It felt like the right amount of room now that we had an actual warship under us, something far more formidable than our old corvette.
The chair beneath me was the same "gamer" chair, I sunk into it, stretching my arms behind my head as I looked over the utilitarian console in front of me.
My quarters were outfitted with the best tech, all wired into the ship's systems.
Leaning forward, I brought up the holo-display, the console flickering to life with various icons.
It was time I found a job, something that would get us moving while we trained our new recruits.
With a few taps, I opened up a call to the guild manager, her familiar face appearing on the screen after a few moments.
She looked the same as always, sharp and no-nonsense, her silver hair perfectly styled and her eyes gleaming with the usual calculating gleam.
"Long time no see"
She greeted, her voice as smooth and professional as ever.
"What can I do for you today?"
I leaned back, arms crossed.
"We've got a new ship and fresh recruits. I'm looking for something easy to break them in, nothing too high risk. Got anything like that on the docket?"
Her fingers moved over her console off-screen, and she scanned her list of available contracts.
After a few seconds, she looked back at me, an eyebrow raised.
"Actually, I might have just the thing. Low risk, high reward, just the kind of job you're looking for. It's a bit odd, though."
"Odd?"
I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"How so?"
"The mission's in the Homam system, two star systems away from E*rth. The task is to investigate irregular energy emissions from a brown dwarf star, Homam B-class T, a gas giant. The system's uninhabited, aside from a couple of habitable planets, one tropical and the other continental. The continental one's a bit bigger than E*arth and has some pre-sapients living on it, humanoid bodies, animal heads, that sort of thing, basically what you call a furry, there's an observation post from the Galactic Council in orbit around the planet to study them, but no significant population or infrastructure in the system itself and It also serves as a buffer zone between UNOE and Urian Prime"
I leaned forward, intrigued and replied In a joking manner.
"Uninhabited and irregular energy emissions? Sounds like a trap. What's the pay?"
"That's the odd part,"
She admitted.
"The reward is higher than usual for what seems like a straightforward investigation: 200 billion credits. No combat expected, just gather data on the emissions and report back. But, of course, the higher the reward, the more likely there's something they're not telling me."
I rubbed my chin, thinking it over. The Homam system didn't sound like much of a risk, but I had learned to trust my instincts over the years.
Still, this was the kind of job we needed right now. There should be just enough time during the trip for basic training and specialist training.
The recruits would be rough around the edges when we arrived, but we'd be ready for whatever awaited us.
"Travel time?"
"248 days with you're frigate specs"
She confirmed.
"Plenty of time for training and preparation."
I thought it over, tapping my fingers on the console. It seemed too easy, but it was the perfect setup for us right now. I had to get the recruits into shape, and this would give me the opportunity to do just that.
"Alright,"
I said finally.
"we'll take it. Send me the mission details."
Hearing this the manager's eyes gleamed as she leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a more suggestive tone.
"Actually, why don't you come by personally, Drac? I could give you the details in person… make sure we have everything properly handled."
I raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk creeping across my face. It wasn't exactly a secret what she was suggesting, and I couldn't say I was surprised.
This wasn't the first time she'd made an offer like this over the past few weeks and who was I to say no, after all as long as they weren't b*rrels or p*anks, had a hole and no d*ck and at least no an ugly face It was game on for me I wasn't really that picky.
"Personal delivery, huh?"
I chuckled, leaning back in my chair, my arms crossed.
"Alright, I'll bite. Just send me the address. But I'll tell you now, this is going to be my first time f*cking a synth."
Her lips curled into a sly smile.
"You'll enjoy it, I promise."
I shook my head, ending the call with a grin still on my face.
The moment the call cut off, I stood up, heading to the private shower in my quarters.
I ran a hand over my face, feeling the wild growth of my beard.
It had gotten out of control these last few weeks, and it was time to clean up.
I turned on the shower, letting the steam fill the room as I grabbed my old fashioned one blade razor.
As I shaved raw, I thought about the recruits. They had no idea what they were in for. My battle brothers were already breaking them in, putting them through hell.
After finishing the shave, I wiped my face with a towel, staring into the mirror.
A clean-shaven face stared back at me, sharp and alert.
Satisfied, I hit the shower and after that got dressed in my usual black space uniform, the edges crisp and sharp against my skin.
...
Meanwhile, in the barracks, things were anything but calm.
Paul, Darius, Airid, Julian, and Robert stormed through the barracks corridor, their voices booming like cannons as they barked orders at the recruits.
The once-quiet corridor was now a scene of chaos, with fresh recruits scrambling back and forth, some half-dressed, others still in their underwear, running between the bunks and toward the showers.
"Move it, you useless sacks of sh*t!"
Paul bellowed, his voice like a thunderclap as recruits practically sprinted past him, trying to avoid his wrath.
"You think we've got all day?!"
Darius stalked between the rooms bunks, his face twisted into a snarl as he towered over a group of recruits who were dragging their feet.
"Get your lazy asses moving, NOW! Shower time isn't a f*cking luxury!"
Some recruits stumbled, nearly slipping as they sprinted toward the showers, clutching their meager belongings.
The sound of running water from the female and male showers, hurried footsteps, and the constant shouting of orders filled the air, creating a sense of impending doom that hung over the barracks like a storm cloud.
Yin and Yang only In their PMC issued sports bras and sports shorts were among the recruits, their hearts pounding in their chests as they tried to keep up with the chaos.
They were already covered in a thin layer of sweat, their muscles aching from the relentless drills over the day.
The tension in the air was suffocating, and the shouting made it hard to focus on anything but survival.
"LET'S GO! I don't see those needles marked legs moving fast enough!"
Airid shouted at them as they scrambled to grab their towels.
Both sisters flinched, the intensity in Airid's voice hitting them like a physical blow. Yin, her eyes wide with anxiety, glanced over at Yang, who was barely keeping it together.
"Come on, we have to keep up,"
Yin muttered, her voice shaky as she wiped sweat from her brow.
They made a dash for the showers, but before they could reach the doors, Robert caught sight of them.
"Oh no, not so fast! Down on the ground!"
Robert snarled, pointing at the floor in front of him.
The twins froze, their hearts hammering in their chests.
"On your f*cking faces and give me ten push-ups! NOW!"