Chapter 481 481 City Under Fire
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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[Is there a chance that the city's perimeter is an optical illusion fooling our scans? The Omwat have already shown remarkable camouflage technology.] Max asked as he considered his next course of action.
[The chances are low, but with what we have seen, I wouldn't say the chance is zero.] Nico responded grimly.
[We have found multiple groups of Omwat, including signs of infantry, but we don't have clear enough data to determine which, if any, of them might pose a combined threat to Cleansing Light.] She added a few moments later.
[Well, Feth. Keep Drones near my position. I am going forward to see what the actual situation is.] Max replied, unwilling to leave a city to be invaded, even if it might be just a trap.
Instead of staying low to avoid notice, this time Max took Cleansing Light up to twenty thousand meters altitude and flew toward the city as fast as he could inside an atmosphere, arriving at the center of the city in under a minute.
The report seemed to be incorrect at first, but the communications were erratic, and the orders didn't make any sense. They would countermand each other only seconds after being issued, none of the defenders knew where they were going, and from the sound of it, the shifts hadn't changed yet.
Max had a strong suspicion that he knew what had happened here. The Omwat had infiltrated the command structure and were sending fake signals out to the defenders, causing chaos in preparation for a full-scale attack.
[Nico, send a jamming signal over the whole city. I don't want them to hear anyone but me until I am finished.]
The telltale buzzing on the common channels began a second later as Nico used the drones to activate the jamming signal, and Max got to work.
[City Defenders, this is the Titan Class Cleansing Light. I have taken command of this location and commandeered all communications. Omwat infiltrators were causing chaos with your chain of command, and all previous orders are now negated.
All Command officers will exit their Mecha and reveal their faces to their unit, then turn to face my Mecha. You have one minute to comply. All who do not will be taken as Omwat spies and eliminated.] Max ordered.
That stopped almost all the Mecha in their tracks, and Max made note of those who kept moving and where they went.
One after another, cockpits popped open, and the officers stepped out, waving at their troops, then facing up toward Cleansing Light.
[Nico, send those who we have recorded individual orders to inspect their units as well. Even a few Mecha in a unit hiding Omwat pilots will be an issue.]
Max made records of the units that complied while Nico sent out the messages until the minute was nearly up.
[Ten-second warning. This is not a drill or a practical joke. Those who have not revealed themselves will be fired upon in 4, 3, 2, 1.]
A flurry of commanders exited their Mecha in those few seconds, but the final warning also brought a flurry of Mecha fire toward Cleansing Light, which Max returned with blasts from his Disruptors, wiping out entire units of Mecha at a time.
That got a lot of the units out of their Mecha to meet their Commanders in person, but it also started a number of small firefights among the Mecha units, both in the trenches and spread throughout the city.
The chaos in the city alerted the Omwat forces outside the city, and they dropped their stealth to begin charging the trenches.
There seemed to be almost an entire Mecha Regiment left, though some of them were missing weapons and charging into melee instead of opening fire from a distance like the others. They must have been repelled previously and had regrouped to counterattack.
The entire city fell into a running battle, and Max turned his weapons on the locations where the Mecha units, who didn't stop moving, had retreated to. They seemed to be mostly hangars and barracks, so Max didn't immediately fire on them, but he sent a signal to the defense forces that suspicious units had entered those locations.
His Disruptors didn't stop firing, but soon the scrum was too intermingled for him to use the devastating weapons without hitting allies, so Max began issuing orders to keep the lines secure.
[Two Reserve Units to the west trenches, identify yourselves visually on arrival. I will be watching. One Heavy Mecha wing from squad One Seven to the barracks at the location I have pinged on your map. I have already confirmed your identity. Clear all suspicious forces. North Trench, keep your heads down. I will clear the incoming Mecha wave.]
Max used all six Disruptors on a wide pattern to take out five kilometers of Omwat Light Mecha that were heading toward the city, leaving only the more heavily shielded units for the defenders to deal with.
Max targeted units outside the city every time he found one large enough to be worth his time, as well as every unit that he found trying to infiltrate using stealth. If he could convince them that everyone could see through it, they would give up on the practice for the duration of the battle, and it would make life much easier for the defenders.
The fury of the battle annihilated the meticulously groomed forest and pristine beaches surrounding the city, leaving the former resort city a shining beacon in the rubble, but within two hours, the defenders had brought the chaos back under control, and they had distributed new tracking devices to their units. They had found an alternate way to overcome the stealth, using radar imaging overlayed with a visual image, to find hidden targets.
The cloaking mostly blocked radar signals, but that was the key to the detection method. Range Finders would read infinite when they scanned past the location, so the defenders would know something was up and fire at it.
Some were false signals, and some were misses, but if they hit, the enemy would become visible again, and that was good enough for them.
They had also changed their helmet settings, eliminating the anti-glare function, and letting their allies see their faces. Most humans were too tall to be mistaken as Omwat, but it made the troops feel more secure to be talking face to face after all of the betrayals that they had suffered today.
Chapter 482 482 Change Of Heart
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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The defenders spent most of the day digging the rest of the invaders out of the city, with many of them choosing to surrender rather than die today.
In the forests, the situation was much the same, only with less mercy. Many Omwat Pilots chose to abandon their Mecha and flee into the forests, relying on their stealth technology and hastily discovered hiding spots to keep them safe from the advancing line of Reaver Mecha.
The Mecha were destroyed as the line passed by them, leaving nothing to be recovered if their pilots should return, not even the food and water rations, which the infantry claimed and added to their own stores.
The supplies they had were much better quality, but you never knew when you would need more supplies.
The Infantry hadn't been with them long, but their senior staff had mostly served with Max before, and they had been chatting with the Commanders of the Regiment to get a feel for how he liked things to be done.
The battle of the bridge, where an undergeared and outclassed unit, led by Max in the Crusader Class Stalwart, had become a Regimental Legend of tenacity and innovation. The story of putting Crusaders in hiding holes to ambush and renovating civilian vehicles with captured heavy weapons was the sort of heroic last stand that all infantry aspired to be in.
One where they lived.
The reminder that they might be stuck on this planet indefinitely, and they only had so many replicated meals available led the Infantry to hoard the Omwat supplies in the flat space of their devices as much as they could without removing the Heavy Weapons and power packs that they had loaded up on before deployment.
The way the battle was going, they had hoped to get to leave this location soon, but there was a whole planet out there, and there was no way to tell how many enemies Mecha remained since it was impossible to know what was actually inside the landers that had made it to the surface.
