Explain your actions, or we will be forced to recover the prohibited items by force.] The Border Fleet responded.
[As members of the Reaver Trade Group, our technology trades do not violate your sanction rules. By the terms of our mutual defense agreement, we are required to respond if you should initiate a hostile international incident.] Nico responded. Max was certain that it was her. The tone of voice was a bit eager and not the monotone version of her voice that the Ship's computer used.
[It seems we have much to discuss. Are you willing to meet us on neutral ground for a diplomatic session?] The Commander of the Border Fleet asked.
[Give us fifteen minutes to safely depart the station, and we will follow your lead.] That response was the Admiral, and Max began heading to the nearest restroom to freshen up and change into his armor, currently stored in the Flat Space of his new watch.
[Do you think they will try something stupid?] Max asked Nico, who was surely pouring through the fleet's data right now.
[Oh, I really hope so. They don't have a single Super Heavy mecha aboard their entire fleet, and the Cutters could pierce their shielding with a single blast.] Nico responded, verifying Max's guess that she had already hacked them.
[What are their protocols for the meeting? Will we be landing somewhere for a face-to-face talk?] Max asked, having not read the details yet.
[Sort of. The meetings are traditionally on an uninhabited planet, inside the Command Mecha of the respective forces, with a five Mecha escort.] Nico responded with a hint of glee.
Those terms definitely favored them.
[Prepare Cleansing Light and Shattered Pride, plus four Infernus Pattern Fast Attack Mecha. If it is held on a moon without atmosphere, we will depart directly for the surface without using a ship.] Max ordered.
That way, they could have all five Battalions at the ready, with only one of them being a wing of Crusader Class Mecha short of full capacity, and none of the Cutters would be distracted from their duties.
Chapter 467 467 Border Disputes
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Their luck was good, and the location that the Border Fleet chose to hold their first meeting with Terminus was indeed a barren rock floating in space with no atmosphere to speak of. It wasn't a moon as Max expected, but an outer planet of a nearby system with an exceedingly thin atmosphere, which would allow the Mecha to depart directly from Terminus and fly to the surface.
[Terminus Trading Company, please assemble your leadership delegation and meet us on the surface.] The Border Fleet demanded, taking their place in orbit and launching a Lander toward the coordinates marked on the message.
Max waited until they were almost down before ordering his entourage to depart. Until this moment, not a single person in this sector of the Galaxy knew that Terminus was in possession of a Titan Class Mecha. Very few were even aware that they had Super Heavy Mecha among their Battalions, and most who had heard only viewed that as a rumor.
The sight of Cleansing Light appearing from the hold at the rear end of Terminus was enough to fill the communication channels with shocked calls for verification from every Mercenary Group in the region, as well as frantic calls from the Border Fleet back to their command station.
There would be no intimidation by the Border Nations today. That single Mecha could take out their entire patrol fleet with ease. Instead, they would be forced to negotiate terms with the Reavers on a more even footing.
That was the response that Max had been hoping for. If the Border Nations panicked, he could sway them away from their bias against the Mercenary Groups and toward joining the Reavers in their new trade group.
The promise that the Mercenaries wouldn't raid their border outposts as long as they were part of the Reaver's agreement was a great boon to them, reducing the threat level in the region and giving them the chance to build allies to deal with more outlaw sorts, who preferred Piracy.
[Greetings Admiral Bogan. I am Commander Keres of the Terminus Trading Company in the Command Mecha Cleansing Light. It is my most sincere hope that we can resolve this issue peacefully today without the need for further hostilities.] Max began the meeting the moment that he landed.
Normally the Border Fleet would begin with threats and posturing, but they were all still too shocked to respond, even a full thirty seconds after Max had greeted them.
Eventually, a hesitant voice responded to Max's greeting. [My apologies, Commander, it seems that the appearance of your unique command Mecha has taken our Fleet by surprise, and the Admiral has requested a few minutes to confer with his counterparts before we begin.]
Max couldn't see any sign of transmissions from the Mecha on the ground, but he chose not to call the man out and instead gave him a few moments to collect himself while the Mercenaries watching from a distant orbit celebrated.
