"But so far we're just scraping by, living one job at a time,"
I continued, setting my glass down.
"I've been thinking. We need to expand. Invicta is more than enough for us, but it's still just a corvette. We're limited in space battles, and ground support is basically nonexistent. We can't keep relying on ourselves alone."
Julian nodded, swirling his beer.
"You're talking about upgrading to a frigate, aren't you?"
"Exactly,"
I said, my crimson eyes narrowing with purpose.
"With a frigate, we're not just transport and hit-and-run. We'd have real firepower. Enough to engage in space battles and support ground ops with heavy artillery and tactical strikes. Plus, it'd give us room to expand our PMC size, something I've been mulling over for a while now."
Paul leaned forward, interest piqued.
"So, we'd be looking at a whole new setup. A bigger ship, more boots on the ground, a full-blown operation."
"Right,"
I agreed.
"But here's the thing. We don't just want any recruits. I don't trust outsiders, not even myself sometimes. We've all know what happens when loyalty comes into question. It's a g*ddamn death sentence."
Darius took a slow sip of his beer, considering.
"So, how do you plan to expand without bringing in the unknowns?"
I took a deep breath, meeting each of their eyes in turn.
"I'm leaning toward clones or s*aves."
Airid raised an eyebrow, his expression guarded.
"Clones or s*aves, huh? That's a hell of a leap."
"Yeah, I know,"
I admitted, my voice steady.
"Clones give us consistency. We know exactly what we're getting, same training, same conditioning, same loyalty. No surprises. S*aves… well, they're cheap, and with the right conditioning, they can be just as effective. But there's a downside to both. Clones can get… unpredictable over time. And s*aves, well, they're not always reliable under pressure."
Robert, usually the quiet one, finally spoke up.
"Clones could be a good fit. We'd have to make sure they're top-of-the-line, none of that cheap knockoff sh*t. S*aves, though… that's a risk. They need constant management. One wrong step, and they're a liability of course with extra cash there are ways to assure their loyalty but it doesn't come cheap"
Julian nodded thoughtfully.
"Clones, if we can afford them, sound like the better bet. More controlled, less chance of a revolt, and they don't have a history we don't know about."
Airid swirled his beer, his gaze fixed on the swirling liquid.
"And with clones, we'd basically be training ourselves, right? Same skills, same tactics. Could make for a more unified crew."
"More or less,"
I said, feeling the conversation aligning toward a consensus.
"But I feel like s*aves would be a better fit since with clones well would you want to look at hundreds of youre own faces plus they won't have a soul, unlike s*aves who can overtime can be turned Into one of our own of course thats as long as we dont pick any rotten apples."
Paul grinned.
"So, s*aves then?"
"Yep I'm definitely leaning toward that direction"
I said, raising my glass.
"But let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, we need the credits for the upgrades and the s*aves. One more mission, something big. We hit it hard, get the payday, and then we upgrade Invicta to a frigate. After that, we bring in the new crew, and start operating on a whole new level."
Darius leaned back, satisfaction settling on his face.
"Sounds like a plan. But what's the next job?"
I pulled out my holographic phone and started searching for the manager's contact.
"The guild manager mentioned she's got something lined up. I say we take it. We've got the gear, we've got the bodies, and we've got the balls. Let's see if the job's worthy of the Iron Fenrirs."
Airid clinked his glass against mine.
"To future new blood, whatever they may be."
The others joined in, and we drank deeply, the cold bite of the beer mingling with the buzz of anticipation as I dialled the manager and placed the holo phone on the table.
The holographic phone flickered to life, projecting a faint blue light as it connected to the guild manager.
We waited, our expressions set with anticipation, the faint buzz of the bar around us fading into the background.
The connection stabilized, and her familiar face appeared on the holo-display, framed by the ever-present haze of smoke that seemed to cling to her like a second skin.
"Iron Fenrir,"
She greeted, her voice crackling slightly over the connection.
Her synthetic eyes scanned us, narrowing with mild curiosity.
"You're back quicker than I expected. Looking for more work already?"
"We're not the type to sit around,"
I replied, leaning forward.
"You mentioned you've got something lined up for us. We're ready for another mission."
She exhaled a plume of smoke, her gaze calculating.
"Right to the point. I like that. Yeah, I've got something.
Might be just up your alley, low risk, high reward."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Go on."
She tapped a few commands into her console, sending the mission details to my holo-phone.
A moment later, a holographic display projected in front of us, showing a detailed map of the Uyiescapus system a remote, volatile sector known for its treacherous asteroid belts and erratic space weather with a single colony.
The target was a point of interest deep within one of the asteroid belts, marked with a flashing red icon.
"Ancient ship crashed,"
The manager explained, pointing at the red icon.
"Half-buried in a massive asteroid in the Uyiescapus system. It's been sitting there for who knows how long, but recent scans suggest there's still power running through it. Could be tech, data, artifacts, whatever it is, it's valuable. But the system's a mess. The asteroid belt alone is enough to tear most ships apart, and that's if the local pirates don't get to you first."
Julian whistled, studying the holographic map.
"That's one hell of a crash site. How the hell did it end up in there?"
"Beats me,"
The manager said, shrugging.
"Could've been fleeing a battle, could've been lost to time. But it's half-buried in a big-ass asteroid, and it's one jump away from E*rth. Travel time, about 86 days including hyperspace if your corvette's engines are in top shape. You get there, breach It, and see what's worth salvaging. Payment's hefty, but so's the risk."
Paul leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the holographic display.
"What about defenses? Any sign of automated systems? Guardians? Or are we looking at a free-for-all?"
The manager shook her head.
"Scans didn't pick up anything active in terms of defenses, but it's a black box down there. No one's been inside at least to my knowledge, so you'll be flying blind. And you're not the only ones sniffing around. Got word that a few other merc outfits are eyeing it too. Could turn into a bloody mess if you're not careful."
Darius cracked his knuckles, a grim smile spreading across his face.
"Sounds like our kind of job. What's the catch?"
"The catch,"
The manager said, smirking.
"Is that you're flying into one of the most unstable asteroid fields this side of the galaxy. One wrong move, and you'll end up as space dust. Not to mention the fact that whatever took that ship down might still be lurking in the shadows. You'll need to keep your wits sharp and your trigger fingers sharper."
Airid leaned back, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
"What's our exit plan once we've got what we need? Any friendly docks nearby, or are we on our own once we're in?"
"Closest friendly outpost is the Uyiescapus Prime star port,"