Every Lander that they located was relayed to planetary defense for recovery so that they could obtain the materials and technology inside to reinforce their own Regiments and deprive the Omwat of the chance to resupply.
[Madam Mary, how are things going down at your end of the line?] Max asked since they weren't heading for the same city that he was.
[We have advanced scouts in the city now. No signs of infiltration, and we are driving a small force their way to close the trap. But don't call me Madam. It makes me sound old.] She replied.
[Got it, Lady Tarith. Report any unusual findings and let me know when you are close to the target, so I can have drones reallocated to make up for the lack of firepower at your end of the line.]
Max could almost hear her screaming at him that they didn't lack any firepower with twenty Super Heavy Mecha at their end of the line, but this end of the line had a Titan Class Mecha waiting for the line to arrive, and that was hard to compete with.
By the time the line came into sight of the cities, the force that they were pushing in front of them had dwindled to under a hundred Mecha from the multiple attempts to break free from the trap and the numerous pilots who had abandoned their Mecha in vain attempts to survive.
After such an intense, though short-lived, battle in the city, which was still clearing out various buildings in case there were stragglers from the infiltration teams, the arrival of the Omwat that the Regiment had trapped was severely anticlimactic.
They didn't even try to fight when they saw Cleansing Light in the sky in front of them. Instead, they knelt their Mecha on the ground and stepped out with their hands in the air, surrendering to the Reavers.
[Local Defense, capture and disarm the Omwat forces, then lock them in your local prison to await sorting to a long-term facility or return to their homeworld.] Max ordered.
The prisons here were mostly empty and largely for show anyhow, meant to help scare tourists into behaving instead of using the "They Can't Arrest Us All" logic to justify bad behavior.
The beautiful, gothic architecture of the four-story prison building was enough to assure them that, yes, the locals could, in fact, arrest them all and would if they had to.
The situation was similar on the other end of the line, though they did put up a small fight before realizing that the Reavers had brought so many Super Heavy Mecha to one single location.
[Terminus Communications, how are things going on the other planets and the Omwat homeworlds?] Max requested now that he had a few free moments.
[No significant progress on the other worlds. All are reporting ongoing battles, with no confirmation of progress due to the myriad of forces that flooded them and the lack of coordinated information systems.
The negotiations for the Omwat homeworlds have begun already. The planets have fallen, and the politicians are working out the deal to determine their future.] The Communications officer replied, accompanied by a small data file of relevant communications and data.
Max scanned the reports of their own theater of war for a while and realized that they, too, would be finished soon. Between Terminus Trading Company and the portion of the Tarith Reavers that had landed nearby, they had eliminated six of the fifteen or so Mecha Regiments that had landed on the planet in the last few days.
With the remainder of the Reavers still active and two ships full of Cygnus Mecha, plus the Border Forces that were already in orbit thanks to the meeting, this was not going to be a long battle at all.
No matter how Max looked at it, there really was no kill, quite like overkill.
[Do you see what I see, Commander Keres? We are almost finished here, and a little bird tells me that there are still a few days left in your scheduled birthday celebrations aboard Terminus.] Mary Tarith asked with a laugh.
[Will there be cake?]
Chapter 483 483 Allies Secured
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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For the next two days, both Terminus Trading Company and the Tarith Reavers held their respective positions, with their units spread out over the territory that they had covered, looking for stragglers. That was when the area was declared officially cleared and under the control of the locals, allowing the Reaver forces to return to their ships.
The final signatures had all come through without issues, and deals were being made to secure the technology that they had missed out on by signing in a panic during the invasion.
Overall, it was still a win for the Border Nations, and the Terminus Trading Company hadn't lost a single soul during the mission, only some equipment, so it was a very low-cost intervention on their part, while they would get a nice share of the profits from the Replicators that they were making for their new allies.
"So, when is your mother arriving? She seemed quite determined that she was going to make it here before my birthday celebrations ended." Max asked Nico once he was comfortably back in his office, where she had prepared him coffee and a list of notable events aboard the ship while he was away.
"Within the next few hours. You know how she is. She needs time to prepare herself to make a grand entrance everywhere that she goes." Nico laughed.
"Yes, I certainly do know that."
Nico smiled at his frustration, then hopped into his lap and took over the console that he was working at, finishing the daily ship's logs in an instant using her Innate Talent.
"You really aren't good at dealing with her, are you? Just think of her like me, but older." Nico suggested.
Max snorted in amusement. He wasn't good at dealing with Nico either. He just went with the flow and stopped her when she wanted to go overboard. But maybe that was what she meant. Just let her mother do her thing unless it was too outlandish.
Nico turned around so she was seated facing Max, straightened his hair, then adjusted his collar.
"Perfect, now it is time to greet the tourists. They have been waiting for you to come out after your post-mission quarantine, and everyone is eager to congratulate you on defending a human world from alien invaders. The Shin particularly wish to convey their deepest regards for making the live footage available to them."
"What live footage did I make available? You were in control of the Ship while I was gone." Max reminded her.
"Yes, but you are the Commander who gave the permission, so you get all the credit, not the technicians who actually put the footage together. That's just how it works. Like any other movie, everyone knows the Director and the Stars, but nobody knows who the footage editors were."
"Can you at least tell me what this big birthday surprise is now?" Max asked.
"Hmm, I'm not sure we have enough time. It will take a while, and you have a meeting. How about tonight, right after dinner?" Nico suggested.
"Fine, but I will hold you to that. You have been dodging that answer all week, but I can sense that you're secretly excited to tell me all about it."
Nico laughed and flipped herself off the chair into a standing position, making even the sturdy alloy creak with the weight of the two of them combined, then held out her hand to lead him out the door.
"While you greet the guests, I will go change for the formal dinner. The planetary Governor will be arriving with my mother and some other Border Nation dignitaries for a very political birthday dinner. It should be exactly as annoying and stressful as you think it will be, but it is the last one before we depart."
"Fine, but only because it is necessary." Max sighed, following her out of the office.
The moment that they reached the Cruise Ship area, a full fanfare welcoming party launched into action, with confetti, thousands of strangers congratulating him from a dozen different species that Max didn't recall being on the ship when he left, as well as some political brown nosing from the Border Nation Delegations that had been left aboard during the battle.
Compared to that, even the fur-covered species that licked your hand as a greeting was tolerable.
Max reminded himself to start carrying hand sanitizer in the flat space of his watch and trudged on through the celebration until the official announcement was made that the buffets would be opening for a grand feast drew most of the crowd away.