If the Border Fleet couldn't make the Reavers back down, it was a good sign that they had made the right call by joining the Trade Group, and it would bring many more ships in the region to their cause.
Finally, the Admiral, in a gilded Reaver Pattern Cygnus built Mecha, chose to join the conversation.
[It seems that there has been a misunderstanding between the National Command and the Tarith Reavers. Please, do tell me which families are part of this trade group?] The Admiral asked.
[All of them. The entire Reaver Nation has signed onto the trade group, and they are working together on technological advancements that will be made available to all members as soon as they are properly tested.] Max replied, then waited as the radio silence dragged on again.
This time, there were signals back and forth not only from the Mecha on the surface to the ships in orbit but from the ships back to the Border Planets.
News that every single Reaver Family was working together and that they were pulling in Mercenaries was too large for them to ignore.
After ten minutes had passed, a sigh from the Admiral opened the next transmission.
[It seems that this has become a much larger issue than we can resolve between ourselves. Would the Terminus Trading Company, on behalf of the Reavers as a whole, be willing to join us for a Border Nations summit to discuss the terms of your trade group contract?]
That might be the best news Max had heard all day.
[Of course, we will. Drawing as much of human civilization into a nonaggression pact and trade agreement is the reason that we are out here in the far reaches of the Galaxy.] He replied, giving the Admiral a military salute with Cleansing Light's sword.
There was another short pause while the Border Nations sent frantic messages to determine who would host such a meeting, with the threat of a Reaver Colony ship and Titan Class Mecha above their heads. After much wrangling, the closest planet was ganged up on by the others and was designated as the site of the meeting purely due to location.
They didn't even have a ship in this patrol group, so they protested vehemently that this was not their fault nor their responsibility, but in the end, they couldn't just leave the group of Border Nations over the issue.
[Please follow us to the resort world of Mercury Seven. Over the course of the next week, all of the Border Nations will be meeting there to discuss the new developments with the Reavers and their trade group.] The Admiral informed Max, then did his best not to make it look like he was fleeing as his entourage retreated to the Lander.
Watching the six Mecha fly back up to Terminus instead of using a landing vessel was a unique sort of flex on the Border Fleet, which had access to Cygnus technology that was only a generation out of date, but who couldn't afford to get all the top of the line upgrades for every ship's defense force.
[Looks like we might not have to get the Cygnus Fleet to pressure them after all. Better do some laundry. You're going to need all your finest clothes for this one.] Nico laughed, reminding Max that he had just brought another whole round of negotiations upon himself unless he could find a substitute.
[Contact Rae 5. Get us a negotiation team. We can sit pretty above their heads while the professionals deal with this.] Max suggested.
[I thought you might say that. I'm on it.]
Max docked his Mecha in the hangar and did a double-check of all systems before he left. They hadn't seen any violence, but it was a one-of-a-kind, experimental Mecha design, so it was worth it to make sure that everything was good every time that he moved it.
Nico met him at the foot of the Mecha as soon as he departed, already finished with her own system diagnostics for Shattered Pride.
"Good news. The Staff on Rae 5 has a whole delegation ready for us since we've gathered the Border Nations all in one spot. They have a team from the Reavers, as well as a Cygnus Royal negotiation team coming to do the actual dirty work, and all we have to do is sit here and look pretty. Maybe shoot a few stupid people for effect."
"You added that last part yourself, didn't you?"
"A girl can dream. But speaking of dreams, you've got a birthday coming up soon. What sort of present do you want?"
Chapter 468 468 Party Planning
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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That was a fine question. What did he want for his birthday? He had ignored a couple of birthdays since becoming a Pilot, but the ones he did celebrate in the past were a source of mental trauma for him.
"Why don't you pick whatever you think I will like? I don't really do birthdays."
Nico raised her hands with the index fingers crossed in a gesture that children use to ward off evil and unwanted things. "Oh no, you are the Commander, and we have thousands of staff members and soldiers under your command right now.
