Chapter 711 711 Not His Party Scene
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The group slowly made their way to the location where Santa Maria was docked, but there was no need to use a map of the station to find it. Even from hundreds of meters away, it was clear that there was a party going on, and their ship was the epicentre.
There was singing and music playing, and more Innu than Max had expected this station to contain.
Correction, more Innu than even the Black Market Boss had expected the station to contain. It seemed that an Innu-staffed ship had completely emptied to come here to the party, and they were taking shots of espresso like Rum. The mental overload warned Max of what he was about to walk into, but still, the level of hyperactivity was impressive.
The Innu were bouncing around like it was a mosh pit, only instead of being in time to the music, it was in time to the conversations they had about the various inventions that they had seen aboard the ship when they came to visit.
The group that had accompanied Max stopped a dozen meters away and started at the event in a mixture of horror and fascination. There was no way they were getting involved in that, but Nico had already disappeared into the crowd, and Max could sense that she was in deep conversation with a group of Technicians who were discussing the morphable hull design.
"Well, it looks like I'm not leaving here anytime soon. Perhaps we could go back to the fights?" Max suggested, answering the Station Boss's desperate desire not to be here, where the near ultrasonic babble was hurting his ears.
"Any station-wide state of emergency cancels the fights for the night. That way, nobody loses out on their bets if they have to return to their ships.
That made sense. Without the live audience watching the fights, there was no way to guarantee that the footage wasn't rigged or altered, so they would have to be halted if a portion of the crowd had to leave the arena.
It was also a secure area, so patrons couldn't just come and go as they pleased. The whole section of the station where the Black Market resided would likely be locked down until after the incident that caused the alert was dealt with, and the Boss determined that everything was safe again and their business wouldn't draw unwanted attention.
This time the alert was outside the station, so there shouldn't be many investigators messing with their business, but in normal circumstances, such an alarm would mean days or even weeks without operations of their illicit businesses.
"Perhaps we could head for the VIP lounge instead? It seems that your second in command will take good care of your young charge with the help of my staff." The Boss suggested instead.
The VIP lounge was a private, invitation-only social club for the well-heeled and the largest suppliers of the Black Market to get to know each other and work on related business deals. Normally, someone like Max, who had only done one deal with them, would not be qualified for an invitation, but when the items that he supplied were considered, plus the events of the day, none of the staff found any reason that he shouldn't be there tonight.
"Tell me, Commander. Do your people pair bond for life?" The Boss asked as they walked through the public areas of the station toward the lounge.
"That is a tricky question with humans. We do pair bond, though not always for life or even long term. But on the other hand, it is not unknown for one of the partners to kill unfaithful partners or anyone who attempts to get in the way of a pair bond." Max explained.
The Titans looked somewhat impressed by the fact, as their culture valued strength to an extreme degree, as well as loyalty. The Valkia was only a bit disturbed that the human species was so violent, but he got over it in a hurry since he had seen far worse from many of his own customers.
The lounge turned out to be just as upscale as Max had expected of a gathering point for the VIP clientele of the Black Market. The Boss led them off to the side of the main entrance to his own private office and then gestured to the door to a closet.
"You can change in there. There are no weapons or armour allowed inside the lounge, and all Flat Space and other storage devices must be put into locked mode. I'm not sure if we can properly detect the locked mode on yours since it is human-made and not compliant with any of the standards or copyrighted designs of the Alliance, so I thought I would save everyone the trouble and take care of the issue here.
That made good sense, but the human-made version didn't lock. They are locked to a particular user, but not entirely. That should likely be close enough for the Station Boss, though. So, Max stepped into the changing room and switched into a pair of leather pants and a cream silk shirt, with a simple gold chain and his combination wrist device and flat space. That was classy enough for this place, he thought, then reconsidered and switched to a suit coat and matching pants, one of the only other outfits that had been prepared for the day.
He knew he didn't pack them. The last items he had put in the device for clothing were a long leather coat and matching pants that he had worn for a meeting weeks ago. Nico must have updated his wardrobe when he wasn't paying attention, the same way that she liked to put out random outfits for him to wear in the mornings.
Once Max put the suit on, he realized what Nico had done. The cloth of both the suit and the shirt was made of the same fibres as the flexible parts of the Augmentic Armour, and while it looked like a custom-tailored suit, it would actually take a direct hit from a Laser Pistol without burning.
It wasn't so much a fashion statement as a product-testing mission. One that he had no intention of completing if it meant that he had to get shot to see if the suit actually did its job.
With his armour safely stored and the Flat Space set to open only for him with mental access, using Nico's skill, he stepped back out to be inspected.
Chapter 712 712 VIP Lounge
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The Boss looked Max over as he stepped out, then nodded in appreciation of the suit before tapping at a device in his hand. "It looks like your Flat Space is properly locked, according to Alliance standards, so we are clear to enter. A guard will be inside to verify your status, a precaution against someone trying to pressure me into gaining access to their enemies."
Max smiled to let the Valkia know that it didn't bother him. "It's good to have proper security. Too many businesses have simple loopholes to exploit or laughable levels of physical security since they were only expecting the Innu to try to hack their servers."
The bodyguard who followed the Boss into his office stopped walking in shock when Max said those words, then tilted his head as if looking at Max from a new angle would help him understand.
"Does that mean that you physically came in and took someone's computers? That is genius. You could unlock them at your leisure. It would be a bit tough to pull off, though." He announced.
"Oh, nothing so civilized. We simply killed everyone on the planet and then took our time gathering the data that we needed. Once they had a death sentence hanging over the planet for rebellion, there really was no good reason we shouldn't take all the data that we could find, even if it wasn't related to others who might have assisted them in their actions." Max explained.
Both other men in the room flinched at the casual mention of wiping out an entire planet's population, and Max nearly lost his carefully crafted composure when the bodyguard gave a silent prayer of thanks to his Boss for making friends with the scary new people.
"Now, the rules are simple. All business done directly inside the lounge pays a five percent fee to have the Market arrange the details, there is no violence allowed, and no recording equipment is permitted." The bodyguard explained before opening the door to let the two higher-ranked men go through first.