That was also his signal to head for the private dining room that had been reserved for their meeting and face the exuberance of the politicians and Nico's mother.
Nico met him in the hallway on her way there, holding a pile of clothes for him, and wearing a floor-length gray silk ballgown that accentuated her curves while hiding the fact that she was wearing platform heels to increase her height from 150 to 160cm.
"You can change in the room to the side here. It is secure, and you can store the uniform in your flat space if you have room. If not, I will hold them for you." Nico informed him, tapping an elaborate gold necklace with a pendant that Max recognized as the same base device as his watch, only hidden behind an enormous diamond.
That was an excellent idea for Noble Ladies at parties since they wouldn't be wearing a watch or carrying a purse of any sort.
"Are we selling those yet? I am sure that at least a few of our guests will be interested in knowing about your jewelry." Max asked.
"Not yet. We aren't distributing them outside the Reavers until we have a new and improved version. The only other person who has one is my Mother, whose jewelers set the device for me, so you can tell the guests that it is a handcrafted Family Specialty."
"Got it. Now let's get in there and get drunk. I suspect I'm going to need it."
Chapter 484 484 Birthday Presents
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Max entered the ballroom with Nico on his arm, much to Mary Tarith's delight, when the Reaver met him just inside the door.
"Happy Birthday Lord Commander. It is an honor to be here for your eighteenth birthday. Such a momentous occasion for all Reavers, even ones who have distinguished themselves early in life."
"I suppose it is a bit different for me. I won't be receiving an official placement within the Company for one, and I won't be saying goodbye to a Mentor for another." Max agreed.
"That's why we have to try harder to make it noteworthy so that you don't forget about it in the future. This is supposed to be a memorable event, a coming of age rite, and not just another week in your past." Mary Tarith informed Max with a smile.
"I would say it was fairly memorable. I got to use a Titan Class Mecha against aliens on a resort world to pressure an entire region into joining the Trade Group." Max laughed.
"You have me there. I can't say that any Reaver I have ever heard of managed to get that for an eighteenth birthday present."
"Have you had a chance to check out the festivities? The crew has been trying to come up with alternatives to your secret cake recipe." Nico suggested, diverting her mother's attention away from Max.
"Not yet, but I will soon. You both look amazing tonight, and I will let you get to your guests."
So began another procession of greetings, but this time interspersed with dancing and flutes of some sort of hard liquor posing as champagne. Max wasn't sure what the base was, but after downing the first glass, it was clear that the alcohol content was closer to Rum than wine.
The staff was getting very good with the drinks already, deftly maneuvering around the species that couldn't process the beverages on their tray to head for those who might like one while simultaneously calling over a tray of drinks that the guests they passed could imbibe.
The process made it clear that out of all the species present, it was humans who had the iron stomach. There were very few things that they simply could not drink, though there were a few that the human guests were encouraged to avoid due to the contrast between flavor profiles.
One of the species liked things so incredibly sour that only humans could stomach their beverages, and another was sensitive to water, but not alcohol, so they measured the water content of their drinks, including the version of champagne that Max had grabbed.
Finding out about that sensitivity had been a shock to the crew. It wasn't mentioned on their species profile provided by the Alliance, and the teenage members of their party managed to escape their guardians and take a trip through the Gravity Slides to lounge in a hot tub. They had been so inebriated when they were found that they had to be taken to the medical bays.
Once he managed to sort through the jumble of thoughts in the room, the groupings began to make sense to him. The species were sorting themselves by where the best drinks and snacks were coming from, naturally grouping similar species together inside the room.
That made it easier for Max to find dance partners to keep the conversation flowing all night, though Nico managed to cut in every third song or so, each time picking a song with a different beat so that she could pull him into a different type of dance.
"It's almost over. One last toast by the Innu, and we can escape back to your suite." Nico assured Max just before he was about to make an escape on his own.
"Finally. I love a party as much as anyone, but it's nearly dawn by ship time, and we've been here all night." Max sighed.
Max made a quick round of goodbyes on his way out, with assurances that he didn't intend to stop the party, then let Nico guide him back to his suite for some much-needed rest.
"Don't think that I have forgotten that you were hiding one more birthday present from me." Max teased as Nico followed him into the suite and locked the door behind them.
"I have disabled all comms into this unit for the next four hours, and the door is overridden from the inside. Nothing short of an orbital battle could stop me now." Nico agreed, then let the dress slip from her shoulders and pushed Max backward onto his bed.
Nico didn't speak, but she was focusing on a set of data and modifications that she had made to herself. She had integrated the lightweight alloys and some aspects of the self-healing metal of the Hunters Suits and perfected the non-Newtonian shell of her body. Now, as long as the impact wasn't hard enough to cause damage, it would respond exactly as real flesh should, according to Nico's calculations.
But somehow, Max found that hard to focus on once she started to remove his suit so that she could move on to the "Practical Demonstration."
"Are you sure about this?" He asked as his pants were unceremoniously tossed across the room by the smiling raven-haired cyborg.
"I have never been more sure of anything. I might have sent you for a little training along the way, but you are, and have always been, mine."
Max smirked at her phrasing and grabbed Nico by the hips, pulling her up for a deep kiss and enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his.
She was a normal human temperature today, though he knew she could change it at will. It somehow made her feel more real, more natural, more alive.
Max pinned her hands over her head, enjoying her frustration when she found he was too strong for her to break free and touch him, but it was a short-lived victory. Nico wrapped her legs around him, and Max knew right then that he would never forget this night.
--------
Sometime later, Max woke up to the feeling of Nico's hand running down his abdomen, drawing little circles on his skin while she waited for him to wake up.
"What do you think? Are the upgrades a success?" She asked with a smirk.
"I think you have been given access to parts of the internet that no Nico was ever meant to view. But yes, I must say, you are absolutely exquisite."
Nico gave an uncharacteristic girlish giggle and looked up into his eyes. "So, will you inform your mother-in-law, or is that still my duty?"
Chapter 485 485 More Questions Than Answers
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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"So, how much do you have left to do to your body with the knowledge that you have right now?" Max asked as he admired the sight of Nico sprawled in his bed. Sure, he had seen the sight many times before, but somehow it was never quite like this.
"This is it for now. However, I'm still working on adapting the Hunters Biomechanical technology to my own cybernetics in a way that doesn't inconvenience me. Their suits are impressively powerful, but they require quite a bit of upkeep. There are a few more features that weren't relevant last night, though, like the flat space technology embedded into my arms, the modified power systems, and the micro replicator that I replaced my salivary gland with."
