"Defending a frontier planet from an orc invasion, huh?"
I mused aloud.
"Sounds like a challenging job, but I believe we're up for it. Of course, the compensation would need to be commensurate with the scale of the task."
The Elven man nodded eagerly.
"Of course, I'm prepared to offer a substantial reward for your services. The safety of the planet is paramount."
I took another drag from my cigarette and exhaled slowly.
"How much are we talking?"
I asked not rushing to seal the deal at all.
"1 billion galactic credits and the right to spoils of war."
The fatso said visibly pained at the prospect of saying goodbye to 1 billion credits.
I quickly did the math inside my head and the pay was more than enough after all not many species could put up a fight against orcs.
"Alright, here's what we'll need to know: the planet's location, the size and strength of the orc invasion force, and any additional information you can provide about the threat."
The fatso seemed relieved that I was willing to accept the job.
"I'll provide you with all the necessary details"
I nodded in agreement.
"Good. Once we have all the information, we'll make our preparations and set a course for the planet in question"
With that, I stubbed out my cigarette in an ashtray and extended my hand to the Elven man to seal the deal. This mission could be just the kind of challenge my crew needed, and the compensation would certainly help fund our continued operations.
...
What's the ETA on our resupply?
I asked Einherjars AI as we walked through the pedestrian's walkway after sealing the deal with the fatso.
23 hours commander.
The AI reported as It showed a bunch of diagrams and timetables in my HUD view.
It was clear that the main reason for the delay was the procurement of materials for cold fusion torpedoes.
The Light Elven Collective, as a peak Level 3 civilization with a foot in level 4, primarily relied on cold fusion technology for their energy needs.
Obtaining these materials was proving to be somewhat challenging, given their importance to the elves' energy infrastructure.
If they were a genuine Level 4 civilization primarly using antimatter energy technology, the process might have been smoother, as cold fusion materials wouldn't hold the same significance.
"Well, It's good enough we managed to secure some at all..."
I muttered while walking, only to hear a loud crash as I did I looked to the source of the crash only to see an electric cars door fly straight at me in my slowed-down view.
I stepped to the side just enough for the door to fly straight past my cheek and embed itself in the Starport's alloy wall.
As my eyes fell on the little dark elvan girl a cousin of light elves who had splintered off from the light elves thousands of years ago inside the electric car whose heartbeat was getting slower by the second in my ears the memories of my past resurfaced in my mind.
"Execute order 66 over!"
My platoon commander's voice rang in my earpiece as I looked at the dirty and malnourished elderly, men, women, and kids with ragged clothes sitting on the ground hugging each other while crying in my view.
"Copy over."
I said it in an emotionless ice-cold voice as I and my soldiers raised our assault rifles and pulled our triggers.
I coldly watched the screaming and wriggling people with no emotions in my eyes as they got pierced by hundreds of bullets.
Only to see movement amongst the dozens of bloody corpses.
I let go of my assault rifle allowing it to hang by my right side and drew out my pistol from my holster.
As I reached the still-alive little girl I raised my pistol to her head she asked her final question.
"Why?"
I pulled the trigger without answering.
"Tch! F*cking memories"
I cursed to myself as I irritatedly ran my hand through my hair while walking to the accident scene.
I shoved the calling, talking, and filming people aside with my hands and walked to the dying 10-year-old girl dressed in a simple white dress that was drenched with blood already.
"It seems like you've won the lottery today kid..."
I muttered softly as I grabbed the mangled doors and effortlessly ripped them off.
"Eh, what that hell is he doing the girl is already good as dead?"
"911 yes there was a car accident please send help immediately!"
"Don't ask me anyways whatever he's doing is giving me likes."
Said an Elvan cyber-punk teen while filming live with his holographic phone.
I unplugged the safety belt and laid the girl's bloody body on the ground.
I grabbed the hand-sized window glass in her stomach and pulled it out while I bit into my right wrist.
I wordlessly allowed a spew speaks of my pitch black blood to fall onto her bleeding wound before my nanites healed my wrist in seconds.
A few seconds later the bleeding wound started closing itself as the nanites Infected her body evident from the rapidly spreading and dissapearing black blood vessels
The girl's white-as-paper completion slowly returned to normal as nanites sbegan doing their magic.
Suddenly I felt a pitch-black scythes blade press against my neck while the world around me froze.
I looked up only to see a male grim reaper dressed in a black tuxedo with white 053 tag and pitch-black eyes staring at me.
"Who are you, she was destined to die today"
The grim reaper who looked no older than 15 said while grinding his teeth.
Hearing this my face's expression darkened instantly.
Motherf*cker! This punk doesn't know his place at all!
I cursed in my mind ready to pull out my scythe and decapitate the punk who didn't know how to respect his elders only for another middle-aged grim reaper to pop out of nowhere and heavily smack the punk.
"053! Get down on all fours now!"
The middle-aged grim reaper roared only for the punk to utter his protest.
"What the hell senior?!"
The wronged reaper screamed while massaging the back of his head only for a fist to slam into his face.
"Goddamn punk! If I say kowtow immediately, you kowtow no questions asked!"
The middle-aged reaper roared while punching and kicking the young reaper until he was black and blue.
"Senior I apologize for my junior! Please forgive us!"
The middle-aged reaper said with cold sweat trickling down his forehead as he slammed his head into the ground while at the same time forcefully slamming the punks head into the floor who was now on all fours.
"021 you should educate your juniors better, I've only been retired for two weeks"
I said in a low dangerous voice while staring at the prostrating duo as I lit up a cigarette and took a drag while squating down before the duo.
We grim reapers had a hierarchy, the lower the number the higher up the hierarchy we were and my number was zero.
"Yes sir! I understand I will educate the junior!"
The middle-aged reaper once again kowtowed.
"Hmph! You better because next time heads will role, now scram, and don't f*cking dare reaping the kid any time soon, the kid should experience life for a little bit"
"Understood sir!"
The middle aged reaper kowtowed again, stood up, opened up a pitch-black portal to the fourth dimension and dragged the punk into it without looking back because he didn't dare to stay a second longer than needed.
Dracula was well known for his short temper and his mood swings amongst the grim reapers, in fact the number of reapers he tore to pieces just because they got in his way were in the dozens.
Because of this the grim reapers came up with a number of infamous monikers for him such as prince of death, Deaths hellhound, kin slayer and a bunch of others.
As he did time unfroze.
Seeing that the girl was alive and well I turned around and started heading towards one of the berths where Einherjar was silently floating in outer space waiting until It could sail again.
...
"Angel..."
The little girl muttered in her half conscious state as she looked at Dracula retreating back, as for the reason she identified him as angel.
In the girls eyes she could see a pitch black hodded death angel covered in spiked armor with black fether wings dragging its scythe overlapping with Draculas figure.
Normally any sain person would feel repulsed, disgusted and absolutely terrified but for some reason she didnt.
Even the middle aged reaper was completely terrified by just lying his eyes on Dracula.
The reason why she could see Draculas real identity was because like the punk reaper said she should have died today, yet someone who shouldn't exist in this time and space interwiened.
Because of It the girl was now a part of the supernatural world, whether it was a blessing or a curse was entirely up to her to decide.
And It would be years later until she finally met her savior again, but that was a story for a later time, she still had a whole life ahead of her.
Until threads of fate would make their paths meet again.