The man on the other side of the door nodded at the Boss and gave him a quick wand scan, then moved on to Max for a slightly more detailed scan, then gave him a smile.
"I hope you can stay around for the continuation. I made a lot of money betting on you before my shift started today."
Max chuckled. "I'm not sure how long we will be welcome after today. The entire Innu population is down at my ship right now, stimmed out of their minds and having some sort of mass collaboration party."
The security guard chuckled. "On the contrary, they will likely thank you since you got them all in one spot. I know your species is new to the Alliance, but the Innu are generally regarded somewhat like that Toddler who won't stop asking questions. They're too sweet to hurt them to make them stop, so you just have to suffer with it forever."
That was actually a pretty good description of them, Max thought. Even though they were like bees buzzing in his head, it was impossible to stay mad at them, and they were always doing their best to make things they thought you would like. It reminded him of kids trying to please the adults around them. Only with more guns. At least when they were working with humans.
Perhaps he should be nicer to the Innu. It was a behaviour pattern that he recognized from his childhood in this life. Kids with the worst parents tried their hardest to get praise and recognition, even though they knew it likely wasn't going to happen. The Alliance viewed the Innu as an annoyance, so they tried even harder to be useful and befriend everyone, not realizing that it was the exact behaviour that got them the reputation in the first place.
What he said out loud was: "The Innu are surprisingly compatible with human culture. We segment experimentation into a portion of the day as a work task or a hobby, and they can let it all out in a controlled manner, so they don't go crazy as they did here the moment that they found something new with nobody to stop them."
The Boss considered that for a moment. The Innu Technicians were essential to the function of the station. Nobody else could do what they did. If the humans had a way to keep them balanced, he needed to either learn it or find some humans for his station.
"Everyone, welcome Commander Keres of the Terminus Trading Company, a human exploration and trade group that brokered their species' first agreement with the Alliance." The Boss called out into the room, drawing the attention of all of the social leaders present.
"Now, that is a rare treat. I heard that they made the new crystals for my ship as well. Welcome, Commander Keres. I am Prince Nunya of the Myceloid. Have you perhaps met one of my species before? You don't seem surprised or overwhelmed by the species here."
Max nodded politely at the Myceloid Prince. "Indeed, I have. We run a multi-species academy on a Colony Ship called Terminus. The Clone of Emperor Ahmed is one of our students. Interesting personality, if I do say so myself."
The Myceloid's skin turned a bit more blue than its original creamy white colour, and Max sensed shock and amusement in his thoughts. "So you are with THAT Terminus. With the Academy for the Elites and the lucky ones. Tell me, is the lady Medusa as charming in person as her reputation?"
Max chuckled. "Indeed she is. She doesn't seem to realize it, though, which is part of her charm. I suspect that the Emperor is actually more smitten with her tentacles than her personality, though."
Prince Nunya chuckled at the reference while his drinking companions burst into laughter and clapped him on the back. "It's a Myceloid thing. They're all obsessed because the tentacles look like the reproductive organs that their species have developed, long dendrites that they shake to pollinate when they wish to make an offspring that is not a clone."
The Prince was definitely blue now, and he thumped his companions solidly on the chest. "Don't take it the wrong way. It's not some fetish, think of it like how many species enjoy the sight of large chest mounds, even when they are not mammalian, so they serve no evolutionary purpose."
That didn't really help his case, but his species reproduced asexually for the most part, and Max could tell that it was a visual preference, like the false faces they created, not a sexual preference.
"Don't worry about them. I believe you."
Chapter 713 713 Everything Is A Business Meeting
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More of the patrons of the lounge came over to say hello once they realized that the Terminus Trading Company and Terminus Academy were one and the same. In an Alliance as large as theirs, duplicate names were commonplace, so most hadn't quickly put the two together, and the fact that the Colony Ship was human-run and not just multi-species friendly wasn't common knowledge outside of a select group.
From their thoughts, it looked like they had accepted Max as one of their own almost immediately. He ran an Academy for Elite Students, no questions asked, and many of their counterparts had sent children there, as well as many politicians that they had to deal with on more official business.
Getting to know Max and getting on his good side held nothing but benefits for them, as far as they could tell, and he was from the newest rising technological power to sign a deal with the Alliance.
"I hear that the humans are almost as fond of the Innu as the Myceloid are, but for different reasons. Do you really integrate them into your Development teams with no incurious species as a buffer?" A large man that Max had originally thought was Blarg, going by the abundant build, asked.
"We actually don't have any incurious species in our research departments at all. Traditionally, they were all human, and now we have added some Innu, plus a Hunter and the part-time services of a Shin when the developments relate to botanical topics. What good would an incurious species do in the research lab?" Max asked.
All of the people in the room looked at him strangely when he asked that, and it seemed that he had missed something obvious, but their minds just couldn't quite fathom the concept.
"Without an incurious species, how do you market test? Or ensure the safety of the staff? What if something blows up?" One of the businessmen finally asked in an incredulous tone.
"We have safety protocols and best practice operating procedures. Both species are perfectly capable of following them, and injuries are quite rare during our development process. Many of our products are actually designed to blow up since we are a major military force in our home Galaxy, but we don't actually market test. If we found a good use for it, someone else will too, so we just make it available when it is complete." Max explained.
Their marketing strategy horrified half of the people in the room but made the other half consider forming a business relationship with the humans. Disruptive marketing wasn't really a thing among most Galaxies in the Alliance. The mere concept of a Trade War horrified them, and they were so bound to their traditions that they wouldn't dare to step on someone else's turf like that.
In Max's opinion, it was holding back their development, and they could have been thousands of years further ahead of humanity by now if they hadn't stifled inventions in the name of not disrupting the market.
When he first proposed marketing Luxury Space Yachts, it was mentioned to him that there was a void in the market. Max had taken that as demand exceeding supply, but if his guess was right, it also held the meaning of being able to accommodate another supplier without overlapping anyone else's market share.
"Since it seems that I have missed a few of the cultural nuances in the Alliance, might I ask a question?"
