Turns out it wasn’t a proposal.

“Right… So how would a Mercenary partnership work?” I asked.

“Since both of us have our own ships, we can agree on a fifty-fifty split in our base rewards. Then we can either decide that the kill rewards also be split or the one who gets the kill receives the full sum,” She explained, looking especially chippy.

“What about the cost of resupplying our ship? Do we calculate the cost and subtract from the rewards before we split or do we handle it individually?”

“We can go either way, but since we’re going to be in an equal partnership, we’ll each deal with our own costs after we receive our share of the rewards.”

“So there’s such a thing as unequal partnerships?”

She grinned, “Of course there is. Like if you’re hiring me as a crew member on your ship for example. Since you own the ship, the standard cut would be probably five to ten percent of the reward. And that’s not the total reward but from your cut of the reward if you’re also working with other Mercs.”

“So if I were to have a crew mate with me while working with you… And we earned a thousand credits… My crewmate would only get twenty five to fifty Credits? Doesn’t that seem… I don’t know… Unfair?”

“Pfft, there’s captains who pay even less. You’d be the one footing the bill for the ship maintenance, supplies and everything else that ensures your crew is fed, alive and happy after all. Ah, but of course mutiny is not unheard of so yeah, watch out for that if you are planning to hire some people~”

Ugh… I guess I should keep note of that in the future…

She leaned in, “So what do you say? I’m suggesting a sixty-forty split on base rewards and killer gets the full kill reward for this partnership. The sixty being your share.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Why sixty-forty?”

“Weeeeeell~ I want to use your ship facilities if you don’t mind~” She admitted with a sly smile.

Right… So she’s basically letting me have an extra ten percent so that she doesn’t have to pay rent while in the station.

Hmm…

As though sensing my doubts, she quickly added, “Come now, you get to have my expertise and wisdom as your senior at no extra cost! And even if I look like this, I am a level three Gold rank Merc you know? Normally I would be the one asking for a sixty percent share of the rewards instead.”

I mean… If she puts it like that, I suppose it is fair.

“Alright, I agree to the terms. Do we need to do a contract or…”

“If you don’t trust me then yeah. Otherwise we can just shake on it.”

I gave her a wry smile, “If I don’t trust you to keep your word, then it would be a mistake to let you come on board my ship in the first place.”

“Heh, got a good point there. Alright, then here’s to a fruitful partnership!”

She stuck out her hand and I grasped it with mine, shaking on it.

“Alright!! Then I’m gonna go get my stuff and be right back!”

She stood up and ran out of my ship at record speed.

Well… Guess I have a partner now?

While she was gone, I decided to go ahead and add the locks that I said I would do.

I trust her enough to let her stay here and partner with her, but I’m not dumb enough to trust her completely just yet.

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I left the bunk room unlocked but the captain’s quarters and pilot cabin were locked to her.

Then I took the time to check my SC and I noticed a new message popping up just as I brought up the screen.

It was a notification of quest completion and I received three thousand Credits as a reward and an additional eight thousand for my kills.

Strange… I thought it was three thousand per pirate? Or is it because the enemies I killed were medium sized corvettes so they are worth more? So even for kills, there’s a different price for it…

And judging from the fact that I was given sixty percent of the base reward, Amber must have contacted Ges or set it up after we had agreed on it. She works fast which was definitely a good thing for me.

Well, at least I’m no longer broke.

Adding to the Credits I got from before, I have thirteen thousand Credits to my name right now.

Still not a lot but at least it’s something.

At this point, I just need a stable source of income and then slowly work my way up.

I most probably wouldn’t admit it to her face, but Amber’s presence really helped me a lot. The alternative for me was to literally try and search up all my questions on my Codex and that would take quite a bit of time.

As though on cue, I heard a buzz on my Codex and I looked down to see a display showing a view from the exterior cameras of my ship, revealing Amber standing outside with several boxes of stuff with her.

What the hell did she bring over?

I unlocked the door for her and she skipped in with a few of the boxes, “Hey~ Got my stuff! So do you want me to put my stuff in your room or shall I just leave my things in the spare room and sleep with you night?”

I blinked at her, “What?”

She paused and turned to me, “Eh? Wait… I thought… Oh… Oh… I thought you wanted to sleep with me. You know, with your comment about liking girls and all. Wait, are you really letting me stay here and use your ship’s facilities just for a ten percent increase in your rewards?”

I coughed, “I… Umm… I thought since we were partners and all… Such things were just… I don’t know… Normal?”

“Oh wow… Ok…” She then dropped her boxes on the floor before placing both her hands on my shoulders. “Tera, my girl. I’m just going to tell you this. The universe isn’t as kind as you think it is, ok? There’s gonna be people out there who would take advantage of you. And it does not actually pay to be nice here.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, “Aren’t you being nice to me?”

She sucked in a breath and sighed, “Oh gods… Tera, you are so, so cute… Now I’m feeling fucking guilty. Fuck… Before I say anything, do you want to fuck me?”

“I… I err… I can’t? I don’t have a dick.”

She scoffed, “You’re not the first girl I slept with. Though if you grew a dick, I suppose it would be the first dick I would want to be fucked by.”

Oh… Well I’m not unfamiliar with the concept of yuri so I suppose her sexual preferences don't surprise me… But the fact remains that I am, mentally at least, still a guy.

I pursed my lips at her, “Do you usually sleep with girls you just met?”

“Please, I’m not that promiscuous. I’ve only slept with one other girl before and she was my ex. And if this isn’t obvious enough, I’m courting you right now, Tera.”

Ah… Ahhhh… Ahhhh?!

I raised my hands, “Hold up, wait a minute. You just met me today!”

“So? A Merc’s life can end tomorrow, don’t you… Ah, right. Memory loss. Fuck. Oh my god. I’m so embarrassed right now.”

She even covered her face with her hands and she was blushing up to her ears.

That was an unexpectedly cute side of her.

Now it was my turn to clasp her on the shoulder, “Amber? Err… I admit that I’m a little bit unsure about this but… I can safely say that you are an attractive woman, at least to me… In fact I was even thinking you were out of my league so I didn’t really assume that… Well… You know…”

She peeked out from her hands and raised an eyebrow, “Me? Out of your league? Are you sure you’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Huh? No?”

“Tera… Have you even looked in a mirror lately?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

She stared at me for a while before heaving out a sigh, “I’m either the luckiest fucker in the universe or the most unfortunate… Fuuuuuuck…”

I was about to ask her what she meant but she recovered before I could, the golden haired Merc pointing a finger at me, “Alright! Challenge accepted! I’ll make you fall for me instead! I’ll make you be the one coming to ask to fuck instead of the other way around! You better get ready, Tera!!”

Err… Ok?

Truth be told, if she’s going to let me, I’ll gladly sleep with her the moment I get myself a dick to fuck her with.

What?! She’s fucking hot! Can you blame me?!

Any guy who tells you that they wouldn’t tap that ass is either gay or blind! And since I’m neither, you bet I’m gonna tap that ass!!

Now I just need to earn enough money to do it!!