Ash parted the curtains and stretched, he was fully topped off of energy. "Ahhh, it's a good day to work." He smiled as the afternoon sunlight hit him.
Behind him, Degenbrecher and Margaret were huffing like they went on a marathon.
"Sleep well girls, I guess you're tired?" He smiled at them and he started cleaning them up. Ash aired out his room too because the smell of their horizontal tango was saturated.
"Hmm, let's develop something that will give my spec ops an edge." Ash smiled and remembered a popular armor that gave soldiers that fought superior enemies an edge.
The mjolnir power armor. "Hmmm, it is said that the power armors in Halo weigh a thousand pounds... But we can change that massively." He smirked.
He began drawing up a blueprint of a power armor that is powered up by originite prime. Smaller scale nuclear reactors aren't feasible yet.
So he started to create the basics of the power armor that he'll give to the best assassins and soldiers they can train.
In his quick and general blueprint. It would look just like the mjolnir. With the outer plates being made of condensed graphene.
While the mesh on the joints and the inside suit will be a carbon nanotube mesh that can withstand high caliber bullets multiple times.
But the thing he really wanted was for an automatic arts unit that would be able to bend light and give some energy shields.
Like a switch, the operators will just activate it and they'll go invisible. With a little camera for sight around the area that would be deployed.
"Hmmm, good, good. And for their weapons, something like Texas' sword that I made for her? Yup, that'll do. A high powered plasma wrist blade that can pierce through armor." Ash was having fun designing it.
And their main armament would be a heavy assault rifle with high explosive rounds for maximum fatality.
"I guess I'll try to perfect this for now." Ash looked at his hasty blueprint and sent it to the research department for now.
"Hmmm, what should I do next? I feel productive today. Being enlightened after sex does wonders, I should do this more often." He nodded sagely.
He remembered that he needed more researchers. So he opened up a map and Emperor's list of organizations that he can hit up.
"Columbia... I need to infiltrate them pronto, illegal experimentation there is high in incidence. If something like Narcissa's case happens. There must be tons more out there." He squinted his eyes.
"Ash..." The Sarkaz twins and Narcissa walked up to him and they pointed at their stomach.
"Ahhh, I guess Adele's got to do some work and she thought I'll deal with lunch..." He smiled wryly and patted their heads in apology.
He gave them the cookie jar so they could have a bit of food for now and he put on an apron.
"I guess I can give Degenbrecher and Margaret some food too. Wait up guy, I'll whip you up something quick." Ash smiled at them and they nodded at him.
Manipulating the bonds of the vegetables and meat. He made them tender like no other. "Ahh, the almighty curry spice mix. You've saved me once again." Ash prepared some beef curry and cooked some rice.
He made a super large batch due to the Sarkaz twins eating a lot. And he left them to eat with Narcissa in charge of getting seconds for them.
Ash left some food at the table besides the sleeping Margaret and Degenbrecher.
He then looked at the twins more carefully. "They're unlike any described Sarkaz at all... What is their subspecies?" Ash observed them and didn't know their specific race at all.
He then took some hair from them in order to see just what kind of Sarkaz are they.
"Narcissa, I give you full permission to play the consoles okay? Have fun with Alastor and Astaroth." He rubbed her cat ears and Narcissa's eyes widened.
"Really? Roger." Narcissa saluted at him and she ate her food more vigorously so she could go and play.
Ash told the twins to follow Narcissa's lead and he went to the lab. With an order to Shining, she fetched multiple DNA samples from all the Sarkaz they got.
With Patriot the only one missing as the Sarkaz subspecies they do not have the DNA of. Not like they were wendigos anyways.
Running their DNA at the lab, there were no matches. And when he tried to splice them together. The twins' DNA dominated the others.
"Interesting." He tried his own DNA and the two fought for hegemony. But his won out in the end, except that the fighting was fiercer than he expected.
"They must be an elder race of the Sarkaz..." He furrowed his brows and it was a great find.
"I guess I'll give them some time to acclimate first and then check what is it exactly that they can do." He asked Shining to send out the conscription for now.
After Degenbrecher and Margaret were at their best shape the next morning. Ash and any member of his team that is in the military started segregating the ones who want to fight.
"Ash, there have been approximately one thousand people from the Sarkaz that wanted to fight. All of them are combat ready as far as I can see." The trio of Shining, Margaret, and Degenbrecher gave him reports.
"Put them in military drills, I'll segregate the teams myself." He looked at the list and made parameters for them.
Like arts, preferred weapon, race, likes, dislikes, even their favorite food. So they could maintain unity to the maximum of the squads that will be formed.
