Raptor One – Chapter 114
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Walking out of the building deck after placing a 4 meters tall assault mech on my cloak was a new sensation as I walk back to the ship, or I was to if Mercy did not stop me again outside.
“Captain, I know you have predator animals on your ship.” Mercy say to me and I and Peppy stops to look at her.
“Da, what about it?” I ask back with a tilted head.
“They are zergs aren’t they?” She ask me, not for a answer but for confirmation of her certainty.
“Da, they started more like wolfs, but now they have full zerg appearance, why? Does they place any danger to the station or people?” I ask back.
“No, I was just asking because I have this.” She say and show a orb full of circuits. “That’s a pet pod, it uses the same technology as the mech but for organic beings, transform their body into rebuildable molecules and imprint it’s soul data in it so they won’t die ever again unless the pet pod is broken.” She say and extend the Pet Pod to me. “Here, you can have it, I hear that zergs are very hard to tame, so losing it to a stray bullet can be maddening.” Mercy say while throwing the pet pod to me.
“Spacibo Mercy, need something as help?” I ask back after catching the pet pod.
“For a matter of course, yes, I have a certain situation that needs help.” She say with a nod.
“So?” I pry further.
“So that means we need help on Aster IVb, it’s close, there are rampant piracy due to a war on the only colonized planet there, resources aren’t arriving and the war effort to decimate the zergs are failing due to pirate blockades, we the Adeptus are in need of help and each and every pirate on the system have a bounty of 50.000 credits each at least, and if you want more you can fly down the planet to aid the war effort by using your new mech, we won’t leave a titan standing by.”
I nod at her words and give my thanks for the present, some talk with Sigma later I get some information.
*Aster IVb is a solar system under the control of the Adeptus Mechanicus, their school and homeworld on this galaxy is located there but due to numerous problems with their planet they are unable to expand back to their outpost on the solar system, that along with the lack of harmony with the people that needs the colony planet have gone into piracy, but the popular consensus is to help the colony world Aster Prime.*
I nod in understanding, due to a lack of proper government because of the war with the zerg hive the outposts have gone dark, but the people living there still try to help the colony world, but there was a problem due to piracy that made the war effort grind to a stop and with the navy unable to be deployed they need someone to hunt the pirates down...
Okay, it’s clear what we need to do, but first I need to ask the girls.
“What do you think Peppy? Should we go there and hunt down the pirates?” I ask Peppy.
“I don’t mind, but the risk is high aren’t it?” She ask me back.
“Da, but the reward is quarranted, even more if we hunt down the group one by one, they should not have more than 5 ships, even if they do they should not be big nor warships.” I say with certainty as warships and weapons are hard to the your hands on, specially warships.
I myself only got my hands on a warship because I built Tenacity into one, from a frail mining ship to a hardened warship, not the easiest of tasks mind you, but one that can be done with time, knowledge and dedication... It’s already good our dear Tenacity was not grounded forever and scraped...
Getting back to the girls I asked everyone to round up at the bridge, minutes later we where ready to talk.
“So here’s the catch, I got my mech, it’s still basic and don’t have weapons but ignoring that we got a new way to defend ourselves, next is that we got a hint, the system Aster IVb needs pirate cleaning duty, so I’m here to ask you all what you want to do, do we just go our day hauling cargo or do we go fighting pirates? Your call.” With my words done I just relax on my chair, with a nudge I feel Lycanis wake up from her hibernation, coming my way.
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With the girls busy talking with each other as they decide what we are going to do Lycanis enter the bridge, her big frame now completely like a zerg zergling, four limbs, a pair of wings, sharp teeth, hard plates, and a mixture of White, blue and red paint as her coat, her intimidating look make the girls stop their talk and look at Lycanis as she slowly walks to me before sitting in front of me.
I give the big girl a pat on the head and watch as her eyes close, our link getting stronger as I communicate with her, seeing if she’s okay with having her soul data permanently on my hands...
What I receive is a yes, she already gave me her okay even before being saved on the train that fateful day.
With her acceptance I press the orb, it beeps in acknowledgement before being placed on Lycanis head, the Pet Pod collecting her soul data completely before devouring her body into a cloud of red mist, one that was devoured by the orb on my hands.
Looking at the now red orb in my hands I see a status pop up, details of Lycanis like her name, health, gender and much more now available along with her tameness to the currently holder of the Pet Pod which is locked to my soul data just like the mech.
Placing the orb on my cloak with a sigh I sit back down and look at the girls.