That last one startled Max a little. What would she need modified saliva for?
Then her thoughts hit him. It could create toxins, nerve agents, and even a potent aphrodisiac if she wanted it to, but in small amounts.
"Of all the attacks that were available to you, you chose to add a kiss of death?" Max asked.
"It seemed somewhat fitting. Every demure young lady should have a way to defend herself."
Max wasn't sure how valid that self-description was, but he was having an amazing day, and he was not about to start arguing semantics with Nico this early.
"What's on the schedule for the day?" He asked instead.
"We have meetings with the Border Nations to make the first of their Replicator orders, while the other Companies will be working on the rest of their requests. We also have to open a Portal back to Rae 5 since none of the other vessels here are large enough, and the Moon Base is busy."
"That's easy enough. I will make some time to circulate through the tourists as well since I know that running a tourist vessel is all about appearances." Max agreed.
"Then you have a suit fitting with my mother and one final dinner party before the dignitaries depart." She added just before he could leave the room.
"See, you left that for the very last because you know that she stresses me out."
Nico laughed at his pouting face. "It's only because she's obsessed with grandchildren, and she forgets that I can't give them to her. Just bear with it until she either manages to get some from my siblings or she steals genetic material from both of us and bioengineers herself one to keep her busy."
"See, that seems like the most likely course. You two don't know what the word overkill means."
"But you love us for it. Now, we've killed all the things we get to kill this week, so let's go get dressed up and have some cake."
Max laughed and accompanied her out of the bedroom and across the ship to where the VIP guests were staying. Mary Tarith had an entire staff of tailors and seamstresses waiting for them and a huge smile on her face.
"Well, don't you two look chipper this morning? Did something good happen? Perhaps a birthday present that was better than a planetary invasion?" She taunted.
"Oh, he's blushing. You really did, didn't you? That's my girl."
Max shook his head and looked at the rack where a number of clothing samples were waiting.
"So, what am I dressing up as today?" He asked.
"A proper nobleman. The Cygnus delegation has sent a number of higher Nobles, and we still have the Border Nations dignitaries here for one more night, so we are obliged to entertain them, and that means dressing up like real nobles and not Reavers for a night." Mary informed him.
"So, you will be showing up without a gun?" Max asked.
"Now, who is the one who takes things too far? I will hide it under my dress."
Max tried on a few styles of the available suits until he found one he liked, a simple suit with a vest and a flat cap worn with a wool coat, despite the fact that the ship was climate controlled.
The tailor insisted that it completed the look and it would be taken by the doorman when they entered the meeting room, so Max didn't argue with him about it.
The custom-fitting machine made Max's new gray suit exactly to his measurements, including an allowance for his sidearm, which was worn in a hidden pocket inside the vest and accessed from the top. Looking at him, it was impossible to tell that he was wearing it at all.
Of course, he had heavy weapons and an augmentic suit in his Flat Space storage, but that wasn't the point. Reavers never went anywhere without a gun on them, and it would be strange to the others when they scanned him if he didn't have a weapon on him.
As Mary Tarith said, it was all about appearances.
Nico was fitted with a cocktail dress in the same midnight blue as Max's shirt, while her mother chose a silver ensemble in a similar cut to Nicos.
Looking at the two side by side, it was impossible to miss the fact that they were related, though Nico's appearance was artificial.
"Shall we, Sir Keres Max?" Mary asked, extending her hand.
Max crooked his elbow for her to take, then the other for Nico, who wasn't bothering to hide her mental jokes about the chances that he could bolt at any second, so he needed the double escort.
"What are we going to do about the production materials? We only have so much aboard Terminus, and we've been too busy to go asteroid mining. And the takeover of the Omwat homeworlds, how is that going?" Max asked as they began to walk.
"Worry about that later. We will ship you materials from the storage stations to make up for the orders that you have to fill, and the others are taking care of the negotiations for the new worlds now. It is going to take a while, though, since the two parties are so far apart." Mary replied.
"Far apart on the negotiations? What are their positions now?"
Nico smiled up at him. "We want the whole cluster of systems, with payment to the Cygnus for their assistance. Their delegation requested exactly the same thing."
"What do we need entire star systems for?" Max asked. There simply weren't that many Reavers in one spot at any given time. Even keeping the star system that they had claimed fully staffed was a challenge.
"What don't we need entire star systems for? Seriously, it's a whole star system. If I were in charge, I would name it after myself and put statues of Shattered Pride in every city center." Nico reminded him.
She would do it too, he was certain.
Chapter 486 486 Dignitary Dinner
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Navigating the tourists was getting easier every time Max did it, and soon he found himself in front of a crepe stand that had been set up near the base of the world tree in the nose of the Cruise Ship.
The root system of a World Tree was like nothing Max had ever seen before. It was a semi-sentient living being that lived almost entirely off of photosynthesis and water, but it adapted its roots to attract other species, who would drop foodstuffs for it to absorb for additional nutrients.
That meant that the walkways were all wooden. There were benches, flower gardens, artificial rivers, and much more that the tree thought would be attractive to the species on board.
They didn't stop at one level, either. The three levels below the base of the tree were all engulfed in the roots to a distance half again, as large as the crown that filled the hollow vertical void of the atrium that had been turned into a terrarium.
A number of the Shin were relaxing in the garden near the crepe stand when Max and the ladies stopped in to get a breakfast snack, so he stopped to say hello.
"Excellent work on the World Tree. I must say, it is a unique marvel among all of humanity. The gardens that you made with the roots are truly impressive." Max congratulated the tree man.
"Not that we had much to do with the roots themselves. We just built the gardens, and the World Tree filled in the rest on its own. Even the water features aren't really made of water. They are sap from the world tree, and if you watch, it is much like a slime creature, and it will move to pick up dropped food to absorb as nutrition." The Shin replied with amusement.
"That's pretty cool. We have self-cleaning technology, but self-composting and recycling are new. Have your holiday with us been otherwise enjoyable? I do hate to make anyone work on their days off." Max asked.
"Planting a new world tree is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of us, and all of this real soil is amazing. I have sent pictures back to the homeworld, and they thought that humans might actually be benevolent gods until I sent them the footage of your battles." The Shin laughed.
"I hope they were prepared. You can't just send random people live-action battle footage without warning them." Nico giggled.