A Commander's birthday is a big thing, and most Companies make it a statutory holiday, with almost all duties canceled for the day. You can't just ignore it. The crew would get offended."
She had a point, the Commander's birthday was a big deal even in most Mecha Regiments, and since the Reaver Companies were basically nations to themselves, the leader's birthday was one of their biggest holidays.
"You can organize the party as you like. Seriously, I don't care what the theme is. Just make sure it is enough to keep the crew happy and talk to the group leaders to ensure that the shifts are altered for the day as an official holiday." Max reluctantly agreed.
"That's the spirit. Now, let's head out to meet our Guests. They will be arriving by a portal, so we will be arranging transport for them to and from the meetings, as well as a security detail, which will give us a chance to show off our new augmentic suits." Nico informed him.
They had just arrived in the cargo bay designated for portal arrivals and business meetings when a new thought occurred to Max. His birthday was also Nico's birthday.
"What are you planning for your birthday celebration? Since we are born on the same day, if I can't escape a birthday party, neither can you." Max insisted.
"Why would I avoid a birthday party? I look amazing in a princess dress. But this year, it will be a crew-only celebration, while yours will be for all of our assembled guests and friends since we will be in the middle of a negotiation." Nico teased.
"Fair enough. I am sure that the Innu won't let you get off without some sort of celebration. They do celebrate birthdays, don't they?"
"They Innu have a fun birthday tradition. To mark the celebrant's entire home with their new age. Balloons, signs, even the plates for their meals will have their new age marked on them."
That did sound like a lot of fun, and Max hoped that they would make it a crew-wide thing. A few of the veterans might take offense to having their age broadcast, but if it were just in their own quarters, it would only be seen by their friends and a few close subordinates, not the thousands of members who would be joining the celebration for Max's birthday.
"Wait, are we telling them our real age or sticking with the modified version that is on all of our documents?" Max asked before Nico could cause a scene for her own entertainment.
If he didn't clarify, there was a very real chance that she would actually put his age since rebirth on the walls. He didn't feel that age anymore, not since all of his memories had returned, giving him a lifetime of experience, the same as Nico was born with, so the thought of reverting to a younger age just made him feel even more disconnected from his childhood in this life.
"It's been a long time since we had the minds or bodies of someone our own age, so we will stick with what is on the paperwork, which makes this your eighteenth birthday. An important one for Reavers, though you jumped the gun a little, and we won't be bringing in any Senior Officers to give you an official rank and position in the Company."
The thought of that was enough to make Max laugh. Who would even be qualified to grant him an official position in the Terminus Trading Company? An outside Reaver force? Maybe the Admiral? Certainly, it wouldn't be Nico, no matter how much she might enjoy the prank.
"And what do you want for your birthday?"
Max's question brought a smirk to Nico's face, and a strange combat song that he recognized as a battle chant of the Reaver forces blocked her thoughts from his detection.
"I have already made plans to get what I want for my birthday. No peeking into my thoughts, no matter how easy it is with your new skills." She reprimanded him.
"Fine, keep your secrets. I will find out soon enough." Max agreed and sent the Admiral directions to follow the Border Fleet back to the meeting location.
The journey wasn't a long one, and they were there by evening, just before the negotiation teams were scheduled to arrive, after a few hours' worth of delay, as they prepared more materials for the upcoming deals.
The Materials Printers would hold low value to the Border Nations, as they had access to a version from their Cygnus allies, but the Replicators would be in high demand, so the Reavers arranged more raw materials to be sent to Terminus, as well as some other civilian technologies that they thought the locals would like.
While Max was preparing to meet the new arrivals, Nico was involved in a deep technical discussion with one of the Innu technicians, the new Bear hybrid Technician Darla, and one of the Shin. They had all been informed of the upcoming birthday holiday and the party plans that would involve the whole ship, and they all had ideas on how to make it better from the viewpoint of their own culture.
Nico had explained the Innu's tradition, but Darla wanted them to assemble a moonlight walk through the woods, a tradition on her planet for birthdays, to help them align themselves with the stars, according to the big woman.