"Ash, can I make a request?" Mudrock who has been a mercenary for a significant amount of time signed up for the conscription.
"Sure, if it's something I can do." Ash nodded at her. "I want to stay with my current squad, can you do that?" Mudrock trusted them and he thought that was the case.
"Approved, everyone will be testing for their capabilities for now. Then the necessary training will be given. Work hard Mudrock." He smiled at her and she nodded.
"I will, it is only been a few days here. But this place is so much better than Kazdel or being recruited as mercenaries." Mudrock was satisfied at their living arrangement.
"Hmph, it's so so." Sonus huffed and was being difficult again.
"Hmmm, then your clan will be going to do the examinations of the new conscriptions." Ash pointed at her and she of course complained.
"Ahhh! Why me!? Why are we going to do it?" She frowned at him and he snorted. "Because I want to. And the pragmatic reason? The banshees are good communicators and your arts can stop rogue ones." He shrugged.
Sonus can't argue with his reasoning, but with his first reason. It was obviously a power trip. "Kuu! Remember that the banshees never forget!"
She stomped on the ground, but she did what was told of her anyways and the banshees accepted the job of being the examiners in order to compile data.
And while they were doing that, he asked Shining, Margaret, and Degenbrecher to hand pick the very best ones.
He worked on their power armors and began development for it.
Especially the chip that would regulate emotions and dump out traumatic memories for the assassinations that they would undoubtedly carry out.
"Hmm, this is going to take some time." He scratched his head and checked on his phone after he received a notification.
"What? Talulah fractured from Patriot, Yelena, and Alina? But that's impossible..." Ash furrowed his brows and called for his team.
He said he'll be going to Ursus and just promised he'll explain later.
Ash flew to the northwest tundras of Ursus and tried to locate Reunion.
After flying in the sky and checking for their positions. He found them after an hour of searching.
"Patriot!" He called out to the camp and the Reunion members began to prepare to fight.
"Hey, easy, easy... That's someone we know. He's the one providing the supplies for Reunion." An older member.
A Reunion soldier with a white cloak, a member of the Yeti squadron of Yelena's.
"You one of Yelena's can you call any of them? I heard some news and I looked for Reunion to hear what happened." Ash asked the yeti squad member.
"It was rough... There's a lot of new members because the more radical ones broke off with Talulah." The soldier informed him and he ran off to call the leaders.
"Radical? I don't like where this is going." Ash furrowed his brows.
After waiting for a bit, he saw Alina and Yelena. "Hey guys, where's Patriot?" He looked around and the three meter tall wendigo is nowhere to be seen.
"Patriot is been doing patrols more often with his shieldguards. Your supplies were a lifesaver Ash..." Alina explained, but she looked really gloomy.
"So, what's the problem? Explain to me please?" He looked towards Yelena and she sighed.
"It happened about a couple of months ago... Reunion has been stronger than ever. Especially because of dad getting rid of his oripathy flare ups." Yelena frowned like she swallowed something bitter.
"We... were being hunted down relentlessly by the Ursus patrol. But everything changed when we were harassed by the Emperor's blades." Alina got anxious just remembering it.
"So they sent more huh..." Ash could see that happening after he took care of a squad of them.
"A significant amount of the members got severely injured or killed. But we managed to save a lot with your medical supplies. The problem though, was before dad was able to drive them away. The blade revealed that Talulah is Duke Kaschey's heir." Yelena sighed.
"Damn, I can already imagine the reactions of the members..." Ash furrowed his brows. "Yes, that didn't really help. The emperor's blades didn't harass us anymore after Patriot drove them away that time." Alina had a sad expression on her face.
"Talulah was under immense pressure. And it all snapped when a village that we found executed infected that were innocent... They lured them into a barn and let them freeze to death or starve to death. Children included." Yelena gritted her teeth.
Ash just listened in and thought that must be the catalyst of the fracture of Reunion.
"So? What happened next?" They went quiet so he probed them for more.
"Talulah burned down the whole village. She snapped and killed every single person in the village." Alina teared up and couldn't believe it still.
He breathed in sharply and couldn't imagine that. "Talulah? That Talulah who's a scaredy cat? The little girl that's been putting up a front for Reunion as it's leader?"
"Yes... We then had a massive argument and a fight broke out. Our phones were destroyed by the clash. And then Talulah said that she'll bring justice to the infected. Something that we won't be able to give them she said." Yelena finished it up and she massaged her temples.
"I always thought something was wrong with her anger. But this is much much worse. There might be another factor at play here. Talulah won't massacre people just like that. She knows that children might be at that village." Ash shook his head in disbelief.
