Path to Becoming the Greatest Space Mercenary

After traveling through hyperspace for another seventy-six hours, Avery watched as the dark blue hues of hyperspace fella way, and normal space took hold again.

He had been ready to encounter some sort of issue along the way, but despite the ongoing war, no one had barred the Intrepid's path to its destination.

Now, they were just outside of the space of a massive structure.

It looked like four stations that had been smashed together and was the main base of the Odium Syndicate.

Unlike other locations controlled by the criminal organization, this one was not hidden somewhere deep in interstellar space or disguised as some other business.

No, it stood proudly in the center of a system that the Odium Syndicate controlled.

There were only two planets that were basically worthless and a small star that they rotated around, but it still was an entire system within the Zatis Consortium.

The fact that a criminal organization was allowed to use the space so openly was further evidence that they were being supported by the Consortium's government.

On their approach to the station, they were scanned several times, but the Intrepid's cloaking technology was superior.

Their advanced weapon systems and large hangars were fully disguised, and the Odium Syndicate was none the wiser.

However, seeing all of the turret outposts and assault ships floating around was nerve racking.

One wrong move, and they would start attacking like a nest of insects that had been kicked.

Still, ostensibly, Avery, using his identity as Ferdinand Karas, was escorting Delia to a meeting among the leaders of the Odium Syndicate to discuss their recent catastrophic losses and what the war meant for their business.

Their cover story was that he had rescued Delia at the last moment before she was captured by the Alliance Police and then used his credentials as a cargo ship captain to smuggler her across the border not long before the war began.

That was why he was allowed to approach such a place without the proper credentials.

Of course, their ease of infiltration was once again thanks entirely to Delia.

All she had needed to do was show her face for a minute during a call and send over her access codes.

"We've been cleared for docking. Initiating procedure now."

Unlike a smaller station where they would have needed to ferry people across with shuttles, the Odium Syndicate's main base was more than large enough for even a ship as large as the Intrepid to dock.

Which was a necessary part of the plan, as they were going to be invading the base.

This would be done in two different groups. With the first being led by Avery and accompanying Delia to the meeting with the other higherups of the Odium.

Each of the executives was only allowed to bring five people along, so it was going to be Avery, Kasandra, Ezra, Olivia, and Kaiden pretending to be Delia's guards.

They were the strongest fighters in the entire Asteria Mercenary Company, meaning that they had been the obvious choice for the more isolated mission.

Though, the second assault team would be taking on a no less dangerous endeavor.

Unlike the base in the Dramid Alliance, Delia was unable to remotely shut down all of the Odium Syndicate's defenses. At least, that was what she said. Whether it was true or not, Avery did not know. Still, he had no evidence to the contrary, so he just had to believe her.

So, the second team, led by Burke and Liesel were going to be heading into the station to take control over the station's security systems.

Finally, Jasmine was going to remain on the Intrepid to command things from there and organize reinforcements if they proved necessary.

"I don't know when you are going to do it, but the moment that you act against me or a member of my crew, I'm putting a laser through your skull." Avery whispered, threating Delia as they travelled through the Intrepid's lift system.

While most people might have been afraid or outraged by suddenly receiving a death threat, Delia just smiled brightly at Avery like he had just offered to buy her an expensive gift.

"Oh, there won't be any need for that. I don't have anything against you planned. All I want you to do is escort me to the meeting, and deal with the rest of my crooked associates when the time is right. Truthfully, you have no reason to be worried about me."

Avery glanced over at Kasandra, wondering if maybe Delia had slipped up.

Regrettably, a shake from his wife's head told him that from what she could tell, Delia had just uttered the truth. Not that anyone believed her.

Soon they reached the airlock connecting them to the station, and when the doors opened, a pair of guides were already waiting on the other side to escort Delia and her "guards" to the meeting room.

Along the way, Avery kept a close eye out for any hidden threats, but from what he could tell, things were clear.

Delia, for her part, kept quiet and did not show any signs that the people playing the role of her protectors were actually a hostile force that would not hesitate to put her down if she acted even slightly suspicious.

After around eight minutes of walking, they finally reached the meeting room where the leaders of the Odium Syndicate had gathered.

When they walked inside, Avery immediately recognized a few of the people present.

Some were members that his team had gotten information on during their raid on the production faciality, while a few were notable figures within the ruling corporations that ran the Zatis Consortium.

It was not much of a surprise, but it did confirm which corporations were involved with the Odium Syndicate and sparking the war with the Dramid Alliance.

The Zatis Consortium was no monolith, and the corporations that held their territory far away from the border with the Dramid Alliance cared very little about the war and their allies' desires to take some territory from another sovereign state.

"Welcome, Delia. We were afraid that you would not make it on time considering the trouble that you went through. But please, take your seat." The man sitting at the front of the U shaped table said.

However, instead of indicating to one of the chairs around the table, he was pointing towards a single one set up in the middle. A chair that looked far less comfortable and luxurious than the other leaders of the Odium Syndicate were in.

With her smile never faltering, she sauntered towards the chair and sat down. Looking like she was still the queen of the place despite the position she had been given.

It did not take a genius to figure out what was going on, and when Avery glanced around, he saw that the guards that the other Odium Syndicate executives had brought were glaring at his team.

'F*ck. They know that Delia sold them out.'

Avery had no idea if this was part of her plan, or if the other members had simply figured it out.

There was certainly plenty of reason to be suspicious. After all, Delia was the only higherup based in the Dramid Alliance that managed to escape.

It would not take too great a leap in logic to believe that she had sold the organization out to the Alliance Police.

"Do you know why we have all gathered here today?" The same man who had ushered Delia into her clearly unfavorable position asked.

"If I'm not wrong, it's so we can figure out our response to the loss of our operation in the Dramid Alliance and the war that has broken out. Though, I'm starting to believe that you might have other priorities I was not made aware of."

"See her insolence! She thinks she can get away with betraying us! I say we just kill her now!" One of the Executives shouted.

Others parroted this opinion, calling for Delia's blood. Which would no doubt extend to the guards she had brought along with her.

"Silence!" The man who clearly had the highest position yelled.

When that did not work though, he shouted even louder, "Shut up all of you! We're here to get to the bottom of this. Delia does not die until she has explained everything to us."

The man then turned towards her and asked, "Are you the one that gave the Alliance Police information on our operations?"

"Yes. I was getting bored of playing along with you people. The money wasn't bad, but I have better things to do with my time. When the chance to get rid of you all came, I decided to take it. I'm sure that most of you would have made the same decision in my position."

Delia did not look the slightest bit bothered as she confessed to her betrayal against the Odium Syndicate.

In fact, she was busy examining her nails to show her utter disinterest in what was going on.