Shin tradition had nothing for birthdays, as they only celebrated seasonal changes, but the talk of a forest aboard the ship was enough to catch the aliens' attention, and they wanted to convert a cargo bay with holograms and actual living trees.
The Replicators could do the task, but it would be a huge waste of biomass, in Max's opinion, to convert an area just for a party.
Fortunately, the Shin had thought of that objection. They suggested that it might be better to convert a forward section in the cruise ship, which was currently an unused space with vast armored windows overhead. The forest could extend the height of the ship, and their unique abilities with plants could grow a World Tree, three hundred meters tall, to extend the height of the open central column.
It would be a masterpiece of botany worthy of any planet's praise if they could pull it off, but they only had a few days until his birthday, and they would be busy dealing with negotiation teams until then. Even a basic party would be cutting it close.
"Fear not. We have friends arriving to enjoy the luxury of your soil rooms, and they can bring all the tools we need." The Shin informed them.
"Excellent. There are more Innu coming as well since this is a long holiday on our homeworld. If we put the Commander's birthday celebrations in the feed, I bet we can fill the Cruise Ship." The Tech Nomad turned employee informed Nico with a giggle.
"I will take care of the scheduling, and I have rooms planned for any delegates that we might receive from the humans. Go ahead and advertise, but warn them that we might run short on hangar bays if they're all bringing private ships, so be sure to book space in advance if they're staying for an extended period."
Nico was definitely taking this whole birthday celebration over the top, but it would be great to see their ship full for the first time.
Chapter 469 469 Hectic Schedule
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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The portal was opened to welcome the delegations the moment that Terminus came to a halt in orbit around the planet where the meetings were taking place. The technology that they had wasn't advanced enough to pull them aboard while the ship was traveling at faster-than-light speeds, so the negotiation teams had been waiting for multiple hours already, and they were eager to get checked into a room and settle down for a nap before the meetings started.
The Border Nations were also assembling, and they wouldn't be ready for at least another day due to the traveling distance from one side of the Death Wind Territory to the other. That also meant that Max's birthday party would take place before the negotiations began, or at least the start of it would.
Because Terminus was a Cruise Ship and was hosting dignitaries from multiple nations, a decision was made to extend the celebration to a whole week so that conflicting schedules wouldn't interfere with the party.
One hour after they were in orbit, their location was confirmed by the first of the Alliance Jump Points in Innu space, and a portal was opened, delivering what Max took to be their equivalent of four busloads of tourists.
The Ship's official itinerary said that they would get to watch a human negotiation between hostile nations, as well as celebrate the Commander's birthday, and it had pulled in a huge number of guests for the week-long break.
They weren't the only ones, though. A small vessel full of Shin arrived soon after, followed by two dozen private yachts from the Valkia and finally a shuttle from the Hunters, containing members of a Hunter team that they had yet to meet.
With everyone showing up at the same time, through multiple portals that the local forces had never seen before, the Border Nations were on high alert for an attack.
[Terminus to local defense. These vessels are not a threat. They are clients of our Cruise Ship service, here to experience the negotiations firsthand. Their vessels will remain in our dock until the meetings are over if they are not immediately departing the system.] Max informed them with the hope of calming down their panic.
[What nation are they representing? Are they also part of the Reavers Trade Group?] The Border Fleet Admiral asked.
[They represent the Intergalactic Alliance, a varied group of species from beyond our Galaxy. They are strictly anti-war, so don't expect them to get involved or drawn into any sort of shenanigans.] Max informed him.
[I will have to report this to Central Command. Please Stand By.] The Admiral replied curtly.
[We're here for a negotiation. We aren't going anywhere.] Max sighed, then stepped away from the radio to make sure that their influx of guests was being handled efficiently.
The staff was running at full capacity, and there were some delays getting everyone checked in, but the hangars were efficiently docking all the ships as they arrived, and nobody was left exposed in space, so they weren't doing too badly.
The decorations were already going up all over the ship, and the forest was being installed in the formerly unused portion of the ship, though the giant centerpiece tree was no more than a sapling at the moment, like most of the other plants.
