Karnax the Blood-Tusk was angry.

As the Captain of the Red Maw, one of the largest mercenary bands in this corner of the galaxy, he thought that escorting the Traveler, the luxurious cruise ship that journeyed through the Sea of Stars would be an easy mission. After all, everyone knew how much backing the Traveler had and its passengers were almost always Super VIPs.

Even some of the craziest pirates and criminals in all of the galaxy would not dare to attack this ship.

Landing this job has been easy for him. After all, he was one of the Gor’Khath. They were some of the most battle-hardened warriors in the entire galaxy, known for their bloodthirstiness and endless desire for battle. Hot-headed warriors who would fight even for free if that would mean they could satiate their hunger for a worthy fight.

But Karnax was different. Karnax was smart. Like his tribes’ members, Karnax loved battle. The catch was that it was a battle he could win that he loved.

And this was not a battle he could win.

“What the hell is the first wing doing? Bring up the organic shields now! We are getting decimated by those Time Rays.”

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his large heavy fist hitting the console and his eyes blazing, a sign that he was about to berserk. His skin slowly went from green to red and his breathing became somewhat erratic.

This whole situation was like a big fat joke. Cosmic beasts were not the kind of easy monstrosities that a small group could tackle. All they could do was stall for time, but how were they even supposed to do that when the Time Ray bypassed all mechanical defense without exception and reached the pilots directly?

As if fighting that giant monstrosity alone wasn’t enough, abyssal beasts had banded behind the Crocodile. They were not too hard to deal with but were certainly troublesome as they had to divert some attention to them.

The AI soldiers were doing their best, thankfully, but their directives were limited. Not everyone dared to hire true AI like the ones on Oz planet.

This whole situation was rather hopeless.

[We apologize. We first need to deploy the shields in the shelters to protect the VIPs. Keep holding on for some time.] A robotic voice reached him swiftly. But the words they uttered made him see red quite literally.

“Keep holding on to my ass!” This time Karnax roared, his pair of tusks trembled, showcasing his anger. He was giving his all to control his temper. Only by controlling and channeling his rage could he keep a clear mind.

“Let me make one thing clear.” He breathed in deeply, his skin slowly shifting back to a greenish hue. “Contract or not, I will not sacrifice more of my men for such a futile endeavor. If I do not receive those shields in three standard minutes, we will withdraw immediately. I will pay the penalty for the breach of contract if necessary.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

All the members of his mercenary band were part of his tribe. Valiant warriors who had followed him for years on the battlefield even though back on their home planet, he was known as Karnax the Coward.

Gor’Khaths did not fear death. They followed the path of the Hunt and War. Dying on a battlefield was an honor that would allow them to ascend and drink forever in the halls of Kharn’Valh.

However, there was a difference between dying in an honorable battle and throwing their lives away to protect people who were simply not worth it.

In his ear, he could hear the sound of his brothers and sisters raging in protest, screaming at him that they could still fight. That dying against a cosmic beast like The Crocodile would be a worthy death.

He ignored them all. Most of them had already gone Berserk and would fight without caring for anything else. He would not let them, however. He had specially equipped remote controls on their Frames just for situations like this.

The main communicator stayed silent for a few seconds – as if they were considering his words carefully – before a new voice reached him. It was the voice of a woman. She did not have the slight robotic timber those AIs had so he knew he was finally talking to someone high up in the ship’s command.

[I apologize for the delay. I understand the situation. You can retreat three steps now. You do not need to engage directly. Just make sure to keep the abyssal beasts away from the main ship.]

Karnax frowned at her response. He had been ready to argue his way out of this situation or simply withdraw if things took a turn for the worst. The new orders changed the whole scenario, however.

“Are you sure…?” He couldn't help but ask. He was positively bewildered. After nearly 80 years of working as a mercenary, he knew how those super companies thought and worked. For those megacorps, mercenaries like them were just expendable resources.

[If you wish to still fight in the front, I can easily take back my order.]

Karnax raised his hands in surrender. The situation was suspicious but there was no need to reject her proposal.

He simply had one question.

“If we retreat, who will take care of the Vanguards?” His doubts were logical. The role of a vanguard could never be understated. Did they have some sort of secret legion? It wasn’t impossible given the kind of backers the cruise had going for them.

Even as he spoke, Karnax sent orders for his comrades to reposition themselves. After all, every second lost would mean more deaths.

[Well. The vanguard will be…]

Her words were interrupted as a loud alarm blared through his Frame. This was a signal to warn about the intrusion of an unknown Frame in their midst.

“Wha—” Karnax gazed at the screen showing the ongoing combat in real-time. Hundreds of monsters fought against teams of deployed Frames and his comrades. Time Rays flew everywhere, affecting even the abyssal beasts. The Crocodile’s ray did not spare anyone.

Amid all the chaos, the newest Frame joining their side was extremely eye-catching despite its dark design.

“Zoom on him.” The screen zoomed in and he was able to recognize the Frame.

“A Shadowblade model?” He wondered out loud after a short moment of doubt. The appearance was slightly different and more feral than the usual models. But this was undoubtedly a Shadowblade. Nothing more than a mass-produced standard Frame. Even if heavily modified, there would be limits to its ability. Furthermore, the Shadowblade model was focused on interpersonal combat, assassination, and swift strikes. It had no place on a battlefield as crazy and combat-heavy as this one.

“Has the pilot gone nuts?” He asked, wondering if the frame was piloted by a robot carrying explosives that could implode an entire planet or something. This was a doable strategy. A very costly strategy but still very effective.

It did not take long for him to swallow his words as the ensuing events left him utterly speechless.