The Black Market Boss nodded in the affirmative, and a handful of others seemed eager to find out what Max would want to know.
"When a research team develops a new product that is similar to an existing product but significantly more user-friendly or cost-effective, how is the situation usually handled? You see, we came up with a Terraforming Array not long ago that can completely rework a planet in under a year's time.
We vetted the design with the Envoys and double-checked that there were no issues with interference regarding other manufacturers' patents, but when we released it on the market, we were immediately attacked by a handful of competitors.
Not in the marketplace, but physically attacked. Needless to say, that didn't end well for them, but did we miss some convention of polite behaviour?"
The Boss of the Black Market burst into laughter while the patrons of the lounge stared at him.
"You released a planetary terraforming array for under five hundred billion credits. Just the interest on the loan that your competitors offer for their services is over a trillion credits a year per planet. You basically crushed their business overnight, there was a run on their stocks, and they lost hundreds of pending deals the moment that the availability of your array was announced.
Forget competing. You very nearly drove their families to suicide. I don't think it was a cultural issue but a pricing model issue. For as long as I can remember, there has only been the same handful of Terraforming Companies, and they are all in it together to fix prices and make a fortune off generations of colonists.
I'm sure the Envoys informed you that the price of your array was less than the price of the ticket to get to the planet, correct?"
Max nodded at the Boss's assumption. He had indeed heard that. But the point of his line of questions was only partially to find out about the culture of the Alliance. Each of the people in this room could afford a private planet at his price. How could they not hold the Terminus Trading Company, and through them, humanity as a whole, in high regard when they made such an opportunity possible?
The VIP Lounge was for doing business, and that's what Max was doing. Business, in the most human way possible. By the least scrupulous and most efficient way imaginable.
Boss Archibald realized that Max had actually been after new customers a second after seriously answering the question and turned an appreciative smile toward Max.
"I don't suppose that you also have those in stock, do you?"
Chapter 714 714 Interesting Propositions
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Max smiled at Archibald and took a pen and paper from his pocket. "Did you already have a barren planet in mind? I can do custom packages if you would like the planet developed for a specific purpose."
"It's a moon, actually. A bit small by most standards, but it holds one-quarter of standard gravity. I was hoping to have it renovated to an inhabitable standard and use gravity plating to create a proper arena complex on the surface. The gravity outside the arena doesn't matter much, but for safety's sake, it's important that the atmosphere is breathable." The Boss explained.
"So a moon specifically for gambling. That sounds like a lot of fun. Would you like the regions of the surface to be widely varied in climates? It would require the ongoing use of the Array to keep them stable, but after purchase, the upkeep cost is negligible." Max suggested."
One of the women in the room, who was wearing a loose robe with a veil so Max couldn't make out her features, chimed in at that point.
"Outdoor mega arenas for real group challenges? I like it. Perhaps you could collect some wild beasts to make a survival challenge. I have always loved a good reality TV survival show."
Her mind said she meant exactly what she said. Throwing the contestants into a huge enclosed area and then having drones film them while they tried to survive a hostile environment and wild animals.
It would technically be illegal, as all extreme sports and challenges with a high risk of death were, but if they assured the broadcasters that they would come and rescue the contestants if they got in actual trouble, then it shouldn't get them completely banned from the Data Net.
"You look intrigued. Does your species have such shows?" The woman asked Max.
"We do. We also have planets where it is not a staged show but a reality for the colonists who have to deal with deadly predators on a daily basis. But what had me interested was just a random thought. My Subcommander has a fondness for trying to tame wild beasts. We were on vacation not long ago, and she tried to tame a Winged Wolf, a three-meter tall flying predator from one of the human-controlled worlds." Max explained, then brought up a holographic image of the flying animal so that the others would know what he was talking about.
"Are those things really tameable?" One of the men asked.
"They are. It's not easy, but the locals have bred a number of them in captivity, and they are as loyal as any other canine."
Max sensed that a lot of the species here would never dare to keep a predator as a pet or companion animal. They had either come from planets without them or had eliminated all of the potential predators from their home worlds during their advancement, so the very concept was foreign to their culture.
Boss Archibald cleared his throat. "I think that allowing wild animals to roam the moon might draw a bit more attention than we would like for such a venue. But the idea of stabilizing multiple biospheres with the ongoing effects of the Terraforming Array is a very tempting one.
That amount of money transfer will require some time to arrange. I'm sure you understand how things are."
"Of course. I can also offer financing if you need it. The terms are quite reasonable, and the payments will be much less suspicious, as you can arrange them through a holding company on behalf of the terraformed moon."
The veiled woman chuckled at Max's words. "He's got you there. The price of taking on debt always sounds reasonable at first, and it's so easy to justify the convenience that you don't think too deeply about the total price paid."
Max held a hand over his heart and gave the woman a pitiful look. "You make it sound as if I would swindle my customers. The terms are five percent of the outstanding principal per standard year, with a maximum twenty-five-year amortization. The Terminus Trading Company has no interest in generational debts. We much prefer to get paid."
Max sensed the woman's amusement as she mentally calculated that the purchaser would pay seventy-five percent more for the dubious honour of paying in installments over the course of the term. For Valkia, twenty-five years was not such a long time, as they aged very slowly, but the fees would really add up.
The Boss shook his head at Max. "I think I would prefer to crowdsource the funding from a few dozen different businesses. I trust that won't be an issue?"
"Of course not. As long as they're all authorized to transfer credits, there will be no issue. If they're not, we can come to some other arrangements. The Alliance has many wonderful technologies that Humans have yet to get their hands on, after all."
A tall man with leathery wings and glowing red eyes stepped forward out of the shadows in the corner, startling Max. He hadn't sensed the man there, not his body or his thoughts until he emerged from the shadows. Not many species could hide from the detection of the Nanomachines, and it always startled Max when it happened.
"That goes both ways. While you have brought many interesting patents to the market for a reasonable price, there seems to be a number that you are keeping to yourself. My planets are outside of Alliance Territory, and we have developed a pest control issue of our own. Bipedal, not insectoid like the Klem, but just as pernicious and annoying. What might it take to get my hands on some of your giant robotic pest control devices?" The man asked.