"We cannot believe it either Ash." Alina sighed. "I'll try to find her, maybe I can talk some sense into her." Ash clicked his tongue.
And it's at peak business of Paradiso as well. "Talulah has some great timing. Give my regards to Patriot. And here, you can contact me if you have any news of her or something." Ash gave them some new phones.
He looked around the area, and the radicals must have been much more than who stayed behind.
"Damn, of course they'll be angry. Ursus is such a pain in the ass. This is why propaganda is so troublesome." He sighed at the stupidity of the villagers.
"Something's suspicious here, I'll let penguin logistics and what's left here try to find her for now. I can't leave Paradiso right now." He clicked his tongue and went back to the city.
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Putting a lid on Talulah going on her own way for now. Ash tasked Shining, Liz, and Margaret to go to Columbia in order to contact Rhine labs.
"Girls, I want you to send a message to their director. Offer them funding, as much as they want. Rhine labs is a corporation in the end. Their greed will win. Researchers have massive egos." Ash laid out the plan for them.
"Hmph, they think they're smart because they have a lot of knowledge. But they are not wise at all. They would think that the heads of Asmodeus enterprise are idiots." Margaret squinted her eyes. Her sense of justice burning.
"They probably do not even know that you're the sole owner of the enterprise. Even penguin logistics and MountainDash is in debt to you for giving them choppers to conduct business more efficiently." Shining snorted and would be having fun in this operation.
"I can finally repay you a bit Ash. I wanted to stretch my muscles a bit too." Liz smiled at him and she felt good that he'll be trusting her to go with Liz and Margaret.
"I'll give you the message here." He slid them an envelope and Shining took it.
"So we will be infiltrating as well and try to find dirt on them?" Shining smiled and he nodded.
"Shining, you're an infiltration expert as well. Go in and check their research. If it's like Narcissa's at all. Then we go in and expose them to Columbia. After that, they disappear to no man's land." He gave the conclusion if they find a positive in their research.
"Understood, Liz, Margaret. Let's plan our trip to Columbia shall we?" Shining called for a meeting.
Ash trusted them with it, especially with Margaret and Shining together. He just wanted Liz to go out, have a trip with her friends.
"Hmmm, now I concentrate on the military and their power armor. I'll show these plebs how science can dominate politics, economy, and war." He went to the research department.
With Degenbrecher teaching the new recruits how to fight properly and wield all kinds of weapons. They'll be ready for action if Kazdel wants to have some beef with them for forcefully taking refugees.
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Arriving at Columbia in a chopper, the trio of Margaret, Shining, and Liz were dripped out. The Sarkaz wearing dresses while Margaret used her outfit when she was the NTR knight in Kazimierz. (pic of Shining)
They rented a limo and went to the location of Rhine labs. Without even informing them first.
Asmodeus enterprise is that huge after all, they're not only a big company. Anyone that has Ash's seal is also treated as importantly as the twin empresses of Leithanien that even the largest empires have to pander to.
"We're NGO diplomats that are here in behalf of Asmodeus enterprise, give that to your head director." Shining haughtily gave the letter to the receptionist.
"You've got five minutes to bring the director of Rhine lab before we leave and offer other labs our partnership, your time starts now." Shining shooed him off and the guy looked at her dumbly.
After a few seconds, he panicked like he was on crack and ran towards the office of the director.
"That was mean, Shining." Liz looked at her with amusement. "I concur. That was a bit too haughty. I'm going to start to believe that you enjoy being a rich and arrogant lady, Shining." Margaret chuckled.
"It's just acting, acting... Shut up." Shining pouted at them and they waited impatiently.
After four minutes and thirty seconds, they were going to the limo again as Shining shook her head.
"Too bad Rhine lab, it seems you're going to squander the chance." She began walking away.
"Wait! Wait!" A woman appeared and she was panting. The letter in her hands as she tried to catch her breath.
"Hah, I'm. Hah, Kirsten Wright. The director of Rhine lab. What is this offer from Asmodeus enterprise that I've heard?" She smiled pleasantly after catching her breath. (pic)
"Took you 4 minutes and 49 seconds to get here. Only 11 seconds to spare, is Rhine lab really on board with this partnership? I think not." Shining put her shades down a little and raised a brow at the director.
She gave a strained laugh and her eyebrows twitched. "I assure you, Rhine lab is interested in this connection." Kirsten smiled.
"I see, then let's walk around Rhine lab shall we?" Shining gestured for her to lead and Kirsten quickly went back inside the building.
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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.