"As In you two were f*cking complicated way?"
Hope asked not hiding her jealousy one bit.
"Fine, we used to f*ck, happy now?"
I barked back as I ran my hand through my hair after taking off my fully enclosed helmet.
Sensing my frustration Hope decided to take a step back and apologise.
"Look I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked but tell me honestly did you love her?"
Hope asked as she opened our room's doors.
Hearing this question I fell Into silence because truthfully I wasn't sure myself, we grew up together, we understood each other like the back of our hands and we were ready to give our lives for one another no questions asked so I guess you could call It love.
"I think I did"
I finally answered as we entered our room.
"And do you love me?"
Hope asked as she turned around and faced me.
Once again I couldn't help but fall Into silence, sure I was attracted to Hope but compared to Lilith the time I've spent with Hope Is minuscule.
And Hope wasn't the one who sat In a flooded trench together with me, she wasn't the one whom I shared body warmth with at minus 40 degrees Celsius conditions In a single sleeping bag, she wasn't the one I shared a loath of spoiled bread to satiate our hunger.
And she definitely wasn't the one who carried me on her back through the battlefield when I got shot.
"Yes, if you can call hormones and chemicals f*cking with your brain love then yes I do love you Hope, but compared to the bond I shared with Lilith It's child's play"
I answered without sugarcoating It to the disappointment of Hope who upon hearing this bit her lower black lip.
"But I can't deny that the more time I spend with you the more crazier about you I become"
I added as I grabbed Hope's chin with my armored fingers and gave her a f*ench kiss.
"Sigh* Just how many times did you get Into girl's panties with that silver tongue of yours you g*ddamn rascal?"
Hope asked with a pouting face after our lips parted.
"I've lost count"
I said while shrugging my shoulders as I unequipped my power armor with the help of the system and replaced them with my usual clothing with the only exception being that instead of a combat shirt, trench coat, and gloves, I replaced It with a black short-sleeved T-shirt and a field jacket with Integrated elbow guards and rolled up sleeves.
"Why the change?"
Hope couldn't help but ask as she gave me a once-over.
"I'm no longer alone, am I? After all my backstory Is a merc, isn't it? Shouldn't I and my battlebrothers look the part?"
I asked while grinning as I summoned my battlebrothers while stripping them of their gear and replacing them with the same custom made clothing that I bought from a random street vendor that had a 3D printer.
While also summoning a bunch of medical supplies and proceeding to treat the serious Injuries such as big ass large caliber rounds holes In their bodies.
As I hooked them up with plastic packs full of nutrients, energy, and calories that their wounded to various degrees bodies desperately needed.
...
As Arid who was the death chains paramedic regained consciousness, he subconsciously wanted to grab his assault rifle only to freeze upon seeing Dracula In his trademark black military clothing smoking a cigarette as he looked at him with the same look he did then he first woke up.
After dying In a hospital from old age only for the crazy f*cker who was supposed to be dead to steal his corpse from the morgue and turn him Into a cosmic marine.
Seeing this Airid whose dark blond hair with locks of white with his sides and back shaved clean and his top no longer than 15 millimeters.
Blinked his crimson eyes with the shade of green which was his eyes original color.
Looked around only to see other members of their death chain who just like him had varying degrees of albinism condition mixed with their original appearance.
Look at each other with confused eyes, although these men looked more or less the same they still had their ethnic characteristics to give them unique appearances.
MC POV
"Hey you lazy f*cks, have you forgotten military discipline or what?"
I barked at top of my voice as I did the 220 centimeters tall give or take a few decimeters men covered in their black field uniforms sprang to their feet and snapped to attention.
Seeing this I burst out laughing.
"Hahaha you should have seen the look on you're faces It's f*cking priceless"
I said while clutching my stomach while looking at my battlebrothers who looked like It was their first day In basic.
Only to pull Airid who I considered to be my best friend Into a bear hug and after that proceeded to do the same to others with my cigarette still stuck between my lips.
"Hey vamp, what's the f*ck Is going on? The last thing I remember Is repelling the HDDs, LORs and UAs marines that boarded Ares and who Is this woman, why the hell does she have cosmic marines Implants, and organs In her body, weren't female cosmic marines deemed not cost effective?"
Airid couldn't help but ask calling me by my nickname while pointing at Hope dressed In the clothes she came with sitting on the bed with her legs and arms crossed.
Before I could answer Paul with short curly dominant amber hair with his sides and back shaved clean mixed with white and crimson eyes with a shade of brown my chains anti tank operator spoke up.
"Sorry to Interrupt weeb but Is It me or does It feel like a de ja vu of the time we died of old age only for this motherf*cker of ours who was supposed to be dead to bring us back to life?"
Paul cursed while grinning as he looked at the gang covered In bloody bandages, casts, and fresh stitches.
"Urghhh don't even mention It fish man every g*damn time the f*cker would get drunk he would start mumbling nonsense about extending his lifespan and witnessing humanity conquer the solar system"
Robert with sleeked back dominant black hair with white streaks and crimson eyes with a shade of black the chains mass accelarrator sniper rifle operator also cursed.
"And you know what's the worst part scrooge? The lunatic actually achieved It"
Julian the chains anti tank operators assistant a man with perfectly combed to the side bloodred hair with white parts and originally gray eyes said.
"I don't know about you cezar but I certainly like this kind of life more than lying In a f*cking hospital bed as a vegetable who can't even take a shit by himself"
Darius with short cut light gold hair with streaks of white and crimson eyes of blue shade the chains Lazer Gatling guns operator said while shrugging his shoulders.
"See you morons the fritz gets It"
I said only for me and my boys to start laughing our asses off until we were practically In tears.
Just like they said just after they kicked the bucket I nabbed their old and allied corpses, stuffed them Into mobile fridges, and turned them into machines of war.
I can still remember their facial reaction upon seeing each other coming back from the dead.
"Anyways long story short the war Is over the UNOE, HDD, LOR, and UA are gone, and you and I have been drifting In space for almost 100 years until I got caught by E*rth's gravity and met Hope"
I said as I stuck my cigarette bud In the ashtray and lit up another one.
"As for who Hope Is well you uncultured f*cks except for our weeb over here will find It hard to believe but she has a system that allows her to travel between parallel universes"