"That is an excellent question. If you're not an official Alliance member, it would be completely up to the relationship between your people and mine. Perhaps we could talk more later, once we have a bit of privacy? I will send you the location and a docking invitation so you can meet with me aboard the Terminus Trading Company's world ship after I finish with this mission." Max agreed.
"Marvelous. Here, take my card, and I will be sure to be in touch."
The leather-winged man transferred a large amount of data to Max's wrist device and then stepped back into the shadows and vanished from sight. This time Max was ready for it, though, and saw through the trick. It was an optical camouflage device that hid him in the shadows and a mental trick of some sort that hid his thoughts.
Max definitely needed to get his hands on one of those devices.
Chapter 715 715 Finally, A Real Lead
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The data that the mysterious man transferred turned out to be a remarkably intensive investigation into the origin of the Klem infestation. Surprisingly, the man had even included his actual personal details to get in contact with Max about the business deal, and it wasn't just a ploy to give him the data that his employers had gathered.
From what Max could tell, the man worked for a Mercenary group, or Private Investigators, as they called themselves, on behalf of a half dozen planetary agencies and biotech companies who had commissioned their work.
The fact that they were likely all paying for the same team was irrelevant, the group had put a lot of work in to deal with the issue, and from the look of it, they had deployed over a thousand separate agents to get all the data in a timely manner.
That was far more effective than the Government's efforts had been since they weren't bogged down by bureaucracy, and the data included everything from copied sensor logs, purchased information from merchant vessels who had moved Klem biomatter to a pair of labs belonging to the same company, data on the company who had broken into their labs to steal the research, and finally the part that Max was most eager to find, the source of the original Klem Pod infestation.
One of the merchant ships that had been hired to bring the Klem to the region had come under fire from a foreign force and had jettisoned their cargo to avoid an infestation when they lost power.
The Mercenary group had responded to the battle and had saved the crew and ship but had not learned of the contents of the jettisoned cargo until after it had collided with a nearby planet.
From there, the infestation spread quickly, and the routes by which it was delivered were most marked.
The only questions left unanswered in this data set were the two most recent planets, as the investigation had ended before they were infested, but going by the location of the research facilities, Max suspected that one or both had lost containment, and the Klem had taken over their worlds, but the incident hadn't been reported to the Alliance Government due to the nature of the issue.
"You look like you learned something important just now." The Station Boss whispered to Max.
"A message from the mothership. We have more data for our investigation, and I think I might know where the Klem infestation originated."
The Valkia man nodded, then tapped something into his wrist device. "I have set a bounty for confirmation of the source and its elimination. I suspect that it will be a messy affair since the Government isn't doing anything about it, so the fee will be quite worthwhile for the one who has the flexibility to take care of the situation."
"That is wonderful news. I take it your crew will need to leave right away, then?"
Max nodded. Fairly quickly, yes. But I think that we should give the Innu time to unwind before we leave. They've been bored out of their skulls since they can't celebrate their accomplishments with anyone outside of their social circle, and they needed this chance to unwind with new data."
Boss Archibald gave a rueful chuckle. "Well, that can't be helped now, can it? It's not like they can tell the world about all of the cool new illegal things they've discovered."
"It's hard to argue with your logic there. How about we spend a few minutes having a nice drink while they have fun? One more hour shouldn't hurt anything, and I can ask my Subcommander to get started on the research work."
It was work that would undoubtedly include many of the Innu who were gathered at Santa Maria for its stopover here at the station, which would help them calm down and feel useful at the same time.
Everyone on the station who knew about the situation was irate that someone had let an invasive species loose on their station twice, and very few of them believed that it was a coincidence or an accident. So, they would do their own work, hacking the Government's data networks to find out as much as they could about the locations that Max was headed for and what they might expect to meet along the way.
He had just settled into a comfortable chair next to the Myceloid Prince and the Station Boss when his wrist device dinged, giving him an update from Absolution.
The battle was proceeding better than expected, given his absence and the resulting reduction in targeting data, but the casualties were still very low among the human Pilots. The Envoys were looking for an update on his progress, but Major Miller had told them that Max was in negotiations with the Station Crew at the moment and couldn't reply until morning, so that could be delayed, and a series of seemingly unrelated transfers, all with the same Purchase Order on them had arrived, totalling five hundred billion Alliance Credits.
"Station Boss Archibald. If you could confirm your purchase order, I believe that we have your items in stock." Max told him with a smile.
"Excellent. Inform your staff that my team will be there for the introduction to the use of the device and to take delivery in twelve hours." He agreed, then placed his thumbprint on Max's Wrist device to let it be scanned.
The purchase order was a portion of the data for his thumbprint, encrypted with an eight-digit password, and both were necessary for the unlocking procedure. It was a bit overboard in Max's estimation since he was sitting right next to the man the entire time, but it was more likely for the other Black Market members that he worked with and for the businesses that had funnelled the money to Absolution to make the payment.
"It's really that easy?" The Myceloid Prince asked once he realized what sort of transaction had just occurred.
"If you have a planet already, it is. Did you have one in mind? I think we've still got another Array in stock?" Max asked.
They didn't, but they could make one in a matter of hours with the materials they had on board. An even trillion credits in business would look good on his mission report. It would give the World Ship the Gross Domestic Product of an average Colony World during its first generation, and since they didn't lack for much, it would let them leverage even more loans to other colonist groups and others who wished to make payments on purchased items.
Max caught a flash of surprise from the man hidden in the corner and realized why it was that he could hide his mind so well. That was an Illithid in an unconventional suit. Max hadn't even noticed that he was listening in, so the creature was incredibly skilled at his craft and had just now realized that the Terminus Trading Company was setting itself up to become an interstellar bank.
They were providing in-house financing and delivery for human-made goods and profiting off both the markup and the interest payments. It was a great money-making scheme, and it would give them an excuse to be in any corner of the Alliance at any given time—the perfect cover for Reavers who wanted to move goods without too many questions.