"We warned them, but they didn't understand the word Mecha, I don't think. They freaked out when they saw the artillery start firing through the lens of the Drone footage. It was amazing. They think that the humans are terrifying, but a lot of them are eager to come here and enjoy the facilities. The war footage should be enough to keep them all on their best behavior.
"Have you ever seen human gardeners in action?" Mary Tarith asked.
"Oh, yes, the shaping and the binding and trimming. They're like sadistic barbers of your species, right? But the results that they come up with are to die for. I might even let one or two of my branches be trimmed if I could look that good." He told her.
"If you want to find out, let me know. I specialize in flower arrangements and Bonsai trees." Mary answered with a smile that made the Shin shudder.
"We will have to update the dictionary once we get home. The bonsai tree is a new word, but the implications are terrifying now that I know what it is."
"Would you like to join us for a formal dinner with the human dignitaries?" Max asked.
"Thank you but no, definitely not. Politics are not my thing at all." he denied directly.
"I don't blame you, I feel the same way, but as Commander, I have to be at every one of them."
With their snack finished, Max led the group through the ship, checking in with everyone and collecting compliments on their fashion sense.
That killed enough time that they could head to the dinner, where a pair of butlers were on duty to take his coat, as well as the ladies' shawls, before calling staff to lead them to their seats. Max was impressed by the professionalism of their new staff. He was a bit worried that they wouldn't manage to present a properly high-class front for such multi-nation meetings, but this one was going very smoothly, even with the variety of guests that they had invited.
"Lord Commander Keres, it is good to meet you. I am Lord General Samwise, Lord General Kirkland sends his regards, but unfortunately, he is occupied at the negotiations for the Omwat homeworlds and is unable to attend tonight." An older Cygnus noble with a tobacco-stained gray handlebar mustache greeted him.
"It's hardly reasonable to expect to keep him on call as my own personal negotiator. It is good to meet you, and I hope that you are enjoying your stay here aboard Terminus."
The old General smiled happily. "It has been a highlight of my long life. To think that I would see so many new things in one mission. Alien Engineers, machines that make elaborate dinners with the press of a button, Cutters doing Warp 10, and talking trees."
"All of the nobles stuck back on the homeworlds that won't get updated to the new technologies for years will be incredibly jealous of your experiences, but I am sure that we can make a spot in the production queue if you want one for your officers mess aboard the vessel you arrived on," Max suggested, stealthily sending the order to the production bays to reserve the Lord General a replicator.
"Oh, you are too kind, Lord Commander. I would be in your debt if it were possible. Ship's rations never sat well with me, and I am told that this will be an extended mission."
"Consider it done. Now, have you met Governor Lucci of the Border Nations? He is the planetary governor here, a most tragic position to be in, but we hold high hopes that his world can recover from the invasion in good time." Max said, turning the conversation to bring the nearest guest into their conversation, a tactic that he would be using all night long.
"Yes, we were talking earlier about some business. They are short on many things right now, and Cygnus is in a position to deliver. With the help of the Reavers and their fantastically fast new ships, that is." The Lord General replied, then pulled in even more nobles while Nico and Mary split off to chat with the other ladies.
The dinner went smoothly, and when it was time for the dessert course, Max couldn't help but notice Mary Tarith's excitement. She had actually had the staff make her famous birthday cake for him in large enough quantity to serve the entire room.
"This will be a treat, gentlemen. The dessert today is not from our world-class replicators but hand-made by the lovely Lady Mary Tarith." Max informed the room, bringing a round of polite applause as the cake slices were set out in front of them.
"I can feel my diabetes acting up already." One of the Border Governors laughed, looking down at the cake.
"It is sweetened with a unique plant from Kepler 142. It tastes sweet, but there is no sugar at all in the cake. If you can take a few slices of bread, the cake is safe enough to eat." She replied.
That was a good hint she had given out, assuming it was true. He just had to find the sweet plant that was not sugar from Kepler 142, and he would have one of the secret ingredients.
Chapter 487 487 Next Up, Nobody?
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
+ - Turn on Reset
The next day at noon, Max was relaxing in one of the many hot tubs in the Cruise Ship area, having finally gotten rid of all the foreign dignitaries. Even Mary Tarith had left off to reinforce some of the other Tarith Reavers who were still fighting.
All that Terminus Trading Company had left to do was to finish making the orders that they had received and accept delivery of raw materials sent from Rae 5.
It was the most relaxing morning that he had enjoyed in quite some time, and he was determined to make it last for at least a few hours before someone interrupted him.
The pools near him were full of the Innu Technicians out for a midday swim on their break, reveling in the ability to stay properly hydrated even while living among a land-based species. Their versions of swimwear were getting more and more risque though, despite the fact that Max knew that skinny dipping wasn't really a thing among their people, especially not in public.
The humans might be rubbing off on them, as tiny bikinis and tight shorts were popular among the pilots and infantry, who were usually quite proud of their bodies, even with the plethora of scars that they had accumulated over the years.
Most of the other species seemed to favor minimal coverage as well, at least the ones who were likely to enjoy the water features. Max wondered if it was an international standard, with humans being the prudes, or if it was just a case of tourists kicking back and unwinding to an extent that they couldn't at home.
He even had time to order lunch to be delivered to a poolside table and eat before anyone bothered him. The production bays had finished up the Replicators for the ships that were present from the Border Nations, which was all that they were responsible for, and the resupply of materials would be arriving soon, requiring his permission to dock since the Admiral was off duty at the moment.
"That all looks good to me. Arrange for deliveries to be made. You can use our shuttles for the deliveries if the other ships can't fit it into their schedules. Send me a message when the materials are unloaded and verified. The duty staff for the bay can take care of that. Do we have any more requests?"
The technician shook her head. "Nothing at all. From what I can tell, we have no specific requests once these tasks are complete."
"Perfect, I could use a day off. Now, off you go. The sooner you finish, the sooner we can all relax."
He was left alone again, and returned to the hot tub for another half hour, letting the jets work the tension out of his muscles, only roused from his relaxation when he saw a new set of posters going up on the notice boards that he didn't recognize.
According to the sheet, the games room had obtained a new virtual reality simulator. A mental control Line Mecha simulation for the truly adventurous. You could run simulations from guarding against animal attacks or helping with construction tasks to a full-scale battle.
He hoped that they had toned it down enough that it wouldn't traumatize their guests, but more importantly, he didn't recall authorizing the renovation, so someone had spent their own energy allotment to have the software created and then put it in the public arcades.
Max looked through the ship's logs to see where this all originated and traced it back to one of the Valkia VIP clients. They had shelled out a significant amount of Alliance Credits to the Innu Tech Nomads, who had spent their ship energy allotment to have the programs created and distributed.