“Got a conclusion yet to our destiny?” I ask the girls, breaking their stares and getting their minds back to work.
“We are destined to glory!”
“Peppy... Don’t joke around devochka, where are we going? Cargo mission or combat mission?” I asked again.
“Well, we can’t leave a entire colony to suffer due to rampant piracy.” Peppy said while crossing her arms.
“Are they good enough for us to help? Do they deserve it?” Nail say while shaking her head.
“I got a look at their data and close reports, despite being a machine cult they like living things as much as machines and don’t mistreat the living.” Shy said with a sigh.
“Then that makes us into a impasse, Zu wish to help, and nail don’t while I am neutral, what about you Cold?” Peppy ask Cold.
“I’m in for a battle only if they are worth it, are they worth it?” Cold say while looking at me.
“Sigma?” I talk to sigma.
“*Online Omega, what's your order?*”
“Give us their dark history if there’s any.” I ask Sigma.
“*Understood... Hacking Nav Relay... Complete. Retrieving Ripstream data... Complete. Connecting to Wifi archives on planet Aster IVb Prime... Complete... Mirroring records to ship computer frame... Complete*”
With that I had the data from the adeptus mechanicus and their dark history, so I started reading, they had a grey, almost black history, coming from many galaxy of distance from ours, almost 20, where the place is death incarnate and warp travel is danger itself, they had to keep a gray morality due to the ruling power there that hail some sort of messiah, the world where battle and bloodshed are never stopping, but some managed to escape here and where reformed, yet they kept their name of Adeptus mechanicus, no longer do they revere technology blindly like their brethren nor they transform their captives into flying skulls anymore, but are a bonafide white faction despite looking so... Mangled, distorted by technology.
It’s clear that there’s no pure white, but there’s no pure dark too, I myself is one of those, black in appearance, but white in ruling.
Passing the resumed historical data of the adeptus to the girls VR I start talking. “We will help the adeptus, their past may be questionable but they aren’t bad, I myself had contact with some of their ranks, and saw no black heart, only vessels with oil as fuel.” I said while looking to the girls.
“If that’s your thinking, I’m in, I also see no motive to refuse as their history comes from a blooded past, humans are all like that despite most taking a pacifist route nowadays.” Cold nodded.
“So it’s a tie breaker, 3 to 1, still on with your words Nail?” Peppy asked Nail.
“Nope, they got my respect, coming from a dark place yet keeping their spec of gray to white, I’m surprised, let’s help the buggers.” Nail said with a smirk. “And kill some pirates in the process.”
“Okay, our next step is set, well go to Aster IVb and hunt the pirates down before going for some land support on the planet, am I clear?” I ask the girls back.
“Yes Captain!” They all say in sync.
“Okay, we need to prepare, Peppy grab some canisters of LEF from the station, Zu, go get us some Fe ores for refining, we may need it for repairs, for the ship and the mech as I'm pretty sure well need to deploy the bugger later, also we are going to update your armors again, I'll make a double layer Ti plate for you all, you girls don’t have enough ‘Fitness’ training, I don’t want to see any of you dying on me...” I said and got quiet thinking for some time. “Grab some circuits too? No, get us asteroid sand, they should discard those, from it I can make silicon and circuits, so get some Cu ores too.” I said with a nod and they saluted before heading out.
“I’ll grab the LEF.” Nail said and got out.
“I’ll get the Fe(Iron) ores.” Peppy said after a glance with her sister.
“I’ll take the Cu(Copper) ores” Shy said and walked out with her sister.
That leaves Zu and Cold.
“Well I’ll prepare the ship nav console for departure...” Cold said and tried to move to her station but I caught her by the tail making her squeak in surprise.
“Niet, you’re not, come here.” I said and gently pulled her back by the tail, keeping my strength in check due to the carbon fiber muscles under my armor, just a small squeeze can kill someone.
“Wh- What?” She ask with a blue face as I place her on my lap, my hand moving to her neck before disengaging her armor with my master key, Zu did not stay standing with a gaping mouth but came to my side and pressed her breasts on me after disengaging her own armor.
“I need some blood, and maybe some love, can you help me?” I said with a chuckle, my fingers playing with Zu’s breasts making her gasp in pleasure while I play with Cold’s stomach, my hand ever close to her folds or breasts making her mind tremble in anticipation.
“D- Do as you please.” Cold managed to say with a shuddering breath making me grin.
“Oh, how I'll do just that...” I said on Cold’s ears, a puff of red air passing over her ears...