Chapter 716 716 Parting Gifts
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The talk after that turned to all the various items that the Humans might like, both from what they were allowed to purchase from the Alliance and what they might be able to get their hands on from the Black Market without it being traced back to the Station by the Envoys on their ship.
The presence of government workers made transactions on the wrong side of the law more than a little problematic, especially when the Envoys almost certainly knew where Commander Keres was and what he was supposed to be up to when he wasn't talking with the Station Boss.
That didn't mean that they couldn't do it quietly later, once he was on his way and the deals were organized, but to do them right now would just bring way too much trouble their way, and most of these people were pretending to be upright and moral legitimate businesspeople.
Once the initial caffeine rush was over, Max got up to return to his ship and made sure that Nico would be ready and they didn't lose Annabelle in the chaos.
[Don't worry, Boss. I've got her right here. I sold the rights to produce the coffee-based beverage group to the Station for on-station use as well. The Logistics and Development Departments don't want you to tell the Big Boss until they've made backups, though, in case he makes them delete it.]
[Once they've got the identification codes for the products, they can just download it from our ship anytime they want, even if the backups are deleted. But you have a point. It's better if we are not at the Station when they find out that we Caffeinated the Innu.]
[Oh, and I should probably mention that we also taught the Titans how to make energy drinks from their available pre-workout materials. That might be important too.]
[You're trying to make them hate us, aren't you? I just managed to sell them a Terraforming Array, don't do anything else that might ruin our working relationship with the Black Markets.]
Max could sense that Nico was laughing at his response right before she sent him a video. A group of Titans had prepared a vibrant green drink and were working out at the Gym while a large group of hyper Innu cheered them on. Once their set ended, and they were visibly worn out and sweating profusely, they chugged down a litre of the neon green slurry, shouted "GAINS," and went to do another set.
If that was how they were using it, they should be fine, as long as nobody died of a heart attack from overdosing on the stuff. The second bit of the video was just a more depressed-looking version of the first, where they ate mouthfuls of pills and some sort of nutrient bar before returning to their workout.
[I will be there soon, get everyone ready for our departure, even if they start crying and begging for more research time.] Max instructed as he said his goodbyes to the patrons of the VIP lounge and promised to make special arrangements for them should they want to visit Terminus for a vacation in the future.
"So, I can see the Academy where the young Emperor is studying?" The Myceloid Prince asked, practically vibrating with excitement, but more for the chance to see the Headmistress than anyone of his own species.
"The Academy is off limits to everyone but students at the moment for obvious security and student focus reasons, but on their off days, there is a good chance to run into anyone from the Academy inside the Cruise Ship area of Termins.
Perhaps if you wait a few months until they have finished their observational module on the Klem pacification and the rebuilding of invasive species-damaged planets, you could take an interstellar highlights tour during their next long break.
The Headmistress set up a very good one last time, and it was all the rage with parents of the students."
"Of course, of course. One simply doesn't walk into an Elite Academy. I got ahead of myself. I will look up the schedule and get ahold of the bookings agents aboard Terminus." He backtracked as he realized that Max had seen right through his intentions.
The Station Boss escorted Max out and down the hallways that led to the hangars with a nervous look on his face in anticipation of what he would find there.
"Relax, Nico calmed them down so that we could leave on time. They have had time to examine all the new things that we brought with us, so they should be busy trying to modify and improve on them for a little while. That will bring some peace to your Station as long as we got all the bugs out." Max laughed.
"Don't remind me. Even a Freighter Beetle infestation will give me the creeps from now on. And they're not even hostile. They're just gluttonous."
That was right. The sentient insect species of the Alliance were all friendly and benign species. Meeting them with a human crew would be an interesting experience since the immediate and visceral reaction of his crew was going to be to squish them, and that would just be seen as a horrific act by basically every other intelligent species.
He could deal with that when the issue came up. Max had no idea what part of the Universe the insectoid species were from anyhow, so there was a chance that the humans might not even meet up with them in his lifetime. With millions of inhabited planets, the odds of meeting any specific group were pretty low unless they took an active role in diplomacy, which it seemed that the insects did not.
There were only a few lingering Innu around when they all made it to the ship, and those last few were all on duty right now and supposed to be in the hangar areas, much to the Station Boss's relief. Telling off his workers only made them sulk, and happy workers were loyal workers.
Chapter 717 717 Homecoming
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Once the ship was clear of the hangar, Max set a course for the outskirts of the System and set a portal destination just outside the star system where the lab with the Klem was supposed to be.
Their disguised scouting vessel, in all of its pleasure yacht external glory, glided through the portal and right into an Alliance Military blockade.
[Alert to the Unknown Vessel. There has been a hazardous materials containment breach in this System. All outside vessels are prohibited.] The lead ship of the blockade announced.
[This is Commander Keres Max of the Terminus Trading Company, on commission to investigate the origin of the hazardous materials in question. May we proceed?] Max responded.
[Ah, welcome, Commander. Please hold your distance, and we will appraise you of the situation.]
The announcement was followed by a stream of data, which struck Max as rather curious. If they had that much information, why were they just sitting here and not trying to enter?
The answer to that came later in the data feed. There was an orbital bombardment shield over the location, so none of the military forces could enter. Any significant energy source would lock down the location for twelve hours, and they couldn't find a way in. The atmosphere of the planet itself was nearly nonexistent, and while they had species like the metallic slimes that didn't need to breathe, they were ill-suited to actually surviving the situation inside, where the sensors indicated that the Klem had taken over the entire Facility.
Anyone else who tried to enter would set the shields off with their protective gear, and even trying to drop them off with a shuttle had proven problematic. Naturally, a facility researching topics this delicate was well defended, but the fact that it had fallen before anyone sent a single message about it was making it nearly impossible to retake.
The Company hadn't reported anything other than a loss of communication, which they insisted was normal for the Facility while doing research which might be affected by the energy variances of the broadcasts.
In short, they claimed no knowledge or responsibility for what had happened here and were doing their best to pretend that they had nothing at all to do with the Facility.