Most of the guests had VR headsets in their suites, which could play the "Game," but it wouldn't be as immersive while the body was in rest mode as on the Mecha Simulators in the Arcades.
The muscle activation made it feel much more real and helped the body retain the memory once the event was over, which was why the simulators existed in the first place.
Since it was just Line Mecha and the standard Kepler Pattern with an added neural link, not the same as the ones that they were using aboard Terminus, Max didn't see much risk to their security, so he didn't do anything about it except head to the arcade and see how it was being received.
The Innu guests had control of the two machines in this arcade at the moment, with their progress displayed on a screen above the simulator, so others could watch. They were both on an engineering simulation, using the Mecha to build a bridge. Hardly a surprising pastime for the innately Tech Savvy species.
Heading up to the Arcade on the next floor, Max found one of the Valkia in the simulator, with a species he didn't recognize in the other. They seemed somewhat human but were completely covered in clothing, and since they were immersed in the VR simulation, he couldn't gather any more information about them at the moment.
The Valkia was in a war simulation, and the winged man was a true natural. His combat instincts were spot on, and his anticipation was incredible, but Max could see that he occasionally became frustrated with the fact that the Mecha couldn't fly.
As a winged species, it was only natural that they thought in three dimensions, whereas a Mecha battle was largely two-dimensional, at least on a planet's surface.
The guest exited the simulator with a huge smile on his face, and Max moved to greet him.
"What do you think of the simulators? I can have them add some additional features if you like. Perhaps a space battle, or a version of the Archangel Exoskeleton, so that winged species can fight while flying." Max suggested.
"Oh, I have seen those exoskeletons. There was a video of your Second in Command using one to demonstrate a new capture net for dangerous species. They're the ones that are like the technicians unit, but without the tentacles, right?" The older Valkia asked.
"That's right. They have weaponized wings as well, so they are capable in combat but still lighter duty than the Line Mecha from the simulation.
"Enjoying combat too much is unseemly for a Valkia, but I would greatly enjoy the chance to try out one of those exoskeletons, the guest answered in a measured tone meant to hide his excitement, which was no longer socially acceptable in the Alliance since they had eliminated interstellar battles.
"I will get them on it right away. It shouldn't take them more than a day or two to prepare it for live use." Max agreed before waving goodbye as the man turned back to the simulator.
Humans really were a bad influence on the universe, but it was good to see the Valkia becoming a bit less uptight. Max knew from their public records that there was still plenty of crime and violence in the alliance, they just kept it contained on the planet, and the Valkia loved to be both negotiators and law enforcement officers.
Perhaps if they worked it right, they could market the Archangel Exoskeleton as new Police Equipment. Max made a note to have one equipped with nonlethal weapons and then present it to the Innu for their estimation of its marketability.
The blueprints from their podcasts were apparently making a not-so-small fortune lately, and a new piece of kit for dozens of Galaxies worth of police could catapult the Terminus Trading Company from an extreme vacation destination to a household name.
Chapter 488 488 New Excursion Destination
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
+ - Turn on Reset
Max made plans to get the Archangel Suits to market that afternoon while most of the passengers simply enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of their vacation. But the point of an adventure cruise was that it was either moving or doing things, so he was also looking for an excursion destination for the passengers to enjoy.
The last one that they found was still unoccupied, and they could return there, but if possible, he would like to find them a new place to visit so that they would have all unique and new vacation photos to show off on their social media.
The search didn't take long. There was a suitable destination only a few systems away. Completely uninhabited but with plenty of plant life. This one was supposed to have a variety of mammals on it as well, but the notations in the records called it a zero-risk planet, suggesting that the local wildlife posed no threat to humans.
[Admiral Drake, make plans to travel to this location. I see an uninhabited but habitable planet in that star system, and I think a shore excursion would be exactly what our passengers would enjoy.] Max informed the vessel's pilot.
[I know that one. It is horrifically misidentified. The species on the planet are ten meters tall, venomous, and faster than a Comorian Raptor.]
That wasn't good. The Comorian Raptor was a bird of prey well known for its dive-bombing ability, moving close to a hundred kilometers an hour. Even as an extreme tour, they couldn't put guests down on a planet like that.
[What else do we have as options?] Max asked.
[Why not ask one of the Mercenary Groups? They often hold uninhabited planets out here, so we could visit almost all of the world and never see anyone if we stay away from their outpost. That would make for a great tourist stop, and it would earn some credits for our allies through docking and landing fees.] The Admiral suggested.
[Perfect. I will get on it and let you know what I find out.]
Max started sending messages to their new allies, looking for a suitable planet, while explaining that the visitors needed to be isolated from all chances of infectious diseases that the locals might be carrying since their varying biologies could be an issue in the unregulated environment of a planetary colony.
Aboard a ship, everyone was tested and quarantined and decontaminated every time they returned, but for citizens on a planet, illness and disease were just a normal part of life, and if it wasn't serious, it often went untreated as a minor inconvenience.
Minor to the locals, but to the aliens, it could very well be fatal, or worse, mutate and begin to spread through new species.
It didn't take the mercenaries long before Max got a plethora of replies, some more suitable than others. The one that really caught his attention was a note from the Stardusters. It wasn't a planetary excursion but an abandoned moon base. It still reported a habitable atmosphere, and for a small fee, they were willing to prepare and stock it for the visitors while maintaining sanitary conditions so that they could visit safely.
It also had a view of the remnants of a gas nebula at the edge of the system that constantly changed colors, providing a spectacular view from the moon base, whose orbit and polar location provide a constant view in that direction.
[What do you require for compensation in order to prepare the facility for our arrival? We will need it stocked with local plant life, as well as some data about the local phenomenon that you believe is worth noting.] Max requested.
[We request eight units of the Replicators and one Materials Printer. Our crew will prepare the mineral caves with safety markings, as well as clean the base and maintain the plant life before your arrival.]
Mineral caves sounded like a lot of fun for everyone to visit and a distinct change from the gravity slides and newly grown forest of Terminus.
[You have a deal, we will be there in seventy-two hours.] Max informed him, then relayed the location to the Admiral so that they could make way as soon as they had a flight path.
Soon after, he got a message from the various Border Nations, wishing them a safe trip, and Terminus was cleared to depart.
He was just beginning to relax again, enjoying the artificial sun, when two bodies appeared, blocking his view. One was a ship security guard, and the other was a woman roughly Nico's size but with cat ears and a tail.
