Daniel stood to the side as he watched the Admiral's AV leave his Cargo Bay.
He regretted manipulating and deceiving the war hero, but if the Admiral had seen the actual weapons his Marines used, he would have tried to arrest Daniel. This would have resulted in him discovering that Daniel was a hologram, which would have led to his ship being taken away or destroyed.
He sighed, before turning away from the now-closing doors and making his way back to the Marine Compliment Module.
He could have just returned to his digital form and arrived instantly, but something about walking down the corridors of his ship made him feel human again.
A few minutes later, when he entered the Range once more, he was greeted with the distinct sound of weapons fire. Except this time it wasn't the sound of bullets exploding from brass casings, but instead was the sound of D.A.R.T. rounds snapping through the air.
Direct Autonomous Rifle Targeting rounds were something Daniel was still mulling over. According to Lt. Lincoln, they were rounds that could aim themselves, ignoring things like airflow and bullet drops by sporting tiny fins that were controlled by an onboard control unit.
He'd examined the round, which was propelled by the M312A34's magnetic rails. When the Admiral had been here, the gun had been shrouded by a hologram. Now, as he watched his Marines continue firing, he saw blue energy shine through vents in the barrel, indicating the miniature Rail Gun was firing without incident.
The M312A34 "Khopesh" was the upgraded version of the service rifle the Marines were familiar with. It was able to be configured for almost any condition. Extreme wind, humidity, dryness, snow, rain. Honestly, Daniel was sure it could fire underwater, although the System insisted that wasn't possible.
The other weapon, the Remington 1240 "Scimitar", had been equally covered in a hologram. Instead of two cylindrical barrels, there was one long rectangular barrel that had 10 slits attached to the end. The Scimitar fired smaller D.A.R.T. rounds that were controlled by the weapon itself. The targeting computer was designed to lock on to hostile heat signatures within its field of fire, then aim and target up to 10 individuals.
Sgt. Gutierrez had demonstrated the Scimitar against multiple targets in the Tactical Scenario Room, instantly clearing a room of 6 targets with one trigger pull.
The Aani ENTTs were the only thing that hadn't been covered in a hologram. Only the mini-gun, the MG6000 "Tabar", was covered. It was not that futuristic looking, but the ammunition had been easily visible, and the Admiral hadn't been allowed to see the D.A.R.T. rounds in the open.
Daniel watched his Marines a moment longer, before discreetly calling his Lieutenant over. Lt. Lincoln understood his intention and silently made his way over to the Commander, making sure not to draw the others' attention.
"Yes, Commander?"
"We got what we were after. I'm giving you three days to whip your Platoon into shape, then we are departing for Imperial space."
Lt. Lincoln responded with a wide smile, obviously relieved to now have a mission, before saluting and making his way over to his four Sergeants.
Daniel stayed a moment longer, before dismissing his holographic image and returning to his Digital form.
He was surprised at the warm feeling that settled over him when he returned. It felt like a comfy blanket over his mind.
"SAI, how far are we from the nearest Imperial System?"
[Commander, according to the Jal System Station Charts, the nearest Imperial System is the Dok System. It is 6 Jumps away if you wish to avoid the blockade.]
Daniel thought for a moment, before accepting the detour. No sense in getting into trouble with the Imperials before he could begin his contract.
He took a moment to review his ship.
**
[Star Ship Review]
[Name: Venator]
[Affiliation: NONE]
[Ship Classification: Nun-Class Destroyer]
[Ship Modules] (Select Module To Expand)
- Reactor: Online (Level 2)
- Light Cruiser Reactor: 0/1
- Sensor: Online (Level 3)
- Sensor Components: 28/50
- Sauveterre Engine: Online (Level 2)
- Sauveterre Engine Components: 4/10
- Hovarth Drive: Online (Level 2)
- Hovarth Drive Components: 2/10
- Weapon System: (Level 2) Mk ll Horus Rail Gun, Mk ll Apep Missile Launcher
- Weapon System Components: 16/30
- Shield Generator: Online (Level 3)
- Shield Generator: 0/30
- Armor: 10000/10000 (Level 4)
- Armor Components: 0/40
- Storage: (Level 2)
- Drone Command: Online (Level 2)
- Drone Components: 0/20
- Residences: Restricted (Level1)
- Capacity: 2000/2000
- Marine Compliment (Level 1)
- Assault Shuttle: 1/1
- Capacity: Platoon (37/37)
- Lieutenant: 1/1
- Sergeant: 4/4
- Corporal: 8/8
- Marine: 24/24
**
Daniel noticed that before he'd upgraded his Shield Generator and Armor Components, he'd used all of his Storage Capacity and still been able to transport all of the Components.
"SAI, why was I able to carry more than fifty units in Storage."
[Commander, the Storage capacity refers only to the space available in the Cargo Bay. When I needed to carry more, I was forced to use the storage space on the Min Harvest Drones. I recommend you do not try that again, otherwise, you might find yourself without the use of Drones.]
Daniel thought he felt his cheeks heat. He was embarrassed he'd overlooked something like that. He knew that SAI was right, that if he made a habit of exploiting the space on his Drones to carry more components, he would regret not having them available when he needed them.
Currently, the Storage was full, which means he wouldn't be able to collect more components. Since he'd obtained what was for all intents and purposes a privateering contract, he would be able to find an abundance of components on any merchant freighter.
Daniel began to strategize. With his new [Marine Compliment], he would be able to attack merchant freighters without damaging the actual ship. He would be able to take whatever was in the cargo hold.
His thoughts screeched to a halt, before looking back at his [Review]. At the moment, with a Level 3, he was able to detect the shape of a ship, its modules, and its inhabitants, but he was unable to tell what exactly was on board. But maybe...
"SAI, if we sell all of the other modules, would we be able to obtain the necessary components to upgrade the Sensor?"
[Commander, you would only need to sell the Sauveterre Engine and Hovarth Drive Components. Each one is worth about 700,000 Galactic Credits.]
Daniel's heart seized. He had 6 Components, which adds up to 4.2 million Galactic Credits.
He barely thought for a moment before immediately selling the components, and nearly jumped out of the ship in joy when the credits hit his account.
He quickly purchased the rest of the needed Sensor Components, instantly ordering SAI to begin the Upgrade.
After his small manic shopping spree, he was left with 1.2 million credits, just enough to purchase the rest of the Weapon Components he needed.
His enthusiasm at the sudden windfall disappeared immediately when his bank account was emptied in short order. He sat there for a moment, chastising himself for his impulsivity. He doubted he would have made a different decision, but it was unhealthy to make such a unilateral decision without at least some thought.
Daniel sighed, resigned to wait for the Upgrades to complete, idly wondering what they would bring.
He was surprised when the entire day passed before the notification arrived.
[Ding]
[Sensor Upgrade Complete]
[Weapon System Upgrade Complete]
Daniel took a deep breath, setting his mind, before selecting the first notification.