"I've got a great idea. Since our Mobile Suits use bio packs for basic power, they won't set off the shield, and we can power up the Crystal Reactors once we're inside. Then we can make our way through a mountain of corpses and find out what happened here." Nico suggested.
The Mountain of Corpses part was where her thoughts showed the most excitement since she fully intended to be the one making said mountain, but with over ninety percent of the life signs inside showing either Klem or hybrid Klem signatures, which might be biomass pools, she would likely get her wishes fulfilled if they could get inside the shield.
"And how do you propose that we get that close?" Max asked, just to make sure they were on the same page.
"We send our littlest charge back to her mother for processing, and then we paradrop onto the planetoid. Without much atmosphere and with low gravity, the heat from drag won't be bad, and the fall rate will be manageable. I can even arrange us some old-school parachutes."
"Can't I stay and watch?" Annabelle begged.
"No, you've gotten in enough trouble for one month. I think your mother is going to arrange for you to attend the Terminus Academy in the Engineering specialty courses. They have enough Innu instructors to keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble." Max suggested.
"With the scary Headmistress? No thanks, I like my school aboard Absolution." Annabelle rejected the suggestion immediately.
"The school you were supposed to be at when we found you inside an experimental ship, in an authorized employees-only hangar area?" Max asked.
"Yeah, that one. I mean, they're a bit slow, but it's a nice school. I heard that the Academy actually pushes you to do more work if you get ahead. Who wants to do that?"
While they were talking, Nico had opened another Portal back to a location near Absolution and had opened a precision portal through it, right to Annabelle's living room, where her mother was waiting with a very stern look on her face.
The portal had opened behind her, so the girl hadn't noticed that she had a new observer until she heard her mother begin to speak.
"So, you only liked this school because they didn't report you for sneaking out. Is that it? Well, perhaps I really should send you to the Academy for an intensive course load to catch you up on all the classes that you have missed." She practically growled at the little Innu.
"Momma? I swear, I'm all caught up. I didn't even miss a test. I'm a good girl Momma, I swear. I just got curious about what was in the hangar, and the door security was disabled, so I snuck a little peek. I didn't think that it was unlocked because they were leaving right away." Annabelle pleaded.
"So you admit that you were skipping class because it was too easy and that you knew you were in a restricted area? You are in a lot of trouble, little one. I'm your mother, so I won't send you to juvenile detention, but you are losing all privileges. I have set up a technology barrier around your room until you move to the Academy, and you are banned from all sweets and caffeine until the move."
Annabelle looked horrified and made a bolt for it, heading for a bedroom on the ship, intending to lock herself inside for safety.
Nico caught her halfway across the room and passed her off to Max, who picked the little Innu up off the floor. "Look at it this way. When you get back to Absolution, you will have learned all sorts of new things about engineering and research practices that will help you in the future.
Now, behave for your mother, or she just might put a dietary restriction on your cafeteria pass."
"Isn't that an Innu rights violation? I have just discovered apple pie. You can't take it from me just like that." She pleaded.
Max snickered at her attempt. Apple barely made her top five favourites, and she was hoping that her mother would go for the targeted effects and prohibit apple pie but not her actual favorite sweets.
Annabelle's mother stepped through the portal and took one of her daughter's head tentacles between her fingertips, lifting her head much like a human mother dragging someone by the ear when Max set the girl down.
"I see what you're doing. Don't forget that I'm your mother, and I've known you all your life. Plus, you're a CLONE of ME. You can't fool me with a simple subterfuge about what your favourite pies are. The answer is strawberry rhubarb."
Annabelle looked completely defeated at this point and feebly waved goodbye to Nico as she was dragged back into her home aboard Absolution. "Thanks for the consideration Commander and Lead Researcher. I'm really sorry to have intruded."
Nico closed the portal once they were through, and Max began to laugh. "She's a clone of her mother? I can only imagine what that household is like with the two of them sharing the same basic personality."
"I put the chances of her actually being sent to the Academy instead of writing a ten thousand word report on what she saw while we were out at about five percent." Nico agreed.
Chapter 718 718 Door Guards
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Max activated the broadcast system again and addressed the gathered fleet. [As you may be aware, humanity has been dealing with the Klem for quite a long time. If there are no objections, we will put our ship into stationary orbit over the planet and then drop in using the most straightforward methods.
They shouldn't activate the shield, and once we are inside, we can begin the investigation properly and clear out the Klem infestation from this sensitive facility.]
The Illithid aboard the nearest ship contacted Max and brought him into the loop since his own range wasn't long enough, and they waited while the Military Commanders made their decision.
[Commander Keres. If you can equip three of our people, we would like to send them with you and have them hold the exit to the facility to ensure that nothing escapes from it while you work. Might we ask, how do you plan to get past the shielding?]
[I intend to perform an orbital drop from a geostationary position, wearing a deactivated Mobile Suit, and then power it up after we are passed the barrier to reduce our landing speed to under one hundred kilometres an hour, at which point, our enhanced physiques won't take any damage.]
The pure shock that went through their minds at his comment was enough that all of the Illithid were making fun of the Military Commanders. They didn't show it on their external suits, but they had been in contact with the Illithid, which was attached to the Envoys ship, and they had filled him in on everything that was happening, as well as the basics of dealing with humans and their erratic ideas.
[Would it be possible to slow the descent rate to under thirty kilometres an hour?] The Military fleet's Admiral asked.
[Certainly, but it would be a higher gravitational force than what we had planned. Closer to four times the gravitational standard.]
With the low gravity of the small planetoid, they weren't going to be dropping all that fast, so it wouldn't be a particularly harsh deceleration, to begin with, and Nico had only planned for a landing so fast because she knew that it would save time and neither of them would risk injury inside a Mobile Suit.
[That is acceptable. We will send the team over to you in order to be fit for their equipment. Nothing in our inventory is capable of evading the shields.]
They sent out a shuttle right away, so they must have had a team prepared in advance. The Illithid informed Max that it was three members of the Metallos, the morphable metallic slime-looking species, so they wouldn't need to make any new gear designs.