When she turned to face him, he realized that she had more feline features than just the ears and tail but would still count as a demihuman. That must be one of the stowaways that they captured from an enemy ship not long ago.
All of the prisoners from that encounter should have been sent away to Rae 5 with the ships, so her presence here was a bit of a shock.
"How can I help you, and who do we have here?" Max asked.
"This is Trina, leader of the Felian stowaways. She has a request for you." The guard informed him.
"Oh? And where did you find her?"
The guard smiled at the memory before answering. "Same spot as last time. We found them in an energy conduit, where the power converters made it warmer than the ship's standard temperature."
"So, there is a whole group still here, despite the attempt to send them to Rae 5 for refugee status and housing? Alright, Miss Trina, what can we do for you?"
"We uh. Gimme a second." She stammered, then took out a crumpled bit of paper and stared at the notes for a while, then turned it over and stared at it again.
"Why don't you pass that to me, and I will see if I can read it?" Max asked.
"Thanks. I forgot the words."
Max took the paper and looked at the poor writing, scrawled in the human standard language, but the poor hand of a small child or illiterate.
[The Felian Delegation Officially Requests Asylum as an endangered species.]
"It says here that you want asylum. That means that you want to stay here and find somewhere safe to live." Max explained after reading the note.
"And food. There should be something there about feeding us too." She quickly added.
"Yes, that is part of the asylum request. The meaning includes all aspects of ensuring your care, including that we should take care of your basic needs and keep you safe. That means somewhere safe to stay, food, clothes, and showers if you like them."
The cat woman considered it for a while. "Can we have jobs too? Is that too much? We're really good with people. Well, we were before we were declared house pets, and the rebellion started."
The guard looked a bit sad that he wouldn't be able to keep them as a pet. Crouched down to plead with Max, she really did look like a large housecat wearing rags.
"Once you get settled in, we will begin an assessment. Most of our jobs require reading, but we might be able to get you jobs serving food and drink or maybe cleaning and running errands." Max agreed.
"Bring the rest of them out of the power conduits, and get them settled into crew quarters away from the Infantry. The infantrymen are a bit too high energy, and I don't want to hear about the Felians running away again." He ordered the guard.
"Got it, Sir. Trina, let's go get your people, and I will bring you to your new rooms." The Guard told her with a smile.
"Wait, first, stop at the stand and get some clothes for them. We can't have them running around in rags. It looks bad on us."
Chapter 489 489 Prepare To Sightsee
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
+ - Turn on Reset
Terminus left orbit less than an hour after their new destination had been determined, heading back into Death Wind Territory for their planned stop at the abandoned Moon Base so they could let the guests out to see some of the highlights of this Galaxy.
Max updated the digital notices, including details of the base and the phenomenon, so that guests who wanted to see it could sign up for the tour.
The Mercenaries had sent them an updated map of the base and the mines below them, which extended for dozens of kilometers. They had once mined a collection of gems and minerals, but with a change in tastes, the market for them died, and the base was abandoned, kept only minimally operational by a local Mercenary Group as a last-ditch shelter should they come under attack.
As far as bases go, it wasn't very impressive, at only a few thousand square meters, but the mines were pressurized and sealed so that the workers could operate without breathing equipment, which made it a much better tour stop than it might otherwise have been.
The signups started almost immediately after the notice went up, along with a few requests to take home souvenirs from the mines.
Max wasn't sure if that was safe or not, as he hadn't seen the condition of the tunnels yet, so he left the requests pending and checked up on the progress of the other Reavers who were working in the Death Wind Territory.
The work was going much more smoothly now that the Border Nations weren't interfering, and more of the previously vetted Mercenary Groups were signing up every day. Enough of them that the purchase orders for new vessels and ship renovations were beginning to strain the capabilities of the Rae 5 dry docks.
Some of the work, like engine refits to galactic standards and interior remodels, could be done all over the Star System by the various Reaver Families that had set up space stations, but the extreme work, like high warp modifications and full power system refits for the new organic power packs, had to be done at the Moon Base, as nobody else had the expertise to do the refits yet.
They had begun training, but training a new ship engineer took years, especially with all the new technology that they didn't have a previous background in.
According to the notices that he had seen, the Replicators were already solving many food supply and distribution issues though, which was going to improve a lot of lives. The Stardusters, who were hosting their tour location, were among the lucky ones who had been struggling before the Replicators arrived but were now moving toward luxury.
Their homeworld had a fairly sizeable population, in the tens of millions, as a properly colonized world, but it was mostly swamps and oceans. With the Replicators, they were mulching the fast-growing swamp weeds, which were inedible, into biomass paste that could become gourmet meals.
The additional eight units would relieve a lot of strain on their infrastructure, but Max wasn't sure how long the rebuild interval was on the commercial units when they would presumably be running nonstop.
[Nico, do we have an industrial-sized version of the Replicators or only a commercial kitchen-sized one?] Max asked.
[There is an industrial version available, though not many have been ordering it since they plan to refit every restaurant with one, which would make the industrial ones obsolete in only a few years.] Nico replied.
[The Stardusters' homeworld has millions of people and a food shortage. I think they might want a few per city at an industrial scale to pump out the equivalent of deluxe ration packs, like the heat-and-eat meals that my parents bought all the time. Do you know the ones?]
[Yeah, I know them. They might as well be Academy Cafeteria food, but they are food and better than shelf-stable ration packs. Do you think that they would want to make that sort of thing by the millions?] Nico replied.
[Maybe not the cheap ones that the downsides eat, but yeah, something like them. If they can make them by the pallet load to ship to grocery stores, we might be able to count on them to bring more force in the future as well.]
[I will get the crew working on it. The material difference is pretty large, but it's not like they're asking for Mecha. All eight units together will only weigh a couple of tonnes. The Materials Printer that they requested is already built. Or, more correctly, we had one prebuilt in storage.]
A notification arrived on Max's watch, notifying him that over eighty percent of the guests had requested to see the caves, which meant that Max needed more tour guides.
The best place to find volunteers at the moment should be the Broken Blaster, where a lot of the crew would be on lunch break between training and their duty shifts. He could take the time to check up on the new hire that was sent there as a waitress.
Max made his way through the ship to the public areas serving the crew quarters and stopped to check on the conditions. The commanders gave him reports, but he didn't come here often to make sure that nobody was fudging their numbers.
It all looked in perfect repair, and the people he passed were all in high spirits, possibly because of their recent mission with no loss of life and a week-long birthday party. Either way, it was what Max wanted to see.
