Darius, Paul, Robert, Airid, and Julian were all sitting around in various states of annoyance, still dressed in medical gowns that left little to the imagination.
Darius was the first to spot me.
"Well, look who finally showed up,"
He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
"About time, Drac. We've been sitting here in these damn gowns like we're about to join some cult."
Paul snorted, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, no thanks on the cult bit. But if you don't get us out of here soon, I might just start going stir-crazy."
Robert, always the quiet one, just nodded in agreement.
Airid, meanwhile, had a mischievous grin on his face.
"Nice of you to join us, vamp, forget we were still alive?"
My facial muscles twitched, stepping into the room and dropping the duffle bag onto the floor with a loud thud.
"Who the f*ck do you think howled you're baby faced smooth hairless asses back to Invicta you ungrateful f*cks?"
With a dramatic flair, I unzipped the duffle bag and dumped its contents onto the floor. A cascade of brightly colored, vacation themed clothing spilled out, from floral shirts to flip-flops, beach towels, and even a couple of wide-brimmed hats.
Paul's eyes widened as he leaned forward, picking up a pair of neon-green swim trunks. "What the hell is this?"
"It's a vacation,"
I said with a grin, leaning against the wall. "After we almost died again, I figured we could use some downtime. So, I decided to throw an impromptu beach vacation. Uyiescapus Prime Is a rather unique colony mainly because of Its natural halucigens In the air produced by planets fauna"
Darius raised an eyebrow, picking up a shirt covered in tropical flowers.
"Natural halucigens? Isn't that like I don't know not the best of ideas?"
"Don't sweat It"
I replied, crossing my arms.
"Even for normal baseline unaugmented humans its only on the level of making them feel like being In a vacation vibe 24/7 plus I think all of us need some downtime to get our marbles In order especially after that serum"
I said looking at my battlebrothers with a knowing look, despite their silence I could see their micro shakes of their hands and the subtle tapping of their feet.
I knew precisely what they were feeling, and It was the subconscious urge to pummel the s*it out of the first unlucky guy who got In their way.
Airid like always decided to brake the awkward silence by letting out a laugh, as he shook his head.
"Only you, Drac, could turn near-death experience into a vacation plan. I'm in."
Paul shrugged, already pulling off the hospital gown and replacing it with the neon-green swim trunks.
"F*ck it. I've got no complaints. Beats sitting in a medbay."
Julian, who had been quiet the entire time, finally spoke up, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I'll admit, I didn't see this coming. But you know what? I could use some sun."
"That's the spirit,"
I said, tossing Robert a pair of sunglasses that matched my own.
"Get dressed, schmuks. We've got a space lift to catch."
After a quick wardrobe change and a few rounds of laughter at how ridiculous we looked, we made our way to the space lift that would take us down to Uyiescapus Prime's surface.
The starport was bustling with activity as we walked through the terminal, a mix of travelers, workers, and mercs moving about their business.
As we reached the space lift, the massive structure loomed above us, connecting the starport to the savanna type planet below which was 20 percent bigger than E*rth and was rich In high quality minerals.
The lift itself was a marvel of engineering, large enough to accommodate cargo shipments and personnel transport in one go.
The sleek, transparent windows allowed a full view of the planet as we descended.
"First time I've ever been excited to see another planet,"
Robert muttered, adjusting the oversized beach hat on his head.
Paul grinned, leaning against the glass wall of the lift as it began to move.
"Better soak it in. This kind of relaxation doesn't come around often."
I stood at the front of the lift, looking down at the vast expanse of Uyiescapus Prime's surface.
As the space lift descended toward the surface of Uyiescapus Prime, we all stood quietly for a moment, taking in the view.
The planet stretched out below us, a mix of golden savannas, glistening lakes, and distant mountains.
Despite being larger than E*rth, it had an air of serenity, like a vast, untamed wilderness waiting to be explored.
"G*ddamn,"
Darius muttered, looking out at the scenery, "it's a hell of a sight. Almost makes you forget we were just bleeding out in a frozen death trap."
Airid chuckled, adjusting his floral shirt.
"I'll take this over freezing my ass off any day. Plus, I'm curious about these 'natural hallucinogens' you mentioned. You sure it's safe, Drac?"
I shot him a smirk,
"Like I said, Arid, for regular unaugmented folks, it just puts them in a mellow mood. For us? It'll barely tickle. Hell, we need it. After all we've been through, a little brain fog might do us some good especially considering those new aggressive tendencies of ours"
Julian crossed his arms, staring at the approaching surface.
"Let's just hope the locals don't lose their minds too easily. Last thing I want is to be dealing with a bunch of spaced-out civilians."
I waved him off,
"The colonists here are used to it. They've been breathing this stuff for generations. The worst you'll get is someone trying to hug you or tell you their life story."
I grinned.
"Sounds like a perfect vacation to me."
The lift reached the surface with a soft hiss, the massive doors sliding open to reveal the colony's capital city.
The warm air hit us immediately, carrying with it the earthy scent of savanna grass and something a bit… sweeter.
It was subtle, but I could feel the faintest tinge of calmness settling into my mind.
We stepped out onto the bustling streets, the capital a mix of modern and retro. People moved about, wearing oxygen masks due to the planet's low habitability which was only 20 percent compatible with humans but luckily for us our augmented bodies just barely made the cut, for the most part, the atmosphere seemed relaxed.
The streets were wide, with old-school electric cars humming past us.
The design of the colony gave off a weird, almost nostalgic vibe, like walking back into the 21st century, only with a futuristic twist. Neon signs flickered above storefronts, and pedestrians shuffled between cafes and shops, chatting and laughing in the warm sunlight.
"Feels like we stepped into a time machine," Paul said, nodding toward an old electric sedan that glided past us.
"You sure this is the future?"
Robert adjusted his sunglasses, taking it all in.
"It's got character. I like it."
We walked down the main thoroughfare, blending in with the crowd as best as six augmented 2 meters tall scarred, beach-attired small giant mercenaries could.
The locals glanced our way, some with curiosity, others with mild amusement, but no one seemed overly concerned.
Most of them wore relaxed expressions, no doubt due to the hallucinogens in the air, and even the busiest street corners had a laid-back vibe.
People moved slowly, as though they had nowhere urgent to be.
We passed by a shop displaying antique tech, old radios, vinyl records, and ancient gadgets that probably hadn't seen use in a century.
I couldn't help but stop and peer inside.
"Think that old stuff still works?"
Darius asked, nudging me.
"I bet it does,"
I replied.
"Some people have a thing for vintage tech. Guess it reminds them of simpler times."
Julian snorted.