"Alright, Nico, three standard-sized Mobile Suits, plus our own. Let's see the new designs that you have come up with." He told her with a wink.
There was definitely a new design since the last time he had seen the nearly human-sized Mobile Suits. They had gone through three generations of augmentic armour since then, so the smallest of the Mechanized Suits would definitely have seen some improvements. If they weren't going to be exploring a whole complex, he would have recommended a pair of Line Mecha, but these would have to do.
Nico tapped a set of commands into the screen on the closest wall, and the ship's Replicators powered up, ready to make whatever she needed.
"Can I do a grand reveal once everyone is here? They're really cool, and I haven't even gotten to product test them yet."f
Max shrugged. "It will likely be easier. If you tell me now, you'll still need to explain to them how the suits work when they get here, so we can just do it all at once."
The team was there less than a minute later, and Max moved to the back of the ship to greet them at the airlock.
They had come straight to the storage area, so they were right next to where they would suit up, but that also put them in the same bay as Cleansing Light and Shattered Pride.
"You can't seriously be intending to take those to the surface." One of the silver creatures gasped.
"Of course not. It wouldn't fit down the hallways. Those are along for surface containment of any Klem presences that we detect on other planets. They will be staying here while we go to the surface in Mobile Suits, which are fitted around the body like extra bulky power armour.
Let me reveal to you the new Dominus Pattern Mobile Suits. Equipped with a new alloy armour, Crystal Reactor power core with organic power pack backup, a three-layered shield, as well as an impressive weapons and sensor suite. It also features gravity control as well as physical thrusters for both terrestrial and orbital maneuvering.
This model features shoulder-mounted Laser Arrays on both shoulders, plus a selection of close combat weapons, including monomolecular claws, an energy sword and physical shield, or dual axes. The melee weapons can be substituted with a long-ranged Plasma or Ion Cannon for ranged compliance efforts, and the interior of the suit is fully climate controlled for all foreseeable situations, including a recycling system and nutrient injections.
The Metallos special forces operatives stared at the bulky suits in awe and then looked to Nico for an explanation. "We will learn the controls easily enough, but are you certain that these will make it by the shield without activating it?"
Nico nodded. "We have analyzed the data, and only an active power source will trigger the shield. We will be dropping in with the suits inert, as they are now, and only activating them once we are past the defensive line to slow our speed somewhat."
"Your plan is to just jump out of the spaceship and fall to the planet's surface without any form of fall control?" The operative asked.
"We can run you through a simulation so you're sure that you won't make a mistake in the timing of the activation," Nico suggested.
"I think that might be wise."
Chapter 719 719 Warm Welcome
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Once everyone was certain that they had a full grasp of the controls and sensor suite of the new suits, they all got into the bulky armour and prepared for the orbital drop. The team from the Alliance clearly still felt that this was an insane suicide mission, but they were willing to try once they saw the well-calculated data that Nico presented and learned the capabilities of the armour.
The ship was in stationary orbit over the planet, and the base down below hadn't made any sort of defensive or aggressive action, so the five of them moved to the Alliance Shuttle, which could be more easily prepared for decompression and personnel transfer. The atmosphere was sucked from the small vessel, and the suits were triple-checked for proper operation and integrity before being powered down again for the drop.
"You all know the drill now. When your altitude reaches one hundred meters, give the emergency override command and power up with full reverse thrust, both gravity and thrusters. We will drop ahead of you with a controlled thruster burn and breach the building. Once we're in, you can secure the door, and we will signal you before we return." Max reminded them.
"Got it. I am so going to end up a puddle in the bottom of my suit, but we can do this." The leader of the three-man team agreed.
They would be falling horizontally and face down so that when the reverse thrust engaged, they wouldn't lose control of the suit. They would only find themselves flattened to the bottom of it as the gravitational forces exceeded their ability to maintain their forms. It wouldn't harm them, so it was just a matter of annoyance and one that they had faced many times in the past.
Nico led the group since her internal sensors were best at determining altitude, and Max crossed his fingers for luck. There was a small chance that her body would trigger the shield, even though she had powered down as much as she could and was running on reserves just like her suit for the trip down.
The fall was a surreal experience, with the reduced gravity and no atmospheric friction, but they were steadily making their way toward the target, dropping like a group of meteors straight down at it. The Alliance had tested that such an event wouldn't trigger the shielding already, but since the facility was underground, it seemed that the designers weren't worried about impacts, or perhaps they were planning to have more Klem arrive at the site and needed to have the shields let them through.
Max sensed that there was something watching them on their way down, but it didn't seem particularly intelligent, and by the time it recognized them as a living thing, Nico had already activated her reverse thrusters, and they were on the final approach to the hidden door to the complex.
It was intended to be a hangar door for shuttles to enter, but that was no deterrent to Nico, who had already hacked the door's electronic override and caused it to crack open a few meters, letting out a stream of atmosphere for a few seconds as they passed through, then the door slammed shut behind them as the pressure alerts kicked in.
Other than the red flashing lights, there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary in this portion of the base. The lights had automatically come on when they sensed movement, everything was clean, other than some literature that had been scattered by the rapid depressurization, and a robotic secretary was installed at the desk, giving them a warm, preprogrammed greeting to the facility.
"Welcome to Rain Shield Corporation's Biotechnology Research Facility." The robotic secretary greeted them with a fake smile.
That definitely wasn't the same name that was on any of the official or unofficial documentation for this facility. He hadn't heard of it before, but something about the name gave him the creeps. After a second's thought, he realized what it was. There was an Umbrella Company in his past life that had tried to take over multiple worlds with creepy bioengineered monsters.
"It is a pleasure to be here. We have a meeting on the seventh level. Should we wait here, or will there be an escort?" Max asked.
"My sensors indicate that a group of researchers are on their way here to greet you right now. Please remain where you are until the process is complete." The robot informed him a split second before a four-armed humanoid rushed out from the elevators.
"Interlopers must die. You cannot interfere with our work here." The man insisted while charging at Max with his claws extended.