He stepped into the Broken Blaster, and the atmosphere changed from a clean and orderly military ship to a downside honky tonk. The bar now had sawdust on the floors, barrels of mixed nuts for the patrons to snack on, and a visibly intoxicated cover band playing their version of some popular rock song.
"Hey, Princess. You've got a special request." The bartender shouted, and Max saw the new hire wave from where she had just set down a table full of drinks, then saunter up to the bar and escort a man into the back rooms while another girl came out of the back to cover for her.
"Is she doing what I think she is?" Max asked the bartender, who froze in shock when he realized who was speaking.
"Commander Keres. Well, you see, it's her choice, and there's no law against how she can make her tips on the side. Plus, she's popular." The man stammered.
"Nevermind that. As long as nobody's forcing anyone, they can do what they like. But I need to find some volunteers that are sober ish and good with tourists. Most of the guests want to head to the mines, and we don't have enough assigned tour guides."
"No problem, I know just the ones you want. Echo Company are all teetotal and friendly sorts. I will send them a message, or you can have Colonel Cortez do it."
"I will get the Colonel to do it. No need to put yourself out. I wanted to inspect the area anyhow, and I knew that you would have a good idea of who I could trust with the task instead of drawing lots." Max told him with a wink, looking around at the patrons who were already heavily into the drink in the middle of the day.
Chapter 490 490 Spelunking
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
+ - Turn on Reset
Colonel Cortez was happy to help and well aware of what went on at the Broken Blaster. It seemed to be the ship's premier hookup spot, and if you didn't have any luck with the ladies, there were a few regular patrons who would help you out for a bit of compensation.
According to the burly Colonel, Princess was the true Princess of the bar, and the price for her services was much higher than most would pay, so it was surprising that Max had seen her busy with anything but serving tables.
These were things that Max likely should know about his ship, but as with any Military Regiment, there were some things that the men would prefer not to tell the Commander about in case he disapproved. They weren't in the military anymore, not really, but the mentality and structure remained.
The Admiral turned Terminus the moment that they dropped out of warp so that those looking at the sky through the terrarium could see the nebula's gas clouds and their rainbow of flickering lights and let the ship hover there for a while before announcing their arrival at the moon base.
[The First Tour of the day will begin in 60 minutes. All of those who are signed up for the first tour, please gather at the main gates in preparation for your shoreside excursion.]
The station couldn't accommodate Terminus, as the ship was considerably larger than it was, so they would be sending the guests in waves aboard a Cutter.
Every hour a group would go, and the tours would last three hours in total, letting them rotate through the guests smoothly without crowding any particular area.
Max supervised the loading and departure of the first group and then sounded the next announcement.
[Second Tour Group, your ship will be leaving in sixty minutes. Please be ready at the main gates before that time.]
He was planning to go down with the third group so that he could get feedback when the first group returned from their tour and so that he could see the mines for himself, and not just in the VR tour that the Mercenaries had sent to let the tour guides become familiar with the location in advance.
If you followed the arrows and the guide rail, it was basically impossible to get lost, and the side tunnels had energy barriers erected at their entrances so that nobody wandered off where they shouldn't be and got lost, plus all the guests were wearing locator beacons, just to be safe.
Max thought that should be enough precautions to ensure that the tours went smoothly, but the guides were also armed, carrying their augmentic armor and heavy weapons in the flat space of their new watches.
The second wave made it away safely, and the third began to gather even before the announcement was made. So far, nobody had missed their flight, and the tour guides had only reported minor issues keeping the groups together and well-behaved.
As Max had suspected, some of the guests were quite eager to snag a souvenir from the walls, which meant moving to the far side of some of the caves where the deposits hadn't been totally cleared out, but they were all safely returned to the group with their treasures intact.
The gemstones were considered semi-precious to humans and could be synthetically created when they were wanted, but something to remember a vacation by was a tradition among many species, and a novelty shop trinket wouldn't always do.
The flight down looped around Terminus and then closer to the Nebula so that the guests could spend time admiring the view through the simulated viewports in the hold, and then landed beside the other two Cutters, taking the last of the parking spots outside the base.
The automated pressure tubes were working, and they attached smoothly to the man door of the ship, letting the guests walk out into the station under the stern gaze of the tour guides who were telling them not to run.
The first group had just reached the surface when they arrived, and was enjoying a light meal in the station, looking up at the nebula, so Max moved over to make sure everything had gone smoothly.
"All you need to make sure of is that none of the guests breaks an ankle trying to move through the caverns to snag a gemstone out of the walls in the open caverns. Quite a few snuck away during the tour, and we just told them it was a one-item-per-person limit to keep them in line." The soldier leading the tour group informed him.
"Not a bad call. That also keeps them from cleaning out the caverns in case we want to return here for tours in the future." Max agreed.
"No worry about that. Most of the deposits are far too large to be taken away by hand, so the whole cavern glitters in the light. You'll see when your group goes down. It's pretty impressive as a tour. Even the pillars left by the mining machines are nearly decorative because of the moon's composition."
"I'm glad it went well for you. I think your time is almost up though, so I will let you go and rejoin the third group through the tunnels."
Max jogged off to catch up to his tour group, nearly getting reprimanded by the guide, until they realized that it was him and not a lost tourist. The thought that their Commander might get lost even with a map was laughable. They were only worried about the tour group because they were so easily distracted by the shiny things.
Max wondered for a moment how hard it would be to catch Nico or the Tech Nomads if they were left unattended down here. It was just pretty rocks to Max, but he was certain that those innovation-minded nerds would go off on a tangent somewhere, looking for a rare mineral.
The very bottom of the mine was the highlight of the tour. An unknown heat source had fused pure carbon into a clear diamond over three hundred meters around. It looked like a giant lake at the bottom of the mine and was the secret treasure of the Stardusters Mercenary Company.
Diamonds didn't hold the value that they used to now that they could be easily synthesized, but they were incredibly useful and still valued for jewelry, which made this final deposit worth enough for the company to purchase a new vessel should they lose everything at some point in the future.
The mine really was their last line of defense, and Max would have been shocked to have been allowed here if he hadn't known that the Terminus Trading Company was so wealthy that they had no need of such simple things as an enormous diamond.
"Everyone follow us back to the surface for a light snack and a viewing of the nebula. Not through a viewport, the top panels of the station are clear, and we can view the lights directly while we eat." the tour guide instructed, rounding everyone up and marking the last stage of the shore excursion.