The Shin were incredibly capable botanists, so Max had faith that they could do something about the bare ground in the forested areas, but growing that tree to thirty meters or more in height seemed like an impossible task, even for them.
The Valkia had taken the top floor where the Illithid had been housed during their visit, and they seemed to enjoy the ability to look down upon the rest of the people on the ship. Max suspected that their urge to control and the haughty nature were actually genetic traits of the species, as he hadn't met any without them, but he would know for sure when he saw them up close again.
With the upgrades to his mind reading, it would be quite clear what everyone's personality was like instead of having to cherry-pick who he wanted to listen to.
By his best estimate, they had taken in over five thousand guests in the past few hours, and the human delegations were beginning to look a bit overwhelmed with the influx of alien visitors and the barrage of questions about their technology and attire by the Innu guests.
[Nico, please save the negotiators. The Innu have found them, and they brought a lot of ceremonial weapons and devices with them to posture for the meetings.] Max informed his second in command.
[On it, boss. You will be needed at the main stage on the first floor in two hours. They will be expecting a short speech, and we will be holding the first celebration for your birthday there.] Nico replied as she ran through the ship, using a Tech Adept Harness for the Gravity Control to fly between floors.
She was being tailed by a number of young Innu, who hadn't realized yet that the harness and its flexible arms weren't part of Nico, but an accessory that she was wearing. They were quite excited to see what species she was, but she was moving too fast for them to catch up.
Max changed into Reaver attire suitable for a party, complete with a sidearm, and began making his way through the back passages toward the stage. If he went through the main corridors, he would never make it there on time.
He wasn't alone in the cargo corridors. They had become the break place of choice for the staff, who had never worked this hard before, and the air filtration was struggling to keep up with the influx of smoke as the workers on break tried to regain some portion of their sanity before they went back to work.
"You're all doing amazing. I know it's the first real stress test for the crew, and we just got a lot of new employees, so don't worry too much if things don't feel perfect today. We've got a whole week at full capacity to adjust." Max assured them.
"You say one week like that makes it better. I'm starting to envy the Princess of the Broken Blaster at this point." One of the men laughed, referring to the bureaucrat's daughter, who Max had reassigned after her arrival.
He would have to drop in and see how she was adjusting when he got a moment.
Chapter 470 470 Is This Normal For You?
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Nico made it to the beleaguered delegation of negotiators in only a few minutes, rescuing them from the Innu by virtue of her unique technologies.
"Gentlemen. Welcome to Terminus. I see that you have met the Innu, this section of the Universe's greatest lovers of technological gadgets. Please don't be upset with them. The chance to see a new piece of technology is a huge event in their lives, as important as the birth of a child." Nico greeted the confused group.
The Innu tourists nodded happily, confirming her analysis, even as the mechanical arms of Nico's harness rearranged the ones who were getting too grabby. The clamps simply picked the overjoyed Innu up and moved them to the side, where their analysis of the Tech Adept Harness wouldn't interfere with other guests trying to navigate the ship.
"Our in-house Innu Technicians have analyzed the Tech Adept Harness and filmed the process. Their Tech Nomad broadcasts contain a full four-hour feature on the device, including basic design elements, if you are interested." Nico informed the crowd, then sent a short-range broadcast to their devices so that they could watch the stream's replay.
"Oh, thank you, Miss Rage. But what is with all the relic laser pistols? Is it a thing? Like historical cosplay?" One of the Innu asked.
"Sort of. They are ceremonial items that the negotiation teams carry with them to meetings. They show the long history of the groups present, as well as a veiled threat of violence should someone break the rules of decorum." Nico explained, relieving one of the negotiators from the Cygnus delegation of his weapon so she could show it to the group.
"See, it is functional, though not optimal, because they are not intending to have to use it, but having a non-functional device would defeat the purpose." She added, then handed it back after the closest Innu had time to examine the pistol.
"Forget the pistols, that watch. I haven't seen something like that outside of a museum. Is it seriously just a timepiece and communication device?" A tall girl whose hair tentacles were adorned with braided ribbons in a rainbow of color asked.