Max smacked him with the flat of his sword, knocking the creature out while Nico's mind was scanning the area.
"Those aren't the native inhabitants. That researcher is one-third Klem."
That wasn't good news. Well, except for Nico. If this lab wasn't full of Klem and biomass pools but of Klem Hybrids who could talk and reason, she calculated that she would have much more fun clearing out the infestation.
"Unauthorized visitor elimination failed. Summoning additional forces." The Secretary bot informed them right before Nico hacked her systems and took control of the reception area.
"I count thirty incoming and at least fifteen energy weapons. Are you ready for this?" She asked.
"Your suits had better hold up to some heavy-use scenario testing. My Targeting skills are up and ready." Max chuckled.
The Laser Arrays on the shoulders could fire four times a second, and it was unlikely that he would miss. The real question was, would they die if he shot them? When it came to Klem hybrid organisms, the answer could vary, and they didn't have any data on the ones who were here other than the one that Max had knocked out.
The sound of boots on the tile was joined by spiked limbs as the security team arrived. Two dozen more of the hybrids with four arms and chitinous hides were led by a Klem warrior that seemed to have evolved somehow, gaining a third pair of arms and looking much more agile than normal.
Chapter 720 720 Entryway Clear
Name:Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System Author:
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Max moved back behind a structural pillar while Nico rolled right and behind the desk to evade the first barrage of Ion Rifle fire.
"Hey, are those human-made rifles? I recognize that energy pattern." Max called over to his partner.
"Give me a second. I think they are." She replied, then stood up enough to let her shoulder-mounted weapons blast a pair of attackers and draw another round of fire in her direction.
"They are human-made. But obsolete. I'm not sure where they got them, but they are a Cygnus pattern rifle that has been outdated by nearly a thousand years. Not even the Black Wind Territory would use a rifle design that old anymore.
They're still deadly, but twenty percent lower output than the modern design, and they were known for malfunctions when damaged."
Well, that was at least enough information to tell them what they were up against, if not where the weapons had actually come from. For all Max knew, they might have gotten them from the same place they found the Klem, some fallen human world that still had remnants of the military supplies left lying around because they weren't organic and weren't of interest to the Klem.
Max leaned right and placed a burst of Lasers into the charging hybrids, distracting them from Nico's position for a moment but not slowing their momentum.
He couldn't stay exposed for long with the volume of fire they were taking. This was a Mobile Suit, not a Crusader Class Mecha, and it wouldn't take that much abuse for long.
With his shield held in front of him, Max shifted to another pillar further away, firing into the crowd as he went and watching in satisfaction as a series of heads exploded.
"Aim high. The bodies are armoured, but the heads are squishy." He called over to Nico as he ducked out of the way of another barrage of fire.
These ancient weapons, or the replicas of them, were slow firing, and Max estimated that they couldn't fire more than one round a second from each weapon.
That was a strong advantage for him and Nico since they could outgun even a group this large.
"On the count of three, pop up and fire full speed. We will thin them out while they are confused. I think they've lost some of their intelligence." Max told Nico as he scanned the area for more reinforcements.
"3, 2, 1," Max turned out from behind the pillar as Nico moved out from the corner of the reception area, and they both unleashed their Laser Arrays into the crowd.
The hybrids split in an instant, charging as they fired their rifles, barely able to overcome their instinct to use their claws to rip these two hateful Mecha apart. Their accuracy on the run was terrible, and some of them had already dropped their rifles to extend claws or draw blades that looked much more dangerous than the relic Ion Rifles.
Now that he could get a good look at them, Max could tell that they really were relics. Time had weathered them to the point of nearly falling apart, even with the attempts to repair them that had been made.
Max didn't slow his rate of fire as he charged at the crowd with his shield raised and sword extended to his side for a sweeping strike that tore a half dozen unarmoured hybrids in half in an instant. He saw their noses wrinkle at the smell of burning flesh caused by the energy barrier around the sword's blade, but he didn't stop swinging until the chaff was dead, leaving him and Nico facing off against a four-meter tall, six-armed Klem.
This creature was definitely intelligent, and though Max couldn't sense any coherent thoughts, perhaps due to a lack of language skills, the impression that it was planning its attack was strong, and he was still catching glimpses of images from it.
"It's going high." He warned Nico a split second before the creature leaped into the air and then used the ceiling to rocket back down at him.
Max rolled to the side and used his shield to block the thirty-centimetre-long claws that tipped the limb closest to him.
The shriek of metal on metal was interrupted by a shriek of pain as Nico unleashed her Lasers into the Klem and then hacked off one of its arms with her blades. That gave Max time to use his thrusters to throw himself back to his feet and begin firing again.
It was fast, slightly faster than the targeting motors in his Laser Arrays at this close distance, and it was doing an incredible job of avoiding taking serious damage from the weapons.
"Herd it toward the corner. I will hang back so that it can't leap over you and get range again." Nico called as she backed off to get a good shot at the creature.
Max slammed it with his shield, throwing the beast back into the wall, but before he could follow up, a second mental presence and strong killing intent alerted him to an incoming threat.
"Nico, above you." He called as he blasted a barrage of Laser fire into his downed opponent.
It was bleeding heavily, and its dorsal armour was shattered in dozens of places, but the Klem wasn't giving up, right up until Max brought the edge of his shield down on top of its head and crushed its skull.
As it went silent, Max could pick out the rapid exchange of metal-on-metal strikes as Nico fought the newcomer, using her twin blades to fend off six limbs while Max worked to get in position for a killing shot.
Nico dodged to the left and backward, turning the Klem away from Max for an instant as it tracked her, and Max took advantage of the blind spot to shoot the upper two limbs off, leaving it without its strongest attacks and unable to fend off Nico's next set of attacks, which knocked its arms wide and then put a pair of Laser shots through its chest cavity.
For the moment, the entryway was clear, but the inhabitants of the station had to know they were here now, and it was only a matter of time until they came again.
"Let's move forward. Gather any data that we can and forward it to the ship and the embargo line as needed." Max ordered as he shook the green blood off his equipment.