"Impressive, I'll admit. But just like grandfather said no one, no one crosses the Hunters and walks away unscathed."
Julian nodded, his expression grim.
"Dracula's no ordinary merc. His record may be almost two centuries old, but the man's instincts and reflexes are razor-sharp. That video is proof enough. The way he and his chain operate, they're fast, brutal, and tactical. And that makes them dangerous. "
Lionel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes still focused on the now-frozen image of Dracula on the display.
"What's our move, then? We can't just send any outfit after them. We need mercs who can match their skills and their ruthlessness."
"Exactly,"
Julian agreed. He walked around the desk, pacing slowly as he spoke.
"We can't afford another public embarrassment like what happened to John. It's bad for business, and it makes us look weak. What we need is an outfit of mercs with the firepower and experience to take Dracula down. But we have to be careful. If we rush in with the wrong team, they'll get torn apart, just like the Urian Prime mercenaries."
Lionel frowned.
"So we bide our time? Wait for the right opportunity?"
Julian turned, his eyes narrowing as he met his father's gaze.
"Yes. We wait. We monitor them, find out where they're taking contracts, who they're working with, what their weaknesses are. Once we have a clear picture, we'll strike. But not before."
Lionel snorted, his fingers tapping restlessly against the arm of his chair.
"That sounds like a long game, Julian. And you know that youre grandfather Is not a patient man."
Julian smirked.
"Trust me dad, neither am I. But this is more than just family honor now, it's about reputation. We need to make sure that when we move, we wipe them out completely. No survivors, no traces. It has to be clean, efficient, and final."
Lionel stood, his towering form casting a long shadow over the room. His hand clenched into a fist as he thought about John, his pride, his bloodline, humiliated at the hands of Dracula.
"He will pay, Julian. He will pay for what he did to John."
"Oh, he will,"
Julian said, his voice dripping with venom.
"I've already started looking into some high-tier mercenary outfits. There's one in particular that I think might be up to the task."
"Who?"
"An ex OIST unit, now working freelance,"
Julian explained, pulling up another holographic screen showing dossiers on the group.
"They're experienced, ruthless, and hungry for work. If anyone can take out Dracula and his team, it's them."
Lionel examined the files, nodding slowly.
"They look promising. But we need to make sure they're ready for someone like Dracula. He's not just a brute, he's smart. And his men follow him without question."
"We'll run a few tests on them, vet them properly before giving them the job,"
Julian replied, closing the holographic display.
"In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on Dracula's movements. Let him think he's safe. Let him build up that ridiculous Death Chain of his. The bigger they are, the harder they'll fall."
Lionel smiled darkly.
"And when they fall, we'll be there to bury them."
The two men stood in silence for a moment, the tension in the room palpable. This was more than just a vendetta, it was a calculated plan for revenge, one that would see Dracula and his squad annihilated, piece by piece.
"Make sure everything's in place,"
Lionel said, turning to leave.
"I want to know the moment we're ready to strike."
Julian nodded, his eyes gleaming with cold determination.
"Don't worry dad. When the time comes, they won't see it coming."
As Lionel left the room, Julian turned back to the display, his mind already working through the details of the plan.
Dracula's days were numbered, and when the time came, the Hunters would make sure there was nothing left of him or his precious Death Chain.
The game was on.
...
2200.10.04 94 days later.
Airid's eyelids fluttered open slowly, the sterile white lights of the medbay casting an almost heavenly glow above him.
He blinked, disoriented, his senses struggling to catch up with reality. His body felt oddly light, like he was floating.
The cool, antiseptic smell of the medbay hit his nostrils as he gradually became aware of his surroundings.
As he shifted on the bed, a large holographic display above him lit up with a bright.
"Welcome Back to the Land of the Living!"
In flashing neon letters, followed by virtual fireworks bursting across the room in a cascade of celebratory colors.
He blinked in confusion, his mind still groggy, when suddenly, there was the unmistakable sound of champagne bottles popping open.
He turned his head, his neck still stiff, to see Dracula and the rest of the gang standing around, grinning like a bunch of lunatics.
Each one held a bottle of champagne, the bubbles spilling over the rims of their bottles as they cheered.
"Welcome back, buddy!"
Julian called out, raising his bottle in the air.
Darius leaned in, his smirk wide.
"Took you long enough to wake up. We were starting to think we'd have to leave you on life support permanently."
Airid groaned, his head still spinning.
"What the... how the f*ck did you know when I'd wake up?"
Dracula, standing at the foot of the bed with a sly grin, took a swig of champagne and set his bottle down.
"Oh, we didn't."
Airid's confused expression deepened as Dracula continued.
"We kind of kept you in an artificial coma... specifically for this."
Airid blinked again, processing the words.
"Wait... what?"
Dracula chuckled.
"Yeah, after we got you stabilized, we figured you'd pull through. So, we kept you in a coma for a bit... you know, so we could do this properly. We couldn't throw a welcome-back party if you woke up randomly. Would've ruined the surprise."
Airid stared at Dracula in disbelief.
"You... you kept me In a coma just to throw a f*cking party?"
Julian, struggling not to laugh, held up his bottle.
"What? You don't appreciate the effort?"
Paul grinned, holding up a bottle.
"In our defense, we did save your life first. Priorities, right?"
"Yeah, you should be grateful,"
Darius added, clinking his bottle with Paul's.
"We waited for the perfect moment. It's not every day we bring someone back from the brink of death because that someones reaction speed Is s*it"
Airid shook his head, half in disbelief, half in amusement.
"You guys are absolutely insane."
Dracula gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"You wouldn't have it any other way."
Airid tried to sit up, his muscles stiff and aching.
"How long was I out?"
"About three months,"
Dracula replied, pouring himself another glass.
"We finished the mission on Med Karash I, and are on our way to the citadel a few more hours until we dock."
Airid groaned again.
"Great, missed all the action."
"Don't worry, man,"
Paul said, leaning against the medbay wall.
"You didn't miss anything too exciting. Just a few salvage operations and a hell lot of boredom, oh, and we went viral on Galactic Tuber."
"Wait, what?"
Airid's eyebrows shot up.
Julian pulled out his holo-phone, projecting the now-famous Iron Fenrir video into the air.
"Yep. You're part of the hottest merc outfit in the galaxy now. Apparently, people like watching us blow sh*t up and almost getting killed."
Airid watched the video for a second before shaking his head again.
"I can't believe I'm waking up to this."
Dracula grinned and raised his bottle one last time.
"Welcome back to our little place of madness, craziness and a s*itload of pure stupidity Airid."
With a smirk, Airid raised his hand weakly, gesturing for a drink. Julian passed him a bottle, and Airid, still groggy and in disbelief, took a sip.
"Guess there's no escaping you lunatics."