"It really is. Even among the humans, this is a relic, made of precious metals and worn as a show of simple elegance." Nico told her.
"I see, so as the really wealthy Giants do. They don't wear any technology at all and have a servant with anything that they might need." The girl suggested.
"Similar, but without the assistant having access to his private communications." Nico agreed.
The team looked a bit miffed at being talked about like they weren't present, but with so many new species roaming around, they weren't willing to say anything that might be taken as rude. They were professional mediators, after all.
While they were talking, one of the Valkia landed on a tentacle that Nico had extended overhead to keep it out of the reach of the Innu, then hopped down to examine the humans.
"How quaint. Are these the primitives of your species? They don't have any of the nanotechnologies that your crew does, and they aren't enhanced to the same standard that you are." The winged alien with satin smooth silver skin and long black hair asked Nico.
"It is considered rude to call them primitives. They are unaugmented humans, yes. Their culture is catching up quickly, though, and they are our allies. They will be doing the actual negotiations here." Nico informed the haughty Valkia.
"I like them. They're like wet clay, just waiting to be molded into a masterpiece." The alien told her, then leaped back into the air and vanished in a powerful flap of his wings.
"Those ones won't be easy to deal with, will they?" The Cygnus Noble asked Nico as the Valkia left.
"Not at all. They don't even consider most humans as civilized since their technology and culture aren't up to standard. By their rules, you really are primitive savages, but we can change that soon enough. Give it a generation or two, and we will have most of the Cygnus Empire up to a standard where they at least consider you to be a civilization.
The Kepler-born humans got a bit more consideration thanks to the System and its nanobots. But they're still leery of us, as they consider us too violent."
That made the Reaver delegates laugh out loud. "They consider you as too violent to be considered civilized? Well, imagine that. I think there are at least four human nations who would agree with them on that count."
"Oh, I saw that video. No, it can't be that one. Everyone died, so there wasn't anyone left to call her uncivilized." One of the Innu tourists called out.
"She did what? You know what? I am going to have to keep up with an entire alien social media site just to keep up with the battle strategies of the Terminus Trading Company. We're on the same team, and the aliens still knew before I did." The delegate replied with a frown.
"That one wasn't broadcast. My sister is working here as a Technician, and she sent me a snippet." The girl told him, then smiled at Nico.
"Who would have thought that there could actually be violent bugs or humans who tried to integrate with them?"
The Reaver glared at Nico. "I need a full debriefing on this one. Seriously, doesn't anyone report important developments to the council anymore?"
"I did report it, though. There is a whole incident report waiting for them to review it. It only happened a few weeks ago, and they are pretty backed up with all the battles that have been happening, so fights in Klem space are low priority." Nico offered.
"Fair enough then. As long as I'm not out of the loop on anything that might come up in the negotiations." He agreed.
"You are going to negotiate the new trade deal with these humans? Can I come with you? Do you have good cameras? Is there a live streaming agreement?" The Innu closest to the Reaver asked, clinging to his side and giving him her best version of a pleading look.
The Innu did that by twining their hair tentacles together like crossed fingers, as well as wide open eyes and pouted lips, so the man might not understand right away, but even the best pleading wouldn't change the answer.
"Negotiations are confidential until the deal is signed. I am very sorry, Miss, but no unauthorized personnel is allowed, and absolutely no cameras."
"What sort of a negotiation is that? Surprise plot changes are so last decade." The girl complained.
The Reaver turned to Nico for an explanation, only to find her laughing silently and failing to hide it behind her hand.
"Trade Negotiations aren't a reality TV show. They are a serious political deal, like a Royalty adjustment." Nico told her.
"OH! We are here for something really big, then. The Royalty rates haven't been adjusted in decades. If human nations are doing something like that right now, it is huge news. We should set up daily updates when these guys come back." She cheered.
"Is this what Innu Paparazzi look like?" the Reaver questioned, but Nico could see softness in his smile as he noticed the genuine excitement in her attitude.
Perhaps she should provide the humans with data on intimate interspecies relations before they got into a situation they didn't expect.